quity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me ;" and Solomon declares "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination." Our Lord's directions to his disciples before they came to offer their gift, as well as the prayer he taught them, afford examples of this. St. James alludes to the same subject when he says, Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord;" and again, “Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss." We find the same sentiments in several of our Collects, which, though designed as simply expressive of the sinner's wants, and the saint's desires, embody a fund of sound divinity, collected as they are (and as the term implies) from the portions of scripture to which they are annexed. As they will further tend to illustrate our subject, I would refer to a few of them:-" Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord." Again, "That we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command." As the scriptural character of these prayers will be admitted by every Christian mind, we may infer from them, as well as those passages of Holy Writ to which we have referred, that it is a sound and scriptural maxim, That in order to obtain the promise, we must obey the command.

How, then, stand the neglecters of public wor

ship, with regard to the promise, "Call upon me, and I will answer thee?" They live in the open violation of a known and positive command"Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together;" they voluntarily turn their back upon "the House of Prayer ;" and then profess to avail themselves of the privilege and benefit of private prayer, expecting not only to obtain the ends for which private prayer was permitted and appointed, but also to obtain the same advantages the people of God derive from public prayer. Will God, who is jealous of his glory and the honour of his house, hear the prayer of such? If there is a time when the sinner shall call, and God will not hear, surely we may infer that there is no time, or no circumstances, in which the sinner is less warranted to expect that God will hear his private prayer, than when he forsakes "the House of Prayer;" save, indeed, the prayer of contrition for his past neglect, and sincere prayer for grace to enable him, on the next opportunity, to go up to worship in God's holy temple. But where this latter prayer and resolution is wanting, there is a second reason which prevents the neglecters of public worship from obtaining the spiritual blessings of private prayer. For even admitting that God was so pledged to hear prayer, as to warrant the sinner under any circumstances to approach the throne of grace, expecting to obtain his request; yet it will be granted by every one who has the slightest knowledge of his Bible, that much must still depend upon the spirit and nature

of the prayer. "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." It must be a suitable prayer, for "if we ask amiss, God will not hear." It must be the prayer of faith, for "whatever is not of faith, is sin." It must be the prayer of sincerity, "for the double-minded man shall receive nothing of the Lord."

Now, as we are wholly dependent upon the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, to indite the prayer that is acceptable to God, and to enable us to worship Him in spirit and in truth; if there is such a thing as grieving the Spirit, resisting the Spirit, quenching the Spirit—are we not taking the most direct method to deprive ourselves of His gracious aid, by neglecting a known duty, in forsaking that temple in which He loves to dwell, and where He has especially promised to be present with His people?

And so fearful and baneful is such a course, that a little reflection will be sufficient to convince us, that by it we forfeit all claims upon a prayerhearing God to grant our requests, and upon the Holy Spirit to indite our prayers; and the probable result is, that under such circumstances, we shall lose the very desire to pray.

Thus, by slighting "the House of Prayer," we deprive ourselves not only of the benefit of public prayer, but the benefit of private prayer likewise; or, in other words, of the benefit and privilege of prayer altogether-the only channel of communication between us and God; the only means by

which our spiritual wants can be made known, and our spiritual necessities relieved.

Secondly, as prayer is the medium of communication between us and God, the Word of God is the medium of communication between God and us; as we speak to God in prayer, so God speaks to us in, and by, His word. And as God invites us to His holy temple as a place of prayer, He also invites us to it as a means of instruction.

66 Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths." Isaiah ii. 3. Here the house of God is recognised as a place of instruction; and the command to the apostles was, "Go, stand and speak in the temple, to the people, all the words of this life." Acts v. 20. There, from the treasury of divine truth, the people are to be instructed in the will of God, and in all things that pertain to life and godliness. And hence preaching is styled, "the ministry of the word."

How, then, stand the neglecters of public worship, with regard to the means of obtaining a knowledge of divine truth, while they forsake the public means of instruction? We do not deny that much religious information may be obtained from the word of God and religious books; but, as all religious knowledge is not saving, sanctifying knowledge-as there is a knowledge of great extent, which is, notwithstanding, vain and profitless-a knowledge that puffeth up, rather than humbleth; if we would not woefully deceive our

selves, by mistaking a barren, theoretical knowledge for the practical and life-giving knowledge of divine truth, let us see if we are warranted in expecting to obtain such knowledge while we slight the public means of instruction. If we are wholly dependent upon the Holy Spirit's teaching, for a saving knowledge of divine truth-if, without his enlightening and life-giving influences, the word of God is a dead letter, which killeth rather than giveth life-if we can never know its truth, feel its quickening power, or enjoy its blessings, unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to our minds, and applies it to our hearts, then, as we can no more expect the gracious influence of the Spirit in private study than in private prayer, while we neglect the public means of grace, the knowledge we obtain under such circumstances is far more likely to prove a curse than a blessing, and its tendency more likely to elate than to humble the soul. And we generally find those who devote a portion of the Sabbath to reading, while they neglect public worship, are most vain and self-willed, and for the most part destitute of the moral qualification for obtaining spiritual knowledge, which is a meek, teachable, prayerful, and practical spirit, without which we may seek, but shall never find, the knowledge that maketh wise unto salvation.

Consider, then, dear brethren, the extent of the loss we sustain, by slighting the public means of instruction. It is not my design to enlarge on the necessity and excellency of divine knowledge,