Intimately connected with public worship are social meetings for prayer.  We have examples of these in the primitive church.  The disciples met for prayer ten days in succession before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  When the apostles returned from before the council, they held a prayer-meeting, and the place was shaken where they were assembled.  When Peter was imprisoned, the church assembled for prayer in the night; and an angel delivered him out of the prison.  We read of a place by the river side, where prayer was “wont to be made.”  And at Miletus, Paul attended a precious prayer-meeting with the elders of the church of Ephesus.  These meetings have been maintained among evangelical Christians in every age.  They are the life of the church.  They are the mainspring of human agency in all revivals of religion.  Without a spirit of prayer, sufficient to bring God’s people together in this way, I see not how vital piety can exist in a church.  The feelings of a lively Christian will lead him to the place where prayer is “wont to be made.”  But it will not do to follow our feelings at all times, because they are variable.  Be governed in everything by religious principle.  If there are prayer-meetings in the place where you reside, make it a matter of conscience to attend them.  Let no slight excuse keep you from the house of prayer.  Especially, never let company prevent your attendance upon these meetings.  There is a time for visiting; but to prefer the company of mortals to that of the living God is most unwise; and if but two or three are really met for the purpose of holding communion with Christ, they have his promise that he will be with them.  In relation to punctuality, preparation, watchfulness, &c., the remarks already made in relation to public worship apply with equal force to social prayer-meetings.

But, in addition to the ordinary prayer-meetings, I would recommend to you always to attend a praying circle of females.  Female prayer-meetings have often been blessed to the reviving of God’s work; and if, by the grace of God, you are enabled to offer up the prayer of faith, your influence may thus be felt to the remotest parts of the earth.

In relation to the duties of that portion of the holy Sabbath not employed in public worship, it naturally divides itself into two parts:  I. The duty we owe to the souls of others. We are bound to follow the example of Christ, so far as it is applicable to the station we hold in his kingdom.  If we examine his life, we shall find that the love of souls was everywhere predominant.  It was for this that he condescended to be made flesh, and dwell among us.  It was for this that he labored and toiled.  For this he suffered, bled, and died.  If we can, in any manner, be instrumental in saving souls, the love of Christ must constrain us to do what we can.  If we have not his Spirit, we are none of his.  No one, with the love of Jesus burning