us, or working with us. We seem to labour in vain, and spend our strength for nought. This is to try our grace, call forth our prayers, and exercise our energies. God loves to be pleaded with, and he will give us cause and occasion to plead with him.

THE PRESENT TIME CALLS FOR GOD'S INTERFERENCE.

Crime is

The

Infidelity has put on a bold front, and has been stalking abroad in open day. Supertition has gathered strength and misled thousands of souls. rampant, and criminals are numerous. cause of God in many places is low, for there have been few conversions. Professors of religion are becoming worldly, and cold, and are at ease in Zion. In some places error appears to make more impression than truth, and the multitude of the people are going astray. It is time for God to work, for man has tried and failed-things will get worse and worse without-and believers will become dispirited. Yes, we need that God should work, for many of our sons and daughters, many of our wives and husbands, many of our brothers and sisters, are in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. We desire God to work, for we long for the conversion of immortal souls, the restoration of backsliders, and the establishment of believers in faith and love. We hear of God working elsewhere, for he hath in several places, made bare his holy arm, in the eyes of all the nations. We must

have God work, or we shall decline, dishonour God, and sink into a carnal state.

If it is time for God to work, it is time for us to pray, and intreat him to do so. He has promised to do so, but the promises are made to prayer. We should therefore separately and alone, plead with him. We should meet and in union of heart and soul, entreat him to work. We should be earnest and fervent, as seeking the greatest blessing, as if we were pleading for our life. If it is time for God to work, it is time for us to work. Every one in his own sphere. Each in his own connection. Every Christian should be at work for God, at work to win souls, at work with a view to help forward God's good cause. All believers, as one man, or as a band of men whose hearts God has touched, should be employed in the Lord's vineyard. Each, and all, should put forth their energies, and work to the utmost of their power.

If it is time for God to work, it is time for sinners to bethink themselves, repent, and turn to God. He may work in wrath. He may whet his glittering sword, and his hands may take hold on judgment. The appeal of the Lord's people, may be taken as an applica tion to a just judge, to execute his righteous sentence upon criminals, and cut them down in his wrath, and punish them in his sore displeasure. And if he should, how dreadful would the result be! Reader, are you in an

unreconciled state? Is your heart estranged from God? If so, how fearful it would be, if God was to stretch out his hand against you, and cut you down! Repent, therefore, and pray to God, that thy emnity against him, and opposition to him, may be forgiven thee. But we would rather view the appeal as made to a gracious Father, respecting his wayward and erring children; that he would work to reclaim, recover, and bring them back. O Lord, look on thy church, is it not low, in a low place, does it not need thy special interference; wilt thou not arise and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come, for thy people take pleasure in her stones, they favour the dust thereof! It is time for the Lord to work, for sinners are getting hardened under the gospel, thy professing people, many of them, get colder and colder-the world is loved-wealth is idolized-ordinances are neglected-congregations are thin-souls by millions are perishing, is it not then, is it not time for thee to work? Spirit of the living God, come down in power and great glory upon us, rouse up our fellow countrymen, crowd our houses of prayer, revive all thy churches, and convert thousands, and tens of thousands to thyself! Thus display thy power, thus fulfil thy promises, thus confound Satan, thus gratify the desires of thy people, and thus glorify thy wondrous grace!

THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION.

THERE is very much in Christ that we do not know. That we cannot know without divine teaching. And yet our holiness, our happiness, our usefulness, very much depends on our knowledge of Christ. This attainment therefore is of the greatest importance. Paul deeply felt this, and therefore exclaimed, "That I may know him." And when expressing his desires for the Ephesians, in prayer to God, though they knew much of Christ already, he prayed, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation IN THE KNOWLEDGE

OF HIM." Ephes. i. 17. He prays, you see, that the glorious Father would send the revealing Spirit, to teach them to know Christ more fully. This is just what we want, may the Lord confer on us the same blessing.

It is the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ. He has revealed him already in the word, and he stills reveals him to the understanding, and hearts, of the Lord's people. To see Christ in the word, is like looking upon a well executed portrait; but

to see Christ by the revealing of the Holy Spirit, is like being introduced to the company of the living person. There is a reality, a vividness, in our knowledge of Christ, when it comes from the teachings of the Holy Spirit, which cannot be realized without. When the Spirit teaches us to know Christ, our former knowledge appears to be like mere hearsay, or like ideas we have obtained in a dream. O for more personal, experimental knowledge of Christ!

We

The Spirit reveals the glorious person of Christ, and then, apart from arguments, we know him to be human, we are sure he is divine. We see that while he is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, in him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily. perceive that he is not more one with us, than he is one with God; that he has not more really our nature, than he has the Father's nature. The Spirit discovers to us, the exact adaptation of Christ; that he is just what we want, and all that we want. For he has whatever we need, and all that he has, he is ready to impart to us. He is all we need as sinners, to save us; and all we need as saints to satisfy us. His glory is great in our salvation, and his grace shines conspicuously in all that we enjoy. Precious Saviour! thou art all our salvation, and all our desire.

The Spirit shows us our interest in Christ, and under his holy teaching, we discover that we are personally, and eternally inter