and openly declaring to the world, “We, as Christians, are one. Our differences are accidental, not essential; in Christ we are one body." Of what new life and new forms of Christian activity the growth of such a spirit may be the cause, we cannot possibly guess. We may form some notion by considering the fearful evils of religious dissension, by thinking of the “confusion and evil work” which have prevailed where there have been "envying and strife.”

With what vigour and power a visibly-united church, a church "compacted by that which every joint supplieth," might act upon the world, is a question which we hope the future will answer. There are possibilities in such a state of things beyond our highest hopes. Our Lord's words indicate what ought to be our faith as to the results, “ That they all may be one ; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

The existence and prevalence of what is, in many cases, undoubtedly, the true spirit of prayer, is at once the most prominent and the most hopeful sign in connection with the present move. ment.

The increase of the true spirit of prayer is a blessing for which every Christian, every church, and, if possible, Christians of all denominations together, ought “ always" to pray. The disciples were gathered together with one accord" " when the day of Pentecost was fully come;" and when “the consecrated host of God's elect" cry, with one spirit, day and night unto him, we may expect that “he will avenge them speedily," The possession of this spirit, in truth, is the sign of the coming blessing. It is the indication and the condition of the Spirit's agency. It is ever the accompaniment of earnest and successful, because humble and faithful, work. It has ever been associated with new and larger developments of spiritual life in the church, and with new effort for the extension of the kingdom of Christ in the world. The sowing “ in righteousness," the " breaking up of the fallow ground," must be heralded by the conviction that “it is time to seek the Lord until he rain righteousness upon us.”

But this spirit of prayer is of no artificial growth. It is not the offspring of external excitement. The prayer must ascend in secret that will be rewarded openly. If it attain to public manifestation it will be because the spirit of it, existing simultaneously in many hearts, expresses itself in a holier fervour of life and fellowship, and thus creates a visible unity of grace and supplication. The attempt to create this spirit will be mischievous, perhaps fatal, to the spiritual well-being of the church; the growth and expression of it in accordance with the guiding of the spirit of wisdom will be one of the most hopeful signs for the church and for the world.

Nor must we forget, that where this spirit truly exists it will show itself chiefly in increased attention to the ordinary means of grace, especially the regular prayer-meetings. To establish meetings for special prayer and neglect those already appointed for supplicating the Divine blessing, is an indication of a desire for special excitement, but not of the existence of a spirit of prayer. Such a course must of necessity be hurtful to individual piety, or rather we should

say, indicates that that piety is itself in a very low state, and needs reviving by deep and solemn personal repentance before God.

In the present state of the Revival movement it would be altogether premature to attempt to indicate the results which are likely to follow from it. It may be that, like those which were conducted by Whitfield and Wesley in the last century, it will take external form in the establishment of some new organisation. It may be that it will be the means of infusing new life into those already existing by stirring up the gift that is in them. It may be that it will issue in the breaking up of existing organisations in order to a purer, perfecter manifestation of the kingdom which is “ righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Anyhow, the course of all who seek the true interests of that kingdom is clear. Avoiding all that is artificial in the movement, they must lay hold of its real power and use it with zealous prudence. In proportion to the dan. ger of artificial feeling among the uneducated and half-educated must those who “ keep knowledge” “ be sober and vigilant." The hopeful signs which it presents must not blind us to the evils which lurk in such close proximity to all forms of religious excitement. Extreme caution will be in such cases a surer guide than inconsiderate zeal. A calm and stedfast perseverance in the ordi. nary Christian work, in religiously doing the world's work, is the truest indication of the power of godliness. Religious excitement, whatever form it assumes, is closely connected with a diseased moral sensibility. Faithful and persevering work is a main condition of spiritual health. Let us not allow a passing state of feeling to assume the place and importance of unobtrusive, simplehearted Christian work. “ The day will declare it.” “ The fire will try every man's work of what sort it is.” Let those who feel it to be their duty to keep “ the even tenor of their way,” feel that it is a small thing to them to be judged of man's judgment. Let those who sympathise with “Revivals ”take heed that they do not misjudge those who, on the ground of conviction or experience, cannot see with them. Our part, one and all, is wisely to watch and wisely to use, according to the best of our judgment, the religious interest which is undoubtedly awakened in the country. The question of the results on the real progress of Christ's kingdom is one which all must be content to leave to the unfolding of those purposes which are yet “ behind the veil."

Devizes.

THE INTERCESSION OF THE SPIRIT.

BY THE REV. JAMES MURSELL. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities : for we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”- Romans viii. 26, 27.

This is one of those passages which prove by implication, as conclusively as by the strongest direct assertion, the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit. Functions are ascribed here to that Divine Agent which would be

sheer absurdities if attributed to a mere impersonal influence, such as some would have us believe the Spirit of God to be. He who teaches us what we know not must himself have knowledge, and he who possesses knowlodge must be a person. To talk of the intercession of an influence would be simple nonsense; and to speak of “the mind of the Spirit," if that Spirit itself be only an emanation of another mind, would be as palpably absurd. And if the actions ascribed to the Holy Ghost here imply his personality, they no less surely infer his deity. They involve the power to search the heart, to read its necessities with a scrutiny more accurate even than selfknowledge ; they involve a perfect acquaintance with the will of God in all its length and breadth, as well as a power to afford help wherever that help is sought and required. These are Divine attributes. No limited intelligence can compass them. They pass the powers of the mightiest angel. Omniscience, sovereignty, and omnipresence alone can fulfil them, for he who knows the secrets of my heart more intimately than I do must know all things; he who can comprehend all the breadth and bearing of the will of God must himself be the sovereign wielder of that will; and he who can be " present with his aid” wherever a saint is found at prayer, must be he who is present everywhere. The simplest enunciation of any of the offices of the Holy Spirit requires the truth of his personal deity to make it consistent, or even intelligible.

In these verses he is set before us in one of these offices, as the helper of our prayers. Let us meditate a little upon what, in this relation, he does for us.

1. “We know not what we should pray for as we ought." WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES WHICH PREVENT OUR PRAYING ARIGHT The phrase of the text has reference to the matter rather than to the manner of our prayers ; and to this, as far as the two subjects can be kept apart, we confine our thoughts.

There is, then, first, OUR IGNORANCE. It is a solemn and tremendous thing that we do when we pray-more solemn and tremendous than we are prone to think it. We are uttering our thoughts and wishes with the express purpose of engaging the attention and affecting the conduct of the Eternal; are seeking to place the feelings of our hearts among the reasons of God's actions! Who that realises this but must be overwhelmed with the consciousness of his own utter ignorance ? "We are of yesterday and know nothing ;”, how can we know what is right for Him to do who "was, and is, and is to come”? Our knowledge can only concern our personal interests, or at most is bounded by the narrow horizon of earthly observation : his deeds affect the universe ! Of ourselves—the matter of which we should know most-we know next to nothing. The deeper recesses of our corrupt hearts are scarcely sealed more completely from the view of others than from our own; nay, we sometimes reveal a glimpse of them to others, while they remain hidden from ourselves. The deceitfulness of our lusts deceives ourselves more than any beside. It is but very gradually, and after all very imperfectly, that we form acquaintance with ourselves. Of our interests, even, which most of us study more closely than any. other subject, we are poor and inadequate judges. We know what we should like, we know not what is good for us ; not even what is good for us now, much less what will be good for us for ever! But if we would pray for right things, it is necessary. that we know not only ourselves but God. And here, too, how deep, how almost entire our ignorance. How partial our conceptions of his holiness, his justice, and even of his mercy. and his love! How poor our appreciation of his greatness! How small

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our comprehension of his "will"! Surely, brethren, if we had only our own ignorance to muse on, it were enough to drive us from the mercy. seat, to bid us desist from obtruding our babbling folly upon the ear of infinite wisdom, and beware of committing the presumption, the impertinence of prayer!

There is, secondly, OUR SELF-WILL. An ominous and evil conjunction, this, of ignorance and self-will-the saddest and most perilous that can meet in the spirit of any creature. Ignorance should be humble, teachable, self-diffident, ready to yield its plans and purposes to those of a wisdom higher than its own. There is hope for the man who is ignorant and knows he is 80; there is little for him who, in the midst of his ignorance, deems himself wise. Our spiritual ignorance is thus strengthened, darkened, made more hopeless, by pride, self-confidence, and self-will. And the ways in which this self-will obstructs our prayers, by preventing us from seeking right things from God, are manifold. It blinds us to our own real need. It prompts us to put our preferences in the place of our true interests ; to seek our pleasure rather than our welfare. It leads us to propose, almost to dictate, our plans and purposes to God, instead of seeking to be led into and guided by his own. It makes dim our recog. nition of his will. In short, it places us in continual danger of basing our prayers upon, and interpreting the answers to prayer by, our will, and not God's. And thus doubly, by our ignorance of what is “ according to the will of God," and by our lack of moral sympathy with that will when known, is the testimony confirmed, “We know not what we should pray for as we ought."

2. But “the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, making intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

HOW DOES THE SPIRIT HELP OUR PRAYERS ? --- Again let us be reminded that we are speaking chiefly of the matter, not the manner of our prayers. The Holy Spirit does teach us how to pray, as well as what to pray for. But the Apostle here speaks of us as needing, and of him as giving aid, not so much in approaching God rightly, as in asking right things from God; and to this we still restrict our remarks.

The intercession of the Spirit, it should be remarked in passing, is internal, not vicarious. The relation of the intercession of the Spirit to the intercession of the Son is a most interesting and instructive theme, but one far too wide to be even glanced at now. All that for our present purpose need be said is, that the work and sphere of neither of these Divine Persons trenches or intrudes upon that of the other. Closely, vitally, associated- they are yet distinct. The one is carried on, apart from our own consciousness, on our behalf ; the other is exercised in and through the feelings, thoughts, desires, and aspirations of our own hearts. The Son of God pleads for us in the heavenly places, within the veil ; the Spirit of God pleads also, but the sphere and medium of his pleading is the spirit of man.

How, then, does he help our prayers ? The simplest and most compre. hensive answer, after what we have said, would be, by instructing our ignorance and correcting our self-will. And it would not be difficult to show that this answer does embrace the whole truth about the matter. The Spirit helps us in a manner corresponding with our twofold need ; by teaching us what is good for us, and then making us desire it; in other words, by revealing the will of God, and then bringing our will into harmony with his. It will, however, serve to bring the truth of this text nearer to our apprebension and our heart, if we strive to point out some of

the specific modes in which the Spirit fulfils this gracious ministry on our behalf. He helps us, then

By revealing to us more accurately and completely our own weakness and corruption.

We begin our religious course with a very imperfect knowledge of these. We have a deep general sense of sinfulness, worthlessness, helplessness; but a very shallow acquaintance with the real condition of our own hearts. We soon find that our glance has pierced scarcely below the surface of the foul and festering corruption of our nature. Every day of Christian life is, or ought to be, teaching us more of ourselves. “Yes," it may be said, “but surely the teacher in this case is experience." And so, in our ordinary mode of speech, it is. But really the teacher is the Holy Spirit ; experience is only the lesson-book he uses. Thousands of men pass through the same experience, have the same truths manifested in their lives, and yet learn none of them. It is only when the Spirit opens the book to us, and teaches us to spell out the sacred characters in which it is written, that experience becomes truly instructive. Now this increasing knowledge of ourselves is obviously one great means of helping us in our prayers. We sometimes abuse it into a reason for despondency; it is meant to drive us nigher to Him from whom cometh our help. Every new phase of sin opened to our view is new reason and material for prayer. It teaches us afresh our need of the blood of sprinkling daily reapplied to our conscience, of hourly supplies of renewing and sustaining grace, of the mighty aids of God's Holy Spirit; and prayer is the way in which these are realised. And as each day discloses some special weakness or form of evil, this will supply the material for specific supplication. Turn thus, Christian reader, your experience into prayer, and do not overlook the teacher in the lesson ; do not forget to recognise, in this better knowledge of your need, the agency of Him who “belpeth our infirmities."

By leading us to a more intimate acquaintance with God. What we need, in order to teach us “ what we should pray for as we ought," is not so much a clearer and more accurate theoretic knowledge of God, as a profounder experimental acquaintance with him; not to know more about God, but to know him better. These, it is pjain, are two very different things, as different as the general notion of a man's character wo may gain from the perusal of his writings or from the report of others is from the living knowledge of his heart, of his very self, derived from the intimacy of personal friendship. Nay, the illustration is by no means sufficiently strong, since the enmity of our hearts to God constitutes an element of estrangement in this case which does not belong to the human relationship, and renders the difference between theoretic and personal knowledge all the more marked and complete. Thus to know God it is requisite that we realise our position as reconciled to him by the death of his Son, and as introduced into a close and sacred relationship with him. And this personal knowledge is just that which the Spirit helps us to gain, by taking of the things of Christ and showing them unto us, by renewing us daily into the likeness of Him who created us, by bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And by thus leading us into a deeper personal knowledge of God, he helps our prayers, teaches us what we may rightly ask from God. The friend knows the disposition, the character, of his friend, and will regulate the requests he makes by an instructive application of this knowledge; he will not ask for what he feels to be at variance with the character he thus knows. And so (with rever. ence let the illustration be applied) the friend of God, who has "acquainted