Prayer, if it be done as a task, is no prayer. Sin quenches prayer, affliction quickens it. The same spirit of faith which teaches a man to cry carnestly, teaches him to wait patiently; for as it assures him the mercy is in the Lord's hand, so it assures him it will be given forth in the Lord's time.

The breath of prayer comes from the life of faith.

Whatever you want, go to God by faith and prayer, in the name of Christ, and never think his delays are denials.

They who spend their days in faith and prayer, shall end their days in peace and comfort.

OF ETERNITY.

Look backwards, and time was when souls were not; look forwards, and our souls will be when time shall not.

Who will not deny himself for a time, that he may enjoy himself for ever?

What is the world to them that are in the grave, where our bodies must shortly be? Or to them that are in eternity, where our souls must shortly be?

Remember you are at the door of eternity, and have other work to do than to trifle away time; those hours which you spend in your closets, are the golden spots of all your time; and will have the sweetest influence on your last hours.

Our life is a passage to eternity; it ought to be a meditation of eternity and a preparation for eternity.

GRATIFICATION OF ANIMAL PROPENSITIES.

THE gratification of the animal propensities— commonly called the Appetites. These, which we possess in common with the lower animals, are implanted in us for important purposes; but they require to be kept under the most rigid control both of reason and the moral principle. When they are allowed to break through these restraints, and become leading principles of action, they form a character the lowest in the scale, whether intellectual or moral; and it is impossible to contemplate a more degraded condition of a rational and moral being. The consequences to society are also of the most baneful nature. Without alluding to the glutton or to the drunkard, what accumulated guilt, degradation, and wretchedness follow the course of the libertine,-blasting whatever comes within the reach of his influence, and extending a demoralizing power alike to him who inflicts and to those who suffer the wrong! Thus is constituted a class of evils, of which no human law can take any adequate cognizance, and which therefore raise our views, in a special and peculiar manner, to a Supreme Moral Go

vernor.

DESIRE OF WEALTH.

THE desire of Wealth, commonly called Avarice; though avarice is perhaps justly to be regarded as the morbid excess or abuse of the propensity. This is properly to be considered as originating in the desire to possess the means of procuring other gratifications. But, by the influence of habit, the desire is transferred to the thing

itself; and it often becomes a kind of mania, in which there is the pure love of gain, without the application of it to any other kind of enjoyment. It is a propensity which may, in a remarkable manner, engross the whole character, acquiring strength by continuance; and it is then generally accompanied by a contracted selfishness, which considers nothing as mean or unworthy that can be made to contribute to the ruling passion. This may be the case even when the propensity is regulated by the rules of justice; if it break through this restraint, it leads to fraud, extortion, deceit and injustice, and, under another form, to theft or robbery. It is therefore always in danger of being opposed to the exercise of the benevolent affections, leading a man to live for himself, and to study only the means calculated to promote his own interest.

DESIRE OF POWER.

THE desire of Power, or Ambition. This is the love of ruling,—of giving the law to a circle whether more or less extensive. When it becomes the governing propensity, the strongest principles of human nature give way before it,-even those of personal comfort and safety. This we see in the conqueror, who braves every danger, difficulty, and privation, for the attainment of power; and in the statesman, who sacrifices for it every personal comfort, perhaps health and peace. The principle, however, assumes another form, which, according to its direction, may aim at a higher object. Such is the desire of exercising power over the minds of men; of persuading a multitude, by arguments or eloquence, to deeds of usefulness;

of pleading the cause of the oppressed; a power of influencing the opinions of others, and of guiding them into sound sentiments and virtuous conduct. This is a species of power, the most gratifying by far to an exalted and virtuous mind, and one calculated to carry benefit to others wherever it is exerted.

DESIRE OF SOCIETY.

THE desire of Society. This has been considered by most writers on the subject as a prominent principle of human nature, showing itself at all periods of life, and in all conditions of civilization. In persons shut up from intercourse with their fellow-men, it has manifested itself in the closest attachment to animals; as if the human mind could not exist without some object on which to exercise the feelings intended to bind man to his fellows. It is found in the union of men in civil society and social intercourse,-in the ties of friendship, and the still closer union of the domestic circle. It is necessary for the exercise of all the affections; and even our weaknesses require the presence of other men. There would be no enjoyment of rank or wealth, if there were none to admire; and even the misanthrope requires the presence of another to whom his spleen may be uttered. The abuse of this principle leads to the contracted spirit of party.

DESIRE OF KNOWLEDGE.

THE desire of Knowledge, or of Intellectual Acquirement, including the principle of Curiosity. The tendency of this high principle must depend

on its regulation, and the objects to which it is directed. These may vary from the idle tattle of the day, to the highest attainments in literature and science. The principle may be applied to pursuits of a frivolous or useless kind, and to such acquirements as lead only to pedantry or sophism; or it may be directed to a desultory application, which leads to a superficial acquaintance with a variety of subjects, without a correct knowledge of any of them. On the other hand, the pursuit of knowledge may be allowed to interfere with important duties which we owe to others, in the particular situation in which we are placed. A well-regulated judgment conducts the propensity to worthy objects; and directs it in such a man ner as to make it most useful to others. With such due regulations, the principle ought to be carefully cultivated in the young. It is closely con. nected with that activity of mind which seeks for knowledge on every subject that comes within its reach, and which is ever on the watch to make its knowledge more correct and more extensive.

DESIRE OF MORAL IMPROVEMENT.

THE desire of Moral Improvement. This leads to the highest state of man; and it bears this peculiar character, that it is adapted to men in every scale of society, and tends to diffuse a beneficial influence around the circle with which the individual is connected. The desire of power may exist in many, but its gratification is limited to a few he who fails may become a discontented misanthrope; and he who succeeds may be a scourge to his species. The desire of superi