is too proud to stoop to the knocker of the straight gate. He ought to read Mark viii. 38, and consider it well.

4. The pilgrim who stumbled and fell at the gate, has many like him among religious inquirers. The young man who seeks reconciliation with God, must be willing, not only to give up all known sin, but to watch carefully against it. Salvation does not consist so much in pardon as in purification. It makes us safe, it is true; but the great point is, that it makes us holy; and he who does not desire holiness, and is not willing to watch and strive for it, will only stumble and fall.

The other cases do not need a particular explanation, except, perhaps, that I ought to say, that there must have been something wrong about the one who knocked a long time without obtaining admittance. It is, indeed, sometimes true, that the soul of the sincere convert does not, for some time, find peace, but its prayers for forgiveness are always at once heard, if they are offered aright; and reconciliation with God is secured, though the mourning soul may not at once become conscious of it. God will always at once receive every returning sinner, who comes in the name of Christ, and with sincere desires for forgiveness and sanctification.

Being detained at home by the storm this evening, I have read with much pleasure several articles in your Religious Magazine for December; and I cannot but hope it will be extensively circulated, and the valuable matter it bids fair to contain, carefully read.

I am induced, however, to say a word at this time, from the fact that, the article entitled First Religions Lessons,' contains a sentiment to which I cannot subscribe. On the 143d page, the writer says, "It does not seem to us, that God will, • These letters are genuine. EDS.

undoubtedly, and certainly bless the mother's efforts, even if they are of the right kind." He goes on to admit that he probably will; &c. And on the 146th page, when cautioning the mother not to despond, he allows that some Christians will say that in such a crisis, God will certainly come to her aid. I am aware that you advanced a similar sentiment in the chapter on Prayer in your Young Christian, and I was strongly inclined to write to you upon the subject when I first read that chapter. Reflection, and an examination of the New Testament, have strengthened my former opinion; if I am wrong I hope I shall be convinced of it,-but if I am right I feel as if it were of much practical moment that other Christians should embrace the same view.

For instance, in the argument addressed to mothers, in the article of which I speak, if the writer could conscientiously have omitted the obnoxious paragraph, would not his appeal have been much stronger? Your house is enveloped in flames, your wife and children are in it, and I tell you that I am assured that if you will do every thing in your power to rescue them in the right way, you may, and probably will succeed ;but I cannot ensure you success. Here, you will say, is motive, and powerful motive. I grant it; but still it occasions misgiving and distress, and perhaps enfeebles and dispirits you. If you knew, on the contrary, that by judicious and proper efforts the result was certain, you would say, if I omit to do it how criminal I shall be; I shall be their wilful murderer.

Which of these views is the correct one must be decided by the Bible; and here I am ready to admit several things.

1st. That we are not authorized to ask for earthly good of any kind for ourselves or others with any positive confidence that our requests will be granted.

2ndly. That we are always to pray that God's will may be done, and that we are to feel entirely submissive to his will. 3dly. That if our conduct and faith do not keep pace with our prayers, we are not to expect that God will ever hear us.

With these admissions, then, I ask how am I to understand the following passages in any other way than as teaching Christians that if they ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to convert the soul, and do all in their power to afford the means which are ordinarily blessed, to the persons for whom they pray, their desires shall be granted, and granted in the manner sought?

"If earthly parents know how to children, how much more shall your Holy Spirit to them who ask him?"

give good gifts to their heavenly Father give his "If a son shall ask bread

of one of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts," i. e. know that it would be cruel to mock your children by giving them what they do not desire, "how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him ;" i. e. much more when God's children implore spiritual blessings, will he grant the very things which they seek. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." Here it is plain that pride and selfishness are the obstacles; this is not asking in the manner enjoined.

I think the intention of James in the last two verses of his epistle, was to encourage prayer for the conversion of souls on the ground that if our conduct is consistent and our desires fervent, the prayer in their behalf will be effectual. In the sixteenth chapter of St. John, our Saviour promises to send the Holy Ghost, and declares that his office shall be, "to convince of sin, righteousness and judgment to come;" and then, as if to encourage his disciples to pray for this Comforter, he tells them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." Does not this plainly refer to the influence of the Spirit, to convince men of sin? and how could language be broader? Verily,-what

soever!

But you will say, perhaps, our Saviour himself used the prayer of submission, (for which you contend, particularly in the Young Christian,) in his prayer in the 22d of Luke. Nevertheless; not my will, but thine, be done. Very true, but the case is widely different. If we anticipated a sore trial, which we were afraid we could not sustain, we might use this prayer; hoping that if God chose to bring upon us the affliction, he would also say, "My grace shall be sufficient for thee;" but where any thing is laid down in the Scriptures, as according to God's will, I contend we are warranted in asking for that specifically, with the expectation that, if our conduct is right, our request will be granted.

Had the Holy Spirit intended otherwise, would not the sacred writers have been directed to record some instances of failure of prayer, even when sincere, and coupled with right action? But, so far from this, we find the contrary every where to be true, both in the Old and New Testaments; and when the prayer is not answered, the reason, I believe, is uniformly stated to be something wanting on the part of the petitioner. The 81st Psalin declares, that if God's people will open their mouth wide, he will fill it; and then says that they would not hearken; so he gave them up to their own lusts. He adds,

"Oh, that my people had hearkened," &c.; and says, in conclusion, "with honey out of the rock, I should have satisfied thee." The 145th Psalm, 18th verse, makes sincerity requisite to God's hearing and answering our prayers; and in the 19th verse, "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him." Proverbs 15: 29: "The Lord is far from the wicked; but he heareth the prayers of the righteous." When it is said that a legislative body hear a petition, it denotes respect for what the petition contains; and if it is for something which they are pledged to grant, whenever requested, by a former vote, there is no room for doubt. This seems to me to be the meaning of this passage, that holy character and ardent prayer for what God has promised, are ever prevalent.

In Matthew 21:22, Christ tells his disciples, that "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." The condition required of them was, implicit faith, because here was their greatest liability to err. Again, in Mark 11:24, to the same purpose: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." In John 16: 24: "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." Here again, they are encouraged to ask in the name of Christ, for the Comforter; and not only so, but their joy is to be full. Suppose they asked the conversion of a soul dear to them, would their joy be full, by a denial of their request?

John, 31: 22, the Apostle encourages the saints, to whom he writes, by saying, "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." Now, substitute the language of the apostle, for that of the writer of First Religious Lessons, in the sentence already quoted, and how different would be the motive held out for the mother's efforts. It is told her there, that if they are of the right kind, she cannot know that they will avail. In the other case, it is, "If you do those things that are pleasing in his sight, whatsoever you ask, you will receive." Do I over-state or misrepresent the meaning of St. John?

There is a passage in 1. John, 5: 14, 15, on which I will say a word or two. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to," (or, as the word may be rendered, concerning) "his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Now, some will say, that the promise here held up, is only conditional, and predicated upon the fact, that the peti

tions are according to the will of God. What can it avail, however, to be told that we may have confidence in asking,ay, that we may know that we are heard, unless we are also informed as to the objects for which we may ask, with this degree of confidence?

With reference to prayer then, we can know the will of God, only so far as he has revealed it; and when I find that he has seen fit to answer intercessory prayer for others, as well as prayer for ourselves, I am encouraged to hope that if I ask for the influences of the Spirit to convince of sin, I may know that my prayer will be heard and answered, provided I am sincere, and my conduct corresponds.

We have the example of Moses, of Abraham, of David, and of many others in the Old Testament; of Christ and his Apostles in the New, to this point; and the use which the Apostles made of Christ's promise to send the Comforter, shows us, at once, how they understood it, and the descent of the Spirit in the conversion of three thousand, shows that their prayers were answered.

If the Apostles had understood Christ, as promising the Comforter, only to impart spiritual blessings to them, why do we find that their first prayers, after the ascension of Christ, are answered by the conversion of such multitudes of unbelievers?

I hope you will excuse my troubling you with so long a communication: my regard for your writings, and desire to know the truth, must serve for my apology. I have not looked into a single book, save the Bible, while writing, and it is entirely from this source that all my arguments are drawn: if I am wrong, it is because I misconstrue the meaning of the writers of this blessed volume.

I have received and read,with much interest, your communication, presenting a view of the evidence that, in some cases, Christians may be absolutely certain that their prayers will be answered. Your letter contains one of the most full and clear exhibitions of the argument on the side you embrace, which I have ever seen; and as I am desirous that Christians should