,the ,reality of ,prayer ,,edited ,,by ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge ,the ,spiritual ,life ,books ,by ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds ,the ,possibilities of ,prayer4 ,cloth #a4be ,a rich1 exceptionally helpful addition to ,doctor ,bounds' books1 which deal with the place and significance prayer has in the life of the believer4 ,heaven3 ,a ,place--,a ,city--,a ,home4 ,cloth #a4be ,possessed of a wonderfully full knowledge of ,holy ,scripture1 a man of unswerving faith and mystical insight1 ,mr4 ,bounds writes with a certitude1 confidence and joyous anticipation of the eternal felicity awaiting the faithful believer4 ,purpose in ,prayer4 ,cloth #a4be 8,mr4 ,bounds has the gift of insight1 and with this a faculty for selecting words to express precisely that which responds to the heart-hunger of those who are seeking spiritual enlightenment40 --,sunday ,school ,times4 ,satan3 ,his ,personality1 ,his ,power1 ,his ,overthrow4 ,cloth #a4be ,with irrefutable logic backed by the testimony of ,holy ,scripture1 it shows the ,arch ,enemy of mankind to be a ,person--actual1 literal1 ever active for the destruction of human souls4 ,indicates whereby ,christian believers can withstand his assaults and how they may finally triumph4 ,the ,reality of ,prayer ,by ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds1 ,d4,d4 ,author of 8,purpose in ,prayer10 8,the ,possibilities of ,prayer10 8,heaven10 8,satan10 etc4 ,,edited ,,by ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh ,copyright1 #aibd1 by ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,new ,york3 #aeh ,fifth ,avenue ,chicago3 #ag ,north ,wabash ,ave4 ,london3 #ba ,paternoster ,square ,edinburgh3 #ge ,princes ,street ,foreword ,during the last twenty-five years of the nineteenth century and a score of years of the twentieth1 there lived and died three great men of ,god whom ,i knew--men whom ,god has doubtless numbered among the foremost of ,his heavenly host4 ,the first was ,edward ,mc,kendree ,bounds1 author of this present volume and the other 8,spiritual ,life0 ,books4 ,the second was ,claud ,l4 ,chilton1 minister for many years in the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 ,south1 and a musical composer of religious music of considerable note4 ,the third1 ,clement ,c4 ,cary1 preacher and editor1 lost his life in an automobile accident in #aibb4 ,the fourth was ,dr4 ,b4 ,f4 ,haynes1 minister1 editor and author1 who died in ,nashville1 in #aibc4 ,what ,dr4 ,thomas ,goodwin1 the ,puritan1 was to ,strong1 ,arrowsmith and ,spurstow2 what ,john ,wesley was to ,whitefield1 ,fletcher and ,clark1 ,bounds was to ,chilton1 ,cary and ,haynes4 ,what ,david ,brainerd's ,journal did for ,cary1 ,martyn1 ,mc,cheyne1 ,bounds' books can do for thousands of ,god's children4 ,he was a man who lived ever on prayer ground4 ,he walked and talked with the ,lord4 ,prayer was the great weapon in his arsenal1 his pathway to the ,throne of ,grace4 ,none who read what he has written can fail of realising that ,edward ,mc,kendree ,bounds talked with ,god1 as a man talketh to his friend4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,flushing1 ,n4 ,y4 ,contents ,i4 ,,prayer--,a ,,privilege1 ,,princely1 ,,sacred 4 4 4 #i ,,ii4 ,,prayer--,,fills ,,man',s ,,poverty ,,with ,,god',s ,,riches 4 4 4 #ah ,,iii4 ,,prayer--,,the ,,all-,,important ,,essence ,,of ,,earthly ,,worship 4 4 4 #bh ,,iv4 ,,god ,,has ,,everything ,,to ,,do ,,with ,,prayer 4 4 4 #cd ,v4 ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,the ,,divine ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer 4 4 4 #df ,,vi4 ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,the ,,divine ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer 7,continued7 4 4 4 #ef ,,vii4 ,,jesus ,,christ ,,an ,,example ,,of ,,prayer 4 4 4 #fi ,,viii4 ,,prayer ,,incidents ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,our ,,lord 4 4 4 #hj ,,ix4 ,,prayer ,,incidents ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,our ,,lord 7,continued7 4 4 4 #hg ,x4 ,,our ,,lord',s ,,model ,,prayer 4 4 4 #ig ,,xi4 ,,our ,,lord',s ,,sacerdotal ,,prayer 4 4 4 #ajb ,,xii4 ,,the ,,gethsemane ,,prayer 4 4 4 #aab ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,and ,,prayer 4 4 4 #abb ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,our ,,helper ,,in ,,prayer 4 4 4 #acc ,,xv4 ,,the ,,two ,,comforters ,,and ,,two ,,advocates 4 4 4 #adc ,,xvi4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,dispensation 4 4 4 #adh ,i ,,prayer--,a ,,privilege1 ,,princely1 ,,sacred ,i am the creature of a day1 passing through life as an arrow through the air4 ,i am a spirit come from ,god and returning to ,god2 just hovering over the great gulf2 till a few moments hence ,i am no more seen2 ,i drop into an unchangeable eternity6 ,i want to know one thing1 the way to heaven2 how to land safe on that happy shore4 ,god ,himself has condescended to teach the way2 for this end ,he came from heaven4 ,he hath written it down in a book4 ,o give me that book6 ,at any price give me the ,book of ,god6 ,lord1 is it not ,thy word--8,if any man lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god8 ,thou givest liberally1 and upbraidest not4 ,thou hast said1 if any be willing to do ,thy will he shall know4 ,i am willing to do2 let me know ,thy will40--,,john ,,wesley4 ,the word 8,prayer0 expresses the largest and most comprehensive approach unto ,god4 ,it gives prominence to the element of devotion4 ,it is communion and intercourse with ,god4 ,it is enjoyment of ,god4 ,it is access to ,god4 8,supplication0 is a more restricted and more intense form of prayer1 accompanied by a sense of personal need1 limited to the seeking in an urgent manner of a supply for pressing need4 8,supplication0 is the very soul of prayer in the way of pleading for some one thing1 greatly needed1 and the need intensely felt4 8,intercession0 is an enlargement in prayer1 a going out in broadness and fullness from self to others4 ,primarily1 it does not centre in praying for others1 but refers to the freeness1 boldness and childlike confidence of the praying4 ,it is the fullness of confiding influence in the soul's approach to ,god1 unlimited and unhesitating in its access and its demands4 ,this influence and confident trust is to be used for others4 ,prayer always1 and everywhere is an immediate and confiding approach to1 and a request of1 ,god the ,father4 ,in the prayer universal and perfect1 as the pattern of all praying1 it is 8,our ,father1 ,who art in ,heaven40 ,at the grave of ,lazarus1 ,jesus lifted up ,his eyes and said1 8,father40 ,in ,his sacerdotal prayer1 ,jesus lifted up ,his eyes to ,heaven1 and said1 8,father40 ,personal1 familiar and paternal was all ,his praying4 ,strong1 too1 and touching and tearful1 was ,his praying4 ,read these words of ,paul3 8,who in the days of his flesh1 when he had offered up prayers and supplications1 with strong crying and tears1 unto him that was able to save him from death1 and was heard in that he feared0 7,hebrews #e3g74 ,so elsewhere 7,james #a3e7 we have 8asking0 set forth as prayer3 8,if any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 who giveth to all men liberally1 and upbraideth not1 and it shall be given him40 8,asking of ,god0 and 8receiving0 from the ,lord--direct application to ,god1 immediate connection with ,god--that is prayer4 ,in ,john #e3ac we have this statement about prayer3 8,and this is the confidence that we have in him1 that if we ask anything according to his will1 he heareth us4 ,and if we know that he heareth us1 whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him40 ,in ,philippians #d3f we have these words about prayer3 8,be careful for nothing1 but in everything1 by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god40 ,what is ,god's will about prayer8 ,first of all1 it is ,god's will that we pray4 ,jesus ,christ 8spake a parable unto them to this end1 that men ought always to pray1 and not to faint40 ,paul writes to young ,timothy about the first things which ,god's people are to do1 and first among the first he puts prayer3 8,i exhort1 therefore1 that first of all1 supplications1 prayers1 intercessions1 and giving of thanks1 be made for all men0 7,i ,tim4 #b3a74 ,in connection with these words ,paul declares that the will of ,god and the redemption and mediation of ,jesus ,christ for the salvation for all men are all vitally concerned in this matter of prayer4 ,in this his apostolical authority and solicitude of soul conspire with ,god's will and ,christ's intercession to will that 8the men pray everywhere40 ,note how frequently prayer is brought forward in the ,new ,testament3 8,continuing instant in prayer02 8,pray without ceasing02 8,continue in prayer1 and watch in the same with thanksgiving02 8,be ye sober and watch unto prayer02 ,christ's clarion call was 8watch and pray40 ,what are all these and others1 if it is not the will of ,god that men should pray8 ,prayer is complement1 make efficient and cooperate with ,god's will1 whose sovereign sway is to run parallel in extent and power with the atonement of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he1 through the ,eternal ,spirit1 by the grace of ,god1 8tasted death for every man40 ,we1 through the ,eternal ,spirit1 by the grace of ,god1 pray for every man4 ,but how do ,i know that ,i am praying by the will of ,god8 ,every true attempt to pray is in response to the will of ,god4 ,bungling it may be and untutored by human teachers1 but it is acceptable to ,god1 because it is in obedience to ,his will4 ,if ,i will give myself up to the inspiration of the ,spirit of ,god1 who commands me to pray1 the details and the petitions of that praying will all fall into harmony with the will of ,him who wills that ,i should pray4 ,prayer is no little thing1 no selfish and small matter4 ,it does not concern the petty interests of one person4 ,the littlest prayer broadens out by the will of ,god till it touches all words1 conserves all interests1 and enhances man's greatest wealth1 and ,god's greatest good4 ,god is so concerned that men pray that ,he has promised to answer prayer4 ,he has not promised to do something general if we pray1 but ,he has promised to do the very thing for which we pray4 ,prayer1 as taught by ,jesus in its essential features1 enters into all the relations of life4 ,it sanctifies brotherliness4 ,to the ,jew1 the altar was the symbol and place of prayer4 ,the ,jew devoted the altar to the worship of ,god4 ,jesus ,christ takes the altar of prayer and devotes it to the worship of the brotherhood4 ,how ,christ purifies the altar and enlarges it6 ,how ,he takes it out of the sphere of a mere performance1 and makes its virtue to consist1 not in the mere act of praying1 but in the spirit which actuates us toward men4 ,our spirit toward folks is of the life of prayer4 ,we must be at peace with men1 and1 if possible1 have them at peace with us1 before we can be at peace with ,god4 ,reconciliation with men is the forerunner of reconciliation with ,god4 ,our spirit and words must embrace men before they can embrace ,god4 ,unity with the brotherhood goes before unity with ,god4 8,therefore1 if thou bring thy gift to the altar1 and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee2 leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy way4 ,first1 be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift0 7,matt4 #e3bc74 ,non-praying is lawlessness1 discord1 anarchy4 ,prayer1 in the moral government of ,god1 is as strong and far-reaching as the law of gravitation in the material world1 and it is as necessary as gravitation to hold things in their proper sphere and in life4 ,the space occupied by prayer in the ,sermon on the ,mount bespeaks its estimate by ,christ and the importance it holds in ,his system4 ,many important principles are discussed in a verse or two4 ,the ,sermon consists of one hundred and eleven verses1 and eighteen are about prayer directly1 and others indirectly4 ,prayer was one of the cardinal principles of piety in every dispensation and to every child of ,god4 ,it did not pertain to the business of ,christ to originate duties1 but to recover1 to recast1 to spiritualise1 and to re-enforce those duties which are cardinal and original4 ,with ,moses the great features of prayer are prominent4 ,he never beats the air nor fights a sham battle4 ,the most serious and strenuous business of his serious and strenuous life was prayer4 ,he is much at it with the intensest earnestness of his soul4 ,intimate as he was with ,god1 his intimacy did not abate the necessity of prayer4 ,this intimacy only brought clearer insight into the nature and necessity of prayer1 and led him to see the greater obligations to pray1 and to discover the larger results of praying4 ,in reviewing one of the crises through which ,israel passed1 when the very existence of the nation was imperilled1 he writes3 8,i fell down before the ,lord forty days and forty nights40 ,wonderful praying and wonderful results6 ,moses knew how to do wonderful praying1 and ,god knew how to give wonderful results4 ,the whole force of ,bible statement is to increase our faith in the doctrine that prayer affects ,god1 secures favors from ,god1 which can be secured in no other way1 and which will not be bestowed by ,god if we do not pray4 ,the whole canon of ,bible teaching is to illustrate the great truth that ,god hears and answers prayer4 ,one of the great purposes of ,god in ,his book is to impress upon us indelibly the great importance1 the priceless value1 and the absolute necessity of asking ,god for the things which we need for time and eternity4 ,he urges us by every consideration1 and presses and warns us by every interest4 ,he points us to ,his own ,son1 turned over to us for our good1 as ,his pledge that prayer will be answered1 teaching us that ,god is our ,father1 able to do all things for us and to give all things to us1 much more than earthly parents are able or willing to do for their children4 ,let us thoroughly understand ourselves and understand1 also1 this great business of prayer4 ,our one great business is prayer1 and we will never do it well without we fasten to it by all binding force4 ,we will never do it well without arranging the best conditions of doing it well4 ,satan has suffered so much by good praying that all his wily1 shrewd and ensnaring devices will be used to cripple its performances4 ,we must1 by all the fastenings we can find1 cable ourselves to prayer4 ,to be loose in time and place is to open the door to ,satan4 ,to be exact1 prompt1 unswerving1 and careful in even the little things1 is to buttress ourselves against the ,evil ,one4 ,prayer1 by ,god's very oath1 is put in the very stones of ,god's foundations1 as eternal as its companion1 8,and men shall pray for him continually40 ,this is the eternal condition which advances ,his cause1 and makes it powerfully aggressive4 ,men are to always pray for it4 ,its strength1 beauty and aggression lie in their prayers4 ,its power lies simply in its power to pray4 ,no power is found elsewhere but in its ability to pray4 8,for my house shall be called the house of prayer for all people40 ,it is based on prayer1 and carried on by the same means4 ,prayer is a privilege1 a sacred1 princely privilege4 ,prayer is a duty1 an obligation most binding1 and most imperative1 which should hold us to it4 ,but prayer is more than a privilege1 more than a duty4 ,it is a means1 an instrument1 a condition4 ,not to pray is to lose much more than to fail in the exercise and enjoyment of a high1 or sweet privilege4 ,not to pray is to fail along lines far more important than even the violation of an obligation4 ,prayer is the appointed condition of getting ,god's aid4 ,this aid is as manifold and illimitable as ,god's ability1 and as varied and exhaustless is this aid as man's need4 ,prayer is the avenue through which ,god supplies man's wants4 ,prayer is the channel through which all good flows from ,god to man1 and all good from men to men4 ,god is the ,christian's father4 ,asking and giving are in that relation4 ,man is the one more immediately concerned in this great work of praying4 ,it ennobles man's reason to employ it in prayer4 ,the office and work of prayer is the divinest engagement of man's reason4 ,prayer makes man's reason to shine4 ,intelligence of the highest order approves prayer4 ,he is the wisest man who prays the most and the best4 ,prayer is the school of wisdom as well as of piety4 ,prayer is not a picture to handle1 to admire1 to look at4 ,it is not beauty1 coloring1 shape1 attitude1 imagination1 or genius4 ,these things do not pertain to its character or conduct4 ,it is not poetry nor music4 ,its inspiration and melody come from ,heaven4 ,prayer belongs to the spirit1 and at times it possesses the spirit and stirs the spirit with high and holy purposes and resolves4 ,,ii ,,prayer--,,fills ,,man',s ,,poverty ,,with ,,god',s ,,riches ,for two hours ,i struggled on1 forsaken of ,god1 and met neither ,god nor man1 all one chilly afternoon4 ,when at last1 standing still and looking at ,schiehallion clothed in white from top to bottom1 this of ,david shot up into my heart3 8,wash me1 and ,i shall be whiter than snow60 ,in a moment ,i was with ,god1 or rather ,god was with me4 ,i walked home with my heart in a flame of fire4 --,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,we have much fine writing and learned talk about the subjective benefits of prayer2 how prayer secures its full measure of results1 not by affecting ,god1 but by affecting us1 by becoming a training school for those who pray4 ,we are taught by such teachers that the province of prayer is not to get1 but to train4 ,prayer thus becomes a mere performance1 a drill-sergeant1 a school1 in which patience1 tranquility and dependence are taught4 ,in this school1 denial of prayer is the most valuable teacher4 ,how well all this may look1 and how reasonable soever it may seem1 there is nothing of it in the ,bible4 ,the clear and oft-repeated language of the ,bible is that prayer is to be answered by ,god2 that ,god occupies the relation of a father to us1 and that as ,father ,he gives to us when we ask the things for which we ask4 ,the best praying1 therefore1 is the praying that gets an answer4 ,the possibilities and necessity of prayer are graven in the eternal foundations of the ,gospel4 ,the relation that is established between the ,father and the ,son and the decreed covenant between the two1 has prayer as the base of its existence1 and the conditions of the advance and success of the ,gospel4 ,prayer is the condition by which all foes are to be overcome and all the inheritance is to be possessed4 ,these are axiomatic truths1 though they may be very homely ones4 ,but these are the times when ,bible axioms need to be stressed1 pressed1 iterated and reiterated4 ,the very air is rife with influences1 practices and theories which sap foundations1 and the most veritable truths and the most self-evident axioms go down by insidious and invisible attacks4 ,more than this3 the tendency of these times is to an ostentatious parade of doing1 which enfeebles the life and dissipates the spirit of praying4 ,there may be kneeling1 and there may be standing in prayerful attitude4 ,there may be much bowing of the head1 and yet there may be no serious1 real praying4 ,prayer is real work4 ,praying is vital work4 ,prayer has in its keeping the very heart of worship4 ,there may be the exhibit1 the circumstance1 and the pomp of praying1 and yet no real praying4 ,there may be much attitude1 gesture1 and verbiage1 but no praying4 ,who can approach into ,god's presence in prayer8 ,who can come before the great ,god1 ,maker of all worlds1 the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who holds in ,his hands all good1 and who is all powerful and able to do all things8 ,man's approach to this great ,god--what lowliness1 what truth1 what cleanness of hands1 and purity of heart is needed and demanded6 ,definition of prayer scarcely belongs to ,bible range at any point4 ,everywhere we are impressed that it is more important and urgent that men pray1 than that they be skilled in the homiletic didactics of prayer4 ,that is a thing of the heart1 not of the schools4 ,it is more of feeling than of words4 ,praying is the best school in which to learn to pray1 prayer the best dictionary to define the art and nature of praying4 ,we repeat and reiterate4 ,prayer is not a mere habit1 riveted by custom and memory1 something which must be gone through with1 its value depending upon the decency and perfection of the performance4 ,prayer is not a duty which must be performed1 to ease obligation and to quiet conscience4 ,prayer is not mere privilege1 a sacred indulgence to be taken advantage of1 at leisure1 at pleasure1 at will1 and no serious loss attending its omission4 ,prayer is a solemn service due to ,god1 an adoration1 a worship1 an approach to ,god for some request1 the presenting of some desire1 the expression of some need to ,him1 who supplies all need1 and who satisfies all desires2 who1 as a ,father1 finds ,his greatest pleasure in relieving the wants and granting the desires of ,his children4 ,prayer is the child's request1 not to the winds nor to the world1 but to the ,father4 ,prayer is the outstretched arms of the child for the ,father's help4 ,prayer is the child's cry calling to the ,father's ear1 the ,father's heart1 and to the ,father's ability1 which the ,father is to hear1 the ,father is to feel1 and which the ,father is to relieve4 ,prayer is the seeking of ,god's great and greatest good1 which will not come if we do not pray4 ,prayer is an ardent and believing cry to ,god for some specific thing4 ,god's rule is to answer by giving the specific thing asked for4 ,with it may come much of other gifts and graces4 ,strength1 serenity1 sweetness1 and faith may come as the bearers of the gifts4 ,but even they come because ,god hears and answers prayer4 ,we do but follow the plain letter and spirit of the ,bible when we affirm that ,god answers prayer1 and answers by giving us the very things we desire1 and that the withholding of that which we desire and the giving of something else is not the rule1 but rare and exceptional4 ,when ,his children cry for bread ,he gives them bread4 ,revelation does not deal in philosophical subtleties1 nor verbal niceties and hair-splitting distinctions4 ,it unfolds relationships1 declares principles1 and enforces duties4 ,the heart must define1 the experience must realise4 ,paul came on the stage too late to define prayer4 ,that which had been so well done by patriarchs and prophets needed no return to dictionaries4 ,christ is ,himself the illustration and definition of prayer4 ,he prayed as man had never prayed4 ,he put prayer on a higher basis1 with grander results and simpler being than it had ever known4 ,he taught ,paul how to pray by the revelation of ,himself1 which is the first call to prayer1 and the first lesson in praying4 ,prayer1 like love1 is too ethereal and too heavenly to be held in the gross arms of chilly definitions4 ,it belongs to ,heaven1 and to the heart1 and not to words and ideas only4 ,prayer is no petty invention of man1 a fancied relief for fancied ills4 ,prayer is no dreary performance1 dead and death-dealing1 but is ,god's enabling act for man1 living and life-giving1 joy and joy-giving4 ,prayer is the contact of a living soul with ,god4 ,in prayer1 ,god stoops to kiss man1 to bless man1 and to aid man in everything that ,god can devise or man can need4 ,prayer fills man's emptiness with ,god's fullness4 ,it fills man's poverty with ,god's riches4 ,it puts away man's weakness with ,god's strength4 ,it banishes man's littleness with ,god's greatness4 ,prayer is ,god's plan to supply man's great and continuous need with ,god's great and continuous abundance4 ,what is this prayer to which men are called8 ,it is not a mere form1 a child's play4 ,it is serious1 difficult work1 the manliest1 the mightiest work1 the divinest work which man can do4 ,prayer lifts men out of the earthliness and links them with the heavenly4 ,men are never nearer ,heaven1 nearer ,god1 never more ,god-like1 never in deeper sympathy and truer partnership with ,jesus ,christ1 than when praying4 ,love1 philanthropy1 holy affiances1--all of them helpful and tender for men--are born and perfected by prayer4 ,prayer is not merely a question of duty1 but of salvation4 ,are men saved who are not men of prayer8 ,is not the gift1 the inclination1 the habit of prayer1 one of the elements or characteristics of salvation8 ,can it be possible to be in affinity with ,jesus ,christ and not be prayerful8 ,is it possible to have the ,holy ,spirit and not have the spirit of prayer8 ,can one have the new birth and not be born to prayer8 ,is not the life of the ,spirit and the life of prayer cordinate and consistent8 ,can brotherly love be in the heart which is unschooled in prayer8 ,we have two kinds of prayer named in the ,new ,testament--prayer and supplication4 ,prayer denotes prayer in general4 ,supplication is a more intense and more special form of prayer4 ,these two1 supplication and prayer1 ought to be combined4 ,then we would have devotion in its widest and sweetest form1 and supplication with its most earnest and personal sense of need4 ,in ,paul's ,prayer ,directory1 found in the sixth chapter of ,ephesians1 we are taught to be always in prayer1 as we are always in the battle4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is to be sought by intense supplication1 and our supplications are to be charged by ,his vitalising1 illuminating and ennobling energy4 ,watchfulness is to fit us for this intense praying and intense fighting4 ,perseverance is an essential element in successful praying1 as in every other realm of conflict4 ,the saints universal are to be helped on to victory by the aid of our prayers4 ,apostolic courage1 ability and success are to be gained by the prayers of the soldier saints everywhere4 ,it is only those of deep and true vision who can administer prayer4 ,these 8,living ,creatures10 in ,revelation #d3f1 are described as 8full of eyes before and behind10 8full of eyes within40 ,eyes are for seeing4 ,clearness1 intensity1 and perfection of sight are in it4 ,vigilance and profound insight are in it1 the faculty of knowing4 ,it is by prayer that the eyes of our hearts are opened4 ,clear1 profound knowledge of the mysteries of grace is secured by prayer4 ,these 8,living ,creatures0 had eyes 8within and without40 ,they were 8full of eyes40 ,the highest form of life is intelligent4 ,ignorance is degrading and low1 in the spiritual realm as it is in other realms4 ,prayer gives us eyes to see ,god4 ,prayer is seeing ,god4 ,the prayer life is knowledge without and within4 ,all vigilance without1 all vigilance within4 ,there can be no intelligent prayer without knowledge within4 ,our inner condition and our inner needs must be felt and known4 ,it takes prayer to minister4 ,it takes life1 the highest form of life1 to minister4 ,prayer is the highest intelligence1 the profoundest wisdom1 the most vital1 the most joyous1 the most efficacious1 the most powerful of all vocations4 ,it is life1 radiant1 transporting1 eternal life4 ,away with dry forms1 with dead1 cold habits of prayer6 ,away with sterile routine1 with senseless performances and petty playthings in prayer6 ,let us get at the serious work1 the chief business of men1 that of prayer4 ,let us work at it skillfully4 ,let us seek to be adepts in this great work of praying4 ,let us be master-workmen1 in this high art of praying4 ,let us be so in the habit of prayer1 so devoted to prayer1 so filled with its rich spices1 so ardent by its holy flame1 that all ,heaven and earth will be perfumed by its aroma1 and nations yet in the womb will be blest by our prayers4 ,heaven will be fuller and brighter in glorious inhabitants1 earth will be better prepared for its bridal day1 and hell robbed of many of its victims1 because we have lived to pray4 ,there is not only a sad and ruinous neglect of any attempt to pray1 but there is an immense waste in the seeming praying which is done1 as official praying1 state praying1 mere habit praying4 ,men cleave to the form and semblance of a thing after the heart and reality have gone out of it4 ,this finds illustrations in many who seem to pray4 ,formal praying has a strong hold and a strong following4 ,hannah's statement to ,eli and her defense against his charge of hypocrisy was3 8,i have poured out my soul before the ,lord40 ,god's serious promise to the ,jews was1 8,then shall ye call upon me1 and ye shall go and pray unto me1 and ,i will hearken unto you4 ,and ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart40 ,let all the present day praying be measured by these standards1 8,pouring out the soul before ,god10 and 8,seeking with all the heart10 and how much of it will be found to be mere form1 waste1 worthless4 ,james says of ,elijah that he 8prayed with prayer40 ,in ,paul's directions to ,timothy about prayer1 7,i ,tim4 #a3h7 we have a comprehensive verbal description of prayer in its different departments1 or varied manifestations4 ,they are all in the plural form1 supplications1 prayers and intercessions4 ,they declare the many-sidedness1 the endless diversity1 and the necessity of going beyond the formal simplicity of a single prayer1 and press and add prayer upon prayer1 supplication to supplication1 intercession over and over again1 until the combined force of prayers in their most superlative modes1 unite their aggregation and pressure with cumulative power to our praying4 ,the unlimited superlative and the unlimited plural are the only measures of prayer4 ,the one term of 8prayer0 is the common and comprehensive one for the act1 the duty1 the spirit1 and the service we call prayer4 ,it is the condensed statement of worship4 ,the heavenly worship does not have the element of prayer so conspicuous4 ,prayer is the conspicuous1 all-important essence and the all-colouring ingredient of earthly worship1 while praise is the pre-eminent1 comprehensive1 all-colouring1 all-inspiring element of the heavenly worship4 ,,iii ,,prayer--,,the ,,all-,,important ,,essence ,,of ,,earthly ,,worship ,where the spiritual consciousness is concerned--the department which asks the question and demands the evidence--no evidence is competent or relevant except such as is spiritual4 ,only that which is above matter and above logic can be heard1 because the very question at issue is the existence and personality of a spiritual and supernatural ,god4 ,only the ,spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit4 ,this must be done in a spiritual or supernatural way1 or it cannot be done at all4--,c4 ,l4 ,,chilton4 ,the ,jewish law and the prophets know something of ,god as a ,father4 ,occasional and imperfect1 yet comforting glimpses they had of the great truth of ,god's ,fatherhood1 and of our sonship4 ,christ lays the foundation of prayer deep and strong with this basic principle4 ,the law of prayer1 the right to pray1 rests on sonship4 8,our ,father0 brings us into the closest relationship to ,god4 ,prayer is the child's approach1 the child's plea1 the child's right4 ,it is the law of prayer that looks up1 that lifts up the eye to 8,our ,father1 ,who art in ,heaven40 ,our ,father's house is our home in ,heaven4 ,heavenly citizenship and heavenly homesickness are in prayer4 ,prayer is an appeal from the lowness1 from the emptiness1 from the need of earth1 to the highness1 the fullness and to the all-sufficiency of ,heaven4 ,prayer turns the eye and the heart heavenward with a child's longings1 a child's trust and a child's expectancy4 ,to hallow ,god's ,name1 to speak it with bated breath1 to hold it sacredly1 this also belongs to prayer4 ,in this connection it might be said that it is requisite to dictate to children the necessity of prayer in order to their salvation4 ,but alas6 ,unhappily it is thought sufficient to tell them there is a ,heaven and a hell2 that they must avoid the latter place and seek to reach the former4 ,yet they are not taught the easiest way to arrive at salvation4 ,the only way to ,heaven is by the route of prayer1 such prayer of the heart which every one is capable of4 ,it is prayer1 not of reasonings which are the fruits of study1 or of the exercise of the imagination1 which fills the mind with wondering objects1 but which fails to settle salvation1 but the simple1 confidential prayer of the child to his ,father in ,heaven4 ,poverty of spirit enters into true praying4 8,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for theirs is the kingdom of ,heaven40 8,the poor0 means paupers1 beggars1 those who live on the bounties of others1 who live by begging4 ,christ's people live by asking4 8,prayer is the ,christian's vital breath40 ,it is his affluent inheritance1 his daily annuity4 ,in ,his own example1 ,christ illustrates the nature and necessity of prayer4 ,everywhere ,he declares that he who is on ,god's mission in this world will pray4 ,he is an illustrious example of the principle that the more devoted the man is to ,god1 the more prayerful will he be4 ,the diviner the man1 the more of the ,spirit of the ,father and of the ,son he has1 the more prayerful will he be4 ,and1 conversely1 it is true that the more prayerful he is1 the more of the ,spirit of the ,father and of the ,son will he receive4 ,the great events and crowning periods of the life of ,jesus we find ,him in prayer--at the beginning of ,his ministry1 at the fords of the ,jordan1 when the ,holy ,spirit descended upon ,him2 just prior to the transfiguration1 and in the garden of ,gethsemane4 ,well do the words of ,peter come in here3 8,leaving us an example that ye should follow ,his steps40 ,there is an important principle of prayer found in some of the miracles of ,christ4 ,it is the progressive nature of the answer to prayer4 ,not at once does ,god always give the full answer to prayer1 but rather progressively1 step by step4 ,mark 7#h3bb7 describes a case which illustrates this important truth1 too often overlooked3 8,and he cometh to ,bethsaida2 and they bring a blind man unto him1 and besought him to touch him4 8,and he took the blind man by the hand1 and led him out of the town2 and when he had spit on his eyes1 and put ,his hands upon him1 he asked him if he saw aught4 8,and he looked up1 and said1 #8,i see men as trees1 walking4' 8,after that he put his hands again upon his eyes1 and made him look up2 and he was restored1 and saw every man clearly40 ,alone ,he has to take us at times1 aside from the world1 where ,he can have us all to ,himself1 and there speak to and deal with us4 ,we have three cures in blindness in the life of our ,lord1 which illustrate the nature of ,god's working in answering prayer1 and show the exhaustless variety and the omnipotence of ,his working4 ,in the first case ,christ came incidentally on a blind man at ,jerusalem1 made clay1 softened it by spittle1 and smeared it on the eyes and then commanded the man to go and wash in the pool of ,siloam4 ,the gracious results lay at the end of his action--washing4 ,the failure to go and wash would have been fatal to the cure4 ,no one1 not even the blind man1 in this instance1 requested the cure4 ,in the second case the parties who bring the blind man1 back their bringing with earnest prayer for cure2 they beseech ,christ to simply touch him1 as though their faith would relieve the burden of a heavy operation4 ,but ,he took the man by the hand and led him out of the town and apart from the people4 ,alone1 and in secret1 this work was to be done4 ,he spat on his eyes and put his hands on them4 ,the response was not complete1 a dawning of light1 a partial recovery2 the first gracious communication but gave him a disordered vision1 the second stroke perfected the cure4 ,the man's submissive faith in giving himself up to ,christ to be led away into privacy and alone1 were prominent features of the cure1 as also the gradual reception of sight1 and the necessity of a second stroke to finish the perfect work4 ,the third was the case of blind ,bartimus4 ,it was the urgency of faith declaring itself in clamourous utterances1 rebuked by those who were following ,christ1 but intensified and emboldened by opposition4 ,the first case comes on ,christ unawares2 the second was brought with specific intent to ,him2 the last goes after ,christ with irresistible urgency1 met by the resistance of the multitude and the seeming indifference of ,christ4 ,the cure1 though1 was without the interposition of any agent1 no taking by the hand1 no gentle or severe touch1 no spittle1 nor clay1 nor washing--a word only and his sight1 full-orbed1 came instantly4 ,each one had experienced the same divine power1 the same blessed results1 but with marked diversity in the expression of their faith and the mode of their cure4 ,suppose1 at their meeting1 the first had set up the particulars and process of his cure1 the spittle1 the clay1 the washing in ,siloam as the only ,divine process1 as the only genuine credentials of a ,divine work1 how far from the truth1 how narrow and misleading such a standard of decision6 ,not methods1 but results1 are the tests of the ,divine work4 ,each one could say3 8,this one thing ,i know1 whereas ,i was blind ,i now see40 ,the results were conscious results2 that ,christ did the work they knew2 faith was the instrument1 but its exercise different2 the method of ,christ's working different2 the various steps that brought them to the gracious end on their part and on ,his part at many points strikingly dissimilar4 ,what are the limitations of prayer8 ,how far do its benefits and possibilities reach8 ,what part of ,god's dealing with man1 and with man's world1 is unaffected by prayer8 ,do the possibilities of prayer cover all temporal and spiritual good8 ,the answers to these questions are of transcendental importance4 ,the answer will gauge the effort and results of our praying4 ,the answer will greatly enhance the value of prayer1 or will greatly depress prayer4 ,the answer to these important questions are fully covered by ,paul's words on prayer3 8,be careful for nothing1 but in everything1 by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god0 7,phil4 #d3f74 ,,iv ,,god ,,has ,,everything ,,to ,,do ,,with ,,prayer ,christ is all4 ,we are complete in ,him4 ,he is the answer to every need1 the perfect ,savior4 ,he needs no decoration to heighten ,his beauty1 no prop to increase ,his stability1 no girding to perfect ,his strength4 ,who can gild refined gold1 whiten the snow1 perfume the rose or heighten the colors of the summer sunset8 ,who will prop the mountains or help the great deep8 ,it is not ,christ and philosophy1 nor ,christ and money1 nor civilization1 nor diplomacy1 nor science1 nor organization4 ,it is ,christ alone4 ,he trod the winepress alone4 ,his own arm brought salvation4 ,he is enough4 ,he is the comfort1 the strength1 the wisdom1 the righteousness1 the sanctification of all men4--,c4 ,l4 ,,chilton4 ,prayer is ,god's business to which men can attend4 ,prayer is ,god's necessary business1 which men only can do1 and that men must do4 ,men who belong to ,god are obliged to pray4 ,they are not obliged to grow rich1 nor to make money4 ,they are not obliged to have large success in business4 ,these are incidental1 occasional1 merely nominal1 as far as integrity to ,heaven and loyalty to ,god are concerned4 ,material successes are immaterial to ,god4 ,men are neither better nor worse with those things or without them4 ,they are not sources of reputation nor elements of character in the heavenly estimates4 ,but to pray1 to really pray1 is the source of revenue1 the basis of reputation1 and the element of character in the estimation of ,god4 ,men are obliged to pray as they are obliged to be religious4 ,prayer is loyalty to ,god4 ,non-praying is to reject ,christ and to abandon ,heaven4 ,a life of prayer is the only life which ,heaven counts4 ,god is vitally concerned that men should pray4 ,men are bettered by prayer1 and the world is bettered by praying4 ,god does ,his best work for the world through prayer4 ,god's greatest glory and man's highest good are secured by prayer4 ,prayer forms the godliest men and makes the godliest world4 ,god's promises lie like giant corpses without life1 only for decay and dust unless men appropriate and vivify these promises by earnest and prevailing prayer4 ,promise is like the unsown seed1 the germ of life in it1 but the soil and culture of prayer are necessary to germinate and culture the seed4 ,prayer is ,god's life-giving breath4 ,god's purposes move along the pathway made by prayer to their glorious designs4 ,god's purposes are always moving to their high and benignant ends1 but the movement is along the way marked by unceasing prayer4 ,the breath of prayer in man is from ,god4 ,god has everything to do with prayer1 as well as everything to do with the one who prays4 ,to him who prays1 and as he prays1 the hour is sacred because it is ,god's hour4 ,the occasion is sacred because it is the occasion of the soul's approach to ,god1 and of dealing with ,god4 ,no hour is more hallowed because it is the occasion of the soul's mightiest approach to ,god1 and of the fullest revelation from ,god4 ,men are ,godlike and men are blessed1 just as the hour of prayer has the most of ,god in it4 ,prayer makes and measures the approach of ,god4 ,he knows not ,god who knows not how to pray4 ,he has never seen ,god whose eye has not been couched for ,god in the closet4 ,god's vision place is the closet4 ,his dwelling place is in secret4 8,he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most ,high shall abide under the shadow of the ,almighty40 ,he has never studied ,god who has not had his intellect broadened1 strengthened1 clarified and uplifted by prayer4 ,almighty ,god commands prayer1 ,god waits on prayer to order ,his ways1 and ,god delights in prayer4 ,to ,god1 prayer is what the incense was to the ,jewish ,temple4 ,it impregnates everything1 perfumes everything and sweetens everything4 ,the possibilities of prayer cover the whole purposes of ,god through ,christ4 ,god conditions all gifts in all dispensations to ,his ,son on prayer3 8,ask of me10 saith ,god the ,father to the ,son1 as that ,son was moving earthward on the stupendous enterprise for a world's salvation1 8and ,i will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession40 ,hinging on prayer were all the means and results and successes of that wonderful and ,divine movement for man's salvation4 ,broad and profound1 mysterious and wonderful was the scheme4 ,the answer to prayer is assured not only by the promises of ,god1 but by ,god's relation to us as a ,father4 8,but thou1 when thou prayest1 enter into thy closet1 and when thou has shut thy door1 pray to thy ,father1 which is in secret2 and thy ,father1 which seeth in secret1 shall reward thee openly40 ,again1 we have these words3 8,if ye1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,father1 which is in heaven1 give good things to them that ask him80 ,god encourages us to pray1 not only by the certainty of the answer1 but by the munificence of the promise1 and the bounty of the ,giver4 ,how princely the promise6 8,all things whatsoever40 ,and when we superadd to that 8whatsoever0 the promise which covers all things and everything1 without qualification1 exception or limitation1 8anything10 this is to expand and make minute and specific the promise4 ,the challenge of ,god to us is 8,call unto me1 and ,i will answer thee1 and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not40 ,this includes1 like the answer to ,solomon's prayer1 that which was specifically prayed for1 but embraces vastly more of great value and of great necessity4 ,almighty ,god seems to fear we will hesitate to ask largely1 apprehensive that we will strain ,his ability4 ,he declares that ,he is 8able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think40 ,he almost paralyses us by giving us a carte blanche1 8,ask of me things to come concerning my sons1 and concerning the work of my hands1 command ye me40 ,how ,he charges1 commands and urges us to pray6 ,he goes beyond promise and says3 8,behold my ,son6 ,i have given ,him to you40 8,he that spared not his own ,son1 but delivered him up for us all1 how shall he not with him freely give us all things80 ,god gave us all things in prayer by promise because ,he had given us all things in ,his ,son4 ,amazing gift--,his ,son6 ,prayer is as illimitable as ,his own ,blessed ,son4 ,there is nothing on earth nor in ,heaven1 for time or eternity1 that ,god's ,son did not secure for us4 ,by prayer ,god gives us the vast and matchless inheritance which is ours by virtue of ,his ,son4 ,god charges us to 8come boldly to the throne of grace40 ,god is glorified and ,christ is honoured by large asking4 ,that which is true of the promises of ,god is equally true of the purposes of ,god4 ,we might say that ,god does nothing without prayer4 ,his most gracious purposes are conditioned on prayer4 ,his marvelous promises in the thirty-sixth chapter of ,ezekiel are subject to this qualification and condition3 8,thus saith the ,lord ,god3 ,i will yet for this be inquired of by the house of ,israel to do it for them40 ,in the second ,psalm the purposes of ,god to ,his enthroned ,christ are decreed on prayer1 as has been previously quoted4 ,that decree which promises to ,him the heathen for ,his inheritance relies on prayer for its fulfillment3 8,ask of me40 ,we see how sadly the decree has failed in its operation1 not because of the weakness of ,god's purpose1 but by the weakness of man's praying4 ,it takes ,god's mighty decree and man's mighty praying to bring to pass these glorious results4 ,in the seventy-second ,psalm1 we have an insight into the mighty potencies of prayer as the force which ,god moves on the conquest of ,christ3 8,prayer shall be made for him continually40 ,in this statement ,christ's movements are put into the hands of prayer4 ,when ,christ1 with a sad and sympathising heart1 looked upon the ripened fields of humanity1 and saw the great need of labourers1 ,his purposes were for more labourers1 and so ,he charged them1 8,pray ye therefore the ,lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest40 ,in ,ephesians1 chapter three1 ,paul reminds those believers of the eternal purposes of ,god1 and how he was bowing his knees to ,god in order that that eternal purpose might be accomplished1 and also that they 8might be filled with all the fullness of ,god40 ,we see in ,job how ,god conditioned ,his purposes for ,job's three friends on ,job's praying1 and ,god's purposes in regard to ,job were brought about by the same means4 ,in the first part of ,revelation1 7chapter eight7 the relation and necessity of saintly prayers to ,god's plans and operations in executing the salvation of men is set forth in rich1 expressive symbol1 wherein the angels have to do with the prayers of the saints4 ,prayer gives efficiency and utility to the promises4 ,the mighty ongoing of ,god's purposes rests on prayer4 ,the representatives of the ,church in ,heaven and of all creation before the throne of ,god 8have every one of them golden vials of odours which are the prayers of the saints40 ,we have said before1 and repeat it1 that prayer is based not simply upon a promise1 but on a relationship4 ,the returning penitent sinner prays on a promise4 ,the child of ,god prays on the relation of a child4 ,what the father has belongs to the child for present and prospective uses4 ,the child asks1 the father gives4 ,the relationship is one of asking and answering1 of giving and receiving4 ,the child is dependent upon the father1 must look to the father1 must ask of the father1 and must receive of the father4 ,we know how with earthly parents asking and giving belong to this relation1 and how in the very act of asking and giving1 the relationship of parent and child is cemented1 sweetened and enriched4 ,the parent finds his wealth of pleasure and satisfaction in giving to an obedient child1 and the child finds his wealth in the father's loving and continuous giving4 ,prayer affects ,god more powerfully than ,his own purposes4 ,god's will1 words and purposes are all subject to review when the mighty potencies of prayer come in4 ,how mighty prayer is with ,god may be seen as he readily sets aside ,his own fixed and declared purposes in answer to prayer4 ,the whole plan of salvation had been blocked had ,jesus ,christ prayed for the twelve legions of angels to carry dismay and ruin to ,his enemies4 ,the fasting and prayers of the ,ninevites changed ,god's purposes to destroy that wicked city1 after ,jonah had gone there and cried unto the people1 8,yet forty days and ,nineveh shall be destroyed40 ,almighty ,god is concerned in our praying4 ,he wills it1 ,he commands it1 ,he inspires it4 ,jesus ,christ in ,heaven is ever praying4 ,prayer is ,his law and ,his life4 ,the ,holy ,spirit teaches us how to pray4 ,he prays for us 8with groanings which cannot be uttered40 ,all these show the deep concern of ,god in prayer4 ,it discloses very clearly how vital it is to ,his work in this world1 and how far-reaching are its possibilities4 ,prayer forms the very center of the heart and will of ,god concerning men4 8,rejoice evermore1 pray without ceasing1 and in everything give thanks4 ,for this is the will of ,god in ,christ ,jesus concerning you40 ,prayer is the pole star around which rejoicing and thanksgiving revolve4 ,prayer is the heart sending its full and happy pulsations up to ,god through the glad currents of joy and thanksgiving4 ,by prayer ,god's ,name is hallowed4 ,by prayer ,god's kingdom comes4 ,by prayer is ,his kingdom established in power and made to move with conquering force swifter than the light4 ,by prayer ,god's will is done till earth rivals ,heaven in harmony and beauty4 ,by prayer daily toil is sanctified and enriched1 and pardon is secured1 and ,satan is defeated4 ,prayer concerns ,god1 and concerns man in every way4 ,god has nothing too good to give in answer to prayer4 ,there is no vengeance pronounced by ,god so dire which does not yield to prayer4 ,there is no justice so flaming that is not quenched by prayer4 ,take the record and attitude of ,heaven against ,saul of ,tarsus4 ,that attitude is changed and that record is erased when the astonishing condition is announced1 8,behold he prayeth40 ,the recreant ,jonah is alive1 and on dry ground1 with scarce the taste of the sea or the smell of its weeds about him1 as he prays4 8,out of the belly of hell cried ,i1 and thou heardst my voice40 8,the waters compassed me about1 even to the soul2 the depth closed me round about1 the weeds were wrapped about my head4 8,i went down to the bottoms of the mountains2 the earth with her bars was about me for ever2 yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption1 ,o ,lord my ,god4 8,when my soul fainted within me ,i remembered the ,lord3 and my prayer came in unto thee1 into thine holy temple4 8,and the ,lord spake unto the fish1 and it vomited out ,jonah upon the dry land40 ,prayer has all the force of ,god in it4 ,prayer can get anything which ,god has4 ,thus prayer has all of its plea and its claim in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and there is nothing too good or great for ,god to give that name4 ,it must be borne in mind that there is no test surer than this thing of prayer of our being in the family of ,god4 ,god's children pray4 ,they repose in ,him for all things4 ,they ask ,him for all things--for everything4 ,the faith of the child in the father is evinced by the child's asking4 ,it is the answer to prayer which convinces men not only that there is a ,god1 but that ,he is a ,god who concerns ,himself about men1 and about the affairs of this world4 ,answered prayer brings ,god nigh1 and assures men of ,his being4 ,answered prayer is the credentials of our relation to and our representative of ,him4 ,men cannot represent ,god who do not get answers to prayer from ,him4 ,the possibilities of prayer are found in the illimitable promise1 the willingness and the power of ,god to answer prayer1 to answer all prayer1 to answer every prayer1 and to supply fully the illimitable need of man4 ,none are so needy as man1 none are so able and anxious to supply every need and any need as ,god4 ,preaching should no more fully declare and fulfill the will of ,god for the salvation of all men1 than should the prayers of ,god's saints declare the same great truth1 as they wrestle in their closet for this sublime end4 ,god's heart is set on the salvation of all men4 ,this concerns ,god4 ,he has declared this in the death of ,his ,son by an unspeakable voice1 and every movement on earth for this end pleases ,god4 ,and so ,he declares that our prayers for the salvation of all men are well pleasing in ,his sight4 ,the sublime and holy inspiration of pleasing ,god should ever move us to prayer for all men4 ,god eyes the closet1 and nothing we can do pleases ,him better than our large-hearted1 ardent praying for all men4 ,it is the embodiment and test of our devotion to ,god's will and of our sympathetic loyalty to ,god4 ,in ,i ,tim4 #b3ac the apostle ,paul does not descend to a low plane1 but presses the necessity of prayer by the most forceful facts4 ,jesus ,christ1 a man1 the ,god-man1 the highest illustration of manhood1 is the ,mediator between ,god and man4 ,jesus ,christ1 this ,divine man1 died for all men4 ,his life is but an intercession for all men4 ,his death is but a prayer for all men4 ,on earth1 ,jesus ,christ knew no higher law1 no holier business1 no diviner life1 than to plead for men4 ,in ,heaven ,he knows no more royal estate1 no higher theme1 than to intercede for men4 ,on earth ,he lived and prayed and died for men4 ,his life1 ,his death and ,his exaltation in ,heaven all plead for men4 ,is there any work1 higher work for the disciple to do than ,his ,lord did8 ,is there any loftier employment1 more honourable1 more divine1 than to pray for men8 ,to take their woes1 their sins1 and their perils before ,god2 to be one with ,christ8 ,to break the thrall which binds them1 the hell which holds them and lift them to immortality and eternal life8 ,v ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,the ,,divine ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer ,a friend of mine in his journey is come to me1 and ,i have nothing to set before him6 ,he knocks again4 8,friend6 lend me three loaves40 ,he waits a while and then knocks again4 8,friend6 ,i must have three loaves60 8,trouble me not3 the door is now shut2 ,i cannot rise and give thee60 ,he stands still4 ,he turns to go home4 ,he comes back4 ,he knocks again4 8,friend60 he cries4 ,he puts his ear to the door4 ,there is a sound inside1 and then the light of a candle shines through the hole of the door4 ,the bars of the door are drawn back1 and he gets not three loaves only1 but as many as he needs4 8,and ,i say unto you1 ,ask and it shall be given you2 seek and ye shall find2 knock and it shall be opened unto you40 --,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,jesus ,christ was the ,divine ,teacher of prayer4 ,its power and nature had been illustrated by many a saint and prophet in olden times1 but modern sainthood and modern teachers of prayer had lost their inspiration and life4 ,religiously dead1 teachers and superficial ecclesiastics had forgotten what it was to pray4 ,they did much of saying prayers1 on state occasions1 in public1 with much ostentation and parade1 but pray they did not4 ,to them it was almost a lost practice4 ,in the multiplicity of saying prayers they had lost the art of praying4 ,the history of the disciples during the earthly life of our ,lord was not marked with much devotion4 ,they were much enamoured by their personal association with ,christ4 ,they were charmed by ,his words1 excited by ,his miracles1 and were entertained and concerned by the hopes which a selfish interest aroused in ,his person and mission4 ,taken up with the superficial and worldly views of ,his character1 they neglected and overlooked the deeper and weightier things which belonged to ,him and ,his mission4 ,the neglect of the most obliging and ordinary duties by them was a noticeable feature in their conduct4 ,so evident and singular was their conduct in this regard1 that it became a matter of grave inquiry on one occasion and severe chiding on another4 8,and they said unto him1 ,why do the disciples of ,john fast often1 and make prayers1 and likewise the disciples of the ,pharisees2 but thine eat and drink8 ,and he said unto them1 ,can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast1 while the bridegroom is with them8 ,but the days will come1 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them1 and then shall they fast in those days40 ,in the example and the teaching of ,jesus ,christ1 prayer assumes its normal relation to ,god's person1 ,god's movements and ,god's ,son4 ,jesus ,christ was essentially the teacher of prayer by precept and example4 ,we have glimpses of ,his praying which1 like indices1 tell how full of prayer the pages1 chapters and volumes of ,his life were4 ,the epitome which covers not one segment only1 but the whole circle of ,his life1 and character1 is pre-eminently that of prayer6 8,in the days of his flesh10 the ,divine record reads1 8when he had offered up prayers and supplications1 with strong crying and tears40 ,the suppliant of all suppliants ,he was1 the intercessor of all intercessors4 ,in lowliest form ,he approached ,god1 and with strongest pleas ,he prayed and supplicated4 ,jesus ,christ teaches the importance of prayer by ,his urgency to ,his disciples to pray4 ,but ,he shows us more than that4 ,he shows how far prayer enters into the purposes of ,god4 ,we must ever keep in mind that the relation of ,jesus ,christ to ,god is the relation of asking and giving1 the ,son ever asking1 the ,father ever giving4 ,we must never forget that ,god has put the conquering1 inheriting and expanding forces of ,christ's cause in prayer4 8,ask of me1 and ,i will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance1 and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession40 ,this was the clause embodying the royal proclamation and the universal condition when the ,son was enthroned as the world's ,mediator1 and when ,he was sent on ,his mission of receiving grace and power4 ,we very naturally learn from this how ,jesus would stress praying as the one sole condition of ,his receiving ,his possession and inheritance4 ,necessarily in this study on prayer1 lines of thought will cross each other1 and the same ,scripture passage or incident will be mentioned more than once1 simply because a passage may teach one or more truths4 ,this is the case when we speak of the vast comprehensiveness of prayer4 ,how all-inclusive ,jesus ,christ makes prayer6 ,it has no limitations in extent or things6 ,the promises to prayer are ,godlike in their magnificence1 wideness and universality4 ,in their nature these promises have to do with ,god--with ,him in their inspiration1 creation and results4 ,who but ,god could say1 8,all things whatsoever ye ask in prayer1 believing1 ye shall receive80 ,who can command and direct 8,all things whatsoever0 but ,god8 ,neither man nor chance nor the law of results are so far lifted above change1 limitations or condition1 nor have in them mighty forces which can direct and result all things1 as to promise the bestowment and direction of all things4 ,whole sections1 parables and incidents were used by ,christ to enforce the necessity and importance of prayer4 ,his miracles are but parables of prayer4 ,in nearly all of them prayer figures distinctly1 and some features of it are illustrated4 ,the ,syro-phnician woman is a pre-eminent illustration of the ability and the success of importunity in prayer4 ,the case of blind ,bartimus has points of suggestion along the same line4 ,jairus and the ,centurion illustrate and impress phases of prayer4 ,the parable of the ,pharisee and the publican enforce humility in prayer1 declare the wondrous results of praying1 and show the vanity and worthlessness of wrong praying4 ,the failure to enforce church discipline and the readiness of violating the brotherhood1 are all used to make an exhibit of far-reaching results of agreed praying1 a record of which we have in ,matthew1 chapter #ah3ai4 ,it is of prayer in concert that ,christ is speaking4 ,two agreed ones1 two whose hearts have been keyed into perfect symphony by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,anything that they shall ask1 it shall be done4 ,christ had been speaking of discipline in the ,church1 how things were to be kept in unity1 and how the fellowship of the brethren was to be maintained1 by the restoration of the offender or by his exclusion4 ,members who had been true to the brotherhood of ,christ1 and who were labouring to preserve that brotherhood unbroken1 would be the agreed ones to make appeals to ,god in united prayer4 ,in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 ,christ lays down constitutional principles4 ,types and shadows are retired1 and the law of spiritual life is declared4 ,in this foundation law of the ,christian system prayer assumes a conspicuous1 if not a paramount1 position4 ,it is not only wide1 all-commanding1 and comprehensive in its own sphere of action and relief1 but it is ancillary to all duties4 ,even the one demanding kindly and discriminating judgment toward others1 and also the royal injunction1 the ,golden ,rule of action1 these owe their being to prayer4 ,christ puts prayer among the statutory promises4 ,he does not leave it to natural law4 ,the law of need1 demand and supply1 of helplessness1 of natural instincts1 or the law of sweet1 high1 attractive privilege--these howsoever strong as motives of action1 are not the basis of praying4 ,christ puts it as spiritual law4 ,men must pray4 ,not to pray is not simply a privation1 an omission1 but a positive violation of law1 of spiritual life1 a crime1 bringing disorder and ruin4 ,prayer is law world-wide and eternity-reaching4 ,in the ,sermon on the ,mount many important utterances are dismissed with a line or a verse1 while the subject of prayer occupies a large space4 ,to it ,christ returns again and again4 ,he bases the possibilities and necessities of prayer on the relation of father and child1 the child crying for bread1 and the father giving that for which the child asks4 ,prayer and its answer are in the relation of a father to his child4 ,the teaching of ,jesus ,christ on the nature and necessity of prayer as recorded in ,his life1 is remarkable4 ,he sends men to their closets4 ,prayer must be a holy exercise1 untainted by vanity1 or pride4 ,it must be in secret4 ,the disciple must live in secret4 ,god lives there1 is sought there and is found there4 ,the command of ,christ as to prayer is that pride and publicity should be shunned4 ,prayer is to be in private4 8,but thou when thou prayest1 enter into thy closet1 and shut thy door1 and pray to thy ,father in secret4 ,and thy ,father1 which seeth in secret1 shall reward thee openly40 ,the ,beatitudes are not only to enrich and adorn1 but they are the material out of which spiritual character is built4 ,the very first one of these fixes prayer in the very foundation of spiritual character1 not simply to adorn1 but to compose4 8,blessed are the poor in spirit40 ,the word 8poor0 means a pauper1 one who lives by begging4 ,the real ,christian lives on the bounties of another1 whose bounties he gets by asking4 ,prayer then becomes the basis of ,christian character1 the ,christian's business1 his life and his living4 ,this is ,christ's law of prayer1 putting it into the very being of the ,christian4 ,it is his first step1 and his first breath1 which is to colour and to form all his after life4 ,blessed are the poor ones1 for they only can pray4 ,prayer is the ,christian's vital breath1 ,the ,christian's native air2 ,his watchword at the gates of death2 ,he enters ,heaven with prayer4 ,from praying ,christ eliminates all self-sufficiency1 all pride1 and all spiritual values4 ,the poor in spirit are the praying ones4 ,beggars are ,god's princes4 ,they are ,god's heirs4 ,christ removes the rubbish of ,jewish traditions and glosses from the regulations of the prayer altar4 8,ye have heard that it was said by them of old time1 ,thou shalt not kill2 and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment3 8,but ,i say unto you1 that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment3 and whosoever shall say to his brother1 ,raca1 shall be in danger of the council3 but whosoever shall say1 thou fool1 shall be in danger of hell fire4 8,therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that thy brother has aught against thee3 8,leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy way2 first1 be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift40 ,he who essays to pray to ,god with an angry spirit1 with loose and irreverent lips1 with an irreconciled heart1 and with unsettled neighbourly scores1 spends his labour for that which is worse than naught1 violates the law of prayer1 and adds to his sin4 ,how rigidly exacting is ,christ's law of prayer6 ,it goes to the heart1 and demands that love be enthroned there1 love to the brotherhood4 ,the sacrifice of prayer must be seasoned and perfumed with love1 by love in the inward parts4 ,the law of prayer1 its creator and inspirer1 is love4 ,praying must be done4 ,god wants it done4 ,he commands it4 ,man needs it and man must do it4 ,something must surely come of praying1 for ,god engages that something shall come out of it1 if men are in earnest and are persevering in prayer4 ,after ,jesus teaches 8,ask and it shall be given you10 etc41 ,he encourages real praying1 and more praying4 ,he repeats and avers with redoubled assurance1 8,for every one that asketh receiveth40 ,no exception4 8,every one40 8,he that seeketh1 findeth40 ,here it is again1 sealed and stamped with infinite veracity4 ,then closed and signed1 as well as sealed1 with ,divine attestation1 8,to him that knocketh it shall be opened40 ,note how we are encouraged to pray by our relation to ,god6 8,if ye then1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,father which is in ,heaven give good things to them that ask him80 ,the relation of prayer to ,god's work and ,god's rule in this world is most fully illustrated by ,jesus ,christ in both ,his teaching and ,his practice4 ,he is first in every way and in everything4 ,among the rulers of the ,church ,he is primary in a pre-eminent way4 ,he has the throne4 ,the golden crown is ,his in eminent preciousness4 ,the white garments enrobe ,him in pre-eminent whiteness and beauty4 ,in the ministry of prayer ,he is a ,divine example as well as the ,divine ,teacher4 ,his example is affluent1 and ,his prayer teaching abounds4 ,how imperative the teaching of our ,lord when ,he affirms that 8men ought always to pray and not to faint60 and then presents a striking parable of an unjust judge and a poor widow to illustrate and enforce ,his teaching4 ,it is a necessity to pray4 ,it is exacting and binding for men always to be in prayer4 ,courage1 endurance and perseverance are demanded that men may never faint in prayer4 8,and shall not ,god avenge his own elect that cry day and night unto him80 ,this is ,his strong and indignant questioning and affirmation4 ,men must pray according to ,christ's teaching4 ,they must not get tired nor grow weary in praying4 ,god's character is the assured surety that much will come of the persistent praying of true men4 ,doubtless the praying of our ,lord had much to do with the revelation made to ,peter and the confession he made to ,christ1 8,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the ,living ,god40 ,prayer mightily affects and molds the circle of our associates4 ,christ made disciples and kept them disciples by praying4 ,his twelve disciples were much impressed by ,his praying4 ,never man prayed like this man4 ,how different ,his praying from the cold1 proud1 self-righteous praying which they heard and saw on the streets1 in the synagogue1 and in the ,temple4 ,,vi ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,the ,,divine ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer 7,continued7 ,luke tells us that as ,jesus was praying in a certain place1 when ,he ceased1 one of ,his disciples said unto ,him1 8,lord1 teach us to pray40 ,this disciple had heard ,jesus preach1 but did not feel like saying1 8,lord1 teach us to preach40 ,he could learn to preach by studying the methods of the ,master4 ,but there was something about the praying of ,jesus that made the disciple feel that he did not know how to pray2 that he had never prayed1 and that he could not learn by listening even to the ,master as ,he prayed4 ,there is a profound something about prayer which never lies upon the surface4 ,to learn it1 one must go to the depths of the soul1 and climb to the heights of ,god4 --,a4 ,c4 ,,dixon1 ,d4,d4 ,let it not be forgotten that prayer was one of the great truths which ,he came into the world to teach and illustrate4 ,it was worth a trip from ,heaven to earth to teach men this great lesson of prayer4 ,a great lesson it was1 a very difficult lesson for men to learn4 ,men are naturally averse to learning this lesson of prayer4 ,the lesson is a very lowly one4 ,none but ,god can teach it4 ,it is a despised beggary1 a sublime and heavenly vocation4 ,the disciples were very stupid scholars1 but were quickened to prayer by hearing ,him pray and talk about prayer4 ,the dispensation of ,christ's personality1 while it was not and could not be the dispensation in its fullest and highest sense of need and dependence1 yet ,christ did try to impress on ,his disciples not alone a deep necessity of the necessity of prayer in general1 but the importance of prayer to them in their personal and spiritual needs4 ,and there came moments to them when they felt the need of a deeper and more thorough schooling in prayer and of their grave neglect in this regard4 ,one of these hours of deep conviction on their part and of eager inquiry was when ,he was praying at a certain place and time1 and they saw ,him1 and they said to ,him1 8,lord1 teach us to pray1 as ,john also taught his disciples40 ,as they listened to ,him praying1 they felt very keenly their ignorance and deficiency in praying4 ,who has not felt the same deficiency and ignorance8 ,who has not longed for a teacher in the ,divine art of praying8 ,the conviction which these twelve men had of their defect in prayer arose from hearing their ,lord and ,master pray1 but likewise from a sense of serious defect even when compared with ,john the ,baptist's training of his disciples in prayer4 ,as they listened to their ,lord pray 7for unquestionably ,he must have been seen and heard by them as ,he prayed1 who prayed with marvelous simplicity1 and power1 so human and so ,divine7 such praying had a stimulating charm for them4 ,in the presence and hearing of ,his praying1 very keenly they felt their ignorance and deficiency in prayer4 ,who has not felt the same ignorance and deficiency8 ,we do not regret the schooling our ,lord gave these twelve men1 for in schooling them ,he schools us4 ,the lesson is one already learned in the law of ,christ4 ,but so dull were they1 that many a patient iteration and reiteration was required to instruct them in this ,divine art of prayer4 ,and likewise so dull are we and inapt that many a wearying patient repetition must be given us before we will learn any important lesson in the all-important school of prayer4 ,this ,divine ,teacher of prayer lays ,himself out to make it clear and strong that ,god answers prayer1 assuredly1 certainly1 inevitably2 that it is the duty of the child to ask1 and to press1 and that the ,father is obliged to answer1 and to give for the asking4 ,in ,christ's teaching1 prayer is no sterile1 vain performance1 not a mere rite1 a form1 but a request for an answer1 a plea to gain1 the seeking of a great good from ,god4 ,it is a lesson of getting that for which we ask1 of finding that for which we seek1 and of entering the door at which we knock4 ,a notable occasion we have as ,jesus comes down from the ,mount of ,transfiguration4 ,he finds ,his disciples defeated1 humiliated and confused in the presence of their enemies4 ,a father has brought his child possessed with a demon to have the demon cast out4 ,they essayed to do it but failed4 ,they had been commissioned by ,jesus and sent to do that very work1 but had signally failed4 8,and when he was come into the house1 his disciples asked him privately1 saying1 ,why could not we cast him out8 ,and he said unto them1 ,this kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting40 ,their faith had not been cultured by prayer4 ,they failed in prayer before they failed in ability to do their work4 ,they failed in faith because they had failed in prayer4 ,that one thing which was necessary to do ,god's work was prayer4 ,the work which ,god sends us to do cannot be done without prayer4 ,in ,christ's teaching on prayer we have another pertinent statement4 ,it was in connection with the cursing of the barren fig tree3 8,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 if ye have faith1 and doubt not1 ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree1 but also if ye shall say unto this mountain1 ,be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea2 it shall be done4 8,and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer1 believing1 ye shall receive40 ,in this passage we have faith and prayer1 their possibilities and powers conjoined4 ,a fig tree had been blasted to the roots by the word of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the power and quickness of the result surprised the disciples4 ,jesus says to them that it need be no surprise to them1 or such a difficult work to be done4 8,if ye have faith0 its possibilities to affect will not be confined to the little fig tree1 but the gigantic1 rock-ribbed1 rock-founded mountains can be uprooted and moved into the sea4 ,prayer is leverage of this great power of faith4 ,it is well to refer again to the occasion when the heart of our ,lord was so deeply moved with compassion as he beheld the multitudes because they fainted and were scattered as having no shepherd4 ,then it was ,he urged upon ,his disciples the injunction1 8,pray ye the ,lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers into his harvest10 clearly teaching them that it belonged to ,god to call into the ministry men whom ,he will1 and that in answer to prayer the ,holy ,spirit does this very work4 ,prayer is as necessary now as it was then to secure the needed labourers to reap earthly harvests for the heavenly garners4 ,has the ,church of ,god ever learned this lesson of so vital and exacting import8 ,god alone can choose the labourers and thrust them out1 and this choosing ,he does not delegate to man1 or church1 convocation or synod1 association or conference4 ,and ,god is moved to this great work of calling men into the ministry by prayer4 ,earthly fields are rotting4 ,they are untilled because prayer is silent4 ,the labourers are few4 ,fields are unworked because prayer has not worked with ,god4 ,we have the prayer promise and the prayer ability put in a distinct form in the higher teachings of prayer by our ,lord3 8,if ye abide in me1 and my words abide in you1 ye shall ask what ye will1 and it shall be done unto you40 ,here we have a fixed attitude of life as the condition of prayer4 ,not simply a fixed attitude of life toward some great principles or purposes1 but the fixed attitude and unity of life with ,jesus ,christ4 ,to live in ,him1 to dwell there1 to be one with ,him1 to draw all life from ,him1 to let all life from ,him flow through us--this is the attitude of prayer and the ability to pray4 ,no abiding in ,him can be separated from ,his ,word abiding in us4 ,it must live in us to give birth to and food for prayer4 ,the attitude of the ,person of ,christ is the condition of prayer4 ,the ,old ,testament saints had been taught that 8,god had magnified his word above all his name40 ,new ,testament saints must learn fully how to exalt by perfect obedience that ,word issuing from the lips of ,him who is the ,word4 ,praying ones under ,christ must learn what praying ones under ,moses had already learned1 that 8man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god40 ,the life of ,christ flowing through us and the words of ,christ living in us1 these give potency to prayer4 ,they breathe the spirit of prayer1 and make the body1 blood and bones of prayer4 ,then it is ,christ praying in me and through me1 and all things which 8,i will0 are the will of ,god4 ,my will becomes the law and the answer1 for it is written 8,ye shall ask what ye will1 and it shall be done unto you40 ,fruit bearing our ,lord puts to the front in our praying3 8,ye have not chosen me1 but ,i have chosen you1 and ordained you1 that ye shall go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit shall remain1 that whatsoever ye shall ask of the ,father in my name1 he may give it you40 ,barrenness cannot pray4 ,fruit bearing capacity and reality only can pray4 ,it is not past fruitfulness1 but present3 8,that your fruit should remain40 ,fruit1 the product of life1 is the condition of praying4 ,a life vigourous enough to bear fruit1 much fruit1 is the condition and the source of prayer4 8,and in that day ye shall ask me nothing4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in my name1 he will give it you4 ,hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name3 ask and ye shall receive1 that your joy may be full40 8,in that day ye shall ask me nothing40 ,it is not solving riddles1 not revealing mysteries1 not curious questionings4 ,this is not our attitude1 not our business under the ,dispensation of the ,spirit1 but to pray1 and to pray largely4 ,much true praying increases man's joy and ,god's glory4 8,whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 ,i will give10 says ,christ1 and the ,father will give4 ,both ,father and ,son are pledged to give the very things for which we ask4 ,but the condition is 8in ,his name40 ,this does not mean that ,his name is talismanic1 to give value by magic4 ,it does not mean that ,his name in beautiful settings of pearl will give value to prayer4 ,it is not that ,his name perfumed with sentiment and larded in and closing up our prayers and doings will do the deed4 ,how fearful the statement3 8,many will say unto me in that day1 ,lord1 ,lord1 have we not prophesied in thy name8 and in thy name cast out devils8 and in thy name done many wonderful works8 ,and then will ,i profess unto them1 ,i never knew you4 ,depart from me1 ye that work iniquity40 ,how blasting the doom of these great workers and doers who claim to work in ,his name6 ,it means far more than sentiment1 verbiage1 and nomenclature4 ,it means to stand in ,his stead1 to bear ,his nature1 to stand for all for which ,he stood1 for righteousness1 truth1 holiness and zeal4 ,it means to be one with ,god as ,he was1 one in spirit1 in will and in purpose4 ,it means that our praying is singly and solely for ,god's glory through ,his ,son4 ,it means that we abide in ,him1 that ,christ prays through us1 lives in us and shines out of us2 that we pray by the ,holy ,spirit according to the will of ,god4 ,even amid the darkness of ,gethsemane1 with the stupor which had settled upon the disciples1 we have the sharp warning from ,christ to ,his sluggish disciples1 8,watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation4 ,the spirit truly is willing1 but the flesh is weak40 ,how needful to hear such a warning1 to awaken all our powers1 not simply for the great crises of our lives1 but as the inseparable and constant attendants of a career marked with perils and dangers on every hand4 ,as ,christ nears the close of ,his earthly mission1 nearer to the greater and more powerful dispensation of the ,spirit1 ,his teaching about prayer takes on a more absorbing and higher form4 ,it has now become a graduating school4 ,his connection with prayer becomes more intimate and more absolute4 ,he becomes in prayer what ,he is in all else pertaining to our salvation1 the beginning and the end1 the first and the last4 ,his name becomes all potent4 ,mighty works are to be done by the faith which can pray in ,his name4 ,like ,his nature1 ,his name covers all needs1 embraces all worlds1 and gets all good4 8,believest thou not that ,i am in the ,father and the ,father in me8 ,the words that ,i speak unto you ,i speak not of myself3 but the ,father that dwelleth in me1 he doeth the works4 8,believe me that ,i am in the ,father and the ,father in me3 or else believe me for the very works' sake4 8,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that believeth on me1 the works that ,i do shall he do also2 and greater works than these shall he do2 because ,i go unto my ,father4 8,and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 that will ,i do1 that the ,father may be glorified in the ,son4 8,if ye shall ask anything in my name ,i will do it40 ,the ,father1 the ,son and the praying one are all bound up together4 ,all things are in ,christ1 and all things are in prayer in ,his name4 8,if ye shall ask anything in my name40 ,the key which unlocks the vast storehouse of ,god is prayer4 ,the power to do greater works than ,christ did lies in the faith which can grasp ,his name truly and in true praying4 ,in the last of ,his life1 note how ,he urges prayer as a preventive of the many evils to which they were exposed4 ,in view of the temporal and fearful terrors of the destruction of ,jerusalem1 ,he charges them to this effect3 8,pray ye that your flight be not in winter40 ,how many evils in this life which can be escaped by prayer6 ,how many fearful temporal calamities can be mitigated1 if not wholly relieved1 by prayer6 ,notice how1 amid the excesses and stupefying influences to which we are exposed in this world1 ,christ charges us to pray3 8,and take heed to yourselves1 lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting1 and drunkenness1 and cares of this life1 and so that day come upon you unawares4 8,for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth4 8,watch ye therefore and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass1 and to stand before the ,son of man40 ,in view of the uncertainty of ,christ's coming to judgment1 and the uncertainty of our going out of this world1 ,he says3 8,but of that day and that hour knoweth no man1 no1 not the angels which are in ,heaven1 neither the ,son1 but the ,father4 ,take ye heed1 watch and pray1 for ye know not when the time is40 ,we have the words of ,jesus as given in ,his last interview with ,his twelve disciples1 found in the ,gospel of ,john1 chapters fourteen to seventeen1 inclusive4 ,these are true1 solemn parting words4 ,the disciples were to move out into the regions of toil1 and peril1 bereft of the personal presence of their ,lord and ,master4 ,they were to be impressed that prayer would serve them in everything1 and its use1 and unlimited possibilities would in some measure supply their loss1 and by it they would be able to command all the possibilities of ,jesus ,christ and ,god the ,father4 ,it was the occasion of momentous interest to ,jesus ,christ4 ,his work was to receive its climax and crown in ,his death and ,his resurrection4 ,his glory and the success of ,his work and of its execution1 under the mastery and direction of the ,holy ,spirit1 was to be committed to ,his apostles4 ,to them it was an hour of strange wonderment and of peculiar1 mysterious sorrow1 only too well assured of the fact that ,jesus was to leave them4 ,all else was dark and impalpable4 ,he was to give them ,his parting words and pray ,his parting prayer4 ,solemn1 vital truths were to be the weight and counsel of that hour4 ,he speaks to them of ,heaven4 ,young men1 strong though they were1 yet they could not meet the duties of their preaching life and their apostolic life1 without the fact1 the thought1 the hope and the relish of ,heaven4 ,these things were to be present constantly in all sweetness1 in all their vigour1 in all freshness1 in all brightness4 ,he spoke to them about their spiritual and conscious connection with ,himself1 an abiding indwelling1 so close and continuous that ,his own life would flow into them1 as the life of the vine flows into the branches4 ,their lives and their fruitfulness were dependent upon this4 ,then praying was urged upon them as one of the vital1 essential forces4 ,this was the one thing upon which all the ,divine force depended1 and this was the avenue and agency through which the ,divine life and power were to be secured and continued in their ministry4 ,he spake to them about prayer4 ,he had taught them many lessons upon this all-important subject as they had been together4 ,this solemn hour he seizes to perfect his teaching4 ,they must be made to realize that they have an illimitable and exhaustless storehouse of good in ,god and that they can draw on ,him at all times and for all things without stint1 as ,paul said in after years to the ,philippians1 8,my ,god shall supply all your need according to ,his riches in glory by ,christ ,jesus40 ,,vii ,,jesus ,,christ ,,an ,,example ,,of ,,prayer ,christ1 when ,he saw that ,he must die1 and that now ,his time was come1 ,he wore ,his body out3 ,he cared not1 as it were1 what became of ,him3 ,he wholly spent ,himself in preaching all day1 and in praying all night1 preaching in the temple those terrible parables and praying in the garden such prayers1 as the seventeenth of ,john1 and 8,thy will be done60 even to a bloody sweat4--,,thomas ,,goodwin4 ,the ,bible record of the life of ,jesus ,christ gives but a glance of ,his busy doing1 a small selection of ,his many words1 and only a brief record of ,his great works4 ,but even in this record we see ,him as being much in prayer4 ,even though busy and exhausted by the severe strain and toils of ,his life1 8in the morning a great while before day1 he rose up and went out and departed into a desert place1 and there prayed40 ,alone in the desert and in the darkness with ,god6 ,prayer filled the life of our ,lord while on earth4 ,his life was a constant stream of incense sweet and perfumed by prayer4 ,when we see how the life of ,jesus was but one of prayer1 then we must conclude that to be like ,jesus is to pray like ,jesus and is to live like ,jesus4 ,a serious life it is to pray as ,jesus prayed4 ,we cannot follow any chronological order in the praying of ,jesus ,christ4 ,what were ,his steps of advance and skill in the ,divine art of praying we know not4 ,he is in the act of prayer when we find ,him at the fords of the ,jordan1 when the waters of baptism1 at the hands of ,john the ,baptist1 are upon ,him4 ,so passing over the three years of ,his ministry1 when closing the drama of ,his life in that terrible baptism of fear1 pain1 suffering1 and shame1 we find ,him in the spirit1 and also in the very act of praying4 ,the baptism of the ,cross1 as well as the baptism of the ,jordan1 are sanctified by prayer4 ,with the breath of prayer in ,his last sigh1 ,he commits ,his spirit to ,god4 ,in ,his first recorded utterances1 as well as ,his first acts1 we find ,him teaching ,his disciples how to pray as ,his first lesson1 and as their first duty4 ,under the shadow of the ,cross1 in the urgency and importance of ,his last interview with ,his chosen disciples1 ,he is at the same all-important business1 teaching the world's teachers how to pray1 trying to make prayerful those lips and hearts out of which were to flow the ,divine deposits of truth4 ,the great eras of ,his life were created and crowned with prayer4 ,what were ,his habits of prayer during ,his stay at home and ,his toil as a carpenter in ,nazareth1 we have no means of knowing4 ,god has veiled it1 and guess and speculation are not only vain and misleading1 but proud and prurient4 ,it would be presumptuous searching into that which ,god has hidden1 which would make us seek to be wise above that which was written1 trying to lift up the veil with which ,god has covered ,his own revelation4 ,we find ,christ in the presence of the famed1 the prophet and the preacher4 ,he has left ,his ,nazareth home and ,his carpenter shop by ,god's call4 ,he is now at a transitional point4 ,he has moved out to ,his great work4 ,john's baptism and the baptism of the ,holy ,ghost are prefatory and are to qualify ,him for that work4 ,this epochal and transitional period is marked by prayer4 8,now when all the people were baptized1 it came to pass that ,jesus1 being also baptized1 and praying1 the heaven was opened4 8,and the ,holy ,ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him1 and a voice came from heaven1 which said1 ,thou art my beloved ,son2 in thee ,i am well pleased40 ,it is a supreme hour in ,his history1 different and in striking contrast with1 but not in opposition to1 the past4 ,the descent and abiding of the ,holy ,spirit in all ,his fullness1 the opening heavens1 and the attesting voice which involved ,god's recognition of ,his only ,son--all these are the result1 if not the direct creation and response to ,his praying on that occasion4 8,as ,he was praying10 so we are to be praying4 ,if we would pray as ,christ prayed1 we must be as ,christ was1 and must live as ,christ lived4 ,the ,christ character1 the ,christ life1 and the ,christ spirit1 must be ours if we would do the ,christ praying1 and would have our prayers answered as ,he had ,his prayers answered4 ,the business of ,christ even now in ,heaven at ,his ,father's right hand is to pray4 ,certainly if we are ,his1 if we love ,him1 if we live for ,him1 and if we live close to ,him1 we will catch the contagion of ,his praying life1 both on earth and in ,heaven4 ,we will learn ,his trade and carry on ,his business on earth4 ,jesus ,christ loved all men1 ,he tasted death for all men1 ,he intercedes for all men4 ,let us ask then1 are we the imitators1 the representatives1 and the executors of ,jesus ,christ8 ,then must we in our prayers run parallel with ,his atonement in its extent4 ,the atoning blood of ,jesus ,christ gives sanctity and efficiency to our prayers4 ,as world-wide1 as broad1 and as human as the man ,christ ,jesus was1 so must be our prayers4 ,the intercessions of ,christ's people must give currency and expedition to the work of ,christ1 carry the atoning blood to its benignant ends1 and help to strike off the chains of sin from every ransomed soul4 ,we must be as praying1 as tearful1 and as compassionate as was ,christ4 ,prayer affects all things4 ,god blesses the person who prays4 ,he who prays goes out on a long voyage for ,god and is enriched himself while enriching others1 and is blessed himself while the world is blessed by his praying4 ,to 8live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty0 is the wealthiest wealth4 ,the praying of ,christ was real4 ,no man prayed as ,he prayed4 ,prayer pressed upon ,him as a solemn1 all-imperative1 all-commanding duty1 as well as a royal privilege in which all sweetness was condensed1 alluring and absorbing4 ,prayer was the secret of ,his power1 the law of ,his life1 the inspiration of ,his toil and the source of ,his wealth1 ,his joy1 ,his communion and ,his strength4 ,to ,christ ,jesus prayer occupied no secondary place1 but was exacting and paramount1 a necessity1 a life1 the satisfying of a restless yearning and a preparation for heavy responsibilities4 ,closeting with ,his ,father in counsel and fellowship1 with vigour and in deep joy1 all this was ,his praying4 ,present trials1 future glory1 the history of ,his ,church1 and the struggles and perils of ,his disciples in all times and to the very end of time--all these things were born and shaped by ,his praying4 ,nothing is more conspicuous in the life of our ,lord than prayer4 ,his campaigns were arranged and ,his victories were gained in the struggles and communion of ,his all night praying4 ,by prayer ,he rent the heavens4 ,moses and ,elijah and the transfiguration glory wait on ,his praying4 ,his miracles and teaching had their power from the same source4 ,gethsemane's praying crimsoned ,calvary with serenity and glory4 ,his sacerdotal prayer makes the history and hastens the triumph of ,his ,church on earth4 ,what an inspiration and command to pray is the prayer life of ,jesus ,christ while in this world6 ,what a comment it is on the value1 the nature and the necessity of prayer6 ,the dispensation of the ,person of ,jesus ,christ was a dispensation of prayer4 ,a synopsis of ,his teaching and practice of prayer was that 8,men ought always to pray and not to faint40 ,as the ,jews prayed in the name of their patriarchs and invoked the privileges granted to them by covenant with ,god2 as we have a new ,name and a new covenant1 more privileged and more powerful and more all-comprehensive1 more authoritative and more ,divine2 and as far as the ,son of ,god is lifted above the patriarchs in divinity1 glory and power1 by so much should our praying exceed theirs in range of largeness1 glory and power of results4 ,jesus ,christ prayed to ,god as ,father4 ,simply and directly did ,he approach ,god in the charmed and revered circle of the ,father4 ,the awful1 repelling fear was entirely absent1 lost in the supreme confidence of a child4 ,jesus ,christ crowns ,his life1 ,his works and ,his teaching with prayer4 ,how ,his ,father attests ,his relationship and puts on ,him the glory of answered prayer at ,his ,baptism and ,transfiguration when all other glories are growing dim in the night which settles on ,him6 ,what almighty potencies are in prayer when we are charged and surcharged with but one inspiration and aim6 8,father1 glorify thy name40 ,this sweetens all1 brightens all1 conquers all and gets all4 8,father1 glorify thy name40 ,that guiding star will illumine the darkest night and calm the wildest storm and will make us brave and true4 ,an imperial principle it is4 ,it will make an imperial ,christian4 ,the range and potencies of prayer1 so clearly shown by ,jesus in life and teaching1 but reveal the great purposes of ,god4 ,they not only reveal the ,son in the reality and fullness of ,his humanity1 but also reveal the ,father4 ,christ prayed as a child4 ,the spirit of a child was found in ,him4 ,at the grave of ,lazarus 8,jesus lifted up ,his eyes and said1 ,father40 ,again we hear ,him begin ,his prayer after this fashion3 8,in that hour ,jesus rejoiced in spirit1 and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father40 ,so also on other occasions we find ,him in praying addressing ,god as ,his ,father1 assuming the attitude of the child asking something of the ,father4 ,what confidence1 simplicity and artlessness6 ,what readiness1 freeness and fullness of approach are all involved in the spirit of a child6 ,what confiding trust1 what assurance1 what tender interest6 ,what profound solicitudes1 and tender sympathy on the ,father's part6 ,what respect deepening into reverence6 ,what loving obedience and grateful emotions glow in the child's heart6 ,what ,divine fellowship and royal intimacy6 ,what sacred and sweet emotions6 ,all these meet in the hour of prayer when the child of ,god meets ,his ,father in ,heaven1 and when the ,father meets ,his child6 ,we must live as children if we would ask as children4 ,we must act as children if we would pray as children4 ,the spirit of prayer is born of the child spirit4 ,the profound reverence in this relation of paternity must forever exclude all lightness1 frivolity and pertness1 as well as all undue familiarity4 ,solemnity and gravity become the hour of prayer4 ,it has been well said3 8,the worshipper who invokes ,god under the name of ,father and realises the gracious and beneficent love of ,god1 must at the same time remember and recognise ,god's glorious majesty1 which is neither annulled nor impaired1 but rather supremely intensified through ,his fatherly love4 ,an appeal to ,god as ,father1 if not associated with reverence and homage before the ,divine ,majesty1 would betray a want of understanding of the character of ,god40 ,and1 we might add1 would show a lack of the attributes of a child4 ,patriarchs and prophets knew something of the doctrine of the ,fatherhood of ,god to ,god's family4 ,they 8saw it afar off1 were persuaded of it1 and embraced it10 but understood it not1 in all its fullness1 8,god having provided some better thing for us1 that they without us should not be made perfect40 8,behold he prayeth60 was ,god's statement of wonderment and surprise to the timid ,ananias in regard to ,saul of ,tarsus4 8,behold he prayeth60 applied to ,christ has in it far more of wonderment and mystery and surprise4 ,he1 the ,maker of all worlds1 the ,lord of angels and of men1 co-equal and co-eternal with the ,everlasting ,god2 the 8brightness of the ,father's glory and the express image of his person02 8fresh from his ,father's glory and from his ,father's throne40--8,behold he prayeth60 ,to find ,him in lowly1 dependent attitude of prayer1 the suppliant of all suppliants1 ,his richest legacy and ,his royal privilege to pray--this is the mystery of all mysteries1 the wonder of all wonders4 ,paul gives in brief and comprehensive statement the habit of our ,lord in prayer in ,hebrews #e3g--8,who1 in the days of his flesh1 when he had offered up prayers and supplications1 with strong crying and tears1 unto him that was able to save him from death1 and was heard in that he feared40 ,we have in this description of our ,lord's praying the outgoing of great spiritual forces4 ,he prayed with 8prayers and supplications40 ,it was no formal1 tentative effort4 ,he was intense1 personal and real4 ,he was a pleader for ,god's good4 ,he was in great need and ,he must cry with 8strong cryings10 made stronger still by ,his tears4 ,in an agony the ,son of ,god wrestled4 ,his praying was no playing a mere part4 ,his soul was engaged1 and all ,his powers were taxed to a strain4 ,let us pause and look at ,him and learn how to pray in earnest4 ,let us learn how to win in an agony of prayer that which seems to be withholden from us4 ,a beautiful word is that1 8feared10 which occurs only twice in the ,new ,testament1 the fear of ,god4 ,jesus ,christ was always a busy man with ,his work1 but never too busy to pray4 8,the divinest of business filled ,his heart and filled ,his hands1 consumed ,his time1 exhausted ,his nerves4 ,but with ,him even ,god's work must not crowd out ,god's praying4 ,saving people from sin or suffering must not1 even with ,christ1 be substituted for praying1 nor abate in the least the time or the intensity of these holiest of seasons4 ,he filled the day with working for ,god2 ,he employed the night with praying to ,god4 ,the day-working made the night-praying a necessity4 ,the night-praying sanctified and made successful the day-working4 ,too busy to pray gives religion ,christian burial1 it is true1 but kills it nevertheless40 ,in many cases only the bare fact1 yet important and suggestive fact1 is stated that ,he prayed4 ,in other cases the very words which came out of ,his heart and fell from ,his lips are recorded4 ,the man of prayer by pre-eminence was ,jesus ,christ4 ,the epochs of ,his life were created by prayer1 and all the minor details outlines and inlines of ,his life were inspired1 coloured and impregnated by prayer4 ,the prayer words of ,jesus were sacred words4 ,by them ,god speaks to ,god1 and by them ,god is revealed and prayer is illustrated and enforced4 ,here is prayer in its purest form and in its mightiest potencies4 ,it would seem that earth and heaven would uncover head and open ears most wide to catch the words of ,his praying who was truest ,god and truest man1 and divinest of suppliants1 who prayed as never man prayed4 ,his prayers are our inspiration and pattern to pray4 ,,viii ,,prayer ,,incidents ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,our ,,lord ,there was a great cape at the south of ,africa and so many storms and so much loss of life until it was called the ,cape of ,death4 ,one day in #aghi a bold navigator shoved the prow of his vessel into the storms that thundered around it and found a calm sea4 ,he then named it the ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,so there is a cape that jutted out from earth into the sea of eternity called death4 ,all were afraid of it4 ,all navigators1 sooner or later1 must contend with these murky waters4 ,but once upon a time1 nearly two thousand years ago1 a brave navigator from heaven came and drove the prow of ,his frail humanity bark down into the gloomy waters of this cape and lay under its awful power for three days4 ,emerging therefrom1 ,he found it to be the door to endless calm and joy1 and now we call it ,good ,hope4 --,,john ,w4 ,,baker4 ,one of ,christ's most impassioned and sublime pans of prayer and praise is found recorded by both ,matthew and ,luke1 with small verbal contrasts and with some diversity of detail and environments4 ,he is reviewing the poor results of ,his ministry and remarking upon the feeble responses of man to ,god's vast outlay of love and mercy4 ,he is arraigning the ingratitude of men to ,god1 and is showing the fearfully destructive results of their indifference with their increased opportunities1 favours and responsibilities4 ,in the midst of these arraignments1 denunciations and woes1 the seventy disciples return to report the results of their mission4 ,they were full of exhilaration at their success1 and evinced it with no little self-gratulation4 ,the spirit of ,jesus was diverted1 relieved and refreshed by their animation1 catching somewhat the contagion of their joy1 and sharing in their triumph4 ,he rejoiced1 gave thanks1 and prayed a prayer wonderful for its brevity1 its inspiration and its revelation3 8,in that hour ,jesus rejoiced in spirit1 and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of ,heaven and earth1 that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes3 even so1 ,father2 for so it seemed good in thy sight4 8,all things are delivered to me of my ,father2 and no man knoweth who the ,son is1 but the ,father2 and who the ,father is1 but the ,son1 and he to whom the ,son will reveal him40 ,the ,christ life was in the image of ,his ,father4 ,he was the 8express image of ,his person40 ,and so the spirit of prayer with ,christ was to do ,god's will4 ,his constant asseveration was that ,he 8came to do ,his ,father's will10 and not ,his own will4 ,when the fearful crisis came in ,his life in ,gethsemane1 and all its darkness1 direness and dread1 with the crushing weight of man's sins and sorrows which were pressing down upon ,him1 ,his spirit and frame crushed1 and almost expiring1 then ,he cried out for relief1 yet it was not ,his will which was to be followed4 ,it was only an appeal out of weakness and death for ,god's relief in ,god's way4 ,god's will was to be the law and the rule of ,his relief1 if relief came4 ,so he who follows ,christ in prayer must have ,god's will as his law1 his rule and his inspiration4 ,in all praying1 it is the man who prays4 ,the life and the character flow into the closet4 ,there is a mutual action and reaction4 ,the closet has much to do with making the character1 while the character has much to do with making the closet4 ,it is 8the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man which availeth much40 ,it is with them who 8call upon the ,lord out of a pure heart0 we are to consort4 ,christ was the greatest of pray-ers because ,he was the holiest of men4 ,his character is the praying character4 ,his spirit is the life and power of prayer4 ,he is not the best pray-er who has the greatest fluency1 the most brilliant imagination1 the richest gifts1 and the most fiery ardour1 but he who has imbibed most of the spirit of ,christ4 ,it is he whose character is the nearest to a facsimile of ,christ4 ,his prayer referred to just named1 in the form of thanksgiving1 sets forth the characters upon whom ,god's power is bestowed and to whom ,god's person and will are revealed4 8,hid these things from the wise and prudent10 those1 for instance1 who are wise in their own eyes1 skilled in letters1 cultured1 learned1 philosophers1 scribes1 doctors1 rabbis--8prudent0--one who can put things together1 having insight1 comprehension1 expression4 ,god's revelation of ,himself and ,his will cannot be sought out and understood by reason1 intelligence nor great learning4 ,great men and great minds are neither the channels nor depositories of ,god's revelation by virtue of their culture1 braininess nor wisdom4 ,god's system in redemption and providence is not to be thought out1 open only to the learned and wise4 ,the learned and the wise1 following their learning and their wisdom1 have always sadly and darkly missed ,god's thoughts and ,god's ways4 ,the condition of receiving ,god's revelation and of holding ,god's truth is one of the heart1 not one of the head4 ,the ability to receive and search out is like that of the child1 the babe1 the synonym of docility1 innocence and simplicity4 ,these are the conditions on which ,god reveals ,himself to men4 ,the world by wisdom cannot know ,god4 ,the world by wisdom can never receive nor understand ,god1 because ,god reveals ,himself to men's hearts1 not to their heads4 ,only hearts can ever know ,god1 can feel ,god1 can see ,god1 and can read ,god in ,his ,book of ,books4 ,god is not grasped by thought but by feeling4 ,the world gets ,god by revelation1 not by philosophy4 ,it is not apprehension1 the mental ability to grasp ,god1 but plasticity1 ability to be impressed1 that men need4 ,it is not by hard1 strong1 stern1 great reasoning that the world gets ,god or gets hold of ,god1 but by big1 soft1 pure hearts4 ,not so much do men need light to see ,god as they need hearts to feel ,god4 ,human wisdom1 great natural talents1 and the culture of the schools1 howsoever good they may be1 can neither be the repositories nor conservors of ,god's revealed truth4 ,the tree of knowledge has been the bane of faith1 ever essaying to reduce revelation to a philosophy and to measure ,god by man4 ,in its pride1 it puts ,god out and puts man into ,god's truth4 ,to become babes again1 on our mother's bosom1 quieted1 weaned1 without clamour or protest1 is the only position in which to know ,god4 ,a calmness on the surface1 and in the depths of the soul1 in which ,god can mirror ,his will1 ,his ,word and ,himself--this is the attitude toward ,him through which ,he can reveal ,himself1 and this attitude is the right attitude of prayer4 ,our ,lord taught us the lesson of prayer by putting into practice in ,his life what ,he taught by ,his lips4 ,here is a simple but important statement1 full of meaning3 8,and when he had sent the multitudes away1 he went up into a mountain apart to pray3 and when the evening was come ,he was there alone40 ,the multitudes had been fed and were dismissed by our ,lord4 ,the ,divine work of healing and teaching must be stayed awhile in order that time1 place and opportunity for prayer might be secured1--,prayer1 the divinest of all labour1 the most important of all ministries4 ,away from the eager1 anxious1 seeking multitudes1 ,he has gone while the day is yet bright1 to be alone with ,god4 ,the multitudes tax and exhaust ,him4 ,the disciples are tossed on the sea1 but calmness reigns on the mountain top where our ,lord is kneeling in secret prayer--where prayer rules4 8,when ,jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force1 to make him a king1 he departed again into a mountain alone40 ,he must be alone in that moment with ,god4 ,temptation was in that hour4 ,the multitude had feasted on the five loaves and the two fishes4 ,filled with food and excited beyond measure1 they would fain make ,him king4 ,he flees from the temptation to secret prayer1 for here is the source of ,his strength to resist evil4 ,what a refuge was secret prayer even to ,him6 ,what a refuge to us from the world's dazzling and delusive crowns6 ,what safety there is to be alone with ,god when the world tempts us1 allures us1 attracts us6 ,the prayers of our ,lord were prophetic and illustrative of the great truth that the greatest measure of the ,holy ,spirit1 the attesting voice and opening ,heavens are only secured by prayer4 ,this is suggested by ,his baptism by ,john the ,baptist1 when ,he prayed as ,he was baptised1 and immediately the ,holy ,spirit descended upon ,him like a dove4 ,more than prophetic and illustrative is this hour to ,him4 ,this critical hour is real and personal1 consecrating and qualifying ,him for ,god's highest purposes4 ,prayer to ,him1 just as it is to us1 was a necessity1 an absolute1 invariable condition of securing ,god's fullest1 consecrating and qualifying power4 ,the ,holy ,spirit came upon ,him in fullness of measure and power in the very act of prayer4 ,and so the ,holy ,spirit comes upon us in fullness of measure and power only in answer to ardent and intense praying4 ,the heavens were opened to ,christ1 and access and communion established and enlarged by prayer4 ,freedom and fullness of access and closeness of communion are secured to us as the heritage of prayer4 ,the voice attesting ,his ,sonship came to ,christ in prayer4 ,the witness of our sonship1 clear and indubitable1 is secured only by praying4 ,the constant witness of our sonship can only be retained by those who pray without ceasing4 ,when the stream of prayer is shallow and arrested1 the evidence of our sonship becomes faint and inaudible4 ,,ix ,,prayer ,,incidents ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,our ,,lord 7,continued7 ,sin is so unspeakably awful in its evil that it struck down1 as to death and hell1 the very ,son of ,god ,himself4 ,he had been amazed enough at sin before4 ,he had seen sin making angels of heaven into devils of hell4 ,death and all its terrors did not much move or disconcert our ,lord4 ,no4 ,it was not death3 ,it was sin4 ,it was hell-fire in ,his soul4 ,it was the coals1 and the oil1 and the rosin1 and the juniper1 and the turpentine of the fire that is not quenched4 --,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,we note that from the revelation and inspiration of a transporting prayer-hour of ,christ1 as its natural sequence1 there sounds out that gracious encouraging proclamation for heavy-hearted1 restless1 weary souls of earth1 which has so impressed1 arrested and drawn humanity as it has fallen on the ears of heavy-laden souls1 which has so sweetened and relieved men of their toils and burdens3 8,come unto me1 all ye that labor and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 8,take my yoke upon you1 and learn of me2 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart3 and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 8,for my yoke is easy1 and my burden is light40 ,at the grave of ,lazarus and as preparatory to and as a condition of calling him back to life1 we have our ,lord calling upon ,his ,father in ,heaven4 8,father1 ,i thank thee that thou hast heard me1 and ,i know that thou hearest me always40 ,the lifting to ,heaven of ,christ's eyes--how much was there in it6 ,how much of confidence and plea was in that look to ,heaven6 ,his very look1 the lifting up of ,his eyes1 carried ,his whole being ,heaven-ward1 and caused a pause in that world1 and drew attention and help4 ,all ,heaven was engaged1 pledged and moved when the ,son of ,god looked up at this grave4 ,o for a people with the ,christly eye1 ,heaven lifted and ,heaven arresting6 ,as it was with ,christ1 so ought we to be so perfected in faith1 so skilled in praying1 that we could lift our eyes to ,heaven and say with ,him1 with deepest humility1 and with commanding confidence1 8,father1 ,i thank thee that thou hast heard me40 ,once more we have a very touching and beautiful and instructive incident in ,christ's praying1 this time having to do with infants in their mothers' arms1 parabolic as well as historical3 8,then were there brought unto him little children1 that he should put his hands on them1 and pray3 and the disciples rebuked them4 8,but when ,jesus saw it he was much displeased1 and said unto them1 ,suffer the little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the kingdom of ,god4 8,verily ,i say unto you1 whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child1 he shall not enter therein4 8,and he took them up in his arms1 put his hands upon them and blessed them40 ,this was one of the few times when stupid ignorance and unspiritual views aroused ,his indignation and displeasure4 ,vital principles were involved4 ,the foundations were being destroyed1 and worldly views actuated the disciples4 ,their temper and their words in rebuking those who brought their infants to ,christ were exceedingly wrong4 ,the very principles which ,he came to illustrate and propagate were being violated4 ,christ received the little ones4 ,the big ones must become little ones4 ,the old ones must become young ones ere ,christ will receive them4 ,prayer helps the little ones4 ,the cradle must be invested with prayer4 ,we are to pray for our little ones4 ,the children are now to be brought to ,jesus ,christ by prayer1 as ,he is in ,heaven and not on earth4 ,they are to be brought to ,him early for ,his blessing1 even when they are infants4 ,his blessing descends upon these little ones in answer to the prayers of those who bring them4 ,with untiring importunity are they to be brought to ,christ in earnest1 persevering prayer by their fathers and mothers4 ,before they know1 themselves1 anything about coming of their own accord1 parents are to present them to ,god in prayer1 seeking ,his blessing upon their offspring and at the same time asking for wisdom1 for grace and ,divine help to rear them that they may come to ,christ when they arrive at the years of accountability of their own accord4 ,holy hands and holy praying have much to do with guarding and training young lives and to form young characters for righteousness and ,heaven4 ,what benignity1 simplicity1 kindness1 unworldliness and condescension and meekness1 linked with prayerfulness1 are in this act of this ,divine ,teacher6 ,it was as ,jesus was praying that ,peter made that wonderful confession of his faith that ,jesus was the ,son of ,god3 8,and it came to pass1 as he was alone praying1 his disciples were with him2 and he asked them1 saying1 ,whom say the people that ,i am8 8,and they said1 ,some say that thou art ,john the ,baptist2 some1 ,elias2 and others1 ,jeremias or one of the prophets4 8,he saith unto them1 ,but whom say ye that ,i am8 8,and ,simon ,peter answered and said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 8,and ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,bar-jona2 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my ,father which is in heaven4 8,and ,i say also unto thee1 that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church3 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 8,and ,i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of ,heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven40 ,it was after our ,lord had made large promises to ,his disciples that ,he had appointed unto each of them a kingdom1 and that they should sit at ,his table in ,his kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of ,israel1 that ,he gave those words of warning to ,simon ,peter1 telling him that ,he had prayed for ,peter4 8,and the ,lord said1 ,simon1 ,simon1 behold ,satan hath desired to have you1 so that he may sift you as wheat4 ,but ,i have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not4 ,and when thou art converted1 strengthen thy brethren40 ,happy ,peter1 to have such an one as the ,son of ,god to pray for him6 ,unhappy ,peter1 to be so in the toils of ,satan as to demand so much of ,christ's solicitude6 ,how intense are the demands upon our prayers for some specific cases6 ,prayer must be personal in order to be to the fullest extent beneficial4 ,peter drew on ,christ's praying more than any other disciple because of his exposure to greater perils4 ,pray for the most impulsive1 the most imperilled ones by name4 ,our love and their danger give frequency1 inspiration1 intensity and personality to praying4 ,we have seen how ,christ had to flee from the multitude after the magnificent miracle of feeding the five thousand as they sought to make ,him king4 ,then prayer was ,his escape and ,his refuge from this strong worldly temptation4 ,he returns from that night of prayer with strength and calmness1 and with a power to perform that other remarkable miracle of great wonder of walking on the sea4 ,even the loaves and fishes were sanctified by prayer before ,he served them to the multitude4 8,he looked up to ,heaven and gave thanks40 ,prayer should sanctify our daily bread and multiply our seed sown4 ,he looked up to heaven and heaved a sigh when ,he touched the tongue of the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech4 ,much akin was this sigh to that groaning in spirit which ,he evinced at the grave of ,lazarus4 8,jesus therefore again groaning in himself1 cometh to the grave40 ,here was the sigh and groan of the ,son of ,god over a human wreck1 groaning that sin and hell had such a mastery over man2 troubled that such a desolation and ruin were man's sad inheritance4 ,this is a lesson to be ever learned by us4 ,here is a fact ever to be kept in mind and heart and which must ever1 in some measure1 weigh upon the inner spirits of ,god's children4 ,we who have received the first fruit of the ,spirit groan within ourselves at sin's waste1 and death1 and are filled with longings for the coming of a better day4 ,present in all great praying1 making and marking it1 is the man4 ,it is impossible to separate the praying from the man4 ,the constituent elements of the man are the constituents of his praying4 ,the man flows through his praying4 ,only the fiery ,elijah could do ,elijah's fiery praying4 ,we can get holy praying only from a holy man4 ,holy being can never exist without holy doing4 ,being is first1 doing comes afterward4 ,what we are gives being1 force and inspiration to what we do4 ,character1 that which is graven deep1 ineradicably1 imperishably within us1 colours all we do4 ,the praying of ,christ1 then1 is not to be separated from the character of ,christ4 ,if ,he prayed more unweariedly1 more self-denyingly1 more holily1 more simply and directly than other men1 it was because these elements entered more largely into ,his character than into that of others4 ,the transfiguration marks another epoch in ,his life1 and that was pre-eminently a prayer epoch4 ,luke gives an account with the animus and aim of the event3 8,and it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings1 he took ,peter and ,john and ,james1 and went up into a mountain to pray4 8,and as he prayed1 the fashion of his countenance was altered1 and his raiment was white and glistering4 8,and1 behold1 there talked with him two men1 which were ,moses and ,elias3 8,who appeared in glory1 and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at ,jerusalem40 ,the selection was made of three of ,his disciples for an inner circle of associates1 in prayer4 ,few there be who have the spiritual tastes or aptitude for this inner circle4 ,even these three favoured ones could scarcely stand the strain of that long night of praying4 ,we know that ,he went up on that mountain to pray1 not to be transfigured4 ,but it was as ,he prayed1 the fashion of ,his countenance was altered and ,his raiment became white and glistering4 ,there is nothing like prayer to change character and whiten conduct4 ,there is nothing like prayer to bring heavenly visitants and to gild with heavenly glory earth's mountain to us1 dull and drear4 ,peter calls it the holy mount1 made so by prayer4 ,three times did the voice of ,god bear witness to the presence and person of ,his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ--at ,his baptism by ,john the ,baptist1 and then at ,his transfiguration the approving1 consoling and witnessing voice of ,his ,father was heard4 ,he was found in prayer both of these times4 ,the third time the attesting voice came1 it was not on the heights of ,his transfigured glory1 nor was it as ,he was girding ,himself to begin ,his conflict and to enter upon ,his ministry1 but it was when ,he was hastening to the awful end4 ,he was entering the dark mystery of ,his last agony1 and looking forward to it4 ,the shadows were deepening1 a dire calamity was approaching and an unknown and untried dread was before ,him4 ,ruminating on ,his approaching death1 prophesying about it1 and forecasting the glory which would follow1 in the midst of ,his high and mysterious discourse1 the shadows come like a dread eclipse and ,he bursts out in an agony of prayer3 8,now is my soul troubled2 and what shall ,i say8 ,father1 save me from this hour3 but for this cause came ,i unto this hour4 8,father1 glorify thy name4 ,then came there a voice from heaven1 saying1 ,i have both glorified it and will glorify it again4 8,the people therefore that stood by1 and heard it1 said that it thundered3 others said1 ,an angel spake to him4 8,jesus answered and said1 ,this voice came not because of me1 but for your sakes40 ,but let it be noted that ,christ is meeting and illuminating this fateful and distressing hour with prayer4 ,how even thus early the flesh reluctantly shrank from the contemplated end6 ,how fully does ,his prayer on the cross for ,his enemies synchronise with all ,he taught about love to our enemies1 and with mercy and forgiveness to those who have trespassed against us6 8,then said ,jesus1 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do40 ,apologising for ,his murderers and praying for them1 while they were jeering and mocking ,him at ,his death pains and their hands were reeking with ,his blood6 ,what amazing generosity1 pity and love6 ,again1 take another one of the prayers on the cross4 ,how touching the prayer and how bitter the cup6 ,how dark and desolate the hour as ,he exclaims1 8,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me80 ,this is the last stroke that rends in twain ,his heart1 more exquisite in its bitterness and its anguish and more heart-piercing than the kiss of ,judas4 ,all else was looked for1 all else was put in ,his book of sorrows4 ,but to have ,his ,father's face withdrawn1 ,god-forsaken1 the hour when these distressing words escaped the lips of the dying ,son of ,god6 ,and yet how truthful ,he is6 ,how childlike we find ,him6 ,and so when the end really comes1 we hear ,him again speaking to ,his ,father3 8,father1 into thy hands ,i commit my spirit4 ,and having said this1 he gave up the ghost40 ,x ,,our ,,lord',s ,,model ,,prayer ,what satisfaction must it be to learn from ,god ,himself with what words and in what manner1 ,he would have us pray to ,him so as not to pray in vain6 ,we do not sufficiently consider the value of this prayer2 the respect and attention which it requires2 the preference to be given to it2 its fulness and perfection2 the frequent use we should make of it2 and the spirit which we should bring with it4 8,lord1 teach us how to pray40--,,adam ,,clark4 ,jesus gives us the pattern prayer in what is commonly known as 8,the ,lord's ,prayer40 ,in this model1 perfect prayer ,he gives us a law form to be followed1 and yet one to be filled in and enlarged as we may decide when we pray4 ,the outlines and form are complete1 yet it is but an outline1 with many a blank1 which our needs and convictions are to fill in4 ,christ puts words on our lips1 words which are to be uttered by holy lives4 ,words belong to the life of prayer4 ,wordless prayers are like human spirits2 pure and high they may be1 but too ethereal and impalpable for earthly conflicts and earthly needs and uses4 ,we must have spirits clothed in flesh and blood1 and our prayers must be likewise clothed in words to give them point and power1 a local habitation1 and a name4 ,this lesson of 8,the ,lord's ,prayer10 drawn forth by the request of the disciples1 8,lord1 teach us to pray10 has something in form and verbiage like the prayer sections of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,it is the same great lesson of praying to 8,our ,father which art in ,heaven10 and is one of insistent importunity4 ,no prayer lesson would be complete without it4 ,it belongs to the first and last lessons in prayer4 ,god's ,fatherhood gives shape1 value and confidence to all our praying4 ,he teaches us that to hallow ,god's name is the first and the greatest of prayers4 ,a desire for the glorious coming and the glorious establishment of ,god's glorious kingdom follows in value and in sequence the hallowing of ,god's name4 ,he who really hallows ,god's name will hail the coming of the ,kingdom of ,god1 and will labour and pray to bring that kingdom to pass and to establish it4 ,christ's pupils in the school of prayer are to be taught diligently to hallow ,god's name1 to work for ,god's kingdom1 and to do ,god's will perfectly1 completely and gladly1 as it is done in ,heaven4 ,prayer engages the highest interest and secures the highest glory of ,god4 ,god's name1 ,god's kingdom and ,god's will are all in it4 ,without prayer ,his name is profaned1 ,his kingdom fails1 and ,his will is decried and opposed4 ,god's will can be done on earth as it is done in ,heaven4 ,god's will done on earth makes earth like ,heaven4 ,importunate praying is the mighty energy which establishes ,god's will on earth as it is established in ,heaven4 ,he is still teaching us that prayer sanctifies and makes hopeful and sweet our daily toil for daily bread4 ,forgiveness of sins is to be sought by prayer1 and the great prayer plea we are to make for forgiveness is that we have forgiven all those who have sinned against us4 ,it involves love for our enemies so far as to pray for them1 to bless them and not curse them1 and to pardon their offences against us whatever those offences may be4 ,we are to pray1 8,lead us not into temptation10 that is1 that while we thus pray1 the tempter and the temptation are to be watched against1 resisted and prayed against4 ,all these things ,he had laid down in this law of prayer1 but many a simple lesson of comment1 expansion1 and expression ,he adds to ,his statute law4 ,in this prayer ,he teaches ,his disciples1 so familiar to thousands in this day who learned it at their mother's knees in childhood1 the words are so childlike that children find their instruction1 edification and comfort in them as they kneel and pray4 ,the most glowing mystic and the most careful thinker finds each his own language in these simple words of prayer4 ,beautiful and revered as these words are1 they are our words for solace1 help and learning4 ,he led the way in prayer that we might follow ,his footsteps4 ,matchless leader in matchless praying6 ,lord1 teach us to pray as ,thou didst ,thyself pray6 ,how marked the contrast between the ,sacerdotal ,prayer and this 8,lord's ,prayer10 this copy for praying ,he gave to ,his disciples as the first elements of prayer4 ,how simple and childlike6 ,no one has ever approached in composition a prayer so simple in its petitions and yet so comprehensive in all of its requests4 ,how these simple elements of prayer as given by our ,lord commend themselves to us6 ,this prayer is for us as well as for those to whom it was first given4 ,it is for the child in the ,a ,b ,c of prayer1 and it is for the graduate of the highest institutions of learning4 ,it is a personal prayer1 reaching to all our needs and covering all our sins4 ,it is the highest form of prayer for others4 ,as the scholar can never in all his after studies or learning dispense with his ,a ,b ,c1 and as the alphabet gives form1 colour and expression to all after learning1 impregnating all and grounding all1 so the learner in ,christ can never dispense with the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,but he may make it form the basis of his higher praying1 this intercession for others in the ,sacerdotal ,prayer4 ,the ,lord's ,prayer is ours by our mother's knee and fits us in all the stages of a joyous ,christian life4 ,the ,sacerdotal ,prayer is ours also in the stages and office of our royal priesthood as intercessors before ,god4 ,here we have oneness with ,god1 deep spiritual unity1 and unswerving loyalty to ,god1 living and praying to glorify ,god4 ,,xi ,,our ,,lord',s ,,sacerdotal ,,prayer ,jesus closes ,his life with inimitable calmness1 confidence and sublimity4 8,i have glorified ,thee2 ,i have finished the work which ,thou gavest me to do40 ,the annals of earth have nothing comparable to it in real serenity and sublimity4 ,may we come to our end thus1 in supreme loyalty to ,christ4 --,,edward ,,bounds4 ,we come now to consider our ,lord's ,sacerdotal ,prayer1 as found recorded in the seventeenth chapter of ,john's ,gospel4 ,obedience to the ,father and abiding in the ,father1 these belong to the ,son1 and these belong to us1 as partners with ,christ in ,his ,divine work of intercession4 ,how tenderly and with what pathos and how absorbingly ,he prays for ,his disciples6 8,i pray for them2 ,i pray not for the world40 ,what a pattern of prayerfulness for ,god's people6 ,for ,god's people are ,god's cause1 ,god's ,church and ,god's ,kingdom4 ,pray for ,god's people1 for their unity1 their sanctification1 and their glorification4 ,how the subject of their unity pressed upon ,him6 ,these walls of separation1 these alienations1 these riven circles of ,god's family1 and these warring tribes of ecclesiastics--how ,he is torn and bleeds and suffers afresh at the sight of these divisions6 ,unity--that is the great burden of that remarkable ,sacerdotal ,prayer4 8,that they may be one1 even as we are one40 ,the spiritual oneness of ,god's people--that is the heritage of ,god's glory to them1 transmitted by ,christ to ,his ,church4 ,first of all1 in this prayer1 ,jesus prays for ,himself1 not now the suppliant as in ,gethsemane1 not weakness1 but strength now4 ,there is not now the pressure of darkness and of hell1 but passing for the time over the fearful interim1 ,he asks that ,he may be glorified1 and that ,his exalted glory may secure glory to ,his ,father4 ,his sublime loyalty and fidelity to ,god are declared1 that fidelity to ,god which is of the very essence of interceding prayer4 ,our devoted lives pray4 ,our unswerving loyalty to ,god are eloquent pleas to ,him1 and give access and confidence in our advocacy4 ,this prayer is gemmed1 but its walls are adamant4 ,what profound and granite truths6 ,what fathomless mysteries6 ,what deep and rich experiences do such statements as these involve3 8,and this is life eternal1 that they might know thee1 the only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom thou hast sent4 8,and all mine are thine1 and thine are mine1 and ,i am glorified in them4 8,and ,i have declared unto them thy name1 and will declare it1 that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them1 and ,i in them4 8,and now1 ,o ,father1 glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which ,i had with thee before the world was40 ,let us stop and ask1 have we eternal life8 ,do we know ,god experimentally1 consciously1 and do we know ,him really and personally8 ,do we know ,jesus ,christ as a person1 and as a personal ,saviour8 ,do we know ,him by a heart acquaintance1 and know ,him well8 ,this1 this only1 is eternal life4 ,and is ,jesus glorified in us8 ,let us continue this personal inquiry4 ,do our lives prove ,his divinity8 ,and does ,jesus shine brighter because of us8 ,are we opaque or transparent bodies1 and do we darken or reflect ,his pure light8 ,once more let us ask3 ,do we seek ,god's glory8 ,do we seek glory where ,christ sought it8 8,glorify thou me with thy own self40 ,do we esteem the presence and the possession of ,god our most excellent glory and our supreme good8 ,how closely does ,he bind ,himself and ,his ,father to ,his people6 ,his heart centers upon them in this high hour of holy communion with ,his ,father4 8,i have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world2 thine they were1 and thou gavest them me2 and they have kept thy word4 8,now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee4 8,for ,i have given unto them the words which thou gavest me2 and they have received them1 and have known surely that ,i came out from thee1 and they have believed that thou didst send me4 8,i pray for them2 ,i pray not for the world2 but for them which thou hast given me2 for they are thine4 8,and all mine are thine1 and thine are mine2 and ,i am glorified in them40 ,he prays also for keeping for these disciples4 ,not only were they to be chosen1 elected and possessed1 but were to be kept by the ,father's watchful eyes and by the ,father's omnipotent hand4 8,and now ,i am no more in the world1 but these are in the world1 and ,i come to thee4 ,holy ,father1 keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me1 that they may be one1 as we are40 ,he prays that they might be kept by the ,holy ,father1 in all holiness by the power of ,his ,name4 ,he asks that ,his people may be kept from sin1 from all sin1 from sin in the concrete and sin in the abstract1 from sin in all its shapes of evil1 from all sin in this world4 ,he prays that they might not only be fit and ready for ,heaven1 but ready and fit for earth1 for its sweetest privileges1 its sternest duties1 its deepest sorrows1 and its richest joys2 ready for all of its trials1 consolations and triumphs4 8,i pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world1 but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil40 ,he prays that they may be kept from the world's greatest evil1 which is sin4 ,he desires that they may be kept from the guilt1 the power1 the pollution and the punishment of sin4 ,the ,revised ,version makes it read1 8,that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one40 ,kept from the devil1 so that he might not touch them1 nor find them1 nor have a place in them2 that they might be all owned1 possessed1 filled and guarded by ,god4 8,kept by the power of ,god through faith unto salvation40 ,he places us in the arms of ,his ,father1 on the bosom of ,his ,father1 and in the heart of ,his ,father4 ,he calls ,god into service1 puts ,him to the front1 and places us under ,his ,father's closer keeping1 under ,his ,father's shadow1 and under the covert of ,his ,father's wing4 ,the ,father's rod and staff are for our security1 for our comfort1 for our refuge1 for our strength and guidance4 ,these disciples were not to be taken out of the world1 but kept from its evil1 its monster evil1 which is itself4 8,this present evil world40 ,how the world seduces1 dazzles1 and deludes the children of men6 ,his disciples are chosen out of the world1 out of the world's bustle and earthliness1 out of its all-devouring greed of gain1 out of its money-desire1 money-love1 and money-toil4 ,earth draws and holds as if it was made out of gold and not out of dirt2 as though it was covered with diamonds and not with graves4 8,they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world40 ,not only from sin and ,satan were they to be kept1 but also from the soil1 stain and the taint of worldliness1 as ,christ was free from it4 ,their relation to ,christ was not only to free them from the world's defiling taint1 its unhallowed love1 and its criminal friendships1 but the world's hatred would inevitably follow their ,christ-likeness4 ,no result so necessarily and universally follows its cause as this4 8,the world hath hated them because they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world40 ,how solemn and almost awful the repetition of the declaration1 8,they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world40 ,how pronounced1 radical and eternal was our ,lord ,christ's divorce from the world6 ,how pronounced1 radical and eternal is that of our ,lord's true followers from the world6 ,the world hates the disciple as it hated his ,lord1 and will crucify the disciple just as it crucified his ,lord4 ,how pertinent the question1 have we the ,christ unworldliness8 ,does the world hate us as it hated our ,lord8 ,are ,his words fulfilled in us8 8,if the world hate you1 ye know that it hated me before it hated you4 8,if ye were of the world1 the world would love his own2 but because ye are not of the world1 but ,i have chosen you out of the world1 therefore the world hateth you40 ,he puts ,himself before us clear cut as the full portraiture of an unworldly ,christian4 ,here is our changeless pattern4 8,they are not of the world even as ,i am not of the world40 ,we must be cut after this pattern4 ,the subject of their unity pressed upon ,him4 ,note how ,he called ,his ,father's attention to it1 and see how ,he pleaded for this unity of ,his followers3 8,and now ,i am no more in the world1 but these are in the world and ,i come to thee4 ,holy ,father1 keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me1 that they may be one1 as we are40 ,again ,he returns to it as ,he sees the great crowds flocking to ,his standard as the ages pass on3 8,that they all may be one2 as thou1 ,father1 art in me1 and ,i in thee1 that they also may be one in us2 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me4 8,and the glory which thou gavest me ,i have given them2 that they may be one1 even as we are one4 8,i in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one2 and that the world may know that thou hast sent me1 and hast loved them1 as thou hast loved me40 ,notice how intently ,his heart was set on this unity4 ,what shameful history1 and what bloody annals has this lack of unity written for ,god's ,church6 ,these walls of separations1 these alienations1 these riven circles of ,god's family1 these warring tribes of men1 and these internecine fratricidal wars6 ,he looks ahead and sees how ,christ is torn1 how ,he bleeds and suffers afresh in all these sad things of the future4 ,the unity of ,god's people was to be the heritage of ,god's glory promised to them4 ,division and strife are the devil's bequest to the ,church1 a heritage of failure1 weakness1 shame and woe4 ,the oneness of ,god's people was to be the one credential to the world of the divinity of ,christ's mission on earth4 ,let us ask in all candor1 are we praying for this unity as ,christ prayed for it8 ,are we seeking the peace1 the welfare1 the glory1 the might and the divinity of ,god's cause as it is found in the unity of ,god's people8 ,going back again1 note1 please1 how ,he puts ,himself as the exponent and the pattern of this unworldliness which ,he prays may possess ,his disciples4 ,he sends them into the world just as ,his ,father sent ,him into the world4 ,he expects them to be and do1 just as ,he was and as ,he did for ,his ,father4 ,he sought the sanctification of ,his disciples that they might be wholly devoted to ,god and purified from all sin4 ,he desired in them a holy life and a holy work for ,god4 ,he devoted ,himself to death in order that they might be devoted in life to ,god4 ,for a true sanctification ,he prayed1 a real1 whole1 and thorough sanctification1 embracing soul1 body and mind1 for time and eternity4 ,with ,him the word itself had much to do with their true sanctification4 8,sanctify them through thy truth2 thy word is truth4 ,and for their sakes ,i sanctify myself1 that they also might be sanctified by the truth40 ,entire devotedness was to be the type of their sanctification4 ,his prayer for their sanctification marks the pathway to full sanctification4 ,prayer is that pathway4 ,all the ascending steps to that lofty position of entire sanctification are steps of prayer1 increasing prayerfulness in spirit and increasing prayerfulness in fact4 8,pray without ceasing0 is the imperative prelude to 8the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly40 ,and prayer is but the continued interlude and doxology of this rich grace in the heart3 8,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,faithful is he that calleth you1 who also will do it40 ,we can only meet our full responsibilities and fulfill our high mission when we go forth sanctified as ,christ our ,lord was sanctified4 ,he sends us into the world just as ,his ,father sent ,him into the world4 ,he expects us to be as ,he was1 to do as ,he did1 and to glorify the ,father just as ,he glorified the ,father4 ,what longings ,he had to have us with ,him in ,heaven3 8,father1 ,i will that they also whom thou hast given me1 be with me where ,i am2 that they may behold my glory1 which thou hast given me40 ,what response do our truant hearts make to this earnest1 loving1 ,christly longing8 ,are we as eager for ,heaven as ,he is to have us there8 ,how calm1 how majestic and how authoritative is ,his 8,i will06 ,he closes ,his life with inimitable calmness1 confidence and sublimity4 8,i have glorified thee on the earth2 ,i have finished the work which thou gavest me to do40 ,the annals of earth have nothing comparable to it in real serenity and sublimity4 ,may we come to our end thus in supreme loyalty to ,christ4 ,,xii ,,the ,,gethsemane ,,prayer ,the cup6 the cup6 the cup6 ,our ,lord did not use many words3 but ,he used ,his few words again and again1 till this cup6 and ,thy will6--,thy will be done1 and this cup--was all ,his prayer4 8,the cup6 ,the cup6 ,the cup60 cried ,christ3 first on ,his feet3 and then on ,his knees3 and then on ,his face4444 8,lord1 teach us to pray60--,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,we come to ,gethsemane4 ,what a contrast6 ,the sacerdotal prayer had been one of intense feelings of universal grasp1 and of world-wide and illimitable sympathy and solicitude for ,his church4 ,perfect calmness and perfect poise reigned4 ,majestic ,he was and simple and free from passion or disquiet4 ,the ,royal ,intercessor and ,advocate for others1 ,his petitions are like princely edicts1 judicial and authoritative4 ,how changed now6 ,in ,gethsemane ,he seems to have entered another region1 and becomes another man4 ,his sacerdotal prayer1 so exquisite in its tranquil flow1 so unruffled in its strong1 deep current1 is like the sun1 moving in meridian1 unsullied glory1 brightening1 vitalising1 ennobling and blessing everything4 ,the ,gethsemane prayer is that same sun declining in the west1 plunged into an ocean of storm and cloud1 storm-covered1 storm-eclipsed with gloom1 darkness and terror on every side4 ,the prayer in ,gethsemane is exceptional in every way4 ,the super-incumbent load of the world's sin is upon ,him4 ,the lowest point of ,his depression has been reached4 ,the bitterest cup of all1 ,his bitter cup1 is being pressed to ,his lips4 ,the weakness of all ,his weaknesses1 the sorrow of all ,his sorrows1 the agony of all ,his agonies are now upon ,him4 ,the flesh is giving out with its fainting and trembling pulsations1 like the trickling of ,his heart's blood4 ,his enemies have thus far triumphed4 ,hell is in a jubilee and bad men are joining in the hellish carnival4 ,gethsemane was ,satan's hour1 ,satan's power1 and ,satan's darkness4 ,it was the hour of massing all of ,satan's forces for a final1 last conflict4 ,jesus had said1 8,the prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me40 ,the conflict for earth's mastery is before ,him4 ,the spirit led and drove ,him into the stern conflict and severe temptation of the wilderness4 ,but ,his ,comforter1 ,his ,leader and ,his inspiration through ,his matchless history1 seems to have left ,him now4 8,he began to be sorrowful and very heavy10 and we hear ,him under this great pressure exclaiming1 8,my soul is exceeding sorrowful1 even unto death40 ,the depression1 conflict and agony had gone to the very core of ,his spirit1 and had sunk ,him to the very verge of death4 8,sore amazed0 ,he was4 ,surprise and awe depress ,his soul4 8,very heavy0 was the hour of hell's midnight which fell upon ,his spirit4 ,very heavy was this hour when all the sins of all the world1 of every man1 of all men1 fell upon ,his immaculate soul1 with all their stain and all their guilt4 ,he cannot abide the presence of ,his chosen friends4 ,they cannot enter into the depths and demands of this fearful hour4 ,his trusted and set watchers were asleep4 ,his ,father's face is hid4 ,his ,father's approving voice is silent4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 who had been with ,him in all the trying hours of ,his life1 seems to have withdrawn from the scene4 ,alone ,he must drink the cup1 alone ,he must tread the winepress of ,god's fierce wrath and of ,satan's power and darkness1 and of man's envy1 cruelty and vindictiveness4 ,the scene is well described by ,luke3 8,and he came out and went1 as he was wont1 to the ,mount of ,olives3 and his disciples also followed him4 8,and when he was at the place1 he said unto them1 ,pray that ye enter not into temptation4 8,and he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast1 and kneeled down and prayed4 8,saying1 ,father1 if thou be willing remove this cup from me2 nevertheless1 not my will1 but thine1 be done4 8,and there appeared an angel unto him from heaven1 strengthening him4 8,and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly2 and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground4 8,and when he rose up from prayer1 and was come to his disciples1 he found them sleeping for sorrow4 8,and said unto them1 ,why sleep ye8 ,rise and pray1 lest ye enter into temptation40 ,the prayer agony of ,gethsemane crowns ,calvary with glory and while the prayers offered by ,christ on the cross are the union of weakness and strength1 of deepest agony and desolation1 accompanied with sweetest calm1 divinest submission and implicit confidence4 ,nowhere in prophet or priest1 king or ruler1 of synagogue or church1 does the ministry of prayer assume such marvels of variety1 power and fragrance as in the life of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is the aroma of ,god's sweetest spices1 aflame with ,god's glory1 and consumed by ,god's will4 ,we find in this ,gethsemane prayer that which we find nowhere else in the praying of ,christ4 8,o1 my ,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup pass from me2 nevertheless1 not as ,i will1 but as thou wilt40 ,this is different from the whole tenor and trend of ,his praying and doing4 ,how different from ,his sacerdotal prayer6 8,father1 ,i will10 is the law and life of that prayer4 ,in ,his last directions for prayer1 ,he makes our will the measure and condition of prayer4 8,if ye abide in me1 and my words abide in you1 ye shall ask what ye will1 and it shall be done unto you40 ,he said to the ,syro-phnician woman1 8,great is thy faith6 ,be it unto thee as thou wilt40 ,but in ,gethsemane ,his praying was against the declared will of ,god4 ,the pressure was so heavy upon ,him1 the cup was so bitter1 the burden was so strange and intolerable1 that the flesh cried out for relief4 ,prostrate1 sinking1 sorrowful unto death4 ,he sought to be relieved from that which seemed too heavy to bear4 ,he prayed1 however1 not in revolt against ,god's will1 but in submission to that will1 and yet to change ,god's plan and to alter ,god's purposes4 ,he prayed4 ,pressed by the weakness of the flesh1 and by the powers of hell in all their dire1 hellish malignity and might1 ,jesus was on this one only occasion constrained to pray against the will of ,god4 ,he did it1 though1 with great wariness and pious caution4 ,he did it with declared and inviolable submission to ,god's will4 ,but this was exceptional4 ,simple submission to ,god's will is not the highest attitude of the soul to ,god4 ,submission may be seeming1 induced by conditions1 nothing but an enforced surrender1 not cheerful but grudging1 only a temporary expedient1 a fitful resolve4 ,when the occasion or calamity which called it forth is removed1 the will returns to its old ways and to its old self4 ,jesus ,christ prayed always with this one exception in conformity with the will of ,god4 ,he was one with ,god's plan1 and one with ,god's will4 ,to pray in conformity with ,god's will was the life and law of ,christ4 ,the same was law of ,his praying4 ,conformity1 to live one with ,god1 is a far higher and diviner life than to live simply in submission to ,god4 ,to pray in conformity--together with ,god--is a far higher and diviner way to pray than mere submission4 ,at its best state1 submission is non-rebellion1 an acquiescence1 which is good1 but not the highest4 ,the most powerful form of praying is positive1 aggressive1 mightily outgoing and creative4 ,it molds things1 changes things and brings things to pass4 ,conformity means to 8stand perfect and complete in all the will of ,god40 ,it means to delight to do ,god's will1 to run with eagerness and ardour to carry out ,his plans4 ,conformity to ,god's will involves submission1 patient1 loving1 sweet submission4 ,but submission in itself falls short of and does not include conformity4 ,we may be submissive but not conformed4 ,we may accept results against which we have warred1 and even be resigned to them4 ,conformity means to be one with ,god1 both in result and in processes4 ,submission may be one with ,god in the end4 ,conformity is one with ,god in the beginning1 and the end4 ,jesus had conformity1 absolute and perfect1 to ,god's will1 and by that ,he prayed4 ,this was the single point where there was a drawing back from ,god's processes1 extorted by insupportable pain1 fear and weariness4 ,his submission was abject1 loyal and confiding1 as ,his conformity had been constant and perfect4 ,conformity is the only true submission1 the most loyal1 the sweetest and the fullest4 ,gethsemane has its lessons of humble supplications as ,jesus knelt alone in the garden4 ,of burdened prostration1 as ,he fell on ,his face1 of intense agony1 of distressing dread1 of hesitancy and shrinking back1 of crying out for relief--yet amid it all of cordial submission to ,god1 accompanied with a singleness of purpose for ,his glory4 ,satan will have for each of us his hour and power of darkness and for each of us the bitter cup and the fearful spirit of gloom4 ,we can pray against ,god's will1 as ,moses did1 to enter the ,promised ,land2 as ,paul did about the thorn in the flesh2 as ,david did for his doomed child2 as ,hezekiah did to live4 ,we must pray against ,god's will three times when the stroke is the heaviest1 the sorrow is the keenest1 and the grief is the deepest4 ,we may lie prostrate all night1 as ,david did1 through the hours of darkness4 ,we may pray for hours1 as ,jesus did1 and in the darkness of many nights1 not measuring the hours by the clock1 nor the nights by the calendar4 ,it must all be1 however1 the prayer of submission4 ,when sorrow and the night and desolation of ,gethsemane fall in heaviest gloom on us1 we ought to submit patiently and tearfully1 if need be1 but sweetly and resignedly1 without tremour1 or doubt1 to the cup pressed by a ,father's hand to our lips4 8,not my will1 but thine1 be done10 our broken hearts shall say4 ,in ,god's own way1 mysterious to us1 that cup has in its bitterest dregs1 as it had for the ,son of ,god1 the gem and gold of perfection4 ,we are to be put into the crucible to be refined4 ,christ was made perfect in ,gethsemane1 not by the prayer1 but by the suffering4 8,for it became him to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering40 ,the cup could not pass because the suffering must go on and yield its fruit of perfection4 ,through many an hour of darkness and of hell's power1 through many a sore conflict with the prince of this world1 by drinking many a bitter cup1 we are to be made perfect4 ,to cry out against the terrific and searching flame of the crucible of a ,father's painful processes is natural and is no sin1 if there be perfect acquiescence in the answer to our prayer1 perfect submission to ,god's will1 and perfect devotion to ,his glory4 ,if our hearts are true to ,god1 we may plead with ,him about ,his way1 and seek relief from ,his painful processes4 ,but the fierce fire of the crucible and the agonising victim with ,his agonising and submissive prayer1 is not the normal and highest form of majestic and all-commanding prayer4 ,we can cry out in the crucible1 and can cry out against the flame which purifies and perfects us4 ,god allows this1 hears this1 and answers this1 not by taking us out of the crucible1 nor by mitigating the fierceness of the flame1 but by sending more than an angel to strengthen us4 ,and yet crying out thus1 with full submission1 does not answer the real high1 world-wide1 royal and eternity-reaching behests of prayer4 ,the prayer of submission must not be so used as to vitiate or substitute the higher and mightier prayer of faith4 ,nor must it be so stressed as to break down importunate and prevailing prayer1 which would be to disarm prayer of its efficiency and discrown its glorious results and would be to encourage listless1 sentimental and feeble praying4 ,we are ever ready to excuse our lack of earnest and toilsome praying1 by a fancied and delusive view of submission4 ,we often end praying just where we ought to begin4 ,we quit praying when ,god waits and is waiting for us to really pray4 ,we are deterred by obstacles from praying1 or we succumb to difficulties1 and call it submission to ,god's will4 ,a world of beggarly faith1 of spiritual laziness1 and of half-heartedness in prayer1 are covered under the high and pious name of submission4 ,to have no plan but to seek ,god's plan and carry it out1 is of the essence and inspiration of ,christly praying4 ,this is far more than putting in a clause of submission4 ,jesus did this once in seeking to change the purpose of ,god1 but all ,his other praying was the output of being perfectly at one with the plans and purposes of ,god4 ,it is after this order we pray when we abide in ,him and when ,his word abides in us4 ,then we ask what we will and it is done4 ,it is then our prayers fashion and create things4 ,our wills then become ,god's will and ,his will becomes ours4 ,the two become one1 and there is not a note of discord4 8,and this is the confidence that we have in him1 that1 if we ask anything according to his will1 he heareth us40 ,and if we know that ,he hear us1 whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have the petitions that we desired of ,him4 ,and then it proves true3 8,and whatsoever we ask1 we receive of him1 because we keep his commandments1 and do those things that are pleasing in his sight40 ,what restraint1 forbearance1 self-denial1 and loyalty to duty to ,god1 and what deference to the ,old ,testament ,scriptures are in that statement of our ,lord3 8,thinkest thou that ,i cannot now pray to my ,father1 and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels8 ,but how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled1 that thus it must be80 ,,xiii ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,and ,,prayer ,during the great ,welsh ,revival a minister was said to be very successful in winning souls by one sermon that he preached--hundreds were converted4 ,far away in a valley news reached a brother minister of the marvelous success of this sermon4 ,he desired to find out the secret of the man's great success4--,he walked the long way1 and came to the minister's poor cottage1 and the first thing he said was3 8,brother1 where did you get that sermon80 ,he was taken into a poorly furnished room and pointed to a spot where the carpet was worn threadbare1 near a window that looked out upon the everlasting hills and solemn mountains and said1 8,brother1 there is where ,i got that sermon4 ,my heart was heavy for men4 ,one night ,i knelt there--and cried for power as ,i never preached before4 ,the hours passed until midnight struck1 and the stars looked down on a sleeping world1 but the answer came not4 ,i prayed on until ,i saw a faint streak of grey shoot up1 then it was silver--silver became purple and gold4 ,then the sermon came and the power came and men fell under the influence of the ,holy ,spirit40--,g4 ,h4 ,,morgan4 ,the ,gospel without the ,holy ,spirit would be vain and nugatory4 ,the gift of the ,holy ,spirit was vital to the work of ,jesus ,christ in the atonement4 ,as ,jesus did not begin ,his work on earth till ,he was anointed by the ,holy ,spirit1 so the same ,holy ,spirit is necessary to carry forward and make effective the atoning work of the ,son of ,god4 ,as ,his anointing by the ,holy ,ghost at ,his baptism was an era in ,his life1 so also is the coming of the ,holy ,spirit at ,pentecost a great era in the work of redemption in making effective the work of ,christ's ,church4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is not only the bright lamp of the ,christian ,dispensation1 its ,teacher and ,guide1 but is the ,divine ,helper4 ,he is the enabling agent in ,god's new dispensation of doing4 ,as the pilot takes his stand at the wheel to guide the vessel1 so the ,holy ,ghost takes up ,his abode in the heart to guide and empower all its efforts4 ,the ,holy ,ghost executes the whole gospel through the man by ,his presence and control of the spirit of the man4 ,in the execution of the atoning work of ,jesus ,christ1 in its general and more comprehensive operation1 or in its minute and personal application1 the ,holy ,spirit is the one efficient ,agent1 absolute and indispensable4 ,the gospel cannot be executed but by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he only has the regal authority to do this royal work4 ,intellect cannot execute it1 neither can learning1 nor eloquence1 nor truth1 not even the revealed truth can execute the gospel4 ,the marvelous facts of ,christ's life told by hearts unanointed by the ,holy ,spirit will be dry and sterile1 or 8like a story told by an idiot1 full of sound and fury1 signifying nothing40 ,not even the precious blood can execute the gospel4 ,not any1 nor all of these1 though spoken with angelic wisdom1 angelic eloquence1 can execute the gospel with saving power4 ,only tongues set on fire by the ,holy ,spirit can witness the saving power of ,christ with power to save others4 ,no one dared move from ,jerusalem to proclaim or utter the message along its streets to the dying multitudes till the ,holy ,spirit came in baptismal power4 ,john could not utter a word1 though he had pillowed his head on ,christ's bosom and caught the pulsations of ,christ's heart1 and though his brain was full of the wondrous facts of that life and of the wondrous words which fell from ,his lips4 ,john must wait till a fuller and richer endowment than all of these came on him4 ,mary could not live over that ,christ-life in the home of ,john1 though she had nurtured the ,christ and stored heart and mind full of holy and motherly memories1 till she was empowered by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the coming of the ,holy ,spirit is dependent upon prayer1 for prayer only can compass with its authority and demands1 the realm where this ,person of the ,godhead has ,his abode4 ,even ,christ was subject to this law of prayer4 ,with ,him1 it is1 it ever has been1 and ever will be1 8,ask1 and it shall be given you2 seek and ye shall find2 knock1 and it shall be opened unto you40 ,to ,his disconsolate disciples1 ,he said1 8,i will pray the ,father1 and ,he will give you another ,comforter40 ,this law of prayer for the ,holy ,spirit presses on the ,master and on the disciples as well4 ,of so many of ,god's children it may truly be said1 8,ye have ,him not because ye ask not40 ,and of many others it might be said1 8,ye have ,him in faint measure because ye pray for ,him in faint measure40 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the spirit of all grace and of each grace as well4 ,purity1 power1 holiness1 faith1 love1 joy and all grace are brought into being and perfected by ,him4 ,would we grow in grace in particular8 ,would we be perfect in all graces8 ,we must seek the ,holy ,spirit by prayer4 ,we urge the seeking of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,we need ,him1 and we need to stir ourselves up to seek ,him4 ,the measure we receive of ,him will be gauged by the fervour of faith and prayer with which we seek ,him4 ,our ability to work for ,god1 and to pray to ,god1 and live for ,god1 and affect others for ,god1 will be dependent on the measure of the ,holy ,spirit received by us1 dwelling in us1 and working through us4 ,christ lays down the clear and explicit law of prayer in this regard for all of ,god's children4 ,the world needs the ,holy ,spirit to convict it of sin and of righteousness and judgment to come and to make it feel its guiltiness in ,god's sight4 ,and this spirit of conviction on sinners comes in answer to the prayers of ,god's people4 ,god's children need ,him more and more1 need ,his life1 ,his more abundant life1 ,his super-abundant life4 ,but that life begins and ever increases as the child of ,god prays for the ,holy ,spirit4 8,if ye1 then1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask him80 ,this is the law1 a condition brightened by a promise and sweetened by a relationship4 ,the gift of the ,holy ,spirit is one of the benefits flowing to us from the glorious presence of ,christ at the right hand of ,god1 and this gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 together with all the other gifts of the enthroned ,christ1 are secured to us by prayer as the condition4 ,the ,bible by express statement1 as well as by its general principles and clear and constant intimations1 teaches us that the gift of the ,holy ,spirit is connected with and conditioned in prayer4 ,that the ,holy ,spirit is in the world as ,god is in the world1 is true4 ,that the ,holy ,spirit is in the world as ,christ is in the world is also true4 ,and it is also true that there is nothing predicated of ,him being in us and in the world that is not predicated of ,god and ,christ being in us1 and in the world4 ,the ,holy ,spirit was in the world in measure before ,pentecost1 and in the measure of ,his operation then ,he was prayed for and sought for1 and the principles are unchanged4 ,the truth is1 if we cannot pray for the ,holy ,spirit we cannot pray for any good thing from ,god1 for ,he is the sum of all good to us4 ,the truth is we seek after the ,holy ,spirit just as we seek after ,god1 just as we seek after ,christ1 with strong cryings and tears1 and we are to seek always for more and more of ,his gifts1 and power1 and grace4 ,the truth is1 that the presence and power of the ,holy ,spirit at any given meeting is conditioned on praying faith4 ,christ lays down the doctrine that the reception of the ,holy ,spirit is conditioned on prayer1 and ,he ,himself illustrated this universal law1 for when the ,holy ,spirit came upon ,him at ,his baptism1 ,he was praying4 ,the ,apostolic ,church in action illustrates the same great truth4 ,a few days after ,pentecost the disciples were in an agony of prayer1 8and when they had prayed1 the place was shaken where they were assembled together2 and they were all filled with the ,holy ,spirit40 ,this incident destroys every theory which denies prayer as the condition of the coming and re-coming of the ,holy ,spirit after ,pentecost1 and confirms the view that ,pentecost as the result of a long struggle of prayer is illustrative and confirmatory that ,god's great and most precious gifts and conditioned on asking1 seeking1 knocking1 prayer1 ardent1 importunate prayer4 ,the same truth comes to the front very prominently in ,philip's revival at ,samaria4 ,though filled with joy by believing in ,christ1 and though received into the ,church by water baptism1 they did not receive the ,holy ,spirit till ,peter and ,john went down there and prayed with and for them4 ,paul's praying was ,god's proof to ,ananias that ,paul was in a state which conditioned him to receive the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is not only our ,teacher1 our ,inspirer and our ,revealer1 in prayer1 but the power of our praying in measure and force is measured by the ,spirit's power working in us1 as the will and work of ,god1 according to ,god's good pleasure4 ,in the third chapter of ,ephesians1 after the marvelous prayer of ,paul for the ,church1 he seemed to be apprehensive that they would think he had gone beyond the ability of ,god in his large asking4 ,and so he closes his appeal for them with the words1 that ,god was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think4 ,the power of ,god to do for us was measured by the power of ,god in us4 8,according to10 says the ,apostle1 that is1 after the measure of1 8the power that worketh in us40 ,the projecting power of praying outwardly was the projecting power of ,god in us4 ,the feeble operation of ,god in us brings feeble praying4 ,the mightiest operation of ,god in us brings the mightiest praying4 ,the secret of prayerlessness is the absence of the work of the ,holy ,spirit in us4 ,the secret of feeble praying everywhere is the lack of ,god's ,spirit in ,his mightiness4 ,the ability of ,god to answer and work through our prayers is measured by the ,divine energy that ,god has been enabled to put in us by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the projecting power of praying is the measure of the ,holy ,spirit in us4 ,so the statement of ,james in the fifth chapter of his ,epistle is to this effect3 8,the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much40 ,the prayer inwrought in the heart by the almighty energy of the ,holy ,spirit works mightily in its results just as ,elijah's prayer did4 ,would we pray efficiently and mightily8 ,then the ,holy ,spirit must work in us efficiently and mightily4 ,paul makes the principle of universal application4 8,whereunto ,i also labour1 striving according to his working1 which worketh in me mightily40 ,all labour for ,christ which does not spring from the ,holy ,spirit working in us1 is nugatory and vain4 ,our prayers and activities are so feeble and resultless1 because ,he has not worked in us and cannot work in us ,his glorious work4 ,would you pray with mighty results8 ,seek the mighty workings of the ,holy ,spirit in your own spirit4 ,here we have the initial lesson in prayer for the ,holy ,spirit which was to enlarge to its full fruitage in ,pentecost4 ,it is to be noted that in ,john #ad3af1 where ,jesus engages to pray the ,father to send another ,comforter1 who would dwell with ,his disciples and be in them1 that this is not a prayer that the ,holy ,spirit might do ,his work in making us children of ,god by regeneration1 but it was for that fuller grace and power and ,person of the ,holy ,spirit which we can claim by virtue of our relation as children of ,god4 ,his work in us to make us the children of ,god and ,his ,person abiding with us and in us1 as children of ,god1 are entirely different stages of the same ,spirit in ,his relation to us4 ,in this latter work1 ,his gifts and works are greater1 and ,his presence1 even ,himself1 is greater than ,his works or gifts4 ,his work in us prepares us for ,himself4 ,his gifts are the dispensations of ,his presence4 ,he puts and makes us members of the body of ,christ by ,his work4 ,he keeps us in that body by ,his ,presence and ,person4 ,he enables us to discharge the functions as members of that body by ,his gifts4 ,the whole lesson culminates in asking for the ,holy ,spirit as the great objective point of all praying4 ,in the direction in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 we have the very plain and definite promise1 8,if ye1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,father in ,heaven give good things to them that ask him80 ,in ,luke we have 8good things0 substituted by 8the ,holy ,spirit40 ,all good is comprehended in the ,holy ,spirit and ,he is the sum and climax of all good things4 ,how complex1 confusing and involved is many a human direction about obtaining the gift of the ,holy ,spirit as the abiding ,comforter1 our ,sanctifier and the one who empowers us6 ,how simple and direct is our ,lord's direction--,,ask6 ,this is plain and direct4 ,ask with urgency1 ask without fainting4 ,ask1 seek1 knock1 till ,he comes4 ,your ,heavenly ,father will surely send ,him if you ask for ,him4 ,wait in the ,lord for the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is the child waiting1 asking1 urging and praying perseveringly for the ,father's greatest gift and for the child's greatest need1 the ,holy ,spirit4 ,how are we to obtain the ,holy ,spirit so freely promised to those who seek ,him believingly8 ,wait1 press1 and persevere with all the calmness and with all the ardour of a faith which knows no fear1 which allows no doubt1 a faith which staggers not at the promise through unbelief1 a faith which in its darkest and most depressed hours against hope believes in hope1 which is brightened by hope and strengthened by hope1 and which is saved by hope4 ,wait and pray--here is the key which unlocks every castle of despair1 and which opens every treasure-store of ,god4 ,it is the simplicity of the child's asking of the ,father1 who gives with a largeness1 liberality1 and cheerfulness1 infinitely above everything ever known to earthly parents4 ,ask for the ,holy ,spirit--seek for the ,holy ,spirit--knock for the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he is the ,father's greatest gift for the child's greatest need4 ,in these three words1 8ask10 8seek0 and 8knock10 given us by ,christ1 we have the repetition of the advancing steps of insistency and effort4 ,he is laying ,himself out in command and promise in the strongest way1 showing us that if we will lay ourselves out in prayer and will persevere1 rising to higher and stronger attitudes and sinking to deeper depths of intensity and effort1 that the answer must inevitably come4 ,so that it is true the stars would fail to shine before the asking1 the seeking and the knocking would fail to obtain what is needed and desired4 ,there is no elect company here1 only the election of undismayed1 importunate1 never-fainting effort in prayer3 8,for to him that knocketh1 it shall be opened40 ,nothing can be stronger than this declaration assuring us of the answer unless it be the promise upon which it is based1 8,and ,i say unto you1 ask and it shall be given you40 ,,xiv ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,our ,,helper ,,in ,,prayer ,we must pray in the ,spirit1 in the ,holy ,ghost1 if we would pray at all4 ,lay this1 ,i beseech you1 to heart4 ,do not address yourselves to prayer as to a work to be accomplished in your own natural strength4 ,it is a work of ,god1 of ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 a work of ,his in you and by you1 and in which you must be fellow-workers with ,him--but ,his work notwithstanding4--,,archbishop ,,trench4 ,one of the revelations of the ,new ,testament concerning the ,holy ,spirit is that ,he is our helper in prayer4 ,so we have in the following incident in our ,lord's life the close connection between the ,holy ,spirit's work and prayer3 8,at that time ,jesus rejoiced in spirit and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes2 even so1 ,father1 for it seemed good in thy sight40--,luke #aj3ba4 ,here we have revelations of what ,god is to us4 ,only the child's heart can know the ,father1 and only the child's heart can reveal the ,father4 ,it is by prayer only that all things are delivered to us by the ,father through the ,son4 ,it is only by prayer that all things are revealed to us by the ,father and by the ,son4 ,it is only in prayer that the ,father gives ,himself to us1 which is much more every way than all other things whatsoever4 ,the ,revised ,version reads3 8,at that same hour ,jesus rejoiced in the ,holy ,spirit40 ,this sets forth that great truth not generally known1 or if known1 ignored1 that ,jesus ,christ was generally led by the ,holy ,spirit1 and that ,his joy and ,his praying1 as well as ,his working1 and ,his life1 were under the inspiration1 law and guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,turn to and read this passage3 ,romans #h3bf--8,likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities2 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought40 ,this text is most pregnant and vital1 and needs to be quoted4 ,patience1 hope and waiting help us in prayer4 ,but the greatest and the divinest of all helpers is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he takes hold of things for us4 ,we are dark and confused1 ignorant and weak in many things1 in fact in everything pertaining to the ,heavenly life1 especially in the simple service of prayer4 ,there is an 8ought0 on us1 an obligation1 a necessity to pray1 a spiritual necessity upon us of the most absolute and imperative kind4 ,but we do not feel the obligation and have no ability to meet it4 ,the ,holy ,spirit helps us in our weaknesses1 gives wisdom to our ignorance1 turns ignorance into wisdom1 and changes our weakness into strength4 ,the ,spirit ,himself does this4 ,he helps and takes hold with us as we tug and toil4 ,he adds ,his wisdom to our ignorance1 gives ,his strength to our weakness4 ,he pleads for us and in us4 ,he quickens1 illumines and inspires our prayers4 ,he indites and elevates the matter of our prayers1 and inspires the words and feelings of our prayers4 ,he works mightily in us so that we can pray mightily4 ,he enables us to pray always and ever according to the will of ,god4 ,in ,i ,john #e3ad we have these words3 8,and this is the confidence that we have in him1 that1 if we ask anything according to his will1 he heareth us3 8,and if we know that he hear us1 whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him40 ,that which gives us boldness and so much freedom and fullness of approach toward ,god1 the fact and basis of that boldness and liberty of approach1 is that we are asking 8according to the will of ,god40 ,this does not mean submission1 but conformity4 8,according to0 means after the standard1 conformity1 agreement4 ,we have boldness and all freedom of access to ,god because we are praying in conformity to ,his will4 ,god records ,his general will in ,his ,word1 but ,he has this special work in praying for us to do4 ,his 8things are prepared for us10 as the prophet says1 who 8wait upon him40 ,how can we know the will of ,god in our praying8 ,what are the things which ,god designs specially for us to do and pray8 ,the ,holy ,spirit reveals them to us perpetually4 8,the ,spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered4 8,and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of ,god40 ,combine this text with those words of ,paul in ,first ,corinthians1 second chapter1 eighth verse and what follows3 8,but as it is written1 ,eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither have entered into the heart of man1 the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love him4 8,but ,god hath revealed them unto us by his spirit2 for the spirit searcheth all things1 yea1 the deep things of ,god4 8,for what man knoweth the things of a man1 save the spirit of man which is in him8 ,even so the things of ,god knoweth no man1 but the spirit of ,god4 8,now we have received1 not the spirit of the world1 but the spirit which is of ,god2 that we might know the things that are freely given to us of ,god4 8,which things also we speak1 not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,holy ,ghost teacheth1 comparing spiritual things with spiritual4 8,but the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god2 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 8,but he that is spiritual judgeth all things1 yet he himself is judged of no man4 8,for who hath known the mind of the ,lord1 that he may instruct him8 ,but we have the mind of ,christ40 8,revealed to us by the ,spirit40 ,note those words4 ,god searches the heart where the ,spirit dwells and knows the mind of the ,spirit4 ,the ,spirit who dwells in our hearts searches the deep purposes and the will of ,god to us1 and reveals those purposes and that will of ,god1 8that we might know the things which are freely given to us of ,god40 ,our spirits are so fully indwelt by the ,spirit of ,god1 so responsive and obedient to ,his illumination and to ,his will1 that we ask with holy boldness and freedom the things which the ,spirit of ,god has shown us as the will of ,god1 and faith is assured4 ,then 8we know that we have the petitions that we have asked40 ,the natural man prays1 but prays according to his own will1 fancy and desire4 ,if he has ardent desires and groanings1 they are the fire and agony of nature simply1 and not that of the ,spirit4 ,what a world of natural praying there is1 which is selfish1 self-centered1 self-inspired6 ,the ,spirit1 when ,he prays through us1 or helps us to meet the mighty 8oughtness0 of right praying1 trims our praying down to the will of ,god1 and then we give heart and expression to ,his unutterable groanings4 ,then we have the mind of ,christ1 and pray as ,he would pray4 ,his thoughts1 purposes and desires are our desires1 purposes and thoughts4 ,this is not a new and different ,bible from that which we already have1 but it is the ,bible we have1 applied personally by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,it is not new texts1 but rather the ,spirit's embellishing of certain texts for us at the time4 ,it is the unfolding of the word by the ,spirit's light1 guidance1 teaching1 enabling us to perform the great office of intercessors on earth1 in harmony with the great intercessions of ,jesus ,christ at the ,father's right hand in ,heaven4 ,we have in the ,holy ,spirit an illustration and an enabler of what this intercession is and ought to be4 ,we are charged to supplicate in the ,spirit and to pray in the ,holy ,spirit4 ,we are reminded that the ,holy ,spirit 8helpeth our infirmities10 and that while intercession is an art of so ,divine and so high a nature that though we know not what to pray for as we ought1 yet the ,spirit teaches us this ,heavenly science1 by making intercession in us 8with groanings which cannot be uttered40 ,how burdened these intercessions of the ,holy ,spirit6 ,how profoundly ,he feels the world's sin1 the world's woe1 and the world's loss1 and how deeply ,he sympathises with the dire conditions1 are seen in ,his groanings which are too deep for utterance and too sacred to be voiced by ,him4 ,he inspires us to this most ,divine work of intercession1 and ,his strength enables us to sigh unto ,god for the oppressed1 the burdened and the distressed creation4 ,the ,holy ,spirit helps us in many ways4 ,how intense will be the intercessions of the saints who supplicate in the spirit6 ,how vain and delusive and how utterly fruitless and inefficient are prayers without the ,spirit6 ,official prayers they may be1 fitted for state occasions1 beautiful and courtly1 but worth less than nothing as ,god values prayer4 ,it is our unfainting praying which will help the ,holy ,spirit to ,his mightiest work in us1 and at the same time ,he helps us to these strenuous and exalted efforts in prayer4 ,we can and do pray by many inspirations and in many ways which are not of ,god4 ,many prayers are stereotyped in manner and in matter1 in part1 if not as a whole4 ,many prayers are hearty and vehement1 but it is natural heartiness and a fleshly vehemence4 ,much praying is done by dint of habit and through form4 ,habit is a second nature and holds to the good1 when so directed1 as well as to the bad4 ,the habit of praying is a good habit1 and should be early and strongly formed2 but to pray by habit merely is to destroy the life of prayer and allow it to degenerate into a hollow and sham-producing form4 ,habit may form the bank for the river of prayer1 but there must be a strong1 deep1 pure current1 crystal and life-giving1 flowing between these two banks4 ,hannah multiplied her praying1 8but she poured out her soul before the ,lord40 ,we cannot make our prayer habits too marked and controlling if the life-waters be full and overflow the banks4 ,our divine example in praying is the ,son of ,god4 ,our ,divine ,helper in praying is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he quickens us to pray and helps us in praying4 ,acceptable prayer must be begun and carried on by ,his presence and inspiration4 ,we are enjoined in the ,holy ,scriptures to 8pray in the ,holy ,ghost40 ,we are charged to 8pray always with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit40 ,we are reminded for our encouragement1 that 8,likewise the ,spirit also helpeth our infirmities2 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought2 but the ,spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered40 8,and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the ,spirit1 because ,he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of ,god40 ,so ignorant are we in this matter of prayer2 so impotent are all other teachers to impart its lessons to our understanding and heart1 that the ,holy ,spirit comes as the infallible and all-wise teacher to instruct us in this divine art4 8,to pray with all your heart and all your strength1 with the reason and the will1 this is the greatest achievement of the ,christian warfare on earth40 ,this is what we are taught to do and enabled to do by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,if no man can say that ,jesus is the ,christ but by the ,spirit's help2 for the much greater reason can no man pray save by the aid of ,god's ,spirit4 ,our mother's lips1 now sealed by death1 taught us many sweet lessons of prayer2 prayers which have bound and held our hearts like golden threads2 but these prayers1 flowing through the natural channel of a mother's love1 can not serve the purposes of our manhood's warring1 stormy life4 ,these maternal lessons are but the ,a ,b ,c of praying4 ,for the higher and graduating lessons in prayer we must have the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he only can unfold to us the mysteries of the prayer-life1 its duty and its service4 ,to pray by the ,holy ,spirit we must have ,him always4 ,he does not1 like earthly teachers1 teach us the lesson and then withdraw4 ,he stays to help us practise the lesson ,he has taught4 ,we pray1 not by the precepts and lessons ,he has taught1 but we pray by ,him4 ,he is both teacher and lesson4 ,we can only know the lesson because ,he is ever with us to inspire1 to illumine1 to explain1 to help us to do4 ,we pray not by the truth the ,holy ,spirit reveals to us1 but we pray by the actual presence of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he puts the desire in our hearts2 kindles that desire by ,his own flame4 ,we simply give lip and voice and heart to ,his unutterable groanings4 ,our prayers are taken up by ,him and energised and sanctified by ,his intercession4 ,he prays for us1 through us and in us4 ,we pray by ,him1 through ,him and in ,him4 ,he puts the prayer in us and we give it utterance and heart4 ,we always pray according to the will of ,god when the ,holy ,spirit helps our praying4 ,he prays through us only 8according to the will of ,god40 ,if our prayers are not according to the will of ,god they die in the presence of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he gives such prayers no countenance1 no help4 ,discountenanced and unhelped by ,him1 prayers1 not according to ,god's will1 soon die out of every heart where the ,holy ,spirit dwells4 ,we must1 as ,jude says1 8,pray in the ,holy ,ghost40 ,as ,paul says1 8with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit40 ,never forgetting that 8the ,spirit also helpeth our infirmities2 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought3 but the ,spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered40 ,above all1 over all1 and through all our praying there must be the ,name of ,christ1 which includes the power of ,his blood1 the energy of ,his intercession1 the fullness of the enthroned ,christ4 8,whatsoever ye ask in my name that will ,i do40 ,,xv ,,the ,,two ,,comforters ,,and ,,two ,,advocates ,if we were asked whose ,comforter the ,holy ,spirit was1 the answer would be--,ours4 ,the answer is not so ready when we are asked whose ,advocate ,he is4 ,the ,spirit is ,christ's ,advocate1 not ours4 ,it is ,christ's place ,he takes1 ,christ's cause ,he pleads1 ,christ's name ,he vindicates1 ,christ's ,kingdom ,he administers4--,,samuel ,,chadwick4 ,the fact that man has two ,divine ,comforters1 ,advocates1 ,helpers1 is declarative of the affluence of ,god's provisions in the gospel1 and also declarative of the settled purpose of ,god to execute ,his work of salvation with efficacy and final success4 ,many-sided are the infirmities and needs of man in his pilgrimage and warfare for ,heaven4 ,these two ,christs can meet with manifold wisdom4 ,the affluence of ,god's provision of two ,intercessors in executing the plan of salvation finds its counterpart in the prayer promise in its unlimited nature1 comprehending all things1 great and small4 8,all things whatsoever ye ask in prayer1 believing1 ye shall receive40 ,all things we have in ,christ1 all things we have in the ,holy ,spirit1 and all things we have in prayer4 ,how much is ours in ,god's plan and purposes we have in these two ,christs1 the one ascended to ,heaven and enthroned1 there to intercede for our benefit1 the other ,christ1 ,his ,representative1 and better ,substitute1 on earth1 to work in us and make intercessions for us6 ,the first ,christ was a person4 ,the other ,christ1 a person1 but not clothed in physical form nor subject to human limitations as the first ,christ necessarily was4 ,transient and local was the first ,christ4 ,the other ,christ not limited to locality1 not transient1 but abiding2 not dealing with the sensible1 the material1 the fleshly1 but entering personally into the mysterious and imperial domain of the spirit1 to emancipate and transform into more than ,eden beauty that waste and dark realm4 ,the first ,christ left ,his novitiates that they might enter into higher regions of spiritual knowledge4 ,the man ,christ withdrew that the ,spirit ,christ might train and school into the deeper mysteries of ,god2 that all the historical and physical might be transmuted into the pure gold of the spiritual4 ,the first ,christ brought to us a picture of what we must be4 ,the other ,christ mirrored this perfect and fadeless image on our hearts4 ,the first ,christ1 like ,david1 gathered and furnished the material for the temple4 ,the other ,christ out of this material forms ,god's glorious temple4 ,the possibilities of prayer1 then1 are the possibilities of these two ,divine ,intercessors4 ,where are the limitations to results when the ,holy ,spirit intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered1 when ,he so helps us that our prayers run parallel to the will of ,god1 and we pray for the very things and in the very manner in which we ought to pray1 schooled in and pressed to these prayers by the urgency of the ,holy ,spirit6 ,how measureless are the possibilities of prayer when we are filled with all the fullness of ,god2 when we stand 8perfect and complete in all the will of ,god08 ,if the intercession of ,moses so wondrously preserved the being and safety of ,israel throughout its marvelous history and destiny1 what may we not secure through our ,intercessor1 who is so much greater than ,moses8 ,all that ,god has lies open to ,christ through prayer4 ,all that ,christ has lies open to us through prayer4 ,if we have the two ,christs covering the whole realm of goodness1 power1 purity and glory1 in ,heaven and on earth--if we have the better ,christ with us here in this world--why is it that we sigh to know the ,christ after the flesh as the disciples knew ,him8 ,why is it that the mighty work of these two ,almighty ,intercessors finds us so barren of ,heavenly fruit1 so feeble in all ,christly principles1 so low in the ,christly life1 and so marred in the ,christly image8 ,is it not because our prayers for the ,holy ,spirit have been so faint and few8 ,the ,heavenly ,christ can only come to us in full beauty and power when we have received the fullness of the present earthly ,christ1 even the ,holy ,spirit4 ,living always the life of prayer1 breathing always the spirit of prayer1 being always in the fact of prayer1 praying always in the ,holy ,spirit1 the ,heavenly ,christ would become ours by a clearer vision1 a deeper love1 and a more intimate fellowship than ,he was to ,his disciples in the days of ,his flesh4 ,we would not disguise nor abate the fact that there is a loss to us by our absent ,christ as we will see and know ,him in ,heaven4 ,but in our earthly work to be done by us1 and above all to be done in us1 we will know ,christ and the ,father better1 and can better utilise them by the ministry of the ,holy ,spirit than would have been possible under the personal1 human presence of the ,son4 ,so to the loving and obedient ones who are filled with the ,spirit1 both the ,father and the ,son 8,will come unto us and make their abode with us40 ,in the day of the fullness of the indwelling ,spirit1 8,ye shall know that ,i am in my ,father and ye in me and ,i in you40 ,amazing oneness and harmony1 wrought by the almighty power of the other ,christ6 ,there is not a note in the archangel's song to which the ,holy ,spirit does not attune man into sympathy1 not a pulsation in the heart of ,god to which the ,holy ,spirit-filled heart does not respond with loud amens and joyful hallelujahs4 ,even more than this1 by the other ,christ1 the ,holy ,ghost1 8we know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge40 ,more than this1 by the ,holy ,spirit we are 8filled with all the fullness of ,god40 ,more than this1 ,god is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power of the ,holy ,spirit which worketh in us4 ,the presence and power of the other ,christ would more than compensate the disciples for the loss of the first ,christ4 ,his going away had filled their hearts with a strange sorrow4 ,a loneliness and desolation like an orphan's woe had swept over their hearts and stunned and bewildered them2 but ,he comforted them by telling them that the ,holy ,ghost would be like the pains of a travailing mother1 all forgotten in the untold joy that a man-child was born into the world4 ,,xvi ,,prayer ,,and ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,dispensation ,how ,god needs1 how the world needs1 how the ,church needs the flow of the mighty river1 more blessed than the ,nile1 deeper1 broader and more overflowing than the ,amazon's mighty current6 and yet what mere rills we are6 ,we need1 the age needs1 the ,church needs1 memorials of ,god's mighty power1 which will silence the enemy and the avenger1 dumbfound ,god's foes1 strengthen weak saints1 and fill strong ones with triumphant raptures4 --,,edward ,,bounds4 ,the dispensation of the ,holy ,ghost was ushered in by prayer4 ,read these words from ,acts #a3ac--8;,and when they were come in1 they went up into an upper room where abode both ,peter and ,james and ,john and ,andrew1 ,philip and ,thomas1 ,bartholomew and ,matthew1 ,james1 the son of ,alpheus1 and ,simon ,zelotes1 and ,judas1 the brother of ,james4 ,these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication1 with the women1 and ,mary1 the mother of ,jesus1 and with his brethren40 ,this was the attitude which the disciples assumed after ,jesus had ascended to ,heaven4 ,that meeting for prayer ushered in the dispensation of the ,holy ,spirit1 to which prophets had looked forward with entranced vision4 ,and to prayer in a marked way has this dispensation1 which holds in its keeping the fortune of the ,gospel1 been committed4 ,apostolic men knew well the worth of prayer and were jealous of the most sacred offices which infringed on their time and strength and hindered them from 8giving themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the ,word40 ,they put prayer first4 ,the ,word depends on prayer that it 8may have free course and be glorified40 ,praying apostles make preaching apostles4 ,prayer gives edge1 entrance and weight to the ,word4 ,sermons conceived by prayer and saturated with prayer are weighty sermons4 ,sermons may be ponderous with thought1 sparkle with the gems of genius and of taste1 pleasing and popular1 but without they have their birth and life in prayer1 for ,god's uses1 they are trifles1 dull and dead4 ,the ,lord of the harvest sends out labourers1 full in number and perfect in kind1 in answer to prayer4 ,it needs no prophetic ken to declare that if the ,church had used prayer force to its utmost the light of the gospel would have long since girdled the world4 ,god's ,gospel has always waited more on prayer than on anything else for its successes4 ,a praying ,church is strong though poor in all besides4 ,a prayerless ,church is weak though rich in all besides4 ,praying hearts only will build ,god's ,kingdom4 ,praying hands only will put the crown on the ,saviour's head4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the ,divinely appointed ,substitute for and representative of the personal and humanised ,christ4 ,how much is ,he to us6 ,and how we are to be filled by ,him1 live in ,him1 walk in ,him1 and be led by ,him6 ,how we are to conserve and kindle to a brighter and more consuming glow the holy flame6 ,how careful should we be never to quench that pure flame6 ,how watchful1 tender1 loving ought we to be so as not to grieve ,his sensitive1 loving nature6 ,how attentive1 meek and obedient1 never to resist ,his ,divine impulses1 always to hear ,his voice1 and always to do ,his ,divine will4 ,how can all this be done without much and continuous prayer8 ,the importunate widow had a great case to win against helpless1 hopeless despair1 but she did it by importunate prayer4 ,we have this great treasure to preserve and enhance1 but we have a ,divine ,person to entertain and help4 ,we can only be enabled to meet our duties by exceeding much prayer4 ,prayer is the only element in which the ,holy ,spirit can live and work4 ,prayer is the golden chain which happily enslaves ,him to ,his happy work in us4 ,everything depends upon our having this ,second ,christ1 and retaining ,him in the fullness of ,his power4 ,with the disciples1 ,pentecost was made by prayer4 ,with them1 ,pentecost was continued by giving themselves to continued prayer4 ,persistent and unwearied prayer is the price we will have to pay for our ,pentecost1 by instant and continued prayer4 ,abiding in the fact and in the spirit of prayer is the only surety of our abiding in ,pentecostal power and purity4 ,not only should the many-sided operation of the ,holy ,spirit in us and for us1 teach us the necessity of prayer for ,him1 but ,his condition with our praying assumes another attitude1 the attitude of mutual dependence1 that of action and reaction4 ,the more we pray the more ,he helps us to pray1 and the larger the measure of ,himself ,he gives to us4 ,we are not only to pray and press and wait for ,his coming to us1 but after we have received ,him in ,his fullness1 we are to pray for a fuller and still larger bestowment of ,himself to us4 ,we are to pray for the largest and ever-increasing and constant fullness of capacity4 8,that ye might be strengthened with might by ,his ,spirit in the inner man10 as ,paul prayed for the ,spirit-baptised ,ephesian ,church4 ,it will be remembered that ,he also prayed that 8,christ might dwell in your hearts by faith10 rooted and grounded in love1 measuring up to the breadth1 length1 depth and height of the most perfect sainthood1 and up to the immeasurable love of ,christ1 being 8filled with all the fullness of ,god40 ,in that wonderful prayer for those ,christians1 ,paul laid himself out to pray to ,god1 and by prayer he sought to fathom the fathomless depths and to measure the illimitable purposes and benefits of ,god's plan of salvation for immortal souls by the presence and work of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,only importunate and invincible prayer can bring the ,holy ,spirit to us1 and secure for us these ineffably gracious results4 8,epaphras always labouring fervently in prayers1 that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of ,god40 ,the ,word of ,god provides for a mighty1 consciously realised religion in ,his saints1 into whose happy1 shining spirits ,god has been brought as a ,dweller1 and whose ,heaven-toned lives have been attuned to melody by ,god's own hand4 ,then will it prove true3 8,he that believeth on me1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water40 ,here is a promise concerning the indwelling and outflowing of the ,holy ,spirit in us1 life-giving1 fructifying1 irresistible1 a ceaseless outflow of the river of ,god in us4 ,how ,god needs1 how the world needs1 how the ,church needs the flow of this mighty river1 more blessed than the ,nile1 deeper1 broader1 more overflowing than the ,amazon's broad and mighty current6 ,and yet what mere rills we are and have6 ,o that the ,church1 by the infilling and outflowing of the ,holy ,spirit1 might be able to raise up everywhere memorials of the ,holy ,spirit's power1 which might fix the eye as well as engage the heart6 ,we need1 the age needs1 the ,church needs1 memorials of ,god's mighty power1 which will silence the enemy and the avenger1 dumbfound ,god's foes1 strengthen weak saints1 and fill strong ones with triumphant raptures4 ,a glance at some more of the ,divine promises concerning this vital question would show us how they need to be projected into the experimental and the actual4 8,if any man will do his will1 he shall know of the doctrine1 whether it be of ,god or whether ,i speak of myself40 ,how we do need a conscious religion1 personal and vital1 unspeakable in its joy1 and full of glory6 ,the need is for a conscious religion1 made so by the ,spirit bearing witness that we are the children of ,god4 ,a religion of 8,i know0 is the only powerful1 vital and aggressive religion4 8,one thing ,i know1 whereas ,i once was blind1 but now ,i see40 ,we need men and women in these loose days who can verify the above mentioned promise of ,christ in their inner consciousness4 ,and yet how many untold thousands of people in all of our churches1 who have only a dim1 impalpable1 hope so1 maybe so1 ,i trust so1 kind of religion1 all dubious1 intangible and unstable4 ,there is certainly a great need in these days in the modern ,church1 first1 for ,christians to see and seek and obtain the high privilege in the ,gospel of a ,heaven-born1 clear cut1 and happy religious experience1 born of the presence of the ,holy ,spirit1 giving an undoubted assurance of sins forgiven1 and of adoption into the family of ,god4 ,and secondly1 there is a need1 subsequent to this conscious realization of ,divine favour in the forgiveness of sins1 and added to it1 of the reception of the ,holy ,spirit in ,his fullness1 purifying their hearts by faith1 perfecting them in love1 overcoming the world1 and bestowing a ,divine1 inward power over all sin1 both inward and outward1 and giving boldness to bear witness and qualifying for real religious service in the ,church and in the world4 ,there is a fearfully prevailing agnosticism along here in the ,church just at this time4 ,we greatly fear that a vast majority of our ,church members are now in this school of spiritual agnosticism1 and really deem it to be a virtue to be there4 ,god's word gives no encouragement whatever to a shadowy religion and a vague religious experience4 ,it calls us definitely into the realm of knowledge4 ,it crowns religion with the crown of 8,i know40 ,it passes us from the darkness of sin1 doubt and inward misgiving into the marvelous light1 where we see clearly and know fully our personal relations to ,god4 8,the things unknown to feeble sense1 ,unseen by reason's glimmering ray1 ,with strong1 commanding confidence1 ,their heavenly origin display40 ,two things may be said just here in concluding this part of our study upon this subject3 ,first1 this sort of ,bible religion1 hereinbefore described1 comes directly through the office of the ,holy ,spirit dealing personally with each soul2 and secondly1 the ,holy ,spirit in all of ,his offices pertaining to spiritual life and religious experience is secured by earnest1 definite1 prevailing prayer4 ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,,evangelistic ,,work ,,newell ,,dwight ,,hillis1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,great ,refusal ,and ,other ,evangelistic ,sermons4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,dr4 ,hillis never addresses himself to any kind of subject he does not adorn4 ,literature1 art1 world-affairs1 are1 for him1 all congenial fields4 ,he is equally at home in them all4 ,and here in treating of great ,gospel themes he gives us of his best1 bringing to their presentation his splendid gifts and ripened powers4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,torrey1 ,d4,d4 ,how to ,be ,saved ,evangelistic ,sermons4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,a striking new volume of ,evangelistic addresses1 by the famous preacher and ,bible teacher1 which are marked by all his old-time vigor and certitude4 ,he is the proclaimer of a straight ,gospel1 about which no note of doubt or preadventure finds a place4 ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds ,the ,possibilities of ,prayer ,the ,bounds 8,spiritual ,life ,books0 ,edited by ,homer ,w4 ,hodge4 4 4 4 #a4be4 ,a rich1 exceptionally helpful addition to ,dr4 ,bounds' books4 8,many will find their understanding clarified and their faith in the possibilities of prayer strengthened by a careful reading of this book40--,watchman-,examiner4 ,,sadhu ,,sundar ,,singh ,translated by ,rev4 and ,mrs4 ,arthur ,parker4 ,at the ,master's ,feet ,boards4 4 4 4 #ge;c4 ,simple but impressive chapters on ,god's ,presence1 ,sin1 ,prayer1 ,service1 ,the ,cross1 ,heaven and ,hell by a man who has proved himself to be a faithful ,christian evangelist4 ,they take the form of a colloquy between the ,master and the ,disciple1 expressed in parabolic form and ,oriental imagery4 ,,george ,,whitefield ,,ridout ,asbury ,college1 ,wilmore1 ,ky4 ,amazing ,grace ,messages on the ,grace of ,god4 4 4 4 #a4be4 ,a book of stirring ,gospel addresses by a man of large experience in the evangelistic field4 ,they are clear1 ringing messages1 simply phrased1 yet forming the vehicle for the conveyance of a ,gospel of 8amazing grace40 ,,prophecy1 ,,etc4 ,j4,j4 ,,ross1 ,d4,d4 ,pearls from ,patmos ,introduction by ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,griffith-,thomas4 ,cloth4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,a ,spiritual and ,devotional ,study of the ,early ,chapters of the ,book of ,revelation4 ,dr4 ,ross deals with the great ,apocalypse under what he describes as the 8,presentist0 method--that is1 he furnishes an interpretation of its symbolism which applies neither to the far future nor the historic past1 but to the days through which we are now passing4 ,,richard ,w4 ,,lewis1 ,d4,d4 ,associate ,editor 8,pentecostal ,herald40 ,a ,new ,vision of ,another ,heaven #a4be4 ,recorded in the form of a vision1 ,dr4 ,lewis sets forth his conception of the great things 8which shall shortly come to pass40 ,the entire work is based on ,scriptural warrants1 and is never allowed to assume a fantastic or an unsupportable character4 ,,samuel ,,henry ,,kellogg1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,sometime ,professor of ,systematic ,theology in ,western ,theology ,seminary1 and for ,seventeen ,years a ,missionary in ,india4 ,are ,premillennialists ,right8 #a4jj4 ,with ,biographical ,memoir of the ,author by ,j4 ,j4 ,lucas1 ,d4,d41 ,allahabad1 ,india1 and a ,foreword by ,henry ,s4 ,nesbitt1 ,d4,d41 ,new ,concord1 ,ohio4 ,a new edition of a book first published nearly a generation ago4 ,,william ,,evans1 ,ph4,d41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,coming ,king ,the ,world's ,next ,great ,crisis4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,dr4 ,evans examines the testimony of the ,scriptures1 of the ,apostolic ,fathers1 and reviews the order of events4 8,there is scarcely a subject demanding more strength to-day than the ,second ,coming of ,christ4 ,those who wish light in the matter will find help in this carefully prepared book40--,herald and ,presbyter4 ,,francis ,,asawight1 ,d4,d ,pastor1 ,center ,street ,baptist ,church1 ,jamaica ,plains1 ,mass4 ,the ,kingdom of ,god ,or1 ,the ,reign of ,heaven ,among ,men4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,mr4 ,wight brings all ,biblical teaching of both the ,old and the ,new ,testament into complete harmony1 enabling1 an earnest1 truth-seeking student to understand the purpose and nature of the ,coming ,kingdom4 ,,questions ,,of ,,the ,,hour ,,neville ,s4 ,,talbot1 ,d4,d4 ,bishop of ,pretoria4 ,the ,returning ,tide of ,faith #a4ej4 ,the ,congregationalist says3 8,a ,modernist in temper and method1 ,bishop ,talbot's very literal belief in the ,incarnation1 the ,resurrection and the ,virgin ,birth give added interest to the breath and intensity of his spiritual interpretation of these matters40 ,,nolan ,,rice ,,best ,editor of 8,the ,continent40 ,inspiration ,a ,study of ,divine ,influence and ,authority in the ,holy ,scriptures4 4 4 4 #a4be4 ,mr4 ,best's new book 8takes sides0 with neither conservatives nor liberals4 8,one of the sanest and best balanced discussions of the subject of inspiration of the ,bible1 for the average church member to read1 which we have yet seen40--,herald of ,gospel ,liberty4 ,,frederic ,c4 ,,spurr ,president of ,national ,council of ,evangelical ,churches ,great ,britain4 ,jesus ,christ and the ,modern ,challenge ,can ,we ,still ,believe in ,his ,divinity4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,mr4 ,spurr accepts the gage of battle which modern unbelief has thrown down1 and with great skill of fence1 defends the priceless possession of the ,christian believer4 ,the defense of the faith is presented1 and made to stand out irrefutably1 as being impervious to the assaults of present-day unbelief or hostility4 ,,john ,j4 ,,lawrence1 ,d4,d4 ,pastor1 ,first ,presbyterian ,church1 ,binghamton1 ,n4 ,y4 ,the ,christian ,credentials ,an ,appeal of ,faith to ,doubt4 ,introduction by ,s4 ,parkes ,cadman1 ,d4,d4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,commencing with a review of the present theological situation1 ,dr4 ,lawrence depicts the character of the ,divine ,founder of ,christianity1 discusses the divine element in ,christian origins1 marshals the arguments of personal experiences1 adduces the witness of history1 and concludes with a survey of the religious trend and tendency of the age4 ,,rt4 ,,rev4 ,,james ,e4 ,,freeman1 ,d4,d4 ,bishop of ,washington4 ,everyday ,religion 4 4 4 #a4ej4 8,here are gathered together about ninety short sermons1 part of a harvest of a generous and constant sowing from the hand and heart and brain of the ,bishop of ,washington1 related to the more practical phases of religion40--,christian ,advocate4 ,,sermons ,,and ,,addresses ,,hobert ,d4 ,mc,k,e,e,h,a,n1 ,s4,t4,m4 7,editor7 ,pastor1 ,st4 ,paul's ,reformed ,church1 ,dallastown1 ,pa4 ,great ,modern ,sermons 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,sermons by ,canon ,e4 ,w4 ,barnes1 ,m4,a41 7,westminster72 ,david ,j4 ,burrell1 ,d4,d42 ,s4 ,parkes ,cadman1 ,d4,d42 ,harry ,emerson ,fosdick1 ,d4,d42 ,george ,a4 ,gordon1 ,d4,d42 ,newell ,dwight ,hillis1 ,d4,d42 ,john ,a4 ,hutton1 ,d4,d42 7,glasgow72 ,w4 ,r4 ,inge1 ,d4,d4 7,dean of ,st4 ,paul's72 ,charles ,e4 ,jefferson1 ,d4,d42 ,john ,kelman1 ,d4,d42 ,j4 ,fort ,newton1 ,d4,d42 ,f4 ,w4 ,norwood1 ,d4,d4 7,london71 and ,frederick ,f4 ,shannon1 ,d4,d4 ,,sidney ,m4 ,,berry1 ,m4,a4 ,carr's ,lane ,church1 ,birmingham4 ,revealing ,light 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,the ,british ,weekly says3 8,he is a young man's man with bold1 optimistic outlook4444 ,he flashes into debate like a knight entering battle40 ,christian ,century says3 8,the secret of ,dr4 ,berry's success is that he is in vital touch with life as men live it to-day40 ,,malcolm ,j4 ,mc,l,e,o,d1 ,d4,d4 ,minister of ,the ,collegiate ,church of ,st4 ,nicholas1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,the ,revival of ,wonder 4 4 4 #a4be4 ,dr4 ,mc,leod utilizes apt illustrations drawn from everyday life1--from the fountains of literature and from the experiences of humanity4 8,dr4 ,mc,leod has the gift of finding the hearts of men and women1 and he knows how to comfort those who are in trouble and to help the distressed40--,baptist ,standard4 ,,rt4 ,,rev4 ,,charles ,d4 ,,williams1 ,d4,d4 ,late ,bishop of ,michigan4 ,the ,gospel of ,fellowship ,the ,cole ,lectures1 #aibc4 4 4 4 #a4ej4 ,the choice of ,bishop ,williams as ,cole ,lecturer was a notable one1 and the subject chosen by him is one eminently characteristic4 ,death1 however1 claimed the ,bishop1 and his lecture-course1 which he left completed1 was delivered by ,samuel ,s4 ,marquis1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,robert ,j4 ,mac,a,l,p,i,n,e1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,minister1 ,central ,presbyterian ,church1 ,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y4 ,what ,is ,true ,religion8 4 4 4 #a4ej4 8,there can be no question that these addresses1 here collected in permanent form1 will bring solace1 encouragement1 and strength to struggle onward1 to many disheartened and doubting souls40--,hartford ,courant4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74