in nothing on which you dare not implore God's blessing. Pray that Christ's church on earth may become more pure and spiritual-that its discipline may be effectual-that it may be preserved from the deadening influence of erroneous doctrines and immoral practices that its ministers may be qualified to discharge the duties of their sacred office and that its light, shed on the surrounding world, may prove the means of converting multitudes to God.

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Let there be much prayer for revivals of religion; and that they may be the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. Before the latter day glory of the church shall arrive, there must be such a measure of divine influence shed down on gospel lands, as will altogether surpass any. thing which has yet been experienced. And to prepare the way for this ineffable blessing, there must be such a holy fervor, such a sweet union, and such an unbroken hold in prayer, as we have never yet known. Let us neither expect nor desire it in any other way. The conversion of Christendom itself, would seem to call for all this prayer. fulness and yet a world of unbelieving Jews, Mahometans, and Pagans, all need our most fervent intercession. Brethren, let us be up and doing. Every thing within our power let us do, to establish the reign of the Prince of Peace. Let those who have money, give freely and liberally; and to their pecuniary offerings let them add their prayers. Let those who have qualifications, go into the field of labor, and bear the heat and burden of the day; and let them add much prayer to their toilsome labors. And if there be any, among all those whom God has laid under everlasting obligation by the redemption of their souls, who can neither become laborers themselves, nor furnish money-let such do what they can let them give a holy example, and contribute liberally of their PRAYERS.

2. I would now address myself to the unregenerate. I can not address you as fellow Christians, but as brethren of the stock of Adam, I take an interest in your welfare. As an ambassador for Christ, I beseech you to bow your necks to his yoke, and bow your knees before the throne of grace. Those of your brethren who are now on the side of Christ, were once, in common with you, rebellious against God, and neglectful of prayer. These things we most heartily condemn in our. selves, and why should we not condemn them in you? In that con. test which exists in the moral system, the side which you have hitherto espoused, is wrong. Your submission to the Prince of Peace, and deliverance from an eternity of sin and misery, is what we ardently desire. By all the tender ties of that common nature which subsists between us, we beseech you to join the company of them who call on the name of the Lord, and to take a part with us in spreading the conquests of Immanuel. It is wicked, exceedingly wicked, for you to refuse to call on the name of the Lord. Your dependence on God is the same as ours; and your obligation to pray is the same. Do not excuse yourselves from the duty, by saying, the Lord will not hear our prayers. You well know on what condition he will hear you. To those of your character, he addresses this invitation: "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;" and then adds, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy

upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." If you will break your league with the prince of darkness, and turn from your transgressions, your petitions at the throne of grace will not be rejected. Be entreated to enter upon a life of prayer; and let this be the very hour when you shall commence.

ARTICLE II.

IT IS THE IMPERIOUS DUTY OF ALL WHO CAN HAVE ACCESS TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, TO MAKE THEMSELVES WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THEIR CONTENTS.

THIS duty can not be questioned by any who truly believe in the inspiration of the scriptures. But where the duty itself is not questioned, its importance is by no means suitably appreciated; as is evi, dent from the great inattention to revealed truth, which every where prevails throughout Christendom. To increase a sense of our obligation to make ourselves more thoroughly acquainted with the contents of the holy scriptures, suffer me to suggest such considerations as these:

1. It appears to have been the grand object of the Creator, in giving reason to a portion of his creatures, to render them capable of becoming acquainted with himself. True, this attribute of man is useful and necessary for very many subordinate purposes; but its noblest and most legitimate use is, to enable us to acquaint ourselves with the existence, perfections, and will of our Maker. The brutes, with nothing but mere instinct, are seen to herd together; and by instinct they are capable of providing for their animal wants and gratifications: but their destitution of reason entirely disqualifies them for that nobler pursuit for which we were created, namely, to acquire a knowledge of God.

2. As it is the design of God, in giving reason to a portion of his creatures, to render them susceptible of divine knowledge, so it is the end of all his works, to furnish them with means for acquiring that knowledge. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work: day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge of God." God does nothing for the purpose of manifesting his glory to himself; for he has as perfect a knowledge of his own glory, without, as with, its manifestation. Nor does he do anything for the purpose of making himself known to the inanimate, or to the irrational part of the animate creation. He could therefore have no object in making an exhibition of his glory, were it not for those intelligent creatures whom he has endowed with capaci. ties for contemplating it.

3. God has made no other manifestation of his glory to the children of men, equal to that which is made in his word: if, therefore, we are bound to ponder upon any of the exhibitions of his character and glory, then are we imperiously bound to study and ponder upon that pre-eminent exhibition of himself, which he has made in the scriptures. In the 147th Psalm, after common displays of divine wisdom and power have been mentioned, this is spoken of as a great and peculiar favor; "He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and judgments unto Is. rael. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them." The revelation which is made in the works of God, is comparatively obscure; as every thing concerning the being, attributes, and will of God, is to be learned by inference; but in his word, all is intelligible and explicit. A father, standing in the midst of his children, can not more plainly deliver to them his commands, and tell them what they must do to please him, than has been done by our heavenly Father in his holy word. The whole volume of creation has never done half as much to make us acquainted with the infinite God, as has been done by the volume of inspiration; a volume which, in the compass of a few days, can be read from beginning to end. "Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.' Ps. cxxxviii. 2. Can any one believe that the Bible contains an explicit revelation of the will of God, and not feel obliged to make himself acquainted with its contents? How could children manifest a more complete disregard of their father, and of his authority, than by refusing to read, or hear, or in any other way become acquainted with, the contents of a letter which he had written them, and which, as they had been assured, contained very important directions relative to the management of their affairs, and to the regulation of their conduct, during his absence from home?

4. The duty of making ourselves acquainted with the word of God, is not merely inferred from the circumstance that such a revelation of his will is given us-it is explicitly required in the revelation itself. Christ said, "Search the scriptures." Paul, guided by the Spirit, said, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." And Peter said, "We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light shining in a dark place." A good man is described as one who meditates in the law of the Lord, day and night; while concerning the wicked man it is said, "He turneth away his ear from hearing the law." Prov. xxviii. 9. "And they shall turn away their cars from the truth." 2 Tim. iv. 4.

5. If it is the duty of any to make themselves acquainted with the revelation of God's will in the scriptures, it is the duty of all. The author of the scriptures is our common Creator, and the Judge of all the earth. The revelation he has given us, contains a communication of his will to the whole family of man. "Unto you, O men, do I call, and my voice is to the sons of men." It embraces all nations and classes of men; according to the address which we find in the beginning of the 49th Psalm: "Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world; both low and high, rich and poor, together." God has the same right to command the attention of the high as of the low, of the rich as of the poor. They are equally dependent

and accountable. Before him all human greatness disappears; for "all nations before him are as nothing." We are all equally interested in knowing what God's word has revealed concerning his character and our own-concerning his designs of mercy, and the terms on which the forgiveness of sin may be obtained. The duty stated in this Article is so plain, that no more needs to be said to establish it. But it is im. portant that some directions should be given respecting the manner of its performance. In what ways are we to make ourselves acquainted with the word of God?

1st. By reading it. "Blessed is he that readeth." In this way the Ethiopian eunuch was seeking to acquaint himself with the scriptures, at the time when Philip fell in company with him. Reading was probably the thing Christ had particularly in view, when he told his hearers to search the scriptures. It was in this way the Jews at Berea searched the scriptures, after they had heard Paul's sermons. Every man not absolutely an idiot, is capable of learning to read. And it is every one's duty to acquire this art, even if it be for the mere sake of enabling him to peruse the word of God. It is also obligatory on every individual who can read, to possess a copy of the scriptures, and to consult it every day. The kindred arts of paper-making and print. ing, have so reduced the price of Bibles, that the poor, as well as the rich, can afford to own a copy. Is it not rational to suppose, that He who teacheth man knowledge, made him acquainted with these useful arts, not so much for the promotion of human science, as for the sake of making his revealed will more easy of acquisition? There can be no doubt in the mind of the believer, that the Bible has done, and will do, more good than all other books taken together: for it is that law of the Lord that is perfect, converting the soul. Ps. xix. 7. The man who neglects to read the word of God, neglects one of the plainest duties in the world. He neglects that duty which is designed to make him acquainted with all his other duties: for the word of God is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. Ps. cxix. 105.

2dly. If, among those who are convinced that the Bible contains a revelation of God's will, there be some who can not read it, they are under solemn obligation to seek opportunities of hearing it read by others, until they shall be able to peruse it themselves. Should there be no members of their own family capable of performing this office, it is their duty to go abroad to enjoy this privilege. Is it not mani. festly a matter of sufficient importance, to make it proper to take all this pains? And where any number of families are contiguous, the members of which are unable to read, it would be highly proper to employ some one to frequently visit them, for the express purpose of reading to them the word of God. If a family, destitute of learning, should receive a written communication from a distance, which they imagined must contain an account of a rich legacy being left them, or some other interesting intelligence, would they long remain ignorant of its contents, because they did not know how to read it themselves? Would they rest until they had found some one who could read it to them? Such a written communication is in the hands of all those who have a copy of the word of God.

3dly. Hearing the preached word, is one proper means of seeking

an acquaintance with revealed truth. The preacher is not to be heard as an oracle. He claims for his testimony no respect, any further than it can be seen to agree with the written word, which alone is the true oracle of God. 1 Pet. iv. 11. Some may say, what advantage then can be derived from preaching, when the written word is that which is ultimately to be relied on? The answer is plain-preaching is of use to make us better acquainted with the written word. "Understandest thou what thou readest?" said Philip to the eunuch. "How can I, except some man should guide me?" was the answer. Unaided by Philip, it might have been impracticable for him, at least for a long time, to have ascertained who was that meek sufferer, (of whom the prophet spake,) who resembled a lamb that is dumb before his shearer. But by the help of the living teacher, the words of the prophet were soon made intelligible; and this prepared the way for him to believe, with all his heart, in the suffering Redeemer. The Jews at Berea derived great advantage from the ministry of Paul, notwithstanding they made it a point (as it became them) to receive nothing he preached, until they discovered its agreement with the scriptures.

It is perfectly consonant to reason to suppose, that the ministry of the word should be the means of improving our minds in divine know. ledge. Well-furnished teachers are of great use in facilitating the acquisition of knowledge, in all the arts and sciences, and indeed in every thing which needs to be learned. Let the minister of the word obey this injunction of the apostle; "Meditate upon these things: give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all," and his constant and attentive hearers can scarcely help but grow in that knowledge, which, in interest and utility, surpasses all other kinds.

But we are not left to the mere decisions of reason, on so important a point of duty. The word of God claims a hearing for its authorized ministers. Their commission is, to preach the gospel to every creature; consequently, it must be the duty of every creature to hear them preach the gospel. Every man who has the sense of hearing, is required to put himself under this joyful sound. It was in view of the preached word that the Savior said, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." All consistent believers in divine revelation, must ac knowledge the gospel ministry to be a permanent office, without which the special ordinances of the church could not be lawfully administered. But the preaching of the word is represented by Paul as being by far the most important duty attached to the office. See 1 Cor. i. 17. Those ministers of the word who were appointed by Christ himself, could not continue, by reason of death; but they did not leave the church until they had ordained their successors: and these in their turn were required to do the same. In accordance with this, we hear Paul giving this charge to Timothy: "The things which thou hast heard of me, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Their being able to teach, is mentioned as an indispensable qualification; and hence the inference, that it was a corresponding duty of their fellow men to be taught-to hear the preached word, and to derive instruction therefrom. The existence of the written word, furnishes no more reason why there should not be teachers of religion, than the existence of text books in grammar,