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Extracts from the writings of Hannah J Prayer is desire. It is an elevation of the wards its Maker: a pressing sense of our of rance and infirmity, a consciousness of the tions of God, of his readiness to hear, of h to help, of his willingness to save.

The preparation of prayer is to live in pursuits which we may safely beg of God and in a conflict with all those temptat which we pray not to be led.

If God be the centre to which our h tending, every line in our lives must meet With this point in view, there will be a har tween our prayers and our practice, a co between devotion and conduct.

The design of prayer, is not merely to devout while we are engaged in it, but odour may be diffused through all the inte spaces of the day, enter into all its occupat ties, and tempers.

It is obvious, that the precept to pray ceasing, can never mean to enjoin a course of actual prayer. But while it more enjoins us to embrace all proper occasion forming this sacred duty, so it plainly imp we should try to keep up constantly that the Divine presence which shall maintain position. In order to this, we should i minds to reflection; we should encourag thoughts; and a good thought must be fix will produce no practical effect.

governed fancy at other times; if we abandon r minds to frivolous thoughts; if we fill them ith corrupt images; if we cherish sensual ideas uring the rest of the day, can we expect that the temple into which foul things" have been invited, ill be cleansed in a given moment; that worldly houghts will recede and give place, at once, to ure and holy thoughts? Will that spirit "grieved" y impurity, or "resisted" by levity, return, with with its warm beams and cheering influence, to the ontaminated mansion from which it has been driven Out? We cannot, by retiring into our closets, change our natures as we do our clothes. The disposition ve carry thither will be likely to remain with us. We have no right to expect that a new temper will meet us at the door. It is not easy, rather, it is not possible, to graft genuine devotion, on a life of an opposite tendency; nor can we delight ourselves regularly for a few stated moments, in that God whom we have not been serving during the day. We may, indeed, take up the employment of prayer, but cannot take up the state of mind which will make the employment beneficial to ourselves, or the prayer acceptable to God, if all the previous day we have been careless of ourselves, unmindful of our Maker. They will not pray differently from the rest of the world, who do not live differently.

Those who are so far conscientious as not to intermit a regular course of devotion, and who yet allow themselves, at the same time, to go on in a course of amusements, which excite a directly opposite spirit, are inconceivably augmenting their own difficulties. They are voluntarily adding to the temptations against which they ask grace to struggle. To acknowledge at the same time, that we

find it hard work to serve God as we ought, to be systematically indulging habits, whi naturally increase the difficulty, makes of acters almost ridiculous, while it renders almost impracticable.

What construction can be put upon that in which our wants and dependence is ackn ed, our sins confessed, mercy supplicated treaty made for the aid of the Spirit to of our many infirmities, and to relinquish will, if many of the intervening hours are h passed in pursuits of a totally different com Pursuits which raise the very passions we a ing may be allayed. Will the cherished va at our bidding? Will the required dispositio at our calling? Hence the necessity to b we pray; to think as we pray, to feel as and to act as we pray, otherwise what ri we to expect prayer will be availing.

The habitual tendency of the life, shoul preparation for prayer. Hence he who an habitual intercourse with his Maker, w gilant in thought, self-denying in conduct, strives to keep his mind in such a frame, tha serving, and pleasing God, maintain their nant station in the heart, he may hope voured to witness that simple, solid, pious prayer, in which he does not merely imag feels assured, that God is nigh to him, as ciled Father. This is the perfection of pr

FINIS.

CHRISTIAN MEMENTO:

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,

OBSERVATIONS

ON SOME OF THE

PREVALENT AMUSEMENTS AND VICES

Of the Present Day.

NO. 5.

SECOND EDITION.

NEW-YORK:

'PRINTED BY MAHLON DAY,

No, 372, PEARL-STREET.

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CHRISTIAN MEMENT

IF use could make a wrong thing harml which is about to be noticed would be n all; since it is hardly possible to travel t roads, or to pass an hour in the streets of or towns, without being painful witnesse sinful practice of taking the holy name of vain.

It is the custom of many, on very slig sions, to use such expressions as these name of God! For God's sake! Good G have mercy! Lord bless me! and the li all this is wrong. That holy name sho be mentioned but on serious subjects, de and with fear and reverence. Let us no abusing it, provoke his displeasure, who for higher purposes, even for his wo praise: remembering the solemn injunctic shalt not take the name of the Lord t Can the Lord will not hold him cu!

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