sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." It is the breath of the spiritual life in the soul. Whatever has life must breathe; and if the life be strong, it will breathe freely. If prayer be faint, weak, and disordered, the person is not in full life and health; if there be no prayer, there is no spiritual life at all; the first mark of it is, "Behold, he prayeth :" and the last account of one is his prayer, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." It is to the spiritual Church the promise belongs-"I will pour upon the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication." If you have a fervent, persevering spirit of prayer, you have a sure evidence of being born again; of the life of God begun in your soul. When you can feel with David, "My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary : then you may also say, with humble yet believing confidence, "O God, thou art my God."

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5. Prayer gains for us spiritual strength.-It is that singular duty in which every grace is exercised, every sin opposed, every blessing obtained, the whole soul revived, strengthened, and invigorated for the Christian race. Just in proportion to your prayers, so is your holiness, so is your usefulness. The praying Christian is the strong, the thriving Christian, "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." As the naturally weak ivy, which if it had no support, would only grovel on the earth, by adhering to some neighboring tree, or building, and

entwining itself about it, thus grows and fiourishes, and rises higher and higher; and the more the winds blow, and the tempests beat against it, the closer it adheres, and the nearer it clings, and the faster its fibres embrace that which supports it, and it remains uninjured: just so the Christian, naturally weak, by prayer connects himself with the Almighty; and the more dangers and difficulties beset him, the more closely they unite him to his God; he reaches towards, and leans upon, and clings to him, and is strengthened with divine strength. High is the privilege of prayer, which turns our very wants to our advantage, leading us by them into a constant intercourse with God, and keeping us in a spiritual and heavenly state of mind.

6. By prayer we obtain true peace of mind, that peace to which those who never pray are utter strangers. This peace is a calm and entire resting upon God for the supply of every necessity, of body and soul, for time and for eternity. It is casting all our burden, whatever it be, upon a kind, compassionate, Almighty friend, who willingly sustains it, and relieves and comforts us. "Casting all your care on him, for he careth for you." Let the Christian: follow the apostle's direction, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God," and he may fully expect the effect which that apostle describes" and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus."

How calm and composed may he be, amid all the storms and distractions of this world, who has daily and hourly communion with the Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things! The Christian falls below his true happiness in this life, if he does not enjoy constant peace of mind. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."

7. Prayer is especially advantageous in the time of trouble. Even those who neglect God altogether at other times, are often then compelled to apply to him, and even in such a case he has heard and accepted them. But with a peculiarly filial confidence may those approach to him, when they are in trouble, whose habit of mind, whose continual practice, whose whole life, is a drawing near to God. The command and the promise belong to them, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Indeed, what Christian has not found in his own experience, the truth of the declaration, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." When no other ear could hear but his, no other arm save, no other power relieve or help; when we were destitute and almost in despair, then his ear heard, and through his mercy we were delivered. Prayer, like the precious metal, comes most pure from the heated furnace. Are you depressed under your guilt, your weakness, your ignorance, or your ingratitude? You may spread your distress, as Hezekiah did his letter, before God, and you need not fear but that God will help you: and what a

comfort it is that we can never come unseasonably to him. A great man, or a friend, may be so circumstanced that we cannot interrupt him; or he will soon be wearied by repeated application; or he may be so distant that we cannot gain access to him. But our God is very nigh unto us-he is always with us; "a very present help in trouble." Other friends, if willing, may not be able to help us-but he has both the will and the power to give the greatest blessings. "Even our guilt, when confessed, becomes a plea for relief; and the worst condition becomes the strongest reason to pray—all that is given, being given, not for our merits, but for Christ's sake." The following affecting anecdote is related us of a poor colored woman. was a poor slave in the West Indies, and was forbidden by her master to attend public worship, and threatened with severe punishment if she did. The only reply she made, was, "I must tell the Lord that;" a reply that so affected her owner, that he no longer refused her liberty to go. What a view does this give us of the blessedness of prayer, that a poor and friendless outcast may thereby obtain the aid of the great Governor of the universe.

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8. In prayer we enjoy the presence of God."Draw nigh to God,' says St. James, and he will draw nigh to you." The devout soul, having found in the solitude of the closet the presence of God, is glad to withdraw itself from the distraction of the world, and retire to hold converse with him in secret. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. When shall

I come and appear before God?" The Saviour assured his disciples, "He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." There is an experience, therefore, of this presence, into which those only who love Christ can enter. Jeremiah seems to feel the loss of it, when in so affecting a way, he exclaims, "O thou hope of Israel, thou Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?"

9. Prayer prepares us for the enjoyment of God hereafter.-He who has had this heavenly intercourse on earth, and has here been able to say, "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ," is prepared to enter into the blissful society above. God is not a stranger to him; he has long known him: his Saviour is his tried and constant friend. And just as a man who has been continually experiencing the bounty and goodness of a friend whom he has never seen, will rejoice in beholding his face, so will it be to the devout believer. He will enter heaven with the conviction, "In thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."

The devout believer, then, is the only truly happy man. What a delightful life does he live, whose prayers afford him constant communion with God! No fears and anxieties about future things need distract him, nor present difficulties and burdens weigh him down. He may calmly, steadily, and cheerfully pass through all the varieties of this life, living in