,in ,answer to ,prayer ,by ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,,the ,,bishop ,,of ,,ripon1 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,cuyler1 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,john ,,watson 7,,ian ,,maclaren71 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,canon ,,knox ,,little1 ,,mr4 ,,william ,,quarrier1 ,,mr4 ,l4 ,k4 ,,shaw1 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,horton1 ,,the ,,rev4 ,h4 ,,price ,,hughes1 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,dr4 ,,clifford1 ,,and ,,the ,,dean ,,of ,,salisbury ,,new ,,york ,,dodd1 ,,mead ,,company #ahii ,,prefatory ,,note ,the following pages were originally written for the ,,sunday ,,magazine4 ,in their present form it is hoped that they will reach another and not less appreciative public4 ,although ,dr4 ,watson's contribution is of a character quite distinct from the other papers1 it treats of a phase of religious experience so closely allied to that of answered prayer that it seems in the present collection to serve as a stage of transition from the sphere of the unseen and spiritual to that of the visible and tangible4 ,,contents ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,prayer ,,page ,by the ,right ,rev4 ,w4 ,,boyd ,,carpenter1 ,lord ,bishop of ,ripon #aa ,by the ,rev4 ,,theodore ,l4 ,,cuyler1 ,d4,d41 of ,new ,york #ai ,by the ,rev4 ,,john ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 7,ian ,maclaren7 #bg ,by the ,rev4 ,canon ,,knox ,,little1 ,m4,a4 #ci ,by ,mr4 ,,william ,,quarrier1 of ,glasgow #di ,by ,mr4 ,,leonard ,k4 ,,shaw1 of ,manchester #fg ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 #ge ,by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,,price ,,hughes1 ,m4,a4 #hi ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,clifford1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 #aja ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,g4 ,d4 ,,boyle1 ,m4,a41 ,dean of ,salisbury #aai ,i ,,by ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,boyd ,,carpenter1 ,d4,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,ripon ,i have been asked to write some thoughts on answers to prayer4 ,i am afraid that ,i cannot give from personal experience vivid and striking anecdotes such as others have chronicled4 ,god does not deal with all alike1 either in ,his gifts of faith or in those of experience4 ,we differ also in the use we make of ,his gifts4 ,but if ,i mistake not the object of these papers is not merely to gather together an array of startling experiences1 but rather to unite in conference on the great subject of prayer and the answers to prayer4 ,no doubt every ,christian spirit holds within his memory many cherished experiences of ,god's dealings with him1 and these must touch the question of prayer4 ,but the greater part of these experiences belong to that sanctuary life of the soul which1 rightly or wrongly1 we keep veiled from the world4 ,there are some matters which would lose their charm if they were made public property4 ,there is a reticence which is of faith1 just as there may be a reticence which is of cowardice or unfaith4 ,but like the little home treasures1 which we only open to look upon when we are alone1 so are some of the secret treasures of inward experiences4 ,nevertheless1 none of us can have lived and thought without meeting with a sort of general confirmation or otherwise of the efficacy of prayer2 and though ,i cannot chronicle positive and striking examples1 ,i can say what ,i have known4 ,i have known men of a naturally timid and sensitive disposition who have grown at moments lion-like in courage1 and they would tell you that courage came to them in prayer4 ,i have known one man1 who found himself face to face with a duty which was unexpected and from which he shrank with all his soul4 ,i have known that such a one has prayed that the duty might not be pressed upon him1 and yet that1 if it were1 he might be given strength to fulfil it4 ,the duty still confronted him4 ,in trembling and in much dismay he undertook it2 and when the hour came1 it found him calm and equable in spirit1 neither dismayed nor demoralised by fears4 ,such a one might not tell of great outward answers to prayer2 but inward answers are not less real4 ,at any rate1 the ,psalmist chronicled an answer such as this when he wrote3 ,in the day when ,i cried ,thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul 7,psalm cxxxviii4 #c74 ,there is1 further1 a paradox of ,christian experience which may be noted4 ,the soul which waits upon ,god finds out sooner or later that the prayers which seem to be unanswered are those which may be most truly answered4 ,for what is the answer to prayer which the praying heart looks for8 ,there is no true prayer without the proviso--,nevertheless not what ,i will1 but what ,thou wilt4 ,in other words1 there is no true prayer without reliance upon the greater wisdom and greater love of ,him to whom we pray4 ,thus it is that ,god's answer may not be the answer as we looked for it4 ,we form our expectations3 they take shape from our poor little limited surroundings2 but the prayer in its spirit may be wider than we imagine4 ,to answer it according to our expectations might be not to answer it truly4 ,to answer it according to our real meaning--i4e41 according to our spiritual desire--must be the true answer to prayer4 ,one illustration will suffice4 ,a man1 pressed by difficulty and straitness1 may pray that he may be moved to some place of greater freedom and ease4 ,he thinks that he ought to move elsewhere4 ,he prays for guidance and the openings of ,god's providence4 ,in a short time a vacant post presents itself3 he applies for it1 it is just the thing he wished for4 ,he continues his prayers4 ,the post is given to another4 ,his prayers have not been answered3 such is his conclusion2 but is not the answer really--,not yet--not yet--wait awhile4 ,my grace is sufficient for thee8 ,he waits2 he leaves his life in ,god's hands4 ,after an interval another opening occurs1 and almost without an effort he is moved to the vacant place4 ,it is this time1 perhaps1 not the kind of place he thought of2 it is less interesting1 it is more onerous1 it fills him with fear as he undertakes its duties4 ,he has prayed1 but the answer came not as he wished or thought or hoped4 ,the years go by4 ,he looks back from the vantage-ground of distance4 ,he can measure his life in better proportions4 ,he sees now that the movements of his life have a deep meaning4 ,he perceives that to have gone where he wished to have gone1 and even where he prayed to be placed1 would have been to miss some of the best experiences and highest trainings of this life4 ,he begins to realise that there is not a spot which he has visited1 not a place where he has toiled1 which has not brought to him lessons that have been most helpful1 nay1 even needful1 in his later life4 ,he sees that ,god has sent him here or there to fit him for work which1 unknown and unexpected in his earlier days1 the future was to bring4 ,the least-answered prayer may be the most-answered4 ,it is the realisation that experiences fit us for the duties of later life which yields to us the assurance that in the deepest sense our seemingly disregarded prayers have been most abundantly remembered before ,god4 ,thus1 indeed1 we can enter into the spirit of familiar words and acknowledge concerning each prayer that it is ,goodness still1 ,which grants it or denies4 ,and so it may come to pass in later life that our specific petitions for this or that thing may grow fewer4 ,we may realise more and more our own ignorance in asking4 ,we may rely more and more on the divine wisdom in giving4 ,even in the case of others we may recognise the unwisdom of asking many things on their behalf4 ,our love would tenderly shield them from rough winds and bitter hours4 ,we pray that the divine love would spare them dark days2 and yet1 are the prayers well prayed8 ,does ,god not lead souls through darkness into light8 ,is not the ,valley of the ,shadow the precursor of the table of love which ,god spreads8 ,can the head be anointed with ,god's kingly oil which has not been bowed down in the darkness8 ,ah6 how little we know6 how short-sighted we are6 ,and how great and full and strong ,god's love is6 ,and1 this being so1 may not experience bring us larger trust and lesser prayers--not less1 indeed1 in intensity1 not less in the wrestling of spirit2 not less in the striving to reach nearer to ,god's will1 but less in the number and specific character of our petitions8 ,to put it another way--the petitions are fewer because the prayer is deeper and truer4 ,not my weak longings1 ,lord1 fulfil1 ,but rather do ,thy perfect will1 ,for ,i am blind and wish for things ,which granted bring heart-festerings4 ,let me but know that ,i am blind1 ,let me but trust ,thee wondrous kind4 ,,ii ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,theodore ,l4 ,,cuyler1 ,d4,d4 ,,of ,,new ,,york ,all of ,god's mighty men and women have been mighty in prayer4 ,when ,martin ,luther was in the mid-valley of his conflict with the man of sin he used to say that he could not get on without three hours a day in prayer4 ,charles ,g4 ,finney's grip on ,god gave him a tremendous grip on sinners' hearts4 ,the greatest preacher of our times--,spurgeon--had pre-eminently the gift of the knees2 the last prayer ,i ever heard him utter 7at his own family worship7 was one of the most wonderful that ,i ever listened to2 it revealed the hiding of his power4 ,abraham ,lincoln once said3 ,i have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that ,i had nowhere else to go2 my own wisdom and that of all around me seemed insufficient for the day4 ,but what is prayer8 ,has every prayer power with ,god8 ,let us endeavour to get some clear ideas on that point4 ,some people seem to regard prayer as the rehearsal of a set form of solemn words1 learned largely from the ,bible or a liturgy2 and when uttered they are only from the throat outward4 ,genuine prayer is a believing soul's direct converse with ,god4 ,phillips ,brooks has condensed it into four words--a true wish sent ,godward4 ,by it1 adoration1 thanksgiving1 confession of sin1 and petition for mercies and gifts ascend to the throne1 and by means of it infinite blessings are brought down from heaven4 ,the pull of our prayer may not move the everlasting throne1 but--like the pull on a line from the bow of a boat--it may draw us into closer fellowship with ,god1 and fuller harmony with ,his wise and holy will4 #a4 ,this is the first characteristic of the prayer that has power3 ,delight thyself in the ,lord and ,he shall give thee the desires of thy heart4 ,a great many prayers are born of selfishness and are too much like dictation or command4 ,none of ,god's promises are unconditional2 and we have no such assets to our credit that we have a right to draw our cheques and demand that ,god shall pay them4 ,the indispensable quality of all right asking is a right spirit toward our heavenly ,father4 ,when a soul feels such an entire submissiveness towards ,god that it delights in seeing ,him reign1 and ,his glory advanced1 it may fearlessly pour out its desires2 for then the desires of ,god and the desires of that sincere submissive soul will agree4 ,god loves to give to them who love to let ,him have ,his way2 they find their happiness in the chime of their own desires with the will of ,god4 ,james and ,john once came to ,jesus and made to ,him the amazing request that ,he would place one of them on ,his right hand and the other on ,his left hand when ,he set up ,his imperial government at ,jerusalem6 ,as long as these self-seeking disciples sought only their own glory1 ,christ could not give them the askings of their ambitious hearts4 ,by-and-by1 when their hearts had been renewed by the ,holy ,spirit1 and they had become so consecrated to ,christ that they were in complete chime with ,him1 they were not afraid to pour out their deepest desires4 ,james declares that1 if we do not ask amiss1 ,god will give liberally4 ,john declares that whatsoever we ask1 we receive of ,him1 because we keep ,his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in ,his sight4 ,just as soon as those two ,christians found their supreme happiness in ,christ and ,his cause they received the desires of their hearts4 #b4 ,the second trait of prevailing prayer is that it aims at a mark1 and knows what it is after4 ,when we enter a store or shop we ask the salesman to hand us the particular article we want4 ,there is an enormous amount of pointless1 prayerless praying done in our devotional meetings2 it begins with nothing and ends nowhere4 ,the model prayers mentioned in the ,bible were short and right to the mark4 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 ,lord1 save me6 cries sinking ,peter4 ,come down1 ere my child die6 exclaims the heart-stricken nobleman4 ,old ,rowland ,hill used to say1 ,i like short1 ejaculatory prayer2 it reaches heaven before the devil can get a shot at it4 #c4 ,in the next place1 the prayer that has power with ,god must be a prepaid prayer4 ,if we expect a letter to reach its destination we put a stamp on it2 otherwise it goes to the ,dead-letter ,office4 ,there is what may be called a ,dead-prayer ,office1 and thousands of well-worded petitions get buried up there4 ,all of ,god's promises have their conditions2 we must comply with those conditions1 or we cannot expect the blessings coupled with the promises4 ,no farmer is such an idiot as to look for a crop of wheat unless he has ploughed and sowed his fields4 ,in prayer1 we must first be sure that we are doing our part if we expect ,god to do ,his part4 ,there is a legitimate sense in which every ,christian should do his utmost for the answering of his own prayers4 ,when a certain venerable minister was called on to pray in a missionary convention he first fumbled in his pocket1 and when he had tossed the coin into the plate he said1 ,i cannot pray until ,i have given something4 ,he prepaid his prayer4 ,for the ,churches in these days to pray1 ,thy kingdom come1 and then spend more money on jewellery and cigars than in the enterprise of ,foreign ,missions1 looks almost like a solemn farce4 ,god has no blessings for stingy pockets4 ,when ,i hear requests for prayer for the conversion of a son or daughter1 ,i say to myself1 ,how much is that parent doing to win that child for ,christ8 ,the godly wife who makes her daily life attractive to her husband has a right to ask ,god for the conversion of that husband2 she is co-operating with the ,holy ,spirit1 and prepaying her heart's request4 ,god never defaults2 but ,he requires that we prove our faith by our works1 and that we never ask for a blessing that we are not ready to labour for1 and to make any sacrifice to secure the blessing which our souls desire4 #d4 ,another essential of the prayer that has power with ,god is that it be the prayer of faith1 and be offered in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 that will ,i do1 that the ,father may be glorified in the ,son4 ,the chief wrestling that we are to do is not with any reluctance on ,god's part2 it is with the obstacles which sin and unbelief put in our pathway4 ,what ,god orders we must submit to uncomplainingly2 but we must never submit to what ,god can better4 ,never submit to be blocked in any pious purpose or holy undertaking if1 with ,god's help1 you can roll the blocks out of your pathway4 ,the faith that works while it prays commonly conquers2 for such faith creates such a condition of things that our heavenly ,father can wisely hear and help us4 ,oh1 what a magnificent epic the triumphs of striving1 toiling1 victorious faith make6 ,the firmament of ,bible story blazes with answers to prayer1 from the days when ,elijah unlocked the heavens on to the days when the petitions in the house of ,john ,mark unlocked the dungeon1 and brought liberated ,peter into their presence4 ,the whole field of providential history is covered with answered prayers as thickly as bright-eyed daisies cover our ,western prairies4 ,find thy happiness in pleasing ,god1 and sooner or later ,he will surely grant thee the desires of thy heart4 ,,iii ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 7,,ian ,,maclaren7 ,during the course of my ministry1 and especially of recent years1 ,i have been moved to certain actions for which there seemed no reason1 and which ,i only performed under the influence of a sudden impulse4 ,as often as ,i yielded to this inward guidance1 and before the issue was determined1 my mind had a sense of relief and satisfaction1 and in all distinct and important cases my course was in the end most fully justified4 ,with the afterlook one is most thankful that on certain occasions he was not disobedient to the touch of the unseen1 and only bitterly regrets that on other occasions he was callous and wilful or was overcome by shame and timidity4 ,what seem just and temperate inferences from such experiences will be indicated after they have been described1 and it only remains for me to assure my readers that they are selected from carefully treasured memories1 and will be given in as full and accurate detail as may be possible in circumstances which involve other people and one's own private life4 ,it was my privilege1 before ,i came to ,sefton ,park ,church1 to serve as colleague with a venerable minister to whom ,i was sincerely attached and who showed me much kindness4 ,we both felt the separation keenly and kept up a constant correspondence1 while this good and affectionate man followed my work with spiritual interest and constant prayer4 ,when news came one day that he was dangerously ill it was natural that his friend should be gravely concerned1 and as the days of anxiety grew1 that the matter should take firm hold of the mind4 ,it was a great relief to learn1 towards the end of a week1 that the sickness had abated1 and when1 on ,sunday morning1 a letter came with strong and final assurance of recovery the strain was quite relaxed1 and ,i did my duty at morning service with a light heart4 ,during the afternoon my satisfaction began to fail1 and ,i grew uneasy till1 by evening service1 the letter of the morning counted for nothing4 ,after returning home my mind was torn with anxiety and became most miserable1 fearing that this good man was still in danger and1 it might be1 near unto death4 ,gradually the conviction deepened and took hold of me that he was dying and that ,i would never see him again1 till at last it was laid on me that if ,i hoped to receive his blessing ,i must make haste1 and by-and-by that ,i had better go at once4 ,it did not seem as if ,i had now any choice1 and ,i certainly had no longer any doubt2 so1 having written to break two engagements for ,monday1 ,i left at midnight for ,glasgow4 ,as ,i whirled through the darkness it certainly did occur to me that ,i had done an unusual thing1 for here was a fairly busy man leaving his work and going a long night's journey to visit a sick friend1 of whose well-being he had been assured on good authority4 ,by every evidence which could tell on another person he was acting foolishly1 and yet he was obeying an almost irresistible impulse4 ,the day broke as we climbed the ascent beyond ,moffat1 and ,i was now only concerned lest time should be lost on the way4 ,on arrival ,i drove rapidly to the well-known house1 and was in no way astonished that the servant who opened the door should be weeping bitterly1 for the fact that word had come from that very house that all was going well did not now weigh one grain against my own inward knowledge4 ,he had a relapse yesterday afternoon1 and he is 444 dying now4 ,no one in the room seemed surprised that ,i should have come1 although they had not sent for me1 and ,i held my reverend father's hand till he fell asleep in about twenty minutes4 ,he was beyond speech when ,i came1 but1 as we believed1 recognised me and was content4 ,my night's journey was a pious act1 for which ,i thanked ,god1 and my absolute conviction is that ,i was guided to its performance by spiritual influence4 ,some years ago ,i was at work one forenoon in my study1 and very busy1 when my mind became distracted and ,i could not think out my sermon4 ,it was as if a side stream had rushed into a river1 confusing and discolouring the water2 and at last1 when the confusion was over and the water was clear1 ,i was conscious of a new subject4 ,some short time before1 a brother minister1 whom ,i knew well and greatly respected1 had suffered from dissension in his congregation and had received our sincere sympathy4 ,he had not1 however1 been in my mind that day1 but now ,i found myself unable to think of anything else4 ,my imagination began to work in the case till ,i seemed1 in the midst of the circumstances1 as if ,i were the sufferer4 ,very soon a suggestion arose and grew into a commandment1 that ,i should offer to take a day's duty for my brother4 ,at this point ,i pulled myself together and resisted what seemed a vagrant notion4 ,was such a thing ever heard of1--that for no reason save a vague sympathy one should leave one's own pulpit and undertake the work of another1 who had not asked him and might not want him8 ,so ,i turned to my manuscript to complete a broken sentence1 but could only write ,dear ,a4 ,b4 ,nothing remained but to submit to this mysterious dictation and compose a letter as best one could1 till the question of date arose4 ,there ,i paused and waited1 when an exact day came up before my mind1 and so ,i concluded the letter4 ,it was1 however1 too absurd to send2 and so1 having rid myself of this irrelevancy1 ,i threw the letter into the fire and set to work again2 but all day ,i was haunted by the idea that my brother needed my help4 ,in the evening a letter came from him1 written that very forenoon1 explaining that it would be a great service to him and his people if ,i could preach some ,sunday soon in his church1 and that1 owing to certain circumstances1 the service would be doubled if ,i could come on such and such a day2 and it was my date6 ,my course was perfectly plain1 and ,i at once accepted his invitation under a distinct sense of a special call1 and my only regret was that ,i had not posted my first letter4 ,one afternoon1 to take my third instance1 ,i made up my list of sick visits and started to overtake them4 ,after completing the first1 and while going along a main road1 ,i felt a strong impulse to turn down a side street and call on a family living in it4 ,the impulse grew so urgent that it could not be resisted1 and ,i rang the bell1 considering on the doorstep what reason ,i should give for an unexpected call4 ,when the door opened it turned out that strangers now occupied the house1 and that my family had gone to another address1 which was in the same street but could not be given4 ,this was enough1 it might appear1 to turn me from aimless visiting1 but still the pressure continued as if a hand were drawing me1 and ,i set out to discover their new house1 till ,i had disturbed four families with vain inquiries4 ,then the remembrance of my unmade and imperative calls came upon me1 and ,i abandoned my fruitless quest with some sense of shame4 ,had a busy clergyman not enough to do without such a wild-goose chase8--and one grudged the time one had lost4 ,next morning the head of that household ,i had yesterday sought in vain came into my study with such evident sorrow on his face that one hastened to meet him with anxious inquiries4 ,yes1 we are in great trouble2 yesterday our little one 7a young baby7 took very ill and died in the afternoon4 ,my wife was utterly overcome by the shock and we would have sent for you at the time but had no messenger4 ,i wish you had been there--if you had only known6 ,and the time8 ,about half-past three4 ,so ,i had known1 but had been too impatient4 ,many other cases have occurred when it has been laid on me to call at a certain house1 where there seemed so little reason that ,i used to invent excuses1 and where ,i found some one especially needing advice or comfort2 or ,i called and had not courage to lead up to the matter1 so that the call was of no avail1 and afterwards some one has asked whether ,i knew1 for she had waited for a word4 ,nor do ,i remember any case where1 being inwardly moved to go after this fashion1 it appeared in the end that ,i had been befooled4 ,and so1 having stated these facts out of many1 ,i offer three inferences4 7#a7 ,that people may live in an atmosphere of sympathy which will be a communicating medium4 ,when some one appears to read another's thoughts1 as we have all seen done at public exhibitions1 it was evidently by physical signs1 and it served no good purpose4 ,it was a mechanical gift and was used for an amusement4 ,this is knowledge of another kind1 whose conditions are spiritual and whose ends are ethical4 ,between you and the person there must be some common feeling2 it rises to a height in the hour of trouble2 and its call is for help4 ,the correspondence here is between heart and heart1 and the medium through which the message passes is love4 7#b7 ,that this love is but another name for ,christ1 who is the head of the body2 and here one falls back on ,st4 ,paul's profound and illuminating illustration4 ,it is ,christ who unites the whole race1 and especially all ,christian folk1 by ,his incarnation4 ,into ,him are gathered all the fears1 sorrows1 pains1 troubles of each member1 so that ,he feels with all1 and from him flows the same feeling to other members of the body4 ,he is the common spring of sensitiveness and sympathy1 who connects each man with his neighbour and makes of thousands a living organic spiritual unity4 7#c7 ,that in proportion as one abides in ,christ he will be in touch with his brethren4 ,if it seem to one marvellous and almost incredible that any person should be affected by another's sorrow whom he does not at the moment see1 is it not marvellous1 although quite credible1 that we are so often indifferent to sorrow which we do see8 ,is it not the case that one of a delicate soul will detect secret trouble in the failure of a smile1 in a sub-tone of voice1 in a fleeting shadow on the face8 ,how did he know8 we duller people say4 ,by his fellowship with ,christ is the only answer4 ,why did we not know8 ,on account of our hardness and selfishness4 ,if one live self-centred--ever concerned about his own affairs1 there is no callousness to which he may not yet descend2 if one live the selfless life1 there is no mysterious secret of sympathy which may not be his4 ,wherefore if any one desire to live in nervous touch with his fellows1 so that their sorrows be his own and he be their quick helper1 if he desire to share with ,christ the world burden1 let him open his heart to the ,spirit of the ,lord4 ,in proportion as we live for ourselves are we separated from our families1 our friends1 our neighbours2 in proportion as we enter into the life of the ,cross we are one with them all1 being one with ,christ1 who is one with ,god4 ,,iv ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,knox ,,little1 ,m4 ,a4 ,,canon ,,of ,,worcester ,prayer is a comprehensive word and includes1 in fact1 all communion between the soul and ,god4 ,it is1 however1 commonly used to mean the asking for benefits from ,god4 ,christians believe that prayer is a power1 that it does act in the fulfilment of ,god's purposes1 and that the results of prayer are real results1 not only in the spiritual1 but also in the physical world4 ,this is no mere matter of opinion1 it is part of the ,christian faith4 ,for better1 for worse1 however difficult the doctrine may appear1 the ,church is committed to it4 ,as in the case of other difficult doctrines1 such as the resurrection of the body for instance1 she1 so to speak1 stakes her reputation on loyalty to this truth4 ,the power of prayer is1 of course1 a mystery1 i4e41 a truth1 but a truth partly concealed1 partly plain4 ,to deal with it1 therefore1 in a mathematical temper rather than a moral temper is absurd if not wrong4 ,mathematical demonstration cannot be given for moral truth1 and is in fact out of court4 ,the bent of mind formed by constant scientific research--good as it is in its own province--sometimes unfits men for moral and theological research4 ,in this way the difficulties of prayer are often exaggerated4 7#a7 ,it is said ,god knows already2 why tell ,him8 ,the same objection would apply to many a request on earth4 7#b7 ,it is said ,god fore-sees2 why try to influence what ,he knows is sure to be8 ,this objection applies to all our actions2 to follow out this we should not only not pray1 but also never do anything4 ,we are in face of a mystery4 ,a little humility and obedience to revelation helps us out4 ,it has been truly said that when a practical and a speculative truth are in apparent collision1 we must remember our ignorance of a good many things1 and act with the knowledge which is given us1 on the practical truth4 ,prayer1 we may remember1 is not to change the holy counsels of the ,eternal1 but to accomplish those ends for which it is an appointed instrument4 ,anyhow1 this is certain1 the abundant promises to faithful and persevering prayer are kept1 and--where ,god sees it to be good for us--they are kept to the letter4 ,the following are examples which come within the knowledge of the writer of this paper4 ,a family1 consisting of a number of children1 had been brought up by parents who had very free ideas as to the divine revelation and the teaching of the ,church4 ,the children1 varying in age from seven or eight1 to one or two and twenty years1 had1 one way or another1 been aroused to the teaching of ,scripture and desired to be baptised4 ,the father point-blank refused to permit it4 ,the older members of the family consulted a clergyman4 ,he felt strongly the force of the fifth commandment and advised them not to act in haste1 to realise that difficulties do frequently arise from conflicting duties1 and above all to pray4 ,the clergyman asked a number of devout ,christians to make the matter a subject of prayer4 ,they did4 ,in about three weeks the father called upon this very clergyman and asked him to baptise his children4 ,the clergyman expressed his astonishment1 believing that he was opposed to it4 ,the father answered that that was true1 but he had changed his mind4 ,he could not say precisely why1 but he thought his children ought to be baptised4 ,they were2 and he1 by his own wish1 was present and most devout at the administration of the sacrament of baptism4 ,a few years ago1 a clergyman in ,london had been invited to visit a friend for one night in the country in order to meet an old friend whom he had not seen for long4 ,it was bitter winter weather and he decided not to go4 ,walking his parish in the afternoon1 he believed that a voice three times urged him to go4 ,he hurriedly changed his arrangements and went4 ,the snow was tremendously deep1 and the house of his friend1 some miles from the railway station1 was reached with difficulty4 ,in the course of the night the clergyman was roused from sleep by the butler1 who begged him to go and visit a groom in the service of the family1 who was ill and like to die4 ,crossing a field path with difficulty1 as the snow was very deep1 they reached the poor man's house4 ,he had been in agony of mind and longed to see a clergyman4 ,when it was found impossible to fetch the nearest clergyman1 owing to the impassable state of the roads1 he had prayed earnestly that one might be sent to him4 ,the poor fellow died in the clergyman's arms in the early morning1 much comforted and in great peace4 ,a strangely similar case happened more recently4 ,an ,american gentleman travelling in ,europe was taken suddenly and seriously ill in one of our northern towns4 ,the day before this happened1 a clergyman1 who was at a distance in the country1 was seized with a sudden and unaccountable desire to visit this very town4 ,he had no idea why1 but prayed for guidance in the matter1 and finally felt convinced that he must go4 ,having stayed the night there he was about to return home1 rather inclined to think himself a very foolish person1 when a waiter in the hotel brought him an ,american lady's card and said that the lady wished to see him4 ,he was the only ,english clergyman of whom she and her husband had any knowledge4 ,they had happened to hear him preach in ,america4 ,she had no idea where he lived1 but when her husband was taken ill she and her daughter had prayed that he might be sent to them4 ,on inquiry1 strange to say1 he was found to be in the hotel1 and was able to render some assistance to the poor sufferer1 who died in a few hours1 and to his surviving and mourning relatives4 ,a still more striking instance1 perhaps1 is as follows3 ,some years ago in ,london a clergyman had succeeded1 with the help of some friends1 in opening a home in the suburbs to meet some special mission needs4 ,it was necessary to support it by charity4 ,for some time all went well4 ,the home at last1 however1 became even more necessary and more filled with inmates1 whilst subscriptions did not increase but rather slackened4 ,the lady in charge wrote to the clergyman as to her needs1 and especially drew his attention to the fact that ,l#dj was required immediately to meet the pressing demand of a tradesman4 ,the clergyman himself was excessively poor1 and he knew not to whom to turn in the emergency4 ,he at once went and spent an hour in prayer4 ,he then left his house and walked slowly along the streets thinking with himself how he should act4 ,passing up ,regent ,street1 a carriage drew up in front of ,madame ,elise's shop1 just as he was passing4 ,out of the carriage stepped a handsomely dressed lady4 ,mr4 ,so-and-so1 ,i think1 she said when she saw him4 ,yes1 madam1 he answered1 raising his hat4 ,she drew an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him1 saying3 ,you have many calls upon your charity1 you will know what to do with that4 ,the envelope contained a ,bank of ,england note for ,l#ej4 ,the whole thing happened in a much shorter time than it can be related2 he passed on up the street1 she passed into the shop4 ,who she was he did not know1 and never since has he learnt4 ,the threatening creditor was paid4 ,the home received further help and did its work well4 ,another example is of a different kind4 ,a person of real earnestness in religious questions1 and one who gave time and strength for advancing the kingdom of ,god1 some years ago became restless and unsatisfied in spiritual matters1 failing to enjoy peaceful communion with ,god1 and generally upset and uneasy4 ,the advice of a clergyman was asked1 and after many conversations on the subject1 he urged steady earnest prayer for light1 and agreed himself to make the matter a subject of prayer4 ,within a fortnight1 after an earnest midday prayer1 it was declared by this troubled soul that it had been clearly borne in upon the mind that the sacrament of baptism had never been received4 ,enquiry was made1 and after much careful investigation it was found that1 while every other member of a large family had been baptised1 in this case the sacrament had been neglected owing to the death of the mother and the child being committed to the care of a somewhat prejudiced relative4 ,the person in question was forthwith baptised1 and immediately there was peace and calmness of mind and a sense of quiet communion with ,god4 ,instances of this kind might be multiplied1 but these are1 perhaps1 sufficient4 ,in everything1 says the ,apostle1 by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 7the ,eucharist7 let your requests be made known unto ,god4 ,cast all your care upon ,him1 for ,he careth for you4 ,the power of the prayer of faith is astonishing in its efficacy1 if souls will only put forth that power4 ,i am able to guarantee1 from personal knowledge1 the truth and accuracy of the above instances4 ,v ,,by ,,mr4 ,,william ,,quarrier ,,of ,,glasgow ,for twenty-five years it has been with me a continual answer to prayer4 ,the first seven of my service were spent in caring for the rough boys of the streets of ,glasgow1 but having made a vow1 when ,i was very young1 that if ,god prospered me ,i should build houses for orphans1 ,i was not satisfied with that work among the bigger boys4 ,being in business1 however1 and having a family to maintain1 the question of whether ,i could do more was a difficult one4 ,i was giving eight hours a day to the work1 and in the ,shoe-black ,brigade1 the ,parcels ,brigade1 and the ,newspaper ,brigade had probably about three hundred boys to care for4 ,while ,i considered what could be done1 a lady from ,london--,miss ,macpherson--called1 and in the course of our talk about the little ones1 she urged that ,i should attempt something more than ,i was doing4 ,for three months ,i prayed to ,god for guidance1 and in the end resolved that if ,he sent me ,l#bjjj1 ,i should embark in the greater work4 ,nobody knew of that resolution2 it was a matter between ,god and myself4 ,if ,god wanted me to do more work than ,i was doing1 ,i felt that ,he would send me the ,l#bjjj1 not in portions1 but in a solid sum4 ,i was then before the public1 and ,i wrote a letter to the newspapers pleading that something more should be done for street children1 pointing out that the ,poorhouse and the ,reformatory were not the best means of helping child-life1 and urging that something on the ,home or ,family system was desirable4 ,there was a strong conviction that ,god would answer the prayer1 and1 the terms of the prayer being explicit1 ,i believed the answer would be as unmistakable4 ,after waiting thirteen days the answer came4 ,amongst my other letters was one from a ,scotch friend in ,london1 to the effect that the writer would1 to the extent of ,l#bjjj1 provide me with money to buy or rent a house for orphan children4 ,when ,i received that call ,i felt that my family interests and my business interests should be second1 and that ,god's work among the children should be first4 ,to a business man1 it was a call to surrender what you would call business tact4 ,i had to rise up there and then1 and proclaim in the midst of the commercial city of ,glasgow1 that from that moment ,i was to live by faith1 and depend on ,god for money1 wisdom and strength4 ,from that time forward ,i would ask no man for money1 but trust ,god for everything4 ,that ,l#bjjj was the first direct answer to prayer for money4 ,he gave me the utmost of my asking1 and ,i felt that ,i would need to give ,him the utmost of the power ,i pledged4 ,we rented a common workshop in ,renfrew ,lane--it was very difficult to get a suitable place--to lodge the children in1 and that little place was the first ,national ,home for ,orphans in ,scotland1 and from it has sprung what the visitor may see to-day amongst the ,renfrewshire hills4 ,one day1 ,i remember1 two boys came in1 and we had everything to clothe them with except a jacket for one of them4 ,the matron1 a very godly woman1 said1 ,we must just pray that ,god will send what is needed1 and we prayed that ,he would4 ,that night a large parcel of clothing came from ,dumbarton1 and in it was a jacket that fitted the boy as if it had been made for him4 ,that was a small thing1 of course1 but if you don't see ,god in the gift of a pair of stockings you won't see ,him in a gift of ,l#aj1jjj4 ,we had thirty children in that ,home1 and we kept praying that the ,lord would open a place for us somewhere in the country4 ,a friend called on me and offered to sub-let ,cessnock ,house1 with three acres of ground about it4 ,cessnock ,dock has now absorbed the place1 and as it was just the very spot we wanted1 we accepted4 ,we had room for a hundred boys1 and with the help of ,god we prospered4 ,we had resolved formerly that we would send children to ,canada1 but it took ,l#aj per head to send them1 and we were determined not to get into debt4 ,we had only a few pounds in hand when we took the house in ,govan ,road1 and it took ,l#bjj to alter it4 ,but every night we prayed that the ,lord would send money to pay for the alterations4 ,sums varying from #es4 to ,l#e came in1 but when the bills came to be paid we were short ,l#ajj4 ,a friend not far from one of my places of business sent for me1 and when ,i called1 he said1 ,how are you getting on at ,cessnock8 ,i said we were getting on nicely1 and that we had got ,l#ajj towards the alterations4 ,he gave me ,l#ajj1 to my astonishment1 for ,i knew that he could not afford so much1 but he said a relative who died in ,england had left him a fortune1 and the money was to help me in the work ,god had given me to do4 ,in that answer you see how ,god works mysteriously to accomplish ,his purpose and help those who put their trust in ,him4 ,god gives us great help in dealing with the wayward1 wilful boys of the ,home4 ,they are generally lads who have known no control2 but we are able1 with ,god's blessing on our efforts1 to get them to do almost anything that is wanted1 without strap or confinement or threat4 ,to hear boys who used to curse and swear praying to ,god1 and to see them helping other boys in the ,home1 is to me the most encouraging feature of the work ,god has given me to do4 ,whilst ,i sought to clothe and educate them1 ,i left ,god to deal with them in their spirits2 and to-day the result of the spiritual work amongst the boys and girls of ,glasgow exceeds anything ,i ever expected4 ,i still thought of the emigration scheme1 and in #ahgb we had sixty children that were able to go to ,canada4 ,of course it meant ,l#fjj to send them1 and we had the necessary money except ,l#gj in the end of ,june4 ,we prayed on that ,god would send the balance before the day of sailing1 #bnd ,july4 ,a friend called at one of my places of business to see me1 and subsequently ,i had an interview with him4 ,he gave me ,l#ej1 and said it was from one who did not wish the name mentioned4 ,what shall ,i put it to8 ,i asked4 ,anything you like1 he said4 ,we are short of ,l#gj for the emigration of our first band of children to ,canada1 and if you like ,i shall put it to that4 ,do so1 he said2 and as the man left ,i saw ,god's hand in the gift that had been made4 ,when ,i went home that night ,i found amongst my letters one in which was enclosed ,l#aj to take a child to ,canada1 and the post on the following morning brought two five-pound notes from other friends1 making up exactly at the moment it was needed the sum ,i had asked ,god to give4 ,in addition to the ,homes1 we carried on mission work amongst the lapsed masses1 and1 as in the case of the ,homes1 we were firmly resolved to do everything by prayer and supplication4 ,i rented an old church at the head of the ,little ,dovehill1 just where the ,board school stands now1 as a hall1 but we did not have the whole of it4 ,at the level of the gallery another floor had been introduced1 and while we occupied the upper flat1 a soap manufacturer occupied the lower4 ,in a way it was a trial of faith to go up those stairs past the soap work into our hall4 ,we wanted to open the place free of debt1 and the money for the alterations came in gradually4 ,i remember putting it to the ,lord to send a suitable evangelist if ,he wished the work to go on4 ,at that time--twenty-four years ago--we heard a lot of ,joshua ,poole and his wife1 who were having great blessing in ,london1 and ,i thought that they were just the people to reach the working classes4 ,but as ,i had convictions about women preaching1--which1 by the way1 ,i have not now1--,i asked the ,lord to send ,l#ej to cover the expense for a month if it were ,his will that these friends should come to ,glasgow and preach nightly during that period4 ,i left it to ,god to decide whether we should ask these friends or not1 and ,i had the assurance--the assurance of faith1--that the money would come4 ,when ,i went home that night ,i found that a friend had called at one of my places of business and left fifty one-pound notes without knowing my mind and without knowing ,i needed it4 ,after that ,i felt that ,god was going to work a great work amongst the lapsed masses of ,glasgow1 and ,he did so4 ,for six months we rented the ,scotia ,music ,hall on ,sabbath evenings1 and instead of a month the evangelists were six in the city conducting services every night4 ,when they left1 ten thousand people gathered on the ,green to bid them farewell4 ,hundreds were led to the ,saviour4 ,after a number of years' work in ,glasgow with the ,girls' ,home1 in ,govan with the ,boys' ,home1 and with the ,mission premises1 the need of a farm became great4 ,i prayed for money to purchase a farm of about fifty acres1 three miles or so from ,glasgow4 ,it was to have a burn running through it1 good drainage1 and everything necessary4 ,i was anxious to get this burn for the children to paddle in and fish in2 but ,i feel now that at the time ,i was rebellious against ,god in fixing the site so near ,glasgow4 ,we visited a dozen places1 but the cost was so great that ,i was fairly beaten4 ,god had shut up every door4 ,a friend met me on the street1 and asked if ,i had seen the farm in ,kilmalcolm ,parish that was to be sold4 ,i replied that ,i had not1 and that ,i considered the place too far away4 ,in talking over the matter1 he persuaded me to go and see the farm1 and when ,i did go1 and1 standing where our big central building is now1 saw that it had everything ,i prayed for1--perfect drainage1 and not only the burn1 but a river and a large flat field for a recreation ground1--,i said in my heart to the ,lord3 ,this will do4 ,ever since ,i have blessed the ,lord for that2 my way was not ,god's way1 and so ,he shut us in amongst these ,renfrewshire hills1 away from the ways of men4 ,after paying ,l#c1efj for the farm1 we had about ,l#a1ejj left1 and in #ahhg we began to build a church and school1 to cost ,l#e1jjj4 ,i told the contractor that we should stop if the money did not come in2 but it kept coming in1 and the work went on4 ,in #ahhh ,i had resolved to go to ,canada with the party of children going out that year1 and ,i saw clearly that ,i would need to stop the contractors if ,i got no more money in the interval1 for ,i was still ,l#adjj short4 ,yet ,i believed the ,lord would send the money before ,i left in the latter end of ,may1 though the time ,i write of was as far on as the middle of the month4 ,i kept praying1 and the assurance was strong that the money would come4 ,just three days before the date on which ,i was to sail1 a friend came to me1 and said it had been laid upon his heart to build one of the cottages at ,bridge-of-,weir1 but the ,lord1 he thought1 would accept the money for the central building just as much as though it were put into houses1 and he handed me ,l#acjj4 ,all the money belonging to the ,homes and all my own was in the ,city of ,glasgow ,bank when it failed1 and hundreds of the givers were involved as well4 ,on my way up from the ,homes on the day of the disaster1 a gentleman met me1 and told me the sad news4 ,at the moment ,i realised what the news meant for me--my own personal loss and the needs of the ,homes--for that was in ,september1 and our financial year closed in ,october4 ,with all our money locked up1 to clear the year without debt would be difficult1 but then the promise of ,god came3 ,although the fig-tree shall not blossom1 neither shall fruit be in the vines2 the labour of the olive shall fail1 and the fields shall yield no meat2 the flock shall be cut off from the fold1 and there shall be no herd in the stalls2 yet ,i will rejoice in the ,lord2 ,i will joy in the ,god of my salvation4 ,there and then ,i prayed that ,god would help me through1 and that during the course of the following year1 which ,i saw would be one of financial distress all over ,scotland1 ,he would double the gifts to us4 ,the result was that we were able to clear our financial accounts with ease at the end of ,october1 and in the year following1 when every church in ,scotland1 and every philanthropic work had less money than they needed1 the ,orphan ,homes had double what they required4 ,in that ,god honoured my trust4 ,our first church at ,bridge-of-,weir only held four hundred1 and by-and-by it was too small for us4 ,i prayed that the ,lord would give us a new church to hold one thousand people1 and to cost something like ,l#ejjj4 ,we felt that we would get that money1 and that we would get it in one sum because we had asked ,god to lay it on the heart of somebody to build the church4 ,after a year of waiting and praying1 a friend came to me in the street one day1 and said1 ,i'm going to build you that church you want4 ,do you know what it will cost8 ,yes1 ,i replied4 ,l#ejjj ,well1 said my friend1 you shall get the money when you want it4 ,it was a new song of praise to ,god that day1 ,i can tell you1 and we went on to build our church4 ,now1 even it we find too small1 and we are praying to the ,lord for ,l#bejj to enlarge the building1 and enable us to accommodate five hundred more worshippers4 ,i thought that1 having got the church1 we might1 as we were building a tower to hold the tank for our water supply1 also get a clock and chimes to enliven the village4 ,so we prayed that the ,lord would send money for that purpose4 ,i thought that about ,l#ejj or ,l#fjj would be sufficient4 ,while the building was going on1 we prayed for the money1 and ,i was certain it would come4 ,the architect was hurrying me and pointing out that if the clock and bells were really to go into the tower1 the work must be done at once4 ,i told him there was no fear that the money would not come4 ,if the money had not come1 and the tower was completed1 the placing of the clock and bells at a later period would have mean practically taking down and rebuilding1 because with our water tank in position1 the work would have been impossible4 ,my architect kept bothering me1 but ,i was sure the money would come1 and one night ,i went home and found a cheque for ,l#bjj--,l#aejj to build a house1 and ,l#ejj for the clock and bells4 ,the clock and bells cost ,l#hjj1 and the lady who sent the money paid the additional ,l#cjj4 ,a village like our ,homes1 with #abjj of a population1 needed a good water supply for sanitary purposes4 ,for a very long time we depended on a well1 and stored the water in tanks1 but frequently the supply fell short1 and we felt that if we could get the proprietors in the upper district--none of the surrounding proprietors1 by the way1 had ever taken much interest in the work of the ,homes--to give us the privilege of bringing water into the grounds1 we should be able to do much to improve that state of matters4 ,sir ,michael ,shaw ,stewart gave us the right to use our own burn higher up for the purpose1 and gave us a piece of ground at a nominal rent of #abs4 a year1 for a reservoir and filter1 but the money to carry out the work was not in hand1 and we prayed to the ,lord to send us from ,l#abjj to ,l#adjj1 which we anticipated would be the cost of the undertaking4 ,some time later a lady called at ,james ,morrison ,street 7,glasgow71 and left word that an old woman who lived in ,main ,street1 ,gorbals1 wished to see me4 ,on the following day ,i called at the address given1 and found the person who had sent for me4 ,she was an old woman living in a single apartment1 and she was very ill and weak4 ,are you ,mr4 ,quarrier8 she asked4 ,i said ,i was4 ,ye were once puir yersel'1 she went on2 ,i was once a puir girl with naebody to care for me1 and was in service when ,i was eleven years old4 ,i have been thankful for a' the kindness that has been shown me in my life4 ,she went to a chest of drawers in the corner of the apartment1 and after a little came and gave me two deposit receipts on the ,savings ,bank1 each for ,l#bjj and on neither of which any interest had been drawn for twenty years4 ,when ,i cashed them ,i received ,l#fbg4 ,i said ,janet--,janet ,stewart was her name--are you not giving me too much8 ,na1 na1 ,i've plenty mair1 an' ye'll get it a' when ,i dee4 ,we did the best we could for ,janet1 but she did not live much longer4 ,within a week ,i received a telegram that ,janet was dead1 and she had died1 ,i was told1 singing ,just as ,i am without one plea4 ,in her will she left several sums to neighbours who had been kind to her in life1 and to our ,homes was bequeathed the balance4 ,altogether the ,orphans' share was ,l#adjj4 ,the money defrayed the cost of our water scheme1 and ,i always think how appropriate the gift was1 for nearly all her life ,janet had been a washerwoman and had earned her bread over the wash-tub4 ,the direct answers to prayers of which ,i could tell you would fill a volume1 and what ,i have mentioned are only those fixed in my memory4 ,i have always asked ,god for a definite gift for a definite purpose1 and ,god has always given it to me4 ,the value of the buildings at ,bridge-of-,weir is ,l#bjj1jjj1 and since we started1 the cost of their upkeep has been ,l#aej1jjj4 ,and we are still building as busily as in the beginning4 ,,vi ,,by ,,mr4 ,,leonard ,k4 ,,shaw ,,of ,,manchester ,the work for homeless children in ,manchester was cradled in prayer4 ,every step in preparation was laid before ,god4 ,but what ,i want specially to insist upon is the real connection there is between prayer and work4 ,from the first my practice has been to lay our wants before ,god in prayer1 and at the same time to use every means within our reach to obtain what we desired4 ,i well remember in the early days of the work how anxiously we discussed whether it was to be conducted on the faith principle1 as it is called1 or on the work principle4 ,looking back on the way by which we have come1 it seems to me now that faith and work necessarily go together4 ,earnest believing prayer is not less earnest and believing because you use the means ,god has put within your reach4 ,your dependence upon ,god is just the same4 ,you send out an appeal1 but it is ,god who disposes the hearts of the people to subscribe4 ,so ,i say the connection between praying and working1 though not always seen1 is very real4 ,day by day the special needs of the work are laid before ,god1 and day by day they are supplied4 ,of direct answers to prayer ,i have had many sweet and encouraging assurances1 particularly in connection with our orphan homes4 ,in the first five years of the work1 we only took in boys between the ages of ten and sixteen4 ,at that time of life1 boys who have been brought up on the street are not easy to manage1 and a friend to whom ,i was telling some of our difficulties1 suggested that we should take the boys in younger4 ,to do so meant a new departure1 and on going into the matter ,i found that a sum of about ,l#fjj would be needed to start such an orphan home as was suggested4 ,i said to my wife1 ,let us pray about this2 if it is ,god's will that we should enter upon this new branch of work1 ,he will send the money4 ,we resolved that should be the test2 if the money came we would start the home1 otherwise we would not4 ,our annual meeting came round soon after1 and in the report ,i made an appeal on behalf of the new scheme4 ,the report was sent out with much prayer1 but no individual person was asked to contribute4 ,in a few days ,i received a letter from a gentleman residing in ,southport1 enclosing a cheque for ,l#fjj4 ,the house for the first of our orphan homes was bought for ,l#ejj1 and the balance of the cheque enabled us to furnish it4 ,at the end of the following year1 the home was full of fatherless and motherless little ones1 and others were seeking admission for whom there was no room4 ,i sent out a second appeal1 asking ,god to put it into the heart of someone to provide a second home4 ,a few weeks afterwards a lady well known in ,manchester paid us a visit at the home and two days later ,i received from her a cheque for ,l#ajjj4 ,in this way we got our second home4 ,another year and this second home was also full4 ,again ,i prayed ,god to dispose the heart of some one to help us1 and ,i sent out another appeal4 ,one day1 perhaps two or three weeks later1 a gentleman stopped me in the street and said he had been wanting to see me for some days1 as he had a cheque for ,l#gjj waiting for me at his office4 ,at the moment the orphan home was not in my mind1 and ,i asked what the cheque was for4 ,why1 he said1 ,i understand your two orphan homes are full and that you want another4 ,and so we got our third home4 ,another year and it too was full4 ,again after earnest prayer ,i received a cheque for ,l#ajjj from another ,manchester gentleman1 who in some way had come to know that a fourth home was needed4 ,in these four cases you have1 ,i think1 remarkable instances of direct answer to prayer4 ,so1 at any rate1 ,i must always regard them4 ,i need not say how encouraged we were1 year after year1 to go on with the work1 though each additional home meant a large increase in our annual expenditure4 ,the money with which the fifth orphanage house was bought was not given in one sum nor specially for the purpose1 and the circumstances would not warrant me in saying that it came in direct answer to prayer4 ,when a sixth home became necessary an appeal was made to the schoolgirls of ,lancashire and ,cheshire1 and they found the ,l#ejj for the purchase money4 ,this house is called ,the ,school ,girls' ,home4 ,the inscription on the memorial stone1 ,his children shall have a place of refuge1 was suggested by the late ,bishop of ,manchester4 ,in smaller1 but perhaps not less important matters1 we have had unmistakable proofs that ,god answers prayer4 ,one case which occurred in the early days of the work greatly impressed me4 ,a letter came one morning from ,stalybridge asking us to take in five little children who had been left destitute and without a friend in the world4 ,i went over to make inquiries1 and found the children in the same room with the dead body of their mother1 which had little more to cover it than an old sack4 ,our means at that time were very small1 and ,i thought we could hardly venture to take in all the children4 ,the clergyman of the parish pleaded with me to take at least two or three4 ,i asked what was to become of the others1 and the answer was that there was nothing for them but the workhouse4 ,what to do ,i did not know4 ,i made it a matter of prayer1 but all that night it lay upon my heart a great burden4 ,next morning ,i came downstairs still wondering what to do4 ,amongst the letters on my table was one from a gentleman at ,bowdon1 enclosing1 unasked1 a cheque for ,l#ej4 ,in those days ,l#ej was an exceptionally large sum for us to receive1 and ,i took the letter as a direct word from ,god that we should accept the care of the children4 ,we did so1 and ,i am glad to say every one of them turned out well4 ,but direct answers to prayer are not confined to mere gifts of money4 ,over and over again during these twenty-seven years of rescue work ,i have put individual cases before ,god and asked ,him to deal with them1 and it is just wonderful how ,he has subdued stubborn wills and changed hearts and lives4 ,years ago there came to the ,refuges the son of a man known to the ,manchester police as ,mike the devil4 ,tom was as rough a customer as ever ,i saw1 and for a time we had some trouble with him4 ,but a great change came over him1 and ,i have myself no doubt it was the result of personal pleading with ,god on his behalf4 ,tom is now an ordained minister of the ,gospel in ,america4 ,there is no end to the cases ,i could give of that kind4 ,they all point to the same conclusion1 that ,god does answer definite prayer4 ,and to-day1 after twenty-seven years of work1 ,i praise ,him for it4 ,,vii ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,it has sometimes seemed to me that ,god does not intend the faith in prayer to rest upon an induction of instances4 ,the answers1 however explicit1 are not of the kind to bear down an aggressive criticism4 ,your ,christian lives a life which is an unbroken chain of prayers offered and prayers answered2 from his inward view the demonstration is overwhelming4 ,but do you ask for the evidences1 and do you propose to begin to pray if the facts are convincing1 and to refuse the practice if they are not8 ,then you may find the evidences evanescent as an evening cloud1 and the facts all susceptible of a simple rationalistic explanation4 ,prayer1 says an old ,jewish mystic1 is the moment when heaven and earth kiss each other4 ,it is futile as well as indelicate to disturb that rapturous meeting2 and nothing can be brought away from such an intrusion1 nothing of any value except the resolve to make trial for oneself of the mystic sweet communion4 ,i confess1 therefore1 that ,i read examples of answers to prayer without any great interest1 and refer to those ,i have experienced myself with the utmost diffidence4 ,nay1 ,i say frankly beforehand1 ,if you are concerned to disprove my statement1 and to show that what ,i take for the hand of ,god is merely the cold operation of natural law1 ,i shall only smile4 ,my own conviction will be unchanged4 ,i do not make that great distinction between the hand of ,god and natural law1 and ,i have no wish to induce you to pray by an accumulation of facts--to commend to you the mighty secret by showing that it would be profitable to you1 a kind of ,aladdin's lamp for fulfilling wayward desires4 ,natural law1 the hand of ,god6 ,yes6 ,i unquestioningly admit that the answers to prayer come generally along lines which we recognise as natural law1 and would perhaps always be found along those lines if our knowledge of natural law were complete4 ,prayer is to me the quick and instant recognition that all law is ,god's will1 and all nature is in ,god's hand1 and that all our welfare lies in linking ourselves with ,his will and placing ourselves in ,his hand through all the operations of the world and life and time4 ,yet ,i will mention a few answers to prayer1 striking enough to me4 ,one ,sunday morning a message came to me before the service from an agonised mother3 ,pray for my child3 the doctor has been and gives no hope4 ,we prayed1 the church prayed1 with the mother's agony1 and with the faith in a present ,christ1 mighty to save4 ,next day1 ,i learned that the doctor who had given the message of despair in the morning had returned1 after the service1 and said at once1 ,a remarkable change has taken place4 ,the child recovered and still lives4 ,on another occasion1 ,i was summoned from my study to see a girl who was dying of acute peritonitis4 ,i hurried away to the chamber of death4 ,the doctor said that he could do nothing more4 ,the mother stood there weeping4 ,the girl had passed beyond the point of recognition4 ,but as ,i entered the room1 a conviction seized me that the sentence of death had not gone out against her4 ,i proposed that we should kneel down and pray4 ,i asked definitely that she should be restored4 ,i left the home1 and learned afterwards that she began to amend almost1 at once1 and entirely recovered2 she is now quite strong and well1 and doing her share of service for our ,lord4 ,and on yet another occasion ,i was hastily called from my study to see an elderly man1 who had always been delicate since ,i knew him2 now he was prostrated with bronchitis1 and the doctor did not think that he could live4 ,it chanced that ,i had just been studying the passage which contains the prayer of ,hezekiah and the promise made to him of fourteen additional years of life4 ,i went to the sick man and told him that ,i had just been reading this1 and asked if it might not be a ground for definite prayer4 ,he assented1 and we entreated our ,god for ,his mercy in the matter4 ,the man was restored and is living still4 ,these are only typical instances of what ,i have frequently seen4 ,many times1 no doubt1 ,i have prayed for the recovery of the sick and the prayer has not been answered4 ,and you1 dear and skeptical reader1 may say if you will that this is proof positive that the instances of answered prayers are mere coincidences4 ,you may say it and1 if you will1 prove it1 but you will not in the least alter my quiet conviction2 for the answers were given to me4 ,i do not know that even the subjects of these recoveries recognise the agency which was at work4 ,to me all this is immaterial4 ,the subjective evidence is all that was designed1 and that is sufficient1 and to the writer conclusive4 ,with reference to money for ,christian work1 ,i have laboured to induce my own church to adopt the simple view that we should ask not men1 but in the first instance ,god1 the owner of it all1 for what we want4 ,i am thankful to say that some of them now believe this1 and bring our needs to ,him very simply and trustfully4 ,i could name many instances of the following kind3 there is a threatened deficit in the funds of the mission1 or an extension is needed and we have not the money4 ,the sound of misgiving is heard2 we have not the givers2 the givers have given all they can4 ,why not trust ,god8 ,i have urged4 ,why not pray openly and unitedly--and believe8 ,the black cloud of debt has been dissipated1 or the necessary extension has been made4 ,oddly enough1 some people have said to me1 ,ah1 yours is a rich church1 as if to imply one can very safely ask ,god for money when one has the people at hand who can give it4 ,but surely this is a question of degree4 ,my church is not rich enough to give one-tenth of what it gives1 if we did not first ask ,god for it4 ,and there are churches which could give ten times what they do give1 if only the plan were adopted of first asking ,god instead of going to the few wealthy people and trusting to them4 ,but this is a matter of statistics and a little wearisome4 ,i confess ,i am unsatisfied with answers to prayer when the prayer is only for these carnal and visible things1 which are often1 in boundless love and pity1 withheld4 ,the constant and proper things to pray for are precisely those the advent of which cannot be observed or tabulated2 that the kingdom may come1 that they who have sinned1 not unto death1 may be forgiven1 that the eyes of ,christian men may be enlightened1 and their hearts expanded to the measure of the love of ,christ4 ,such prayers are answered1 but the answers are not unveiled4 ,i remember a strange instance of this4 ,i was staying with a gentleman in a great town1 where the town council1 of which he was a member1 had just decided to close a music-hall which was exercising a pernicious influence4 ,the decision was most unexpected1 because a strong party in the council were directly interested in the hall4 ,but to my friend's amazement the men who had threatened opposition came in and quietly voted for withdrawing the licence4 ,next day we were speaking about modern miracles2 he1 the best of men1 expressed the opinion that miracles were confined to ,bible times4 ,his wife then happened to mention how1 on the day of that council meeting1 she and some other good women of the city had met and continued in prayer that the licence might be withdrawn4 ,i ventured to ask my friend whether this was not the explanation of what he had confessed to be an amazing change of front on the part of the opposition4 ,and1 strange to say1 it had not occurred to him--though an avowed believer in prayer--to connect the praying women and that beneficent vote4 ,the truth is1 all the threads of good which run across our chequered society1 all the impulses upward and onward1 all the invisible growths in goodness and grace1 are answered prayers4 ,for our prayers for the kingdom are not uttered on the housetops2 and the kingdom itself cometh not with observation4 ,but if it were not too delicate a subject ,i could recite instances1 to me the most remarkable answers to prayer in my experience1 of changed character and enlarged ,christian life1 resulting from definite intercession4 ,it is an experiment which any loving and humble soul can easily make4 ,take your friends1 or better still the members of the church to which you belong1 and set yourself systematically to pray for them4 ,leave alone those futile and often misguided petitions for temporal blessings1 or even for success in their work1 and plead with your ,god in the terms of that prayer with which ,saint ,paul bowed his knees for the ,ephesians4 ,ask that this person1 or these persons1 known to you1 may have the enlightenment and expansion of the ,spirit1 the quickened love and zeal1 the vision of ,god1 the profound sympathy with ,christ1 which form the true ,christian life4 ,pray and watch1 and as you watch1 still pray4 ,and you will see a miracle1 marvellous as the springing of the flowers in ,april1 or the far-off regular rise and setting of the planets1--a miracle proceeding before your eyes1 a plain answer to your prayer1 and yet without any intervention of your voice or hand4 ,you will see the mysterious power of ,god at work upon these souls for which you pray4 ,and by the subtle movements of the ,spirit it is as likely as not that they will come to tell you of the divine blessings which have come to them in reply to your unknown prayers4 ,but there are some whose eyes are not yet open to these invisible things of the ,spirit1 which are indeed the real things4 ,the measure of faith is not yet given them1 and they do not recognise that web1--the only web which will last when the loom of the world is broken1--the web of which the warp is the will of ,god1 and the woof the prayers of men4 ,for these1 to speak of the whole as answered prayer is as good as to say that no prayer is answered at all4 ,if they are to recognise an answer it must be some tiny pattern1 a sprig of flower1 or an ammonite figure on the fabric4 ,let me close1 therefore1 by recounting a very simple answer to prayer1--simple1 and yet1 ,i think ,i can show1 significant4 ,last summer ,i was in ,norway1 and one of the party was a lady who was too delicate to attempt great mountain excursions1 but found an infinite compensation in rowing along those fringed shores of the fjord1 and exploring those interminable brakes1 which escape the notice of the passengers on board the steamer4 ,one day we had followed a narrow fjord1 which winds into the folds of the mountains1 to its head4 ,there we had landed and pushed our way through the brush of birch and alder1 lost in the mimic glades1 emerging to climb miniature mountains1 and fording innumerable small rivers1 which rushed down from the perpetual snows4 ,moving slowly over the ground--veritable explorers of a virgin forest--plucking the ruby bunches of wild raspberry1 or the bilberries and whortleberries1 delicate in bloom1 we made a devious track which it was hard or impossible to retrace4 ,suddenly my companion found that her golosh was gone4 ,that might seem a slight loss and easily replaced2 not at all4 ,it was as vital to her as his snowshoes were to ,nansen on the ,polar drift2 for it could not be replaced until we were back in ,bergen at the end of our tour4 ,and to be without it meant an end of all the delightful rambles in the spongy mosses and across the lilliputian streams1 which for one at least meant half the charm and the benefit of the holiday4 ,with the utmost diligence1 therefore1 we searched the brake1 retraced our steps1 recalled each precipitous descent of heather-covered rock1 and every sapling of silver birch by which we had steadied our steps4 ,we plunged deep into all the apparently bottomless crannies1 and beat the brushwood along all our course4 ,but neither the owner's eyes1 which are keen as needles1 nor mine1 which are not1 could discover any sign of the missing shoe4 ,with woeful countenances we had to give it up and start on our three miles' row along the fjord to the hotel4 ,but in the afternoon the idea came to me1 ,and why not ask our gracious ,father for guidance in this trifle as well as for all the weightier things which we are constantly committing to ,his care8 ,if the hairs of our head are all numbered1 why not also the shoes of our feet8 ,i therefore asked ,him that we might recover this lost golosh4 ,and then ,i proposed that we should row back to the place4 ,how magnificent the precipitous mountains and the far snow-fields looked that afternoon6 ,how insignificant our shallop1 and our own imperceptible selves in that majestic amphitheatre1 and how trifling the whole episode might seem to ,god6 ,but the place was one where we had enjoyed many singular proofs of the divine love which shaped the mountains but has also a particular care for the emmets which nestle at their feet4 ,and ,i was ashamed of myself for ever doubting the particular care of an infinite love4 ,when we reached the end of the fjord and had lashed the boat to the shore1 ,i sprang on the rocks and went1 ,i know not how or why1 to one spot1 not far from the water1 a spot which ,i should have said we had searched again and again in the morning1 and there lay the shoe before my eyes1 obvious1 as if it had fallen from heaven6 ,i think ,i hear the cold laugh of prayerless men3 ,and that is the kind of thing on which you rest your belief in prayer2 a happy accident4 ,well1 if you are superstitious enough to attach any importance to that1 you would swallow anything6 ,and with a smile1 not1 ,i trust1 scornful or impatient1 but full of quiet joy1 ,i would reply3 ,yes1 if you will1 that is the kind of thing2 a trifle rising to the surface from the depths of a ,father's love and compassion--those depths of ,god which you will not sound contain marvels greater it is true2 they are1 however1 ineffable1 for the things of the ,spirit will only be known to men of the ,spirit4 ,these trifles are all that can be uttered to those who will not search and see2 trifles indeed1 for no sign shall be given to this generation2 which1 if it will not prove the power of prayer by praying1 shall not be convinced by marshalled instances of the answers of prayer4 ,,viii ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,hugh ,,price ,,hughes1 ,m4,a4 ,you ask me to give my experience of answers to prayer4 ,i have never had any doubt that ,dean ,milman was right when he said that personal religion becomes impossible if prayer is not answered4 ,neither have ,i ever been able to appreciate the so-called scientific objection to prayer1 as we have ample experience in the activity of our own will to illustrate the fact that invariable laws may be so manipulated and utilised as to produce results totally different from those which would have taken place if some free will had not intervened to use them4 ,we must assume that ,god1 who is the ,author of all natural laws1 can with infinite ease manipulate them so as to produce any desired result1 without in the least degree altering their character or interfering with the universal reign of ,law4 ,however1 what you want is not theory but actual experience4 ,i will not refer1 therefore1 to the stupendous proofs that ,god does answer prayer1 presented by ,mr4 ,mueller of ,bristol in his immense orphanages1 or to similar unmistakable results in the various philanthropic institutions of ,dr4 ,cullis of ,boston4 ,i will go at once to my own personal experiences1 and mention one or two facts that have come under my own observation4 ,there are a great many1 but ,i will simply give a few typical cases4 ,a good many years ago ,i was conducting a special mission in the neighbourhood of ,chelsea4 ,it is my custom on these occasions to invite members of the congregation to send me in writing special requests for the conversion of unsaved relatives or friends4 ,on the ,tuesday night1 among many other requests for prayer1 was one from a daughter for the conversion of her father4 ,it was presented in due course with the rest1 but no one at that moment knew the special circumstances of the case1 except the writer4 ,on the following ,friday ,i received another request from the same woman2 but now it was a request for praise1 describing the circumstances under which the prayer had been answered1 and ,i read the wonderful story to the congregation4 ,it appeared that this girl's father was an avowed infidel who had not been to any place of worship for many years1 and he disliked the subject of religion so intensely that he ultimately forbade his ,christian daughter in ,london to write to him1 as she was continually bringing in references to ,christ4 ,on the particular ,tuesday evening in question1 that infidel father was on his way to a theatre in some provincial town1 more than a hundred miles from ,london4 ,as he was walking to the theatre1 there was a sudden shower of rain which drove him for shelter into the vestibule of a chapel where a week-night service was being held4 ,the preacher in the pulpit was a ,boanerges1 whose loud voice penetrated into the lobby1 and there was something in what he said that attracted the attention of the infidel and induced him to enter the chapel4 ,he became more and more interested as the sermon proceeded1 and before its close he was deeply convinced of sin1 and in true penitence sought mercy from ,jesus ,christ4 ,i need scarcely say to any one who knows anything of the love of ,god1 that this prayer was speedily answered1 and he went home rejoicing in divine forgiveness4 ,the next day he wrote to his daughter in ,london telling her that he had set out on the previous evening intending to visit the theatre1 but had actually found his way into a chapel1 where his sins had been forgiven and his heart changed4 ,he wrote at once to tell her the good news1 and he assured her that he would now be only too glad to hear from her as often as she could write to him4 ,these facts were communicated through me to the congregation1 and we all gave thanks to ,god4 ,of course it may be said that the conversion of this man1 who had not been into a place of worship for more than a dozen years1 was a mere accident1 and that its coming at the very time we were praying for him was a mere coincidence4 ,but we need not quarrel about words4 ,all we need to establish is1 that such delightful accidents and such blessed coincidences are continually occurring in the experience of all real ,christians4 ,i may add generally1 that it is our custom to present written requests for prayer and written requests for praise at the devotional meetings of the ,west ,london ,mission every ,friday night4 ,this has now gone on without interruption for more than nine years1 and ,i scarcely remember a prayer-meeting at which we have not had some request for praise on account of prayer answered4 ,it may be argued1 however1 that all such cases are purely subjective1 and that they take place in the mysterious darkness and silence of the human heart ,let my next illustration1 then1 be of a much more tangible character4 ,let it refer to pounds1 shillings1 and pence4 ,not long ago the ,west ,london ,mission was greatly in want of money1 as has generally been its experience since it began4 ,it would seem as though ,god could not trust us with any margin4 ,perhaps if we had a considerable balance in the bank we should put our trust in that1 instead of realising every moment our absolute dependence on ,god4 ,like the ,children of ,israel in the ,wilderness1 we have had supplies of manna just sufficient for immediate need4 ,always in want1 always tempted to be anxious1 it has always happened at the last moment1 when the case seemed absolutely desperate1 that help has been forthcoming1 sometimes from the most unexpected quarter4 ,but a short time ago the situation appeared to be unusually alarming1 and ,i invited my principal colleague to meet me near midnight--the only time when we could secure freedom from interruption and rest from our own incessant work4 ,we spent some time1 in the quietness of that late hour1 imploring ,god to send us one thousand pounds for ,his work by a particular day4 ,in the course of the meeting one of our number burst forth into rapturous expressions of gratitude1 as he was irresistibly convinced that our prayer was heard and would be answered4 ,i confess ,i did not share his absolute confidence1 and the absolute confidence of my wife and some others4 ,i believed with trembling4 ,i am afraid ,i could say nothing more than ,lord1 ,i believe1 help ,thou my unbelief4 ,the appointed day came4 ,i went to the meeting at which the sum total would be announced4 ,it appeared that in a very short time and in very extraordinary ways nine hundred and ninety pounds had been sent to the ,west ,london ,mission4 ,i confess that1 as a theologian ,i was perplexed4 ,we had asked for a thousand pounds--there was a deficiency of ten4 ,i could not understand it4 ,i went home1 trying to explain the discrepancy4 ,as ,i entered my house and was engaged in taking off my hat and coat1 ,i noticed a letter on the table in the hall4 ,i remembered that it had been lying there when ,i went out1 but ,i was in a great hurry and did not stop to open it4 ,i took it up1 opened it1 and discovered that it contained a cheque for ten pounds for the ,west ,london ,mission1 bringing up the amount needed for that day to the exact sum which we had named in our midnight prayer-meeting4 ,of course this also may be described as a mere coincidence1 but all we want is coincidences of this sort4 ,the name is nothing1 the fact is everything1 and there have been many such facts4 ,let me give one other in reference to money1 as this kind of illustration will perhaps1 more than any other1 impress those who are disposed to be cynical and to scoff4 ,i was engaged in an effort to build ,sunday schools in the south of ,london4 ,a benevolent friend promised a hundred pounds if ,i could get nine hundred pounds more1 within a week4 ,i did my utmost1 and by desperate efforts1 with the assistance of friends1 did get eight hundred pounds1 but not one penny more4 ,we reached ,saturday1 and the terms of all the promises were that unless we obtained a thousand pounds that week we could not proceed with the building scheme1 and the entire enterprise might have been postponed for years1 and1 indeed1 never accomplished on the large scale we desired4 ,on the ,saturday morning one of my principal church officers called1 and said he had come upon an extraordinary business3 that a ,christian woman in that neighbourhood whom ,i did not know1 of whom ,i had never heard1 who had no connection whatever with my church1 had that morning been lying awake in bed1 and an extraordinary impression had come in to her that she was at once to give me one hundred pounds6 ,she naturally resisted so extraordinary an impression as a caprice or a delusion4 ,but it refused to leave her2 it became stronger and stronger1 until at last she was deeply convinced that it was the will of ,god4 ,what made it more extraordinary was the fact that she had never before had1 and would1 in all probability1 never again have one hundred pounds at her disposal for any such purpose4 ,but that morning she sent me the money through my friend1 who produced it in the form of crisp ,bank of ,england notes4 ,from that day to this ,i have no idea whatever who she was1 as she wished to conceal her name from me4 ,whether she is alive or in heaven ,i cannot say2 but what ,i do know is that this extraordinary answer to our prayers secured the rest of the money1 and led to the erection of one of the finest schools in ,london1 in which there are more than a thousand scholars to-day4 ,let me give one other illustration in a different sphere4 ,god has answered our prayers again and again by saving those in whom we are interested1 and by sending us money4 ,he has also answered prayer for suitable agents to do ,his work4 ,twelve months ago ,i was sitting in my study at a very late hour2 the rest of the household had gone to bed4 ,i was particularly conscious at that time that ,i greatly needed a lay agent1 who could help me in work among the thousands of young men from business houses who throng ,st4 ,james's ,hall4 ,several of our staff who could render efficient service in that direction were fully occupied in other parts of the ,mission4 ,i prayed very earnestly to ,god1 in my loneliness and helplessness2 and whilst ,i was praying1 an assurance was given me that ,god had heard my prayer4 ,by the first post on the next morning ,i received a letter from a man whom ,i had never met1 requesting an interview4 ,i saw him4 ,it turned out that he was a staff officer in the ,salvation ,army1 and formerly a ,methodist2 and that for two years he had been longing for a sphere of work among young men4 ,he had been himself in a ,manchester business house1 and he was extremely anxious for work among young fellows in the great business establishments4 ,for various reasons a development of work in that direction1 although it commanded the sympathy of the heads of the ,salvation ,army1 could not be undertaken just then2 and while he was praying upon the subject1 it seemed to him as though a definite voice said1 ,offer yourself to ,mr4 ,hugh ,price ,hughes4 ,in obedience to that voice he came1 and he is with us now4 ,he has already gathered round him a large number of young men2 and at our last ,public ,reception of new members ,i received into the mission church forty-two young men of this class1 who had been brought to ,christ1 or to active association with ,his ,church1 through the agency of the man whom ,god so promptly sent me in the hour of my need4 ,nothing that ,i have said will in the least degree surprise earnest ,christians and ,christian ministers4 ,such experiences as these are the commonplace of real and active ,christianity4 ,,ix ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,j4 ,,clifford1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,immediately after my acceptance of the pastorate of the church to which ,i still minister1 ,i arranged to continue and broaden my training by attending ,science ,classes at ,university ,college1 ,london4 ,it was in the year #aheh4 ,the day of science was in its brilliant and arresting dawn4 ,professor ,huxley had been lecturing on biology at the ,royal ,school of ,mines for nearly four years1 and his bold and masterly descriptions of ,man's ,place in ,nature1 given to working men1 had stirred many minds4 ,darwin's ,origin of ,species appeared in the following year4 ,the young scientific spirit was daring and aggressive2 and scientific methods1 though feared in most quarters1 were demanding and winning confidence4 ,i was sure science was one of the formative forces of the future1 and therefore it seemed to me the teachers of ,christianity of the next half-century would do well to make themselves practically acquainted with the methods pursued by scientific men1 as well as conversant with the results of scientific work4 ,one of ,huxley's maxims was ,the man of science has learnt to believe in justification by verification4 ,certainly6 and why not8 ,the ,christian is bidden by the teacher who ranks next to ,jesus ,christ1 our one and only ,master1 to prove all things1 and hold fast that which is good4 ,human experience is always verifying truth and exposing falsehood4 ,new forces are set to work in the lives of men1 and offer us their effects for examination4 ,new acts repeated lead to new habits1 and new habits make a new character4 ,if the gardener inserts a bud in the branch of a growing brier1 and after a while beholds the beauty and inhales the fragrance of the ,gloire de ,dijon rose2 if the surgeon operates one day1 and a little while afterwards sees that the forces he has freed from the disabilities of disease are moving forward on their healing mission2 so the ,christian pastor may suggest a truth1 inspire a new habit1 direct to a new attitude of spirit1 secure an uplift of soul1 and afterwards trace the effect of these acts on the growth and development of character1 and on the quantity and quality of the service given to the kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,experiments in the field of human nature yield as really verifiable results as those that are given in the nursery of the gardener or the laboratory of the chemist4 ,but contact with scientific methods not only suggested that the pastorate would afford abundant opportunities for verifying the features and characteristics of the spirit of life in ,jesus ,christ1 by a direct appeal to facts in the manifold experiences of ,christian men2 it also changed the point of view1 so that1 instead of giving the first place amongst answers to prayer to detached and easily reported incidents1 that rank was assigned to experiences showing that prayer is one of the chief of the unseen forces in character-building1 in deepening humility1 in broadening sympathy1 in preserving the heart tender and sensitive to human suffering1 in quickening aspiration1 and giving the note of soul to a man's work and influence4 ,the materials sustaining that conclusion were abundant in the early years of my ministry2 notably in one case ,i can never forget4 ,on the first ,sabbath evening of my ministry ,i was preaching on the words ,be ye reconciled to ,god4 ,amongst the listeners was one who had entered the house of prayer without any sense of alienation from ,god or hunger for ,his revelation1 and1 as she afterwards confessed1 merely to please her sister4 ,but the ,lord opened her heart to give heed to the things that were spoken1 so that she forthwith sought and found peace with ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,nor did she only obtain peace4 ,with ,wordsworth she could say3 ,i bent before ,thy gracious throne ,and asked for peace with suppliant knee1 ,and peace was given1 nor peace alone1 ,but faith and hope and ecstasy4 ,faith and hope1 ecstasy and prayer1 were the outstanding features of her new life4 ,she had little time for special acts of ,christian service1 and scant means wherewith to enrich the ,church2 but1 according to the witness of those who had known her longest1 her character was clad in entirely new charms1 and her spirit was fired and filled with new energies4 ,she grew in experience of the grace and love of ,god1 and became at home with ,god in the deepest sense1 and seemed rarely1 if ever1 absent from her chosen dwelling-place4 ,her strongest feeling was for ,god1 all investing1 all encircling2 and with reverent freedom and sweet security she lived and moved and had her being in communion with the eternal ,father4 ,prayer was not a task for specific occasions2 it was the breath of her life4 ,it was not a wrestle or a struggle2 it was an uplifting of her being into a fellowship with ,god4 ,it did not shrivel into a litany of petitions2 it was sustained aspiration2 and aspiration is a large part of achievement2 it was deepest satisfaction with ,god1 and ,his will and ,his work3 and such satisfaction is itself a source of patient strength and a preparation for victory4 ,nor was the effect limited4 ,her nature received a refinement1 an elevation1 a beauty that triumphed over the physical features1 and shone out with a glory that is not seen on sea or shore4 ,the expression of her face seemed to be from ,god4 ,a transfiguring radiance came from within as she thought on the wonders and delighted in the treasures of the gospel of ,god4 ,hers was a noble life4 ,like ,martha1 she was engaged in much serving2 but yet was never cumbered and worn with it1 because1 like ,mary1 she sat daily at the ,master's feet1 and listened to ,his words1 and received ,his sustaining strength4 ,she was as sweetly unselfish as the flowers1 and gave herself and her all to ,christ1 like the widow of the gospels4 ,meekness and humility clothed her with their loveliest robes4 ,i never knew a purer spirit4 ,she always breathed the softness and gentleness of the ,saviour1 and yet ,i have seen her weak body quiver and throb with its anguish of desire for the salvation of the lost4 ,faithful unto death1 she realised the support and joy of the ,christian's hope1 and gently as leaves are shed by the flower that has finished its course1 she fell into the arms of ,jesus2 and as ,deborah1 ,rebekah's nurse1 was buried under the oak of weeping amid affectionate regrets and sweet memories1 so this ,christian servant was laid in the grave with tears of real sorrow from those whom she had served so faithfully and long1 as well as from friends who had been gladdened and fortified in the faith of ,christ by her sweet1 earnest1 and beautiful ,christian life4 ,that day is now far off1 but the influence of her prayer-filled life still feeds faith in ,god as the ,hearer and the ,answerer of ,prayer4 ,about the same time and in the same spiritual laboratory ,i was called to observe the following processes4 ,a woman1 the wife of a blacksmith1 was led by the gospel of ,christ into the joy of salvation4 ,her experience of the grace of ,god in ,christ was vivid and full4 ,she knew little of doubt concerning herself1 but she was full of solicitude for her husband and children2 for she had a very heavy burden to carry1 and her heart was sore stricken4 ,her husband was a drunkard4 ,when sober he was true1 devoted1 and loving2 but when he fell into intemperance he became hard1 harsh1 and even violent4 ,but never did the brave and trustful wife cease to hope or cease to pray4 ,in the darkest hours she begged for the conversion of her husband1 and felt sure that ,god would respond to her supplications4 ,that was her habitual mood1 her supreme desire1 her living prayer2 and ,i could see that this very disposition developed her saintliness1 deepened her affection for her husband1 and gave increased beauty to her family life1 as well as added to her usefulness in the ,church4 ,one day1 in the course of my pastoral visits1 ,i called at the blacksmith's home4 ,scarcely was the threshold crossed when the husband rushed in1 wild1 angry1 and violent1 the prey of intoxicants4 ,but before he had proceeded far the wife approached him1 flung her arms around him1 called him by name1 and said3 ,ah1 ,god will give you to me yet4 ,saint ,ambrose told ,monica1 when she went to him1 sad and desponding about her son1 ,god would not forget the prayers of such a mother1 and ,augustine came1 though late in his young manhood1 into the kingdom and patience of ,jesus ,christ4 ,so ,i felt the earnest pleadings of this true wife and mother would not be forgotten of ,god1 but that1 according to her own beautiful saying1 ,god would give her husband to her2 for she did not think he was completely hers whilst he was under the dominion of intoxicants1--give him to her freed from that depraving and desolating slavery4 ,and it was so4 ,for he1 too1 became a ,christian1 and they together effectively served their generation according to the will of ,god1 turning men from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,there recurs to me the image of a visitor who called one ,sunday evening in #ahfb1 and who wished to know what he was to do in order to control and suppress an ungovernable temper4 ,for years it had tortured him past all bearing1 and1 what was worse1 for years it had been a source of pain and discomfort in his home4 ,when his anger was kindled he was by his own confession a terror to wife and children1 and1 seeing that he had recently become a ,christian1 he felt acutely the stain such actions fixed on garments that should have been unspotted by the world4 ,what must ,i do8 ,i can't go on in this way1 and yet though ,i feel it is wrong ,i can't help myself4 ,the first suggestion ,i ventured was based on the regard he had expressed for his pastor4 ,what would be the effect1 said ,i1 on you1 if ,i were to appear at the moment the storm was about to burst8 ,think6 ,he thought1 and then said1 ,it wouldn't burst ,i should stop it4 ,well1 then1 try this plan4 ,force yourself at the moment of peril into the conscious presence of ,god1 and say1 as you feel the uprising passion1 ',o ,god1 make me master of myself4' ,pray that prayer2 and pray1 morning by morning1 that you may so pray in your time of need2 and in due season you will obtain the perfect mastery of yourself you seek4 ,he promised4 ,i watched4 ,he prayed4 ,he conquered2 once1 twice1 thrice1 and then failed2 but he renewed the attempt1 and triumphed again1 and years afterwards ,i knew him as one of the most serene of men2 and when he died1 no phase of his character stood out more distinctively than his perfect self-control1 and no fact in his life was remembered with deeper gratitude by his bereaved wife than that memorable victory won by prayer in the early days of his discipleship to the ,lord ,jesus4 ,from the beginning of my ministry ,i have made it my business to offer advice and aid to young men and maidens assailed with doubts and fears concerning the revelation of ,god in ,christ1 hindered at the outset by misconceptions of the way of salvation1 and perplexed by confused and contradictory teaching4 ,hundreds of young men 7and within the last ten years especially1 many young women7 have described to me their difficulties as they have reached the stage described by ,roscoe in the words1 ,there are times when faith is weak and the heart yearns for knowledge4 ,here is a case chosen from a large number of similar facts4 ,a young man came to tell me the somewhat familiar story1 that the first fervours of his religious life had cooled down1 his early raptures were gone1 and the sense of peace and bounding freedom1 and of all-sufficing strength in ,god1 had departed with them4 ,the certainties of the opening months or years of the ,christian pilgrimage had given place to torturing questions1 such as1 ,am ,i not deceived8 ,after all1 is ,christianity true8 ,what are its real contents8 ,what is inspiration8 ,did miracles happen8 etc41 etc4 ,week after week we reasoned and argued1 and months passed in a struggle whose usefulness no one could register1 and whose issue no one could forecast4 ,but it happened1 as these conversations were going on1 that he was drawn into what ,i may call a prayer circle1 privately carried on by a small group of young men who were not unacquainted with such conflicts as those which then engaged his powers4 ,he joined it1 and by-and-by felt its influence4 ,he was lifted into another atmosphere1 and breathed a clearer1 sunnier air4 ,his misgivings were slowly displaced by missionary enthusiasm1 and his fears by a stronger faith2 and yet he had not solved the problems suggested by the person of ,christ1 or found the secret of the ,incarnation1 or explained the mystery of the ,atonement4 ,but he had been led to set the full force of his nature on communion with ,god2 and prayer had quickened the sense for spiritual realities1 for the recognition of the infinite value of the human soul1 and for the wonder and splendour of ,god's salvation4 ,in that realm of prayer1 character was altered1 the aim of life was altered1 the will had a new goal1 and so the questions of the intellect fell into their true place in reference to the whole of the questions of life4 ,emerson writes1 ,when all is said and done1 the rapt saint is found the only logician4 ,it is he who thinks the most sanely and dwells nearest the central truths of life and being4 ,it is he who becomes serenely acquiescent in the agnosticism of the ,bible1 and realises that revelation must contain many things past finding out1 whilst the ,spirit1 who is the revealer1 gives us the best assurances of the certitude and clearness of what it is most important for us to know4 ,so often have ,i seen this rest-giving effect on the intellect1 of the lifting of the life into communion with ,god1 that ,i cannot hesitate to regard it as a law of the life of man1 and yet ,i must add that ,i do not think it wise to meet those who ask our aid in the treatment of their mental perplexities merely1 or at first1 with the counsel to pray4 ,most likely they will misunderstand it1 and it will become to them a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence4 ,we had better1 if we are able1 meet them first on their own ground1 that of the intellect1 and meet them with frankness and sympathy1 with knowledge and tact2 and yet seek by the spirit we breathe1 and the associations into which we introduce them1 to raise them where the ,saviour's beatitude shall become an experience3 ,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god4 ,prayer has often proved itself an infallible recipe for dejection4 ,a man of culture and wealth was for a long time pursued by what seemed to him an intolerable and invariable melancholy4 ,he sought relief near and far1 and sought in vain4 ,he became a source of anxiety to his friends4 ,he went away to ,bellagio1 goaded by the same restlessness1 but its lovely surroundings did not heal1 its soft airs did not soothe4 ,no6 ,all was dark and repellent4 ,even prayer seemed of no use4 ,god had forgotten him4 ,he was cast off as reprobate4 ,his soul was disquieted within him4 ,the burden of his misery was more than he could carry4 ,he threatened to take away his life4 ,but in his despair he still clung to his ,god2 and at last1 as in this desperate1 and yet not altogether hopeless or prayerless mood1 he read a sermon on ,elijah as a brave prophet tired of life2 hope was reborn and joy restored1 and as ,bunyan's pilgrim lost his burden at the cross1 so this ,elijah escaped from his tormentors1 and came forth and dwelt in the light of ,god's countenance4 ,it was the prayer of a weak and struggling faith2 but ,god did not turn it away1 nor reject the voice of his supplication4 ,what abundant witness that ,more things are wrought by prayer ,than this world dreams of could be supplied by pastors and elders who have visited the widow and the fatherless1 the sick and suffering in their afflictions4 ,one picture comes to me from the crowded past1 of a strong and victorious1 though much enduring saint4 ,crippled by disease1 she did not rise from her bed unaided for more than seven years4 ,she was always in pain1 sometimes heavy and dull1 but not infrequently keen and sharp4 ,yet through all these years1 she not only did not complain1 but she had such an overflow of quiet cheerfulness and of deep interest in life that she distributed her gladness to others and made them partakers of her serenity4 ,you could not detain her in talk about herself1 her ailments1 her broken plans1 her manifold disappointments4 ,no6 she would compel you to talk of the ,church1 its schools1 its missions1 its various activities2 of societies and movements for getting rid of social evils1 such as intemperance and impurity4 ,sometimes the theme was last ,sunday's sermons1 or those in preparation for the next2 but rarely herself4 ,there she lay with a patience that was never ruffled1 a serenity rarely if ever disturbed1 a forgetfulness of self bright and fresh1 a solicitude for others deep and full1 and a fellowship with ,god not only unbroken1 but so inspiring as to make the sick-room a sanctuary radiant with ,his presence4 ,prayer led her to the fountains of divine joy1 daily she drank and was refreshed4 ,so ,i set down a few tested1 verified facts from the early part of a ministry of over thirty-eight years2 facts chosen from amongst many1 and in substance repeated again and again during recent1 but not yet reportable years4 ,x ,,by ,,the ,,very ,,rev4 ,g4 ,d4 ,,boyle1 ,m4,a4 ,,dean ,,of ,,salisbury ,what was it that struck you most in that sermon on the character of ,st4 ,paul8 said ,bishop ,patteson to a friend at ,oxford1 who had been with him listening to a sermon preached before the ,university by a very remarkable man1 who has now passed away4 ,those two sentences1 said his friend1 in which he said there were two great powers in the world1 the power of personal religion1 and the power of prayer4 ,when ,i told this many years afterwards to one of the best parish priests ,i have ever known1 he gave me1 from his own experience1 some instances of answers to prayer which are certainly worth reading4 ,shortly after he had entered ,holy ,orders1 he joined a clerical society4 ,he was greatly pleased with three of the younger members1 but thought from their conversation after the meeting that they were too fond of amusements4 ,as he walked home he spoke of this to an elderly clergyman1 who said1 ,let you and me make for them special prayer1 that they may take a more serious view of their calling4 ,some time afterwards my friend happened to see one of these three brother clergymen at a time of great sorrow4 ,he told him that he had resolved to give up certain amusements1 which he thought at one time harmless4 ,some time afterwards the other two openly declared that they had taken a similar course1 and my friend did not scruple to avow his belief that the after lives of these three men1 all of high family1 and all remarkable for their zeal as clergymen1 was a direct answer to special intercession4 ,he told me of a still more striking instance4 ,two men1 who had been friends at college1 met after many years abroad4 ,the one said to the other1 ,when you were at ,oxford1 you told me you were very indifferent as to religion1 so ,i suppose you will not go with me this morning to the ,english service4 ,but ,i certainly will1 said his friend4 ,i have given up all that sort of thing2 ,i left off praying for years1 in the belief that as ,god knows everything it was needless to pray1 but an impulse came upon me after hearing ,baron ,parke's account of a sermon he heard ,shergold ,boone preach1 and ,i am now a communicant4 ,then1 dear----1 said his friend1 ,i think my prayer is answered1 for ,i have never ceased since ,oxford days to ask that you might have the happiness ,i enjoy4 ,these two are surely remarkable instances of answers to special prayer for spiritual benefit4 ,what shall be said of the faithful man who1 through his own effort1 maintained a small but efficient orphanage8 ,from no fault of his own his supplies ceased4 ,there came into his mind some words of ,edward ,irving's about the ,fatherhood of ,god4 ,he made a special petition for the relief of his poor children4 ,on his return home he found a letter containing a request that the future welfare of his home should be ensured by a permanent endowment4 ,how could you keep your temper through all the vexatious dispute of to-night's debate8 was the question asked of ,lord ,althorpe by his most intimate friend1 after a fierce discussion on the ,reform ,bill4 ,i always ask for strength before going to the ,house1 was the answer2 and to-day ,i asked for special strength1 for ,i knew that party spirit ran high4 ,many years ago ,i worked as a curate in the district which had seen the first labours of the excellent ,bishop of ,wakefield1 whose sudden removal from active work will long be deeply mourned by the ,church of ,england4 ,when he left ,kidderminster for a country parish1 he gave a ,new ,testament to a young man who had at one time promised well1 but who fell into bad company4 ,i shall make you the subject of special prayer1 said the ,bishop1 on wishing him good-bye4 ,some years afterwards ,i told the ,bishop that his advice had not been thrown away1 and his words were1 ,i humbly hope my prayer was heard4 ,bishop ,mackenzie told a friend of mine that he had asked for some change in the life of two favourite pupils at ,cambridge4 ,they were not in the habit of going to ,university sermons1 but they went to hear one of ,bishop ,selwyn's famous series in #ahed4 ,one of them became an eminent clergyman1 and the other died a missionary in ,india4 ,one more instance will suffice4 ,an attack upon the divinity of ,christ was published some years ago by one who had been trained in a very different way4 ,his former tutor1 who had a very great love for him1 asked a few friends not to forget him4 ,as the tutor was dying1 he had the satisfaction of hearing that the man he had known and loved from childhood had returned to the faith of a child4 ,i believe that all who have had considerable experience in parochial work could give many instances of special answers to prayer4 ,in recent years many have come forward to offer themselves for labor at home and abroad4 ,the present occupation of many minds with the difficulties of belief1 the revelations made by earnest thinkers like ,romanes1 the questions raised in such lives as the late ,master of ,balliol's1 the earnest longings for some reconciliation between the men of science and the men of faith1 may all surely be accepted as in some degree answers to the prayers and aspirations of all who hope that in the ,church of the future there may be found a simple faith1 an enduring charity1 and a belief in the unchangeable strength of an unchangeable ,saviour4 ,a word to the reader4 ,do you know what ,sabbath ,reading is8 ,it is a #af-page weekly paper1 devoted exclusively to the best class of religious matter4 ,no word of ,secular ,news1 ,politics1 ,sectarianism1 or wearying disputations on the letter which killeth1 but much of the best teaching on the spirit which giveth life4 ,a special feature consists of brief talks on meditative and devotional themes for the family and the fireside4 ,these talks are contributed by ,dr4 ,,theo4 ,l4 ,,cuyler1 ,d4,d41 ,rev4 ,,newman ,,hall1 ,d4,d41 ,rev4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,miller1 ,d4,d41 ,rev4 ,w4 ,,garden ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,mary ,,lowe ,,dickenson1 ,bishop ,e4 ,r4 ,,hendrix1 ,count ,a4 ,,bernstorf1 ,rt4 ,rev4 ,,fred4 ,d4 ,,huntington1 ,d4,d41 ,,george ,,dana ,,boardman1 ,d4,d41 ,,louis ,,albert ,,banks1 ,d4,d41 ,bishop ,,henry ,w4 ,,warren1 ,rev4 ,,wayland ,,hoyt1 ,d4,d4 ,it has an exposition of the current ,sabbath-,school ,lesson1 of the ,christian ,endeavor ,topic1 and of the ,epworth ,league ,topic2 ,choice ,poetry2 ,good ,stories2 ,missionary ,news and ,views2 no essays4 ,,its ,,subscription ,,price ,,is ,,only ,,fifty ,,cents ,a ,,year4 ,a sample copy cheerfully sent free4 ,,john ,,dougall ,,co41 #aej ,,nassau ,,street1 ,,new ,,york4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,text in italics is surrounded with underscores3 italics4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected as follows3 ,page #hf3 liliputian changed to lilliputian ,errors in punctuation have been corrected without note4