Palladium Of Virginia And The Pacific Monitor

With the following stanzas are from the pen of the poet Montgomery. They evince, as indeed do all of Mr. Montgomery's writings, that he is not only a good poet, but a good man:

ON PRAYER.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Utter'd or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.
Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try,
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters Heaven with prayer.
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, "Behold he prays!"
In prayer on earth the saints are one
In word, in deed, in mind;
When with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.
Nor prayer is made on earth alone:
The Holy Spirit pleads,
And Jesus, on the eternal throne,
For sinners intercedes.
O Thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray.