unequal a contest. The weapons of the sinner and the skeptic have been turned against themselves. The projects for the dissemination of infidelity, God has diverted from their object, and made use of them as the means of the extension and establishment of the Christian religion. The scheme by which Pope Leo hoped to refill the exhausted treasury of the church, that he might still bind men in the iron fetters of Antichrist, proved the moving cause of the great Reformation. When men resist the purposes of God, "he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision."

We infer the ultimate conversion of the heathen from the fact that prayer shall be answered. No doctrine is more largely taught in the New Testament, than the doctrine that God will answer prayer. And no subject of prayer finds so universal a place in the supplications of Christians, as this-that the world may be converted to God. Our Saviour, in the formula contained in the gospels, teaches us to make it one of our first petitions when we pray," thy kingdom come." "Ask of me, my Son," saith God, "and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Undoubtedly, the Son of God is not heedless of this promise. Moreover, he asks of his Father this consummation, when he pleads through his people. Their prayer is his spirit, speaking through them and in them." And shall not God avenge his own elect, which ery day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." "I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you." The special occasions of the triumph of the gospel have been commonly connected with prayer. Prayer preceded the day of Pentecost; and the conquests of Christianity immediately commenced, which, within a few hundred years, were carried over the whole habitable earth. In the course of the last century, President Edwards composed a treatise which was designed to promote the agreement of the people of God in prayer for the conversion of the world. Not long afterwards, the Baptist brethren in England instituted the Monthly Concert of Prayer for the same object. And, in a short time, the missionary societies were founded and the work begun, which is still advancing, under the title of the enterprise of modern

missions. Every occasion set apart for the purpose of prayer, and every sincere petition offered before God for the heathen, taken in connection with the promises of the New Testament in respect to the efficacy of prayer, is an argument full of encouragement, bidding us to cherish with confidence the hope of the conversion of the world. "Before they call," saith God, "I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

In point of time, also, this consummation is, undeniably, approaching. If it is to come at all, which we cannot doubt, then every day brings it one day nearer. Every event of public interest and importance leaves one event of magnitude less to transpire, before this shall be achieved. Every kingdom overturned, every point of progress in national policy, every rise or ruin of a monarch, marks the rapidity with which the time is approaching, when "the kingdoms of this world shall be the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ;" and "he, whose right it is, shall reign." Every instance of the success of the gospel is but as another wave of the coming tide, rolling in to swell the sum of the glory of God, which "shall fill the whole earth, as the waters fill the sea." Every morning when we rise, and every evening when we lie down, we have come still nearer, nearer to the universal reign of Christ. Never did men live so near to that sublime consummation as we. How great are our encouragements to labor for its speedy achievement! How weighty are the responsibilities of so eventful an age! "I, the Lord, will hasten it in his time."

If the faith of any one should be staggered in respect. to such a consummation, by the question, "is such a thing possible?"-he may re-assure himself by recollect

ing that the gospel has once been actually carried over the whole known world; and that which is now proposed is only to send it forth again on a similar mission. In Col. 1: 23, Paul affirms, that it "was preached to every creature which is under heaven." Tradition avers that by the disciples of Christ, who "went every where, preaching the word," the gospel was conveyed to the most remote kingdoms and provinces. And the history of the church exhibits its renewed progress, as it was proclaimed in various countries in successive centuries during the first thousand years of the Christian era, every where making conquests to Christ, until the darkness of the middle ages closed in, and the triumphs and the efforts of religion were, for a season, finished together. That which has been done once, can be done again. The population of the earth is greater, and there are more obstacles; but there are also more facilities. If the work was once effected, when there was little commerce, few means of transit and intercommunication among men, no Christian literature, and no art of printing, when most governments were leagued against Christianity, and there were few protective influences of a political kind, how much more, under the circumstances of this generation and of successive generations after it, entering into and perfecting its improvements, may the work be effected. anew. Besides, even if to human view it were impossible, is not Jehovah the God of missions? And is he not omnipotent?

It is an important fact that, at present, missionary stations exist at many of the most favorable points in the unevangelized world. The work of missions is also approved and aided by the chief commercial nations. The influence of Britain and America is on the side of Christianity; and the more widely the power of their arts and their arms is felt, the more widely will their God, the true God, be known, and the way of salvation through heathen. penances give place to the way of salvation through the cross. It is to be lamented that the British power has in former years lent itself to the support of idolatry. Such a prostitution, however, is not to be charged to the nation. It is not a national act; but the act of a corporation, composed of a small number of persons. The nation, as such, would abjure the sin. But passing over such ex

VOL. XI.-NO. XLI.

5*

ceptions, we take courage from the fact that British and American influence, the influence of two nominally Christian realms, is drawn, like a belt, around the globe. And the more efficient religion is at the heart, the stronger will be its renovating and saving force in the remotest members. We also take courage from the commanding position of the principal centres of missionary labor. They are generally in places of note, which are often visited by strangers from surrounding towns and provinces; they are in the commercial or trading depots of important countries, from which an influence is constantly diffused abroad to distant points. They are established in the different quarters of the globe, and on the most important islands. If all the missionary force were gathered up within a narrow compass, strong light might, indeed, go forth from such a focus, which would draw to itself universal attention. But the end of missions would not be attained. The design of the gospel, as revealed in our Saviour's commission to his disciples, would never be effected. The true policy of missions is to erect a line of spiritual light-houses along the coast of this world's darkness, gradually increasing their frequency until ray meets ray, shining from each to each, and until, by their commingling brilliancy, the whole earth is illumined like an outer-court of heaven. Any one who will trace upon a map the existing missionary stations, will find that this theory is beginning to be realized. We may commence with Britain, which has enjoyed for centuries the light of inspiration; travelling eastward, we find the trophies of the gospel in France, Switzerland and Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Further east, Russia has a corrupted Christianity; thence, missionary effort has kindled. a light in Constantinople, in several parts of Greece, and in the Mediterranean islands. To the south of this, the great continent of Africa has its scattered stations on the east, the south, and the west; the light at the east answers to the same from Madagascar opposite, where persecution has lately endeavored to extinguish it with the blood of the saints. Returning to the Mediterranean, we see a lamp burning in solitary brightness in the land where our Saviour and his apostles trod the soil, and wept over lost men. Still following our line to the east, we may go first to Armenia and Persia, thence to the mountains of

Thibet, to Hindostan, Burmah, Siam, and China, and at long intervals, our hearts will be cheered as we look upon the fruits of evangelical effort, and hear the once perishing idolater cry out to his bewildered fellows, "the cross," "the cross!" South from these vast and populous countries, we see the torch of gospel-light beaming across the waters to the islands, and from islet to islet, in every direction; from Malacca to Sumatra, from Sumatra to Borneo, from Borneo to Java, from Java to New Holland, from New Holland to New Zealand, from New Zealand to the Friendly Islands, the Society Islands, the Sandwich. Islands, and thence to the Western coast of North America, to the missions among the Flathead Indians, and thence across the Rocky Mountains to the Cherokees and Choctaws of the Indian territory, and thence to the United States. Thence we may travel northeast to the stations of the Moravians among the Esquimaux in Labrador and Greenland, to civilized and Christian Iceland, and thence back to Scotland and England.

The girdle of the earth is begun; would that its centres of light were more numerous! Would that they were melted away in the day, instead of being swallowed up in the death-darkness and damps of night!

We will only add, in this place, that we are encouraged to expect the conversion of the world, when we consider that the success of evangelical labor among the heathen has been greatly disproportioned to the amount of effort. The preaching of the gospel has, in many instances, been far more efficacious than, from the analogies of Christendom, we should expect it to be. The labors of many individual missionaries have been blessed far more, apparently, than the corresponding labors of ministers of the gospel at home. An examination of statistics, we are very confident, would confirm these statements. Though there are painful exceptions, in which the eyes of men have seemed to be blinded, and their hearts hardened, we sincerely believe that in a large number of cases, the amount of success enjoyed has been more than should have been legitimately expected from the amount of labor bestowed. This is as the hand of God, ministering to us the cup of encouragement, lest we should faint and despond. And even when the case seems to be otherwise, we are sure that latent successes are treasured up in the