me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord; and I will turn again your captivity; and will gather you from all the nations." And all the Church are directed daily to pray for this Kingdom; "Thy Kingdom come."

This great event is the work of God. And it is made certain. Every thing will be made to give way to it. Every thing will be overruled to advance it. The rage of hell and earth against it will issue in its establish.

ment.

But the mighty and blessed work is to be done, in answer to prayer. This is most evident. It is therefore given in charge; "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." It is predicted: "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace, day nor night." And the ministers and people of Christ thus engage; "For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace; and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness; and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth." Christ teaches, that his coming will be to avenge his elect, who cry unto him, day and night. And says the psalmist; "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he will ap pear in his glory; he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." We learn the great and urgent duty then, of daily, fervent and persevering prayer for the advancement of this Kingdom.

2. It is matter of joy, and a token for good, that a peculiar spirit of prayer for this event, is so widely dif fused in the Church. That this is happily the case is a thing too evident to all Christian observers, to need any further confirmation. And it appears like a fulfilment of some of the predictions, which relate to the dawn of the millennial glory. "Thus saith the Lord, it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities; and the inbabitants of one city shall go unto another, saying, Let us go speed. ily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also."-"And many people and strong

nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord."-"In that day shall ye call, every man his neighbor, under the vine and under the fig tree;" i. e. into retirement, for special prayer. Then the following predictions will be fulfilled. "Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such a thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord." "It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together:" i. e. The millennial Kingdom shall then speedily be introduced. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." And truly, the effectual, fervent, united and persevering prayers of the body of the righteous, will avail much, for the introduction of the Millennium. Blessed be God, that such prayers are now abundantly made.

3. We find in this subject a criterion, by which to discern the true spirit of prayer. The true spirit of prayer, is a "spirit of grace, and of supplication;" or of intercession for the Kingdom of Christ. If this be wanting, we have no evidence of the spirit of prayer. If Zion be overlooked, or the Kingdom of grace have no interest in our hearts, our forms of devotion will be ineffectual. Hence we may learn our moral state, and prospects.

4. How wide is the difference between the gracious and the graceless heart. The former longs and devoutly prays for the advancement of the Kingdom of grace. While the latter is so far from this, that it is hostile to this Kingdom. There can be no neuter in this case. "He that is not for me, is against me: (Christ asserts) He who gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.” The two Kingdoms are hostile to each other. "The carnal mind is enmity against God." "And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his angels." It is in vain to imagine we do not belong to the latter host,

if our souls be not engaged for the Kingdom of grace. We in that case, belong to the class, who hate the subjects of Christ's Kingdom. "Marvel not, if the world hate you. you. Ye know that it hated me, before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

5. Co operations with the people of God, in behalf of this Kingdom of grace, are to us vastly important. People are to watch, as well as pray, for this object. Faith without works is dead." Christians have now an opportunity to be "workers together with God," in the promotion of the Kingdom of grace. Discrete systems for joint exertions, are instituted, and brought within our reach. And none can plead inability to contribute at least to the amount of the two mites of the poor widow, whom our Lord so highly commended. Who would decline to improve such an opportunity, and at such a day as this? The lines are drawing between the two Kingdoms. And these beneficent exertions of the Kingdom of Christ, are fast helping for. ward the separation. "Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous, and the wicked; between him that serveth God; and him that serveth him not." "Curse ye Meroz, saith the Angel of the Lord; curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." These words have a mystical import of vast weight, at this day.

6. Various other tokens of the approach of this Kingdom, appear to be visible. A variety of tokens, in the heavens and in the earth, are stated, in various parts of the sacred word, as evidential of the approach of this Kingdom. It would be long, and needless here to give them in detail. The best of judges believe them to be fulfilled, or fulfilling in a signal manner. This has excited a presentiment in the Church of Christ, that the day is drawing nigh. The signs in the heaven and in the earth have appeared; blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

These were literally fulfilled in the northern lights; and in other phenomena of modern date. And they are now mystically fulfilling in the terrible scenes among the nations to which the northern lights have given way! Wars most terrible, and rumors of wars; signs in the symbolic sun, moon and stars; famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places; infidelity and licentiousness; perilous times; a spirit of falsehood, rage, and crooked policy; the unclean spirits like frogs, out of the mouth of the dragon, the Beast and the false prophet, gone through the nations, working miracles of revolution and ruin; together with a most violent disposition to break the bands of the Lord and of his anointed, and cast away the cords of their religion; kings, rulers and people, raging and imagin ing vain things against God, and his embassadors, and followers;-distress of nations, with perplexity; the symbolic sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and looking after those things, which are coming on the earth; while the powers of the symbolic heavens are shaken;-these things are bursting upon a guilty world, with a flood of evidence, which nothing but atheism can deny! The predictions of events, not long to precede the millennial Kingdom, are in a most evident and remarkable train of fulfilment.

7. These tokens, while in various points of light they are full of terror and alarm, afford considerations of joy to the people of God. Jesus Christ, when giving these very tokens, directs his people,-"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." The mystery of iniquity is then about to be finished. The wicked cause is then about to be swept from the earth. And the joyful Kingdom of grace is about to become triumphant. The following passages then become very important. "Fret not thyself because of evil doers; neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity: For they shall soon be cut down as the grass; and wither as the green herb.-Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself, because of

Their

the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. For evil doers shall be cut off. But those who wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be, yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be: But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him! for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword; and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and the needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken." Truly we have no room to doubt, but this passage was inspired by Him, who searches all hearts. Nor need we doubt the correctness of those who deem this to be a prophecy of the very days, in which we live. And here are presented considerations to the Church, from the mouth of the Most High, full of support and consolation. God will soon rectify the whole scene. The cause of darkness shall ere long sink. And the meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in abundance of peace.

The people of God then, in the midst of the gloom of these days, may well unite in the triumphant language of praise to their Redeemer, "Thou art worthy -For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.” This was the triumph of the saints of old. They were to reign on the earth, by the triumphant reigning of their Head, and the universal prevalence of their cause, in the last thousand years. When the day is drawing nigh, and its dawn just ready to open upon us, what great occasion have present Christians to make that song of triumph their own? If they live not to see and enjoy the day, they may enjoy it by a holy fellowship with God and the Lamb. They may enjoy it, as near, by the holy anticipations of faith, which is the substance of things hoped for; and the evidence of things not