thou must smite with thy prayer; they are the spring of the living water. Jesus gives the spirit, John xvi. 13. In His name and at His entreaty, the Father sends it, John xiv. 16, 26. Give heed to this, that thou mayest not strike blows in the air with thy prayer, but mayest smite the right Rock, and in the right place, from which water will infallibly flow as often as thou smitest. Smite the Rock, that thine heart and thy people may drink.

MAY THE TWENTY-FIFTH.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."-ROM. viii. 26. Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us."-1 JOHN iii. 24.

HE

E that hath a desire for prayer is certainly not without the Holy Spirit, and therefore not without Jesus. Where the spirit of prayer dwells, there Jesus and His Father dwell. It is a sure sign of the indwelling of God in a spirit, when one finds his chief joy in communing with God in spirit, and walking in the presence of Jesus, that is, in praying often. For prayer is not a mere murmuring and mumbling of the mouth, but the real sacred prayer is an unutterable, observe, an unutterable groan of the Spirit. As long as one can speak a great deal in prayer, there is much of self in it, a fire not altogether pure, perhaps even strange, unholy fire.

But

when the Holy Spirit puts the coals in the censer of prayer, and throws incense thereon, then the sacred flame lifts us higher, and speech departs, we can no longer find words-the heart and the spirit say more to God, without words, than the tongue can utter. We would by no means, however, reject spoken prayer. There is a time for everything. I will merely say that he who can only pray audibly, gives little, if any, scope to the Holy Spirit; he can do too much himself, to believe that he needs this divine repre sentative.

MAY THE TWENTY-SIXTH.

"Ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel."JOEL ii. 27. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."-MATT. xviii. 20.

Yes, whether two or two thousand be gathered

ES, we can know that He is in the midst of

1 together in His name. 'We can know this, even though the whole world not only does not believe it, but rejects and blasphemes it as fanaticism. We can know-ye all know-ye that love the Saviour with your whole hearts. God hath said: Ye shall know that I am in the midst of you. It must, therefore, be possible, and knowable. And that it really does happen, he alone knows that experiences it; for it lies in the heart and is incapable of being communicated. It must also continue therein. O, if we would only, on every

M

among us!

Do

occasion when we meet, give the Saviour the pleasure of allowing Him to make His presence felt Did we, on all occasions, when we are together, thus stand in His name, in living faith and fervent love to His name, He would surely never fail; He does not fail in any case; He never fails; He cannot be absent from us— we fail to Him, we perceive Him not. But if we are gathered together in Spirit, turned wholly to Him, longing only for Him, we shall surely perceive His presence, which is ever near. not body and soul live and rejoice in the living God, when He makes His presence felt? Are not all things living, strong, anointed, and beautiful, when He makes Himself felt in the midst of us ? Is not everything dead, cold, dark, and unenjoyable when He departs from the heart, and we do not have Him in and among us. Therefore let no one seek, in Christian assemblies, aught else but Him and His presence; for every other desire is mere chaff, which the wind scattereth. The finest sermon, the best book, does not please us, and must not please us, if He be not found therein. I AM IN THE MIDST OF YOU! YE SHALL KNOW IT. So it remains.

MAY THE TWENTY-SEVENTH.

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses."-Is. xliv. 3, 4. "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."REV. xxi. 6. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you."-Ex. xxxvi. 25.

HE

E that does not thirst, will not drink, even though water flow in abundance. So it is likewise in spiritual things. There is no lack of water, or of the outpouring of the spirit; according to the infallible promise of God, there can be no such lack; but there is a lack of thirsty souls. There is too much thirst for earthly things, for gold and showers of gold, for the filthy puddles of pleasure, and fleshly enjoyments; too much ravenousness for honour and consideration among men, for praise, fame, and the like; and whence shall the thirst for heavenly things, for the Pentecost shower, come. God can and will give His living water only to those that thirst for it; that, like a dry, droughty land, when it is dry in summer and all burnt with the heat of the sun, thirst for refreshment, for comfort, strength, and life from above, and cry day and night to heaven for them. He that is satiated with himself, cannot receive the spirit from God. He that does feel himself poor and dry, but does not pray, and wrestle, and persevere in prayer, will likewise not receive the Holy Spirit, at least not richly. And without spirit, thou art dead in sin. Therefore

thirst, pray, wrestle, and persevere, till the rain come; till the fountain of living water open; till the Saviour sprinkle His water of life upon thee; till He pour out His spirit upon thee and thine offspring; till thou and thine spring up and grow as the grass, and as willows by the water courses. So it is written, and so it must be fulfilled. What the Lord caused to be written in the Bible, that He can and will likewise perform. Believe, pray, wrestle.

MAY THE TWENTY-EIGHTH.

"I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications."-ZECH. xii. 10. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."-Ps. li. 10.

то

10 the house of David and the city of Jerusalem all the true disciples of Jesus belong. For Christ, and His Kingdom are the house of David, the New Jerusalem, and its citizens are the faithful, who seek only that which is above, who, like David, only supplicate and pray for a new and right spirit, and a pure heart. The Lord anticipates all our requests; He hath put into our mouth all that we should demand of Him; He will even give us the spirit of prayer itself, without which we cannot pray at all. So kind is the Lord, and yet our confidence in Him is so small and weak! But for this very reason we should feel ourselves incessantly driven to beg for the spirit of grace and of supplications; for grace