Stephen, by the Holy Spirit said, "Lord lay not this sin to their account"-"Lord Jesus receive my spirit." Paul's desire and prayer to God for Israel was, that they might be saved; and he commanded Timothy to teach the church in Ephesus to pray for all men for kings, and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For as a reason, he adds-" This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to an acknowledgment of the truth." "If any man lack wisdom," says James," let him ask of God who gives liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given him." But in one general command, a hundred sayings to this effect are comprehended, "Be anxiously solicitous about nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."-Phil. iv. 6. This is enough for me: how is it for you, brother?

A person who will not pray for the conversion of his children, friends, or enemies, because he cannot see how it can be done in conformity to many truths in religion, such as God's immutability, &c. or his views of God's government, oracle, grace, purpose, &c. reminds me of a physician who could not pray for his daily bread because it was incompatible to pray for sickness, or an increase of his practice, and he could not see how his prayer could be answered unless by an increase of the afflictions of men!!

But concerning prayers as a means of communicating the thing sought, or of receiving the blessing desired, a good deal may be said, and with propriety. When Paul commands prayer for kings and governors, that Christians might enjoy a quiet and peaceful life, we see that the very fact of offering up these supplications, in public assemblies, would have a tendency to secure the protection of the government. He that prays for the salvation of his children, in their presence, must perceive that it operates both on him to produce more attention to their instruction, and on them, to give more heed to the things commanded. To pray for humility is the shortest and safest means to be humble. To pray for sincerity, goodness, benevolence, love, &c. is the best means

to possess them. But God will hear the prayer of the righteous, for his ears are open to their cry. He will answer the prayer of the upright, and when they call upon him he will deliver them. Paul was as much strengthened by his prayers as he would have been by removing the burthen from which he sought deliverance. To increase a person's strength to carry fifty or a hundred pounds, is equivalent to the removing of a burthen of that weight.

A word on praying in faith. We pray in faith, either in reference to general or special promises. For example: God has promised, and has declared himself willing to save all men acknowledging that Jesus is his only Son, and the only Saviour of men. We therefore may for all persons coming to Jesus as God's Son. We pray in faith, also, when we pray for anything the Lord has promised to bestow on them that ask him.

pray

Sometimes, however, we pray without any promise, and without any testimony; and then we say, if the Lord will. Paul prayed a long time to have a prosperous journey_to Rome. This he desired from the Lord. Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." This was simply an expression of his desire. So Stephen desired that his martyrdom might not be avenged on them who shed his blood. Paul desired the salvation of his persecuting brethren. It is lawful, useful, and every way compatible, to express these desires to God in prayer. A father may pray for the salvation of his children when he brings them up in the nurture and correction of the Lord. But I see I have not yet exhausted the subject; and as I promised an essay or two on prayer, I think I will risk this letter in part of reply to yours as No. I. I began it, not deciding whether it should be private or public; and as I am much pressed for time, I will, with all its imperfections on its head, let it pass for what it is worth.

In one word, dear brother, there is all the good reason in the world why Christians should always pray and not faint; why they should pray without ceasing. What an honour to be permitted to speak to God in the name of his Son! May we prize it as we ought, and may the incense of our hearts always ascend to the heavens!

Yours affectionately,

A. CAMPBELL.

RESPONSIBILITY.-No. II.

RESPONSIBILITY is our subject. But before we can enter into the heart of it, we must entertain the old question which stands in the way, viz. Is man, a free agent, or is he bound in the chains of fatalism or philosophical necessity? Has he that independence which alone can constitute a legitimate subject of moral government, or is he merely a finely constructed eolian-harp, giving out music or discord, as the airs from heaven, or the blasts from hell sweep over him ?

But we will not weary ourselves by inquiring into free will. The phrase is absurd in the highest degree, and has never produced anything else but logomachy and confusion. To place this subject in a clear light, I will furnish two extracts from men profoundly versed in mental science. The first occurs in the work of Locke on the Human Understanding.*"The long agitated question whether man's will be free or no, is altogether improper; it is unreasonable, because unintelligible; it is as insignificant to ask whether his sleep be swift or his virtue square; liberty being as little applicable to the will as swiftness of motion is to sleep; or squareness to virtue. Every one would laugh at the absurdity of such a question as either of these, because it is obvious that the modifications of motion belong not to sleep, nor the difference of figure to virtue, and when any one well considers it, I think he will as plainly perceive that liberty which is but a power; belongs only to agents, and cannot be an attribute or modification of the will which is also but a power. It is plain that the will is nothing but one power or ability, and freedom another power or ability, so that to ask whether the will has freedom, is to ask whether one power has another power, a question at first sight too grossly absurd to make a dispute or need an answer, for who is it sees not that powers belong only to agents, and are attributes only of substances, and not of powers themselves? So that this way of putting the question is in effect to ask, whether the will be an agent, a substance, since freedom can be attributed to nothing else."

President Edwards says in his Inquiry,† “The plain and obvious meaning of the words freedom and liberty in common speech, is power, opportunity, or advantage that any Chap. on Power, sec. 14, 15, 16. + Part I. sec. 5.

one has to do as he pleases; or in other words, his being free from hinderance or impediment in the way of doing or conducting in any respect as he will. And the contrary to liberty whatever name we call that by, is a person's being hindered or unable to conduct as he will, or being necessitated to do otherwise. If this which I have mentioned be the meaning of the word liberty in the ordinary use of language, then it will follow in propriety of speech, that neither liberty nor its opposite can properly be applied to any being or thing, but that which has such a faculty or propensity as that called will. For that which is possessed of no such thing as will cannot have any power or opportunity of doing according to its will, nor be restrained from acting agreeably to it, and therefore to talk of liberty or the contrary as belonging to the very will itself, is not to speak good sense, if we judge of sense and nonsense by the proper signification of words. For the will itself is not an agent that has a will, that which has the power of volition or choice is the man, the soul, and not the power of volition itself; and he that has the liberty of doing according to his will is the agent or doer who is possessed of the will, and not the will he is possessed of. We say with propriety, that a bird let loose, has the power and liberty to fly, but not that the bird's flying, has the power or liberty to fly. To be free is the property of an agent, who is possessed of powers and faculties as much as to be cunning, valiant, bountiful or zealous; but these qualities are the properties of men or persons, and not the properties of properties."

These two discriminating paragraphs place the theme of inquiry clearly before us. We find that it is the freedom of man the agent, and not of will the attribute, which demands investigation. In this track then let us pursue the subject.

First. We argue man's freedom from his material position as the head of earthly arrangements. As the visible chief of this terrestrial economy. I presume, that his supremancy is so manifest that it cannot be disputed. That his sovereignty cannot be denied without involving the suspicion of insanity in the questioner. Now when we look into the material world we find that masses of matter, solid, gaseous, or æriform are attracted towards or repelled from each other, by immutable and necessary laws, to which there is rendered blind, unconcious, and perfect obedience.

If

we look a little higher towards matter in an animated shape without rationality, we find that these animals obey the instincts implanted in them in an equally blind manner. And that consequently they make no advancement from one generation to another. Although somewhat higher in the grade of existence, than the atoms or elements of unconscious inanimate matter, yet they obey laws that are equally necessary, and the necessity is of the same physical kind.

But when we approach man, we lay hold of a being vastly different. We find him not a mere animal, but a mental and a moral being, whose existence, happiness, and destiny, are regulated by laws of a different order. We find him not a machine but an agent-a voluntary and a moral agent, standing prominently out, and broadly separated from all other earthly things. To represent the actions of such a being as subject to that inexorable necessity which leads the ocean to obey the moon, or the privation of darkness to follow the setting of the orb of day, is at once to hurl man down from that throne and lordship, which intellect and moral sentiment claim for him. In short, his free agency cannot be denied without denying his supremacy, and then to what other class of bipeds or quadrupeds shall we give the dominion in question?

Second. We argue man's free agency from his mental structure. If we were required to point out what class of powers or endowments would serve to constitute man a free agent, we would reply, intelligence, feeling, judgment, volition, these powers qualify man for the work of examining the mental and moral qualities of the beings and actions around him; for distinguishing between such as differ; for approving with corresponding emotion such as are good, and for determining by volition to follow the righteous course. Now this capacity which man possesses for examination, comparison, deliberation, judgment, and volition, is undeniable proof of his freedom as an agent. Indeed, intelligence and will, do prove free agency, just as free agency supposes intelligence and will. We cannot deny man's freedom of agency, without libelling his mental structure, and pouring contempt upon all the marvellous endowments by which he is distinguished. If we make him a necessary slave, how shall we account for the fact, that he carries about with him the name, the dignity, and the attributes of a free man?