there is another class, which appear to obey no prescribed law, and to follow no regular order in their Occurrence. These are what men call accidents, fortuitous events, the effects of chance or fortune. But what do they mean by these terms? Is it anything but this, that they do not, like the events above referred to, obey any known rule-that is, any rule known to them? But no one who has any just views of a superintending God, can believe they take place without His knowledge and supervision; that, like all other events, they are finally to be traced to Him. Accidents though we call them, and trifling though they may be in themselves, they are yet continually deciding the most momentous interests. All history is full of examples. Battles are won or lost; thrones set up or overturned; dynasties founded or destroyed; the greatest discoveries made or missed; by circumstances as apparently fortuitous, and sometimes, also, of as little intrinsic importance as the turning of a die. He too, who will look back upon the history of his past life, or of the past year, will find that his fortunes have often turned on similar occurrences. Can we hesitate to admit, then, for a moment, that events like these are under the supervision and direction of Him in whom we live and have our being? If so, it is obvious, and here again we would ask the especial attention of the reader, that these may be directed in answer to our prayers, without infringing or interrupting any of the known laws of nature, since they are whol ly independent of their control. And, as they are thus directly to be ascribed to God, and are thus under His direct agency, and do thus seriously affect the destinies

of men, is it irrational to infer, that it is by means of these chances or accidents, as we call them, that God prepares an especial moral discipline for every individual who lives? However this may be, it is plainly evident, and this is all we are now concerned to maintain, that he may thus answer the prayers of every individual, without at all deviating from the established course of nature. Herein,' says a very able and excellent writer, 'especially is manifested the perfection of the Divine wisdom, that the most surprising conjunctions of events are brought about by the simplest means, and in a manner that is perfectly in harmony with the ordinary course of human affairs. This is, in fact, the great miracle of Providence-that no miracles are needed to accomplish its purposes.'*

Enough, and probably more than enough attention has been given to this alleged objection; but we have another reply, which to us seems, in itself, so decisive, that it may be proper to suggest it before leaving the subject. It is founded on the well-known fact, that thoughts and suggestions are continually rising in the mind, which observe no known law, which come and depart, wholly independently of our volitions, and whose origin, character and continuance are all beyond our comprehension. There is no part, perhaps, of that dark and yet unexplored subject, the human mind, which baffles inquiry more than those laws of association by which its different thoughts, feelings or states are connected together. It is a well-known fact, too, that some of the fairest and most splendid creations of

'Natural History of Enthusiasm,' Section vi.

cause.

genius, and some of the greatest discoveries in every department of human knowledge, have been in this way originally suggested. Men call this fortuitous, accidental; by which they must mean, if they mean anything, as we have already said, that these elementary suggestions or hints come from some unknown But the cause though unknown to them cannot be unknown to God. May He not then, and this, again, is the precise point to be attended to, may He not use these unknown methods of operating upon the human mind, to bring about any result which to Him seemeth good; and this, too, without interfering with, or suspending, for an instant, any of the known or permanent laws of nature? Might he not thus send an answer of acceptance, or gracious return, to any prayer? Might He not, to take an example before alluded to, send a thought or suggestion into any mind, which being arrested and dwelt upon by the individual, would lead to a precise knowledge, and furnish a complete antidote or cure of that pestilence which is walking in darkness,' in the midst of us? In what other way, or by what other agency, to adduce one instance out of many, was the great discovery of Vaccination originated and carried out into its beneficent results? the atheist, if he please, call it accident; but he who believes in the superintending care of God, will regard it as His gracious work. Here then is one more method by which the Hearer of prayer' may give an express answer to our petition, not only without interfering, in the slightest degree, with the known and permanent laws of His universe, but even through the ministry of those very laws. And as the whole weight

Let

of the objection before us rests upon the assumption that this cannot be done, the inference seems to be inevitable, that the objection is altogether worthless.

We have contented ourselves, thus far, with showing that God may send answers of acceptance to our pray. ers, without interfering with the known laws of nature. This is sufficient for our present purpose. It fully meets the objection before us. But we might, if it were deemed necessary, go further and assert, that it is highly probable that He does thus act by an agency independently of these general laws. These are necessary to the well being of men, that they may be enabled to act in reference to the future with decisive foresight and calculation. This is their final cause or end. But there is no reason for supposing that the same system of general laws continues beyond the point where this final cause or end terminates. If, on the contrary, it be probable that there are many cases, in which the gracious purpose of God, in regard to man, may be but effected, without this agency of general laws, in the sphere beyond man's observation, then it is in the same degree probable, that He will thus act. Now, in point of fact, this probability is very strong. The blind and unbending effect of general laws, may, in a great variety of particular instances, produce more evil than good. Indeed in the great variety and complexity of events in human life it must be so. And, as we cannot suppose that the final results of any act of God will be evil, in all these cases supposed, it is highly probable that He will thus act independently of the known and obvious laws of creation, to counteract

that overbalance of evil, which would result from the, uncontrolled effect of these general laws.

We proceed now to advert to some other leading objections against the efficacy of prayer which are sometimes thought to be of importance. But as they are carefully examined in the leading treatises on this subject, we shall spare ourselves much detail. As the former objection was derived from the permanency of the laws of Creation, so these are derived from the inherent perfections of the Creator. Thus, God, it is said, is infinitely wise, and knows better than we do ourselves, what we really need, and that prayer, therefore, in this point of view, must be useless. The simple answer to this is, that it is no object of prayer to give information to the omniscient God. And, as this is not the efficacy which is claimed for prayer, it appears to be very irrelevant to deny such an efficacy.

Again, it is said, God is unchangeable, and that therefore it is a mere presumption to imagine that we may prevail upon Him by our importunities. The reply is, that we do not attempt or expect to make any change in the essential character of God by our prayers. And if it be asked what we do expect, we reply, it is not unreasonable to believe, that, if we make a change in our conduct and relations towards Him, He will make a change in His treatment of us. It is no part of our present business, as we have said, to show the grounds of our belief in the efficacy of prayer, but we may just intimate here, that if it be necessarily fit and proper that dependent beings should humbly seek of God the blessings they constantly need; then it is necessarily fit and proper that God