in prayer, by one that has had little opportunity to know

him.

Th. If it always had that tendency, that would not make it right. But it seems to me much more likely to prejudice a man against a religion of which he regards it as a part, to at tack even strangers, in this way, and tell the Lord a long and disgusting story about them. The apostle certainly practised great courtesy himself, in his treatment of the impenitent; and often enjoins it upon those to whom he writes, that they should be careful not to give needless offence; but by a kind and conciliatory treatment endeavor to win men to attend to the means of grace. He says, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor the Church of God; even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the Gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." These passages express the spirit by which he was actuated. While he never gave up the great truths of the Gospel, for the sake of pleasing men, he gave up every thing that he could lawfully give up, for the sake of promoting the progress of the Gospel, and saving souls.

Ard. The disposition to censure others, in prayer or otherwise, which Edwards saw in his day, he speaks of as one of the greatest evils accompanying that revival. And though he thought some real Christians had fallen into it, in some degree, he says, "this bitter root of censoriousness must be totally rooted out, as we would prepare the way of the Lord."

Th. Davenport was brought to see and confess his sin, in this particular. He says: "The method I used for a considerable time with respect to some, yea, many ministers in several parts, in openly exposing such as I feared or thought unconverted, in public prayer or otherwise; herein making my private judgment, in which I much suspect I was mistaken in several instances, and I believe also that my judgment concerning several was formed rashly, and on very slender grounds: I say, making my private judgment the ground of public actions or conduct; offending, as I apprehend, although in the time of it ignorantly, against the ninth commandment, and such other passages of Scripture as are similar; yea, I may say, offending against the laws both of justice and charity."

But the practice is continued in our day. A minister says: "At a protracted meeting, the clergyman who took the control of it, (Strangeways, as I think,) called on all professed Christians, at the commencement, to come into the aisle and confess their sins to him. Many did this; while a number of others declined. These latter persons were frequently, during the meeting, the objects of the preacher's sneers and sarcasms, and bitter denunciations."

Now I think such denunciations and prayers, as these, are not adapted to win men to give the Gospel a candid hearing. If they suppose this is true religion, and that in a high degree, I think it will strengthen their prejudices against it exceedingly, and drive them far away from the churches and prayermeetings where such things are practised.

He

Ard. Edwards mentions a sort of imprecations in prayer. says: "Some have a way of joining a sort of imprecations with their petitions, though but conditional ones, that appear to me wholly needless and improper." "If we give way to such things as these, where shall we stop? A child that suspects he has an unconverted father and mother, may pray openly that his father and mother may either be converted, or taken away and sent to hell now quickly, before their guilt is greater."

Th. Something of the same nature has existed in this region among the friends of the new measures. But there is another thing in regard to their manner of praying, which is exceedingly offensive. It is the affectation of familiarity with the Divine Being, and the introduction of expressions which are strange, vulgar, and often ludicrous. How any man can think these things an expression of superior piety, is difficult to conceive. The pure spirits above are represented as veiling their faces before the Majesty of heaven and earth. Holy men of old, wheu favored with the clearest views of God, abased themselves before him, with the deepest reverence. Job said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." And Isaiah, when he had his glorious vision of the Lord, said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."

F. W. But are not penitent sinners encouraged to come boldly to a throne of grace, as children to a father?

Th. Yes; but it is with a child-like spirit they should come; such a spirit as becomes a dutiful and affectionate child, who respects his parent, and treats him as the fifth commandment requires. It is not with such familiarity as a man approaches

his equal, much less with such indelicate freedom as a wellbred man who respects himself would be ashamed to use towards any one, in the presence of others. To affect a familiar, talking manner, in our public addresses to God, appears to me to betray as much a want of good taste, as it does a want of right feelings towards God. It is adapted to disgust those who have a common sense of propriety, as it is to shock those who are accustomed to treat their Maker with reverence.

Ard. The prayers of some appear little else than a repetition of the divine name, or titles, in a manner very painful to hear. Th. When the name of God is used irreverently, it must be considered a breach of the third commandment. And its being done in prayer or preaching, only aggravates the crime. The prayers recorded in Scripture afford no such examples. In some of the most serious and ardent prayers, there is a repetition of the calling upon God, but very unlike what we often hear now. There it is an expression of earnestness, and devotion; but here, it is an expression of emptiness and the want of something to say.

Ard. There is another fault in relation to prayer, common among the new-measure men. I mean that of loud praying in the closet; by which what ought to be secret prayer, is rendered public.

F. W. I like that. It lets people know how much we pray; and so increases their opinion of our piety.

Th. So did the ostentatious praying of the Pharisees. It imposed upon the ignorant, and made them think they were wonderfully pious; but our Lord has directed us to avoid such ostentation.

L. S. But in this way people often hear themselves prayed for; and this is likely to have a good effect upon their minds, and lead them to serious reflection.

Th. And sometimes people have heard themselves prayed for in a manner that was not adapted to produce a good effect upon their minds. They have heard themselves charged with faults before the Lord, of which they were conscious of being innocent. And there is reason to believe this loud praying has sometimes been for the very purpose of being heard by human ears, and not by the Lord alone. It is thought by many, that some of these new-measure men must be very good men, even if their measures are wrong, because they spend so many hours every day in prayer; which could only be known by their practice of praying so loud as to be heard.

Ard. It is just such an argument as would justify the scribes and Pharisees, in our Saviour's time. But, if it is from a mistaken sense of duty, it is certainly no proof of true piety, but of

the want of it. True piety includes humility. It does not court observation, but the contrary.

Th. There is a practice of speaking very loud in their public prayers, also, which partakes of the same character. It is often perhaps, mistaken for the expression of great engagedness, when, in truth, it is very good evidence of a want of the true spirit of prayer, which is eminently a meek, modest, and retiring spirit. I agree with a friend, who says: "It may be safely affirmed, that no man ever prayed in a loud and boisterous manner, under a deep and lively sense of the nature and design of prayer, and especially when realizing something of the infinite holiness, perfection, and glory of the Godhead, in contrast with his own creature nothingness, and his vileness as a sinner." It may be necessary to resort to vociferation, to conceal the want of feeling, or to produce animal excitement. F. W. The Bible says, "Cry aloud, and spare not." I have no idea of just whispering over a prayer.

Th. If it is a prayer in a social circle, or in public, it is desirable that it should be loud enough and distinct enough, for all present to join in it. But if it is closet prayer, then it should be made according to the Saviour's direction, "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." As to the direction to the prophet, to which you refer, it was not a direction for prayer, but for preaching. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." The preacher should speak loud enough to be distinctly heard by his audience; but farther than that is not needful. It is not by vociferation, that men are led to see their sins, but by arguments addressed to the understanding and conscience. Ard. It has been the practice of some of the new-measure men, to have several speak or pray at once in their meetings. F. W. It is perhaps in the way of responses; crying amen, so be it, and the like; which I cordially approve, as it tends not only to keep up the feelings of those who do it, but to encourage and animate him who is leading in prayer.

Th. It has been so represented, sometimes; but it is much more than that. Instances have occurred of a number praying at once, and several talking at once, in different places. And Mr. Strangeways, if I understand it, calls upon the anxious to pray in the anxious meeting, numbers at the same time; and also in other meetings.

One minister says: "The anxious meetings were, in some instances, scenes of the greatest confusion. It is asserted, by those who heard, that one of the ministers directed them 'to

pray aloud, and to pray altogether." One testifies that, "A preacher at a protracted meeting, said: 'We will now all hold down our heads for a few moments, and pray together.' At C. all sometimes prayed together in softly words, and thus kept away temptations." I have been credibly informed that two or three hundred were sometimes praying audibly together at C., and many of them in very loud words, and sighs, and groans. Two or three were addressing the people together at the same time, several times during this meeting. At one time, when some were crying out, one preacher observed: "Oh, we are willing that you should cry right out, and break in upon us, as they did upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost.' A minister says: "At an eight days' meeting at B., some were crying out to know what they should do to be saved; others fell to the floor, under the power of God. One old man, a deacon of the church, fell down upon the floor, and declared that he never experienced the power of God before. Two of my neighbors, who experienced religion last winter, were brought down under the power of God. One of them lay on the ground, for an hour, in a prayer ring, formed out of doors."

A friend of the new measures, giving an account of a meeting among his people, says of some sinners: "Such was their overwhelming sense of God's high and reasonable claims upon them, and of their own guilt and ill desert, in so long refusing to submit to those claims, as in some cases to deprive them of their muscular strength, and literally to prostrate them before. God for hours. And even, in some cases, officers in the church had such an overwhelming sense of the divine presence, and the worth of souls, that, like the Prophet Daniel, their 'comeliness was turned into corruption, and there remained no strength in them.'

An intelligent gentleman says: "Last Sabbath I spent at R., where the church is holding a protracted meeting. Mr. Strangeways takes an active part in it. This is the thirteenth day since the meeting commenced, and it is expected that it will continue some time still. Many new measures are adopted, so new and strange, that my heart revolts from them. It appears to me that there is too much contrivance and artifice employed to produce excitement. The young converts are placed in the front of the pulpit with the older professors; and when a prayer is offered, the whole house is required to kneel and to respond. Mr. Strangeways went from seat to seat, and I heard from him such expressions as these: 'Pray away there, you young converts-I can't hear you. Pray out-pray out!' These expressions he made use of continually. I must say, that it looked more like Babel than a religious meeting. Can it be,