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for the sustenance of the animal economy? Was it ever imagined to be incompatible with any of the attributes of the divinity, to cultivate the ground, with a view to a future harvest? Who would not be justly pitied as insane, who should question the propriety of employing the aid of our active fire companies to extinguish the fury of a desolating conflagration? Yet all these unquestionable duties, and all others that could be named, are no less affected by the objections mentioned, than the duty of prayer is. Now, I should wish to know, whether there be any connexion between the causes and effects, or rather between the means and ends, in these duties of acknowledged obligation, which does not exist between prayer and the obtainment of the blessings resulting? Is there such a connexion between the exertion of swimming and the preservation of the life of the individual, that it effects a change in the divine purposes, in his favour? This, none will dare to allege. Does it give God any information respecting the propriety of saving the life of the drowning man? This would be equally inadmissible. Does it merit the life of the man at the hand of God? Such a position would be preposterous. The plain matter of fact is this. There is no necessary connexion between means and ends. The efficacy of means, therefore, is referrible to the sovereign will of God, who has a right to establish whatever connexions he pleases. All the means, stampt with his authority, whether in the kingdom of grace, or in the volume of nature, are equally legitimate and equally reasonable.

The intelligent Christian, in addressing the throne of grace, is so far from anticipating any change in the will of God concerning him, that his great object is a change on himself, and his own condition. Let us illustrate this idea by the following similitude. Suppose a rope to be thrown from a rock or froin the

shore to a drowning man, with a command to lay hold upon it, and thereby tow himself to a place of safety. He eagerly obeys, seizes the rope, mounts the rock, and is thus rescued from a watery grave. But the rock remains unmoved. It has not suffered even the shadow of change. He alone, has been the subject of mutation. From being in the most imminent jeopardy, he is now in possession of perfect safety. But the rock remains unmoved. Even so it is with the Rock of ages. It is "the same yesterday, to-day and for ever. "The poor sinner alone, experiences the change. He is taken from the fearful pit, and miry clay, his feet established on the rock, and his way made perfect. Through the medium of prayer, he receives the choicest blessings of the everlasting covenant. His heart is disposed by the grace of God, to solicit such blessings, as his heavenly Father is about to bestow on him. " For these things will I be inquired at of the house of Israel, that I may do them for them."

In the same manner we might illustrate the reasonableness of the duty of prayer, by instituting a comparison between it, and the other acknowledged duties abovementioned. We might easily show, that between the food we eat, and the sustenance of our bodily system, there is no other ultimate connexion, than the will of God. The same is true, with regard to the contact of water, and the extinction of fire. Let us take a slight glance at the connexion between the cultivation of the ground, and the expected harvest. Who is so foolish as to expect the harvest, and yet live in the habitual neglect of that agricultural process, which is known to be subservient thereunto? Equally vain to expect the blessings of salvation, and yet live in the habitual neglect of asking them. But these means affect not the determinations of the Deity. The cultivation of the ground conveys to him no informa

tion, that the season of vegetation has arrived that the spring should now pour forth her genial influences, and enrich the fields with luxuriant fecundity. Neither does our prayer to God, give him any information of our wants. Yet both are means which divine wisdom has connected with, and rendered subservient to ends most interesting and most important. The opening of the bosom of the soil, and its subjugation to the empire of the ploughshare, the mattock and the hoe, have no merit in procuring a crop. No more have our prayers and supplications, in procuring any thing at the hand of our heavenly Father. When we have done all, we are only unprofitable servants. Yet in each of these duties, we are encouraged humbly to expect the realization of the aphorism, "The hand of the diligent maketh rich." The duty of prayer, therefore, is as reasonable as the cultivation of the ground, or any other duty whose indispensability of obligation is universally acknowledged. Between none of those phenomena called causes and effects in the physical world, is there any necessary connexion. For aught we know, or can know, the presence of caloric might have congealed water, and its absence might have been followed by fluidity. All depends on the will of the Author of the universe. What are usually denominated the laws of nature, are wholly destitute of efficiency. The phenomena of the universe, are the result of the energy of " a present Deity." In him we live, move, and have our being. His operations are uniform and medial. The uniformity of operation, which it pleases God to observe in the production of the phenomena of nature, is termed a law. Material substances, for example, are attracted to a certain centre. Their uniform tendency to this point is called the law of gravitation. The slightest examination will show, that the law has no agency. It is totally destitute of

efficiency. It is nothing more than the rule, according to which a competent agent is wont to act. God himself is the great agent in the volume of nature. In the language of the poet, he

"Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,

Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the

trees:

Lives thro' all life, extends thro' all extent:

Spreads undivided, operates unspent.” How interesting to the believer, is the idea of an ever present God! "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," coming from the mouth of his heavenly Father, and appreciated by a realizing faith, affords him more joy than the wicked have when their corn and wine abound most plentifully. He can lie down in peace and sleep in safety. His God sustains his life. Thus it is

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though the earth remove, he will not be afraid; though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled; though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof;" because "God is his refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Although God could accomplish all his purposes instantaneously by a word of power, he chooses to work by means, and has made it our duty to be diligent in their observance. We are so prone to dwell on the visible surface of the effect, that we are in danger of ascribing to the mere machinery in the hand of the Deity, that agency which ought to be referred to the efficiency of an omnipresent spirit. While, therefore, Christianity inculcates the diligent use of the means of grace generally, and of prayer particularly, it at the same time cautions against resting in them. We must look through them and beyond them to their divine Author, who alone can render them efficacious for the purposes for which they were intended.

There is no feature more charac

teristic of the Christian than a disposition to pray, and a delight in the duty. These are an immediate result of the new birth, “Behold he prayeth." Where this disposition does not exist, there is no evidence of spiritual life. We do not deny, that in spiritual as well as natural life, there may be temporary swoons and occasions of suspended animation: but we do aver, that a continued habitual neglect of this medium of holy intercommunion with God, is as decisive evidence of a state of spiritual death, as a continued cessation of breathing would be, of the soul's departure from its clay tenement. The true Christian, therefore, will be diligent and careful in the performance of this duty. He will endeavour to be careful for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, make his requests known unto God, who will abundantly supply all his wants, according to his riches in glory which is by Christ Jesus.

S. B. W.

FOR THE PRESBYTERIAN MAGAZINE.

Religious Feeling.

That the doctrines of Biblical religion are addressed to the understanding of men there can be no reasonable doubt. "I speak as to wise men; (saith Paul) judge ye what I say." 1 Cor. x. 15. "Be ready always (saith Peter) to give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." 1 Peter iii. 15. Thus it appears, that those who were first employed in promulgating the evangelical system, conceived it to be a system that would bear the test of a rational investigation.

It must be clear, however, that no very accurate examination can be made into any system of religious doctrine, while the mind is under the violent impulse of agitated feeling. A person, in such a state of mind, may embrace doctrines, which are absolutely false or reject doctrines, which are really true.

If this then be granted as an event which may naturally occur to a mind completely subjected to the influence of excited passion-it will at once be allowed also, that it is a matter of the greatest importance that those, who are under the impetus of religious feeling, should carefully examine the source whence such excitement may have

sprung. If actions of a moral nature be tried by the motive of the agentwe think that which lays claim to the high appellation of religious feeling, should be tried likewise by the nature of the exciting cause. Should the exciting cause, therefore, have nothing to do with religion, we do not think that the feeling produced by it, however high the excitement may be, has any claim to be inserted in the catalogue of those feelings, which are denominated religious.

This goes to show that, in religious matters, men's judgments ought to be addressed rather than their passions. To excite the passions, by florid, unmeaning declamation, and to convince the judgment, by sound, logical reasoning, are two very different things. The former mode of address may produce among the weaker part of an auditory an abundance of temporary feeling and noise; but the latter alone can, under the blessing of. God, make men rational and consistent believers. Can the florid orator say to his hearers, with any degree of propriety," I speak to you as to wise men; judge ye what I say." Ought he not rather to say, "I speak to you as to fools, therefore I hope you will banish as far from you as possible all reason and judgment." A religion, founded upon such a basis, must very strongly resemble a house built upon the sand: it may stand well enough while the excitement lasts; but, when the trials, temptations, and storms of life assail it, it will soon be swept away, and leave hardly a wreck behind.

tures have done the same; and it may lead them, while under the influence of temporary feeling, to exclaim, "What must we do to be saved?" But, if the feeling goes no further than this, it cannot be considered as holy, because it must be regarded as of the same nature with that excited in a man's breast when

his personal safety is in any way endangered. Remove in both cases the exciting cause and in both cases the emotion will cease. But the effects of true religious impression are lasting in their consequences.

It is not then by noisy declamation, not by enthusiastic vapouring, that we may be expected, under the blessing of God, to make genuine converts to the religion of Jesus Christ, but by sound irresistible argument, which, even those who would oppose themselves to the truth, cannot logically controvert.

Preachers, who address the passions chiefly, may excite feelings in various 'The most usual meways. thods resorted to, are descriptions of death and of a future place of torment. These descriptions have frequently, on weak minds, a very powerful effect. The orator, perhaps, depicts all the distressing and agonizing circumstances which accompany the grim messenger, that snaps the thread of life and breaks entirely man's connexion with all sublunary objects. Whilst he is so employed, many of the feeling part of his audience, who may have experienced, perhaps, in the loss of their relations or friends, the desolating effects of death, are very naturally melted into tears. These tears may, and I believe, often are mistaken, by preachers, for the effects of that penitential sorrow, which, according to the doctrine of Christianity, does invariably, though in different degrees in different individuals, constitute a part of genuine conversion. This certainly shows the necessity of carefully examining the origin of feeling. For the feeling, which is excited by descriptions of death, although per-. fectly natural, and frequently serviceable in arousing the stupid, ought not to be viewed as religious. It may lead ultimately, if properly directed by wise instruction, to religious feeling: but, while it continues merely an emotion of what may be called natural sympathy, it must be considered as a feeling which may be easily excited in any highly sympathetic mind, although totally destitute of the emotions which accompany strong religious impression.

The other method, to which some preachers very frequently have recourse to rouse the dormant feelings of their hearers, is to present them with alarming pictures of the state of the damned in a future world. It is indeed proper sometimes to employ this means to alarm the wicked, because the scrip

It will be said, however, by some perhaps, that logical, or in other words, rational preaching, is a manner of address by far too cold and uninteresting to attract the attention of the generality of hearers: that didactic reasoning may please and gratify the learned, but that it can neither please nor edify minds untutored and unaccustomed to philosophical argumentation.

This objection appears, at first sight, to carry along with it considerable weight. But, when we carefully examine it, and reduce it to the test of experience, we shall find that it loses at least a great part, if not the whole, of its gravity.

Every candid observer will allow, that the religion, which is founded upon mere animal feeling, is exceedingly evanescent. We seldom see any of those religious societies, which have been collected under the ministry of a mere declaimer, maintain for any length of time, consistency of Christian conduct. As they and their instructer are entirely regulated by the predominant feeling of the moment, they frequently exhibit in their actions and

proceedings a strange and whimsical appearance. They continue for a time, perhaps, to display great and unceasing zeal in promoting the cause of Christ; and, while in the course of their proceedings they meet with any thing like novelty, to attract their notice and to keep alive the fire of their zeal, they will compass sea and land to make proselytes to what they call Christianity: but, when novelty ceases to attract-when no object beyond their own society excites their attention -when they have no further opportunity, probably, of showing their zeal in exhorting and proselytingthen their religious feelings in a great measure subside-or they keep them alive, most likely, by blaming each other and exciting quarrels among themselves.

thy and noisy declamation, should show, by the interest which he himself takes in the subject, that he really wishes to convince the reason and the understanding of his hearers-and to persuade them to quit the service of Satan, and engage in the worship and service of God.

But it may be asked, have the affections and feelings of the mind nothing to do with religion? We allow that the affections and feelings have to do with religion; but we maintain, that when these are excited, it is necessary that we should know to what particular object or cause they owe their excitement. A being, who loves he knows not what, and is agitated and excited about something he knows not what, cannot be said surely to possess any thing like a rational piety.

Does not this then prove, that there can be no real religion without a proper knowledge of the object of religion? Can this knowledge then be obtained by giving

If observation and experience attest the truth of the description here given, we think that little satisfactory can be pleaded on the side of the mere declamatory mode of addressing mankind. The understand-feeling, in our religious exercises,

ing must be addressed more than the passions, if we would wish to be instrumental in making Christians who can "give an answer to those who ask a reason of the hope that is in them."

But it may be imagined by some, probably, that when we argue for rational preaching and rational Christianity, we are endeavouring to justify that cold indifference and forbidding apathy which some preachers have frequently exhibited in their public addresses. We assure our readers that we have no such intention. We highly disapprove of apathy and indifference in one who professes to watch for the salvation of souls. But surely there is a medium between the extremes of chilling frigidity, and loud, fiery, unmeaning declamation. It is, in this middle region, we conceive, that truth, sound sense, and genuine religion will be found to exist. The preacher, therefore, while he endeavours to avoid the extremes of apa

the precedence of reason? By some, we are aware, this mode of proceeding is considered right; because they regard it as a most powerful indication of the religious sincerity of those who practise it. Those, however, who thus judge of religious sincerity, do not certainly adopt a safe criterion of judgment. The enthusiastic visionary may be sincere in his devotions-yet as he does not know why or wherefore he feels, he cannot be said, in the Biblical sense, "to worship God, who is a spirit, in spirit and in truth." John iv. 24. The fears and feelings and emotions, which he frequently experiences from his belief of dreams and other groundless causes of excitement, are very often of a nature not dissimilar to those experienced by the madman in his cell, when he imagines that he is beset by a thousand robbers, though no human being be near him. We pity the lunatic who is continually tormented with the groundless alarms of his

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