of that history, from beginning to end, but a sort of running and perpetual commentary upon the scriptural declaration? This man asked of God. He asked for all lawful things; but he, as suggested by Dr. Wayland, asked as for the "removal of mountains," yet he asked expecting to receive.

And why did he indulge this expectation? Why this trust? What was its right or propriety? We answer that this confident expectation was founded upon what had been divinely promised, and it was, therefore, perfectly reasonable, and without a particle of fanaticism. The man simply believed Godthe most rational thing under the sun. He who would cavil at the trust exercised by Mr. Müller when asking great and good things of the Lord should begin his cavils with God himself, and with his promise. He should first attack the great pledge that "Every one that asketh, receiveth." The trusting of this pledge was the head and front of this man's offending. Go behind him, therefore, ye who demur, and hold your controversy with God that promised. The unreasonableness of the prayer of faith, and the whole of it, is that of trusting Him who cannot lie.

But how can one "believe that he receives?" receives while he sees nothing, feels nothing, and all is vacancy? Ask some little boy whose father, kind, excellent, and true, is sitting before him, and whom the child never thought of distrusting. Says this father to his boy, "My son, I have some delicious. apples somewhere near by; ask for one and you shall have it." "Please, pa, give me one;" says the child; and as he thus asks, not a shadow of a doubt crosses his little soul that the apple is forthcoming. His father has the apples, and he has promised one for the asking, and he is true. The confidence or trust of the little boy is as if he were receiving the apple simultaneously with the asking for it. But from human imperfection the asking and receiving are not precisely identical in time. Here the latter must follow the former; and so it often is in the Divine giving, but not necessary or always so. The asking and receiving are often in the same moment. Amid the very moments of Daniel's supplication the Angel of Blessing was descending to him, "being caused to fly swiftly." Quicker than the lightning's flash can He answer the requests that are "made known" to him. The laws of time and succession

bind not that arm, nor limit at all the Infinite goodness. A day, a moment, is with Him as a thousand years. "Believe that ye receive," then, implies no error or fanaticism in him. who is asking of God. Nay, not only is this asking and receiving often simultaneous, but the receiving sometimes anticipates the asking; for "Before they call I will answer," is one of the wondrous presentations of outbursting, overflowing mercy. Its grand proclamation is, "Believe that ye receive!" receive while you are asking, receive as you are, receive now!

But suppose the answer to the trustful prayer is delayed, as it often seems to be; then the doctrine of the Narrative, as well as of the Scriptures, is that the same prayer and trust be persisted in to the last-that it be urged day by day-that the delay of the response is doubtless for the best of reasons, and that the blessing thus sought, and sought earnestly and perseveringly, is sure to be received. So says, also, the Scripture teaching. The importunity of the man who had "nothing to set before" his friend is an illustration. So, also, the poor widow's long persistence with the unjust judge, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him though he bear long with them; I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.'

We conclude, therefore, that the career of Mr. Müllerespecially in his constant and trustful prayer to God-was as fully in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures as its success was remarkable and astonishing.

Our second inquiry is, Whether the Christian community generally have attained to this life of prayer and trust?

We approach this inquiry with sincere reluctance, inasmuch as we fear that it must be answered in the negative. The simple, earnest, persistent, trustful prayer which in this article we have been contemplating is, as we think, certainly wanting with multitudes of professing Christians of every denomination, and with too many, ministers of the Gospel. One man, George Müller, of Bristol, England, as he began his ministry, addressed himself to a life of trust in God-a trust as absolute as possible-in reference to every interest, great and small, with which he was connected; and the spectacle is before the world of what, with this man, a quarter of a century has brought forth. And what a work for one third of a life-time! What if ten thousand

of the Christian ministers had in the same time set themselves to the exercise of that same unfailing trust and that same prevailing prayer? What if a hundred thousand of the Christian laity had, in these last twenty-five years, thus dedicated themselves? No one can doubt that the result would have been immeasurably great and important. Of course, this result would not have generally taken the shape of orphan houses and orphan schools; but that a vast work of heavenly charity in many a beautiful form would have been the issue is as certain as revelation. Mournful is it to meditate that many a Christian, and, it is to be feared, many a Christian minister, stands to this day, in doubt in respect to the prayer of faith and its authority, propriety, and efficiency. The writer remembers with pain that when, at a union meeting some years since in Boston, this prayer and trust were illustrated very nearly as in these pages, an eminent minister of that city arose in his place and remarked, "I cannot believe, yet will not here dispute, the views just presented." But why not believe what God has promised? As to interpretation, is there any room for doubt about his meaning when he asserts that, "Every one that asketh, receiveth?" True, all this is wonderful in the extreme. It is beyond measure astonishing that such a prerogative is deposited with man. It must be granted that it is much as if the doors of the heavenly world were thrown wide open to a man, and he bidden to go in and possess it. True, heaven here comes down to earth. True, this goes far to explain how that "All things are yours." Were a father having immense possessions to say to his son, "Ask what you will, and you shall be gratified," we should pronounce such a son to be rich indeed.

And is not directly here one of the secrets of the difficulty? Is not the very immensity of good proffered by the "exceeding great and precious promises " that which causes us to stagger? "It is too much, too much for belief!" and so multitudes stagger on, and never, in all their lives long reach and grasp the faith that is commensurate with the divine proffers; and so distrust instead of trust characterizes their Christian experience and career, and from year to year till they die they miss, to a painful extent, the faith without which it is impossible to please God. "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!" is

the proclamation. But the mouth remains closed, or opens but slightly, and the fullness remains unknown.

Listen to a thousand prayers, (alas for the seeming necessity of writing this!) listen to the current prayers of a multitude of Christian men--the prayers of the family, of the prayermeeting, of the pulpit. Ponder those words, those formulas, those commonplaces, those circumlocutions, those often prolonged exercises, those wordy addresses and frigid formalities. Ah! where is faith? This would discern the great presence-chamber, and Christ in the midst, and heaven very near, and a world of good accessible and near enough to be touched and appropriated, and the infinite price that purchased it. This would banish all stupor, carelessness, irreverence, spiritual pride, and every vain thought. This would bring the man near to God, and purify his spirit, and chasten his words, and simplify his speech, and lay him infinitely low at the feet of mercy, and would grasp the great and desired blessing.

Faith-Trust! Is not this the grand desideratum all amid the "great and goodly fellowship?" Seizing upon this, and cherishing this, and holding fast forever to this, would not the Christians of the earth go on conquering and to conquer-having in veritable and joyous possession "the victory that overcometh the world?"*

* Our impression is that all this needs its limitations to guard it from fanaticism. Mr. Müller's history seems to us to indicate that his power of faith was a gift, a charism; such as doubtless abounded in the Pentecostal Church, and will abound more and more as the Church again rises to her true Pentecostal and millennial level. And as the gift is bestowed, so it is limited, by the wisdom of the Divine Giver. Even the power of Müller's faith seems limited to certain definite objects. The political rule of the world, the banishment of war, the establishment of perfect law and perfect freedom over and among mankind, are not yet subordinated to the prayer of faith; or, rather, the faith that can subordinate them is not yet given. But we thank God for giving us even an occasional George Müller to furnish the spy-glass through which we catch a vista, showing us the route by which the latter-day glory may be attained.-ED.

ART. VII.

DOCTRINAL PHASES OF UNIVERSALISM
DURING THE PAST CENTURY.

*

OUR Universalist friends of late have said some very caustic things about the changes of Orthodoxy during the last century. This has led to the reply that Universalism has changed, which they have been unwilling to admit.

An examination of this question may not be unprofitable, but may lead to good results, as a contribution to the history of dogmatic thought. As we do so, we shall see that their denominational history divides itself into three doctrinal periods, each marked by its peculiarities.

The First Period extends from the landing of Murray in the United States in 1770, to the close of his ministry in 1809the incipient stage.

The Second Period extends from the close of Murray's labors in 1809, to 1845-the Unitarian transformation.

The Third Period extends from 1845 until the present time.

PERIOD FIRST.-The incipient stage-From the landing of the Rev. John Murray, in 1770, until the close of his ministry in 1809.

Prior to Mr. Murray's arrival in this country, during the middle of the last century, a few original thinkers had appeared in different localities, who had broken away from the current Calvinistic theology, and had asserted the doctrine of the final holiness and happiness of all men. The most of these were Restorationists, who had probably become such largely through the works of Stonehouse and Seigvolk; but the transition was a natural one, for in most minds Universalism was originally a logical deduction from high Calvinism.

In 1741 there appeared in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Dr. George De Benneville, a refugee from persecution in Europe, who soon became very extensively and favorably known as a skillful physician and a lay preacher, who occasionally, for many years, made extensive tours through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, preaching the doctrine of the final restoration of all men to holiness and happiness.

* Embracing all denominations who hold to endless punishment.