Pray, says an old minister, for the grace of tears. Our watching will be all the clearer for our tears. Thomas Toller of Kettering was once asked how he could remain so un­moved when all his hearers were weeping. He replied, with deep emotion,"My weeping time was yesterday." "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar" (Joel ii. i).       

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"Remember," said Paul, in addressing the elders of the Ephesian church, "that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Oh, those tears which seem to contain a whole body of Christian theology, Christian morality, and Christian experience. Next to the tears of his great Master, shed over Jerusalem, they might affect us more than any tears ever dropped on our cold hard earth. And both together, the tears of Jesus and of his servant Paul teach us that one of the qualifications of a good minister of Christ is a tender affectionate heart, and that one of the fittest occasions of his tears is the condition of impenitent sinners. Let us for a moment dwell on Paul's words: "For the space of three years" What a contribution! Three years out of thirty to a single church -- so much for the time. "I warned" -- earnestly, solemnly entreated, and besought men to be reconciled to God -- so much for the manner and matter of his ministry. "Day and night" -- whether refreshed or fatigued, in season and out of season -- so much for opportunity. "I ceased not" -- without intermission or interruption -- so much for perseverance. "Every one" -- not only the ministers, but the members of the Ephesian church; not only the members collectively, but individually; not only after conversion but before -- so much for persons.  "With tears" -- so much for charity. It is manly to weep where there is occasion for weeping. -- JOHN ANGELL JAMES

Mr. Moody had preached a sermon on Christ's compassion, under which the great audience was moved like the forests swept by the winds. On being asked how he had prepared such a sermon, Mr. Moody answered, "I got to thinking the other day about the compassion of Christ; so I took the Bible and began to read it over to find out what it said on the subject. I prayed over the texts as I went along, until the thought of His infinite compassion overpowered me, and I could only lie on the floor of my study, with my face in the open Bible, and cry like a child." -- DR. Roy.      

A traveler anxious to see where M'Cheyne had preached, and worked, went to the Scotch city and found the church. He told the old sexton he had come a long way and wanted to see where M'Cheyne had preached. The sexton said, "Come on," and that old gray-haired Scotchman led the way into M'Cheyne's study. He said, " Sit down in that chair." The traveler hesitated a moment and then sat down. On the table in front of him was an open Bible. He said, "Drop your head in the Bible and cry like a child. That is the way our minister got ready to preach." He said, " Come on with me." He took him up into the Scotch pulpit before the open Bible. " Now," he said, "stand there and drop your head in your hands over the Bible and begin to weep." He said, " That is the way our minister preached."

With a deathless conviction that breaks up the fountains of the deep and wets my face with tears, I shall continue to stand in the shadow of the Cross and hold the Book to my heart and preach the glorious gospel of the Son of God and believe in its everlasting triumph. -- DR. COURTLAND MEYERS            

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