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You will say, I think, because God has told us to pray. Yes, that is the first reason. Jesus said (Matt. vii. 7, 8,) “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

We should pray, because prayer is the breath of the soul; without prayer, the soul is, and must be, in a state of spiritual death. Suppose you were standing by the bed of a dying child. The chamber is all quiet and still. The little one does not speak; you do not hear her voice, but you see her breathe; whilst you watch, her breath grows shorter and feebler, then comes the last gentle breath-her spirit is gone-you say she is dead. So, if you pray from your heart to God, then the Spirit of God is within you; but if you neglect prayer, or say your prayers without thinking what you are doing, then, in the

sight of God, your soul is in a state of death.

We should pray, because God loves to hear our prayers. When the high priest used to approach God in His temple, he burned incense, and the whole temple was filled with a fragrant smell.

God like incense. Turn to

Prayer is to

(Ps. cxli. 2), "Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as the incense." No true prayer, even of the youngest, feeblest child, is ever lost. Jesus gathers it up. He puts it in His golden censer, and presents it to His Father.

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Now, I am going to ask you a question. Will you pay great attention, and put it to your own heart? Do you desire to pray?" The disciple, who said to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray," felt his ignorance, and desired to be taught to pray. Is this your desire, my dear young friend? If not, your heart is in a very sad state. If so, God will teach you to pray by His own gentle Spirit. Oh, ask Him for His

Spirit, and each time that you go into your chamber to pray, before you kneel down upon your knees, pause for one moment, and think, "I am going to pray to God." Then, look up, and say from your heart, "Lord, teach me to pray."

DAVID:

Or, the desire to know one's own heart.

WHAT a wonderful life David's was; and to how many dangers he was exposed! When he was young, he kept his father's flock. It must have been a quiet and happy life. Was he ever in danger then? Yes; a lion and bear attacked his sheep. Then, too, young as he was, he fought with that great giant, from whom all the Israelites ran away in a fright; and he killed him. Afterwards, Saul took him nto his court; but when he heard the people singing, "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands," he was envious, and one day, in a passion, threw a javelin at David, and tried to kill

him. And when David fled from Saul, the envious king pursued him, and hunted him as a "partridge in the mountains." But God protected David, and after ten long years of persecution made him king. Were all his troubles over then? No; when he was old, his son Absalom rebelled against him, and again the aged king was obliged to fly from Jerusalem to save his life. In all these difficulties, there was one thing which comforted David. He almost always remembered, that God saw him. This enabled him to kill the lion and the bear. It gave him courage to fight with Goliath. It made him patient, when he was persecuted by Saul. It comforted him, when his own son rebelled against him. He speaks of it beautifully in (Ps. cxxxix. 1), "O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me." But, perhaps, you will say, "O yes; David must have felt in those great dangers, that God saw him; but did he feel it, too, in all the little things of daily life? Yes. Is it

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