just judge, through her persevering supplication.

"And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city: and she came unto Him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

Now, it is with such determination of holy purpose, with such unabated perseverance before the throne of grace we should “continue in prayer." "Watch unto prayer." "Pray always, and not to faint." Our necessities take us to the mercy-seat; and, with the constancy which a sense of our need excites, we should seek and crave the blessings we would have. True prayer will prevail with God, and is therefore a reason why we should persevere. He is unlike this unrighteous judge, who granted the request of the widow only from a fear lest she should weary him by her frequent coming. God is good, kind, merciful, loving: He is emphatically "the hearer of prayer." He is on the "throne of grace," waiting to be gracious; and His promise is "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.' Who then need to fear? Who is there that may faint with such means available-such access open-such promises given-such interest secured?

"Men ought always to pray and not to faint." Christian, your past experience-your present mercies, are in evidence that you should "not faint" under any circumstances. Adversity may try you, afflictions distress you, temptations buffet you, clouds be above you, and darkness round about you;-still you are not out of the hearing of God, nor beyond the reach of His mercy and grace to help

"Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face."

Trust in Him. Believe His word. 'Pray" "pray always." Pray and not faint. Alas! men are too apt to faint when trials last and prayer does not seem to avail. Only faith-faith in God, can combat discouragements and bear with delays. "I had fainted," said David, "unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." With this faith he came to God, and waited on Him in humble hope; and the succour he received and the salvation he enjoyed, are assured unto all others like him, therefore, he adds strengthening words for the trembling: "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psa. xxvii. 13, 14.) Answers to prayer may not indeed be immediate; but delays are not denials; and "God is faithful that hath promised, who also will do it." "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly

fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."-(Isa. xl. 29-31.)

Nor need the penitent sinner to faint either. Impressed as he may be with the sense of his great guiltiness, he is an object of special interest in heaven. Holy angels rejoice over a poor sinner on his knees, and say, " Behold he prayeth." "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth;" and sweet voices, commissioned by the Father of mercies, proclaim the gospel tidings. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."(Isa. i. 18).

Are you a contrite sinner? are you seeking salvation by grace through Christ? Oh, let no idea, of your unworthiness, nor any endeavour of the wicked one, deter you from the mercy-seat. He that came as the Friend of sinners to seek the lost, and died on the cross to save unto the uttermost, is your living Redeemer; and He speaks to you the words of gracious encouragement, to ask-to seek-to knock,-and not to faint.

righteousness, that we are justified. To illustrate this let me recall an incident in our Saviour's history. He is standing one day by the shore of Galilee, where the lake, dotted by the white sails of fishing-boats, spreads itself out at his feet, and over his head a sycamine throws its branches, yielding a grateful shade from the heat of the burning sun. To a prayer of His disciples, which we would all do well to offer-Increase our faith,' He returns this remarkable reply—'If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.' Suppose that they, retreating to a safe distance, had tried the bold experiment? "Fancy this, and that the people with wondering eyes, saw the sycamine, as by whirlwind power, torn up from the ground, rise like a balloon, sail through the air with leafy branches and naked roots, till, having been lowered slowly down, it buried its roots in the bosom of the waters, and stood there upright, firm, green as its neighbours on the shore! Might they not have pointed to the tree, growing where never tree grew before, to say, see what faith has done! Yet faith had not done it. How could that, which is but a feeling in the mind, reverse the laws of nature, and, plucking up a mighty tree, plant its roots as firmly in water as when they were anchored in the soil, or matted round a rock. Faith accomplishes the work only by bringing into play the power of God; as, to use a humble comparison, even a child can turn a gigantic wheel by

opening the sluice and letting the

water on.

"While we are not saved by faith, it is through faith only that we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. A modern art may supply us with an illustration of salvation through the transference of righteousness from the Saviour to the sinner. Before you stands a bath, as it is called, a large vessel full of acid liquor. At one end, immersed in the fluid, hangs a sheet of silver; while above and passing from side to side, is extended a thread of metal, ready to be connected with a powerful battery, which, when I saw the process, was concealed in a room below. A vessel of common metal being produced, was hung on the wire and plunged into the bath, in which, I may remark, the fluid was so clear that you could see to the bottom. The wire on which it was suspended was then connected with the electric battery; and what happened? A very remarkable result. By means of the mighty though unseen agent that was thus brought

into action, the particles of silver were taken from the sheet of it, and passing invisibly through the translucent fluid, were transferred to the vessel that had been immersed in the bath. No sound accompanied the mysterious process, no violent action, no sign of motion; the eye saw nothing but the dull metal beginning to assume a brilliant appearance, and in time, through what looked more like magic than common art, this base vessel shone in a coating of the purest silver. Such change, but far greater and more thorough, is wrought on the soul through the unseen and Almighty influences of the Holy Spirit, so soon as faith has established a connexion between the Saviour and the sinner. Righteousness is withdrawn from the former, and transferred to the latter. In the words of an inspired apostle, the believer puts on Christ -to stand before God covered with those merits, and justified by that righteousness which makes a sinner just." THOMAS GUTHRIE.

known of all men." Remember that many eyes are upon you, and that long before the tracts you give are read by the persons to whom you give them, those persons peruse your own lives as their first and most important page. Hence, if there be anything at all in your lives unworthy of your Christian character, you may be sure you are being weighed in the balances of men and found wanting, long before you will be finally weighed in the balances of the Almighty. My first piece of advice to you, therefore, is, be consistent. Do not act like the rich man, who, while riding to church in his own carriage, was distributing tracts all the way upon the better observance of the Sabbath; or like the old lady, who took a cab one day to go to chapel-(for we must deal here with equal fairness, my lord, between church and chapel)-who, when she paid her fare, was greeted by poor cabby with the following reply:-"Lor, marm, if it wer'nt for such as you, we should all be in church together." Conduct like that will always undo the good you might otherwise accomplish. second point is-Be loving; loving not only in spirit, but manner also. I remember an observation of Bishop Middleton's: "Manner is something with everybody, but it is everything with some." This is quite true. Good intentions are often frustrated by a harsh, unpleasant manner. Be loving, therefore, and gentle, kind and cheerful in your manner as you give away tracts; otherwise you will lose influence, and repel where you desire to win. Let me give you an illustration of this

My

from a case which lately happened to myself. I was coming home from church one Sunday morning, when a man handed me a tract. I took it from him, saying, "Thank you, I shall read it with much pleasure. I have, however, just come from church, where I have been preaching the Gospel myself." To which he replied in an extremely off-hand manner, "Ob, clergymen often need tracts as well as other people." Well, I didn't doubt that. Still, it was not the pleasantest way of putting it-was it? Behaviour like this, my friends, is harsh and obtrusive, and not calculated by any means to forward the great object you have in view. Therefore, do be kind, and sympathetic, and loving. Never be domineering or obtrusive, but be polite and courteous, by which means you may, humanly speaking, be more likely to win your way, and glorify your heavenly Father. My third point is, Be courageous. have no doubt this work often involves a great trial of faith. I know indeed, by experience, how hard it is to stand up manfully and give away tracts, or preach in the open air, at public executions and fairs, as I and my Sunday-school teachers have frequently done in Cambridge. But without this holy courage, brethren, it is impossible to plant the standard of the cross in the enemy's citadel, and fight as good soldiers of Christ. It is with the Christian warrior as with soldiers on the field of battle. Bravery is the price of glory. I once read of a council of war being held in Germany, where the commander was urged on no account to risk a battle, because the enemy had

I

a strong park of artillery planted upon certain heights; to which the commander nobly replied, "My lord, he who fears the mouth of a cannon had better leave the field." In the same noble spirit, then, you must dare to be brave for the Lord; and never, by his help, shrink or become daunted in danger. Why should you, when you remember the Spirit who supports, and the great Captain of salvation who fights for you by your side? If you would win glory for God, therefore, never be afraid of marching up straight to your enemy's guns. God is very often much better to us than our fears. We are often dealt with by a loving Father far more lovingly than we expected. When we have feared to give away some tract, feared even insult or bodily ill-treatment, God in His providence has overruled it otherwise, enabling us to find friends instead of foes, and turning our anticipated curse into a blessing. I remember an illustration of this on board a German steam-packet. A gentlemen giving away tracts to the passengers, for a long time hesitated to give one to a certain man whose appearance was extremely repulsive. At last, summoning up courage, he did so, when it was received with, what he thought, a contemptuous smile. After a short time, however, returning to the spot, this man addressed him, asking if he knew why he had smiled. The poor tract distributor now felt the time of trial, and prepared himself for insult. What, then, was his surprise, when the much-feared foe said, "I smiled, Sir, because the tract you gave me was my own; I

am its author!" Be cheered then, my friends. It may often be thus with you; simply seek God's glory, and put your trust in His precious promises of mercy. My fourth point is-Bethoughtful; thoughtful, let me say, in the selection of your tracts. This is a point of very great importance, for want of observing which there is often great harm done. For example, I once knew a lady, a near relative of my own, who offered a most respectable moral old woman a tract with the following title: "Are you a gin-drinker ?" Now, this was anything but thoughtful, and the consequences were anything but pleasant. What do you think was the result? Why, the spirit of the gin, I can assure you, came out of her, although none of the liquid had entered within her. In other words, the anger which followed effectually closed the lady's door of entrance to her, by rousing within her the spirit of indignation. Let me also add, be thoughtful in the scattering of your tracts. Much mischief is frequently done by too wholesale a distribution of tracts at one time. I believe, indeed, that very many tracts are lost simply for want of care. I heard the other day of a gentleman who had no less than twenty-four put into his hand, while passing through Hyde Park, one person after another giving them, although they might easily have seen that he had a bundle in his hand. Another gentleman the other day, while passing a costermonger selling oranges, offered him three tracts, curiously folded up in such a way as to give the impression they contained some money. Now this was very thoughtless; for