Depend upon this, beloved,-you study the word of God to no profit if not in a happy state of communion and fellowship with Him and while destitute of a spirit of prayer. Let me repeat,- faith is dependent upon communion ; communion, dependent upon prayer, confession, and self-judgment. To be out of communion, is to be destitute of a spirit of prayer. Not but that one may say prayers; this is a very common thing-to find people saying prayers. It has been said, "Prayer is the expression of need." The publican prayed; the Pharisee said his little prayer. The result of the publican's prayer was that he was brought into fellowship and communion with God:"He went down to his house justified." The Pharisee went down to his house pleased with his good thoughts of himself- a victim of self-deception, like many others who are saying prayers. Does my reader know the difference ? Is it a sense of duty, or a sense of need, which brings you upon your knees before God ? If a sense of need, you are occupied with the One who can meet your need; and you address Him in words, it may be, or in sighs, groans, and tears, if need be (Rom. 8:26, 27). If a mere sense of duty, you are occupied with what you are doing, and you are saying a prayer; and accordingly as you are well pleased with your effort will be the interminable length of vain repetitions-a purely fleshly thing. But we are all in danger of this very same thing; even the best and most spiritually-minded Christians are in danger of backsliding into this very same state of a dead routine of formality simply from neglect of confession and self-judgment. Show me a person who never confesses, and you will show me one who never prays. A dear servant of the Lord once said, "One bit of contrition is worth more in God's sight than all London filled with miracles." "To that man will I look, even to him who is of a broken and contrite heart, and trembleth at my word." (Isa. 66:2.) Saying prayers does not increase faith; praying does. And in this way prayer increases the appetite and relish for the Word; and "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Not by wrought-up feelings; this would not be faith, though often it is made the measure-as, when persons are happy, then they think they have faith; but this would be faith in the happy feeling, not in God; and as soon as the happy feeling is gone, the faith is gone. But the scripture says, "Faith cometh by hearing,"-not feeling,-"and hearing by the word of God." Hence faith rests upon the word of God, and is as steadfast and abiding, whatever the feelings may be. Hence "Abraham staggered not at the promise of God, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God." The blessed Lord Jesus recognized "little" and "great" faith:"O ye of little faith! " and " I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." So that it is not a knowledge of the Word, but the indwelling of the Word:"If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you." It is the word of the living God, received into the heart, through the hearing of the ear.

One may, from head knowledge, repeat large portions of the Word without having it at all in the heart; while another might not be able to quote a single verse correctly, yet could say, '' I know it is the word of the living God; it has given me Christ and forgiveness of sins; it has given me peace with God and rest as to the future-yea, ' I know whom I have believed.'" And we may safely say that the largest, or strongest, faith is that which gives to Jesus the largest and highest place; so we may know just how much faith we have got, by the place which we give Him. And there can be no true faith in God now apart from Christ. He is the Jehovah of the Bible; in Him God is perfectly revealed. This is the faith once delivered to the saints, and is the groundwork upon which a soul enjoys the blessed experiences of communion and fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And this, beloved, cannot be too strongly insisted upon in these days of religious infidelity. Do I speak too strongly when I say that anything and everything called religious which denies the divinity of Christ and the inspiration of the Bible is infidelity ? To deny the inspiration of Moses and the prophets is to deny the divinity of Christ, since He quoted from both, thus acknowledging the divinity and inspiration of both :and "all Scripture,"-as the apostle has said,-"is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16.) This very state of religious infidelity is clearly told out to us in 2 Tim., third and fourth chapters. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:from such turn away." (2 Tim. 3:1-3.) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."." (2 Tim. 4:3, 4.)

The Spirit of God showed Jeremiah the sins and idolatries of his time, and he told it all out to the people; but they did not receive it; and hated him for his testimony. (See Jeremiah, forty-fourth chap.)

I dwell upon this point, that my reader may see that a vast amount of the religion of these days is but a sham, and not a whit better than the idolatry of Jeremiah's day. Do you think that the Spirit of God has led to the general order of worship of these days ? God said by the prophet,'' This people draweth near to Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me; but have removed their hearts far from Me ; and their fear towards Me is taught by the precept of men" (Isa. 29:13):and the Lord Jesus also applied it to the people of His day. (See Matt. 15:8)

Our Savior said to the woman of Samaria, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." To the Athenians, Paul said, "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands;" and to the Philippians, '' We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Phil. 3:3.)

We see in Leviticus that on the ground of an accepted sacrifice the worshiper stood before God; and the sacrifice did not speak of any worthiness in the one who brought it, but of the offering. The offerer put his hand upon the head of the victim, "and it was accepted for him, to make atonement for him." (Lev. 1:4.) Putting the hand upon the head was identification, typically presenting the offerer in all the value of Christ's acceptance before God. Now we are accepted in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:6.) This gives us the grand truth of our approach to God,-a presenting to God not my good feelings, nor my good works, not myself at all, but the sweet savor of Christ; and thus "accepted in the Beloved."

The Holy Ghost has given us a good illustration of this in the case of Onesimus, the runaway slave of Philemon, when Paul sends him back to his old mas- ' ter :he writes to Philemon and says," If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that to mine account." '' Receive him as myself," says Paul. Surely, Onesimus has nothing to fear in returning to his master. Philemon is to receive Onesimus in the same brotherly love that he would receive Paul. Just so the believer comes to God, in the value of another. So our Lord declares in John 17:23, "Thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me."C. E. H.