many of the strongest human ties, forsaking her country and her country's idols, and taking her portion with the people of the true God."

We might take exception to the manner in which our author deals with some of his examples; for instance, in the case of the Syro-Phenician woman, we regard her confidence as arising, not from some general views of the gra cious character of the Ruler of the world, but from a distinct view of the character of him whom she addressed; but this, instead of invalidating, gives increased force to the exemplification of the principle in question. The instruction we gather from these and kindred examples of the use of the word faith in the New Testament, is that it means simple trust in Christ as the procurer of salvation, or trust in God as the giver of salvation for Christ's sake; and that "the firmest belief in the Scripture narrative, with the clearest apprehension of the Gospel scheme, and the soundest views of Christian doctrine, do not constitute faith in Christ, until to this clear conviction of the sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice, are added a real desire for its fruits, and heartfelt confidence in its efficacy; until the Spirit has enabled us to cast ourselves in humble reliance, for time and eternity, upon the mercy and the truth of a reconciled God."

THE PRAYER WHICH GOD IS PLEDGED TO ANSWER.

In an idle tale, which amused the childhood of many of our readers, there is a worse than foolish fancy of a wishingcap, which, when the possessor wore it, invested him with the power of obtaining, instantaneously, whatever he desired. Men sometimes appear to regard the promises of God to answer prayer, as serving a similar purpose. As though they meant that a man, whatever his character, had only to work himself up to a blind and presumptuous confidence, and Omnipotence stood pledged to the accomplishment of his wishes, and unless his selfish desires were gratified, he would almost be entitled to impugn the divine veracity. If this is not the spirit in which men frequently address a throne of grace, or in which they are admonished to make experiments in prayer, it is, at all events, on some such misconception that infidelity bases its objection to the Christian doctrine, and its ridicule of the Christian practice of making our requests known unto God. "Is it for a moment to be supposed," they ask, "that the will of the Eternal is to be changed by the will of his creature, or that the order of nature and the course of Providence are to be interrupted or reversed, in obedience to the capricious demand of a vain mortal?" No, caviller, it is not for a moment to be supposed. No supposition could be more impious— none more inconsistent with the doctrine of Scripturenone more utterly repugnant to the convictions of a child of God. In this, as in almost every case, the objections of

infidelity are based upon the grossest ignorance or misconception of what is taught in the Word of God.

We have no desire to evade, but rather court the fullest investigation of every article of our faith, claiming, however, that every article be taken in the Scriptural statement of it. We avow the fullest confidence in God as a God who heareth prayer, in his repeated promises to answer our supplication, and in the recorded testimony of His people that God hath heard them. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He heareth us." Nor do we use language in any hidden or indirect sense, in avowing his confidence. Nor do we in any way modify the promises on which that confidence rests. We receive these promises as meaning all, and precisely what they affirm. But we claim, as a matter of simple justice, that they be considered in their Scriptural light and connections, and then it will be clearly seen that they are very far from teaching that the will of God is to be subject to the caprice of His creatures, or that He binds Himself to comply with their selfish desires.

In order to a just view of these promises we must remember to whom they are addressed; for the same Scriptures which contain the promise, also contain assurances, equally emphatic, that there are certain descriptions of persons whose prayers are an abomination to God. Thus, He says, of one class, "Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer, they shall seek me early but shall not find me." It is asked regarding the hypocrite, "Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?" Again, we are taught, "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He heareth the cry of the righteous." Without multiplying examples, we direct attention to the fact, that all the promises of God to hear and answer prayer are addressed to believers, whose highest ambition is that their will should be in strict

harmony with God's will. The promise, for example, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," is addressed, not to men indiscriminately, but to the disciples of Christ. Such promises can be urged by the people of God only when they are in their proper position of submission to the will of God. So one of them says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me." So the confidence expressed in a passage quoted above, is the confidence of those who can say in the context, "Now are we the sons of God;" and their confidence has this express limitation, "If we ask anything according to His will He heareth us." The promise of a loving Father to His child must not be appropriated by His enemies.

In order to a just view of these promises we must take into account the Scriptural conditions of all true prayer; for, surely, it would be most unreasonable to consider God as bound to any other conditions. We are taught in Scripture that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought;" and, on this account, we are assured that "the Spirit helpeth our infirmities;" nay, that "the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us," and this is true prayer-prayer in the Spirit. This harmonizes with the view given above of the character of those to whom the promises are made. The Spirit who helps our infirmities, and makes intercession for us, is the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, and He maketh intercession for us according to the will of God. We do not ask at present how the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, or guides our desires into the channel of prayer; but this is the prayer to which the promise is given, and, therefore, "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us."

Another Scriptural condition of true prayer is, that it be offered in the name of Christ. He is the only medium

through whom prayer can be either offered or answered. "No man," He says, "cometh unto the Father but by me.' He is the advocate and high priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us; and it is on this consideration that the promise turns, "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name He will give it you." He is the only way whereby we have access to the Father, the only sacrifice through whose blood we have boldness to enter into the holiest, the only high priest through whose intercessions our plea can be accepted. All this is acknowledged in all true prayer. We disclaim all pretensions to be heard on our own account, and claim to be accepted and answered only for His sake. We profess our faith in the testimony of God concerning Him, that in Him we have pardon, peace, and eternal life. This implies our renunciation of all that opposes the will of His Father and our Father. And who that knows the meaning of all this, could for a moment think of profaning the holy name of Jesus, by using it as a plea for anything that is not in harmony with the will of the Father. When we rest our cause upon his intercession, who would presume to expect his advocacy of a right that contravenes the Divine will. Thus, whether we consider the parties to whom the promises are made, or the Scriptural conditions of true prayer, which originates in the intercession of the Spirit, is offered in the name of Jesus, and depends on his advocacy, the Scriptures are very far from teaching that the will of God can be controlled by the caprice or selfishness of His creatures.

They teach, on the contrary, that all the interests of His creatures are involved in the prevalence of His will. The happiness and perfection of His people consist in conforming their will to His, and all true prayer may be summed up in this, "Thy will be done." No child of God can deliberately ask anything contrary to the will of God, or in