the church.

And then, is not the omission of this ordinance, of duty so important, and of privilege so precious, an evidence that the measure of the Holy Spirit's influences in us is indeed very limited? Is it not evident that, before we shall enjoy special refreshings from God, in enlarged measure, we must have respect to his way of sending promised blessings? Perhaps one reason why prayermeetings are so often so lifeless is, that Christians attend them without an object-without a reflection—and so return as they go. But when some matter of deep interest presses upon the mind, and some ardent desire lifts up the awakened powers of the soul, and Christians come together with hearts all filled and upraised with that same desire, what fervency must inspire their prayers!

If the subject of conference, agreed upon for the meeting, should at the same time, by agreement, be made the subject of special prayer, how much more earnestness might be elicited in the prayer-meeting than is ordinarily enjoyed, when all minds and all desires are dissipated, when unity and unison are wanting, and when, consequently, Christian sympathies and Christian graces are not awakened, as the claims of the prayer-meeting demand. For example: if revival of religion were agreed upon as the subject of conference, and exchange of thought for the meeting, and at the same time, by previous agreement, made the subject of united prayer-could this subject be earnestly discussed, and made the subject of earnest prayer, and earnest Christian hearts not be warmed? Two disciples, after their conference with the Saviour, said-"Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us?" And in this state of warm-heartedness, were they not in happy frame for prayer, and for a successful prayer-meeting? They returned to Jerusalem, found the eleven; and there all gathered together, renewed the conference, and, doubtless, held

a prayer-meeting, in the upper room where Jesus was found, "in their midst, the doors being shut," and their hearts were all made to burn.

Here we may inquire, Can special objects of prayer— objects of deep interest and importance-be long so wanting in any earnest praying circle, that they cannot unite their prayers on anything? Here may be the clew to that dreadful evil, formality in prayer-that same set of phrases the repetition of the same forms as if stereotyped, and for use on all occasions, in family prayer, in the social prayer-meeting, and everywhere else. Such were not the prayers of the united hearts in those concerted prayermeetings, for concerted prayer held simultaneously in the city of Jerusalem on that night when Peter lay in chains in the prison kept by four quaternions of soldiers. No; "For prayer "-concerted prayer-" was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." These were not stereotyped prayers; but the earnest outbursting of hearts by covenant united in pouring out, as one desire, their united desires for the release of a brother beloved in prison. Concerted prayer is the leading the all-controlling exercise of the social prayer-meeting.

Examples illustrating and enforcing concerted prayer are numerous. Down through the line of the history of the prayer-meeting its way-marks are so conspicuous that he that runneth may read, and the way-faring need not err. Esther called together her praying friends for concerted prayer, and the captive nation was saved. Daniel, in his extremity, called together his three friends, laid before them a very grave subject of united prayer; they met and prayed for the desired mercy. Their united prayer was heard and answered, and Nebuchadnezzar's decree of indiscriminate slaughter averted, and Daniel and his friends saved. Ezra called for concerted prayer; the concert was

held; the right way sought; the concert was successful, and a right way was opened for the safe return of the pilgrim captives to the city of their fathers. Examples might be multiplied, and discussion here extended. The reader is referred to the history.

2. Conference is an important part of the social exercises of the prayer-meeting.

Next to prayer it is, perhaps, the most important. It is often by Christians, who understand and prize its value, called the "Conference Meeting." After the "Meeting for prayer and conference." And this accords with the Scripture view as often distinctly presented, referring to conference as the exercise to which prominence is given. It is very natural to conceive of concerted prayer as calling out conference, in a prayer-meeting, upon the subject of that concerted prayer. The one seems necessarily to require the other. All seasonable meetings among men, especially religious meetings, seem to demand speaking as a leading part of the exercises. The social principle in man, the attractions of the communion of saints, the love of brethren, the sympathies of the Christian's sanctified nature -all seem to demand exchange of thought, and sentiment, and feeling, as essential to the enkindling of the exercises of the graces of the soul. Hearts burn while talking together. Such is the law of Christian life; and for the higher enjoyment of this gracious life, imparted by the Spirit of God, is the prayer-meeting appointed, and conference as its principal soul-stirring exercise. David called on the fearers of the Lord to come and hear him relate what God had done for his soul. Ps. lxvi. 16. This seems very explicitly to refer to the exercises of the social meetings of the pious for conference on the subject of experimental religion. The principles involved here are these: David felt the pious impulses of his soul prompting him to give expres

sion to his feelings, and impart to others the secret of his happy experience. He had learned, by experience, that in declaring what God had done for his soul, much of his religious social enjoyment was found. For the exquisite pleasure of communing with kindred spirits, he called on them to hear while he would impart his joys to those who could rejoice with the rejoicing. And here, too, he found a wide field opened for doing good to others, and for advancing his Master's cause. The pleasure of doing good, and the obligation binding thereto, here sweetly meet and mingle together.

Malachi refers to well known religious social meetings for conference, when he states expressly that "the fearers of the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord heard." In those dark times, when religion was very low, everything cold and Laodicean like, the few fearers of the Lord were attracted together, that they might enjoy the heart-warming power of religious conference, just as in the cold the fire draws the shivering around it to receive and enjoy its warmth. Here is the burning fire of hearts whose heat is increased by gathering the scattered brands together, adding brand to brand, till hearts are made to burn together with intensified fervor. Thus by Christian conference, according to a fixed law of the kingdom of grace, love, and every Christian grace, receive, in the prayermeeting, renewed life and power.

Paul, writing to the Hebrews, refers to conference in their religious social meetings as a custom with which they were familiar; and one practised by Christ and his disciples while he was with them, by the apostles long after his Ascension, and by the early Christians everywhere. Desertions appearing among them, he urges the faithful to their duty-"not forsaking the assembling of themselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one

another." Conference here receives the divine sanction as a leading exercise in the social prayer-meetings, and as the appropriate means of preserving and strengthening what faithfulness still remained among the few in the midst of the general forsaking of the conference meeting.

In the Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians, exhorting Christians to speak to one another, to teach and admonish one another, the apostle urges this very exercise in their social religious meetings. And more, he gives very specific instruction in regard to one of the very important modes of conducting this conference-by the use of psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs." What plainer or more natural construction can be put upon these words than that, in the prayer-meeting, a portion of a psalm may be taken as the basis of remarks. Not only singing psalms in the prayer-meeting-for that, too, is specified in addition—but speaking by or through the psalm or hymn, and instructing one another by exchanging views in regard to the doctrinal meaning, to the duties inculcated, and the lessons of Christian experience taught in the psalm. Every Christian having the undoubted right to judge of the meaning, and to explain the Scriptures for himself, he has the right of imparting to his brethren in the prayermeeting the benefit of his interpretation, and so communicating any instruction or comfort to others he may have drawn from them for himself. This can in no way intrench upon the prerogatives of the church or the ministry. It is no more than exercising the rights of the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures for themselves, and communicated the results of their research for the benefit of others.

Conference as a divinely appointed exercise of the prayermeeting, as also its advantages, will be found more fully