an interest at the throne of grace jake encouragement from what the Lord has done for this people, even though every thing around them looks unpromising; and pray, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work-for they have made void thy law."When, under such circmstances, the Lord takes the matter in hand; when he thus vindicates his cause, the whole honour and glory must and will be given to him. JAMES R. WHEELOCK. Norwich, S. P. May 22, 1826. Bible Societies.-There are 3000 Bible Societies in the world, all founded within 20 years. Their annual receipts are about $4,500,000. More than three millions of Bibles, in 140 different languages, have been distributed over the globe, by these societies. 1826, May 24th, Installed Rev. DayIEL DANA, D. D. as pastor of the 24 Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, Mass. Sermon by Rev. S. P. Williams. 1826, May 17th, Ordained Rev. JoSIAH TUCKER, as pastor of the 1st Congregational Church in Madison, Me.→ Sermon by Rev. Mr. Thurston of Winthrop. RY WOOD, as pastor of the Congrega. 1826, May 31st, Ordained Rev. HEYtional Church in Goffstown, N. H. and, at the same time, Rev. JACOB Little of Boscawen, as an evangelist. POETRY. From the Christian Mirror. THE GRAVE YARD. Stranger, tread softly here; Tombs are beneath thee, and the dead reposing Each in his narrow cell, Break not their slumber, nor the gloom surrounding Their peaceful last abode. The dead forgotten lie; Dark in their dwellings, they know not the living, The living know not them; American Bible Society.-Receipts in the month of April,$6744. Yet we must join them, for new tombs Issues, 3817 Bibles and 4976 Testaments-value, $5373. Massachusetts Bible Society.—The Bible Society of Massachusetts held its anniversary on Thursday, April 24, at the Church in Chauncey Place, where a discourse was delivered by Rev. Dr. Codman, of Dorchester, from Romans, xv. 4. Persian Bible.-Mirza Jaffa, learned Persian, who passed some time in England, and of whom favourable views are entertained, has been appointed oriental Professor in the College at St. Petersburgh, and is translating the Old Testament into Persian. ORDINATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS. 1826, Feb. 22d, Installed Rev. L. H. EPOFFORD, as pastor of the Congregational Church in Brentwood, N. H.Sermon by the Rev. Abraham Burnham of Pembrook, from John, v. 35. 1826, May 13th, Installed Rev. REUBEN SMITH, as pastor of the 20 Congregational Church in Burlington, Vt. are opening, And we are called away. Friends have before us gone, Beloved, lamented; ah, who has not, weeping, Sigh'd o'er some loved one's grave? The frequent tear-drop and the weeds of sorrow, Though mute, speak loud of death. Here youth and beauty sleep, The pride of mortals-mortals, now be hold them, Stripped of their transient charms; The worm feeds sweetly where smiles once were playing, Where now the dark elod reste. The voice of mirth is hushed; The gay light spirit, that with joy once bounded, Is fled, forever fled, Nought here reposes but the mouldering relics Of animated clay. THE HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE. VOL. II. SERMON. JULY, 1826. PSALM, lxvi. 18.—If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. In these words the Psalmist has reference to prayer. This appears from the verses preceding and following. "I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer." There is a sense, in which God hears all the prayers of the children of men, whether righteous or wicked; whether offered in faith or unbelief, with holy or sinful hearts.He is in every place, beholding the evil and the good: no creature, no action of any creature, is ever hidden from him: He hears every word that is spoken, either by his friends or his enemies: yea, there is not a thought in any man's heart, but He knows it altogether. But for God to hear prayer, in the sense of the text, is the same as to accept it, and grant an answer of peace; and for Him not to hear prayer, in this sense, is the same as to reject it, and refuse to give it a gracious answer. No. 7. The heart is the seat of moral action. It consists of those affections and voluntary exercises, which are of a moral nature, and for which men are accountable and deserving of either praise or blame. To regard iniquity in one's heart, is the same as to approve or love iniquity, or to have some evil affection, or sinful desire, motive, end or inten tion. To regard iniquity in the heart, is to have a wicked heart.David evidently meant to say, that if he should offer a prayer with a sinful heart, the Lord would not accept and answer his prayer. And if David might, with truth, say this of himself; then it may, with equal truth, be said of every other person; for there is no respect of persons with God. Hence the doctrine taught in the text, appears to be this: God will not accept the prayers' of those, who pray with sinful hearts. I shall, I. Enquire what it is to pray with a sinful heart? And, II. Enquire why God will not accept the prayers of those, who pray with such a heart? I am, I. To enquire what it is to pray with a sinful heart. Holiness and sin, like light and darkness, are opposite, and always exclude each other. A holy heart consists of such affections and exercises, as the Divine Law and the Gospel require a sinful heart consists of such affections and exercises, as the Divine Law and the Gospel forbid. From whence we may easily ascertain what it is to pray with a sinful heart. And, 1. To pray without supreme love to God, is to pray with a sinful heart. The Divine Law, which is the great rule of conduct to all intelligent creatures, which is holy, just and good, and never can be repealed or altered, requires men to love God with all the heart.The Gospel requires the same. Our Saviour, in his Sermon on the Mount, repeated, explained and enforced the law of love. Whoever is destitute of supreme love to God, regards himself more than the Supreme Being, and values his own interest and happiness, more than the glory and blessedness of God. This is to make an idol of self.He, who does this, would rob God of his glory and felicity, if able, rather than resign his own interest and happiness. All who pray in the exercise of such supreme selflove, pray with a sinful heart. 2. To pray without benevolence, or charity towards one's fellowcreatures, is to pray with a sinful heart. The Divine Law requires men to love their neighbours, i. e. their fellow-creatures, as themselves. Thus Christ explained the second and great commandment in the Law; and thus it is inculcated, throughout the Gospel. The parable of the Samaritan, shows that all our fellow-men are to be considered as neighbours. And accordingly, Christ enjoins love to our enemies, as well as to our friends, and lays down this golden rule, "What soever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." He, who is destitute of disinterested love to his fellow-creatures, prefers his private interest to that of thousands. He seeks his own things exclusively. He would not relinquish his own happiness, to save a nation from misery. He is void of that charity, which "seeketh not her own." All his feelings and affections are selfish and sordid. If he prays, it is with a sin ful heart. 3. To pray without entire submission to the will of God, is to pray with a sinful heart. Such submission is included in that supreme love to God, which the Divine Law demands. He, who loves God more than himself is willing that God should dispose of himself and others, as will be most for his own glory and blessedness. In the Gospel, we are expressly required to 'submit ourselves to God.' Submission to the sovereign will of God is sanctioned by the example ofChrist, who subjoined to his importunate and repeated prayer, "Father, not my will, but thine be done."To pray without such submission, without a willingness to have one's petition denied, if God shall see fit, for his own glory and the general good, to deny it, is to pray with a sinful heart. 4. To pray without true repentance for sin, is to pray with a sinful heart. If he, who has a holy heart, loves God supremely; then he will condemn and loathe himself for all his transgressions of God's holy Law. The least degree of true love to God, leads to godly sorrow for sin; and godly sorrow ever worketh repentance. He, who has no true repentance for sin, is unfriendly to the Law and government of God, and feels disposed to justify himself for his transgressions. He is not willing to "accept the punishment of his iniquities, and feels as if he could by no means love God, should He see fit to execute his holy Law, and deal with him just as he deserves. His carnal mind is not subject to the Law of God. If, therefore, he prays, it is with a sinful heart. 5. To pray without faith in Christ, is to pray with a sinful heart. Supreme love to God, which reigns in every holy heart, will lead one to love and honour Christ, even as he loves and honours God the Father. Unbelief, which rejects Christ, is real opposition to God, who hath appointed the Lord Jesus, as the only Mediator between God and man. Unbelief can exist only in an evil heart, which departs from the living God. Besides, He, who prays without faith in Christ, must necessarily pray in his own name, as though he were deserving of Divine favour, for his own goodness. He is self-righteous. He has a sinful heart, the very reverse of that humble and contrite spirit, which God will not despise. I am, II. To enquire why God will not accept the prayers of those, who pray with a sinful heart? are, and always will be, undeserving of the least favour from the Divine hand. The following may be some of the reasons, why God will not accept the prayers of those, who pray with sinful hearts: 1. Sin is utterly offensive to God, in its own nature. He declares, that it is 'the abominable thing, that his soul hates.' As moral agents always act from their hearts; so all the actions of those, whose hearts are sinful, must be evil and offensive to God, and none more so than their prayers, which ought ever to be without hypocricy, and without iniquity. Hence we read, 'that the sacrifice, or prayer of the wicked, is an abomination to the Lord.' A prayer, though good as to the words, yet proceeding from a sinful heart, must be exceedingly offensive to that God, who looketh only on the heart, requireth truth in the inwards parts, and cannot bear to be mocked. And as God is greatly displeased with the prayers of such as pray with sinful hearts; so it is suitable that he should express his displeasure in a proper manner. If He did not, He would seem to practice the same insincerity, which He so much detests in others. But how should God express his abhorrence of the prayers of those, who pray with a sinful heart, otherwise, than by refusing to accept and answer them. That He will not, is plainly asserted in the words of the text, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." The same truth is either expressly asserted, or obviously implied, in many other passages of sacred scripture. But why will not God accept the pray. 2. The impartiality of God, as ers of such, as pray with sinful the great moral Governor of the hearts? It is not because they are undeserving of the favours which they ask; for so are those, who pray with holy hearts. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; and no one, by his present holiness, makes atonement for his past sins. He, whose heart is the most holy, does no more than his present duty, and is but an “unprofitable servant." All mankind world, seems to require, that He should not accept the prayers of such as pray with sinful hearts.That there may be no respect of persons with God, who judgeth righteously, as becomes a holy Sovereign; it is necessary that He should make a difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those that serve Him, and those that serve Him not: it is nec essary that, instead of looking on the outward appearance, like men, He should look on the heart, and treat all mankind according to their real characters. The real characters of men, are not to be determined by their words, or external conduct, but by the feelings and affections, the designs and intentions of their hearts. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Now, should God show equal favour to those, who pray with sinful hearts, as to those, who pray with holy hearts; how would his treatment of mankind appear, in the light of the great day, when all hearts will be laid open, and all characters exhibited in a true light. How, upon this supposition, would his conduct appear in the eyes of all holy creatures? What evidence would there be, that the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity? What evidence would there be, that without respect of persons, God hath given to every man according to his works? For the sake of his own honour, and the glory of his character, as the holy and righteous moral Governor of the world, God refuses to hear the prayers of all, who pray with sinful hearts. 3. Should God accept the prayers of such as pray with sinful hearts, He would virtually reward them for sinning. God may be said to reward those, on whom He gratuitously bestows favours, as an expression of his approbation of their characters and actions. Whatever favours, therefore, He bestows upon men, in answer to their prayers, may be considered as rewards. But, all the prayers, offered up with sinful hearts, are just so many acts of sin. Men always act from their hearts, whenever they act as rational, accountable creatures; and, of course, their actions are always holy or sinful, according to the state of their hearts. Should God, therefore, accept the prayers of those, who pray with sinful hearts, He would reward them for sinning.— This would be tempting men to sin, by holding out to them the highest encouragement to transgress and regard iniquity in their hearts.— But, "God cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth He any man." 4. It is impossible that God should hear and answer the real prayers of such as pray with sinful hearts. Whatever form of words one may use in his address to the throne of grace, his real prayer is what he sincerely desires in his heart. Prayer, whether acceptable or not, is always 'the offering up of the desires of the heart.' What, then, are the real desires of all, who pray with sinful hearts? As they pray without repentance and faith in Christ, they must desire to be accepted and rewarded for their own good deeds; when they have not done any good deeds, but only evil ones, cont nually and if they had done ever so many good deeds, they could not be rewarded for them, until their evil deeds are 'forgiven freely by God's grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;' which cannot be, until they believe in Christ, with the heart, unto righteousness.' Again, those who pray with sinful hearts, desire to have their sins forgiven, on account of their being sorry for them; when they are not sorry for sin itself, but only for having, by sin, exposed themselves to punishment. If they saw a way for them to escape the curse of the Law, they would not be sorry that they had sinned. Again, they desire to be excused from perfect obedience to the Law of God, and from a compliance with |
