PRAYER IN BEHALF OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

WE beseech the Members of the Church | discern His will, and the spiritual mind

when in agony for His Church, prayed | a blessing to every part of the body of the more earnestly, and prayed again Christ, (remembering that true believers and again "with a strong crying and tears," and "was heard in that He feared." Let us not be weary or faint in our minds; "in due season we shall reap if we faint not."

are not a party, but a part;) so would we expect others to do unto us as we do unto them. For who will refuse to desire that God's will shall be done, and His kingdom come, either with us or without us, as His own sovereign and loving will appoints?

And surely it is unnecessary to prove that the Church of Scotland requires our prayers. It is very certain, that the Christian Church which contains the greatest number of real Christians, and whose members and ministers are seen by God most frequently, and most earnestly at a throne of grace, is the Church which is most alive to its duties, most admirable humbled by its deficiencies, and most convinced of the necessity of ceaseless prayers, to keep its candlestick from being removed, and to make it a shining light, and a glory on the earth.

Without God's blessing on us as a Church, without the countenance of our Saviour, without the constant aid of the Spirit, what must we become?" A tree whose fruit withereth-without fruit -twice dead-plucked up by the roots!" But if, as a Church, we are prayerless, --if God, who knows us truly, knows that we are not characterized by earnest prayer for His blessing, or by a constant dependence upon His Spirit, or by a supreme desire rising above all other considerations for His glory, then how can we, how dare we, expect His blessing, or the co-operation of His Spirit, or to be honoured, as a Church of Christ, by glorifying our Redeemer!

We will not specify here any subjects of prayer* except one,-viz., For an outpouring of the Spirit of God upon our Pastors. Upon this point we prefer expressing ourselves in the words of Mr. Angell James, even though his volume upon an Earnest Ministry, has been generously presented to every minister of the Church by one of its own office-bearers. We plead no apology for the length of our extracts; but express our earnest hope, that those imperfect hints may lead to deeper thoughts and serious purposes, and be followed by earnest daily prayers by many Christians during the hours of private devotion in behalf of the ministers of the Church.

AN EARNEST MINISTRY.

On the other hand, if we unite in earnest prayer at a throne of grace,-if, failing all other help, we seek the help of God, if, losing honour from men, we seek the honour that cometh from God,-if, weak in our worldly relationships, we desire to be strong in faith in the love of God,-if, ceasing to make any other end the object of our labours, we desire with a pure heart and a single eye, that come what may, we shall glorify God,-oh! then, what a blessing might we become to the Church of Christ and to the world! And just as we, who are members of this Church, would in our prayers sincerely and earnestly pray for on this subject, in Vol. II, page 38, of our

"This, this is what we want, and must have, if the ends of the Gospel are ever to be extensively accomplished-an EARNEST ministry. We have heard much of late about a learned ministry, and God forbid we should ever be afflicted by so great an evil as an unlearned one. We have been often reminded of the necessity of an educated ministry; and in this case, as in their vocation; but then that education every other, men must be educated for We are very properly told from many must be strictly appropriate and specific. quarters, we can do nothing without a pious ministry. This is very true, nor can any truth bearing upon this subject be more momentous; FOR OF ALL THE CURSES WHICH GOD EVER POURS FROM THE VIALS OF HIS WRATH UPON A NATION WHICH HE INTENDS TO SCOURGE, THERE Is NOT ONE SO FEARFUL AS GIVING THEM UP TO AN unholy MINISTRY. I trust our churches will ever consider piety as the first and most essential qualification in their pastors, for which talents, genius, learning, and eloquence, would and could be no substitutes. It will be a dark and evil day when personal We refer our readers to a previous Article Magazine.

godliness shall be placed second to anything else in those who serve at the altar of God. But still there is something else wanted in addition to natural talent, to academic training, and even to the most fervent evangelical piety, and that is, intense devotedness. This is the one thing, more than any or all other things, that is wanting in the modern pulpit, and that has been wanting in most ages of the Christian Church. In a valuable article in a late number of the British Quarterly Review, the following sentence occurs: 'No ministry will be really effective, whatever may be its intelligence, which is not a ministry of strong faith, true spirituality, and deep ear

nestness.

DIVINE INFLUENCE.

"What has provoked the Lord to withhold from us the genial influences of His grace? Instead of being at any time astonished that our ministry is so much blessed, we should inquire why it is not always so. When we consider what is said, that God "willeth not the death of a sinner, but would rather that he should repent, and turn from his wickedness and live;" when we recollect what He has done for the salvation of sinners; when we add to this, that the Gospel is His own truth, and preaching His own institution, we are sometimes ready to wonder that He does not pour out that influence which is necessary to give effect to the purposes of His own benevolence, and almost to inquire, 'What does the Lord now wait for?' In answer to this it might be replied, "He waits for the earnest labours of His ministers, the faith of His Church, and the believing prayers of both.'

"It is quite perceptible that the necessity of Divine influence is rather a dogma of faith, than a principle of practice, both with ministers and their flocks. Did the people really believe it, was it matter of inwrought conviction, and there were the least seriousness of spirit in their religion, how much less dependence would there be upon men, how much less said about talent, how much less homage paid to genius and eloquence, and how much more looking up to God by intense and persevering supplication. Recollecting that God works by means, and by means adapted to promote the end, there would be no danger of sinking into an enthusiastic and irrational neglect of these, while on the contrary there would be no more constant and serious attendance upon them. The knowledge that preaching, and especially earnest preaching, is the Spirit's instrumentality

would lead men to seek that very instrumentality, in order that they might have the blessing. How highly would it exalt the minister to consider him as the Spirit's instrument, and how important would it make the sermon to view it as God's means to bless the soul! It is immeasurably to sink both, to view them apart from God's agency; it is to cease to view the preacher as an ambassador for Christ, and instead of this, to listen to him only as the lecturer on religion. With what sacred awe would he be heard, and with what fervent prayer too, by those who viewed him as the appointed medium of that influence, which, if it be received, would illuminate, renew, and sanctify the soul!

"But if it be incumbent on the people to remember the dependence of means upon the Divine blessing, how much more so is it the duty of ministers themselves! It is an article of our creed, it is often the subject of our sermons, and it is acknowledged in our prayers; but, after all, is our conviction of dependence upon the Spirit so deep, so practical, and so constant, as to prevent us from attempting anything in our own strength, and to impel us to be strong only in the Lord, and in the power of his might? Do we conduct the pursuits of the study, as well as regulate the prayers of the closet, by this conviction? Do we, with childlike simplicity, and in the very spirit we inculcate upon our hearers in reference to their own personal salvation, habitually give ourselves up to the guidance and blessing of this Divine Agent? Do we look up for wisdom to guide us in the selection of our texts, and the composition of our sermons? Do the eye and the heart go up to heaven, as we think and write for the people? Do we go to our pulpit in a praying frame, as well as in a preaching one; praying, even while we preach, for our people, as well as for ourselves? Do we thus clothe ourselves with Omnipotence, and go forth as with the Lord ever before us? Do we recollect that from all that crowd of immortal souls before us, we shall gather nothing but human praise or censure, except the Lord be with us; that not one dark mind will be illumined, not one hard heart softened, not one inquiring soul directed, not one wounded spirit healed, not one uneasy conscience appeased, unless God the Spirit do it? Do we really want to accomplish these objects, merely to deliver a sermon that shall please the people, and gratify our own vanity? If the former, how entire, how confident, how believing, should be our sense of dependence upon something far

Biography.

REV. HENRY MÖWES.

that he trembled more in delivering his first sermon, than at the thunder of his first battle.

"The two friends continued inseparably side by side through that fearful day. Each was alike anxious to vanquish the enemy, and to guard his friend. Standing behind a hedge, and firing from thence on the foe, they did not perceive that the order for retreat had been given, when Blume suddenly sank down, exclaiming, 'Help me, I am wounded: leave me not, Möwes.' In his surprise and grief, he forgot the battle raging around; death was the least thing he feared; he had but one thought-how he might save his friend. Three of his fellow-soldiers, who were flying from the field, offered their help, regardless of the danger: they laid the wounded man across their guns, to carry him to a place of safety. The enemy gained on them; they bore their charge on, under a shower of bullets. Two of them began at last to think of their own safety, and left him. He continued his labour with the one who remained firm. One more step, and a bullet from the approaching enemy struck the helmet from his head. Now the last fled. Möwes had eye and heart for his friend alone: he begged him to hold fast by his arm, while he dragged him along by his clothes. Shortly after, he felt a concussion in the arm; the hand of his friend fell from ita second ball had struck it. Möwes,' said he, 'save thyself, for thy king and thy country; I am lost. One parting glance, and the friends separated, as they thought, for ever. Möwes went on mechanically, with an aching heart, not perceiving that he was exposed to the full charge of the enemy; but a bullet striking the sole of his boot, brought him to himself: he felt he ought not uselessly to expose his life, and hastened after his flying comrades.

"The history of Möwes' campaign is rich in instances of his courage and selfsacrifice, of the tenderness of his heart under the most fearful difficulties. It bears the stamp of an extraordinarily distinguished and noble character. He fought at Belle Alliance, and exhibited admirable energy, both in the privations he endured and in his active service: he was almost daily engaged in skirmishes before Paris. For nearly three days he had nothing to eat but a dried plum, which a fellow-soldier, who had found two in a peasant's hut, gave him. He had often no other lodging than the bare ground, wet with the rain of heaven; not once did a cloak cover his weary limbs."

After the peace was concluded, Möwes,

on his homeward march, rested at the town of Charleroi, where, to his great joy, he found his lost friend, whom he had left, as he thought, to die on the field of Ligny. On his return to Prussia, he again prosecuted his studies, and in 1818 took orders, when he was appointed minister of Angern and Wenddorf. The sister of his friend Charles Blume became his wife ;-a union from which he derived much comfort in many a dark and sorrowful hour which followed.

Möwes entered on the duties of the ministerial office with great energy. As yet, however, he understood Christianity only as a system; he knew not its power.

"Not yet knowing, experimentally, that from the heart proceed the issues of life, he believed that by beginning with external things he should succeed in reforming his parish. He improved the schools, bestowing his time and attention on them in various ways: he instructed the teachers, established meetings among them for instructive intercourse. Among the Germans, music is ever a part of popular instruction; he composed a few happily simple and beautiful songs to favourite national melodies, for the use of his teachers and children. He employed his influence to suppress all disorders in his parish, and successfully combated all the opposition that stood in his way. In a word, he performed the part of a conscientious moralist."

The fruits were what might have been expected. He had looked for grapes, and, behold! wild grapes. He was deeply disappointed. This disappointment was blessed to him ;-he began to be dissatisfied not only with the results of his labours, but with the state of his own heart. He sought light in God's Word; he sought earnestly, and he found. He learned there how man's nature is sinful, and must be changed,-how the sinner needeth something more than help, even life. He sought life, and found it in Christ. He began to glory in the cross, and by it he was crucified unto the world, and the world unto him.

The blessed change which had taken place within, soon began to manifest itself. He preached Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. The truths he addressed to his hearers, came from the heart, and they reached many a heart.