the mere words of prayer, never will reach the throne of the LORD GOD. We must cry day and night before him. St. Paul never prayed before his conversion; but then he is heard to pray, for he is in danger. It is when persons are in want and necessity that they come. "Shall not GOD avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily."-The Apostle Paul cried when he was converted to GOD; and David cried when overwhelmed with affliction and distress, and he felt that sin had laid fast hold of him, and was ready to bring him down to the very borders of hell; and from necessity he was constrained to cry out, as Peter himself was when he was sinking, "Lord, save, or I perish." Thus is a communication opened between GOD and the soul, and between heaven and earth. And then the man begins to pray, and his prayer is his occupation and delight; he begins to follow the Lamb of God, and walketh from henceforth in his holy ways: he begins to find that he belongs to the royal family of heaven; that he is a member of heaven's council, that he is a privy councillor of heaven, that he has access to the King of kings, and to the Lord of Lords; that the throne of grace is evermore open to him. And when the soul of a man is once opened to GOD in prayer, it is never altogether shut again. He soon learns to pray, and to pray more and more, and to cry more mightily to GOD, till he gets his every object and desire, until he attains to everlasting glory. How greatly are we privileged, my dear friends, that we have our lot cast in this land, where prayer is so much wont to be made; so, that, perhaps, never so many prayers arose from any country upon earth: Jeru salem of old was not, certainly, more the dwelling-place of the Almighty: the waters of salvation never so freely flowed from the hill of Zion as the waters of salvation flow from the Gospel of GOD throughout our land. And then we have houses built for prayer, and seasons set apart for prayer; and the servants of GOD resort thither on the Sabbath-day, and on the week-day; and would to GOD there was a disposition to do this more. We know something of the benefits and blessings of the settled ordinances of prayer and supplication, but the half has not yet been told; we have not known the thousandth part of the value of these things: if we did, we should besiege the throne of grace daily, and hourly, and every moment; we should take the kingdom of heaven by violence. Let me intreat you, in passing, to value these ordinances, to value our prayers: our prayers in the church are prayers gathered from scripture, are prayers composed by good and holy men, which the most devout Christian may use. We need help in these things: prayer acts as a ladder, sometimes, upon which we may climb to GOD; we feel the want of words; we feel the want of language for the unformed thoughts of our minds; we want the dead and dying thoughts of our minds quickened, as it were, by scriptural sentiments: we get them from the words of God; and if we use them aright we shall never come empty away. I am disposed to pray, and willing to pray, but am weak: this was the complaint of the Apostle. If it be so, then do not disdain those helps which God has sent his church. If the heart ascends to GOD, it matters not whether in our own words, or the words of any other person, or, I was going to say, any words at all. But there is something more than mere praying, more than having certain public ordinances for prayer, more than having seasons of retirement to pray. And those Christians who have such seasons improve not such seasons, when they seize not the first refreshing hours of the morning, and the wings of the morning ascend not up to the throne of GOD; and when they seize not the departing shades of night to convey their soul's desires to the throne of GOD, they lose much. enemies without grow stronger; he knows more of the sinfulness of his own heart, and is sometimes discouraged and distressed beyond measure; so that when the world sleeps sound, rocked in the cradle of the devil, under the very jaws of hell, sleep often departs from the Christian's eyes; midnight hours can testify his communion and fellowship with his GOD, crying out for the forgiveness of sin, for the removal of all the dark and the dismal fears which sometimes oppress the soul which is devoted to GOD. The true believer, I say, cries day and night before GOD, bringing all his concerns to him—a sinful world, which is quite unapprehensive of danger and a sinful church too, which tramples on innumerable privileges, and which deserves to have its candlestick removed out of its place. Oh, it is for the world's sake, for the church's sake, and his own sake, bowed and bent down with all the miseries and afflictions, and fears, and apprehensions, that flesh is heir to. And so the true Christian cries day and night to GOD, and so shall we if we are true Christians. I said before, there are some who never pray at all; and there are many who if they pray, their hearts are not much in that prayer. They pray as if they were some creditor of God; not like suppliants begging of GOD; not like the dying malefactor. And shall such cold heartless prayers as these, my dear friends, ever ascend to GOD? You do not want his bless But my text here speaks much of importunity in prayer, and the elect of GOD crying day and night before him. We find our blessed Lord praying, with strong crying and tears, and are told that he was heard, in that he feared. These are the pride of religion; these come not from without, not from the world: these are the secret communings between GOD and the soul. There are many things which a Christian needs to tell GOD which he cannot tell the world; much converse with GOD which the world must not hear, which the nearest and dearest friends must not intrude upon. And there is the heart of the Christian burdened with sin, and the remembrance of sin, and the evil of sin: and there is unbelief, and sometimes increasing unbelief when the road has been opened to the open attacks of Satan, who does not always approach the world, does not tempt the world; that is his already; but the grand object of Satan is to distress, if he cannot destroy, the saints and servants of the LORD GOD: to move God to try them, and to tempting, and therefore you ask it not of them, and to destroy them, as he did Job of old. Therefore the Christian finds it is not enough to have Sabbath-day prayer, prayer in the morning, prayer in the evening, and his noon-day prayer: no; the Christian ought always to pray, and not to faint. Enemies within increase, the Most High GOD. Oh, what enchantment is this! it is his nature; and sinners will sin by nature, as Christians will pray by grace. Oh, if you know not what this praying to GOD night and day means; if you know not what crying to God night and day brings,-all you have to lay before him, all that you yourselves find bad in yourselves; if you bring not these things to GOD, remember they will crush you. If you feel them as you ought, you will bring them to GOD: "cast all your care upon him, for he careth for you." I know no other criterion by which we can judge of ourselves than this-How is it between yourselves and GOD; and whether we have communications opened to a throne of grace; and whether we are availing ourselves of that communication day by day, and day and night; and whether we do really ourselves know that we cry day and night to GOD. Then, the next is, that "GOD WILL AVENGE HIS OWN ELECT, WHO CRY DAY AND NIGHT UNTO HIM." And the case requires, that our GoD should avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him. Though men see not, he is in the world; though men see him not, he is not far from any one of us; though men see not his work, he is carrying it on; he has been building up his church, and establishing its progress. He bid his gospel go forth, and what is it for? For the purpose of turning the world "from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto GOD." "He that believeth," "and is baptized shall be he says, saved." So, then, Gop himself prepareth the materials for building up his church. You recollect the circum- | stances of the building of the temple of Solomon. Solomon sent for hewers of wood, and other workmen, and stone hewers, for the purpose of bringing out of the earth material to build the temple, and all the wood and the stones, and to prepare them where they were cut down, so, that when at length they arrived at Jerusalem the whole temple might be put together, without the noise of workmen. And what is the Lord now doing in his church, amidst all the opposition by Satan, and by infidels, and all the haters of GOD, of what name or description they may beall the lovers of error, and all the lovers of sin? Amidst all this he is going on; amidst all that actually oppose his designs, he is going on, and making the wrath of man to praise him. He will work, and who shall let him? And this is the way he is going on making men praying men, making men elect men: and they are his elect who are crying day and night before him. And what is the subject of their cry?" Lord build, build up Jerusalem." And GoD is building it up. I say it is God's cause, to avenge his own elect against their opposing enemies; who would stop the conversion of one and the progress of another, and the final salvation of all. Would that we all felt this as we should, and then those who have some thoughts of religion, those whose consciences sometimes speak to them, but who know not GOD-young people, who live in the world, surrounded with the follies of the world, and whose consciences, perhaps, are enlightened, who know what is right, but have no heart for it-who can see the need of that piety on which they are looking, who know, that "there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death;"-oh, would not such a one tremble, and cry, Lord save, or I perish." My dear young friends; the season of life is going on, you are arriving at a more advanced period of life; you may perhaps be no more in a short time, having hearts perhaps, still devoted to the world, their consciences being more and more seared up with a hot iron. Oh, confess and tremble, and may the Lord have mercy on your souls. (To be continued.) THE PREACHER. No. 136.] SERMON BY THE REV. I. SAUNDERS. THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1833. (Rev. I. Saunders' Sermon concluded.) There are others in whom God by his Spirit is working, and GoD will avenge his own elect. The state of his kingdom, his plans, and his purposes require it; and were it not so, all would come short. What a mercy then is this. It is according to his promise to avenge his own elect, to avenge his people of their adversaries-his elect who cry day and night to him, that he should avenge them. It is his promise to us; it is the promise of GOD to support them who rest upon him day by day. We cannot move without him: one could have no encouragement to preach about salvation, or to tell you that there is any hope for you, had not GOD given the promise. For what can such rebel sinners as you do, in looking to GOD, against whom you have sinned? And what plea would you have left it to yourself? How can you devise a plan whereby you might draw near to GOD? No, sinner, Christ says " Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." The promise and declaration are Christ's"Thine, they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." "And I gave unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my VOL. V. [Price 3d. Father's hand." "Shall not GoD avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" Yes; he has promised it. Oh, Christians, do you know your high calling? do you know your election with the Son of man with him who is "The firstborn among many brethren" - with him that laid down his life to save them from death- with him who drank the bitter cup of death, and suffered himself to be treated with indignity and reproach, and was scourged, and mocked, and derided, that he might clothe you with a robe of royalty and the garment of salvation? Oh, it is Christ's cause; and he will “avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him." He will avenge them of their wicked adversaries, and bring them through, because he has promised so to do; and his promises are faithfulness and truth. Read the word of God more, and consider these promises more; go to them more, day by day, and you will know the value of them more; you will rest on them as on an arch-the more we press upon them the more they will bear. These promises of GOD never failed; they stand fast as the eternal hills: thus speaks of Christ to his church"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul | delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth." Thus kindly and graciously doth GOD feel towards Christ, and thus also doth he feel towards the spiritual members of Christ's mystical body. And so it is that his people shall be strengthened, that as a young man runs and rejoices, so will his people, so will his church; and he will prepare for the church, “a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined." And he uses all the endearing expressions, and the most striking figures to convey to the mind these blessings. He brings these things before us, into our hearts: there is line upon line, and precept upon precept, for this purpose. Such a power hath this corrupt nature within us, that though we would do good, we do not; we have faith, but it is as a grain of mustard seed. But still, though we believe not, he abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself. Thanks be to his name for this surety-the surety of the everlasting covenant. Christ is here: he has long made this When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith? Oh, there are some who have faith-but oh how little: how small in degree, how weak in character! And were it not so would it be even as it is? Should we be walking by sense, as too many Christians do, if they had faith? Would they reject Christ, just as the world rejected him; drawing each the same conclusions from the same premises as the world has drawn? Would they continue to judge and Then observe, in the last place, decide without God? Would they THE STRIKING REBUKE WHICH CHRIST UTTERS: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth?" What a thought; how we ought to humble ourselves! If the Son of man were to come now would he find faith here? Would he find faith in this congregation? Would he find his Gospel openly received? Would he find a place to receive him? Would the affections of the heart go forth to bid him welcome? mark the divine dispensations as the men of the world do, and see no brightness in them? and because GOD seems to cross their way would they conclude that he is opposed to them? Would they walk by faith and by sense, instead of walking by faith alone? "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith in the earth.” What a developement hath GOD made of himself! How the truths of his word have been unfolded before the |