account at the judgment-seat, where all shall appear, and each one be judged for himself. In the meantime, truth is proclaimed, and God is justified and honoured. But the reflection is a delightful one, that a very large number of those who observe the fast, will not only be sincere, generally speaking, but sincere in the highest sense, sincere, evangelically and spiritually; and by these there will be a truly devotional attention to the duties usually comprehended in the services of such a day. In fasting they will humble their souls before God; like Daniel, they will confess their own sins, and the sins of their people, and like him they will pour out their hearts before God in earnest, fervent prayer. Nor will their prayer be without faith. With faith in Christ, for themselves and their own salvation, all their prayers will, as is customary, be offered up. And they will not overlook the numerous declarations and promises in Scripture, in relation to providential blessings, and for which God will be inquired of by us, to do them for us. God is most honoured by us when we obtain blessings which we have previously acknowledged, in our prayers, to be his to withhold, his to bestow. Very encouraging is the Apostle's declaration, especially when connected with the immediately-following illustration: "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (thank God, and have we not many "righteous men ?") "availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are; and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." True prayer is never unanswered. The particular time and form of the answer, our heavenly Father will fix, in his kindness and wisdom. In this not man, but He himself, is the judge. Still, the soul-animating truth remains,-prayer is never in vain. May the spirit of prayer be poured forth upon us, speedily and abundantly! London, March 18th, 1847. POETRY. CHRISTIAN WATCHFULNESS.* Vp, sluggish soule, awake, slumber no more, So shalt thou enter with Him into rest, * From "Devotional Poetry, now first published from a мs. of the Sixteenth or Seventeenth Century." Just published by the Religious Tract Society. See our "Select List." LONDON: PRINTED BY JAMES NICHOLS, HOXTON-SQUARE. |