North Carolina Newspapers

fi & V XT" T m 1ah!isl!C(i 1;y a Joint Stock . . Compauy under the Patronage of the North Carolina Conference Win. E. Pell, Ew or. VOL. VI. NO. 23. RALEIGH, N. C: THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 18G3. T B R 1 S ' THl'EE DOLLA11SA YEAR," IN ADVANCE. t. JZtZ T CA dvoi'alc Publish U;.;C 1k. O. I.'. VOAI1D, ritKs;i)Ksr. -IU'V. "H':. II. ClXlM.HJIM, 0. G. . ! : ... Uov. M. J. Hi nt, and Zkxo II. ; is h-hc.l fvcrv Tliursi!;iy ?' r . ' 7 ,. OttrLhai- : vi, i le t'!'ar.i, d $1 per sit:tre : u'-! ; ,.rri I.1. -'-ri iu, an-l ecsus . ;.V . . ; ' ' i i I I ,v - ',,isi ;::nt ' , . '. !: ( '' :,: i - i.' j't.M . Kov. l.:i! i X. .'. " vO villi n a I. i;v .;":.:v E v f lis it a m. i nr. v.::tk:i s v.'uim. ; have a mind to employ a column or I-.".' column el' mtr. Advocate now 'mid . . as li'in: of communication with :'.'. .., mi readers who should v . kiv peii.se lis. contributions to a panc :: iUe-.ruvc. If I should do so, I shad u u sue a MtbjC-eis as may occur to : ar the time of literary ioeulntiou, or I ;. : indiie'an article .upon some thesis which " aforetime" may have engaged my : :, "i;:.--: and upon which I may have qui--.y equated. At any rate, 1 .shall write a ..rd'uig to the peculiar cin I am iu for . : . tiuio. and may perchance he dull, tho' i lull essay to he entertai'mig and edify i: . But r ader. if I should really be belh've mo. that like the groat "Wiz ... I of the Xovih" I have a reason for this , and easy pace, remembo: hig that the ; I-ting beast of burden sometimes ex a ra-ve attention than the gracefully , .; ;.-;d:n:r steed, because of the precious v i-ury ir bears. Then fellow me adown i'L-.b Cioek tlic brawling little rivulet '..u goes singing merrily on its way, not v fir Pi the home at which I have hiber-nr-ccd latterly and I will try and present 7.1 with a few specimens of " Drift 'V. -vi."' which if not a-? beautiful as that ai-di may be gathered from the streams -"her lands, shall yet probably possess A' the virtues of the phies of our own n v'.l beloved and well abused .State, that .:' 7'-vb.w. So ent pnd courteous reader, having aceotapanied me thus far in the beginning of this series of my lu '"'brations. sivc your consent to follow mo d.v.'.vvvV Pnc,jl successive number, and when i f.i-i . iti.ii naw ui.w. '- - v a wiU have been so gratided by tnc ex cursion, that with quaint Nick Bottom, the ;- ver. you will ho ready to say to me at T'-irtimr, " " I sha'ii desire you of more va'ntance. jxood blaster Cobweb." a veouis ron ;oun" advocate. The rc-tiscttati' n of the Xr??i Can-Ium -,Vt'"'7i Advocate i.s ceiainly a cause for iratula'doa and thanksgiving among the iriends of 3Ictbodism mi this State. As" a nv.mber snd minister of the Church, I d :-::!; ragrettod its untimely demise, as I ii-ev greatly rejoice in its restoration to liib. pray to Ahoighty Cod that it may vervivothroua-h many coming decades, and f-.tiuue to be a source of knowledge and pleasure to thousands I May it be a mes .'crrrer of peace and may the light which ic bears be' the light of truth! All this it will be I have- no doubt, under the man agement of its present editor. And now, dear frlea Is, whilst he labors faithfully and indefhtigably to furnish yon with a r.vsc entertaining and instructive weekly visitant, wiil you not labor to open to him an entrance to many households to which hidterto he has had no access ? If you are a true Methodist you wiil feel inter ested in the success of the only literary enterprise which your Church has inaugu r .tcd'in this State. If you cherish a be c ,-ming pride, you will be glad to see the only exponent of Methodist intellect, and the only defender of Methodist doctrine 2 ml usages in North Carolina, placed upon a fo-Uivlation so secure and stable, as to deiy acci .u.rt or failure. This end so devoutly ije wished can only be accomplished through the active and unremitting ex e:fions of its friends. A failure on your p.Vt ': e-ert your individual influence in Li behalf may Tesult in the los cf much -tt'-nai and wraZ sup-',rt : for scores of subscribers may be 'h3t thtit otherwise li.lght have been secured. Then I beg von to make an earnest and persistent ef fort to obtain at least a dozeu paying sub scribers. I'ntii you have ma le an honest ,f,.t :., l.m.ii' will ?,, I-now liow much V"U caii accomplish in the further ance of its success. The writer of this earnestly worked for some weeks, and his . labors were rewarded with far greater suc eesj than was ever anticipated by him. This leads me to inquire if our preachers itinerant and locab in thj Conference have done their duty in regard to our or gan ? I was at one time disposed to believe that the laymen were greatly ecu curable 'for their indifference towards the " Advocate." But latterly I have con cluded, that whore the " circuit preacher" displays a becoming activity in its behalf, the paper will be liberally and generally supported. If you present its claims once and your success should not be commen Huvate with your expectations, then emu late the example of the Kerituckiun ': pick your flint and try again. " Where this is done your perseverance will usually be rewarded.' Allow me to say, that in canvassing for the " Advoeafe'J not only exerted all the influence I possessed, but endeavored to secure the influence of oth ers.. In this I was quite successful, and I have already sent some twenty names to or (with - the sioiicvl th.if- wow oh(:i5n;v lit- .1- i ii. -""-i JneiLia vne at, i:;v re quest exerted themselves in its behalf. Then iVicnds and brethren, let us pal our united shoulders to the wheels of "our ldvoea.o, and give them such an impetus that they will continue to run v.-it.b minished velocity and smoothness for Ion nnui- years to come. Let us work diligently untd a copy is taken by every Methodist iaraily; nor let in cease our exertions until .... ii.i.ua iumis er.oun to sen thousands of copies to our e;aliaut 2Curt Carolin:i " boys' who liave left tho swec we have raised funds enouuh to send th :et associations and comforts of home, in de- leiice ot human right and human liberty, and who have stood through the winter's storms and snows, a living bulwark between our homes and dear ones", and the vengeful and implacable foe. That man who" will not contribute to the comfort, whether physical or intellectual, of our gallant sol diery to the extent of his ability, is a shabby patriot : and that professing Chris thin, who possesses the power and will not employ it, to furnish spiritual food for ar brave defenders is a dead fly in the oint ment. And dear reader, as yon value the reputation of the Methodist Church for intelligence and enterprise, let me adjure you not only to subscribe yourself, but in duce others, if possible, to become sub scribers too. Are you wining to cither believe yourself or to have others believe that the Church of your affections is indif ferent to the claims of a sanctified litera ture ? Are you willing to submit to the taunt, that the Methodist Church in North Carolina is uttcrlv unable to support a representative paper, though it greatly sur passes every other denomination iu nu merical strength ? Are you aware of the fact, that according to the statistics of-the different cliurches. our own nearly or quite equalled in numbers the other three lead ing denominations ? Sm.di, according to my recollection, is the fact.' Xow these denominations have each a flourishing pa paper which is exponential of their intel lectual status and doctrinal peculiarities. In spite of these sad " disjointed times" these papers have been successful, because their respective friends appreciated their utility and excellence and labored for their sustenance and prosperity. Will you do less?' Will vou submit to the unpleasant thought that vou are a member of a Church which has not intelligence and liberality enough to sustain a paper? Shall it be Ii lift MehvHsfc Church iu North Carolina, numbering three years ago seme 74,000 members, is net equal to the task of svpporthifj xcell one religious journal? I sincerely hope not. I devoutly pray not. Go to work, then,- immediately for the Advocate. Secure all the subscribers you may be able, and be sure to rube all the fiiiuU you can to send the Advocate" to the soldiers. Remember that it takes a good deal of oil during these days cf spec ulating mania and monetary inflation to keep the machinery of a newspaper well lubricated. Then goto work row for you cannot reclaim lost opportunities nor recall lose moments. Oik croo a deed dyln toagueless, slaughters a thousand waiting on it." Verb. saj. From the Army. The following letter from a soldier in the unny to his brother in Wilmington, will be read with interest : Fct:rEKiCKSBUiic;, Va., March 7, 'Go. 2Jy Dear Broth : Yours of the 25th ult. was received on yesterday evening as I returned from Church. Yes indeed, I would be thankful that I could be with you in your class and prayer meetings, that wc could rejoice and be to gether in worshipping our great Iledeemer. But as this privilege is yet denied us, let us be thankful that we are so situated that we have the glorious privilege yet extended us, to worship our Heavenly Father through the intercessions of oar Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, while we are yet on earth. May all praise be given Him who liolds our destinies within his own hands. We have here, great reason to be thank ful that we are so well situated and have His holy influence operating with us. Our meeting is still going on, and many have ihiiud the Lord Jesus precious to their n'.vcr-evm: ouls. in v.. protracted three weeks to day. Some sev enty odd have joined our Association, or Camp Chuich, and I 'presume there have been about as many conversions, and, thank the Lord, the Church is warm in its de votions to Almighty Cod. Yesterday we kept as a day of fasting and prayer fur the prosperity of our nation our Confederate States. The Ihesidcnt has set apart the 27th hist, for a day of fastinir, humiliation and prayer, which we should all observe, and pray for our 'pros perity as a nation and an early peace. Our meetings were first held in the Methodist hh Church, for more than two weeks, but the Church would not accom modate more than six hundred or eight hundred persons, it being so much crowd ed, and many were compelled to return to their quarters for the want, of a scatin. the Church. From thence we removed to the Episcopal Church, which is much larger, and will accommodate one thousand per sons. At night, it is also much thronged with anxious listeners. "I never witnessed a more eager assembly to hear the word of God and llis divine truths explained in all my life ; and thank the Lord, that spirit 'is manifesting itself and continues from day to day. The Lord is with us, and doing his work, and I earnestly pray that the Edit our revival may be kept up so long as we remain in Fredericksburg aye, even through life. 31 ay it spread from irigade to Brigade, from Division to Division, from Corps to Corps, and throughout our Army and Confederacy, till thousands and hun dreds of thousands may find Jesus in the pardon of their sins. To this end, let us all who profess the name of Christ, pray continually for the conversion of never dying souls and tho restoration of peace, and prosperity of the Church of Christ and our Confederacy. For nearly two weeks, we had the llev. Dr. Stiles to preach for us a most emi nent and able Divine, lie became much exhausted and was compelled to leave us. Ibit ;he Lord did not leave nor forsake us. Brothers and 1 do not recollect their names, but two others have come to the help of the Lord ; and also Dro. Pet tigrew has returned from home a Uaptist. preacher who belongs to our llcgiment (iotli Mississippi), and was wounded in the battle ot Sharpsourg. So we have plenfy of help at present, and I trust the work will continue to prosper. . I must hasten to close my letter. I write this while on guard. I will be re lieved at 10 o'clock this morning in time to attend the Bible Class. I noticed in the Christian Observer that therewas at Goldsboro', N. C, a revival going on. Oh! pray that it may spread throughout our entire Army. The clock has vast struck ten : ood bye. We are ot at Fredericksburg. A Soldi f.u ix the 13th Miss Beg. S 1 1 1 1 1 x 0 it s . ;!!. .Tarkson's Conversion. Mr. Parton, in his life of Gen. Andrew Jackson, gives the following account of his religious convictions after retirim; from public life. His wife (says his biographer) strove unceasingly to turn his thoughts to those subjects in whieh alone she found comfort, which alone she thought jportant. She warned him not to be dazz ?d, nor deluded by his popularity; of which her good sense as a woman, no less than her opin ions as a Chrtstion, taught her the empti ness. One Sunday morning, a communion Sunday, in 1S"'6, or 1S27, as they were walking towards the little Hermitage church, she besought him to dally no lon-,rn- wrWiiJiia oo.wfi o.f dutv. that then and there tliat very uour m their own iitiie church, to renounce the world and all its ponms and vanities, and partake of the communion with her. He answered, "My dear, if I were to do . that now, it would be said, all over the country, that 1 had done it for the sake of political effect. I cannot do it now. but I promise you that when once more I am clear of politics, I will join the church. It was not till 1S43, a few years after he had retired from public life, that his promise was fulfilled. His mind was deep Iv impressed by a sermon of Rev. Dr. Ed gar, of Nashville, during a meeting held in the church on the Hermitage farm. After the service was over, Gen. Jackson got into h homeward. carriage and was returning When' Dr. Edgar overtook him he expressed a desire to speak with him. Doth alighted, and the General led the way into a grove near by. " Doctor," said the General, "I want 3"ou to cone home with me to-night. " " I cannot to-night, " was the reply, I am ensealed elsewhere. " " Doctor, " repeated the General, I v.'ant you to come home with me to night." Dr. lid gar informed him that he had promised to visit that evening a sick lady, and lie felt bound to keep his promise. The General did not seem to have heard the reply, and said more pleadingly -than before : " Doctor, I icant you to come home with me to-night." " General Jackson, my word is. pledged, I cannot break it; but I wiil be at the Hermitage tomorrow morning very early." With this understanding the anxious chief went home alone. He retired to his room, and passed the evening and a great er nart'of the night iu reading, meditation and prayer. He was deeply distressed. Late at night, when his daughter left him, lie was still agitated and sorrow nil. jis the day was breaking, light seemed to dawn upon his troubled soul, and a great peace fell upon him. To Dr. Edgar, who came to him soon after sunrise, he told the joyful history of the night, and expressed a desire to be admitted into the church with his dau:'h ter that morning. The usual questions respecting doctrine and experience were satisfactorily answered by the candidate. Then there "was a pause in the conversa tion. The clergyman at length said : "General, there is one more question which it is my duty to ask you. Can you forgive all your enemies?" The question was evidently unexpected, and the General was silent for a while. "My political enemies," said he, "I can freely forgive ; but as for those who abused me when I was serving my coun try in the field, and those who attacked me for serving my country Doctor that is a different case." The Doctor assured him it was not. Christianity forbade the indulgence of en mity absolutely in all cases. No man should be received into the church who did not cast out from his heart every feel ing of that nature. It was a" condition that was fundamental, and indispensable. I After a considerable pause he said that he thouglii he could forgive all who had" injured him, even those who had assailed him for what he had done for his country in the field. Upon this profession he was admitted to the communion of the church,' to the great joy of all who witnessed the scene now o be described. The Hermitage chuich was crowded to its utmost capacity; the very windows were darkened with the eager faces of the servants. After the usual services, the General nose to make the required public declaration of his faith. He leaned heav ily upon hj slick with both his hands ; tears rolled down his cheeks. His daugh ter stood beside him. Amid silence the most profound he answered the questions proposed to him. Yvhen he was' formally pronounced a member of the church, and and the clergyman was about to continue the services, the long restrained feelings of the congregation burst forth into sob which compelled him to pause for several minutes. A familiar hymn was raised in whieh the entire assembly, within and without, joined "with a fervor which at once expressed and relieved their feelings. From this time to the end of his life, Gen. Jackson spent most of his leisure hours in reading the Bible, biblical com- I mentaiies, and tne hymn book, which last lis always pronounced in the old fashion ed w.iy, Aims book. Scott's Commentary was h is favorite work. He read it through twice before he died, and maintained fam ily worshin daily. - w? The tiospei enkindling the Soul. When Witsius had unfolded the scheme of saving mercy, the dogmatic, polemic, logical frosts that chill, through his work " On the Covenants," melted away, and he kindled into impassioned strains : These are the tremendous mysteries of our religion, "which were kept secret since the world began, but are now made manifest, and, by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." From hence the divinity of the Christian reli gion appears with evidence. What pene tration of men or angels was capable of de- O J, vising things so mj'sterious, so sublime, and so far surpassing the capacity of all crea ted beings ? How adorable do the wisdom' justice, holiness, truth, goodness, and phi lanthropy of God display themselves in contriving, giving, and perfecting this means cf our salvation ? How calmly docs e-ji"soiei: '7-. ov vlVwlmeo. -witn tue Durcen of its sins, acquiesce in such a Surety, and in such a suretyship; here at length ob serving a method of our reconciliation, both worthy of God and safe for man ? Who, on contemplating these things in the light of the Spirit, would not break out into the praises of the most holy, the most righteous, the most true, the most gracious, and the most high God ? O ! the depth, of the wisdom and knowledge of , God ! O, the nvystcries " which angels desire to look into I " Glory to the Fath er who raised up, accepted, and gave us such a Sure-y ! Glory to the Son, who clothing himself hi human flesh, so will ingly, so patiently, and so constantly per formed such, an engagement for us. Glo ry t the Holy Spirit, the revealer, the witness, and the earnest of so great hap piness for us. All had! Oh, Christ Je sus, true and eternal God, and true an4 holy man, both in one, who rctainest the I properties ot ootn natures in me unity oi thy person. Thee we acknowledge, thee wo worship, to thee wo betake, ourselves, j at thy feet we laii clown, trom thy. nana alone we look for salvation. Thou art the only Saviour. We desire to be thy peculiar property, wc are so by thy grace, and shall remain such forever. Let the whole world of thine elect, with us, know, acknowledge, and. adore thee, and thus at length be paved by thee. This is the sum of our faith, of our hope, and of all our wis-: Amen. Public I'aita.. Nations cannot be sued or coerced into the payment of their debts. When they make contracts, therefore, for the payment of money, the only security their creditors have that their contracts will be fulfilled, is thtdr faith. If this is good, capitalists will lend them money upon advantageous terms ; but if it is bad, tho capital loaned is endangered ; and hence capita-lists will cither (taking the risk they encounter in to consideration) lend their money on very high terms, or not at all. It is the policy, therefore, of all nations to keep their faith blameless and above suspicion. Integrity is creuit it is money. Holland and Great Britain are standing ? moninnents of what good faith can accom plish in the way Oi national indebtedness. ! The countless millions these nations have j borrowed, and now ewe, have never, through the lanse of ages, witnessed a sin- ' gle instance of bad faith. They ha'3 al- ways fulfilled their obligations ; nnd have ; never arbitrarily attempted to alter their contracts with their creditors, or to repu- I diate them. The consequence is, they can, even now, although covered with enormous indebtedness, borrow money ou the most advantageous terms whenever necessity icquires it. Charleston Mercury. Contentment. " I have had six chil dren," said Mr. Elliott, " and I bless Goe -that they are all either with Christ, or iu Christ, and my mind is now at rest con cerning them. 31y desire was, that they should have served Christ on earth : but if G od will choose to have them rather serve him in heaven, I HAVE nothing TO OBJECT TO IT." Q.nench not the Spirity " I was once called," says a venerable clergyman, " to visit a young lady who was said to be in despair. She had at some time previous been serious, and it was hop ed set her face Sionward. In an evil hour, some of her associates, gay, pleasure loving young ladies, called on her to accom pany them to a ball. She refused to go. The occasion, the company, the parade, the gaye.ty, were all utterly dissonant with her present feelings. With characteris tic levity and thoughtlessness, they urged her, ridiculed her Methodism, railed at the cant and hypocrisy of her spiritual guides, and finally so far prevailed, that with a desperate effort to shake off her convictions and regain her former carnal security, she exclaimed, 1 W'tll, 1 will go, though 1 am damned Jor it.' The blessed Spirit immediately withdrew his influen ces, and instead of the anxious sigh and longing desire to be free from the body of sin and of death, succeeded by turns the calmness and the horrors of despair. The wretched victim knew that the Spirit had taken his final leave. No compunctions for in, no tears of penitence, no inquiries after God, no eager seeking of the place where Christians love to meet, now occu pied the tedious hours. Instead of the bloom and freshness of health, came the paleness and haggardncss of decay. The wan and sunken cheek, the ghastly and glaring eye, the emaciated limb, the sure precursors of approaching dissolution, were there. The caresses of friends, the sug gestions of affection, all were unheeded. The consolations of piety, the last resource of the miserable, were to her but fhe bit terness of death. When I entered the room and beheld her pale and emaciated, and reflected that the ravages of her form without but faintly shadowed forth the wreck and desolation within, I was almost overpowered. Never had j conceived so vivid an idea of the woe and misery of those who have quenched the Spirit. I proposed prayer. The word threw her into ngony. She utterly refused. No entreaties of friends, ho arguments drawn from the love of God, or from the fulness and frceness of atoning blood, could pre vail to shake he resolution. I left her without being able to find a single avenue to her heart, or to dart one ray of comfort into that dark bosom which, to all human view, was soon to be enveloped in the blackness cf darkness for ever. Never : ,f .!.. ly countenance, the tones of that despairing voice. The impression 3 as vivid as though it had been yesterday. O that all the young, gay, thoughtless ones, who stifle the convictions of conscience and repress the rising sigh, who dance along on tho brink of utter reprobation and despair, would read and lay to heart the warning which the last hours and death of this young lady are calculated so forcibly to make." Dr. Scuddcr, Ceylon. Never be at a Loss.- If you arc- beset by perils from which there are no visible means or hopes of de liverance, all your distress an I fear may be embodied in the cry of the sinking Peter " Lord, save me ! " If you are utterly embarrassed and per plexed, that one petition of Saul will . in voke light on your path from the source of all light " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" If you are overwhelmed with a sense of sin so as scarcely to dare to lift up your eyes toward heaven, or venture on a direct address to a holy God, there is the prayer of the publican at hand for you " God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" If you desire inward renovation, pro found, complete spiritual transformation rather, the prayer of David expresses that wish in its full and perfect form " Cre ate in mc a clean heart, O God, and renew a riht spirit within me!" If you desire illumination in the deep things of God, derive a prayer from the intercession of Paul, Eph. iii : 14, to tho end. How the soul unfolds its wings ia the vastness of that supplication, culmi nating and routing in a rnpturona aet nf adoration ! If your heart is burdened with anxiety for some beloved one still destitute of grace there is the fervid intercession of Abra ham "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" Substitute the name which your affection prompts, and the intercession of the Father of the faithful becomes your own. If material wants press you, the modest petition of Agur (which was also a u proph ecy" Prov. xxx. as every believing prayer is) will express the easily contend ed desire3 of a holy mind: " Feed me with food convenient forme." " I adore, " said Tertuilian, "the ful ness of Scripture" Quloro plcnitiulinem Scripture?.) And in no respect i3 this Divine fuln&s more admirably displayed than in the variety cf its petitions. They express every emotion of a sinful and suf fering soul struggling backward and up ward to CLod from the sin and misery of this fallen world. And thon, what partic ularly commends these petitions to our U3e, is that they were inspired prayers. they were- uttered by " holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Ho ly Ghost. " And of nearly three hundred of them recorded in Scripture, all but some five or six were answered by the actual granting of the petition and all, without exception, procured blessings such as God alone can give. Growth of the Church .Iu the Word of God the Church is rep resented as an object of his everlasting fa vor. Her walls are ever before Ilici. Her interests are engraven on the palms of His hands. He ha; never forsaken her. He has divided the sea to make a path for her; nourished her children with bread from heaven ; opened fountains of water for them in the dry and barren , deserts, and destroyed kingdoms for her sake. In the fulness of time, He sent his well be loved Son to assume our nature, take upon himself the form of a servant, and sutler and yield up His life as a sacrifice to re deem His Church. . For her sake He roso from the dead, ascended to the right hand of God in the Heavens, where Ho ever lives and reigns, controlling all events for His own glory in the final triumphs of His ransomed Church. Who does not see in what God has done for the Church, that her members ought to think much of her welfare, bear her in terests on their hearts, and labor and pray daily for her growth and extension. Tho true Church is the kingdom of God on earth a kingdom destined to fill the world with the knowledge of His glory. In promoting this great end, there is a combination of human instrumentalities with Divine power, llcdccmed men are called to be co-workers with God. Their efficiency under God depends lees on their numbers than on the spirit in which they enter upon His work. The service enjoin--cd on them is too momentous to be neg lected or overlooked amid the agitations and turmoils of war. The mountains may be torn from their foundations and carried into the midst of the sea, states and king doms may be overturned but amid these convulsions they are to labor for a king dom which cannot be shaken. And how are they to labor ? How can they pro mote the growth and extension of that kingdom ? By continuing instant in prayer and by chirishinj and maintaining the spirit of evangelical piety thus commending the Gospel to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Christian Observer. Who can be against us? " If God to for ua, who can be against us ? " Itoniiind viii : 31. The Christian has many enemies. Sin within him, the world around him, death before him. and Satan; who 33 a roaring lion trooth abc'iii p-.ckir.g whom lie may devour all are opposed to him. But sin is pardoned, the world is overcome by Je sus, death is stripped of its power,, and Satan is in held chains. The Christian, therefore may ask, "If God is at peace with me, if God loves mc, if God has promised never to leave me, if God baa promised that as my day, so shall my strength be, who can be against me, or be ing against me, can injure me?" as Peter asks the question' " Who is he that will harm ycu, if ye be. followers of that which is good? With God for us, What if the universe were against us? What can creatures do to injure him who is de fended by the Greater? "L'ecausc thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the ifest High,, thy habitation ; thcro shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." If the Lord fight for us, our enemies must flee. If the Lord undertake to protect us, we must be safe. Let worlds assemble to oppose us, and still we may gay, "There be more with us than with them. With them is an arm of fic.-.h ; but with us is the Lord our God to fight for us." " Who can bi against ics'i "If the Lord be with us and he is with us he will be for us. "Through our God wc shall do valiant ly; for lie it is that shall tread down our enemies." Gracious God, give mo faith in thy promise in thy presence; help me to believe always and everywhere that thou art with mc, that thou art for me : then shall I lienor thee by my courage, confidence, and constancy. Prayer. Prayer nourishes and grows in beauty liko a 2owv in n state of domestic culture. It Las a small beginning, but a bright consummation; it is cradled in the clod, but crowned in the snn-bcam. To ac complish it well, we have often tobcin It ill, that is, aj v.e can, in the midst cf retard ments and avocations; if not holily, yet humble; if not with the unction of divino grace, at least with a full feeling of hu man depravity; if not with the assurance of success,1 at least with the conviction of need; finding the strongest motives of prayer in tho weakness of our efforts to pray. Prayer thrives with repetition. All can try; all can ask; all can kneel; and most idle and dangcrcus it is to trust in anticipating grace, or to wait in expecta tion of gratuitous mercy, without putting forth such natural strength as "we possess; in confessing inability and imploring suc cor. The holy wili, the sanctified wish, the steady purpose, are of God's free bounty to impart ; but to do the act of prayer with humble endeavor; to do it with exemplary frequency; to avow a sinner's concern for his soul, and to sup plicate forgiven es3, are simple doings with in the competency of miserable flesh ; du ties which humanity is a debtor to per form, and frcm which beginnings we mount on the promises of Scripture, to. that high and holy hill, where our Maker will shed the dew of his blessing on all sincer supplicants. Robert. 9