should not forget the stated times, or forego the solemn occasions of this duty, by being too deeply involved in worldly concerns, is the lowest sense which such expressions can bear; their natural import, indeed, goes much farther, and requires not only a settled habit, but also a constant spirit of devotion. What we call the grace of prayer, is that frame of mind, which is produced by the special and permanent agency of the Holy Ghost. Now it is impossible for the dispositions and desires of the heart to remain long spiritual, without frequent communion with God. The frequency and fervency of our prayers, will be in an accurate proportion to the humility, seriousness, selfdiffidence, simplicity, purity, and spirituality of the mind.

I. We will notice the nature of ejaculatory prayer.

It is the breathing out of our devout feelings, in short and suitable supplications to that God, whose ear is ever open to our cries;-it is the giving of a sudden vent to our inward griefs, joys, and desires, by free spontaneous effusions of the heart;-it is, as the word literally signifies, the darting up of the soul to God from the lively impulse of the moment, without premeditation or formal arrangement of

circumstances. The man who has a valuable and highly esteemed friend, may, by appointment, be engaged to meet him at certain times, which he carefully remembers and gladly anticipates; but should he find him unexpectedly at his door, or as he walks by the way, the meeting is still pleasant; at the sound of his well-known voice, or the sight of his smiling countenance, the heart beats with strong emotions of joy. Such a friend is visited without ceremony or reserve, and in return is made welcome at all hours. A Christian has his fixed times of holy intercourse with God, but he is not limited to them; he can find his best Friend not only in the closet and in the church, but also in the shop and in the field. God is no respecter of persons, or of places. The Divine Presence is not circumscribed within the pale which has been framed, and set up, and surrounded with ceremonies and sanctions, by prejudice and bigotry. An enlightened, liberal, and devout man, considers every place as consecrated ground, fitted for the holy exercises of the heart.

Ejaculatory prayer enters deeply into the Christian's experience. The workings of inbred corruption force from him many a sigh, unheard or unheeded by mortals, but borne to the ear and heart of the compassionate Saviour. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver

me from the body of this death? Is this the voice of unmitigated misery? Such it migh be thought; but hark! it is followed by another voice from the same individual, expressing confidence and exultation in every tone; 66 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Rom. vii. 24, 25.

A strong feeling of want, sends earnest cries to the court of heaven for immediate aid, as the inhabitants of a besieged town despatch messenger after messenger to their prince for speedy relief and protection. "O Lord, (says the saint) let thy mercies come unto me. I am poor and needy, make haste to help me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit."

A mind filled with joy and peace in believing, can suffer no restraint, but often breaks out into strains of rapture and praise. "Blessed be the Lord, and exalted be the rock of our salvation. Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." In a word, this kind of exercise adapts itself to all the varying internal sensations and emotions of the soul, the ebbs and flows, the storms and calms, the depressions and elevations, the hopes, fears, conflicts, and triumphs of the divine life, in in the sincere Christian.

Ejaculatory devotion takes occasion, from the works of nature, to magnify nature's God. While the philosopher, às he ascends the scale of science, grows vain of his attainments, and becomes giddy with his fancied eminence and superiority; the believer, viewing the same objects as he meditates, sinks abashed under a consciousness of his own comparative insignificance. Does he walk abroad, when the regent of day has withdrawn his beams, and the evening firmament sparkles with a thousand glittering gems? he lifts his eyes, and in the spirit of David, exclaims, When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thou visitest him?" Does he contemplate the rolling ocean and the fruitful land; the vicissitude of the seasons, and the succession of day and night; the formation and structure of the human body, and the faculties and future destiny of the soul? The mingled feelings of wonder and delight, excited within him, cannot be repressed, but rush into the channel of devotion. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches."

Ejaculatory prayer, takes hints and memorandums from the special providence of God, to supplicate or adore him. While worldly

men are sometimes struck and affected with the occurrence of strange and unexpected events, they look no farther than to instruments and secondary causes; but a Christian sees the hand of Jehovah. When the mind is in a suitable frame, it moves in harmony with the divine dispensations.

Should we find here and there a dark passage in the book of Providence, we must not murmur and grow impatient, but believe and wait till the great Author himself become the interpreter; meanwhile, it is for us to exclaim, "O the deph of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

Ejaculatory prayer, has a prompter in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He stimulates the soul, fires the heart, and draws forth those vehement cries which brook no delays. It is thus that Christians "build themselves up on their most holy faith, and praying in or by the Holy Ghost, keep themselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude xx. 21.

This kind of prayer is pleasing to God. Never were any reproved for knocking too often at mercy's door. A kind father, who has a son residing far from home, is glad to