can not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."

Now it is the office of Christianity to quell these turbulences, to calm these chafing passions, and to make the troubled waves subside. It is the model of the Christian life to possess a restful condition of the soul, in which work is carried on without hurry and without anxiety. The spirit is self-contained, and therefore progress is made. You know that an army composed of soldiers who are dissatisfied and gloomy is not fit for battle. You can see in their faces what they are. The spirit within decides all their effectiveness. So if the current of a man's life be soured by the sorrow of the world, he can not work successfully. He will loiter and hesitate. He will have his eye on his comrades, when he should be following his great Leader, with his eye on the immortal prize. The sorrow of the world is opposed to all high ideals. It is not satisfied with the glories of the future. It would rather have its mess of pottage now. It is not attracted by the thought that eternity will bring even the humblest worker to a place beyond that now reached by the highest and most learned. The true Christian, like the true artist, has a design to do the best he can, not despairing, if it be at present less than other men, not satisfied if it be more; but pressing forward toward perfection.

This sorrow of the world is more or less in all of us, and we can never escape its death-working power save by repentance toward God. We must get beyond self, beyond the world, in order to achieve the victory. The last thing that Christianity gets out of us is pride-sense of personal merit apart from Christian faith. We must learn of Christ, the higher wisdom, that the happiness of life is not measured by what we gain, but by the faithfulness with which we labor. May we all so labor, that we may enter into his

rest.

THE PRAYER-MEETING.

The Prayer-Meeting. in times of war, and convert solA REMARKABLE feature in the diers armed and equipped for the religious aspect of the times is not bloody strife on the battle-field. only revivals of religion in many But to the great honor of God places rarely equaled and attend- and his free grace, a deep and pered with many conversions, but the vading interest is widely felt in almost marvelous interest in the the army of the Potomac. Many concerns of the soul which exten- meetings are held; much prayer sively prevails among soldiers and is offered; and ministers and pasregiments in the army. Few tors of churches, leaving their Christians would naturally expect people for a few days, hasten to that God would pour out his Spirit the camps of the army under the

auspices of the Christian Commis- the title, and said, 'I found that sion, and labor and pray and preach out before I left home, or I would to the soldiers, with gratifying not have dared to come to the success. So far as we remember, army.' no army of any age or country "A little after, a fine smoothhas been blessed with such an in- faced boy from Michigan came in. strumentality for good to the I showed the same book to him. bodies and souls of men as the He looked at it, his eyes brimmed Federal army of the United States, with tears, and he said: "That's in the labors and prayers of the what I want to know.' There are Christian Commission. Like in- thousands in the army who want numerable angels of mercy with to know how to find Jesus, and outspread wings, the messengers the Christian Commission is doing of the Christian Commission are a great and good work in aiding in all parts of the field, attending many an anxious inquirer to find to the bodily and spiritual wants the blessed Saviour." of our brave soldiers. Unceasing prayers go up in all parts of the loyal communities that God would bless and save our land. There is A CLERGYMAN lately told a story abundant encouragement for all friends of the country and the army to prayer for the continuance of the Divine blessing.

"Where is Jesus ?"

A Neglected Scratch.

about a man with whom he boarded when a college boy. The man was at his work one frosty morning, and happened to get a slight scratch on the back of his hand. A single minute's attention to it would have caused it to heal in a day or two. It was neglected. MANY a brave soldier has made A slight inflammation appeared, this inquiry while on the long which a single poultice would march, in the midst of the fearful have reduced, but it was neglectconflict, or sick and dying in the ed. The whole hand became inhospital. It is a blessed thing to flamed, and should have had the know that thousands in our army best medical attention, but it was have had the important question neglected. The arm and shoulder answered to their souls' eternal and back were seized with pain, and satisfaction. Rev. E. P. Smith, now all was alarm and confusion. an agent of the Christian Com- Twelve physicians were soon in mission in the Army of the Cum- attendance to consult upon a case. berland, writing from Chattanoo- The question was, whether the ga, Tenn., relates the following cutting off the limb would save beautiful incident connected with the man's life, and it was decided a little book sent by the Commis- to be too late! The disease had sion to the army:

"The work goes on well. Souls are added unto the Lord daily. Our chapel is crowded for two hours every night.

gained a mortal hold, and no human skill could arrest it. A vicious habit, an indulged little sin, a neglected duty, how easily are they taken care of if we are in sea"I handed one of our books- son with them, but how stubborn Where is Jesus? to a soldier and ruinous they become if they yesterday. He took it, looked at are let alone!

BY REV. RUFUS W. CLARK, D.D.,
OF ALBANY, N. Y.

THE SOURCES OF MINISTERIAL SUCCESS.

"STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."-2 TIM. 2: 15.

I KNOW of no position on earth so full of responsibility, requir ing such varied mental and moral attainments, and dependent for success upon so many outward conditions and spiritual forces, as that of the preacher of the gospel. He has committed to him the most vital interests of society-the work of extending the Redeemer's kingdom, and maintaining the honor and worship of God among men. He is called to deal with truths the most solemn and momentous that can engage human attention-truths that demand the highest mental force to be understood; that must pass through the heart to fully reach and move the intellect, and must be accompanied with a supernatural influence, to become the wisdom and power of God, to the salvation of men.

Preached at the installation of the Rev. William Bailey, Pastor of the Third Reformed Dutch Church, of Albany, N. Y.

In the prosecution of his work he must contend with the deceitfulness and treachery of his own heart; with the natural inward tendencies to indolence, pride, or personal ambition. In seeking to enforce the truth and influence his fellow-men, he must maintain a constant warfare with their prejudices and passions; with the power of evil habits, and the constant action upon their opinions, of out-spoken infidelity and the subtle and insidious forms of prevailing skepticism. He must labor on in the darkness of discouragement as well as in the sunshine of prosperity; sowing the precious seed of the divine Word falling on stony ground, and amid briars and thorns, as well as reaching the fertile soil of a receptive and responsive nature.

Well may we exclaim: "Who is sufficient for these things?" But, brethren, if God calls us to a work, he will give us the requisite strength to perform it. If the labor is arduous, and the difficulties and the discouragements great, yet he will see to it, and they who go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall return, bringing their sheaves with them.

The gospel ministry has been, in the past, a power. It has been mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of sin. It has met on the field of conflict principalities, powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and vanquished them. It has smitten idolatry, purified governments, enlightened nations, planted the institutions of a pure religious faith, and been the means of fitting millions for the joys and honors of immortality. And the achievements of the past certainly lie within the possibilities of the future.

Let us, then, avail ourselves of the present occasion to inquire into the sources or elements of ministerial success.

I. In the first place, the preacher of the gospel must have his mind stored with knowledge of divine truth.

The apostle who addressed the words of our text to Timothy, also said to him: Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine... Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all.

The successful preacher must ever, as well as when St. Paul wrote, devote his life to study, to a critical investigation of the doctrines and teachings of the Holy Scriptures, and to protracted meditation upon the themes that pertain to the government of heaven, the mission of Jesus, and the solemnities of immortality. Accepting, as we do, the Bible as a revelation from God, this is ever to be an authority on which all creeds, articles of faith, and systems of theology must lean. This is the mine in which we must dig for the hidden treasures of knowledge-for the gold and silver and precious stones with which to build and decorate the spiritual temple.

The minister of God must walk amid those sacred histories, that, bearing the impress of inspiration, take him back to the cradling of the human family, and those opening scenes that have the types and shadows of blessings and glories, yet to be revealed. He must have his heart tuned to the melody of the sweet singer of Israel, and catch the notes of those sublime anthems, that a thousand years before Christ's advent celebrated his coming, and inaugurated the principles upon which his great kingdom would be established. He must listen to the bold and earnest prophets until their utterances reach the depths of his soul, kindle his thurst for divine truth, and teach him that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." He must mingle with evangelists and apostles until their records and teachings become a part of his own intellect-real life; until he can say: "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;' until he is" able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth and length and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the fullness of God."

But while the pure and mighty stream of Scriptural knowledge fertilizes the intellect of the preacher, he should not ignore other sources and departments of influence. If he resorts to the gardens of literature, he may meet there the cultivated scholar, whom his own culture may impress, and through which he may convey that knowledge which will make him wise unto salvation.

If he is familiar with the principles of science, he may meet the learned skeptic on his own ground, and convince him that truth, whether found in nature or revelation, is from the same divine source, and should awaken the same reverence and love toward the Author of all things.

In history he may discover the practical workings of the laws of God, and gather, from the career of individuals and the fate of empires, proofs of the moral attributes of Jehovah. Poetry may furnish him with garlands with which to decorate the sanctuary and adorn the altars of religion, and classical learning will aid him in substantiating the truths and unfolding the meaning of the sacred oracles.

And here I may remark that this element of pulpit power is demanded by the times in which we live. The tendencies of society in our day are, all must allow, very rapid from the forms and externals of religion to its vital principles; from ecclesiastical dictation to the moral and intellectual power of the pulpit; every step of advancement in education, every quickening influence that the community receives from the progress of the sciences and improvement in the arts, only increases the labors and responsibilities of the pulpit. As in our country, especially, the pulpit has, from the earliest periods of our history, acted directly upon the people, forming their tastes as well as their