his church, (6 even our faith." For it is still true, "Be it unto thee according to thy faith."

But, whatever may be the external success attending our work,—there is a moral success certainly within our reach; and to us personally this is of primary importance. I refer to success in living a true, earnest, devoted christian life. Outer success, as a rule, depends upon inner success in the christian life. Why should we not succeed in that? Why not succeed in living a life of faith on the Son of God? Why not succeed in living a life of love to Christ? Why not succeed in living a life of devotedness to his service in building up the church, and seeking to convert the world? All these things are within our reach, and are attainable in spite of the devil, the world, and the flesh. He who lives such a life is successful as a Christian, aye and as a christian minister. For though the world may resist his appeals, and the church be deaf to his entreaties, yet, if true to Christ, true to his gospel, true to souls, his life is a moral triumph, and all the more heroic because of the external discouragements with which he has to contend. But as a rule, if we attain the inner success in christian life, we shall also, according to our natural ability, have correspondent success in our christian work in winning souls, and in leading the church on to holiness and usefulness.

It is, Beloved Brethren, to help you to be strong, morally strong, for the work of christian ministers, that we meet to pursue our sacred studies in this place. As to native strength of body and of mind, that was settled between you and your mothers long ago. If you have not physical strength, if you have not mental vigour,-we can do little for you. But sure I am, that all your teachers are at least prayerfully anxious to help you to be morally strong for the great work to which you are now devoting your lives. We however can help you only as you are disposed to help yourselves, in heartily co-operating with us in the hard work of another session, by giving patient and earnest attention to all the subjects which may be brought before you, as you have nobly done in the past.

Then

May your grand purpose in life be true to God, as the needle is to the pole, and may that purpose be ever sustained by clear convictions of divine truth; by supreme love to Christ, and love to men for Christ's sake; by the testimony of a good conscience in all duty; by honour and honourableness; and by confident expectation of final success. having overcome, may you all sit down with Christ on his throne, even as he also overcame, and is set down with his Father on his throne. Finally, in the words of the great model christian man and preacher, let me give you a motto for the session,-" Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."

DIFFICULTIES IN CONNECTION WITH PRAYER FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE SICK.

(Annotated by the Editor.)

Ir will be perceived from the title of this paper, that instead of a philosophical disquisition on the nature and reasonableness of prayer, or a practical homily on its importance and advantages, it is merely intended to indicate certain difficulties which the writer has experienced and which may be shared in by others in praying for the recovery of

the sick.

Ministers of the gospel and other christians are almost daily sent for to visit the afflicted. The sick persons and their friends, believing with the apostle that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," are usually desirous that righteous persons should pray with them, and pray for their recovery. In some cases the sickness is removed, and we are encouraged to believe that our prayers have been answered; but in multitudes of other instances the disease runs its natural course and issues in death, leaving us not only to grieve over the loss of the departed, but also to lament that our prayers have been in vain.

Now in such moments as these, some perhaps are almost tempted to inquire if, like the ancient image-worshippers, we have been praying to "a God that cannot save," and to exclaim with the wicked of whom Job speaks, "what profit should we have if we pray unto him?," Saved from these temptations to impiety, we may neverthelesss feel perplexed as to the propriety of praying for the recovery of the sick, and be inclined to ask if our prayers really had anything to do with the recovery of those who were restored, and if the afflicted persons would not as certainly and as speedily have recovered without our prayers as with them? If so, the sick man needs the physician for his recovery and not the minister, for the former may contribute to the removal of his disease but the latter cannot; and we may comfort ourselves as best we can in the loss of our loved ones, with the thought that their death was inevitable and is in no way to be ascribed to any imperfection in our prayers on their behalf. If, however, on the contrary, prayer is really the power which moves the arm of him who moves the universe in physical ailments as well as in spiritual disease, then have we reason in the one case for the profoundest gratitude because of the success of our supplications, and to inquire, in the other, into the causes which have contributed to their failure.

Upon a careful induction of passages of Scripture it is found :

(1) That prayer is of universal obligation. Ps. lxv. 2, "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come;" 1 Tim. ii. 8, "I will therefore that men pray everywhere."

(2) That prayer has been universally practised by God's people in all ages, and that the most eminent of the saints were pre-eminently men of prayer. Quotation here is unneccessary.

(3) That not only is no restriction put upon the prayers of suppliants, but the utmost latitude is given to the range of their supplications, and the strongest assurances possible are afforded that these enlarged prayers will be answered. Thus :

Mark xi. 24, "What things soever ye desire-ye shall have them.” Philip. iv. 6, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

Matt. xxi. 22, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask-ye shall receive." Matt. xviii. 19, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

John xiv. 13, "Whatsoever ye shall ask-that will I do."

John xv.

you."

7, "Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto

John xiv. 14, "If ye shall ask anything, I will do it."

John xvi. 23, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father—he will give it you."

1 John iii. 22, "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him."

1 John v. 14,

"If we ask anything-he heareth us."

1 John v. 15, "Whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Matt. vii. 7, 11, "Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him."

(4) That prayer to be effectual must be presented under a series of qualifying conditions fulfilled by the suppliant:

First. It must be believing prayer. Mark xi. 24, "What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Matt. xxi. 22, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." John xiv. 13, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do." John xiv. 14, "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it.” Heb. xi. 6, "He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." James i. 6, "Ask in faith nothing wavering : for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." James v. 15, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and our Lord shall raise him up."

Second. It must be continuous prayer. Eph. vi._18, "Praying always." 1 Thess. v. 17, "Pray without ceasing." Romans xii. 12,

"Continuing instant in prayer."

Col. iv. 2, "Continue in prayer.” Luke xviii. 1, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint."

Third. It must be expectant prayer. Matt. xxvi. 41, "Watch and pray." 1 Peter iv. 7, "Watch unto prayer." Col. iv. 2, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Eph. vi. 18, Watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication." Fourth. It must be holy prayer. 1 Tim. ii. 8, "Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting." Ps. xlvi. 18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me." 1 John iii. 22, "Whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." John xv. 7, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you." James iv, 3, "Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

Fifth. It must be agreeable to the divine will. 1 John v. 14, "If we ask anything according to his will he heareth us." Matt. xxvi. 39, Jesus prayed, "Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

From these scriptures we conclude, 1. That every believer may and should pray. 2. That he should pray for anything and everything he sincerely desires. 3. That whatever he rightly.prays for will be granted. 4. That the conditions required for thus praying aright and obtaining the promised answer, are (a) faith, (b) perseverance, (c) watchfulness, (d) purity, (e) submission.

The faith required is not only a general belief in God, but a belief that he is the rewarder of them that seek him. Not merely a belief in Christ as the saviour of sinners, but a belief that God will hear and answer our prayer. In order therefore to effectual prayer the suppliant must cherish an assured confidence in the certainty of obtaining the blessing prayed for. Hence the attitude of watchful expectancy imposed in the texts,-"watch unto prayer,' ""watch thereunto with thanksgiving," by which we are required not only to be confidently assured of an answer, but to be so confident as to be in continual expectation of receiving the blessing. Hence also the express statements, Mark xi 24, "what things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." 1 John v. 15, "And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Now this strong faith cannot exist of itself; it must have a secure basis as its foundation. And since it is a belief in the certainty of the blessing prayed for being obtained, the "prayer of faith" must have as its resting place, an assurance from God that it will be answered. If, therefore, no such assurance is given or if there be any doubtful uncertainty as to whether the desired benefit may be granted, there cannot in that case be either confident faith or watchful expectancy or acceptable and effectual prayer.

Accepting then these facts and principles, and assuming that the

required conditions of prayer are supplied, we may naturally ask, if all such prayers are really answered? If so, then must we conclude that all the prayers of all the saints in all ages of the world have invariably been effectual when those conditions have been fulfilled; and that whenever any supplication has not been answered, it has been owing to the non-fulfilment of the conditions of prayer on the part of the suppliant.1 Consequently our unsuccessful prayers for the recovery of the sick must have failed in their object through our fault. And the lingering sufferings and ultimate death of the afflicted persons for whom we prayed must lie at the door of our imperfect supplications. This is not an agreeable thought to any sincere Christian.

Notwithstanding, however, the logical conclusion to which we are thus driven, it cannot be true as a general rule, for Christ was an afflicted sufferer and bore our sicknesses 3 as well as our sins. The fact proves that even his prayers for physical health were not answered,4 and if so it could not have been on account of any moral imperfection on his part. Many of our prayers, therefore, may also remain unanswered without thereby implying any culpable neglect on our part. God may perhaps for wise and unscrutable reasons connected with the general purposes of his moral administration, or the particular interests of individuals, refuse compliance with our petitions. Should he do so, it would not become us to question the wisdom, or murmur at the severity of his providence, but on the contrary, we should submissively say, "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth good in his sight:-the will of the Lord be done."

While thus comforting ourselves with these thoughts, we are still none the less perplexed with the apparently irreconcilable contradictions we encounter, and know not well whether we should always confidently believe and expect answers to our prayers, or whether we should in some cases cherish a spirit of doubt and uncertainty in the matter. The difficulty is, that from the texts quoted, we seem to be required to pray in faith and confident expectation for that which appears to be necessarily uncertain; and to 66 without pray doubting for that which is at all times doubtful. Passing from this difficulty at present, we proceed to observe that a difference of opinion obtains among expositors as to whether Christ sought deliverance from death on Calvary, or from oppressive anguish in Gethsemane, when he prayed that the cup might pass from him. But, however this may be, there can be no doubt that he qualified his supplication with the devout and submissive saying "Father, if it be possible." If the reference of his prayer was to the future death, the object desired by him was not possible in the circum

1 Exactly so.

2 Not exactly so, unless we should suppose that our prayers for the recovery of the sick were the presentations of unconditional desires; and such unconditional desires for the recovery of the sick could scarcely be possible to holy hearts. Holy hearts will desire the recovery of the sick only if that recovery should be the best thing realizable in the circumstances.

3 He bore them away. See Mat. viii. 16, 17.

4 We do not know what prayers of our Saviour are here referred to.

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