morning. No man could hear them all. You cannot be present in two places at the same time. Let the places be ever so near to each other, you cannot be in two places, in this room and in the next room, at the same time. But all these prayers which have been offered have been heard. Though no man has heard them, God has heard them. And how has God heard them? It is because he is present everywhere at the same time. England and India are very far distant from each other. It requires some months to pass before we can learn what is doing in India, because of the distance between the two countries. Suppose a Christian to be praying at this moment in this country, and another Christian to be praying in India, God hears them both, because he is equally present here and in that distant country. This attribute or perfection of God, by which he is present in all places, and that at all times, is called his omnipresence. And it is the reason, or one of the reasons, why God only is the hearer of prayer.

The other reason why we are to pray to God only, is this; God alone can answer our prayers-God alone has power to give us those things we stand in need of. There are, indeed, many things that our fellow-creatures can do for us. We have many desires and wishes they can gratify. A father can do many things for his child, a friend can do many things for his friend; but there are many things aiso which we stand in need of, which none of our earthly friends can do for us. When a man is sick, his friend cannot restore him to health. When a man is dying, his friend cannot prevent his death. In any extremity, it would only be a loss of time and labour, to go for assistance to any one who is utterly unable to be of the slightest service to you. The things which we most of all stand in need of, and without obtaining which we shall be miserable here and hereafter, are the things which no earthly friend can bestow upon us. The Lord only can help us in regard to them. And, therefore, it is to him only we are to go for them, to ask them from him. What we may ask from God in prayer, is the next thing to be mentioned.

In praying to God, we are encouraged to ask from him all things we stand in need of. We have a great number of wants. Our Saviour tells us, "Whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name, he shall give it you." Our wants stand under two divisions. Temporal mercies and Spiritual mercies. A few words regarding these. By temporal mercies are meant health, food, clothing, prosperity upon our honest industry in our worldly calling. The temporal mercies which the Lord bestows upon us are very precious. When we awake in the morning, it is a precious thing to awaken in health of body and soundness of mind, to have our food and raiment, and other conveniences. It might have been far otherwise. Death might have come upon us and called us out of this world amidst the slumber and darkness of night. It has happened so to thousands. Or we might have awakened in sickness, or in madness. But we have awakened in health and in comfort, because the Lord has watched over us, and been merciful to us. For such unwearied loving-kindness

which the Lord extends to us, there are two things we ought to do. We ought to feel very grateful for so much undeserved loving-kindness; we ought also." with humble and sincere hearts, to pray unto the Lord-to ask him that he would be graciously pleased, if it be his holy will, to continue to us the enjoyment of these precious mercies. There are many who do not do so. They do as the beasts of the field do. A beast rises from its rest, and immediately begins to eat. It does so because God has not endowed it with knowledge. He has not given to the beast a rational soul. It cannot meditate upon his works and his goodness. There are many persons, young and old, who do as the beasts do. They rise from their rest to their meat, from their meat to their work, without feeling any gratitude to God for preserving them through the night-for continuing them in health-for furnishing a table for them. They do not stop to give thanks to him. They do not pray to him for a continuance of these blessings if it be his holy will. Let any who act thus, endeavour to find out in what respect their conduct differs from that of a beast. Who does not see how guilty they must be, possessing a rational soul, and yet living as the beasts that perish?

But though we may pray, and pray earnestly (fer whenever we pray it ought to be done earnestly) unto God for a continuation of his great goodness to us as regards temporal blessings, there should always be a limitation introduced. The limitation is, that the Lord would be pleased to bestow such and such temporal blessings upon us--if they be for his glory and our own good. The reason is, we are very ignorant of what is best for us. The things of this world, on which we often set our hearts most, are things which, were they given to us according to our own measures and wishes, might greatly damage us in our best and highest interests. If we had our whole will regard ing worldly things, we would never choose sickness, or poverty, or separation from our friends-no cross providence-nothing that would interfere with or mar our enjoyment in this world. This world would get a complete mastery over us, and we should regard it as our permanent and happy dwelling-place, which we are too apt to do even with all the abatement of felicity in it, and all the temporary disrelish of it, which the trials we meet with in it produce. Solomon's prayer was an admirable one. He prayed not for health, riches, worldly prosperity and power, but for wisdom. This also is one of the prayers of Moses in the 90th Psalm: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Another thing respecting temporal blessings to which we should always attend is, never in our de sires, or in our prayers, to put them on a level with spiritual things. It is easy to enjoin this, and very easy to satisfy our understanding about the propriety of it; but to practise it is very difficult. Every one who has exercised himself upon it must constantly have felt how difficult it is. In comparison with spiritual things, we ought to consider worldly things. the most precious of them, very cheap. They should be kept in a very subordinate place. Many parts of Scripture teach us this most impressively. "If ye

After his day's work the labouring man feels oppressed with sleep. If our souls were in good health, they too would feel an appetite for their portion of spiritual food and rest. This teaches, that indifference in prayer (and there is indifference in prayer, when the desires of the heart do not keep pace with the words of the mouth) is a bad sign. It is a sign that things are not well with us. Suppose that for several nights you could get no sleep, but lay tossing from side to side-that for several days you could take no food; you would think there was something wrong with you-you would think of sending for the physician, and would be bemoaning you in a variety of ways. Yet how little alarm do we feel, though our coldness and indifference in prayer are as sure a sign of a deranged spiritual state as the want of sleep and the absence of our common appetites are of a deranged state of the body!

There is yet another thing which should be noticed about the state of feeling when engaged in prayer. What has already been said refers to the want of feeling-to indifference-to cold inactivity. Now about an activity of mind which is as bad, if not worse than a cold inactive dulness about spiritual concerns-a restless activity of worldly and corrupt thoughts. How often is the mind disturbed by such? What 'an irruption!-whole legions of them often whirl through the mind when one is engaged in prayer. When you are speaking to God with your lips, how often is your heart speaking with the world! You are making arrangements about your games, pleasures, pursuits, holidays, and many other things. It need scarce be said that this is not the manner in which we should pray. We are not to pray with the heart and the mouth speaking different and opposite things; nor with the mind entertaining swarms of vain, wicked, and worldly thoughts; nor in cold indifference and deadness. This is what is called formality in prayer.

When formality is present, the true spirit of prayer is absent. Formality and true spiritual devotion cannot agree. They cannot endure each other's company. When the one enters, the other is sure to depart. "If I regard evil in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

We are to pray, having our minds deeply impressed and overawed with a sense of the great majesty and holiness of God, in whose presence we stand, and to whom our prayers are addressed. When we pray, we speak to God. We are to pray in faith. We must be clearly persuaded that God, to whom we pray, is the hearer and answerer of prayer, and that he really knows all we stand in need of-and possesses, and is willing to bestow upon us, all those things mentioned in Scripture, as the things we are to pray for.

We are to pray in sincerity; that is, really to desire the things we pray for.

In prayer, we are to ask all that we ask in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through him that we can come to the Father. It is only for Christ's work sake that the Father will hear us, and bestow anything upon us.

You will observe, that the things spoken of in the above pages are these: What is prayer? To whom

THE LATE HUGH HEUGH, D.D., GLASGOW.

THIS eminent servant of Christ, who has just been taken away in the midst of his years and usefulness, was born at Stirling on the 12th of August 1782. His paternal ancestors, for at least three generations, were clergymen. His grandfather and great-grandfather were both ministers of the Established Church of Scotland. The former, who was ordained to the charge of the parish of Kingoldrum, in Forfarshire, in the early part of last century, finished his course at the age of forty-nine, in the year 1731, just before the origin of the United Secession Church. An account of his death-bed experience is, it seems, preserved among his descendants, from which it appears that in his dying hours he felt great anxiety lest after his departure his flock should be intrusted to the care of an unfaithful pastor-an apprehension far from groundless in those times. John, Heugh, the younger son of this good man, during the course of his studies, considered it his duty to connect himself with the party who i had recently seceded from the National Church.

On the division which took place among the Seceders, respecting the lawfulness of swearing the burgess oath, Mr. Heugh took part with the section who deemed the oath inconsistent with the Secession testimony, and after officiating for some time as tutor in logic and metaphysics at Abernethy, where the Secession Divinity Hall then met, he was ordained to the charge of the Anti-Burgher congregation in Stirling. For fifty-six years he discharged the duties of the pastoral office in this place in a manner which secured to him not only the affection of his congregation, but the esteem of all classes and denominations in Stirling and its vicinity.

Dr. Heugh was the youngest but one of the ten children of this devoted and successful minister of the Gospel. His grammar-school education was conducted under the care of that celebrated scholar, Dr. David Doig, by whom he was imbued with an accurate and extensive knowledge of Roman literature-an advantage by no means generally to be obtained at that time in Scottish schools. At what period Dr. Heugh's mind was brought under the saving influence of Divine truth is not known; but there can be no doubt that he "early" sought and found an interest in the Saviour. In the opinion of those who had good opportunities of forming an accurate judgment on the subject, he was decidedly pious before he entered college. This event took place in 1797, when he had reached the age of fifteen. His academical career was eminently successful, and drew forth the marked approbation of Dr. Finlayson, who then filled the chair of logic in the University of Edinburgh. In the autumn of 1799, he entered the Divinity Hall in connection with the General Associate Synod, which was at that time under the superintendence of Professor Bruce of Whitburn. In the year 1804, he was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Stirling. The acceptability of his services as a preacher obtained for him three calls—one of which was from the congregation of Stirling, to be colleague to his aged father. To this call the Synod gave the preference, and on the 14th of August 1806, his ordination took place-an event which his venerable father survived for four years. For the space of fifteen years, Dr. Heugh laboured in Stirling with remarkable fidelity and sucUnder his care the congregation was, in every sense of the word, prosperous; and he established for himself a high standing, not only in the denomination to which he belonged, but in the community at large.

cess.

His distinguished reputation, as an able and successful minister, attracted the attention of the newly-formed congregation of Regent Place, Glasgow, and repeated but unsuccessful attempts were made by them to obtain his settlement among them as their minister. After the union of the two bodies of Se

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ceders, they repeated their invitation, which on this occasion, however, had to compete with a call from the congregation of Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, who were equally anxious to obtain him as a colleague to their distinguished pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jamieson. The Synod, at its meeting in September 1821, gave the preference to the call from Regent Place; and Dr. Heugh was accordingly inducted to the pastoral charge of that congregation on the 9th of October following. This event, it is well known, was a very painful trial to Dr. Heugh. The attachment between him and his congregation was of no ordinary kind, and their separation was therefore felt with peculiar severity. He has been known to say, that this event cost him the greatest struggle he should have to encounter till that which should terminate all his labours on earth, and carry him into the presence of his Lord. The result, however, has abundantly shown the wisdom of the Synod's decision. The opportunities of usefulness which he enjoyed among the dense and spirited population of Glasgow were necessarily both numerous and important, and he set himself, with all the zeal and unconquerable energy which characterized him, to employ all the means in his power of doing good. "He made it plain from the beginning, that he was expecting great things by attempting great things. His first object was to approve himself as a minister of God' to 'the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him overseer '-to make himself useful to them, and by them useful to others. He understood well that the foundation of extended useful influence in a Christian minister must be laid in a diligent, conscientious discharge of pastoral duty. He had no idea of making the care of all the Churches,' which few men ever felt more strongly, an excuse for diminishing, in the slightest degree, his care for his own flock. He kept his own vineyard well, and thought rightly that this was the first step towards his being influential in having other men's vineyards well kept."*

His congregation is the best monument of his pastoral talents and diligence. He was their first minister, and throughout the whole of the quarter of a century during which they enjoyed the inestimable benefit of his ministrations, they continued to be one of the most flourishing congregations in Glasgow, whether as respects number, respectability, or usefulness. From the first they took a lead in the liberality of their contributions; their " praise in the Gospel is in all the Churches, and by their zeal they have provoked very many."

The labours of Dr. Heugh, however, were not confined to his congregation: the welfare of the Church universal lay near his heart. He possessed highly effective talents as a controversialist, both on the platform and through

* Funeral Sermon, by Dr. Brown, p. 72.