In all the history of spiritual literature, one subject of the greatest importance is that of Divine recollection. As many who read this may not have had facilities for extensive religious reading, it may be well to give a sort of definition of what Divine recollection is. To be recollected refers to a state where the mind is calm, and all the faculties are collected with such attentiveness to our surroundings, our relation with God, our adjustment to providence, and the work we have in hand, as to be consciously awake and observant in all these directions. It is called Divine recollection, because the mental faculties are collected in God, in a state of mental prayer. The following points may help us to a clearer view of the subject:

First. Divine recollection is to pay double attention to God and ourselves. It is to keep the mind stayed on the Lord, His universal presence and providence, and at the same time to keep an eye upon our position before God, to watch the dispositions or thoughts that spring up within us, and to carefully remember the duties we have in hand, and to constantly associate ourselves and our work with God. It is similar to the attention which a locomotive engineer gives to his engine and to the track, keeping his hand on the throttle, and his eye upon the iron rails ahead. It is a task which requires firm nerves, and close mental application, for the mind must keep up a double action through the hand in one direction, and through the eye in another. This same double action of attractiveness is also exhibited in the helmsman on a ship, who must have his thoughts constantly collected upon the compass, the wheel, and the open sea that stretches away before him. To think of God, without constant reference to our conduct and character, would produce only cold, speculative philosophy about him; on the other hand, to think only of ourselves, without constantly yielding ourselves up to the will of God, would produce selfrighteous Phariseeism. But this double action of calm, deliberate recollection of God and ourselves, constantly enthrones Him in our lives, and constantly blends all our movements with His grace and providence.

Second. There is a necessity of all Christians who advance in holiness, of forming this habit of Divine recollection, or no headway can be made in the things of God. When the soul is first converted, or first sanctified, there is a freshet of celestial rain, which accomplishes wonders for the soul, and seems to carry us by a heavenly momentum a good ways on our journey, without any special effort on our part; and multitudes of Christians expect the great showers that inundate the soul at such times, to nearly relieve them of any deliberate effort to use their mental powers in acquiring the knowledge of God.

In very wet seasons farmers cannot plow, and the rain seems to monopolize the work, but when the water has run off the ground' unless they diligently get to work with their plows, the ground will bake hard and strangle the crop. There is something just like this in the spiritual life. When the freshets of grace are pouring down on the soul, they seem to supercede any necessity for spiritual reading, or plodding perseverance, or habits of deliberate recollection, or patient interior mental prayer. But when these sweet floods have run their legitimate course, unless the soul applies itself to a life of diligence in plowing the soil, and training the vines, and bringing the mental powers under the discipline of Divine recollection, the soil of the heart will soon pack hard, the mind run to weeds, and the tongue run away with loquacity, and the very floods of grace will yield no fruit. Divine recollection is like keeping the mind in a heavenly climate, where all the graces can grow and ripen to perfection. Constant recollections in God, is that even temperature of the soul, in which it can render the best service, perform the greatest works of righteousness, and at the same time put into these works the most solid devotion to God. Salvation starts in the emotions, but if it does not take hold on the mental, powers, and fasten itself into persistent efforts of spiritual thinking, and reading, and praying, it will inevitably pass away like the evaporation of morning dew. Here is where thousands who were once shouting happy in the Lord have failed, and are now twice dead, because they never, from the depths of their nature, determined to make Christ-likeness the business of their lives. They would be saints, providing they could float down the river all the time on a raft in a revival freshet. Only a few Christian people put their brains in the service of God. They may believe in loving God with all their hearts, but not with all their minds, and all their will power.

Third. The blessed habit of Divine recollection must be acquired by degrees, and is not to be misunderstood with the instantaneous cleansing. Still, some persons acquire it a great deal more rapidly than others, and great trouble, or mortification of spirit, wonderfully facilitates a soul in acquiring deep recollectedness of God; for whatever most thoroughly tears us away from the world, or knocks the earthly props away from under ns, or detaches us from all creatures, and drives us most profoundly into the bosom of God, will serve to spiritualize the mind, and assist in forming habits of constant mental prayer. There is no easy, royal road to the practice of Divine recollection; it must be acquired with effort, yet not with any over straining or vehemence of spirit, for any effort of the soul that chafes or discourages, or produces turbulence, is not of grace. One of the steps in the acquisition of Divine recollection is that of silence, or checking ourselves when we are about to speak, and mentally asking ourselves, is there a real need for us to speak, and what good will it do, and is our speaking a mere impulse of self. Millions of words would never be uttered, if professing Christians, if even the professors of holiness, would practice this mortification of silence. The crucifixion of the tongue to so much talk comes after the crucifixion of inbred sin in the heart, and is accomplished by very few. Another step to holy recollection is to check all eagerness for the hearing of news, and wanting to know everything about the foolish world around. Sinners and baby Christians pride themselves on keeping up with the times, which simply means, without their knowing it, they are keeping in with Satan's procession.

Newspapers keep multitudes from a life of prayer, and the interior knowledge of themselves, and communion with God. The news we ought to know can very quickly be learned.

Another step to recollection, is to avoid any effort to make a show of our religion, to study simplicity, never to make an ostentation of holiness, but to live as holy as possible without ever wanting to show it off. Nothing would be a greater crucifixion to some Christians than to refrain themselves from ever making a display of their religion.

Hence, in the practice of silence, or the speaking of few words when in company, we should never do it in such a way as to render ourselves singular, ill-mannered, but with modesty and sweetness of spirit.

Another method of recollection, is not to over-burden ourselves with work or manifold cares. Nature likes to bustle, and rush, and do many things, but grace is just the opposite.

Fourth. It is in a state of Divine recollection that we can catch the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, and detect the guiding hand of our heavenly Father's providence. It is the only condition of clear spiritual vision, where the soul can detect the approaches of temptation, and the devices of Satan, which always have a look of reason, or beauty, or winsome successfulness, or philanthropic air about them. The Devil paints all his plans with something plausible' and it requires a spiritual that is clear' and steady' and slow' to look through the point, and discover the fraud. And finally it is only in a state of Divine recollection that we keep in a frame of mental prayer. When the soul has a holy recollectedness, it can at any time engage in prayer, with some depth and fervor of heart.

For lack of recollection, when many Christians go to prayer, it takes all their time to get disengaged from the rush and noise of life, and to empty out the perplexities from their hearts, and the images from their minds, and when the season of prayer is ended, they have scarcely reached the starting place of real prayer to their heavenly Father. It is holy recollection in the soul that gives solidity and weight to Christian life, it shuts off wildness, foolishness, levity, talkativeness, it keeps the mental faculties elevated, well balanced, and in an attitude to meet Jesus. This habit of Divine recollection is precisely what the apostle means, "by girding up the loins of our mind, and being sober, and hoping to the end, for the grace we shall receive at the revelation of Jesus Christ."