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time, and fitting your spirit for prayer, you would find mighty advantages from it. This method, though it seems such a small circumstance of life, would, in all probability, be a means of great piety. It would keep it constantly in your head, that softness and idleness were to be avoided that self-denial was a part of Christianity. It would teach you to exercise power over yourself; and make you able, by degrees, to renounce other pleasures and tempers that war against the soul.

This one rule would teach you to think of others: it would dispose your mind to exactness; and be very likely to bring the remaining part of the day under rules of prudence and devotion.

But, above all, one certain benefit from this method you will be sure of having;-it will best fit and prepare you for the reception of the Holy Spirit. When you thus begin the day in the spirit of renouncing sleep, because you are to renounce softness and redeem your time; this disposition, as it puts your heart into a good state, so it will procure* the assistance of the

*Not that this good "disposition," or "good state of the heart," has in it any procuring merit, by which further assistances of the Holy Spirit are obtained; but, it is that state which Christ condescends to own. HE FIRST, and HE ALONE, thus prepares the heart. Then, to the humble he giveth more grace; according to His own unmerited and gracious appointment, that to him that hath shall be given, and he shall have yet more abundantly.-This is one of the instances in which this very perspicuous Writer not only fails to exhibit clearly the doctrine of free grace, but even uses language which favours the natural leaning of the heart toward the idea of human merit.-EDITOR.

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Holy Spirit. What is so planted and watered will certainly have an increase from God. You will then speak from your heart; your soul will be awake; your prayers will refresh you, like meat and drink; you will feel what you say; and begin to know what saints and holy men have meant by fervours of devotion.

THE SCHOLAR AND THE GENTLEMAN, TRANSFORMED
INTO THE DEVOTED CLERGYMAN.

URANIUS is a holy priest, full of the spirit of the gospel; watching, labouring, and praying for a poor • country village.

When Uranius first entered into holy orders, he had a haughtiness in his temper, a great contempt and disregard for all foolish and unreasonable people: but he has prayed away this spirit, and has now the greatest tenderness for the most obstinate sinners; because he is always hoping that God will, sooner or later, hear those prayers that he makes for their repentance. The rudeness, ill-nature, or perverse behaviour, of any of his flock, used at first to betray him into impatience; but it now raises no other passion in him, than a desire of being upon his knees, in prayer to God for them.

Thus have his prayers, for others, altered and amended the state of his own heart. It would strangely delight you, to see with what spirit he converses, with

what tenderness he reproves, with what affection he exhorts, and with what vigour he preaches; and it is all owing to this-because he reproves, exhorts, and preaches to those for whom he first has prayed to God. This devotion softens his heart, enlightens his mind, sweetens his temper, and makes every thing, that comes from him, instructive, amiable and affecting.

At his first coming to this little village, it was as disagreeable to him as a prison; and every day seemed too tedious to be endured in so retired a place. He thought his parish too full of poor and mean people— that there were none of them fit for the conversation of a gentleman.

This put him upon a close application to his studies. He kept much at home, writ notes upon Homer and Plautus, and sometimes thought it hard to be called to pray by any poor body, when he was just in the midst of one of Homer's battles. This was his polite, or, I may rather say, poor, ignorant, turn of mind, before devotion had got the government of his heart.

But now his days are so far from being tedious, or his parish too great a retirement, that he only wants more time to do that variety of good, which his soul thirsts after. The solitude of his little parish is become matter of great comfort to him, because he hopes that God has placed him and his flock there, to make it their way to heaven. He can now, not only converse with, but gladly attend and wait upon, the poorest kind of people.

He is now daily watching over the weak and in

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firm; humbling himself to perverse, rude, ignorant people, wherever he can find them and is so far from desiring to be considered as a gentleman, that he desires to be used as the servant of all; and, in the spirit of his Lord and Master, girds himself, and is glad to kneel down and wash any of their feet. He now thinks the poorest creature in his parish good enough, and great enough, to deserve the humblest attendance, the kindest friendships, the tenderest offices, he can possibly show them.

He is so far now from wanting agreeable company, that he thinks there is no better conversation in the world, than to be talking with poor and mean people about the kingdom of heaven. All these noble thoughts and divine sentiments are the effects of his great devotion. He presents every one so often before God in his prayers, that he never thinks he can esteem, reverence, or serve those enough, for whom he implores so many mercies from God.

Philip Doddridge, D.D.

(FROM THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF RELIGION IN THE SOUL.")

DAILY PIETY.

I. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY, it should certainly be our care to lift up our hearts to God, as soon as we wake, and while we are arising; and then, to set ourselves seriously and immediately to the secret devotions of the morning.

1. For the first of these, it seems exceedingly natu

ral. There are so many things that may suggest a great variety of pious reflections and ejaculations; which are so obvious, that, one would think, a serious mind could hardly miss them. The ease and cheerfulness of our mind, at our first awakening; the refreshment we find from sleep; the security we have enjoyed in that defenceless state; the provision of warm and decent apparel; the cheerful light of the returning sun; or even the contrivances of art, taught and furnished by the Great Author of all our conveniences, to supply us with many useful hours of life, in the absence of the sun; the hope of returning to the dear society of our friends; the prospect of spending another day in the service of God and the improve

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