no disposition to hear, will it be in vain to importune Him who is inclined to hear before we ask?

The poor widow had no encouragement in the character of the judge, to whom she appealed; but the child of God may rest assured that there is in Him to whom he makes suit, attributes of mercy and kindness, which may inspire him with the largest confidence. God loves to bless. He delights in diffusing abroad his favors. "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, long-suffering, and of great kindness." "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works."

The widow had no promises to plead. The judge, at no one interview, gave her any intimation that he designed to attend to her cause. But the believer has the assurance of his heavenly Father, that the seed of Jacob shall not seek his face in vain. "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will help them." The divine promises the child of God may spread out before Him in all their number, richness, and power. He may urge them-press them with a fervency and importunity, which only the longing, unsatisfied heart can understand.

The promises I sing,

Which sovereign love hath spoke;

Nor will th' eternal King

His words of grace revoke.

They stand secure

And steadfast still;

Not Zion's hill

Abides so sure.

The widow was in no wise related to the judge, and hence could plead no ties of affinity. But the believer is a child"born by a new celestial birth"-adopted into the family of God-bearing the divine image-interested in the heavenly inheritance. Shall such a one not be heard? Will a father forget his child? That were strange; but it may be. Yes more than that:

The bridegroom may forget the bride
Was made his wedded wife yestreen;
The mother may forget the child,

That smiles so sweetly on her knee

But God cannot forget the children of his love. He has engraven them on the palms of his hand: they are dear to Him as the apple of his eye. Not hear them! that is impossible. They are his elect sons and daughters. They are Christ's. They must be heard. True, God "may bear long with them" i. e. he may for a season defer to answer them; he may for wise reasons try their faith and patience; but, in his own good time and way, he will answer. And he will do it "speedily"—suddenly—unexpectedly. Relief often comes from some unexpected quarter, at the very moment when the believer is just ready to faint and despair. The incumbent cloud-dark, thick, gloomy-suddenly breaks, and down comes the light-harbinger of a day without clouds.

Finally, the widow had no friend at hand, to aid her in pleading her cause. But the believer has an "advocate"an "advocate with the Father"-resident at court; there at all times to attend to his cause; never neglecting it; and never at a loss how to manage it. "He ever liveth to make intercession for us."

Great Advocate! almighty Friend!
On thee our humble hopes depend;
Our cause can never, never fail,

For thou dost plead, and must prevail.

And now say, Christian friend, can you imagine circumstances more favorable than those in which you are placed to secure the blessings which you need? What more can you wish?

Are you a minister of Jesus Christ, having in charge a flock, few of whom you seem to be gathering into the king

dom? Are you disheartened? The remedy-the way to brighter days to all desirable success, is before you. Pray more. Do you say that you have prayed-and prayed more? Well, pray more still: pray on: pray always, and never faint.

Are you a professor of the gospel, and is the church around you asleep?-are sinners descending the broad way? What shall you do? Why, pray; pray, and pray again, and keep on praying; and, in every succeeding interview with God, be more importunate.

Cannot you

Are you a parent, and have you children, without God, and without hope in the world? Does their conduct grieve you? Do their prospects alarm you? May be, you have warned them; plead with them; prayed for them. And, now, what more can you do? What more? Let me ask, Have you prayed as much as you are able? offer another prayer? Can you not pray, yet more fervently? -a little more, than you have ever yet done? Until you have done all these, despair not. Pray on, till God himself bids you pray no more; but while the words of Jesus stand unrevoked, "men should always pray, and never faint," the warrant is good and the prospect fair.

When I hear good men say, that they can do no more, I am reminded of the story of Robert Bruce and the spider. Like a true patriot, he had espoused the cause of his country; and, in defence of her liberties, had exerted himself, as he thought, to the utmost. At a certain time, sunken and dejected, he took refuge for the night in a barn. Sleep forsook him. In a feverish and restless state, he lay till morning, reflecting on the course which he should pursue. The cause of the patriots was becoming desperate; it was already so. And what more could he do for his oppressed and bleeding country? While he lay distressed by this conflict of feeling, his attention was attracted to a spider, which was attempting to pass from one beam to another. But she fell

Presently she was again ascending; and on reaching the same spot, again she fell. On the third, fourth, fifth trial, she was equally unsuccessful. But she seemed in no wise discouraged; but intent and determined. Bruce had counted the nineteenth time: all ineffectual. The movements of the spider were evidently less vigorous. She appeared weary, but still bent on accomplishing her purpose. Once more, therefore, she ascended; her pace slower; her step faltering. She reached the important gap; she seemed to gird herself up to a final, desperate effort; she gave one more leap: it was the twentieth, but that twentieth was successful.

The spider was unconsciously reading a lesson of vast importance to the recumbent Scottish patriot; nor did she inculcate that lesson in vain. Bruce was roused. More might be done. The fortunes of his country, desperate as they seemed, might be retrieved. He rose, more invigorated than if he had slept the entire night. He sallied forth; sought out his few and dispirited followers; and, putting himself once more at their head, fought and won the celebrated battle of Bannockburn, which gave independence to Scotland and a crown of glory to Bruce.

Years have passed since I read this story; but I relate it, I believe, substantially correct. And what a lesson it inculcates! How many, like Bruce, might be taught by an humble insect! The truth is, we should never despair, in regard to our success in a good enterprise. Never? This is strong language; perhaps too strong: but we should be willing to labor, while the last ray of day lasts, and even until every appearance of twilight has departed. In respect to prayer for any good object, I know not when we should rest. Certainly never, until the power of prayer is exhausted, or until God so plainly manifests his will, not to grant a favorable answer, that further supplication would seem to be forbidden. It is granted, that God may so clearly indicate his pleasure, that we should cease after a single supplication. Christ con

fined himself to a repetition of his prayer in the garden three times: Paul did the same, in respect to a removal of the "thorn in the flesh." But they ceased only when they were satisfied of the divine will. At that point, we may also well cease to pray: but until we are satisfied of this, let us not "faint." Pray on. It may be that you will pray ten, fifteen -yea, nineteen times-and if you stop there, you fail. Pray the twentieth time; and that last-most fervent-most believing-most faithful prayer, is the one which serves to move the "muscles of Omnipotence" in your behalf; and, when they move, the blessing comes.

Then earnest let us be,

And never faint in prayer;

God loves our importunity,

And makes our cause his care.

LUKE.

THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN.

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.-Luke xviii. 9-13.

A WRITER has some where remarked, that "humility is the Alpha and Omega of a sinner's faith and a sinner's hopes; the commencing and crowning grace; the all in all of the spirit of Christianity." Just so. The whole superstruction of hope and holiness rests on humility. "The building itself is a beautiful fabric of humility; and all those ornamental decorations that crown the pillar of the temple,