tation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."

In the duty of prayer, let it be remembered; -1. That God will hear the sincere petitions of his creatures. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." Matt. vii. 7. 2. That prayer should be in agreement with the will of God. "If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us." 1 John v. 14. 3. It must be offered in faith. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." James i. 6. 4. It should be offered in the name of Jesus Christ. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John xiv. 13. 5. It should be offered with earnestness and perseverance. "He spake a parable unto them, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke xviii. 1. These are all suggestions made by the Scriptures, and let us heed them. So shall our hearts be made holy by that influence which has sustained all true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and which will never cease the operation of its renovating power, while there is a soul unredeemed, or a sin unforgiven. Child of the Almighty! heir of eternity! Restrain not prayer. Let it rise to the throne of heaven, and it shall return in blessings on your head. Why not pray?

"Have you no words? Ah, think again;
Words flow apace when you complain,
And fill your fellow-creatures' ears

With the sad tale of all your cares.

"Were half the words thus vainly spent,
To heaven in supplication sent;
Your cheerful song would oftener be,
Hear what the Lord hath done for me."

I have thus spoken of watchfulness and prayer. They are both necessary, in order that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one will not succeed without the other. The Master commands us to "watch and pray"; and his faithful apostle, in the same spirit of truth, desires his brethren to pray "always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication." If we would receive their instructions, our duty is plain; and may God help us to perform it.

CHAPTER IV.

GOVERNMENT OF THE TONGUE.

No duty is of greater importance in Christian practice, than the government of the tongue. However much of moral goodness an individual may possess, he will fail to obtain full credit for it, if he neglects to guard his speech. It is for his interest, therefore, to understand this duty, and strive with all his heart to perform it.

By the tongue we communicate our thoughts, ideas, words, to each other. It is capable of doing much good, or much evil. The apostle has given a faithful description of it. "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which, though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, and therewith curse we men, who are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought

not so to be. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." So important does the apostle consider the right government of the tongue, that he says, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." And again, "If any man among you seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."

Language like this cannot be mistaken. Our speech must be kept in subjection to the law of Christian propriety; and in order that this may be done, certain evils of the tongue, against which we must strive with all diligence and prayer, are here noted.

1. GOSSIP. By this term is meant trifling talk, which, however innocently commenced, too often runs into unprofitable or injurious declamation and tale-bearing. Practical illustrations of this evil abound in nearly all our conversational circles. Enumeration is unnecessary if not impossible. The time wasted in frivolous, mischievous, unchristian conversation would, if profitably directed, serve to make better, by more than one half, the condition of the needy around us. Amendment in this respect is loudly called for. What are you talking about? should be a question which we should often carry with us, especially when in company with those whose tongues are ready to move in any direction.

Unprofitable remarks on the peculiarities or failings of others, are too often indulged in. This is one of the crying sins committed in our social circles; and ought to be discountenanced by the Christian believer. It was a good saying of a shrewd old man, when asked what he

thought about his neighbour, "I will tell you, after I have sufficiently examined myself."

There are times when we may speak of our neighbours; when the failings or peculiarities of others may be noticed by us. We must take lessons of the contrasts as well as of the agreements in the world around us. But these lessons should be taken in the proper time and Our duty is to say as little as possible about the failings, but as much as is profitable about the virtues, of others.

manner.

All neighbourhoods and places are not alike infested with the evil under consideration. Generally speaking, there is a marked difference between the city and country in this respect. In the one, gossip frequently dies of neglect; in the other, it is the great commodity of social speech and leisure time. Yet everywhere the evil is the same, and should be frowned upon by every one who desires the moral elevation of the society in which he moves. Christians have no right to be "busy-bodies in other men's matters." Whispering, tale-bearing, invidious comparisons, and wicked innuendoes, should be strictly guarded against. When the apostle says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth," he defines the expression; "that which is not good to the use of edifying, which does not minister grace unto the hearers." Would we only consider the waste of time where gossiping is followed, we should have before us a strong inducement to avoid the evil, and use our tongues more to the acceptance of God, and the benefit of our fellow

men.

2. SLANDER is another evil of the tongue. This evil often comes of the one just considered. To recount its