that

our misery. Jealousy-cruel envy, are brought into operation, and by these very means we are led to apprehend we have not the marks nor the features of the household of faith." But would you like to have some of these marks and evidences ? "Ah! confirm us in these-once establish us in the fact that we really do belong to the Lord; and you confer on us a greater benefit-a richer boon-than all the gold or the grandeur that this poor perishing world can afford." And this is really the simple the sincere language of your hearts ? Well now, this we can say to you, without any hesitation or doubt, that these never were the conclusions of any but those who are under divine teaching. None but "the brethren," spoken of in our text, can adopt such language as you have been using. For in it, both the enmity to the Lord and to his people is slain, and the rebellion of your naturally proud heart to the simple method of a free-grace salvation subdued; and, so far from the jealousy and the envy of which you speak being evidences against you, they witness in your favour; for they prove the high estimation in which you hold the position of those who are the blessed of the Lord, and show the earnestness of your desires for the like spiritual benefits and privileges: the which you shall surely have in the Lord's own good time; for the Lord the Spirit having discovered to you your needs, and put into your hearts his own living and lively desirers after a rich provision for those spiritual necessities, will in due time say with power to your souls, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." The Lord in mercy keep you therefore waiting and watching for it.

You

And now will you charge us with soaring too high for you, dear reader? Say, have we not now come down low enough to afford you at least a ray of hope? Do you still answer in the negative? Well, then, we will descend to a still lower evidence of your being among the brethren. Did you ever feel any-the least- outgoing of love towards a child of God, because you believed him to be a child of God? have seen him a tried man-a tempted man-but you have felt an inward conviction that he was a blessed man. Although there has been nothing in him naturally to attract, but perhaps the contrary, yet you have seen a something in him and about him which led you to believe he was a servant of God-a blessed man-a privileged man and as such you have felt an interest in him, and a regard for him, that you did not for men in general. Can you, as in the sight of God, say, "Well, this certainly has been the case. I cannot-I dare notdeny it." Then you are one of the brethren, reader, as sure as Jehovah's own testimony is true (1 John iii. 14), "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." But we will pass on to consider the exhortation.

It may seem remarkable that the apostle doest not here specify for what he would have his brethren to pray; yet the apparent omission is easily accounted for when we consider his confidence in the economy of grace. He well knew the Lord the Spirit's acquaintance with the necessities of himself and his brethren; and that the self-same Spirit

dwelling in the hearts of the elect, moved upon the minds of each in a way most agreeable with the wise and systematic arrangements of his own divine mind; therefore, instead of appearing in the present case to dictate to the Lord, he would leave it to Him first to make his kinsfolk in Christ acquainted with his and his brethren's necessities, both temporally and spiritually, and then to put it into their hearts to plead for a supply of the same out of that superabundant fulness which is treasured up in Christ. Sweet mode of living this, beloved! Precious triumphing of faith when brought here! This is indeed

"To lie passive in His hands,

And have no will but His."

-To have neither will nor wish-plan nor plea, but in sweet accordance with the mind of Jehovah. Like the child leaving all in his father's hands to plan and to perform, whilst he sits patiently by to reap the pleasant fruits of parental love, and wisdom, and power. "Brethren, pray for us; pray just as the Lord leads your minds to pray, and for what He instructs you to ask at his hands on our behalf.”

Now a word for those who imagine" they never prayed for themselves, and certainly not for others." Suppose we test the latter for a moment. Such objectors will argue that all real prayer is of God—that it arises from divine teaching-sovereign anointing-and is, in a word, the breath of the Holy Ghost in the soul; that consequently none could every pray where there had not been an outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and within whose bodies he did not dwell as his temple, there to plead as a Spirit of grace and supplication. This is all quite true, and is a scriptural and blessed definition of both prayer and its divine Author. "Well," continues such a soul, "with these distinguishing mercies, I certainly have never been conversant."

You had

We propose to test this. Do you not recollect a season (it may have been a very short season, and months, or even years, may have passed since its occurrence), when the case, condition, or circumstances of some individual (perhaps personally unknown) was brought before you, probably in an unexpected and unlooked-for manner. been long depressed about your own state; your feelings and your fears had apparently engrossed every thought of your mind, and stopped each avenue to your heart. "You would have given the world," you have oftentimes said, "if you could but pray. But your heart was so hard-your will so rebellious--and your mind so callous, that you could not." Well, just at this juncture the case referred to was brought before you; perhaps whilst reading or under a sermon-or through the medium of a friend. Suddenly your mind was drawn away from your own exercises, and you felt a certain something within that seemed to breathe out its request thus:- -"Lord, do have pity upon that poor man. He is in great trouble; do help him, Lord. Hast thou not said, thou wilt not despise the prayer of the poor and the destitute, but that thou wilt hear their prayer? Now this man is poor and destitute, and oftentimes has he poured out his heart before thee; wilt thou not hear him, Lord? Thou art a God of truth. Thou wilt

perform thy word. Thou canst not forget thy promise.

Thou saidst,

I will surely do thee good.' Wilt thou not do as thou hast said? Lord, help the poor man; deliver him for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. As he has been jealous for thee and for thy truth, so be thou mindful of and merciful to him!"

This is prayer, beloved, real prayer-that which the Spirit dictated and to which He purposed to give heed; and take this for your encouragement, he that prays for others has prayed and does pray for himself. There is a vein of sympathy and desire throughout the one body (see 1 Cor. xii. 12-27). And of this fact you may be assured, that whenever the Spirit moves upon a man's mind to plead for a brother in adversity, He will so stamp those petitions with his royal approval as to bless the pleader on its account. Indeed, there is such a union of heart-oneness of feeling and unanimity of desire in the household of faith, that it is impossible-yes, we say impossible-for one to possess interest in or care for another, as one of the election of grace, without its being of God and from God; and equally impossible is it for such a one to have an interest and concern without the Lord's blessing him in it, and for it. The entire movement of the heart and mind is specially and peculiarly of the Lord, and will redound to his glory, and the good of the soul so exercised and blessed.

"But," some reader may say, "I never prayed in the way you have mentioned. Would that I had. But I am dumb. My mouth is closed. A spirit of grace and supplication, I am persuaded, was never poured out upon me. I could fain surrender everything I possess for such an inestimable privilege.' But if you have never prayed, have you not sighed? When you have heard of this one's trial-the other one's calamity-or your mind has been suddenly impressed with the fact that you have a fellow sufferer-one who is tried, and tempted, and harrassed in a precisely similar way to yourself; have you not felt a certain interest in that individual-a springing up of affection from some new and unthought of source and an involuntary sighing that that tried, that tempted one, may be helped, and strengthened, and delivered; for this, this was the language of the sigh-this the meaning of the gentlytrickling tear; and Jehovah Jesus understood it so; indeed He did. And we are commissioned to give you a promise in return; here-take it-for it is meant for you: Romans viii. 26.

66

In conclusion, therefore, if, whilst we adopt the language of the text, and say, Brethren, pray for us, any (however timid or doubting in and respecting themselves) can feel a responding in their hearts to plead for us, or for any who belong to the family of God, it is a sure, an undoubted evidence that they are members of the same family, and ere long shall know for themselves, personally, that blessing and blessedness which they ask for others.

The Lord hasten the happy hour, for his name's sake and for their comfort. Amen and amen. THE EDITOR.

Ireland, Sept. 16, 1847.

"THE KING HATH BROUGHT ME INTO HIS CHAMBERS." SONG I. 4.

THE King hath many chambers into which he introduces his Bride here on earth, previous to her final entrance into the " presence chamber," to go no more out. They are emphatically "His chambers." He hath the key of them, and no one can enter but by his permission; for "He openeth, and no man shutteth, and He shutteth, and no man openeth;" and not only can none enter but by his permission, but he must actually bring in every one. It is the King himself who condescends to this. He trusts the key in no other hands. The Church here speaks as one who has been brought into them, who has had personal experience of what this means. Let us who are passing through them, look back and take a little survey of these chambers, and at every step let us praise and adore that sovereign, distinguishing grace, which has brought us hitherto, and which will at length conduct us triumphantly into the presence chamber of the King of kings.

1st. There is the "chamber of imagery," into which we were first brought a dark, and dismal, and doleful chamber indeed, full of all sorts of "creeping things," uncleanness, lusts, corruptions, evil thoughts, envyings, hatred, &c., &c., and "abominable beasts," bold, daring, and presumptuous sins, and "all the idols of Israel pourtrayed upon the wall," the chief of which is that great idol, "Self," and all other objects which are loved instead of God. These are painful, soulhumbling, but very necessary sights. It is the sight of these things, when shown us by the King, that makes the soul cry out, “I am black, behold I am vile,” “Woe is me, for I am undone,' ," ، Unclean, unclean."

The King then graciously leads to another chamber, which we may call the "washing chamber," in which there is a fountain opened for sin and all uncleanness. It is filled with blood drawn from the veins of the King himself, and such is its virtue, that when the black, and foul, and filthy soul has once bathed therein, it is thenceforth whiter than snow; and though it may get bemired again in its journey through the wilderness, yet having been once brought into this chamber, the door is ever afterwards open to it; so that at any moment it can come again, and wash, and be clean.

Next comes the "robing room," where the "best robe " is put upon the cleansed soul, even that robe of righteousness which the King himself hath wrought for his Bride; and costly and precious indeed must it be, for I have heard say, that the King spent his whole life on earth in fashioning it; and so beautiful does his Bride appear in it, that he himself breaks out into expressions of admiration at the sight of her,

"Thou art all fair, my love," "Thy beauty is perfect, through my comeliness which I have put upon thee."

Then does the King lead her to the "perfume chamber," where she is "anointed with fresh oil; " delicious odours are poured upon her, and she is "perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and all powders of the merchant." His Spirit sheds his own heavenly graces upon her; and thus washed robed, adorned and perfumed, the King next brings her into his "banqueting room," and spreads over her the "banner of love," and says to her, "How fair and how pleasant art thou, oh, love. How much better is thy love than wine, and the smell of thine ointments than all spices." Who shall describe the sweetness, the neatness, and the blessedness of that communion which is granted to the soul in this chamber, when "the King sitteth at his table with her? Nor is the delight all on her side. The Bridegroom has as much pleasure in her society as she in his.* He says to her, “Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance comely:" and she exclaims in ecstasy, "The voice of my beloved. He is chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." "His mouth is most sweet."

There are, besides these, other chambers, into which she is sure to be brought at one time or other-such as the "chamber of affliction of mourning-of sickness," which at first sight looks rather gloomy, but whenever she, is in one of these, which is not oftener than is absolutely necessary to keep her in health, or restore her to it, the King makes it an especial point to visit her, and speak comfortably to her, so that her joy often rises above her sorrow, and she exclaims, "It is good for me to be here."

There is, lastly, the "chamber of death." This is not that gloomy chamber it is often represented to be. It is the ante-room to the presence chamber;" and therefore rays of that glorious light which surrounds the throne do often find their way through the chinks of the door, illuminating what might otherwise be a darksome chamber. It is, in fact, only divided by so slight a partition, that the soul feels almost in the immediate presence of the King, and sometimes catches a glimpse of His glorious Person; like Stephen, who cried out, when passing through this chamber, "I see heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

Nothing now remains but to shake off the garment of the flesh, and the unshackled soul, freed for ever from all incumbrance, corruption, and pollution, finds instant entrance into the presence of Him who sitteth on the throne.

"Absent from the body, present with the Lord."

"ONE THAT HAS FOUND FAVOUR."

Brighton, August 31.

*This is a wonderful thought, but true.-ED.