No. Her continual importunity caused the judge (though without the fear of God before him) to do her justice.

From this result our Saviour draws this inference: "Much more will God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them." Who is the enemy against whom we should pray?

The devil, whose power over our corrupt hearts is too great for our strength to subdue.

This widow had only an unjust judge to come to; but is this our case?

No. We have "a righteous Father."-John xvii. 25.

Had she any friend to speak in her behalf?

No. But "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," 1 John ii. 1, "who also maketh intercession for us."-Rom. viii. 34. "Jesus is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."-Heb. vii. 25. Had she any encouragement?

No. But we have every possible encouragement from God himself. "Ask, and ye shall receive."-John xvi. 24. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."-John xiv. 13. "Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering."James i. 6. In the language of our Church, we may indeed say, "God is more willing to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than either we desire or deserve." Give me examples of the efficacy of prayer?

H

Moses praying for Israel, when engaged in warring with Amalek, Exod. xvii. 11; and Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.-1 Kings xvii. 1.

Now for some in the New Testament.

At the day of Pentecost, Acts ii., and St. Paul's prayer for the removal of his affliction. "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."2 Cor. xii. 7, 9.

Will you join with me in the humble hope that we may bring into daily practice what we have learned from these parables, and, while "waiting patiently for the Lord, until He incline unto us,” Ps. xl. 1, we may place our dependance for mercy, not upon our prayers, repentance, or resolutions for amendment of life, but upon Christ, and Christ alone. I will repeat the confession of a very pious Christian, and then we will conclude with a Hymn from one of you. "I do not only betray the inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also with sin. I cannot pray but sin. I cannot hear or preach a sermon but I sin. I cannot give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin;-nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them ;-my repentance needs to

be repented of ;-my tears want washing, and the very washing of my tears needs to be washed over again in the blood of my Redeemer.". BISHOP BEveridge.

Lord! teach us how to pray aright,

With reverence and fear;
Though dust and ashes in thy sight,
We may we must draw near.

God of all grace! we come to thee;
O give us contrite hearts;—
Give, what Thine eye delights to see,
Truth in the inward parts:-

Faith in the only sacrifice,
That can for sin atone;

To rest our hopes-to fix our eyes
On Christ-on Christ alone

Give these, and then Thy will be done;
Thus strengthen'd with all might,
We, through Thy Spirit and Thy Son,
Shall pray, and pray aright.

THE SOWER.

MATT xiii. 3. MARK iv. 3. LUKE viii. 4.

You are, I hope and believe, sensible of the great blessing of having the Word of God within your reach, as well as frequent opportunities of hearing it explained by the Ministers of Christ. While it is my happiness to remind you of these high

privileges, I pray that we may all be impressed with the awful responsibilities under which they place us. We must bear in mind, it is not sufficient that we hear, or even understand God's will, as revealed to us in the Bible; we must "be doers of it," James i. 22, otherwise we shall subject ourselves to the heavy wrath of the Almighty. Let us enter, then, upon this day's employment, with seriousness and attention. With what emphatic words does St. Mark say our Saviour began this Parable?

"Hearken! Behold, there went out a sower to sow his seed."

Did he sow it sparingly?

No. He scattered it not only in the best parts of the field, but on the hard stony part, and even among the weeds.

What was the result?

The seed, that fell by the way-side, having no earth to cover it, was easily found, and devoured by the birds; that on the stony ground soon appeared, and was quickly scorched by the sun, from the want of moisture; the thorns, likewise, prevented the growth of the corn, robbing it of the richness of the ground, and the warmth of the sun. That only which fell into good ground, well prepared, was fruitful, bringing forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred grains, for each seed that was sown.

Christ began the Parable with calling our particular attention to the important instruction therein to be conveyed ;-and how does He end it ?

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." We find the disciples enquiring from their Divine teacher the meaning of the l'arable; and we, too, must seek in the appointed way, for the enlightening of our dark (ignorant) minds.". 2 Sam. xxii. 29. When Christ was on the earth, He sowed the good seed ;—but, now, whom does He employ?

His Ministers.

Shew me their commission?

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."-Mark xvi. 15.

Are not Ministers called stewards?

Yes. "Let a man so account of us, as of the Ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."--1 Cor. iv. 1. And on the third Sunday in Advent, we pray that the "Ministers and stewards of God's mysteries, may so prepare and make ready His way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient, to the wisdom of the just; that, at His second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in His sight, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever, one God, world without end."

Do they require skill and direction from their master?

Yes. "For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him."-Isa. xxviii. 26. They must not observe wind or clouds, but " in the morning," God instructs each of them, "sow thy seed, and in the evening, withhold not thine