It is a manifest evil, observed by all discerning men, and lamented by good men, that the ruling eldership exerts so little influence in the church, and that in church courts particularly it approximates so nearly to a sinecure. The inquiry is often made, "Why is it so?" And why—since Presbyterianism boasts its parity of power among the lay and clerical elders-have we generally such small minorities of the lay class in our church courts? And why in these is almost everything managed by the teaching elders while the other class sits in such passive muteness? While these things ought not to be so, and while several reasons may be assigned, yet here lies the principal difficulty: Our elders are not trained in the prayer-meetings as they should be, by leading in their exercises, especially in prayer and in the free and full discussion of the topics of religious conference. Were they trained in the exercises of ❝ speaking often one to another," and to presiding in the prayermeeting, and leading in all its exercises, they would, without question, be better qualified for understanding their responsibilities, and for filling their places in church.

courts.

Here let me say to ministerial brethren to whom it may apply, shut down upon your Wednesday evening prayermeeting lectures, or, what will be far better, continue them as your own ministerial meetings, and, in addition, open district prayer-meetings in every convenient quarter of your charges, so that on many evenings of the week, and in many places all over your congregations, you may have. apostolical fellowship meetings that will bring out every family, every young man, and every elder to the meeting, and open the way to every one to take part in the exercises. This normal school arrangement will bring out all the latent power and talent of the church, and put it under training for usefulness, and, indeed, for work in the

field at once. "Standing idle all the day," just now, when there is so much work to be done, is the terrible bane of the church, in all her departments. It is a part of the ministerial work to bring out every member of the church to his place, point out and assign to him his work, and so see to it that no one under his charge is permitted to expose himself to the challenge of the Master of the vineyard, Why stand here all the day idle?" In this way all our church courts may be well supplied with a controlling and safe ruling eldership.

New measures, innovations upon the established doctrines and order of the church, putting in peril her unity and peace, are seldom introduced by the lay eldership. Were our church always fully represented by a welltrained eldership, disposed to act independently upon their own judgments, unbiased by clerical influence, winds of doctrines, and popular novelties, subverting the truth and obliterating "the footsteps of the flock," and the ways of our fathers, would not so easily mar the unity and retard the prosperity of the church. Much of the purity, spirituality, unity and success of the church must depend upon a welltrained lay eldership. And the school for their efficient and practical training is the prayer-meeting.

Thorough training here will qualify for work in any department of the great field assigned to the church by the Master of the vineyard. What young man-or old even— is fit to superintend the Sabbath school who has never enjoyed training in the prayer-meeting? And here we might raise a very proper, timely, and important inquiry, Why is the Sabbath school, with its system of operations, so lamentably superficial and ineffectual in the solid and reliable training of the children and youth of the church? Why are they so painfully unequal, in their religious attainments, to the advanced privileges and opportunities of

the age? Is it the miserably light and chaffy reading matter of the Sabbath school library? This may have its part in inducing this evil. But after all the reasons are summed up, here lies the burden of the crushing trouble the light and chaffy attainments of Sabbath school teachers, who need themselves to be taught first principles. Take a young man who has been trained from childhood in an old Cameronian prayer-meeting, accustomed there to hear weekly discussions of every kind of subjects connected with Sabbath school teaching, who has, in addition, been, for seven years, an active member of a young men's prayer-meeting; other things being equal, such young man will be found better qualified for Sabbath school teaching than one-half of our theological students, who are strangers to such training, but have just filled their seminary curriculum. Three years' connection with a live prayer-meeting, leading in its exercises, taking interest and part in the discussion of the subjects of its conference, will accomplish more in training for practical usefulness in the Sabbath school, than three years listening to lectures in a theological seminary. If thorough indoctrinating in fundamental and distinctive truth; if stores of Bible knowledge and aptness in communicating, are of importance in fitting for usefulness in the church, then is the scriptural prayer-meeting important as a school where such training can be acquired.

The ministry for the times and for the rising generation, is an object of deep solicitude, and justly, to all godly men in the church. Like Eli, when Ark, and Israel, and all were in jeopardy in the high places of the field; so now, in the perilous times that are upon us, their hearts, trembling for the Ark, are turned with concern to those to whom its keeping will soon be committed. While the ordinary theological training is theoretically the main thing in pre

paring for the ministry, yet there is a practical training, important in its place, and without which no candidate for settlement should ever be deemed qualified, and which should be made a matter of serious inquiry by every congregation in making out a call for a pastor. The importance of this practical training to which we refer, we are happy to say, seems to be duly appreciated in our Christian colleges, and in our theological seminaries. In these, students, with the concurrence and encouragement of faculties, are formed into prayer-meetings, and here receive a large amount of practical training for future work. But this is all based upon principle the importance of prayer-meeting training. Here is a good stand-point, from which a congregation can consider the qualifications of a candidate for a pastoral charge, perhaps better than the Presbytery before which he may display the flowers of rhetoric and the charms of eloquence, by which too many light minds are carried away. That young man, no matter how brilliant his talents, no matter how extensive his literary and theological acquirements, if he have neither experience in the prayer-meeting, nor taste for its exercises, is unfit for the pastorate, and unworthy the suffrage of any pious congregation. Candidates for the ministry cannot too soon be brought under the influence of this precious normal school training. Parents dedicating sons to the ministry, pastors and sessions having oversight of these children of the 'church, should co-operate in leading them forward early in life to take leading part in the prayer-meeting exercises. Here the first and best "inclinations" are given toward that higher grade of practical qualification for the pastoral work.

7. The prayer-meeting is the rallying point where the power of faith in the church concentrates, and takes hold on the arm that moves the world.

Here the mighty in faith and prayer, who, as princes, have power with God, combine, agree, and ask God, who, in answer to prayer, according to his word, performs wonders for his church. "I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. xviii. 19, 20. The prayer-meeting has made earth to quake, prison doors to open, shackles to fall from prisoners, and jailors to tremble. It brought down the promise of the Father, in the gift of the Holy Spirit, in the pentecostal baptism of an infant church, followed by the conversion. of thousands. It has brought down all the judgments predicted in God's word, that have in all the past scourged our sin-cursed world. It has secured the fulfilment of all the promises of the eternal covenant, and brought down all the blessings of that covenant ever enjoyed by God's covenant people in all past ages. It is the channel through which all will come till the present economy of the church and government of the world shall close. Could we trace the chain of causes and effects in the government of the Mediator, over the world and in the church, and in the progress of the gospel in the salvation of sinners, we should then be able to have some clearer comprehension of the importance of this part of the divine plan for the accomplishment of the divine purposes. Everything God has done for his church; everything he is doing; everything he will yet do in the fulfilment of his promises for her, and in the execution of judgments predicted-all are in answer to prayer-eminently in answer to concerted prayer in the prayer-meeting. What an engine of power!-moving that Power which moves mountains, subdues kingdoms, stops the mouths of lions, quenches the violence of fire, puts to