,subconscious ,religion ,does ,god ,answer ,christians ,only8 ,conflicting ,prayers ,subconscious ,religion ,praying for ,visions of ,heaven ,great ,prayers ,use of the ,bible in ,prayer ,conclusions ,by ,,russell ,h4 ,,conwell ,,volume #aj ,,national ,,extension ,,university #eig ,fifth ,avenue1 ,new ,york ,,effective ,,prayer ,copyright1 #aiba1 by ,harper ,brothers ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,chapter ,i ,does ,god ,answer ,christians ,only8 ,what might be the consensus of opinion found in a digest of all the testimonies of mankind cannot be surmised1 but it did not appear that ,god was a respecter of persons through those years of prayer at the ,baptist ,temple4 ,the prevailing belief1 however1 was that ,god was more willing to answer the sincere disciple than he was to heed the requests of a great sinner4 ,but the fact was also evident that ,god does answer the just and the unjust4 ,the assertion of the blind man before the ,pharisees that ,god heareth not sinners was evidently a quotation from the ,pharisees' creed and not a gospel precept4 ,as all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god1 no one would be heard if ,god would not hear sinners4 ,jesus was more inclined to heed the requests of ,john and ,peter than he was to listen to the requests of the sacrilegious ,sadducee4 ,but a repentant ,sadducee would not be neglected1 and the fact is apparent that there is a clear distinction between the influence with ,god of a righteous man and the influence of a wicked or a frightened sinner4 ,here are a few of the testimonies which have a bearing on this important subject4 ,one hardened sinner was so convicted of his completely lost condition that he spent the night in agony1 calling on ,god for forgiveness4 ,he was determined to fight the battle alone1 but his strength failed and he was certain that he was condemned irrevocably to eternal punishment4 ,his prayer availed him nothing4 ,when1 at last1 he opened his heart to a faithful ,christian friend1 that friend's prayer was heard instantaneously1 and the seeker knew by an instinct axiomatic that he was received by the ,lord4 ,there is a general belief that ,god does hear the pure ,christian more readily than he does the vile reprobate4 ,that belief is founded in the moral laws universally recognized in human relations4 ,there may also be a semiscientific reason4 ,the soul which is in tune with the ,infinite can more effectively detect and understand the sound waves from the spirit world than the soul which is out of tune with ,god4 ,in the mass of the correspondence about which this book is written there are strong testimonies to the necessity and attainableness of a practical harmony with the ,spirit of ,god4 ,one man who has been long a teacher of psychology wrote that he had made a deliberate test of the matter1 and a condensed report of his experience is here given4 ,he sought to place his soul in communion with ,god4 ,he desired that state of spiritual harmony with the divine character which would make him sensitive to every spiritually divine impression4 ,hence1 he prepared himself in this way3 he locked himself in his room and gave himself up to the serious business of getting into communication with ,god4 ,he began to count his sins of commission and earnestly asking forgiveness2 he promised the ,lord that he would guard himself against them evermore4 ,he then tried to comprehend the awful list of sins of omission which for a while made him hopeless of ,god's favor4 ,but in deep and prayerful meditation1 thinking long on the great mercy of ,god and of the propitiation ,christ had given1 he felt his soul slowly emerge from the slough of despond4 ,suddenly a strange confidence took possession of his soul and a feeling of glad triumph overcame all doubt of his forgiveness4 ,the assurance that he was getting into harmony with the ,spirit of ,god became complete4 ,he threw himself across his bed and let go of himself1 making an absolute surrender to the spiritual impressions4 ,into such a state the apostles and prophets must have entered to feel the spiritual impulses and see the visions which they recorded4 ,it as an exaltation of the whole being--a temporarily superhuman experience which may be the state of the soul when released from the body4 ,the joy of that hour of oneness with ,god cannot be described to one who has not known it4 ,it is higher1 purer1 more real than other feelings4 ,it is so unlike any other experience on earth4 ,the soul is lost in ,god4 ,the worshiper is outside and above himself4 ,life gleams as a cloud glows in some heavenly morning4 ,disease1 pain1 human limitations1 care1 or anxiety is nonexistent4 ,a pure peace which passeth all understanding permeates the whole being4 ,underneath are the everlasting arms2 over him is the spirit face of ,christ4 ,but why should he try to convey an idea of that growing answer to his prayer8 ,he knows he is with his ,lord4 ,but the less he tries to tell his experience the more confidence his unbelieving friends will have in his sanity4 ,that such harmony with the divine is subject to certain laws is seen in the fact that such elevation of soul is gained only by a full compliance with certain conditions4 ,some of these conditions are found by experience to be those which are laid down in the ,scriptures4 ,the seeker must force out of his heart all malice1 jealousy1 hate1 selfishness1 covetousness1 unbelief1 and give himself up to the opposite feelings4 ,we must go over wholly to pure intentions1 holy aspirations1 truth-living1 kindness1 forgiveness1 love for all1 inflexible adherence to the right1 and all in all harmonizing with the divine disposition4 ,pure holiness must be sought1 without which no man can please ,god4 ,all those who give themselves over to such a state of surrender to ,god have the full assurance of faith which is promised to those who love ,god with all their hearts and with all their minds4 ,such servants of ,god can offer prayer which avail much more than the frightened call of the worldly minded1 egotistic1 and selfish enemy of good people and good principles4 ,god loves all men with an everlasting affection4 ,but the kind of intensity of his affection for the saint and the transgressor is quite different4 ,christ loved the priest and the ,levite in a true sense1 but he loved the ,good ,samaritan more4 ,he can love and care for his own without encouraging evil4 ,he could not be just and show no partiality for those who obey him fully4 ,he never fails to hear the cry of any contrite heart1 but even among the disciples ,john was especially beloved4 ,chapter ,,ii ,conflicting ,prayers ,this chapter leads into the wilderness4 ,just beyond it is the insane asylum4 ,the most bewildering1 confusing1 and dangerous region is the morass of conflicting prayers4 ,no human theory concerning them is even helpful4 ,the labyrinth is absolutely trackless to the human mind when once the worshiper becomes entangled therein4 ,so we will not attempt to explain any of the even unthinkable intricacies of its strange region4 ,nowhere in the ,bible does the ,lord answer the questions which millions have asked about it4 ,two persons1 equally sincere1 pray for success in a matter where the victory of one must be the defeat of the other4 ,nations at war pray hard and long for victory1 and not even ,god can answer both4 ,something must be taken from one to give to another1 while the one in possession is praying that he may keep it4 ,one's loss is another's gain4 ,the employer prays for a profit on his business1 and the laborer prays for higher wages4 ,the white man and the colored man prays for his own tribe4 ,the ,samaritan and ,jew1 worshiping the same ,god and having the same family inheritance1 believe it is a duty to hate each other1 and each calls for ,god's curses on the other4 ,many an honest investigator has entered this region of doubt and mystery and managed to back out while still in his right mind4 ,but he has returned the worse for the experience4 ,all sorts of foolish speculations have been given creedal expression until men have declared1 with strange assurance1 that man cannot trust his reason or his conscience in any matter4 ,they have tried to prove that the laws of nature are inflexible and that prayer cannot have any influence whatever in current events4 ,gifted men and women of culture and high purpose have convinced themselves that there is no evil1 that men never sin1 that the ,bible theories concerning prayer are fanciful and too miraculous to be possible4 ,too much study hath made thee mad1 said the practical ,roman to the ,apostle ,paul4 ,the old ,roman had probably seen so many religions that he had no faith in any4 ,the religious maniacs are those men who have broken down their brains by laborious study over these insoluble problems4 ,therefore1 while no one should discourage reasonable research anywhere1 and while it is not sacrilegious or foolish to think on these things1 it does seem best to admit that to the most faithful ,christian there are unsearchable things of ,god which he cannot sanely hope to understand in this life4 ,my thoughts are not your thoughts1 neither are your ways my ways1 saith the ,lord4 ,for as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are my ways higher than your ways1 and my thoughts higher than your thoughts4 ,we cannot expect to achieve a knowledge as great and extensive as that of the ,creator1 and must be content with our reasonable limitations4 ,what ,i do ye know not now1 but ye shall know hereafter4 ,satisfied1 then1 with the promise of that future full revelation we should study all that ,providence places before us for investigation and never let go of what we are sure we do know4 ,we will distinguish1 as clearly as possible1 between our imagination and our knowledge1 and with a level head and our feet on solid ground we will live by a faith that is reasonable and never become blindly reckless4 ,the lightning struck a tree near a neighbor's residence last week4 ,he knows that to be a hard fact4 ,he does not know much about the electric currents in the atmosphere1 neither does the most experienced scientist2 but the neighbor knows that the lightning did splinter that tree4 ,from that fact he entertains a faith in a possible return of that event and by faith he puts up a lightning rod on his barn4 ,the observer notices that sin brings its own punishment in many cases1 and he has faith that such will be the universal experience of the future4 ,so he keeps his soul insured by safe and sane investment in righteousness4 ,every sane man knows that we must at all times walk largely by faith4 ,faith is a constituent part of the natural human constitution4 ,the degree of faith determines the character of the individual4 ,faith1 like water1 seeks its level4 ,but the greater its safe elevation1 the greater its power4 ,faith must grow reasonably1 like a grain of mustard seed4 ,it also develops mysteriously by natural increase until the fowls of the air nest in its branches and its growing root will cleave off the side of the mountain4 ,the patriot1 earnestly seeking victory1 lets no possible agency pass unused to overcome the enemy4 ,when he has prepared fully and laboriously for the battle he will then pray for the help which ,god may give him4 ,even should he strongly doubt that the ,great ,power moving on events beyond his knowledge can or will hear him1 yet he will not fail to pray4 ,any man who calls on the ,christian's ,god will not ask him to aid an unholy cause4 ,a murderer seeking an opportunity to kill will not call on ,god for aid4 ,the thief ever fears some providential interference with his plans4 ,the ,christian ever hopes for ,god's aid1 and asks for it because his aim is a godly one4 ,herein is found the safe position for the believer to take4 ,we can pray for the heathen1 although they do pray against their own good4 ,we can pray for victory in some holy war1 because the enemy are praying really against their own good4 ,because their cause is unrighteous1 their victory would be a great loss to them4 ,hence1 even the great prayers which sublimely petition for the nations1 and which include the whole world in their range of vision1 are consistent only when man realizes his weakness and his ignorance1 and adds to every prayer the reservation1 nevertheless1 not my will but thine be done4 ,he is the wisest servant of ,god who can pray from the camp that he may conquer if his cause be really just4 ,the preacher who enters his pulpit with an almost agonizing prayer that ,god would aid him in his presentation of the ,christ to men must ever ask that ,god will turn aside any arrow which would do harm to the cause4 ,in his ignorance or weakness he may mistake the ,gospel message1 or may not present the whole truth1 and he must ever ask that1 whether he gain or lose in the esteem of his congregation1 the truth shall always prevail4 ,christian nations are often wrong in their diplomacy or in their wars1 as they discover after a while4 ,the ,lord1 therefore1 gave them that for which they would have asked had their hearts been right with ,god and their intentions been ,christlike toward men4 ,sometime we shall understand4 ,but now the seeming inconsistency of asking the ,lord to aid his own cause1 or praying that ,christ may soon come into his own kingdom1 is ever a stumbling block to the doubtful ones4 ,if the ,lord has all power and has a sincere desire to make the world good1 why does he not do it by one sweep of his hand or by one magic word8 ,what is the reason for his commandment to pray to him and to ask him to do that which he wishes to do and can do himself8 ,all these questions lead into the wilderness4 ,we do not know4 ,we cannot suggest any hypothesis which would make the sovereignty of ,god and the free will of man reconcilable4 ,man's mind is so constructed that it is impossible to believe that the ,creator controls all things and arranges the details of even our thoughts and yet leaves man free to choose to defeat the ,lord by his own thoughts and actions4 ,it is impossible fully to believe that man can voluntarily do evil without in some way interfering with the designs and power of ,god4 ,if ,god undertakes to save the world1 and would not that any should perish1 but that all should come unto him and live1 and yet sinful man can defeat or hinder the accomplishment of his purpose1 then the thinker must conclude that ,god is not supreme4 ,yet when we keep our minds within their reasonable limits and fall back on our common sense we must believe that ,god is all-powerful and also that man is free to be sinful4 ,the facts are actual facts1 although we cannot reconcile them4 ,there is but little we frail mortals can understand about such matters4 ,let us1 therefore1 carefully hold to the facts which we can comprehend1 and never assume that things which are1 surely are not1 or that things which are not1 most surely are4 ,there was a bowlder in the highway yesterday4 ,we don't know how it came to be there4 ,we know it should not be there4 ,but there it is1 and he would be idiotic who tried to go on as if the stone were not there4 ,behold6 there is set before every man good and evil4 ,choose good that thou and thy seed may live4 ,we know that in a thousand matters we can choose the good or choose the evil4 ,we see also that liberty is limited by great laws and there are a myriad of things a man cannot possibly do and about which he has no choice4 ,when a man reaches those limitations his responsibility for choosing ceases4 ,with these simple facts the teaching of the ,bible is fully in accord4 ,the necessity for sustenance and protection beyond our ability to supply is ever a great apparent fact4 ,the recognition of that fact leads the thoughtful man to prayer4 ,let us1 therefore1 have a care not to venture too far into the wilderness of the seeming theological inconsistencies4 ,that ,god does answer men and women1 thousands can testify4 ,they have tried it fully4 ,they cannot explain why ,god thus works out his complicated schemes1 but they know that he does work in that way4 ,it is established fact4 ,the ,great ,teacher and ,saviour also prayed4 ,that is enough4 ,chapter ,,iii ,subconscious ,religion ,in ,leipzig1 ,germany1 in #ahff there stood an old three-story mansion1 used as a manufactory of mechanical toys4 ,an ,american student attending the university was invited to visit the showrooms in the upper story and became intently interested in the surprising exhibition of inventive genius4 ,as the visitor descended to the second and first floors he visited the rooms where machinery of many kinds was turning out various parts of the toys4 ,but when he ventured to descend to the cellar to look at the power plant he found ,no admission on every door4 ,but he was more disappointed when he was told that the designing room1 where the toys were invented and the drawings made1 was in the subcellar4 ,in order to preserve their patents and their secret processes1 even the workmen on the upper floors were forbidden ever to look into the subcellar4 ,that illustrative fact came forcibly to mind when meditating long over a letter written by a praying student and author who said that he felt sure that the only direct passage between the human soul and the world spirits is through the subconscious mind4 ,from that subcellar of the soul come ideas1 impulses1 and suggestions which most largely influence our actions4 ,but we are forbidden to enter that department to examine the plans or listen to the wireless dispatches from the spirit world so continuously received there4 ,no admission is posted on every door to the subcellar designing room of the human soul4 ,we get the blue prints of new plans1 or read suggestions for new or improved work sent up to our brains4 ,but who makes them we do not know4 ,in the impenetrable regions of our mental and spiritual nature are formulated many ideas and moral laws which we must blindly obey4 ,a man is what he thinks1 and the larger portion of his thinking is originated or molded in his subconscious self4 ,that is evidently the meaning of the reference by ,peter to the hidden man of the heart4 ,it is amazing to the careful student of our mental constitution to find out how meager is the part of our thinking which originates in the suggestions of our five senses4 ,from the ,grecian and ,german philosophers some psychologists derived the hypothesis that the subconscious self is only the aggregation of all the faint or half-formed ideas which are not strong enough to force themselves up into full recognition by the brain4 ,consciousness includes only those thoughts which the brain accepts and uses in positive action4 ,that theory seems to be in a measure1 true4 ,there are faint suggestions and half-formed motives of which we catch glimpses and which never seem to be fully developed4 ,also the natural instincts of our animal nature still continue and persist in our higher station in the creative order4 ,it can be noted by anyone that perhaps not one in a thousand of our muscular contractions or of our decided actions is consciously dictated by our will4 ,the human race is seemingly1 in a large measure1 a collection of automatons4 ,we are generally moved about by powers and mechanisms beyond our comprehension and are unconsciously working out designs in the making of which we have no consciously important part4 ,it is difficult to write clearly on such a subtle theme or explain what is known concerning autosuggestion or explain the laws which1 in a measure1 control the unconscious part of human life without using technical terms or scientific formulas beyond the understanding of the everyday reader4 ,but1 plainly stated1 a human being uses but a small inclosure in which he can move on his own conscious volition4 ,we are fearfully and wonderfully made4 ,what ,i would not that ,i do and what ,i would that ,i do not was not the exclusive experience of the ,apostle ,paul4 ,but it is the common experience of all mankind4 ,a man's thoughts1 happiness1 and usefulness are the products of his moral character4 ,his subconscious self is his real character4 ,what one does consciously may not represent his real character1 but that which he does without meditation or conscious limitation represents the true disposition or tendency of his real nature4 ,inasmuch as ye are disposed by nature or by second nature to be a good ,samaritan or to aid the least of these1 ye have lived a continual good deed for the ,master4 ,the redeemed soul is one whose permanent disposition1 called his subconscious or subliminal self1 is controlled by the magnetic influence of the spirit of truth and goodness4 ,the few matters on which the brain acts directly are the deeds of the conscious mind4 ,they are controlled by the will and reasoning powers of the independent portion of man's being4 ,they may or may not accord with the heart's general impulses or they may be the direct product of the heart's purposes4 ,the will and the subconscious self interact1 each influencing the other4 ,this thought presents a logical contradiction which has puzzled many great minds4 ,but our appeal here is to the everyday experience of sincere1 truthful ,christians concerning their communication with ,god through the subconscious mind4 ,one writer states that she has often received trustworthy messages from the spirit world in dreams and in unusual impressions during waking hours4 ,this statement often arouses the general prejudice which some of the extreme spiritualists or deceivers have brought upon the theory of mental communication with the departed2 but it should be examined on its own merits without bias4 ,the testimony of the millions who believe or hope that they have had messages from their beloved who have gone on before counts for much and is not a testimony confined to professional mediums4 ,the rejection of the theory that it is possible for angel beings to communicate with mortals1 and that they are sent of ,god to do so1 involves the rejection of the whole ,bible as a divinely truthful ,book4 ,if there is no open path through the subconscious self to the spirit world1 then the recorded visits of the ,holy ,spirit to the hearts of men are only idle tales4 ,the disbelief in the soul's ability to hear heavenly voices or receive spiritual suggestions from other spirits would destroy all trust in supernatural religions4 ,god does speak to man in the events and laws of the material life1 and he also speaks to us in the quiet1 small voice as he did to ,elijah at ,sinai4 ,there appears to be no alternative but to believe in that declaration1 for to reject it is to reject the whole body of ,christian teaching4 ,we will not entertain such a suicidal proposition4 ,the indestructible spirit body is the same being and possesses the same characteristics in the material body that it possesses when separated from this limiting framework of the earthly body4 ,it is indestructible1 but it can be modified in disposition while in this body4 ,that statement1 for the sake of brevity1 is mentioned dogmatically1 but it will be illustrated by the following testimonials4 ,one writer who evidently has been reared to believe sincerely in emotional religion1 who shouts and groans and wrings his hands at any devotional meeting1 but whose probity and strong good sense are the admiration of his friends1 states that he knows that his ,redeemer liveth1 by the direct assurance of the ,spirit4 ,he claims that when a man tells him a lie he feels the presence of evil4 ,he testifies that in his most exalted moments following a season of fervent prayer he knows what it is to realize the fact that he lives and moves and has his being in ,god4 ,there are thousands of men and women whose wild behavior in religious meetings is only the natural evidence of a disordered mind4 ,the negro camp meeting and the whirling of the ,egyptian dervishes seem to be much alike in their manner of working up a religious excitement4 ,the unbalanced mental condition of some truly honest worshipers causes distrust of others whose good sense in other matters is never questioned4 ,other writers tell of their experience of some overpowering emotion which came so logically in answer to their prayer that they cannot doubt that such was truly the fact4 ,a man prayed that he might be protected through the night4 ,he awakened from sleep1 moved by an inward impulse irresistible1 and went to the barn to find1 as he opened the stable door1 a little blaze creeping toward the haymow4 ,it was easily extinguished then1 but ten minutes later would have been entirely beyond control4 ,the fire was caused by a lighted cigar dropped carelessly on the stable floor near the horses4 ,another writes that he is naturally emotional and dares not trust himself on any pinnacle1 as he always feels when on any high place a strange desire to leap off in suicide4 ,he states that the sensitiveness of his emotional nature becomes most acute in religious gatherings1 and that he has never found himself mistaken when he has followed the leadings of that spirit4 ,his wife writes that he had1 for years1 planted the crops which he felt like planting after attending a religious meeting4 ,she adds that while1 at first1 she had regarded his moods as accidental emotions1 she had learned that his crops planted in those moods were always profitable investments4 ,another who had been trained in the ,friends' meeting to wait for the ,spirit to move him went so far as to wait for the same impulse in all his undertakings4 ,he tried to lay his business ventures before the ,lord in silent prayer and then go in the direction the ,spirit indicated4 ,he related how1 when once he was lost in a thick forest on a cloudy day1 he prayed until his sense of direction became so clear that he started with closed eyes to take the direction toward which his inward impression impelled him4 ,another acted always on the impulse of the moment in speaking to a friend or to a stranger upon religious matters4 ,another wrote that she had observed for many years that the praying housekeepers were guided in their work by the most trustworthy intuitions4 ,few is the number of women who guide their domestic affairs by the rules of cold science1 and the larger part of a mother's movements in the care of her children are the unconscious results of special intuition4 ,she claims that in the intuitional nature of the human soul there is such nearness to the divine nature that the especially sensitive soul feels impulses from across the border4 ,here1 again1 after a day's study of the many accounts concerning the impulses awakened by prayer1 we lay down the correspondence with a sigh of regret that nothing absolutely conclusive for or against prayer is to be found4 ,we must still believe or disbelieve according to the measure of faith4 ,in the courts of law attorneys often establish their cases by the use of what is termed cumulative evidence1 where they secure the testimony of many witnesses to the same fact4 ,if that custom be applied to the establishment of the fact that emotions and impulses are sent in answer to prayer the number in its favor would be overwhelming4 ,down in the subcellar of the mind there may be a tunnel leading through to the palace of ,god4 ,millions believe that is a fact4 ,no one can prove it is not so4 ,therefore1 with the reasonable student1 the testimony of the many will still be considered trustworthy4 ,the soul of ,god speaketh often to the soul of man4 ,a great writer on secular subjects confirmed the general impression when he forcibly wrote1 ,you can get almost anything you want1 if you only want it hard enough1 and long enough1 and with faith enough4 ,chapter ,,iv ,praying for ,visions of ,heaven ,a sturdy young farmer's boy who had inherited a strong body1 a clear mind1 and a good family name sat under a maple tree in the hayfield at the hot noontide4 ,he was eating a cold lunch and at the same time reading an article in the weekly paper4 ,the editor had written an editorial on the romantic history of the poor country boys who had risen to world-wide fame and to enormous riches4 ,when he had reread the article he tossed the paper aside1 lay back on the odorous new-mown grass1 looked up at the deep-blue sky1 and watched the passing of a pure-white cloud4 ,a vision of what the world might be to him came in a dreamy way4 ,other boys as poor as he had graduated from college1 had made great scientific discoveries1 had married rich and beautiful women1 had traveled in far countries1 had feasted with kings1 had held high office1 and had written great books4 ,why could not he follow their example8 ,it seemed impossible1 and with a deep sigh he arose and seized his scythe4 ,but the vision could not be obscured4 ,as his strong muscles drove the sharp blade through the thick grass he kept muttering to himself1 debating pro and con the possibility of an ignorant farmer1 living far away from city civilization1 and too far from a railroad to hear the whistle1 to become powerful in national affairs4 ,how did they start8 ,what did they do first8 ,when his return swath brought him again near the shade of the tree where he had eaten his lunch he caught up the weekly paper and read again the editorial4 ,then he left his scythe in the grass and went into the shade1 leaned against the gnarled trunk of the old tree1 and1 wholly engrossed in earnest thought1 forgot his work4 ,he reviewed his own simple life and examined his own plans and ambitions4 ,he had expected to marry some one of the strong1 sensible1 country girls and bring her home to live with the old folks1 as his father had done4 ,he had a dim idea that he would inherit the old1 stony farm some day4 ,he had a latent ambition to raise more corn than his father had raised and to clear a large piece of woodland which for centuries had hidden the mountain side4 ,he would build an addition to the stable and put in a new pair of bars near the brook where the cattle went to drink in winter4 ,he had also a half-formed purpose to join the local church1 and perhaps some day he would be an elder4 ,at last he aroused himself and1 with a half-angry impulse1 he began to strike the grass with his scythe as if the grass were some sneaking enemy4 ,he could not arouse again the sweet content of the forenoon4 ,he had caught a glimpse of that far-away land1 and while he did not hope ever to enter it1 yet the thought disturbed him4 ,the next ,sunday the echo of the old church bell1 along the narrow1 but beautiful1 ,berkshire valleys1 called him to church4 ,the cows were milked and fed1 the old horse curried1 and the chores hastily finished when he ran down the road to overtake the old folks4 ,but the grand forest1 the sheening1 cascading brook1 and the brown fields were not the same to him that they were the day before4 ,the cows and horses in the pastures near the road had lost their fascination and value4 ,the hills seemed lower and the grain fields more narrow1 the cottages seemed shrunken1 and the old church was but an awkwardly built bungalow4 ,all had changed4 ,his clothing was coarser woven and the most attractive girls in their ,sunday attire were rude specimens of country verdancy4 ,as if by a preconceived purpose to accelerate his sweeping mental changes the preacher that morning took his text from the ,proverbs of ,solomon1 wherein he stated that wisdom is more valuable than gold or rubies4 ,the speaker illustrated his sermon by showing the value of an education4 ,he mentioned the happiness of the men and women who knew the structure of vegetation1 of animals1 and the laws which control their life4 ,he mentioned cases of self-made men who had read good books and whose minds could walk with ,god through his wonderful natural creations4 ,he spoke of the uselessness or curse of possessions which the owner cannot enjoy for lack of knowledge4 ,he said that the discipline of obtaining wisdom was in itself of great value and that ,god promised riches1 and honor to the man who would earn them4 ,he also said that the ,lord started many of us into life with nothing for the loving purpose of developing our capacity and inclination to know and enjoy more4 ,the happiest boy is the one who makes his own toys4 ,the application of the sermon brought forth the exhortation to read instructive books1 to examine more closely the works of nature and the laws which control our being4 ,learn something every day1 said the preacher1 and he closed with the quotation from ,luther1 ,not a day without learning another verse 7,nulla dies sine versu74 ,the young farmer was an only son4 ,but his parents had wisely kept him from selfishness and egotism4 ,he had been taught to work and to be grateful for the necessities of life4 ,he had a loyal disposition and loved his parents with a half-worshipful devotion4 ,he had been contented1 industrious1 careful1 and honest4 ,his only pride seemed to be in the distance he could see and in the large burden he could shoulder or carry4 ,he had left school because his father needed him on the farm and he had abandoned the expectation of further education4 ,but on that ,sunday he held a long conference with his mother and father concerning his ambition to be something more than a country farmer4 ,he read to them the editorial which had so moved him1 and tearfully said3 ,i want to be great like them6 ,i must improve my mind4 ,i must increase my skill4 ,i must have more influence and do more good4 ,i must get more wisdom and more understanding4 ,this farm is too small a place for me4 ,i will stay at home if ,i can1 or as long as ,i can1 but ,i must begin to study to-morrow1 and never thereafter lose a day4 ,god helping me1 ,i will be something worth while4 ,his parents1 with sad hearts1 saw the reasonableness of his ambition and gave their consent to his proposed education4 ,he began to read selected books at home1 but he soon saw the great advantage of academic instruction in some well-equipped institution4 ,he attended a high school in a near-by village and an academy in another part of the country4 ,he was the leader of his classes and a close student of languages and natural science4 ,he had obtained a glimpse of the world of knowledge and was fascinated with the idea of a university education4 ,beyond the university1 he occasionally saw himself a multimillionaire with a palace and a brilliant retinue of servants4 ,he had chosen for his life mate a brilliant young woman who was a teacher in a kindergarten school connected with the academy4 ,they were to be married when he should graduate from the university4 ,all seemed hopeful and promised a most noble and notable career4 ,but while he was spending his vacation at the old home in the ,hampshire ,highlands of the ,berkshire ,hills1 helping his old father in gathering the usual crops1 he received an invitation from a rich uncle living near ,san ,francisco1 inviting him to visit his estate4 ,the uncle had not often corresponded with the young man's parents and they had taken no interest in his history4 ,they had heard that he was a wealthy manufacturer and a railroad director4 ,so the brother1 and the sister who was the student's mother1 had lost all acquaintance with each other in the fifty years of their separation4 ,the young man gladly accepted his uncle's invitation to visit him1 and the uncle sent on a railroad pass to bring him to ,california and return4 ,the estate of the uncle was on the shore of the ,pacific1 occupying a gentle slope with wide lawns1 evergreen trees fancifully trimmed1 and gushing fountains4 ,hedges of lilies1 acres of poppies1 roses of every perennial variety1 and shade trees in long rows1 decorated the great plateau4 ,orchards of luscious and rare fruits stretched away in great lanes from the back gardens4 ,the house was a mansion built for show1 with a front largely ,grecian in design1 and a rear porch and veranda of the ,old ,colony style4 ,carpets1 paintings1 mirrors1 and a hundred curious and costly decorations made an exhibition of lavish wealth4 ,fine horses and extravagantly furnished carriages in great variety filled the stables4 ,servants' quarters were really fine cottages and the gatekeeper's lodge cost an extravagant sum4 ,to this ,new ,england nephew who had spent his youth in the simplicity and poverty of a back-country farm1 all this display of wealth was bewildering4 ,the great library of costly volumes1 few of which had ever been opened1 seemed to him a great opportunity for his uncle to learn almost everything4 ,the food was so various and so delicious4 ,the wines which he had never tasted were sweetly stimulating and had been made on the estate4 ,his uncle entertained him royally and introduced him to a number of handsome young ladies of fascinating manners1 who volunteered to teach him to dance4 ,every kind of musical invention seemed to be stored in the mansion1 and quartets from the university near by came in often to entertain and to be entertained at the uncle's evening socials4 ,the uncle was a widower and childless1 and seemed to be most pathetically lonely4 ,he was pleased with his nephew and was proud of his apparently sterling character and manly appearance4 ,the evening before the nephew's departure on his return journey his uncle talked with him until late in the night and told him frankly that he was going to make the young man his sole heir4 ,but he made his nephew promise repeatedly not to tell any person1 not even his parents1 what the uncle had decided to do4 ,the return of that young man1 when viewed in the light of subsequent events1 must have been a startling experience to his dear1 patient1 plodding old parents4 ,his manners1 his thoughts1 his estimation of values had undergone a violent change4 ,the old farmhouse seemed to him to be smaller than ever1 the furniture was rude and cheap1 the food was coarse and unpalatable1 the horse was shamefully old1 his father's overalls were disgracefully stained1 and his mother's old apron was fit only for rags6 ,the home was lonesome and uncomfortable4 ,he sat by the fire on the cool evenings1 silently picturing in his wild imagination what he would do with his millions1 and sometimes he admitted1 for an instant1 the hope that his uncle would die very soon4 ,he abandoned the idea of going on with his college education4 ,he reasoned that money can buy anything and assured himself that he could hire men to think for him if he should need them4 ,letters from his fiancee became a bore4 ,she was too plain and too unsophisticated to adorn his future mansion4 ,he could not think of marrying a woman of whom he would be ashamed in that fashionable group to which he would be attached4 ,he finally broke the engagement1 telling her that he had discovered that he did not love her enough sincerely to marry her4 ,the lady became ill and was suddenly killed in an accident in the sanitarium4 ,the young man would not work4 ,he refused to help his father on the old place and bluntly refused to help his mother when she was about her household tasks alone4 ,all was changed4 ,he was no longer their son4 ,the father felt the impression of mystery about the son's strange behavior and suggested to his wife that the boy showed symptoms of insanity4 ,not many months passed before the son left his home to take an easy position as a clerk in ,boston4 ,but he soon left that and went to sea in a steamer1 where he acted as assistant to the steward4 ,at ,bordeaux1 ,france1 he made the acquaintance of two ,american young men whose wealthy parents supplied them with funds to travel1 but evidently did so to keep the rascals away from home4 ,then his downward course became a reckless race4 ,a few years later the uncle heard or read that his nephew was sentenced to three months in the workhouse for drunkenness1 and he changed his will1 leaving all his estate to benevolent institutions4 ,from that time the unrepentant prodigal disappeared from the knowledge or care of his old neighbors4 ,both his parents went down to the grave in bitter sorrow before his reform4 ,the death of the mother was only a few weeks later than the death of the father4 ,god pity them both1 ,god pity us all ,who vainly the dreams of youth recall4 ,of all sad words of tongue or pen ,the saddest are these1 ,it might have been4 ,ah1 well for us all some sweet hope lies ,deeply hidden from human eyes1 ,and in the hereafter the angels may ,roll the stone from the grave away4 ,the friend who reads this account of that young man's broken life may ask what this biographical sketch has to do with the subject of unanswered prayer4 ,it has much to do with it4 ,such experiences1 which must have been seen in millions of cases1 show a reasonable explanation why so many prayers for a view of heaven are denied4 ,at almost every funeral the loved ones ask if the departed is still living and why ,god does not permit them to come back and tell us about their spirit life4 ,what are they doing in heaven8 is a question on the lips of millions4 ,but in the letters herein mentioned the records of unanswered prayers included many who prayed for visions of heaven or who wished to see the angels or the face of the ,saviour4 ,one brother prayed continually1 ,oh1 for one view of the holy city6 and another seemed never to leave out of his daily prayer1 ,lord1 open my eyes to see the faces of the dear ones hovering about me6 ,but our eyes are still holden4 ,our pleading hearts are unsatisfied4 ,we are not permitted to see our future home nor catch more than a glimpse of the angels' wings4 ,when1 however1 we seek an explanation of this divine arrangement1 this separation of this life from the other1 the faithful believer in ,god's wisdom and love can easily set up a reasonable theory concerning it4 ,he will see that ,god has placed us on this earth to grow in knowledge1 to get necessary spiritual discipline for his heavenly service4 ,to obtain that training we must keep our attention on the duties of our daily tasks and do them well4 ,we cannot reap rye with heaven in actual view4 ,it is not consistent to think after the ,apostle ,john saw the holy city at ,patmos he could devote himself as readily to catching fish4 ,when that ,california uncle showed his nephew all that luxury1 beauty1 and wealth1 and told him that he would some day own it all1 it was a foolish act--almost criminal4 ,the young man's mental and moral development was stopped then and there4 ,the young man lost far more than the estate could be worth4 ,suddenly acquired riches are ever harmful4 ,dissatisfaction with this life is a fatal sin4 ,god commands us to be content and toil4 ,he1 therefore1 does not himself do so destructive and discouraging an act as to show us heaven's glories and fill us with a suicidal anxiety to get out of this world at once and speedily to enter the other where there is no more pain or sorrow or dying4 ,a prayer for a view of heaven seems1 therefore1 to be an unreasonable request4 ,this conclusion satisfies many who have been denied communication with the departed dear ones1 and they take up their toil1 content to labor and to wait4 ,god does not interfere with the healthful exercise of our free will by holding bribes before our eyes or by forcing our discipline by awful fears4 ,chapter ,v ,great ,prayers ,men talk and write of great prayers as though such petitions could be weighed or measured4 ,they appear to think that sacred feelings can find a standard of comparison4 ,but even the rightfully esteemed ,lord's ,prayer presents no universal standard by which to measure our varying appeals4 ,one old saint writes that he often gets out of patience when the ,lord's ,prayer is intoned or recited1 as none of its paragraphs fitly or adequately expresses his soul's sincere desire4 ,prayer is necessarily as varying in its moods and objects as a kaleidoscope4 ,jesus said1 after this manner pray ye4 ,and we must pray after this manner4 ,but person1 time1 place1 hearers1 sharers1 emotions1 ideas1 desires1 and needs all enter into the conditions of earnest prayer4 ,to call on ,god in your own way1 with your own motives and your own emotions and your own language1 or without words1 will be a clear fulfillment of the command to pray4 ,the ,lord understands every language and knows all that the heart would express if it could find an adequate form of speech4 ,the books1 except the ,bible1 most frequently quoted in these letters include volumes by ,st4 ,augustine1 ,luther1 ,wesley1 ,whitfield1 ,spurgeon1 ,moody1 ,fosdick1 ,nicoll1 ,campbell1 ,whittle1 and ,finney4 ,in the quotations the idea is ever present that there are great prayers4 ,that place is given most frequently to the printed petitions of ,spurgeon4 ,but it is misleading to attempt to place a valuation on any of them4 ,the most effective prayer recorded was the appeal of the ,publican as he smote his breast2 and ,christ's long prayer at the ,last ,supper was the most comprehensive4 ,but in the following circumstances1 having trustworthy witnesses1 no two of the marvelously effective petitions were alike--viz41 the ,english boy's prayer for his blind sister's restoration to sight2 ,muller's prayer for a food supply for his orphanage2 ,doctor ,cullis's appeal to ,god for his ,consumptive ,home2 ,doctor ,kincaid's petition for protection for the converts of ,ava2 the ,brooklyn child's prayer for her shipwrecked father2 the groans of ,john ,hall's praying1 but starving1 mother2 the prayer of ,president ,garfield's mother at the washtub when her boy was lost in the forest2 the silent wish of ,carey1 the pioneer missionary2 ,john ,daniel ,loest's prayer for money to pay his mortgage the next day2 ,spurgeon's prayer for his pastors' college in dire need2 ,moody's prayer for the establishment of a ,bible school in ,northfield2 ,luther's prayer for ,melancthon2 ,halderman's prayer1 in the ,fulton ,street daily prayer meeting1 for the lost ship ,leviathan2 the petition of the mother of ,doctor ,talmage1 asking that her son be made to decide at that moment to come home2 ,miss ,lyon's prayer in the field for a seminary for women2 and the prayer of the ,dock child of ,stockton who claimed that ,god had told him in his heart that his sister would immediately recover4 ,to these may be added an almost innumerable number of cases where the prayers brought direct results1 although there was no attempt to use any special form of words4 ,this principle or truth is probably accepted by all thinking worshipers1 including most extreme ritualists4 ,as1 however1 true prayer requires a devotional state of mind there can be no denial of the statement that the forms1 ceremonials1 scenic effects1 and processions of the different creeds and races have a most potent effect on the devotional natures of their supporters4 ,whatever awakens a spirit of devotion is more or less useful2 but when a strong desire for communion with ,god has been aroused by music1 exhortation1 processions1 or scenery the most effective method appears to be to then leave each soul alone with ,god in silent prayer4 ,resting in ,christ has a meaning to the devout which no other can understand4 ,love only can understand love4 ,to be alone with the loved one is ever a holy and soul-brightening experience4 ,but to be alone with ,god is1 by far1 the most holy of all emotions4 ,the testimony of nearly all those at the ,baptist ,temple who report an answer to prayer1 mention the fact that their prayers seemed to be the most productive of results when offered in the silent moments at the close of some inspiring service4 ,it is clearly impossible for one finite mind to shape a petition which will include and express all the desires of the multitude4 ,neither can an uninspired writer in one age fully appreciate and comprehend the conditions and needs of another age4 ,hence1 while the petitions of friends1 priests1 or pastors have a strong influence with the ,creator1 the one vital necessity in making acceptable appeals to ,god is that each petitioner should ask for himself4 ,no character can be changed from the outside4 ,no wicked heart can be made pure without its own consent1 and the ,lord seems to have limited himself so that he never crosses the threshold of the soul unless he is sincerely invited by that individual householder4 ,god does not convert any soul by force4 ,therefore1 all who would be blessed by him must voluntarily and individually go to him4 ,there can be no substitute in that case4 ,even ,christ1 a mediator1 may take on himself our punishment1 but he cannot do our praying for us4 ,he makes intercession for us1 but that is of no use without our co-operation4 ,chapter ,,vi ,use of the ,bible in ,prayer ,it will be useful to any seeker after ,god to examine the agencies which have helped those whose prayers have been conspicuously answered4 ,among the many helps which1 seemingly1 have had especial potency in developing or awakening a devout spirit there is none so general in use as the ,bible4 ,the petitions which have been preserved from the ancient ,fathers often quote the ,scriptures2 and when they do not quote directly1 the language used shows a close familiarity with the ,sacred ,word4 ,the ,gospel truth is wonderfully condensed in this prayer of ,thomas a ,kempis3 ,o1 ,most merciful ,lord1 grant me thy grace1 that it may be with me1 and labor within me1 and persevere with me1 even to the end4 ,grant that ,i may always desire and will that which is to thee most acceptable1 and most dear4 ,let thy will be mine1 and my will ever follow thine and agree perfectly with it4 ,grant to me1 above all things that can be desired1 to rest in thee1 and in thee to have my heart at peace4 ,thou art the true peace of the heart1 thou its only rest2 out of thee all things are hard and restless4 ,in this very peace1 that is1 in thee the one ,chiefest ,eternal ,good1 ,i will sleep and rest4 ,amen4 ,the following prayer by ,st4 ,augustine is a good example of the influence of the ,bible on the trend of his thought3 ,o1 thou full of compassion1 ,i commit and commend myself unto thee1 in whom ,i am1 and live1 and know4 ,be thou the goal of my pilgrimage1 and my rest by the way4 ,let my soul take refuge from the crowding turmoil of worldly thoughts beneath the shadow of thy wings2 let my heart1 this sea of restless waves1 find peace in thee1 ,o ,god4 ,thou bounteous giver of all good gifts1 give to him who is weary refreshing food2 gather our distracted thoughts and powers into harmony again2 and set the prisoner free4 ,see1 he stands at thy door and knocks2 be it opened to him1 that he may enter with a free step1 and be quickened by thee4 ,for thou art the wellspring of life1 the light of eternal brightness1 wherein the just live who love thee4 ,be it unto me according to thy word4 ,amen4 ,when looking outside of the local list of petitioners to which this volume is so closely confined it can be seen clearly that those whose petitions were the most surely answered were familiar with the ,bible4 ,it is also interesting to notice the quotations which were used as mottoes or the favorite extracts from the ,bible by the most saintly of the heroes1 martyrs1 and victors in the ,christian ,church4 ,out of many hundreds of ,scripture quotations the following are selected with the hope that some one of them may be of especial helpfulness to some one who desires to pray successfully3 ,hear me when ,i call1 ,o ,god of my righteousness2 thou hast enlarged me when ,i was in distress2 have mercy upon me1 and hear my prayer 7,psalm iv3#a74 ,my voice shalt thou hear in the morning1 ,o ,lord2 in the morning will ,i direct my prayer unto thee1 and will look up 7,psalm v3#c74 ,the ,lord hath heard my supplication2 the ,lord will receive my prayer 7,psalm vi3#i74 ,give ear to my prayer1 ,o ,god2 and hide not thyself from my supplication 7,psalm lv3#a74 ,let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense2 and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice 7,psalm cxli3#b74 ,i exhort1 therefore1 that1 first of all1 supplications1 prayers1 intercessions1 and giving of thanks1 be made for all men 7,tim4 ii3#a74 ,for the eyes of the ,lord are over the righteous1 and his ears are open unto their prayers2 but the face of the ,lord is against them that do evil 7,i ,peter iii3#ab74 ,and it came to pass1 as she continued praying before the ,lord1 that ,eli marked her mouth 7,i ,sam4 i3#ab74 ,yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant1 and to his supplication1 ,o ,lord my ,god1 to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer1 which thy servant prayeth before thee to-day 7,i ,kings viii3#bh74 ,and whiles ,i was speaking1 and praying1 and confessing my sin and the sin of my people ,israel1 and presenting my supplication before the ,lord my ,god for the holy mountain of my ,god2 ,yea1 whiles ,i was speaking in prayer1 even the man ,gabriel1 whom ,i had seen in the vision at the beginning1 being caused to fly swiftly1 touched me about the time of the evening oblation 7,dan4 ix3#bj-ba74 ,and when ye stand praying1 forgive1 if ye have ought against any2 that your ,father1 also which is in heaven1 may forgive you your trespasses 7,mark xi3#be74 ,and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense 7,luke i3#aj74 ,now when all the people were baptized1 it came to pass that ,jesus also being baptized1 and praying1 the heaven opened 7,luke iii3#ba74 ,and it came to pass1 as he was alone praying1 his disciples were with him 7,luke ix3#ah74 ,i was in a city of ,joppa praying3 and in a trance ,i saw a vision1 a certain vessel descend1 as it had been a great sheet1 let down from heaven by four corners2 and it came even to me 7,acts xii3#e74 ,i will pray with the spirit1 and ,i will pray with the understanding also2 ,i will sing with the spirit1 and ,i will sing with the understanding also 7,i ,cor4 xiv3#ae74 ,praying always with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit1 and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication 7,eph4 vi3#ah74 ,night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face1 and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith 7,i ,thes4 iii3#aj74 ,and hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant1 and of thy people ,israel1 when they shall pray toward this place3 and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place3 and when thou hearest1 forgive 7,i ,kings viii3#cj74 ,nevertheless1 we made our prayer unto our ,god1 and set a watch against them day and night1 because of them 7,neh4 iv3#i74 ,thou shalt make thy prayer unto him1 and he shall hear thee1 and thou shalt pay thy vows 7,job xxii3#bg74 ,he will regard the prayer of the destitute1 and not despise their prayer 7,psalm cii3#ag74 ,the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the ,lord2 but the prayer of the upright is his delight 7,prov4 xv3#h74 ,and ,i set my face unto the ,lord ,god1 to seek by prayer and supplications1 with fasting1 and sackcloth1 and ashes4444 7,dan4 ix3#c74 444 and nothing shall be impossible unto you4 ,howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting 7,matt4 xvii3#ba74 ,but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word 7,acts vi3#d74 ,and on the ,sabbath we went out of the city by a river side1 where prayer was wont to be made2 and we sat down1 and spake unto the women which resorted thither 7,acts xvi3#ac74 ,be anxious for nothing2 but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto ,god4 ,and the peace of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 shall keep your hearts and minds through ,christ ,jesus 7,phil4 iv3#f-g74 ,and the prayer of faith shall save the sick1 and the ,lord shall raise him up2 and if he have committed sins1 they shall be forgiven him 7,james v3#ae74 ,confess your faults one to another1 and pray one for another1 that ye may be healed4 ,the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 7,james v3#af74 444 be ye therefore sober1 and watch unto prayer 7,i ,peter iv3#g74 ,then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man1 or of all thy people ,israel1 when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief1 and shall spread forth his hands in this house2 ,then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place1 and forgive1 and render unto every man according unto all his ways1 whose heart thou knowest 7for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men44447 7,,ii ,chron4 vi3#bi-cj74 ,and at midnight ,paul and ,silas prayed1 and sang praises unto ,god2 and the prisoners heard them 7,acts xvi3#be74 ,and when he had sent the multitude away1 he went up into a mountain apart to pray 7,matt4 xiv3#bc74 ,then cometh ,jesus with them unto a place called ,gethsemane1 and saith unto the disciples1 ,sit ye here1 while ,i go and pray yonder 7,matt4 xxvi3#cf74 ,watch and pray1 that ye enter not into temptation3 the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak 7,matt4 xxvi3#da74 ,thinkest thou that ,i cannot now pray to my ,father1 and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels 7,matt4 xxvi3#ec74 ,therefore ,i say unto you1 what things soever ye desire1 when ye pray1 believe that ye receive them1 and ye shall have them 7,mark xi3#bd74 ,and he spake a parable unto them to this end1 that men ought always to pray1 and not to faint 7,luke xviii3#a74 ,i pray for them3 ,i pray not for the world1 but for them which thou hast given me2 for they are thine4 ,i pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world1 but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil4 ,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on me through their word4444 7,st4 ,john xvii3#i1 #ae1 #bj74 ,likewise the ,spirit also helpeth our infirmities2 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought2 but the ,spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered 7,rom4 viii3#bf74 ,pray without ceasing 7,i ,thess4 v3#ag74 ,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly2 and ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ 7,thess4 v3#bc74 ,wherefore also we pray always for you1 that our ,god would count you worthy of this calling1 and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness1 and the work of faith with power 7,,ii ,thess4 i3#aa74 ,that ,christ may dwell in your hearts by faith2 that ye1 being rooted and grounded in love1 ,may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height4444 7,eph4 iii3#ag-ah74 ,and whatsoever we ask1 we receive of him1 because we keep his commandments1 and do those things which are pleasing in his sight 7,i ,john iii3#bb74 ,and this is the confidence that we have in him1 that1 if we ask any thing according to his will1 he heareth us2 ,and if we know that he hear us1 whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him 7,,ii ,john v3#ad-ae74 ,but ,i know1 that even now1 whatsoever thou wilt ask of ,god1 ,god will give it thee 7,st4 ,john xi3#bb74 ,and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 that will ,i do1 that the ,father may be glorified in the ,son 7,st4 ,john xiv3#ac74 ,if ye shall ask any thing in my name1 ,i will do it 7,st4 ,john xiv3#ad74 ,if ye love me1 keep my commandments 7,st4 ,john xiv3#ae74 ,if any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 that giveth to all men liberally1 and upbraideth not2 and it shall be given him4 ,but let him ask in faith1 nothing wavering 7,james i3#e-f74 ,ye ask1 and receive not1 because ye ask amiss4444 7,james iv3#c74 ,there hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man3 but ,god is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able2 but will with the temptation also make a way to escape1 that ye may be able to bear it 7,i ,cor4 x3#ac74 ,now unto him that is able to keep you from falling1 and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy 7,jude i3#bd74 ,but when ye pray1 use not vain repetition1 as the heathen do3 for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking4 ,be not ye therefore like unto them2 for your ,father knoweth what things ye have need of1 before ye ask him4 ,after this manner therefore pray ye3 ,our ,father which art in heaven1 ,hallowed be thy name4 ,thy kingdom come4 ,thy will be done on earth1 as it is in heaven4 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,and forgive us our debts1 as we forgive our debtors4 ,and lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from evil2 ,for thine is the kingdom1 and the power1 and the glory1 for ever1 ,amen 7,matt4 vi3#g-ac74 ,trust in the ,lord1 and do good2 so shalt thou dwell in the land1 and verily thou shalt be fed 7,psalm xxxvii3#c74 ,commit thy way unto the ,lord2 trust also in him2 and he shall bring it to pass 7,psalm xxxvii3#e74 ,rest in the ,lord1 and wait patiently for him4444 7,psalm xxxvii3#g74 ,the ,lord is my shepherd2 ,i shall not want 7,psalm xxiii3#a74 ,yea1 though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil2 for thou art with me2 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me 7,psalm xxiii3#d74 ,chapter ,,vii ,conclusions ,as one lays aside the last letter of this collection and leans back in his chair for meditation on all these heart revelations he asks1 most anxiously1 ,what is the conclusion of the whole matter8 ,thanks be unto ,god who giveth us the victory1 our faith remains unmoved4 ,a general view of the field of prayer shows that the great fundamental facts remain undisturbed4 ,god is4 ,god answers prayer4 ,the ,bible is the inspired work of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,jesus is the ,son of ,god4 ,the ,christ is the ,saviour of a sinful world4 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth6 ,entering upon this investigation with a firm determination to hold an unbiased mind and trying to examine the evidence as an impartial judge there were moments of doubt as to the wisdom of setting one's mind so free4 ,it seemed sometimes as if it was wrong1 even for a day1 to stand outside of the circle of earnest believers and be a neutral critic of sacred things4 ,but the risk was taken4 ,a tremor came with the suggestion that the lovely structure of our lifelong faith might be shattered1 and only dust be left of the religious building which we had so fondly believed was a building that had indestructible foundations1 ,eternal in the heavens4 ,but not one pillar has moved1 not a rent or seam in any of the old walls has appeared4 ,the fear that faith might be lost has increased our estimate of its everlasting value4 ,the faith of our fathers stands secure4 ,the testimony of unbalanced minds to the ,sonship of ,christ did not defeat the ,saviour in his day1 and they cannot do so now4 ,the mistakes1 errors1 and superstitions of the extremists and deceivers have not made more than a ripple in the current of ,christian faith4 ,the tide comes back4 ,the love for the ,holy ,bible revives4 ,the prodigal will come to himself and come back4 ,the spirit of the ,christian religion is a necessity to human progress and human happiness4 ,the world needs it4 ,it may come slowly1 but1 nevertheless1 it will come surely4 ,the spirit will awaken4 ,the winter cannot last forever4 ,prayer is as necessary to the spirit of man as breath is to his body4 ,the soul's sincere desire will ever seek expression4 ,the seeker after ,god will surely find him when he shall truly seek him with all his heart4 ,hundreds testified to the facts that their prayers were answered where only a score or less asserted that they did not know whether their requests were heard or not4 ,the millions who never tried to pray cannot be accepted as witnesses on either side4 ,but the great majority of those who have tried the matter testify to its effectiveness4 ,the doubters1 who quibble and stumble over the parables and miracles1 find that whether the believer accepted them as literal history or as spiritual illustrations1 they all teach the truth2 and to believe in them can do no harm4 ,the consensus of religious opinion among the common people is decidedly in favor of trusting more and1 consequently1 doubting less4 ,we will be no more children1 tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness4 ,we have put away childish things and here we stand1 men and women1 saved by grace1 and ,who can separate us from the love of ,christ8 ,shall tribulation1 or distress1 or peril1 or sword8 ,i am persuaded that neither death1 nor life1 nor angels1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor things present1 not things to come1 not height1 not depth1 nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of ,god which is in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4 ,right is ,right1 since ,god is ,god1 ,and right the day will win2 ,to doubt would be disloyalty1 ,to falter would be sin4 ,ye saints1 with your faith of steel1 pray on4 ,ye faltering sinners1 smite your breast and pray on4 ,ye doubtful critics1 pray on4 ,ye sorrow-stricken ones1 pray on4 ,in due time every petitioner shall reap if he or she faints not4 ,oh1 the rest1 the peace1 the joy of this settled conviction1 that the faith in the ,messiahship of ,jesus ,christ need be no more disturbed6 ,now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy1 to the only wise ,god1 our ,saviour1 be glory and majesty1 dominion and power1 both now and forever4 ,amen4 ,,the ,,end ,transcriber's ,notes #a4 ,this volume is continuation of the preceding two3 ,health1 ,healing and ,faith and ,praying for ,money4 #b4 ,the troublesome subject_/verb agreement in chapter ,i has been retained as in the original 7,such servants of ,god can offer prayer which avail much more than the frightened call of the worldly minded44474 #c4 ,preposition in was added in chapter ,,vi 7444and in thee to have my heart at peace74