THE CHILD AND HER PAPIST FATHER. science was touched; and tears began to flow. In 1. We were deformed: (Ezek. xvi. 6, 8, "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, it was the time of love." Mordecai adopted Esther because she was fair; but we were in our blood, and then God adopted us. He did not adopt us when we were clothed with the robe of innocency in paradise, when we were hung with the jewels of holiness, and were white and ruddy; but when we were in blood, and had our leprous spots upon us: the time of our loathing was the time of God's loving. 2. As we did not deserve to be made children, so neither did we desire it. No landed man will force another to become his heir against his will. If a king should go to adopt a beggar, and make him heir of the crown; if the beggar should refuse the king's favour, and say, "I had rather be as I am, I would be a beggar still," the king would take it in high contempt of his favour, and would not adopt him against his will. Thus it was with us; we had no willingness to be made children, we would have been begging still; but God, out of his infinite mercy and indulgence, not only offers to make us children, but makes us willing to embrace the offer.-(Ps. cx. 3.) Behold, what manner of love is this!" 3. Which is the wonder of love, that God should adopt us for his children when we were enemies. If a man would make another heir of his land, he would adopt one that is near akin to him. No man would adopt an enemy. But that God should make us children when we were enemies; that he should make us heirs to the crown when we were traitors to the crown-oh! amazing, astonishing love! "Behold what manner of love is this!" We were not akin to God; we had by sin lost and forfeited our pedigree; we had done God all the injury and spite we could, defaced his image, violated his law, trampled upon his mercies, and when we had angered him, he adopted us! What stupendous love was this! such love was never shown to the angels when they fell. God never vouchsafed this privilege of adoption to them; he did not make them children, but prisoners; they were heirs only to the treasures of wrath.-(Rom. ii 5.) Use. Let all who are thus nearly related to God stand admiring his love. When they were like Saul, breathing forth emnity against God-when their hearts stood out as garrisons against him-the Lord conquered their stubbornness with kindness, and not only pardoned, but adopted them. It is hard to say 141 which is greater, the mystery or the mercy. This is such amazing love, as we shall be searching into and adoring to all eternity; the bottom of it cannot be fathomed by any angel in heaven. God's love in making us children, is 1. A rich love: it is love in God to feed us, but it is rich love to adopt us; it is love to give us a crumb, but it is rich love to make us heirs to a crown. 2. It is a distinguishing love; that when God hath passed by so many millions, he should cast a favourable aspect upon thee! Most are cut out for fuel, and are made vessels of wrath; and that God should say to thee," Thou art my son," here 's a mirror of mercy, the meridian of love! Who, O who can tread upon these hot coals, and his heart not burn in love to God?-Thomas Watson. THE CHILD AND HER PAPIST FATHER. SAYS a correspondent of a foreign journal: I was in the city of P-, seated in the study of the brother with whom I had been labouring, when a little German girl, of twelve or fourteen years of age, entered the room, and bursting into tears exclaimed, in an animated tone, "Oh, Mr - I am sure the Lord is going to convert my father! I do believe he will be converted now," she added, with so much emotion as drew from me the inquiry," Of whom is she speaking ?" "Tell the gentlemen yourself, my child," said my friend," what God has done for you, and what he has been trying to do for him." From the simple story of the girl, I gathered the following. A year and a half before, in her ignorance and sin she had been led to enter the Church where my friend was preaching, and while there the Lord graciously met her, and converted her soul. Full of joy and wonder, she ran home to tell her father, who was a bigoted Romanist, what a Saviour she had found; but to her surprise he became very angry, beat her cruelly, and forbade the mention of the subject again in his house. She continued to attend Church, and expressed a wish to join with the people of God in commemorating the dying love of her Saviour. He told her if she did, he would beat her to death. With this prospect she determined to do her duty, putting her trust in Him who hath said, "I will never leave nor forsake thee." When she returned home and told her father what she had done, he beat her most unmercifully, and drove her from the house, telling her never to return until she had given up father, the Lord took her up; she was provided with her newfangled religion. Thus forsaken of her a place in a pious family, at service, reserving to herself the first Monday in every month, which day she spent in distributing tracts to all the German families of her acquaintance, and, whenever permitted, she prayed with them before she left, always taking her father's house in her way, though sure of being beaten, and driven from it. Month after month she offered the hardened man a tract, at the same time entreating him to think of his poor soul, and offering with severe blows, she said, "I did not care for the to pray with him. Although uniformly driven away blows; for, sir, my poor father's soul was all I thought of or cared for." In this course she perseveredhow long do you think, indolent Christian? not one month, which many think too long to wait for an answer to prayer; but eighteen months, without seeing any fruit of her labour. Two months before I met her, she found, on visiting her father, that he was in tears over his work; he suffered her to read, converse and pray without interruption, and at parting bade her come again. The next month he was even more tender; and on the day I first saw her, she had seen him again, and she said, "Oh, how changed was my poor father! with tears he begged me to forgive him, and pray for him. I told him I had laid nothing up against him, and asked him to pray for himself. He knelt down by my side, but could only say, ' O Lord, forgive, forgive, O Lord, forgive;' and now, sir, I am sure the Lord will hear and convert my poor father." The next evening, on entering the praying circle, I recognised the voice of the little German girl in the individual who was addressing the throne of grace. Her father was there, inquiring with trembling eagerness the way to the Saviour's feet. The father and daughter left the room together that night, rejoicing in the grace which had washed away their stains. I MUST PRAY DIFFERENTLY. SOME time ago I felt strongly the necessity of praying more; and I expressed that impression in an article entitled, "I must pray more." Now I feel that I must not only pray more, but differently; and that my praying more will not answer any good purpose, unless I also pray differently. I find that quality is to be considered in praying, as well as quantity; and, indeed, the former more than the fatter. We learn from Isaiah (chap. i.), that it is possible to make many prayers, or to multiply prayer, as it is in the margin, and yet not be heard. The scribes and Pharisees made long prayers; but their much prayer availed them nothing, while the single short petition of the publican was effectual to change his entire prospects for eternity. It was because it was prayer of the right kind. It is a great error to suppose that we shall be heard for our much speaking. Let me, however, say, that while length is not by itself any recommendation of prayer, yet we have the highest and best authority for continuing a long time in prayer, We know who it was that, "rising up a great while before day," departed into a solitary place, and there prayed; and of whom it is recorded in another place, that he "continued all night in prayer to God." Certainly they should spend a great deal of time in prayer who are instructed to " pray without ceasing." It is in the social and public worship of God that long prayers are out of place. But to return from this digression. I must pray differently; and I will tell you one thing which has led me to think so. I find that I do not pray effectually. It may be the experience of others, as well as of myself. I do not obtain what I ask; and that, though I ask for the right sort of things. If I asked for temporal good, and did not receive it, I should know how to account for it. I should conclude that I was denied in mercy; and that my prayer, though not answered in kind, was answered in better kind. But I pray for spiritual blessings-for what is inherently and under all circumstances good-and do not obtain it. How is this? There is no fault in the Hearer of prayer, no unfaithfulness in God. The fault must be in the offerer. I do not pray right. And since there is no use in asking without obtaining, the conclusion is, that I must pray differently. I find, moreover, that I do not pray as they did in old time, whose prayers were so signally answered. When I compare my prayers with those of the patriarchs, especially with that of Jacob-and with the prayers of the prophets, those, for instance, of Elijah and Daniel; when I compare my manner of making suit to the Saviour, with the appeals made to him by the blind men, and by the woman of Canaan; and above all, when I lay my prayers alongside of His crying and tears "I perceive such a dissimilarity, who" offered up prayers and supplications with strong that I thence conclude I must pray differently? I find also that I do not urge my suits to God as I do those which I have sometimes occasion to make to men. I am wiser as a child of this world than I am as one of the children of light. When I want to carry a point with a human power, I find that I take greater vigilance and effort, than when I want to more pains, and am more intent upon it, and use gain something of God. It is clear, then, that I must alter and reform my prayers-I must pray differently. But in what respects? How differently? 1. I must not speak to God at a distance. 2. I must draw near to him. Nor that alone. I must stir myself up to take hold of him.-(Isa. Ixiv. 7.) Yea, I must take hold of his strength, that I may make peace with him. (Isa. xxvii. 5.) I have been satisfied with approaching God. I must, as it were, apprehend him. 2. I must not only take hold of God in prayer, but I must hold fast to him, and not let him go, except he bless me. So Jacob did. There were two important ingredients in his prayer-faith and perseverance. By the one he took hold of God; by the other he held fast to him till the blessing was obtained. 3. I must be more affected by the subjects about which I pray. I must join tears to my prayers. Prayers and tears used to go together much more than they do now. Hosea says that Jacob " wept and made supplication." Hannah wept while she prayed. So did Nehemiah, and David, and Hezekiah; and God, in granting the request of the last mentioned, uses this language: "I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears." But a greater than all these is here. Jesus offered up prayers" with strong crying and tears." Some think it unmanly to weep. I do not know how that may be; but I know it is not unchristian. It is thought by some that men must have been more addicted to tears then than they are now; but it is my opinion that they felt more, and that is the reason they wept more. Now I must feel so as to weep; not by constraint, but in spite of myself. I must be so affected that God shall see my tears as well as hear my voice; and in order to being so affected, I must meditate. It was while David: mused that the fire burned; and then he spake with his tongue in the language of prayer. And we know that which melted his heart affected his eye; for in the same Psalm, the 39th, he says, "Hold not thy peace at my tears." 4. There are other accompaniments of prayer which I must not omit. Nehemiah not only wept and prayed, but also mourned, and fasted, and made confession. Why should not I do the same? 5. I must plead as well as pray. My prayers must be more of the nature of arguments-and I must make greater use than I have ever done of certain pleas. There is one derived from the character of God: "For thy name's sake pardon mine iniquity. Have mercy on me according to thy loving-kindness.” Another is derived from the promises of God: "Hath he said, and shall he not do it; or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ?" Another is drawn from the past doings of God: "I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High: I will re "THE ACCEPTED TIME." member the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old." I must also plead Christ more in my prayers. The argument is drawn out to our hands by Paul: "He that spared not his own Son how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" 6. But again: I must cry unto the Lord. Crying expresses more than praying. It expresses earnest, fervent prayer. This is what they all used to do. They cried to God. The Psalmist says, "I cried with my whole heart." I must cry with my whole heart, yea mightily, as even the Ninevites did, else those heathen will rise up in the judgment and condemn me. 7. I must seek the Lord in prayer, feeling as did Job, when he said, "O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!" And this I must do, as Judah is once said to have done, with my "whole desire." Yea, I must search for him with all my heart. I must even pour out my heart before him, as the Psalmist on one occasion exhorts. I must "keep not silence, and give him no rest," as Isaiah directs. "Night and day praying exceedingly," as Paul says he did. 8. And I must pray in the Holy Ghost, as Jude exhorts. We need the Spirit to help our infirmities, and to make intercession for us. Nor should we be satisfied with any prayer in which we have not seemed to have his help. Finally, I must alter and alter my prayers till I get them right; and I must not think them right until I obtain the spiritual blessings which they ask. If pray for more grace, and do not get it, I must pray differently for it till I do obtain it. I Oh, if Christians prayed differently, as well as more, what heavenly places our closets would be! What interesting meetings prayer-meetings would be! What revivals of religion we should have! how frequent, numerous, and pure! What a multitude of Bouls would be converted! What joyful tidings we should hear from our missionary stations, and from the heathen world! Oh, what times we should have! The millennium would be on us before we knew it! And because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, the offering of a different kind of prayer for the Spirit would do more to put down error than all other means which can be resorted to. The preachers of truth cannot put it down without the aid of the Spirit of truth. Let us then pray differently. Let us at least try. I am sure it is worth the effort. Let every one who reads this, resolve, “I will pray differently."-Nevins. 143 guage, she actually sold her watch, in order to furnish one hundred Bibles to the poor, at reduced prices. This was a noble effort in the cause of God: it augured well as to future usefulness; and the expectations which were excited by it were more than realized. She took the whole city of St Petersburg for her sphere, and perambulated it alone; and succeeded beyond all expectations. In the course of a few months, she sold more than one thousand five hundred Bibles, and Testaments, and Psalters; and in this blessed work she continued perseveringly to engage. Hundreds derived advantage from her visits. SOMETHING MORE AWFUL THAN THE JUDGMENT. A CELEBRATED preacher of the seventeenth century, in a sermon to a crowded audience, described the terrors of the last judgment with such eloquence, pathos, and force of action, that some of his audience not only burst into tears, but sent forth piercing cries, as if the Judge himself had been present, and was about to pass upon them their final sentence. In the height of this commotion, the preacher called upon them to dry their tears and cease their cries, as he was about to add something still more awful and astonishing than any thing he had yet brought before them. Silence being obtained, he, with an agitated countenance and solemn voice addressed them thus: "In one quarter of an hour from this time, the emotions which you have just now exhibited will be stifled-the remembrance of the fearful truths which excited them will vanish-you will return to your carnal occupations, or sinful pleasures, with your usual avidity-and you will treat all you have heard as a tale that is told!"" "THE ACCEPTED TIME." WHO has not heard of it? How often has it been sounded in the ears of sinful men, to arrest their attention, and turn their feet from destruction's fearful brink, to the paths of life? Alas! how few are willing to give it attention. Cain heard the admonition when murder was in his heart, Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou dost not "The A WHOLE CITY VISITED BY ONE WOMAN. AN intelligent, industrious, and kind-hearted woman in Russia became a Christian. Her labours were transformed into Christian labours; and were follow-well, sin lieth at the door." Ah! if Cain had heeded ed up with an ardour and perseverance seldom exceeded. In her visits to the poor, she now carried books and tracts, as well as food and raiment; and when she found persons unable to read, which was frequently the case, she made it a point to read to them, and to explain what they could not understand. Her prompt assistance was, in a great measure, instrumental to a zealous agent becoming extensively engaged in the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. She gave him two of the first Finnish Bibles that ever passed through his hands; and when there was a great demand for the sacred volume in that lan that merciful interposition, he might have escaped the fearful crime, and his name would not have gone forth to every generation of mankind as a murderer and fratricide. He would not heed God in the accepted time-crime and the curse followed that despised warning. Cain became "a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth." Did Cain ever repent? The Lord knoweth. There was an accepted time for sinners of Noah's day. He warned them of coming destruction, and preached repentance. They would not listen to him. The flood came, and not one despiser escaped destruction. There was an accepted time for the sinners in Sodom, Lot was there to warn them; but they despised and derided. Even his sons-in-law treated him as one who mocked. Sodom and Gomorrah are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jerusalem had an accepted day. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." How accepted the time when Christ offered to save. How condign and terrible their de struction. How many precious, "accepted" seasons are lost, never to be retrieved! How many who neglect the one that now is, fondly thinking that they shall see many others, live not to see one more! Experience and Scripture combine to teach us the solemn truth, which every soul should heed, that "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Oh! let us improve this priceless-it may be this only-season of escape.-New York Evangelist. AFRAID TO DIE. SOME years ago, a minister was preaching in Ply- may. Ellen would come to me and say, with all possible composure, Never mind, missa; look to Jesus Christ-he gave-he rule de sea-he prepare to die.' And when, sir, we neared the shore, and were at a loss to know on what part of the coast we were, fearing every minute to be dashed to atoms on the rocks, my mind still in a distracted state-I feared to die-I knew nothing of religion;-poor Ellen, with the same composure as before, came to me and said, 'Don't be fear, missa, look to Jesus Christ, he de rock; no shipwreck on dat rock; he save to de utmost; don't be fear, missa, look to Jesus Christ.' I determined, sir, I hope in divine strength, that if ever we reached the shore in safety, I would seek to possess that religion which so supported the heart of a poor negress in the midst of such dreadful danger." "NONE TO SPEAK OF." opposed to the noisy zeal that seeketh the praise of AFFECTIONATE MANNERS IN MINISTERS. ness. GROANINGS OF THE SPIRIT. THESE groanings of the Spirit of God which cannot be uttered, are those unutterable desires wherewith the heart is charged, and which can only find vent in the ardent but unspeakable breathings of one who first feels his need, and longs to be relieved from itwho hath a strong and general appetancy after righteousness, and yet can only sigh it forth in ejaculaThese are called the tions of intense earnestness. groanings of the Spirit of God, because it is in fact He who hath awakened them in the spirit of man. When he intercedes for a believer, the believer's own heart is the channel through which the intercession finds its way to the throne of grace.-Chalmers. WARS. "WARS," says Jortin, " are the desolation of populous and flourishing regions, the loss of trade, the increase of taxes and debts, poverty, both public and private, the destruction of thousands, and the ruin of almost as many families; besides the sicknesses, the famines, the iniquities and cruelties, which accompany a state of hostility, and follow the camp." "It would have proved a striking part of a vision presented to Adam after the death of Abel," says a writer, "to have brought before his eyes half a million of men, crowded together in the space of a square mile. When the first father had exhausted his wonder on the multitude of his offspring, he would naturally inquire of his angelic instructor, for what purpose so vast a multitude had been assembled. What is the common end? Alas! to murder each other; all Cains, and yet no Abels ! " QUIET REBUKE. JOHN HOWE, hearing a gentlemen speaking highly in praise of some one in a large party, and at the same time mixing many horrid oaths with his discourse, mildly but decidedly said to him, that he had omitted one great excellence in the character of that individual. "What is it, sir?" said th other with eagerness; "what is it?" "It is this said Mr Howe, "that he was never heard to swear an DR LATHROP was a man of generous piety, but much oath in common conversation." THE CHRISTIAN TREASURY. 145 DO YOU PRAY IN YOUR FAMILY? BY THE REV. WILLIAM NEVINS, D.D., LATE OF BALTIMORE. THERE are families that call not on the name of the Lord. Nor is it a new thing: there were such so long ago as when Jeremiah lived. Ile takes notice of them. He has a prayer about them. It seems he was divinely inspired to call down the indignation of the Lord upon such families. "Pour out thy fury," he says, "upon the families that call not on thy name." I would not like to have been a member of one of those families; and much less the head of one of them. It must have been very offensive to the Lord that there were families in which he was not acknowledged and worshipped. And if there were such families among the heathen nations that offended him, how much more must it have displeased him that there should be such families even among his people Israel-families that did not in the family capacity invoke him! I do not know why it should be less offensive now. I do not believe it is. Families are now under as great obligations to God as ever they were. Some persons ask why we insist on family prayer as a duty. They say we cannot produce any precept enjoining it. That is true enough. But I wonder if that is not a duty, the omission of which is the subject of prophetic denunciation. I wonder if that is not by implication commanded, the neglect of which brings down the wrath of God on those guilty of the neglect. There are some things so manifestly reasonable, and of such self-evident obligation, that they need no law expressly enjoining them. It is not necessary that they should be taught in so many words. But if we have no express precept on the subject, we have pretty good examples in favour of it. I suspect, Abraham, who was so careful to instruct his household in the way of the Lord, did not neglect to pray with them. And Darid, I am quite confident, prayed in his family. It is said of him, on one occasion, that "he returned to bless his household." No doubt there were both prayer and praise in that family. Certainly Joshua must have prayed in his house. How otherwise could he have fulfilled his resolution, that his house as well as himself should serve the Lord? What! resolve that his house should serve the Lord, and not join with them § 13 in supplication for the grace to serve him! That is not at all likely. Now I would ask if it is not proper and right that every head of a family should adopt the resolution of him who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord?" But can there be religion in a house without prayer? Is there not inconsistency in saying, "I and my family will serve God, but we will have no family altar nor offering?" Is not prayer an essential part of the service of God? I wonder if any one ever lived who supposed that family prayer was not more pleasing to God than the omission of it. I wonder if the practice of family prayer ever distressed any conscience. The omission of it has troubled many. It is admitted, I believe, to be the will of God that we should pray to him socially. The Lord's prayer was constructed for social use. The disciples were directed to use it when they should pray together; and it is, accordingly, in the pla ral number: not "my Father," but " our Father." Now, is God to be socially worshipped, and yet not worshipped in that first, most permanent, and most interesting form of society-the form of society instituted by God himself-the family? Is that to be believed? But the Lord's prayer seems not only intended for social, but daily use. "Give us this day our daily bread," is one of its petitions. It does not contemplate the morrow. It asks supplies but for one day. Now, if, as it appears from this reasoning, social prayer should be daily, where but in the family, the society which is abiding, and which a single roof covers, can it with propriety be daily? Should there be public religious services daily, or daily prayer-meetings for this purpose? Then, how suitable it is that those who together share their daily bread should together daily ask it! How reasonable and comely is household, religion-family worship! Common blessings, such as families daily share, call for common thanksgivings. Common wants, such as families together feel, call for common supplications, Is it not fit that families, in retiring to rest at night, should together commit themselves to the divine keeping; and in the morning unite in praising the Lord for having been their pro |