storm at sea; and perhaps my reader has almost forgotten what is my subject, and for what purpose I have introduced this incident. My design was, to illustrate the feelings with which prayer ought to be offered in danger; and I wished, therefore, to give you a vivid idea of a situation of danger on the deep. Our passengers were now in imminent danger. They were all in their berths below; for so violent was the motion of the vessel, that it was not safe to attempt to stand. The wish was intimated by some, and the desire soon extended to all, that a prayer should be offered; and they looked to our Christian traveller to express their petitions at the Throne of Grace.

Now many persons may have such conceptions of the nature of prayer, as to suppose, that if this company should, in such circumstances, sincerely unite in commending themselves to God's protection, He would take care of them, and that they might feel perfectly safe. Many cases have occurred in which Christians who have been in the midst of danger have fled to Jehovah for protection, and have had their fears immediately quelled, and felt a calm and happy assurance that God would bring them through in safety. But such an assurance is not well grounded. Are real Christians never lost at sea? Do real Christians, who on their sick-beds pray that God will restore them to health, never die? Is a Christian, who on commencing a journey asks divine protection, never overturned in a coach? Is the family which always asks, in its evening prayer, that God will grant them quiet repose, never called up by the sudden sickness of a child, or aroused at midnight by a cry of fire? Facts universally testify that God does not grant every request. He reserves to Himself the right, after hearing the petition, to grant or to deny, as may seem best to Him. Then, you will say, what good does it do to pray to

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God in danger, if we can have no assurance that we shall be safe?-It does great good. You cannot be sure that you will be certainly preserved from that particular danger; but you can rest calmly and peacefully in the assurance that God will do what is, on the whole, for the best. And will this feeling," you ask, "enable any

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one to rest in peace, while he is out at sea in a storm, and in danger every moment of sinking?" Yes, it will, if fully possessed. If we could feel assured that God was our friend, and if we had entire confidence in Him, no danger would terrify us. A man would be calm and happy in all situations. Christians have very often been calm and happy when not danger but certain death was approaching, so strong has been their confidence in God.

But to return to our ship.-The passengers were all below. It was no longer safe for them to attempt to stand in any part of the vessel; and the Christian traveller, looking out from the berth to which he had retreated, called upon God to save them from their common danger. What prayer he offered, I do not know. I learned the circumstances of the danger of this packet, first from a father on shore who was waiting the arrival of his boy, who was on board when the storm came on; and afterwards, from several of the passengers, when they had all safely reached the land. I do not therefore know what the prayer was; but that I may the more distinctly convey to my young readers an idea of the spirit with which prayer in danger should be offered, I will write a prayer which it seems to me might with propriety, on such an occasion, be offered. Let us imagine, then, that the terrified passengers, in their various berths in the dark cabin, listen and hear, as well as the howling of the tempest and the roaring of the waves will permit, the following petition, in which they endeavour cordially to join:

"Almighty God! Thou hast promised to be with two

or three who unite to call upon Thee, wherever they are : we come therefore with full confidence that Thou, who dost rule winds and waves, art with us now to hear what we have to say.

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Grant, Holy Spirit, that all of us who are now present, exposed to this danger, may come with our whole hearts to Thee! When in health and safety, we break Thy commands and neglect our duty; and then when danger comes and no arm but Thine can help, we are ashamed, and afraid to come to Thee. But O, our Father! let not one of us hesitate now. We thank Thee for teaching us how dependent we are upon Thee. Make us willing to learn the lesson; and may we bow humbly before Thee now, even if we have never bowed before!

"We come to ask thee to protect us in this danger; and bring us safely to our homes. Thou canst protect from greater dangers than these. Wilt Thou protect us? Save us, in the mighty waters, from finding our grave here in the deep. Almighty Father, save us, we pray thee! "Nevertheless, not our will, but Thine, be done. If Thou seest it to be best we should go down to a watery grave, we bow to Thy will. We have solemnly given ourselves to Thee. We have committed ourselves to Thy care and disposal. Do with us as seemeth good in Thy sight; only give to us all a calm and happy acquiescence in Thy will. Pardon our sins, so that we may be at peace with Thee; and whether we live or die, may our hearts be Thine! We ask this, and every mercy, in the name of our Gracious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ."

Such may have been the spirit of the prayer. Such, I presume, was the spirit of the petition offered on this occasion. Every heart which will sincerely offer some such prayer, when in danger, will, I am persuaded, feel relieved from much of its solicitude and fear. I am aware that, in a case of imminent exposure of life, the terror

excited is often a physical feeling which moral causes will not fully controul. Still, this calm acquiescence in God's wisdom and power will do more than any other feeling can, to produce peace.

III. Sincerity of Prayer.-Prayer ought to be a calm and peaceful exercise, not an agitating one. Many persons waste the hour of prayer in trying to awaken some deep agitation; imagining that sincere and acceptable prayer cannot be offered without it. You must be sincere and earnest when you pray; but you may be calm. Read our Saviour's model of prayer:-" Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread," &c. What a peaceful quiet spirit it breathes! The only question in regard to your prayer being acceptable, is this, Do you wish for any thing which you know no one but God can grant? and are you willing to ask for it earnestly and devoutly in the name of Jesus Christ? If so, come at once and ask. That is what is necessary to constitute prayer. Ask with that degree of feeling which your interest in the request prompts, and no more. If you wish to increase your feeling, you cannot do it in any way except by seeking from God deeper interest in the request. You may, through God's blessing, give additional vividness to your idea of the value of the object sought, by thinking of it, and considering how great a blessing it would be to you if granted; and, thus, increase your ardour in prayer. But all attempts to produce this ardour by mere effort, will fail; or, if they succeed in producing some sort of excitement, it is any thing but a healthy feeling. Now, after this explanation, those who read this can easily tell whether they are prepared to offer, this night, acceptable prayer to God. Do you wish to have God take care of you while you sleep? I do not mean, do

you wish to be safe: every body wishes to be safe: but do you wish to have God at your bedside, protecting you? If you do not, if the feeling of His presence would be a burden to you and a restraint, of course you will not ask him to come. But suppose you are desirous of having him present, are you then willing to ask him? I do not inquire whether you are willing to struggle a long time with your heart, to awaken deep feeling enough to justify, in your opinion, the act of coming to God. Are you willing, as you retire to rest to-night, to breathe a short heartfelt petition to God, to be your friend and protector for the night; to acknowledge that you do not deserve His protection; and to ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. If you are willing to do this, and are enabled to do it, asking with that degree of feeling which your sincere desire for God's protection prompts, you may lie down in peace, sure that you have offered acceptable prayer.

But here I must mention a difficulty, which has often been brought to me by serious-minded persons who wish to pray to God, but who fear they should pray from a wrong motive. I presume this difficulty to have occurred to some who read this chapter. I fancy I can perceive thoughts like these passing through the mind of some thoughtful conscientious person, who has taken up this book, honestly desiring to find in it religious instruction.

"If I understand the author aright, he says, that if I, to-night, pray to God to protect me, simply because I want protection, or rather because I want His protection, and offer this prayer in the name of Christ, that will be acceptable prayer. But it seems to me that such a prayer would be mere selfishness. I wish for a great many things which I know none but God can grant; but, if I ask them only because I feel the need of them, it is nothing but a selfish desire for my own happiness, and