any brought to
Christ through her, he wondered what her trouble might be. She soon told
him. God had blessed her work, but, alas, the enjoyment she once had had
in God's word and secret prayer had been lost. And she had tried her
utmost to get it back, and had failed. "Ah! that is just your mistake,"
he said. "How that? Ought I not to do my best to have the coldness
removed?" "Tell me," he said, "were you saved by doing your best?" "Oh,
no! I tried long to do that, but only found rest when I ceased trying,
and trusted Christ." "And that is what you need to do now. Enter your
closet at the appointed time, however dull you feel, and place yourself
before your Lord. Do not try to rouse an earnestness you do not feel;
but quietly say to Him that He sees how all is wrong, how helpless you
are, and trust Him to bless you. He will do it; as you trust quietly,
His Spirit will work."

The simple story may teach many a Christian a most blessed lesson in the
life of prayer. You have accepted of Christ Jesus to make you whole, and
give you strength to walk in newness of life; you have claimed the Holy
Spirit to be in you the Spirit of Supplication and Intercession; but do
not wonder if your feelings are not all at once changed, or if your
power of prayer does not come in the way you would like. It is a life of
faith. By faith we receive the Holy Spirit and all His workings. Faith
regards neither sight nor feeling, but rests, even when there appears to
be no power to pray, in the assurance that the Spirit is praying in us
as we bow quietly before God. He that thus waits in faith, and honours
the Holy Spirit, and yields himself to Him, will soon find that prayer
will begin to come. And he that perseveres in the faith that through
Christ and by the Spirit each prayer, however feeble, is acceptable to
God, will learn the lesson that it is possible to be taught by the
Spirit, and led to walk worthy of the Lord to all well pleasing.

NOTE C, Chap. IX. p. 111

Just yesterday again--three days after the conversation mentioned in the
note to chap. vii.--I met a devoted young missionary lady from the
interior. As a conversation on prayer was proceeding, she interposed
unasked with the remark, "But it is really impossible to find the time
to pray as we wish to." I could only answer, "Time is a quantity that
accommodates itself to our will; what our hearts really consider of
_first importance_ in the day, we will soon succeed in finding ti