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as well as temporal things, a good beginning brings about a good ending. Early and late, in season and out of season, ask of God who "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not," Jas. i. 5. Say unto him, "Thou art my God; early will I seek thee," Psa. lxiii. 1. "O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days,”

Psa. xc. 14.

The other day I heard Betty's voice raised in a very cross tone, and found that she had just been put out of temper by the resolute and rude behaviour of a beggar man. "An impudent fellow," cried Betty, "if he did not put his shoulder against the door post, so that there was no shutting him out!"

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"Betty! Betty!" thought I," often have I done the same thing myself when begging for spiritual mercies, ay, and will again and again, so long as there is a precious promise in God's word to plead. Whenever I beg mercies of my Saviour, let me always take good care to have his own words with me. He can never deny, that he has spoken them; and so he is not likely to shut the door against me. He has encouraged, nay, invited me to call upon him in the following words: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," Matt. vii. 7.

REMEDY FOR PASSION.

THE best remedy is the heavenly grace of patience, flowing from faith and love; three of the most rich and rare jewels with which a Christian can be adorned. For, by faith we possess Christ Jesus, and become interested in all his benefits.

By love we possess our neighbour, rejoicing in his good, as if it were our own. And by patience we possess ourselves, and become masters of our own wits, senses, words, and actions. This is Christian fortitude, and, in very deed, the highest point of manhood. He that conquers himself, is stronger than he that vanquisheth most strong things. Bp. Couper.

HOW TO BEGIN.

HE that would reach to heaven by Jacob's ladder, must begin at the lowest step; this is the scriptural way of getting assurance. Christ's directory prescribes it, for when he

would instruct Nicodemus about his spiritual and eternal state, he did not send him to heaven to read the records of the celestial court; but he sent him to read himself over, to search his own heart and life, to consider whether he was regenerated or born again—whether he was engrafted into Christ, and made a new creature, yea, or nay. Christ directs him to the effect, to find out the cause; not to the cause, to find out the effect: which teaches us, that he that would ob tain any good evidence of the love of God and his own salvation, must begin at home with the workings of God in and upon himself. He must consider what work the Spirit of God hath done in him-what sight of sin, what sense of sin, what sorrow for sin, what loathing and forsaking of sin, he hath wrought in him-what grace, or desire of grace, or prizing of grace, the Spirit of God hath wrought in him. Extracts from "Evidence for Heaven.”

FIVE THINGS SHOW HOW WEIGHTY THE THOUGHTS OF SALVATION ARE UPON THE MINDS OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

1. Their continued solicitude about these things; if earthly affairs direct them for a while, yet they are still returning again to this solemn business.

2. Their careful redeeming of time, and saving the very moments thereof to employ about this work. Those that were prodigal of hours and days before, look upon every moment of time as a precious and valuable thing now.

3. Their fears lest they should come short at last, show how much their hearts are set upon this work.

4. Their inquisitiveness and readiness to embrace all the help and assistance that they can get from others evidently discover this to be their great design.

5. The little notice they take of all other afflictions, shows that their hearts are taken up about greater things.

Flavel.

"RUN, SPEAK TO THAT YOUNG MAN." "IN the spring of 1833," says the Rev. H. C-, now a missionary to India, "on my way to a sabbath-school, I met a young man about a mile from the Ohio river. Thinking he was probably a careless sinner, I kindly asked if he ever took God's name in vain. He replied, "Sometimes I do.' I said, 'Well, if you will read this,' (giving him the SWEARER'S

PRAYER,) you will probably not swear any more.' He accepted it, and I walked on. In the autumn of the same year, returning from a lecture at C, I overtook a young man; we bowed to each other; but when I had passed a few yards before him, he called, and asked if I remembered him. I replied I did not. Do not you remember meeting a young man one sabbath morning, and asking if he ever swore? I am that man. I read your tract, and resolved to swear no more.' He added, that he also hoped that tract had led him to see his sins, and that he had found the Saviour. We took each other by the hand rejoicing, and were happy to converse on the things of Christ and heaven.

"I need not tell you that the circumstance gave me renewed strength to persevere in the humble discharge of duty, and awakened new love to that engine of power-tracts, in the hands of the living Christian, and made effectual by the Holy Ghost."-American Tract Society's Report.

A TRACT MADE USEFUL.

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"IN the spring of 1839," says a minister, "I called, in company with an aged brother in the ministry, at the residence of the Rev. Mr. P. He was not at home, but his lady received us with much cordiality. Before we had removed our cloaks, said she, addressing herself to me, I have been desirous to see you for a long time, to acknowledge a great favour you conferred upon me.' I have no knowledge, madam, of anything which renders you under obligation to me,' was the reply. Do you not recollect that you gave me a tract on prayer half a dozen years ago?' 'I do not.' 'Do you not remember visiting a school in Duchess County, and giving tracts to the children, and one to me, the teacher?' I have no recollection of any such occurrence.' 'Well, I can show you the tract.' Immediately she went into an adjoining room, and returned with the tract in her hand. That you gave me; I was then too proud to pray, but I kept it, and when I came out west, I brought it with me. about two years there was a revival in C., and I became anxious about my sonl. I thought of the tract you gave me, went to my room, and found the long-neglected tract in the bottom of my trunk. I read it, and that night, for the first time in my life, I began to pray, and the Lord had mercy on my soul."-New York Observer.

After

PRAYER, AND ANSWERS TO PRAYER. REMEMBER the example presented to us in regard to, prayer by our blessed Lord himself. His whole sojourn here on earth was one continued act of intercession, not only for

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his immediate friends and companions, not only for those whom, when his eye saw them, he pitied their estate, but for his enemies, his persecutors, and his murderers; and now, having passed into the heavens, as our great High Priest, he ever liveth at the right hand of God, to make intercession for transgressors. I will add a few instances from the example of the apostles towards their fellow sinners:-Acts viii. 14, 15; ix. 40; xii. 5—12; xxviii. 8. Rom. i. 9; x. 1. Eph. i. 15, 16; iii. 14—19. Phil. i. 3-5. Col. i. 3. 9 ; iv. 12. 1 Thess. iii. 9, 10. 2 Thess. i. 11, 12.

As an encouragement, let us also consider some of the intercessions of God's servants, and his answers to their prayers, as recorded in the book of life.

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The prayer of Abraham that Ish- Gen. xvii. 18 Gen. xvii. 20. mael might be his heir.

Abraham's intercession for Sodom Gen. xviii. 23-Gen. xviii. 26—

Prayer of Hagar for Ishmael

32.

Gen. xxi. 16.

Prayer of Isaac for a blessing upon Gen. xxviii. 3, 4.
Jacob.

Moses intercedes for the children of
Israel after they had made a
molten calf.

Moses prays for the people.

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Moses prays that the fire of the
Lord may be quenched.
Moses prays for the removal of Mi-
riam's leprosy.

Moses prays for the people.

Moses and Aaron pray for the congregation, when they were to be destroyed, in the matter of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Exod. xxxii.

11-13.

33; and xix. 29. Gen. xxi. 17-19. Gen. xxviii. 13—

15.

Exod. xxxii. 14.

Exod. xxxii. 31, Exod. xxxii. 33,

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Moses prays for the people when Numb.xxi. 4-7. Numb. xxi. 8, 9.

they were bitten by fiery serpents.

Joshua's prayer after the defeat of Josh. vii. 6-9.

Israel by the Amorites, in conse

quence of the sin of Achan.

Josh. vii. 26.

Samuel prays that the Lord would I Sam. vii. 3-9. 1 Sam. vii. 9

deliver Israel from the hand of

the Philistines.

13.

Prayer of the man of God that the 1 Kings xiii. 6. 1 Kings xiii. 6. withered hand of Jeroboam might

be restored.

Elijah prays for the restoration of 1 Kings xvii. 20,1 Kings xvii. 22. the widow's son.

21.

Elisha prays for the restoration of 2 Kings iv. 32-2 Kings iv. 35. the Shunammite's son. 35.

Prayer.

17-19.

Hezekiah prays that the Lord would 2 Chron. xxx.
pardon those who had eaten
of the passover, without being
cleansed according to the purifi-
cation of the sanctuary.

Answer. 2 Chron. xxx.

20.

Prayer of Nehemiah for the children of Israel.

Neh. i.

Neh. ii. 1, 8, 11, 17-20; vi. 15,

Ezekiel's prayer for the residue of Ezek. ix. 4-8.

Israel.

16.

Ezek. ix. 10.

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Daniel prays for the restoration of Dan. ix. 3—19.
Jerusalem.

Ezek. xi. 15-21.
Dan. ix, 20—27.

The prayer of the centurion for his

Matt. viii. 5, 6.

Matt. viii. 7-13.

servant.

Prayer of Jairus for his daughter.

Prayer of the Syrophenician wo- Matt. xv. 21-27

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man for her daughter.

The friends of one sick of the palsy

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bring him to Christ.

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A father's prayer for his son who Mark ix. 17-24. Mark ix. 25-27. had a dumb spirit.

Intercession for Simon Peter's mo- Luke iv. 38.

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Prayer of a nobleman for his son John iv. 46-49 John iv. 50–53. Prayer of the apostles that the Acts viii. 14-16

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The command of God is, "Pray without ceasing," 1 Thess. v. 17.

Let us respond, "Lord, teach us to pray," Luke xi. 1.

His promise is, "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications," Zech. xii. 10.

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All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive," Matt. xxi. 22.

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