cause, in many parts within the same mind is a state of ignorance, or a mind city and diocese, there are many peo-void of religious principle, Rev. iii. 17. ple of different manners and rites mix--3. Poverty of spirit, consists in an ined together, but of one faith, the bishops of such cities or dioceses should provide fit men for celebrating divine offices, according to the diversity of tongues and rites, and for administering the sa craments. ward sense and feeling of our wants and defects; a conviction of our wretched and forlorn condition by nature; with a dependence on divine grace and mercy for pardon and acceptance, Mat. v. 3. It must be distinguished from a poor spiWe shall only add, that the church of ritedness, a sneaking fearfulness, which Rome maintains, that unwritten tradi-bringeth a snare. It is the effect of the tions ought to be added to the Holy operation of the Divine Spirit on the Scriptures, in order to supply their de- heart, John xvi. 8.; is attended with fect, and to be regarded as of equal au- submission to the divine will; contentthority; that the books of the Apocry-ment in our situation; meekness and pha are canonical Scripture; that the Vulgate edition of the Bible is to be deemed authentic; and that the Scriptures are to be received and interpreted according to that sense which the holy mother church, to whom it belongs to judge of the true sense, hath held, and doth hold, and according to the unanimous consent of the fathers. Such are the principal and distinguishing doctrines of popery, most of which have received the sanction of the council of Trent, and that of the creed of pope Pius IV. which is received, professed, and sworn to, by every one who enters into holy orders in the church of Rome; and at the close of this creed, we are told, that the faith contained in it is so absolutely and indispensably necessary, that no man can be saved without it. See ANTICHRIST; Bowers's History of the Popes; Smith's Errors of the Church of Rome detected; Bennet's Confutation of Popery; Sermons at Salter's Hall against Popery; Bishop Burnet's Travels, &c.; Moore's View of Society and Manners in Italy; Dr. Middleton's Letters from Rome; Stevenson's Historical and Critical View of some of the Doctrines of the Church of Rome. POSITIVE INSTITUTES. forbearance as to others, and genuine humility as to ourselves. It is a spirit approved of by God, Isa. lxvi. 2. `evidential of true religion, Luke, xviii. 13. and terminates in endless felicity, Matt. v. 3. Isa. lvii. 15. Ps. xxxiv. 18. Dunlop's Ser. lec. 1, vol. ii. ; Barclay's Dict.; South's Ser. vol. x. ser. 1; No. 464. Spec. vol. vi.; Robert Harris's Sermons, ser. 3. part 3. POWER, ability, force, strength. Power includes a particular relation to the subordinate execution of superior orders. In the word authority we find a sufficient energy to make us perceive a right. Dominion carries with it an idea of empire. POWER OF GOD. See OMNIPO TENCE. POWERS OF THE MIND are those faculties by which we think, reason, judge, &c. "They are so various," says Dr. Reid, "so many, so connected, and complicated in most of their operations, that there never has been any division of them proposed which is not liable to considerable objections. The most common division is that of understanding and will. Under the will we comprehend our active powers, and all that lead to action, or influence the See mind to act; such as appetites, passions, affections. The understanding comprehends our contemplative powers, by which we perceive objects; by which POVERTY is that state or situation, we conceive or remember them; by opposed to riches, in which we are de- which we analyze or compound them; prived of the conveniences of life. In- and by which we judge and reason digence is a degree lower, where we concerning them. Or the intellectual want the necessaries, and is opposed to powers are commonly divided into simsuperfluity. Want seems rather to ar-ple apprehension, judgment, and rearive by accident, implies a scarcity of soning.'" See Reid on the Active Powprovision rather than a lack of money, ers, also on the Human Mind, and the and is opposed to abundance. Need Intellectual Powers; Locke on the and necessity relate less to the situation Understanding. For the influence of life than the other three words, but Christianity has had on the moral and more to the relief we expect, or the re-intellectual powers, see White's admimedy we seek; with this difference be- rable Sermons, ser. 9. tween the two, that need seems less pressing than necessity.-2. Poverty of PRAISE, an acknowledgment made of the excellency or perfection of any person or action, with a commendation || his mercies." Nothing can be more of the same. "The desire of praise," | rational or consistent than the exercise says an elegant writer, "is generally of this duty. It is a divine injunction connected with all the finer sensibilities that men should always pray, and not of human nature. It affords a ground faint, Luke, xviii. 1. It is highly proper on which exhortation, counsel, and re- we should acknowledge the obligations proof, can work a proper effect. To we are under to the Divine Being, and be entirely destitute of this passion be- supplicate his throne for the blessings tokens an ignoble mind, on which no we stand in need of. It is essential to moral impression is easily made; for our peace and felicity, and is the happy where there is no desire of praise, there mean of our carrying on and enjoying will also be no sense of reproach; but fellowship with God. It has an influwhile it is admitted to be a natural and ence on our tempers and conduct, and in many respects an useful principle of evidences our subjection and obedience action, we are to observe that it is en- to God. We shall here consider the titled to no more than our secondary object, nature, kinds, matter, manner, regard. It has its boundary set, by and forms of prayer, together with its transgressing which, it is at once trans-efficacy, and the objections made formed from an innocent into a most dangerous passion. When passing its I. The object of prayer is God alone, natural line, it becomes the ruling spring through Jesus Christ, as the Mediator. of conduct; when the regard which All supplications, therefore, to saints or we pay to the opinions of men encroaches angels, are not only useless but blason that reverence which we owe to the phemous. All worship of the creature, voice of conscience and the sense of du- however exalted that creature is, is ty; the love of praise, having then gone idolatry, and strictly prohibited in the out of its proper place, instead of im- sacred law of God. Nor are we to proving, corrupts; and instead of ele- pray to the Trinity, as three distinct vating, debases our nature." Young's Gods; for though the Father, Son, and Love of Fame; Blair's Sermons, ser. 6. Holy Ghost be addressed in various vol. ii.; Jortin's Dis. dis. 4. passim; Wil-parts of the Scripture, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. berforce's Pract. View, ch. iv. sec. 3; Smith's Theory of Mor. Sent. vol. 1, p. 233; Fitzosborne's Letters, let. 18. against it. 2 Thess. ii. 16, 17, yet never as three Gods, for that would lead us directly to the doctrine of polytheism: the more ordinary mode the Scripture points out is, to address the Father through the Son, depending on the Spirit to help our infirmities, Eph. ii. 18. Rom. viii. 26. PRAISE OF GOD, the acknowledging his perfections, works, and benefits. Praise and thanksgiving are generally considered as synonymous, yet some distinguish them thus. Praise II. As to the nature of this duty: it properly terminates in God, on account must be observed, that it does not conof his natural excellencies and perfec-sist in the elevation of the voice, the tions, and is that act of devotion by posture of the body, the use of a form, which we confess and admire his se- or the mere extemporary use of words, veral attributes: but thanksgiving is a nor, properly speaking, in any thing of more contracted duty, and imports only an exterior nature; but simply the ofa grateful sense and acknowledgment fering up of our desires to God, Matt. of past mercies. We praise God for all xv. 8. (See the definition above.) It his glorious acts of every kind, that re-has been generally divided into adoragard either us or other men; for his very vengeance, and those judgments which he sometimes sends abroad in the earth; but we thank him, properly speaking, for the instances of his goodness alone, and for such only of these as we ourselves are some way concerned in. See THANKSGIVING; Bishop Atterbury's Sermon on Psalm 1. 14; Saurin's Sermons, vol. i. ser. 14; Tillotson's Sermons, ser. 146. concl. tion, by which we express our sense of the goodness and greatness of God, Dan. iv. 34, 35; confession, by which we acknowledge our unworthiness, 1 John, i. 9; supplication, by which we pray for pardon, grace, or any blessing we want, Matt. vii. 7; intercession, by which we pray for others, James, v. 16; and thanksgiving, by which we express our gratitude to God, Phil. iv. 6. To which some add invocation, a making mention of one or more of the names of God; pleading, arguing our case with God in an humble and fervent manner; dedication, or surrendering ourselves to God; deprecation, by which we desire that evils may be averted; blessing, in which we express our joy in God, and | gratitude for his mercies: but, as all these appear to me to be included in the first five parts of prayer, I think they need not be insisted on. III. The different kinds of prayer, are, 1. Ejaculatory, by which the mind is directed to God on any emergency. It is derived from the word ejaculor, to dart or shoot out suddenly, and is therefore appropriate to describe this kind of prayer, which is made up of short sentences spontaneously springing from the mind. The Scriptures afford us many instances of ejaculatory prayer, Exod. xiv. 15. 1 Sam. i. 13. Rom. vii. 24, 25. Gen. xliii, 29. Judges, xvi. 28. || Luke, xxiii. 42, 43. It is one of the principal excellencies of this kind of prayer, that it can be practised at all times, and in all places; in the public ordinances of religion; in all our ordinary and extraordinary undertakings; in times of affliction, temptation, and danger; in seasons of social intercourse, in worldly business, in travelling, in sickness, and pain. In fact, every thing around us, and every event that transpires, may afford us matter for ejaculation. It is worthy, therefore, of our practice, especially when we consider that it is a species of devotion that can receive no impediment from any external circumstances; that it has a tendency to support the mind, and keep it in a happy frame; fortifies us against the temptations of the world; elevates our affections to God; directs the mind into a spiritual channel; and has a tendency to excite trust and dependence on Divine Providence.-2. Secret or closet prayer is another kind of prayer to which we should attend. It has its name from the manner in which Christ recommended it, Matt. vi. 6. He himself set us an example of it, Luke, vi. 12; and it has been the practice of the saints in every age, Gen. xxvii. xxxii. from the constant exercise of this necessary and important duty.-3. Family prayer is also another part not to be neglected. It is true there is no absolute command for this in God's word; yet from hints, allusions, and examples, we may learn that it was the practice of our forefathers: Abraham, Gen. xviii. 19. David, 2 Sam. vi. 20. Solomon, Prov. xxii. 6. Job, i. 4, 5. Joshua, xxiv. 15. See also Eph. vi. 4. Prov. vi. 20. Jer. x. 25. Acts, x. 2, 30. Acts, xvi. 15. Family prayer, indeed, may not be es sential to the character of a true Christian, but it is surely no honour to heads of families to have it said that they have no religion in their houses. If we consider what a blessing it is likely to prove to our children and our domestics; what comfort it must afford to ourselves; what utility it may prove to the community at large; how it sanctifies domestic comforts and crosses; and what a tendency it has to promote order, decency, sobriety, and religion in general, we must at once see the propriety of attending to it. The objection often made to family prayer is, want of time; but this is a very frivolous excuse, since the time allotted for this purpose need be but short, and may easily be redeemed from sleep or business. Others say, they have no gifts: where this is the case, a form may soon be procured and used, but it should be remembered that gifts increase by exercise, and no man can properly decide, unless he make repeated trials. Others are deterred through shame, or the fear of man; in answer to such we shall refer them to the declarations of our Lord, Matt. x. 37, 38. Mark, viii. 38. As to the season for family prayer, every family must determine for itself; but before breakfast every morning, and before supper at night, seems most proper: perhaps a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes may be sufficient as to the time-ans vi. 10. x. 9. There are prayer is another kind Christians some particular occasions when this are called upon to attend to. It is deduty may be practised to advantage, as nominated social, because it is offered when we are entering into any impor- by a society of Christians in their coltant situation; undertaking any thing of lective capacity, convened for that parconsequence; before we go into the ticular purpose, either on some peculiar world; when calamities surround us, and extraordinary occasions, or at stated Isa. xxvi. 20; or when ease and pros- and regular seasons. Special prayer perity attend us. As closet prayer is meetings are such as are held at the calculated to inspire us with peace, de- meeting and parting of intimate friends, fend us from our spiritual enemies, ex- especially churches and ministers; cite us to obedience, and promote our when the church is in a state of unusual real happiness, we should be watchful deadness and barrenness; when milest the stupidity of our frame, the in-nisters are sick, or taken away by world, the insinuations of Satan, or the distress, &c. Stated meetings for social trusion of company, the cares of the death; in times of public calamity and indulgence of sensual objects, prevent us prayer are such as are held weekly in some part of the matter of our prayer. A great acquaintance with God in his nature, perfections, works and word; an intimate acquaintance with ourselves, and a lively sense of our own frames, wants, sorrows, and joys, will supply us with abundant furniture. We should also be watchful observers of the dealings of God with us in every ordinance, and in every providence. We should observe the working of our heart towards God, or towards the creature, and often examine our temper and our life, both in our natural, our civil, and religious ac some places which have a special re- SHIP. IV. Of the matter of prayer. "It is necessary," says Dr. Watts, "to furnish ourselves with proper matter, that we may be able to hold much converse with God; to entertain ourselves and others agreeably and devoutly in worship; to assist the exercise of our own grace and others, by a rich supply of divine thought and desires in prayer, that we may not be forced to make too long and indecent pauses whilst we are performing that duty; nor break off abruptly as soon as we have begun for want of matter; nor pour out abundance of words to dress up narrow and scanty sense for want of variety of devout thoughts. 1. We should labour after a large acquaintance with all things that belong to religion; for there is nothing that relates to religion but may properly make For this purpose, as well as upon many other accounts, it will be of great advantage to keep by us in writing some of the most remarkable providences of God, and instances of his mercy or anger towards us, and some of our most remarkable carriages towards him, whether sins, or duties, or the exercises of grace.—2. We should not content ourselves merely with generals; but if we wish to be furnished with larger supplies of matter, we must descend to particulars in our confessions, petitions, and thanksgivings. We should enter into a particular consideration of the attributes, the glories, the graces, and the relations of God. We should express our sins, our wants, and our sorrows, with a particular sense of the mournful circumstances that attend them: it will enlarge our hearts with prayer and humiliation if we confess the aggravations that increase the guilt of our sins, viz. whether they have been committed against knowledge, against the warnings of conscience, &c. It will || furnish us with large matter, if we run over the exalting and heightening circumstances of our mercies and comforts, viz. that they are great, and spiritual, and eternal, as well as temporal. Our petitions and thanksgivings, in a special manner, should be suited to the place and circumstances of ourselves, and those that we pray with, and those that we pray for.-3. It is very proper, at solemn seasons of worship, to read some part of the word of God, or some spiritual treatise written by holy men; or to converse with fellow Christians about divine things, or to spend some time in recollection or meditation of things that belong to religion: this will not only supply us with divine matter, but will compose our thoughts to a solemnity. Just before we engage in that work, we should be absent a little from the world, that our spirits may be freer for converse with God.-4. If we find our hearts, after all very barren, and hardly know how to frame a prayer be fore God of ourselves, it has been of- the general and the particular heads in tentimes useful to take a book in our prayer be well distinguished, and usually hand, wherein are contained some spi-let generals be mentioned first, and parritual meditations in a petitionary form, ticulars follow.-2. Let things of the some devout reflections, or excellent same kind, for the most part, be put topatterns of prayer; and, above all, the gether in prayer. We should not run Psalms of David, some of the prophe- from one part to another by starts, and cies of Isaiah, some chapters in the sudden wild thoughts, and then return Gospels, or any of the Epistles. Thus often to the same part again, going we may lift up our hearts to God in se- backward and forward in confusion: cret, according as the verses or para- this bewilders the mind of him that graphs we read are suited to the case of prays, disgusts our fellow-worshippers, our own souls. This many Christians and injures their devotion.-3. Let have experienced as a very agreeable those things, in every part of prayer, help, and of great advantage in their which are the proper objects of our secret retirement.-5. We must not judgment, be first mentioned, and then think it absolutely necessary to insist those that influence and move our afupon all the parts of prayer in every fections; not that we should follow address to God; though in our stated such a manner of prayer as is more like and solemn prayers there are but few preaching, as some imprudently have of them that can be well left out. What done, speaking many divine truths withwe omit at one time we may, perhaps, out the form or air of prayer. Yet it pursue at another with more fively af- must be granted that there is no nefection. But let us be sure to insist cessity of always confining ourselves to most upon those things which are this, or to any other set method, no more warmest in our hearts, especially in than there is of confining ourselves to a secret. We should let those parts of form in prayer. Sometimes the mind prayer have the largest share in the is so divinely full of one particular part performance for which our spirits is of prayer, that high expressions of best prepared, whether it be adoration, gratitude, and of devoting ourselves to petition, confession, or thanksgiving. God, break out first. I am persuaded, 6. We should suit the matter of our however, that if young Christians did prayers to the special occasion of each not give themselves up to a loose and particular duty, to the circumstances of negligent habit of speaking every thing the time, place, and persons with and that comes uppermost, but attempted to for whom we pray. This will direct us learn this holy skill by a recollection of to the choice of proper thoughts and the several parts of prayer, and prolanguage for every part of prayer.-7. perly disposing their thoughts, there We should not affect to pray long for would be great numbers in our churches the sake of length, or to stretch out our that would arrive at a good degree of matter by labour and toil of thought, be- the gift of prayer, and that to the great yond the furniture of our own spirit. edification of our churches, as well as of Sometimes a person is betrayed by an their own families." affectation of long prayers into crude, rash, and unseemly expressions; we are tempted hereby to tautologies, to say the same thing over and over again. We are in danger of tiring those that join with us. We exceed the season that is allotted for us in prayer, especially when others are to succeed in the same work." As to expression in prayer, it may be observed, that though prayer be the proper work of the heart, yet in this present state, in secret as well as in social prayer, the language of the lips is an excellent aid in this part of worship. Expressions are useful not only to dress our thoughts, but sometimes to form, and shape, and perfect the ideas and afV. Of the method of prayer. "Me-fections of our minds. They serve to thod," "continues Dr. Watts, "is ne- awaken the holy passions of the soul as cessary to guide our thoughts, to regu- well as to express them. They fix late our expressions, and dispose of the and engage all our powers in religion several parts of prayer in such an or- and worship; and they serve to regulate der, as is most easy to be understood by as well as to increase our devotion. those that join with us, and most proper The directions to attain a treasure of to excite and maintain our own devo- expressions are these: 1. We should lation and theirs. This will be of use to bour after a fresh, particular, and lively secure us from confusion, prevent repe- sense of the greatness and grace of titions, and guard us against roving di-God, and of our own wants, and sins, gressions. The general rules of me- and mercies. The passions of the mind, thod in prayer are these three: 1. Lct when they are moved, do mightily help |