may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. This leads to the other particular under this head; which is,

Special Prayer. Never perhaps was special prayer more needful, than at the present day. The directions of our Savior are now emphatically applicable; Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. Watch ye, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things which shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Special dangers demand special prayers. Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee; and thou shalt glorify me. Prayer is the girding on of the Christian armor. Praying always, with all prayer and supplication. This is a potent mean, which reaches the enemy in a defenceless point. It disarms them, before they perceive that they are attacked; and defeats them in ways against which they have made no calculations.

With

God taketh the wise in their own craftiness. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprises. This the Most High performs for his people, in answer to prayer. prayer Jacob disarmed Esau; so that, although Esau set out to meet Jacob with four hundred men, probably intent on revenge, he met him in peace, and did him no injury. Jacob as a prince wrestled with God, and prevailed. Prayer dispersed vast armies of old, combined against the people of God; that in the days of Gideon; that in the reign of Jehoshaphat; and others. Prayer enabled men, who were marked out for ruin, to quench the violence of fire; to escape the edge of the sword; out of weakness to be made strong; to wax valiant in fight; and to turn to flight THE ARMIES

OF THE ALIENS.

Prayer, no doubt, is an essential part of the means by which the witnesses, in Rev. xi, 5,— are said to devour their enemies, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as oft as they will. With this weapon the Church has always defeated her enemies. It is through the efficacy of prayer, that the burning bush has never been consumed; and the sheep among wolves never finally devoured. Prayer rescued Daniel from his in

triguing accusers; and shut the mouths of the lions.. It protected the three children of God under the violent rage of the king of Babylon; yea, in the burning fiery furnace. It delivered the Jews in Persia from the bloody decree of Haman; and hung that haughty courtier upon his own gallows. Prayer cût Rahab, and wounded the dragon. It parted the waters of the Red Sea for the rescue of God's oppressed people. Armed with this weapon, the Church will answer to the prophetic description; Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two edged sword in their hands, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishment upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all the saints.*

Prayer is the essential mean by which the Church will escape the ruin planned for her by her most potent enemies of the last days. With this weapon she will thresh the nations of her enemies to powder. Behold I will make thee a new threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. This prediction, no doubt, relates to the same event with that in Dan. ii, 34, 35, where the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, smites the feet of the image, and grinds them, and the remaining materials of the whole image, to powder, which like chaff is blown away. This is the dashing of the nations to pieces, as a potter's vessel. But the Church is represented as gaining this very victory over her enemies. The truth is, Christ performs this work of signal judgment, to the glory of God, and the salvation of Zion, in answer to her prayers for the security and advancement of his cause. Thus we read, And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry unto him day and night, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them

* Psalm cxlix, 6—9.

+ Isa. xli, 15, 16.

speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Here the coming of Christ, in those decisive scenes of judgment, is to avenge his elect; and is in answer to their long and persevering cries.

Here then is the powerful weapon, which shall secure to Christians the victory. If the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; surely the effectual, fervent, and special prayers of all the righteous, under the oppressions of the last days, will avail more. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety.

The following Divine directions and promises are accordingly given; "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. Pray without ceasing. Be careful for noth"ing; but in every thing with prayer and supplication, "with thanksgiving, let your request be made known "unto God. Casting all your cares upon him; for he "careth for you. It shall come to pass, that whoso"ever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be sav"ed: For in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, shall be "deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the rem"nant, whom the Lord shall call.'

Let

Therefore, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion; sanctify "a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people; "sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gath"er the children, and those that suck the breast. "the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the "bride out of her closet. Let the priests and minis"ters of the Lord weep between the porch and the "altar; and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord; "and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the hea"then should rule over them. Wherefore should they "say among the heathen, Where is their God? Then "will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his peo"ple." Here is the duty of the people of God, and their only path of safety, under the reign of Antichrist.

THE END.