If we can not learn from the Lord and the apostles how to pray; from the Scriptures, so that _we can pray_ we would not learn from all the prayer-books ever printed. Read the prayers of the Lord and holy men, recorded in Scripture, and the instructions of the Lord and the inspired writings; take the “Concordance” and run through the Bible, read and study all you find about it, and practice it daily, and you find not only that you can learn _how_, but to _love_ to pray, and to be impressed continually with the _importance of it_. Let the desire be in the heart in the words, “Lord, teach us how to pray,” and you will soon learn to ask for any thing you need. UPWARD TENDENCY—REFORMATION NOT A FAILURE—MISSIONARY WORK. The effort we have made, and are now making, at reformation, can never prove a failure upon any ground, unless it be that we have not moral courage enough, as the disciples of Christ—have not sufficient integrity to the great principles of the gospel, to which we have pledged ourselves, to maintain them against the mighty torrent of opposition from the various ranks of bigotry, prejudice, and partyism, together with the combined influence of unbelief and sin. The position we occupy can never fail. While the holy prophets live and speak in their writing; while the preaching of the apostles, their lives, miracles and martyrdoms, live in the memory of men; while Jesus lives, and the throne of the Almighty, upon which he sits, stands unmoved, the position we occupy can not fail. The gospel will live and he who believes it shall never die. The men who believe the gospel, who love it, and hold on to it—keep the faith, press it to their hearts, love and reverence him who gave it, will live co-existent with the years of God. They will never fail; their lives, in this mortal state, will fail; but they, at the same moment, will triumph. They are not in any doubt and uncertainty, in calling upon their fellow man to return to the faith as it was at the beginning. They have no fears that they are wrong, or that they can possibly be mistaken in making the best effort in their power to determine precisely what the ancient faith was, separating it from everything else, and maintaining it before the world. They know they are right in this. In one word, they believe the gospel, maintain and defend it, and nothing else. It is the system they believe, maintain and defend and nothing else. They may not understand everything contained in it, as others who have other systems, do not understand everything in their system; but the system itself we know to be right, infallibly right and that we are infallibly right in maintaining it; not because we understand everything contained in it; but because we know the author of it, and know him to be divine—infallible. We know him, love him and regard him; therefore we know that what proceeds from him is infallible, and love it and regard it. MEN CAN BELIEVE AND DO BELIEVE.