use of the electric spark, but for those ten years of steady, careful, plodding labour which had gone before? And is it not the case that, in the spiritual world also, crises of individual conversion and religious revival are often preceded by periods of preparatory work? Christ Himself came "in the fulness of the times"; and this means that there had been ages of preparation for His advent. The sudden manifestations of the Day of Pentecost were preceded by the workshop in Nazareth, the ministry in Galilee, the death on Calvary. And how often does the conversion of the sinner stand connected, even more perhaps than he himself knows, with religious influences put forth upon him in former years? May it not be that we are sometimes too eager to have the honour and glory of putting the manifest and finishing touch to some spiritual work, instead of being content to labour on industriously, steadily, and perhaps obscurely, in our Christian service? is not given to every one to touch the electric button, but we may all of us lend a hand in the tunnelling of the rock.

It

Thus, then, if we are seeking to accomplish our Master's objects, according to our Master's commands, we may possibly be doing a really successful work for Him, even although it may be some time before our success is apparent. But, on the other hand, we must not forget that perhaps our work might be even manifestly more successful than it is, if by simple faith and more earnest prayer we were to lay hold of and utilize those spiritual forces which are within our reach. In the natural world man achieves his greatest triumphs, not by his own.

physical strength, but by utilizing the physical forces which lie all around him in nature. What could that little girl have done, in her own strength, towards removing the island of rock? Or how could those men who tunnelled the rock have removed it out of the channel by their own strength? It was by the use and the combination of certain forces in nature that the thing was done. And even so, in all our work for the promotion of Christ's kingdom in the world, we shall be successful in proportion as we make use of spiritual and divine forces. It is by the touch of faith and the prayer of faith that we are able to make the best use of these forces. "If," said Christ, "ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove." A metaphor, no doubt; but a metaphor on the lips of Christ is no mere ornament of rhetoric. A simple faith in God-expressing itself in the prayer of faith and the labour of faith-brings to a man a strength that is not his own. Let us, then, seek as the servant-friends of Christ to carry on His work after His own methods, so that, by faith and prayer and a fuller reception of His spirit, we may make larger use of spiritual forces, and become more and more the willing instruments of a divine energy.

LAW, MIRACLE, AND PRAYER.

A PARABLE FOR THE TIMES.

[Reprinted from The Congregationalist, February, 1877; subsequently abridged by the author.]

Two children-brother and sister-were once crossing the ocean in a steamship. The captain was a relative, and showed them much kindness. They had never been on board a steamer before. The great engines attracted much of their attention. They used to stand in a safe place, and look down into the engine-house, and watch the huge, smooth, regular movements of this colossal thing that propelled the ship. They had asked some of the sailors whether it did not rest during the night; and the sailors told them that it kept moving on, in just the same way, all the time they were sleeping.

Now, sometimes these two children used to discuss the question whether this engine could be stopped, and whether their friend the captain had any power over its movements. The little girl, who had great faith in the captain, was sure that he could stop the machine whenever he pleased. She argued that the engine must have been set a-going when the ship

Besides,

started, although they had not seen it done. she had asked some of the sailors; and they had told her that the captain could stop the engine, and that, indeed, once or twice-not often, but once or twice— they had seen him stop it, even on the voyage. So she, for her part, believed the sailors.

But the boy, who was a little sceptic in his way, was not so sure about it. He did not know when or how the engine had been set a-going; perhaps the captain had nothing to do with that: the machinery had always been moving, since they knew anything about it; that at any moment, in the middle of the voyage, whilst the fires were all burning, and the great machine was in full motion, the captain could suddenly stop it-this was difficult to believe. sides, even if he were able, somehow or other, to stop the machinery, it did not follow that he had ever interfered with its regular movements. True, a few sailors said they had seen him do so; but even they said they had only seen this once or twice; and perhaps the sailors were mistaken, or perhaps they were even "telling a story."

Be

Thus, then, the little boy and girl used to argue the matter; only, of course, in their own childish fashion and language. One day the boy was playing on deck with a large, bright-coloured ball, when suddenly it bounded over the side of the ship and fell into the sea. He was in great trouble about this, and ran at once to tell his sister, who happened at the moment to be sitting on the captain's knee. "Oh, captain!" she said, looking up beseechingly into his face, "stop the engines and get the ball!" But the captain, stroking her hair, smiled, and said, "What! stop that

great machine and this great ship for that? No; little boys must be more careful of their balls!" He looked and spoke so kindly, that the little girl did not lose her faith in him; but, for all that, she thought it strange that a friend so kind and good to children did not stop the ship, when her brother was so vexed about losing his beautiful ball. As for the boy, he was now quite confirmed in his opinion that the captain either could not stop the engines in midocean, or at least never had done it, and never would do it whatever a few sailors might say.

too.

One day, however not long after-as they were both standing together near the captain, and looking down into the engine-house, they heard a sudden shriek, and then a cry, "Man overboard!" Then, in a moment, they saw the captain give a sign; and then they heard the cry, "Stop her!" and then, in another moment, the great engine seemed somehow to get a sudden check, and began, as it were, to pant, and to move slowly, as if it were out of breath; and then presently it came to a standstill—and the ship And, meanwhile, some one had thrown a lifebuoy to the poor sailor who had fallen overboard; and presently he caught it; and then they drew him in by the rope, and he was saved. Whereupon the captain suddenly gave another sign, and the huge engine began once more to move, and in a very little time was moving at its former speed. Only a few minutes had passed altogether, and there was the machine working away again with the old ponderous regularity of movement, just as if it had never been and could not be interfered with! Then the little boy saw, not only that the captain could at once stop the engine