TheRealmofPrayer 10058111

T HE R E A L M O F
P R A YE R
R . H . C OATS M A . B D . .
fi r ms or EN G L I SH P I B TV ,
" "
R I ST I AN
T HE C H u rn , mc .
I w ill pr ay with t h e spirit , a n d I will pray

with the un dersta n ding a lso
M A C M I L LA N A N D CO .
, L I M I TE D
ST. M A R T I N S ST R E E T L O N D O N
’
,
CO N TE N TS
CH A P TE R I
THE D I GN ITY O F P RA Y ER
CH A P TE R II
THE NA T U E R OF P RA YE R
CH A P TE R III
THE D EV E LO P M EN T O F PR AYE R
CHA P TE R I V
THE THEOLO GY O F P RA YER
CHA P TE R V
THE P S Y H OLOG Y O F
C P RA Y ER
CH AP TE R V I
LA WS OF P RA YER
CHA P TE R V I I
vi C ON TE N TS
CH A P TE R V III
THE P RA Y ER O F PE TI T I ON
CH A P TE R IX
THE P RA YE R OF IN T ER CE SS I ON
CH A P TE R X
PRA Y ER AND THE NA T U RAL O RDER
CH A P TE R XI
PR AY ER AN D HEALI NG
CH A P TE R XII
THE P RA Y ERS O F TH E O L D -TES T A MEN T
CH A P TE R XIII
THE PRA YERS O F T HE N EW TES T A MEN T
CH A P TE R XI V
THE P RA Y ERS OF J ES U S
CH A P TE R XV
THE PRA Y ERS O F TH E SA N T U A R Y

C
CH A P TE R XV I
PR AYERS O F T H E SE C RE T P LA C E
CO N TE N TS vii
CH A P TE R X V II
THE P RA YE R O F M YS T I C UN I ON
A PP END X I O F Q U O TA TI ONS
A . Th e N ature o f P raye r
B . Th e N e c e ssity of P raye r
C . Th e V alue of P raye r
D Th e E fficacy of P raye r
E G reat Sou ls at Prayer

F . Th e P ract ic e of P raye r
G M ethods of P raye r
H D iffi culty an d D istractio n in Praye r

J D ry n es s an dFatigue in P raye r
K . P raye r without C e as in g
L . I n te rc e ssory an d E ucharistic P raye r

M . Liturgica l an d Fre e Praye r
Th e P raye r of M yst ic U n io n
IND EX
Whe n on e that ho ld s commu n io n with th e skies
, ,
Has fille d h is urn wh e re tho se pu re waters r ise ,
A nd on ce more m in g le s with us m ea n er th in g s ,
Tis eve n as if an a n g e l shook h is win g s

’
Immortal frag ra n c e fi lls t h e c ircu it wide

,
That te lls us wh e n c e h is tre asure s are Supp lie d .
So wh e n a sh ip we ll fre ighte d w ith th e stor e s

,
Th e sun mature s o n sp icy I n d ia s shores

’
,
Has drop pe d h e r a n chor an d h er ca nva s fur le d

, ,
I n som e safe have n of our weste r n world ,

’
Twe r e va in e n q u iry to what port sh e we nt ,
”
Th e g ale in form s us lad e n with th e sc ent
m
.
,
C OW P E R Cha r
, .
CHAPTER 1
THE D I G N ITY O F P RA Y E R
An d my en d in g is d espa ir
U n less I b e reliev e d b y p raye r ,
W h ich p ie rc e s so t ha t it assau lts

,
M e rcy it se lf an d fr e es all fau lts

, .
SHA KES P E A RE E p ilogue to Th e, Tempest .
Th e act of prayin g is t h e v e ry high est en e rgy of whi ch th e

hu man min d is capa ble To pray as G o d wou ld hav e us
.
,
this is wha t a t times mak es me tu rn co ld to my sou l B e li e ve .
me to pray with all your h e art an d stre n gth with t h e r e a so n

, ,
an d t h e will to be lie v e vi vid ly that G o d will list e n to your

,
vo ice through Christ an d v e rily do th e thin g He p le ase th

,
th e re upo n — this is th e last t h e gre at est ach ie ve m en t of t h e

,
Christian s warfare upo n e arth Teach us to pray O Lord

’
.
,
S T C OLER I DGE Tab le Talk (e d A sh e ) pp 90 9 1

. .
,
.
,
.
,
.
M A N‘S n obl est art is t h e art of holdi n g fellow ship with

’
GOd I n no Oth e r activity of th e spirit do we e xercise

so ma n y of our highest faculti es or direct th e m to ,
ward s an obj ect so sublim e For prayer is t h e co n ver se .
of th e soul with God an d th e shapi n g of our en tire

,
i nward an d outward life according to His will as th e ,
re sult of that con ver se T h i s is an arti stry th e

mat erial s for which we mu st fin d withi n our se lves .
Not ston es n or m etal s n or fi nely woven fabrics are

, , ,
C. R. P . A
2 THE REALM OF PRAYER
th e stu ff that is given us to b e made i n to a thi n g of
b eauty but th e i n sti n ct s foibl es an d el em en t al pa ssion s
, , ,
of our own n ature I n proportio n to th e in tract a .
b ilit y of thi s mat erial is t h e diffi culty of our ta sk an d ,
t h e m ea sur e of our achi e ve m e n t an d our r eward .
Hard though it may b e to fa shion a pi ec e of marbl e

aft er t h e model s of Phidia s or Michael A n gelo it is ,
i n fi nit ely harde r to moul d a huma n life compact e d of ,
ma n y flaw s aft er t h e p erfect patt er n of Chri st J esu s

,
.
Man y c an mak e a con cord of sweet sou n d s out of th e

el em en t s of e art h ly mu sic but few are abl e worthily ,
to discourse c el e stial mu sic by tu nin g their spirits

to fullest harmo n y with th e will of God Like all .
n obl e art t h e art of praye r make s e xacti n g d em

,
an ds
upo n those who would pur su e it ear n estly It is great .
say s Thoma s a K empi s

”
skill , to k n ow how to com ,
”
mu ne with J esu s Joh n Milton fou n d that if h e was
.
1
,
to writ e poetry well h e mu st him self b ecome a tru e ,
poe m 2
. Similarly if we would pray w ell it is with
, ,
a seriou s e ffort to p erfect our whol e life that we

mu st begin Th e n ec e ssary prelimi n aries are purity
.
of i n t en tion co n c en tratio n of purpo se sen sibility of

, ,
spirit ,co n stan cy of applicatio n an d a stren uous ,
se v e rity of moral an d spi ri tual self di scipli ne in t h e -
whole heart e d followi n g of great ideal s

-
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It is t h e fu n ctio n of prayer as th e hi ghest of all ,
t h e art s to make t h e soul of man a habitatio n of God

,
in t h e Spirit —a t empl e n ot made with ha n d s whose ,
fou n datio n shal l b e faith ; whose soari n g colum n s ,
hop e who se over archi n g dom e th e wide expan se of-

,
love If thi s is e ver to b e reare d as a t h i n g of b eauty

.
, ,
1
I mitation f
o Ch rist , book 11 . hap
C . viii .
A pology for Smectymn us .

THE DI G NITY OF P RAYER 3
th e body mu st b e subj ugat e d an d made tru e yoke

fellow of th e soul t h e mi n d mu st b e i llumi n ed t h e
,
-
,
con scien c e cl ea n se d th e imagi n ation h eight en ed th e

, ,
will dire cted an d rei n forc ed th e he art s a ffection s made

,
’
passio n at e an d pure an d all subdu ed to t h e ob e di en c e

,
an d lov e of God .Thi s is an arduou s an d mighty

work such as may n ot b e wrought save through th e
,
pati en t chi selli ng of co n sta n t prayer To co n c eive .
of God aright in th e first place as t h e Father of our

, ,
spirit s to b e truly an d m ee kly co n sciou s of our nee d

of Him to hold Him without di stractio n in th e focus
of our tho ught to ren der Him t h e love an d homage
which are most due to d esire from Him at all tim es
o n ly that which will promot e His own glory an d our
highe st good ; an d to b e willi n g to u n dergo what
e v e r cha st e nin g may b e r e quire d for t h e attai n m e n t of
that e n d— this is t h e programme and curriculum of

prayer Wh at c an so worthily e n gage our powers ?
.
Of prayer more tha n of an y other qu est of th e huma n

spirit it may b e said ars lon ga v ita brevis est Some
m
.
,
arts ther e are which a an may hope to ma ster eve n

withi n th e compa ss of a huma n life ; but th e art of
prayer is n ot on e of these D e ath mu st n eed s over
.
take e ven th e most practi se d an d u n we ari e d sain t whil e

h e is ye t but an appr en tic e in t h e art Of prayer .
It is a suffici en t proof of th e dign ity of prayer that ,
it Ca n n ot b e tra n sc en de d or supe rsede d by an y activity

of th e spirit n obler tha n it self Rather all bra n che s
.
,
of huma n cultur e sci en c e philo sophy an d th e fin e

, , ,
art s l ead up fi n ally to t h e utt era n ce of devotion

, ,
e v en as t h e li n es of a f ai r sa n ctuary co n v erg e on it s
i n n er shri ne Lord Baco n aft er car efully surve yi n g th e

.
,
whol e re alm of philo sophy an d ci v il k n owl edge come s to.
,
th e co n clu sion that h is en quiri es th erei n have but t h e
value of a prelimi n ary i n vestigation not much b ett er ,
than that n oise or sou n d which mu sicia n s make whil e

th ey are intumng their i n strumen t s which is n othi n g ,
pl easa n t to hear but yet is a cau se why th e mu sic

,
is sweet er aft erwards He forthwith add s :

. Now
le t us com e to that l e ar nin g which both t h e form er tim es
w ere n ot so bl essed as to k n ow sacred an d i n spired ,
divi nity th e Sabbath an d port of all m en s labour s an d

,
’
pe regri n ation s 1
If then all k n owl edge culmin
.
”
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at e s in divi nity divmity it self surely culmi nat e s in

,
prayer which is th e actu al apprehen sion an d en j oy

,
m en t of th e livi n g God through love an d faith No .
man c an e ver hop e to b ecom e so right e ou s so h oly ,

’
so gift ed or so wise as to b e b eyon d th e n eed of praye r

,
.
Nay rather it may b e said e very huma n exc ell en c e

, , ,
divorc ed from prayer com es short of it s proper an d

,
ideal glory ; an d every grac e of culture or charact er ,
or con duct shi nes with a n obl er radian c e when h e who

, ,
po ssesses it reveren tly ack n owl edge s t h e source from

which it com es an d seeks it s co n secratio n a n d en
,
h an cemen t through fellowship with God .
Pie ty h as fou n d
Frien d s in th e frien d s of scien c e an d t ru e pray e r ,
Has flow d from lip s we t wi h Ca sta lian d e ws

’ ” 3
t .
Thi s i nheren t worth an d dign ity of prayer as that ,
which appropriat ely crown s all oth er activities of

creat ed spirit s may b e se e n from th e plac e give n to it
,
in t h e glowi n g ca n to s which bri n g Da n t e s P a radiso

’
to a rapturous an d adori n g close Wh en th e poet s .

’
1
A dvan cemen t f
o L earn ing , book ii . chap xxiv
. .
C owp er ,
Th e Task iii , . 2 49- 2 5 1 .
T HE DIGNITY OF P RA Y ER 5
aspiratio n s have reache d their utmost bou n d they ,
are h elpe d an d bor ne o n ward s fir st by B e atric e an d , ,
th en still furth er pe ak b e yo n d pe ak by St B e r n ard

, , .
of Clairvaux who him se lf c an but gaze upward s upo n

,
t h e full er glory of t h e circl e s of prayi n g spirit s who

make up t h e pe tal s of th e Mystic Ro se I n high est .
heaven there is n othi n g that tra n sc e n ds th e fellow ship

of prayer ; an d Da nt e en tra nc e d grat efully yi elds , ,
himse lf to th e stream of cosmic adoratio n retur ni n g to

it s Sourc e .
A ll alta fan ta sia qui maa po ssa

'
ma gia vo lgeva il mio disiro e il velle ,
si com e ro ta ch e gua lm en t e é mo ssa

’
l
'
amor ch e mov e il sole e l altre stelle ’
.
” 1
This rightful co nce ssio n of sove reign ty an d pre

emi ne n c e to d e votio n is furth e r sugg est e d in our ,
e arthly sph er e by t h e subordi n atio n of all art s to t h e

,
art of praye r in t h e ca reful orderi n g of a cathedral

se rvic e .Th e v ariou s muse s of pai n ti n g poe try , ,
music sculpture an d architecture are th en mo st

, , ,
com ely whe n th e y se rve as t h e ha n dmaids of r eligion ,
an d wait upo n pi e ty as t h e e yes of a se rva n t wait upo n
h er mi str e s s All th e higher activiti es of man in th e

.
realm of art rej oic e to bri n g th eir glory an d hon our

i n to th e hou se of God an d the y achi eve th eir most
,
n obl e an d pe rf e ct work in providi n g a shr i ne for praye r .
1
P aradiso xxxiii 1 4 2 1 4 5 Compare Ri chard Hoo k e r :
, .
-
. Th e
kn owledge is small which we have o n earth con c rnin g thin gs that e
are don e in he ave n N otwithstan din g thus much w k n ow e ve n e
of Sai n ts in he ave n that they pray A n d th r fore prayer be in g

.
, . e e
a work common to t h e Church as well triumphan t as milita t a n , .
work common u n to me n with An gels what should we thin k but ,
that so much of our lives is cele tial an d divin e as we spe n d in t h e

s
e xe rcise of praye r (E ccles P olity boo k v chap xxiii )

. , . . ”
Th e il t archit ectur e an d th e spe aki n g mu sic t h e
s en ,
whit e statuary an d t h e colour ed wi n dow s t h e sol em n ,
shadow s an d t h e lu strou s light s t h e rob es t h e tape s

, ,
tri es th e j ewell e d altar are combi ne d an d harmo ni ze d

, ,
with on e sol e obj ect to help th e flight of ma n s a spiri n g

,
’
spirit Th ey exi st in such a combi n ation n ot to c al l

.
, ,
att en tion to them selv es as obj e ct s of grac e an d b eauty

, ,
but rather to poi n t b e yon d th em selves subordi n ati n g ,
t h e aesth e tic to th e r eligiou s se n timen t an d i n viti n g w e ak ,
man to th e practic e of an art harde r an d more n obl e

than that by which th ey th em se lves came i n to b ei n g .
H en c e it is that a b eautiful sa n ctuary always m ea n s

more to th e truly devout wor shippe r howeve r humbl e , ,
t h a n ever it c an m ea n t o t h e m erely curiou s or dilet

ta n t e sight see r however arti stic O nly to t h e form er
-
, .
does it utt er it s full e st m essage It is when t h e wor ship

.
of God be gi n s an d t h e voic e of prai se an d prayer ari se s

,
from huma n heart s that t h e wall s of a cath edral may

,
really b e said to sp eak Then obj ect s of i n t er e st an d

.
,
b eauty which take n se parat ely or tog eth e r might

, ,
call u n due atten tio n to th emselve s at othe r tim es ,
fall i n to th eir place s as part s of an ide al whole Th eir .
previou s dumb n ess is tran slat e d i n to speech Th e

'
purpose for which the y w ere cr eat e d is ac compli she d .
Th ey straightway b ecome backgrou n d an d n ot fore

grou n d secon dary an d n ot primary m ea n s an d n ot
, ,
end , th e h elpf ul e n viro n m en t of a praye rful n ess of

spirit which u ses th em but to pa ss b e yo n d th em .
O nly in th e presen c e of t h e prayi n g man do th ey th em

selv es giv e forth th eir my stic voic e Wh en h e r etur n s.
from his e x erci se of prayer an d th e wor ship of God

,
is over they too c ease to b e participan t s in adoratio n

,
an d r elapse i n to t h e sil e n c e of e xpe cta n cy agai n .

THE DIGNITY OF PRAYER 7
No on eof t h e art s c an do more tha n impe rfe ctly

an d stamm e ri n gly e xpre ss what t h e spirit of man ,
voici n g t h e soul of t h e whol e world see ks by their aid ,
to utt er in praye r b efore God Mu sic pe rhap s b e .

, ,
cause it is th e mo st spiritual of all t h e art s is t h e be st ,
fitt e d to b e com e t h e u n t ai n t e d vehicle of ma n s prai se ’
an d praye r an d to sugge st som e thi n g of those h e ave n ly

,
harmo ni es which t h e soul wo uld utt e r—or at l e a st

might overh ear— did n ot t h e muddy ve sture of
decay so closely h em it in Ge orge H erb ert was one .
who did n ot req uire much stimulu s to i n d uc e his spirit

to asc en d to God in praye r ; but n othi n g so rai se d
him to th e tra n sports of devotio n as t h e sw ee t grave
mu sic of th e sa n ct uary Though h e was a love r of
'
retiredn e ss yet his love to mu sic was such that h e w e n t

,
usually twic e e ve ry w eek on c e rt ain appoi n t e d days , ,
to th e Cath edral Church in Sali sb u ry ; an d at h is

retur n would say Tha t his tim e spe n t in prayer an d
,
cath edr al mu sic el e vat ed his soul an d was h is he ave n ,
upo n e arth 1
.
’
Fi n ally it is th e glory of huma n praye r that it is

,
th e fi n i sh e d product n ot of ma n s arti stry o n ly but of

’
, ,
God s al so We are God s poe m or workma n ship

’
.
’
,
”
,
says th e apostl e Paul cre at e d in Chri st J e su s u n to

,
good works 2
A n d i n dee d t h e ta sk of bri n gi n g a huma n
.
,
soul i n to f ull an d pe rf e ct harmo n y with t h e hol y will
of G od an d of co n ducti n g it safely throughout from it s

,
fir st spiritual vocatio n to it s fi n al b eatific ation is so ,
divi n e an d gr eat a work that o n ly t h e grac e of God

c an accompli sh it at la st If th en t h e Chri stia n .
,
bu sy with good work s c an b e calle d God s p oem ,

’
may n ot t h e praye r of such a Chri stia n b e fitly spoken

,
1
I zaa W alton
k , Lif
e o f G eorge Her b er t .
3
E ph ii
. . 10 .
of as God s lyric t h e finelv exqui sit e product of His
’
Spirit wit ne ssi ng an d c o ope rati ng with our own ? -
It is tru e that th e h eaven s declare t h e glory of God ,
an d t h e firmame n t sh oweth His ha n diwork But in .
n othi n g is t h e fi n g e r of God mor e ma n if est tha n in t h e
divi ne artistry with which He mould s th e huma n

spirit to d evoti on It was t h e work of God t h e Father
.
to cre at e man ; th e work of God th e Son to redeem

him but it r equires th e work of God th e Holy Spirit
to i n cli ne his h eart to pray .
I n thi s ca se surely fin is coronat op us

, B ehold h e , .
prayeth may w ell b e th e exclamation of rej oici n g

a n gel s for o nly t h e spirit of prayer in man crow n s
,
t h e cre ati n g an d a n sw e r s t h e r ede e mi n g work of t h e

,
”
Et er n al God Earth was n ot Earth says G e orge ,
”
M ere dith b efor
,
e h e r so n s appe ar e d
1
Th e k ey .
to h er my st erie s was as yet hidden I n like manner .
we may say : Man is n ot man till h e fi n d s utt e ra n c e

in praye r an d God s cr e ati n g an d r e deemi n g purpose s
’
are co n summat e d at la st A sc en di n g n ature attain s .
it s suprem e climax an d r el e a se in spiritual d evotio n .
God creat ed th e world at fir st with a fi n al an d c on

sta n t r ef er e n c e to t h e n ew cr e atio n who se n ative spe e ch
is praye r Th e whol e cr eatio n thu s com es home to

.
God in prayer Wh en we pray to th e God of th e

'
whole cr eatio n so far from cro ssi n g n ature we give it

, ,
ton gue lift it to it s divi ne st purpo se fu n ction an d

, , ,
glory Natur e exc el s h er se lf in our prayer Creatio n

. .
tak es it s tr ue e ffect in p er so n ality which at o n c e ,
re si st s it crow n s it an d u n der sta n ds it Th e world

, , .
was made to wor ship God for God s glory This is ’

.
made vocal in our praye r 2 .

”
1
A ppreciation .
2
P . T . Forsyth , L ondon Q uarterly R eview , O ct . 1 91 5 .
CHAPTER II
THE NA TU R E O F P RA YE R
P ray e r t h e Church es
ba n qu e t A n gels age , ,
Go d s b r ea th in man r e turn in g to h is birth ,
Th e sou l in paraphra se h e art in p ilgrima ge , ,
Th e Christia n plumm e t sou n d in g h e av n an d e art h

’
So ftn esse , p eac e an d joy an d lov e

an d , , ,
an d blisse ,
E xalt e d M a n n a gla dn e sse of t h e b e st

, ,
H e av en in ordin arie man w ell dr est , ,
Th e milkie way t h e b ird of P aradise

, ,
Church -b els b eyo n d t h e starr e s h e ard t h e sou ls , blo n d ,
Th e lan d of Sp ic e s som e th in g u n d e rstood

”
.
G EORGE HERBER T , P rayer .
P ray e r is li ke Op en in g a slu ic e be t we en t h e grea t oc ean

an d our little cha n n els wh en t h e ,
gre a t sea gath e rs itself
togeth r an d flows in a t full t id
e e .
A lfred Lo d T r en nys n , o A M emo ir, by h is Son ,
v ol . i . p .
324 .
IN Wi lliam Blake s volum e of e mbl ematic ske tche s

’
e n titl e d Th e Gates of P a radise is a d e sig n b eari n g t h e ,
title I wan t ! I wa n t ! an d re prese n ti n g a man ”
e age rly cla spi n g a ladd er of light that ri se s from his
feet t o th e starry h eaven s Like so man y of Blak e s .

’
drawi n gs th e sketch is rich in spiritual all egory an d

,
10
THE NAT U RE OF PRAYER 1 1
suggestio n What is man but a b ei n g who wan ts

.
thi n gs who wa n t s bl e sse d ness i nfi nity t h e star s th e

, , , ,
heaven s ? God h as put et er nity i n to h is h e art an d ,
made him re stle ss with a cravi n g that re fu se s to b e

at pe ac e u n til it fin d rest an d sati sfactio n in God
Him self Th e n atural e xpre ssio n of thi s fu n damen tal
.
wa n t is praye r Prayer is ma n s mo st ru dim en tary an d

.
’
charact eri stic life attitude one which is th e pre sup

-
,
po sition of all religio n an d a n t e dat e s th e daw n even of

Co n sciou sne ss it se lf Prayer is ma n s d ema n d upo n ’
.
r eality h is re actio n upo n life h is cl ai m that t h e uni

, ,
ver se which gave him b ei n g an d pla n te d c e rtai n ,
cravi n gs within his n ature shall in some way sati sfy ,
th ese cravi n g s .
In this sen se th e prayer of man b e gi n s with his

,
e arli est br e ath Th e mom e n t h e com es forth i n to t h e

.
world of livi n g b ei n g s an i nfa n t cryi ng in th e n ight , ,
an d with n o la n guage but a cry h e at o n c e proc ee d s ,
to voic e t h e mo st radical an d fu n dam e n tal thi n g about

him— his wa n t h is n eed his h elpl essn e ss h is depen d
, , ,
e n ce
,
h is claim on an a ssi sti n g fo st e ri n g e n viro n m en t ,
both spiritual an d mat erial .
W e cam e cryin g hith e r

Thou k n ow st th e
’
, firs t tim e tha t we s m ell t h e air,
W e wawl an d c ry .
" 1
That i nitial i n sti n ctive cry of huma n n atur e may l

,
gradu ally b ecom e more an d more articulat e d as life

proc eeds it may grow in ra n ge de finit e ne ss urge n cy , , ,
an d spirituality it may ri se to t h e sai n t s pa ssion at e ’
deman d to possess n othi n g l e ss tha n God H

all thi n gs in God But already in that .
,
1
S hak espe are , Ki g L n ea r IV, . vi . 1 76 8
-
.
12 THE REALM OF P RAYER
feebl e cry which proclaim s th e arrival of a huma n
,
creature i nto th e world an d which so thrill s an d ,
gladden s th e tr embli n g moth er s heart man h as ’
utt ere d h is fir st i n sti n ctive prayer He h as b egu n .

,
h as h e n ot to ask that h e may r ec eiv e to seek that h e

, ,
may fin d an d to k n ock in th e hope that t h e doo r at

,
which h e clamours may b e ope ne d to him A n d u sually .

,
as if to e stabli sh b e for eha n d a g e neral charact e r an d
r eputation for tru stworthi ness an d to prepar e th e ,
way for sub se qu en t wi se r efu sal s th e Almighty Dispose r ,
of all even t s make s gen erou s provi sion that at l ea st

the fi rst prayer s of man shall b e eagerly and lovingly
re spo n de d to Even b efore h e call s th er e is one to
.
a n swer him an d whil e h e is yet speaki n g th ere is one

,
who h ear s .
Man th en is essen tially an d co n stitution ally a

, ,
p rayin g creature a b ei n g who from his birth an d

, ,
co n tinually through life makes urgen t an d ever ex ,
t e n di rg mat erial and spiritual dema n d s upon t h e

u niver se that e nviron s him an d gave him b ei n g With .
his v ery fir st br e ath h e a sk e d of God life an d He ,
gave it him With his la st breath too pe rhap s un

.
,
co n sciou sly how oft e n th e spirit of i n sti n ctive prayer

,
is mi n gl e d Either it is a prayer of petition that th e ,
sw eet ne ss an d glory of lif e may b e protract e d a littl e
longer or it is a prayer of r esign atio n t h e qui et mur

, ,
mur of p e ac eful acqui esce nc e Now l ett est Thou ,

”
Thy se rva n t depart in pe ac e or I n to Thy ha n ds ,
”
I commit my spirit Eve n th e fi n al despairi n g
.
e xclamation of a drowni n g man is of th e n atur e of
convul sive prayer I n a v ery lit eral sen se it is a cry

.
,
out of th e depths to th e livi n g God Th e man may .
never b efor e have co n sciou sly prayed to th e Et ern al .

Th e nam e of God may n ot b e on his lip s He may .
defi nit ely r epudiat e everythi n g in th e n ature of

religi ou s faith A n d yet in his la st ago nizing struggl e
.
,
amid th e dee p wat ers an i nbor n racial i n sti n ct of h is,
whole b ei ng imp els him to utt er a de p rofundis an d to ,
address a de spairing appe al for succour to som ethi ng ,
som e o n e som ewh ere in th e va st u niverse which

, ,
brought him forth— surely n ot in vain .
Starti n g th en from thi s primitive n orm or el em en tal

, ,
type of prayer th e spasmodic imp ul sive cry of a ,
di stresse d soul in th e tim e of its pe ril or vital need we

fin d prayer b rah ch ing out i n to a b e wilderi ng vari ety
of a spe ct s in huma n hi story Th e ch aract er or dis .
position of those who offer prayer th e motive s which ,
i n duc e th em to e ngage in it th e co n c eptio n th ey may ,
form of th e B ei ng or B ei ng s to whom it is addresse d ,
t h e ki n d of bl e ssi ng s th e y e xpe ct in r e tur n for prayer ,
an d t h e m e a n s by which th e se bl essi n g s are to b e
se cur e d— all such matt e r s a ffect th e natur e of huma n
prayer and det ermi n e t h e myriad form s which it will

a ssum e O ne man pro strat es himself b efore a feti sh or
.
a demo n A n oth er i nvok es se veral rival d eiti es in a

.
crowded pa n th e on A third bow s th e k n ee to Fath er

.
,
Son Spirit in on e u n divide d tri n ity

, , A fourth it .
,
may b e n eith er k n ow s n or car es wh eth er in prayer h e

,
is addr essi n g a pe rso n al deity or n o an d a di stingui sh e d ,
Oxford professor seem s to suggest that such imperso nal

pray re s are t h e pur e st prayer s of all 1
.
1
Prof or G ilbe rt M urray in Four Stag s of Gr eek Religion
e ss e
quotes a beautiful prayer writte n by E us ebius a late Ionic

,
(p . I 8 2) , ,
1 4 THE REALM OF PRAYER
To child prayer is n aiv e simpl e an throp o
th e , , ,
morphic God is a B eing ve ry clo se at ha n d in t h e

.
u n seen world som ewhat lik e fath er o n ly much wi ser

, ,
an d more pow e rful who is abl e to do th e queer est

,
thi n gs if He o nly wa n t s to an d who is deeply ,
i n t er est e d in toys pic nic s r eward s an d pu n i shm en t s

, , ,
an d what e v er e l se is i n t e rwov e n with t h e div er se
d esti ni es of good an d n aughty childr e n To t h e .
spe culative th e o sophi st on th e oth e r ha n d praye r, ,
is t h e r e v e r se of all thi s I n h is ca se God so far from .

,
b ei n g a n thropomorphically co n c eived is divest e d of ,
per so n al ity altogeth er an d b ecom es Brahma th e , ,
All th e One th e i ne ffabl e myst ery of That Which I s

, , .
Co n se qu e ntly th e boo n that is crave d of such a B ei n g

,
is not this or that particular or earthly good but th e ,
c essatio n of all desire an d th e ab sorptio n of th e soul

it self i n to th e simplicity of th e divi n e e ssen c e M ea n .
whil e th e savage is importu ni n g his god for t h e scalp s

of h is en emi es or it may b e a num erou s proge n y an d
,
abu n da n t harv e st s .
Wit hin Chri stia nity it self t h e ri ch est vari ety e xi st s .
To t h e eva n gelical all prayer is conditio n ed by th e

,
e xp e ri en c e of r e co n cili ation with a holy God through ,
p en it en c e an d faith an d a sacrific e o n c e offere d with

t h e sh e d di n g of blood on th e r e dee mi n g cros s Th e .
sacram e ntali st as sociat es prayer with t h e approach
to G od through a n ci en t liturgi es euchari stic ritual an d , ,
authoriz ed c eremo n i es co n duct e d by a duly appoi n t e d

pri esthood Th e lib eral or broad churchman on th e
.
,
oth er ha n d feel s h e c an most freely an d unrese rv edly

,
Platon ist addsan d How un pret e din g it is an d how se archin g l n
A n d in th e whole th e re is o p titio for an y mat e rial ble ssin g a d

, ,
n e n , n
most strik in g of all— it is addresse d to n o pe rso n al god It is pure .
prayer Se e also A pp en dix of Q uotation s A 8 9

.
, .
, .
pray to God by i n voki ng that Spirit which bloweth

wh ere it li st eth an d which bre ak s through all trammel s
,
of creed an d rite to express itself in t h e i ns pire d

utteran c e s of seers an d poet s and i n dee d in th e light
,
that light en eth ev e ry man comi ng i n to th e world .
Fi nally th e charact er of m en s prayer s will b e pro

,
’
foun dly a ffe ct e d by th eir varyin g t e mpe ram e n t s and

di spo sitio n s Th e e motio n al man will pray out of a
.
full h eart in th e glowi ng la n guage of warm and excit e d

feeli n g Th e co nt emplative man will i n cline in prayer
.
, ,
to mystic reveri e or broodi ng thought To th e practical.
man like N ehe miah praye r will tak e th e form of

, ,
bri ef ej aculatory pe titio n s foll owe d by actio n an d

,
ob e dien c e— a re solut e self dedication to th e wi ll of

-
God To th e man of imagi n ative or a esth etic sen si

.
b ilitie s praye r will b ecom e t h e rapt an d sil e n t adoration

of all high forms of b eauty or delight Ju st b ecause .
prayer is th e most highl y spe cialize d expression of

human spirituality and pe rso n al religio n th e form s ,
which it a ssum e s are e n dl essly diver sified Th e .
charact er of prayer cha nge s with every cha n ging

con c eptio n of t h e n ature an d attribut es of God an d ,
with every slightest variatio n in th e t empe ram en t s

an d n eeds of man .
B earing th ese facts in mi n d let us n ow proc ee d t o

, l
e xami n e som e of th e mor e n otabl e d efinitio n s of praye r
that have b een offere d Accordi ng to Dr

. .
prayer is th e act by which man conscious at o n c e ;

,
of his weak ne ss an d of his immort ality put s him self ,
into real and effective commu nicatio n with th e

Al mighty th e Et er n al th e S elf existing God
,
Or ,
-
.
” 1
agai n it is th e actio n wh ereby we men in all our

, ,
frailty an d defilemen t a ssociat e our selves with our ,
Divi ne Advocat e on high an d realize t h e sublim e

bo n d which in Him th e One M e diator b e tween God an d ,
man u n it es us in our utt er u nworthi ness to th e Stro n g

,
”
an d All holy God - 2
Th e obj e ction to th e se defin i.
tio n s is that whil e th ey provide us with an exc ell e n t

,
description of Christian prayer they are un satis ,
factory as ah accou n t of prayer in gen eral sinc e th ey ,
defi ne too particularly th e n atur e of th e B ei n g who

is thu s addr esse d Not all prayer attribut es holi ness
.
to God or defilemen t to man or feel s t h e n eed of an

, ,
advocat e or m e diator on accou n t of sin .
Th e stat em e n t of St Thoma s Aqui n a s is more .
general Prayer which b elo n gs to th e i nt ell ective

.
,
part is th e chi ef act of r eligion for by it religion

, ,
moves a ma n s u n dersta n di n g toward s God ’

.
”
Prayer is th e a sc en t of th e mind toward s God 3
.
Th e weak n ess of thi s d efinition is that it a scri b es to

prayer too exclu sively i n t ell ectual a charact er an d ,
it require s to b e suppl em ent e d by Madam e Guyon s ’
stat em en t that praye r is t h e application of th e h e art

”
to God an th e i n ward exercise of love
d 4 Hooker .
,
more widely still would so ext en d th e scop e of prayer

,
as to i n clude all t h e high er activiti es of th e human
spirit in it s int ercour se with t h e divi n e Prayer h e .

,
says is th e i nward di spositio n of th e mind som e

,
tim es to admire God som etim es to bl ess Him and ,
give Him tha n ks som etim es to exult in His love , ,
som etim e s to implor e His m ercy All which di ffer en t .
1
S ome E lemen ts f
o R eligion , 1 0 p . 1 64 .
3
I bid . p . 1 98 .
Summa, II .
’
xxxiii
l .
3 ,
1 3 . A M eth od f
o Prayer chap , . i .
is for th e r eligiou s life what origi n al r ese arch is for
sci en c e by it direct co n tact is obtai ned with r eal ity ,
th e soul is brought i n to r elatio n with it s own va st e r

”
n atur e in God
1
Dr Illi n g worth on th e othe r ha n d
. .
, ,
approach e s t h e subj ect of prayer in a charact eri stically

mod er n ma n n er by relati n g it to our apprehe n sio n of
t h e tra n sc e n de n tal by m e a n s of social valu e s Prayer .
is t h e affirmatio n of our social n atur e seeki n g it s o n ly ,
adequat e e n d in u nion with th e ab solut e an d p erma

n en t sourc e of all soci ety H en c e prayer is as ma n y
.
side d as lif e —
an d as all e mbraci n g as faith for it is
, ,
faith in actio n A n d it s huma n a n alogy is n ot p etitio n

.
,
”
but i n t ercour se with a fri e n d 2
With thi s vi ew it is.
i n t ere sti n g to compar e th e sci en tific p sychological

defi n itio n of Professor Wil liam Jam es who al so r each e s ,
t h e tra n sc en d e n tal r ealm by way of tho se d eep an d

myst eriou s social cravi n g s of our n ature which ca n n ot
fin d an y adequat e sati sfactio n in a t e mporal world
order . Th e imp ul se to pray is a nec essary cou se
q u e n ce of t h e fact that whil e th e i n n ermo st of th e
,
empirical se lv e s of a man is a S elf of t h e social sort ,
it yet c an fin d it s o n ly adequat e Socin s in an id eal

”
world .
3
Th ese quotation s should h elp us to realize how far

r eachi n g is t h e scope an d how ex al t e d t h e dig n ity
,
'
of prayer I n it s e sse n tial n atur e prayer is far more

.
,
than d efi n it e p e titio n or si n c ere d e sire utt ere d or

u n expre sse d .It is more ev en than co n sciou s i n t e r
cour se with God in adoratio n than ksgivi n g co nf essio n , , ,
or i n terc essio n It is rath er t h e t ot al spiritu

.
, al
— q u est,
n
fi ’
1
L on don Q uarterly Review , July , 1 90 8 .
2
C hristian Ch arac ter, p . 1 25 .
f P sych ology
1
P ri n ciples o , v ol . i .
p 3 16
. .
THE NATU R E O F P RA Y ER 1 9
an d outgoi n g of our en tire erso n ality voicele ss it

p ,
m_y b e an d in part u n co n sc i ou s groping aft er th e

, ,
full ex pre ssron an d pe rfect reali zatio n of itself through ,
st e adfa st r e lia nc e upon th e co Ope rati n g a ssi sta n c e of -
other an d high e r power s Prayer is e ve ry ma n s .

'
prevaili n g trade wi n d of desire his se ttl e d drift to

-
,
ward s som e imagi n ed good wh ether cl e arly or o nly ,
vagu ely co n c eived It is t h e spiritual ori e n tatio n of

.
our en tire pe r so n ality Godward s n ot in desire o nly , ,
but in thought feeli n g will co n scie nc e an d actio n

, , , ,
al so in order that His pe r so n ality may r eciprocally

,
guide co n trol and el evat e our own No m erely

, , .
i n t ell ectual stat em e n t of b eli ef th ere fore n o act of , ,
phila n thropic Christia n se rvic e n o ex ercise of th e ,
moral j udgm ent or thrill of tra n sc en den t al religiou s

,
feeli n g can of it self so profou n dl y e ngage th e faculti es

,
of th e soul as one tru e prayer which is th e b endi ng ,
of th e whole pe r so n ality with all it s power s to God , , ,
an d to G od alo n e Prayer is th e habitual r eferen c e

.
to God in all circum sta n c es of our life till that life ,
grow s th e oc entric as it is i n te n de d to b e with God

, ,
”
for it s primary thought 1
.
1
J . R . Illin gworth , r
Ch istian Ch a rac ter p
, . 1 27 .
CHAPTER III
THE D E VE O P M E L NT O F P RA YE R
t
A ll sou ls tha struggle an d a spir e ,
A ll h ea rt s of pray e r y Th e e are lit b

A n d dim or clear Th y to n gue s of fire
, ,
On b
du sky tri e s an d twilight c en tu ri es sit "
.
W HI TT I ER The ,
Sh ado w an d th e L i gh t .
A h istory of pray e r wou ld b e t h e est h istory of t h e r eligiou s b

d ev elopm en t of ma n kin d Tha h is o ry wou ld b e seen to
. t t
t
comm en c e in t h e crude s cry for h elp an d to comple t e itself
in p e rf e ct pray e r which on t h e lip s of Christ is simp ly sub
,
t
missio n o an d co n fid en c e in t h e Fa h e r s will t '
.
A . S A B A T I ER ,
P h ilosophy of R eligion ,
p . 28 .
I T is a ca n on of r eligiou s study says Prof Gilb ert , .
Murray that all god s refl ect th e social state pa st or

, ,
pre se n t of th eir wor shipp er s

,
1
D o you de sire an .
”
i n sight i n to th e prevaili n g co n dition s of culture an d

civili zation in r emot e pe opl es or amo n g a n ci e n t or ,
savage rac e s ? Then i n vestigat e th e charact er of

their r eligio n t h e ki n d of deiti es th e y wor ship their
, ,
motiv es in wor shippi n g th em th eir form s an d ,
c eremo ni es of wor ship an d th e result s spiritual or , ,
mate rial which th ey expect th eir wor ship to bri n g

,
about All thi s c an b e b est do n e by t h e study of a

.
pe opl e s prayer s I n them their i n mo st a spiration s

’
.
1
Four Stag es of G reek R eligion , p . 65 .
20
THE DEVELOPMEN T OF PRAY ER 21
and ideals are always mo st n aively and n aturally

e xpresse d To follow t h e developmen t of prayer
.
,
therefore from spell an d magic to spiritual commu nio n

,
with th e Highest to trac e it s fortu n e s through anirnism

, ,
polyth eism pa n th ei sm an d th ei sm is to watch th e

, , ,
huma n spirit it se lf slowly an d oft en pain q y awak en

in g to an ever expa n di n g co nsciou sn e ss of t h e Et er n al
-
.
I
When we i n vestigat e th e origi ns of prayer in t h e
more rudim en tary a rni c faith of t e world we
n i sti s h 1
,
fin d th e followi ng charact e ri stic s sta n di n g out v ery

cl early
i( ) The bein gs or p owers addressed are n ot yet fully
sp iritualized moralized or even p erson alized Th ey
, , .
are har dly more tha n t h e forc es or powe rs of n atur e
i n fluen ci n g th e wor shippe r for good or evil Man h as .
n ot yet himse lf attai n e d to full se lf co n scious p e r so n -
ality He h as n ot l ear n e d to a nal yse ev e n t h e bare st

.
el em en ts of h is own p sychological life still l ess h as h e ,
b egu n cl early an d reflec tiv ely to apprehen d th e re alm

of th e tra n sc en de n t by which h e is surrou n de d He .
lives in a shadow world of vague feeli n g in wh ich self

-
an d n ot se lf subj e ct an d obj e ct t h e disti n ct an d t h e

-
, ,
i n disti n ct th e coh eren t an d t h e i n coh eren t are as yet

, ,
hardly di ffe re n tiat e d A s for his prayer s th ey are .

,
n aiv e an d childlik e spe ll s rath e r tha n praye r s t h e fir st

, ,
crude reaction s of th e human spirit in th e fac e of na ture .
1tuden ts in te reste d in th e e arly history of praye r sho

S uld consult
L Farn ell The E volution of R eligion
. R .
, chap iv an d t h e . .
,
literatur e ther e cite d .

22 THE R EALM OF PRA Y E R
Th e powers i n voke d are th e qua si perso nal forc es -
,
dee ply myst e riou s an d supe r n orm al wh ich co n trol , .
by th eir u n seen pot en cy th e rai n t h e thu n der th e , ,
light ni n g stroke th e pe stilen c e as well as th e fertility

-
, ,
of man his a nimal s an d th e field s h e cultivat es

, , .
Th ese power s are capriciou s arbitrary an d even , ,
m erc e n ary Th eir u n ca n n ily myst eriou s actio n s are

.
n ot visibly gov er ne d by eith e r co n si st en cy or j u stic e , ,
or b en evol enc e Som etim e s th ey are sup erior to

.
th e wor shipp e r him se lf in pow e r an d cu n ni n g if n ot ,
in charact er ; som e tim e s th ey are on a l ev el with

him mor e gen erally in th e earli e st stage s of huma n ,
culture th ey are r egarde d as b elon gi ng to a lowe r

,
grade On th e whol e th ey are littl e more th an th e

.
agen ts an d represe n tative s of th e u n seen i n explicabl e , ,
an d my st e riously baffli n g el em en t s of primitiv e ex
pe rie n ce .
ii
( ) T h e mode of addressin g th ese bein gs is in k ee in g p
with their n ature B ei n g wayward an d capriciou s
.
in th eir de ali n g s with poor mortal s t h e u n seen power s ,
of th e world may th em se lves b est b e dealt with by

m ea n s of charm s spe ll s amul et s i n ca n tation s exor
, , , ,
c isms an d an elaborat e apparatu s of magical formula e

, ,
rituali stic da n c e s c eremoni al rit es th e occult virtu e

, ,
of which ex ercises a myst eriou s power half co n ciliatory , ,
half compul sory over th e divi n ity i n voked Prayer

, .
at this stage is b elieved to po sse ss a ki n d of theurgic

pow er an d is really i n disti n gui shabl e from magic
, .
Gr eat importa n c e is attach e d to scrupulou s exact n ess

an d mi n ut en ess of d e tail in th e p e rforma n c e of sacr e d
rit es Th e se b ei n g charge d with a c ertai n p sychic

.
,
forc e or man a of th eir own po sse ss obj ective effi cacy ,
in an d by th emse lve s ; an d an y prayers which

THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRAYER 23
accompa n y such c eremo ni es de pe n d for th eir validity ,
n ot on t h e se n tim en t s which th e y e xpr e ss n or on t h e ,
good will of th e divi nity they i n voke but on t h e correct

-
,
form of word s or carefully pre scrib ed ritual with which

the y are set forth .
(iii ) T h e aim of suc h pra y ers is p rimarily egoistic .
Primitive man is n ot di si n t ere st ed in his de votio n s .
His praye r (if a n ythi ng addre sse d to a power n ot yet

regarde d as p er so n al c an b e c al l e d such ) is largely
a proj ectio n of his own huma n will —powe r upo n his
e n vironm en t in an e ffort to co n trol it Th e mood is.
imperativ e rath er tha n O ptative I n st e ad of sayi n g

.
,
Not my will but thi n e b e do ne primitiv e prayer

, ,
say s , Not as thou wilt but as I will

, Th e purpose
.
of al l prayer is by hook or by crook to b e n d th e good

, ,
will oi th e power addre sse d in order that it may se rve

th e supplia n t .U ne a sy troubl e d spiritually afraid
, , ,
at man y poi n ts co n sciou s of acut e di stre ss t h e savage ,
wor shippe r tur n s to his moody god s to give him im

m ediat e an d appreciabl e reli ef alo n g th e li ne of h is
practical an d co n cret e i n t er est s an d desires Th e .
wrath that m e n ac es in t h e gath eri n g storm of t h e

surrou n di n g dark n ess mu st b e appe a se d t h e thre at e n
ing pe ril of dise ase or pe st il en c e mu st b e ch e ck e d th e
dreade d blow of some pot e nt enemy mu st b e warde d
off. Th e god s e xi st for th e se p urpo ses an d for n o n e
other If th ey should fail to se rv e ma n s vital i n t erest s
.
’
if h e could rid him self of fear without r e sorti n g to th em ,
t h e n ee d for wor ship would b e do n e away But si n c e .
man is bor n to troubl e an d life is hard an d all thi s

, ,
myst eriou s re gio n of u n fore seen difficultie s an d hazard s

and calamiti es is t h e provi n c e of th e god s th eir divi n e ,
h elp an d prot ectio n mu st b e co n ti n ually i n voked .

24 THE R EAL M or PRAYER
A n d e v erythi n g which may secure th eir favour is legiti
mat e Primitive man d eal s with hi s god s very much
.
as h e would d e al with h is i nfl u en tial n eighbour s
which i n deed th ey are with th e added adva n tage of ,
b ei n g invi sibl e an d op erati n g from a sup er n ormal

,
world of myst ery an d t error He coax e s brib es .

, ,
wh eedl es an d e ven scold s th em attributi n g to th em

, ,
th e sam e se n tim en t s an d pa ssio n s as r eig n in his own

br ea st If caj oli n g will n ot serv e let cudgelli n g b e
.
,
tri ed P erhap s som e r e solut e h ectori n g an d bullyi n g

.
will succ eed wh ere m eek humility app ear s to fail .
Th e gov er n i n g pri n cipl e in short is thi s : Try an y , ,
thi n g try e v erythi n g try bla n di shm en t s or bluff or

, ,
e v e n viol e n c e if o n ly it will i n duc e th e wayward

,
feti sh you i n vok e to gra n t it s aid to your en t erpri ses

an d d e sir es
1
.
iv
( ) Th e bl essin gs sou ght in p rayer are chiefly temp oral .
Primitiv e prayer h as mor e in it of bargai n i n g tha n of

adoration It is a ca se of strict e xcha n ge of mutually
r ec eive d b en efit s —do ut des I n thi s r esp ect th e
.
.
,
prayer of e arly man som ewhat r esembl es that of t h e

patriarch Jacob wh en h e was at B eth el If God .
”
th en I 2
Th e savage s desir e s howe ver are scarc ely
.
’
, ,
so spiritual as Jacob s w er e O n ly h is mo st urgen t’

.
an d clama n t n ee d s are as a rul e brought i n to his praye r s .
Thu s if th e suppo se d ta st es of th e power that is in

,
y ok e d are gratifi e d with pour e d out wi n e or milk or -

, ,
1
Psychologically t h e savage start s from t h e sen se of hi s own
,
will—powe r ; h e stimulat s it by eve ry m ean s at h is comman d

e .
Fe lin g h is will stron gly an d k n owin g n othin g of n atural law h e

e , ,
re cognizes n o limi ts to h is own power h e fe ls himself a magician e ,
a god h e do es n ot pray h e wills M ore ove r h e wills coll ctively e
rein forced by t h e will an d action of h is whole tribe

, .
, ,
Jan e E llen .
”
Harrison A lph a an d Omeg a p 1 6 5

, ,
. .
1’
G en xxviii 2 0 2 2
. .
-
.
devotio n an d moral con duct Th e prayer life is rath er .
a form of emotio n al discharge ari si n g from desire or

fe ar an d it is u sually a ssociat e d with som e ki n d of
,
i n t e n se excit em en t g enerally of a social charact e r

, ,
such as orgia stic fr en z y dio n ysia n exc ess th e mad

, ,
e xhau sti n g whirl of da n ci n g d e rvi sh e s who se power ,
in pray er is thought to b e in e xact proportion to th e

wildne ss an d v eh emen c e of th eir bodily ex ertio n s .
.
Says a di sti n gui sh e d mod er n writ er on a n thropology :

My own Vi ew is that savage religio n is somethi n g n ot
so much thought out as da n c e d out ,that in oth er ,
word s it develop s u n de r co n dition s p sychological

, ,
an d sociological which favour emotio nal an d motor

,
proc esse s wh erea s ideatio n r emai n s relatively in

,
”
ab eya n c e 1
.
II
Wh en we pa ss from tribal to n atio n al religio n as it ,
fi n ds expre ssio n in th e Greek Roma n I n dia n an d , , ,
Teuto nic polythei stic syst em s we fin d th e fu n ction ,
an d plac e of praye r u n d ergoi n g co n sid erabl e modific a
tio n s Th e whole gene ral l evel of religio n h as b ee n

.
rai se d Th e god s have b ecom e pe r son ali zed huma n

.
,
ized and in som e case s spirituali z e d th e y b ear a mor e

,
or l ess co n si st en t moral charact er ; an d th e y reflect

an d r est upo n a much mor e stabl e an d h ighly de v elop e d
social life Th e chi ef co n sequ en c e s for prayer an d

.
d evotion are th e followi n g :

i( ) The worshipp er s p etition s are disp ersed amon g
’
man y difieren t deities Si n c e each several divi n ity

.
1
R R M
. . arett , The Th resh old of R eligion ,
p xxxi
. .
T HE DEVE LOPMEN T O F P R AYER 27
preside s ove r his or h er own pre scrib e d sph ere of

n ature or of huma n life an d is se n sitiv ely j e alou s of
,
rivalry or i n t e rfere n c e on th e part of oth e r di vi n ities ,
it b ehoves th e worshipper to b e scrupulou sly car eful

in r e n de ri n g to all th eir du e s Wisdom mu st b e sought
’
from one gu ardia n deity love from a n oth e r val our , ,
from a third Th e effect upo n praye r is to i n troduce

.
a di spe rsal of religiou s aspiratio n amo n g co nflicti ng

cl ai ma n t s Th e de sire to pl ease all th e i nexorable god s
.
,
an d to o ffe n d n o n e dominat es th e mi n d ; an d th e
,
frequ en ti n g of se veral altar s for variou s particular

good s dissipat es t h e e nergi e s of t h e devout soul an d ,
preve n t s an y si ngle comprehe n sive spiritual com

, ,
mu nio n .
(ii ) Stereotyp ed formal or common p rayer receives a

, ,
stimulus . Wor ship b ecome s a natio n al act en j oi ned ,
by authority an d may almost b e r egarde d as a bra n ch

,
of politic s Stat e s recogn ize that th e high an d mighty

.
god s mu st have th eir due an d that in their ho n our th e ,
pre scribe d offi c es an d se rvi ce s of r eligio n mu st b e

mai n tai n ed I n th e se circum sta n c es reli gi o n b ecomes
.
largely i n stitutio n al in charact er an elaborat e public

ritual is develope d a colo n y or ca st e of pri est s is c all e d
i n to b ei n g to pe rform it and t h e prai se s co n fessio n s , ,
petitio n s e xpresse d in praye r are tho se which are mo st

compreh en sive an d u niversal P er so n al idio sy n crasi es .
in d e votio n are suppr e sse d i n dividual a spiratio n

fi n ds n o free outl e t ; o nly t h e average co n ve n tio n al , ,
imper son al nee ds of wor shipper s are voic ed Prayer .

,
ther efore at thi s stage t e n ds to b ecome pe rfu n ctory an d

,
ceremonial that which is bi n di ng on man an d due to

,
th e exalt e d gods It is still a ss ociate d with th e per

.
formance of a r equire d rit ual an d is n ot yet t h e vehicl e ,

of free u n r estrai ne d p er son al
, , , an d po n ta n e ous
s
devotion .
iii
( ) Th e good des ired in p ray er is still largely tem
p oral, though it becomes in creasin gly s p iritual . Th e
Greek an d Roma n deities for e xampl e w er e origi n ally , ,
for t h e most part pe rson ific ation s of n atural forc es an d ,
prayer s addresse d to th em were p etitio n s for e arthly

blessi ng s such as succ ess in war in amour s or i n
, , ,
trafficki n g 1
Gradually however th e cl aim s of th e
.
, ,
soul more an d more a ssert e d th emselve s an d we have ,
in Plato e xc e ll e n t e xampl es of pur ely spiritual pe ti

tion s Th e followi n g for i n sta n c e is th e prayer of
.
, ,
Socrat es quote d at th e close of th e dial ogu e of P haedra s :

,
-
B elov ed P an an d all ye n ymph s who hau n t thi s

,
place give me b eauty in th e i n ward soul ; an d may

,
t h e outward an d t h e i n ward man b e at one May I .
r ecko n th e wi se to b e we althy an d may I have such

a qua n tity of gold as th e t empe rat e man an d h e alon e
c an b e ar an d carry
2
iv
( ) T h e p ray in g sp irit c an n ot rest sa tisfi ed w ith
p olytheism Th e huma n mi n d seek s u n ity in all thin gs
.
,
an d see m s u n abl e to b e li e v e pe rma ne n tly or for v ery
lon g in a multitude of god s I t s own i n n er structure .
an d t h e ob se rv e d u n iformiti e s of n atur e alik e forbid it .
As rea son an d spirituality of mi n d adva n ce there fore , ,
polythei sm t en d s to pa ss either i n to fat ali sm with th e ,
Gre ek s ; or i n to pa n th ei sm with th e Hi n du s ; or ,
else i n to som e form of th ei sm with th e S emitic and ,
Teuton ic rac es Each of th ese developmen t s h as a

.
1
See I liad i 3 7 ; ,
1 1 5 . v . .
1 Jow tt
e ,
P p r5 9 Floren ce Nighti gale
D ialog ues of lato 2 v ol ii , . . . . n
sa d of th
i pray r that
is e put ven teen words t h e whole or
it in se
See h er L ife
,
at a t ha f of
le s l doct
th e of Joh of t h e Cross
ri n e St n ,
by
.
, .
oo
. p
Sir E C k , v ol ii 2 32 . . . .
THE DEVE LOPMENT OF PRAYER 29
profou n d i nfluen c e on devotion Wh ere fatalism reign s

.
,
prayer practically c ease s an d is re plac e d by stoic

fortitude and re sig ne d submi ssion For what me a ni n g
.
is th ere in i n vocatio n if an iro n ne c e ssity of de t er

,
minism rul e s al l ? O nly alo n g th e li nes of pa n thei sm

an d th ei sm doe s a tru e developm en t of prayer
b ecome po ssibl e .
III
Th e pa ssi n g of religion through it s variou s pa n the
istic phase s profou n dly a ffects pray e r in ma n y way s ,
som e of which are b ene ficial an d oth er s harmful .
i( ) Th e cap ricious divin ities of an imism and the

multip lied deities of p olytheism are left behin d All .
thi n gs m elt i n to a compreh en sive o neness in which

th e pr evious charact e ri stic s of capric e m ultiplicity , ,
di sti n ctio n appli e d to t h e god s are merge d an d lo st

, ,
.
I n a sen se thi s is a m ark e d adva n c e Th e soul in

.
prayer is delivere d from distractio n It c an co n c em .
trate its power s on impa ssio ne d co n t emplatio n an d ,
aba n don itself to th e vi sio n of th e One that never

cha n ges and never fail s .
(ii ) Spiritual p etition s are substituted for material .
A n I n dia n asc e tic will scor n to ask for earthly bl e ssi n g s ,
an d th e whol e mat eriali stic a spe ct of W e st e r n d esire
shock s an d di sgu st s him Th e goal of all h is a spira

.
tion s is ab sorptio n in t h e One From t h e dec e ptive

.
va nitie s an d illusio n s of time an d se n se h e seek s to

swoo n away i n to ide n tificatio n with t h e ab solut e t h e ,
transc en den t t h e u n con ditio ned However e x t rav a

,
.
ga n t in our e yes may b e thi s att empt e d flight i n to

t h e void it is at l e a st to b e n ot e d as an adva n c e in
,
30 THE REALM OF P RAYE R
s pirituality on th e part of prayer Th ere is a wide .
i n t erv al b etween th e d emand of th e savage that th e

feti sh should bl ess his hu n ti ng or h is fighti n g an d th e ,
a spiration of th e Hi n du yogi that self may wholly

c ease an d b e m erged in Brahma I n th e latt e r th e se n se .
of t h e B eyon d has b een extraordi n arily de v elope d

'
iii
( ) P a n th eistic p rayer ten ds to lose the religious
c on sciousn ess altogether an d to become p hilosop hical

sp eculation weak ness of all pa n th ei stic system s
. Th e
is that the y r elax th eir hold on th e moral pe r so n ality
of God He b e come s th e All th e Ab solut e th e World
.
, ,
Soul th e abidi n g Sub stan c e b ehi n d all illu sory ap

,
p e a r an ces t h e one
,
R e ality that u n d e rli es t h e vari egat e d
‘
world an d it s cha n gi n g phan ta sm s With such a .
B eing on e c an have n o tru e spiritual commu n io n ;

t h e momen t a man r e al ly p rays with a d e sir e to b e ,
h eard an d a n swer ed h e pa sses from a pa n th ei stic to

,
a p er so n al idea of G od Th e God to whom praye r

.
ri se s h as lo st His deepe st r eligiou s m ea n i ng if He

tra n sform s Him self i n to t h e Ab solut e of t h e ideali st 1
.
”
I n th e con c e ption of Brahma or That Which I s , ,
t el e ology di sappe ar s ; th e di sti n ction b etween wor

shipp er an d wor shipp e d ca n n ot b e draw n t h e huma n
spirit c e a se s to hav e an y i n d e pe nd e n t valu e si n c e it ,
is n o more tha n a phase or ma nifestatio n of th e divi ne

u n iver sal Spirit ; an d th e religious relation ship in
e vit ab ly lap se s Prayer thus dies of i n anitio n an d
2
.
1
H Mun ste rberg The
.
,
E tern al Values p 385
, . .
1
B ut G od if , a G od there be , is t h e subs tan ce of me n which is
man
manifold body
.
O ur lives are as pulse s or pore s of h is an d

br ath ;
e
As waves of his sea o n th e hores where

s birth i s th e b aco
e n
of death .
THE DEVE LOPMENT OF PRAYER 3 1
b ecome s ab sorptio n Philo sophic reverie stra ngl es

.
religiou s faith We do not commu ne with God in

.
th e rich moral and spiritual r elation ship of faith an d

love ; we b ecom e colourlessly ide ntified with God in
th e empty n egatio n s of Nirvana What c an b e further
.
apart tha n th e de sire of th e I n dian asc etic to attai n to

t h e dizzy h eight of k n owi n g that Thou art That ,
an d th e lo n gi n g of t h e Ch ri stia n sai n t to r e st in a
fellow ship of love with God th e Fath er through His

Son J e su s Chri st ?
iv
( ) T he p ray ers of p an theism ten d to become u n eth ical .
Thi s foll ow s nec essarily from their philo sophic grou n d

work When th e imma n e n c e of God is alo ne accen tu
.
at ed an d His transc en den c e is ig n ore d it n aturally

, ,
follow s that th e ethic al purity of t h e Holy One is

sacrific e d and with it t h e spiritual holi ness of tho se
,
who serv e Him Sin is regarded as e quival en t to

.
ign oran c e or w eakne s s an d sal vatio n is tra n sform e d

,
from redemptio n i n to m ere i n sight H ere is a typical .
pan thei stic praye r attribut ed to Sa nkara an I n dia n

, ,
mystic ~
O Lord pardo n my thr ee si n s I have
, .
in cont emplatio n cloth e d in form Th ee who art form

less I have in prai se de scrib e d Th ee who art i n effabl e
”
in vi siti n g shri n es I hav e ig n ore d Thy om nipre se n c e .
Th e man who could thi nk of n o wor se si n s tha n th e se

k new n ot th e plagu e of his own h eart an d h e k new
n ot t h e plagu e of h is own h eart b ecause h e was
u n acqu ain t e d with t h e holi ness of God But th e .
holi n ess of God is b eyo n d th e scop e of pa n thei sm .
It is a truth which o nly thei sm c an compreh en d .
We men multiform feature s of ma whatsoeve r we b e

, th e n, ,
Re cre ate hi m of whom we are cre atures an d all we o nly are h e

,
.
A C SWI N B URNE Hymn of M an

. . , .
IV
Ther e c an b e n o doubt that as a syst em of r eligiou s ,
thought th ei sm esp ecially th e th ei sm of Judai sm an d

, ,
Chri stia n ity provide s t h e mo st id e al of all co n ditio n s

,
for th e exercise of prayer I n con tra st to th e capriciou s .
an d m erc e n ary h alf morali zed an d qua si pe r son al

,
- -
,
divi n iti es of animi sm it offer s a p erfectly ethical an d

,
spiritual B ei n g as t h e obj e ct of human wor ship In .
co n tra st to th e man y deiti es of polyth ei sm with their ,
divided fu n ctio n s an d sph eres of i nfluen c e it o ffers ,
one God an d Fath er of ma n ki n d e v er ywh er e acc e ssibl e ,
an d Him self r eig ni n g dir e ctly an d alo ne ov e r e v ery
provi n ce of n ature and huma n life I n co n trast to .
t h e fix e d rigi dity of fatali sm with its n egatio n of ,
huma n prayer
D e sin e fata D eum fl ec ti s p erare pre c an do
” 1
— it o ffer s a B ei n g fully self det ermi n ed who h ear s -

,
an d r espo n d s to t h e spiritual app e als of His own
children Fi n ally in co n tra st to th e diffu se imman

.
,
en c e of pa n th ei sm th ei sm a ffirm s th e tra n sc en de n t
, ,
se lf co n sciou s
-
moral p er so n ality of God I n th e
, .
Chri stia n co n c e ptio n God is n ot m erely th e groun d of

,
all exi st en c e ; He is th e Holy Fath er Creator Re , ,
d eem er San c tifier of His children who se ek s to deliv er

, ,
th em from all evil an d to bri n g th em to all good ,
through th e fellow ship of a soci ety in which th e bl esse d

ness of all shall b e variou sly co n ge n ially id e ally an d , , ,
e ve rlasti n gly fulfill e d in t h e p e rf e cti n g of e ach

, .
Th ese t h i n gs give to th ei stic prayer a rich n ess a ,
childlike n e ss a spirituality p eculiarly it s own Such

, .
1
r
V e gil A en eid, , vi .
3 76 .
34 THE REA L M O F P RAYE R
may seem good b efore Th ee since it is Thou dost ,
”
co ntrol my life .
ii
( ) T h e history of p rayer shows the p ersisten ce of
materialistic and gross ele men ts ev en in the later stages

.
Th ere is abu n da n t e viden c e of th e survival of pri mitive ,
anirn istic idea s an d practic e s in th e impe rfectly

Chri stia ni ze d praye rs of t h e pre se n t day A qua si .
magical efficacy is attribut ed to th e pe rforma n ce of

cert ain rit es to which littl e or n o spiritual a spiratio n
,
is attach e d Much virtu e is suppose d to re side in th e

.
sol em n utt eran c e of high sou n di ng formulae magn ific ,
divi n e titl es or a n ci en t an d cu stomary form s of speech

,
by c ertain official p er son s It is thought that demon s .
may b e exorcise d and myst eriou s u n k n own e vil ,
warded off by th e use of mascot s tali sma n s amulet s

, , , ,
or th e frequ e n t r e pe tition of si n g so n g i n vocatio n s -

.
O ne aim in praye r is still i n ma n y quart er s that of ,
b en di n g th e will of God i nto conf ormity with our s ;

an d it is si n c er ely though super stitiou sly b eliev ed , ,
that in religiou s wor ship th e efli cacy of prayer de pe n ds

far more on th e scrupulous pe rforma n ce of c ertai n
symbolic act s with which it is accompa n i e d than on ,
th e i n ward purity of spiritual i n t e n tio n with which

it may b e offer ed 1
Chil dr e n too in all age s e xhibit
.
, , ,
a very n atural t en den cy to look upon prayer as a ki n d

of charm or tali sman a spiritual Aladdin s Lamp ,
’
1 Th e Church ows what sh e is about when sh e

of R ome kn
prescribe s t h e tellin g of t h e rosary Myste ry cults an d sacramen ts .
-
,
t h e lin eal d escen dan ts of magic all co n tain rit es char ge d with
with symbols with g stures with half u de rstood
,
su ggestio n , , e ,
-
n
formularies wi th all t h e apparatus of appe al to th e e motion s an d

t h e more u n in telligible th e be tt e r the y se rv e thei r purpose
,
t h e will
of in hibitin g thou ght Thus ritual de adens t h in t llect an d stimu
,
. e e
lat s will d esire emotio Ja Harriso n A lpha an d

”
e , , E ll n . ne en ,
Omega p 1 75
,
. .
T HE DEVELOPMEN T OF PRAYER 35
to b e resort e d to for th e procuri ng of what they wan t

from God Oth er i n dicatio n s of th e survival among
.
us of quit e rudim entary con c eptio n s of devotio n are

t h e bli n d de pe n de n c e on a pri esthood for th e acc e ptabl e
offeri n g of prayer to God ; t h e preval en ce of purely
egoi stic an d mat e ri al pe titio ns ; t h e e xpe ctatio n of
magical or miraculous a n swers t o prayer by spe ci al
favour of th e Almighty an d th e frenz ied u nregulate d ,
forms of co n vulsive emotion al e xcitem en t which

accompa n y some phase s of religious re vival .
iii
( ) T h e histor y of p rayer show s the p rogr essive
victory o f the higher over the lower ele men ts of religion .
It is impo ssibl e to follow th e development of human

worship an d de votio n without notici n g a general
movem en t in th e direction of ethic al purity an d spiritu al
e n richme n t an d el e vatio n Ma n s view of prayer ’
.
st ea dily improv e s with t h e improv e m e n t of hi s ide a of
God I n pri mitiv e religio n selfish prayer s are ad

.
,
dresse d to capriciou s an d se lf willed power s for th e

-
granti n g of pur ely materi al an d e arthly bl essi n gs As .
man s co nc eptio n of God however be comes e nn obl ed

’
, , ,
gro ss a n thropomorphism an d selfi sh ness t e n d to dis

appear from his petitio n s an d a lovi ng r eactio n of th e
,
spirit of man in praye r mor e an d more ade quat ely
respo n ds to th e lovi n g an d gradual di sclo sur e of th e

Spirit of God in r evelatio n Th e whol e developmen t
.
is a story of st eady growth in i n sight reveren ce hum , ,
ility and filial ob e dien c e

,
It is slowly disc er n e d n ot
.
,
o nly that th e bl essi ngs we ask from God should b e

spi ritual rath er tha n t e mporal but al so that t h e gift s
,
we offer Him should b e ar th e sam e charact er Burn t .
offeri n gs an d sacrific es are seen to b e a vai n oblation ,
without th e lowly he art an d th e co n trit e spirit Rit e s .

ce ase to b e regard e d as e n ds in th emselve s an d th e ,
surren dere d will is see n to b e t h e one offe ri ng that is

wholly w ell pl ea si n g in th e sight of God Similarly
-
.
,
man l ear n s to cry out for delivera n c e from sin rath er

than from outward calamity or sufferi n g an d is taught ,
that th e wor st evil is n ot th e lo ss of go od s or h eal th

or life it self but th e lo ss of th e approvi n g cou n t en a n c e
,
of God Further praye r b ecom es n o lo n ger a thi n g

.
,
of tim es an d se a so n s of prescrib e d c eremonies an d out

,
ward forms but rath er a prevailin g an d inward atti

,
tude of spirit to b e alway s an d everywh ere mai n tai ned

,
in ordi n ary life Wh en God is thu s e thically an d

.
spiritually co n c eive d it b ecom e s n ot impossibl e to

,
pray without c ea si n g .
iv
( ) Th e cour se o f its d evelop m en t widen s th e scop e
of p rayer Very n otic e able is th e progr es sive e xt en
.
sion of t h e prayer life u n til it e x ercise s all th e fac ulti es
of t h e i n dividu al on th e one hand an d embrac es al l

, ,
th e social i n t erest s of huma n ity on t h e oth er Th e , .
prayer s of primitive man as we hav e se en are almo st , ,
e n tir e ly e motio n al : feeli n g tak es comma n d in ways

that are oft en crude explo sive an d u n gover ne d As
, , .
t h e soul b ecom es mor e complicat e d an d e n rich e d ,
how ever other i n sti n ct s call for sati sfactio n an d

, ,
t h e mor al i n t ell e ctual imagi n ative an d social claim s

, , ,
of th e spirit b egi n more fully to a ssert th emselves .
Prayer mu st b e somethi ng that ex erci se s and e xal t s

th e whol e man It b ecom es impo ssibl e to pray feeli n gly
.
to a God whom t h e r ea so n ca n n ot in som e degr ee

i n t elligen tly u n der stan d It b ecom es e qually im .
po ssibl e and i n co n sist en t to k n ow Him with th e mi n d

an d lov e Him with t h e h e art u nless at t h e sam e tim e ,
we serve Him with th e will an d fear an d ob ey Him

T HE DEVE LO PMEN T OF P RAYER
with th e co n scie nc e It al so b ecom es impo ssible to

.
ask Him for bl e ssi n g s which we should wi sh de nie d
to others or which would i n volve th eir i nj ury or

,
degradatio n Thus highly develope d prayer l ead s to

.
all ki n ds of social huma nitaria n and mi ssio nary , ,
result s Indeed th e more man dev elops in com

.
,
p lex it y of charact e r an d multiplicity of r elatio n ships ,
t h e great er an d mor e co n stant will b e his nee d of

prayer an d th e wider will b e th e ra nge of it s i n ter ests
,
an d activiti e s P e rfect prayer is some thi n g more

.
tha n tra n sc e nden t al feeling or t h e e cstatic co n templa ,
tio n of th e divi ne attribut es It is th e well ordere d .
discipli n e an d dire ctio n of th e whole life Godward s ,
th e b en din g of feeli n g wi ll co n sci en c e imagi n atio n, , , ,
in their high est e xe rci se toward s an i deal which ,
is both social an d i n dividual both huma n an d ,
divi n e It is th e u n io n an d commu nio n of G od an d

.
man .
v
( ) T he h ist ory fo p rayer re a ches its con su m mation
in the p rayers of j esus Christ s prayer s to t h e Fath er
’
.
are t h e Am en of huma n ity to t h e good an d acc e ptabl e
an d pe rfe ct will of God All that we have seen to b e .
admirabl e in tru e prayer fi n ds it s ide al e xpo nen t in

Him alo n e G od n ot His gift s th e supreme blessi ng
.
, ,
to b e desire d man n ot his gift s th e supreme sacrific e

, ,
to b e offer e d God s glory an d God s will rather tha n

’ ’
our own t h e suprem e aim s to b e pursu ed— th ese are

,
t h e pri n cipl e s of de votio n we l e ar n from t h e praye r s

of J esu s A n d n ot from His word s o nly but from His
.
,
dee d s al so I n Him p erfe ct faith provide d pe rf e ct

.
grace with a perfect opportu n ity for u nfoldi n g th e

p erfect life I n th e co n ti n ual atmosphere of praye r
.
,
through th e e t er nal Spiri t He offere d Him self without ,

38 THE REALM O F PRAYER
bl emish to th e Fath er . Man was on e with G od an d
G od with man .
We can n ot co n t emplat e th e lo n g hi storical de velop

men t of human prayer without feeli n g s of th e deep est
r ever en c e It is a story of slow spiritual awakening
.
on t h e part of man ; an d of pati en t gradual self ,
re velatio n on th e part of God Man fir st of all tri es .
magic the n p asses to religio n He b egi n s to pray

, .
masterfully an d proudly an d fi n ally pray s supplia n tly ,
an d m eekly His e arli est pe titio n s are for pl en ty of

.
cor n an d wi n e ; his lat est for th e bre ad of life that ,
com eth dow n from h eave n an d t h e ove rflowi n g rive r

of G od s pl ea sure s Sam son cri es out pa ssio n at ely in
’
.
bli n d a n ger as h e bri n gs dow n th e t empl e of his ene mi e s

upo n his own h ead O Lord G od r em emb er me I , ,
pray Thee an d strength en me I pray Th ee o nly this

, , ,
o nc e 0 God that I may b e at o n c e av en ge d of th e

, ,
”
Phili sti nes for my two e yes 1
J esus dyi n g on th e .
,
cro ss e xclaim s :
, Fath er forgive them for the y , ,
k n ow n ot what the y do 2
We mu st n ot with .
”
,
Augusti n e b e impati e n t with this slow spiritualizatio n

,
of huma n praye r Ma n y h e c omplai n s cry to

.
, ,
t h e Lord that th e y may win ri ch e s that th e y may ,
avoid lo sse s ; th e y cry tha t th eir family may b e e stab

lish e d ; the y ask for t emporal happi n e ss for worldly ,
dig n iti es ; an d lastly th e y cry for b odily h e alth

, , ,
which is th e pat ri mon y of th e poor For these an d .
such lik e thi n g s ma n y cry u n to t h e Lord Hardly one .
cri e s for th e Lord Him se lf How ea sy it is for a man

to desire all ma n ner of thi ng s of t h e Lord an d yet n ot ,
desire th e Lord Himself As though t h e gift could b e

1
Judges x vi . 28 .
THE DE VE LOP ME N T or P RAYE R 39
sweet er tha n t h e Give r ! But it is o nly as t h e

1
lowe r wa n ts of man are fir st of all met an d th e gra n ti ng

m
,
of th e is fou n d to b e u n sati sfyi n g that t h e high er ,
wa n t s com e i n to vi e w an d pre se n t an ope n mouth

to th e Giver of all good a ski n g for dee pe r an d larger
,
sati sfactions still Eve n in t h e high e st praye r of all

.
,
it should b e rem emb ere d a pe titio n for bread is n ot

,
forgott e n I n th e whol e pai nf ul an d co stly proc e ss

.
,
strew n as it is with both failure s an d fulfilme n ts we ,
may surely trac e th e worki ng of t h e divi n e Spirit ,
trai ni n g an d e ducati ng th e soul of man som etime s by ,
delay s som etimes by de nial s som etim e s by gra n ts

, ,
abov e all we c an ask or thi n k to se ek e ve r high er an d

,
more spiri tual bl essi n g s an d to tur n at la st from

,
e v e ry cre at e d good to Him who above all e l se lo n g s
for th e e mbrac e of His own dear chil dr en All man s .

’
developm e n t c ulmi n at e s in prayer and all prayer ,
culmi n ate s in ma n s pa ssio n at e desir e to b e fill e d e ven

’
with t h e ful ness of God Himself Whom have I in .
h eaven but Thee an d there is n o n e upo n e arth that

I desire b e side Th ee .
1
u us tin e
A g on Psalm lxxvi .
CHAPTER IV
THE TH E O LO G Y O F P RA Y E R
t
B ut hat from us aught shou ld a sc en d t o H eaven
So pr e valen t as to co n c e rn t h e min d
O f G o d high blest or to in c lin e His will
-
, ,
Hard t o b elie f may see m yet this will pray e r .
M I L T ON P aradise L ost x i 1 4 3 1 4 6
, ,
.
-
.
In th i c o t mplatio
s n e my u n worthy sou l thou art
n, ,
presen tly in t h e pr esen c e N o pa ssin g of guards n or u sh ers

.
,
.
N o e xamin atio n of thy d e gree or habit Th e prin c e is n ot .
a sle e p n or priva t e n or w eary of givin g n or r e fe rs t o oth e rs

, , ,
.
He pu ts th e e n o t to pr eva il by an g els n or archan g els B ut .
lest a n y th in g m ight h in d e r th e e from comin g in t o His pr esen c e ,
His pre sen c e com es in to th ee A n d lest maj esty shou ld da zzle

.
th ee thou art to sp e ak but to thy Fath er

, .
”
J O H N D ONNE Work s v ol v p 1 7
, ,
. . . .
THE probl em of prayer is n ot on e that c an b e de alt

with in i solatio n by it self It is part of th e much.
larger th e ological probl em of th e doctri ne of God an d

His r elation to th e world If we are to fac e th ere fore
.
, ,
an d solv e som e of t h e mai n i n t elle ctual difli cult ie s

,
which prayer pre se n t s we mu st fir st of all try to form

,
som e cl ear co n c eption of a gen eral world order in which -
prayer may claim to have a rea son abl e plac e What .

42 THE REALM or P RAYE R
an d s oull ess u niverse has b een w ell expresse d in s ome
li n e s by Whitti er :
Stra n g e god of Forc e with f ear n ot lov e
, , ,
b
I ts tr e m lin g wor shi pp e r I Ca n pray e r
R e ach t h e shut e ar of Fat e or mov e ,
U n p ityin g E n ergy to spare

W hat doth t h e co smic V a stn e ss car e 1
It is n ot n ec essary to exami n e afre sh th e w ell

k n ow n chall en ge of Professor Tyn dall that a c e rtai n
war d in a ho spital should b e isolat e d t h e case s it c on ,
t ain ed spe cially praye d for by all Chri stia n p e opl e an d ,
t h e e fficacy of prayer t est e d by t h e r e sult s ob se rv e d

2
.
On t h e a ssumptio n of a mat e riali stic u n iv erse in which ,
all thi n g s are re ducibl e to sub stanc e an d energy ,
gover n e d by fix e d laws an d i n violabl e se qu en c e s ,
prayer is i n dee d sup e rfluous an d its fr ee dom an d

urgen cy i n defen sibl e wh ether it seek s th e recov ery of
,
sick pati en t s in a ho spital or an ythi n g el se what ever .
It is a f allacy howev er to suppo se that th e truth s

, ,
of religion have to await verificatio n at th e ha n d s of

sci en c e or that prayer is i n val idat e d b ecau se in c ertai n
,
circum stanc es it is n ot a n swer ed We hav e moved a .
lo n g way si n c e th e days of Profe ssor Tyn dall an d th e ,
Vi ew of th e u n iverse on which h e base d his chall e nge

h as b ecom e discr e dit e d I n moder n thought t h e
.
r eligiou s co n sciou sn ess claim s an e qual right with th e

sci en tific to apprehen d truth i n t erpre t th e u niverse , ,
an d apply it s own t e st s of valu e an d r e ality Wh en .
this cl aim is admitt e d (an d it ca n n ot b e de nie d) it ,
at o n c e b e comes n atural for us in expl aini n g th e world

,
order to spe ak in t erm s of spirit rath er tha n of matt er

, ,
of will rath er tha n of energy of free dom rathe r than of

,
1
Whitti e r ,
R evelation .
1
Con te mpor ary R eview v ol . xx p
. . 2 05 .
T HE THEOLOGY OF PRAYER 43
forc e of grac e rathe r than of law and of vitali sm

rather than of m
, ,
at e rialism G od th en b ecom es no
.
merely impot e n t and impri so ne d Fat e but a lovi n g ,
an d holy Will whose might is seen in cre ation an d

,
His purpo se in re demptio n a G od who con trols both

,
n atur e an d huma nity from abov e in th e i n terests

,
of an everla sti n g ki n gdom of love an d right e ou sn ess .
A n other syst em of thought wh ich doe s n ot give full

scope to th e life of prayer is deism Th e co n c e ptio n .
of God on which it build s dista n t aloof ali en far with

, , , ,
draw n ; it s sharp cl ear cut dualism of di sti n ction

,
-
b etween n at ural an d supe r n atural ; it s divisio n of

t h e u nive r se into a low e r fix e d ord e r which work s
,
m echa nically an d u niformly accordi n g to it s own law s ,
an d a high e r fr ee r mor e spiritual ord e r which occa

, , ,
sion ally i n t e rf er es miracul ou sly with t h e n atural ord e r ,
to put it right— all thi s t en ds to kill prayer or el se to ,
giv e it a false m e a ni n g and an u n n atural directio n .
D ei sm eith er co nfi n es God wholly to th e super natural

realm or el se it u n sati sfyi n gly disti ngui she s b etween
,
th e G od of n atur e an d t h e God of grac e an d bid s us ,
dir ect our pe titio n s sol ely to th e latt er I n an y ca se .
t h e scope of praye r is gri evously r est ri ct ed God is .
tra nsc en den t without b ei n g re ally imma nen t He is a

God afar off but n ot n igh at ha n d ; He may h ear
prayer b ut har dly c an He i nspire it an d wh en He
, ,
com es to a n swer it His action is e verywh ere circum

scribe d From Rou sse au s Confession s we may see to
.
’
what a de gr ee of fai n t ness an d t e pi dity th e prayers

of dei sm are n ec e ssarily re duce d I k n ow n o homage
.
more worthy of th e Divi n ity tha n th e sil en t a dmiration

e xcit e d by t h e co n t e mplatio n of His works In .
my chamb er I pray l ess fre quen tly an d n ot so ferv e n tly

,
but at th e vi ew of a b e autiful la n dscape I feel myself
move d by what power I ca n n ot t ell
,
I co n ver se .
with th e Author of th e u n iverse ; I imbu e all my

faculti e s with His divi ne essen c e My heart m elt s .
ov er His b en efit s I bl ess Him for all His gift s but I

.
,
do n ot pray to Him What hav e I to ask Him for

.
1
For oppo sit e re a so n s prayer ca n n ot flouri sh in a

sy st e m of p an th eistic mon ism A G od who is imma .
n en t without b ei n g tra n sc en d e n t c an as littl e b e a
h earer an d an swere r of prayer as a G od who is tra n s

cen den t without b ei n g imma n e n t It is tru e that .
pan th ei sm favours a bli ssful r e veri e of self forgetful -
n ess an d mystic co n t emplati on Our spirit fin d s it s .
larger self in t h e whol e world an d is fille d with an ,
ab solut e c ertai n ty that it is immortal It dies a .
hu n dre d time s in it s en clo sures of self for se parat e

n ess is doom e d to die it ca n n ot b e mad e e t er n al
, But .
it n ever c an die wher e it is one with th e all for the re is ,
it s truth it s j oy
, Wh en a man feel s th e rhythmic throb
.
of th e soul life of t h e whol e world in hi s own soul

-
,
”
th e n is h e free 2
This spiritual self aba n donm e n t
.
-
,
however thi s swoo ni n g i n to th e i n finit e is n ot prayer

, , .
Fathe r Tyrrell h as ve ry acutely re marke d I should

like to see an H egelian at his prayer s A colloquy .
with t h e subj ect obj ect mu st b e diffi cult to ma n age 3

-
.
”
If prayer in it s tru e an d prope r se n se of reciprocal

commu nion is to b e mai n tai n ed e mpha si s mu st b e ,
laid on th e esse n tial disti n ction b etween man and God ,
as well as on th e po ssibility of unio n There mu st b e .
on e who call s an d O n e wh o a n sw er s .
1
R ousse au , Confession s, bo ok vi .
R a b in dran at h T g a ore , S adh a n a , p . 1 1 3 .
3
A utobiography an d Lif by M
e, . D . Petre , v ol . ii . p . 10 .
THE THEOLOGY OF PRAYER 45
II
O nly in th e atmo sphere of theism c an prayer draw it s
dee pe st an d mo st sati sfying bre ath For prayer like .
,
bre ath i n volv es both i n spiration an d e xpiratio n and

, ,
it require s a God who is both imma n en t an d tran sc e n

de n t A s th e i n spirer of prayer He dw ell s in man an d
.
,
in n atur e as in a livi n g t empl e ; as t h e a n sw e re r of

prayer He sit s thro ne d above t h e floods a free self
, , ,
det e rmi ni n g moral per son ality who is cog nisa n t of

, ,
t h e d esire s an d acc e ssibl e to th e en tr eati es of th e

creature s He has made I n such a system of thought
.
God is much more tha n t h e compreh en sive whole in

which all thi n gs subsist He is th e livi n g an d sust ai n
.
in g grou n d or u n iversal m e dium in which all pe r so n al

c en tre s of expe ri en c e act an d i n t e ract in th eir mutual
r elation s with one a n oth er an d with Him Fi nit e .
mi n d s are n ot as in mo ni sm m ere moments in th e life

, ,
of God pha se s or stat e s of His i n fi nit e e xpe rie n c e

, ,
pa ssi ng expressio n s or cha n geful di fferen tiatio n s of th e

one sol e u nive rsal min d as it e xi st s u n de r t e mpor al
, , ,
and spatial limitatio n s The y are rather se parat e

.
, ,
an d disti n ct c en tr es of e xpe ri e n c e e ach havi n g a ,
de gree of b ei n g for it se lf an d in proc e ss of b ei n g

,
trai ne d for fellow ship with God t h rough e ve r growi ng -
approximatio n to His likeness At every stage all .

,
are dir e ctly r elat e d to Him an d d e pe n den t on Him

, ,
e v e n in t h e e x erci se of th eir most pe r so n al idiosyn
c rasie s an d i n dividual pe c uliaritie s God Himself .
h as His b ei n g beyond th e t empor al an d spatial world

order which He h as made an d is n ever at an y tim e or
,
in an y se nse to b e merely iden tifi e d with it He is .

46 THE REALM OF PRAYE R
th e fir st origi nal th e final end th e compreh en sive
, ,
grou n d th e directi n g will th e co n trolli n g purpo se

, , ,
th e su stai ni n g stren gth t h e orga n izi n g life th e in , ,
dwelli n g spirit and th e ultimat e pri n cipl e of u nity

, ,
order b eauty an d coh eren c e of th e sy st em as a whol e

, , .
I n e very mom e n t an d at ev ery poi n t alike God dir ectly

, ,
creat es uphold s govern s an d gives u nity to all thi n gs

, , ,
vi sibl e an d i n vi sibl e an d moul ds th em accordin g to

,
th eir own n ature an d t h e fi n al purpose of His will ,
guidi ng th em patien tly toward s that goal which sh all

pe rf ectly reve al th e ful ness of His power wisdom , ,
right e ou sness an d holy love .
I n bri e f God accor di n g to th e vi ew of Christian

, ,
.
thei sm is that i n fi nit e an d e ter n al Spirit th e sol e

, ,
maker upholder an d pe rfe ct er of th e en tire u niverse

, , ,
who se charact er r eve al s it self as ri ghte ous love an d ,
who both limit s an d e xpresses His pe rf ect moral pe r so n

ality in th e cre ation an d redemptio n of othe r moral
pe r so n alities de pe n den t on Him self whose love He
solicits an d whose free c o—
, ,
,
O pe ratio n He pati en tly
i n vit es in order to bri n g th em by th e path of spiri tual
, ,
di scipli ne an d progr ess to th e re alizatio n of th eir tru e

,
e n d throu
, gh fellow ship with Him self in a ki n gdom or ,
family of lovi n g spirit s which shall shar e with Him th e ,
bl esse dne ss of life et er n al .
I II
Wh en we e n deavour to tran slat e the se bar e an d
ab stract stat em en t s of th e ology i n to th e warm an d
livi n g la n guage of pe r so n al r eligio n we fin d that some ,
very importa n t corollari es follow with re spe ct t o prayer ,

~
.
THE THEOLOGY OF P RAYER 47
i( ) God is wholly p resen t in evbry place Wh ereve r .

,
th er e fore an y soul seeks Him in si nc erity an d truth

, , ,
it fi n d s Him close at ha n d an d e n tirely dise ngaged .
He is n ot far from an y one of us for in Him we live ,
” 1
an d mov e an d hav e our be i n g Th e va st ne ss an d .
compl e xity of th e u niverse that is to say do n ot so , ,
tax or pre occupy God as to ren der Him too bu sy to

att e n d to even th e le ast affairs of any one of His
creatur e s at an y tim e Rather He n otice s th e fall .
,
e v en of a sparrow an d is wholly at t h e di spo sal of all

,
who need His h elp in eve ry plac e If I take th e .
wi ng s of t h e mor ni n g an d dwell in th e uttermost ,
parts of th e se a eve n there shall Thy han d le ad me an d

, ,
Thy right han d shall hold me G od as Au gusti ne

”
“
1
.
,
remi n d s us care s for each one of us as if He care d

, ,
”
for him alo n e an d for all as if the y w ere each on e
,
3
.
Wh e n this om n iprese n t spirituality of th e Almighty

is o n c e fully gra spe d trillio n s of mil e s or of ye ar s
, , ,
matt er n othi n g to th e soul ; an d spiritual valu es ,
which alo ne cou n t are se en to b e wholly i nde pe n den t

,
of tim e an d spac e Ju st as in th e physic al r e alm

.
, ,
t h e pow e r which guide s all st e llar sy st e m s in th eir

circli n g orbit s al so co n trol s without t h e le a st neglect
, ,
of larger i ssu es th e myri ad clu st ers of el ectro n s withi n

,
a grai n of du st so in th e spiritu al world t h e Love , ,
that moves th e sun an d all th e star s in Da n te s ,

’
phrase suffer s n o dimi n utio n omit s n o wider ta sk

, , ,
when it be stow s it s u n di vide d an d e n tire re gard on

e ve ry si n gl e soul B ehold God is mighty an d
.
, ,
desp iseth n ot an y 4
an d whoe v e r draw s n igh to
Him in praye r may b e sur e of an imm e diat e att e n tive , ,
1
A cts xvii . 2 7, 28 .
2
Psalm cxxxix .
9 ,
10 .
1
Confession s ( ed . C B igg)
.
, III . x i. 2 .
4
Job xxxvi 5 . .
an d mo st graciou s audie n ce from th e Ki n g of
Ki ng s .
(ii ) God is wh olly available at every stage I n so .
won de rfully ordere d an d va st a syst em creatures ,
n aturally e xi st in a b ewilde ri n g vari e ty of grades an d
ra n k s of b ei n g G od who provides for an d su st ai n s

.
,
them all is p erfectly acqu ai n t e d with th e cl aim s an d

,
capaciti es of each and can suit His i n finit e resourc es

,
to their se veral individual r e quiremen t s It is nothi ng .
to Him to ope n His ha n d an d sati sfy th e de sire of

”
e ve ry livi n g thi n g Whoe ver you may b e th er e
1
.
,
fore you are a creature whom God h as made to whom

, ,
a defi nite plac e in th e i n fi nit e scal e of b ei n g h as b een

a ssigned an d whose n eed s an d circum stanc e s from
,
mom en t to momen t are fully k n ow n Your pre se nt .

,
pa st an d future are in His ha n d s an d what ever c on

, ,
c e r n s you vitally con cern s Him also For G od ca nn ot .
direct t h e affair s of th e u niverse as a whol e u nless ,
He al so dire ct s th e a ffair s of e v ery part of it at every

stage His pla n for all n ec essarily i n volve s a pla n for
.
e ach Your n ext step th ere fore is a matt er in which

.
, ,
God is pe r so n ally an d supremely int ereste d Havin g .
love d you from th e b egi n ni n g He is certai n to love ,
you also to th e en d Why n ot a ssum e all this when .
you turn to Him in praye r ? You are e n titl e d t o

b elieve on th e high est of all authority that He who
, ,
in th e fir st plac e wi ll e d you i n to life who t hin ks of you

se parat ely from every oth er b ei n g ; who h as watch ed
over an d bor n e with you in love from th e fir st day
u n til n ow ; who r ebuk es you when you sin ch eer s ,
you whe n you de spon d and in n o circum sta n c es what ,
eve r giv e s you up who is pe rfectly acquai n t ed with

1
Psalm cxlv . I 6 .
‘
that ev ery e ffort to commu n e with Him though it ,
se e m to r emov e H im farth e r Off is r eally a proof that ,
He is dw ellin g withi n us an d h as n ot let us go Th e .
God withi n is a n sw eri n g t o th e “God without .
(iv) God is seek er before He can be sou ght It is a .
common complai n t of tho se who pray that God seems

to elude th eir ago nizi n g se arch O Lord how long .
,
shall I cry an d Thou wilt n ot h e ar ?

,
Al so wh en ,
I c ry an d shout He shutt e th out my prayer , Thou .
ha st cove re d Thyse lf with a cloud that our prayer ,
should n ot pa ss through Oh that I k n ew wh ere .
I might fin d Him that I might come even to His ,
se at 1
Th e se are th e d espairi n g words of men
who thi nk that they tak e th e i nitiative in th e appe al
of prayer God m ean whil e r emai n i n g de af to their
,
e n tr e ati e s Yet t h e r e al truth is that G od is before

.
han d with us in all our spiritual desir es Th e prayer .
that r each es out if haply it may fin d Him is th e prayer

that h as fir st of all proc ee de d from Himself We 2
.
pray to Him b ecau se He fir st prays in us From Him .

,
in t h e fir st plac e all holy desires all good cou n sels

, ,
and all j u st work s do proc ee d Huma n praye r .

,
aft er all is o nly se co n dary ; it is th e year ni n g an d

,
r eveali n g love of God that is alway s primary Ju st as .
a moth er s broodi n g love call s i n to b ei n g th e fir st

’
awak en i n g smil e of r ecog nitio n in h er child so doe s ,
t h e broodi n g lov e of God call forth an d e licit t h e lat e n t

powe r of praye r an d spiritual r ecognitio n in us His
childr en I n n o case are we th e prim e mover s in th e
.
matt er Prayer is an e cho mor e tha n it is a cry It is

. .
1 Hab . i . iii 8 4 4 ;
2 Lam . .
, Job xxiii 3 . .
1
ompar
C e T s a e is homa K mp Thou first hast rou se d me that ,
I m ght se e k T ee , I mitation h
"
i ed C B ig g) IV i
( . . , . xx ,
THE THEOLOGY OF PRA Y ER 51
an a n swer to som ethi n g else th e homi n g i n sti n ct of ,
t h e soul an i n ne r re spo n se to som e my st e riou s call

,
comi n g from without Wh en Thou saidst Seek ye .

, ,
My fac e my h eart said u n to Thee Thy fac e Lord , , ,
”
wi ll I seek 1
All e ar ne st prayer is a mutual embrac e
.
,
but we are oft en far l ess co n sciou s of God s e ncircli n g ’
arm s tha n of our own ha n d s pa ssio n at ely outstretch ed

an d gropi n g aft e r Him .
Lady Julia n of Norwich in t h e fourteen th c e n tury , ,
h as b e autifully e xpre sse d thi s truth that G od Him se lf ,
is t h e fir st prompt e r of huma n praye r an d if its ,
prompt er surely its fulfille r al so I am th e Grou n d .
of thy b e seechi n g says God Fir st it is my wi ll that , .

,
thou have it an d aft er I make thee to will it an d ,
aft er I make thee to b e se ech it an d thou b e see ch e st

, ,
it How should it th e n b e that thou sho uld st n ot

.
have thy b eseeclrin g ? It is mo st impo ssible

that we should b e see ch m ercy and grac e an d n ot have
it For e verythi n g that our good Lord maketh us to
.
b e se ech Him self hath ordai n e d it to us from without

,
b egi n ni n g All thin g that our Lord h ath ordai ned

.
-
to do it is His will that we pray there for eith er in

, ,
spe cial or in gen e ral A n d t h e j oy an d t h e blis s that .
is to Him an d t h e tha n k s an d th e wor ship that we sh all

,
have ther efor it pa sse th th e u n der sta n di ng of cre ature s

, ,
as to my sight For prayer is a right u n der standi n g

.
of that ful ne ss of j oy that is to Com e with well lo n gi n g ,

-
”
an d sure tru st 2
.
1
Psalm xxvii . 8 .
1
R evelation s f
o D ivin e L ove (e d . G . W arrac k ) , pp . 8 4 89 , .
CHAPTER V
THE P SYCH O LOG Y O F P RA YE R
Lo rd wha t a cha n ge within us on e short hour

,
Sp en t in Th y pr esen c e will pre vail t o mak e ,
W ha t h eavy burd e n s from our bo som s ta ke ,
W ha t parch ed grou n d s r e fr esh as with a show e r I

,
W e kn e e l an d all arou n d us see ms to low e r

,
W e rise an d all t h e dista n t an d t h e n e ar

, , ,
Sta n d s forth in su n n y outlin e brav e an d cle ar ,
W e kn eel how w e ak w e rise how fu ll of pow e r

, , . .
R C TREN C H P oems . .
, .
P ray e rs are tho s calv es of m

e
’
en s lip s ,
’
tho e most graciou s
s
an d s w e et odours tho se rich presen ts an d gift s which b ein g

, ,
carrie d up in to h eav en do b es t te stify our du ti ful a ffec tio n ,
an d a re for t h e purcha sin g of all favour at t h e ha n d s of
G o d t h e mo st u n doubt e d m e an s w e c an use .
R HOOKER E cclesiastical P o lity book v chap xxiii

.
, ,
. . .
IN this chapt er it will b e co n ve ni en t to di scu ss brie fly

i( ) th e p sychological charact er of prayer (ii) it s sub ,
j e c t iv e valu e iii
( ) it
,
s obj e ctiv e cou n t e rpart an d (iv) ,
it s mutual i n t eractio n of divi ne an d huma n el em en t s .
I n th e x erci se of prayer th e primary i n sti n cts of

e
huma n n atur e as w ell as som e of t h e mor e compl e x

,
52
THE PSY CHOLOGY OF P RAYER 53
e motio ns are stimulate d t o activity in an ide al ma n ner

,
through th e i n fluen c e of som e obj e ct u n der stood to b e

divi ne Th e gr eat ness maj esty an d power of th e
.
, ,
divi ne B ei ng thus co n t emplat e d in th e fir st i nsta n ce

n aturally b e ge t fear Th ere is a feeli n g of appreh e n sio n
.
r egardi n g th e pe n al ti es an d j udgm en t s which may

follow t h e awak en i n g of His ju st di spl ea sure acc om ,
p a n ie d by a stro n g r e actio n of a n ge r or in dign ation
again st th e sin or evil by which that displ ea sur e may b e

arou se d If thi s sen se of dread in th e pr ese n ce of God
.
b e suspe nd e d or ove rcom e while t h e co n sciou sn ess of,
His gr e at ne ss maj esty an d pow er is still prese n t in th e

, ,
mi n d th e feeli n g of admiration or won der is evoked

, ,
an d a rapt adori n g co n t e mplatio n of th e di v i n e at tri
but es Th e i n hibition of fe ar in t h i s stat e Of feeling

.
may al so e n courage a devout curio sity or enquiry with

regard to thi n g s spiritual a di spo sitio n to approach ,
an d i n v estigat e that which we do n ot fe ar yet im
perfectly u n der sta n d a holy bold ness in more an d more

,
ven turou sly ca sti ng th e plumm et of huma n search i n to

t h e d e pth s of t h e my st e ry of God Th e mome n t t h e .
feeli n g of dread r etur n s howeve r an d rningles with this

, ,
se n timen t of admiratio n or wo n der we have th e se n se ,
of awe an d with it a corr espo n ding feeli n g of m eek

,
lowli n ess humility an d self abasemen t as in t h e

, ,
-
,
pre sen c e of One i n fin it ely supe rior to our se lves Should .
it b e born e in upo n us however that th e B ei n g b e fore

, ,
whom we sta n d is m erciful an d graciou s that He is ,
forgivi n g and fatherly an d ki n d so that we c an cou n t ,
on His b en efic en ce an d prot e ctiv e car e th e n t h e more ,
t en der emotio n of filial love tru st sympathy gratitude , , ,
is ki ndled which c omb imn g with t h e n ot yet reliu

, ,
q u ish e d se n se of awe an d wo n de r give s us t h e compl ex ,

54 T HE REALM OF P RAYER
spiritual co n ditio n k n own as reveren ce —a stat e in which
love ve n tur es co n fiden tly to ki ss th e han d of God ,
whil e awe k neel s .
I n this general attitude of r e v er en c e toward s God

vari ous se parat e a sp ect s of th e soul s life may b e ’
di sti n gui she d Broadly spe ak i n g prayer is an y psy

.
,
chical activity referred to God an d r e f err e d to Him ,
b ecause th ere is n o pro sp ect of its ade quat e sati sfactio n

withi n th e re alm of t h e t emporal world order Thus -
.
,
whe n th e imagi n atio n e n de avours to picture to it se lf

th e thought of G od or pa sse s in r evi ew His attribut e s
, ,
we have in vocation When con sci en c e is active an d

.
,
some r emorse for past wro ng— doi ng is r eferr e d to God .

,
th e p raye r of con trition or co n fe ssio n ri ses to our lip s ac ,
compani ed by a re quest that th e sin may b e forgiven .
Wh en on th e other ha n d an y forebodi n g of futur e

, ,
e vil is r e fe rr e d to God we n atur ally offer t h e praye r

,
of dep recation an d ask that t h e dreaded c al amity may

,
b e warded off Th e i n e vitabl e acc epta n ce of som e

.
pr ese n t hard ship refe rre d to God fi n ds it s voice in

, ,
th e prayer of resign ation ; whil e a se n se of w ell b e i n g -

,
or co n sciou sn ess of j oy through b en e fit s r ec ei ve d or

succ e ss gai ned similarly referred expresse s itself
, ,
as th e praye r of than ksgivin g Should t h e glory an d .
good ness of God in givin g or in b ei n g abl e to give b e

, ,
con templat e d by us but n ot in direct relatio n to our

,
privil ege in receivi n g prayer takes th e form of prai se

,
or adoration On t h e other ha n d an y se n se of lack

.
,
on our part , referr ed to God b ecomes th e praye r of ,
p etition or supplication Wh en we are qui etly c on .
fiden t that our voic e will b e h e ard an d our wa n t s will b e

suppli e d t h e pray er we O ffe r is that of faith
,
Further .
,
if an y conative or will energy of th e spirit any ,

THE PSY CH OLOGY O F PRA Y ER 55
purpo sive activity of self re ali zatio n b e co n sciou sly

-
,
refe rred to God as t h e sol e fulfiller of th ese aim s th e ,
prayer of con secration will b e th e r e sult our free ob edi ,
e n c e an d se lf d e dicatio n to c o op e ratio n with t h e pur

- -
pose an d will of God Fi n ally when our feeli n gs are

.
,
di si n t erest e d as regard s our se lve s an d our si n c ere \

,
de sire for th e welfar e of oth e r huma n be i n gs is d efi nit ely

refe rre d to God i n a smuch as our own power of h elpi ng
,
th em is felt to b e i n ade quat e th e prayer we offe r is

,
th e praye r of in tercession All these sen tim e n t s an d

.
e motio n s may b e e n t e rtai ne d by us without r e f er en c e to
God Th e mom en t any on e of the m is so refe rred

.
,
it b ecome s a prayer .
What eve r Vi ew may b e h eld as to t h e obj ective

efficacy of praye r th er e mu st b e a g en e ral agr e e m en t
,
regardi ng its subj ective valu e P sychologically c on .
sidered as n o more tha n an activity of t h e huma n

,
consciousn e ss prayer is pre e mi nen tly a bring er of

,
-
pe ace pow er purity an d pa ssio n to t h e spiri t By

, , ,
.
what ever m ean s t h e r esult b e brought about praye r

'
does as a matt er of fact tra n sform pe r so nality an d lift ,
th e soul of man above th e world It gra n t s him .
release from spiritual bon dage pe ac e in th e mid st of

,
strife t h e mor n of j oy aft er t h e n ight of so rrow

,
As .
t h e r esult of praye r v e ry r e al str e am s of e n ergy flow

,
i n to th e soul . They that wai t upon th e Lord shall

renew their stre ngth th ey shall mou n t up with wi n gs
as eagl es ; th ey shall run an d n ot b e weary ; an d
,
” 1
the y sh all walk an d n ot fain t Through prayer , .
,
Mo se s an d N eh emiah J eremiah an d E ze ki el are

'
, ,
brac ed to en cou n t er da n ger an d oppositio n ; 2

St .
Paul is k ept calm amid th e t error s of a shipwreck ;

‘
2
an d J e su s Him se lf wi n s t h e Victory ov er t e mptatio n .
Th e man who prays h as t h e imp ression at l e a st that h e , ,
h as b ee n brought i n to co n tact with a high er form of

r e ality in co n se qu en c e Of which his vi sion h as b een
,
widen ed his thought clarifie d his dispo sition sweet ened

, , ,
his lov e i n crea se d h is ai m s purifie d his fe ar s ca lm e d , , ,
an d his i niquiti e s forgiv e n P sychologically expresse d .
this m ea n s that through prayer a man is made co n scious

that h e is co n ti n uou s with a wider self through which
savi n g e xp e ri e n c e s com e
5
I hav e a difficu lty .
”
,
writ es on e in con c eivin g th e som ethi ng I am n ami n g

,
God . But I think at rare i n te rval s I have ex

pe rienc e d som ethi n g lik e a mov e m en t of God toward me .
It generally happe n s wh en I stop fighti n g an d rely on

His a ssi sta n c e Lat ely be fore goi n g i n to a trial .
,
which thr eat e ne d to i n volve me in p er son al di shonour ,
I praye d like a kid an d seem e d to get re spo n se

immediately Th e physical r esult was imm ediat e .
qui eti n g of ne rv es M en tally it gav e me a lot of

'
”
courage 6
.
The se word s may b e taken as a typical moder n re

stat em e n t oi t h e truth expr e sse d lo n g ago by a de vout
Psalmist This poor man cri ed an d th e Lord h eard ,
1 I sa . x1 .
31 .
2 xod vii 1 5 ; N eh ii 4 ; J er i 7 8 ; E z ek ii 1 5
E . .
-
. . . .
,
. .
-
.
2
A cts xxvii 2 2 2 5 .
-
.
1 Luk e xx1 1 4 1 46 .
-
.
5 W James Varieties of R eligious E xperien ce p 5 1 5

.
, , . .
6
Q uoted by J B Pratt in P sychology of R eligious B elief p. .
, , . 2 74 .
58 T HE REALM OF PRAYER
u n selfish lay in their r eflex actio n upon tho se who

,
offered th em 1
.
A similar vi ew h as b een held in our day by G e orge

M ere dith an d man y oth ers Wh o rise s from Prayer .
a b e tte r man his praye r is a n sw er ed 2

,Why n ot .
”
put it at that ? Why ask more than that prayer

shoul d have an i n ward cl e a n si n g e ffect upo n our se lv es
Wh y should it b e a n thropomorphically r egarde d as

havi n g an y e ffect upon th e mi n d an d will of God ?
I s it e v e n n ec e s sary to b eli e v e in G od at all ? Surely
n ot By praye r accordi n g to thi s Vi ew we proj ect
.
, ,
our d esire s upo n th e cloudy shadow la n d whith er we -
are movi n g ; we shap e an d focu s th e m obj ectiv ely

b e fore us upo n th e field of our spiritual vi sion as th e ,
de sire d goal of our purposiv e activity of self re ali za -
tio n Prayer is to b e resort e d to b ecause by m ea n s of

.
it we attai n to i n n er u nity an d pe ac e an d bl essed n ess .
By it we affirm t h e validity of our ideal s resolut ely ,
m ain tai n th em agai n st th e world se t th em b efore ,
us in a tra n sc en de n t a spe ct as worthy to b e love d ,
claim for them an ab solut e an d e t ern al valu e and ,
stimulat e our selves to desire an d actively to p ur su e

them .
1
It is a common but very palpable e rror to imagin e that Prayer
is in se parable from t h e chimerical motives of s lf in t e re t in which e -
s
it fir st origi at e d I n t h e n ormal stat e of Human ity t h e moral

n
e fli c ac y of Pray r will n o lo ge r b e impai re d by thou ghts of pe r o n al

.
e n s
re compe se I t will b simply a olemn outpourin g whethe r in

n e s
private or in public of me n s n oble r fe elin gs in spirin g the m

.
,
'
, ,
with larger an d more comprehen sive thou ght A s a daily s
practice it is in culcate d by Positivism as t h e be st preservative

.
again st t h e selfish impuls s an d n arrow ideas ge erate d by

,
e n
t h e ordin ary avocation s of life Syste m of P ositive P hilosophy

”
.
,
v ol i p 2 09
. . . .
The O deal of R ich a d P everel chap x ii

r r . . .
THE PSY CHOLOGY OF PRAYER
If courag e shou ld fal te r t is who lesom e to kn e el ,
’
.
R e m e mb e r that w ell fo r t h e se cr e t with som e

, ,
W h o pray for n o gi ft bu t hav e c lea n sin g in pray e r

, ,
A n d fr e e from impurit i s t ow r ik st a d 1 ”
e e l e n -
.
This view has b een w ell expressed by one of th e char

act ers in Wal t e r Savag e L an dor s I magin ary Con versa
’
tion s. Suppo si n g prayer to b e totally ineffic acious

in th e obj e ct is n ot th e mi n d exalt e d t h e h eart purifie d
, , ,
are n ot our affe ctio n s cha st e n e d our d e sir e s m od e rat e d , ,
our e nj oym en t s e nlarge d by thi s i n t ercourse with ,
th e D eity ? an d are n ot me n t h e be tt e r as c e rtai nly ,
th ey are th e happi er for a b eli e f that He i n t e rferes

,
with their conc er n s ? 2
Th e obj e ctio n to such a vi ew is that if ope n ly ,
avowed an d act e d upo n it mu st l ead in th e en d to ,
a total paralysis of praye r Prayer ca n n ot go on if .
it b e co n sciou sly regarde d as a form of self stimulu s -
or auto— sugg estio n or m e n tal culture a ki n d of dumb ,
b ell ex ercise of spiritual gym n a stic an d n o more .
He that com eth to G od mu st b eli eve that He is an d ,
that He is a rewarder of the m that diligen tly seek

”
Him .
2
Eve n if prayer b e r egarded as an e x ercise of

faith an d love th e faith an d lov e mu st b e dir ect e d
,
toward s som e ob j ect n am ely God ; an d th e God to

,
whom we pray mu st b e n ot simply an ideal of goodn e ss ,
holi ness an d love proj e ct e d by our selv es upo n th e

, ,
clouds of th e u n k n ow n but O ne in whom th ese an d all

,
other p erso n al spiritual v alu es fin d th eir effici en t

1
Ge orge Me redith The E mpty P urse ,
.
M agliab e c ch i an d D r Middle to n
”
2
. .
3
Heb . xi . 6 .
s ourc e th eir full embodimen t th eir tra n sc en d en tal guar
, ,
a n t ee an d th eir a ssur e d an d sati sfyi n g goal Praye r

, .
,
in fact woul d quickly la n gui sh upon our lip s if t h e

,
hau n ti n g thought w ere to tak e po ssession of our minds

that a m er ely subj ectiv e stren gth eni n g is all that it
accompli sh es It could n ot lo n g survive as a lofty
.
e x e rci se of spiritual soliloquy a sol em n an d pa ssio n at e

,
talki n g to ourselv e s aloud .
Religio n in t h i s r e sp ect differ s widely from art .
A esth etic co n t emplatio n is sati sfi e d with tran sc en

den tal imagi n ativ e feeli n g or with ideal s which have
,
an e motio n al art valu e for huma n life It doe s n ot .
dema n d th e actual ex isten ce of an y obj ect corre spo n din g

to its vi sio n ary dream s I t s obj e ct even in re pr esen t
.
,
in g is to create
,
With religion it is otherwi se Faith
. .
mu st b e sati sfie d that th e valu es on which it reli e s

are n ot illusory or self c re ate d an d that in t h e e x erci se
~
of praye r it is gen ui n ely in co n tact with ultimat e

r eality Sur ely we are of all men mo st mi se rabl e if
.
in prayer we o n ly address an e nlarge d an d wholly

imagi n ary proj e ctio n of our se lv es an d so resemble ,
one who
fu ll b e fore him glidin g withou t tr e ad

Se e s , ,
An imag e wi th a glory rou n d its h e ad

Th e en amour d ru stic worship s it s fair hu es
’
Nor kn ows h e mak es th e shadow h e pursu es 1
We pray b est when we are ab solut ely convince d that ,
apart from an y p sychological or repe rcu ssive e ffect

t h e e x ercise of praye r may have upo n ours elves it ,
doe s actually reach a li stenin g e ar an d m eet with a

re spon se an d so mak es a differen ce in th e total situation
,
.
1
. . o rd
S T C le i ge , Constan cy to an I deal Object .
THE PSY CHOLOGY OF PRAYER 61
I n deed prayer may b e said to b e ev en subj e ctively

,
b eneficial o nly in th e d e gree in which it is b elieve d

to b e obj ectively i nfluen tial H ere is a gra n d .
paradox which is th e p aradox of prayer Th e h e art

, .
hope s that which to re a so ni n g se ems impossible A n d .
I be li eve we n ever pray aright ex ce pt whe n we pray

in that fe mi ni n e childlike spirit which n o logic c an
de fen d feeling as if we modified th e will of God
, ,
”
though that will is fixed 1
.
IV
Th e tru e way of regardi n g prayer on it s p sycho -
logical side is to look upo n it as a mutual spi ritual

,
1 ,
i n teractio n in which both divi ne an d huma n elem en t s

,
are mi n gl e d Prayer is som ethi n g more tha n a sub

.
j e c tiv e ex e rcise of t h e soul of m an by which w e se ek
pe r so n al self realization through th e a ffirmatio n of

-
spiritual values over agai n st th e world Accoun t .
mu st b e taken of t h e e xt er n al spiritual power which

call s thi s faculty i n to b ei n g an d co n ti n ually fo st er s , ,
dire ct s e ducat e s an d i n spire s it

,
Praye r that is to
,
.
,
say is th e chi ef m ea n s of perfecti n g spiritual pe rso n ality

,
through th e i n tercourse of our moral will with th e holy

will of God It c an n e ve r b e u n der stood save as a
.
mutu al en cou n t er or mystical embrace in which we, ,
act upon God quit e as much as He act s upon us for ,
th e accompli shm en t of that which is t h e ide al goal

of both yet u n attai n abl e by either without th e other
, ,
n am ely th e pe rf e cti n g of pe r so n ality in an e ve rlasti n g

,
1
F W . . R obe rtson , Sermon s , v ol . ii . p . 225 .
62 THE REALM OF PRAYE R
ki ngdom of truth an d holiness an d right e ou sn e ss an d
love 1
.
Con side r firstly the action of the will of God on man

, , ,
with respe ct to prayer It is th e Fathe r s good pl ea sure .

’
to give us th e Ki n gdom He de sires for all His childr e n .
their participation in th e happy family life of th e

redeem e d But thi s will of God for man is in n o
.
sen se hard magisteri al mon archical It is n ot th e

, , .
har sh sovereign ty or bru squen ess of a forego n e c on

c lusion or d ecreed prede sti n ation B ei n g a will of .
right e ou s an d holy love it can only fulfil itself in love s ,

’
way an d upo n con dition s Nature i n deed God can

, .
, ,
coe rc e but moral per so n ality He may n ot an d wi ll n ot

,
.
Th e Ki n gdom which God propose s an d d esire s for man ,
i n a smuch as it is base d on t h e filial r elatio n ship of

love is on e which can o n ly b e en t ere d by ma n s own
,
’
act of free spo n ta n e ous co n sen t So lo n g as th e .
huma n will sta n ds out agai n st God an d full moral ,
ob edien ce is withh eld God s higher will for man ,

’
suffe r s arre st an d ca n n ot b e carri e d out Th e Fathe r s

’
.
graciou s purpo se s for mank i n d declar ed in Chri st ,
Je sus w ait an d mu st w ait th e slow spiritu al appre

,
h en sion an d moral c o O pe ratio n of thi s purbli n d -

,
stubbor n self will e d part n er to th eir achi ev em en t

,
-
.
Such is love s way On n o oth er t erm s will it ’

.
co n se n t to r eig n Th e bo n dage to which God call s .
1
ompare t h e lan guage of G F W atts with re gard to art
C Yo u . .
don t suppose that t h e in sight with which a po e t s mi d is e n dow d

’ ’
n e
is j ust his ordin ary r e aso n in g powers I t is some thi g di ff e re t n n
it is co tact with a spi i t gr e at er than h is o wn

n If th e aspiratio
r . n
is theirs amou n ti n g to n othi g mor than a se sati o n it is suffi cie t

, n e n , n
to produce that aim at assimilation that is call d praye r It is t h e e .
same thin g that mak es a plan t force its way throu gh a crevice to
un s rays G eorge Frederick Watts by M S W att s
’ ”
g t th e
e s .
, . .
,
vol ii . .
p . 1 74 .
THE P SY CHOLOGY OF PRAYER 63
us is th e se rvic e of pe rfect freedom His predesti n ed .
purpose for His c hildren co n t ain s with i n it self th e

n e c essary pre co n ditio n of ma n s own volu n tary c o
’
O pe ratio n with that purpose He fore ordai n s for us .
that o nly through th e exerci se of our spiritual freedom

shall His own high e st purpo se s b e brought about .
There may b e an d there is a lower region in which

, , ,
God s rich gifts may b e showere d upon us without

’
our co n se n t b ei n g a ske d or giv en But in th e highe st .
realm of all th e realm of spirit th e realm in which

, ,
th e holy wi ll of G od for man most op e rat e s n othi n g ,
c an b e giv e n by Him sav e on t h e co n ditio n that i t is
morally an d co n sen ti n gly re c eiv e d by us A n d it is .
t h e aim of God by th e vari e d discipli n e of life an d

,
th e co n ti n ual i n flu e n c e of His spirit to bri n g us to that ,
attitude of wi lli n g c o O pe ratio n that mood of prayer

-
, ,
through which th e highe st blessi ng s He de sign s for

us mu st com e Oh plai n an d e a sy an d simple
‘
.
, ,
way of salvatio n wa n ti n g n o subtleties of art or

,
sci en c e n o borrow e d l e ar nin g n o r e fi n e m en t s of r ea so n

, , ,
but all do n e by th e simple n atural motio n of eve ry

he art that truly lo n g s aft er G od For n o soon er is .
th e fi n it e de sire of th e c re atur e in motio n toward s

God but th e i n fin ite de sire of God is u nit ed with it
, ,
c o— operate s with it A n d in t h i s u nite d d e sire of God

.
an d t h e cr e at ure is th e salvatio n an d lif e of th e so u l

”
brought forth 1
.
Le t us n ow look at th e oth e r side of our probl em ,
t h e huma n side I n t h e mutual e n cou n t e r above

.
spok e n of what is t h e action of th e will of man on God

, ,
with re spe ct to prayer It is by th e pre ssure an d ardour ,
of it s desire to provide God with th e opportunity

,
1
W
. Law ,
Work s (ed . vol . v ii.
p
.
4 7,
of pe rfecti ng His will in us I s it n ot obvious that .
,
in so far as a ma n s p er so n alit y ri se s to th e stature

’
of it s tru e dignity an d com es ever n e arer to th e perfect

,
attai nm en t of full self re alizatio n through th e will s -

,
’
moral ex ercise of free an d holy love ; so al so by a ,
parall el pr oc ess th e will of God for man is ever more

,
perfe ctly fulfill ed ? Man as h e more an d more puts ,
forth th e highest will forc es of h is pe rson ality in th e

e x ercise of lov e an d praye r doe s n ot even wh en h e , ,
seek s it chan ge th e will of God His v ehemen t an d

, .
urgen t p etition rather brings out that will s inheren t ’
n atur e an d origi n al i n t en t G od that is to say wi she s .

, ,
an d wait s to yi eld to th e pr essur e of ard en t love His .
will for man is that h e should so wre stl e with h is

. Maker as to sn atch out of His gra sp as it w ere in th e , ,
l e x ercise of praye r tho se very bl essi n gs which He is

,
mo st eager to b estow God in all thi s co n quer s by .
b ei n g ov erborn e .
R g um c lorum v io len z a pa t
e n oe e
da caldo amor e da viva p e ra za e s n ,
ch e vi c e l ndivin a vo l o n t a t e
a
n on a gu isa ch e l uomo all uom Sopran z a

’ '
ma vin c e lei perch é vuole esse r vin ta

, ,
e v in ta vin c e c on sua b en in an z a
1 ”
.
When th e soul thu s gath ers up it s n obl e st moral

e n ergi e s with a vi ew to p ressin g it s claim s upon God ,
it is doi n g preci se ly what God desire s an d h as sought

from th e fir st to bri n g about If God w ere n o more .
than fate to ask th e thi n g s that are accordi n g to th e

,
1
a t P
D n e , xx
ar adiso , 9 4 99 dom of heaven sufl ereth
Th e k in g
.
-
.
vo from warm ov
i len ce l v hop which con q ueret h t h e
e an d li in g e
dv w
i in e fa h o wh r
ill ; n ot in s i n ubdueth man but 0011
e ein man s
b cau co qu r d an d con quered with

,
q ueret h it e w th to
se it ille be n e e , ,
b ty doth co qu r
,
”
its own enigni n e .
passively re sig ned an d G od who neve r tre ats ,
cavali erly th e mo st pe rfe ct an d delicat e of His works ,
sees His own will pe rfe ct e d n ot in th e crushi n g but

, ,
in th e rai si n g of our s to co n formity with His— it may

b e by claimi n g it may b e by r en ou n ci n g but actively
, ,
an d d elib e rat ely eith er way Praye r then in its .

, ,
p sychological a sp ect is that ex ercise of th e soul which

,
bri n gs th e will forc e s of our p ersonality to their

highe st po ssibl e expressio n an d fruition in th e sphere
of holy love as it c o Ope rat e s with God-
.
O ur wills are ou rs we kn ow n ot h o w
,
O ur wills are ours t o mak e t h e m Thin e

"
.
1
,
Such fusi n g of th e divi ne an d huma n will s in praye r

r esult s in a real difieren ce both for man an d G od .
Nothi n g remai n s th e sam e as it was b e fore Th e .
man who pray s chan ge s th e c en tre of gravity of th e

world of perso n s .Other pe r son s will b e differen t
as w e ll as him self an d h e could n ot hav e produc e d
,
thi s di fferen c e by an y other m ea n s tha n by thi s u nion

”
of himself with God 2
If it b e tru e that t h e with
.
holdi n g Oi ma n s c o— operation hi n ders th e fulfilm en t

’
of th e divi n e desire s it mu st b e equally t rue that th e

,
yi eldin g of that c o ope ratio n furth er s an d assi sts

-
them By diligen ce in praye r we may look for an d so

'
ha sten t h e comi n g of t h e day of G od eve n as by n egli ,
gen c e in prayer we may n ot look for an d so ret ard it .
How sol emn a truth is h ere I Th e man who doe s n ot ,
or will n ot pray is hi n de ri n g th e soul s spiritual ev olu

,
’
tio n at its high est poi n t so that God Him self is baulked
, ,
an d must wait ti ll that ob stacl e is swept away Ye .
1
Ten n yson I n M emoriam
, .
G A Coe Th e R eligion
. . , f
o a M ature M in d , pp .
35 4 5 -
.
THE P SY CHOLOGY OF PRAYER 67
have n ot b ecause ye ask n ot . He on th e con trary

, ,
who doe s pray h elps th e i nfi nit e year ni ng of Et ernal

Love to achieve it s aim s Now at last in th e case of
.
,
that man at an y rat e th e Fathe r of spirits can se t

,
free His en ergi e s in th e li ne of His desire s A human

.
will has b een brought i n to harmon y with His own ,
an d t h e en e rgi e s of e arth are li n k e d with those of
he av en Th e result is a mi n gli n g of two stre am s

. .
Th e divi ne an d huma n m erge an d a volume of power

,
is gai n e d which could n ot hav e b ee n r e ach e d by eith er

of th em apart Togeth e r they u nit e in re ciprocal
.
an d holy lov e . A n d e ve rythi n g shall live whith e r

that river fl oweth .
CHAPTER VI
THE LA W S O F P RA Y E R
M y word s fly up my thou ghts r e main below

,
W ords wi thout thou gh ts n e ve r to h eav en go .
SHA KES P EARE Hamlet I II iii 9 7 , , . .

, 98 .
L
A ft e r t his our o rd show e d me co n c e rn in g pray e r I saw .
tw o co n ditio n s n e e dfu l in th e m that pray accord in g to that ,
I hav e f elt in myself O n e is th e y will n o t pray for a n ythin g

.
,
that may b e b ut tha t thin g that is Go d s will an d His wo rship

,
’
.
A n oth e r is tha t th e y se t th e m mightily an d co n t in ually to

,
b esee ch that thi n g that is His will an d worship .

”
L AD Y J U LIA N O F N ORW I C H Co mfortable Words for ,
C h r ist s L overs 9 6
’
.
,
I T is o nl y in a strictly limite d sen se that we c an sp eak

of t h e laws of praye r Th e prayer world is on e of
.
free dom spon taneity an d d esire It co n cer n s th e

, , .
i n t ercour se of two spiritual pe r son aliti es who i n t er

pe n etrat e on e a n oth er in t h e fellow ship of holy lov e .
H ere obviou sly law in th e se n se of m echa n ical uni

, ,
formity or i n variabl e causal se quen c e is out of plac e .
We are n ot u n der law but u n de r grace A n d yet .

,
th e S piritual world is n ot a chao s but a divi n ely ord e re d

re alm There is such a thin g as th e law of th e
.
”
spirit of life in Chri st J esu s 1
an d praye r it se lf ,
1
R oma n s v iii . 2 .
68
THE LAWS OF PRAYER 69
though th e freest an d mo st u n co n strai ned of all th e

soul s activiti e s is n ev erth el e ss subj e ct to co n ditio n s
’
which mu st b e faithfully obse rv e d if it s ex ercise is

to b e ren der ed fruitful Th e se are e ve rywh ere an d .
always ope rative an d may b e expe rimen tally dis

,
covere d Their car e ful study may h elp us to r eali ze

.
what tru e prayer is .
Th e co n dition s which it will b e fou n d n e c e ssary to

obse rve in th e ex ercise of prevaili n g prayer are chi efly
the se six : (i ) si n c erity of desire (ii ) u n ity of de sire , ,
iii
( ) humility of d e sir e iv
( ) i n t en sity of d e,
sir e v
( ) ,
importu nity of desir e an d (vi ) tra n quillity of d esire

,
.
It should b e cle arly graspe d at th e out set that true

prayer is n ot so much an act as it is an attitude It .
is in t h e words of a we ll k n ow n hym n t h e soul s

’
-
, ,
”
sin cere desire utt e r e d or u n e xpr esse d
,
O nly occa sion .
ally doe s praye r ri se to co n sciou s articulat e utt e ra n c e ;
in e sse n c e it is t h e d eep preva li g _

i n u n d e r c urr e n t of -
o ur en tir e li fe who se directio n is Often b ut dimly

" ,
guesse d even by our selve s It follow s from thi s that .
we all pray in t h e wide st sen se of t h e t erm an d that

, ,
very ma n y pe opl e pray without c ea si n g who se ldom

or never give vocal expression to th eir a spiratio n s .
It follow s too that a man s si n c ere st i n ward prayer

, ,
’
may by n o m ea n s al ways corr e spo n d with h is S poken

word s There b e ma n y that say who wi ll Show us
.
an y good ? But how oft en th e speech of th e lip s

”
doe s n ot at all r epre sen t th e soul s u n der curren t of ’

-
,
desire ! Men ask for holi n ess yet wan t th e world , .
The y pray for p eac e but in th eir hearts th e y fom en t ,
quarrelsom en ess an d pre pare for war With their .
ton gu e s th ey b eg for h eav enly thi n gs but th e cravin g ,
of their spirit s is for e arth ly thi ng s Like t h e h al f .
he arte d Augusti ne even whe n the y k n eel an d ask for

,
c e rtai n bl e ssi ngs the y do so with se cret nullifyi n g

r e se rvation s I had said Give me cha stity an d
.
self co n trol but n ot just yet For I was afraid l est ’

-
.
,
Thou S houl dest h ear me in a mom en t an d in a mom en t ,
he al that di se a se of lu st which I wa n te d to b e sat e d ,

”
n ot e ra dicat e d 1
.
I n such ca ses it is alway s t h e g en ui n e d ema n d of

lth e soul n ever th e mere utt era n ce of th e lip s that is
, ,
’
sur e to b e h e ard by th e divi n e all — se archi n g Spirit .
God looketh n ot on t h e outward app eara n c e ; He

tri eth th e rei n s an d th e h e art an d by Him action s ,
are weighe d U n ctio n flu en cy eloqu en c e facil e

.
, , ,
rhe toric in prayer cou n t for n ot hi n g with God Th e

, .
on e qu e stio n is How much do we r e ally m e a n of what

,
we say ? What backi n g of f ai thful moral en de avour

an d e arn e st purpo se li e s b ehi n d our word s ? A re we
lprepare d to make t h e l e a st sacrific e or for ego a sin gle
prej udice if God shoul d e xact the se thi n gs as a c on
,
ditio n of His a nsweri n g our prayer ? I n devotio n ,
of course as in oth er thi n gs our r each mu st exc eed

, ,
1
u ut VIII
A g s in e Confession s omparvu 2word of
C e th e s
I hav b
. . .
, ,
ra ordo
Gen e l G n th
e ov r our f
e en in k in g ehow ee lin gs an d
Oft that
e n it is v ry
we are so e cr v our pray r
in sin e e e e n in e We
pray for pow r to v up a c rta hab t
.
e gi e e v pa
in at
i say e il s e k in g an d , , ,
th emom t of pray
en so hav a thou ht of v a a t om
in g w e e g e il , g in s s e
on e , a n d we w r wh p r to that thou ht
as it
, e e is e g
,
B y an d b ye ,
I w att d to you
ill en n ot n ow pray , a a t
a n d we go on ,
’
in g g in s th e
v ry
e t d to do
ac t we in en th All cr d ho our
is is in sin e e an d is n in g
”
.
L
.
e tters of G eneral C r p
G G ordon to his Siste ,
. .
31 3 . .
THE LAW S OF P RA Y E R 71
our gra sp For exampl e n o one can b e blam ed for

.
,
u si n g la n guage in hym n si n gi n g which goe s co n sider

-
ably b eyo n d his actual expe ri en c e s an d desires if by ,
so doi n g h e may stimula te his faith an d lov e A .
similar e xt en sio n or id e alizi n g of a spiratio n I S l e gitimat e
in praye r It is pe rmi ssibl e to e xpress se n tim en ts

.
which at th e tim e of utt eri n g th em we do n ot wholly

feel if th ey are neverthele ss se n tim e n ts which we
,
si n c er ely desir e to fe el What is displeasi n g in th e

.
sightt of God“rs that we should draw n igh to Him with

m
our lips w hile all th e tim e “our h earts are far from Him
W A ~
Th e fai n t est Sigh 61 1 112 ; n ee dy if it b e si nc ere will, ,
fin d an en tra n c e i n to His court s ; but t h e loudest

cry of i n si n c erity an d pr et en c e altoge th er fail s to
pen e trat e His sa n ctuary God doe s n ot ca n n ot an d
.
, ,
will n ot hear th e prayer that goeth forth from feig ned

lip s .
We som etim es complai n that our prayer s are n ot

a n swere d Alas th e tragic thin g is that they gen erally
.
are . God is n ot mocke d We get jrom life what we .
ho nestly deman d Th e lover fi n d s lov e th e

h ater arou se s hate an d one an d th e same God shows
mercy to th e mercrful an d is froward to th e pe rverse .
Th e Phari sees at t h e stree t cor ner s of J erusal em out

wardly an d o st en tatiou sly a sk e d for what was n o
doubt pe rf e ctly corr e ct accordin g to th e ir cod e of
holi n e ss But in their h eart of he art s what they
.
really ye ar n e d for was se lf glorific ation -
of men an d Chri st simply said of th em I n on e

se n t e n c e The y hav e their r eward
,
Th e pra .
n ot of th eir lip s but of th eir h e art s was fully a n sw er e d , .
So it eve r is Life as it proc ee d s slowly bri n gs out

.
, ,
th e charact e r of our i n n e rmo st de sir e s an d gra n t s

them ste ady an d i n evi tabl e fulfilm en t I s it n ot one .
of th e surprise s of our lat er years that we then di sc er n

for th e fir st time by th e a n swer s we hav e r ec eive d
, ,
what th e pre vai li n g desire s of our life have re ally b een

O ne of Shake spe are s charact ers could say
’
That high All-Seer which I dallie d wit h

Hath t urn d my f eign e d pray e r o n my h ead
’
An d giv en in e arn est what I b e gg d in j est

’
1
but as a rul e it is n ot th e j e sti n g but t h e e ar n est prayer

that is divi n ely a n swere d It is for this rea son that .
prayer is so valuabl e as a t e st an d rev eal er of th e re ally

domi n a n t desires of our i nn er life St Tere sa t e ll s us . .
that for a lo n g tim e sh e was wr e tch ed in h er devotio n s

“ b ecause I l e ar n e d in praye r more an d more of my
fault s On one side God was calli n g me ; on th e
.
” 2
other I was followi n g th e world
, Th e e x ercise of .
prayer brought to light a fun dam en tal cl eavage in

h er i n n e r life an d co n vict e d h er of a sk i n g for what
,
sh e did n ot g en ui ne ly wa n t This i n si n c erity of soul .
ca n n ot lo n g co n ti n u e A s Joh n Bu n ya n truly said

.
,
Prayer will mak e a man c ea se from sin or sin will ,
en tic e a man to c e a se from praye r

”
2
I n eithe r ca se .
,
it is domi n an t desir e that pr evail s in th e lo n g run .
What we have re a so n to complai n about in our prayers

is n ot that th e y are n ot a n swe re d but rathe r that t h e ,
d esire s we e xpre ss in th em are O ft en so woe fuly

co n ven tional p erfu n ctory an d i n si n c e re N 0 on e
, , .
,
in man y ca ses would b e mor e surpri se d tha n we

,
should b e our selv es if our formal an d lifel e ss p e titio n s
1
Ki g Ri h d I I I V
n c ar .
,
. 1 . 2 0-2 2 .
2
Lif W itt by H
e r en e rsel f ,
chap V l . l . 27 .
2
Work s (e d . G , O fl or) ,
v ol . i p 65
. . .
till the se tumultuous cro ss curr en t s of th e soul subside ,
or gath er toge ther i n to on e cl ear chan n el Even th e .
he art that is tor n by ho n est doubt fi n d s it extrem ely

difli c ult to pray u n l e ss it giv e utt e ra n c e to som e such
,
cry as that of t h e di stract e d and p erpl exed sufferer “

”
Lord I b eli eve help Thou mi ne u nb eli e f
,
1
.
It was a thoughtful an d wise psalrnist who utt ered

t h e pe titio n : Un ite my h e art to fe ar T hy n am e 2
L et n ot my S oul b e divide d or draw n hithe r an d t hith e r

by co n flicti n g purpose s an d de sire s No man c an .
e ar n e stly a n d whol e —
h eart edly pray to God who se ,
affectio n s pull one way an d his will a n other ; whose

heart cri es out for t h e livi n g God whil e his rea son ,
r epu diat es an d r ej ects Him whose body indeed kn eel s ,
while his imagi n atio n wa n ders or som ethi n g in h is ,
will is stubbor n an d r eb el s What mak es pra yer in .
effe ctual in such a case is t h e fact that
tat e of man
th e s ,
Like to a little kin gdom sufi e rs th e n ,

’
T n
h e a t ur e o f a n in surr e cti o n 3 .
”
At th e he art of life is paralysi s divide d loyalty in , ,
deci sio n Th e eye is n ot si n gl e th ere fore th e whole

.
,
body is n ot full of light Th e p erso n ality ca n n ot .
iden tify it self en tirely with an y on e of it s clamorou sly

i n si sten t cravi n gs but c an o nly sta n d h elpl e ss in th e
,
pre sen c e of th em all sayi n g : Who shall delive r me

,
from t h e body of thi s death I delight in th e law of

God aft er th e i n ward man but I see a n oth er law in
” 4
my m emb er s warri n g agai n st t h e law of my mi n d
, .
U n til t h e spi rit b e r escu e d from thi s con ditio n n o ,
1
M ark ix . 24 .
2
Psalm lxxxvi . 1 I .
2
Shak espe are , j ulius Caesar, II . i 6 7 -6 9
. .
4 R om . v ii . 2 2-2 4 .
fyin g commu n ion with

satis possible A house G od is .
divide d agai n st it se lf ca n n ot sta n d : a soul divide d

agai n st it se lf ca n n ot pray As St Augusti n e so trul y
. .
says To go alon g that road aye an d to re ach t h e , ,
goal is all one with th e wi ll to go but it must b e a

,
stro n g an d si ngl e will n ot a broken wi n ge d wi sh

,
-
flutt eri n g hither an d thithe r ri si n g with on e pi nion , ,

”
struggli n g an d falli n g with t h e oth e r
1
.
Ide al prayer is like t h e ideal city which is at u nity

”
with itself an d it i n volv es t h e willi n g harmo n y of
,
all th e faculties Th e mi n d co n c eive s th e thi n g that

.
we desire in prayer ; t h e imagin atio n se ts b e fore us

Him to whom our prayer is made an d h elp s us to gra sp ,
our relatio nship to Him as Cre ator Redeemer San c tifier , , ,
Lord th e moral se n se leads us to take up a becomi n g

attitude of soul in praye r by rerrrin din g us of our ,
u nworthi n ess an d spiritual n ee d ; wh il e t h e emotion s

bring ardour an d pa ssio n to de votion an d t h e ki n dli n g ,
warmth of love Fi n ally th e will which is th e sovereign

.
,
faculty of th e soul h as it s own part to play in pe rfect

,
prayer by overcomi n g th e re si sta n c e of i n di fferen c e

,
an d sloth in our own h e art s by b e n di n g t h e e n e rgi e s ,
of our en tire n atur e to th e co n t emplation an d love of

God an d by surr e n de ri n g our all as an acc eptabl e
,
sacrifice to Him Happy is th e man who c an thu s

.
pray with an u n divide d spirit an d who wh en h e , ,
approaches God h as l ear n e d to bring n ot his thought s

, ,
only but his feeli n g s al so an d his will his imagi n atio n s

,
, ,
his d esir e s i n to captivity to t h e ob e di en ce of Chri st

,
J esu s Stren gth an d j oy an d e fficacy in de votion are

.
our s when we c an say : With my whole h e art hav e ll

I sought Thee .A ll that is withi n me bl e ss His ,
1
Confession s (ed . C B igg)
.
, V I I I viii
. .
3 .
holy n am e On e thi n g have I desire d of t h e Lord
.
,
that will I seek aft er to b ehol d th e b eauty of th e

Lord a n d,to quir e i Hi t empl e
en n s 1
.
”
Th ethird con dition of prevaili n g prayer is humility

of desire
,
Not only mu st thought will feeli n g an d
.
, , ,
imagi n atio n b e brought i n to harmo n y with one a n othe r

the y mu st abov e all b e brought i n to harmo n y with th e
mi n d an d will of God an d it is on e of th e chi ef purpo ses
of prayer so to re gulat e our thought s to subdu e our ,
will to discipli n e our affectio n s an d to corr ect an d

, ,
el evat e our imagi n atio n s that we S hall b e brought to
se ek for ourselve s o n ly what God seek s for us e ven ,
though that m ust b e accomplish ed by way s that are

repugn a n t to flesh an d blood Thi s may b e said to .
b e th e p rin cip al law of prayer I t s al pha an d om e ga .
are summ e d up in t h e familiar word s : Not my

will O Lord but thi n e b e done
, , All prayer which .
is n ot b e gu n co n ti n u e d an d e n de d in thi s spirit of
, ,
r ea di ne ss to accept th e will of God is fu n dam en tally

irreligiou s It is based on a false pri n cipl e of e goi sm
.
an d se lf seek i n g
-
an d h as n ot ye t acquire d it s tru e
,
spiritual charact er of lowly supplicatio n an d m e ek
ob e di en c e Th e will of God says Dan t e is our p eace

.
, ,
and co n formity with that will wheth er in prayer or ,
in actio n wh e th er in sick n e ss or in h eal th wh eth e r

, ,
in life or in de ath is th e se cre t of all bl essed n e ss an d

,
grac e an d pow er .
Th e will of God which we should seek to re ali ze

,
1
Psalm cxix . 10 ; ciii . I xxv ii .
4 .
THE LAWS OF PRAYER 7 7l
c
through prayer is n ot some thi n g which it is e asy to ,
define What e ve r it b e it is ce rt ainly n ot th e state

.
,
”
of things as the y are th e world s sad tale of dise a se ,
’
mise ry an d i n justic e N either is it an y rigid or

, .
ab solute de cree u niformly applicable to all circum ,
sta n c e s an d pe r so n s Rath er t h e will of God for .

,
e v e ry man is j u st t h e n e xt st e p forward in t h e li n e of
his tru e self r e alizatio n an d spiritual de velopm en t

-
.
A s such it vari e s cha n ge s an d e volve s accor din g to

, , ,
circumsta n c e s in th e ca se of eve ry se parat e i n dividual

,
.
I n a g ene ral se n se thi s is t h e will of God even your , ,
san c tific ation

1
But God s ultimat e or fi n al will is
.
’
always co n ditio n e d by His t emporary or imm e diat e
will His fi n al will for us n o doubt is th e ab solute

.
, ,
be st ; but His imm e diat e will is th e b est available at

an y mom e n t a thi n g of i n fi n it e vari e ty an d compl e xity
,
in widely di fferi n g ca se s God s will for babe s in Chri st ’

.
is that th ey shoul d b e fed with S piritual milk ; for

th em that are pe rfe ct that th e y should b e su stai ne d ,
by th e stro ng m e at of th e Word of God So by His .
gen tleness He makes us gre at showi n g His will to ,
b e n o har sh i n fl e xibl e u n varyi n g dema n d but som e

, , ,
thi n g i n fin itely adapt e d to th e circum sta n c e s an d

capacitie s of al l his children .
I n ge n eral t e rm s it may b e sai d that th e Will of

God is pure u n cha n geable holy Love worki ng for th e
, ,
highe st good of eve ry cr eature It is th e Will of God .
that th e Ete r nal Life of Truth Righte ou sness an d Love , ,
shall ev e rywh er e grow an d multiply 2

It is God s .
” ’
age lo n g ye ar ni n g an d de sir e a d e sir e al way s morally

-
,
1
Thess iv 3
I . . .
2
R . L
aw The Tests of ,
of God is t h e Lif e, p .
3 04 . Th e W ill
fin al a d pe rfe ct r de mptio of me n an d t h e providen tial appoin t
n e n
m t an d co n trol of even t s as con t i butory to thi s

,
1 bid p 3 0 2
”
en r . . . .
co n ditio ned by man s fr ee dom an d th e demand s of
’
righte ousness an d holy love to deliver His children ,
from all evil an d crow n the m with all good in an

, ,
orga n i ze d fe llowship or social ki n gdom of lovi n g an d

rej oici n g spirit s tran sform e d i n to His own likene s s
,
t h rough commu nio n with Him se lf We ca n n ot a spire .
to more than thi s an d we ought n ot to ask for l e ss

,
.
It is a co n summatio n devoutly to b e wi she d by all ,
si n ce in it both God an d man att ai n to their ide al go al ,
an d t h e Fath er s glory an d His childr e n s bl e sse d n e ss

’ ’
are pe rfe ctly combi n e d It should b e th e aim of all

.
our prayer an d S piritual e n de avour to seek n othi n g

for ourse lve s or oth er s that would confli ct with t h e
ful filli n g of this divi n e p urpo se an d to desire an d ,
pursue e ar ne stly everythi n g that would furth er it ,
whatever it may cost us .
Not o nly is thi s spiri tual an d active con formity

with th e will of G od a n ec essary con ditio n of all pre
vaili n g prayer si n ce n o prayer c an possibly prevail
,
which run s cou n t er to it ; but also it is a con ditio n

which on ce it is fulfill e d se cur e s for such prayer th e
, ,
positive a ssura n ce that it must an d Shall b e a n swere d .
Scriptur e is mo st e xplicit an d e mphatic on thi s poi n t .
If ye abide in me an d my words abide in you ye

, ,
”
shall ask what ye will an d it sh all b e do n e u n to you
1
.
,
The se words of our Lord are po sitive an d categorical .
J esu s is n ot e xaggerati n g n or is He S p eaki n g figura ,
t iv ely or imagi n atively As supre m e Lord of th e

.
S piritual re alm He is layi n g dow n t h e law s which

,
gov ern that r e alm Fulfil th e con di tio n of de siri n g

.
in pray er o n ly W hat is in harmo n y with t h e will of God ,
follow up your praye r by diligen tly ob eyi n g that will ,
1
J 0h n xv .
7 .
through keepi n g of G od s comman dm en t s an d it

th e
’
is as irn possib le for your praye r to fail of it s ac c om

p lish men t as it would b e in t h e n atural r e alm for , ,
water to flow uphill .
Thi s is a truth which is espe cially dwelt upo n in th e

Fir st Epistl e of Joh n B elove d if our h e art co n dem n
.
,
us n ot we have boldn e ss toward God an d what soe ve r

,
we ask we re c e ive of Him b ecause we k ee p His com ,
man dme n ts an d do tho se thi n g s that are ple a si n g in

His sight A n d thi s is t h e bold n ess which we
.
have toward Him that if we ask a n ythi n g accordi n g

, ,
to His will He he are th us A n d if we k n ow that

,
.
He heareth us what soe v e r we ask we k n ow that we ,
have th e pe titio n s which we hav e a ske d of Him 1

We .
”
k n ow the se thi n gs they are i ndi sputable e xperi en c e

con firm s th em th ey con stitut e a law of th e spiritual
realm Carefully study an d di ligen tly ob ey th e mighty
.
force s which gove rn th e n atural world an d at o n c e ,
your pu n y power s will b e enha n ce d to th e mag nitude

of theirs an d you will wi eld at a touch those un
, , ,
imagi n able e ne rgie s that kee p th e pla n et s in their

sph eres So in t h e spiritual re alm k n ow study
.
, , , ,
an d ob e y t h e law s of God an d you forthwith i nevitably ,
ri se to their de gr ee of pow er an d rei n forc e your se lf ,
i nexhau stibly from th e highe st re aliti es of all Th e .
prayer s of those who k ee p God s comma n dm en t s and ’
do tho se thi n g s that are pl e a si n g in His sight are ,

’
n othin g l e ss tha n e choe s of G od s own voic e impul se s

’
of th e divi n e Will itself throbbi n g in th e strivi n g s ,
of th e huma n will an d in th e mystical circulation of ,

”
th e Et er n al Life r e tur n i n g to th eir Sourc e
,
2
.
1
IJohn iii 2 1 .
, 22 ; v . 1 4, I 5 .
2
R Law The
.
,
Tests of Lif e, p .
30 1 .
Our S piritual aspiration s then mu st b e si n c ere ; , ,
they mu st b e si n gle ; an d th ey mu st b e submi ssive .
But th ey mu st b e som ethi n g mor e— they mu st b e

sa n gui n e Th e fourth co n ditio n of pr evaili n g praye r
.
is in ten sity of desire Th e S pirit s whol e h eart e d

’
-
.
acqui esc en c e in th e good an d acc e ptabl e an d pe rfect

will of God abov e referr e d to is som e thi n g ve ry
, ,
differen t from m ere idle qui eti sm or pa ssive re signa

tio n On th e con trary it i n volve s an active putti n g
.
,
forth of th e will powe r of th e soul in th e mo st arden t

an d co n c e n trat e d ma n n e r We do n ot ren ou n ce th e .
e x e rcise of our will s wh e n we subor di n at e th e m to
God s rath e r we then ex ert the m with a n ew i n t en sity

’
of lo n gi n g for th e r emoval of ev erythi n g in our se lve s

or others that would h i n der th e pe rfect fulfilm en t of
th e divi ne will in th e comi n g of th e Ki n gdom The re .
are of cour se placid an d tra n quil se a so n s in all praye r

, , ,
an d a n ythi n g lik e t h e prolo n g e d co n ti n uatio n of a
high pitch of i n t e n sity is impo ssibl e N e verthel e ss .

,
praye r at it s b est is a severe an d e xhau sti n g exerci se .
It is what I saiah aptly call s th e stirri n g up of ourse lf

to tak e hold of God 1
Wh en J e su s restore d th e man
.
”
with th e withere d limb He made it a co n dition of th e ,
divi ne he ali n g that th e man him self should c o ope rat e -
in th e cure by str e tchi n g out h is ha n d an d maki n g a

supr em e e ffort So is it always in th e thi n gs of faith
. .
Th e soul that wi she s to kn ow God mu st mak e it s

own effort it can n ot e xp ect sirnply to lie still an d b e
”
told 2
There must b e what may b e call ed active
.
1
I sa l i . xv .
7 .
2 Prof . G il b e rt Murray , F our Stages f

o Gr eek Religion , p . 1 68 .
82 THE RE A LM OF PRAYER
has to gai n our will an d we hav e to l e arn what it ,
m ea n s to yi eld it N o man who is in th e l e ast degr ee .
acquai n t ed with th e plague of his own he art its ,
pe rver sen ess of e goi sm an d self love an d whose -

,
imagi n atio n h as e ven fai n tly appreh en de d what it

sign ifie s to will th e will of God c an bri n g himself to ,
suppo se that so full an d mom en tous a co n sen t c an
e v e r b e gra n t e d e a sily or soo n .
Th ese con clu sion s are amply bor ne by a study of

t h e Scripture s All th e gr eat prayer s re corde d in th e
.
Bible t h e prayer s of Abraham of Mose s of Jacob of

, , , ,
J ere miah an d above all th e prayer s of J esu s are dire

, ,
i n ward co nflict s and wrestli n gs of th e spirit Ev en .
in t h e ca se of l esser p er so n aliti e s th e sam e is tru e .
H e zekiah N eh emiah Ezra all w ept in prayer

, Job ,
.
1
r en t h is rob e an d lay pro strat e on th e grou n d when h e

prayed 2
Th e publica n at prayer coul d n ot but b eat
.
his breast in th e i n t en sity of his emotio n 2

Epaphras .
,
we r em emb er laboure d ferven tly in prayer an d

‘
, ,
th e apo stl e Paul spok e of prayer as an acut e i n ward

struggl e an d wrestli n g of spirit David Brai n erd to .
,
n am e but on e mod er n i n sta n c e stat es that aft er th e , ,
stren uou sness of prayer I could scarc ely walk my , ,
j oi n t s w er e loo sed t h e sw eat ran dow n my fac e an d ,
”
body an d n ature seem e d as if it would di ssolve
,
5
.
Mighty an d con qu eri n g praye r th en is i n variably , ,
much more tha n th e so ul s quiet croo ni n g or eve n ’
a
,
t h e loud cry of t h e di str e sse d h e art It is a life an d .
death struggl e v e ry oft en of th e co n scien c e an d th e

, ,
will with On e who claim s t h e right to ma st er an d

1
2 K in gs xx .
3 ; N eh . i 4 ; Ez
. ra x . I .
2
Job . i . 2 0, 21 .
2
Lu k e x v iii . I 3 .
; R om viii D iary
4 2
Col iv . . 1 2 . . 26 ; xv .
30 . .
con trol th em both A s Jacob Boehme said prayer is

.
,
”
right ear n e st work Properly r egarded it is a
.
,
de sperat e an d su stain e d attack on th e power s of r esi st

a n c e residen t in th e world an d in our own soul by th e ,
alli e d spiritual forc es of both man an d God All great .
prayer is a battl efield a G ethse ma ne an d th e victorie s

,
we win in th e r e alm of outward thi n g s must fir st b e

made po ssibl e by a hard won victory withi n God s -
.
’
highest purpose s ca nn ot b e fulfill ed in us or through ,
us u n til we b ecom e p assion ate in t h e dir e ctio n of His

,
will an d lau n ch forth arden tly an d ve n turou sly on

,
t h e str e am of our n obl er spiritual aspiratio n s .
I t is writt en in t h e h e art of man ,
Thou shalt n o large r b e tha n thy d esir e .
b
K n owi n g t h e po ssi le see thou tr y e yo n d it
,
b
t b
I n o impo ssi le th in gs u n likely en d s ,
A n d thou sha lt fin d thy kn owle dg eable d esire

G row large re gio n s of thy sou l
as all th e ,
W ho se firmamen t do th cov e r th e wh ole o f B ein g ,
A n d of cre at e d pu rpo se r ea ch t h e e n d s
” 1
.
Th e fifth gr e at law of prayer is imp ortun ity of desire .
More importa n t e ven tha n th e grac e of submi ssio n

it self in prayer is th e grac e of per si sten c e or per sever
, ,
a nce .A n d J e su s spake a parabl e u n to th em to

this en d that men ought always to pray an d n ot to
, ,
fain t We mu st n ot that is to say acqui esce in th e

.
, ,
will of God too soon or a ssum e too re adily that that

,
1
La c ll
s e es A be rcrombie ,
The Sale of Sain t Th omas .
will is adaman t an d may n ot yi eld to r e pe ate d solicita
tio n s Th e Scriptures re quire us to watch u n to
.
prayer to pray without c e a si n g an d to co n ti n ue

, ,
st e adfa stly in praye r So emphatic is our Lord on this

.
n e e d for pe r si st e n t v eh em en c e that He doe s n ot h esitat e ,
to lik en th e tru e p etitio ner to a man ba n gi n g his

n e ighbour s door in t h e d e ad of night or to a woma n
’
n aggi n g at a pati en t an d lo n g sufferi n g judge till -

,
out of sh ee r wear i n ess an d bore dom an d d e sp eration ,
h e is at la t i duc d to yi ld to e r e qu e t
s n e e h r s 1
.
Now at fir st sight t h i s may see m to b e but childi sh

a n thropomorphi sm an d even stra n ge ly at varia n ce ,
with Chri st s own t eachin g If God b e our Fath e r

’
.
,
as our Lord say s He is an d if He he a pe rfe c t Fat h er ,

.
,
who k n owe th wh at thi n gs we have need of b e fore we

ask th em an d our ig n ora n c e in a ski n g
, if He b e On e
who is mor e re ady to give than we are to rec eive an d ,
who is wo n t to give more tha n we c an ask or thi nk ,
why S hould thi s p er si st en t importu nity of app eal b e

n e c e ssary at all ? 2
I s it n ot otio se an d supe rfluou s ,
n ot to say imp e rti n e n t an d d erogatory to God to ,
importu n e Him with our fooli sh appeal s wh en He ,
alre ady k n ow s what is for t h e b e st Doe s it n ot

re duce Him to t h e l evel of Baal a deity who is drow sy , ,
1 Lu k 5
e xi . xviii 1 7
-
10 .
-
.
2
NVh e n G e n e ral O gle thorp e was co n ver sin g with a se n sible
o ld n ative of G e or gia a bout pray e r t h e latt e r said that they n eve r
ask ed a ythin g of G o d but le ft it to Him to do what He thou ght
,
be st for them ; that th e askin g for an y particular blessin g look ed

,
to h im lik e directin g G o d an d if so mu st b e a ve ry wick e d thi g , n
that for h is part h e thou ght eve rythin g that happe ed in t h e world
, ,
n
was as it should b e that G od of Himself would do for eve ry on e , ,
what was con siste t with t h e good of t h e whole an d that our duty
n
to Him was to b e con te n t with what ver happe n ed in g n ral an d e e e ,
than k ful for all th e good that happen ed to u i particular J Spe n ce s n . .

,
A n ecdotes ( ed S W Sin ge r) p 2 4 1
. . . , . .
THE LAWS OF PRAY ER 85
pre occupie d i n di ffe ren t n ee di n g to b e wak ed up an d

, ,
re mi n de d of His promi se or who h as to b e pe rsuade d, ,
at t h e prompti n g of huma n wi sdom to accompli sh ,
some thin g good for which He is disi n cli ne d ? This

‘
vi ew h as b ee n vigorou sly e xpre sse d though n ot of ,
course support e d by Rob ert Brow ni n g

, .
A ll-wise good all migh t y G o d is such

,
a ll - ,
- -
How th en shou ld man t h e all u n wo rthy dare

,
-
,
Propo se to set a sid e a th in g orda in e d

To pray m ea n s—sub stitut e ma n s will for G o d s
’ ’
Two be st w ills can n ot b e by co n se qu en c e

W ha t is man bo un d to but —
,
a sse n t say I ,
R ath e r to rapture of tha n ksgivin g sin c e
That wh ich se e m s wo rst to man to G o d is best ,
So b e cau se G o d ordain s it b est to ma n

, ,
.
Yet man — t h e foo lish w e ak an d wick e d— prays l

,
Urges My be st we re be tt e r d id st Thou kn ow l ,
Th e a n swer to thi s obj ectio n is that G od s will for ’
us in cludes our importu n ity in praye r an d His high e st ,
bl essi n gs ca n n ot b e b e stowe d without it Praye rful

‘
.
ne ss say s M L e od Campb ell

, is t h e n e c e ssary li n k ,
b etween His will for us an d its fulfilm e n t in us 2

.
”
As well might we e xp e ct th e will of God to b e c arrie d

out i n dep en den tly of our prayi n g as that it should b e ,
fulfill ed without our patien t thin ki n g or our st e adfast

worki n g It would follow if th e argum en t were
.
,
sou n d ,
that th e truly religious attitude would b e to
sit still with our ha n d s folde d an d let e v e n t s tak e th eir
cour se Th e fallacy lies in th e a ssumptio n that what

.
is b e st in matt er s which co n c e rn huma n b ei n g s is de t e r

mi ne d i n de pe n den tly of th e feeli n g s of th e huma n
1
Feris h tah
’
s Fan cies Family Th e .
2
The N ature of the A ton emen t p 2 3 7 , . .
b ei n gs themselve s I n particul ar it lies in th e assump
.
,
tion that W hat is b e st for us an d for th e world mu st b e

det ermi ne d quit e i n dep en den tly of wheth er we pray
”
for it or n ot 1
.
Th e truth is that with our h e av en ly Fath er as with ,
an e arthly fath er t h e b e st gift s of lov e are d elib erat ely

,
an d i n e vitably withheld u n til th ey are ear n estly

d esire d an d solicit e d by th e child Not till then is it .
in a con ditio n to r e c eive th em how ev e r much t h e ,
a nx i ety to b e stow th em may have b een alway s pre se nt .
Th ere are som e gift s which God co n fer s upon us without

our a ski n g He mak eth His sun to ri se on t h e just
.
an d on t h e u n j u st an d giv eth to all me n lib er ally ,
an d upbraide th n ot Som e gifts He b estow s 011 men .
con trary to th eir a ski n g But always His b est an d .
high e st b en e factio n s are giv en o n ly in resp on se to

e ar nest solicitatio n I will yet for t his b e en quire d .
of by th e hou se of Israel to do it for them 2

The y , .
”
are i n de e d mor all y i n commu n icabl e to us so lo n g as
we r emai n cold an d torpid an d i n differ e n t Even th e .
M essiah s highe st en dowmen ts are of thi s charact e r

’
.
A sk of me an d I shall give th ee th e h e ath e n for

,
thi n e i nh erita n ce an d t h e utt ermo st part s of t h e,
”
e arth for thy po sse ssio n
2
God wait s b efore givi n g .
, ,
u n til we clamorou sly dema n d Ve ry man y of our .
prayer s fail b ecau se they la n gui sh too readily We .
give up th e pursuit ju st wh en th e goal is n early reache d

an d t h e boo n we ask is on t h e poi n t of b ei n g gra n t e d
to us Importu n ity in prayer is a mode of givin g

.
God time an d waiti n g pati e n tly on Him To wait .
1
G . F Stout
.
, in Th e I n te rn ation al Crisis in its E thical an d P sych o
logical A spects, p . 1 08 .
2
E zek . xxxvi .
37 .
2
Psalm ii . 8 .
THE LAWS OF P RAYER 87
is n ot mer ely to re mai n impa ssive I t is to e xpect .

,
to look for with pati e n c e an d al so with submi ssio n .
It is to feel that if He doe s n ot com e we wi ll acquiesc e ,
but that we refu se to let t h e mi n d acqui e sc e in th e

feeli ng that He will n ot com e 1
Th ere are so man y .
”
thi ngs such as t h e reu nio n of Chri st en dom th e eva n

, ,
g eli zat ion of t h e world t h e comi n g of t h e Ki n gdom , ,
which ca n n ot po ssibly b e accompli sh e d sp ee dily ,
y e t must b e dilige n tly praye d for if e v e r th e y are to
b e accompli sh e d at all O nly aft er lo n g spiritual .
strivi ng can we b e made worthy of th em or th ey b e ,
made re ady for us Th e gift is n ot denied although .

,
it b e delayed an d if it tarry we mu st wait for it

,
2
.
It is in t h e light of this pri n cipl e that we mu st

u n der sta n d th e divi ne approval of our i n sti n ctive
n atural d e sir e to cha n ge th e will of God by importu n ity
in prayer It may b e God s will that we should ’
surmou n t His will His high er will that we should ,
surmou n t His low e r

” 3
Chri st J esu s Him se lf in t h e .
,
garden of G ethsema n e was importu n at e in t h i s se n se , ,
an d thr ee tim e s sought to pre ss His will upo n t h e Fath e r .
Ye t thi s v ery e ager n ess of v ehe m en t app eal was such

as God lov e d an d had Him se lf i n spir e d J esu s was .
as much led by t h e Holy Spiri t to say L et this cup ,
pa ss as to say
, N everthel e ss n ot mi ne own will
, ,
but Thine b e do n e O nly as th e r e sult of thi s stren

uous con flict of d e sires could t h e fi n al victory e m erg e
A . avid o Waiting upo G d p 1 4

B . D s n, n o , . .
B oys o Hallowe e n rin g be lls a d ru away So man y of us

’
3
n n n
pray B ut a y on e who h as se rious busin ess will wait for an a swe r

.
,
. n n
to h is summo s an d if n ee d b e will rin g again Th e patie t waitin g

n , ,
. n ,
t h e r e ite rat e d d eman d are an e xpression an d a test of our e arn est

,
n ess . H E Fosdick The M an in g of P ayer p 1 30

”
. .
,
e r , . .
3
P T Forsyth The L on don Q ua terly Review July 1 90 8
. .
, r , , .
as what it was .
‘
God Him self will e d in sh ort that , ,
Ch ri st should re coil from that which was appoi n t e d

Him in th e cou n se l s of e t er n ity O n ly by m ea n s of a .
seemi n g a n tago n i sm with G od an d t h e wrestli n g to ,
which it led could e ven th e stren gth of J esu s b e made

,
pe rfect His o ne n e ss with th e Father was ex peri

.
men tally wrought out by stren uou s importu n ity

ri si n g to th e pe ac e of fi n al acqui e scen ce .
We co n clude then that so far from importu n ity in

,
prayer i n dicati ng an y lack of tru st in God or an y ,
e ag er n ess to reverse His judgm en ts it is really ,
our mode of complyi n g with th e nece ssary spiritual

co n dition s which pe rmit th e Father to use on our
behalf all th e r esourc es of His love an d power God .
does n ot Himself cha n ge or hasten or delay He , , .
always wi shes to gra n t us what is b est But His .
power to give is co n ditio n ed by our r eadi n ess to r ec eive

an d He ca n n ot b e stow His high e st bl e ssi n g s upo n us
u n til by arden t importu n at e an d b eli evi n g praye r

, , , ,
we are r aise d to that t emp e ratur e of warm an d holy

love which provides God with th e O pportu n ity
deni e d Him by our coldn ess—of pe rfecti n g His love
in us God s riche st gift s an d mo st precious i n timaci e s
’
.
are n ot gra n t e d to tho se who t epidly ask with n o
purpose to r eceive Th ey are r e serv e d for tho se who

.
, ,
e v e ry d en ial an d sayi n g from t h e h e art

“
ask an d de ma n d an d k n ock an d com e agai n r efu si n g
,
We will ,
,
”
n ot let Th ee go e xc e pt Thou bl ess us To all such
1
.
,
God is e asy to b e en treat e d He does for th e arden t

.
what He can n ot po ssibly do for t h e apath etic Th e .
con clu sion of th e whol e matt er is shortly an d pithily

e xpre sse d in t h e words of St Thoma s Aqui n a s We .
x xx u
1
G en . . 26 .
fir st th e per sua sio n that our will is in harmo n y with
,
God s an d se con d th e c e rtai n ty that God s will shall

’
,
’
b e do n e 1
H e n c e th e feeli n g of se r enity an d repose
.
”
which accompanies or follows tru e prayer as c on ,
ceiv e d by t h e writ e r s of t h e N ew T e stam e n t In .
n othi n g b e a n xiou s but in e ve ryt hin g by praye r an d

,
supplicatio n with tha nk sgivi n g le t your r e qu est s b e

”
made kn ow n u n to God 2
It is su fficien t that you .
simply stat e your wa n t s to t h e Fat h e r an d l e ave th e m ,
in His k ee pi n g ; wh en that is do n e th e pe ac e of ,
God which pa sseth all u n der sta n di n g shall guard your

, ,
”
heart s an d your thought s in Chri st J esus 2
Aft er our .
e ar n est pe titio n s hav e b een laid b e for e God t h e i ssu e ,
of th em li es n o lo n ger with our selve s Th e matt er .
is b e fore t h e thro n e Gri e f trouble di sappoi n tm en t

.
. , ,
a bright re sult or a sad— th ey are all in th e orderi ng

of Him who upholds th e world E n ough that you .
say with David Lord I mak e my prayer u n to Th ee

, ,
in an acc e ptabl e tim e If it b e gra n t e d I bl e ss If

’
. .
,
”
it b e po stpo ne d I wait If it b e den ie d I bow
, .
2
,
.
But tru e prayer shoul d fulfil it self in action as well

as in qui e t tru st We have our part to play as well
.
,
as God in th e a n sweri n g of prayer an d th e appropriat e

,
clo se to commu nion is al ways co n duct A n d th e .
Lord said u n to Mo se s Wh ere fore cri est thou u n to Me

,
Sp e ak u n to t h e children of Israel that they goforward 4

, .
”
Even from a p sychological point of vi ew thi s culmi n a ,
tio n of de sire in actio n is most n ec essary Wh en a .
re solv e or a fine glow of feeli n g is allowe d to e vaporat e

without b eari n g practical fruit it is wor se than a ,
cha n c e lo st it work s so as po sitively to h i n der future

1
R . Law
The Tests of ife p 3 6 3
, L , . .
2
Phil iv 6 . .
, 7 .
2
D an iel M oore A ids to P rayer p 3 6
. , . .
4 E xod x iv . . r5 .
resolution s an d emotio n s from taki n g t h e n ormal

path of discharge On e b e com e s fill e d with
.
e motio n s which habitually pass without prompting
to any deed an d so th e i nertly se n tim ental con ditio n

,
” 1
is kept up Joh n Bu n ya n knew som ethi ng of th e
ble sse d n e ss of prayer but h e was wi se e nough to see ,
that t h e soul of religio n is th e practique part To .
stay on t h e mou n t may b e v ery pl easant Souls an d .

,
e v en cou n t e n a n c e s may b e t ran sfigure d th e re an d we

, ,
may ve ry n aturally desire to build tab er n acl es an d ,
to rem ain there alway s But th e si n s an d sorrows .
of th e world call us and it b ehove s us to ob e y as well , ,
as to en j oy our he ave n ly vi sions Th e prayer mu st

, .
tak e fl esh th e word b e com e a dee d and th e spiritual

, ,
desire i n car n at e itself in actio n It must m erge i n to .
t h e stre am of divi ne cr e ativ e energy whi ch goe s forth

u n ce a si ngly to bl ess an d to tra n sform th e world .
first I praise thy p ray e r th en b id th ee sp ee d

So n , ,
B ut th e god s h e ar m e n s h an d s be for e t h eir lip s

’
A n d h e e d b e yo n d all c ryin g an d sacrific e

Light of thi n gs do n e an d n o ise of labourin g me n
” 2
.
In thi s se n se laborare est orare Prayer may b e .
men tal for we may thi nk prayers It may b e vocal

,
.
,
for we may S p eak prayer s It may b e actual for we .

,
do prayer s For d ee ds hav e voic e th e vice s of

.
Sodom did cry an d t h e alm s of Tobi as A n d if it

,
.
were proper for St Joh n in th e fir st of th e Revelation

.
, ,
to tur n back to see a voic e it is more likely God will ,
look dow n to h ear a work So then to do th e offic e

,
.
” 2
of your vocatio n si n c erely is to pray Th e b est ,
.
1
W illiamJames Tex tb ook of P sych ology pp 1 47 8
-
. .
, ,
2
A C Swi burn e A talan ta in C alydon
. . n ,
.
2 John D on n e Work s ( e d H A lford) ol

.
. . , v . v . p . 1 5 .
92 THE REA L M O F P RAYE R
ru el in th ese matte r s is so to pray as if e ve ryt h i n g
de pe n de d wholly upo n G od an d then so to act as ,
if e ve rything de pe n de d on our selv e s al on e God s .

’
a n sw er to prayer is oft en n ot at all th e gift of th e thin g

we ask but rath er an add e d pow er to get it for our se lv es
, .
Praye r is in n o se n se a sub stitut e for pai n staki n g

thought an d st e adfast pe r se ve ri n g e ffort but rath er ,
an i n c e n tiv e to th eir mor e dilige n t an d fai thful e x erci se .
”
Th e b e st praye r an d t h e mo st acc e ptabl e to God
.
,
say s St Tere sa
. is t h e praye r which produc es t h e
,
b e st efiects I spe ak n ot n ow of those ma n y de sire s

.
th e soul may hav e for though th e y are go od th e y are

, ,
n ot such as our s elf lov e r e pr e se n ts th e m som e tim es

-
.
I spe ak of tho se e ffe ct s which are co nfir med by

dee d s . 0 ! thi s is i n dee d tru e pray er ! an d
n ot tho se delight s which te n d o nly to ple a se us ,
”
an d n ot hi n g mor e
1
.
Thu s it is n ot m erely vai n it is spiritually pe r n iciou s

.
, ,
that we should pray for th e poor th e suffe ri n g an d th e , ,
sad if we do n ot follow up our prayers by som e practical

,
e n de avour to mi ni st e r to th eir n ec essiti es Do st .
thou pray ? a sk s St Chryso stom What of that ?

.
,
”
Prayer without almsgivi n g is u n fruitful 2
Simil arly .
,
it avail s but littl e that we offer prayer s for mi ssion s

an d t h e comi n g of t h e Ki n gdom if we habitually ,
offer n oth i n g el se That prayer is a mocke ry an d

.
a v ai n oblatio n which doe s n ot issue in som e gen ui n e

committal of our selve s to th e furtheri n g of th e en d s
for which we pray by pre sen ti ng our bodi es a livi n g
,
sacrific e hol y acc e ptabl e u n to God our Fath e r

, , .
Fin ally all prayer sho uld b e accompan i e d by love

, .
1
L tt r
e e s J D al ton ) p 1 3 1
(ed . .
, . .
2
St . Chrysostom o 2 Tim ii 2 6 n . . .
CHAPTER VII
THE SCH OO L O F P RA YE R
L et him b e rich an d wearie le as t

,
that at ,
If goo dn esse le ade h im n o t yet wearin e sse

,
May t o sse h im t o my breas ”

t .
G E OR GE HERBER T , Th e P ulley
.
I hav e be en driv en man y t im es to my kn ees by th e o ve r

wh elmin g co n victio n that I had n o wh e re else t o go my own
wisdom an d t hat of all arou n d me see m e d in suffi cien t for t h e
”
day .
A B RA H AM L I N C OLN .
A FFLI CTI ON of on e ki n d or a n other is th e pri n cipal

, ,
school of praye r . When we read th e familiar ro7 th

Psalm we are struck by th e words of a four times
recurri ng phrase , Th en cri e d th e y u n to th e Lord .
What were th e occa sion s of thi s resort to God ? Always ,
an e xpe ri e n c e of troubl e or di stre ss Th e traveller .
in t h e de sert who h as lo st h is way th e pri son er in ,
t h e du n ge o n sighi n g for r eli ef th e sick man str e tch e d

,
upo n a b ed of pai n th e sailor staggeri n g amid th e

,
t errors of th e storm— these are th e p er so n s who b e take

them se lve s to prayer Accordi n g to th e expe ri en c e
.
an d ob se rvatio n of th e p salmi st whe n men are hard

,
pressed an d at th eir wit s en d when their soul s draw

’
94
THE S CHOOL OF PRAYER 95
n igh to th e gates of d eath an d n o hop e is to b e ,
place d in huma n aid then th ey cry u n to th e Lord ,
in th eir troubl e an d He sav e th th e m out of th eir

,
di tr e sse s
s 1
.
Stra n gely en ough th e imme diat ely prece di ng Psal m

, ,
t h e ro6 th fi n d s th e sam e truth illu strat ed in th e

,
e xperi e n c e n ot of i n dividual s
, but of n atio n s Th e , .
hi story of I srael show s an i n variable rou n d of e ve r

re curri ng chan ges Th e m ercy of God b estow s pro s
.
p e ri t y upo n H is p e opl e ; that pro sp e rity l e ad s to

false con fiden c e se curity an d n egl e ct of God ; swift
, ,
on t h e h eel s of se curity com es pride ; prid e an d

r eb ellio n b ege t di sa st er ; an d then in th e hour of ,
calamity an d nee d th e co n trit e n atio n calls on th e

,
livi n g God Proph et s champio n s saviour s are forth

.
, , ,
wi th sen t Ma n y time s did He de live r th em

.
wh en He h eard their cry R elie f is give n pro sp erity .

,
retur n s but ala s ! th e wh eel r etur n s upo n it s rou n d

,
agai n God is forgotte n as He was b efor e

.
, .
Th e Old Testam en t h er e prob es dee p i n to th e se cre t s

of t h e huma n h eart Man doe s n ot as a rule pray .
, ,
wh en h e is pro sperou s Th e sl eek t h e sati sfied th e .

, ,
full of bread do n ot feel th e n ece ssity of prayer

,
.
They po ssess what th ey wa n t th ey have their reward .
A re th ey n ot rich an d in n ee d of n othi n g ? It is
wh en he art an d fl e sh do fai n t an d fail an d all life s ,
’
b ill ow s thre at en to subm erge man an d h e k n ow s ,
1
ompare t h e lan guage put in to t h e mouths of sailors in fe ar of
C
shipwre ck by Shak esp e ar e
,
A ll 1 0st to prayers to praye rs all lost ,
Th e Temp t I i 5 2 es , . . .
Similarly
N ow I am past all comfort h re but praye rs e ,
.
Ki ng Hen ry VI I I .
,
I V ii . . 1 23 .
failure an d sorrow an d v exation that h e b e gi n s to lift ,
up supplicati n g ha n d s to th e Power whi ch h e b eli ev es to

b e highe r tha n himse lf I s an y amo n g you afiticted P .
le t him pray
”
1
Th e cry from th e d e pth s se ek s a
.
Helpe r in th e height s I n all age s an d al l c lime s th e

.
pe opl e who pray are th e y who have had lo sse s whose ,
prid e is humbl e d who se pla n s mi scarry whose e art hl y

, ,
prop s fail them whose sk y built hope s com e crumbli n g

,
-
to t h e grou n d I will go i n to Thy house with bur n t

.
O fferi n g s ; I will pay Th ee my vow s which my lip s ,
have utt ere d an d my mouth hath spoken when I was in

, ,
”
trouble .
2
It is true that t his con sciou sn e ss of n ee d may not

b e t h e o n ly or ev e n t h e high e st motiv e urgi ng man
, ,
to pray Mo n taig ne for e xample with that whim sical

.
, ,
p e rversen ess which so oft en characteri ze s him stoutly ,
oppo ses th e generality of men in thi s re spe ct Con .
t rary t o oth e r s h e writ e s I fin de my se lf more given

, ,
to de votio n in pro sp erou s than in adver se fortu n e ;

accordi ng to Xen opho n s rul e if n ot accordi n g to his ’
r easo n A n d I rath er look e on h eaven with a ch earefulle

.
”
e ye to tha n k it th an t o b egge a n ythi n g of it A nd
2
.
, ,
i n deed there is somethi ng egoi stic an d self c en tr e d

,
-
in our r esorti n g to God o n ly in distre ss It is to make .
Him a m ea n s rath er than an e n d a H elper call e d in ,
to sn atch our feet out of th e fowl er s sn ar e rath er ’
tha n On e who is Him self th e soul s chi ef Fri en d an d ’
t h e Give r of all good But if it b e n ot th e loftie st.

,
t h e s en se of nee d is at an y rat e th e fir st th e mo st ,
n atural an d probably th e mo st u n iver sal stim ulu s

,
to prayer on e that th e Fath er Him self is pl ease d to

,
1
James v . 1 3 .
2
Psalm lxvi . 1 3 , 1 4 .
2
E ssayes ( FloriO s
’
tran slation ) ,
O n V an itie .
”
my con scien c e extort e d some words from me like
,
prayi n g to God though I ca n n ot say th ey were eithe r

,
a prayer att en de d with de sire s or with hopes it was

rath er th e voice of m ere fright an d distre ss .
This was th e first time that I could say in th e true ,
sen se of th e words that I praye d in all my life for

,
”
now I praye d with a se n se of my conditio n .
We som etim es offer th e pe tition Lord t each us , ,

”
to pray . D o we al ways r ealize what we m ea n by it
Sur ely such a r e qu e st impli e s not m er ely Lord t each , ,
me a form of prayer so that I may bri ng with me ,
word s when I draw n igh to God but rather Lord ,
t each me th e se cre t of prayerful n ess itself th e art of ,

”
prayi n g an d th e desire to pray
, If such b e our .
i n t en tion like Jame s an d Joh n we k n ow n ot what we

,
ask Th e baptism is harder th e cup more bitt er

.
, ,
tha n we wot of We are sayi n g in effect :

. Sen d ,
me troubl e humiliatio n disappointm en t an d di stre s s

, , ,
—som ethi ng that will stab my spirit broad awake

an d arouse withi n me a tru e s en se of nee d
”
A n d yet .
,
from th e r eligiou s poi n t of vi ew t h e co n sciou sn e ss of ,
nee d is our chi ef spiritual a sse t that which alo n e c an ,
a ssure our progress in all grac e What th e Holy .
Spirit doe s with thi s sen se of n ee d wh e n it h as b een ,
creat e d is to trai n r efi n e spiritualize an d enlarge it

, , , , ,
till it crave s for th e la st utt er sati sfaction of b ei n g

fille d with all th e ful n ess of God Himself For Thou .
hast cr eate d us for Thyself an d our h eart fi n d s n o re st,
u n til it re st s in Thee 1
.
”
1
u usti
A g n e, Confession s, book i . C hap . i .
CHAPTER VIII
THE P RA YE R O F P E TI TI O N
M u st h elpless man in ign ora n c e se da te
, ,
R o ll darklin g down t h e t orr e n t of his fat e

M u st n o d islike al arm n o wish e s rise , ,
N o cries in voke th e m e rcie s of t h e skies

E n qu ire r c e a se
,
p e t itio n s ye t re ma in ,
W hich He av n may h e ar n or d ee m R e ligio n va in

’
, .
St ill ra ise for good t h e supp li ca tin g vo ic e ,
B ut le av e to He av n t h e m e a sure a n d t h e cho ic e
’
.
Safe in His p ow r who se e y es d isc e rn afar

’
Th e se cre t am b u sh of a spe c iou s pray r

’
Implore His aid in His d e c isio n s r est

, ,
Se cure what e e r He giv es He giv es t h e b est

’
.
, ,
J O H NSON The Van ity of Human Wishes

, .
A sk n ot for that which is d eligh t fu l an d adva n ta ge ou s t o

thee b ut for that whi ch is acc e pta ble an d ho n ourable t o Me
,
for if thou j udge st aright thou Shou ld est pre f e r an d follow

,
M y appo in tm en t rath e r t han t hin e own d e sire or an y thin g ,
that is d esire d .
TH O M AS A K E M P I S Th e I mitation of Christ I V xli x

, , . .
WE hav e seen that prayer is our purpo sive life

activity refe rr e d to God with a vi ew to t h e re ali z ation
,
of compl e t e per son ality in a ki n gdom of right e ou sn ess

,
an d love ,
through th e a ssertion an d con se rvatio n of
99
t r
e e n al spiritual valu e s ov e r agai n st t h e world We .
have seen al so that it i nvolv e s th e con ception of a God

with whom th e spirit of man c an hold r eciprocal com
mu nio n in a mutual actio n an d reactio n of livi n g
,
an d lovi n g will s We proc ee d to con sider th e scope

.
of this commu n io n an d th e sev eral asp ect s of expe ri en c e

,
with which it is co n ce r n e d Th ese will b e fou n d to b e

.
chiefly thr ee : (i ) t h e se lf world (ii ) t h e fe llow world

-
,
-
,
and (iii ) th e ext er n al world Corr e spo n di n g to the se

.
three are (i ) th e prayer of pe titio n (ii) th e prayer Of ,
i n t erce ssio n and (iii ) praye r as it affect s t h e n atural

,
order Th e probl ems conn ect ed with e ach of these

.
a spect s of prayer must n ow e n gage our atte ntio n .
Prayer in it s simpl e st an d mo st rudime ntar y form is

an askin g for som ethi ng It is a direct pe tition to God
.
for th e fulfilm en t of some per sonal cravi ng or de sire .
Oh that I might hav e my re quest ; and that God

would gra n t me th e thi n g that I lo n g for ! Th e
” 1
difficul ti es which gath e r rou n d thi s form of praye r are

n um e rou s an d r e al A re we e n titl e d for e xampl e to
.
, ,
supplicat e God for t h e sati sfactio n of our mat e rial
want s or should we co n fi ne our selve s to those which

,
are moral an d spiritual ? I s it right to ask God for

what we c an quite well procure for our selve s by our
own e ffort or should we pray o nly for what our fe e li n g
of in sufficre ncy place s b eyo n d our reach ? I n what

se n se an d to what degr ee may we look for a n swer s to
, ,
prayer I S praye r a n swer e d in som e case s an d n ot in

other s ? If so on what pri n ciple is th e di sti n ctio n
,
made Why should pe titio n e n t er i n to prayer at all

If God is all k n owi n g and all lovi ng will He n ot do
- -
,
what is b est for us without our a sking ? If His will

1
Job . vi . 8 .
petitio n s h e may or may n ot e xpl ai n why it is im
possible to gr a n t them h e may gra n t th em in a higher ,
b ett er way tha n th e child de sire s But at le a st h e doe s .
wi sh to b e made th e child s confidan t in e verythi ng ’
an d it is n ot so much t h e particular r e qu e st as t h e
filial attitude of h eart that is preciou s in his sight .
His hop e is that by a succ essio n of yi eldi ng s re fusal s

, , ,
withdrawal s partial co n c e ssio n s and delays h e may

, , ,
e ducat e t h e c h ild s capacity for a ski n g until it s p e titio n s

’
are purge d of all that is fooli sh or u n worthy .
Now th e same pri n cipl e appli es but in a much larger ,
an d full e r se nse to t h e relatio n s that e xi st b etwee n

,
man an d God St Augu sti n e h as wi sely laid down th e

. .
broad ge neral rule that it is lawful to pray for what it

is lawful to desire an d that sure ly include s t h e small
,
as w ell as t h e gr eat t h e e arthly an d t e mporal as w ell

,
as t h e h e av e n ly an d e t er n al I n de e d as all prayer is .
,
primarily egoi stic in it s characte r it is but n atural ,
that in th e e arli er stage s at l ea st mat e rial pe tition s

, ,
Should b ulk far more largely tha n spiritual Ig n ora n t .
we are not that of such as r esort e d to our Saviour

,
Chri st b e i ng pre sen t on e arth th ere cam e n ot an y ,
u n to Him with b ett er succ ess for th e b enefit of th eir

soul s everlasti n g happi ness tha n th ey who se bodily
’
n e c e ssiti es gav e th e m t h e fir st occa sio n to see k r e li e f

”
1
.
God woul d remove all barri er s to pe rfect simplicity

an d n atural n e ss in prayer Wh at ever we are i ntere st e d
.
in is c e rtai n to i n t ere st Him al so Our bu si n e ss a ffairs .

,
there fore our politic s our hou sehold an d fi n ancial

, ,
care s should all b e brought to God Th e more the se

,
.
matt er s are praye d about t h e more likely th ey are to ,
b e pur ely un selfish ly an d ho n o urably de alt with

, , .
1
Hoo k e r , E cclesiastical P olity boo k
,
v . chap xxxv . . 2 .
THE PRAYER OF PETITION 1 03
What is v aluabl e in G od s sight is n ot at all th e wi sdom ’
of our a ski ng but th e fact that we do ask Th e i n t er

,
.
change oi lov e which prayer impli es is far more

, ,
importa n t tha n th e m ere gra n ti n g or de nial of an y

particular requ e st It is probabl e that so far from
.
,
bei ng too particular in our re qu est s b e fore God we are ,
n ot n aiv e an d particular e n ough Th e N ew Testamen t .
sa n ctio ns praye r for mat e rial bl e ssi n g s (Lu xi for . .
recovery from S ick ne ss (J as v for political tra n . .
quillity ( 1 Tim ii 1 an d t h e avoida n c e of hard ship s

. .
,
( Mark xiii . as w ell as for spiritu al gift s an d grac e s
(J n xvii 1 5 C01 i 9 Heb xiii

. . . an d i n dee d bids
. . .
us in everythin g by praye r an d supplicatio n to make

, ,
our re quest s k n ow n u n to God ( Phil iv . .
At t h e sam e time as prayer b ecom es mor e an d more

,
moralized an d th e esse n tial good of life comes to b e

,
more Cl early disc erne d th e de sire for t h e sati sfactio n

,
of our mat erial wa n t s in prayer will mor e an d more , ,
b e subordi nat e d to t h e de sir e for t h e att ai nme n t of

higher Spiritual en ds an d t h e valu e of prayer will n o
,
lo nger b e made de pe n den t on t h e gra n ti n g or n ot

gra n ti ng of mat erial re qu est s It is right that we .
should pray for e arthly an d t emporal t h i ng s but n ot ,
that we S hould put the se in t h e for egrou n d of our

prayer s J esu s t e ache s us that a de sire for t h e hallow
.
ing of God s n am e an d t h e comi ng of His Ki n gdom

’
should pr ec ede eve n a r equest for bre ad He wi shes .
us to fee l that to put t e mporal an d spiritu al thi n g s on

t h e sam e l ev el or to give prec e de n c e to t h e form er is
, ,
to pray as th e G en tile s do an d to b e i n ordi n at ely ,
co n c er ned about food an d clothi ng forgetti ng that th e ,
Father k n owe th we have n eed of all these thi n gs .
Such prayer is n atural but it is n ot yet fully Chri stian

,
it legitimat e but n ot sain tly It fails to apprehe nd
is , .
t h e tru e proportionat e value of God s gifts Jesus ’

.
would have us seek first th e Ki ngdom of God an d His

right e ou sn e ss in t h e confid e nt a ssuranc e that if we
,
did so all thi n gs else would b e adde d u n to irs God is .
to b e truste d to provide us with t hing s t emporal if we

pass through them and b eyo n d them to solicitude
about thi n gs et er n al 1
.
We lay it dow n therefore as th e fir st ca n o n of , ,
petitionary prayer that at le a st in th e fir st stage s of ,
it howe ver it s mood may cha n ge be fore th e en d God

, ,
Himse lf e n courages us to com e to Him freely with all

imagi nable ki n d s of petitio n egoi stic foolish mat eri , , ,
alistic though th ey may b e so lo n g as th e y are n ot ,
such as obviou sly ca n n ot b e gra n t e d or are profa n e an d
u n seemly in th emselve s .
II
Th e p rayer of p etition ten ds to brin g a bout its own
an swer This doe s n ot m ea n that we ge t a n ythi n g we

.
wa nt by simply wa n ti n g it ; but that in spiritual ,
1
J esus moved about an d men drew n ear to Him nin e times
As , ,
out of t en t h e thin gs they cri e d for could scarcely b e calle d Spiritual

at all They prayed for sight They prayed for physical powe r
. . .
They praye d that a son or a dau ghte r mi ght b e he ale d They prayed
Lord save us from this tempe st
.
in t h e wild uproar of t h e storm , , ,
or we pe rish A n d what I say is that for on e lik e J esu s to whom

.
’
t h e spiritual ov ershadowe d e ve rythi g such c e asele ss prayi g for n ,

n
t h e physical an d t emporal mu st have mad e h eavie r t h e cro ss H e
bor It deepe s th e won d r of His patie c e to remembe r that

e . n e n .
It sheds a light o n His i fini te compassio n Fai would He have

n . n
been ask ed for de eper thin gs yet He n ever we aried in bestowin g ,
these thin gs G H M orriso n Th e A ftergl w of G od p 1 6

. . .
,
o , . .
Th e p rayer of p etition meekly refers the gran tin g or

den yin g o f its requests to th e good an d acce table and p
p erfect will of God Thi n g s ab solut ely good as remi s
.
,
sio n of si n s we may absolut e ly b eg ;

, an d to e scape
thing s ab solut ely ill as sin But mean and i n differen t

, .
thi n gs qu alifie d by th e circum sta n c es we mu st ask

, ,
”
con ditio nally an d refe rri gly to h e Giv er s will
n t 1 ’
.
All Chri stia n praye r that is to say is offere d with t h e , ,
di sti n ctly u n derstood if not actually expressed re ser , ,
vatio n : N everth el ess n ot my will but Thi n e b e ,
done . We ask o n ly in so far as what we desire is

,
'
calculat ed to promot e th e glory of God an d th e ev er ,
lasting good both of ourselves and other s .
Th e importa n ce of thi s reservatio n will b e see n wh en

we co n sider prayer (a) as it affect s ourse lve s an d ( b) ,
as it affect s others .
What more n atural than that we should clamour

e ar n e stly for c e rt ai n thi n g s on which our h e art s are
set such as h ealth lo n g lif e fam e happi n e ss i n cre ase

, , , , ,
of goods ? Yet th e b e stow al of th e se t hi ng s might

prove to b e a curse rather tha n a bl essi n g .
Th e f w tha t pray a t all pray oft ami s

.
e s ,
And kin g grac e to improv e t h e priz e th ey ho ld

,
see ,
W ou ld urg e a Wise r su it than a skin g mor e ”

.
2
How are we th e gai n er s if in granti n g our requ est s , ,
God mu st need s sen d l e a n ess i n to our soul s

n
2
Or if ,
through getti ng what we want we b ecom e self wille d ,

-
an d froward an d d en y th e God who made us Jam es

1 John D on n e Work s v ol v p , , . . . 20 .
2
Cowpe r The Task v i 5 4 5 6
, , .
-
.
2
Psalm c vi . 1 5 .
THE PRAYER OF PETITION 1 07
an d Joh n on one occa sio n aske d that fire might b e

, ,
se n t dow n from heave n to co n sum e their enemi es .
With wi se severity J esu s could but a n sw er them Ye

”
k n ow n ot what ma nn e r of spirit ye are of 1 Wer e all .
our prayer s to b e forthwith gra n te d simply b ecau se ,
we o ffe re d th e m we should soon r e se mbl e unman age

,
able spoilt childr e n who have b ecom e moody and sulky

an d bad t e mpe r e d through b e i n g w e akly humour e d
when they should hav e be e n sou n dly pu ni shed O n .
looki ng back on our lives ma n y of us have cause to ,
thank God that some of our mo st e ager but fooli sh

an d ig n ora n t pe titio n s we r e not gra n t e d It nee d n ot .
b e that they w ere r e qu est s for thi ngs wro n g or evil in

them selve s but simply that we a sk ed for what was
,
n ot good for us in our particular circum stanc e s or ,
what we were n ot in a fit co n ditio n to rec eive My .
so n why is it that day by day you ri se an d pray an d

,
genuflec t and e ve n strik e t h e grou n d with your for e

head n ay som etim e s e ve n sh ed t ear s while you say
, , ,
to Me My Father my God give me wealth ! If

'
, ,
I w er e to give it to you you would thi nk your self of ,
som e importa n c e you would fancy you had g ained

,
some thi n g v e ry gr e at Yet b e cau se you a sk e d for it

.
,
you have it But tak e car e to mak e good use of it

. .
B e for e you had it you were humbl e ; n ow that you

have b e gu n to b e rich you despi se th e poor ! What ,
ki n d of a good is that which makes you wor se For

wor se you are si n ce you wer e bad already
,
A sk .
of Me b etter thi ngs tha n the se gr eat er thi ng s tha n ,
these A sk of Me spiritual thin gs A sk of Me

. .
,
Myself 1 2
1
Lu k e ix .
55 .
2
A g u ustin e, Se rmo ns cccxi
. 1 4
-
1 5 .
1 08 T HE REALM OF PRA Y ER
But in additio n to th e e ffe ct a n swere d prayer may

have on ourse lves we should consider th e e ffect it is
,
lik ely to hav e on other s Why should we b e th e

.
favourite s of he aven or have a mo n opoly of G od s

,
’
atte n tio n and r egard ? Wh y should our prayer b e

gra n t e d rather tha n that of others with which it
perhaps co nflicts ? Sur ely if we k new all an d love d ,
all even as God doe s we might cha n ge our to n e an d

, ,
le ar n n ot to pre ss but rather to withdraw our pe titio n s

, ,
an d pre se n t our n eighbour s n ee d mor e urge n tly tha n

’
our own Thu s a moth er s lovi ng i n sti n ct may le ad

.
,
’
h er to implore that som e dre ade d blow may n ot fall ,
an d t h e life Of h er darli n g in t h e tr e n ch es may b e
spare d ; yet th e she ddi ng of his life blood m ay b e -
re quire d by t h e vital nee d s of his cou n try or of th e

cause of righte ou sness I n such a case poigna n t an d
.
,
urgen t though h er own prayer may b e is it n ot always ,
tacitly and m ee kly gover ne d by that wider re fer enc e

I f it b e p ossible le t thi s cup pa ss ; n e v e rthe l e s s
,
Similarly all parties to what may b e calle d com

,
p e t it iv e pray e r should
, hav e thi s spirit of willi ng
submi ssio n to th e ri ght e ou s will of God as th e sol e ,
ultimat e di spose r of eve n t s Wh ere thi s is do n e their

.
,
agreem e nt will always b e fou n d to b e more fu n dam en tal

tha n th eir di sagr eemen t On this ba si s we may reco n
.
,
cil e th e pe titio n s of rival comma n der s who supplicat e

for victory or of co n t e n di n g parti e s who pray for t h e
succ ess an d triumph of th eir own cau se I n a world .
made up of all sort s an d co n ditio n s of men prese n ti n g ,
to God diverse an d som etime s co n tradictory de sires ,
some mu st b e cont e n t with a n egativ e a n sw e r to th eir
pe titio n s I n this matt er God h as to con sider th e

.
,
n ee d s n ot of particular i n dividual s o nly but of H

,
is ,
may rightly tak e di spl ea sure in our attitude wh en ,
i n stead of bri ngi ng supplicatio n s to His thron e we ,
b egi n to make stipul atio n s an d to lay dow n t erm s

'
After all He is in h eaven an d we on e arth an d we

, ,
do w ell when we pray to remembe r th e m eek de

, ,
mean our of th e patriarch Abraham who preferre d his ,
‘
request s to God with th ese lowly W ol dS B ehold ’
n ow I hav e tak en upo n me to sp e ak u n to th e Lord

, ,
which am but dust an d a sh es 1

.
”
IV
The p rayer of p etition is ften
o defi n itely and directly
an swered Testimo ni e s to thi s effect are too n um erous
.
an d striki n g to b e di sr egarde d I have eviden c e .

,
sati sfactory to my se lf wrot e H M Sta nl ey

,
that . .
,
prayer s are gra n t ed By praye r th e road sought for

.
,
h as b e com e vi sibl e an d th e da n ger imm e diat ely l essene d

,
n ot o n c e or twic e or thric e but r e p e at e dly u n til th e

, ,
cold u nb eli eving h e art h as b ee n impresse d 2

Hun .
”
dr e d s of similar an d much more de finit e case s might b e

i n sta n c ed an d c ertai nly if th e truth of an y propo sitio n
,
c an b e e stabli sh e d by w eight of t e stimo n y an d e x peri
m e n t al eviden c e th e b elie f in definite a n swers to prayer

,
se e m s to b e fully warra n te d Great n umb er s of pe ople

.
are firm l y co n vinc ed that n ot o n ly hav e th ey de riv e d

much comfort an d p eac e of mi n d from t h e e xercise of
prayer ; that n ot o n ly have c ert ai n thi n gs th ey a ske d
for in prayer b een sub sequ en tly rec eive d in th e ordi n ary
course of e ve nts or as th e result of their own strivin g
,
1 Ge n . xviii . 27 .
2
A utobi ography , p .
5 20 .
THE PRAYER OF PETITION 1 1 1
but al so t h at som e of their prayers ev en for te mporal ,
be nefits have bee n explicitly and opportunely a n swered

, ,
in t h e mo st surpri si n g ma nn e r such as th e y c an o nly ,
a scribe to th e spe cial worki n g of divi ne providen ce on

their beh al f It may s uffi c e to i n stanc e th e case of
.
Ge orge Miiller of Bristol who cl aime d that h e had

, ,
receive d a millio n pou n d s in fifty ye ar s on b ehalf of ,
his orphan home s in de pe n de n c e upo n prayer alo ne

,
1
.
On thi s difficult subj ect a fe w ge n eral obse rvatio n s

o nly can b e offere d .
i( ) There is nothi ng i nh ere n tly u nre aso nable in th e

gr a nti ng of direct a nsw er s to praye r Wh y should .
it b e thought a thi n g i n cre dibl e with you that G od ,
should r ai se th e dead ? We are accustome d every

day to stat em en ts and fact s of scie n c e which far
tra n sc en d in strangeness th e marv els that are he re
spok en of an d if God b e a livi n g G od co n trolli ng all ,
thi ngs with a Vi ew to His chil dre n s welfare in right e ou s ’
ness an d love His direct explicit a n swer to defi nit e

,
request s is o nly what may reaso n ably b e expe cted .
(ii ) Jesus Him se lf laid th e gre at e st stress on th e duty

of a ski ng in prayer and th e c e rtai n ty of receiving
,
.
E very on e that a sk e th r ec e ive th an d h e that seek e th

, ,
”
fin de th an d to him that k n ocke th it shall b e ope ne d 2
.
Dr James Ha sti ng s h as forcibly and wi se ly call e d

.
attentio n to thi s poi n t Th e mo st remarkabl e thi ng

.
about Chri st s word s on prayer is that there is n ot a

’
syllabl e in th e m as to th e philo sophy of praye r or ,
difficulti es about praye r but simply a word of promise ,
on which He cau se s us to hope ; a thr eefold call to

prayer an d a three fold promi se that our prayer shall
,
1
See A ppe dix of Q uotations
n ,
D . 10 .
2
M att . v ii . 8 .
1 1 2 THE REALM OF PRAYER
be he ard If we take Christ for what He gave Him self
.
out to b e we must b eli eve that He could have lifte d

,
out of th e way th e stumbling block s that seem to lie -
be twee n us an d th e mercy se at He could have ex

-
.
plai ne d how prayer is r elate d to th e decree s of God

an d t h e law s of t h e univ erse He doe s nothi n g of th e
.
kind He simply asks us to take His word for it

.
” 1
.
It is probably because so ma n y fail to take Je su s at

His word an d do n ot really look for a r e spo n se to their
,
pe titio n s that th e ca se s of spe cially a n swere d prayer

,
are r elative ly few .
iii
( ) At t h e s am e tim e it i s probabl e that ma n y of
,
t h e suppose d case s of dir e ctly a n sw er e d prayer are

susc e ptible of a much more n atural or rationalistic
e xplanatio n tha n that u sually claim e d for th em A .
few r emarkabl e coi n cide n c e s b e twee n t h e tur n of e v e nts

an d our pr eviou sly e xpre sse d de sir e s are dwelt upon ,
whil e innum erabl e failures of corr espo n den c e are pa sse d

over Very often as in th e case of i nstitutio ns fou n ded
.
,
an d mai n tai n e d by m e a n s of prayer a slight acquaint ,
a n ce with t h e psychology of suggestio n will supply

som e part at l e a st of t h e e xpla n atio n .
iv
( ) A stro n g b eli e f in d i r e ctly a n sw e r e d pray er is
very oft en fou n d S ide by side with a crudely n aive an d

u ne thical Vi ew of t h e divi ne worki n g God is co n ceive d .
as a ki n d of supe r n atural d e pot for t h e supply of good s
on dema n d th e same to b e delivere d by r etur n of po st

, ,
as it we r e in t h e ca se of highly privil ege d per so n s

,
who are th e favourites of he av en Thi s doctri ne of .
preferential treatm en t r ea dily gives ri se to spiritual

pride an d a di stort ed sen se of i n dividual importa n c e
, ,
1
Th e Christian D octri n e P rayer p 3 5 3 Th e whole se ction
f
o ,
. .
de alin g with an swers to prayer (pp 3 5 1 3 7 6 ) should b e con sulted

.
-
.
1 1 4 THE REALM OF P RAYER
pl ease d with us b ecause we ask for that which He see s
fit to gra n t Th e sai n tly and j udi ciou s H ooker h as
.
writt e n som e v ery w e ighty an d pr eg n a n t word s upo n

thi s subj ect Si n ner s in v ery truth are de ni ed when
.
th ey seem to pr ev ail in th eir supplicatio n s ( Num xi . .
33 ; 1 Sam viii 7 ; Job

. i. 1 2 ; ii 6 ; Lu viii
. . . .
b ecause it is n ot for their sak es or to their good that

th eir suit s tak e plac e ; th e faithful con trariwise , ,
b ecause it is for their good often times that their

petitio n s do n ot take plac e prevail e ve n then when ,
th ey se em mo st de n i ed (2 Cor xii 7 Our Lord. .
God in a n ger hath gra n te d som e impati en t m e n s ’
request s as on th e oth er S ide th e Apostl e s suit h e

,
’
hath of favour an d m ercy n ot gra n te d (Aug E p istles .

,
Th e prayer s of th e ju st are acc e pte d always ,
but n ot always tho se thi ng s gra n ted for which th ey

”
pray .
1
ii
( ) God may gra n t our g e n eral d e sir e s whil e r e fu si n g
to favour our particular pe titio n s A b eautiful exampl e .
of thi s occur s in Augu sti ne s Confession s where th e v ery

’
rej ectio n of Mo nica s passion at e appe al that h er son

’
should n ot b e pe rmitt e d to l e ave Carthag e is use d by ,
G od actually to bri n g about that which Sh e had most

at heart In that night I se cre tly set forth and sh e
.
,
re m ai n ed to pray an d w eep A n d what was sh e .
b e seeching of Thee O my God with all those t ear s

, , ,
but that Thou wouldest preve nt me from saili n g ?

But Thou in Thy hidden wisdom did st grant th e
, ,
sub stan ce of h er desire yet refu se th e thi n g sh e praye d

,
for in order that Thou might st e ffect in me what sh e

,
”
was e ver prayi n g for 2
God thu s by th e ge ntl e
.
,
1
E cclesias tical P olity book v chap xlviii
, . . .
3 .
2
Confession s , book v chap viii
. . .
THE PRAYER OF PETITION 1 1 5
chidi n gs of denial oft e n i n t erpr et s our se cret wi she s to

,
ourselve s .
(iii ) God may withhold from us t h e thi n g we ask in

order still furth er to i n crease our prayerful ness Som e .
time s th e i n ner stre n gth which th e exerci se of prayer

bri n gs t h e m ee k pati en ce of co n ti nuanc e u n der dis
,
appoi n tmen t th e re solutio n and t h e power to k eep on

,
prayi n g an d t h e co n se qu en tly acquire d habit of ste ad

,
fa st prayerful n ess is God s b e st an d o n ly a n swer to

,
’
, ,
our p etitio n s All the se grac e s might b e forfeit ed by

.
us if t h e fulfilm e n t of our r e que st s w er e forthwith

,
gra n t e d I n t h e day that I call e d Thou a n swe re d st

me says a grat e ful p salmi st But in what form did
,
.
t h e a n sw er com e ? Thou did st e n courage me with

stren gth in my soul
”
1
Je sus Chri st Him self three .
times approache d God in t h e garden of G eth se ma ne

with a particular r e que st that was n ot literally gra n t ed .
A stren gthe ni ng angel however was sen t to mi ni st e r , ,
to Him and He was h eard in that He feare d

,
2
Simi .
larly t h e r eal a n swe r giv e n to Paul s i n si st e n t praye r

’
was n ot th e r e moval of t h e thor n in t h e fle sh that so

di stresse d him but rather th e p erfecting of divi n e
,
power withi n h is own weak ne ss an d t h e comfort ,
ing a ssura n c e that Chri st s grac e was suffi ci en t for

’
may it b e surely with ourselve s Far b e tt er

SO , , .
tha n any co n ce de d gift is t h e cha st e ned spirit t h e ,
submi ssiv e will th e awake n e d heart th e tra n sform ed

, ,
motive which seek s out som e b ett er aim in prayer

,
than th e m ere gra n ti ng of our particular r eque st s .
Th e valu e of Chri stia n praye r from th e moral poi n t ,
of Vi ew is n ot t h e ge tti n g but t h e a ski ng th e power

,
1
Psalm cxxxviii .
3 xx . 6 .
2
Heb . v .
7 .
2
2 Cor . xu .
9 .
to ask itself a getti n g— a good and p erfect gift from
is
”
th e Spirit of Chri st .
1
(iv) God may see fit to de n y us what we ask in ,
order to give in a rich er an d b ett er way Mo st of God s .

’
a n swer s to prayer are of thi s charact e r He is wo n t .
to give n ot i ndeed l ess but always more tha n eith er ,
we de sire or d eserv e an d to do for us e xc eedin g abu n ,
dan tly abov e all we c an ask or thi n k Grac e e ver .
out strip s prayer Abraham c ea sed i n t erc edi n g ere God

.
staye d from gra n ti n g Joa sh smot e upo n th e grou n d .
but thrice wh en h e might have gai n ed fiv e victori es

,
” 2
or six It were well th erefore to refrai n from
.
, ,
murmuri ng as to t h e a n sw er s God mak e s to our r e qu est s .
I n a n ot h e r life if n ot in thi s we may b e abl e t o di sce r n

'
, ,
that God s refu sals were but t h e obver se side to His

’
rich est an d mo st ki n d be stowal s .
B e man an d n o t h i g more n
M an who as man co n c eivin g hop es an d fears

, , ,
A n d crav e s an d d e pr e cat es an d lov e s an d loa th es , , ,
A n d b id s G o d h elp h im t ill d eath t ouch h is e y es ,
A n d Sho w G o d gra n te d mo st d en yin g all

” 2
.
,
Wh er th er e is thi s qui et childlike tru st in th e power

e
,
of God n ot o n ly to he ar an d a n swer but al so— what is ,
far be tt er— to in terp ret our p etitio n s in th eir tru est ,
an d d ee pe st sen se ther e will b e n o furth er a n xi ety as

,
to th e i ssue of our prayer s God is n ot deaf to th e .
crie s of our pupilage but re ads tho se depth s an d ,
implicatio n s of our de sires that are hidde n from our

selve s He strip s th e childi sh an d tra n sitory from t h e
.
precious sub sta n c e of our prayer an d when we thi nk ,
1
Ge org e M ath e so n , L an d mark s of N ew Testamen t h f orality , p . 1 34 .
2
J . H N ewman
.
, Pa r oc h ial an d Plain Ser mon s ,
v ol. v . p .
39 7 .
3
B ro w n in g , Ferish tah
’
s F an c ies Th e Family .
1 1 8 THE REA L M O F PRAYE R
an d holy vi sitation from th e Most High G od th e prayer ,
of pe titio n is n ot— in adoration it e xpire s Th e sorrow .
which accompa n i es a se n se of nee d is r eplace d by th e

j oy which accompa n ie s a se n se of ful ne ss 1
We do .
n ot crav e a n ythi n g de fi n it e for ourse lves simply b e cause ,
we are n ot co nsciou s of our se lve s at all still l e ss are
we co nsciou s of an y lack Th e soul is lo st in t h e.
ardour of love to G od We do n ot wi sh we wor shi p

.
,
pe titio n pa sse s i n to praise Re quest b ecome s tha nk s .
givi ng an d tha nk sgivi n g commu nio n in such a way

, ,
that we are fill e d u n to all th e fulne ss of God an d th e ,
cup of huma n co n sciou sn e ss can hold n o more It is .
as if t h e d e vout soul had l e ar n e d to se e t h e folly an d
inade quacy of even it s b est an d holi est pe tition s an d ,
had taught it self to say : My soul wait Thou o nly ,
upon God an d let thi ne expe ctatio n b e from Him

,
.
On th e supr em e height s of prayer as in our n obl e st ,
e arthly fri e nd ship s we get far b eyo n d a ski n gs an d

,
attai n to sati sfactions th e bl esse d ab sorbi ng con sciou s

,
n e ss of lovi n g an d b ei n g lov e d .
Wh en we have reach ed this stage of holdi n g com

mu nio n with God as a man talk s with his fri end th e ,
probl em s of a n swered or u n a n swere d prayer felt at a ,
lower stage n o lo ng er trouble us Simply to feel that

, .
we are in God s pre se n ce to k n ow that His thought s

’
are upo n us an d His love is rou n d about us is itse lf ,
an a nswe r to prayer tra n sc en din g a n ythi n g we co uld
have co n ceived or wi shed Prayer that is to say is .

, ,
no lo nger regarde d as a pe titio n ary mea n s of procuri ng

1 In j oy w
have n o wishes n o i ten se desire for an ythin g n ot
e n
or if wishes do arise we have them in j oy without t h e

,
y t attai e d
e n ,
pain which Sprin gs from their delayed fulfilme t A Rits c hl The n .

”
.
,
D oct ine of R econ ciliation (tr H R Mackin tosh an d A B M acau lay)

r . . . . .
,
P 6 44
THE P RAYER OF P ETITION 1 19
som ethi ng el se co nsider ed be tt er tha n it self ; it

,
become s eve n as love is its own fi n al and compl etely

, ,
sati sfyi ng en d .
It is of this limitless spiritual fruitio n thi s perfect ,
goal an d heartse ase of b eatific vi sio n that our Lord ,
speak s wh en He say s I n that day ye shall ask me

,
”
n othi n g Th e soul ask s n othi ng wh en through unio n
.
with Chri st Je su s it already po sse sse s all thi n gs an d ,
feel s there is n othi n g more that it c an ask Such .
prayer says William Law

,
is n ot an y particular ,
actio n is n ot th e work of an y particul ar faculty n ot

, ,
confi ne d to tim es or word s or plac e but is th e work

, , ,
of ma n s whol e be i ng which co ntinually sta n ds in

’
ful ness of faith in purity of love in ab solut e re sig

, ,
n atio n
,
to do an d b e what and how his B eloved
, ,
pl ease th Th is is th e last state of t h e spirit of Praye r

.
,
”
an d is it s high e st unio n with G od in this life
1
.
1
W illiam L aw Work s (e d
, . v o l. v ii . p . 1 28 .
CHA P TER IX
THE P RA Y E R OF I N TE R CE SSI ON
Mor e th in gs are wrou gh t by pray e r

Than th is world dr e am s of W h e re fore let thy vo ic e
.
,
Rise like a fou n ta in for me n igh t an d day .
Fo r wha t are men b e tt er than Sh e e p or goat s

Tha t n ourish a blin d life w ithin t h e b ra in ,
If kn own G o d th ey lift n ot han d s of praye r

, ,
B o th fOr th e m selv es an d tho se who call th e m frien d

For so t h e who le rou n d eart h is e ve ry way
B ou n d by go ld chain s about t h e f ee t of Go d .
TENN Y SON Th e P assin g of A rth ur

,
.
Youhav e as I v e rily b eliev e an d am p e rsuad e d a plen t ifu l

, ,
stock of pray e r s go in g on for you da ily sen t up b y t h e so b e r est

,
an d mo st approv e d M in ist e rs a n d Ch rist ia n s in t h is N at io n
an d,
n otw ith st a n d in g som e d iscourag em en ts v e ry much ,
wr estlin g of fa ith for you wh ich is to us an d I t ru st will b e

to you a mat te r of g rea t e n courag e m en t
, .
O L IVER CRO M WELL L etter to G en erals B lak e a n d M on tague

, ,
at Sea 2 8 th A pril 1 6 5 6
, , .
I N th e prayer of pe titio n
co n cer n ed chiefly with
we are
t h e self world-
an d t h e fulfil me n t of t h e i n mo st aim s of
our own pe r so n al activity of se lf real izatio n I n th e -

.
prayer of i n t erc essio n we are co n c er ned with th e

f ellow —
w orld an d t h e fulfilm en t of per so n al aim s of
se lf realizatio n in other s
-
I n th e form er it is self
.
1 20
1 22 THE REA LM OF PRAYER
We are what we are as th e resul t of much c o ope rative -
t h i nki ng feeli n g acti n g in past ge n eratio n s ; an d we

, ,
mu st co n ti n u e to de velop differ en tiat e an d e nrich our , ,
pe r so n ality in th e future by b ecomi n g aware of adapt ,
in g our se lve s to utilizi n g an d se rvi ng th e fe llow

, ,
.
pe r so naliti es arou n d us in an e ver i n creasing degr ee of ,

-
man ifold ness .
Indee d t h e mea sure in which we may b e said morally

,
to gai n our life will b e th e m ea sure in which we thu s

lo se it an d subm erg e it in t h e liv es of oth er s an d ,
i n t erest ourselves in th e welfar e of th e whol e of which

we form a part Wh en I u n dersta n d or love or se rve
.
, ,
my fellow man I am n ot l e ss but mor e myself as th e

-
r esult I rei n forc e rather tha n re duc e my m

,
. e n tal
, , ,
e motio n al volitio n al activity by m ergi ng mi ne in h is

, ,
an d his in mi ne A pur ely se lf— c e n tr ed spirit if that

.
,
wer e co n ceivabl e would plac e i n sup erabl e ob stacl es in

,
t h e way of it s own adva n c e m e nt O n ly th e soul which .
subordi n at e s it s aim s to or at l e a st CO or di n at es th e m ,
-
with tho se of th e wider group of which it is a m emb er

, ,
a n d which goe s b e yo n d it se lf in e v e r expa n di ng circl e s -
of i n t ere st sympathy an d c o operation— so as to

, ,
-
e mbrac e in it s co n c er n family n eighbourhood cla ss , , ,
city church n atio n co n c ert of n atio n s all ma nki n d

, , , ,
is on e whose spiritual progr e ss is a ssur e d Everywhere .
an i n cr e a si n g ma n ifold n e ss of r elatio n ship whether ,
se cur ed through p erso n al co n tact la nguage travel , , ,
study or imagi n ative sympathy is th e sur e i n dex of

, ,
e xpa n di n g an d full er life
w
.
pra
“y
er is t h e fre e bold e xt e nsio n of thi s
” -H
,
social i n t e r e st an d co n c er n H
H u us
w
ire t h e re alm of S pirit e ve n

l
,
Hm -
v M
to th e farth est limit s in co n sequen c e of t h e warm ,
sympathy of lov e It is a r ecog nitio n of our social

,
.
“
M
,
M
THE PRAYER OF INTE RCESSION 1 23
i t r relat ed ness re ferre d to God Just as in th e

n e -
, .
,
heati ng of water ther e com es a poi n t at which it

,
ce ase s to b e wat er but be come s transfigured and

u n dergoe s expa n sion u nder th e form of ste am so as ,
t h e soul s t empe ratur e of lov e an d i n t ere st in th e

’
affair s of oth er s rise s there comes a poi n t at which it

,
c e ases to b e m erely i nt erest and passes i n to prayer .
ljh e wi sh for their good that is to say is r e ferr e d to , ,
God “afid an e n ormou s expa n sio n of power is th e

,
M t Hé Wh o pray s for Other s se ek s to i n fluenc e

-
an d bl e s s th e m in ways that h e ca nn ot himse lf co n trol
by ordi nary mea n s an d al so seek s to enli st on their

,
b ehalf a love that is dee per wise r mightier tha n his , ,
own .
Furthe r in terce ssoryp rayer is a recog nitio n of th e

,
fact that God i n b estowi ng bl essi ng s upo n His children

, ,
largely d ep en ds on c o ope rati ng huma n age n ci es and

-
cha n nel s and that on e of the se is prayer We may

, .
ihflfié hCe On e a n othe r in highe r an d more subtl e way s

tha n those of pe r so n al co n tact and social i n tercourse .
I n deed it is in th e regio n of th e spi rit that we c an

,
i nfl uen c e one a n other mo st for it is here that we are ,
l ea st dep enden t upo n an d least likely to b e impe ded

,
by th e lower m echa nical laws an d proc esse s of th e

,
causal nexu s Th e more we dwell in God t h e more

.
,
we rise abov e th e mat eri al an d th e gro ss an d th e ,
separating barri ers of per so nality fall away Spirit .

,
it is tru e is i n timately co n ne cte d with matt er but it

, ,
is not wholly co n tai n e d in it I n th e ki ng dom of .
spiritual will s thought s sympathi es se n tim en t s de

, , , ,
sir es a mo st i n tricat e sy st e m of i n t ercommu nicatio n

,
may b e e stablished largely i n de pe n den t of both spac e

,
an d time I n t erc e ssory prayer arise s from th e impulse

.
1 24 THE REALM OF PRAYE R
to go b eyo n d our selve s an d to e n ter i n to relatio n s
,
with othe r i n div idual s or group s of p er so n s withi n ,
t h e sph e re of on e all compreh e n di n g Spirit -

I ts .
superiori ty to th e prayer of m ere pe rso nal pe titio n is

thu s appare n t N ec e sSity compe l s us to pray for
.
ourselve s broth erly ld v e urges us to pray for oth er s

m
.
But that prayer is ore pl ea si ng b efore God which

ari ses n ot so much from our nee d s as from th e deman d s
”
of broth e rly lov e 1
H e re as in th e ca se of per so n al
.
,
pe titio n th e a n swer which may b e expe cte d to our

,
praye r will b e in n o sen se magical or co ntrary to n ature ,
but such as S hall b e in harmo n y with th e divi n e order ,
an d th e tru e spiritual dev elopm en t of those for whom
we pray .
It remain s to suggest som e of th e ways in which

i n t erc e ssory prayer may O pe rat e in bri n gi ng about th e
re sult s at which it aim s .
I n th e first plac e our prayer s for other s may avail

,
for th em i n directly by rea so n of the influen ce they have

,
up on ourselves . Ther e is n othi n g that makes us love

a man so much as prayi ng for him an d whe n you c an
o nc e do thi s si n cerely for an y man you hav e fitt e d ,
your soul for th e p erforma n c e of everything that is

ki n d an d civil toward s him Wh en there for e you
.
have o n ce habituat e d your heart to a seriou s per

forman c e of thi s holy i n t e rc e ssio n you have do n e a ,
gr eat deal to ren der it i n capabl e of spite an d en vy ,
an d to mak e it n aturallv d elight in t h e happine ss of
1
St C
. hrysostom , Op I mperf in M atth aeum
. .
, Hom
. x iv .
walls of a ho spital an d th e heart s of th e n urse s ; h e ,
praye d mi ssio n statio n s i n to b ei n g and missio n aries ,
i n to faith h e praye d O pe n th e h eart s of th e rich an d ,

”
gold from th e most di sta n t la n d s 1
.
I n t erc essory prayer then e ve n if it should n ot , ,
Ope rat e dir e ctly an d imm e di at ely on those for whom
it is o ffer ed: n eve rthel e ss work s defi nitely an d i n directly

on the ir b ehalf by stirri n g up a warmth of z e al an d
,
lov e in those who offer it It thu s r e pr e se n t s th e

_
.
M g p wrll ,
t h e rac e an d e spe cially of t h e ,
Chri stia n Church Those who are mo st u n we ari edly

.
e n gag e d in i n t erc e ssory pray e r are t h e r eco nn oitri ng
outpo st s so to spe ak of th e Chri stia n army th e

, , ,
tre kkers an d pio neer s of all Christia n civilizatio n .
Wh ere they l ead others wi ll pre se n tly follow It is .
b ecau se they have fir st dire ct e d th e world s thought ’
forc e s love forc e s ima gi n atio n forc es an d will forc es

,
-
,
-
,
-
toward s th e outca st an d O ppre sse d classe s of our own

and othe r la n d s an d so draw n att en tio n to t h e world s
,
’
n ee d s that t h e mat erial an d fi n a n cial forc es t h e

, ,
political social an d l egislative forces of re demptio n

, , ,
reco n structio n an d co n solidatio n hav e followe d lat e r

, ,
on . Would th e se tti n g fr ee of slav e s for e xampl e , ,
e v e r have b ee n brought about if me n had n ot fir st of ,
all in terceded with God e ar n e stly on their b ehal f so ,
ge n erati n g power to take up an d defen d their cause

Would th e improvem en t of our pri son s or t h e cl ea n si n g
of our Slum s ev er have b ee n u n dertake n if the se an d ,
other social re form s had n ot first b een en visage d an d

heralde d by prayer ? I n terc e ssory prayer ‘h elps t h e
m
.
1 '
c ur e t h e n ee d s of oth e r s
'
i g a in ation o
t pit it p ersuades
K ee nle yside G od s Fellow Work ers p further

’
1
C B -
1 51 Se e
—
. .
. .
, , ,
A pp d x of uotat o
en i Q i ns D 1 7 19 , . .
THE P RAYER OF INTER CESSION 1 27
th e mi n d of th e re aso n abl ene s s of their claim upo n us

‘
it tTOub le s t h e co n sci en c e with a se n se of it s duty in
t h e matt er it warm s t h e he art with ki n dly sen tim en t s
of compassron by r epre se nti ng other s as th e obj ect s
, ,
e qually with our se lv es of th e fath erly solicitude an d

,
love of G od ; an d fi nally it moves th e will to tak e

, ,
e ffectiv e actio n Such prayer is a re al forc e in th e

.
world It doe s n ot m erely ask for som ethi ng an d

.
,
th en l eave th e matt er idly in God s ha n d s but it self ’
make s a det ermi ni n g co n tributio n towards re ali zi n g

t h e e n d it h as in vi e w That ob stacl e which my .
prayerl essne ss pre se n t s in th e way of God s re achi n g ’
my fellow men through me t h e prayer of i n terc e ssio n ,
e ffe ctually r emov e s so that t h e rive r of His lov e is

,
fr ee to flow If o nly then through what it doe s in

.
, ,
t h e soul of him who si n c e rely o ffer s it i n t e rc e ssory ,
prayer libe rat e s vast energi e s i n vi sibl e i n dee d an d , , ,
impo n derabl e in th emse lve s but mighty through G od ,
an d n ot oth e rwi se to b e r el e a se d .
II I
I n th e co n d place i n terc e ssory prayer may Ope rat e
se ,
u
directly for th e good of othe r s whe n they themselves ,
are aware that it i s be i n g o ffe r e d on th e ir b eh al f It .
may b e u nh ee de d an d even de spi se d at first but it

, , ,
li n ger s in th e m emory si n k s i n to th e subco n sciou s

,
mi n d an d is likely to bri n g forth fruit at som e lat er

,
se aso n To this cla ss of i n flu en c e be lo n g th e prayer s

.
of martyr s for their pe r se cutor s Who can doubt that .
th e con ver sio n of Saul of Tar su s was at lea st partly

brought about by som e m emory of th e martyrdom of
St e phen an d th e hau n ti n g re colle ctio n of tho se dyi n g
,
”
word s : Lord lay n ot their si n s to their charg e
,
Al so — n ot at fir st pe rhap s but sub se qu e n tly— th e

, ,
discipl e Pe t er was brought to h is sen se s an d sn atch e d

from th e way of evil by a t en der r em embra n c e of th e
i n t erc e s sio n s of his Ma st er I have prayed for th ee
that thy faith fail n ot Similarly it is on e of th e
.
,
gre at b eauti e s of St Augu sti n e s Confession s that it

.
’
abou n d s in r eferen c e s to th e t ear s of Mo n ica an d h er ,
prayer s that h er son might ye t b e brought i n to th e

Chri stia n fold . .
For man y year s it seem e d as if these
e n tr e ati e s w e r e u n availi n g But th e y wer e tr ea sur ed
.
up in God th ey worked on th e mi n d of th e sen sitive

wayward youth who n eve r could forget them ; an d
,
th ey fi n ally co n firmed th e foreca st of a good bi shop

who had comfort ed t h e despairi n g mother with words
of hope : Go an d God b e with you ; it ca n n ot b e
,
that th e son of th ese t ear s should b e lo st 1

Through .
”
such subtl e an d se cr e t cha n n el s do t h e my st e riou s
forc es of t h e Spiri t work Th e man who k n ows that

.
som e O n e is prayi n g for him — b e it a moth e r a child , ,
a fri e n d a Chri stia n mi ni st e r— is bou n d to b e apprec i

,
ably an d it may b e v ery profou n dly i n flu en ced by t h e

, ,
rem embra n c e of such a fact .
There r emai n s howeve r a further di ffi culty Th e

, , .
e ffe ct of i n t erc e ssory prayer on our se lv e s an d on those ,
1
Confession s ,
book iii . hap
C . x ii .
1 30 THE REALM OF P RAYER
thu s dir ectly to seek to i nfl u e n c e oth er s Its appeal .
T
'
C
F
is ad dr esse d prim a ily to G od t h e hom e an c e fitre of

“ r ,
311 1 3 11 115 51 185 2

"
5235 th eir m edi um origi n an d goal , , ,
t h e on e u niver sal I n t e rc e ssio n al e xcha n g e Our aim .
is to desir e for oth er s in God that which God desir e s , ,
for them far more i n t e n sely tha n we c an do Like .
t h e fla sh of a h eliogr aph which sig n al s at a di sta n c e ,
it ca o nly do
n so through h e ag ncy of e sun
t e t h 1
.
This truth h as b een admirably e xpre sse d by St .
Thomas Aq ui n a s He who prays for anoth er in n o

.
way act s upo n him for whom h e pray s his act s are
”
direct e d to God al o ne h e I n t elligibl e Truth
t 2
This ,
.
m ea n s that our praye r r eaches an d i nfl ue n ces tho se

for whom we pray n ot directly but by way of h eave n , , ,
to b e corr ect e d purified e nl ar ge d rei nf orc e d by , , ,
pa ssi n g through t h e m e dium of th e will of God As .
in th e re al m of matt er th e el ectric cur r en t pa sses through

t h e bodi e s that are in co n tact so in prayer t h e divi n e ,
Spirit circulat e s through t h e Christia n soci ety li nki n g ,
us as we hope that on e day it will li n k us clo ser still

, ,
to t h e et er n al sourc e of all soci ety th e social life of ,
God 2
.
”
God it is who i n spir es h e ar s co n sider s an d , , ,
a n swer s t h e i n t erc e ssory prayer s of man an d He c an

at all time s in r espo n se th ere to pa ss Spiritual rei n
, ,
forc em en t s from e ast to west and from west to e ast , ,
accordi n g to th e n eeds and petitio n s of His children .
1
your y that stay her an d mi e that must b e far
A n d so as e es
,
e, n
off for , that d ta c hall mee t e ve ry morn i g i look in g upo n

all is n e s n , n
that am sm t e ve ry n ight in loo k in g upo n t h e same

e sun an d ee , ,
moon so our he arts may me t morn in g an d e ve in g in that G od e n ,
who se es a d h ars e verywhere n Joh D o n e A Sermon of Vale

e . n n ,
diction my going in to G ermany

at ,
1 619 .
2
Summa II 2 clxxxi 3 ,
. . .
2
J . R . Illin gworth , Christian Ch arac ter , p . 1 94 .
THE PRAYER OF INTER CESSION 1 31
What we may b e sure of is that n o augmen t e d spiritual

forc es generat e d a n ywh ere through prayer ar e ever
l ost Just as in th e n atur al world t h e rise of t empera
.
, ,
ture in one plac e cause s refr eshi n g curr e n t s to move

in t h e dire ctio n of a n oth e r so in t h e spiritual r e alm
, , ,
God may r equire a warmth of i n t erce ssio n an d arden t

love in A as a co n ditio n of applyi n g life an d quicke ni n g
to B an d thu s
,
Sp ee d th e so ft in t e rcou rse from so u l to sou l ,
A n d waft a sigh from I n du s to t h e P o le

” 1
.
In thi s co n nectio n we mu st n ot overlook t h e po ssibl e

mi ni stri es of t h e sain t s in light an d of high er in telli
en ce s tha n our s in t h e u n see n r e alm A re n ot th ese
g .
clo sely j oi ne d in bl est commu n ion with one a n oth er

an d with God b ecause th e y are mo st r e mov e d from t h e
,
se parati n g hi n dra n c e s of sin an d se n se an d may give ,
an d r ec e iv e m essage s i n tuitiv ely as by t h e fla shi n g

,
of light upo n a se a of gla ss ? We are still bou n d in

afflictio n an d in iro n b e cau se of crampi n g limitatio n s
of physic al an d p sychic law s Th e muddy vestur e
.
of de cay doth gro ssly h em us in so that we fai n tly ,

”
h e ar their mu sic of t h e spheres But as we grow in .
sympathy an d holi n e ss an d lov e these re striction s ,
sur ely b ecome progr e ssively tra nsc en de d an d we ,
more an d more weave our se lve s i n to a complicat e d

n e twork of relatio n ship s an d corre sponden c e s with
spiritual pe r so n al iti es both in th e see n and in t h e
,
1
Pope ,
E loisa to A b elard .
u n seen world Suppo si n g the n writ es Sir Oliver
.
, ,
Lodge that we are ope n to i nflu en c e from e ach oth er

, ,
by n on corporeal m ethod s may we n ot b e O pe n also

-
,
to i nflu en c e from b ei n g s b elo ngi ng to a n oth er order ?

A n d if so may we n ot b e aide d i n spir e d guide d by a
, , , ,
Cloud of wit n e sse s— n ot wit n e sse s o nly but helpe r s , ,
agen t s like our selve s of t h e imma n en t God How do

we k n ow that in t h e m en tal sph er e th ese ca n n ot
a n swer prayer as we do in t h e physical
,
We do
n ot k n ow t h e law s which gov e r n t h e i n t eractio n of
di ffer e nt order s of i n t ellige n c e n or do we k n ow how ,
much may de pe n d upo n our own attitude an d conduct .
It may b e that prayer is an i n strum en t which c an

i nfluen c e higher agen ci es an d that by its n egl ect we
,
are lo si n g t h e aid of an en gi ne of h elp for our liv e s

”
an d for t h e liv es of oth e r s Th e praye r of i n t er
1
.
c e ssio n th en may b e h elpe d to it s fulfilme n t by u n se e n

, ,
forc e s that we little dr e am of e ve n by mi ni st erin g ,
spirit s se n t forth t o mi ni st e r to th e m who shall b e
h eir s of salvatio n .
H e av en hath a balsam h e re too—pray for lov e

For th e e an d thy o ffen d e r virtu e rare
Hath ard en t supplica t io n an d a bove
Swift m essen ge rs of p e ac e are prompt to be ar
From h e art to h eart t h e gen e rou s thou ght s that mov e
Th e hard est e en as ic e t h e su n n y air
’ fil o
.
,
VI
Fi n al ly th e cou n t erpart an d compl em en t of our
,
prayers for oth er s upo n earth are t h e all prevaili n g ’
1
M an an d th e U n iv erse , pp .
45 , 5 1 .
2
G . S C
. an tley .
ran ge . For what soe ver th e mi n d of man appre
h en deth as good say s Richard Hook e r
, t h e will of ,
charity an d love is to have it e nlarged in th e ve ry

utt ermo st ext en t that all may en j oy it to whom it
,
c an an y way add p erfe ctio n B ecause th erefor e t h e .
farther a good thi n g doth r each t h e n obl er an d

worthi er we re ckon it our prayer s for al l m en s good
,
’
n o l ess tha n for our own t h e Apo stl e with v ery fit

‘
t erm s comm en de th as b ei n g a A w a work comm en d x c ,
abl e for t h e large ness of t h e affectio n from when c e it

spri n g e th ; e v en as th eir s which have r e qu est e d at
,
God s ha n d s th e salvatio n of ma n y with t h e lo ss of

’
th eir own soul s ( Rom ix 3 8 ; x .drow n i n g as it

.
,
.
were an d overwhelmi n g th em selves in th e abu n dan c e

of their love towards oth er s is propo se d as b ei n g in ,
r egard of th e rareness of such a ffectio n s fi p ah o n e

’
x v,
more tha n exc ellen t But thi s ext raordi nary h eight
.
of desire aft er oth er m en s salvatio n is n o commo n

’
mark 1
.
”
1
P lity
E cclesiastic al o book v chap xlix 3 See furthe r
L
. .
, . .
,
A pp d x of uotatio n s
en i Q , .
CHAPTER X
P RA Y E R A N D THE NA TU RA L O RD E R
forms Th e
Of N ature hav e a pa ssio n in th e mselv es ,
Th at in te rmin gle s w ith t ho se works of man

To wh ich sh e summo n s h im .
W ORDSWOR T H Th e P r elude xiii 2 90 , ,

.
-
2 92 .
P e rhap s t h e ht en e d lou n ge r re q u es tin g a c lu b wai te r

e n lig ,
-
to c lo se t h e win dow b ru sh e s asid e or ign ores as ma n y ph ilo

, , ,
sophica l pu zzle s a s a moth e r pa ssio n at e ly pray in g for t h e
saf e t y of h e r ch ild
”
.
A J B A L F O U R Human ism an d Th eism p 2 6 8

. .
, ,
. .
WE have de alt with ubj ect of prayer in so far as

th e s
it co nc er n s t h e self world an d voic e s t h e pe r so n al

-
,
n ee d s an d a spiratio n s of our purpo siv e life activity -
as r e fe rr e d to God We hav e al so di scu sse d th e fu n ctio n

.
an d plac e of praye r in r e latio n to our fellow world an d -

,
en de avo ur e d to fin d som e grou n d of ju stificatio n for
t h e prayer of i n t e rc e ssio n It r em ai n s to co n side r t h e

.
b eari n g of prayer upo n th e ex tern al world L et it b e .
grant e d that pe titio n ary prayer b en e fit s our selve s an d

in som e se n se fi n d s an a n sw e r L et it b e gra n t e d . ,
al so that i n t erc essory praye r b en efit s oth er s b e cau se

, ,
offer e d withi n t h e circulati n g m edium of th e solidarity

of t h e rac e an d t h e on e ove r— archi n g an d all embraci n g -
1 35
1 36 THE REA L M OF P RA Y ER
Spirit I s it po ssibl e to b eli eve that prayer may
.
modify an d cha n ge ext er n al circum sta n c e an d pa ss

b eyo n d t h e r e gio n of per so n al will s human an d di vi ne , ,
so as to hav e an i n flu e n c e on t h e co n stitutio n an d cour se
of n ature
For who shall chan g e with pray e rs o r t han ks givin gs
Th e myst e ry of t h e cru elty of t hi n gs 1
We are told that Elia s was a man subj ect to like

pa ssio n s as we ar e an d h e praye d e ar ne stly that it
,
might n ot r ai n an d it r ain e d n ot on t h e e arth by th e

spac e of thr ee ye ar s and six mo n th s A n d h e praye d .
again an d t h e he aven gave rai n an d t h e e arth brought

, ,
”
forth h er fruit 2
Can an y such power e v e n in a
.
,
modifie d se n se b e cl ai m e d by prayer to day ? What

,
-
room is th ere for co smo s

Doe s n ot mod ern sci en c e by fin di ng u n varyi n g uni ,
formity everywher e in n atur e altogeth er e xclud e t h e ,
possibility of fr ee dom on t h e part of God or at l ea st ,
r e duc e it to t h e very n arrowest li mit s ? I n that

r e alm in which e very cau se h as a defin it e effect an d a ,
de fin it e e ffe ct follow s from e very cau se sur ely we ,
are shut up to on e of two alt e r n atives (ei th er a thi ng

mu st happe n or it is wholly impo ssibl e that it should
,
happen In either ca se why pray 2

.
,
)
Ye fools for which amo n g you d ee ms
His pray e r c an al te r gr een to re d
01 sto n es to b r e ad 2
1
A C Swin
. . bur n e, A n ac tor ia . Jame s v . 1 7 , 1 8 .
2
A C S in
. . w bur n e, Fe lise
’
.
from a dead i nert stag n a n t i n depen den t grou n d stu ff
, , ,
-
,
imp e netrabl e to spirit Rath er it is e v erywh ere t h e .

,
changi n g an d living v estur e or e mbodimen t of spirit ,
t h e symbol or e pipha n y of that which moul d s it e v e n ,
as t h e livi n g fac e e xpr esse s an d e n shri n es t h e soul .
Matt er in it s la st anal ysi s is fou n d to b e a mode of

Forc e an d Forc e wh en a n al yse d is th e expre ssion of
,
”
Will an d Will is t h e quality of a P er so n
,
1
.
that is to say is a livin g God an d n ature is pla stic t o

, ,
Him as t h e clay is pla stic t o t h e pott er or th e arti st

w
.
I i i s u nder gr ac e more tha n it is u n der law It is

.
e v erywh er e t h e work of His fi n g er s modell ed to ,
His will taki ng on t h e impr e ss of His purpo se an d His

,
thought God is ma st er of His mat e ri al an d n ot it s

.
se rvant He does n ot a sc e n d from it strivi ng an d

.
,
e m erg e n t in order to br eak through to light an d

,
lib erty from b en e ath ; rath er He desc e nd s up on it ,
in glory an d maj e sty fr om above Th e n atural order .

,
i but th e partial an d i n ad e quat e expre ssio n of

t h e spiritu al ord er can ne v er in an y se n se fe tt er or
,
co ntract it .
I n thi s r e gio n it may b e t h e wi sdom of God to e xpr ess

Him self in ways that are u n iform st ere otyp e d an d , ,
regular so as t o r eve al Him self as a God of order rather

,
than of co n fu sio n far r aise d above th e whim s of capric e

,
or th e vici ssitude s of cha n c e Yet thi s voluntary .
se lf limitation
-
on t h e part of God,
doe s not exhau st ,
His power or pr eclud e t h e sover eig n e x erci se of His

free dom in oth er r ealm s Th er e is a b eauty of vari ety .
as well as a b e auty of u n iformity ; an d God th e ,
supr e m ely fr ee an d o n ly absolut e P er so n ality t h e ,
1
W H . . Fitche tt , Fern ley L ecture p . 6 .
PRAYER AND T HE NA TU R AL O RDE R 1 39
conserver of life s high est moral and religious valu es

’
t h e sol e u niv e rsal rul er and dispose r of e v en ts must ,
r ese rv e to Him se lf t h e right as He as sure dly has th e ,
powe r to co n trol dir ect re con stitut e t h e whole

, , ,
n atural orde r or an y part of it in an y way and at an y

, ,
time as may see m good to t h e purpose s of His holy

,
lov e Such free u n co n str ai n e d perso nal actio n on

.
, , .
th e part of God is impli e d in all that we m e an b y '
cr eatio n providenc e i ncar n atio n re demptio n an d

, , , ,
r egeneratio n ; an d it is wit h i n t h e circl e of the se

co nc eptio n s with all that th ey I nvol ve for th e r elatio n
_
_
,
of th e pirrtual t oth e natural order that h e spirit of ,
pray er n e c e ssaril yliv e s an d mov es Th e a ssumptio n

—
.
oi l ristia n praye r is that God in His d e ali n g s with ,
what we call th e ph en omen al order is n ot hindere d , ,
as we are by an y di fficulti e s or ob stacl es e xt e r n al to

,
Himself but is limit e d sol ely by tho se conditions which

,
proc eed from His own charact er of will e d right e ou sness

and holy lov e To th e fulfilmen t of that divi ne purpose
.
in t h e fulness of t h e _ _t im es t h e n atural order n ot only

,
may but mu st b e subservi en t an d Chri stia n prayer

proc ee d s upon t h e confide nt a ssumptio n that wh ere ver ,
that purpo se is vitally co n c erned ther e ar e n o obstacle s , ,
wheth er natural or spiri tual too gr e at to b e remove d ,

.
Prayer in short plac es us forthwith at th e cen tre

of that world of wh ich t h e n atural order is but th e
, ,
"
circumferen c e or out er v erge

m
.
What th en are so e of h e pri n cipl e s which will

, ,
gover n prayer in so far as co n c er ns itself with th e

,
phe n ome nal mat eri al u niver se

,
P rayer does n ot seek to alter or subvert th e n atural
order in so far as it is fix ed or a pp oin ted by the will f

o
God . It would b e pre sumptio n an d impi ety to wi sh

to do so Wh y should I ask of God that He would
.
cha nge for me th e cour se of thing s ? I who ought to

love above all th e order e stabli she d by His wi sdom an d
, ,
mai n t ai n e d by His providen c e— sh al l I wi sh that order

to b e di ssolve d on my account 1
I n pre scie n tific -
time s wh en th e co n c eptio n of n atural or seco n dary

,
law s had n ot yet daw ne d an d t h e world was suppo se d ,
to b e directly gover n e d by p er son al disco n n ect e d an d , ,
e v e n capriciou s forc e s pr ayer s for t h e subordi n atio n

,
of n ature s work i n g t o purpo se s of privat e good wer e

’
i n sti n ctively re sort e d to an d it was freely b eli eve d ,
that th ey were a n swere d Nature it was widely .

,
thought showe d it self in ma n y miracl es to b e m eekly

,
pliabl e to th e de sir e s an d pe titio n s of t h e sai n t s .
H en c e th e n aive Old Testam e n t b elief in t h e sun b ei ng

made to sta n d still t h e iro n to float an d th e shadow
, ,
of th e dial to go backward s Now that th e causal .
se qu en c e s of thi ng s are b e tt e r u n d er stood however , ,
n ot o nly are t h e r e cord s of such a n swer s t o praye r
ope n to grav e su spicion but it is felt that th e prayer s ,
th em se lves ca n n ot b e de fe n de d on moral grou n d s God .
is to b e k n ow n an d r e ve re n c e d as a God of law an d
order an d th e su spe n sion e ve n for a momen t of an y
w
, , ,
f h e fu ndam e n tal law s of na ture oul d produc

p ep t
n e
i n con ceivable co nfusi on throughout th e en tire physi cal

u n iver se I Sit to b e expect e d that at th e solicitatio n
.
,
1
R ou sse au , C onfession s .
f
I t is th e un ction o f
true ray er to en deavour to un der p _
stan d the n atural order to utiliz it an d to rise above it
e
m
.
, ,
Although man may n ot alt er th e phe n o en al world

of nature h e is n ot th ere fore i n differe n t to it Th e
, .
n atural orde r is th e stag e on w hich h e is to play his
part in re alizi n g free dom It is t h e clay h e is to mould .
to his own purpo ses th e raw mat eri al h e is to work up

,
into spiritual p er so n ality t h e i n strumen t h e is to use ,
for th e attai nmen t of h igh er en d s I n t h e proc ess of .
thu s getti n g to k n ow an d mast er n ature prayer may ,
very well b e th e vau n t couri er of sci en c e Le t us -

.
‘
suppo se that a n aiv e p e opl e pray for r ai n or for de ,
livera n c e from plague an d p estil e nc e That may n ot .
c ert ai nly b e a substitute for t h e study of irrigatio n

an d t h e i n ve stigatio n of swamp s bacilli an d t se t se , ,
fli e s But it may b e a p relude to th e se thi ng s an d

.
,
wholly n atural an d right in a pre scien tific era To -

.
1
1 9 1
“t h e modi ficatio n of om law of atur e is at
11 3 1 s e n
l ea st b ett er tha n n ot to pray at all It amou nt s to .
an ack n owl e dgmen t that n atur e as well as man is , ,
in t h e ha n d s of God ; and if t h e a n swe r do n ot com e ,
in storm cloud s in t h e mid st of drought or in mira ,
c ulous m ea sur es of r eli e f it may com e in t h e impul se to ,
se arch out an d in quIre i n to t h e cau se s of di str ess an d ,
that in it s tur n is th e prer equi sit e to all sci en tific

progr ess an d discov ery .
1
1
Se e further , on this subj e ct ,
Lif
e f
o C h arles Ki n g sley, by hi s
wi fe ( e d pp mod r po t of view is w
2 3 6 - 2 39 Th e e n in e ll
e xpre sse d by C H P arso

. .
. W e u n de rstan d that praye r for ra

. e n ,
in
mean s a reve rsal of Climatic laws all over t h e world an d we see how ,
irratio al it is to ask that t h e ord er of t h e U n iv erse shall b e chan ged

n
PRAYER AND THE NAT U RAL O RDER 1 43
There is a time therefor e for all thi ng s in t h e de

, ,
v elopme n t of cultur e Th ere is a time t o pray for ( .
'
r ai n in simple naive de pe n den ce upo n God ; an d I

,
there is a time n ot t o do so b ecause of th e adva n c e of l ,
m et e orological k n owl edge There is a time to call .
th e f aithful togeth e r for a day of humiliatio n an d

prayer b ecau se of some n atural c al amity ; an d th ere
is a tim e wh e n it is our duty rath er to look aft er drai ns
an d wat er close t s N either activity shoul d wholly
-
.
e xclude t h e oth e r but it should al ways b e r ememb er ed ]

that devout se n timent s in supplicatio n mu st n ot b e .
regarde d as a sub stitut e for p ai n staki ng thought an d ,
sob er i n v estigatio n It is vai n to re sort to t h e sai n t

.
an d his d evotio n s wh en t h e prop e r pe r so n t o b e call e d
in is t h e m e dic al oflicer or t h e sa n itary in spe ctor .
Flatt e ri ng appeal s to God or v eh e m e n t depre catio n s ,
of His wrath will b e of no av ail wh ere th e pl ain law s

,
of heal th are n ot stu die d or wh ere th e y are flagra n tly

disregarded God s h eede d prayer
. says G e orge
’
,
”
M eredith is activ e brain
,
1
Moder n prayer mu st .
for t h e sak e of a Scotch cou n ty or of a pastoral district in A u stralia

A s w ll might a N e apolitan La zz aro n e pray that hi s fac e Should b e
.
,
washe d for h im by t h e ministr atio n of a gels ( N ation al Life a d n n
C h arac ter p , .
1
E g lan d b efore the S tor m
n Compare t h e s n tim e n ts of Floren ce
. e
N ightin gal Wh at was th use of prayin g to b e d elivere d from

e e
plague an d pestile n ce so lon g as t h e commo n sewe r we re allowed s
to run in to th e Thames If G od se n t a visitation of cholera whi ch

was t h e more pre fe rable re ad in g of His min d—that He se n t it in
,
orde r that men might pray to Him for r lie f from it or in ord r that e e
the y should the mse lves se t abo ut re movin g t h e predispo sin g cau ses
,
Mi s Nightin gale s con clusio n was that if the re b e a Plan of t h e

’
s
u niverse t h Plan must b e othe r than what t h e popular r ligion of

, e e
t h e day lo gically i te rpr e t e d implie s G od s schem for us sh e

’ ’
n e
was n ot that He should give u what we ask e d for but

.
, , ,
in f e rre d s
that ma k in d should obtain it for ma ki d Life of Flore e

, ,
’
n n n nc
N igh tingal by Sir E Coo k ol i p 4 79

.
e, .
, v . . . .
1 44 THE REA LM OF PRAYER
utt erly aba n do n th e idea of seeki n g to caj ole or wh eedle
God by pre se nt s or loud cri es or costly sacrifice s ;
it mu st try rath er t o u n der sta n d Him by pati e n t
, ,
e n quiry i n to His law s an d ob e di en c e to th em Thu s .
we may secure His a n swer to our prayer by first of al l

stre n uou sly overcomi ng our own sloth ign ora n c e , ,
stupidity an d se lf will
, Prayer mu st n ot pr esume
-
.
to ig n ore n atural law still l ess to flout or to defy it

, .
Th e prope r work of S pirit is to e n de avour t o compre

h en d use domi n at e c o op erat e with an d fi nally
, , ,
-
,
tra n sc e n d an d r eco n struct th e n atural order alway s ,
in t h e servic e of lov e an d right e ou sn e ss .
P rayer everywh ere assu mes that the n atural order is

obedien t an d subordin ate to th e sp iritual order and ex ists
to serve it . Man I S
ubj ect to t h e physical u n iver se
n ot s ,
though h e 1 5 dep en de n t on it He who judge s utili zes .

, ,
CdritrOls th e natural order in th e i n t erest s of his own

,
moral an d S piritual progr ess is more tha n it s m ere ,
product It is th e deep i nn er con victio n of t h e soul

.
of man that thi s co n qu est an d ma st ery of natur e s ’
phy sical forc e s may b e carri e d a gr eat deal furth er tha n

h as b een t h e ca se hith erto ; that n ature it self cri e s
out for it groa ni n g an d trav aili n g th er eu n to from t h e
,
b egi nn i n g u n til n ow ; an d that u nimagi n abl e po ssi

b ilitie s aw ai t t h e developme n t of t h e co smos alo ng t h e
li ne of con sciou sly dir ect e d spiritual forc es .
We hav e come to b eli ev e that it is t h e deep hidden ,
purpose of nature it self n ot to r etard or obstruct

,
above it though his powe r ov e r n atur e is infini
an d
t e simal in compari so n with th e totality of forc es that

are at work it is n e v e rt h el e ss of t h e high e st ord er of
,
i nfluen c e b e cau se self co n sciou s an d e x erci se d in -
u nio n with t h e cr eativ e will of God Nature an d man .
are orga n ically r e lat e d to o ne a n oth er an d t h e Spirit ,
that work s through both is one an d th e sam e Spirit ,
se eki n g a si n gl e en d Sometim e s God i nflu en c e s man .
by m ea n s of n ature ; but He may e quall y i nflu en c e

n atur e by m e a n s of man e sp e ci al ly wh e n h e put s ,
forth h is high e st spiritual energi es an d by prayer

c o— or dinat es h is Will with th e will of God For God .
Him self h as creat e d man to have domi nio n over t h e

e arth an d to subdu e it an d prayer is one of t h e chi e f ,
age n ci e s by which thi s spl en did sovereig n ty is to b e

e x ercise d Si nc e man an d ma n s actio n s an d thought s
.
’
h en c e al so his prayer s are a part of th e forc e s of t h e ,
u niver se whe n we do n ot pray th e result even in th e

, , ,
physic al world may b e differe nt from W hat it would

,
”
have b ee n had we praye d .
1
Ev e n from t h e strictly scien tific point of Vi ew ,
prayer as t h e co n sciou s ex erci se of ma n s high er

,
’
e n ergizi n g will in de pe n den c e upo n God may b e ,
regard ed as n atur e s Chi e f i n strum en t for t h e modifica

’
tio n of it se lf an d th e re alizatio n of it s ide al desti n y

an d co n summatio n God an d t h e world grac e .and ,
n atur e combi n e to produc e as t h e n obl e st fruit of th e ir

,
part n ership th e b eli e vi ng prayi ng thi n ki ng e nergizi ng

'
, , ,
man
-
Th e Whol e
. say s Sir Oliv er Lodg e is a, ,
S i ngl e u n deviati n g law saturat e d co smo s co n sisti n g

, ,
-
,
n ot of matt e r an d motio n alo ne n or of spirit an d will ,
1
J . A . M ac Culloc h , art . Mirac les ,
in E n cyclopae dia f
o R eligion
an d E th ics, v ol . viii p. . 6 89 .
PRAYER AND THE NAT U RAL O RDER 1 47
al o ne but of both an d all . Pra ye r is quite co n si sten t ‘

,
with an orderly co smos for it may r epr esen t a portio n,
of th e guidi ng an d co n trolli n g will som ewhat as th e

desire of t h e i nh abita n t s of a tow n for a civic improve 7 -
men t may b e part of t h e age n cy which ultimat ely

bri n g s it about If we c an gra sp th e idea that we
.
our se lves are an i n timat e part of t h e whol e sche me that ,
our wi she s an d de sire s are a part of th e co n trolling an d

guidi n g Will — the n our m e ntal actio n cann ot but b e
e ffi ci e n t if we e x erci se it in accorda n c e with t h e high e st
,
an d tru est law s of our b ei ng

”
1
.
O n this suppo sitio n praye r rightly co n c er ns it se lf

,
with t h e co n stitutio n an d cour se of n ature It quite .
rightly takes for gra nt e d that God is i n t erest e d n ot in ,
ma n s soul only but in his body al so an d in his whole

’
, ,
social political an d mat e rial e nviro nmen t Prayer

, , .
is ju st ma n s e ffort to bri n g that whol e e n viro n m e n t

’
an d him se lf with it i n to full an d pe rfe ct harmo n y with

,
th e right e ou s will of God Th e qu estio n be come s

.
some thi ng like thi s : I S a given se t of c irc umst ance sn

capabl e of improvem e nt It is I s it t h e will of God .
that it should b e improve d ? Ye s surely How is , .
t h e improv e m en t to b e brought about By an

acc e ssion of thought forc es will forc e s love forc es , ,
direct e d towards that se t of circum sta n ce s with a vi ew

to their improve m en t How are these so poten t forc e s
.
to b e gen erat e d an d i n crea se d Obviou sly an d

primarily by t h e e x erci se of prayer I S n ot Ge orge .
Miiller s orphanage for exampl e or a S al vation Army

’
, ,
farm colo n y th e v ery practical an d co n cret e outcome

,
of b eli evi n g prayer ? Was n ot C H Spurge o n right . .
when h e sai d Th e God who a nswereth by orpha n age s

,
1
M an an d the U n iverse, pp . 6 3, 6 5 .
—let Him b e God It may n ot b e l egitimat e in an y
give n Circum sta n c es to say de fi nitely that a cha nge h as
b ee n brought about solely by m ea n s of prayer Yet .
we may sur ely a ffi rm that mighty cha n ges hav e b een

wrought through th e CO op erati n g power of prayer
-
which could n ot have b een accompli sh ed in an y other

way . Th e t estimo n y of t h e gr eat soul s is a cl ear
affir mative to this som e thi n g s n ever without thi nk
ing som e thi n gs n ever without worki ng ; some
thi n gs n ever without prayi ng Prayer is one of th e
”
thr ee forms of ma n s c o operatio n with God
’
- 1
Ju st .
as a se ama n layi ng a light ha n d upo n th e st eam

,
st eari ng gear of a super dr eadn ought can lib erat e

- -
,
great forc es of me cha nic al energy in t h e servic e of his .
de sire so th e man of prayer who b rin g s th e weak ha n d

of faith to lay hold on th e i nfi nit e power of God may ,
rel e a se spiritual e nergi es in t h e servic e of humanity

which shall ultimat ely l ead to th e mo st solidly e n during
an d e v en mat e ri al r e sult s It is suffi cien t t o a ffirm
.
thi s general pri ncipl e as a whol e without att empti n g,
t o trac e it s worki n g or calculat e it s i n fluen c e in

, ,
particular i nsta n c es or given circum sta n c es .
1
H
. E . Fosdick , Th e M ean in g of P rayer p, . 64 .
praye r can do ev erythi ng t o effect a cure an d that
doctor s an d n ur se s may b e di spe n se d with H er e .
,
obviou sly th ere is ampl e room for charlatanry an d

,
supe r stitio n Yet t h e v e ry pr eval en c e of th ese c on

.
fiden t b eli ef s th eir st e ady pe r si st e n c e throughout t h e

,
age s from t h e days of th e t empl e of A scl epiu s at

E pidauros to tho se of t h e shri n e of Our Lady at Lourdes ,
show s that th e y mu st po sse ss som e m e a sur e of j usti
fication Ca se s are n um erou s of pe r so n s who hav e

.
derive d n o satisfactio n from t h e m e dical att e n da n c e

of a c ertificat e d doctor or from t h e spiritual mi ni stra
,
tio n s of an official cl ergyma n but who hav e n e v erth e ,
l e ss by applyi n g to a faith h eal er or som e one whom

,
-
we might co n sider to b e a quack or simply as t h e ,
re sult of b eli evi ng praye r b ee n pe rfe ctly r e store d to

,
h ealth an d happi ne ss Th e subj e ct is on e which

.
S hould b e e n quire d i n to with fra n k an d op e n min d s .
I n th e fir st plac e let it b e r em e mb ere d that eve n

in n ormal he alth m rn d an d body are v ery clo se ly an d
,
myst e riou sly r elat ed Th ey mutually i n flu en c e a n d

.
‘
de pe n d upo n one a n othe r There is a somethi ng of
.
u n co n sciou s or subco n sciou s mi n d at work e ven in ,
t h e lowe st an d most automatic phy sical proc e sse s ;

a n d in t h e high e st a n d subtl e st pr oc e sses of mi n d or
spi ri t so far as we c an di sc er n som e d elicat ely wrought

, ,
substa n c e or fine woof of t h e mat e rial see m s n ece s
sarily i n volv e d Th e relatio n b etwee n matt er an d

.
spirit e lude s our a n aly si s but in t h e n oblest ma ni

,
fe st at ion of eithe r of th em both se em to b e requir e d

, .
PRAYER AN D HEA LIN G 1 51
Th e Word must take fle sh fle sh mu st b e quicke n e d

,
by th e Word if eith er is to attai n to it s tru e p erfection

, .
Th e ideal is a pe rf e ct combi n atio n of soul an d body

it is men s sana in corp ore san o Matt er an d spirit .
i n t erpe netrat e an d express each othe r .
Now if one of the se two divi n ely appoi n t e d part ne r s

,
b ecomes di sordered especially if it b e t h e lower an d

,
weaker of th e two it is natural to e xpect that t h e other

,
wil l com e to it s a ssi sta n c e I n bodily di se a se as e very

.
,
on e k n ow s t h e re cove ry of h e al th gre atly de p e n d s

,
on that c o op erati n g an d r e vivi n g acti v ity of t h e mi n d

-
which is al ways an importa nt an d sometim e s a det er ,
mi ni ng factor in t h e cur e It is probabl e that th er e

,
.
is no part of our physical structure however mat eri ally ,
an d m e cha n i cally co n troll e d it may see m to b e that ,
is n ot dir ectly de pe n den t on t h e spiritual power s of

subco n sciou s mi n d re siden t withi n t h e organi sm ,
an d that may n ot r ec eiv e therefore an ac ce ssio n of

, ,
str en gth an d vital en ergy if th e se spiritual p owe r s
can b e i n crease d Ev en such thing s as dry bo n es

.
,
accordi n g to th e vivid parabl e of E ze ki el may p erform ,
their livi ng fu n ctio n s o n c e again if they c an but b e

r eanimat e d by t h e divine all quickening Spirit -
.
II
There is a se n se in which all r estoration from wou nds
an d S ick ne ss e v en wh en it follow s n ormally from a
,
doctor s pre scriptio n or a n ur se s ba n dages com e s

’ ’
ultimat ely from God who is t h e one pere nnial sourc e

,
an d activ e i n dwelli n g pri n cipl e of life h e alth b eauty , , ,
str e ngth an d happi n e ss in all things

,
I n what ever .
way it b e brought about it is He alo ne who forgiveth ,
all our i n iquiti es h eal eth all our di se ase s

, re dee meth ,
our life from destructio n an d crowneth us with lovi ng ,
ki n dness an d t en der m ercy More tha n that it is .

,
t h e characteristic featur e of divi n e activity to bri ng

light out of dark ne ss truth out of e rror order out of , ,
chao s victory out of defe at heal th out of sick ne ss

, , ,
life out of death an d good out of evil Th e fir st , .
discovery an d use of m edici n e th e re for e an d t h e whol e , ,
story of t h e ri se progr ess an d developmen t of t h e

, ,
heali n g art have their ultimat e e xpla na tio n in t h e

,
mi ni st eri ng love of God All m edical e n quiry or .
re se arch that is to say is implicit praye rfuln ess ;

, ,
it is an en deavour to u n der sta n d c o op erat e with ,

-
,
a n d utilize tho se h eal i n g en ergi e s which ha v e b een
divi n ely plac e d at our disposal Man smarti n g .

,
u n der h is mi se ri es h as grope d his way by an i n sti n ctive

,
prayer to a di scovery of t h e r ecup erative power s of

nature in h erb s drug s simpl e s an d t h e like A nd
, , , .
e v ery such di scov ery on our part is al so a r ev elatio n
on t h e part of God I n a se n se all t h e r e m e die s of

.
,
t h e pharmacope ia are a n swer s to huma n praye r .
They are i n sta n ces of faith heali ng orga ni ze d i n to a -
syst em r e duc ed to an exact sci en c e an d develope d as

, ,
a fin e art For it should n ever b e forgott en that what

.
heal s in all case s of recov ery from sick ness an d dise a se

is n ot S l ee p t h e food t h e drugs that may b e m edi cally
, ,
pr e scrib ed but th e h eali ng power that is r esiden t

,
in th e se thing s by t h e appoi n tm e n t an d comma n d of

God Man do es n ot live by bread al o ne neith er is h e
.
,
r e stor ed by m edici n e alo ne but in eith er case h e ,
depe n ds upo n t h e health givi n g spirit of O ne who -
use s th e se m ea n s to accomplish His de sign s .

s p eak p sychologi cally or in t h e high er nerve c en tr es
,
of t h e brai n to sp eak phy siologically Our body is

, .
made subj ect to our spirit an d both body an d spirit ,
are op en e d to t h e i n flux of t h e divi ne Spirit From .
that tra n sc en den t sourc e stream s of life an d e n ergy

,
flow in cle a n si ng what is foul r epairi n g what is decaye d

, , ,
r ai si n g what h as fall e n an d buildi ng up what h as b een

,
brok en dow n .
Th e se rvic e s of prayer to t h e wellb ei n g of t h e whol e

vital orga ni sm are ve ry variou s Som etime s it may .
rel ea se new an d u n su spe ct e d re serve s of energy that

had lo ng b ee n dorma n t som etime s it may give u nity
to a soul hitherto di stract e d and divide d by i nward
strif e som e time s it may i nhibit i n sti n ct s an d imp ul se s
of de pre ssio n or doubt or fear ; sometime s it may

rouse to h ealthy e xerci se torpid an d sluggi sh pow er s
that had c ea se d to p erform th eir fu n ctio n s What is .
conver sio n but th e swi ngi ng of t h e whol e pe r so n ality

to a n ew a n chorage t h e orga nizi n g of life rou n d a n ew
,
c en tre as t h e re sult of prayer ? Th e i n ner renewal

,
give s ri se to a j oyou s outward activity corre spo n ding

to it He who c an say of God
. He re storeth my ,
soul ,
soo n fi n d s that h e is le d to walk al so in t h e paths
of right e ou sness for His n ame s sake ’

.
Of cour se ther e are li mi tatio ns to t his renewing

,
proc e s s Not eve n prayer c an accompli sh th e im

.
po ssibl e an d n o amou n t of supplicatio n or de votio n

, ,
n o e ar n e st n ess of d e sir e for t h e fulfilm e n t of God s

’
P RAYER AND HEALING 1 55
he aling m ercie s will of itself set a spli n t ere d shi n bone

,
-
,
or prolo n g life indefi nit ely or as in th e ca se of insa n ity

, , ,
r estore th e ne rve c en tres of t h e brai n it self wh en th e se ,
have b ecom e poi so ne d or d ecayed H ere t h e will of .
God mu st b e read cl early in t h e plai n a ffi rmation s of

me dical sci en c e ; an d t h e de vot ee of fai th h eali ng -
who would disregard th e se i n dicatio n s mu st l ear n

with all m eek n e ss to offer th e pe titio n of t h e psalmi st
“Keep back Thy se rva n t al so from pre sumptuou s
”
si n s P sycho th erapeutic s is chiefly applicabl e to
1 -
.
c e rtain cla sse s of fu n ctio n al dise a se an d e ven in them ,
it should b e e mploye d o n ly in co n ju n ctio n with ne ver ,
as a substitut e for those n atural curative me a sure s

,
which are ev e n mor e tha n prayer itself God s ap

, ,
’
poi n t ed m ea n s of physical re storatio n .
A n d yet t h e r e corde d i n sta n c e s of ma rvellou s cur es

,
b eli e ve d to hav e b een wrought by prayer alo ne are

very n umerou s L et on e i nt ere sting case su ffi ce
. .
At that time Thou did st rack me with too thache ,
an d wh en t h e pain was so i n t en se that I could n ot

,
spe ak t h e thought cam e i n to my h eart to call upo n

,
my frie nd s to pray for me to Thee t h e God of all ,
he alth So I wrot e thi s on my tabl et s an d gave it

.
,
th em to r ead So soo n as we bowe d our k n ee s in

.
supplicatio n t h e pai n was go n e What was that .
pai n an d how did it go ? I trembl e d O Lord God

, , ,
my God ; I co n fess it for ne ver from my birth had

t h e sam e t h i n g b e fall e n me Thu s in t h e deep was .
Thy guida n ce reveal e d to me an d rej oici ng in faith ,
I prai se d Thy Nam e .

”
2
1
Psalm xix 1 3 . .
2
A u gu stin C f s i book i chap i
e, on e s on s , x v For othe r e xampl es
of th e heali g of physical ai lm n ts by me a
. . .
n e n s of pray r see Th e e ,
other hand it should b e r em emb ere d that
On t h e ,
som e ki n ds of sick n ess or di sea se are mad e worse rath e r
tha n b ett er by r eligiou s treatm en t Poor Cowper .
t h e po et for e xampl e in t h e tim e of his m en tal depre s

, ,
sio n an d m ela n cholia was v ery doubtfully help e d in ,
t h e dire ctio n of r ecove ry by t h e stimulu s to praye r

h e r ec eive d from his e va n g elical fri e n d an d well wish e r -
Joh n N ewto n God h as made everythi n g b eautiful

.
in its season an d th er e are tim es wh e n a so n g a j est

, , ,
a scoldi ng or e ven a fu n n y story will do i nfi n it ely

,
more good to a sick man tha n th e piou s sol em n ,
sugge stio n L et us pray, .
Wh en all allowa n ce s have b ee n made howeve r there , ,
still r e mai n s a v e ry ampl e r e gio n in which praye r
may b e by far t h e b est and i n dee d th e o nly re m edy , ,
for life s ill s From a strictly th erap eutical poi n t of

’
.
vi ew it may prove to b e quit e as valuabl e as bromide ,
or qui ni ne or eucalyptu s ,
I s an y amo ng you sick .
say s t h e apo stl e Jam es le t him c all for t h e elder s ,
of t h e church an d let th em pray ove r him a n oi n ting ,
him with oil in t h e n am e of t h e Lord an d th e prayer

of fai th sh al l save t h e sick an d t h e Lord shall raise ,
him up 1
Not e th e c o op eratio n of both man an d
.
”
-
God suggest e d by t hi s pa ssage Th e prayer of faith . ,
it is affirme d will save ; n everthel ess it is t h e Lord

, ,
M irror f
o P e fection
Fran ci ) chap c
r W e sley s j ourn al
( St . s ,
. xv
’
for 5 J an 1 7 4 5 1 7 M arch 1 7 4 6 ( a lame hors ) 1 6 O c t 1 7 7 8 an d

.
, e , .
,
2 Sept 1 7 8 1
. a n d A ppe dix of Q uotatio n s D 3 4 n , .
, .
James v 1 4 1 5
1
.
, .
are woe fully preval en t in our moder n civili zation an d ,
many n ew mov emen t s have com e i n to b ei n g which

have for th eir aim t h e m ai n t en a n c e an d r e storatio n
of bodily h ealth by m ea n s of p sychical i nflu e nc e an d
sugg e stio n . Th ese move me n t s derive th eir full e st
sanctio n from similar t e n de n ci e s in t h e pa st hi story
of t h e Church an d above all from t h e graciou s e xample

,
of Him who Himself t ook our in firmitie s an d bore our

S ickn e sse s an d who cou n t e d it a j oy to mi n i st e r to t h e
n e c e ssiti e s of t h e b ody n o l e ss tha n to r eli e ve t h e dis
tr e sse s of t h e soul Th e succe ss of th ese mov em en t s

.
,
within or without t h e Church d e pe n d s on t h e wide ,
di sse mi n atio n an d co n vi n c e d acc epta n c e of a few very

simpl e propo sitio n s .
i( ) We are mean t to be a great deal happ ier and healthier

than most of us are at presen t Ma n y pe ople acc e pt far
.
too r eadily and r esign edly th e world s a n cien t ev il s of ’
sick n e ss ,
mi se ry an d di se a se Much mor e tha n is
, .
r equire d of us by our frailty an d mortality we co n se n t ,
to b e drive n an d hu nt e d by nervou s a n xi eti e s an d

imagi n ary fear s an d e v e n i nvit e some of life s wor st
,
’
ill s by broodi n g over th em We a n ticipat e th e m with

.
dr ead an d r em emb er th em with horror u n t il th ey so

, ,
prey upo n our mi n d s as to weaken an d dera n ge our

v ery bodi e s: It would amou n t to a revolutio n if som e
si n c e r ely professi n g Chri stian s coul d b e p er suade d t o
b eliev e that th ey wer e r eally i n t e n de d by G od to b e

happy an d free from care an d to shake off t h e i n cubu s
,
of quit e u nn ec e ssary worry It would at l ea st b e ast e p

.
gai ned if we could con c eive it p ossible that we should

rej oic e in th e Lord al way an d tru st in t h e power
,
of t h e Spirit to sa n ctify us wholly so that body soul , , ,
an d S pirit should b e pr ese rv e d blam el e ss .

PRAYER AND HEALING 1 59
(II ) The p on sibility for the world s sufi rin g misery

res
’
e , ,
and disease should n ot lightly b e laid up on God So man y .
illogically co n clude that b ecau se in th eir own ex peri ,
en c e th e y c an se e that God mak es use of th e se thi n g s

,
to r efi ne an d purify our charact er He th er efore Him self ,
se n ds th em to cha st en us an d do us good It would .
b e as r ea so n abl e t o argu e that b ecause t h e glory of

heroi sm and se lf sacrifice may b e exhibit e d in war it
-
,
would b e right to e n courage and fom en t that e vil .
God can have n o re spon sibility for cau si ng what de

grade s or t orture s huma n n ature howe ver He may ,
b e oth e rwi se glorifie d in r elatio n to it He is Light .
and in Him is no dark ne ss at all So far from sen di ng .
or wi shi n g t o p erp etrat e huma n sufferi n g an d sick ne ss ,
His divine e n e rgi es as he al er an d quick ener of both

soul an d body are d e vot e d to th e ir r e moval I am .
come say s J esu s that ye may have life an d that

,
”
, ,
”
ye may hav e it abu n da ntly
1
.
(iii ) The body may often be best restored through the

ren ewin g of th e min d Thi s pri ncipl e se em s to have
.
b ee n fully r ecog nized an d act e d on by J e su s Chri st

Him se lf who fre qu e n tly in case s of di se a se addre sse d
, , ,
Him self to t h e sick ma n s me n t al and moral rath er

’
tha n to his physical co n ditio n In tho se ca se s in which .
physic al disabiliti es proc ee d from som e ki n d of m en tal

or spiritual di sorder thi s would se e m to b e t h e n atural
and right m ethod of proc e dure But t h e spiritual .
cure mu st b e radical an d thorough if t h e b odily r eli e f

is to b e p ermanen t P sychiatry that is to say mu st
.
, ,
not b e resort e d to simply with a vi ew to t h e bodily

'
r esult s exp ect e d from it Th e mi n d Should b e purifie d

.
an d r enew e d for its own sak e so that if po ssibl e no , ,
1
Joh x n . 10 .
e vil or morbid i nflu e nc es shoul d re m ai n ther ei n Th e .
sp ectr e s of f ear mu st b e e xorci se d t h e fien d s of unc h arit

,
abl e n ess exp ell e d th e de mon s of fretfulness worry

, , ,
an d irritatio n driv en forth as by a stro n g man arm e d

, ,
if t h e go od a ngel s of fai th hop e l ove e quan imity an d

, , , ,
p eac e are t o tak e their place as t en a n t s of t h e hou se of

life So far as po ssibl e all merely weak eni n g sugges
.
,
tio n s and idea s sh ould b e i nh ibit e d an d r epresse d and ,
on ly i n vigorati n g and h e alth imparti n g thought s should

-
b e welcom e d an d en t e rtai ne d We ca n n ot i n duc e a

.
right stat e of body till we hav e e ndeavour e d to over

com e what is a wron g stat e of mi n d .
iv
( ) T hi s m en tal tr anquillity an d sp iri tual h ealth ca n
on ly come from quiet waitin g up on God Th e all .
importa n t attitude is t h e r ec e ptive attitude of prayer .
What ever h eali n g is to b e wrought upo n us will b e

wrought n ot by our i n t en sity of fai th itse lf but by ,
God s Spirit workin g through our fai th an d achi e vi n g

’
mo st wh ere it is l ea st hi n dere d H en c e t h e importa n c e

.
of m e ntal r elaxation rather than high t en sion in thi s

ki n d of prayer an d e sp ecially of spiritual Simplicity
,
rath e r tha n S peculative subtl ety What is n eede d is .
a compl et e committ al of oneself i n to th e ha n d s of God ,
whe th er for life or for death an d a con fiden t a ssurance

that ev en if n o outward victory over bodily w eak ne ss
,
or di se a se b e gra n t e d us we may n everth el e ss by an

“
, ,
i nne r triumph over it s wor st evil s b ecom e more tha n ,
conqu eror s through Him who love d us 1

.
1
whole subj ct of me tal h ali n g is admirably discuss d from
Th e e n e e ,
a med ical poin t of view in th e B ritish M edical j urn al of 1 8 th Jun

,
o e,
1 91 0 .
childi sh thing s Thu s in th e e arli er lit erature God is
.
,
conceive d a n thropomorphically in t h e ma n ner of ,
Hom er as an exalt e d frie n dly loc al an d trib al deity

, , , , ,
who is of ea sy an d familiar acc ess who l e ave s h eaven ,
an d vi sit s e arth in ord er to see what is goi n g on in
Eden or at Bab el an d who co n verse s gri eve s r epe nt s

, , , ,
and is willi ng to cha nge His mi n d if suffici en tly pre sse d ,
to do so I n Ezeki el however th e M ost High God is

.
, ,
t h e oppo sit e of all this He is awful remot e holy .

, , ,
transc en den t u n approachabl e con ven tion ally c on

, ,
ceiv e d by m e a n s of an e laborat e symbolism of wi ng s ,
e ye s ch erubim
,
an d wh eel s of chariot s and j eal ou sly
, ,
guarde d from profa n e familiari ty by a watchful

hi erarchy of m e diati ng angel s .
Th e Pri e stly Code on t h e oth er ha n d show s us a

, ,
pri estly God He is careful of c eremo ni e s scrupulou s

.
,
about sacrifice s an d i n si sts on t h e pu n ctu al an d due

,
ob se rva n c e of a mi nut ely prescrib e d ritual Very .
diffe r e n t is t h e co n c eption which pre vail s in t h e writi n g s

of t h e proph et s Th ese think of G od as an e th ically
.
p erfe ct B ei ng t h e high and holy On e i nhabiti n g

,
e t e r n ity who is of pur e r e ye s tha n to b e hold i n iquity

, ,
an d who se moral n atur e d e ma n d s from tho se who
wor ship Him n ot t h e smoke of burn t offeri n g s or t h e

,
sw e e t savour of oblatio n s but t h e spiritual sacrific e ,
of e thical ob edien c e ju stic e an d m ercy a co ntrit e

, , ,
spirit an d a soci all y right e ou s lif e .
I n what follow s it will b e co n v e n i e nt to co n fi n e

our se lve s to th e la st of the se co n c eptio n s an d to ask ,
in what way s t h e Old Te stam e n t doctri ne of prayer

is det e rmi ne d by it s mo st charact e ri stic t e achi n g as
to th e n ature an d att ri but e s of G od .
THE PRAYERS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 1 63
I
B ecause o f His p iritual
s tran scen den ce and clearly
defi n ed moral p erson ality the God of the Old Testamen t ,
is pre emin en tly a hearer and an swerer of p rayer

-
Of .
thi s th er e was n ever an y doubt among th e H ebrew s .
Philo sophical sc eptici sm as to th e e xist en c e an d

charact er of God an d prayer b en umbi ng b eli e f s as
,
-
to His m erely imma n e ntal pre se n c e in t h e world are ,
both marke dly abse n t from th e lit eratur e of t h e Old

Testam en t G e nerally it is re cog ni ze d that God s
.
’
throne is in th e h eav en s His eye s b ehold His eyelid s ,
try th e childre n of me n
,
1
No Old Testam en t sai n t .
”
e v e r se riou sly doubt e d that God is an d that He is ,
t h e rewarde r of th em that dilig en tly seek Him As .
Cr e ator God h as supre m e moral authority ov e r all

,
His childre n A s Fath er He pitie s th e m an d k n ow s

.
,
their wa n t s A S Saviour He re deem s th em an d carri e s

.
,
th em in tim e of troubl e A S Almighty Rul er His .

,
power is alway s adequat e to e very n eed God s e ar .

’
is n ot h e avy that it ca n n ot h e ar n or is His arm short ,
ene d that it ca n n ot sav e What ever el se may b e .
u nc ertai n th er e is n ever an y doubt as to th e reliability

,
of G od He who fir st made ma n s ear may alway s b e

.
’
‘
count e d on to i n cline His own Yea b efore men call .
,
on Him God a n sw er s th em ; an d while th e y are ye t

,
sp eaking He will h e ar
,
Th ere is n o cry from th e depth s
.
that is not sur e of an a n swer from t h e h eight s Th ev .
who toil wearily alo ng th e plai n s of life or stumbl e ,
in t h e vall ey s of Sin an d sorrow hav e but to lift th eir ,
e ye s to t h e hill s an d 16 ! h elp com eth from t h e Lord

,
1
Psalm x i .
4 .
who made h eaven an d ear th Th e sorely tri e d fig ht er s .
in life s hard battl e have e ve r at ha n d i n t h e Nam e of

’
th e Lord a stro n g towe r of r e fuge se cur e by it s v e ry

, ,
el e vatio n i n to which t h e right e ou s may e n t e r an d b e

,
safe .
There are ma n y pa ssages in th e Old Te stam e nt which

striki n gly illu strat e t hi s p e rfe ct r eligious confide n c e
in God as t h e unfaili ng h e ar e r an d a n sw er er of praye r

, .
Elijah sta n di ng on Mou n t Carm el is so c ert ai n that

, .
,
God will honour th e faith an d take up th e spiritual ,
chall enge of His se rva n t that h e feel s h e c an quit e

, ,
well afford to overflow with mirth an d raill ery hurl ,
shaft s of satir e at t h e disc omfit e d Baal wor shippe r s -

,
a n d e ve n give orde r s to hav e hi s own altar of sacrific e
dren che d with wat er 1

Similarly Isaiah unh esitat .
,
in gly propo se s to t h e sc e ptical ki n g Ahaz an y

co n firmi n g sig n from h eave n above or from e arth
”
b e neath that God will h ear th e petitio n of His se rva n t

,
2
.
Ezra too is so co n fide n t of divi n e prot ectio n in

, , ,
a n swer to his prayer that h e feel s po sitively a shame d ,
to throw a momen t s doubt upo n t h e matt er by acc epti n g ’
a guard of ho n our from ki n g Artax erx es Th e P salm s

2
.
abou n d in ech oe s of t h e same se n timen t Now .
k n ow I that t h e Lord save th His a n oi n t e d Now .
I k n ow that God is for me 4

Th e fir st condition of .
”
all prevaili ng praye r th en th e strong co n viction that

-
, ,
it is n ot m erely spok en i n to th e void but doe s reach ,
t h e e ar of an i n t erest e d an d respo n siv e h eare r is ,
co n spicuously ful filled an d illustrat e d in t h e Old

Testam ent .
A corollary to thi s b elief in t h e respo n sive n ess of

1
1 Ki n gs xviii . 27 .
2
I sa . v ii. 1 1 .
2
E zra viii . 22 .
2
Psalm xx . 6 lv i 9
. .
hi s Maker or desperat ely challenge s Him to gra n t
,
him a fair audi e nce But th e point to b e not ed e ve n

.
,
in th e se utt e ra n c es is that t h e sai n ts of t h e Old T e sta

,
m en t regard ed prayer as a ge nui ne i n t ervi ew with a

living an d r espo n siv e God It was n o mo n ologue .
,
but a real dialogu e It was more tha n m e ditation or

.
re verie : it was commu nion A divine p er so nality .
was d e fi n it ely i n vok e d who was e xpe ct e d to a n sw er

,
His i n t e rlocutor th en and th ere A n d if th e r e spo n se .
was not of cour se lit erally and strictly au dibl e in

, , ,
t h e se n se that it co ul d hav e b ee n tak e n down on a

gramophone r ecord it was h eld to b e as real an d vivid
,
as if it we r e Th e indications of th e divine will r ec eiv e d

.
,
in prayer were so cl ear and u n mistakabl e that th ey

,
could aft erward s b e expre sse d in so many e xact word s ,
as in th e emphatic Thu s saith t h e Lord of t h e

gr eat prophet s Thi s childlik e con sciou sne ss of de
.
fi nit ely sp eaki n g to a B ei n g who is at ha n d to h ear ,
is on e of t h e mo st attractiv e fe atur e s of t h e pi e ty of
t h e Old T e stam e n t Modern sp eculative probl em s a s
.
to wh ether or n o th ere b e a God how it is po ssibl e for ,
prayer to r each Him why it is re aso n abl e to exp ect

,
an answ er an d what may b e t h e r elatio n b e twee n such

,
answer s to prayer an d th e worki n g of se co n dary

cause s withi n th e u niformity of nature— th e se are
qu estio n s which fortunat ely n ever troubl e d th e sai n t
of t h e Old Te stam e nt at all .
The con ce p tion of G od as holy an d ethically p erfect

r equires th at all accep table approach to Him in p rayer
shall be con di tion ed by a humble ack n owledg men t of sin

and a desire f or recon ciliation through His forgivin g
mercy . Ru n n ing through t h e Old Te stamen t is t h e
fu n dam en tal co n viction that weak si n ni n g an d mort al , ,
man ca n not pre se n t himself b efor e t h e tra n sc e nden t

glory of th e divi n e holi n ess without taki ng up a b ecom
in g attitud e of se lf aba se m en t an d humbly co n f essing
-
,
that by his own unri ght e ou sn ess h e h as forfeit e d

all titl e to God s favour Wh at separat e s man from
’
.
God in t h e Old Testam e nt an d so pr e sen t s an ob stacl e

, ,
to fr ee communio n is n ot di stanc e or mi sery so much

,
a s guilt What h e mo st nee d s th erefor e e ve n mor e

.
, ,
tha n pity is forgiven ess ; and it is t h e chi ef glory of

,
t h e God of I sra el that He is b e for e all el se a pardo ni n g

an d r e d ee mi n g God slow to a ng er a n d r eady to purg e
,
away tra n sgr e ssio n .
It is u nn ec e ssary to give detail e d exampl e s of thi s

from th e prayer s r ecorded in th e Old Testamen t .
Th e spirit of th e m all is re fl ect e d in t h e p etitio n of

J eremiah : Though our i niquiti e s t e stify agai n st
”
us work Thou for Thy n am e s sak e O Lord E speci
’
1
.
, ,
ally is thi s acut e co n sciou sness oi sin promi n en t in t h e

period of t h e e xil e and r estoratio n wh e n t h e sacrific e s ,
of t h e t e mpl e had c ea sed an d G od s cha ste ni ng of His ’
pe opl e was ve ry sor e In th e se circum sta n c e s th e se n se

.
of t h e divi n e holin ess an d right e ou sness b ecam e very

marke d an d t h e prayer s of Ezra an d N eh emiah for
, ,
e xampl e w er e almo st W holly tak e n up with t h e lowly

,
ack n owl e dgme nt of i n dividu al an d natio nal tra n s

g r ession T h e
. sam e spirit is shown in som e of t h e
lat er proph eci es attribut e d to Isaiah ; n the elabo

2 i r
rat e propitiatory syst em so charact eri stic of pri estly

1
x iv .
7 .
2
xv
l i . 6 -9 .
Judai sm ; and in t h e long drawn moan of sorrowful -
confe ssion that breath es through so man y of th e

Psalm s God is a holy an d ju st God who r e quireth
.
,
truth in t h e i n ward parts in whose sight t h e h eave n s ,
are n ot cl ean an d t h e a n ge l s th e mse lv e s are charg e abl e

,
with folly It b ehoves sinful man in drawi ng n igh

.
,
to Him in prayer to bring with him word s of lowly ,
pe n it e nce an d m eek contrition .
In two not eworthy i n sta n ces thi s charact e ri stic

Old Te stamen t attitude of humility an d self aba se m en t -
is de part e d from Job is fre qu en tly most au daciou s

.
,
an d i n dee d almo st bla sph e mou s in t h e boldne ss of ,
h is self justification wh en h e approaches God

- 1
Stu n g .
by a se n se of i ntol erabl e an d u nm erit e d afflictions feel ,
ing that h e is b ei ng torm e n t e d an d watch e d over as if

h e w ere som e se a mo n st er wh e n all t h e tim e h e is c on
-
,
scious of p erfect i n noc en ce an d int egrity thi s sorely ,
tri ed sai n t dari n gly confro n t s God and chall enge s , ,
Him to an i n t ervi ew in som e court of e qui ty wh ere h e

may cou n t on a fair h earing an d not simply b e ov er
whelme d by t h e maj esty of om nipot en c e H er e we .
have something v ery differe nt fr om th e gen tl e an d

meek spirit of a w ea n ed child so b eautifully de scrib ed
in t h e r3 1 st P sal m It shoul d b e rem emb ere d however
.
, ,
that Job wh e n h e felt goade d to th e utt era n c e of his

,
spl en did prot estations was wre stli ng with t h e mo st ,
i n solubl e of all human probl em s th e probl em of ,
unm erit e d sufferi ng a probl e m which t h e lack of all ,
Vision of life aft er death made pe culiarly acut e to t h e

thoughtful I sraelit e an d al so that at t h e e n d of t h e ,
book t his mood of defianc e is ren ou n c e d by Job an d

, ,
1 J ob V ll . 1 1 ; x . r, 7 ; xiii . 23 . C ompar e J e re m . x iv .
9 ; xv . 1 8 ;
We j oi n h e artily language of tha nksgiving an d
in t h e
adoratio n in our prayer s we e nt er with r eal sympathy
an d si n c erity i n to prayer s of i n t erc e ssio n for t h e di sta n t
an d t h e d ear But when we com e to co nfess our

.
i niquiti es an d to sp eak of se cret si n s in t h e light of

,
God s count e na nc e or ev en to give public an d gen eral

’
e xpr essio n to our commo n co n sciou sn e ss of sin how ,
soo n t h e se n se of u n r e ality com e s ov er us a n d t h e
heart broken la nguage of scripture sou n ds foreign to

-
our e xp eri e nc e .
Th e re me dy is a f ull er r ealizatio n of t h e tra n sc en den t

holi n ess an d supr eme e thical purity of th e divi n e
nature Isaiah pro strating himself be for e God an d
.
,
His holy a n gel s in th e t empl e of J erusal em felt that not ,
h e o n ly but t h e whol e body politic was u n cl ea n Joh n .

,
b eholdi n g at Patmo s th e h eave nly exalt e d Chr i st ,
with shinin g cou n t en a n c e an d eyes like a flam e of fire ,
t ell s us that h e could o nly fall at His fee t as one

dead Wh ere such as th e se r ev er en tly bowe d th em
.
selves we mu st n ot presume to e n t er j auntily with h ead

,
in air I n proportio n as we co n c eiv e of G od an d of

.
our selve s aright we shall put a lowly co n sciou sne s s of

,
sin an d a d esir e for m ercy in t h e for efr o n t of ou r
prayer s 1
.
III
If God be a su re p mely holy an d ethically righteous
B ein g it further follows that the

, on ly p rayer which can be
ompare t h orde ri g of worship in t h e B ook of Common P ayer
1
C e n r
so that Co n f essio n an d A bsolutio n shall precede t h e o fl e rin g of praise
a d pray e r
n .
T HE PRAYER S OF T H E OLD T ESTAMEN T 1 7 1
acce p table to Him is that which is accomp an ied by moral

character, or at least an en deavour to realize it
,
an d
which res p ects the eth ical n ature o f His co mmandmen ts .
No charms sp ell s bur n t offeri ng s i n ca ntations n o

, , , ,
pu n ctual p erformance of rituali stic rit es n o scrupul ou s ,
careful ness of c eremo ni al re petitio n s are of an y value ,
in His pure an d holy sight if divorc e d from t h e morality ,
which God re quires of us .
Thi s gr eat st ep forward was tak en by Amo s Hose a , ,
an d t h e proph et s of t h e eighth c e n tury b e for e Chri st .
Isaiah e sp eci ally scourge d with scathi ng an d pitile ss

se verity t h e co n ven tio n al an d hollow public worship
of hi s time .
1
This indicat es a cl ear adva n c e in I sra el
from magical to spiritual religio n M erely ritual .
prayer n ow fall s i n to t h e backgrou n d Sacri fic es an d .
offering s God do es n ot de sir e Cere mo nial act s have .
n o i n tri n sic valu e in th e m selv es Th e virt ue of al l .
wor ship li e s n ot in that which is do n e at th e se rvic es

,
of t h e sa n ctuary but in t h e right e ou s se cular co n duct

,
which is t h e backgrou n d of th e prayer s of tho se who

therei n wor ship Propitiatory offeri ng s will n ot avail
.
to purge away sin or ward off pu ni shme n t if brib es ,
are acc e pt e d t h e poor oppr esse d widow s an d orpha n s

, ,
i niquitou sly wronged an d t h e se cr et ob e di ence of

,
t h e h e art withh eld H e n c eforth ethic s and devotio n

.
,
mu st m eet togeth er r eligio n an d morality mu st ki ss

each oth er . Prayer from b eing outward m echa nic al
, , ,
and form al mu st b e com e i n ward spiritual an d abov e

, , ,
all ethical Th e Lord is nigh u n to all them that c al l

,
.
upo n Him— provide d the y c al l upo n Him in truth .
But th e G od of et h ical r eality is an d mu st b e deaf to

1
hap
C . i
.
all who m erely draw n igh to Him with their lip s whil e ,
th eir he art s are far from Him 1

.
Nowh ere is this emphatic i n sist en c e on moral si n ce rity

in praye r mor e mark e d tha n in t h e Wi sdom Lit erat ur e
of th e Old Te stam en t Th e sacrific e of t h e wick e d .
is an abomi n atio n u n to t h e Lord but t h e prayer of ,
t h e upright is His delight He that tur n eth away .
his ear from h earing t h e law eve n his prayer is an ,

‘
abomi n atio n Wh en thou vow e st a vow u n to th e
.
Lord defer n ot to pay it for He hath n o pl easur e in

, ,
fool s B ett er is it thou Shoul dest n ot vow tha n that

.
,
”
thou Shouldest vow an d n ot pay 2
.
P rayer to a morally an d sp iritually con ceived God can

n ot be con fi n ed to set season s or s p ecially ordain ed shrin es ,
but may be ofi ered at all times and in all p laces At .
fir st J ehovah had a local habitatio n as well as a Name ,
an d co ul d o nly b e wor shipp ed by His p e opl e at

appoi n t e d sa n ctuari e s I n all plac e s wh er e I r e cord
” 3
My n am e I will com e u n to th ee and I will bl e ss th ee , .
I n t h e anci e n t world g e nerally it was d ee m e d impo ssibl e

that a d eity should b e wor shipp e d a n ywh ere but in
his own local shri n e an d through t h e m e dium of hi s ,
offi cially ordai n ed pri e sthood Th e n umb er of these .
sa n ctuari es was in t h e lat er D eut ero n omi stic l egislatio n

Ho xxix J ere m xxix Psalm v
1
. V ii . 1 4 ; I sa . . 1 3 ; . . I 3 ; .
4 :
1
Prov . xv . 8, 29 ; xxviii .
9 ; E ccles v . .
4 5 , .
3
E xod xx . . 24 .
1 74 THE REALM or P RAYE R
mark ed emp hasis is laid on

I n the Old Testamen t ,
social solidarity in p rayer th e on en ess of th e in dividual ,
with th e commun ity of which h e forms a p art Mo st .
e arly r eligiou s wor ship is commu nal in charact er Th e .
u nit which co nfro n t s God in prayer is t h e n atio n as a

whol e rath er tha n an y or every i n dividual who fi n d s
,
his plac e th er ei n I n duti e s r e n der e d in guil t i n curr e d

.
, ,
in vow s made in favour s an d gift s r ec eiv e d t h e e n tire

, ,
commu nity is coll ectiv ely co n c erned I n dee d se parat e .

,
p er so n ality is n ot yet cl early co n c eived an d e v en wh e n

t h e i n dividual sp e aks h e sp e aks in hi s public re pre , ,
se n t at iv e capacity as voici ng t h e pr ai se s confe ssio n s , , ,
an d p e titio n s of t h e n atio n as a whol e in which his ,
privat e statu s is submerged .
Much of t h e religio n of th e Old Te stam en t b ear s

thi s charact er both b efore an d aft er t h e n ew str e ss
,
laid on i n dividu al guilt and r e spo n sibility by J er e miah

a n d Ez eki el I sra el sp e aks or is spok en to as o n e
.
p er so n Th e o nly officially pre scrib e d prayer quot e d

.
1
in t h e Old T e stam e n t r e quir e s t h e i n dividual to e xpress

t h e se n tim e n t s of t h e n atio n as a whol e Th e P salm s .
2
an d proph etic writi n g s abou n d in similar personifica
tio n s Th e se i n dicatio n s poi n t to a stro n g se n se of

.
3
solidar ity in t h e J e wi sh p e opl e a n d a corr espo n di n gly ,
weak se n se of t h e ab solut e valu e of t h e i ndividual .
Thi s natio nal co n sciou sn ess ma nifest s it self particularly

in praye r Ma n y of th e tha nk sgi vi n g s of th e Old
.
1
De ut v ii 1 7
. . E xod xxiii
. . 2 0- 2 5 N um . Vi . 2 4- 2 6 .
2
D e ut xxvi 1 . .
-
1 1 .
3
Ho . ii 3 .
, 1 5 ; xi . 1 ; J er . ii . 2 ; Ps . xliv .
4 6
, , 1 5 ; lx 9 ; . cxxix . i .
THE PRAYER S OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 1 75
Te stam ent are no more tha n hi storical r ecitals of th e

go odness of God to Isra el ; an d N eh e miah wh e n h e ,
sta n ds up b efore God freely co nfesses not o nly his own

,
si n s and tho se of h is livi ng co n t e mporari es but t h e si n s ,
of th e n ation s anc e stor s as w ell I n th eir de votio ns

’
1
.
,
th en th e I sraelit es fully r ecog nize d th e importa n t

,
t ruth that no man sta n ds wholly i solat ed b efor e God .
Th ey k new that we are bou n d up in one bu n dle of life

with our fellow me n an d that in prayer it is good that
-
,
we should cultivat e thi s common co n sciou sn ess look ,
sympath etically on t h e t h i n g s of oth er s an d seek to ,
m erge our p er so nality in th eir s .
P articular imp ortan ce is attach ed in the Old Testamen t

to vicarious, p
re resen tative, or in tercessory p rayer ,
es p ecially on the p art of p rop hets or oth er p erson s

p eculiarly mark ed out for this service by holin ess of life .
Thi s naturally ari se s from what h as ju st b ee n stat ed .
Th e charact eristic prayer s of t h e Old Te stame n t

b ei n g largely commu ni stic much dep en de d on t h e ,
spiritual mi n d e d ne ss of t h e p erson who

-
in utt e ri n g ,
them b ecam e t h e spok e sma n of his fellow men b efor e

,
-
God It fell gen erally to t h e p roph et to b e such a

.
spok e ma n
s Th e pri est was co n c er n e d chi efly with
.
t h e o ffici al an d c e r e mo nial a sp e ct s of r eligio n an d his ,
fu n ctio n s wer e such as could b e formally tra n smitt e d

from father to son Th e proph et on th e oth er hand
.
, ,
was th e tru e spiritual i n t e rm e diary b etwee n man an d

1
N eh . ix . 2, 33 34
, .
God an d h e stood al o n e We are accustome d to
, .
thi nk of t h e prophet s too e xclu sive ly as th e pr eacher s

of I srael Th e fact is that th e y were gr e at pr each er s
.
lb ec ause th ey wer e fir st of all me n d eeply e xerci se d

, ,
,in prayer Th ey w ere mighty with men b ecau se

.
as pri n c es th e y had pr e vail e d with God Th e pe opl e .
quit e r ecog nized thi s an d ma nifestly r egarded t h e

proph et s as pl eader s with J ehovah quit e as much as ,
reve al er s of His will The y the m se lve s th ey felt .

, ,
were u n worthy to draw n igh to God in th eir own

pe r so n b u t t h e proph e t might do so on th e ir b eh al f ,
an d hi s pray er wo uld b e h eard an d h ee d e d wh er e th eir s
might n ot .
It is for thi s r ea so n that t h e prayer s of patriarch s

an d proph e t s in t h e Old Te stam e n t are almo st in v ari
ably prayer s of i n t erc essio n Abraham sta n d s in .
t h e br each to wr e stl e an d pl e ad with God on b ehalf

of t h e p eopl e of Sodom an d Gomorrah His power .
in praye r is r e cog nize d e v e n by Abim el e ch who is ,
war ne d in a dream of th e night to r estore Sarah to

Abraham Why ? B e cause h e is a proph et an d
.
,
”
h e shall pray for th ee an d thou sh al t liv e 1
Mo se s .
,
in lik e ma n n er is sp e cially a sk e d by Pharaoh to e n tr e at

,
J eh ovah that t h e plagu e s of Egypt may b e staye d ,
an d h e him self volu n tarily i n t erc e des with gr eat

e ar n e st n e ss for Mi riam in h er l e pro sy an d for t h e
I sra elit es in th eir apo sta sy from God So h eavily .

2
does thi s burden of i n t erc e ssio n w eigh upon Mo se s

that h e b eseech e s God to r eli e ve him of it or else to ,
kill him out of ha n d an d se t him free Samu el also .

3
, ,
1
G en xviii 2 2 xx 7
. . . .
2
E xod xxxii 3 1 3 ; N um
. ii .
, 2 . x . 1 3 ; x x i. 7 .
3
E xod 22 Num x i 1 1 1 5
. v . . .
-
.
siege of J erusalem king ! e de kiah se nt two me n to t h e ,
prophe t with t h e r equ est that h e shoul d pray for th em ,
as i n deed H e zekiah had do n e b efore in t h e ca se of

Isaiah 1 Th e captai n s of th e army an d all th e p e opl e
.
cam e to t h e prophet lat er with a similar r e qu est .

2
J eremiah however did n ot nee d to wait for such

, ,
deputatio n s He made it a practic e to pray for

.
I srael co n ti n ually So pre ssi ng in fact , were his .

,
app eal s that God Him self had to put a stop to th em an d

war n him that th ey w er e in v ain Fi nally it should b e .
3
,
n ot e d that a p e cul iar pow e r in i n t e rc e s sio n is attribut e d
to Job an d that t h e ideal sufferi ng se rva n t spok e n of

, ,
by I saiah is e xp ect e d to e x erci se a similar pri e stly

‘
,
function .
1
This a sp ect of th e prayer s of t h e Old Te stam en t

poi n t s to a lurking p eril whil e at th e sam e tim e it
e n shri n e s a n importa n t truth Th e da n ger of vicariou s .
prayer is that it may l ead a man to n egl ect his own

pi ety an d attach an e xc e ssiv e value to th e pi ety of
oth er s Priestcraft for exampl e r ea dily flourish e s
.
, ,
on such a soil an d t h e supe r stitiou s b eli e f that t h e

,
i n t erc essions of th e sai n t s may i dly b e r eli e d on to

procur e for us what God would oth e rwi se b e r eluctant
or i n di spo se d to gra nt O n th e oth er ha n d t h e i nt er .
,
c e di ng man e sp ecially if h is prayer s are back ed by a

,
co n si st e n tly right e ou s an d lovi n g and holy life may ,
e x erci se a mo st grac i ou s an d fr u i tful minist ry Who .
would n ot de sire to hav e t h e prayer s of a sai n tly moth er ,
or a godly pa stor to suppl emen t his own ? Who ,
c an e stimat e t h e se rvic es to acommunity of one who
1
Jer . m m .
3 ; 2 K in gs xix . 2 .
1
xlii . 1 -
6 .
J er . V ii . 1 6, 1 7 ; xi
. 14 ; x iv . 1 1 ; xviii . 20 .
1
Job xlii . 8, 10 ; I sa . liii. 1 2 .
c an voic e t h e dumb i n stinct s of his fellow s expre ss

,
th eir sorrow s i n t erpret their ideal s utt er their tha nk s

, ,
givi ng s confess their si n s an d bri n g th eir voic el ess

, ,
a spiratio n s b efor e t h e Fath er ? Th ere is r eal valu e ;

th en an d undoubt e d pot en cy b efore G od in th e
, ,
p e titions of a good man who sta n ds out as th e

spok e sma n an d r e pr e se n tativ e of his br ethr e n in
t h i ng s spiritual
. Th e e ffectual ferv e n t prayer of a
righte ou s man avail eth much .
CHAPTER XIII
THE P RA Y E R S O F THE N E W TE STA M E NT

W hat e e ris goo d to wish , ask hat of H e av en ,
’
t
Though it b e what t hou can st n o t hop e to see
t t
Pray to b e p e rfe c hough mat e rial leav en
,
b
For id t h e sp irit so on eart h o b e t
B ut if for an y wish thou darest n ot pray ,
Th en pray t o G o d to cast t hat wish away .
HAR T LE Y C OLER ID GE , P rayer .
No t ruly prays who do es n ot pray in th e fr ee dom of

on e
Christ s lif e an d work a d d a th Th m ea sur e of fait h in

’
, ,
n e . e
His m rit s a d sacrific will b fou d t o b e th m e asur e of

e n e e n e
pray r in t h case of a y i dividual o r of an y Church

e e n n It .
i th
s igh t of t h e cro s a d of all th t r m e dou s a sso cia tio n
e s s n e e n s
tha t ar bo u n d up with t— th s s of gu ilt of co n d mn atio

e i e en e e n
v e rlastin g gain —that

, ,
of d liv ra c of in fin it lo
e e n e, a d e ss, n e
b ri gs tha t b i d t h e sou l t o pray r

n ,
n s e .
”
D ORA G REENWELL E ssays , ,

p . 1 24 .
OUR urv ey of t h e prayers of th e Old Te stame n t

s
brought to light t h e following chi ef points (i ) G od .
is pre emine ntly a h e ar er and answer er of prayer

-
.
(ii ) His holiness r equir e s that our approach to Him

in prayer shall b e con ditione d by t h e conf e ssion of sin
an d t h e r eco n ciliation of forgiv e ness (iii ) Hi s e thic al .
purity dema n d s that all prayer for His divi ne favour

shall b e accompani e d by a sinc er e e nd e avour to ord er
1 80
1 82 T HE REALM O F P RA Y ER
refl ection of t h e re adi n ess of God to give h eed to th e '
de sir e s of all who call upo n Him .
And this implicit co nfide nce in God as a motive for ,
dir ect ne ss and simplicity in prayer whi ch J e sus so ,
movi n gly advocat e d both by His words and by His

life was still furth er r ecomm e nde d by His death an d
,
re surre ction It may b e stat e d as a gen eral pri ncipl e

.
that t h e re spo n se man mak e s to God in prayer will

always dep en d upon an d corre spo n d to t h e approach
God mak es t o man in r e velatio n si n c e our spiri tu al
,
acti vity toward s Him is in r e ality a r e actio n upo n

His spiritu al activity toward s us Th e cl ear er an d .
full er th erefore God s re velatio n is t h e gladder an d

, ,
’
more co n fide n t will ma n s r espo n siv eness b e com e

’
.
Now it is t h e u n wav ering t e stimony of t h e wri t er s of

th e N ew Te stam en t that t h e n atur e an d charact e r of
God as holy an d forgiving love are mo st fully rev eal e d
to us in t h e pa ssion and r e surr ection of our Lord .
H e n c e t h e placar di n g of th e se supre m e facts be fore t h e

world is sure to b e t h e mo st irr e si stibl e of all i n c en tive s
to fellow ship with God in prayer Through Chri st .
,
delive re d for our offe nc e s an d rai se d for our justificatio n ,
we are i n vit e d to draw near e ven with b old n ess to

, ,
t h e thro ne of grac e He who spar e d not His o nly

.
Son but deliver e d Him up for us all is wholly to b e

, ,
t rust e d to supply our e very n ee d J esu s that is to .

,
say chi e fly incli n e d m en s h e art s to pray by dyi ng for

’
them and so r eveali n g a Love in whi ch they could

,
implicitly co nfide .
H en c e th e importa n c e attach ed to th e pr eachin g

of th e go spel in t h e early Church Th e life of prayer
.
r e st s on a credal ba si s of c onfiding fai th Not till .
men b e come acquaint e d with t h e tru e character of

THE PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMEN T 1 83
God as Chri st r eveal s Him t o us can th ey in t h e

, ,
full e st se n se call upo n Him as Fath er and use t h e

lang uage of filial pi ety t oward s Him In this con .
n ec tion t h e se qu e n c e of t h e ap ostl e s thought in a

’
pa ssage of t h e Epi stle t o t h e Roma n s is most suggestive .
How th en sh al l th e y call on Him in whom they have ’
n ot b e li ev e d ? an d how shall th e y b eli e v e in Him of
whom they have n ot heard an d how shal l they hear

without a pr each er ? 1
I n t h e order of idea s h ere
i n dicat e d prayer though fir st m en tio ne d re ally com es
, , ,
at th e e n d of a ch ai n of cau se s Pr eachi n g re sult s .
in h eari n g h eari n g b eget s b elie vi ng b eli evi ng l eads

to calling upo n t h e n am e of t h e Lord Chri st b eing .
,
preache d to men awake s withi n th em a co n sciou sness

,
of sin accompa ni e d by a confiden c e toward s God as

,
t h e delive re r fr om sin Such an e xpe ri e nc e establi sh es

.
r elation ship s be twee n th em th e h eart is mov e d to cry

,
”
Abba Father and t h e life of prayer in th e Spirit
,
is b egu n .
In thi s sectio n which is co n c erne d with t h e e ffect

,
on praye r of t h e r e cog n iz e d purity an d p e rf e ctio n of
Almighty God we n ot e an importa n t adva n c e of th e

,
N ew Testam e n t upon t h e Old I n t h e e arli er dis .
en sat ion t h e holi n e ss of God an d t h e sin of man

p ,
demande d some ki n d of r e de mptio n or r econ ciliatio n ,
forgiving grac e on t h e one ha n d an d p en it en t c on

t rition on t h e oth er as i n di sp en sabl e pr e limi n arie s to
,
1
Rom
. x . 1 4 .
all tru e spiritual commu nio n In t h e lat er di sp en sa .
tion the se t erm s of n egotiatio n so to speak still

, , ,
op erat e and the y acquire a n ew an d deep er significan c e

,
through th e coming of our Lord an d Saviour J esu s

Chri st .
I n t h e fir st plac e duri ng Ch ri st s own lifetim e t h e

’
, ,
Lord s Prayer it self b ear s wit ness to t h e importa n t

’
fu n dam en tal relation ship above referr e d to Th e .
op en i n g p etition of that prayer is Hallow ed b e Thy

n am e .That is to say ther e mu st b e n o self right e ou s
,
-
complac e n cy or ea sy goi ng famili ari ty in our approach

-
to God but rathe r such an attitude of lowly revere nc e

,
an d humility a s b e fit s si nn er s in t h e pr e se n c e of His
i n finit e maj esty and spotl e ss purity Further it will .

1
,
b e n otic e d that wh e n sp ecifically spiritu al ble ssi n g s

,
are a sk e d for a littl e lat e r in t h e praye r the se are ,
comprehe nsively summ e d up in th e re qu est for forgive

n e ss of tr espa sse s an d d eliv eranc e from e vil Ju st as .
,
on t h e mat e ri al pla n e all our mo st pr e ssi n g wa n t s are

,
gath er e d up in t h e p etition : Give us thi s day our

daily bread so on t h e spiritual an d moral pla n e
, ,
what we mo st nee d to ask of God is expre sse d in t h e

p etition which comes n ext Forgive us our tre spa sse s ,
as we forgiv e th e m that tr e spa ss agai n st us Th e .
Lord s Prayer the n fully e ndor se s and support s t h e

’
, ,
t eachi n g of th e Old Te stam en t that in all our approach ,
to God we shoul d fir st r ecog nize t h e di v i ne holi ne ss

,
on t h e on e ha n d an d huma n si nful n ess on t h e oth er

, ,
an d seek humbl e acc ess to t h e Fath er through p e n it e n c e ,
forgiveness and recon ciliation

, .
ompar hr t s own habit of addressin g G od as Holy Father

1
C e C is
’
a ua of 1 Pet er 1 1 7
an d t h e l n g ge If ye call on G od as Father
t m of your soj ournin g here in fe ar
.
pa ss t h e i e .
”
acquire d a vagu ely magnifical an d e ven magical
sig n ifica n c e an d it, was suppose d that t h e m er e
utt era n c e of t h e divi n e Nam e som ehow carri e d with
it a m ea sur e of God s own i nfinity an d tra n sc en den t ’
p ower There are i n dications in t h e N ew Te stam e nt

.
that there was a t e n de ncy to use e ve n t h e n am e of Ch ri st

in thi s ma n ner We r ead of c ertai n strolli n g J ew s
.
at Eph e su s who took upon th em to n am e over them

which had evil spirit s t h e n am e of th e Lord J esu s ,
saying We adj ure you by J e su s whom Paul preacheth

,
1
.
”
M en tio n is made al so of p er son s who will b e r ej ect e d

at t h e La st Judgment e ven though th e y pl ead that ,
by th e n ame of j esus th e y have ca st out de mo n s an d ,
don e many won derful work s It is furth er n otic eabl e 2

.
that t h e apo stl es in p erformi n g r e markabl e act s of

,
he ali n g or admi n i st eri n g t h e rit e of bapti sm invariably ,

”
did so in t h e n am e of J esu s an d t h e cur e of t h e ,
paral ytic at th e gat e of th e t e mpl e call ed B eautiful

is thu s expl ai ne d His n ame through faith in His
'
name hath made thi s man stro n g 3

Origi n ally of ,
cour se a purely spiritu al m ea ning was int en de d by

,
t h e e xpr e ssio n but sup er stitiou s mi n d s r e memb eri n g ,
th e forme r u sage r ea dily gav e t o it a mor e or l e ss

'
magical sign ificatio n an d throughout hi story there ,
have b een tho se who have suppose d that t h e m er e

utt era n c e of th e all pr evaili n g Name would in so e -
m
mystical w ay act of it self a s a ki n d of charm or tali sma n
in working wo n d er s .
(ii ) G e n erally spe aki ng in t h e N ew Testamen t to , ,
pray in t h e nam e of J esu s impli e s a r e cog nition of t h e

fact that only through t h e historic al r evelation m ediat e d
to us by Ch ri st c an we truly k n ow an d hold commu nion
1
A cts x ix . 1 3 .
1
Matt . V ii . 22 .
a
A cts iii
. 1 6 .
THE PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 1 87
with th e Father A s th e b ook of Act s put s it

. Ther e
is none oth er n am e unde r h e ave n giv en amo n g me n ,
”
whereby we mu st b e saved 1
Th e purp ose of t h e .
e xpr e ssio n to us at all e ven t s is to e xclude all vagu e

, , ,
my stical th eosophical prayer which woul d pre sume

, ,
to pa ss ov er or di sp ense with our n e e d of J esus Chr i st

in drawi ng n ear t o God Left to our se lve s we are .
i n capabl e of appr eh en din g t h e divi n e n atur e Th e .
fi n it e ca nn ot k n ow th e i nfi n it e ; t h e con diti one d ca nn ot

gra sp t h e u n co n ditio ne d ; t h e si n ful cann ot hold
fellow ship with t h e holy Ye t through J esu s Chri st .
,
an d Him al o n e th e se t hi n g s hav e b e e n mad e p ossibl e

,
for us in t h e m ea sur e of our capacity

, No man .
hath seen God at an y time : th e on ly b egott e n Son ,
which is in t h e bo som of t h e Fath er He hath declare d ,

”
Him .
2
Wh e n we pray in t h e n am e of Christ ther e ,
for e or wh e n we cl ose our prayer with th e expre ssio n

,
through Je su s Chri st our Lord we ack n owl e dge ,
that He is i n dee d_the W _ay t h e Truth _ h e Life

a n d t , , ,
an d that n o man come th to t h e Fath e r b ut by Him .
He is the one cabl e so to sp ea k through which all, ,
m e ssages mu st pa ss ; for th er e is one God an d on e

m ediator be twee n God an d men t h e man Chri st ,
”
J e su s .
3
iii
( ) Practically th en to pray ,
in t h,
e n am e of
J esu s m ea n s to pray in th e spirit of J esu s an d in
n t i r e d e pe n d en c e upo n Him for t h e r e ali zatio n of our
e
ray It is to pray wit hin t h e sph of Hi s re
demptiv e ma n ife statio n an d ac t i t y foe

p r
e s .
e /
t h e e nd s He
y
i y ,
set b efor e us in t h e go sp e l a n d in r elia n c e on t h e m e a n s

,
He h as plac e d at our di sposal Prayer addr e sse d to .
God in the n am e of J e su s Chri st is prayer withi n t h e

1
A cts iv . 1 2 .
3
John 1 . 1 8 .
3
1 Tim ii 5
. . .
t erm s of t h e new cove n ant r elation ship e stabli sh e d
by His de ath an d therefore po sse ssi ng an aim a motive , , ,
a ma st ery oth erwi se u nk n own Th e soul in such, .

,
prayer adju st s it self to a new spiri tual e nviron m en t

,
or backgrou n d of fact s an d forc es an d spe ak s with ,
fre sh co nfiden c e an d p eace an d power from it s vantage

grou n d of adoption through faith in Him who is t h e
perfect man th e well— b elov ed Son t h e me diator an d, ,
i n t erc essor with th e Father whom God h eareth alway s , .
Prayer in t h e n am e of J esu s is t h e prayer of part n er ship

with our h eavenly High Pri est who e ver liv eth to mak e
i n t erc ession for us It is r ei nf orc e d prayer prayer .
,
in co n qu eri n g al lia n c e with t h e power s of t h e age to

com e through fellow ship with On e who is within t h e
,
veil It is prayer to t h e Father r ev e al e d to us in

.
Chri st for bl e ssi n g s that c an o n ly com e to us through

,
Him by virtue of t h e pl ea di n g s of His et er n al sacrifice

,
1
.
Such prayer though hard to offer with due si n c erity ,
an d pa ssio n ca n n ot but pr e v ail What ever ye shall

,
.
ask in My n am e that will I do that t h e Fath e r may ,
b e glorifi e d in th e Son If ye shall ask a n ythi n g in .
My n am e I will do it Hith ert o ye have a sked n othing

,
.
in My n am e ask an d ye shall r e c eiv e that your j oy , ,

”
may b e full 3
.
W i t rpr t b t t h ph a ‘ am of Chri t if w
‘ i th
1
e n e e es e r se n e n e s e
thi k of amba ad or p ak i g i t h am of h i cou try or

n an
‘
of a comm rcial trav ll r p ak i g i t h am of h i firm W
e
ss
e e
s e
s e
n
n
n
n
e n
e n
e
e
’
s
s
n
.
,
mea i e ach case that t h e represen tativ who sp eak s in t h e n am

n n e e
of an other expresses n ot his own plan s an d wishes but t h min d of e
gr e ater pe rs o n or body whom h e r epr esen ts

, ,
th e He prays in .
Christ s n ame who h as le ar n t to mak Chri st s min d hi s o wn

’ ’ ”
e .
C G o re Th e War an d th e Ch urc h p 2 3
.
, , . .
John x iv 1 3 1 4 ; vi 2 4
1
.
,
x . .
of our plai n duty is to that ext e nt negativ e d an d ,
u nh eard in h eave n Thus th e man who bring s a .

,
co stly offering to G od s al tar to r ei n forc e his prayer ’
, ,
shou l d proc ee d n o furthe r with his oblatio n but rath e r ,
aba n don it forthwith if his he art ch eri sh on e th ought ,
of e nmity ag ai nst his brother 1

I n thi s as in so much .
,
el se our Lord r eve al e d His abhorr en c e of hypoc risy

, .
Th e lip s which pray to God must b e si n c ere lip s Th e .
ha n d s we r ai se to h eaven must b e holy ha n d s .
Thi s n ot e of Chri st s t e achi n g is agai n and agai n ’
e choe d in oth e r part s of t h e N ew T e stam en t We .
k n ow that God h eare th n ot si nn er s says one with ,
whom t h e writ er of Joh n s G osp el was eviden tly in ’
full sympathy but if any man b e a wor shippe r of

,
God and do his will him He h ear e th Similarly , .

”
,
in a corr e spo n ding pa ssage : What soe ver we ask ,
we r ec eiv e of Him b ecause we keep His commandmen ts

,
an d do tho se thi n g s that are pl e a sing in His sight

3 ”
.
H ere t h e idea of m e rit is to b e ab solute ly e xcluded .
It is an i n tri n sically nec essary co n dition of succ essful

prayer that is h ere expre sse d Our prayer s are a n swere d .
b e cau se our will is in harmon y with God s will th e ’
ev id e nc e b ei n g that we k ee p His c omma n dm e n t s .
O ur dee d s a n d our pray e r are ma nife statio n s of t h e

same God b e got t e n life they are Ope ratio n s of th e
-
,
”
sam e will t h e will tha t God s will b e done O n ce ’
3
.
,
again Cor n eliu s is approve d b ecau se n ot his prayer s

,
o nly but his prayer s an d his alms have com e up as a

‘
me mori al b efore God Th e m ost e mphatic en unciation
1
.
of thi s pri n ciple howe ver comes as we shoul d expe ct

, , , ,
from t h e downright matt er of fact mind of Jam es - -

.
1
M att . V . 2 3, 2 4 .
2 Joh n i x .
31 1 John iii . 22 .
3
R . Law ,
The Tests of Lif e, p .
3 00 . A cts x .
4 .
THE P RAYERS O F THE NEW TESTAMENT 1 91
It is th e supplication of th e righteous man that avail eth

much in it s worki n g Me n ask an d r e c eive n ot b ecau se
.
,
th e y ask ami ss de siri n g only that th ey may sp en d

,
upon th eir pl ea sur es 1

.
It is to thi s r ecove ry of natur al ne ss an d spon taneity

in prayer that we mu st trace t h e spiritu al torr e n t s
of buoya n cy an d glad j oyou sness which charact eriz e

N ew Te stam en t de votio n I n e ve rythi n g gi v e tha nk s
”
.
,
cri e d t h e apostl e I n e ve rythi n g by praye r an d

.
,
supplicatio n with tha nk sgiving let your r eque st s b e

, ,
mad e k n ow n u n to G od an d th e p eac e of God which ,
pa sse th all u n der sta n ding shall kee p your h eart s an d,
”
mi n d through Chri st J esu s
s
2
Th e Chri stia n s of .
th e e arly Church brought up on t h e traditio n s of

,
liturgical an d t e mpl e prayer se e m to have felt that a ,
gr eat burde n was lift e d from their shoulder s whe n

the y found that th e old lifel ess c ere moni es th e sacrific e s , ,
t h e routi n e t h e e n dle s s r e p e titio n s might b e wholly

,
put a side an d th e soul—e verywhere a n ywhere and

, , ,
at all tim e s—might pour forth spo n ta n e ou sly it s

fee li ng s of j oy an d gri ef i n to t h e list eni n g ear of th e
all lovi ng Fath er made k n ow n t o them in Chri st
-
.
IV
Our surv ey of t h e Old Testam e nt showe d that great
importa n c e was attach e d t o social solidarity in prayer ,
t h e subm ergi n g of t h e pe r so n al an d privat e n ee d s of

t h e i n dividual in those of t h e larger group or com
mu nity to which h e b elon ge d Th i s a spe ct of prayer .
rec eive s much att e n tion in t h e N ew Te stamen t an d ,
1 88 N 3 ; v . 1 6 .
2
13 11 1 1 iv. . 6 ; I Th ess . v . 1 8 .
gives rise to som e i n t er e sti n g developm en t s Th ere .
is littl e of what may b e call e d n atio n al or patriotic

prayer in it s pages such as we fin d in t h e utt era n c es of
,
Ezra an d N eh emiah although t h e e xhortation of Paul to

,
Timothy to pray for ki n g s an d all who are in authority

may b e include d in that cat egory 1
Rath er th e com .
,
mu nity chiefly con t emplat e d in thi s corporat e or

u nit e d prayer is huma nity as a whol e or el se th e pe opl e ,
of God an d t h e di scipl e s of th e Lord J esu s group ed

withi n t h e Chri stian Church .
To this kind of commu nal or u nit e d prayer di sti n ct

val u e is attach ed by Chri st If two of you shall .
agr ee on earth as touchi n g a n ything that they shall

ask it shall b e don e for th em of My Father wh ich is
,
in h e av en For wh ere two or thr ee are gath ere d

.
”
together in My n am e th er e am I in t h e mid st of them,
2
.
J esu s m ea n t us to u n der sta n d that th er e is mor e in

t h e corporat e prayer of a group tha n in t h e ac cumu
lat e d se parat e prayer s of t h e i n dividual s who compo se
it B oth in what all several ly give an d in what all
.
,
unit e dly r ec eive through thi s group co n sciou sness

, ,
th er e is an adde d presen c e in bl e ssi n g exp eri en c e d in

soci al praye r which ca nn ot b e k n ow n by th ose who
pray in solitude apart .
In thi s co n nection it should b e bor n e in mi n d that

t h e Lord s Praye r it self is in a sp e cial se n se a corporat e
’
or social prayer Ther e is n o a ski ng for i solat e d or

.
detach e d bl essi n g s ; all th e p etitio n s are coll e ctive

and ge ner al pre se n t e d in th e n am e of huma nity as a
,
whol e Th e prayer is addr esse d to our Fath er wh ich

.
is in h e av e n ; t h e fo od a sk e d for is our daily br e ad

t h e forgiv e n e ss sought is a common forgiv en e ss de ,
1
1 Tim . ii . 2 .
2
M att . xviii . 1 9 ,
20 .
1 94 THE REALM or PRAYER
Fath er in Chri st withi n t h e sphere that is to say
, , ,
of His e ver livi n g r eig ni n g an d i n t erc e di ng Spirit

-
, , .
Chri st s own prayers for His pe opl e had n ot c ease d

’
.
Th ese co n ti nu e d t o b e offere d in h eave n as they had ,
b een b egu n on e arth an d t h e Church s prayer s w er e ’
but t h e e cho t h e conti nuation th e e xpression of h er

, ,
Lord s 1 ’
.
This truth e sp eci ally help s us t o see t h e significa n c e

for praye r of t he doctri ne of t h e Holy Spirit Th e .
t eaching of t h e N ew Te stam en t is that t h e Holy Spirit

i n cli nes us t o pray t eaches us how t o pray i n spires
, ,
our prayers h elp s our i nfirmity in prayer fulfil s an d

, ,
suppl em en t s our pray er s maki n g th e m pr e vail b e for e

,
t h e thro ne of God By prayer in t h e Holy Spirit

.
‘
t h e Chri stia n appropriat e s an d mak es his own t h e
victoriou s ade quacy and triumph of t h e Lord Our .
prayer s in t h e spirit of son ship and th e gr e at origi nal

i n t erc e ssion of th e Son on b ehalf of all huma n ity
(which we partake in as part of t h e et ernal life we have
in God ) illu strat e one a n oth e r Th e de ali ng of .
t h e Son with t h e Fath er on our b e half is that r e spo n se

t o t h e mi n d of th e Fath er in r elatio n t o us which , ,
in our participatio n in t h e Spirit of t h e Son is to b e ,
”
con ti nu e d an d p erp e tuat e d in our prayer s 2
Forgive .
n e ss life lov e p erfe cti ng as th e se thi n g s are en dl e ssly

, , , ,
stor e d for our san c t ific at ion in th e u n se archabl e rich e s
of Chri st are made availabl e for us in prayer thr ough

, ,
t h e commu n io n of t h e Spiri t in t h e m ea sur e of our ,
capacity an d our faith .
1
Se e A ppe n dix of Q uotation s L 4 6 -
‘
. .
,
2
J . M Le od Camp be ll Th e N atur e of th e A ton em
, en t, p . 23
7 .
THE PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 1 95
A direct conse qu en c e or corollary of thi s is th e prayer

of i n terc e ssion Th er e are ma n y r ea sons why th e
.
prayer of i n t erc e ssion should hav e a spe cial degree

of ho n our a ssig ne d to it in th e N ew Te stam en t It .
is t h e ki n d of praye r which was mo st r esort e d to by

Chri st ; it is t h e praye r which h as mo st lov e in it ,
i n a smuch as it dire ct s us to look n ot on our own thi n g s

but on th e thi ng s of oth er s ; an d indee d t h e ra n ge ,
an d i n t en sity of our l ov e for me n may b e m e a sure d
by our prayer s for th em But i n t erc e ssory praye r

.
in th e N ew Te stam e nt h as a p eculiar qu al ity of it s own ,
n ot fou n d in t h e Old Te stam e n t by virtu e of it s dir e ct

,
connectio n with th e ev er livi n g Lord Through Him

- .
,
Chri stians are n o long er i solat e d prayi n g p er so n s ,
co n sciou s of their i n dividu al need s an d a spirati o n s .
A s n ew cr e atur e s in Chri st J e su s th e y are m emb er s

,
of His body and His divi ne life circulat e s through

,
th em all e ach se veral limb h elping al l th e r e st by virtu e

,
of it s r elatio n ship with Him t h e H ead If one may

,
.
change th e metaphor it is as if a network of p er so n s

,
were abl e to commu n icat e with one a n oth er through

t h e t el epho n e b ecau se e ach on e is li nke d on to t h e
,
c e ntral offi c e of excha n ge .
Th e glori es an d privil eges of such high i n t ercom

mu nio n are well describ e d by N ewma n Vi ewe d .
in him self t h e Chri sti an e v e r pray s for pardo n and

,
co n fe sse s sin ; but vi ewe d in Chri st acc ept e d in

t h e B e lov e d clad in garm e n t s of right e ou sn e ss a n oi n t e d
, ,
with oil an d with a crow n upon h is h ead in royal an d ,
pri estly garb as an h eir of et er nity full of grac e an d

,
good work s as wal ki n g in all th e comma n dm en ts of
,
t h e Lord blam el ess— such an on e I r e pe at it is pl ai nly , ,
in h is fitting plac e wh e n h e int e rc e de s His .
prayer then c eforth tak e s a high er ra n ge an d co n t em ,
plat e s not him se lf m erely but oth er s al so He is tak en , .
i n to th e confide nc e an d cou n sels of his Lord an d

Savi our . He is in some sen se a proph et n ot a
servant who ob e ys without k n owing his Lord 5 pla n s
,
an d purpo se s but ev en a confid en tial an d familiar

,
fri e n d of th e O nly B egott e n Son of God calm coll ect e d

-
, , ,
prepar e d re solve d se r en e amid this r estl ess an d

, , ,
u nhappy world 0 myst ery of bl esse d ness too gr eat

.
,
to thi nk of st eadily l e st we grow dizzy ! Well is it ,
for those who are so gift e d that th ey do not for ,
c ertai n k n ow th eir privilege for what mortal h eart

could b ear to know that it is brought so near to God
I n carnat e as to b e one of those who are p erf ecti ng
holi n ess an d sta n d on th e v ery st ep s of th e thro ne
,
of Chri st 1
I n t h i s co n n ection it is importa n t to r e m emb e r that

in t h e Chri stian sch eme thi s pow er of i n t erc essio n is
t h e privil ege of all In t h e Old Testam en t it was th e
.
proph et s who wer e r egarde d as t h e chi ef agen t s in thi s

mini stry If i n t erc e ssion was de sire d it was ask ed for
.
,
at t h e ha n d s of Mose s Samu el Isaiah J eremiah some , , , ,
re e mi n en tly right e ou s an d holy man whose inh er e n t

-
p ,
good ne s s of charact e r might b e e xp ect e d to hav e weight

wh en h e praye d on b eh al f of his fellow s b efore God .
A n i n t ere sting surviv al of thi s ide a is co n tai n e d in th e

r equ est of Simo n Magu s to th e apostle P et er that h e
shoul d pray for him
2
.
1
J H N ewman P arochial an d P lain
. .
, Sermon s , v ol. iii . p .
39 8 ff .
2
A cts viii 2 4 . .
1 98 THE REALM or PRAYER
for us Withal prepar e me al so a lodgi ng ; for I
.
hop e that through your prayer s I shall b e gra n te d to

you 1
.
St Paul s hop e of progr e ss an d succ ess in
”
.
’
Chri stia n work that is to say r e st e d upo n e ven if it

, , ,
was n ot derive d from t h e prayer life of e ach i n dividu al ,
m emb er of t h e r edeem ed comm unity Ju st as J esu s .
Him self i n dicat e d that th e thru sti n g forth of mor e

labour er s i n to th e harvest dep en ded in a m ea sur e on
t h e praye r s that wer e addr e sse d to t h e lord of t h e
harvest so th e Apo stl e Paul felt an d taught that on th e
,
Church s co n ti n u e d i n t ere st a n d solidarity in prayer

’
dep en de d his own work for th e furth era n c e of th e

go sp el .
‘
It is probabl e that Roma n Catholic s derive more
spiritual en richm en t an d comfort from this truly
e va n g elical doctri n e of t h e commu n ion of t h e sai n t s ,
t h e o ne n ess an d solidarity of t h e Church a n d th e ,
mutual i n t errelatio n of all h er m emb er s in Chri st ,
t h e H e ad tha n Prot esta n t s do by whom f ell ow ship

, ,
with God is apt to b e mor e i n dividually con c eiv e d .
Wh en a devout Roma n Catholic goe s to wor ship h e ,
is r emi n de d by e v er ythi n g h e see s an d h e ar s by th e ,
se rvic e s at t h e altar t h e statu e s on t h e wall s t h e fac e s

, ,
that look down on him from nich e s an d side chap el s ,
th e rit es mad e hallowe d by t h e imm e mori al u sage of t h e

pa st that in bowi n g b efore God in prayer h e is comi n g
,
to an i n num erabl e ho st of a n gel s to t h e general ,
a sse mbly an d church of th e first bor n an d to th e spirit s -

,
of j u st men made p erfect He does n ot too n arrowly .
e n quir e in what se n se it is po ssibl e or l e gitimat e to
pray to such or to ask th em to pray for him It is

, .
en ough that his deep e st i n sti n ct in Chri st J esus prompt s

1
Phil . 1 . 1 9 2 Cor i. . 1 1 Philem . 22 .
THE PRAYER S or THE N EW T ESTAMEN T 1 99
him t o do both Th e quick an d t h e dead form one .
holy fellowship arou n d him as h e k neel s h e is moved

to i n vok e th eir aid as well as to i n t erc e de on th eir ,
b ehalf ; an d e v er th e se n se of th eir h eav enly com

p a n io n ship an d n e ar n e ss h elp s him to fight t h e hard
battl e and to run th e weary rac e .

1
Prot e sta n ti sm woul d do well to r ecov er what it .
se em s to hav e lost of thi s se n se of spiritual solidarit

y x
in Chri st Th ey that are Chri st s are one family in ’

. .
,
which sur ely th e nee d s of e ach should b e t h e con c er n

, ,
of all an d th e sympathy of all shoul d b e availabl e

, ;
for e ach A s it is Chri stia n s too much rese mbl e th e

.
,
builder s of J erusal em u n de r J er e miah : th e y are

”
se parat e d upo n t h e wall on e far from a n oth er
2
.
,
A s t h e ta sk of Chri st en dom to— day is gr eat an d large ,
thi s should n ot b e Might n ot t h e r al lyi ng cry of th e .
commu n io n of sai n t s th e o nene ss of all b eli ev ers in a ,
commo n Lord b e made th e sou n d of t h e trumpe t ,
that we n ee d to cau se us to r esort toge th er It is th e

privil ege of ev ery Chri stia n both to r ec eive fro oth er s m ,
an d to tra n smit to oth er s by m e a n s of praye r that , ,
i n fi nit e divi ne life which is suppli e d us with such

ful n e ss in Chri st J esus E spe cially might thi s com i ng .
li ng of spirit s in one commo n priesthood b e livi ng ly

appr eh e n ded in th e bl e sse d commu n ion of t h e Holy
Euchari st in which we chiefly shar e th e gracious i n t er
,
c e ssio n s of Chri st s sacrific e Thi s pul se of prayer (

’
.
which is without c ea si n g rai se s th e solitary man out

of his utt er loneli ne ss an d r e store s h im to th e moveme n t l ,
1
O n th e ubj ect of praye rs for
s th e d ad e an d t h e vocation of
in
sai ts
n , se e C o ce n in g P ayer pp
n r r , .
-
4 7 7 49 7 , an d P ayer by A J
r ,
. .
W orlle dge , pp 2 7 1 2 7 8 2 8 6 2 8 9
.
-
,
-
.
2
N eh . iv . 1 9 .
of th e life of th e whol e Catholic Church Through his .
commu nion with God in Christ his prayer reach e s all

oth er Chri stian mi ssion s an d t h e tide of t h e love of
,
”
th e whol e Church r e ach es an d r efre sh e s hi s dryn ess 1
.
What j oy what p eac e what progr ess would b e our s

, , ,
what power to tur n back th e en emy at th e gat e an d ,
to build up th e wall s of our spiritu al J erusal em might ,
we but make thi s glorious privil ege our own 3

1
G . on greve
C , Ch ristian Progress p
, . 1 86 .
On two occa sio n s th e myst ery is u n veil e d an d a ,
glimp se is given of t h e ma n n er of Chri st s praye r ’

.
O n e of th e se is on a mou n tai n t h e oth e r in a garde n

,
.
Th e forme r r epr e sen t s t h e e c sta sy th e latt er th e,
angui sh of our Lord s devotio n Of J esu s on th e

,
’
.
Mou n t of Tra n sfiguratio n we are told that as He

prayed th e fa shio n of His cou n t e nanc e was alt er e d .
”
Wh en He spak e of t h e dec ea se which He should acc om

p lish in J e ru sal e m ,
His whol e b e i n g wa s suffu se d by
,
a divine an d h eav e nly ra dia n c e of rapt co n se cratio n

to th e will of God On th e oth er h a n d of J e su s in
.
,
th e Garden of G e th se ma n e we r e ad that b ei ng in
an ago n y He praye d mor e e ar n e stly aski n g Wi th
,
stro n g cr yi n g an d t e ar s that t h e cup might pa ss It .
is n ot surpri si n g that di scipl es who had r ev er e n tly

gaze d on such sp ectacl es as th ese an d who had ,
wit n esse d Chri st s bl esse d ness an d power in prayer

’
shou l d com e to Him with t h e r e qu e st : Lord t e ach ,
us to pray . I n itiat e us i nto th e se cr et of this

myst ery an d this art .
Why did J e su s pray ? Mo st m e n s prayer s ari se ’
out of a con sciou sn ess of ali en atio n from God an d an ,
e ar n est de sir e that thi s al i e n atio n may b e ov ercom e .
Even th e lofti est an d pur e st prayer of th e Old Te sta.
men t showe d thi s charact e ri stic fe atur e Cr e at e

in me a cl e a n h eart 0 Lord an d r en ew a right spirit
, ,
withi n me . Je su s Him self re cognize d how p erfectly

right an d natural was thi s attitude in oth er s an d He ,
THE PRAYERS or JES U S 29 3
made provi sion for it in th e prayer He taught His

di scipl e s . Wh en ye pray say : Our Fath er which
,
art in h eav en forgiv e us our tresp asse s as we

forgive th em that tre spa ss agai n st us Ye t it is .
r emarkabl e that thi s almo st u niversal el em e n t in

huma n praye r ev en t h e holi e st fi n d s n o plac e what eve r
, ,
in t h e r e corde d prayer s of our Lord Him se lf He who .
”
could say I an d th e Fath e r are on e had n o n ee d
, ,
to pray in order t o b e r e co n cil e d to Him Not eve n .
in t h e pa ssio n at e supplicatio n s of G e th se ma ne is th ere

th e slight e st trac e of an y co n sciou sn ess of guilt or
spiritual al ie n atio n from God .
Why the n did J esus pray if n ot for purposes of

, , ,
co n fe ssio n ? Surely fpa purpose s of commu nio n an d

,
spiritual r e n ewal Th i nk of t h e programm e of an y

.
si n gl e day in our Lord s life How tryi n g an d fatigui n g

’
.
it mu st have b ee n He we n t from plac e to plac e

.
h eali n g th e sick t eachi ng t h e ig n ora n t comforti n g

, ,
th e sad co n t e n di n g with t h e Phari see s an d b eari n g

, ,
with t h e folly of His own di scipl e s What a reli ef it .
mu st have b een at t h e clo se of t h e bu sy day or in th e

, ,
qui et mor n i n g hour s b efore th e day b ega n to get away ,
from it all an d to b e al o n e with God Praye r to J e su s ! .
was n ot m er ely a j oy it was a n ec e ssity

,
Th e v irtue .
~
which we n t out from Him whe n He mi ngle d with th e

crowd n ee de d to b e r e stor e d t o Him in t h e secr et plac e ,
by th e spiritual re cup eration of privat e fellow ship

with God .
Th e h eart of man h as felt som ethi n g of thi s ne e d in

all age s G e orge Fr e de rick Watt s in day s n ot u nlik e
.
,
our own wh en th e public mi n d was agitat e d by hop es

,
a n d f ear s r egardi n g t h e fat e of G e neral Gordo n an d
t h e e xp e ditio n t o Khartoum t ell s us with what re li e f

,
h e tur n ed to t h e practic e of h is art as an e scap e from ,
th e t emporal i n to th e r egion of t h e e t er n al A n d what

1
.
art is to th e arti st prayer is to t h e Chri stia n an d to th e

,
saint Apart from it s valu e as a m eans of lowly

.
co nfession b efore God an d spiritual reco n ciliation with

,
Him it is preciou s simply as a r eli ef from t h e t en sion

,
of life s duti es and car es an d trial s an u nfailing rest ora

’
tive to th e j aded an d weary soul What ever daily .
ta sk we have to do we shall b e abl e to do better if we ,
come to it with a calm h eart a st eadfast mi n d an d a , ,
divi nely strength ened will through fellow ship with ,
God in th e se cre t plac e .
Where J esu s pray ? Th e gr eat maj ority of our

did
Lord s fellow—
’
cou n trym en in J eru sal e m prayed in th e
t empl e an d wer e doubtl e ss sati sfie d with that Th e
,
.
Phari sees on th e oth er ha n d love d t o pray at t h e

, ,
str ee t cor n er s wh er e th e y co uld b e see n of me n

, But .
J esu s scor n ed such o st en tatiou s publici ty of devotio n ,
an d la d str e ss on t h e importa n c e of privacy in praye r

i .
Wh en thou praye st en t er i n to thy i n ner chamb er

, ,
an d wh en thou ha st Shut thy door pray to thy Fath e r ,
which is in se cr et Pray delib erat ely that is to say

.
, ,
wh e n you c an b e at l ei sur e an d shut out t h e world .
I n our Lord s own ca se prayer in t h e i nn er chamb er

’
was impo ssibl e Wh er ever He we nt all men thro n ged

.
Him an d ev en in th e r ec esse s of His own house He

,
could not b e hid He had th er efore to seek solitude

.
, ,
1
George Frederick Watts , by M . S
. W atts , v ol . 11 . p .
30 .
plac es with Chri st th ere to b e Sh elt er ed
,
in a qui et
pavilion far from th e strife of tongu es
,
.
III
How did Je su s pray Th r four w ll recogni ze d
e e are e -
m od es or k i n ds of prayer Th ere is th e prayer of tha nk s

.
gi vi ng or adoration th e prayer of confe ssion th e

, ,
prayer of p etition an d th e prayer of int erc e ssio n It

,
.
h as alr eady b ee n r emark e d that th e el em en t of co n fe ssio n

is ab sen t from th e pray er s of J esu s I n sta n c es of both
.
tha nk sgivi n g an d pe titio n may b e adduc e d But t h e .
‘
n ot e worthy charact eri stic of Chri st s praye rs is thi s
’
that t h e maj ority of tho se re corde d are prayer s of

I i n t erc ession . Our Lord praye d for P et er that His ,
faith might fail n ot He praye d for His di scipl es that ,
b ei n g u n it ed i n to on e an d sa n ctified by th e truth they

, ,
might b ehold His glory He praye d for th e world that ,
through t h e witne ss of th e Church it might com e to ,
k n ow t h e Fath er through t h e Son ; an d He praye d ,
l ast of all for His murderer s that th ey might b e

, ,
forgive n .
Thi s charact eri stic of th e prayer s of J e su s it is ea sy

to u n der sta n d A man s prayer s are e ver t h e sur e
.
’
i n de x of his mi n d an d of his h eart an d if wh en we ,
are l e ar ni n g to pray we pray mo stly for our se lv e s

, ,
that is o nly what is to b e exp ect ed Si n c e we are all ,
e goi st s by na tur e But as we grow in grac e an d adva n c e

.
in holi n e ss our h eart s b e com e e nlarg ed our ra ng e of

, ,
lov e widen s an d our prayer s more an d more con c e rn

,
th emselves with th e n ee d s of oth er s We b egi n to .

THE PRAYERS OF JESU S 07
pray for our dear o ne s th e m emb ers of our family ;

,
for th e poor th e sick th e ig n ora n t t h e t empt e d ; for

, , ,
t h e n atio n for di ffer en t cla sse s withi n t h e n atio n for

, ,
all th e n ation s of ma nki n d If our h eart s b ecom e big

.
en ough we fin d that we c an pray e v e n for our e n e mi es

,
.
Ever th e depth an d i n t e n sity of our love may b e

m ea sur e d by th e width an d compr eh en siven e ss of our
int erc essio n s If we could pray in th e spirit of Chri st
.
J esu s we Shall pray littl e for our selv es much for

, ,
oth er p e opl e an d mo st of all for th e comi ng of th e

,
ki n gdom .
O ne thi ng more is to b e remark e d about t h e prayer s

of J e su s Some of th em wer e n ot gra n t e d Ye s
. .
,
though He was a Son an d th e o nly b egott en Son He

,
-
,
brought p etitio n s to t h e Fath er that wer e de ni ed Him .
St Paul we re m emb er b esought t h e Lord thric e

, ,
that h e might b e spar e d a c ert ain trial an d t h e ,
a nswer was only this My grac e is suffi ci en t for th e e

and My str en gth is made p erfect in thy weakne ss .
J esu s in lik e ma n n er thric e b e sought t h e Fath er that

, ,
t h e cup might pa ss It was n ot that He was eith e r

.
u n willi n g or afrai d t o die But that th e p e opl e .

,
whom He loved shoul d th em selv es put to death th eir

own M e ssiah — that was t h e trag e dy He would fai n
av ert A n d th e a n swe r to that prayer so pa ssion at ely

.
,
pr esse d ? O n ly an a ng el str en gth en i n g Him to say

Fath er n ot My will but Thi n e b e do n e
, , .
Som e hav e b ee n call e d on to pa ss through a Similar

G eth sema ne to day The y hav e praye d to God
-
.
e ar nestly about som ethi n g on which th eir h eart was
set t h e S pari n g of som e lov e d one p erhap s who was
, , ,
t h e v ery light of th eir e yes an d d e ar er tha n life it se lf

.
Th ey hav e felt that their s was n o selfi sh or u n r ea sonabl e

requ est It was n ot th eir own happi n ess th ey most
.
considere d in th eir prayer but t h e glory of God as

, ,
th ey thought an d th e good of oth er s A n d yet

, .
what was t h e a n swer th eir prayer rec eive d A n a n g el

h elpi n g th em to b ear th eir lo ss God is n ot harsh with
.
us in thi s an y more tha n He was har sh with J e sus

, .
B ett er far b ett er tha n getti n g what we wa n t in life

, , ,
is to h ear O n e sayi ng u n to us My grac e is suffi ci en t

for th ee an d to b e e n abl e d to r espond , in lowly
faith Fath er n ot my will but Thi ne b e do n e
, ,
to those b eyon d it s border s to tho se withi n th em or
, ,
to God Him self who is th e Fath er of us all I n t h e fir st .
of th ese r elatio n ship s we hav e t h e Church wit nessi n g ,
mi ni st eri n g eva n gelizi n g in th e se co n d we have th e

, ,
Church comforti n g str e ngt h eni ng buildi n g up

, ,
in
th e third we have th e Church worshipp in g in t h e
, ,
spi ri tual e x erci se s of commu nio n praise an d prayer

, , .
I n a se n se t h e la st n am e d of th e se fu n ction s is t h e mo st
,
import a n t of th e three Sinc e it is t h e sourc e an d i n spira

,
tion of th e other two Th e Church if it is t o make

.
,
discipl e s of all n ation s mu st fir st of all l ear n to tarry

,
till it receiv e power from on high If it is to expou n d .
t h e Word an d bri n g up it s own m emb er s in th e faith ,
it c an o nly do so as it conti n ually d ep en d s on th e gift .
of God s Spirit through th e e xerci se of prayer I n dee d

’
.
,
t h e Church s commu n io n with it s h e av en ly Lord may

’
b e said to b e th e chi e f r ea son for it s e xi st e n c e th e ,
high est and n obl est a sp ect of it s whol e Spiritual activity .
We de sire that we may have fellow ship on e with a n oth er ,
an d we d e sir e that oth er s may hav e f ellow ship with us ,
only that both th ey an d we may have fellow ship with

t h e Fath er and with His Son J e su s Chri st .
Th e en tir e ord eri n g of t h e servic e s of th e sa n ctuary

Should hav e thi s in vi ew Th er e is too much idolatry
.
of preachi n g in some church es too littl e recog nitio n,
of th e importa n c e of seemly an d rev er en t d evotio n .
All th e oth er el em en t s of public wor ship prayer s , ,
hym n s offert ory Scriptur e r eadi n g n otic es have

, , , ,
eve n , in som e insta n c e s b ee n all group e d toge th er

,
an d di sparagi ngly r e f err e d to as pr elimi n ari es

som ethi n g to b e got ov er an d put out of t h e way so ,
to sp eak in order to cl ear th e grou n d for th e suprem e

,
climax of t h e servic e t h e se rmon an d that displa y

, ,
THE PRAYERS OF THE SAN CTU ARY 21 1
of sacre d rh etoric of which it is to b e made th e occa sio n .
Very di ffere n t was t h e poi n t of vi ew of G e orge H erb ert

ort to se rmo n s but to praye rs mo s t
R es ,
Prayin g s t h e en d o f preachin g 1
’
.
”
Th e
truth is that e ach of th e se ex ercise s should
,
fertiliz e and e nrich t h e oth er Prayer should cr eat e .
t h e favourabl e co n ditio n s for succ e ssf ul pre achin g ,
a s sun shi n e an d r ai n pr e par e t h e soil for t h e pla n ting of
t h e see d pr eachi n g in it s tur n Should i n cli n e th e soul

, ,
to prayer as all t h e b e st se rmon s i n variably do I n

, .
a rightly co n duct ed servic e ma n s approach to God ,

’
in praise and praye r will b e as much h eld in ho n our a s

God s approach to man in grac e an d gosp el 2
’
.
It should b e r e m emb ere d that in th e prayer s of th e

sa n ctuary t h e mi n i st e r c ea se s to b e a proph e t an d
b ecome s a pri e st He th en voice s n ot th e authoritative

.
Word of God to man but th e humbl e supplicati n g cry of ,
man to God Thi s Si ngl e fact should vit ally affe ct our
.
c on c eptio n of t h e whol e se rvic e an d th e variou s part s

th ere of I n preachi n g th e mi ni st er confro n t s th e
.
,
co ngr egation as it s t each er an d i n structor in prayer ,
1 orge Herbe rt The Ch u ch P or ch

Ge ,
r -
.
Compare R ichard Hoo k r

2
B e twee n t h e thro n e of G od in
e
h ave an d His Church upo n e arth here militan t if it b e so that

e n
A g ls hav e th eir co n tin ual i te rcourse wh re should we fi n d t h e

n e n ,
e
same more v rifi e d than in the se two ghostly e xe rcis s

e th e o e e n
Doctrin e a d t h e oth e r Praye r ? For what is t h e asse mbli g

,
n n
of t h e Church to l arn b ut t h e rec eivin g of A g ls descen de d from

,
e n e
above ? Wh at to pray but t h se din g of A n gels upward ? His

,
, e n
heave ly i spiratio s a d our holy d ire s are as o man y A n gels

n n n n es s
of i t rcourse an d commerce be tw e n G od an d us A s t achin g

n e e e
bri geth u to k ow that God is our supr m truth ; so praye r

.
n s n e e
t tif th that we ack owled g Him our sove reign good ( E ccles
es ie n e .
P olity book chap

, v . .
he ra th er ra nk s him self with it as it s mouthpi ec e an d
r epresentative He is in th e pulpit or at t h e prayi ng
. ,
desk n ot so much as th e amba ssador of Chri st b e see ch

,
,
in g me n in His st e ad to b e r eco n cil e d to God ; but

as t h e cho se n pri e stly spok e sma n of h is f ellow si n n er s
-
,
on e tak en from amo n g h is br e thr e n an d compa sse d
about with i nfirmity even as th ey pre se n ti n g th e

,
spiritual sacrific e s of all b efor e t h e thro n e of grac e .
I n both ca se s t h e proph e tic an d t h e pri e stly th ere is

, ,
n ee d of much inward wr e stli ng if we are to pr e v ai l .
But in th e form er ca se it is o nly a wr e stling with men

in th eir soul s an d co n sci e nc e s ; in th e latt e r it is t h e
,
far more awful wr estli ng with God in th e Holy Spirit .
I n th e pre sent chapt er it will b e con v e ni en t to c on

sider chi efly t h e o ffe ri n g of fr ee or e xt e mpor e pray er
i n public wor ship . Th e di ffi cul ti e s which b ese t th e

worthy ex erci se of thi s mo st importa n t mi n i stry may
b e bri efly e n um erat e d .
i( ) Some diffi culti es arise out of th e sp ecial condition s

and p eculiar p sychology of p ublic worship Th e l e ad er in
.
th e prayer s of t h e sanctuary h as t o addr e ss God ye t ,
b e ov erh eard by men .His aim is by on e an d th e sam e

,
act to pl ead with th e Fath er an d also to ki n dl e an d

,
impress His childr en I n secr et prayer t h e mi n ist er

.
need thi nk of no one but him self and God Th e study .
door is clo sed th e world shut out an d th ere is nothing

, ,
to di stract th e mind from clo se i n timacy and ab solut e

privacy of commu nion with th e Fath er But wh en th e.
our n ame so that th e fixi n g of our att en tio n on his
,
bodily presence would b e n ot a help but rath er a ,
distractio n We rightly then commit th e mo st

.
, ,
spiritual part of our wor ship which is praye r to th e , ,
e xclu sive k eepi ng of t h e mo st spiritual of our se n se s ,
which is h e ari n g But it should b e r e memb ere d that

. ,
in so doi n g we limit t h e r an ge of t h e mi ni st e r s se lf
’
e xpr e ssio n in so far as it act s upo n t h e pe rso n ality of

,
his h e ar er s .
iii
( ) A n oth e r di fficulty of public pray e r ari ses from
the variety o f ty p es re p resen ted in th e con gregation .
These i n cl ude you n g an d old l ear ne d an d ig n ora n t , ,
rich an d poor H ere is a soldie r th er e a you ng wi dow

.
, ,
yon der a littl e child O ne com e s to church over .
flowi n g with good spirit s an d in t h e mood of prai se ;

a n oth er is overwh elme d with life s grief s an d sorrow s ’
an d lo n gs to pour out h is complai n t s b e for e t h e Fath e r
a third is burde ned with t h e co n sciou sne ss of Sin ,
an d look s for som e word of co n f essio n an d forgivene ss .
Nor are th ese all Th e mi ni st er s ta sk h eavy e n ough

.
’
in an y ca se would b e i n finit ely light en e d if h e had

,
o nly to voice t h e n eed s an d a spiratio n s of tho se who

wan t to pray I n additio n h e h as t o lift up t h e d e ad
.
,
weight of those who co nfe sse dly do n ot He h as to .
quicke n th e lifel ess warm t h e cold he art e d Show ,

-
,
Pi sgah vi sio n s to those who grovel in t h e du st an d ,
win over to t h e mood of praye rful n e ss tho se who cam e

origi nally to scoff Thi s ki n dli n g thi s m elti n g thi s
.
, ,
stirrin g u
p of men to lay hold on God is p erhap s t h e ,
harde st p ar t of a mi n i st er s public prayer t h e part in ’
which h e is m ost consciou s of his nee d of that graciou s

an d lovi n g Spirit who is e xpr essly giv en to h elp us in
our infir mities .

THE PRAYERS OF THE SAN CT U A R Y 21 5
iv
( ) Fi n ally th e
,r e are t h e di fficulti es which are
i n separabl e from human frailty an d its chan geful moods .
At t h e v ery momen t wh e n thi s sacr ed pri estly duty is

laid upon t h e mi ni st er wh en all sort s an d co n ditio n s
,
of men exp ect that h e Should l ead th em i n to t h e holy

plac e an d wh e n h e him self is a n xiou s to feel an d to
,
do h is b e st a thou sand circum sta n c es co n spir e t o

,
di sco n c e rt him He h as awake d that mor ni n g from

.
S l eep with a biliou s h e adach e th e day s corre spo n d

’
e n c e h as brought bad new s ; h is n erv es have b ee n

irritat e d by lat e or hurri e d m eal s or som e hou sehold
wra n gli ng ; a mom en t b efore in his privat e ve stry , ,
a j ocular deaco n or a fu ssy elder h as dragge d his soul

e arthward s wh e n it would f ai n soar h e av e n ward s ;
or som e o ne h as bur st in at t h e la st mom e n t to pl ead

for a good a n n ou n c e me n t of an approachi ng co n c ert
in t h e pulpit it se lf wh e n h e ri se s to o ffe r praye r h e is
, ,
hara sse d by i n c essa n t coughi n g or th e ba ngi n g of a ,
door or t h e whi sp er s of t h e choir an d ala s ! h e c an

, ,
har dl y give wi ng to h is own devotio n s much l e ss fee l ,
abl e to lift an d su stain th e flight of others .
II
Th e di scomfort s di stractio n s
att en dan t upo n
an d
public prayer howe ve r are not felt o nly by t h e pre

, ,
id
s in g min s e
i t r ‘
Th e con gregation too may hav e it s
.
, ,
u n ea sy momen t s e v en it s bad quart er s of an hour

,
.
If from t h e sta n dpoi n t of th e pew to b e obliged to

, ,
li st e n to bad preachi n g is to b e cha sti se d with whip s ,
th e n obviou sly to b e obliged to li st en to amat eur

, ,
21 6 T HE REALM OF PRAYER
an d crude praying in th e pulpit is to b e cha sti se d with

scorpion s Th e defe ct s an d Shortcomi n gs of ex tem
.
pore prayer which sometimes give ri se to th ese mi se ri e s

on th e part of lon g su fferi n g con gr egations may b e
-
bri efly summarize d .
Th y re too p erfun ctory Th e lifel e ss r e p e titio n

()
1 e a .
of hack neye d st er e otyp e d an d familiar phra se s ex

, ,
presses n o genui ne religiou s feeli ng in him who spe ak s ,
an d bri n g s n o spiritual r e fr e shm ent to tho se who h e ar .
ii
( ) Th e y are too literary T h e mi n ist e r
. i n st e ad of ,
adhe ri n g to Scriptural purity an d childlike simplicit y

of la n g uage gar n i shes h is speech with rhe torical
,
flouri sh es elaborat e refin emen t s choic e r emi n i sc en c e s

, ,
of Tenn yso n an d Brow ni n g or th e lik e What an ,

.
Am erican j our n ali st on c e refe rr e d to as th e fine st

prayer e ve r addresse d to a Bo ston audi en ce b elonge d
to t hi s cla ss (iii ) Th ey are too illiterate Vulgari sm s
. .
,
sol eci sm s error s of ta st e ungrammatical and u n couth

, ,
e xpr e ssio n s mak e t h e b earer wi n c e It is n ot denie d .
that i n coheren t an d troubl e d prayer may b e warm

with th e spirit of devotio n an d far more acc eptabl e ,
to th e Father tha n th e icily cold phra se s of flawl ess

but i n si n c ere devotion Wh at is urge d is that we
.
ought to offer God n ot m er ely what He is willing to

acc ept but what He is worthy to re ceive an d that
, ,
sur ely i n clude s corr e ct la n guag e an d a prope rly con
struct e d sen t e n c e
(iv) The y are too irreveren t Th e
. .
gu shin g an d colloqui al la n guage of i n timat e an d e ven

amorou s e n dear ment is felt to b e u n b ecomi n g in
Si nf ul mort al s addr essi n g t h e High an d Holy O n e
who i nhabit eth et er n ity an d who is t h e Lord as well
,
as t h e Lover of m e n s soul s
(v) Th e y are too didactic
’
. .
Either they set out to i nform God of ma n y t h i n gs ,

adva n tage of b eing in it se lf a thi n g of b e auty an d a j oy
for ever Th e very fact that liturgical prayer is said ov er
.
an d over agai n in t h e sam e word s en de ar s it to t h e

, ,
wor shipp er who fin d s in every utt era n c e of it inex

,
pre ssibl e suggestion s an d hau n ti ng m e mori es of child

hood as w ell as a li nk bi n di n g him to di sta n t ages an d
,
t h e u niver sal Church throughout t h e world A s for .
t h e mi ni st er h e tur n s to such praye r tha n kful ly

, ,
feeli n g that h e cann ot improv e upo n what h as su ffi c e d

for t h e pi ety of th e sain t s in all ge n eratio n s an d that , ,
to h is gre at p eac e of mi n d h e is n ot calle d upo n to try , .
A pr escrib e d form of prayer relie ve s him who co n duct s

t h e servic e from a gr eat burden of a n xiou s respon sib i
lit y ; it prot e ct s t h e co n gr e gatio n from b ei n g at t h e
m ercy of t h e mo od s vagari es idiosy n cra sie s a n d , , ,
p erhap s vulgariti es of th e pre sidi ng mi nist e r ; an d it

S ecure s that an orde re d an d worthy utt era n c e Shall
b e given to t h e mo st p ermanen t an d compreh en sive
a spiration s of t h e h uma n heart 1 .
At th e same tim e th e r eligiou s i n sti n ct an d historical

,
e xp e ri en c e of ma n y bra n ch e s of t h e Chri stia n Church
have led th em to r ej ect t h e lit urgic al form of public

wor ship I n the ory a liturgy h as much to recomm en d
.
it but in practic e it doe s n ot always com e up to ex pec

,
t ation A good choir an d orga n i st are almo st i n dis

.
pen sable b esides a mi ni st er and pe opl e thoroughly

,
co n ver sa n t with it Mor eove r a liturgy ca n n ot b e

.
,
made t o order It should b e th e slow growth an d

.
outcom e of th e gener al mi n d of th e whole Church ,
an d dabbl er s in t h e art O f prayer — b ook maki ng are apt

to stumbl e i n to many pitfall s It is fou n d t oo that .
, ,
liturgical prayer ea sily b ecomes cold formal lifel ess , , ,
1
Se e A ppen di x of Q uotation s , M .
T HE P R AYERS OF THE SAN CT UARY 21 9
over decorou s an d m e cha n ic al r e quiri n g n o r eal

-
, ,
spirituality of mi n d in him who o ffer s it an d maki n g,
but littl e spiritual de ma n d on th e fervour and att en tio n

of tho se who follow B e si de s if liturgic al prayer
.
,
provide s for t h e adequat e e xpr essio n of ma n s commo n ’
an d u n iv e r sal wa n t s it is a poor i n strum en t for t h e

,
utt e ri n g of h is spo n ta n e ou s an d fluctuati n g de sir es ,
tho se warm lo ngi n g s an d a spiratio n s which t h e Spirit

Him self imm ediat ely i n spires .
No doubt th e ideal servic e would b e one in which

t h e adva n tage s of e ach typ e of praye r could b e se cure d
without th e di sadva n tage s of eith er We should th e n
.
avoid S love nline ss an d frigidity alik e But thi s p erfe ct

.
goal is hard t o re ach for t h e mor e e xc e ll e n t t h e re n de r

,
in g of e ith er t h e fr ee or t h e pr e scrib e d form of praye r ,
t h e mor e di fficult it b e co mes to pa ss from t h e on e mod e

of wor ship to th e oth er withi n a S i n gl e se rv ic e A s a .
rul e it seem s b est t o k ee p th em se parat e What is

, .
wholly suit e d t o t h e M etropolita n Tab er n acl e woul d

n ot at all succ ee d in W e stmi ni st er Abb e y a nd a n y ,
att empt t o combi n e such oppo sit e ideal s would o n ly

rui n both Each type of wor ship may b e excell en t
.
wh e n at it s b est an d what is mor e oft e n forgott en

, ,
e ach may b e w e ll n igh u nen durabl e wh e n at it s wor st .
It is diffi cult to choo se b etw een th e bath os of vulgar ,
platitudi n ou s an d irre vere n t free praye r and t h e utt e r

, ,
bore dom of hurri e dly gabbl ed or monoton ou sly mumbl ed

liturgical prayer .
A well k n ow n m od er n preach er an d writ er h as pun

-
gen tly e xpr esse d t h e de fect s an d shortcomi n gs of both

typ es . I do n ot like t h e No n co nf ormi st se rvic e s .
I ca n t sta nd t h e e xt empor e prayer s like l eadin g articles

’
addre sse d to God an d wh en th ey are n ot like that ,

I am ways i nwar dly criticizi n g them (I ca n t h elp it )
al
’
an d that attitude of mi n d is t h e v e ry a n tipod e s of
wor ship A n d th e inevitabl e p er son ality in t h e styl e

. ,
which is so right in a sermo n is u n desirabl e in a praye r

,
.
It is th e mi ni ste r who prays not t h e p e opl e A right ,

.
public prayer is so writt en that e ach per so n c an fill

up it s outli n es with his own wa n t s an d wi shes an d at ,
t h e sam e tim e f eel a sympathy with t h e want s an d

lon gi n gs of th e rest of th e congregatio n I can fin d that .
in th e Church of E n glan d prayer s but whereve r I go ,
n ow or have go ne of lat e t h e prayer s are so gabbl e d

,
over take n at such railway speed and so u n touch ed by

, ,
an y r e v er en c e or d evotio n that it mak es me furiou s

1 ”
.
,
IV
qualitie s mo st to b e desire d in e xt empore public
Th e
prayer are order reveren c e freedom vari ety com
, , , ,
preh ensiveness an d that in definab le added grac e which

,
we call u n ctio n P erhap s t h e gr eat est of the se is order

.
,
con secutiven e ss a c ertai n logical developmen t an d

,
devout progress from one mo od of th e Spirit to a n oth er ,
and t h e groupi n g togeth er of such supplications as are

appropriat e to each I n th e divi sion an d di stributio n
.
of th e variou s part s of prayer throughout a public

servic e as well as in th e archit ectural con structio n
,
of each se parat e prayer this cla ssificatio n of devoti onal

,
mat eri al is mo st importa n t Not o nly doe s th e right

.
orderi n g of a prayer pr even t r e petitio n an d overlappi n g ,
an d gr e atly ai d t h e m emory of him who o ffer s it ;
it al so provide s th e most natur al of sympath etic

1
Lif e and L tt r
e e s o f Stopfor d B rook e , by L . P J ack s p
.
, .
5 95 .
ii
( ) I n e v ery public se rvic e of t h e sa n ctuary th e re
ought to b e a plac e for than k sgivin g in prayer Nothi ng .
so r ai se s th e soul to t h e mood of S piritual communi o n
as a r eh ear sal of t h e b e ne fit s we hav e r e c eive d from
God an d there are always some in a con gregation

,
who chi efly desire to prai se Him b e cau se of His m ercy

an d lovi n g ki ndness I ex hort th er efor e
. say s ,
th e apostl e Paul that fir st of all supplicatio n s

, , , ,
prayer s i n t erc e ssion s an d givin g of than k s b e made

, ,
for all me n It is well to study vari ety in thi s as

.
” 1
in all othe r part s of public pray er an d to have a ,
n u mb er of differen t sch eme s of tha n k sgivi n g for

differe n t occa sions Th e glory and maj e sty of t h e
.
divi ne attribut es ; t h e power and wi sdom of G od in .
n ature ; His love in Chri st an d in t h e Holy Spirit ;

t h e forgiv ene ss of S in s t h e gift s of provid e n c e t h e
, ,
me an s of grac e an d t h e hop e of glory our homes our ,
cou n try our spiritual privil eges t h e gr eat dee d s

, ,
wr ought for us by our for efath er s— all the se may b e

made th e th eme s of lovi ng an d grat e ful r e coll ectio n
b efor e God Not l e ss should m entio n b e made of t h e
.
tri al s an d ch ast enin gs an d di sappoi n tme n t s of life ,
which purify our charact er an d stabli sh us in grac e ,
an d which , n o l e ss tha n what we call bl essi ng s are ,
ma nifestatio n s of a Fath er s love Too gr eat par ’

.
t ic ul arit y of r ef er en c e Shoul d b e avoide d in pub lic

tha n k sgivi n g What ever in t h e affair s of memb er s
.
of t h e congregation t ouch e s t h e h eart t o gratitude

an d prai se Should o nly b e ge nerally an d spiritually
glanc e d at an d th e particular application l eft t o th e

,
i n dividual s con c er n e d .
(iii ) A n atural se qu el to t h e r e me mbra n c e of God s

’
0
1
I Tim ii . . I .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SAN CTU ARY 223
good ness to us is a f
of our Sin and un wort hi
con ession
ne ss in t h e use we hav e mad e of His good gift s Few .
prayer s are m or e di ffi cul t t o offer tha n tho se of public

p enit e n c e an d co n tritio n A general con fe ssion of sin
.
t ouch e s n o one v ery closely and yet t h e particul ar de

,
taile d con fe ssion of definit e Si n s woul d n ot b e appropri

at e t o all. It is n ot e a sy t o strik e a m ean b etween t h e
poig na n t p er son al admi ssion of i n dividual tra n sgression
and th e somewhat n on committal vagu e ack n owledg
-
m e n t that we are all mi se rable offe nder s an d have

do n e tho se thi n g s which we ought n ot to have do ne .
A h elpful way of bri n gi n g hom e t o t h e co n sci en c e t h e

gravity of sin is t o dw e ll in prayer on t h e pati en c e an d
t e n der ness of that Love agai n st which it h as b een com
mitt ed an d th e graciou s war ni n g s and appe al s which
,
it h as h eedle ssly ca st a side Si n s of omi ssio n as well

.
as of commi ssio n si n s of thought an d motive as w e ll

,
a s of word an d d ee d si n s of d e lib eration as w e ll as of

,
h ee dl ess folly should all b e humbly ack n owl edg ed

,
b efore God In co nf essing them we should b e re ady

.
,
to admit that God is cl ear wh en He judges th ese thi n g s ,
an d right e ou s wh e n He pu n i sh es th e m at th e sam e time

we Should e xpr ess our tru st in His r e d ee mi n g m erci e s ,
a n d His r e adi ne ss t o blot out as a thick cloud our
tra n sgr e ssio n s .
(iv ) A n appropriat e clo se t o t h e prayer of confe ssion

is t h e pray er of con secration in which we humbly
pre se n t our selv es o nc e mor e to God as a living sacrifice ,
holy an d acc eptabl e in His S ight Thi s type of prayer .
is e sp e cially fitti n g at a commu ni o n servic e wh e n , ,
aft er tha n k sgivi n g for God s m erci e s in Chri st J e su s

’
and a lowly co nfe ssion of our u n worthi ne ss we solem nly ,
de dicat e ourselve s afre sh t o His servic e de siring t o ,

bri n g forth fruit s worthy of repe n tan c e in our d aily
life .
v
( ) A furth er se ctio n of public prayer should b e
devot ed to p etition Thi s is a v ery large di vi sion and

.
,
may b e as wide and compreh ensive as ma n s l e gitimat e

’
de sires What ever it is good for us to have in thi n gs

.
t emporal or in thing s spiritual in deliv era n ce from ,
evil or in th e p erfe cti ng of right e ou sne ss in t h e lif e ,
which n ow is or in that which is t o com e may b e ,
i ncluded in thi s prayer Th e danger h ere is that we .
att empt to i n clude too much B e tt er a few urge nt .
requ est s care fully sel ect e d and co n ti nually vari ed tha n
, ,
an en deavour to e xpre ss everythin g that may b e

desired I n som e ca ses it is good that th e particular
.
request s of i n dividu al memb er s of th e congr egatio n

should b e made know n to th e whol e wor shipping
a ssembly an d unit edly presen t e d in prayer b efor e God .
vi
( ) Finally an importa
,
n t plac e should a l way s be
given in public prayer to in tercession Thi s r equire s .
th e mo st car e ful and sympath e tic att e ntio n of t h e

pre si ding mi nist er Th ere are so ma n y sort s and c on
.
dition s of me n who ought to b e r e m e mb er e d in t h e

i n t erce ssion s of th e sa n ctuary th e b ereaved th e , ,
t empt ed th e oppressed t h e l on ely th e a fflict e d t h e

, , , ,
age d th e young th e littl e childr en tho se who rul e ov er

, , ,
us tho se who prot e ct our shore s O

, r are e xpo se d t o spe cial
p eril s our mi ssionari e s an d th eir conve rt s in foreign

,
la n ds th e u n iver sal Church throughout th e world It

, .
is diffi cult e ven to e num erat e t h e variou s cla sses that

plead to b e i n cluded still mor e so to make appropriat e
,
referenc e to th em all without th e prayer b ecoming

,
t edi ou s and perfu n ctory No part of t h e se rvice c an.
so fittingly b e tur ned i nto th e form of a pre scrib ed

2 26 THE REALM OF PRA Y ER
Suppose through th e carel essness or forgetful ness
, , ,
or ign ora nc e or idio sy n crasy of th e mi n i st er n o

, ,
prayer is offer ed for th e city or it s rul ers or for th e sick ,
an d dyi ng or for th e s orrowful or for tho se in da n g er

, ,
on t h e se a or for di sta n t fri e n d s or for littl e childr e n

, , ,
or for tho se who have lost th e ki ndly light of r ea son ,
or for prodigal s or for tho se who have se cre t tri al s

,
suppose th er e to b e n o tha n k sgivi n g s for gift s of

Providen c e for delivera n c e from di sea se for succour
, ,
to t h e soul for i n crea se of light for t h e comi ng of Chri st

, , ,
for t h e i n dwelli ng of th e Holy Gho st for t h e victory ,
of t h e depart ed for th e life everla sti n g— will th ere n ot

,
b e hu n dr e d s who en t ere d t h e church lade n with th e

weight of car e or gratitude and who hop e d to th e end , ,
but hop ed in vai n for r eli ef Can an y se rvic e wh er e

, ,
such p etitio n s an d tha n k sgivi n g s are abse n t b e call e d ,
public wor ship 1
It is obvious that a ministry so e xalt e d an d so A
e xacti n g as that of vicariou s public prayer ca n n ot b e
adequat ely fulfill ed without much p ai nstaki ng pre

p ar a t ion .
Thr ee a sp ect s of this subj ect may her e b e
touche d upon .
(i ) Th e p rep aration of the p rayer Th ere is n o reason .
why th e devotio n s of public wor ship Shoul d b e l e ss

car efully thought out b eforehand than th e subj ect
of th e sermo n or t h e sele ction of th e hym ns Th e .
words to b e addressed to God are surely as dese rvi n g

of att en tio n an d co n sideratio n as those t o b e addre sse d
1
J oh n W atson Th e
, Cure o
f Souls , p . 21 3 .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SAN CTU ARY 2 27
to man Thi s doe s n ot nec essarily m ea n that th ey

.
should b e previou sly writt e n out an d memorized .
Th e prayer that sm ell s of t h e mid night lamp an d ,
betrays a co n sciou s e ffort at literary comp ositio n is ,
ge nerally a failure Mor e over n othi ng is more likely .

,
t o bring about a collap se in public prayer tha n t h e

att e mpt to m ai ntai n a dual consciou sne ss in devotion ,
to sp eak fre ely and na turally to th e Father whil e

e n d eavouri n g t o r ecoll ect t h e particular p h ra ses of a
Writt en ma nu script Wh en t h e mi ni st er ri se s to .
pray h e should throw all pla n s and Sk etch es to t h e

,
wi n d s an d soar on t h e pi nio n s of a free spiritual devo

,
tio n But thi s doe s n ot preclude t h e givi ng of pr eviou s

.
thought t o th e broad outli ne or logical orderi ng of

public prayer When t h e mi n d h as o nc e fully gra spe d
.
t h e se qu en c e of id e a s it m e a n s t o follow th e choic e ,
of phra se ology may safely b e l eft t o th e i n spiratio n of

t h e mom e nt It Shall b e give n you in that sam e
.
hour what ye shall speak .
An e xc ell ent pr eparatio n for pulpit prayer is th e

habit of readi ng and m editati ng b eforehand t h e pub
lish ed prayer s of som e gr e at ma st e r of t h e spiritual
life Th ere is no more d elightful or profitable subj ect
.
of study for a mini st er tha n t h e prayer book s of

, ,
-
Chri st e n dom or t h e liturgiology of t h e Church It is .
sur e ly r e a so n abl e an d ri ght that t h e man of praye r
should study t h e prayer s of St Augu sti ne Bi shop .

,
A n drewe s G e orge Daw so n C H Spurge o n or H e nry

, ,
. .
,
Ward B eecher as clo se ly and att en tively as t h e,
preach er stu die s t h e di scour se s of Hugh Latim er ,
J. H N e wman . or Fr e d erick W Rob ert so n

,
It is . .
n ot of cour se d esirabl e that th e se shoul d b e slavi shly

, ,
followed e ve n if that wer e possibl e But at l ea st

,
.
th ey might provide a model and an ide al an d e n abl e ,
those who brooded over th em to ri se to som e m easure

of th eir range their pa ssio n an d their p ower N o
, ,
.
one who h as st eep e d him self in t h e gr e at coll ect s of
t h e Church for e xampl e an d h as l ear n e d to lov e th eir

, ,
co n ci se bre vity their clas sic an d choic e diction their

, ,
e motio n al r estrai n t th eir breadth and catholicity of

,
se n tim e nt is likely to b e b etraye d into th e long wi n ded

,
-
an d vulgar ba n aliti e s that som etim es d egrade public
e xt empor e pray er .
It Should furth er b e rem emb er e d that th e fou n tai n s

of public prayer may b e co n sta ntly re pl e nishe d duri ng
t h e wee k by th e ological study A s Luth er has truly
.
sai d orare est studisse and t h e mi ni st er who is familiar

,
with th e great doctrines of t h e Church wh o is ever ,
r ever en tly e xploring t h e my st eri e s of t h e I n car n ation ,
t h e R e d emptio n an d th e Life Everla sting is r e ally

, ,
at th e se cret sourc e of inexhau stibl e suppli es of grac e .
All h is spring s are in God I n pr eparation for th e .
prayers of t h e sa n ctuary th en it is not nec e ssary to

, ,
con fi n e one self to what is u sually call e d devotio nal

r eading All dilige nt study of gr eat lit eratur e which
.
e nlarge s t h e mind ki n dle s t h e ima ginatio n str e ngth e n s

, ,
t h e co n sci en c e an d sati sfi e s t h e h ea rt will b ear fruit

, ,
in t h e d e votional life in due tim e to t h e la sti n g adv an ,
tage of both privat e an d public prayer .
ii
( ) T h e p re p aration of th e con gregation Quit e half .
of a mi nist er s ea se and lib erty in prayer is contribut e d

’
by th e r esponsive sympathy of th ose who pray with

him It is possibl e to b e imme diat ely se n sitive to
.
t h e gr eat di ffer e nc es which e xi st amo n g co n gr egations

in thi s r espe ct In som e plac es of wor ship it is al mo st
.
impossible t o offer public prayer Th e p e opl e Sprawl .

,
pe opl e in pa storal vi sitation an d who b ear s them oft en
,
on h is h eart b efore God in th e i n ner chamb er will ,
have no difficulty in con ducting th eir devotion s in

t h e house of pray er Th e only way to pray well
.
,
wh eth er in public or in privat e is to dwell with th e

,
Ki n g for His work an d to keep u n taint ed th e spri ng s

,
of th e i n ner life No one c an hop e to pray e ffectively

.
in t h e n am e of oth er s who doe s n ot dilige ntly cultivat e

his own p er son al life of prayer On t h e oth er ha n d .
,
n o on e c an conv er se much with God in t h e sil en c e
an d solitude of th e mou n t without r ev e ali n g t h e shinin g

,
trac es of that high co n verse wh e n calle d on to l ead t h e

devotions of his fellow s .
Good praying in public is rarer tha n go od preachi n g .
I n som e church e s t h e chi ef attractio n is t h e sermo n

or th e chil dr en s addr ess in som e it is t h e mu sic in
’
, ,
som e (how few ! ) it is t h e offeri n g of praye r Th e .
maj ority of burden ed and a n xiou s p e opl e who make

up our congr egatio n s are willi n g to e n dur e pati en tly
t h e t e dium an d bor e dom of much seco n d rat e pr e achi n g -
,
and to ov erlook a great de al in th e poor delivery of

t h e pr e ach er if o n ly th e y c an b e lift e d a littl e n e ar er
,
h eaven on t h e wing s of prayer A n d h e who c an .
e ffici e n tly fulfil thi s pri estly offic e an d bri n g t h e soul s

,
of men i n to t h e holy plac e Sh al l a ssur edly n ot fail of

,
his r eward . It is gladdeni n g an d e n couragi n g n o ,
doubt wh en a mini st er h ear s some one say to him

,
I did admir e your sermo n ye st erday It was r eally .
most eloqu ent an d I agree d with e very word of it

,
.
But who would n ot rath er a thou sa n d times r ec eive

t h e sw ift look an d t h e grat eful pre ssur e of t h e ha n d
, ,
an d t h e softly whisp er e d word : Tha nk you tha n k ,
you so much for your prayer

CHAPTER XVI
THE P R A Y E R S O F THE SE CR E T P A CE L
W isdo m s se l
’
f
Oft ks to swee t retire d solitud e
see ,
W h e re with h e r be st n urse Co n t e mplatio n

, , ,
Sh e p lum e s h e r f e ath e rs an d le ts g row h e r win gs

, ,
That in t h e variou s b u stle of re sort

, ,
W e r e all to ru th e d an d som et ime s impa ir e d

-
,
.
M I LT ON Co mus ,
.
Se e k a fi tt
im e to r e tir e in to thyself an d m e d itat e oft en ,
upo n Go d s lovin g kin dn esses Throw a sid e subtle ties ; re ad

’
-
.
thoroughly such books as rath e r stir compu n ctio n than furn ish
occupatio n If thou wilt withdraw from n e e dless ta lk an d
.
,
id le gadd in g about as a lso from list en in g to n e w s an d rumour s

, ,
t hou shalt fin d leisur e en ou gh an d su ita b le for m e d itatio n on

good thin gs . He th e r e for e that in t en d s to a t ta in to t h e
in ward an d sp irit ual mu st with J e su s withdraw from t h e
,
pre ss N o man go es out se cur ely b ut h e who lov e s to hid e

. .
TH O MA S A K E M P I S I mitation of C h rist book i chap xx

, ,
. . .
THE principal difficulti es of prayer are n ot th e oretical

they are practical I n our min d s we may b e fully
.
p er suaded of t h e valu e and effi cacy of prayer

Ab stract probl em s as to t h e compatibility of prayer
with t h e r eig n of n atural law or th e nec e ssity of prayer ,
in vi ew of th e p e rfect good n ess and i n fi n it e wi sdom of

God may never troubl e us Our h eart s eve n may
,
.
, ,
2
3 1
23 2 T HE REALM O F PRAYER
call out for prayer and we may b e si ncer ely r esolut e
an d anxiou s to becom e profici e nt in thi s holy e x e rci se .
And yet when we actually go to our i nn er ch amb er

, ,
and shut to th e d oor and en deavour to pray to G od in

,
se cr et
,
how oft e n it happ e n s that j ust th en our mo st
se riou s di ffi c ulti es b egin
It may b e that our t e mp eram en t is i n dispose d to
prayer and our practic al sen sibl e matt er of fact
, , ,
- -
n atur e appar en tly une n dow e d with my stic powers of

,
feeli n g and imagi nation fi nds it extrem ely hard t o

,
apprehen d an d address an unseen divine B ei ng P er .
hap s our circum sta n c es are u nfavourabl e to privat e

praye r ma nifold e n gagem en ts an d few opportu niti es
of privacy sta n d in th e way of se cret prolon ge d de votio n .
Or it may b e we are soo n discourage d by th e u nexp ecte d

arduou sness of th e ta sk itself We b egi n with S i nc ere
.
fervour an d th e v ery b est i n t ention s But progress .
is slow m e ntal i n dol e n c e se t s in pati en c e b e come s

, ,
exhau st e d i n spiratio n an d faith decay We r emai n

, .
,
i n dee d in th e attitude of d evotio n ; but th e imagi n a

,
tio n wa n der s th e h eart grows cold th e dej ect ed soul

, ,
cl eave th to t h e du st an d th e empty mom en t s Slip

,
idly pa st without our findi n g a n ythi n g to say to God

, .
Aft er it is all over we ri se from our knees f eeli n g we

,
have gone through a m ea n i ngl ess performa n c e insipid ,
and u n profitabl e in th e extre m e Why go on with .
such a hollow mock ery ? Wh en t h e spiritu al ex erci se

of prayi ng to G od h as degenerat e d i n to t h e mecha nical
an d lifel e ss c er emo n y of saying prayer s which ,
see m to bri n g us n o n e ar er to t h e Fath er wou l d it not ,
b e b ett er to give up t h e practic e altog eth e r an d tur n

inst ead to th e pre ssi ng duti es of ordi nary life which ,
apparen tly c an b e j u st as w ell ful fill ed without prayer

234 T HE REALM O F PRAYER
Such se a so n s of fatigue di straction an d ari dity in , ,
prayer are well k n own t o t h e sai n t s and their e x peri

1
,
e n c e h as led th e m to sugge st variou s way s by w hich
di ffi culti e s of thi s ki n d may b e overcome an d th e soul ,
ke pt u nwaveri n g in th e prayerful love of God Th e se .
may b e group e d toge th er u n der t h e followi n g h ead s :

i( ) privacy of circum sta n c e (ii ) tra n q uillity of mi n d , ,
iii
( ) s implicity of h e art iv
( ) st e adfa st n e s
,
s of will ,
v
( ) r e gularity of habit vi
( ) vari e ty of m
,
e thod a n d ,
vii
( ) co n si st en cy of life .
Th e fir st con dition of succe ss in se cr et pr ayer is

privacy of circumstan ce th e withdrawal from t h e world
,
to some place of se clu sion where we c an hol d co nfer en c e

with God alo ne Amo ng th e very few dir ectio n s l eft
.
us by J e su s as to th e ma n n er of our praye r is that in

which He urges us to pray in priva te Wh en thou .
prayest en t er i n to thy i nn er chamb er an d when thou

, ,
ha st Shut thy door pray to thy Fathe r which is in ,

”
se cr e t Jesu s Him self as we have seen prefe rr e d
2
.
, ,
privacy an d solitude in devotio n an d e ven in th e ,
Garden of G eth sema n e He sai d to His di scipl es

” 3
Sit ye h er e whil e I go an d pray yonder
, Physical .
i solatio n is an aid to spiritual detachmen t When .
ma n y are comi n g an d goi n g so that th er e is littl e ,
O pportu n ity for l ei sure it is t h e mor e impe rative to get

,
apart for a little whil e an d de vot e o ne s whol e att en tio n

' ’
to th e Fath er .
1
Se e A ppe n dix of Q uotatio n s, H an d
J .
2
M att . vi . 6 .
3
Matt xxvi . .
36 .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLA CE 2 35
This what we seek to accompli sh by th e shutti n g

is
of th e door A solitude says La n dor
. is th e, ,
audi en c e chamb er of God o nly on e st ep mor e an d you

b e in His imm e diat e pr e se n c e
”
c an 1
Th ere are .
som e thi n g s th e soul would sa

y which cann ot b e spok en
e xc e pt in solitud e They are too privat e to b e utt ere d
.
in t h e g en eral voic e of public or commo n prayer Th ey .
may n ot b e impart ed ev en to t h e sympathizi ng h eart s

of earthly love d o nes They mu st b e r ese rved for t h e
.
privat e ear of God Th e soul s co nfession of its secret

.
’
m eann esse s an d si n s it s u nr estr ain e d out pouring of

,
-
t h e e nd earm en t s an d i n timaci e s of love its e ar ne st ,
complai ni n g s or pa ssionat e appe als th e hop es it would ,
co nfide t h e victori es it would r elat e th e lon g sad

, ,
story of tragedy or lo ss it would unfold— th ese

thi n g s mu st b e whi sp ere d b e yo nd th e po ssibl e h ear
in g of an y e av esdropp er Fri en d s an d acquai n ta n c e
.
mu st b e far from us wh en we so far u n bo som ,
our se lves as to lay th em u nre servedly b efor e t h e

Fath er .
For th e cultivation of se cret prayer th en we Should , ,
se ek out som e sa n ctuary som e pavilio n far from th e

, ,
strife of to n gu e s L e t it b e som e r oom som e qui e t

.
,
retr eat immu n e from i n va sio n or i n t erruption which

, , ,
what ev er it s or di nary use may b e we can turn i n to an ,
oratory for th e tim e b ei n g If our hom e ca n not provid e

.
us with t h e n ec essary se clu sion let us se ek it som ewh er e ,
el se . Joh n Bu n ya n found his privacy in bar n s an d

milk hou se s ; G e orge Fox b e neath wayside h e dges ;
-
,
William Cowper in h is garden or amo n g th e

,
woods .
1
I magin ary Con ve rsation s ,
Lord B rook e an d Sir Philip d n ey
Si .
Th e ca lm r et re a t t h e silen t shad e
,
W ith pray e r an d praise agre e ,
A n d se e m b y Th y sw e e t bou n ty mad e
For t ho se who follow Th ee .
Th ere if Th y Sp irit t ouch th e sou l

, ,
A n d grac e h er m ea n abod e ,
Oh with wha t p ea c e an d j oy an d love

Sh e commu n es wi th h er G o d 1
Th e r e li ke t h e n ightin gale sh e pours

He r so litary lays
N or a sks a witn ess of h er son g ,
N or thi rsts for human praise .
Privacy of circum sta n c e however is but a prelimi

, ,
nary to tranquillity of mind E ven wh en th e outer .
door of th e chamb er h as b een Shut t h e i n n er door of ,
th e S pirit h as still to b e ope ned if He who k n ocketh is ,
to com e in an d abide with us This is ever t h e harder .
ta sk It is one thi ng to Shut out from one s e ars t h e

.
’
din an d babbl e of t h e stre et it is quit e a n other thi n g

to exclude from one s mi n d an d h eart t h e alluring dis
’
tractio n s an d bu sy solicitation s of worldly thought s .
St Fra n ci s h as charmi ngly r emi n ded us of t h e nee d

.
of inner as well as out er qui et if we are truly to draw

n igh to God . Wh erever we are an d walk we may ,
have al ways our c ell with us For Broth er Body is .
our c ell ; an d our soul is t h e h ermit who r em ai ns ,
within his c ell to pray to God an d to m editat e on Him

,
.
Wh en c e if th e soul doe s n ot r emai n qui et in it s c ell ,
”
littl e profit s th e Religiou s a c ell made with ha n d s 2
.
1
C owpe r , Olney Hymn sxlvii , .
2
The M irror of P e fection chap
r , . lx v .
mor e diligent an d exemplary in th e service of an e arthly
ma st er tha n h e was in th e servic e of a h eave nly Joh n .
We sl ey cho se th e same hour an d G e neral Havelock , ,
if camp was to b e struck at six o clock u se d to b e up ’
an d at hi s prayer s by four so that t h e tim e all ott e d ,
to devotion might n ot b e en croached upo n William .
Law too was in th e habit of ri si ng e arly for purp ose s

, ,
of se cre t prayer What sacrific e is h e r eady to offer

.
u n to God who ca n n ot b e so cru el to him self as to ri se

,
t o pray at such a tim e as th e drudgi n g part of t h e

world are co n t ent to ri se to th eir labour 1
Th e adva n tage s of such a habit are obvious Th e .
I sraelit es duri n g th eir wa n de ri n g s in th e wilder ness

, ,
were re quir e d to gath er ma n n a in th e early mor ni n g ,
b efore t h e sun was up as it was apt to lose it s Savour

,
an d b ecom e corrupt lat e r in th e day Much th e sam e .
rule may b e appli ed to th e heavenly mann a it is b e st

gath ere d in th e mor ni ng hours when t h e mi n d is n ot yet ,
sulli ed with worldly cares If t h e fir st fruit s of th e .
day are n ot thus d edicat e d if th e mi n d s daw ni n g ,

’
fre sh ness is given n ot to G od but to th e new spape r

,
or th e mor ni n g s corr esponden c e spiritu al d etachm en t

’
is di ffi cult to r e cover aft e rward s an d subse qu en t ,
devotion s are likely to b e eith er omitt ed or curtail ed .
Som e howev er have tri e d t his pla n an d fou n d it

, ,
unsati sfactory Not till th eir fa st is brok en th eir

.
,
l ett er s r ead th e new s of th e mor n i ng gla n c ed at c an

, ,
th ey se ttl e down to an y spiritual occupatio n Let such .
hone stly sel ect some oth er sea so n that suit s th em b ett er
‘
.
M Ch eyn e t ell s us h e was re a die st for prayer aft er a

cup of t ea in th e early eveni n g Oth er s e nj oy th eir .
b est sea son s of devotion in th e dead of night when th e ,
1
William Law , A Serious Call ,
chap . x iv .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLACE 2 39
hou se is still th e work of th e day is do n e and all th e

, ,
surrou n ding world is su nk in Slumb er Th e appro .
p riat ene ss of e v e n i n g pray er is that it provid e s us with

an opportu nity of r e vi ewi n g t h e si n s as w ell as t h e ,
m erci e s of th e day j u st past an d of comm en di ng our

, ,
souls to God for t h e comi ng n ight t h e di sadva n tage

is that we are oft e n too tire d an d dr ow sy to e ngage
in it with t h e su staine d att e n tio n it de serve s Ma n y .
will rememb er in this con nectio n th e b eautiful

, ,
dormativ e which Sir Thoma s Brow ne t ells us h e took

to b ed with him as t h e b est lauda n um to make him
,
Sl eep
!
Th e igh t is com
n like t o t h day e e
D e part n ot Thou gr eat G o d away , , .
L e t n ot my sin s black as t h e n igh ,

t ,
E c lip se t h e lu str e of Th y light .
Thou who se n atur e can n ot sleep ,
On my t e mp le s se n try kee p
G uard me ga in st tho se watchfu l fo es
’
W ho se e y e s are open while min e clo se .
L e t n o dr e am s my h e ad in f e st
B ut such as J aco b s t e mp les blesse d
’
.
W hile I do r est my sou l advan c e ,
M ake my slee p a ho ly tran c e ,
That I may my r e st b e in g wrough t

, ,
A wake in to som e ho ly thought

A n d w ith as activ e vigour run
M y course as do t h t h e n imble sun .
Sleep is a d e ath 0 make me t ry , ,
B y sle e p in g what it is to die

,
An d as gen t ly lay my h e ad
On my grav e as n ow my b ed ,
.
How e e r I rest gre a t G od le t me

’
, ,
A wak e aga in a t la st w ith Th e e

A n d thu s a ssur d be ho ld I lie
’
,
”
Se cur ely or to wake or die
, .
1
1
R eligio M edici ,
part ii . 1 2 .
What ever time b e chose n it should b e such as to
m
,
e n abl e t h e soul to co mu n e with God without ha st e ,
distractio n or i n t erruptio n We ought n ot to offer to

,
.
G od t h e i n civility of hurri ed carel e ss an d i n att e n tive

, ,
supplicatio n or att empt to s n atch from a co n tract ed

,
i n t erview with Him what o nly prolo nged co nt emplatio n

an d fellow ship c an giv e Luth er u se d to give two hour s
.
a day to prayer ; Bi shop A n drewe s fiv e hour s No , .
rul es of cour se c an b e prescrib ed an d it is b est n ot

, ,
to regulat e th ese thi ng s too strictly by th e clock .
Th e quality an d v al u e of our prayers are n ot to b e

m ea sured by th e time we devot e to th em We may .
pray most wh en we say l ea st said St Augusti ne , .

,
”
an d we may pray l e a st wh en we say mo st On .
som e day s we may have n o opportu n iti e s for r etired

commu nion and may have to con t en t ourselve s ,
like N eh ermah with ej aculatory prayer in th e midst

,
of our ordi nary duti es At oth er times we may b e

.
,
abl e to give a whole mor ning t o devotio n or arra nge , ,
at stat e d i nt erval s to sp en d an en tir e day in spiritual

,
retre at from th e world Th e likelihood is that if we

.
,
take up thi s matt er seriou sly th e tim e we devot e to ,
prayer an d m e ditatio n will st eadily i n cr ease I n .
any ca se it is importa n t that on some occa sio n s at

,
l ea st we should giv e God ampl e time to mak e His full

impression upon our spirit s Accordi n g to a m etaphor
.
much loved by th e Spa ni sh mystic St Joh n of t h e Cross .

,
t h e soul in it s n atural stat e is like a log of damp wood

n ot till it h as lo n g lai n in t h e flam e of t h e divi n e lov e .
c an it s origi n al d ull h e avi n ess an d moi stur e b e overcom e ,
and it s substa n c e b e made to glow an d ki ndle an d Shi ne

ra dia n t through b ei n g actually transform ed i n to th e
,
like ne ss of th e pur e eth ereal el em en t in which it dwell s .

2 42 THE REALM OF PR AYER
who has love d you i n to b ei n g an d desire s your high est
happine ss as one of His own children ; who b eli ev e s
in you an d wa n t s you a n d alo n e u n der sta n d s you ,
i nt erpr eting each whi sp er e ach groa n e ach sigh , , ,
b efor e you utt er it Th en sp eak to th at Fri en d in

.
,
t h e mo st n atural ma n n e r po ssibl e sayi n g howe v er , ,
halti n gly ju st what is upp e rmo st in your thought s

, ,
rath er tha n what you imagi ne He woul d wa n t you

formally to say .
On e cause of dry n e ss an d u nr eality in our privat e

prayer s is that the y are n ot simpl e e n ough Th ey are .
n ot spok en i n to t h e e ar of One who is f elt to b e i n d ee d
presen t : th e y are an echo an d r ep etition of th e re

m emb er e d prayer s of oth er s Prayer to us is n ot a .
r eal thi ng — it is not i n t ercour se fac e to fac e far too

oft en it is like co n v er satio n over a t el ephon e wir e of
i n fi nit e l e n gth which get s out of order Even if word s
, .
travel alo n g that wire there is so much bu zzi n g ,

”
that they are hardly r ecog nizabl e 1
If we would .
take God s love for gra n t e d claim th e gift of His

’
promi se d Spirit an d en t er at o n ce i n to th e privil eged

,
intimacy of son s who k n ow that th eir mo st trifli ng

,
a ffair s are matt er s of r eal i n t ere st to th e Fath er we ,
Shoul d quick ly fin d th e practic e of privat e prayer to

b e n ot o n ly an e a sy but al so a most bl e sse d an d h eart
,
sati sfyi n g e x erci se .
To Simplicity of h eart mu st b e adde d steadfastn ess

of will He who would l ear n t h e art of prayer mu st
.
make up h is mi n d early that h e is e ngaged in a lo n g

1
T . R , Gl over , ib id. p .
93 .
THE P RAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLA CE 2 43
an d ar duous pur suit No more tha n in th e cultivatio n .
of an y oth er art c an skill in it b e picked up in a few

l esso n s Th e a spira n t to profici e n cy in praye r mu st b e
.
pr epar e d for an ext e n de d appre n tic e ship a tr yi n g ,
n ovitiat e t h e pati en t an d dilig e n t e x e rcise of all h is

,
nobl est faculti es co n ti n uing with ma n y di sappoint

,
m en t s an d delays throughout a prolonged se rie s of

year s Mystic s t ell us of three m arke d stages in th e
.
soul s S piritual a sc e n t to God t h e purgative stage t h e

’
illumi n ative stage t h e u nitive stage St Joh n of , . .
t h e Cro ss i n dee d say s th e re are n o fewe r tha n t en

, ,
cl e arly defi ned st ep s by which we mu st climb from

e arth to h e av e n
1
Wh o c an e xpe ct to con tract th ese
.
stag e s i n to on e or to attai n to u n io n with t h e Fath er

,
by som e sudden flight If facility in prayer is worth

havi n g at all let us make up our mi n d that it is worth
,
t h e cour se of se ve r e se lf di scipli n e by which alo ne it -
can b e re ach ed We c an n o more pray at will with

.
,
out havi n g car efully acquir e d t h e capacity tha n we ,
c an pe rform on a mu sical i n strum e n t that we hav e

”
never see n or handl ed b efore 2
.
Th ere are tim e s wh e n our prayer s c ea se to r ec eive

support from thought an d fe elin g an d o n ly our will s ,
c an k ee p us on our k n e es Who h as not k n ow n se a son s .
of devotio n wh en th e min d h as se em e d a bla nk an d th e

h eart withi n us dry as summ er s du st We have ’
had our sea so n s wh en we w er e on th e mou n t with God

in praye r or wh en we dra n k of t h e riv er of His pl e a sure s
,
in delight some vall ey s But what of t h e wilder ne ss .
that h as— al a s so oft en — followe d tho se experi enc es

Wh at are we to do in t h e ca se of utt e r barr en ness and
1
Se e Th e D ark N igh t of the Soul.
2
J . R . I llin g worth ,
C h ristian Ch arac ter , p . 1 28 .
ari dity in prayer ? Th e t e stimo n y of th e sai n t s who ,
have oft e n acut ely su ffer e d from thi s v ery trial should ,
l ead us to b ear in mi n d th e following con sid eratio n s :

(1) Th er e is such a thi n g as rhythm or p eri odicity
in t h e spi ri tual life th e swi ng of th e p e n dulum from
,
fr ee glad communion to seemi n g derelictio n P er .
p e t u al j oy in pray e r is n ot gra n t e d to us on e arth :
ec sta sy an d b eatitude are pe r mitt ed o nl y for a se a so n .
Th e magic hour depart s ; an d bla nk n e ss vaca n cy , ,
and desolation sup erve ne J esus Him self pa ssed from

.
t h e Mou n t of Tra n sfiguratio n to t h e Gard en of

G e th sema n e— yes an d to a Golgotha wh ere He co uld
,
on ly say My God my God why ha st Thou forsake n

, ,
Me Ju st as in nature n ight succ eed s day an d

wi nt er alt er n at e s with summ er so also in th e spiritual ,
life radia n c e an d gloom fertility an d barren n ess , ,
b eatitude an d despair are n ot v ery far from on e

,
a n oth er Th e soul in short is not capabl e of lon g

.
, ,
su stai ne d flights in t h e r egio n of pur e spirit Agai n .
an d agai n it mu st com e to e arth and plume it self , ,
and r est ere it can mou n t afre sh upon wing s as eagl es

, .
L et it b e r em emb ere d how ev er that thi s law ope rat e s

, ,
in two way s . If th ere are tim es wh en t h e Spirit seems

to fail us in S pit e of care fully l aid pla n s t o secur e His
,
pr e se nce th ere are al so tim es wh en He surprise s us an d

,
snatch es us up u ne xp ect edl y i n to h e av e nly plac es .
L et but th e h e art b e pati e n t an d p er se veri n g an d— b y

t h e law of change — like cl ear shi n i n g aft er rai n th ese
se a so n s of r e fr e shi n g will surely com e .
ii
( ) Pray e r is not to b e di sp en se d with b e cau se it is
lacking in u n ctio n con solatio n or se n sibl e delight s
, , .
Perhap s t h e be st prayer of all is that which is offered

with out an y accompa n yi ng sweet ness of en j oym en t .
I n deed it may b e said that th e l ess th ere is of c on
,
sciou s i n spiratio n in our prayer t h e mor e pr ecious in ,
God s Sight d oe s it b ecome ; for th en our stren gt h

’
havi n g desert ed us we Show that we desire t o ho n our ,
Him at any rat e by our weak ness After all th ere is .

,
a prayer that is appropriat e to dej e ctio n t h e prayer of ,
humility ju st as th er e is a prayer that is appropriate

,
to exaltation t h e prayer of tha nk sgivi n g If th e , .
longe d for breeze of heaven does n ot com e to waft

-
us forward we may sti ll make progr e ss by taki n g out

,
t h e oar s to row It is b ett er to pray to God with .
falteri n g petitio n s an d som e coldn ess of d esir e or in , ,
th e word s of oth e r s who may stimulat e our de votio n ,
tha n n ot to pray at all an d we may b e sure that wh en

we pray n ot i n dee d as we would but as b est we c an
, ,
God acc ept s our prayer accor di n g to that we have to

offer Him an d not accor din g to that which we hav e
,
n ot . I shall rath er spill twe n ty prayer s wrot e ,
Samu el Ruth erford tha n n ot pray at all Le t my , .
broke n word s go up to h eav en : wh en they com e up

i nto th e Gr eat A n gel s golde n c e n ser that compas ’
sion ate Advocat e will put tog eth e r my broke n praye r s ,

”
an d p erfum e th em
1
.
while t h e other two are wan de rin g Th e three faculties resemble

frolicsome children who are soo n we ary of sittin g quietly at their
.
mother s side They wa t to b e ru nin g about an d playi g

,
'
. n n n
( R P Poulain Graces of I n terio P rayer p

. .
,
r , .
W e have se en a soul who h ad h er u n derstan din g an d memory

free from al l in terior occupation but who could n ot a swer or loos n e
hers lf from G od to whom h e was un it d by t h e applicatio of h er

, ,
e s e n
will This soul th n havin g on ly h e will n gaged r e sembled t h e

,
.
,
e , r e ,
little child who whil e suck i g mi ght se e a d h e ar an d even move

, n n
his arms without quittin g t h cle ar bre as t

, ,
( St Fran cis of Sale s e
Treatise on the L ove of G od book V i chap

, .
,
. .
,
1
Letters (e d A A B on ar) p 5 90 . . .
, . .
THE P RA Y E R S OF THE SE CRE T P LA CE 247
(iii ) Th e o n ly r eme dy for dryn ess barr enness an d
in prayer is ju st to go o n praying Light is sow n for .

1
t h e right e ous an d glad ness for t h e upright in h eart .
We mu st di scou n t all moods of prayerl e ssness b efor e

ha n d knowi n g that th ey will surely com e an d i nwardly
, ,
re solv e that our prayer shall b e offere d to God for His

hon our an d glory i n dep en den tly of our feeli ng s
, If .
,
aft er all wrot e St Fra n ci s de Sal es you r ec eive

, .
,
n o comfort in praye r do n ot b e troubl ed howev er , ,
gr eat th e dryness but co ntinu e to kee p your self in a

,
devout po stur e b efore God How ma n y courti er s go a .
hu ndred time s a year i n to th e pri n c e s pr esen c e cham ’

-
b er without hope s of sp e aki n g to him but o nly to b e ,
se e n by him an d to pay him th eir duty ?

, So ought
we my d e ar Philoth ea to com e to holy prayer pur ely
, ,
”
an d simply to pay our duty an d t e stify our fidelity
2
.
,
He who co nti n ues st eadfastly in prayer when it ,
n o long er bri n g s se nsibl e con solatio n to him se lf wil l ,
fin d by and by that str eam s will br e ak forth e v e n in

t h e wilde r ness an d that what seem e d a desert will
,
r ej oic e an d blo ssom as th e ro se Eve n if it shoul d n ot .

,
h e mu st still go on praying and make h is sluggi sh ness ,
1
On t h e other han d an e xc essive rigour of self compulsion should -
b
,
b e avoid ed in all cases of me n tal d epre ssio n or odily we ak n e ss .
Th e more we force t h e soul on these occasio n s t h e gr eat e r t h e ,
mischie f an d t h e lon ge r it lasts Some discre tion must b e u se d in

, . ,
order to asc ertain wh eth er ill he al th b e t h e occasion or n ot Th e

'
-
.
poor soul must n ot b e stifled L et those who thu s suff e r u n de rstan d

.
that they are ill a chan ge should b e made in t h e hour of prayer ,
an d often times that cha n ge should b e co n ti n u e d for some day s .
L e t souls pass out of this d ese rt as the y c an for it is ve ry ofte n t h e ,
mise ry of on e that loves G od to see itself livin g in such wretchedn e ss

b b
,
un a le to do what it would ecause it h as to k e ep so evil a gu e st

b L
,
as t h e ody ”
St Te r esa . ife.Written by Herself chap xi 2 3
, ,
. . .
2
The D evout Lif booke, ii . chap . ix .
2 48 THE REALM OF PRAYE R
of spirit ju st one more of tho se burde n s which we are
told to ca st upon th e Lord L et it b e on e of our com
.
pl aint s to God that we pray so relucta n tly an d so

la n guidly an d He who r ead s th e h eart will i nt erpret
,
an d acc ept our d eep er lo n gi n g Th e t emptation n ot.
to pray is one that mu st b e re si st e d like an y oth er .
For everythi ng may yet b e gaine d if prayer is but

p er si st ed in everythi n g may b e lost if it is o n ce aba n
doned . Th er e are two ki n d s of prayer t h at nev er fail
to r each th e throne of th e maj esty on high One is .
th e prayer of swift ardour of desir e which mou n t s up ,
to h eaven as with win gs of eagl es : t h e other is t h e

prayer of pe de stria n p er se vering pati en c e which can ,
—
do no mor e tha n walk yet doe s n ot fain t 1
.
A natural e xpre ssion of steadf a st ness of will in regard ,
to prayer is regularity of ha bit

, Stat e d se asons ,
stat e d rul es stat ed forms of word s are as n ec e s sary

, , ,
to start us in t h e art of praying as are Similar thi ngs ,
in th e case of an y earthly art or sci en c e that we would

acquire . Nor can we ev er di spe n se with such
”
form til th y hav create d in us a habit of prayer
s l e e 2
.
Impul sive praye r may b e like ned to a t emp estuous

flood : regulat e d prayer is that flood ca nali ze d an d
tur ned i n to irrigati ng and fertilizi ng cha n nels Th e .
fact that we can pray at all tim es Should n ot make us

negl ect t h e duty of drawi ng nigh t o God at certain
times for th e prayer i n sti n ct no l e ss tha n th e love ,
1
See A ppe n dix of Q uotation s J ,
.
2
J . R . Illi gworth Christian C h aracter p
n , , . 1 2 9.
prayer will gradually e nge nder within it self an even
,
,
r egular p eriodic di spo sitio n for devotion far more

, ,
perma n en tly valuabl e th en any fit ful an d spa sm odic ,
however ear n est pi ety Th e mor e we commit th e

,
.
formal or pr eli mi n ary part of prayer to th e keepi n g of

i n grai n ed habit t h e mor e will th e soul b e set free for
,
t h e high er ex erci se of spo n ta ne ou s an d spiritually

i n spire d prayer 1
.
If regularity of habit b e re sort e d to in prayer mono ,
to n y will b e avoided an d fresh n ess an d i n t erest secure d

, ,
by variety of method Th e r e al m of prayer is in th e

.
highest de gr ee variou s an d diver se It is as full of .
surp ri se s a s an e n cha n ti n g garden If we would .
e xplor e that r e gio n of t h e spirit thoroughly a n d at ,
th e sam e tim e corr e ct our p er so n al idio sy n cra si es of

devotion in th e i n t er est s of a wider an d deep er culture ,
we shall b e c on ti n ually seeki n g out n ew sugge stiv e

ways of drawi n g n igh to God .
(1) I n troductory A ids It is a h elpful practic e to .
l ead up to th e spirit an d mood of prayer an d to modu ,
lat e as it w er e from our domi n a n t k ey of worldli n ess

, ,
to that of pi ety by qui etly r ea di ng a page or two of

,
som e d e votio n al clas sic b e for e we e n gag e in prayer
Th e Bibl e of cour se is i n comparabl e for this purpo se

, ,
but such book s as Th e I mitation of Christ Bu n ya n s ,

’
Grace A boundin g G e org e H erb ert s Temp le Law s

’ ’
, ,
Serious Call or K eb le s Christian Year may al so b e

’
, ,
1
On th e formation of habit in this con n e ction , , se e W illiam
James s Tex tb ook of P sych ol gy pp 1 4 2 1 5 0
’
-
o ,
. .
THE P RAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLA CE 25 1
r esort ed to Th ey calm and rai se th e mind givi ng

.
,
t h e spirit wi n g s an d pr e di sposi n g t h e h eart to h e avenly

,
de sire s © ur soul s are like dee p well s from which

.
livi ng wat er of de votio n may b e draw n— but n ot

always imm ediat ely If o nly howev er a littl e a ssist
.
, ,
ing wat e r c an b e i n troduc e d fr om S h elp ,
may b e given and our own b egi n to It is n ot

suggest e d that d e votional r e a di ng c an e v e r b e mad e a
substitute for praye r Th e servic e it r en de r s is to assi st

.
th e imagi n atio n i nfl am e t h e h e art conc en trat e t h e

, ,
mi n d i nc li ne th e S pirit to devotio n whe n it is di st ract ed

,
or weary or i n di spose d and ge nerally to pr ovide a ,
an atm osph e r e an d e v en a th e m e for prayer

, .
sel e ct e d volum e of d e votio n such a s a book of ,
may h elp th e soul in much t h e same way as

a ti n y tug h elp s a se a goi n g v essel by t owi ng it out of
-
harb our till it gai n s a poi n t wh er e it ca

, its
sail s an d catch th e br eeze s of h eav en for
Th e b e n efit s t o b e de riv e d from such aid s to praye r
in se aso n s of dry ne ss and dej ectio n have b ee n w ell
describ e d by St Ter esa EDuring all thi s time it
. .
,
was o nly aft er Commu nio n that I e v er ve n tur e d to

b egi n my prayer without a book my soul was as much
afr ai d to pray without one as if it had to fight agai n st ,
a host With a book to h elp me— it was like a com

.
pa nio n an d a Shield wh ere o n t o receive t h e blow s of

,
ma n y thought s I fou n d comfort for it was not u sual

.
,
with me to b e in ari dity ; but I al way s was so wh en

I had no book ; for my soul was di sturb ed and my ,
thought s wa nd ere d at onc e With one I b ega n to .

,
coll ect my thoughts and u si ng it as a decoy kept my

, , ,
soul in p eac e very fre qu ently by m er ely openi n g a

,
b ook— there was n o nec essity for more Som etim es .

I read but littl e at oth er times much accordi ng as
, ,
our Lord had pity on me 1

.
”
ii
( ) V icarious A ids Th e r e are tim es wh .e n it is
good to pray in th e word s of oth er s rather than in

our own Not o nly may we do thi s wh en t h e mi n d
.
is w eary a n d i n ve n tio n flag s : it is a comm en dabl e

practic e at oth er sea sons al so by rea so n of th e breadth ,
an d catholicity it impart s to prayer Mo st of us are .
n aturally limit e d in t h e ra nge of our supplicatio n s .
We bri n g a few p er so n al an d familiar i n t erest s i n to our

devotio n s an d eith er exclude all other s or else e xt e n d
,
to th e m n o more than occa sio nal p erfun ctory admi s ,
sio n . I n th ese circum sta n c e s it is a whol esom e

di scipli ne an d a valuabl e m e a n s of spiritual e ducatio n
, ,
to make use of som e compreh en sive sy st ematic care , ,
fully compil ed ma nual of prayer Bi shop A ndr ewes .

’
P reces P rivatae Bi shop Taylor s Golden Grove Bi shop

’
, ,
Wil son s Sacra P rivata an d such moder n compilation s

’
‘
,
as Sursum Corda an d Th e Chain of P rayer are e xc ell e n t
for thi s purp ose N rit ers of the se an d other S imilar

.
book s are as it were surveyor s and map maker s of

, ,
-
t h e re alm of praye r who spy out t h e la n d for us t ell

, ,
of th e weal th which it co nt ai n s an d e n courage us ,
to b eli ev e that we are well abl e to go up an d to po sse ss

it He who prays diligen tly an d att entively in th e
.
word s of anoth er man ultimat ely e nlarges h is own ,
vocab ulary in devotio n an d gr e atly widen s his spiri tual ,
horizo n Th ere are so ma n y thi n g s we should omit

.
to make m en tion of in prayer alike in tha nksgivi n g -

,
con fe ssion p etitio n an d i n t erc essio n—did we n ot

, ,
sometimes tur n to th e devotio n s of th e Church s sai n t s ’
1
Lif e Written by Herself p 2 3 O n t h e whole subj ect of in tro
. .
Law s Serious Call chaps x iv an d xv

,
duct ory aids to prayer , see

’
, . . .
25 4 THE REALM OF PR A YER
marri ed Which is to b e th e day I lo ng to know
it so that I may cal en dar it in my prayers an d gild it
,
”
with my hope s 1
.How rich an d i n t er esti n g an d r eal
our prayers might soo n b ecom e if we thu s made th em
th e m e a n s by which we brought t h e livi n g pe r so n al
i nt er est s of both our selve s an d oth er s syst ematically
b efor e God
iv
( ) I m a gin a tive A ids Th er e ar e
. tim e s in se cr e t ,
prayer wh en it is mo st n eedful to r ecall our wanderi ng

,
an d scatt er e d thought s in a gen ui ne e ffort to co n c eiv e
God an d realize vividly that we are actually k neeli ng

,
in His holy pre sen c e an d seeking a privat e i n t e rvi ew

,
with th e Ki ng of Ki n gs Thi s i n deed should b e our

.
, ,
ope ni n g act of de votion Th e fir st thi n g you are to

.
do wh en you are upo n your k nees is to shut your

, ,
e ye s an d with a S hort sil e n c e le t your soul plac e it self

,
in t h e pre se n c e of God that is you are to use t his or , ,
som e oth er b ett er m ethod t o separat e your self from

,
all commo n thought s an d make your heart as sen sibl e

,
” 2
as you c an of t h e divi n e pr e se nc e Th e sam e r ul e .
is eloqu en tly comm en de d to us by Bi shop J ere my

Taylor I n t h e b egi n ni ng of actio n s of r eligion ,
make an act of adoratio n ; that is sol em nly worship ,
God an d plac e thyself in God s pr e se n c e an d b ehold

,
’
Him with th e eye of faith and let thy d esir es actually

fix on Him as th e obj ect of thy wor ship and t h e ,
r ea son of thy hop e an d t h e fou ntai n of thy bl essi ng

,
.
For wh en thou ha st plac ed thyself b e for e Him an d ,
k n e elest in His pr e se n c e it is mo st lik ely all t h e follow

,
ing part s of thy devotio n will b e a n swerabl e to th e

1
j oh n B P aton by his Son p 5 1 3
rown , , . .
2
W illiam Law A Seri u C all chap x iv
,
o s ,
. .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLA CE 2 55
wi sdom of such an apprehen sio n and th e glory of ,
”
such a pr ese n c e
1
.
Variou s m eth od s of thu s e ndeavou ri ng to recoll ect

our selve s in prayer may b e employed (a) We may .
m editat e succ e ssively upo n t h e variou s attributes of

God : His powe r His wi sdom His et er nity His , ,
holi ness His love—u n til as we muse th e fire k i n dl es

,
, , ,
or we may call to mi n d His variou s self ma nifestatio n s -

,
in n ature in co n sci en c e in hi story an d in J e sus Chri st

, , , .
(b) St Te re sa recomme n d s that we dwell co n t em

.
p la t iv ely upo n som e sc e ne in t h e pa ssio n of our Lord ,
an d co n sider t h e su fferi ng s He th ere e n dure d for ,
whom He e n dure d th em who He is who e ndure d th em , ,
an d h e lov e with which He bor e th em (0) Anoth er

”
2
t .
profitabl e li ne of spirit ual m editatio n is to co n sider

qui etly som e b e se tti ng sin its e n ormity as a tra n s ,
gre ssion of G od s law it s folly as a dec e ptio n of

’
our se lves its i ngratitude as a respo n se to th e divi ne

,
lov e it s tragedy as a crucifixio n of Chri st afresh it s

, ,
foul n ess and ugli ness an d doom in th e latt er en d .
(d) A n alt er n ative m ethod is to kindle th e flam e of

love within t h e h eart by recalli n g in detail t h e m erci e s
e xpe ri en c e d d uri ng t h e pr e viou s day Thi s was an .
e x erci se which Fra se r of Br e a fou n d pe culiarly h elpful .
Th e cal li n g to mi n d an d seriou sly m e di tati n g on t h e

Lord s deali n g s with me as to soul and b ody His
’
ma nifold m erci es has do n e me very much good clear e d

, ,
my case co nfirm ed my soul of God s love and my

,
’
i n t er est in Him and made me love Him ,

Oh ,
what well s of wat er have mi ne eyes b een op ened to see ,
1
Holy L iving , chap .ction 3
i . se .
2
L ife Written by Herself chap x iii ,
. .
31 .
which b efore were hid Scarc e a n yt hi n g hath do n e me
.
more good tha n thi s 1

Th e se se parat e act s of the
.
”
S piri tual imagi natio n by which we seek to f ocu s our

att e n tio n an d appreh en d God an d our r elationship
to Him may b e foll owe d by act s of faith act s of love
, , ,
act s of will by which we cli ng to Him afre sh an d

,
de dicate ourselves more fully to His servic e Th e .
Sp iritual E x ercises of St Ig n atiu s is an e xc ellen t

.
e xampl e of th e way in which t h e de vout life may thu s
b e mapp ed out for purpose s of ord er e d sy st ematic ,
con t e mplatio n ; but a mod er n ver sio n of that cla ssic

ma nual of devotio n l e ss a n tiquat e d in it s the ology
,
an d l ess morbid in it s to n e is gr e atly to b e d e sir e d

,
.
(v) Vocal and Silen t A ids It is very helpful some .
times to sp eak aloud to God in se cret prayer Th e .
sou n d of our own voic e h elp s us to r eal iz e that we are
really addressi n g som eo ne an d r ecall s our thought s

,
from vagu e r everi e an d i n att en tion On th e other ha n d .

,
it is good that we should ma n y tim es b e sil en t when

we commu ne with God an d especially at th e cl ose,
of our commu n ion wh e n we lin er for t h e a n swer of

,
g
His ble ssi n g ere we depart from prayer

, How rar e .
it is cri e s Fe n elo n to fin d a soul qui et en ough to

, ,
hear God speak ! Th e mistak e we are apt to make

in privat e prayer is to b e too much talki n g wh e n God ,
would have us b e sil en t toward s Him F ellowship .
with God S hould b e a mutual co n ver satio n in which

c ourt e sy at l ea st dema n d s that we should som etim es
h earke n I n dee d in our h eave nly as in our e arthly
.
,
intimaci es th ere may b e m essages e xcha nge d which

,
are too d ee p for utt era n c e With God as with man

.
, ,
we may attai n to such a privil ege of fri en d ship as to

1
M emoirs .
a book to t ell you what se n timen t s you feel in your heart
toward s thi s fri en d— what comfort what j oy what , ,
gratitude what ho n our what co n fiden c e what faith

, , , ,
are all aliv e and stirri n g in your h e art toward s him ?
Prayer ca nn ot b e taught you by givi n g you a book of

prayer s but by awakeni ng in you a tru e sen se an d
,
k n owl edge of what you are and what you should b e , ,
that so you may see and know an d feel what thi n gs

you wa n t an d are to pray for If your prayer is o nly .
a form of words made by th e Skill of oth er pe opl e such ,
a prayer c an no mor e cha nge you i n to a g ood man

tha n an actor upo n t h e stage who sp eak s ki ngly ,
”
la n guage is th er eby made to b e a king
,
1
.
For la st precondition of fe rvour an d i n spiratio n

th e
in th e se cre t plac e we must go b e yon d t h e se cr e t plac e
,
it se lf to con sisten cy of life No amou n t of diligen c e .
and fai thful ness in th e i nn er chamb er will make us

truly prayerful if th e ge n eral background of our daily
,
livi n g is n ot such as assi st devotion Th e spirit an d .
habit of prayer c an nev er b e made a pur ely sectional

int ere st in life som ethin g detachabl e from an d un
, ,
relat ed to it s e ncompa ssi n g e nvironme nt Rath er

, .
,
our prayerfulness is th e spiritual blo ssomi n g or fruitage

1
W illiam Law P rayer part ii (abridged) Compare
,
Th e Spirit of , . .
J eremy Taylor Wh en you are to give se n ten ce co n ce rn i g your n
prayers your prayer book is t h e least thin g that is to b e e xamin ed

-
your de sires are t h e prin cipal for they a e foun tain s bot h of action
,
Praye rs are b ut t h e body of t h e bird desires

,
a n d of passi on .
ar e its an gel s win gs Work s v ol xv p 4 8 3

’
.
”
, . . . .
THE PRAYERS OF THE SE CRET PLACE 25 9
of our e n tire b ei ng an d what we our selves are our

,
praye r will ultimately an d i n evitably e xpre ss It is .
impo ssibl e that we should b e worldly mi n de d in our -
life yet spiritually minde d in our de votio ns ; or that

,
-
wh en we are on our feet we should b e selfi sh cynic al , ,
and superficial an d the n suddenly b ecome differ en t

,
b ei n gs wh en we fall upo n our k n ees All that a man is .
t ell s upo n h is prayer which is ju st th e S piri tual u nf old

,
ing of his entir e pe rso nality If we would c ul tivat e .
t h e flowe r the n we must b egi n by diggi n g an d wat eri ng

, ,
about th e root if it is our de sire to bri ng forth grape s ,
n ot thistl e s we must se e to t h e prope r pru n i n g of t h e

,
st em and its graftn in t h e tru e and living Vi ne

, .
Th e problem of cultivati n g t h e art of secret prayer

thu s b ecome s a thoroughly practical an d very pe r so n al
on e . I s my ordi n ary life such as t o e xcit e an d ch eri sh
spiritual wa n t s affecti o n s impulse s and a spiratio n s
, , , ,
or doe s it t end to stifle the m ? I s it s ge neral drift

heavenly or e arthly ? I s my privat e prayer hi n dere d
b ecause of my u n willi ng n ess t o part with som e secret
sin som e selfi sh aim som e u n charitabl e t e mpe r som e
, , ,
impur e thought some maliciou s grudge som e Slothful

, ,
n egl e ct or th e general slackn e s s of an u ndiscipli ne d

,
an d worl dl y life ? Th e tru e ob stacl es t o succ ess in

'
privat e prayer may b e fou n d to e xi st n ot so much in

t h e close t as in th e mark et plac e an d in t h e str ee t .
Ther e we are not devote d th ere for e in t h e i nn er cham

b er we ca n n ot b e d e vout For praye rful ness is t h e e n d
.
of a proc ess rath er tha n th e b eginni ng it is t h e rarest

, ,
la st an d lofti est of t h e soul s activiti es t h e crown an d

,
’
co n summatio n of th e whol e ar t of livi ng ; an d th e

daily co n secration of all our facultie s is r equire d if ,
e v er it is to b e brought to its tru e p e rf ection .

CHAPTER XVII
THE P RA Y E R O F M Y STI C U N IO N
Struck by th e ge n tle Hu n te r
A n d ov e rthrown ,
W it hin t h e arm s of lov e

M y sou l lay pro n e .
R a ise d to n ew lif e a t la st ,
This co n tract tw e en us pa sse d

’
,
That t h e B e lov e d shou ld b e mi n e o wn ,
I His alo n e .
”
ST TERESA .
, P oems .
Th e gre atn ess o f St Te resa W ha t p le a ses G o d is h e r

. .
d ee p hum ility in h e r r e v elat io n s : what p leases man is h er

illumin at io n .
P A S CAL Th oug hts ,

.
ST T E RE SA is one of t h e world s gr e at est mystic s

’
. ,
an d h er type of mysticism is pe culiarly h er own It .
is not on t h e one ha n d th e mystici sm of St Franci s

, , .
of As sisi who was ineb ri at e d with th e glory an d love

,
of God as ma nifest ed in th e Simpl e st el em en ts of ext er nal

n atur e Nor on th e oth er ha n d is it th e mystici sm of
.
, ,
St Augu sti ne who ev er r e stl e ss till h e should fin d

.
, ,
re st in G od pati ently searche d all myst eri es an d al l

,
k n owl edge till h e att ai ned at la st to th e op en visio n

,
of t h e On e in t h e Ma n y t h e Et ernal in th e Now an d
, ,
2 60
2 62 T HE REALM O F P RA YE R
acqu ain t ed b oth with th e glooms an d with th e spl en

dours of spiritu al r eligio n Sh e po sse sse d a bodily
.
orga nism that vibrate d sen sitively to all th e p sychic

forc es of th e unseen world Like Bu nya n Sh e saw .
,
visio n s an d dr eamed dr e ams Voic e s S poke to h er .
u nmi stakably from th e re alm of spirit an d sh e would ,
b e co n scious of t h e ve ritabl e pr e se nc e of Chri st b e side

h er as Sh e work e d Som etimes sh e t ells us sh e
.
, ,
would hear what sou n ded like a numb er of rushing

wat erfalls mingl e d with t h e voic es of birds singi n g
,
”
an d whistli ng Spiritual thing s cam e to h er
1
.
,
n ot t h rough t h e cha n n el s of th e imaginatio n o nly ,
but as it wer e through som e re fi n em en t of th e sen se s

al so , by stra nge suggestio ns of touch and tast e an d
sm ell ,as w ell as of sight an d h eari ng So agitat ed .
was sh e som etime s by t h e pi ercing delicious wou n d s ,
of divi n e love which sh e e xperienc ed that h er limbs ,
rel ax ed h er co n sciousn ess l eft h er th e ve ry breath

, ,
seemed to depart out of h er b ody and Sh e could n ot ,
hold a pe n for days aft e rward s .
Th e book in which St Tere sa h as deal t mo st fully

.
with th e subj ect of prayer is The I n terior Castle Thi s .
was wri tt e n at whit e h eat in t h e ye ar 1 5 77 at t h e ,
comma n d of th e Provi n cial of h er Order Fath er Gratia n , ,
and in th e e xtraordi nari ly short spac e of four week s .
Those who wit n e sse d th e actual comp ositio n of th e

book t ell us that th e sai n t s fac e was lit up with re
’
spl e n de n t b e auty as sh e wrot e it ; th e pe n travell ed

over th e pap er with sup e r n atural velocity ; an d t h e
i n spir ed writ er was compl et ely oblivious of all arou nd
h er as t h e flow of ide a s an d word s cam e to h er
,
i n c e ssa n tly from h er Lord Wh en th e work was .
1 The I n terior C as tle I V i , . . 10 .

THE PRA YER OF MYSTI C U NION 2 63
fi n i sh ed an d read aloud in t h e archiepiscopal se mi n ary

,
of Salama n ca aft er di nner we are told that th e studen ts , ,

”
con trary to cu stom sacrific e d their r ecreation ,
rath er tha n mi ss a syllabl e of such h eavenly i n struction .
Th e book is in n o se n se a car e fully elaborat e treatise

on d e votio n it is rath er a seri es of ferve nt recoll ectio n s
of th e sai n t s own expe ri e nc e s In studyi ng it as
’
.
,
an e xpo sitio n of th e prayer of mystic u nio n we should ,
con sta n tly r ememb e r that it was compose d for the

spiritual e dific ation of Carm elit e n u n s an d that it is ,
con c er ne d throughout with th e pe c uliar diffic ulti es

an d id e al s of clo istral pi e ty .
As co n c eived by th e spiritual imagi natio n of St .
Teresa t h e soul may b e like ne d to a ca stl e of sur

,
pa ssi n g b eauty Th e Lord Him se lf dwells in th e

.
i n n ermo st pre se n c e chamb er surrou n di n g which are

-
,
group e d a seri e s of ma n sio n s each con sisti ng of se veral ,
room s with fair garde ns fountai n s an d lab yrinths

, , ,
attach ed These r eprese nt th e variou s stages of

.
spiritual e xpe ri e n c e through which th e soul mu st

pa ss if gravitati ng to it s own c en tre it is to l e ave th e
, ,
world b ehi n d ca st off all e vil acquir e each pe rfect

, ,
grac e an d att ai n at la st to bli ssful u nio n with it s Lord

,
.
Th e fir st of th e se ve n ma n sio n s may b e t erme d th e

P rayer of Conflict 1
Th e se chamb er s are shroude d
.
1
Th e titles or description s he re chose n are ve ry case give n n ot in e
by St Teresa he rself For t h e first three de gre es of prayer see

more fully t h e Life
. .
,
, chaps i xiii for t h e fourth de gree ad xv

. x .
-
.
, v” .
for t h e fifth degr ee , xv i xvii an d for t h e sixth de gree xvii i x x i

.
, .
, .
-
.
in gloomy darkness an d i n fest e d by snakes vipe r s , ,
r e ptil e s an d oth er poi sonou s an d loathsom e cr eatures

, ,
which swarm out of th e m oat which surrou n ds th e

ca stl e Th e soul in thi s stage is b ei n g made vivi dly
.
, ,
aware of its own foul ness and de formity through

indwelli n g Sin It Shri nk s fr om prayer and o nly
.
,
re sort s to it o n c e or twic e a month for th e heart as ,
y e t is wh er e its tr e asur e is amo n g t h e ho,

n our s and
riches of th e world .
II
From t h e humility an d self k n owl edge acqui red in -
the se out ermost mansion s we pass to th e se con d stage

of spiritu al growth— t h e P rayer of Sufierin g H ere .
t h e distre sse d spirit is in a str ait b e twixt two Th e .
voic e of His Maj esty— St Tere sa s favourite appellatio n

.
’
for God— is h eard calling it from th e i nn er chamb er .
Th e soul would follow but al a s ! t epid an d reluctant

,
still it is u n willi ng wholly to r en ou n c e th e world

,
.
Therefore it suffer s more tha n if like th e spiri tually ,
deaf p er son it had form erly b een it had n ot heard ,
that Voice sou n ding so cl e ar an d sweet within th e

heart Which th en is it to b e— to go forward or to
.
,
tur n back Will u n d er sta ndin g m emory are rouse d

, ,
to new activity in t h i s degree of prayer Th ese all .
poi n t onward s to th e p eac e an d se curity an d j oy

which dwell with t h e Lov er of t h e soul alo n e And .
y e t,
old worl dl y habit s an d t h e i n flu e nc e of com
panion s are hard to overcome O nly by firmly gra sp .
in g th e we apo n s of t h e cros s an d by maki n g it o n e s

’
,
our gre at comfort that humi lity is th e oi n tmen t
for our wou n ds an d that p erfectio n doe s n ot con si st
,
”
in consolation but in gr eat er love 1
.
Whe n we reach t h e fourth ma n sio n s we attai n to

what is known as t h e P rayer of Quiet H ere th e .
ve nomou s r eptil es of th e early stages are seldom seen

if they should chan c e to e nt er th ey do good rath er tha n ,
harm by rou sing th e soul to resi st an d overcom e th em

,
.
Th e c hief charact e ri stic of thi s d egree of prayer is a

di sti n ctio n n ow first di sc erne d b etween t h e n atural
an d t h e sup er n atural Hitherto th e soul h as b een .
chi efly con scious of it s own e ffort in devotio n It .
h as b ee n pai n staki n g an d i n du striou s and pe r se ve ri n g ,
oft en without an y se n sibl e r esult But n ow it is made .
aware of th e return of prayers in th e inwar d dilatio n ,
an d e nlarg em e nt of t h e h eart by God St Tere sa . .
labour s to fin d m etaphor s which will worthily set

forth this di fferen ce Sh e like n s natural prayer to a .
ba si n fill ed by aqu educt s sup er natural prayer to a ,
ci st er n fill e d by som e bubbling w ell withi n it self an d ,
gradually expa n di ng in capacity as th e c el e stial wat er s

ri se withi n it Even in natural prayer we are aided
.
2
by t h e grac e of God an d we may b e quit e happy in ,
it j u st as we may b e happy in oth er natural activiti es

,
such as t h e maki ng of a fortune or t h e cultivatio n of a
1 III ii 8 1 5
I n terior C astle , . .
, .
2
Compar e h er beautiful compariso n of t h e diff e r e n t de gr ees of
praye r to vari ous mod es of waterin g a garde n Life chaps xi 1 1 7 , ,
. . 0-
xiv . 1 3 ; x vi . 1 ; x ix .
5 .
T H E P RA Y ER OF M Y S T I C UNION 2 67
fri e ndship But natural prayer is e ver prayer that

.
b e gins from se lf an d see ks it s en d in God Supe r .
natur al prayer ou th e other ha n d defi nit ely b egi n s

, ,
from God an d t erminat e s in man No m ere effort .
of ours c an se cur e it To acquire it we mu st sta n d as

.
a b eggar b efore an empe ror an d wait God s pl ea sur e ,

’
with e ye s ca st down an d a humbl e an d co n trit e spirit .
I n th e se mansio n s th e faculti e s are su sp e nde d th e

se n se s lo se th eir sov er eignty ; an d t h e soul tur ning ,
‘
from all creatures ent ers into th e bli ss of i n t erior
,
solitud e
with
.
God Not ev e n
. utt er pov e rty an d
i n ade quacy of thought can h er e i n t erfere with prayer ,
for at th e stage we have n ow r eache d it is not so

e sse ntial to think much as to lov e much What is .
more wo n derful still t h e soul is not at all put out by th e

,
co nfu sion of t h e u n der sta n ding or th e wand eri n g

vagari es of th e imagi n ation Th ese do not in th e .
l ea st matt er so lon g as th e will is con sta n t an d gravitat e s

st eadfastly toward G od We ca n n ot stop th e
.
revolutio n of th e heaven s as th ey ru sh with velocity

upon th eir cour se neith er can we co n trol our imagi na
tio n Wh en thi s wander s we at o n ce imagi ne that all
.
,
t h e pow er s of t h e soul follow it we thi nk e ve rythi n g

is lo st and that th e time spe n t in God s pre se nc e is
,
’
wa st e d M ea n while th e soul is pe rhap s e n tirely

.
,
u nit e d to Him in th e innermost ma n sion s whil e th e ,
imaginatio n is in th e preci n cts of th e ca stl e struggli n g ,
with a thou sa n d wild an d v e nomou s cr eatures and

”
gai n i n g m erit by it s warfar e 1
.
A S for t h e mi n d it self a n ew wi sdom is given to it

, ,
b ecau se it n o more strive s to put forth weakly laboriou s

e ffort s of its own b ut is wholly an d c hildlik ely ab sorb e d
,
1
I n terior C astle , IV . 1 9
. .
in God I n t h e prayer of qui e t wh en t h e wat er
.
,
flow s from th e spri ng it self and n ot through co n duit s ,
t h e mi n d c e ase s to act it is forc ed to do so although ,
it doe s not u n dersta n d what is happ e n ing and so ,
wa n der s hith er an d thith er in b ewilderm en t fi n di ng ,
n o plac e for r e st M ea n whil e t h e will e n tir ely u nit ed

.
,
to God is much di sturb e d by t h e tumult of th e

,
thoughts : n o n otic e however Should b e tak en of , ,
the m or the y woul d cau se th e lo ss of a gr e at part of

,
t h e favour t h e soul is e n j oying L e t t h e spirit ignor e .
th e se distraction s an d abandon it self in th e arm s of

divi n e love : His Maj e sty will t e ach it how b est to
act which chi efly co n si st s in its r ecognizi ng it s unwort h i
,
n e ss of so gr e at a good an d occupyi n g itself in tha n ki n g

”
Him for it 1
.
Th e soul however is n ot yet fully e stablish ed in

, ,
g rac e an d virtu e It i s lik e a

. bab e at t h e br e ast ,
which mu st pa ssion at ely cli n g to it s sourc e of life ,
l e st it should die imm e diat ely Th e n ext stage to b e .
reach e d is th e P rayer of Un ion in which thought , ,
m emory imaginatio n seem to fade away an d t h e soul

, , ,
doi ng n othing what ever of it self is brought by His

Maj esty i n to His hou se of wi ne Oh bl esse d stat e .
, ,
in which t h e d e vil ca nn ot i n jur e us ! What rich e s

we r ec eive whil e God so work s in us that n eith er we
our selv es n or an y one e l se c an imp ede Him ! What
will He n ot b estow who is so e ager to give an d who c an
, ,
give us all He desire s 2
1 I n terior Castle ,
IV . iii .
7 .
2
I bid . V . i 6 . .
th e fif th ma n sion s On th e one ha n d accompa n yi ng
.
,
thi s d elirious sweet n ess of spiritual re cre atio n an d -
i n troductio n to t h e love an d light of G od is a poig n a n t

'
feeli n g of u n happiness at t h e thought of so ma n y soul s

as mis s th eir way to Him Duri ng prayer thi s ,
gri e f break s forth into floods of t ears probably from ,
t h e gr eat pai n f elt at seei n g God offe n de d an d at

thi nk ing how ma n y soul s both h er etic s an d h eath en s , ,
are lo st e t er n al ly an d k e en est gri ef of all Chri stia n s

, , ,
also 1
O n t h e oth er ha n d th e se del ectabl e e csta si e s ,
are lik ely to b e come s n ar e s to us u nle ss we a re se du ,
lously car eful to mai n tai n good work s I n this .
mo st importa n t matt er si st er s we should b e mo st , ,
vigila n t in littl e t hin g s and tak e n o n otic e of th e

,
gr eat work s we pla n duri n g prayer which we imagi ne ,
we would pe rform for oth er p e opl e Th e devil s

’
wile s are ma n y ; h e would tur n h ell up side down a

thousa n d tim es to mak e us thi nk our selv es b ett er tha n
we are . It is amu si n g t o see soul s who whil e ,
th ey are at prayer fancy th ey are willi ng to b e despise d

,
an d publicly i n sult e d for t h e lov e of God y e t aft e r ,
wards do all th ey c an to hide their small de fect s ; if

an y on e u n ju stly accu se s th em of a fault God d eliv er ,
us from th eir outcri es 2
VI
We n e xt arrive at th e P rayer of Sp iritual B etrothal .
H er e St Tere sa lay s th e gr e at est empha si s on th e

.
courage an d fortitude dema n ded of th e soul that a spires

to e spousal s with th e King of H eave n It is as if th e .
1 I n terior Cas tle ,

V . ii 9. .
2
I bid. V . iii 9,
. 10 .
THE PRAYE R OF M Y STI C U NION 271
Lord wer e war ni ng th e discipl es of th e cost of followi n g

Him furth er sayi ng , Can ye dri nk of th e cup wh ich
I dri nk and b e bapti ze d with t h e baptism wh erewith
,
I am bapti ze d ? No word s may describe t h e swee t

i n t erior pang th e stab of delici ou s a ngui sh which mark s
, ,
t h e att ai nmen t of thi s d egr ee of praye r A dar t of .
h eavenly love transfix es an d wou n ds th e heart— a
t h e v ery spirit with it

“
dart which on b ei n g e xtract e d seem s to draw out
,
I saw in His ha n d a long .

,
spe ar of gold and at t h e iro n s poi n t th e r e see me d to

’
b e a littl e fire He appe ar ed to me to b e thrusti n g it

.
at tim e s i n to my he art an d to pierc e my very en tr ail s ,
when He dr ew it out He see m ed to draw th em out al so , ,
an d to l e ave me all on fire with a gr e at lov e of God .
Th e p ain was so gre at that it made me moa n an d yet

so surpassing was t h e sweet ness of this e xc e ssiv e p ai n
that I could n ot wi sh to b e rid of it It is a car e ss .
ing of love so swee t which n ow tak e s plac e b etwee n

t h e soul an d G od that I pray God of His good n e ss to
,
mak e him experien c e it who may thi nk that I am

”
lying .
1
Th e doors of t h e oth e r ma n sions are n ow so to spe ak , ,
t emporarily cl osed while th e Bridegroom e n t ers th e ,
sixth ma n sio n an d Cla sps t o His e mbrac e t h e happy
soul that is thus surr e n d er e d wholly to Himse lf He .
conf er s sweet favours on His trembli n g spiritual bride ,
as if He w er e d ecking h er with pric el e ss j ewel s A .
1
L ife chap xxix 5 1 7 I n a n ote on this passage D r ! imme r
, . . .
, .
man t h e Carmelite e ditor of St Te res a states that with th e help

, .
, ,
of a powe rful magn esium light h e h as actually se en this woun d in ,
t h e h e art of St Te res a n ow pr ese rv e d in t h e co n ve n t of Carmelite

n u n s at A lb a de Torm s Th e chie f wou n d dis tin ctly Visible
.
,
is horizo n tal about an in ch an d a h al f in len gth

.
, ,
it loo k s as if it
had be en inflicted with a k nife but formerly distin ct traces of
,
burnin g could b e see n

,
”
.
locke t is op ened and th e fla sh as of a diamo n d is
,
en tra n ci ngly expose d I n such mom e nt s as th e se

1
.
they are but few an d bri ef— th e soul e nj oys an actual

foretast e of t h e life of heave n It is attracte d and .
r ai se d upward s even as a Wi sp of straw is dr awn by

,
amb er an d seems to have quitt e d th e b ody altogeth er

, .
Wh e n it r eturn s to co n sciousness it c an give n o accou n t ,
of th e thi ng s u nutt erabl e it h as tast e d an d seen an d

ha n dl e d in it s h eavenly tra n c e save that th e high est ,
con c eivabl e e arthly happi ne ss eve n if it might b e ,
e xt en d e d for e ver throughout e t e r n ity could not b e ,
compare d with that wonderful mom en t of divi ne

raptur e .
A n d yet accompa n yi n g t hi s sw ee t n e ss of pe rf ect

,
pe ac e there is agai n a poign ant i n t en sity of p ain .
Th e s oul re probat e s its form e r mad ne ss in havi ng e ver

prefe rred th e vil e thi ng s of t h is world for th e heave nly
e mbrac e s of so divi n e a Lov er Th e glance of His .
pitiful m eek e ye s in reproach an d sorrow and disappoint

men t is u nb earabl e Th e angui sh therei n expe ri e nc ed
.
is n o di ffer en t from that of h ell itself save that it is ,
submitt e d to with pe rfect acquie sc e nce and m eek

hu mility an d there fore mu st issu e in u nen ding solac e
,
.
Al a s O Lord to what a stat e dost Thou bri ng tho se

, ,
who love Thee Yet the se su ffe ri n g s are as n othi n g

compar ed with th e reward Thou wilt give for th em .
” 2
It is right that great rich e s should b e cl early bought .
Even h ere however St Tere sa s marv ellou s sa nity

, , .
’
of spirit doe s n ot de se rt h er Th e soul that is favour ed .
with the se h eavenl y car esse s mu st n ot rat e itself more

1For this compariso n of G od to a diamon d see also th e Lif e,
chap x 1 1 4
. . .
2
I n terior C astle VI x i 6 , . . .
life we were m ea n t to b e is att ained at last , I am .
my B elov e d s and He is mi ne
’
, What h as heave n
it self to give that is more tha n thi s H ere t h e over
flowing wat ers are give n to th e wou n d ed hart ; h ere
sh e d e lights in t h e tab ernacl e s of God here th e dove
se n t out by Noah to see wh ether th e flood had sub
,
side d h as plucke d th e olive bra n ch showi n g that sh e

, ,
has found firm grou n d amo ng st th e floods an d t e mpe sts

”
of thi s world 1
.
St Tere sa spe aks of this e xperie nc e as on e of perfect

.
security an d pe ac e God re sts in th e huma n soul as

.
,
He doe s in th e e mpyr e a n in an u n move d c en tre of ,
compl et e tra n quillity an d c al m which is far far b ett er , ,
tha n any ecstasi e s or th e flights of tra n c e Not through .
th e door s of th e se n se s doe s He mak e His en tra n c e n or ,
yet through t h e door of t h e imagi n atio n ; b ut all ,
the se b ei ng Shut He com e s i n to th e mid st an d spe ak s

,
His word of pe ac e to th e distract ed an d agitat e d h eart .
When He spe ak s pe ac e He al so makes pe ac e for His

, ,
words are act s ; and in that pe ac e so wo n drou sly ,
b eatific which He cr e at e s all th e form er tumult s of

, ,
th e soul sub side Martha n o more en vi e s th e repose

.
of M ar y : Mary n o lon ger sit s apart from Martha .
Th e active an d th e co n t emplative life are p erfe ct ed i n to

on e. Tri al s and labours suffering and fatigu e may
, ,
still b e e xpe ct e d to com e an d go but n o ne of th ese ,
thin gs c an h en c eforth move th e se ttl ed soul from its

safe an d fi n al resti n g plac e in God War s on life s
-
.
’
fro n ti er s avail n ot to di sturb th e Ki ng upo n Hi s thro ne .
Has n ot th e Lord appe ar e d in r e surrectio n glory saying ,
to th e soul of His faithful serva n t : Car e for My

affairs as if th ey were thi ne an d I will car e for t h i ne ,
1
I n terior Castle, VII . iii
. 1 2.
THE PRAYER OF MY STI C U N ION 275
as if th e y were Mi ne own Not that t h e soul n ever

c an sin agai n . Agai n st that p e ril th e utmost watch
ful ne ss is n ece ssary ; but it k n ows it is n ow in th e
t e n der keepi ng of God s love an d n o ne shall b e abl e to
’
pluck it out of th e Fath er s ha n d ’
At such heights an d in such company we may well

, ,
lay dow n our bur de n of e n quiry an d l eave th e subj ect

,
we have b een studyi n g toge ther in th e se page s Wh o .
that h as l earned to k n ow an d admire thi s Spa n i sh

mystic will n ot shar e t h e sen timen ts of th e poe t Cra shaw ,
in his lines writt en Up on the B ook and P icture of the

Serap hical Sain t Teresa
O thou u n dau n te d daughte r of d esires
B y all thy dow e r of lights an d fir es
B y all t h e e agle in th ee all t h e dov e
,
B y all thy liv es an d d e ath s of lov e

B y thy large draugh t s of in t elle c tua l day ,
An d by thy thirst s of lov e more larg e than th ey

B y all t hy b rim fill d bowls of fi e rc e d esir e
’
-
,
B y t hy las t morn in g s draugh t of liqu id fire

’
B y t h e fu ll kin gdom of that fin al kiss

That seiz e d thy partin g sou l an d sea l d th e e His
’
B y all t h e He av n s thou ha st in Him

’
( Fair siste r of th e Se raphim

B y all of Him we hav e in th ee
Le ave n o thin g of myself in me .
L e t me so re ad thy life that I

U n to all life o f min e may die 1
APPENDIX OF Q UO TATIONS 1
A . THE N A TURE OF P RA YER .
(1 ) P ray e r is th e gr e a t du ty an d t h e gre at est privile ge

of a Ch ristian it is h is in t rcou rs with Go d h is san ctuary
e e ,
in troubles, h is re medy for his cure of gri e fs L et sin s, .
t
us bu re m e mbe r how man y n e e ds we hav e a how ch e ap a , t
t t
ra e we may ob ain th eir r e m e dies an d ye t how ho n ourable ,
t
t h e e mploym en is to go to G o d wit h co n fid en c e an d to f e tch
, ,
our supplies with e asin ess an d j oy an d hen wi hout farth e r t , t

pre fac e we may ad dr ess ou rselves o t h e u n d e rstan din g of
, t
t t t
ha du y by whi ch we imi a e t h e e mploym en of an gels t t t
an d b e at ifie d sp iri s by wh ich we asc en d to G o d in spirit t ,
while we re main on earth an d Go d d es c en ds on ea rth while ,
He yet resid es in h e aven S it in g th e r e on t h e thro n e of His ,

t
kin gdom ”
.
J EREM Y TA Y LOR , Work s (e d . R . H ebe r) ,

v ol . iii . p .
70 .
Piet y is th e daily r en ewin g of t h e id e al, t h e s e adyin g

(2 ) t
of our in n e r bein g, agi a e d, rouble d , an d e mbitt e re d by t t t
t h e c o mmo n accid en s of e xis en c e t
P raye r is t h e s piri ual t . t
balm , th e pre c iou s cordial whi ch res ores to us pe a ce an d t
cou rag e It r e min ds us of pardo n an d of du ty I t says to
thou hast re c eive d—give thou
. .
us Thou art love d— lov e

mu st die —labour while thou can st ove rcome an ge r by
,
kin dn ess ove rcom e ev il with goo d .
A miel s j ourn al ( tr M rs H U M P H R Y W A RD ) p 2 5 8
’
. . . .
,
1
Most following se l cted extracts have be glean ed from th
of th e e en e
readi g of ma y years So me however have be en k dly contrib uted

n n in
b y D J a m s M o ffatt and a f w oth rs have be en t k e

.
, ,
r. e b y permissio n
, e e a n, ,
fro m D r James Hastin gs Ch rist ia D oct ine o

’
.
f P ay n r r er .
2 79
A . Th e N at ure of Pray er ( con t ) .
( 3) Th e co n c e p tio n of p ray e r
a m e an s of in flu en cin g an as
u n willin g G o d t o do tha t which He wou ld n ot o t h erwise have

do n e rests on a th eory of t h e r elat io n of t h e d ivin e will t o t h e
human which is e qually u n sa tisfac to ry t o e thics an d to religio n .
Th e t ru e co n c e p tio n of pray e r is t hat it o pe n s t h e way for th e

impart atio n of th e d ivin e blessin gs by providin g t h e n e c essary
co n ditio n of t h eir bestowal an d thi s all alo n g t h e lin e ,
.
”
W A D AMS B ROWN Christian Theo logy in Outline p 3 8 5

.
, ,
. .
(4) P ray e r is th e use of ourhi ghest facu lty our free will , ,
to results by gainin g t ho se gifts

produc e t h e mo st Va luable of
from G o d which are d e pe n den t for th eir bestowal upo n th e
free dom of t h e cho ic e with which we d esire to r e c eiv e t h e m ,
an d coul d n ot oth e rwise b e giv e n us at all

”
.
J R ILL I NGWORTH The Gospel M iracles p 90

. .
, ,
. .
(5 ) N o thi n g
dign ifies hu ma n n a ure o r so e n ha n c e s
so t ,
t h e sen se of its fix e d relatio n with t h e d ivin e as do es pray e r ,
t t
t h e ru e co n c e p io n of which in vo lv e s t h e id e a of a c e rt ain
powe r possesse d by human i y ov e r Go d t
P raye r is G o d s .
’
t
ackn owle dgm en His e n dorse m en o f His o wn gif of free dom
,
t t
to man it is His royal in vita io n (an in vi a io n which h as t t t
in it t h e n a ure an d forc e of a c omman d ) to man o e x ert his
t . t t
p rivile ge o use t his powe r I is G o d t h e Al migh y who
, t . t t
says an d who say s
, o man A sk me co n c e rn in g my so n s
t , ,
an d co n c e rn in g t h e work of my h an d s comman d
ye me
’
.
D ORA G REENWELL , E ssays , p . 1 29 .
(6 ) religio n in ac t— tha t is to say re al religio n

P ray e r is , .
I t is pray e r which distin gu ish es r eligiou s ph en o m en a fro m all

tho se whi ch res e mble t h e m or lie n ear to th e m from t h e moral ,
se n se for in st a n c e or a e sth e tic f eelin g

, , R eligi o n is n ot h in g .
if it is n ot t h e vita l ac t by whi ch t h e who le sp irit se e ks t o sav e

it self b y a tt achin g itself t o it s prin c ip le Th is act is pray e r .
,
by whi ch I m e an t h e mov e m en t of t h e sou l pu ttin g its elf

in p e rso n al relatio n an d co n t act with t h e myst e ri ou s pow e r
who se presen c e it feels e ven be fore it is able t o giv e it a n am e ”
.
A SA B A TIE R P h ilosophy of R elig ion ( E n g

.
, .
pp . 2 7, 28 .
A . Th e Nat ure of Prayer ( cont ) .
(1 2 ) I n our pray e r G o d r eturn s from His proj e c tio n in

N atu re to speak with Himself W h en we spe ak to Go d it .
is r eall y t h e G o d who liv es in us s pe akin g t hrough us to Him

self . His Sp irit re turn s to Him who gave it an d r e tu rn s
n o t vo id bu t b ea rin g our sou ls with Him
, O ur pray e r is .
t h e mom en t ary fu n ctio n of t h e E t e rn al So n s co mm un io n an d

’
in te rc e ssio n with t h e E t e rn al Fath e r W e are in t e gra te d .
in advan c e in to t h e fin al Christ for whom an d t o whom , , ,

”
all cr e atio n mov es .
P T FORS YTH Th e Soul of P rayer pp 4 2 8 5

. .
, ,
.
,
.
( 1 3) He [D r . J oh
o ] obse rv e d tha t t o r e aso n philo
ns n
sop hi cally o n t h e n a t ur e of pray e r was v e ry u n profi t a ble .
B OSWELL L ife of j o h n so n (e d G B H ill) v ol Ii p 1 7 8

,
. . .
,
. . . .
B . THE N E CESSI TY OF PRA YER .
( )
1 mo st p e rf e c t an d divin e act io n t hat a
P ray e r is t h e
ratio n al sou l is capable of Yea it is t h e o nly prin cipal ac tio n
.
,
for t h e e x e rcisin g of wh ich t h e sou l was cre at e d sin c e in pray e r ,
alo n e th e soul is u n it e d t o G o d h en c e it is of all actio n s an d

du ties t h e mo st in disp en sably n e c essa ry .
"
A U G U S TI NE B AKER San eta Soph ia ,

.
(2 ) Sin c e
praye r plac e s our u n d e rstan din g in t h e divin e
b rightn ess an d light an d e xpo ses our will to t h e width of
,
h eaven ly lov e th e re is n o thin g t ha t so e ff e c t uall y purges our

,
u n d e rst an din g from it s ign o ran c e or ou r will from it s d eprav e d

,
a ffe ction s It is t h e wate r of b en e di ctio n whi ch wh en

.
, ,
sp rin kle d o n th e m mak es t h e p lan t s of our good d esir e s grow

,
green an d flourish washes our sou ls from th eir imp e rfe ctio n
, ,
an d qu en ch es t h e t h irst of pa ssio n in our h e arts

”
.
Sr FRAN C I S O F SALES Th e D evout L ife part i chap i

.
, ,
. . .
( 3) I t ought to b e thy c hi e f an d co n tin ual e x e rc ise to ,
pacify tha t thro n e of thy h eart that t h e Supre me Kin g may ,
rest t h er ein Th e way t o pacify it will b e t o en t e r in to thyself

.
A P PENDIX OF Q U OTATION S 2 83
B . Th e N ecessit y of Prayer ( con t ) .
by m e an s of in te rn al re collec tio n all t hy pro t ec tio n is t o b e

praye r an d a lovin g re co lle c tio n of t h e divin e presen c e W h en .
t hou seest t hyself more sharply assaulted ret reat in t o t hat ,
re gio n of p eac e wh e re thou wilt fin d t h e fo rt ress W h en

, .
thou art more fain t h ea rte d betake thyself to this re fuge of

-
,
pray e r t h e o n ly armour for ove rcomin g th e en e my an d mitigat

,
in g t ri bu la t io n Thou ough t es t n ot to b e at a distan c e from

.
it in a sto rm to t h e en d t hou may est as a n o th e r N oah

, , ,
e xp e rien c e t ra n qu illit y se curity an d se r en it

y in ord e r that
, , ,
thy will may b e resign e d d e vo te d p e ac e ful an d courageou s, , , .

”
M I C HA E L DE M OL I NOS The Spiritual Guide pa rt i oh i , , . . .
(4) Th e re is great e r argum en t in th e world of our

no
sp iri t ua l da n g e r an d un willin gn ess to r eli gio n than th e back ,
wardn ess wh ich mo st men hav e alway s an d all men hav e ,
som etim es t o say th eir prayers : so weary of th eir len gth

, ,
so glad wh en th e y a re do n e so witt y t o e xcu se an d fru st ra t e ,
an oppo rt u n ity an d yet all is n o thin g but a d esirin g o f G o d
t o give us th e greatest an d best thin gs we can n e e d an d which ,
c an make us happy I t is a work so e asy so ho n ourable an d

.
, ,
to so great pu rpo se t ha t in all th e instan c es of religio n an d

,
provid en c e (e xc e p t o n ly t h e in ca rn atio n of His Son ) God ,
ha th n ot giv en us a great e r argum en t of His willin gn ess t o hav e

us sav e d an d of o ur u n willin gn ess t o acc e p t it His goo dn ess
, ,
an d our grac elessn ess His in finite co n d esc en sio n an d our

,
carelessn ess an d fo lly t han by rewardin g so e asy a du t y with

,
so gr e a t blessin gs
”
.
J EREM Y TA Y LOR Work s v ol iv pp 2 1 7 2 1 8 , ,

. . .
,
.
(5 ) this distribu tio n of tim e d e votio n surely should

In
n ot lack it s share it ra t h e r j u stly claimet h t h e cho ic est po rtio n
to b e allo tt e d th ereto as bein g in co mparably th e n obles t
,
part of our du ty an d t h e m ain est co n c ern m en t of our lives

,
.
Th e f e e din g our souls an d n ouri shin g our sp iritual lif e t h e ,
re freshin g our sp irits with tho se n o less ple asan t th an who le

so m e e x e rc ises t h e d ri vin g o n our co rr es po n d en ce an d co m
,
m e rc e with h eav en th e improvin g our frien dsh ip an d in te rest

,
with Go d are a ffairs which abov e all o th e rs do best d eserv e

, ,
2 84 THE REAL M OF P RA Y E R
B . Th e N ec essit y of Prayer
( con t ) .
an d mo st n ee d bein g sec u re d Th ey mu st n o t t h e re fore b e .
le ft a t ran do m t o b e do n e by t h e by as it h itt et h by cha n c e

, , ,
o r as th e fan cy t aketh us .
ISAA C B ARROW Work s (e d v ol i

p 1 56 , . . . . .
P ray e r is n ecessa ry in o rd e r t ha we may b e ke p

(6 ) o t tt
t t
t h e rue po in from wh en c e to look a t h e wo rld , fro m which t
we are always i n dan g e r of d e pa r in g ; o cure th e wo un ds t t
cau se d by self -lov e an d sen sibili y ; to re an imate d e cayin g t
co u rage ; t t
o pre ven t h e in vasio n , whi ch is e v e r o b e appre t
h en ded , o f in do len c e frivo li y, in diff e ren ce of spiri u al or
, t , t
ec clesiastical p ride P ray e r is like t h e air in c e rtain
.
isle s of t h e oc e an whi ch is so pure t hat n o ve rmin c an liv e in

,
it. W e ough t t o surrou n d ourselv es by this atmo sph ere ,
as t h e d iv e r is surrou n d e d by t h e d ivin g be ll be fore h e d esc en ds -
in to t h e sea .
A V I NE T P astoral Theology ( tr
. p 1 02 , . . .
( 7) P ray e r is an d re ma ins
way s a n a tiv e an d d e e es t
p al
impu lse of t h e soul of man ;

an d co rr ec tly go n e abo u t is , ,
of th e ve ry highes t be n e fit (n ay on e migh t say in dispen sability) , ,
to ev e ry man aimin g mo rally hi gh in this world N o p raye r .

,
n o religion o r at le ast o n ly a dumb an d la med on e I P raye r

,
is a t u rn in g of o n e s so u l in h e ro ic re v e ren c e in in fini te
’
, ,
d esir e an d en deavour towards th e High est th e All E x cellen t, ,

-
,
O mn ipo ten t Supre m e Th e mo d ern H e ro th e re fore o ught

,
.
, ,
n ot t o giv e up prayin g as h e h as la tt e rly all bu t do n e , .
O n t h e who le Silen c e is t h e on e s afe fo rm o f pray e r kn own

,
to me in this poo r sordid era— though t h e re are e j aculat o ry

,
words t oo which occ asio n ally rise on on e with a felt propriety ,
an d v e racit y ; words v ery w elco m e in such case ! P raye r

is t h e as p ira tio n of our poor st rugglin g h e avy la d e n sou l , ,
-
to wards its E t e rn al Fa th e r ; an d with o r withou t words , ,
ought n ot t o be co me impo ssible n or I pe rs uade myself n eed , , ,
it e v e r
”
.
Th omas Carlyle A History of the First Forty Years ,
by J A FRO U DE v ol ii pp 2 1 2 2 . .
,
. . .
, .
C . Th e Value of P rayer
(3) how gre at a t hin g how marv ellou s a go dl y Chris
0 , ,
tian s pray e r is 1 how powe rfu l with G o d that a poor human

’
cre ature shou ld sp e ak with G o d s M aj est y in h e aven an d n ot ’
b e affrigh te d but on t h e co n t rary kn ow t ha t G o d smil es on

, , ,
him for Ch rist s sak e His d early belov e d Son I kn ow

’
.
, ,
wh en e v e r I hav e e arn estly praye d I hav e be en amply h eard , ,
an d hav e obtain e d mor e than I pray e d for Go d in d eed .

, ,
som et im e s d elay e d bu t at la st He c am e
”
.
,
M A R TI N L U T H ER Tab le Talk (e d A Chalm e rs) , . .

,
Pp
(4) Lo ok diligen tly av e n o co rn er th e rein u n searche d

,
an d le ,
for th e re is t re asure h id e v en th e tre asure of your first an d

,
se co n d e xp e rien c e of t h e grac e of G o d toward Re

m e mb e r also your t e ars an d pray e rs t o Go d ; yea how you
sigh e d u n d e r e v e ry h e dg e for m e rcy Hav e you n e v e r a hill .
Miz ar to r e m e mb e r P Hav e you forgot t h e clo se t h e milkhou se , ,
t h e stable t h e ba rn an d t h e like wh e r e Go d did v isit you r

, , ,
sou l
J O H N B U N YAN P re fac e to Grace A boun ding , .
(5 ) do st t hou n ot som etim es wh en afte r lo n g

Christian , ,
ga z in g h e av en ward t hou ha st got a glimp se of Ch rist do st

, ,
thou n ot see m t o hav e b een with Paul in t h e third h eav en P

D id st t hou n e v e r look so lo n g upo n t h e Son of Go d t ill thin e
e y e s w e r e da zzle d wit h His a sto n ish in g glory an d did n ot t h e
s plen dour of it mak e all t h in g s below se e m black an d dark
to th ee wh en thou loo k edst down again

R B A XT ER Sain ts E verlas tin g R est pa rt i cha p iv
’
. . . .
, ,
(6 ) I mu st have you prayin g for me I am black sham e d

for e v e rmore n ow wit h Christ s goodn ess ; an d in priva t e ’
o n t h e 1 7 t h an d 1 8 t h of A ugu st I go t a fu ll an swe r of my ,
Lord t o b e a grac e d min ister an d a cho sen arrow hi dden in ,
His o wn qu iv e r B ut k n ow t his assuran c e is n ot k eeped but

.
by wat chin g an d pray e r G iv e hou rs of t h e day t o

.
pray e r Fash Ch ri st (if I may sp e ak so ) an d impo rtu n e Him

.
b e oft en a t His gat e ; giv e His door n o r est I can t ell you .
APPENDIX OF Q U OTATIONS 2 87
0 . Th e Value of Prayer
He will b e fou n d Oh wha t swee t f ellows hip is be twix t
.
,
Him an d me I am imp riso n e d bu t He is n ot impriso n e d , .
He hath sham e d me with His kin dn ess He hat h come t o my .
priso n , an d run away with my h e a rt an d all my love .

”
Letters of Samuel R utherford (e d A A B ONAR ) . . .

,
pp . 89 ,
2 75 .
(7)Th e p lace of pray e r is a pre c iou s habit atio n fo r I ,
n o w saw t hat th e pray e rs of t h e s ain ts we re pre c iou s in c en se
an d a t rumpe t was giv en t o me t ha t I migh t so u n d fo rth this
lan guage ; th a t t h e c h ildr en migh t h e ar it an d b e in vit e d

togethe r to th is precious habit atio n wh e re t h e praye rs of t h e ,
sain ts as swe e t in c en se arise be for e t h e th ro n e of G o d an d t h e
Lamb I saw t hi s h abit a tio n t o b e safe—to b e in wardly

, ,
qu iet wh en th e re we re great stirrin gs an d commotio n s in t h e

world .
J O H N W OOLM A N j ourn al chap x , ,

. .
(8) you n g artist [ Mr Richmo n d ] fin din g h is

On c e t h e .
,
in v en t io n flag du rin g a who le fo rtn ight wen t t o B lake as wa s , ,
h is wo n t for so m e advic e o r c o mfo rt

,
He fou n d hi m sittin g .
at t ea wit h h is wi f e He rela ted h is dist res s ; how h e felt

.
d ese rte d by th e po we r of in v en tio n To his a sto n ishmen t .

,
B lake t urn e d t o h is wif e sudd en ly an d sa id : It is j u st so

with us is it n ot for wee ks t oge th e r wh en t h e visio n s forsak e
, , ,
us ? W hat do we do t h en K a t e ? W e kn eel down a n d ,
pray Mr B lake
,
. .
’
L ife of William B lake by A G I LC H R I S T p 3 1 7 ,

.
,
. .
( 9) W it hou t a bstru se po in t of divin ity

en et ri g n in to an ,
on e t hin g is pl ain n am ely tha t t h e pe r so n who lays ope n his

, ,
doubts an d dist resses in praye r wit h feelin g an d sin c eri ty , ,
mu st n ec essarily in th e ac t of do in g so pu rify his min d from

, ,
t h e dross of worldly passio n s an d in t e r ests an d brin g it in to ,
that sta te wh en th e reso lu tio ns adop te d are likely t o b e

,
selec t ed ra th e r fro m a se n se of du t y than from an y in fe rior ,
Sir W . SC O TT , Th e Heart of M idloth ian ,

chap . x iv .
C Th e Value of Prayer
—
.
( )
1 0 I hav e be en t oo n e gle c t fu l of prac t ical r eligio n I
m e an actual an d sta t e d praye r
,
I fin d a tru e j oy afte r .
a sin c e re praye r ; bu t for wan t of habit my min d wan d ers ,
an d I ca n n ot pray as I ough t Than ksgi vin g is p leasan t in .
t h e p erfo rma n c e ; bu t pray e r an d distin ct co n f essio n I fin d

mo st servic e able t o my spirit ual h ealth wh en I can do it .
S T COLER IDG E L etters ( ed E H C OL E R IDGE ) v ol i

. .
, . . .
, . .
P 2 47
(1 1 ) O f t h e who le ho u se ho ld Hollin gswo r h I appre t ,
h en d was t h e o n ly on e who be gan t h e day wi h praye r My

,
t .
sle e pin g room be in g bu thin ly pa rtitio n e d fro mhis t h e sole mn

t ,
mu rmur of his vo ic e mad e its way o my ea rs c om pellin g me t ,
t
to b e an au di or of h is awfu l privacy wi h t h e C rea or t t .
I is so rare in h ese tim es o m ee wi h a man of praye rful

t , t , t t t
t t
habi s (e xc e p o f cou rse in t h e pu lpi ) ha such an on e is
, ,
t t t
,
d e c id e dly marke d ou y a light of t ran sfiguration sh e d upo n tb ,
b
h im y t h e d ivin e in e rvie w f ro m wh ich h e passes in to h is t
da ily life .
N . HAW T H ORNE , The B lithedale R oman ce ,

chap . vi .
(1 2) may in ten d sacrific e an d pray e r t o b e th e m e an s

On e
of win n in g divin e favour an d divin e gifts ; bu t amo n g all ,
t h e vari ou s po ssible d e vo tio n al rit es it is n eit h e r c o n c eivable

n o r j u stifiable to s ubordin a t e an
y on e of t h e m t o a n o t h e r as
a m ean s t o an en d E ach d e vo tio n al act ra t h e r like artistic
.
, ,
ac tio n po ssesses in its elf it s en d an d it s powe r to satisfy t h e

, ,
human h eart .
”
A R ITSC HL D octrine of R econ ciliation ( E n g

.
, p 2 84 . . .
( 1 3) P ray e r is th en
oble becau se it is t h e wo rk of so n ,
man as man of man reali zin g hi s bein g an d d estin y with a

vividn ess which is n ec essa ry t o h im in n o o th er o ccu patio n .
B ut wha t shall we say of it wh en we r efl ec t fu rth e r tha t in ,
pray e r man ho ld s co n v e rse wit h Go d : tha t th e B ein g o f

B e in gs with all His maj e st ic a tt ri but es fillin g an d t ran sc en d
, ,
in g t h e cre a te d u n iv erse trav e rsin g huma n hist o ry t rav e rsin g

, ,
2 90 THE R EALM OF PRAYER
C. Th e V alue of Prayer
(1 6) my Fou rth D im en sio n W h en I am al o n e
P ray e r is .
,
I ca n n o t thin k of an y t h e m e wi thout brin gin g in Go d ; an d

of all in t ell e ctual— n ot to say sp irit u al —ple asu res my chiefest
is to t alk t o Him
”
.
A D G RAN T in M en of the K n otted Heart by T CASSELS

. .
, , .
,
p . 1 4o .
H idd en ex ha ustless t re a su ry h eav en taugh t P raye r

, ,
-
,
A rmoury o f u n se e n a id s— watchword an d s pell

A t which bles t A n g els p itch th e ir t e n t an d dwell
A bout us—glass to brin g t h e b right H e av en s n e ar
Se a of e t e rn al be auty— wo n drou s sta ir
B y pa t riarch seen — k e y le ad in g t o t h e c ell
W h e re b e tt e r world s lie h idd en — s ecr e t w ell
W h e r e Lo v e with go ld e n chalic e may re pa ir ,
A n d slake h is th irst n u rsin g wit h fragra n t d ews

,
H ea v en s lilies fai r an d ro se on wil d wood spray

’
,
-
,
Ca lm t hought a n d high r es o lv e st ra n ge in strum en t ,
W h e r ewith from sph e res se r en e mu sic is sen t

I n to t h e min d t hrowin g o e r all fresh hu es ’
A n d myst ic co lou ri n gs —
,
yet we ca nn o t pray
ISAA C W I LL I AMS The Cathedral p 1 4 , ,
. .
(1 8) privile ge of praye r to me is o n e of t h e mo st
Th e
ch e rish e d po ssessio n s bec au se fa it h an d e xp e rien c e alike
,
co n vin c e me that G od Himself se es an d a n swe rs an d His ,
an swers I n e v e r v en t ure to critic iz e It is o n ly my part t o .
ask . I n t h e qu ie t of hom e in t h e h ea t of lif e an d strife , ,
in t h e fac e of d e ath t h e p ri vile g e of sp e e ch with G o d is in estim

,
able I valu e it more be cau se it calls for n othin g t hat t h e

.
wayfa ri n g man though a foo l ca n n ot giv e— that is t h e

, , ,
simples t e xp re ssio n to his simples t d esire Wh en I c an .
n eith e r see n o r h e ar n o r s pe ak still I c an pray so tha t G o d

, , ,
c an h ear W h en I fin ally pa ss th rough t h e v alley of t h e shadow

.
of dea th I e xpe c t to pass through it in co n ve rsatio n with Him

,
.
Sir W I L F RED G REN F ELL quo t e d by H E FOS DI C K , . .

,
The M ean ing of P rayer pp 3 9 4 0 , .

, .
AP P ENDIX OF QU OTA T ION S 2 91
D . THE E FFI CA CY OF P RA YER .
(1 ) I see plain ly t ha t G o d an swers pray e r ( P s .
Th e who le world proc la ims th e fact W hat e v e r a sp e c t .
matt e rs may assum e we c an ach ie v e all th rough p ray e r

, .
Thi s a lo n e is t h e a lmight y qu een of huma n d es tin y Th e re .
with we ca n accomp lis h e verythin g an d t hu s ma in t ain wha t ,
a lrea dy e xists amen d wha t is d e fec tiv e patien tly put up with
, ,
t h e in e vitable ov e rcom e wha t is e vil an d pres e rve all tha t is

, ,
’
goo d f
Letters of M artin L uth er (e d M . . A C . U RR I E) pp ,
. 231 , 384 .
(2 ) W e do more d esire t o b e blesse d than Go d do es

n ot
t o h ear us impo rtun ate for blessin g ; an d He we igh s ev e ry

sigh an d bot t le s u p e v e ry t ea r an d r e cord s e v e ry pray e r an d
, , ,
looks through t h e c loud with d elight to se e us u po n our kn ees ,
an d wh en He sees His tim e His light bre aks through it an d

, , ,
s hin es u po n us On ly w e mu st n ot make our accou n ts for Go d

.
accord in g to t h e cou rse of t h e sun but t h e m e asure of e te rn ity , .
He m ea sures us b y our n ee d s an d we mu st n ot m eas ure Him ,
by our impatien c e For augh t we kn ow we are alre ady

.
,
en t e r e d in to t h e c loud t hat brin gs t h e blessin g .
J EREM Y TA Y LOR Work s v ol iii p 8 8 , , . . . .
(3) Ano hth r time I

ad a
e tumour o n on e of t h e o n sils in t
my throat whit e an d hard li ke a bo n e
,
A n d wh en I had
by th e physician s advic e applie d such re m e dies as h e t hough
’
t
t
fittes t an d it n o whit al e re d ut re ma in e d as hard as at t h e
, , b
first at t h e en d of a bo ut a qua rt e r of a y e ar I was ch ec k d
,
’
in co n scien c e that I had n e v e r pu blicly pra ise d G od pa rticularly

for an y of t h e d eliv e ra n c es whi ch He had vouchsafe d me .
A n d bein g spe akin g of Go d s co n firmin g our belie f of His

’
W ord by His fu lfillin g of promises an d h earin g praye rs I , ,
an n e x e d so m e t ha n kfu l men tio n of my o wn e xp eri en c es

an d sudd enl y t h e t umou r va n ish e d an d n o S ign wh e r e v e r it ,
had be en re main e d N or did I eithe r swallow it down or spit

.
it ou t n or kn e w wh at w en t with it to this day

,
.
R eliquiae B ax terian ae p 81 . .
D . Th e Efficacy of P ray er
(4) my b odily st ren gth qu it e fa ile d so tha t
O n Saturday ,
for se v e ral hours I cou ld scarc e lift u p my h e ad O n Su n day .
I was oblige d to lie down mo st part of t h e day b ein g e a sy ,
o n ly in that po stur e Ye t in th e e v e n in g my we akn ess was .
Su sp en d ed while I was ca llin g sin n e rs t o r e p en tan c e B ut at

,
.
our lov e f ea st which fo llowe d b e side th e pain in my b ack an d

-
,
h e ad an d t h e f e v e r wh ich still co n tin u e d upo n me j u st as I

, ,
b e gan to pray I was seiz e d with such a cough that I cou ld

,
hardl y sp e ak A t t h e sam e tim e cam e stro n gly in to my min d

.
,
Th e se sign s shall fo llow t h e m that b elie v e I calle d on ’

.
J esu s aloud to in crease my fait h an d to co n firm th e word

, ,
’
of His grac e Vt l e I was sp eakin g my pain van ish e d away

.
’
.
t h e f e v e r le ft me my bo dily st ren gth re turn e d an d for man y

w ee ks I f elt n eith e r w e akn ess n or pa in U n to Th ee O Lord .
, ,
do I giv e t ha n ks .
’
J O H N W ESLE Y j ourn al May , ,
5) I c an say that I n e v e r r et urn e d e mpty wh en in straits ,
an d oppr e ssio n I calle d upo n G o d This is sayin g in fi n it ely .
much more I ca n n o t an d mu st n o t say Impo rta n t as e ach .
e xpe rie n c e w as at t h e crit ica l mom e n t for my self th e r e cita l ,
of th e m wou ld b e fla t impro b able an d in sign ifican t we re I , , ,
to sp e cify t h e se parat e ca ses Happy was I t hat a thou san d .

,
litt le in c id en t s in com bin a tio n prov e d as c le arly as t h e drawin g ,
of my b re at h prov e d me t o b e livin g t hat I was n o t without ,
G o d in t h e world He was n e ar to me I was b e fore Him

.
, .
This is what with a d ilig en t avo ida n c e of all th eo logica l

,
s y st e ma t ic t e rm s I c an with t h e g r e at e st t ru t h d e c lare
, .
G OE T H E Wilhelm M e ister s A ppren ticesh ip (tr CARL Y LE )

’
.
, ,
book vi .
(6 ) with all your might my d e ar K e ats

Tru st in Go d , .
From my sou l I d eclare to you that I n e v e r applie d for h elp ,
or for co n solatio n or for str en gth b ut I fou n d it I a lways

, ,
'
ro se up from my kn ees wi th a re f resh e d fu ry an iro n clen ch e d ,

-
firmn ess a c rystal p iety of f e elin g tha t sen t me stre amin g o n

,
with a re pu lsiv e pow er a ga in st t h e trou bles of life .
B R HA Y DON C orrespon den ce (e d HI S SO N ) v ol ii p 2

. .
, .
, . . . .
D . Th e Efficacy of P rayer
wou ld com e ; I had to wa it e ight een mo n th s b e fore t h e la st
of it was r e c eiv e d b ut it cam e Sin c e th en I hav e r e c eiv e d
, .
in a n sw e r to pray e r
”
.
L ife of George M uller by W H HAR DI N G pp 3 0 1 3 02 , . .

,
.
, .
( 1 1 ) calle d diffi cu lties of praye r

Th e so - a re id en t ical
with t h e diffi cu lties of t h e moral life in gen e ra l The y are n ot .
in vo lv e d in an y relatio n of a s ubord in at e t o a sup eri or will ,
o n e workin g within t h e oth e r Th e y do n ot make pray e r .
impo ssible or u n m e an in g an y more tha n t h e difficu lty of fr e e

wille d life make cho ic e or actio n impo ssible or fictitiou s Th e .
e v id en c e of t h e r e a lit y of P ray e r an d of it s e fli c ac
y mu st lie
n o t in our r e cog n it io n of its sp e c ific a n sw e r but in our a ssur ,
a n c e of t h e n a t ure of t h e B ein g t o whom it is o ffe re d .

”
L ife of P h illips B rook s by A V G A LLEN v ol ii p 35 0 ,

. . .
, . . . .
(1 2) P ray e r which rec eiv es no r ep ly mu st be pro n ou n c e d

in vain .
R . J E FF ER I ES , The Story of my Heart p , . 1 98 .
( 1 3) Notic
h e re what t h e tru e basis of pray e r is Th e
e .
praye r tha t is a n swe re d is t h e pray e r afte r G o d s will A n d ’

.
t h e r e a so n for thi s is p la in W hat is Go d s will is G o d s wish ’ ’

. .
A n d wh en a man do es wha t G o d wills h e do e s what Go d ,
wish es do n e A n d t h e wish in us is a lmo st e qu iva le n t to

.
t h e a n swe r It is t h e an swe r ca stin g its shadow b ackwards

. .
Alre ady t h e t h in g is do n e in t h e min d of G o d It cas ts two

shado ws —
.
o n e backward o n e forward Th e b ackward shadow

—that is t h e wish be fore t h e thin g is do n e whi ch sh e ds itself
.
,
in pray e r Th e fo rward Shadow— that is t h e j oy aft e r t h e

.
thin g is do n e whi ch sh e ds itself in praise Oh what a rich

, .
,
a n d wo n d e rfu l lif e this id ea l lif e mu st b e A skin g a n ythin g .

,
ge ttin g e ve ryt hin g willin g with G o d prayin g with Go d

, , ,
praisin g with G o d Sur ely it is too much this last promise

.
,
.
”
HENR Y D R U M MOND Th e I deal L ife pp 2 3 1 2 3 2 , , .

,
.
I have n o hypoth esis to offe r b e yo n d what t h e

( 1 4)
ph en om en o n of pray e rfu l commu n io n e sp e c ia lly wh en ,
’
c e rta in kin ds of in cursio n from t h e subco n sc iou s regio n take

AP P ENDIX OF Q U O TA T ION S 2 95
D . Th e Efi cacy of Prayer
part in it imm e diat ely suggests Th e appe aran c e is t ha t in
, .
this phe n om e n o n som e thin g id e al which I n on e se n se is part ,
of ou rselves an d in an othe r sen se is n ot ourselves ac t ually ,
e x e rts an in flu en c e raises our c en tre of p e rso n al en e rgy an d

, ,
produc es re gen e ra tiv e e ff e cts u n att a in able in oth e r ways .

”
W I LL I AM JA MES Varieties of R eligious E xperien ce p 5 2 3

, , . .
(1 5)I am glad tha t you hav e a ske d me abou t pray e r ,
os ce n se I hav e rath e r stro n g id e as o n t h e su b j e ct First .
co n sid e r what are t h e facts Th e re e xist s arou n d us a sp irit ual

.
u niv e rse an d that u n iv e rse is in actual r elatio n with t h e

,
mat e rial From t h e sp iritual un iverse com es t h e en e rgy

.
which ma in ta in s t h e mat e ria l ; t h e en e rgy which makes t h e

lif e of e ach in d ivi dua l sp irit P la in ly we mu st en d e avour
.
,
to draw in as much sp iritual life as po ssible an d we mu st plac e ,
our min d s in an y att itud e wh ich e xpe rie n c e shows to b e

favourable t o such in drawa l P rayer is t h e gen e ral n am e .
for tha t attit ud e of ope n an d e arn est e xp ec tan cy If we th en .
as k to wh o m we pray t h e an sw e r (st ran g ely en ough ) mu st b e

,
tha t that do es n ot much ma t te r Th e p raye r is n ot in d ee d a

purely subj ec tive thin g —it m e an s a re al in crease in in ten sit y
.
of a bsorpt io n of sp iritua l powe r or grac e — bu t we do n ot

kn ow en ough of wha t t akes plac e in t h e sp iri tual world to
kn ow how t h e praye r op erates — wh o is cog n iza n t of it or ,
through what chan n el t h e g rac e is give n To say that

G od h ears us is m e rely t o r estat e t h e first prin c ip le —
.
that grac e
flows in from t h e in fin it e Sp iritua l world .
F W H M Y ERS quote d in Varieties of R eligious

. . .
,
E xperie nc e pp 4 6 6 4 6 7 ,
.
,
.
( 1 6) W e dok n ow t h
n ot e law s wh ich gov e rn t h e in t e r
actio n o f d iffe ren t ord e rs of in t elligen c e n o r do we kn ow how ,
much may d e p en d on our o wn attitud e an d con duct It may .
b e that pray e r is an in strum en t whi ch c an in flu en c e high e r

a gen c ies an d that by its n e gle ct we are lo sin g th e aid of an
,
en gin e of h elp for our liv es an d for t h e liv es of oth e rs .
SI R O L I VER LODGE M an an d the U n iverse p 5 1

, , . .
D Th e Efficacy of Prayer
( )
1 7 M y cr e to thi k that pray r is emc acious
e d lead s me n e ,
d sur ly a day s a skin g G o d to ov rru le all th ese e v en t s for

’
an e e
good is n ot lo st . Still th e re is a
gre at fe elin g that wh en a
,
man is prayin g h e a n d t his f e elin g I am sur e

is do in g n oth in g , , ,
makes us giv e u n du e impo rt a n c e to work som e tim es e v en t o ,
t h e hurryin g ov e r or e v en t o t h e n e gle c t of pray e r Lately .

,
t oo I hav e b e come calm B e fore I worke d— o h so hard an d

,
.
, ,
so much an d a ske d G o d t o bless my work

,
N ow I t ry t o .
pray more an d get more blessin g an d th en work en ough t o let ,
t h e ble ssin g fin d it s way through me to men A n d that is .
t h e be tt e r way Try n o t t o fly rou n d so much : tak e

.
more tim e wit h Go d B e more in privat e pray e r with Him . .

”
j ames G ilmour of M o ngo lia b y R L OVE T T pp 4 9 2 3 8 ,

.
,
.
,
.
( 1 8) M r Taylor was
dictatin g to h is se cre tary walkin g up
.
,
an d down th e room as wa s h is wo n t wh en h e re p e at e d in ,
on e of h is le tt e rs what h e had writt en a bov e W e are prayin g

for an d e xp ec tin g a hu n dre d n ew missio n aries to com e ou t
in D id h e r e ally m e a n it ? M r St e v en so n saw t h e .
s e cre tary a you n g man who was him self to b e o n e of t h e

,
Hu n dre d look up with an in cre du lou s smile

, If t h e Lord .
shou ld Op en w in dow s in h e av e n that look see m e d t o say ,

’
,
th en might this thin g b e M r Taylor saw it too an d .

’
.
,
imm e di at ely cau ght fi re A ft e r that h e w e n t b e yo n d me .

,
altoge th e r re calle d M r St e v en so n
,
’
N e ve r shall I forge t .
,
t h e co n victio n wit h which h e s a id : If you showe d me a

pho tograph of t h e who le hu n dre d t aken in Chin a I cou ld , ,
n o t b e mor e s ur e tha n I am n o w W hat a y e ar it was 1 .

”
P r e c e d e d by two days of pray e r b e cau se on e was n o t en ough , ,
it en d e d with th e las t part y of t h e Hu n dr e d o n t h eir way to

Ch in a—all t h e work acco mp lish e d all e xp en ses me t — an d wrt h ,
a fuln ess of blessin g that was spr e adin g an d t o spre ad in e v e r

w id en in g c ircles .
Hudson Taylor by D R an d M R S HOWARD TAY LOR ,

. .
,
pp 4 2 2 4 .
-
.
( 1 9) My lif e is
daily hourly re cord of an swe re d
on e lo n g , ,
pray e r For phy sica l h ealth for m en tal ove rstra in for
.
, ,
gu idan c e giv en marv ellou sly for e rrors an d dan ge rs av e rt e d , ,

THE REALM OF P RAYER
E .
GREA T SOUL S A T PRA YE R .
'
I
A n d Sain t Fran c is, for to hid e his sa n ctity , wh en h e
me in o t h e chamb e r in co n tin e n t did throw himself
t ,
upon t h e b e d an d mad e as though h e sle p : an d like wise t

B e rn ard aft e r som e sho r Spac e set h imself o lie down an d f ell t t
to sn o rin g lou dl y, in fashio n as t hough h e sle p right sou n dl y t
W
.
E he Fran c is tM
y Sa in t m —
y t ha t B e rn ard w as asleep
'
re b g t l
‘ , ,
in h is slee p ro se up from hi s b ed an d se t hi mself to p ray liftin g ,
up h is han ds an d ey es u n to h eav en an d with e xc eed in g gr eat ,
d e vo tio n an d fe rvour said : My G od my G o d A n d thu s ,

.
’
sayin g an d so r ely w e e p in g h e a bo d e t ill mo rn in g alway re ,
My G od my G o d an d n aught besid e ; an d this

’
peat in g : , ,
Sain t Fra n c is sa id wh il e mu sin g o n an d ma rvellin g at th e

,
e xc ellen c e o f t h e di vin e M aj est y whi ch d eign e d to stoop ,
down to a p e rishin g world an d through His poor litt le Fran cis
‘ _
pu rpose d to brin g a re m e dy for t h e salvatio n of his soul an d
t h e sou ls of oth e rs ?
— ” h fi
!
Th e L ittle Flo wers of Sain t Fran cis (Te mple Classics)

o
PP 3 .
Q
(2 ) Though for man y y ears h e [ Sain t Fran c is] had be en
affl ict e d with t h e afor e sa id in fir m it ie s yet was h e so d e vout ,
a n d re v er en t at pray e r an d t h e D ivin e O ffi c e that e v ery tim e ,
h e was prayin g or r e p eatin g th e can o n ical Hou rs h e would ,
n e v e r le a n on t h e wall or doo rpo st For h e g en e rally stood .
e r e ct an d bar e h e ad e d though h e was so m e t im es on h is k n e es

,
mor e esp ec ially h e Sp en t t h e great e r part of t h e day an d n ight

in pray e r ; n ay wh en h e w en t through t h e wo rld afoo t h e
,
al way s s tay e d h is st eps wh en h e wish e d to say h is Hou rs .
B ut if h e w e r e ridin g on accou n t of h is a ilm en t h e always

, ,
alighte d t o sa y t h e Ofli c e On a c e rt ain tim e it was rain in g .
v e ry much an d h e was ridin g by r ea so n of h is in firmity an d

,
v e ry great n e c essity an d though h e was wholly soake d through

, ,
h e got o ff h is hor se wh en h e wish e d to say h is Hours an d s aid ,
h is O flic e with as gr e at a f e rvour of d e votio n an d r e v e ren c e

thu s sta n din g on t h e road with t h e rain fallin g on h im c on
,
t in ually as if it had be en in a church or a c e ll

”
.
,
Th e M irror of P erfection ( Te mp le Cla ssic s) p 1 3 8 , . .

AP P ENDIX or Q U O TA T ION S 2 99
ouls at Prayer
was my m e thod of pray er
s as I cou ld n ot m a ke
re fle c tion s with my u n d e rs a n din g I co n triv e d o p icture t , t
Ch ri st as wit hin me an d I u se d t o fin d myse lf th e b e t e r for t
t
thin kin g of ho se myst e ries of His lif e du rin g which He was
mo st lo n ely It se e m e d to me tha t h e be in g alo n e an d
. t
a fflic e d like a p e rso n in rou le mu st n ee ds p e rmit me to
t , t b ,
come n ear u n o Him I did ma n y simple thin gs of th is kin d

t .
an d in pa rt icular I u se d o fin d myself mo st a hom e in t h e t t

pray e r in t h e G ard en whith e r I wen t in His compan y I , .
t
though of th e bloody swe at an d of th e afllic tion He en dure d ,
th e re ; I wish e d if it had be en po ssible to wip e away that

, ,
pain ful sw eat from His fac e For ma n y y ears n early .

,
e v e ry n igh tb
e for e I f ell aslee p wh en I re commen d e d myself ,
t t
o G o d tha I might sle e p in p eac e I u se d always to th in k a
, ,
tt
li le o f t is my st e ry of t h e pray e r in t h e G ard en
h .
j
'
/
.
i Li Sa
in t Teresa Written by Herself cha p ix
'
e o
f ,
. .
4, 5 .
No t a d
passes in wh ich h e [Mart in L uth e r] do es n ot
ay
e mp loy in pray e r at le a st thr e e of h is v e ry best hours On c e .
I happ en e d to h ear him in praye r G rac iou s G o d ! W hat .
sp irit an d wh at faith is t h e r e in his e xpr essio n s 1 He p etitio n s

Go d with as much r e v e ren c e as if h e w e re in th e d ivin e
presen c e a n d yet with as firm a hop e an d co n fid en c e as h e
,
wou ld address a fat h e r or a frien d W h ilst I was list e nin g .
to L uth e r prayin g in this man n e r at a dista n c e my sou l , ,
se e m e d o n fi re within me to h ea r t h e man addr ess G o d so lik e ,
a frien d yet with so much gravity an d re v e ren c e ; an d also

,
to h ear h im in t h e course of h is praye r insistin g on t h e pro

, ,
mises co n tain e d in th e P sal ms as if h e we re sure h is p e tition s ,
woul d b e gra n t e d .
M E L A N C THON quo te d in P urpose in P rayer by E M

, , . .
B O U NDS p 3 7 ,
. .
(5 ) Of this R e v e r en d P relat e
I may [ Lan c elot An dr ew es]
say Vita ejus vita or ation is
, His lif e was a life of pray e r ,
a great part of fiv e hours e v e ry day did h e Sp e n d in pray e r

an d d e vot io n to G o d His pray e r boo k wh en h e was
.
-
,
privat e was seldom see n out of h is han ds an d in t h e tim e

,
of h is f e v er an d last sickn ess b esid es t h e oft en pray e rs which ,

300 T HE REALM O F PRAYER
E . G reat Souls at P rayer
we re re ad to h im in which h e re p ea te d all t h e parts of t h e
,
C o n f essio n a n d oth e r pe titio n s with an aud ible v o ic e as lo n g

h e did—a s was w ell obse rv e d by
,
a s h is stre n gth e n dur e d
c ert a in token s in him—c on tin u ally pray to h im self though h e

,
see m e d oth e rwise to r es t or slumb e r an d wh e n h e could pray
n o lo n g e r vo ce with h is vo ic e yet c oulis cl man ibus b y

, ,
’
lif tin g up h is e y es an d ha n d s h e pray e d still ; an d wh en

’
n ec m a n us n ec vox ofiic ium fac iun t both vo ic e an d e yes , ,
an d ha n d s fa ile d in t h e ir o fli c e th en c orde with h is h eart ’

, , ,
h e still p ray e d u n til it ple a se d G o d t o re c e iv e h is ble sse d sou l

,
to H im self .
”
Fu n e ral Se rmo n in A N D REWES Work s v ol v p 2 96,

’
,
. . . .
(6 ) H e rb e rt s co n stan t public praye rs did n e ve r make

Mr .
’
h im n egle ct hi s o wn privat e d e vo tio n s n or t ho se pray e rs that ,
h e thought h im self bou n d t o p e rform with h is fa mil y which ,
always we re a set form an d n ot lo n g ; an d h e did always ,
co n clud e th e m with a co lle c t which t h e Church ha t h appo in te d

for t h e day or we e k Thu s h e mad e e v ery day s san ctity a
.
’
st e p t oward s t hat kin gdom wh e r e impu rit

y can n o t en t e r
”
.
,
I ! AAK W AL T ON L ife of George Herbert ,

.
(7 ) B ut abo ve Fox ] e xc elle d in pray er

all , he [ G eo rg e .
Th e in ward n ess a n d w e ight of hi s sp irit t h e re v e re n c e a n d ,
s o le mn it y of h is addr ess an d b e hav iour an d t h e f e wn e ss an d ,
fu ln ess of h is words hav e oft en struck e v en stran g e rs with

admirat io n as th e y u se d to re ach oth e rs with co n so lat io n
, .
Th e mo st awfu l livi n g r e v e r e n t fram e I e v e r felt or b eh eld

, , ,
I mu st say wa s h is in pray e r A n d tru ly it was a t estimo n y

, .
h e kn e w an d liv e d n e ar e r t o t h e Lo rd tha n oth e r me n for

th ey that kn ow Him mo st will se e mo st re aso n to approach
Him in r e v e r en c e an d f e ar .
W I LL IA M PENN R ise an d P rogress of the Q uak ers chap v

, , . .
(8 ) Cowp e r to ld M r G reat h ee d h e was e xp ec e d

. that wh e n t
to t ake t h e lead at th ese [ pray e r]
m e etin gs h is min d was
t
alway s gre atly a gi at e d for som e hours pre c e din g B ut .
’
h is t r e p idat io n M r G rea t h ee d co n tin u es

,
’
. wholly su sid e d ,
b
a s soo n as h e
p b
e ga n t o s ea k in pray e r a n d that t imidi t
'
y ,
wh ich h e in variably f elt at e v e ry appea ra n c e e for e h is fellow b

302 THE REALM OF P RAYE R
E . Great Souls at Prayer
G od . thou ghts w e re tra n spo rt e d to Sin ai an d you
Y ou r ,
h eard M o ses sp e akin g with th e M aj e sty on high u n d e r th e ,
can opy of darkn e ss ami d t h e quakin g of th e so lid mou n t ain

,
a n d t h e glimme rin gs of c ele st ia l fire ; or you thought of

E lij ah p rayin g in t h e cav e in t h e in t e rv als of t h e earthquake
an d t h e fire an d t h e st ill small vo ic e Th e so le mn ity of t h e .
to n es co n vin c e d you that h e was co n sciou s of an u n ea rthly

presen c e an d Sp e akin g t o it n ot t o you
, His public , .
pray e rs to ld t o tho se who cou ld in t e rpre t th eir lan guage of

ma n y a se cre t co n fe ren c e with H e av en ; th e y po in te d t o
wr estlin g s all u n se en an d groan in gs all u n h e ard ; th e y dr e w
,
asid e in volu n tarily t h e v eil of his se cr e t r e tir e m e n ts an d le t

, , ,
in a ligh t in to t h e s an c t ua ry of t h e c lo se t it self P ray e rs .
more ele gan t an d b e autifu l an d m elt in g hav e oft en bee n

h eard pray e rs more u rg en t in th eir f e rvid impo rtu n ity hav e
b ee n u t t e re d o n c e an d aga in (such as tho se which we re so m e
tim es h eard with d eep awe to proc ee d fro m t h e chambe r wh e re
t h e p e rtur be d sp irit of R ob e rt H all was co n v e rsin g a loud with
it s M ake r till t h e dawn in g of t h e day ) bu t pray e rs mor e ,
maj estic an d organ like an d Milto n ic n e v e r

,
-
, , .
”
G EOR G E G I LFI LL A N L iterary P ortraits First Se ries p 2 2 8 , , ,

. .
(1 1 ) Fr e d e rick D en iso n a man of much M auric e was

p raye r t that wh en h e was with th e m th e y
h is sist e rs o ld me
fre qu en tly fou n d that h e had n ot b een in b e d all n ight havin g ,
Sp en t t h e who le n ight in pray e r If o n e cam e in to h is .
room a t all sudd en ly t h e resu lt was t o make h im rise sudd en ly

,
from h is kn ees his fac e re dd en e d an d h is e yes d epresse d by

, ,
t h e in t en se pressur e of h is ha n d s t h e base of each of which ,
h ad be en driv en an d almo st gouge d in to eith e r e ye socke t -

,
t h e fin g e rs an d t humbs pr ess ed down ov e r for eh ead a n d

”
h ead .
Life of F D M aurice by F M A U R I C E v ol i p 2 0 5
. .
, .
,
. . .
v ol ii p 2 8 5 . . . .
(1 2) t t
A t his im e h e [ ohn R u skin ] u se d to tak e t h e family J
t
pray e rs himself a B ran twoo d pre parin g care fu l n ot es for
a B ib le -r eadin g which som e times in d e e d las e d lo n g e r han t t
g , ,
was co n v en ien t to t h e hou seho ld a n d wri tin g co llects for t h e

A P P ENDIX O F QU OTATION S 3 03
B . Great Souls at Praye r

occa sio n still e xistin g in man u sc ri p t an d d ee ply in t e restin g
, ,
as t h e p ray e rs of a man who had p asse d t hro u gh so ma n y
wil d ern esses of t hought an d dou b t an d had r e tu rn e d at last

—n ot t o t h e fold of t h e Church bu t t o t h e foo tstool of t h e
,
Fa t h e r .
W G COLLI N G WOO D Life an d Work of j ohn R usk in

. .
, ,
v ol ii pp 2 1 1 21 2 . . .
, .
( 1 3) W h en he [R . L . S tev enso n ] pray ed , he did n ot
h esit a t e to pass be yo n d th e d ecorou s rin g fen c e suppose d to -
in c lud e all p e rmissible obj e c t s of praye r ; h e gav e th an ks

for th e work t h e foo d an d t h e brigh t s kies that make our
, ,
liv es d eligh tf u l an d ho n estly an d re v e re n tly mad e his p e titio n

’
,
that h e migh t b e gran te d gaiety an d laugh te r .

”
G RA H A M B AL F O U R Life of R L Steven son v ol I I , . .

, . .
p 1 67 . .
I shall n e v e r forg et h is [ J B P a to n s] p raye rs E ven

( 1 4) . .
'
.
n o w th e y mak e me f eel be t t e r bu t th en I u se d to feel some ,
times th a t I shou ld like to march ou t to b e c ruc ifie d .
Q uo t e d in j ohn B ro wn P aton A B iography by HI S SO N , ,
p . 1 1 6 .
/
Hav in g po st e d up my D ia ry I p ray e d to Go d It
[;
(1 5) , .
is impo ssrb le t o co n v e y t h e swee tn ess of t h e f eelin g I ex pe ri

en c e d durin g my pray e r I said t h e p raye rs I u sually rep e at .
by h eart : Our Fath e r To th e V irgin e t c an d still re

’ ’
.
, , ,
main e d in p ray e r f on e d e fin es praye r as p e titio n o r as

.
th an ksgivin g t he n did n o t pray

, I d esire d so me thi n g .
supre m e an d goo d ; bu t wha t I ca nn ot e xpress t hough I , ,
was clea rly co n sc iou s of what I wan t e d I wish ed t o m e rge .
in t o t h e U n iv e rsal B e in g I as ke d Him to pa rdo n my crim es .
yet n o I di d n o t ask tha t for I f elt t ha t if He had giv e n me

, ,
this blissfu l momen t He had pardon e d me I aske d an d ,

.
,
a t th e sa m e t ime felt I had n o t hin g to ask an d that I cann ot ,
an d do n o t kn ow how to ask ; I tha n ke d Him bu t n ot with ,
wo rds or thou ghts I combin e d in one feelin g both p etitio n .
an d gra titu d e F ear qu ite va n ish ed ”

. .
lu
Q ifo of To ls toy : First Fifty Years by A MA U D E

' ’ a sh
.
, ,
PP 6 3 .
E . G reat Souls at P raye r
(1 6) course cam e family pray e rs which w e re on
I n due , ,
t h e who le t h e mo st r e marka ble an d Spo n ta n e ou s of hi s [Hugh

,
Pric e Hugh es s] u tt e ra n c es A n ythi n g more n atural more

’
.
,
supr e m ely part of a p e rso n s self it was d ifficu lt to h ear

’
.
,
Th e y fo llowe d in hi s m in d qu it e n aturally from t h e p e ru sal

of t h e n ewspap e rs so that list en e rs cou ld oft en t ell what h e
,
had b een readin g an d what h e was e v en go in g t o do durin g

,
t h e day I n t im es of e xc e pt io n al st r es s it was t h e o n ly
.
,
in d e x as t o t h e day s programm e as it was t o t h e co n t e mporary

’
stat e of E urop e an d L o n do n
”
an d h is f eelin gs on t h e po in t ,
.
Life of Hugh P rice Hughes by HI S D A U G H T ER p 2 7 5 , ,

. .
( 7) 1 w as S u n It
day u n e 2 5 a qu ie t summ e r mo rn in g by,
J ,
t h e se a W o rn out an d re a lly ill Hudso n Taylor had go n e o

.
,
t
t
frien d s a B righto n an d u n a le to e ar t h e sight of rejoic , ,
b b
in g mult itud es in t h e hou se of G o d had wa n d e re d out a lo n e ,
upo n t h e san ds le ft y t h e re c e din g tide I was a pe ac e fu l b . t

sc en e abo ut him but in wardly h e w as in ago n y of sp iri
, A t .
d e c isio n had to b e mad e an d h e kn e w it for t h e co n fli ct co uld

”
,
n o lo n ge r b e en dure d For so m e t im e th e co n vic io n. t

b
had e en growin g hat h e ought to ask for at an y ra e wo t t t
e va n g elist s for e ach of t h e ele v e n u n occup ie d provin c e s an d ,
t wo for Chin ese Tarta ry an d Tibe t P e n c il in han d h e n ow .
b
Op en e d hi s B i le an d with t h e ou n dle ss oc ea n re akin g
,
b b
at h is fee t wrot e th e simple m e mo rable words P ray e d for
t
tw en y four willin g Skil fu l laboure rs at B ri ghto n u n e 2 5
-
‘ ,
J ,
How I did slee p that n ight ! M y d e ar wife

though B righto n had do n e wo n d e rs for me an d so it
t ,
had .
’
J
u n e 2 7 : W en t with Mr P earse to t h e Lo n do n .
an d Cou n ty B a n k an d O pe n e d an accou n fo r t h e Ch in a
,
t
I n la nd M ission P aid in ; 03
.
Hudson Taylor ,
by DR . an d M RS . HOWA RD T Y LOR A ,
PP
F. THE PRA CTI CE OF P RA YE R .
(I)
my d evotio n I love to use th e Civ ility of my kn ee
At ,
my hat an d ha n d wi th all tho se outward an d sen sible motio ns

, ,
wh ich may e xpress or promote my in visible d evo tio n .

F . Th e Pract ice of P rayer
I n th e foren oo n I f elt t h e powe r of in t e rc ession for pre c iou s
immortal sou ls I n t h e aft e rn oo n G od was with me of a
.
,
truth 0 it w as a ble sse d compa n y in d ee d !

. G od e n a ble d
me so to ago n iz e in pray e r tha t I was qu it e w et with perspira ,
t io n though in t h e shad e an d t h e coo l win d M y sou l was

,
.
drawn out v e ry much for t h e world for multitudes of sou ls , .
I t hin k I had mor e en large m en t for sinn e rs than for t h e ch il dren ,
of G o d thou gh I felt as if I coul d sp en d my lif e in cries for

bo t h .
”
D AV I D B RA I NERD D iary A pril 1 9 1 7 4 2 , , , .
(4) I n e v e r lik e to pray in a cham b e r ; it se e m s t o me
that t h e walls an d all th e p etty workman ship of man in t erpo se

b et ween G od an d myself I lov e to co n t e mplat e Him in .
His works thu s ele vatin g my sou l a n d ra isin g my thought s

,
to Him M y pray e rs w e re pure I c an a ffirm it an d th e r e fore

.
, ,
worthy to b e h eard For t h e r e st it was ra th e r admiratio n

.
,
an d co n t e mp lat io n tha n r e q u e st b ein g sat isfi e d tha t t h e b est ,
m e a n s to o b ta in what is n e c ess ary from t h e G iv e r o f e v e ry '
p erfe ct good is rath e r t o d ese rv e tha n to so lic it .
J J R O U SSE A U Confession s book x ii

. .
, ,
.
(5 ) main comfort co n sists in what t h e d ivin es call

My
t h e faith of adh e r e n c e an d n o sp iritual e ffort se e m s to b en e fit
,
me so much as t h e on e e arn test impo rtu n at e an d oft en for

.
'
, , ,
hours mom en tly re p eat e d pray e r

, I beli e v e Lo rd h elp min e ,
u n b elief G iv e me faith b ut a s a mu stard se e d an d I Shall ,
r e mov e this mou n ta in Faith fa ith fa ith I b elie v e 0 , , ,
giv e me faith O for my R e d ee m e r s sake giv e me fa ith in ’
my R e d e e m e r .
S T COLER I DGE in J C O TT LE S R emin iscen ces p 3 8 2

’
. . .
, ,
. .
(6 ) Fath er whi ch art in h e av en Hallowe d b e Th y

O ur ,
n am e Th y will b e do n e ; — what else c an w e say ? Th e

,
oth e r n ight in my sle epless to ssin gs a b out which we r e g rowin g

, ,
mor e an d more mise ra ble th ese word s that b rief an d gra n d , ,
P ray e r cam e stra n g ely in to my min d with an alto e th e r

,
g ,
g for me in mild pure

n e w e mpha sis a s if wr itten a n d shin in ,
sp len dour on t h e black b o som of t h e N i ht th e r e wh I

,
g en ,
as it w e r e read th e m word by word— with a su dd en ch e ck

,
AP PENDIX OF Q UOTATI oN S 307
I
‘
.Th e Prac t ice of Prayer
to my imp erf c t wan d ri gs with a sudd soft
e e of comn , en n e ss
po sure which was much u n e xp e ct e d Not for p e rhap s t h irty .
or fo rt y y ears had I o n c e formally re p ea t e d that P raye r

n ay I n e ve r f elt b e for e how in t e n sely t h e vo ic e of ma n s sou l
’
,
it is ; t h e in mo st a sp irat io n of all that is h igh an d p iou s in

poor Hu man N ature right wo rthy to b e r ec omm en d e d with
A f t e r this man n e r p ray ye
’
an .
TH OMAS CARL Y LE in Letters of Tho mas E rskine of ,
L in lathen v ol ii p 3 2 4 , . . . .
(7) t ady readi g of a chap t er of t h B ibl in th e

e s e n e e
morn n g a d ev en in g an d a t lea st t h e d lib rat utt a c of

i n , e e e er n e
appo in t e d pray e r with e d avour t o fix my thought s upo

,
n e n
it ( oft en succ essfu l—a n d a lway s sin c er e )gav e me a co n tin ually ,
in cr e a sin g kn owle dg e of t h e m e a n in g of bo th th e Old an d

N e w Testam e n t s an d of what pray e r m ea n t for Christ ia n s
,
of old t im e fa rth e r t ha n thi s all my lov e of t h e be au t y or , ,
se n se of t h e maj esty of n atu ral th in gs was in d ir ect rat io to

,
co n ditio n s of d evotio n al f e elin g ; an d I n ev e r c lim b e d to an y

mou n t a in al ,
out kn e elin g down by in st in ct on it s , ,
summit t o
M odern P ain ters v ol ii ( E p ilogue ) ,

. . .
(8 ) aid tha t 0 Thou I n fin it e A m en was

Te n n yso n s , ,
’
t h e form of p ray e r wh ich h e h im self u se d in t im e of t rouble

a n d sorrow .
A lfred L ord Ten nyso n A M emo ir by HI S SO N

, , ,
v ol i p 3 2 5 . . . .
( 9) N
v er aba n do n t h e who lesom e practic e of sayin g your
e
o wn privat e pray e rs n ight an d mo rn in g I h av e n e v e r

,
.
aban do n e d it myself an d I kn ow t h e comfort of it

,
.
L ife of Ch arles D ick en s by J O H N FOS T ER v ol iii , ,

. .
P 44 6
.
( )1 0 I pray e d co n tin ually for t h e mo s t pur ely p e rso n a l
a n d e v e n trivia l thin g s a n d habitua lly at t rib ut e d my succ e ss

,
to t h e dire ct a n swe r of t h e Al mighty If I faile d to gai n a .
priz e in t h e e xamin atio n or to get a score in a cricke t match , ,
if I was sh y an d m ise rabl e at a party or a holiday was spo ile d ,

P . Th e Prac t ice of P rayer
by a storm I in sta n tly attribu t e d it to my h av in g faile d to
,
t
pray with su ffic ien t f e rvour an d co n c e n t ratio n It is in d ee d .
a curiou s t hin g whi ch I ca n n ot expla in as a subj e c tive fact

, ,
that I n e v e r c an r e m e m b e r on e of th ese disa st e rs b efallin g me

wh en I had pray e d for succ ess with sufficien t di re c tn ess an d
sp irit A S I look b ack o n all this with th e composu re of v e ry
.
d iff e ren t habit s I ca n n o t doub t bu t tha t all this was e ssen tially
,
e vil a n d d e grad in g Th e hab it of con f essin g Sin t o a

.
p e rf e c t B ein g relax es I thin k in st ead O f st ren gth en in g t h e

, ,
moral se n se an d t h e en e rgy of co n sc ien c e an d t h e id ea of
b ein g a co n sta n t r ec ep t acle of th e Ho ly G ho st in clin es to e go ism

a n d sp iritual va n ity Such a t le a st is my ho n est an d inn oc en t
.
con fessio n A n d I am su re that ordin ary p e rs o n s if th ey

.
,
s pok e out woul d say t h e sam e ”

.
,
FREDER I C K H A RR I SON A utob iograph ical M emoirs , ,
v ol i pp 41 42 . . .
,
.
(1 1 ) you n g I cou ld n ot u n d e rsta n d what

W h en I was ,
p eople m ea n t by th eir thought s wan d erin g in pray e r I .

’
a sk e d for wha t I r e ally wish ed an d r eally wish ed for wha t I ,
as ke d A n d my thought s wa n d e re d n o more th an th os e of
.
a moth e r wou ld wan d e r who was supplica tin g h er Sov e reign ,
for h er so n s re prie ve from e x ecu tio n

’
I coul d n ot p ray .
for G e org e I V I thou gh t t h e p eople v ery good who pray e d

.
for h im an d wo n d e re d wh eth e r h e could h av e b een much worse

,
if h e had n ot b een pray e d for W illiam I V I pray e d for a litt le . . .
B ut wh en V ictoria cam e t o t h e thro n e I praye d for h er in a ,
rap t ure of fe elin g an d my thoughts n e v er wa n d e re d

, .
L ife of Flo ren ce N ig h ting ale by SI R E D WARD COOK , ,
v ol i pp 4 7 8 4 79 . . .
,
.
( ) 1 2 h ills a n d b y t h e sea Shore I see k an d

Still ,
on th e -
,
pray d ee p e r tha n e v e r G iv e me lif e st ro n g an d fu ll as

. .
t h e b rimmin g oc e a n ; giv e me t hought s wid e as it s plain ;

gi v e me a sou l be yo n d th ese Som e t im e s I stay o n t h e .
w e t sa n d s as t h e t id e rise s list e mn g t o t h e ru sh of t h e lin es of ,
foam in lay e r u po n lay e r ; t h e wa sh swells an d c ircles abo ut

my f e e t I lav e my han ds in it I lift a little in my ho llowe d
, ,
palm I take t h e life of t h e sea to me My sou l risin g to th e

, .
imm e n sity utt e rs it s d esir e pray e r with all t h e str e n gth of -

31 0 THE REAL M OF P RA Y E R
G . M eth ods of Prayer
Lit tledo w e kn ow how we wro n g ourselv es by shu t t in g
(3 ) ,
ou t of our praye rs t h e p ra ises of G od or all owin g th e m so ,
n arrow a room as we u su ally do wh ile w e a re cop iou s e n ough ,
in our co n f essio n s an d p e titio n s R ea d e r I en tre at th ee .

, ,
re m e mbe r this let praise s hav e a larg e r ro om in th y du ties

k eep r eady at han d matt e r to f e ed t hy praise as well as mat t e r
for conf essio n an d p e titio n To th is en d study t h e exc ellen cies
.
an d g ood n ess of t h e Lord as w ell as thy own n ec essities an d

,
vilen ess . A n o t h e r t h in g I woul d advise you t o do is thi s

B e a car e ful o bse rv e r of t h e drawin g s of t h e Sp iri t an d f earful ,
of qu en chin g its motio n s or r esistin g it s workin gs If e v e r

,
.
thy sou l get abov e this e a rth an d get acquain t e d with th is ,
livin g in h eav en t h e Sp iri t of G o d mu st b e t o th ee as t h e

,
chario t to E lij ah yea t h e v e ry livin g prin c iple by which tho u

,
mu st mov e an d asc en d Oh the n grie ve n ot thy gu id e qu en ch

.
, ,
n ot thy lif e ,
kn ock n ot o ff th y cha rio t wh e els if t hou do n o ,
wo n d e r if thy sou l b e a t a lo ss an d all stan d still or fall to e arth

, ,
.
’
R I C H AR D B A XTE R Sain ts E verlasting R est par t iv chap v

’
. .
, , .
(4 ) W h en thou p ray est rath e r le t thy h ear t b e withou t

,
word s tha n t hy words without a h e art

,
.
J O H N B U N YAN Work s (ed O FFOR) v ol i p 6 5

, .
, . . . .
5) All t ha t hav e a car e t o wal k with G o d fill t h e ir v essels

more largely as soo n as th ey rise b efore t he y b e gin t h e work ,
of t h e day an d b efore t h e y lie down again at n ight : whi ch

,
is to o bse rv e wha t t h e L ord appo in te d in t h e Le vitical min istry ,
a mo rni n g an d an e v en in g lam b to b e laid u po n t h e altar .
So wit h th e m tha t are n ot stark irr eligiou s pray er is t h e k ey ,
to op en t h e day an d t h e bo lt t o shu t in t h e n ight B ut as

,
-
.
t h e skies dro p t h e early dew an d t h e ev en in g de w upo n t h e

,
g ra ss — yet it woul d n ot Sprin g an d g row gr e e n b y that co nsta n t .
a n d double f allin g of t h e de w un less som e gr eat sho we rs , ,
a t c e rta in se aso n s did supply t h e rest ; so th e cu stomary

,
d e v otio n of pray e r t wic e a day is t h e fal lin g of th e e arly an d

, ,
‘
t h e la tt e r dew ; bu t if you will in cr e as e an d flou rish in t h e
works of grac e e mpt y t h e grea t clou ds som e times an d let th e m
, ,
fall in t o a full shower of pray e r : choo se ou t th e seaso ns in

your own discretion wh en pray e r shall ov erflow like J ordan
, ,
in t h e tim e of harv est

”
.
J EREM Y TA Y LOR Work s v ol i p 1 4 5 , , . . . .

A PPENDIX O F Q U O TA T ION S 31 1
G Met h ods of Prayer

.
(6 )I reso lv e D eo juv an t e ( 1 ) to d e vo te an hour morn in g

, ,
an d e v en in g to privat e pray e r n o pr e t en c e n o e xcu se what so , ,
e ver ; an d ( 2 ) to co n v e rse r a Oé v ( fac e to fac e wit h G o d

Ka
) t o ,
n o ligh tn ess n o ei r p vreh a

’
,
a t
L ife of j o hn Wesley by H M OORE v ol 11 p 4 3 3 , .

, . . . .
E re on my my lim bs I lay
b ed ,
It hath n o t bee n my use t o pray

W ith movin g lip s or be n d e d kn e es
B ut silen tly by slow d e gr ees, ,
My sp irit I to Lo v e co mpo se ,
I n hu m ble tru st min e e y eli ds clo se ,
W ith re v e ren tial r esign a tio n ,
N o wis h co n c eive d n o thought ex prest , ,
O n ly a sen se of supplicatio n
A se n se o e r all my sou l impres t
’
That I am w e ak yet n o t un blest , ,
Sin c e in me rou n d me e v e ry wh e re
, ,
E t e rn a l St ren gt h an d W isdom a re .
8 T C OL E R ID GE The P ain s of
. .
, Sleep .
(8 ) I have lat ely la id down a kin d o f p lan fo r th e dist ri

b ut ion of my t im e an d stud ies whi ch I alre ady fin d to b e of ,
se rv ic e O n e part of it is to d e vot e all t h e t im e fro m risin g

.
,
in t h e mo rn in g wh ich is g e n e rally a bout six o clock t ill half

’
, ,
pa st eight (wh en we h av e family wo rship succ ee de d b y break ,
fast ) to p ray e r an d re a di n g t h e B ible tog eth e r with a lit tle

, ,
of som e oth e r book of a religiou s an d d e votio n al kin d as ,
Nigh t Though ts Saurin s Se rmo n s o r some oth e r

,
’
,
.
L ife an d C orrespon den ce of j oh n Foster by J E ,

. .
R Y LAN D v ol i pp 1 5 1 6 , . . .
, .
( 9) Spen t two hou rs in t h e grea u sin ess of

an d a half t b
r en ewin g my cov en an t with P ray e d G o d for His
t
blessin g t h en mad e hree se v eral e dica ion s of myself to d t
Him as h avin g a right to all my servic es —to esu s Chris as
,
J t
my Saviour —to th e Ho ly Spirit as my San c tifier Mad e h ese . t
th e subj e c t
of th ree se para e praye rs Pray e d in my t .
morn in g d e votio n again st t h e en croachm en t of worldly feelin g

G . M eth o ds of P rayer
an d worldly cal cu latio n Succ e e de d to a d e gree calcu la t e d .
to awake gra titud e an d faile d to a d e gre e calcu late d to in spire

,
humility .
M emo irs of Th omas Ch almers by W HANNA , .

,
v ol i pp 2 7 8 3 0 1 320 . . .
, , .
I am n o t su rprise d a t D avid s prayin g to G o d in t h e

’
( )
1 0
n igh t watch e s Th e n ight is mor e su it e d t o pray e r than

.
t h e day I n e v e r a wake in t h e middl e of t h e n ight without

.
fe elin g in duc e d to co mmun e with G o d On e feels b rou ght .
more in to con t ac t with Him Th e whole world arou n d us .

,
w e thin k is a sle e p , Go d t h e Sh e ph e rd of I sra el Slumbe rs

.
n ot n or sle eps
,
He is awake an d so are we ! W e f ee l in
.
, ,
t h e sole mn an d silen t n igh t a s if al o n e with G o d And , .
th en e ve ryt hin g ma kes such an impres sio n on th e min d at

n ight wh en t h e brain is n e rvou s an d su sc e p tible ; th e low
,
sough of t h e win d amo n g t h e tr ees t h e roa rin g Or eerie whish , ,
of som e n eigh bourin g st r eam t h e bark or low howl of a dog , ,
t h e g en e ral impr essiv e silen c e all t en d to sob e r to so le mni z e , ,
t h e m in d an d to forc e it fro m t h e world an d it s van it ies whi ch

, ,
th en see m aslee p to Go d who c an alo n e uphold an d d e fen d

, ,
.
M emoir of N orman M acleod by D M A C LEOD v ol i p 1 5 1 , .

,
. . . .
( ) 1 1 I hav e b e e n k ee p in g too la t e hour s an d h en c e I ,
hav e had bu t a hu rrie d ha lf hour in t h e morn in g t o myself .
Surely t h e e xp e rien c e of all good men co n firm s t h e propo sit io n

that without a due m e a sure of privat e d e vo tio n s t h e sou l will
grow lean I will try to a ssign at lea st an hour in t h e
.
morn in g an d wh en circum stan c e s will p e rmit t h e sam e in

, , ,
t h e e v en in g for Sc ri pture r eadin g privat e d e vo tio n an d

, , ,
m e ditatio n How litt le c an I n ow re al iz e t h e circle of an gels

.
an d u n see n sp irit s
L ife of William Wilb erforce by R I an d S W I LBER , . . .
F OR C E v ol iv p 2 0 1 , . . . .
I always sp en t an hour or mor e on Sun day e v en in g

(1 2)
in my study for m e ditat io n a r e vie w of t h e pa st an d a for e ,
ca stin g o i t h e future W hat a so le mn happy hour it .

,
was ! co n fe ssio n of sin lo n gin g aft e r high e r e ff ort an d aim , .
N eare r my God to Th e e n eare r to Th e e , .

’
j oh n B rown P ato n A B iography b y HI S SO N p 3 8 , ,

. .
31 4 THE REA L M OF P RAYE R
G . M et ho ds of P ray er
you are n ot trivial G en e ral praye r s lit e rary pray e r s an d
.
, ,
stat ely phra ses are for privat e pray e r trap s an d sop s to t h e
, ,
sou l . Fac e your sp e cial w e akn e sses an d sin s be fore G o d .
Forc e yourself to say to G o d e xactly wh e re you are wro n g .
L e t pray e r b e co n cre t e actual a d ire ct product of lif e s r e al

’
, ,
e xp e rien c e s Pray as your actual self n o t as som e fan c ie d

.
,
sa in t L e t it b e c lo sely r e le van t to your r e al situat io n

. .
P T FORS YT H Th e Soul of P rayer pp 94 9 5

. .
'
, ,
.
,
.
H . DI FFI CULTY A N D DI STRA CTI ON I N P RAYE R .
( ) 1I throw my s elf dow n in my chamb e r an d call in an d ,
in vit e G od an d His a n g els thith e r ; an d wh en th e y a re th e r e ,
I n eglect G o d an d His a n g els for th e n o ise of a fly for t h e ,
ra ttlin g O f a coach for t h e whin in g of a door I talk on in

,
.
t h e sam e po stur e of pray e r e y e s lift e d up kn e es bo w e d down , , ,
a s though I pray e d to G o d a n d if G o d shou ld as k me wh e n I ,
la st t hought of G o d in pray e r I ca n n o t t e ll A m e mory of ,

.
y est e rday s pleasur es a fe ar O f to morrow s dan g e rs a straw

’
,
-
’
u n d e r my kn e e a n o ise in my e ar a ch ime ra in my br ain

, , ,
troubles me in my pray er .
L ife an d L etters of j ohn D on n e by E G OSSE v ol 1 1 ,

.
, . .
pp ' 2 38: 2 39
(2 )pray er al so I hav e b een gr e atly t rou ble d at thi s

In , ,
tim e som e tim es I hav e thou ght I shou ld se e t h e d e vil n ay , ,
thou ght I hav e f elt h im b ehin d me pu ll my cloth es ; h e , ,
would b e also con tin ually at me in t h e tim e of pray e r to

, ,
hav e do n e B re ak O ff make hast e you hav e pray e d e n ough , , ,
an d stay n o lo n g e r — st ill drawin g my m in d away Som e .
tim es also h e wou ld ca st in such wicke d thou ght s as th es e :

, ,
that I mu st pray to h im or for h im ,

.
J O H N B U N YA N Grace A boun ding 1 0 7 , , .
( 3) W e ha v e re a so n to complain that our min ds wan d e r

in our pray e rs an d our d iv e rsio n s are more pr e vailin g than
,
all our art s O f app licatio n an d d e t en t io n ; an d we wa n d e r
som et im es wh en w e pray a ga in st wan d e rin g Y ou may .

A PPENDIX OF Q UOTA T ION S 31 5
H Difficulty an d D ist ract ion in Prayer

.
Obse rv e it that so lo n g as t h e light shin e s bright an d t h e fires

, ,
of d e vo tio n an d d esires flam e out so lo n g t h e min d O f a ma n

, ,
st a n d s c lo se to t h e a ltar an d wa it s upo n t h e sacrific e ; bu t

,
as t h e fir es die an d d e sir es d e cay so t h e m in d st e a ls away

, , ,
an d wa lk s abroad to se e t h e littl e imag es O f b e auty an d p le a
s ur e whi ch it be ho ld s in t h e fallin g s tars an d little glow worm

,
-
,
of t h e world Th e rive r that ru n s slow an d cree p s b y th e ba n ks

.
,
a n d be g s le av e o f ev e ry tu rf to le t it pa ss is drawn in t o litt le ,
ho llown esses an d sp en ds it self in small e r po rtio n s an d dies

, ,
with dive rsio n ; bu t wh en it ru n s with vigorou sn ess an d

a fu ll st r ea m an d b r e aks do wn e v ery Ob stac le
,
makin g it ,
e v en as it s o wn brow it stay s n ot t o b e t e mp t e d b y litt le

,
avocat io n s an d to cre e p in t o ho les b u t ru n s in to t h e se a

, ,
'
through fu ll an d u se fu l cha n n els so is a man s praye r if it '
mov e upo n t h e fe e t of an a b at e d appe tit e ; it wan de rs in to

t h e so c ie t y of e v e ry t riflin g acc id en t an d stays a t t h e corn e rs ,
o f t h e fan cy an d talks with e v e ry o bj ect it m ee t s an d ca n n o t

, ,
arrive at h e aven ; b ut wh en it is carri e d on t h e win gs of

passio n an d stro n g d esires a swift motio n an d a hu n gry ,
app e tite it passes through all t h e in te rme di al re gio n s O f t h e

,
clouds an d stays n ot till it dwells a t th e foot of th e thro n e

, ,
wh e re m e rcy sits an d th en c e sen d s ho ly showe rs O f re fresh

,
m en t .
J ER E M Y TA Y LOR Work s v ol v pp 1 93 1 94 , ,
. . .
, .
( 4) I looked t o h eav en an d trie d t o pray

B ut or e v e r a pray e r had gu sht ,
A wicke d whisp e r cam e an d mad e ,
M y h e art as dry as du st
”
.
S T COLER I DGE Th e A n cien t

. .
, M arin er .
( 5 ) W h en I b e gin to r ead an d pray my t hought s S lid e ,
o ff to chap els or e xt s t
or som e sch e m e or se rmo n wh ile I , ,
t
u t e rly d es pise myself I d esire thi s day to b e a day of self.
t
e xamin a io n , of tha n kfu ln e ss an d O f qu ick en in g
”
,
.
M emoir of N or man M ac leod , by D . M A C LEOD ,
v ol . ii . p 23
. .
(6 ) happy sen se O f dire ct relation with Heav en is

Th e
kn own e viden tly to mu ltit ud es O f human sou ls O f all faith s
e v id en tly Oft en a dr ea m —d e mo n st rably
,
an d in all lan ds ; , ,
31 6 THE REALM OF P RAYE R
H Difficulty an d Dist raction
. in Prayer
as I co n c eiv e oft en a r eality ; in all ca ses d e p en d en t o n
, ,
r eso lu t io n patien c e self d en ial prud en c e Ob e dien c e ; of

, ,
-
, ,
wh ich so m e pur e h e art s are capable without e ffort an d so m e ,
b y co n stan cy W h eth e r I was capable Of holdin g it or n ot

.
,
I can n ot t ell bu t litt le b y lit tle an d for little yet it see m e d , ,
in vin c ible cau se s it pa sse d away from me

, ,
.
J O H N R U SK I N P raeterita v ol ii pp 2 1 4 2 1 5
, , . . .
, .
I tha t still pray at mo rn in g an d a t e v e

, ,
Lo vin g tho se roots t hat fe e d us from t h e past ,
A n d prizin g mor e than P la t o th in gs I learn e d

A t t ha t b est acad e m e a moth e r s kn ee
’
, ,
Th ric e in my life pe rhap s hav e t ru ly pray e d ,
Thric e stirr e d b elow my co n sc iou s self hav e f elt

, ,
That p e rf e ct disen thralm en t which is G o d

”
.
J R L OWELL The Cathedral . .

, .
(8) I t is a v e ry e x t raordin ary t hi n g how hard it is t o say

o n e s praye rs rightly E v e ry body always f eels it It is a
’
. .
Sign how bad we n at urally are I always thin k t h e .
Co ll ec t so wise which cla ims for us n o mor e tha n to b e tho se

to whom Thou ha st giv en a h earty d esire t o pray I t do es .
’
n ot say tha t w e c an pray bu t tha t G o d h as giv en us a wish

,
to p ray I t is a thi n g whi ch do es n ot com e n a tu rall y but

.
,
h as to b e practise d an d improv e d
”
.
L ife an d Letters of B p Creighton by HI S W IFE .

, ,
v ol ii p 4 1 4 . . . .
( 9) No th i
g makes me mor e co n sc iou s O f pove rty an d
n
shallown e ss O f charac t e r tha n t h e d ifficu lty of prayin g or
att en din g t o p ray e r A n y thoughts a bout self some tim es

.
,
thou ght s O f e vil day dr eam s lov e fan c ies e asily fin d an abo d e
, , ,
in t h e min d B ut t h e though t O f G od an d of right an d tru t h

.
will n o t stay t h e r e e xc e p t wit h a v e ry few p e rso n s

,
I fail to .
u n d erstan d my own n ature in this particular Th e re is .
n ot h in g wh ich at a d ista n c e I see m to d esire more than a

kn owle dge O f G od t h e id ea t h e u n iv ersal ; an d yet for two
, ,
min ut es I can n o t ke e p my min d u po n th e m B ut I re ad a .

J . D ry n ess an d Fat ig ue in Pray er
( 3) v I
e r foun d
ne a n y so r eligiou s an d d e vout tha t h e ,
had n ot som etime s a withdrawin g of grac e or f elt n ot som e ,
d e cre ase O f z e al Th e re w as n e ve r Sa in t so hi ghl y rapt an d

.
illu mi n e d who b e for e or aft e r w as n ot t e mpt e d For h e is .
n o t worthy of t h e high co n t e mp lat io n of G o d who h as n ot b e e n ,
e x e rc ise d with som e trib u lat io n for G od s sake It is ’

.
good advic e that when t h e sp irit O f f e rvour is kin dl e d thou

,
Shou ld e st co n sid e r how it will b e wh en tha t light d e part s .
A n d wh e n th is happ en s r e m e m b e r that t h e li ght may r e tu rn ,
aga in which as a warn in g to t hyself an d for M in e own glory

, , ,
I hav e withdrawn for a tim e .
TH OM A S A K E M P I S I mitation of Christ I I ix I V v ii , , . . . .
(4 ) othi n g can st thou disc e rn My presen c e so w ell

In n
as in th is n am ely wh e n I h id e an d withdraw M y self from t h e

, ,
sou l as n ot till th en art thou capa b le of p e rc e ivin g who I am

,
an d who thou art I n good days thou ou ght e st to look at

.
e v il day s a n d in e v il day s n o t to forg e t good day s

,
thu s c an
n eith e r elat io n in j ur e th e e in M y co mpa n y n o r d e spo n d en cy
in d e r elict io n If in thy fa in t he art e d n ess thou can st n ot

.
,
-
en dur e M y a b sen c e with p le a sur e wait for M e at le a st with ,
pat ien c e an d see k M e diligen tly

,
.
HENR Y SU SO E tern al Wisdo m chap ix , ,

. .
(5 ) re ma in in pray e r without O b ta in in g an y adva n tag e

To
is n o t lo st t im e b ut a se a so n O f gre at ga in b e cau se th en w e
, ,
la b our without in t e r e st an d o n ly for t h e glo ry O f G o d An d

, .
thou gh at first it may see m as if we la bo ure d in va in it is n ot

so ; b ut it is like what happ en s to so n s who work on th eir
fath e r s estat e an d who thou gh at n ight th e y re c eiv e n o t
’
, ,
wag es for t h e day s work yet at t h e en d O f t h e y e ar th ey

’
rec eiv e e v e rythin g .
ST TERES A L etters ( e d J D AL T ON ) pp 6 5 6 6
.
, . .
, .
,
.
0 sp iritual soul wh en thou se e st hy d e sir e o scur e d

(6 ) ,
t b ,
thy will arid an d co n stra in e d an d thy facul ties in capable of ,
t
an y in e rior act b e n ot gr ie v e d at this
, ut loo k upo n it rath e r ,
b
as a great good for ,
G o d is d eliv e rin g th e e fro m thyself takin g ,
APPENDIX OF Q U OTATIONS 31 9
J . D ryness an d Fat igue in P ray er

th e ma tt e r out O f thy h an d s gu idin g th ee in th e da rk .
as o n e blin d a lo n g a road a n d t o an e n d thou kn ow e st n ot

, ,
a n d whi th e r thou coul d est n e v e r trav el b y t h e h elp of thin e
o wn e y es an d thin e O wn f ee t howe v e r st ro n g thou may est b e

”
.
,
ST J O H N O F T H E C ROSS D ark N igh t of the Soul

.
,
(e d ! I M M ERMANN ) p 1 3 7 .
, . .
(7) A win t e r produc es n o t hin g it is cov e re d

tr ee ,
in , ,
wit h sn ow so much t h e be tt e r i Th e fro st s t h e win d s th e , ,
hoa rfro st all prot e c t it DO you supp ose th en t hat it is

,
.
, ,
id le wh ile it is quit e d rie d up ou twardly Th e roo t e xt e n d s

it self an d d e riv es stre n gth an d wa rmth e v en from t h e sn ow ,
an d wh e n it s root s hav e spr e ad th e mselv es a b road it is in ,
a co n ditio n to pro duc e mor e e xc ellen t fru it s in due seaso n .
Th e sou l wh en dry an d d eso lat e arid an d a n gu ish e d b efor e

, ,
Go d thin ks h er self in act iv e ; bu t sh e is grou n din g h e rself

,
in hu mility an d lo sin g h e rself in h er o wn n othin gn e ss ;

th en sh e se n ds down d eep roo ts for t h e b rin gin g forth of t h e
fruit s of v irtu e an d all kin ds of good works plea sin g to Go d .
B OSS U E T quot e d in G races of I n terior P rayer b y

, ,
R P P O U LA I N p 4 2 4. .
, . .
(8 ) Thou halt kn ow t hat th e re are t wo sorts of praye r

s ,
t h e on e t e n d e r d elightfu l amia b le an d fu ll of se n tim en t s ;

, , ,
th e o t h e r Obscur e dry d e so lat e t e mpt e d an d da rksom e

, , , ,
.
Th e fir st is of be ginn ers t h e se co n d of pro fic ie n t s who a re in,
progress to p e rf ectio n G od giv es t h e first to gain souls t h e .

,
se co n d t o purify th e m K n ow tha t t h e Lord make s use of

.
t h e v eil of dr yn ess to t h e e n d that we may n o t kn ow what

He is workin g in us an d so b e humble b e cau se if we f elt an d
,
kn e w wha t He is workin g in our sou ls satisfactio n an d pre ,
sumptio n would get in makin g us imagin e we w e r e do in g som e ,
good thin g an d n e ar to G od which wou ld b e our u n do in g

, ,
.
Lay this down as a firm grou n d in thin e h ea rt that for walkin g ,
in t h e in ward way all se n sibility shou ld fir st b e r e mov e d ;

,
an d that t h e m e an s G o d u se s for that is dry n e ss

”
.
,
M I C HA EL D E M OL I NOS Th e Spiritual Guide part i

.
, , .
ch ap iv . .
J . D ryn ess an d Fat igue in Pray er
I ha v e ob se rv e d that you re cko n rath e r ov e rmuch
( 9)
upo n your f e rvour an d r e coll ec t io n Go d h as withdrawn th es e
visible gift s t o t each you d et achm en t an d tha t you may ,
le arn how w e ak you are O f yourself an d t o accu st o m you t o ,
se rv e Him w it hout t h e co n sc iou s sat isfac tio n which mak e s
all se rvice e a sy I t is a small se rvic e I r en d e r my frien d

.
if b ein g fo n d of wal kin g an d po ss essin g st ro n g le gs I go t o

, ,
se e h im on foot ; b u t if I am gou t y an d e ve ry st ep pain s

me t h en tho se visit s on which h eret ofor e my f ri en d set n o
, ,
stor e be gin to hav e a n e w valu e ; th ey b ecom e token s of

,
”
a v e ry r eal an d liv ely frien d shi p .
F ENELON Spiritual L etters (e d L E A R) p 1 6 9

, .
,
. .
( 1 0
) I dur st n o t view h e av en y est e rday an d t o day -
I n p ray er s an d flatt e rin g sp ee ch es I court G o d

To morrow I quak e with t ru e f e ar e of His rod
-
.
So my d e vout fit t s com e an d goe away

Like a fan ta stiqu e A gue sav e that h e re
Tho se are my b e st day s wh en I shak e with f ear e
, .
J O H N D ONNE Holy Son nets x ix , ,

.
D o n ot se e k for d elic iou sn e ss an d se n sible co n so latio n

(1 1 ) ,
in t h e act io n s of r eligio n t
bu o nly re gard t h e duty an d t h e
con sc ien c e of it Fo r althou gh in t h e be gin n in g o f r eligio n
.
,
mo st fre qu en tly an d at som e o h er t im e s irr egularly Go d

,
t ,
complies with our in firmities an d en cou rag e s our duty with

t
lit le o v erfl owin gs of sp irit ual j oy an d sen sible p lea sur e an d , ,
d elicac ies in pray e r so as we see m o fe el som e li tle be am

,
t t
of h e av en an d gr eat r e fr eshm en ts from t h e Sp iri of co n sola
,
t
tio n ; ye t thi s is n ot a lways saf e for us to hav e It is .
ru n n in g aft e r Chris t
n ot for t h e mirac le s
,
ut for t h e loav es ,
b
n ot for t h e wo n d e rfu l th in gs O f G od an d t h e d esir es O f ,
, b
plea sin g Him ut for t h e p lea sure s of ple asin g ourselv es ”
.
J ERE M Y TA Y LOR Work s, , v ol . iv . p . 2 30 .
(1 2) who hav e lo n g dwelt in t h e f ervours O f de

P e ople
v otion in an hig h se n sib ility O f d ivin e a ff e c t io n s practisin g
, ,
e v e ry virt u e with a kin d of gr e e din ess a re fright e n e d wh en ,
co l dn e ss se iz e s th e m wh en th eir hym n s giv e n o tran spo rt

, ,
K . r with out Ceasing
Praye
c allin g for diffe r n t t hi gs I po ssess G o d in as great tra q uillity
e n ,
n
as if I w r e upo my k es a t t h e B lesse d Sac ram en t

e n ne .
’
B RO TH ER LA WREN C E , P rac tice o f the P resence o f G od .
(3)A s a covet ou s man wha e v e r besid e h e is do in g wi ll ,

t ,
b e carkin g abou h is bags an d tr easures ; an am it iou s man

t b
will b e d e visin g on his plo ts an d proj ec ts ; a volup uou s t
man will have his min d in his dish es ; a lasciv iou s man will
b e dotin g on hi s amours ; a st u di ou s man will b e mu sin g on
h is n ot io n s ; e v e ry man accordin g to hi s in c lin a t io n will
, ,
b
lard hi s u sin e ss a n d bes prin kl e all h is actio n s with car es an d
wish es t en din g to t h e e n j oym e n t of wha t h e mo st est eem e th
an d a ff e ct e th so may a g ood C hri st ian th rough all h is ,
u n d e rtakin gs win d in d e vout re fl ect io n s an d p iou s motio n s

,
of sou l toward t h e chief obj e c t of hi s min d an d a fi ec tion .
B e we n e v e r so urg en tly set or clo sely in t e n t u pon an y work

(b e we f ee d in g b e we trav ellin g b e we t radin g b e w e st u dyin g )
, , , ,
n o thi n g
ye t c an forb id bu t t h a t we may w e dg e in a t hought
,
con c e rnin g Go d 8 goo dn ess an d bolt fo rth a word of p ra ise

’
for it .
ISAA C B ARROW Work s v ol i p 1 5 3 , , . . . .
(4 ) ma n s life is a co n tin ual stat e of praye r ; h e is

E v e ry
'
n o mom e n t fr e e fro m it n or c an po ssibly b e so ,Fo r all our .
n a tura l t e mp e r s b e th e y wha t th e y will ambit io n

, c ov e tou s , ,
n ess selfi sh n ess

, worldly m in d e dn ess prid e en vy hat re d
,
-
, , , ,
malic e or an y oth e r lu st what e v e r are all of th e m in rea lity

, ,
o nl y so ma n y diffe re n t kin ds an d forms of a sp irit of praye r ,
which is as in se pa rable from t h e h eart as weight is from t h e

bo dy .A s t h e h ea rt worketh an d wille t h such an d n o ,
oth e r is it s p raye r All else is o nly form an d fictio n an d

.
, ,
e mp ty be atin g of t h e a ir .
W I LL I AM L AW Work s v o l vn pp 1 1 8 1 1 9 , , . . .
, .
(5 ) I hav e n o p leasure so grea t as th e belie f in t h e per

an d se cr e t in t e rcou rse with my C r e a t or
”
pe tual .
B R HA Y D ON A utob iog raphy v ol

. .
, ,
. i . p .
338 .
APPENDIX OF Q U OTATIONS 23
K . Prayer wit h out Ceasing

(6 )I h av e h ea rd Mr E m e rso n spe ak in a lecture of a good
.
man h e had kn own who sa id t hat it see m e d to h im impo ssible

n ot to b e co n st a n tly prayin g by wh ich probably n othin g
,
more was m e a n t than that a se n se of be in g n ear t h e I n visible

P r ese n c e t e mp e re d with e v e ry wish an d an imat e d e v e ry
thought M en of th is stamp mu st always b e rare but th e re
.
,
se e ms n o r e aso n why th e y shou ld di e ou t of soc ie ty Th e .
sc ien tifi c ha bit of t hough t may r ej ec t be lie f in a sympath et ic
G o d as u n prove n an d of n o d e mo n st rable utilit y b u t can n ot

, ,
affec t to r e gard it as misc h ie vou s or prova bly e x t ravagan t .

”
C H P E ARSON N ation al Life an d C h aracter p 2 7 1

. .
, , . .
L I N TE RCE SSORY AN D E UCHA RI STIC P RA YE R

. .
(1 ) oth e rs wha t more ea sily an d yet wh at more fru it

On ,
fu lly b estowe d tha n our praye rs If we give cou n sel the y ,
are t h e simp le r o n ly that n e e d it ; if alms t h e poore r o nly ,
a re r elie v e d bu t b y praye r we do goo d to all A n d whe re as .
e v ry oth e r du t y besid es is but to sh e w its elf as tim e an d

r
oppo rtu n ity re qu ire for t his all t im es are co n v enien t : wh en

,
we are n ot able to do an y oth e r t h in g for m en s be h oof wh en

’
through malic iousn ess or u n kin dn ess th e y vouch safe n ot t o

acc e pt an y o th e r goo d a t our han ds pray e r is th at whi ch we ,
always hav e in our po we r to bestow an d the y n e v e r in th eirs ,
to re fu se .
R HOOKER E cclesiastical P o lity boo k v chap xx iii

.
, ,
. . .
( ) Y 2ou n g man b e n o t forg e fu l of pray er

,
E v e ry ime t . t
you pray if your praye r is sin c e re th ere will b e n e w feelin g an d
, ,
n e w m e a n in g in it which will give you fresh cou rage an d

, ,
t
you will u n de rs a n d that praye r is an e du ca io n R e m e mbe r t .
,
too e v e ry day an d wh en ev e r you c an re p ea o yourself

, , , t t
Lo rd hav e m e rcy o n all who app ear be fore Th ee o -day
,
t .
Fo r e v e ry hour an d e v e ry mom en t thous a n d s of men leav e

t
lif e on his e arth an d th eir sou ls app ear be fore Go d An d .
t
how man y of h e m d ep a rt in so litu de u n kn own sad dej ect e d , , ,
tha t n o on e mourn s for t h e m or e v en kn ows wh e the r th e y,
have liv e d or n ot A n d be ho ld from th e o t h e r e n d of t h e

.
,
L . In te rcessory an d Euch aristic Prayer
ea rth p erhap s your pray er for t h e rest will ri se u p t o G o d
, , ,
th ough you kn ew n ot th em n or th ey you How to uchin g it .
mu st b e to a soul stan din g in dread b efore t h e Lord t o f eel

a t that in sta n t t hat for him t oo th e re is on e t o pray that t h e re ,
is a f ellow cr e at ure le ft on earth to lov e h im t oo An d G o d .
will look o n you bo th more grac iou sly for if you hav e h ad so ,
much pit y on him how much mor e will He have p ity who is
,
in fin it ely mor e lovin g an d m e r ciful tha n you A n d He will

forgiv e him for your sake .
F D O STO I E V SK Y The B rothers K aramazov p 3 39

.
, , . .
B ut pray
( 3) You en t e r in o an oth e r ma n s e go
. Y ou t ’
.
’
see hi m in Go d You see him a s an e n d in hi ms elf

. us . J t
try o p ray for so me on e p erso n commi t e d to your char ge
t t
-sa
y for half a n hour or an hour an d you will be gin r ea ll y —
t o lov e h im A s you lay his lif e be for e G o d, as you thin k of
.
h is n ee ds an d h Opes an d fa ilin gs an d po ssibilit ies as you

, ,
p ray e arn es ly for h im as you would for som e on e whom you

t
t
f eel in en se aff e ction for at t h e en d of t h e tim e you will f eel
more in e rest e d in h im you will hin k of h im n ot as on e of a
t ,
t
t
class bu as a se parat e mys e riou s p e rson Yo u will n ot it
,
t .
,
may b e, hav e im e o pray for man y in his way bu you will

t t t , t
le a rn imp e rc e p ibly t
xt en d your sympathy to f eel re al
to e ,
lov e for ma n y mor e I fin d it u sually ea sier to pray for

.
o th e rs than for myself I t ell G o d what I kn ow a bo u t

.
a man an d how I wan t h im t o liv e a be tt e r life Som e tim es

,
.
I see m to st ruggle for h im as though for v ery lif e I go on an d

on an d o n —
.
so m et im es r ep eatin g t h e sam e r e qu es t .
FOR B ES R OB I NSON L etters to His Frien ds pp 1 3 3 , ,

.
,
(4) comfortin g doc t rin es of t h e Commun io n

Of all t h e
of t n ow h as be en more po we rfu l than th e f elt
Sai n t s n o n e ill
c ertain ty that e v ery on e of us h as his share in t h e p ray e rs an d
sacram en ts of t h e who le world .
E W B ENSON Fish ers of M en p 1 02

. .
, ,
. .
A t a H igh Cele bratio n t h er e is t h e blessin g of kn owin g

5)
th at our B lesse d L
o rd is th e r e in a mo s es p ec ial man n e r t
achie vin g th e gr ea mys e ry of His lov e — h ere is t h e blessin g
t t t
M L I TURGI CA L AN D FRE E P RA YE R
. .
(1 ) If a se rvan t that h as be en fed with good b ee f go es

in t o tha t part of E n gla n d wh e re salmo n is plen ty at first h e ,
is p lease d with t h e sa lmo n an d d es pises t h e b e e f ; bu t aft er

h e h as b ee n t h e re awhile h e grows wea ry of h is salmo n an d
,
wish es for his good be e f again W e hav e awhile be en much .
taken with this prayin g b y th e spirit bu t in t ime we may ,
grow we ary of it an d wish for our Co mmo n pray e r Tis -

.
’
hop e d we may b e cure d of our e xt e mporary pray e rs t h e sam e ,
way t h e groc e r s boy is cure d of h is e atin g plums wh en we

’
hav e had our b elli es fu ll of th e m .

”
J O H N SELDEN Tab le Talk c ix , , .
(2 ) Far from me t o d ish eart en an y goo d Ch ristian

b e it
from t h e use of co n c eiv e d pray e r in h is pri vat e d evo tio n s an d ,
upon occasion also in public I wou ld ha t e t o b e guilty of .
pourin g so much wa t e r u po n t h e Sp iri t t o which I wou ld gladly ,
add oil rat h e r N o le t t h e full so u l fre ely pour ou t itself in

.
,
t h e grac iou s e xpr ession s of it s ho ly though ts in t o th e bosom

of t h e Al mi gh ty L et bo th t h e su dd en flash es of our quick
.
ej acu la tio n s an d th e con sta n t fla m es of our mor e fix e d c on

,
c eptions mou n t up from t h e altar of a z ealou s h ea rt u n t o th e

,
thro n e of grac e L e t th e m b e b rok e n o ff wit h sobs an d

.
sigh s an d in co n gruities of our d eliv ery our goo d G o d is n o ,
oth erwise a ffect e d t o t his imp e rf ec t elocu tion than an in dul gen t
paren t is t o t h e chappe d an d brok en lan guag e of h is d ear
child whi ch is more d eligh t fu l t o h im than an y o th er s smoo th
,
’
orat ory .
B I S H O P J OSE P H HALL Work s v ol ix pp 6 2 9 6 3 0

, , . . .
,
.
(3 ) Th e Cou n try P ar so n
wh en h e is t o r ead divin e se rvic es ,
c omposeth h im self t o all po ssible r e v e r en c e ; lift in g up h is

h eart an d han ds an d e yes an d u sin g all o th e r g estur es which
,
may e xpress a h ea rty an d u n feign e d d e vo tio n that bein g ,
first a fl ect e d himself h e may a ffe ct al so his p eo ple kn o win g

, ,
tha t n o se rmo n mov es th e m so much t o re v er en c e which ,
th ey forget again wh en t h ey co m e to pray as a d evout b e

, ,
haviour in th e v ery ac t of prayin g A cc ordin gly hi s vo ic e .

APPENDIX OF QU OTATIONS 327
M . L it urgical an d Free P rayer

is hu m ble h is word s tr e ata ble an d Slow ; yet n ot so slow
, ,
n eith e r as to le t t h e f e rv en cy of th e supp lica n t han g a n d die

,
bet w een sp eakin g bu t with a grave liv elin ess be t ween fear an d
, ,
z eal pau sin g yet pressi n g h e p e rforms h is du ty

, , .
”
G EORGE HERBER T A P riest to the Temple chap v i , , . .
(4 ) g en tleman cam e to me fu ll of goo d will t o e xh ort

A -
,
me n ot t o leav e t h e Church n or ( whi ch was t h e sam e th in g ,
in his accou n t ) t o use e x t e mpo ra ry pray e r ; which sai d h e , ,
I will prov e t o a d e mo n st ratio n t o b e n o p ray er at all For .
you can n o t do tw o th in gs at o n c e B ut th in kin g how t o pray .

,
a n d prayin g a re two th in gs ,E rgo you c an n ot bo t h t hin k .

,
an d pray a t o n c e N ow may it n ot b e prove d by th e self

.
’
, ,
sam e d e mo n strat io n that prayin g by a form is n o pray e r at

,
all ? e g Yo u can n o t do two th in gs a t o n c e

. . B ut r eadin g .
an d prayin g are t wo t hin gs E rgo you c a n n o t bo th r ead an d .

,
pray at o n c e .
’
J O H N W ESLE Y j ourn al N ov 2 8 1 7 4 0 , ,
.
,
.
(5 ) Sir ,
th e P r es byt e rian s
ha v e n o publick wo rship
th ey hav e n o form of pray e r in which th ey kn ow th ey are to
j o in Th e y go t o h e ar a man pray an d are to j udge wh eth e r
.
,
th ey will j oin with h im .
D R J O H NSON in B OSWELL S Life O c t obe r 1 7 6 9

’
. .
, , ,
(6 ) o th er re a so n s for set forms of p ray er I hav e

A mo n g ,
oft en though t it a v ery good on e that by this m ean s t h e ,
folly an d e xtravagan c e of m en s d esires may b e kept within ’
due bo u n d s an d n ot br eak ou t in a bs urd an d ridiculou s

,
”
p etit ion s on so gre at an d so le mn an occa sion .
A D D I SON Spectator N o 3 9 1 M ay 2 9 1 7 1 2 , ,
.
, ,
.
mo st pow e rfu l mov e m en t of f e elin g with a lit urgy

Th e
(7)
is t h e pray e r whi ch see ks for n othin g spe cial bu t is a y e arn in g ,
to escap e from t h e limita tio n s of our own weakn ess an d an

in vocat io n of all G oo d to e n t e r an d a b id e with us or else a ,
self —obliviou s lift n up of gladn ess a G loria in ex celsis that ,
s uch G oo d e xist s bo th t h e y earn in g an d t h e e xultatio n

M . Lit urgical an d Free Prayer
ga th e rin g th eir u t mo st forc e fro m t h e sen se of commu nio n in
a fo rm which h as e xpresse d t h e m bo th for lo n g gen e ratio n s of ,
strugglin g fellow men

”
-
.
G EORGE E L I O T D an iel D eron da boo k iv ch a p xx x u

'
. . .
, ,
(8 ) re qu est me t o se n d you t h e pray e r mad e on

Y ou
D e co rat io n D ay e v en in g If you will se n d me t h e n ot es of
.
t h e orio le that whistle d from t h e top of my tr e es la st J u n e ,
or th e irridesc en t globe s that cam e in b y millio n s on t h e la st

wav es that ro lle d in on t h e b ea ch y est e rday o r a se gm e n t o f ,
t h e ra in b ow of la st w e e k or t h e p e rfum e of t h e fi rst vi o le t
,
t h at blo ssom e d la st M ay I will also sen d you t h e praye r tha t

,
ro se t o my lip s with t h e occa sio n an d le ft me for e v e r I .
hop e it wen t h eav en ward a n d was re gist e re d th e re in wh ich

ca se t h e o n ly re gist e r of it will b e fou n d in h eav en .
L ife of Hen ry Ward B eecher by W S B E EC H ER , . .
an d S SC OV I LLE p 6 5 6
.
,
. .
I see amon g our b ett e r thin kin g clergy a st ro n g

'
(9) -
e p iscopalia n sp irit th ey are b egin n in g to se e t h e use of a se t

fo rm of worship A n d who c an look a t t h e critical self
.
,
sufi c ien t fac es of t h e o n e half of our co n gr e ga t io n s du rin g

-
p ray e rs an d t h e labour an d pufli n g an d blowin g of so m e

,
a sp iran t t o a church an d n ot d eplore t h e abse n c e of som e

,
set p ray e rs which wou ld k ee p t h e f ee lin gs of ma n y right
thin kin g Christian s from b ein g hurt e v e ry Sabbath

M emo ir of N orman M ac leod b y D M A C LEOD v ol i p 7 3 ,
.
,
. . . .
( 1 0) fo rm s are for privat e ra th e r t ha n for public

Lit urgical
use for t ho se who a re in t h e dumb ari d stag e of t h e Sp iritual ,
lif e rath e r t ha n for tho se who hav e a t tain e d t h e pow e r an d

,
utt era n c e of spiri tual maturity To t h e privat e use of such .
fo rm s by p e rso n s who d esire t o pray yet can n o t do it n o , ,
re aso n able obj e ct io n c an b e take n L e t all do without .
such a id s who c an ; o n ly t h e ti me may come e v en for t h e ,
fe rv en t wh en forsaken of e mo tion d eficie n t in e xperien c e

, , , ,
discourag e d by fa ilure disappo in t e d in a rd en t you thf ul hop es

, ,
torm en te d b y sp eculat iv e doubts co n c e rn in g th e utilit y an d

t h e re aso n able n ess of pray e r co min g ov e r t h e so u l like ch ill
M . Lit urgical an d Free P rayer
P salm s . It
v e ry hard for t h e o rdin ary min ist e r to co m e
is
hom e to t h e spiri tual va ri ety o f a large co n gr e gatio n witho u t
th ose forms whi ch aro se out of t h e d ee p so u l of t h e Church
be fore it spread in to sectio n al boughs or in di vidual twigs .
”
P T FORS Y T H The Soul of P rayer p 5 4

. .
, ,
. .
N . THE P RA YE R OF M YSTI C UN I ON .
Th e So ulmu st r e mov e from it self good an d evil an d e v e ry

t hin g else tha t it may r e c eiv e th e On e alo n e as t h e O n e is
, ,
alo n e W h en t h e Sou l is so blesse d an d is com e to it (or

.
,
ra th e r wh en it man ife sts it s pr esen c e) ; wh en th e So ul tu rns

a way from visible thin g s an d mak es itself as be autiful as
po ssible an d b ecom es lik e t h e On e—th e man n e r of pre‘paratio n
an d adorn m e n t is kn own to those who practise it — a n d se es
t h e On e su dd enl y ap pe a rin g in its elf (fo r th e r e is n o thin g

bet ween n or are t h ey an y lo n ge r t wo but on e for you can n ot ,
distin gui sh bet wee n th e m while t h e visio n lasts) it is tha t :
union of which t h e u n io n of e art hly lov e rs wh o Wish to blen d ,
th eir bein g with each o th e r is a copy Th e Soul is n o lon ge r

,
.
,
c o n sc io us of t h e body an d can n o t t ell wh eth e r it is a man or

,
a livin g bein g or a n yt h in g real a t all for t h e con t e mpla tio n

o f such thin gs wou l d se e m u n wo rthy a n d it h as n o leisur e ,
for th em B ut wh en aft e r havin g so u ght t h e On e it fi n ds

.
, ,
itself in its presen c e it go es to m e et it an d con t e mp lat es it

,
in st ead of itself W ha t it self is wh e n it ga z es it h as n o leisur e

.
t o see W h en in this state t h e soul woul d e xchan ge its presen t

.
c o n ditio n for n othin g n o n ot for t h e v er y h eav en of h eav ens

, ,
for th e re is n othin g b et t e r n othin g more blesse d than this , .
For it can mou n t n o high e r ; all o t h e r thin gs are below it ,
howe v er e xalt e d th ey b e All th e thin g s whi ch o n c e ple ase d

.
it po we r w ealth b eauty scien c e it d eclar es t ha t it d esp ises

, , , , ,
it co ul d n ot sa y this if it had n ot met with so m et hin g be tt e r

than t h ese It f ears n o e vil wh ile it is with t h e On e o r e ven
.
, ,
whil e it sees hi m though all else p eri sh aroun d it it is con t en t , ,
if it c an only b e wit h h im so happy is it .
P LO TI N U S E n nead VI v ii 3 4 (W R INGE , . . . .
,
P h ilosophy of P lotin us v ol ii p , . . .
IN DEX
A eb rcromb ie , L , 8 3 . . B u n yan , J .
, 72, 91 , 2 35 , 2 50,
A dd o
is n J , 3 2 7 , . .
A dorat o pray r of
i n, 5 4, 2 2 1
‘
e , .
ct o choo of pray
A ffli i n , t h e s l er , C ampbell , J M Le od .
,
65, 85 ,
94 8-
1 94 .
m
A l sgi in g an d v e , 92 pray r . Car y T 2 8 4 306 7
l le , .
, ,
-
.
A rn iel H F 2 7 9
, . .
, . Cathe dral worship 5 -6 , .
An dr w
e es , L , 2 2 7 2 40 , 2 5 2 2 99 .
, , . Ce remo nial praye r 1 7 0 -2 , , 1 89
w r to pray r
A ns e s e 7 2
1 -
92 , . . 91 .
1 04 - 1 7, 1 66 1 81 2 07-8 , 2 91 -
7 . ha m r
C l e s T , 31 1 2 -
qu
.
, , , .
A a
in s St T s , 1 6 8 9 , 1 3 0
, . ho .
,
. C ilh dhood prayers 1 4
s
’
, .
A rt an d eligi n , 5 - 7 6 0 r o ,
. hr t a pray r types of
C is i n e , , 1 4
u ut
A g s i n e , St 38 , 4 7 . 7 0 7 5 . .
, . 1 5 .
98 , 1 0 2 1 07, 1 1 4, 1 28, 1 55 , ,
Chrysostom St 9 2 1 2 4 , .
, , .
2 3 3 2 40 , 2 6 0
, . Church t h e a circlin g medium
, ,
of prayer 1 9 5 2 00 3 2 4 5 - -
Lord
.
, ,
B aco n , 3 4 ,
-
. Co le rid ge H 1 80 ,
.
, .
B ak er A 282
, .
, . Cole rid ge S T 1 6 0 9 3 2 09 , . .
, , , , ,
B arrow I aac s , 2 8 3- 4 3 2 2 , , .
B axt re R 2 86 29 1 , 3 1 0
, .
, ,
. Colle cts ,
their s piri tual value ,
B ee ch re H W 2 2 7 2 5 3 328
, . .
, , , .
B e ns n E W 6 5 3 2 4
o , . .
, ,
. Commu n io n of‘ sain ts ,
t h e, 1 31
r ard
Be n St 5 2 6 1 2 8 5 3 1 7 .
, , , , . 2, 1 95
-
2 00 , 3 4 5
2 -
.
Bl ke W
a , 1 0 287 , . Co mpe titive praye r 1 0 8 -9 , .
o hm
B e e J , 83 , . . Comt e A 5 7 5 8 , .
, ,
.
B ook of Common rayer, 1 7 0 P . Co n di ti o n s of pr evailin g praye r ,
o u t
B ss e 319 , . 6 8—
93 .
r rd
B ai n e D , 8 2 3 06 , .
, . Co n fession ,
th e prayer of , 5 4,
B roo k e St opford A
,
2 1 9 -2 0 .
, . 2 0 2 -3 , 223 .
B roo Ph p
ks illi s 2 9 4
, , . Co n gr egational prayerfuln ess im ,
B row n, W A 2 80 . .
, . portan ce of 2 2 8 9 ,
-
.
B row ho
n e Sir T , s 2 39 3 0 4 5 .
, , . Co n greve G 2 00 2 8 1 , .
, , .
B row n in g , R 85 1 1 6 .
, , . Co rporate praye r 1 2 1 1 7 5 ,
-
,
B ruc e, A B 3 2 8 -
9 . .
, . 1 91 -
4 .
Cowpe r ,
W .
, ix , 4, 5 7, 1 06 , 1 56 , Fen elo n 2 5 6 3 2 0 , ,
.
2 35-6 , 3 00 -
1 Fe rvour a co n dition of prevailin g
rabbe G e orge 2 3 3
.
,
C , ,
. praye r 80 3 ,
-
.
C rashaw R 2 7 5 ,
.
,
. Fitche tt W H 1 3 8 , . .
,
.
C reighton M 3 1 6 ,
.
,
. Forsyth P T 8 1 7 8 7 2 8 2 , . .
, , , , ,
C romwell 1 20 ,
.
Fosdi ck H E 8 7 1 4 8 , . .
, , .
D ale R W 3 2 9 , . .
, . Foste r J 3 1 1 , .
, .
D an t e 5 4 7 6 4 7 6 , , , , . Fox Geo rge 2 35 300 30 5

, , , ,
D av idson A B 87 , . .
, . Fran cis St of Assisi 1 5 6 , .
, , , 2 36 ,
D awso n G e or ge 2 2 7 , , ,
2 89 . 2 60 , 2 98 .
D e fin it e n e ss in praye r ,
2 5 3- 4 . Fran cis , St .
,
of Sale s ,
2 46 , 2 47,
D e fin itio n s of praye r , 1 5
-
1 9 , 61 , 282 .
99 . Frase r J .
,
of B re a ,
2 5 5 -6 .
D eis m an d praye r 4 3 ,
.
De parte d praye rs for th e 1 9 8 , , G il mour J 2 96 , .

,
.
9 ; th eir in fl u en ce o n praye r , Gl s ne W E 285

ad to , . .
,
.
1 31
-
2 . ov r
G l e T R 2 4 1 2 42 , . .
, ,
.
D e te rminis m an d praye r 4 1 -2 , . G od in t h e O ld Testam t en th e

Dick e n s Charles 30 7 , , . a w r r pray r
b e arer an d n s e e Of e ,
Difiic ultie s of private praye r , 1 63 6 to wor h pp d o y
be -
s i e nl
1
3
-
3 231 -
31 4 6
-
in co tr t ow
n i e l li n ess 1 66 - 7 0
of public praye r
.
, , ,
f cu t
Dif i l ie s , to th ca y ho our d
b e e i ll n e an d
2 1 2 -5 . n oto y c r mo a y ador d
nl e e ni ll e
v r wh r acc b
,
Digni ty of prayer 1 9 ,
-
.
1 70 2 ; e e y -
e e essi le
v d d pe rso n ality in prayer
Di i e , to praye r 1 7 2 3 ,
-
.
73 6
-
Go d in t h e N e w Te stame n t
D on n e 40 9 1 , 1 0 6, J .
, , , 1 30 , 1 61 , His fathe rly res po n se to
3 09 3 1 4 3 2 0 . » praye r 1 8 1 3 ; His holin e ss ,
-
D ost oie v sk y, F 3 2 3 - 4 .
,
.
to b e hon oure d in praye r ,
D rummon d H 2 9 4 His re gard for praye r

‘
1 83 4
. -
, .
,
D ryn ess spiritu al , , in pr vate i in t h e n ame of J es us 1 85 ,

’
praye r 2 3 1 4 2 4 1 ,
-
,
-
8 31 7 ,
-
21 . 8 ; His d e man d for e thical
correlatives to praye r 1 8 9 ,
E dwards J on 30 1 , .
, .
91 .
f cacy of praye r 5 7 6 7 2 90 7
E fi ,
-
,
-
.
G od , hristian co n ce ptio n
th e C
E liot G 3 2 7 8 , .
,
-
.
of implied in praye r 3 2 4 5
, , ,
E me rso n R W 1 65 , . .
,
.
51 His relation to t h e
,
E n e mies pray er for 1 2 5 2 0 6 7 , , ,

-
.
n atural orde r 4 2 1 3 7 9 ; His , ,
E thi cal corr elative to praye r , re lation to dise ase an d e vil ,
90 - 3 . 1 -
7 2. 1
0 89 9 1 -
2 5 8 -9 1 5
-
. 1 4,59 1
E ucharistic prayer 1 99 3 2 4 5 -
Goe th e 1 05 2 92
xtempore public praye r 2 1 2
.
, , , , .
E , Go rdo n Ge n C G 7 0 . . .
, ,
2 37 .
30 . C o re , C 1 8 8 , 32 5 .
G n ra t , A D , 4 1 2 90 . .
, .
Faith he alin g -
, 1 49 6 0
-
. G e r at souls at praye r , 2 9 8 -30 4 .
Milton J ,
.
,
2, 40 , 2 3 1 . Pe rson ality an d prayer , 1 9 6 1,
-
7,
Missio n s ,
praye r an d, 92, 1 25,
Pe tition ,
th e praye r of , 54 , 99
Mofi att J 2 7 9 , .
,
.
M olin os 2 8 2 3 3 1 9 ,
-
,
. P fl e ide re r O , 1 7 , . .
M on taign e 9 6 ,
. P ato
l 28 , .
Morrison G H 1 0 4 ,
. .
,
. P ot u
l in s 3 30 , .
Moule H C G 3 1 3 , . . .
, . Po yth m
l eis praye r 2 6 9
an d ,
-
.
M iille r G 1 1 1 1 4 7 2 9 3 4
,
.
, , ,
-
. Pope A 1 3 1 , .
, .
M urray G 1 3 2 0 8 0 , .
, ,
. Poulain R P 2 4 6 , . .
, .
Mye rs F W H 2 9 5 , . . . Practice of prayer 30 4 9 ,

-
.
Mystic U nion t h e praye r , of , Praye r without ce asin g 32 1 3 ,

-
.
2 60- 7 5 , 3 30 . P re scie tific praye r 1 4 2 4

-
n ,
-
.
Pri mitive praye r 2 1 6 ,

-
.
N atio n al praye r 1 7 4 5 ,
-
,
1 92 .
Privacy in praye r 2 0 4 6 2 3 4 6 ,
-
,
-
.
N atural orde r praye r ,

an d th e , Prophe ts as m n of prayer e ,
1 35 48
-
N ature of praye r , th e , 1 0- 1 9, Psycholo gy of praye r , 1 8 , 5 6 7,

2 -
2 7 9- 8 2 .
75 r 90 : 2 49 1
N e ce ssity of praye r 2 8 2 5 ,
-
.
Puse y , E . B .
, 32 1 .
N ewman J H 1 1 6 1 95 6 , . ,
-
.
N ew Testame n t praye rs of ,
th e, R ina pray rs for 1 4 2 4
e -
u a ty of habit in prayer
.
, ,
8 0 - 2 00
1 . R e g l ri ,
Nig in g le F ,
ht a 28 1 43 30 9 ,
.
2 48 50 -
ot boo a d to praye r 2 5 3
.
, , .
N e- k i s ,
-
4 . R it sc h l A 1 7 1 1 8 1 61 2 88
ob rt o F W
.
, .
, , , ,
R e s n 61 .
ob o rusoe s e xpe rien ce of

. .
, ,
Old Te stamen t praye rs of th e, R

’
, in s n C
1 6 1 - 79 . praye r 9 7 8 -
R o bins o n Forbe s 3 2 4
.
,
.
, ,
Paget F 3 2 4 5
, .
,
-
. R oman Catholic an d Protes ta n t
Pan theism an d praye r , 2 9 -3 1 , praye r 1 9 8 2 00 ,
-
.
44 R ou sse au J J 4 3 1 4 0 3 0 6 , . .
, , , .
Pascal B 2 6 0 , .
, . R usk in J 30 2 3 30 7 3 1 6, .
,
-
, , .
Paton J B 2 5 3 4 30 3 3 1 2
, . .
,
-
, , .
R uth e rford S 2 4 6 2 8 6 7 , .
, ,
-
.
Pe arson C H 1 4 2 3 3 2 5 , . .
,
-
,
.
Pe riodicity in devotio n 2 4 4 ,
.
Sabatie r A 2 0 2 80 , .
, , .
Pe rple x iti s re gardin g praye r e Sacrame n ts an d praye r , 34 , 1 99 ,

Go d too pr occupie d 4 7 5 0 ; e -
3 2 4 25
e fi c ac y o n ly subj e ctive
,
55 , ac c of Christ it s e fl ect on
S rifi e ,
supe rfl uou s if G od s will praye r 1 8 2 1 8 5 8 1 9 3 4

’
61 ,
, ,
-
,
-
.
is fix e d an d His wisdom p e r San ctuary praye rs of t h e 2 09 , ,
fe ct 8 3 9
, how far an swe re d -
, 30 .
1 04 1 1 7 ;
-
relatio n to n atural Scott Sir W 2 8 7
, .
, .
law ,
1 35 4 8 faith heali n g - -
, d
Se l e n J , 3 09 3 2 6 , .
, .
1 4 9 60 ;
-
spiritual d e adn ess S k es e e W
ha p ar 1 1 1 68
, , .
, , , , 72 ,
231 -
4 241 -
8 , 3 1 7- 2 1
, .
7 3 7 4 95
» . . 1 25 .
INDEX 3 35
Simpli city of heart in praye r , Than k s givin g t h e , prayer of , 54 ,
1 01 -
4 , 241 -
2 . 222 .
Sin ec r ty in prayer
i , 6 9 -7 3 . Theism an d praye r 3 2 3 4 5 6 ,
-
,
-
.
Slessor M 2 96 - 7 The olo gy of praye r 4 0 5 1 -

.
b
.
, .
, ,
oc a re form
S i l an d praye r , 92 , Time s for praye r t h e e st 2 3 6 , ,
1 25-7 .
40. 3 1 2 -
3
S pe n ce J 8 4 , .
,
. To lstoy L 3 0 3 , .
, .
S pur ge on C H 1 4 7 2 2 7 ,
. .
, , . Tren ch R C 5 2 , . .
, .
S tan le y H M 1 1 0 2 9 3 ,
. .
, , . Tyn dall J 4 2 1 4 9 , .
, ,
.
S te adfastn e ss in prayer 2 4 2 ,
-
8 . Tyrre ll G 4 4 1 1 6 —
7
, .
, ,
.
S tevenson R L 30 3 ,
. .
, .
S tout G F 8 5 6 - . Valu e of prayer 2 8 5 90 -

.
ubj e ctive valu e of prayer

.
, .
, ,
S , 55 Varie tie s of praye r 1 3 5 5 4 5 , ,

- .
61 . V ergil 3 2 , .
Suso H 31 8 Vicarious aids to praye r 2 5 2 .
bur
.
, .
, ,
Swin ne A , . C .
, 30 9 1 , , 1 36 . V in e t A 2 8 4
, .
Vocal an d Silen t prayer 2 5 6 8 ,

-
.
Tagore , R .
, 44 .
Tauler , J .
, 31 7 . W atso n J 2 2 5 6 , .
,
-
.
Taylor , Hudso n ,
2 96 , 30 4 , 31 3 . W atts G F 6 2 2 0 3
, . .
, ,
-
4 .
Taylor 52 , 2 54
, J er .
, 2 , 258, 2 7 9, W e sle y J 1 5 6 2 38
,
.
, , ,
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P R I NT E D A T T HE U N I V ER SI T Y P RE SS B Y R O B ERT M A C L E HO SE A N D CO. L T D .

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T HE R E A L M O F

I w ill pr ay with t h e spirit , a n d I will pray

THE THEOLO GY O F P RA YER

THE PRA Y ERS O F TH E SA N T U A R Y

E G reat Sou ls at Prayer

H D ifﬁ culty an d D istractio n in Praye r

L . I n te rc e ssory an d E ucharistic P raye r

Has ﬁlle d h is urn wh e re tho se pu re waters r ise ,

Tis eve n as if an a n g e l shook h is win g s

Immortal frag ra n c e ﬁ lls t h e c ircu it wide

That te lls us wh e n c e h is tre asure s are Supp lie d .

So wh e n a sh ip we ll fre ighte d w ith th e stor e s

Th e sun mature s o n sp icy I n d ia s shores

Has drop pe d h e r a n chor an d h er ca nva s fur le d

I n som e safe have n of our weste r n world ,

W h ich p ie rc e s so t ha t it assau lts

M e rcy it se lf an d fr e es all fau lts

SHA KES P E A RE E p ilogue to Th e, Tempest .

Th e act of prayin g is t h e v e ry high est en e rgy of whi ch th e

this is wha t a t times mak es me tu rn co ld to my sou l B e li e ve .

me to pray with all your h e art an d stre n gth with t h e r e a so n

an d t h e will to be lie v e vi vid ly that G o d will list e n to your

vo ice through Christ an d v e rily do th e thin g He p le ase th

th e re upo n — this is th e last t h e gre at est ach ie ve m en t of t h e

Christian s warfare upo n e arth Teach us to pray O Lord

S T C OLER I DGE Tab le Talk (e d A sh e ) pp 90 9 1

M A N‘S n obl est art is t h e art of holdi n g fellow ship with

GOd I n no Oth e r activity of th e spirit do we e xercise

ward s an obj ect so sublim e For prayer is t h e co n ver se .

of th e soul with God an d th e shapi n g of our en tire

i nward an d outward life according to His will as th e ,

re sult of that con ver se T h i s is an arti stry th e

Not ston es n or m etal s n or ﬁ nely woven fabrics are

of our own n ature I n proportio n to th e in tract a .

b ilit y of thi s mat erial is t h e difﬁ culty of our ta sk an d ,

t h e m ea sur e of our achi e ve m e n t an d our r eward .

Hard though it may b e to fa shion a pi ec e of marbl e

i n ﬁ nit ely harde r to moul d a huma n life compact e d of ,

ma n y ﬂaw s aft er t h e p erfect patt er n of Chri st J esu s

Man y c an mak e a con cord of sweet sou n d s out of th e

to discourse c el e stial mu sic by tu nin g their spirits

n obl e art t h e art of praye r make s e xacti n g d em

say s Thoma s a K empi s

to writ e poetry well h e mu st him self b ecome a tru e ,

a seriou s e ffort to p erfect our whol e life that we

of i n t en tion co n c en tratio n of purpo se sen sibility of

spirit ,co n stan cy of applicatio n an d a stren uous ,

se v e rity of moral an d spi ri tual self di scipli ne in t h e -

whole heart e d followi n g of great ideal s

It is t h e fu n ctio n of prayer as th e hi ghest of all ,

t h e art s to make t h e soul of man a habitatio n of God

in t h e Spirit —a t empl e n ot made with ha n d s whose ,

fou n datio n shal l b e faith ; whose soari n g colum n s ,

hop e who se over archi n g dom e th e wide expan se of-

love If thi s is e ver to b e reare d as a t h i n g of b eauty

A pology for Smectymn us .

th e body mu st b e subj ugat e d an d made tru e yoke

con scien c e cl ea n se d th e imagi n ation h eight en ed th e

will dire cted an d rei n forc ed th e he art s a ffection s made

passio n at e an d pure an d all subdu ed to t h e ob e di en c e

an d lov e of God .Thi s is an arduou s an d mighty

pati en t chi selli ng of co n sta n t prayer To co n c eive .

of God aright in th e ﬁrst place as t h e Father of our