66 ment, and how Christian prayer displays its real power, not in saving men by miracles in the season of death and sufferings, but in making them capable of bearing death and sufferings with tranquillity and cheerful resignation. 'By the power of the grace imparted, it abates not the pain of the suffering, but it arms the sufferer, and him that feels the pain, with power to bear it. The prayer of the Christian brings not down retaliation from heaven, but it averts the anger of God; it watches for its enemies, it prays for its persecutors, it obtains forgiveness of sins, it frightens away temptations, it comforts the faint-hearted, it quickens the courageous: prayer is the wall of faith." Origen says, "How much has each one of us to relate of the efficacy of if he is inclined to remember with thankfulness the benefits of God! prayer, Souls, which had long been unfruitful, and who were well aware how dry they were, when fructified by the Holy Spirit from the force of constant prayer, produced words of salvation, full of the conceptions of truth. What hostile powers, that threatened to annihilate our holy faith, have been often brought to shame! We trust to that which says, Some put their trust in chariots and horses, but we will think on the name of the Lord our God,' Ps. xx. 8; and we found that a horse is but a vain thing to save a man.' He that confides in prayer has often vanquished even the power of plausible reasons, which were sufficient to terrify those who were accounted believers. How often do those, who have fallen into temptations, hard to be overcome, suffer no shame from them, and come forth from them unhurt, without even being touched by the smell of the fire that was kindled against them! And what further shall I add? How often has it happened that those who have been delivered up to wild beasts enraged against us, to evil spirits and cruel men, have brought these beings to silence, so that their teeth could not touch us, who are the members of Christ! We know that many who had fallen from the commands of God, and lay already in the pit of death, have been saved by the prayer of repentance.' But the very nature of the Christian life supposes, that nothing in it can exist insulated from the other parts of it; all that comes particularly forward at any one moment, is yet something which has a foundation in the internal life, considered as a whole proceeding from one centre. The spirit of thankfulness to a heavenly, redeeming Father-the spirit of childlike devotion to him-the feeling in regard to him, of the needfulness of his assistance, and the consciousness of being nothing, and of being able to do nothing without him—was to animate the whole Christian life. This life was, therefore, to be a continued thanksgiving for the grace of redemption, a prayer of constant longing after an increase of holiness by communion with the Redeemer. This was the view of prayer which the New Testament was destined to substitute in the place of that which had previously prevailed; a view, which looked on prayer as an individual act, dependent on certain times and hours, and consisting in individual effusions or particular forms. And thus the fathers of this age expressed themselves. Origen says, "He prays without ceasing, who unites prayer and action together properly, since works also are a part of prayer; for the apostle's words, 'Pray without ceasing,' are to be considered as something which may be achieved, if we consider the whole life of the believer as one continued prayer; of which prayer, usually so called, forms only a part." And the same Origen says, in regard to the Lord's Prayer, We cannot believe that words have been taught us, only to be recited at a certain hour of prayer. If we understand properly that which is said in regard to praying without ceasing,' our whole life if we are inclined thus to pray without ceasing-must say, Our Father, which art in heaven,' since such a life has its conversation, not on earth, but by all means in heaven, since we are the throne of God, because the kingdom of heaven has its habi tation in all those who bear the form of the heavenly man, and by that means become heavenly." Clement of Alexandria says, "Prayer, if I may speak so boldly, is intercourse with God. If we only lisp, if we even silently speak to God, the lips not moving; yet we cry to him in our hearts, for God listens always to the inward direction of the heart to him." The same person, when he wishes to represent an ideal picture of a Christian in heart, ripened in faith and profession, says of him, "In every place will he pray, though not openly, to be seen of men. Even when he is walking for pleasure, even when he is in converse with other men, in stillness, in reading, and when he is engaged in reasonable business, he prays by all means. And even also if he only think on God in the chamber of the soul, and with silent sighings calls upon his Father, he will be near him and with him, for he is still speaking to him." any But although prayer be a direction of the heart which goes through the whole of the Christian life, yet it must, nevertheless, become more prominent in special effusions of the heart; and in compliance with the wants of man, as a creature of sense, it must make itself heard also in words; and these particular seasons must form a kind of consecration for all the rest of the life. The Christians were accustomed to select those hours for prayer, which had been usually so employed by the Jews-the third, the sixth, and the ninth, according to the then division of the day-that is, nine in the morning, twelve, and three in the afternoon-not as if prayer were dependent on any certain times; but, as Tertullian declared, "in order that those who were likely to be withdrawn from the duty of prayer by earthly business might be reminded of it." The Christians were, besides, accustomed to sanctify by prayer all the more important seasons of the day, and all transactions of importance, in regard either to spiritual or temporal life; for even all that is earthly was to be rendered holy by being referred to that which is heavenly. "It becomes the believer," says Tertullian, "to take no food, to enter no bath, without the intervention of prayer; for the strengthening and refreshing of the soul ought to precede the strengthening and refreshing of the body; the heavenly ought to precede the earthly." Thus also the Christian, who had received into his house a brother from a distant land, and refreshed him with all that lay in his power, was bound not to dismiss him without prayer; he was to feel as if he had, in this stranger-brother, seen the Lord himself in his house; and by the guest, the earthly refreshment which he had received, was not to be thought of more value than the heavenly, which was offered to him at his departure. Under any pressing emergencies, which affected the community in general, or those in whom they took particular interest, they all assembled for the purpose of prayer, and all general deliberations were opened with prayer. It was in prayer that the brotherly communion and the mutual sympathy of the members of the one body were to be shown; every one was to pray in the spirit of all, and commend the circumstances of all the brethren, which he looked upon as his own, to the Head of the church, and through him to eternal love. Thus Cyprian says in the explanation of the Lord's Prayer: "The teacher of peace and communion did not wish that each individual should pray for himself, but that every one should pray for all. We do not say My Father,' but, 'Our Father," and every one prays not for the forgiveness of his own sins alone, nor for himself alone, that he may not be led into temptation, and may be delivered from evil. Ours is a common prayer, and when we pray, we pray not only for individuals, but for the whole church; because we, as members of the church, all are one. God, the author of peace and concord, wished that thus every one should pray for all, as he has included all in one." And when bishop Cyprian, under the pressure of persecution, was encouraging his church to prayer, he wrote thus: "Let every one pray to God, not for himself alone, but for all brethren, as the Lord has taught us to pray." As it was acknowledged and believed that Divine things could only be understood under the light of the Divine Spirit, and that by prayer the heavenly fountain was opened to man, prayer was considered as the necessary means to a knowledge of Divine things, and a right understanding of Scripture. When Origen, that great father of the church, who had called together all those human means for the understanding of Scripture, and the development of its doctrines, which could only be had in his time, as well as directed all his learning and speculative study to the same purpose, was exhorting his disciple, the young Gregory, (afterwards called Thaumaturgus,) to diligent "knocking and seeking" in the study of Scripture, he added, "But let it not be enough for you to knock and to seek ;-to a knowledge of Divine things, the most necessary means is prayer. To incite us to this, our Saviour did not say merely, Knock, and it shall be opened to you; seek, and ye shall find ;' but also, Pray, and it shall be given to you.'' It was usual on those days which were especially dedicated to the memory of the resurrection of Christ, to pray standing upright, in remembrance that Christ had raised up to heaven man who was fallen and sunk in worldly defilements; but on other days they prayed kneeling. But Origen, nevertheless, cautions men against the notions which made them forget inward things in outward forms; he turned them from the latter to the former, and endeavoured to show, that outward things have no importance except in reference to inward, and of themselves and in themselves are matters of indifference. "Before a man," he says, "stretches out his hands to heaven, he must raise his soul thither; before a man raises up his eyes, he must raise his spirit up to God; for we cannot doubt, that out of a thousand possible attitudes of the body, those with outspreading of the hands and uplifting of the eyes must be preferred to all others, as giving some representation of the dispositions proper to prayer. We think that this must be preferred, where no peculiar circumstances exist; for under certain circumstances, in cases of illness, people may pray sitting or lying. And under certain circumstances, as for instance, when men are on shipboard, or where the present state of the case will not admit of their offering up the proper prayers, they may then pray, without appearing to do so. And because kneeling is required when a man confesses his own sins to God, and prays for forgiveness of them, every one must perceive that this position is a token of a bowed down and humble spirit." Origen, Tertullian, and Cyprian, accordingly explain Phil. ii. 10, of such a spiritual bowing of the knee and self-humiliation, in the name of Christ, saying that it does not relate to the vain show of outward gestures, but to the disposition of the heart towards God. "God hears not the voice, but the heart," says Cyprian; "he sees the thoughts of men, and requires not to be reminded by their cry; as Hannah, in the book of Kings, represents to us the form of the church, which prays to God, not with the outcry of prayer, but in the still depths of the heart. She spoke in silent prayer, but her faith was known to God." That which we have above extracted from Tertullian's "Picture of the Blessedness of a Christian Marriage," shows that spiritual songs in common, and a common reading of the Scriptures, formed part of the daily edification of a Christian family. Thus Clement of Alexandria also recommends united prayers and reading of the Bible together, as proper morning occupations for a Christian couple. The controversial writings of Tertullian on matters of ecclesiastical life and of morality, where he considers himself as opposing laymen, show that these latter were also well acquainted with the Scriptures, and were accustomed to judge things that related to life out of them. THE ORIGINAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY. Churches planted everywhere, and furnished with an able and faithful ministry, is the Divine plan for saving mankind. This plan has the following characteristics: 1. It is simple. It includes little machinery, but much labour, prayer, and self-denial. Hence the derangements to which it is liable are few, and easily rectified. Hence, also, it is adapted to all ages and states of society. This Divine simplicity, which makes it less imposing in the eyes of the superficial multitude, constitutes one of its chief excellences. 2. It is comprehensive. It includes the entire duty of man, and all the truth on which that duty is based. It is the whole gospel which God commits to his churches, and not some fragments of it -not practice without doctrine, nor doctrine without practice, but both united. He has not made them his witnesses for some part of the truth, to the neglect and undervaluing of the rest, but for "the whole counsel of God." Consider, for a moment, what a vast range of truth comes within the province of every pastor, and in what endlessly varied applications. His preaching is not all warm exhortation, or all doctrinal discussion, all promises or all threatenings, all instruction of believers, or all admonition of unbelievers, all revival efforts, or all labouring for remote results, all moral reform, all anti-slavery, or all church order and ordinances, but each and all of these in its place. And it is addressed to men in all conceivable circumstances, young and old, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity, and through every kind of channel-the pulpit, the conference meeting, the tract, the private interview, the family visit. Thus are he and his people kept from the error into which those who devote themselves to the propagation of one specific truth are in perpetual danger of running that of making a particular province of the gospel larger than all the rest of it. 3. It is direct. It is the common sense way of meeting men face to face, the very way which all spontaneously adopt when they wish to persuade their fellow-men. The man of God, thoroughly furnished for his work, is not a principle which may be understood, but whose presence cannot be seen or felt; nor is he a letter or a book, that utters one thing alike to all, without any power of adaptation to their individual wants; but a person, who makes his presence felt, and who gives to each just the instruction which he needs, and in the way in which he needs it. The Divine plan has, therefore, an unlimited flexibility, a power of self-adaptation which makes it everywhere the very thing which is wanted. 4. It is stable. It takes the form of an institution, with its simple but efficient organization, that stands from age to age, independent of the lives of the individuals embraced in it; exerting its influence without intermission, and moulding the character from the cradle up to manhood. In this one particular it has an infinite advantage over all random modes of doing good, that make powerful impressions for the present moment, without embodying them. in any permanent living organization which shall secure their perpetuity. 5. It is economical. The most economical way of doing good that is known on earth, hard as it is to make men believe it. Estimating the salary of a pastor wholly devoted to his work at a sum considerably higher than the average of salaries in this land, it will amount in twenty or thirty years to but a small total. Now, if he has been faithful and efficient, consider what an untold amount of good he has accomplished-good that has pre-eminently a self-propagating power, that will endure and multiply itself indefinitely when he is in his grave. Look at his steady, healthful influence, on the education of the young, on the social habits of the community, on the character of the piety of the church; look at the streams of beneficence which his labours have caused to flow out to water and bless others; at the young men who have under his preaching been set in the way to enter the ministrylook at all this, and much more, as well as at the immediate results of his preaching in the conversion of sinners. Ten times the sum could not have been expended so economically in any other way. "Well," you will 66 say, we knew all this before; why tell us of it?" We answer, Because, though you have known it theoretically, you have not felt it; you have not acted accordingly; you have not believed, with all your heart, that the simple plan of establishing churches everywhere, and furnishing them with an able and faithful ministry, is the only plan which gives any promise of saving the nation or the world, Had you done so, with what warm affection, with what rich liberality, would you have cherished those institutions that are acting in direct accordance with this plan-Home Missions-Foreign Missions we cannot, we dare not put one above the other! Both are important beyond all human computation. But we are looking now at the Home field. We cannot restrain the expression of our vehement desire that all our good brethren whom God has made his stewards, might see that there can be no other investment of their trust-property so economical and productive as the investment in Home Missions. If this cause is adequately sustained, so that churches shall be planted everywhere, and furnished with a well-trained ministry, the nation will be, under God, safe, and piety will prosper. A MUCH NEGLECTED DUTY. A VERY simple and obvious duty it is, but one, we are certain, which many Christians overlook in this bustling age. They read, they pray, they act, they give, but they do not think! They do not take time to sit down quietly in solitude, and meditate on heavenly and divine things. Some do, and love the hour of retirement which thus makes them conversant with God and their own souls. But many do not, and to those we are speaking. No Christian, with a good conscience, suffers a day to pass without prayer. And we do not mean to urge that the duty of meditation is as plain and stringent as that of prayer. Rather would we speak of it as a privilege so sweet and so fruitful of comfort and profit to him who indulges in its luxury, that argument to enforce it will not be required. It is one of the highest privileges to be enjoyed on earth—that of sitting down alone to think of God, and heaven, and holiness. Some have found great assistance in giving direction to their thoughts in the use of Jay, Mason, Bogatzky, and others, whose "meditations" are full of profitable and delightful counsel. But this is not the thing. Such helps should not be made a substitute. It will be of comparatively little use to read a chapter in one of these books and then to sleep, go or rush into the world. It is better to take one of the pages of these books, and as from a starting point, after closing the volume, go on and upward in the contemplation of divine truth. This should be habitual with every Christian, a daily duty, performed at such an hour as the world may most readily be excluded; for the moment that we cease from reading, or speaking, or listening to another, the mind turns toward those things that lie nearest the heart. So we often find that thoughts of business intrude upon our most sacred hours. We should therefore select for meditation a season when we may be the least tempted with the cares of the world, and by the word of God and by prayer seek to be led into near and undisturbed communion with Him who knows the softest aspirations of our souls. Then from the constellation of glories that surround the throne of God choose one attribute, and dwell upon it; contemplate its intrinsic beauty and excellence; or trace its developments in the works of Him whose works are but the revelation of himself. Think of the justice of God; think of the mercy of God; think of the purity of God; and then think of the angels of God, of the spirits of the just; think of heaven, of the joys set before us, and the way by which they become ours. Ör turn to another theme, and think of sin, its nature and fruits, its agents and sources; look at the heart, and contemplate its present and prospective state, and from the view thus obtained derive lessons of instruction, many and strong. In this hour of retirement survey the world, and think of the condition of those lying in sin around; of the church and her desolations; and the heart may be touched with the view which is thus spread before it. Then there are other subjects for religious meditation which we need not name; every Christian will find them for himself, and those most suited to his soul's state; congenial themes, which he will dwell upon with ever increasing animation and delight. Our object is now nothing more than to urge the duty and the privilege upon our Christian friends. In this day of "action" it is well to pause and think; and action that is the result of such thinking is the most wise and efficient. LOWLINESS OF MIND. Ir is not by the opposition the world offers to an innocent and holy life; it is not by the severe self-denial and oppressive services which the gospel exacts from us; it is not even by the strict ob |