the inspired volume, which testifies of Christ, and yet does not apply to the redemption which is by Christ? Would not the fact, that the faith of fathers, mothers, friends, invariably prevailed with Christ to heal the sickness of the body, be misleading, if such faith could have no reference to the soul?

But, assuming that the principle does apply as much to spiritual as to temporal things, it is not unfair to inquire, Is it as explicitly taught in regard to the former as the latter? With due regard to the style of Scripture, this we should expect. Let us then bear in mind, that, while the whole Scriptures are upon a purely spiritual subject, the highest spiritual truths are conveyed to the mind by natural objects; and the illustration already adduced, of faith in its relation to temporal benefits for others, is only the Scripture style of teaching that faith is equally availing in relation to spiritual benefits. But, like all other spiritual truths, this is taught not only symbolically, but expressly.

Is not intercessory pray er enjoined in Scripture? And could there be any intercessory prayer apart from the principle in question? Of what avail is prayer without faith? And is not the command to pray for others a warrant to believe for others? "The prayer of faith" it is that “saves the sick;" and where this prayer is offered, if the sick "have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Had not the faith of the men who first brought the man sick of the palsy before Christ an important relation, not only to the healing of his body, but of his soul also? To indicate this, the healing of the soul is first noticed. "Seeing their faith," the Saviour said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." In this, as in multitudes of cases, the healing of the body was but symbolical of the healing of the soul; all proving that the faith of one man influences the mind of God in relation to the salvation of another, at least to some extent.

Seeing that it is so, we inquire, To what extent? This will always be according to the character of the faith itself. Here we must distinguish between prayer for anything, and faith that that thing shall be granted. Prayer, to be prevailing, must be offered in submission to the Divine will. It is the will of God to save sinners, and He is not willing that any should perish; but it is contrary to His nature, and to the principles of His government, to save those who will not turn from their sins, that they may live. For such persons the prayer of believing hearts may be offered, but it never can be availing; nor can the most believing heart ever have faith that such shall be saved. But if God can, consistently with the principles of His government, hear the prayer of the believing heart, He will do it; and then the believing heart is assured that He will. The principle involved is the same as when Christ said to those whom He sent to preach,—“ If the son peace be in that house, your peace shall rest upon it: but if not, it shall return to you again." If the person for whom you pray has not made his choice of loving the darkness, God will hear; otherwise He will say, “Pray not for him at all, for I will not hear you." Faith is always in harmony with the will of God; it is inspired by the Holy Spirit, who" searcheth all

of

things, even the deep things of God," and "maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Thus we see, that, while it is not possible to believe for all things, (many things being contrary to the will of God, and beyond the possibility of faith,) yet all things are possible to him that believeth. Faith is, in itself, "the substance of the things hoped for," and "the evidence of the things not seen," or not yet obtained. By the teachings of the Spirit, faith already realizes that the things desired are according to the will of God, and that they shall be secured. To this exercise of faith Christ refers, when He says, "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Having thus laid down the general principle as to the power of faith, He then gives His disciples instructions how they should exercise it in their prayers : "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." That is, "Exercise in regard to the things ye desire this faith, which is the substance of the things desired, and the evidence of the things ye cannot see with your bodily eyes; and then ye shall have what ye desire."

Having then ascertained that the faith of one man does influence the mind of God in relation to the salvation of another, and that to the fullest extent to which the faith can be exercised, we arrive at the conclusion, that faith for a revival must secure a revival.

Two questions remain to be determined :-1. Can we have faith for a revival? and, 2. How can we best cultivate this faith? The first question has already been answered as to the principle involved; namely, that the faith of one man can influence the mind of God as to the salvation of another. We now merely inquire, whether the principle can be applied in this particular manner. In the memoirs of eminently useful ministers of Christ we not unfrequently meet with allusions to the exercising of faith for a revival. Before others have any expectation of it, they speak of it as a thing to be. Before the voice of penitence has been heard, or the tear of penitence seen on a single cheek, they calmly tell you that there is the sound of abundance of rain. Their faith gives character to their preaching and labours; and, lo, it is unto them even according to their faith! Is this scriptural? Have any of the apostles so believed? Rather inquire, Which one of the apostles did not so believe? "Henceforth ye shall catch men," said their Master. Again: "Lo, I am with you alway!" "Ye shall receive power;...and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Did any of them go forth without believing that they should catch men? What was the faith of the one hundred and twenty disciples, when they waited in prayer with one mind for the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost? What was the faith of Peter, when on that day he stood up among the excited multitude who had come together when the matter was noised abroad? And what was his faith when he went to Cornelius, to preach Christ, for the

first time, to the Gentiles? What was the faith of St. Paul when he made the following avowals?" I am sure that, when I come, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ:" "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." In so saying, had he not faith that success would attend his ministry? Yes, verily, "I purposed," says he, "to come unto you, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles." In this faith it was that he went where Christ had not been even named, that he might not build upon another man's foundation. And is not the success that attended the ministry of Barnabas attributed to his great faith?" He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith and much people was added unto the Lord." Nor did any of the apostles preach the Gospel in any place, without faith that there it would be the power of God to believing souls. "Thanks be unto God," says St. Paul," which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place." What an abortion of a Christian minister he must be, who never believes that God will save souls through his ministry until he sees it! Not that a minister may not be instrumental in saving souls, even when his own faith does not anticipate such usefulness. How often is a cold, frigid minister stirred up for the moment to be useful in saving souls, that the faith of an obscure member of his church, who is incapable of preaching, may be realized! And, alas, how often is it only for the moment! Take him away from the blessed atmosphere of prayer and faith, and he is his frigid self again. Faith for a revival is as scriptural as faith for anything else that is according to the will of God. On this, as on all other subjects, it must be said to all whom it concerns, "According to your faith it shall be done unto you."

Faith is of the operation must be full of the Holy

How, then, can we best cultivate this faith? of the Holy Spirit; and, to be full of faith, we Ghost. "Be ye filled with the Spirit," is an express command. The command implies that we can be filled with the Spirit; that it is our duty to be filled with the Spirit; and that not to be filled with the Spirit is, on our part, a neglect of duty. For the work of the ministry there is required a special gift of the Holy Ghost, and a special supply from day to day. Without this continuous supply, faith declines; but the larger the supply, the stronger the faith.

The Spirit is given to them who ask. Prayer is the means through which we obtain this unspeakable gift,-prayer for the Spirit, for the special gifts of the Spirit which qualify for the ministry, and especially for the gift of faith in regard to success. At all times this prayer must be fervent and believing; but occasions will arise when it must be more than ordinarily fervent and persevering. The nearer to any great success, the greater the assaults of the foe, and the greater and the more persistent must be the resistance given to him. Occasion will arise when prayer must be accompanied by fasting, special humiliation, and heart-searching,

lest the enemy should have insidiously gained some advantage. Great triumphs through faith come not, but by prayer and fasting. They who bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean; they must be purged from all defilement, and be vessels sanctified to honour, and meet for the Master's use. The interests involved, the account to be rendered to the Judge of quick and dead, the Divine aid promised, and the noble examples of faith placed before us in the Scriptures, and in the history of the church of God, especially within the last century, all tend to urge us to fidelity. Have faith in God for the fulness of the Spirit, and then you will have faith in God that He will crown your ministry with success.

PAGES FOR THE YOUNG.

NO. XVII.-A FEW WORDS ABOUT AN OLD ROMAN WALL.

SOME time ago we were waiting, at a station on the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, for a mid-day train; when we were informed that an accident, just reported, would detain us an hour longer. This made our intended journey impossible for that day, and laid us open to an invitation to remain in the vicinity until next morning. A Tyneside farm-house, lightened by cheerful hospitality, is no despicable refuge; and we were soon reconciled to the adversity which had driven us into so kindly a harbour. The surrounding scenery was splendid with the aspects of autumn plenty. Green meadows, with golden corn-fields, lay on either side of the broad and rapid stream. The lofty hills were girt with sombre woods, or overspread with pastures of sheep and cattle. When we turned from more distant objects, it was to be gladdened with the sight of flowers that had grown under careful hands, or to be amused with the phenomena of a farm-yard, where some of the idlest of quadrupeds lay stretching in the sun, and innumerable fowls were gathering, with characteristic diligence, their daily bread. As time passed, we were reminded that not many miles away were certain well-preserved relics of the old Wall built by the Romans, during their occupation of Britain. In histories familiar to our school-days, this venerable erection was called "The Wall of Severus," and declared to have been raised for the defence of our Keltic predecessors in the name and fortunes of Britannia, against their mischievous neighbours, the Picts. But modern Niebuhrizing has attacked this with many other narratives specially fascinating to the juvenile mind; and the legend has yielded under the treatment. Romulus and Remus were not suckled by a she-wolf. Perhaps Marius never leapt into the gulf. It may yet appear that Canute never sat down to stem the tide. And now it seems that the "Wall" was built by imperial engineers for military purposes, in the time of their strength, and when they intended to remain in Britain; and was not hastily cast up to defend the helpless Kelts when the mighty protection of Rome was failing. Nevertheless, though despoiled of some of their ancient associations by ruthless savans, we felt a strong desire to see the remains within our reach,

Our friends were not loth to encourage this antiquarian passion, being justly proud of their local curiosities.

In the cool of the day, we found ourselves ascending the toilsome roads which mounted the hill above us; each stage in the ascent presenting a wider reach and new combinations of the splendid landscape, with its broad mountain-shapes above, and its river-cut, harvest-clad valleys beneath. At the summit we found a plateau about three miles broad, skirted on the farther edge by the heights on which the Wall was built. Here the aspects are more wild. Solitary farms, detached from the general waste, denote the march of modern cultivation; while in some places a large tract is given to be the desolate haunts of sheep or half-wild cattle. The air of freedom, which ever circulates through the ancient kingdom of nature, now bore upon us, wafted over a hundred mountain-tops. The almost setting sun was covering with rose and purple hues the distant hills, which for a score of miles on every hand lifted their ponderous breasts to the evening sky. But these natural beauties were observed only in passing; and we needed all the remaining daylight for even a cursory inspection of the interesting relics of human antiquity yet before us.

The reader will not think a short account of them out of place. They form a marvellous monument of human energy and industry.* The Romans first entered Britain about 50 B.C. Under successive leaders they overran the whole country, intersecting it with roads, founding permanent encampments or other military stations, and, in favourable positions, towns like that recently exhumed at Wroxeter, Shropshire. As they remained in England five hundred years, we cannot be surprised that their habitations and achievements are to be extensively traced. The " Wall" occupies a pre-eminent place among these witnesses of Roman genius and determination. This term is meant to include not only the stone barriers, but the entire system of fortification of which it formed an important part. The leading rampart was, as generally supposed, eight feet thick, and twelve feet high, with a parapet of four feet. Its masonry was made to last. The external blocks are, generally, square-hewn, of various sizes; the interior being filled with smaller stones, and compacted by the famous cement. The breadth varied from five to eight feet. It extended from Wallsend on the Tyne in the East, to Bowness on the Solway in the West; a distance of more than seventy miles. The pilgrim on its track is often amazed at the straightforwardness with which its line is continued. Scorning the convenient routes and levels, it climbs the cliffs in its course with unflinch ing directness; and he is no weakling who ventures to follow it over the precipitous irregularities of its central portions.

But another most important section of this enormous military apparatus

* For the historical notices of the "Wall," we are indebted to the noble works of Dr. Bruce; namely, the larger one, A. D. 1853; (of which he promises a third edition soon ;) and the recent “ Wallet-Book of the Roman Wall." The latter is indispensable to the tourist.