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from the Scriptures, that God will not answer the prayers of slothful servants. And yet, how many long prayers are daily made by professing Christians, who are inert, selfish, and opposed to active exertion! Such prayers are surely idle breath. Look at your obligations to Christ and His cause, till you are constrained to consecrate your whole heart and powers in active benevolence, and then you will do good to men, and call down the Divine blessing. That "praying breath was never spent in vain," is most true; but slothful professors do not in reality pray; they only say their prayers.

Causes of unprofitableness in meetings. It is the great occasion of barrenness in religious exercises, that so little is expected from them. Let the inquiry be solemnly made and answered, what is expected from prayer meetings? Let every one who reads this, call to mind any prayer meeting he has attended, and say what precise effect he expected that meeting to produce? If he expected nothing from the meeting, he intended nothing in attending it. Is it not worth while to make this a subject of careful examination? Could we but see how we mock God, how should we be amazed at our presumption, and His forbearance!

The breezes waft their cries

Up to Jehovah's throne;
He listens to their bursting sighs,
And sends His blessings down.

So Jesus rose to pray,
Before the morning light;
Once on the chilly mount did stay
And wrestle all the night."

CONCERT OF PRAYER, Drawn up by the late D. Nasmith,

Founder of City Missions.

PRAYER is offered by Christians in various places in behalf of particular objects, in the closet, the family, or the social meeting, at the same season. The time and subjects of prayer are here specified, in the hope that many may be induced to join the concert. "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."-Matt. xviii. 19.

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APPEAL FOR THE
HEATHEN.

FOLLOW me one moment down the path of time-I find myself between two worlds; that which we now inhabit, and that where sinners redeemed by the grace of the Gospel dwell. I look towards this worldand lo! the elements are melting with fervent heat; the earth and all the works therein are on fire: its palaces, its villages, its cities-all its pleasant and magnificent things are sinking into ruin. I look to the other world, and there I see redeemed men, rising in knowledge, felicity, and glory, till imagination is lost in the beauty and grandeur of the vision. With these things in view, hasten, all ye friends of missions, hasten, and rescue from the coming conflagration a portion of the wealth of this world, and with it raise multitudes of perishing heathens to that world of light and glory. With these scenes bursting on my view, could I speak to the whole intelligent universe, I would say, and appeal to all its intelligence for the justness of the sentiment

"A world in purchase for a soul is gain."

From the confines of this burning world, look downward with me to that, burning with fiercer, with unextinguishable flames. Survey lost souls there. Hear their doleful lamentations. Ah! were those lamentations loud in proportion to their guilt and misery, would they not be heard through the universe, calling upon every rational creature of God to stand in awe of Him whose authority is sustained by sanctions so tremendous? Here, again, might the whole intelligent creation be confidently appealed to for the correctness of the sentiment"Aworld in purchase for a soul is gain."

Behold a wonder in heaven ;—a mission fitting out for our world, while in a state of deep and almost entire moral darkness. He who was in the beginning with God, and who was God, comes from heaven to teach us the true religion; and having become incarnate to open the way for our salvation, dies on the cross. In view of a mission sustained by such cost in heaven, (a cost which, great as it was, did not impoverish that world, but which gave the most striking illustration of the unsearchable riches of its grace,)-in view of a mission thus sustained, shall we grudge a portion of our worldly substance, for the purpose of spreading the religion thus brought to our world? You have pondered, you have felt the argument-" Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."-2 Cor. viii. 9. L. B.

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The Youth's Department.

ROBERT COCKSHOTT, OF SKIPTON, YORKSHIRE

LIFE is often seen in sunniest, brightest form when youngest. In this respect it resembles Day, whose earliest hours are often more filled with beauty and mirthfulness, than are those busier, more energetic, and more real hours that follow. Seldom, perhaps, have we time, or, if time, ability, in the subsequent periods of our stirring existence, to look back on early scenes, to re-touch early impressions, to gather up the things of our childhood, and see how they contrast with the rougher, sterner things of our age, to break away from the masterful, all-dominant Present, and lose ourselves in the eventful, if forgotten, Past.

If experience deserves a few hasty lines of the biographic pen, not less so does inexperience. If mature or old age, which is either doing or has done its work, is memorable, surely not less memorable should be youth, for it is not less living, not less earnest, and often not less true to itself and to God. If the piety of mighty performance and grand development deserves a place in living hearts, that place is as worthily occupied by the breathing, acting, touching, if unwritten and unrecorded, piety of a boy.

The subject of this little sketch was a youth of very fine parts and powers, which became ripe too soon; and carried with them, in their very ripeness, proofs or prediction of their speedy fall. Not that we advance the opinion that all early-shown talent must necessarily be short-lived; but, looked at from a scientific point of view, the proba→ bility is, that if the physical structure be too fine and thin for the play of the brain, if there be more mental activity than the body can find room for, if the intellectual grows faster than the material, then, the nerves and brain will have difficulty in bearing the straiu, which what is

called precociousness puts upon them. Hence, our recommendation to all parents is strong and earnest to insure to their children, at every cost, the advantage of a sound, healthy, and long-continued physical training. Do not force your child's mind. Do not foster its natural quickness at too early an age. Regard not that time as lost which is spent in exercising the limbs, and breathing freely and plentifully the God-given air. Teach them to play, and believe that play is quite as good as work, and, at an early age, a great deal better.

Our young friend was quick, ready, inquiring, apt both at questioning and answering. Being an only child at home, he became the companion rather than the son. He entered, with an ease and readiness often seen to be wanting in much older people, into questions far in advance of himself. His eye appealed to you for knowledge, as well as his tongue. Alas, that the fuel thrown in to keep up the eager fires, should so soon have burnt out!

But it is chiefly of religious influences and habits that this sketch should speak.

He had pious training. And of that, when coupled with judgment and prudence, it is impossible to think too highly. The child of an irreligious home may be religious in spite of it; the child of godly parents must be very ungodly to spurn all pious restraints, to refuse counsel, and laugh at instruction. Robert's home was the abode of wisdom and piety-sound sense coupled with a salutary fear of sin-what many a home no doubt is; would that in every such home young persons would learn the lessons living parents teach! His will must have received, very early, a pious bent and purpose. His teacher, writing of him, says, "He was a diligent and

thoughtful student of the Bible. Much as he loved other books, that was the book to him intensely interesting, and influencing his whole conduct. From its perusal he became more gentle and obedient, more affectionate and unselfish.

He formed for himself the habit of secret prayer. Finding him in his bed-room one morning, when about to start for school, his mother inquired why he lingered. "Well, mother," he said, "I came to pray. I always think I get on best at school when I have prayed first."

He had a generous disposition, showing itself in frequent acts of benevolence. His zeal for missions -and that of an intelligent kind—is surpassed by few. Nothing could detain him from meetings at which the condition of the heathen world was the subject of speech; and seldom did speakers meet with a more eagerly-answering intelligence and sympathy than his, when facts, either appalling or cheerful, were related. That new movement, "The Pastor's Retiring Fund," found in him a friend. When his own pastor, the Rev. Richard Gibbs, publicly stated that he would be pleased to receive any contributions, Robert was the first to bring ten shillings towards it. Nor did his zeal exhaust itself with this effort. When his father, an officer of the church at Skipton, was appointed to call on members of the congregation, he did so, but found the good work delayed by the interruption of business. Robert obtained permission to call on a few friends, who were well known, and obtained several pounds for the Fund.

The missionary spirit was strong within him, even in death. Some days previously to that sad event, he asked his mother how much money he had-if he had not four sovereigns. "Yes," was the ready reply. "Well, then, if anything happens to me, there is one pound for the London Missionary Society, one for you, one for father, and one for Thomas," his elder and only brother.

Like most children, he had great

delight in singing. During his illness he sang several beautiful melodies for children; among the rest

"Around the throne of God in heaven, Thousands of children stand; Children whose sins are all forgiven, A holy, happy band."

At the close he said, "Mother, I Ishould like to hear those children singing. I should like to be one of them.' That day month he joined in the songs of the skies.

One

As the disease with which he was smitten, water on the brain, progressed, the pain in the head became intense. "I am willing," said he, "either to go or stay, as God pleases; but I must not be impatient." day he whispered to one who with great anxiety and tenderness watched his couch, "Father, I am getting weaker. I cannot raise my head so well to-day as I could yesterday. Another day or two will try me.' On his father pronouncing the name of Jesus in prayer, he exclaimed, "Oh, dear Jesus!" as though He of whom he spake were present; and was He not? Distracted with pain, at another time, he said, "Father, go to the window and read me a psalm" -his favourite psalm being that sweet song both for children and for men, the twenty-third; "and then come to the bedside and pray a few simple words."

The cold hand drew a veil over the eyes for some days previous to his departure. "I cannot see you," he said, addressing his parents, "but I know where you are.'

He knew also in whom he believed, and in whom he trusted. His was a child's faith, but as true, as strong, as healthy, and as unflinching as a man's. He never lost sight of Jesus, the little children's Friend, and the young man's Guide. His testimony to His love was constant. He had many advantages-a happy home, a loving pastor, a Sabbath, and a sanctuary, and a Sunday school, which were to him a delight; but all earthly advantages combined could not have done for him what, we

believe, was done, and that of which we cannot doubt he is now reaping the recompence. "Christ in you," said Paul," the hope of glory." Yes, that was the secret of Paul's power, and is the secret of every living Christian man's power at this day. It was his of whom these lines tell. The Merciful One said, "Come unto me;" and, like a true disciple, leaving father and mother and brother and houses and lands, he yielded body and soul to Him. Who would take back one lamb out of that wellkept fold, or grudge Him, on whose head are many crowns, one bright gem of beauty?

In his tenth year our young friend was summoned to his rest.

14th July, 1860.

L.

HAPPY SUNDAY SCHOLAR.

Jane.-I have just heard of the death of one of our schoolfellows. I was much surprised to hear she was gone, for she was the picture of health; I should have thought that she would have been one of the last to die in our Sunday school. However, she is gone, she is gone!-She died so happy, exceedingly happy, though so full of pain.

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Ann. Pray tell me who you refer to; I am quite at a loss to know who you are talking about. I have not heard of any one in our school being ill, much more having died.

Jane. I refer to the sudden death of Emma Scott.

Ann.-Are you sure she is dead? Why it was only two days ago that I saw and spoke to her; can she be dead in so short a time? If so, I am sure you and I ought to make better preparation for death than we have done. If Emma died so suddenly, you and I are quite as likely to; pray tell me all you know about her death. I should not have pointed to Emma as the first to die in our school, I am sure, she was so strong and healthy; and what made her look more so was, she always ap

peared so cheerful, so happy; her countenance beamed with joy, and she appeared more joyous and happy when she was doing anything to help another, to do another good. I have seen her with a bundle of tracts in her hands, running from one cottage to another, leaving one with each person, and then skipping home with such a light heart and pleasing countenance, and rushing into her father's arms as she entered his room, exclaiming, "I have given them all one; they thanked me for them, and appeared pleased to receive them; I hope they will read them, and that God will teach them to love Him; I do hope they will all be saved, and then they will sing in glory; I shall see them there, and I shall sing in glory, too."

Jane. I know dear Emma's happiness consisted in doing good to others; she was always watching for an opportunity when at school, and she would make any sacrifice if she saw that she could gratify others thereby. You and I ought to do the same; and we should be far more happy than we really are; true happiness arises from doing good. Our efforts may be feeble, but if made with a right motive, viz., to honour and glorify God, they will not be despised; for God has said, "They that honour me, I will honour; but they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed." Emma loved her neighbour as herself; and Jesus loved her in return. I remember hearing her make these remarks after our minister had been preaching about the love of Jesus: "What can I do for one who has done so much for me? I will give my life, my soul, my all to Him, and that is not much; for He has died for me, even for me, the chief of sinners. H. left glory, to live on earth for me. He left heaven, to suffer and die on Calvary's cross. Oh, what love! Sweet Jesus, help me to love thee more and more. I wish I could make all nature sing thy praise; thou art worthy to receive glory and honour; thy love is infinite; who can describe it?

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