Protestants, throughout the land, Join in efforts, join in prayer, AUTUMNAL HYMN. The leaves, around me falling, The light, my path surrounding, Just gleam and shoot away, The friends, gone there before me, And happy angels o'er me Tempt sweetly to the sky. "Why wait," they say, "and wither, 'Mid scenes of death and sin? O rise to glory hither, And find true life begin!" I hear the invitation, And fain would rise and come A sinner to salvation, An exile to his home: But while I here must linger, Thus, thus let all I see Point on with faithful finger, To heaven, O Lord, and Thee! FOSTER, PRINTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE. W. H. K. FRIENDLY VISITOR. No. 326. NOVEMBER, 1845 VOL. 27. PIOUS POVERTY. THE Rev. James Hamilton, at the anniversary of the Home Missionary Society, mentioned the following facts:-"I have recalled to my remembrance two or three instances of pious poverty with which I have come in contact in the rural parts of England. I have been in houses of different descriptions, but I am not sure that I have anywhere in this country found more of that 'peace which passeth all understanding' than I have seen in some of the humblest homes. One of the first places I visited was in company with a relative of my own. He took me to an almshouse. On entering it I saw a very aged man seated before the fire. He was evidently paralytic; his wooden shoe was constantly pattering on the brick floor of the apartment, and he had his hat on his head to defend it against the bleak winds which entered through the chinks in the dwelling. As his back was turned, he did not observe our entrance; but his old partner, his wife, who was sitting in front of the door, informed him of our arrival, and he then turned round. The clergyman said to him, 'Well, Nisby, what are you doing?" 'Why, sir,' said he, 'just waiting here as usual.' Waiting for what?' 'Why, sir, waiting for the appearing of my Lord.' And what makes you long for his appearing? Why, sir, he has promised great things to those that love his appearing; and if there be anything in this world I love, I know it is the appearing of my Lord.' We enquired of him what it was that had first brought him to this desire. Upon this he asked his old wife to turn up the passage where he had first cast anchor. She knew the familiar, the beloved text, and at once turned up the place, which was Romans v. 1, 2. The old man guided his spectacles to his nose as well as his paralytic hands would permit ; and having placed them there, and taken the Bible in 6 M his hands, he read the words, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.' There was peace seen in the old man's countenance, the shining of the blessed hope within him. We had seldom seen any one who had fewer of this world's goods, and who lived a life of simpler faith and purer joy than this old man. He had not to wait long; very soon after his Lord came for him, and he had to wait no more. "One other instance comes into my mind. A few weeks ago, ten miles from London, I was introduced to the cottage of a poor woman. She was very aged and lame, and received only two shillings a week from the parish; she earned 1s. 9d. by her own hard industry, washing the pewter pots of her neighbour the publican. Thus three shillings and ninepence was the entire of her weekly income. But out of this 3s. 9d. she treated herself to one great luxury. She made it a point in the winter time--and it was only in the winter that she needed such extravagance to allow herself regularly every other day to buy a candle. With that candle, when her day's work was done, she sat down to the reading of the Bible. She burned her candle for half an hour, till she read as much as she could well remember, then put out the precious light, and meditated—not a bad hint, perhaps, to some of ourselves, who read straight on, without allowing any time between for reflection. She used to ponder in the dark what she had read in the light, and read it again with an inward and better light. Then, after a little while, she lighted her candle again, and so proceeded until the candle would burn no longer. She thus acquired a very close acquaintance with the word of God. I have seldom found any one who was more 'mighty in the Scriptures'-seldom one in whom the Bible could be more clearly read. She dwelt in it; she took all its truths for granted, just as if she had heard its precious truths spoken in her ear by the voice of the living God; in simplicity of faith she received them, and marvellously had she grown thereby. I have had some interesting conversations with her since, and have become well acquainted with her. When we compare the state of this poor woman, with her pittance of 3s. 9d. a week, with the thoughtless ignorance of some of her neighbours, and the sensual gratifications of a great many more, we see the elevating power of evangelical truth. PRAYER. "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." It is not enough to have good desires, but these good desires should be offered up-should be ejaculated from the heart, and, if practicable, expressed by the lips: should be offered up unto God, not to the Virgin Mary, nor to St. Peter, nor to St. Paul, nor even to St. Michael, or St. Gabriel, or any other Saint, but to God. And these desires must be for things agreeable to God's will. We may think it desirable to have many things which God does not desire us to have, and which would be injurious to us if we had them. Our desires must not only be for things agreeable to the will of God, but they must be offered up in the name of Christ. we approach God in our own name, or in the name of the Virgin Mary, or in the name of any of the Saints, our prayers will not be accepted. Christ says, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Our desires should be offered up under such a sense of our own guilt and unworthiness, and of God's kindness, that we should accompany our desires with confession of our sins, feeling the plague of our hearts, and with a thankful acknowledgment of divine mercies. If In remarking on this subject, I shall first show, that God promises to hear prayer; and then prove, that he is as good as his word. 1. GOD PROMISES TO HEAR PRAYER. "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." (Ps. 1. 15.) "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them." (Ps. cxlv. 18, 19.) "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." (Is. lxv. 24. "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." (Ps. cii. 17.) And ye "Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jer. xxix. 12, 13.) "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jer. xxxiii. 3.) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. vii. 7.) "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him?" (Matt. vii. 11.) "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.'" (Mark xi. 24.) "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." (Luke xviii, 7, 8.) "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John xiv. 13, 14.) "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John xv. 16, and xvi. 23, 24.) "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." (James i. 5, 6.) |