appointed way: the devout offering of a heart deeply impressed with a sense of the goodness of God; and the expression of an earnest desire, felt in the inmost soul, for the enjoyment of blessings needed, and promised. If, therefore, there is a single act of a man's life which demands sincerity; a moment when every feeling should be absorbed in the profoundest humility-surely it is when man, a sinner and rebel against his Maker, presumes, whether in public or in private, to address the Divine Being.

Prayer to God has been represented by the infidel school as worse than useless;-as an absurdity; and an insult offered to Deity. It has been said that the Great First Cause is necessarily, so infinitely exalted above the petty concerns of human creatures, as totally to disregard them ;-to pray to him therefore would be an act of folly. That provided the Almighty were in any way to interest himself in the affairs of men, yet as he must know, infinitely better than man, what is suited to him, and as his own benevolent nature would prompt him spontaneously to bestow the good which may be needed, so, to ask such things would be derogatory, as an attempt to instruct the Divine Being; and, as implying a doubt of his willingness to give what is necessary, prayer would carry with it the character of an insult!

We, however, "have not so learned Christ." The Almighty has represented himself, to us in his own word, in all the greatness of his character as a Divine Being; yet as deeply interested in everything that relates to man's happiness. As "looking down from heaven" upon the children of men, taking cognizance of their affairs; and declaring that no circumstance however minute, and apparently insignificant, escapes his vigilant notice. And yet, notwithstanding the perfect knowledge which God has of man's circumstances and wants, and the infinite delight manifested by him in supplying them, he has said, that for these things "he will be enquired of." The whole tenor of scripture therefore, as well as enlightened reason justifies, and enforces, the duty of praying to God as obligatory upon man.

In Divine worship, prayer must necessarily constitute an important element; and no worship offered by human beings can be supposed, to be, suitable to the character of man, or acceptable to Deity, which does not include much sincere and fervent prayer. The ordinary routine of our religious services on the Sabbath day, includes two separate occasions of public prayer: but it has long been a subject of doubt in my mind, whether more prayer, and less of preaching in those services, would not be most in accordance with the professed object of our assembling together. It will scarcely be affirmed, I am disposed to think, that the wish of the inspired apostle, that prayer should be offered "for all men," in the large and comprehensive sense which appears to be intended in the passage, can be realized in the limited opportunities afforded in our usual public services, as now conducted. It is a human infirmity to run into opposite extremes, and in avoiding what may perhaps be considered in many instances, an unnecessary repetition in the formulary of the church of England, and in seeking to guard against formality; may it not with some show of reason, be said, that we have fallen into the opposite error, and have left ourselves without sufficient opportunity of entering into the holy exercise of prayer and supplication, in our usual Sabbath day services, in the way, and to the extent, which is the duty of every Christian congregation? I am well aware that we have among us special occasions for united intercession, when the members of the church may associate together, and in "lifting up holy hands without wrath or doubting," may bring before the throne of the heavenly grace, man in every condition and circumstance of life, but it appears to me that it is in the "great congregation," in the ordinary assembling of ourselves together for Divine worship, that the catholic and

universal prayer "for all sorts and conditions of men," should rather be offered up. Much, therefore, as I should feel it a duty to guard against unnecessary change in our system, it would I think be worth a serious consideration, whether in public worship, as conducted in our Connexion the practice of prayer could not by some judicious and suitable arrangements, be more extensively promoted; and by such means our religious, worship be made to bring ourselves, our families, and friends, the church, and the whole world, into more frequent and close contact with the God of all grace, for his blessing and salvation.

I will not dwell upon what may be considered the elementary parts of public prayer, which are said to be, "invocation, adoration, confession, petition, pleading, dedication, thanksgiving, and blessing;" nor would I suggest that every such part should be found in the ordinary course of the Sabbath day Divine worship. There are, perhaps, however, some distinct portions of prayer which a minister of the Gospel, speaking before God as the representative of a public congregation, should never omit. For instance, confession of sin is on every such occasion absolutely indispensable; for O! how innumerable are the sins of an entire people; and what sorrow and contrition ought to accompany such exercises! Thanksgiving is another necessary part of prayer, which I am of opinion should never be neglected: every day we live, showers of blessings are poured down upon us, whatever may be our condition in life; but, alas, how prone we are to forget them, and the hand that bestows them; and instead of offering thanks for what we have received, man is more frequently found lamenting the absence of other gifts; indulging the cravings of an unsanctified, and ungrateful heart. With these, there are other portions of public prayer which the occasion, the general character of the congregation, and other circumstances, will naturally suggest to a minister; and which ought not to be overlooked. More particularly, it may be remarked, for the sick of the church and congregation;-for those who are called to suffer family bereavements, and are passing through the furnace of affliction; and especially for the young. But we are directed to pray " for all men; for kings and all that are in authority;" and not only so, in order, that we may "lead quiet and peaceable lives," but also for the higher reason assigned, namely; that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." It is evident, therefore, that the prayers and intercessions of a minister of Christ, publicly engaged, must not be bounded by the wants and necessities of the persons within the hearing of his voice, or the ordinary limits of his congregation. Preachers of the Gospel should not forget therefore that it is a duty, imposed upon them, by the highest authority they recognise, when praying in the great congregation, to ask the Divine blessing upon the sovereign of these realms, and upon the government, legislative and executive, under which we live. And that by their example, the people of their charge, and the congregations to whom they minister, are to be taught the true nature of the religion of Jesus Christ; which offers a provision of mercy to every human being, and seeks the present and future welfare of all mankind ; and teaches them, in the language of prayer, offered at the feet of the common Father and Saviour of all, to acknowledge themselves members of the universal family of man, and as interested in everything that promotes its happiness.

Prayer, as a part of public worship, to be effective-so far as relates to the congregation-should not be too lengthened; and must be fervent. Several reasons might be assigned why long prayers are not generally suitable in public; but it may perhaps be sufficient to state, that it is difficult to preserve the mind in a public congregation, in a proper state of devotion for a lengthened period; and that probably, about twelve minutes, consecutively, is the utmost, unless under an extraordinary influence,-that a minister can

be profitably occupied in this part of the service. But when we look at the component parts of an ordinary congregration, and consider how many persons in it are "dead in trespasses and sins:" how many who profess to belong to Christ are careless and indifferent, and need stirring up; and that many sincere followers of Christ may be cast down, "through manifold temptation," and require the comforting and invigorating influences of the Holy Spirit; what manner of man ought he to be, and how should his inmost soul be impressed, who is called to stand before God in solemn prayer, on behalf of such a people! We all know by experience the power of sympathy; and have no doubt frequently witnessed the effects upon a congregation, of a holy man of God, a faithful minister of Christ, pouring out his soul in sincere and fervent supplication to the throne of the heavenly grace; how the people have caught the same influence, and entered into the true spirit of prayer; insomuch that heaven has seemed to be brought very near; and they have felt that they had power with God and prevailed! On the other hand, where apathy characterises devotional exercises; where words with but little, if any, heart or feeling, are uttered in prayer before God, how sympathetic their influence with the congregation! Men go to the house of prayer, and return from it with all their pride of heart unsubdued; with their affections as much fixed upon the world as before; and without obtaining one holy feeling, or a single desire towards God and heaven. Public prayer-as well as all other-to be acceptable to the Divine Being, and beneficial to a congregation, must be fervent ;-it must be felt, to be sincere and to come from the heart. But fervency of spirit does not necessarily require the loud voice, as its medium, nor does noise by any means necessarily indicate its existence. There is danger, indeed, unless we are sufficiently watchful of substituting the mere excitement of the passions, for the true and genuine fervour proceeding from the heart. It is an inward feeling; a disposition of the soul; and may be as truly found in connection with a sigh; an inward breathing; and with the still small voice; as with the "mighty rushing wind."

In the remarks on singing, it was attempted to be shown that it was improper so to protract the ordinary service of the sanctuary, by a lengthened sermon, as to prevent the congregation having an opportunity at the close, to unite in singing the Divine praises. It cannot surely be less improper to deny a whole congregation the solemn audience which prayer gives to man with his Maker: on every consideration, therefore, ministers should take care not to intrench upon the allotted time for the concluding prayer. It is not difficult to conceive, that a preacher may be so confused in his thoughts during the delivery of a discourse, as to feel at the close that he had been labouring without profit to his hearers; and possibly that, to a considerable extent, may have been the case; but let the service be terminated by a heartfelt, earnest prayer, in which the congregation shall feelingly unite, that God's blessing may make up the deficiency; and the audience will not depart unwatered and unblest. On the other hand if a ready utterance, and thoughts, and words, be given to a preacher, and he feels able to say all that is in his heart, and all that he ever thought on the subject, yet, if the apostle's axiom is still true, that Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but that God only can give the increase, how can any man who has the least concern_to witness gracious results, close his labours without sincerely and earnestly, importuning the Divine blessing upon his efforts to do good? Besides, it is greatly to be feared, that, the masses of our congregations may be classed among the careless hearers, who, during the sermon, have probably had their minds occupied with worldly subjects, and who, at the close, if questioned, would be unable to give any distinct account of the nature of the discourse delivered in their hearing; but let the seed sown be, as it were, harrowed in by faithful prayer, and few as are those seeds which still remain in the ground of the heart, yet one or more may then possibly take root,

and bring forth fruit. Although a single sentence of the sermon may not remain in the memory, but every thing be completely lost that has been uttered by the preacher, yet the last part of the service, the concluding prayer, may possibly produce an effect when everything else has failed. Some portion of that prayer, nay, the very tone of the preacher's voice, and the earnestness of his manner, evidencing deep and solemn concern for the salvation of his congregation, may arrest the attention of the unconcerned, and lead them to serious thought, and to prayer. Ministers would do well therefore so to arrange their pulpit duties, as that one part shall not be made to intrude upon another. To take care not to be guilty of defrauding the Almighty of the true worship, which is his due, in the congregations of his people and that whether there be time to finish a discourse or not,-if even the preacher is compelled to leave a great deal unsaid, which he may feel very anxious to say-to see to it, that the full time, which ought to be set apart to the concluding prayer, be sacredly reserved for that solemn duty, and entirely devoted to it.

In concluding these brief remarks on prayer, as a part of public worship, it may not be out of place to recommend uniformity in the repetition from the pulpit, of the Lord's prayer. I am quite aware that the two evangelists, Matthew and Luke, do not both-possibly neither of them-make use of the same words precisely, which were uttered by our blessed Lord, when, at the request of his disciples, he taught them "how to pray;" and in the absence of that entire coincidence as to words, it is probable that the form generally in use in almost all the churches in this kingdom was adopted; and which in my opinion, it would be well universally to follow. The difference in phraseology, which those who depart from the usual standard exhibit, in their repetition of this sublime prayer, is frequently great ;-sometimes partaking of the extraordinary, and even occasionally bordering on the ludicrous. But the most dangerous innovation is that, which goes in effect, to overturn the great principle upon which the moral government of God towards man is based; namely, that of rendering to him according to his deeds to others! Hence we sometimes hear, words to the following effect, gravely uttered from the pulpit :-"Forgive us our trespasses, and help us to forgive them that trespass against us.' Whereas we are taught clearly and distinctly, throughout the whole of God's blessed book, and in several passages in so many words, that the measure of our forgiveness of those who offend, or trespass against us, will be the exact rule of the Divine forgiveness of our sins, or trespasses against himself. I would respectfully recommend to any who may have hitherto felt a disposition to depart from the usually adopted form of the Lord's prayer, to consider whether there really is any advantage to be obtained, which will sufficiently compensate for the inconveniences (to use the mildest term) to congregations, by the adoption of such an erratic course. It is not too much to assert, that the more simple, and uniform, ministers of the Gospel are in a matter of such vital importance as this, in which every congregation in christendom is interested, the more probable it is, that the people at large will be instructed in sound doctrine, and built up in the true faith.

ON THE ABILITY OF THE ASSOCIATION TO
EXTEND EDUCATION.

MR. EDITOR, DEAR SIR,

WHEN I wrote to you on Saturday last I had not seen the January Magazine, and but very few of the articles in the December one; it having happened that I did not get my copy untill our quarterly meeting, held on the 1st instant,

was over, or I probably might have said something in reply to your enquiries, "What ought, can, and will the Wesleyan Methodist Association now do in furtherance of the cause of general education ? "

I have read over, carefully, the communications published in this month's Magazine from your correspondents, "A TEACHER," and "EDUCO," in reply to these enquiries, the former, affirming with confidence that "the Association can do something "—and the latter suggests what it ought and can do.

Now Sir, what the Association ought to do, must necessarily, I apprehend, be determined by its ability; and what it will do, ought to be judiciously regulated by its obligations and ability conjointly.

These are the points, therefore, which should first be settled; and it is only fair, before the Connexional Committee finally decide what to recommend the Association to attempt to do herein, that we should not only "talk over this subject," but also communicate our various sentiments in reference to it, that we may ascertain what they generally are, or a measure may be recommended which would fail for want of the necessary means.

The point of obligation in the Association to DO WHAT IT CAN, I readily concede, and therefore the business rests entirely on the hinge of its ability. Permit me then to say, that for the Committee "to devise an efficient plan for extending the benefits of education by Sabbath and Day schools"excluding the means, would be an easy task, but to raise the means for carrying it into efficient and extensive operation, would, I think, be an arduous undertaking: I thus judge from past experience, and I therefore, venture to point out for the serious consideration of our SANGUINE FRIENDS, the following facts:

I. That although the Minutes of the Annual Assembly, report 26,216 members in our Societies; by a careful analysis of the Report, it will be found that we must deduct the number on our Missionary stations, (4959) those in connexion with the Scottish churches who manage their own pecuniary affairs (242) and the number of members in 32 out cf 58 of our Circuits (4622) who had grants made them, by the last Annual Assembly, exceeding their ordinary and extraordinary contributions, by the sum of £782 16s, 7d. leaving only 16,393 members in the other twenty-six Circuits, and only these, I apprehend, can be expected to do anything in furtherance of general education; and even some of these Circuits in order to meet the expectations of the Annual Assembly, in affording their usual or increased aid, suffer their own financies to remain considerably embarrassed: moreover, notwithstanding the liberality of those Circuits, which have contributed to the general fund, the Annual Assembly, for some years past, has had a large increasing amount of claims made upon it, by which it has not only been necessitated to incur a considerable debt, (the balance due to the Treasurer in August 1842, was £562 Os. 24d.) but has also been greatly cramped in its operations of usefulness; and although extraordinary exertions were made during the past year for the liquidation of this debt, the balance is reduced by only £163 10s. 5, and there still remains £398 9s. 9d. to be liquidated.

2. They ought to bear in mind, that the Association has already been called on to do extraordinary things, in the building of chapels, in establishing Sabbath schools, and in calling out and supporting a ministry in some degree equal to the wants and expectations of the people; that as a large majority of our preachers are married men with families, for their accommodation, it has been necessary to rent houses and furnish them, by which, to a considerable extent, the means of the liberality of many of its friends, are, as it were, mortgaged for years to come; and that of the twelve preachers now on trial in the Association, nine of them will have completed the period of their probation the next Annual Assembly.

3. They must allow me also to state for their information, that the Annual Assembly of 1843, resolved on the establishment both of a CHAPEL