Imatges de pàgina
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REMARK.

THERE are some who object to the appointment of regular times and seasons for divine and social worship; implying prayer, more especially; because they do not conceive how the mind can be always in a condition suitable to such exercise. To judge of others, in this case, by ourselves, is not philosophical or correct. But, were it otherwise, nothing could thereby be gained to the argument: for, it surely offers no reason whatever against the regular observance of social devotion, to say, that the mind feels not, at all times, an equal fervor in the performance. A well-regulated and Christian spirit is always sufficiently prepared for Christian communion. It acts on principles, ascertained and fixed; not on feelings, accidentally incited. It pursues a steady course of public and domestic worship, without perceiving its zeal to be lessened in the engagement of either, on account

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of the necessity which exists for the appointment of an hour, at which a Christian family, under the privacy of domestic roof; or the Christian congregation, in the more sacred courts of the church, are to assemble for the purposes of devotional occupation. Such a mind is habitually in readiness for the office of confessing, of supplicating, and of thanksgiving; because it is habitually under the impression and the influence of piety.

Never to feel a call to prayer, except when pressed by a severe distress; never to offer a thanksgiving unless some sudden and peculiar necessity shall be superadded to those which perpetually demand that tribute of the heart; never to acknowledge our imperfections and transgressions, unless under the recent commission of some deep misdemeanor; nay, not to feel such an habitual propensity to all these attentions and exercises, as render them at all times-suitable to the occasion-not only practicable, but as easy and natural, as they are graceful and consolatory-not to feel all this argues a very imperfect formation of Christian character. Languid must be the spirit of that piety, which requires, for its excitement, the goadings of

wretchedness, or the transports of delight. A life may pass without such occurrences as these, and, consequently, without the exercise of prayer, or the expression of gratitude. To reserve the offices of devotion for occasions of such magnitude, is somewhat similar to the withholding of charity-the charity of alms-giving, I mean-until it becomes solicited by an extreme and desperate case: and as this may seldom, perhaps never, be presented to us, our charity may seldom, or never, be bestowed. The devotion of true piety is uniform and constant; because, while it springs from an affection of the heart, it is, at the same time, confirmed by the understanding, and maintained on principle.

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DESULTORY REMARK.

Ir appears to me that one great, foremost evil of Novel reading is generated and established in its tendency to banish simplicity and nature from the mind, and to form artificial, imitative character; to fashion and confirm a practised mind; to seduce the frank and honest disposition from its native ingenuity, and to teach the art of perpetual acting upon plan; to be frivolously busy in analyzing what never can be analyzed, except by that power which formed it-the human heart.

Again, Novel reading leads to a fondness of making experiments on the affections of others towards ourselves, in cases, where to suspect, is the extremity of injustice and the perfection of folly. These moral alchymists seem not aware, that true affection may receive such a shock by an unwarranted experiment, or test, as may risk,perhaps accomplish, its overthrow and ruin. Is not life too short, and happiness

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