Socrates.

His peace of mind.

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; we should be calm and happy in all situations. Christians have very often been calm and happy when not danger merely, but certain death was approaching, so strong has been their confidence in God. Even Socrates, who had no revelation to guide him, and to whom the future must have been consequently very dark and uncertain, even he met his fate not merely with fortitude, but with calmness and peace, through the trust he reposed in his heavenly Pro

tector.

He was in a cold dungeon, where his enemies had imprisoned him from jealousy of his extensive influence in behalf of virtue. He had been condemned to die, and in a few days the cup of poison was to be given him to drink. His wife came to his prison to bid him farewell, but she was so overwhelmed with agitation and sorrow that she could not remain. His other friends were around him in tears, but he was all the time unmoved. He talked of the principles of duty, and of his hopes of a happy immortality after the poison should have done its work. Presently they brought him the fatal cup. His friends were overwhelmed with the most agitating sorrow, but he did not fear. He seemed to confide in divine protection, and took the poison from the jailor's hands and drank it' all. He walked about a little while, and then laid down upon his bed and died with apparent resignation. And shall a Christian, who knows the affection of his heavenly Father, and who knows that there is a future world of peace and joy, shall he refuse to be calm in danger, unless Le can first be sure that he shall certainly be preserved uninjured? No. When we ask God's protection in danger, we may, in all ordinary cases, expect protection. He has promised to grant our requests, unless special reasons

True composure in danger.

The prayer.

prevent. Now as we may not know what these special reasons are, we cannot be certain of security, and consequently the foundation of our peace and happiness at such times must be, not the belief that we are certainly safe, but a calm and happy acquiescence in tiod's will. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge--still sparrows often do fall. All that we can be absolutely certain of is, that whatever happens to us will come with the knowledge and permission of our best and greatest Friend -and every calamity which comes in this way, we ought to be willing to meet.

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 traveler, looking out from the berth to which he had retreated, caffed 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 afterward 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 one 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 roating of the waves will permit, the following petition, in which they endeavor 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 art with us now, and that thou, who dost rule wind and waves, art really present, to hear what we have to say as we come before thee.

"Grant, Holy Spirit, that all of us who are now present, ex

The prayer at sea.

Effects.

posed 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, by so irresistible a proof, how dependant we are upon thee. May we all be willing to learn the lesson, and may we bow humbly before thee now, even if we have never bowed before.

"We come to ask that thou wilt 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

from finding our watery grave here in the deep, and save our beloved parents and brothers, and sisters, at home, from the anxiety they must even now feel, and from the anguish such tidings of our destruction must give. Almighty Father, save us, we pray thee.

Nevertheless, not our will but thine be done. We see but a part, and thou seest the whole. If thou seest it to be best that we should go down here to a watery grave, we would acquiesce in thy will. We have solemnly given ourselves to thee, and chosen thee for our portion. We have, if we love thee at all, committed ourselves to thy care and to thy disposal. We have rejoiced in this dependence upon thee when we have been in health and safety, and we will not shrink from our covenant to be thine, now we are in danger. 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 are to live or die, may our hearts be thine, through Christ, our Redemer Amen."

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 such a prayer when in danger, will feel relieved from 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 control. Still this calm acquiescence in God's superior wisdom and power will do more than any other feeling can to produce peace.

Sincerity of prayer. Ardor in prayer. All can pray who like to.

III. Sincerity of prayer. Prayer is, in all ordinary cases, and it ought to be, a calm and peaceful exercise, not an agitating one. Many persons wait the hour of prayer in trying to feel some deep agitation, imagining that sincere and acceptable prayer cannot be offered without it. You must be sincere when you pray, but you may be calm. Read our Savior's model of prayer-" Our Fa ther who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in hea ven. Give us this day our daily bread, &c." What a peaceful, quiet spirit it breathes! The great 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 him in the name of Jesus Christ? If so, come at once and ask him. Ask with that degree of feeling which your interest in the requestprompts, and no more. If you wish to increase your feeling, you cannot do it in any way, except by increasing your interest in the request. You may 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 you may increase your ardor in prayer. But all direct attempts to produce this ardor by effort will fail; or if they succeed in producing some sort of excitement, it is not a healthy, acceptable interest in prayer.

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 naving him present, are you then willing to ask him? I do not inquire

Right spirit of prayer.

Difficulty.

whether you are willing to struggle a long time with your heart to awaken deep feeling enough to justify, in your opinion, coming to God. Are you willing, as you retire to rest to-night, to breathe a short and simple petition to God to come and be your friend and protector for the night, to acknowledge that you do not deserve his protection, and that you ask it in the name of Jesus Christ? If you are willing to do this, and if you actually do it, and if you ask with that degree of feeling which your sincere desire for God's protection prompts, you may lie down in peace, sure that have offered acceptable prayer.

you

But here I must mention a difficulty which many and many a time has been brought to me by serious-minded persons who wish to pray to God, but who think they should not pray aright. I presume this difficulty has occurred to many who will read this chapter. I fancy I can perceive thoughts like these passing through the mind of some thoughtful conscientious one, who has taken up this book honestly desiring to find in it religious instruction.

"If I understand the author right, he says, that if I tonight pray to God to protect me, just because I want protection, or rather because I want his protection, that will be acceptable prayer. But it seems to me that that 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 only a selfish desire for my own happiness, and I cannot expect to be heard. I should like such a friend as Jesus Christ, that I might come to him in all my trials and troubles, and might seek strength from him in temptation. But then this is all love of my own happiness. I cannot be happy in sin;-there is a foreboding and a burden from which I wish to be relieved. But unless I have a higher motive than a wish to obtain peace and happiness myself, I cannot expect to be heard."