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breath was never spent in vain. If, then, we would ascertain the amount of our prosperity, as individual churches, we shall find, that the prayer-meeting is one of the best criteria by which to measure it. If the closet is the thermometer of the soul, the prayer-meeting is the thermometer of the church. Does it rise to its proper height?

If we believe that our efforts to extend our Saviour's kingdom are successful in proportion to the spirit of prayer in which they are put forth, what encouragement have we to persevere? We are not straitened in Jehovah. Abraham's petition in behalf of Sodom affords a specimen of God's willingness to answer prayer. So long as Abraham prayed, God promised mercy; and it was not till he ceased praying that the Lord left him: and who would venture to say that had Abraham pushed his petition another point, the Hearer of prayer would not have even granted his request.

So of the case before us. Moses, pleading on behalf of Israel, was the measure of their success. He held up his hands till sunset, and at sunset Israel had the victory. One of the greatest discouragements, perhaps, to perseverance in prayer, is the apparent delay of the expected answer. But so far from

ceasing praying on this account, should it not urge us still more to persevere ?—and is not then the time to adopt and abide by the resolve of Jacob, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me.'

3. Contemplate prayer as the security or pledge of the Church's success.

Prayer and spiritual success are most closely connected. The one is the earnest of the other, 1 John v. 14, 15: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him."

But still we may not unnaturally inquire, "if prayer is the foundation of our spiritual triumphs, what guarantee have we that the foundation will remain secure? Whence have we the confidence that we shall finally prevail? It is true that so long as we continue instant in prayer, we are sure of success; but may we not grow weary in our prayers? As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; so long victory was certain; but Moses' hands were heavy,—so are ours; are we then sure of final victory?" -Yes; and we gather our confidence of

this not from the uncertainty and instability which mark our devotions, but from the unceasing intercession of our risen and exalted Redeemer; his hands are never weary; his heart is never alienated from his people; his love, ever the same, is engaged on our behalf; he pleads our cause, both within us, by his own spirit, and for us, in his exalted humanity, before the throne of his Father and our Father, his God and our God: seeing "he ever liveth to make intercession for us;" and him the Father heareth always.

Let us then take courage, and gird ourselves anew for the conflict; and whether we are aiming at victory over our own spiritual enemies, or seeking to deliver others from their cruel bondage, feel that our Lord himself is with us more than all that are against us. Let us believe that his arm will help us to secure the victory; "for he must reign till all his enemies are put under his feet."

We may derive two practical lessons from the subject under consideration: we learn,

(1.) That the Saviour's intercession does not supersede ours.

This is implied in the verse succeeding the text. Moses was a type of Christ. Moses' intercession for Israel, was typical of Christ's intercession for his people. The staying up of Moses' hands signifies the union of his intercession with that of Israel, and also prefigures the conjoint intercession of the Saviour and his church.

Again; when Christ intercedes he does so in his human nature; as God he cannot intercede. But in his human nature, he is our example. As Christ has acted in his human capacity, so we are to act; what he did, we are to do. His whole life on earth was a succession of living lessons, which have been preserved and recorded to teach us how to walk even as he walked. We are to imitate his active benevolence; he "went about doing good." We are to imitate him on the cross, by being crucified to the world, and dead unto sin. He is also our model in prayer. As prayer was the element of his life, so it should be of ours. Not only has he hallowed the path of prayer by his own footsteps, but he has himself taught us to pray: he has thus taught us that it is our duty to pray. That duty does not cease to be obligatory on us, now that he is exalted to the right hand of God. He yet intercedes. Though, as God, he could accomplish all his pur

poses in regard to his church without instrumentality; he shows us that these, like all God's other purposes, are to be brought about by instrumentality; and by his own example he has taught, and still is teaching, us to intercede with the Most High that he would hasten on the triumphs of his spiritual kingdom. We learn,

(2.) That our own intercession does not supersede or paralyse our efforts.

Israel was not at ease while Moses was interceding for them, but engaged in the heat of battle. The army would never have conquered if it had not fought.

They believed that they should have the victory, while Moses was interceding: it amounted to a certainty with them; but did they therefore cease their action? No; but they doubled their efforts. It was this very conviction that they should prevail, which inspirited and sustained their courage; this it was which gave nerve to their arm and decision to their stroke, and which in fact strengthened them to overcome.

Thus, coupling effort with devotion, Israel prevailed; and thus it must be with us. We must work as if all our success depended on ourselves. We must pray as if all our success depended on God. Such prayer, combined with such action, is our path to victory. J. L.

THE SECRET OF THE POWER AND GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul."-PSA. xix. 7.

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THE true strength and glory of the Gospel lies in the power of its truth, not in the operation of its sacraments. questionably the crowning glory of the Gospel consists in that, whatever it be, which imparts the principle of spiritual life to guilty dying men. The imparting of this life, is what is meant by the conversion of the soul. This, the Psalmist assures us, is effected by "the law of the Lord," which is his word or revealed truth. When the Apostle James is speaking of the spiritual life, which God imparts to believers, he says: "Of his own will begat he us, by the word of truth." And St. Paul says of the children of God, that they are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible-even by the word of God." these and other passages there is but one testimony on this point, and that is in the most thorough agreement with the text, which teaches us that the grand

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instrumental means, which God has ordained for the conversion of souls, is the truth of his word. The prevailing disposition of the present day is to connect this result with the operation of the sacraments, and to represent them as the appointed channels for conveying quickening and converting grace to men. But there is not a single passage in the Bible, from which it can be satisfactorily shown that the conversion of the soul is connected with the use of the sacraments; while there are many in which it is clearly and positively connected with the word of God. We regard this mistake respecting the sacraments one of the most fruitful sources of error and mischief in the church. The point is one of vital importance, and it becomes every man to strive to form clear and correct views respecting it. There is, we know, a great unwillingness on the part of many persons, to hear much said upon the subject. They are apt to regard every attempt to correct this prevailing error, as an effort to disparage the sacraments, and lessen the obligation to their observance. But this is far from being the case. The real disparagers of the sacraments are those who drag them out of their proper place, and give them a degree of prominence in their preaching and practice which the Scriptures do not authorize. And those do the most truly honour these divine ordinances, who keep them in the position which God has appointed, and use them for the object for which they were designed. For ourselves, we love and delight in the sacraments of God's house; we adore his name for ordaining them, and bless him for all the aid and comfort which they yield. We hold it to be as much the duty of every individual professing love to Christ, to partake of the sacraments, as it is to exercise faith in him. The same authority which enjoins the one, commands the other also. But still to speak of the sacraments as the means appointed for the conversion of the soul, is to invert the order of things which God has appointed in his church. The soul must be first converted by the application of the truth, before it can have any right to a participation of the sacraments. We speak not now of the case of infants, but of adult persons. Both the Scriptures and the church require repentance and faith to be already in exercise, before an individual can properly come to either of the sacraments. But where these are in exercise, the soul

is converted, and it is only for the use and benefit of converted souls that the sacraments are designed. A man destitute of penitence and faith has no more right to a participation in these sacraments, than an individual has to draw money from a bank who has no funds deposited in its treasury, and no personal interest in its concerns. The design of the sacraments is not to impart spiritual life where it is not possessed; but to strengthen and cherish it where it already exists. And no greater injury can be done to the cause of Christ and the welfare of the church, than to represent them as the necessary and appointed means for conveying converting grace. This is to cause the trumpet of the Gospel to give an uncertain sound. It is to point the inquiring soul in the wrong direction for salvation, and to cause it to rest its hopes upon a false foundation. The strength and glory of the Gospel lies, not in the efficacy of its sacraments, but in the power of its truth. preaching of that truth in its simplicity and purity is, to the church, what his unshorn locks were to Samson the secret of all his wonder-working power. To direct the attention of men to anything else than that truth, as the appointed agency for their renewal unto life, is to rob the Gospel of its power and glory, and make it like one of the many systems of man's devising. The law or the truth of God is the one great appointed instrumentality for the soul's conversion, and it is the efficacy of that truth to accomplish this which constitutes its crowning glory and perfection.

ALONE WITH GOD.

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ALONE with God! How solemn, how sublime the idea! How tranquillisinghow comforting-how fraught with impregnable security, with indefatigable strength! Yet how awful! "Jacob was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!" And Peter was bewildered and awe-struck, while he exclaimed, "It is good for us to be here!"

Alone with God! Such is the attitude of the Christian in prayer. "Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray." "There are," says Stilling,

heart-sorrows and plagues which the Christian could not bear to tell to his most intimate earthly friend." There are fears which we dare not whisper into mortal ear. There are hopes and joys

too vast and glorious to be imparted.. But when the Christian has hid his face in the bosom of his Father, he can breathe forth all; for when words fail, he can resort to the language of sighs and groans, for "he knoweth our thoughts afar off." "He that searcheth the heart, knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he make intercession for the saints according to the will of God." The Infinite Spirit prompts—the Infinite can alone understand them. Here there is no fear of betrayal, of contempt, of lack of appreciation and sympathy. For we converse with an Infinite Spirit whose name is Love, and who has told us to "pour out our hearts before him.”

Wondrous privilege! Does then this lowly, mortal, sinful, and suffering state admit of such intercourse with God? Yes! "Our communion is with the Father." Thou mayst at any moment, even at this, in the name of Jesus, enter the palace of the Universal Majesty, and, unquestioned by the bright guards who surround him, penetrate to the recesses of his glorious and awful abode, and stand in the very presence of the "King eternal, immortal, and invisible," and then, make thy requests known unto God," sure, yes, absolutely sure of a gracious hearing and a ready answer. For he hath said, "Call upon me, and I will answer you." "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to thee.”

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Christian, be often thus alone with God; for this sweet and holy solitude, though it is much aided by occasional external silence and seclusion, may be attained even in the midst of bustle and multitudes of cares. Be often alone with God, and thou shalt never faint in sorrow, nor sink under duty. "Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Thou shalt begin heaven upon earth. For communion with God is heaven's commencement, and glory's dawn. Thou shall "dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and abide under the shadow of the Almighty," and all the promises which follow, (read and ponder them well, Psa. xci.), shall be thine, even to seeing "the salvation of God."

LIVE NOT TO YOURSELVES.

Men ought not to live unto themselves from the very fact that they live at all.

Life is an incalculable blessing. Who can estimate its worth? All that a man hath will he give for his soul or life. No man hath called himself into existence. Apart from the will of

the Eternal One, all creatures might combine to produce one living thing, whether it were animalcule or animal, and they would assuredly fail. So extraordinary a possession is life, that without it everything else is vanity and vexation of spirit. Tell the merchant that he shall win for himself the treasures of every clime,tell the student that all knowledge, both of time past and of time to come, shall be laid at his feet, tell the commander that every sword shall be sheathed on his advance, and that every enemy shall be changed into an ally,tell the Alexanders who weep because other crowns and other kingdoms are not to be won, that every crown shall be doffed at their word, and that every kingdom and every world shall acknowledge their sway: but what would they all care for your promises, however ambitious they might be, if with the same breath you assured them life would be lost by the acquisition ? And on the other hand, tell a man he must resign his riches, and honours, and comforts, and influence,-and that he must become a poor outcast, if he will retain life at all, and the most courageous will become a coward, and the boastful will falter, and at last agree to the conditions you propose: What does all this show? The value people set upon life. But when it is borne in mind that life is not selforiginating, that it is held only at the will of Another, that we can do literally nothing, and that no creature can do anything to preserve it when the Divine fiat has gone forth, "Thou shalt die;" how weighty does the obligation become that we shall not live unto ourselves, but unto Him who grants us life!

Men ought not to live unto themselves, from the very fact that they are capable of living unto God.

Human capacity may well be a subject of wonder. If it belongs to the Divine Being alone to create, it is permitted to man that he shall contemplate what is created, and that he shall draw from creation, for the instruction and benefit of his own mind, many of the secrets with which it has been entrusted. But while we cannot but admire the capacity of man as is shown in connection with the things of earth and time, in uncovering the hidden, in penetrating the obscure, in taking in both the past and the future; we are struck with highest wonderment when we contemplate the mind of man in its relation to the ever-blessed God. That there is a connection between the Divine Being and the meaner parts of animal existences, we by no means deny; but that there is a felt, a conscious connection on the part of the creature, we cannot admit. Indeed, we are inclined to think that wherever this felt connection begins, however low and imperfect may be its manifes. tation, there is rationality, and consequently responsibility. It is quite true that the flower as it blooms in your garden, and sends up its aroma to the skies,-the tree that towers in the forest, and spreads out its branches for the fowls to take shelter under,-the thousands of animals that live on the earth or warble in the heavens, quite as much accomplish the design for which God created them as the angels that dwell around the eternal throne. But then all these things differ from man in this important respect-they are destitute of will, and are entirely obedient, apart altogether from personal volition, to the will of Another. Besides man, all other earthly creatures leap at once to the

perfection of which they are capable, and are the blind children of instinct, their infallible guide. How glorious a distinction is conferred upon man, in the fact that he has the power to live unto God! How he can thread his way among all the wandering mazes of this universe to the throne of the Eternal! What discoveries he can make in nature, and providence, and revelation, in reference to the great object of his worship! And who will say that if such a capacity as this is possessed it ought not to be employed? While you are akin to angels and may be made like to God, is it fitting that you should live for the sake of some sinful sensual gratification by which you will become likened to demons? Are you a man? and will you not assert the true dignity of your manhood? Are you possessed of reason? and will you not let it rest upon its Author? Are you made in the likeness of God, only a little lower than the angels, and will you so debase and defile your nature that, like the prodigal son, you shall wish to herd with beasts ? Let no man live unto

himself.

Men ought not to live unto themselves, from the fact that God has made such provision for their living to him.

We might have found reason enough for living to God from the fact of its being God's pleasure that such should be the case. As it is, we not only know that he requires men to live to him, but in addition to having made known this requirement, he has made such provision for our serving him, and has put within our reach such helps for this high service, that he must be indeed a bad man who does not render unto God what he requires. Not only have we been created by the Almighty power of God, not only are all our wants provided for by his beneficial providence,-not only does he make all creatures minister to our welfare, but in addition to all these things, he has expressly provided, in the most extraordinary manner, for our hearts, and thoughts, and lives being given to him. Do you ask, How do we know that this is the case? Look at the instructions which have come down directly from heaven, and which are contained in the volume of Holy Scriptures. Look at the gift of his own dear Son, who entered our earth for the purpose of making an abundant provision for the salvation of all. Look at the promise of the Holy Spirit, to all who ask in faith, nothing doubting. Look at the return of Sabbath after Sabbath and opportunity after opportunity that men may be induced to consecrate their hearts to the claims of the Son of God. Is it nothing to you that all these things have been devised by the Divine Being to effect your salvation? Is it nothing to you that God exclaims, "Live not to the world, nor to the things of the world. Live not for the gratification of passion and appetite, for the pursuit of pleasure and honour, for the attainment of worldly riches! See what I have done for you, and live for me! See what I am still doing for you, and live for me! He that liveth to me, lives to the highest and most glorious object! He that liveth to himself, displeases me, robs me of my rightful possession, and entails upon himself everlasting death!" Northallerton.

J. B. L.

A PROFITABLE SABBATH.

THE following admirable rules by which to prepare a profitable attendance on the public services of the Sabbath, are suggested by the excellent missionary Schauffler, and are worthy of being engraved on every Christian heart.

1. Cultivate day by day simplicity of heart and humility, and a proper regard for the precious word of God.

2. Compose your mind on Saturday evening or night, for the solemn exercises of the holy Sabbath.

3. On Sabbath morning rise early. Let secret prayer and meditation be your first exercise.

4. Keep in a still and uniform frame all the Sabbath. Read little except the Bible; relish and digest what you read. But,

5. Take care that this is all done in a sweet and easy way; make no toil or task out of the service of God. Do all freely and cheerfully, without violent effort.

6. Keep your heart with all diligence, as you go to the house of God; look not hither and thither unnecessarily, lest your mind be distracted and your devotion lost. Much less look about in the sanctuary; for this is a mark of disregard.

7. Ask, either at home or in the sanctuary, for God's blessing upon yourself, the preacher, and all the hearers.

8. When you retire after services, remember your obligations to God for having heard his word, and your responsibility for its improvement. Remember the perishing heathen, and ask that the Gospel may speedily be preached unto every creature.

9. During the Sabbath, refrain from remarks of any kind on the preaching; and from censorious remarks refrain always, except when and where duty may call for them.

10. Digest what you may hear, and do it, which will be the best preparation for the next Sabbath, if you should live to see it.

Thus shall your Sabbaths fit you for an everlasting rest in heaven; and the manna on which you feed in the wilderness of this world shall sustain you until you are admitted "to the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God," which may God, in his infinite mercy, grant through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory in the church for ever! Amen.

DR. CHALMERS ON INFIDELITY. "THE truth of Christianity," says Dr. Chalmers, "is neither more nor less than the truth of cer

tain facts that have been handed down to us by the testimony of reporters. Let the historical evidences on which it rests be made to pass in review, and become the subject of sober, inductive examination; let the question be decided by a fair and patient inquiry; let the enemies of our faith show the world that their infidelity rests on higher grounds than a stale invective against the jugglery of priests, or the pertness of a flippant witticism; let them bring along with them the spirit of cool and candid reflection, an anxiety after truth, and a ready submission to evidence. How little do they think, as they strut along in the pride of their infidel philosophy, how little of the spirit and temper of true philosophy is in them-of that humble, cautious

spirit which Bacon taught, and on which Newton rests the immortality of his genius!

There is a puppyism in infidelity for which I have no patience. I thought that now-a-days both gentlemen and philosophers would have been ashamed of it! At the commencement of the last century one had some credit in sporting the language of unbelief and infidelity, for they were supported by the countenance of Shaftesbury and Bolingbroke, who, in addition to their being peers of the realm, had a sufficient acquaintance with their mother tongue. But infidelity, like every other fashion, has had its day, and since the masterly and triumphant defences of our English divines, it has been generally abandoned by the superior and the more enlightened classes of society; and to use the words of an Oxford professor, is now rarely to be heard but in the language of bakers, and brewers, and bricklayers, and bell-menders, ard bottle-blowers, and blackguards.'

"I revere Christianity, not because it is the religion of my fathers,-I revere it, not because it is the established religion of my country,—I revere it, not because it brings to me the emoluments of office; but I revere it because it is built on the solid foundation of impregnable argument; because it has improved the world by the lessons of an ennobling morality; and because, by the animating prospects it holds out, it alleviates the sorrows of our final departure hence, and cheers the gloomy desolation of the grave."-Life of Chalmers, vol. i, pp. 153-4.

FAULTS IN THE MANNER OF EXPRESSING THANKS AT THE TABLE.

BY REV. DR. HUMPHREY.

I SHALL not discuss the question, whether in this respect "the former days were better than these " Forty years ago it was almost the universal custom, I believe, in Christian families, to crave a blessing before meals, and to give thanks when they rose from the table. The custom almost as uniform now is, to unite both in one service. As we find no positive directions in the Bible, with regard to this matter, I suppose we may adhere to the old custom, or fall in with that which has for several years been fast taking its place, as may seem to us most convenient and proper. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."

But I have a word or two to say about the manner in which this table service was and is performed. Formerly, it was expanded by some into a regular prayer of two or three minutes. This was going into one extreme; but not so far as many now go into the other. I often hear the whole despatched in a single sentence, and that a very short one. Half a dozen monosyllables are about all. I was going to say, this sounds like mere form; but it is hardly that. It looks more like saying grace because you must, than a serious address to the "Giver of every good and perfect gift."

The other fault which I have noticed lately, is, speaking so low as not to be heard across the table. I do not deny that it is a petition, or a "giving of thanks," for undoubtedly a man may "pray in the spirit," when nobody hears him; but it cannot be "to edification," and the closet is the better place for such prayers. Surely those who keep up the form of asking a blessing

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