will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his Father. But, when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the Son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son! But the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry. For, this my Son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found!"

But, if the prayer of a returning prodigal be thus acceptable unto God; the prayer of the upright, the confirmed, the victorious Christian, is peculiarly his delight. It is the delight of God, because it embraces the sum and substance of all

true religion; faith, and hope, and love; purity, humility, and heavenly desires. When the good man prays to God, his spirit is enlightened, his heart is enlarged, his views are full of immortality and bliss. He pours forth, indeed, the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows of his soul. But he hath found a haven of tranquillity, in accordance with that good and perfect will of God, which to him is always acceptable. Nor is it for himself alone, that the good man prays: nor is it on himself alone that he draws down the dew of the heavenly blessing. He is, indeed, the instrument of good to many; and, in that day, many shall arise, and call him blessed. His family, his friends, his country, the supporters of public order, the ornaments of social intercourse, the cultivators of pure and undefiled religion, all share in his devotions, and, we may add, are all benefited by his devotions; for the fervently energetic prayer of a righteous man availeth much. But never is his piety more deep

and calm, never does he imbibe a larger portion of our Saviour's spirit, than when his intercessions arise for those who have done or wished him evil: for those, who have pursued him with injuries that he did not merit, or calumnies that he did not provoke. (8) He is, in truth, an universal blessing: reaping the fruit of Christian piety, in the happiness of a Christian temper; and largely diffusing that happiness around him: spreading the voice of joy and health, throughout the dwellings of the righteous; and entailing the divine blessing on those who come after him, to the latest generations. His words are noted in the book of God's remembrance: his prayers ascend as a memorial unto God. "The four living creatures, and the four-and-twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb: having every one of them harps, and golden vials, full of odours, which are the prayers of the Saints." These were the transactions in heaven, when it was disclosed to the beloved disciple, John: these will

be the transactions in heaven, till the consummation of all things. Then shall

the

pure in heart see God, face to face; and fall down before his Throne, and offer up their prayers, and praises, and thanksgivings, through all the ages of Eternity!

1

NOTES.

(1) Page 22. An ancient Father of the Church.] Saint Clement of Alexandria. Stromata. Lib. vi. § 5. p. 761. Edit. Potter.

(2) Page 23. Some illustrations of the text, from Gentile writers.] For the originals of the passages here cited, see Plato. Alcibiad. ii. Tom. ii. p. 149. E. Edit, Serran. Plauti, Rudentis Prolog. line 22-30. Ciceron. de Legib. lib. ii. § 16. p. 137. Edit. Davies. Hieroclis in Aur. Carm. p. 28-32. Edit. Warren. Though Hierocles flourished in the fifth century, the passages here adduced may be received as a far more ancient testimony. They are, almost literally, borrowed from the early Pythagorean writers. See Warren's, or rather, Ashton's notes: also, the "Opuscula Philosophica et Mythologica," of Gale.

(3) Page 28.

The ceremonial observances of the one; the spiritual worship of the other.] "Observa, quod in impiis, nomen ponit quod externa significat: in rectis, quod internum cultum." "Observe, that in speaking of the wicked, he employs a term descriptive of external rites: in speaking of the upright, a term descriptive of internal homage." Mercerus in locum.

(4) Page 30. Whose actions prove, that he neither loves his neighbour nor himself.] ORIGEN, in expounding the second great commandment of the law, has a weighty observation. "According to the Psalmist, he that loveth iniquity, hateth his own soul, and, according to Solomon, he that refuseth instruction, despiseth his own soul. Now, it is manifest, that no person who loveth iniquity, can love his neighbour as himself; for, towards himself he has no love. And