CHAPTER XIX.

Female Prayer-meetings.

I am strongly tempted to give the caption, and leave the chapter itself a blank.

For really what can be said about Female Prayer-meetings, but just this, that they are good and profitable? If we reason about them, they stand approved, just as other prayermeetings do, and if we appeal to experience, that also testifies in their favor. Argument and reason appear to be all on one side, and to urge their culture. Nothing appears against them but the too common consent of Christian females to neglect them.

We hope that those pious women who may read the foregoing treatise, will be led to enquire, whether they may not render some service to the cause of Christ, by doing more in the way of meetings among themselves, than they have done.

It may be, dear sisters, that you have not met at all for prayer, or if this be not so, it may be you can make your meetings more attractive

more instructive and edifying. You should remember that your sex comprises a very large majority of the members of Christ's church that you are free from many of those cares and perplexities, which often hinder men from attendance on weekly meetings; and besides, that when by yourselves, you can properly converse and pray, on topics of vital interest to religion, which cannot well come into a meeting of both sexes.

We only ask you to seek guidance from above, to give the subject all proper attention, and whatever you think you can do, for the cause of Christ, to do it without delay.

CHAPTER XX.

Things which destroy Prayer-meetings.

No one part of religious duty, will ever be done alone, or neglected alone. Perfect symmetry, in the Christian character and life, we must not look for, in this imperfect state; and yet, though its parts may be sadly out of proportion, and mal-formed, character will always be a whole.

Every thing in religious dnty may be regarded, both as a means and an end. Action and re-action are always to be found there. The same fire that warms and vivifies, the closet and the family worship, will also warm the social gatherings. The keeping of the heart by each one, is guarding the sanctuary; and so too neglect in one part, causes loss and decay in every other.

These things, Christian friends, you can but know, and yet it may not be amiss, "to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.”

Terms relative to the heart are general in their significations, and while they may be

known and believed, and even felt in the aggregate; they may be strangely overlooked and neglected in their parts. A man for example, may be very careful for a season at least, in keeping his heart religiously as he thinks; viz., he may be exact in secret prayer and punctual in reading his bible and attending meetings and going over all the forms of religious duty, and perhaps may take great pains to be prepared for these things, while some unthought of sin is holding his soul in bondage. He may be harboring feelings of revenge for an injury, or planning a hard bargain, or striving through envy to supplant a rival, or giving currency to slander, or laying the reins too closely on his appetites, or shunning some known, but painful duty, or doing a hundred other things which the Christian should not do.

The psalmist has set such evils, in their true light as regards prayer. "If, says he, I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me? How easy then for a man to disqualify himself for secret converse with God, and so to become a useless member of the prayer-meeting and the church!

Any thing which keeps the members of a church from coming together, with confidence and affection unbroken, goes to break up

selves.

the power of social prayer. There is in that case no such thing as being of one accord in one place, and of fervent charity among themUnkindness and ill temper in the family, a refusal or neglect of a needful favor to a neighbor, especially in time of affliction, unexplained and unsettled differences about business, undue officiousness in the private concerns of others, unfriendly remarks, disaffection with the minister, and how many other things we cannot tell, may keep brethren from meeting together, or if they meet, may keep them from gaining any advantage thereby. And to all these things, the unclassified and undefined influences of what we call worldli ness in its various bearings, and tell us, whe ther there is no danger that our prayer-meetings may without our knowledge, become nugatory. How forcibly are we taught, not only that we must pray, but must watch and pray ?

One reason, we apprehend, why these dangers are not more readily perceived and promptly met, may be found, in the general, confused, and pointless manner in which the exercises of our prayer-meetings are often couducted. If we were accustomed to see every prayer, and exhortation, having an intelligible, well defined, and single aim, the whole life and soul of devotion could never depart without ob