power of God, than Adam in his flourishing integrity by the strength of his own will.

2. Comfort against the weakness of grace. This is the proper comfort of this doctrine. It is, and ought to be a matter of trouble, that our grace is so weak; it should not be a matter of murmuring and despondecency. We have reason to mourn that our graces are not strong; we have reason to rejoice that we have any at all. Weak grace is enrolled in Heaven. Not a weak member of the invisible church, but hath his name written there. Heb. xii. 23. How glimmering was the disciples' faith! yet our Saviour bids them, in all that weakness, "Rejoice that their names were written in heaven." Luke x. 20. Could their names have been blotted out again, the joy he exhorts them to could not have dwelt with such a ground of fear. As the least sin beloved, brings us into alliance with the devil; so the least grace cherished, entitles us to the family of God; for it is but a rough draught with blots of what God hath fairly drawn in the glorified saints. The weakest grace gives a deadly wound to sin, and a sure, though not so highly comfortable a title to so abundant an enterance into heaven, as a stronger. Do not therefore seek your torment, where you should find your comfort.

(1.) The foundation of weak grace, and the hopes of it, are strong. Every new creature has not an equal strength, but every one has an equal interest in the covenant, and as sure a ground of hope as the highest. The design of God was to make the new covenant secure from the violations of the creature." I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel ; not according to the covenant I made with their

fathers, which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband to them." Jer. xxxi. 31, 32. He would make a covenant stronger than to be broken by them. That covenant was perpetual, in regard of God, for he continued a husband to them, and did nothing to dissolve the knot. This is not to be broken by a person in covenant: if it could be broken, it would be the same with the other covenant, though not in terms, yet in the issue. Now true grace depends upon this covenant: "I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts," ver. 33.

Besides, this covenant and the blessings of it are settled upon believers, and every one of them, as an inheritance. "I have sworn that I will not be wroth with thee: for the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall never depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee," Isa. liv. 9, 10, and that by oath. It could not have been made over in surer terms. Mountains, the stablest parts of the creation, that cannot be blown away by storms, shall depart at the end of the world;. this covenant shall not. It proceeds not only from love, but kindness, which is love spread with a choicer affection. It is a covenant of peace, wherein their reconciliation with God, and the blessings following from it, are settled upon them, and that as an heritage; "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord." ver. 17. and lest they should fall or lose their righteousness, the latter clause secures them ; " and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Whether you understand it of the righteousness of justification ar sanctification, it amounts to the same thing..

(To be continued.)

ADDRESSES TO SUNDAY-SCHOOLCHILDREN

No. II.

"Use not vain repetitions." Matt. vi. 7.

I HAVE told you, my dear children, that the Lord Jesus is willing to teach you to pray. Perhaps some of you think you can pray very well already. If you think so, it is because you do not know what prayer is. To pray, is to ask of God with your whole hearts. Do you ask of God with your whole hearts every time you say your prayers? No; that I am sure you do not, or your prayers would do you more good. There is a kind of praying which God loves, and which he will hear. There is also a kind of praying which God hates, and which he will not hear. This last kind of praying is what our Saviour calls in the text, using vain repetitions. I will try to explain the meaning of this to you.

A vain repetition is the repeating a thing in a careless, silly, manner. When you say your prayers without thinking of their meaning, or perhaps are thinking of something else all the time, this is to repeat them in a careless, silly, manner; this is to use vain repetitions. This kind of praying will never do you any good. God does not care for your words unless they come from your very heart. He hates vain repetitions. "The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." Who are the wicked? The Bible tells you, "those that forget God" are wicked. But if to forget God at any time be wicked, to forget him when you are praying to him is most exceedingly wicked. If you forget God when you are praying to him, then your prayer is the prayer of the wicked. It is an abomination to the Lord. So, then

if you ask of God with your whole hearts this is prayer. If you only say your prayers without feeling them, this is to use vain repetitions. God loves to hear you pray, he hates to hear you use vain repetitions. Those who pray are the children of grace. Those who use vain repetitions are the children of wrath. My dear young friends, do you pray in the way that God loves or in the way that he hates? Do you pray with all your heart and soul, or do you use vain repetitions? This is not a little thing that I am asking you. For if you have been using vain repetitions all your life long, you cannot be God's children, you cannot be in the way to heaven, but you must be in the way to hell. All these careless prayers are idle words, of which you must give account at the day of judgment. Oh, careless children, what will then become of you? I tremble for you. I beseech you to leave off all your vain repetitions, and to begin to pray in good earnest. Oh careless children, you have been pretending to pray to God day after day, and have been all the while affronting him with vain repetitions. Who knows that he will give you another day for prayer: but you have got this present hour, begin while you may. Thank God that you are alive to day; suppose you had died in the night, what could have become of your careless souls? O, from this very moment go to your dear Saviour, say to him, Lord, forgive my vain repetitions and teach me to pray. Only think how many times you have said the Lord's prayer. Do you say it with your hearts, and try to think about the meaning; or, do you chatter it over without any thought at all, and so turn it into a vain and senseless repetition. That you may not use the

Lord's prayer in the way that he hates, beg of him to help you to remember these four things.

1. Think whose words you are saying.-These are the words of your dear Saviour; it is the Lord's prayer. The words of the Lord are not common words. They have every one of them a most delightful meaning. They must not be said in a thoughtless, trifling, manner. It is a great offence to the Lord Jesus Christ to turn his prayer into a vain repetition.

2. Think to whom you are speaking.-You are addressing the great God, who is able to take you to heaven, or to cast you into hell. Think how great his goodness in giving you leave to pray to him. Remember that he looks at your hearts while you are praying. Be afraid to pray in a careless manner, while the great God is taking account of every word you say.

3. Think what great things you are asking for.Mercies for the body, and mercies for the soul. Every thing that can make you happy here, and every thing that can make you happy hereafter. Will you ask for these great things in a careless manner, as if you did not care whether you got them or not?

4. Remember, that you cannot pray aright unless you have the grace of God to help you. You are so ignorant, that you do not know either what to pray for, or how to pray. You are so sinful, that you cannot pray as you ought. But do not let this discourage you. If you really wish to pray, the Lord Jesus will send his Spirit to teach you. Never say your prayers then, either at home, or in the church, or in the school, without first begging of God to keep you from using vain repetitions, and to help you to pray to him in spirit and in truth.