world, and especially to know that those christians with whom he is personally acquainted in his native land, remember him and pray with earnestness in his behalf. Such knowledge must, in the very nature of the case, afford him peculiar encouragement to labor with ardent zeal and unremitting cheerfulness in the hope of being instrumental in the conversion of some of the heathen among whom he lives. Consider for a moment the circumstances in which a foreign missionary is situated. He is far away from his native land, his home and his kindred, and from those who sympathise with him in his trials and in his toils. He is surrounded with strangers. He has access to little or no congenial society. Those with whom he mingles, are mostly vile and ignorant, often ungrateful, perhaps dispos ed to misrepresent his motives, and place a false construction on his actions. It is true that he feels that he is discharging his duty to the heathen and to his God, and is assured that he has the approbation and blessing of his Father in Heaven. Still, it is as natural as it is reasonable for him to cast a frequent thought across the ocean to the port where he once lived, and where he left many loved friends, with whom he often took sweet christian counsel, and bowed in prayer together. The knowledge that they yet remember him, and pray for him, when no ear hears them and no eye sees them but God's; at the time of the morning and the evening sacrifice, and in the monthly concert, will constantly produce great joy in his heart, and afford great encouragement to him as he labors on in some humble station in the hope of winning heathen souls to Christ. He loves to recall his former christian friends, and his thoughts linger about them, because he feels that they must be still interested in the missionary work, and delight to pray for its rapid success.

But suppose that in some way he should ascertain that the church with which he was connected in his native land, and those christian friends with whom he was personally and intimately acquainted, restrained prayer in behalf of the world, and that they neglected or forgot often and ardently to remember him in his toils and trials, his perils and self-denials, what feelings of loneliness and desertion would fill his heart! How would his soul be disquieted within him! With how little encouragement could he labor, except as he himself derived it from the throne of grace in answer to his own agonizing prayers! The smiles of his Heavenly Father would now be his only joy and hope, and the promises of the Bible his only rock of consolation. He would not be alone. Oh no: for the blessed Saviour has assured him, "Lo I am with you alway." Nevertheless, he would feel that a great, and in some respects an essential, element of his happiness and his usefulness was wanting. Oh, how deep and keen would be his feelings as his thoughts travel back to those whom he left in his native land, and contemplate their want of interest in the work of missions, as evidenced by the fewness and the coldness of their prayers in his behalf. I recollect reading, several years since, of a missionary and his wife in the foreign field, who had just received a long expected letter from home. The wife, in high spirits, hastily broke the seal, and began to glance over the contents. She had read but a few moments, when the letter fell from her hands, and she burst into tears. Her husband, supposing it contained intelligence of some alarming sickness or sudden death among her personal friends, and preparing to remind her of the hopes and the consolations which only the Gospel affords to the sorrowing and the afflicted, kindly enquired the cause of this strong emotion. He at length learned that the letter communicated the news of the suspension of the prayer meetings in the village where her parents resided. And, added the wife, when her tears and her sobs allowed her to speak again, "We had better go home. It is of no use to remain here unless our friends can pray for us." Similar, I doubt not, would be the feelings with which his heart would be pervaded, and similar the conclusion to which he would come, of many a missionary in a heathen land, should he become convinced that the church generally, and that his personal christian friends particularly, for any reason, failed to pray with frequency and fervency for those who are devoting their lives to the work of evangelizing the world. It is, then, highly important that frequent and earnest prayer for the coming of God's kingdom on the earth, should be made by the christian, inasmuch as it affords great and peculiar encouragement to those who are laboring directly to promote that object.

IV. Prayer is the only effectual means of bringing down God's blessing upon us.

We have thus far considered prayer for the conversion of the world as an important duty of the christian arising from the directions of Christ to his disciples, from the good reflex influence it produces on the offerer, and from the encouragement it affords those who labor for the evangelization of the heathen. We now contemplate it for a moment as absolutely indispensable in the divine economy, from the fact, that it is the only effectual means of bringing down God's blessing on efforts put forth for the conversion of men. This is the strongest and most important argument which can possibly be urged in favor of frequent and earnest prayer for the speedy coming of the reign of righteousness on the earth. Without such prayer offered by the disciples of Christ, Satan's empire will never be demolished, nor God's spiritual kingdom be established. Success will not be granted to the personal labors of christians to evangelize the heathen, and all pecuniary contributions for that object will be also in vain, unless the fervent, effectual prayer which avails much with God, shall ascend to Him from the Church. "I have planted," said Paul," Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Such was the experience of christians 1800 years ago, and such has been the experience of christians since that period, and such will ever be the experience of those who are "laborers together with God," in the work of evangelizing the world. For neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." The most wisely directed efforts have never resulted in the conversion of men, independent of the operation of the Holy Spirit ; and they will never result in the salvation of a single soul, except as a blessing from above shall be added to them. All means within the control of man will prove powerless and unavailing to rescue the heathen from sin, unless grace from the Most High shall render them effectual in leading them to the Saviour. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." The missionary aims at producing spiritual results. Now the Holy Spirit is the divine agent, whose presence and authority are needed to sanction and confirm all human efforts, in order that they may be successful in securing these results; and prayer, sincere and importunate prayer, is the appointed means of causing the descent of this Agent.

"Who but thou, Almighty Spirit,

Can the heathen world reclaim?
Men may preach, but till thou favor,
Heathens will be still the same."

From these remarks, the relation which frequent and prevailing supplication sustains to the efficacy of human means for the conversion of the race, will be evident to all. In the economy of the divine government, it is of indispensable importance, in order that the smiles of God may attend and succeed the labors of his children to restore this revolted world to its allegiance to its rightful sovereign. It is especially necessary to urge the importance of earnest prayer for the evangelization of the world, because it is the tendency of our age to do much for the spread of the gospel, but pray comparatively little for the divine blessing to rest on efforts made for that object. Like the Jews of old, good men in our day seem anxiously to ask, "What shall we do that we might work the works of God?"-forgetting to a lamentable degree that no "works" are acceptable to God only so far as they are accompanied with corresponding faith and prayer. As evidence of the truth of the assertion that there is a tendency in our time to do much but pray little, witness, on the one hand, the numerous religious societies existing in Christendom, designed to promote vital christianity, such as the Sabbath School, the Tract, the Bible, the Home and Foreign Missionary, and the large amount of funds contributed annually by the church for their support. On the other hand, the usually thin attendance on the Monthly Concert, and on the weekly prayer meetings, the little fervency and interest felt and exhibited at the hour of family and secret devotions, for the blessings of the Holy Spirit to render successful the Saviour's means used for the conversion of the world. Now it would betoken the

existence of a better spirit in the church, if, while there should be no diminution in zealously "working the works of God," there should be a very large increase of more fervent and agonizing prayer for the coming of his kingdom. Such a course. while it would honor God more, would, according to the divine plan, make the means used by his servants efficacious in the conversion of a greater number of souls. The united, fervent and effectual prayers of his people, in connection with other divinely recognized and appointed instrumentalities, are destined ultimately to achieve a complete and glorious triumph over sin. I would that we all might feel how little worth, in the sight of God, are our professions of interest and acts of benevolence, and our labors in the cause of missions, unless they are accompanied by appropriate and importunate supplication for the success of that cause. O that all who love God, and take delight in the spread of the Gospel among the heathen, might realize the indispensable importance of sincere and earnest prayer as the only effectual way of bringing down the blessing of the Holy Spirit on the efforts made for their conversion.

The petition, Thy Kingdom Come, [addressed to Jehovah as a memorial expressive of the earnest wishes of his loyal subjects on the earth, will ever be in order in the court of heaven. The Advocate, Christ Jesus, takes it all covered with tears, and presents it to Him, and intercedes for its acceptance and approval, pleading the merits of the propitiatory sacrifice he made of himself for the sins of the world. As his only begotten and dearly beloved Son, Jesus reminds the Father of the promise made in the councils of eternity, and asks for the bestowal of the heathen upon him for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. The united prayer of the petitioners, congenial to the feelings of Jehovah, in accordance with his eternal purposes, will be granted, and the kingdoms of this world will speedily become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Christian hearer-in view of the considerations which have been urged, will you not, when you daily visit the closet, plead in greater earnest, and in the exercise of a more active faith, in behalf of a lost race, than you have ever yet done? When you bow in the social circle, and in the weekly prayer meetings of the church, will you not supplicate, with a becoming importunity, for the prevalence of God's spiritual reign among all the nations of the earth? At your evening and morning family devotions, will you not remember the heathen in their deep degradation and sinfulness, and offer a sincere and fervent petition for their rescue? In the sleepless watches of the silent night, and often while engaged in your usual pursuits, abroad or at home, will you not elevate your soul in a voiceless prayer to God, in the short, but comprehensive request, "Thy Kingdom Come?" And especially will you not regularly attend the Monthly Concert of prayer for the conversion of the world? How can you better manifest your desires for the salvation of the heathen, than by uniting monthly in concerted prayer with your brethren throughout the world to Almighty God for his blessing to rest on all the means employed for their conversion? I invite you to attend the monthly Concert in the name of 800,000,000 of dying men. Consider well the unspeakable importance of such prayer, and the immense number of those for whom you should offer it. Contemplate the approaching judgment when you will be called upon by Jesus himself to give an account for your principles and your practice in relation to this duty. Let not any consideration of little moment have an unfavorable influence on your decision. Let your practice be such as an enlightened conscience will approve, and a Holy God will justify. The spiritual condition of many a deathless and priceless soul in pagan lands, may, in the providence of God, be intimately connected with the reply you now make in your hearts, and the course you will hereafter pursue, in relation to this question; and will you not then regularly attend the monthly concert of prayer for the conversion of the world?

THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE COMPARED WITH THE JUDG-
MENT OF GOD.

"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."-1 JOHN iii. 20, 21.

GOD being perfectly just and good, it cannot be otherwise than that, in any world, every intelligent creature that is unconscious of guilt, may look up to him with cheerful filial confidence. Such beings can have nothing to fear from him. As they have deserved no evil, they have no occasion to fear any. God's judgment of them must be according to truth.

It is equally evident that moral beings who are conscious of guilt, always expect God to be displeased with them; and this apprehension of God's displeasure, is always in proportion to the correctness of their views respecting his character. The more perfectly He is known as a God of holiness, the deeper will be the impression of his abhorrence of sin, and the stronger the dread of evil from his hand, on the part of the consciously guilty.

This testimony of sinful beings against themselves, is a true and faithful testimony. It is a revelation of God's judgment concerning his accountable creatures, through the working of that moral nature which he has given them.

These principles are clearly and concisely stated in the text. "If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."

I propose that we meditate, at this time, upon the severer condemnation which God pronounces upon those whose consciences condemn them.

I. Such is the constitution of our moral nature, that we necessarily feel self-condemnation for sin.

II. When thus self-condemned, we have reason to expect a severer condemnation from God.

I. The first of these propositions I suppose to be evident to every person from his own experience. It has been learned by us all, in that most effectual way of learning any fact concerning our mental or moral constitution by direct self-inspection. All the faculties of our minds become known to us by the exercise of them. Each of us knows that he has a capacity for reasoning, because he actually reasons-for choosing, because he actually chooses-for loving and hating, desiring and fearing, because he has felt those emotions in actual exercise. No description of these exercises or faculties could give a correct idea of them to one who knew nothing of them by experience, any more than we could make a blind man understand the nature of light and of colors, or give an intelligible account of the nature and laws of sound to one who has never possessed the faculty of hearing. We speak to you of these mental faculties and exercises, with the same confident expectation that you will understand us, as when we speak of the bodily senses, and the various uses and exercises of themand for the same reason-we speak, in both cases, to your own consciousness; we describe that which exists, and exhibits its reality in your own experience. So is it in respect to that which the text presents to our consideration. We are so made that we cannot help forming opinions concerning the moral character of our own conduct, and we always experience a feeling of self-approbation, or of self-condemnation, according as we have judged our conduct to be right or wrong. The faculty of our nature, whereby we are capable of these exercises, is ordinarily called CONSCIENCE! You will observe that, in the text, these exercises are attributed to the heart, and it may be proper to remark, that generally in the Scriptures, there is no attempt at such technical precision in the use of terms, as is commonly (though not always successfully) aimed at, in scientific treatises upon the same subjects.

In our theological discussions, we ordinarily employ the term heart to denote the affections, but in Scripture it has a wider and more various signification. It is applied to different parts of our intellectual and moral nature, and sometimes, I think, it includes the whole of what we include in the term mind, in its most unrestricted sense. I suppose the fact to be, that the sacred writers did not have much reference to any scientific classification of the mental faculties, but treated of man as a rational, accountable being, and in popular phraseology, set forth to view the great facts of his moral nature and history. The language which they employed is not therefore to be understood by simply subjecting its terms and phrases to the technical definitions of modern science; but there must always be suitable regard to the connection and scope of their writing. Nor is there any great difficulty in this. When we read that "the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil," we readily perceive that the disposition or inclination of men is the subject of discourse; and when (as in the text) our heart is spoken of as condemning us, we see as clearly, that it is the faculty whereby we form judgments concerning our own moral character that is brought to view. This we are accustom