feel for the distresses of our fellow-men. "He that stoppeth His ear against the cry of the poor, shall also cry himself, and shall not be heard." (Prov. xxi. 13.)
II. To pray well, we must observe the conditions which our divine Legislator has imposed. " When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and, having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret." (Matt. vi. 6.) We must retire from all distracting objects, and shut the doors of our senses. We must pray " in spirit and in truth." (John iv. 23.) We must seriously apply our minds, and our hearts must be in unison with the petition of our lips, else we shall be ranked in the number of those to whom Christ applied the words of the prophet: "This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me." (Matt. xv. 8.) We must, in fine, entertain a lively faith and confidence; for your Saviour has said "All things, whatsoever you ask, when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you." (Mark xi. 24.)
III. There are three grounds upon which this confidence ought to be built. 1. The love which the eternal Father bears us. Christ said, " The Father Himself loveth you." (John xvi. 27.) He who bestowed on you His only begotten Son surely will not refuse to grant your earnest entreaty when you pray for blessings. 2. The second ground is the merits and passion of the Son, who is our Mediator and Advocate, and who assures us, "Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, that will I do." (John xiv. 13.) 3. The Holy Ghost himself intercedes for us, for St. Paul says, " The Spirit himself asketh for us, with unspeakable groanings." (Rom. viii. 26.)
