,the ,essentials of ,prayer ,,edited ,,by ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge ,the ,spiritual ,life ,books ,by ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds ,the ,reality of ,prayer4 ,cloth #a4be ,dr4 ,a4 ,c4 ,dixon says3 8,if the ,church would pray1 as the ,scriptures ,dr4 ,bounds unfolds teach us we may1 there would be irresistible power at work40 ,the ,possibilities of ,prayer ,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 ,the ,essentials 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 ,illustration3 colophon ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh ,copyright1 #aibe1 by ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,new ,york3 #aeh ,fifth ,avenue ,chicago3 #ag ,north ,wabash ,ave4 ,london3 #ba ,paternoster ,square ,edinburgh3 #ge ,princes ,street ,foreword ,the work of editing the ,bounds ,spiritual ,life ,books 7of which the present volume is the sixth7 has been a labour of love which has brought great profit and blessing to my own soul4 ,after years of close study of the literary remains of this great ,christian1 together with the work of other mystics1 ,i am fully persuaded that to but few of the sons of men has there been given such spiritual power as was vouchsafed to ,edward ,mc,kendree ,bounds4 ,truly he was a burning and a shining light1 and as ,the ,sunday ,school ,times says1 8he was a specialist in prayer and his books are for the quiet hour1 for careful meditation and for all who wish to seek and find the treasures of ,god40 ,it was my great privilege to know the author well1 and also to know that his intention1 in everything he wrote1 was for the salvation of his readers4 ,the ,essentials of ,prayer is sent forth in this spirit4 ,may ,god bless it to many hearts and use it for the upbuilding and strengthening of ,christian character through the length and breadth of the land4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,flushing1 ,n4 ,y4 ,contents ,i4 ,,prayer ,,takes ,,in ,,the ,,whole ,,man #i ,,ii4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,humility #ai ,,iii4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,devotion #bh ,,iv4 ,,prayer1 ,,praise ,,and ,,thanksgiving #cg ,v4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,trouble #dg ,,vi4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,trouble 7,continued7 #fa ,,vii4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,god',s ,,work #fi ,,viii4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,consecration #ha ,,ix4 ,,prayer ,,and ,a ,,definite ,,religious ,,standard #ic ,x4 ,,prayer ,,born ,,of ,,compassion #aja ,,xi4 ,,concerted ,,prayer #aaa ,,xii4 ,,the ,,universality ,,of ,,prayer #aba ,,xiii4 ,,prayer ,,and ,,missions #abi ,i ,,prayer ,,takes ,,in ,,the ,,whole ,,man 8,henry ,clay ,trumbull spoke forth the ,infinite in the terms of our world1 and the ,eternal in the forms of our human life4 ,some years ago1 on a ferry-boat1 ,i met a gentleman who knew him1 and ,i told him that when ,i had last seen ,dr4 ,trumbull1 a fortnight before1 he had spoken of him4 #8,oh1 yes1' said my friend1 #8he was a great ,christian1 so real1 so intense4 ,he was at my home years ago and we were talking about prayer40 8,why1 ,trumbull10 ,i said1 8you don't mean to say if you lost a pencil you would pray about it1 and ask ,god to help you find it40 8,of course ,i would2 of course ,i would10 was his instant and excited reply4' ,of course he would4 ,was not his faith a real thing8 ,like the ,saviour1 he put his doctrine strongly by taking an extreme illustration to embody his principle1 but the principle was fundamental4 ,he did trust ,god in everything4 ,and the ,father honoured the trust of ,his child40,,robert ,e4 ,,speer4 ,prayer has to do with the entire man4 ,prayer takes in man in his whole being1 mind1 soul and body4 ,it takes the whole man to pray1 and prayer affects the entire man in its gracious results4 ,as the whole nature of man enters into prayer1 so also all that belongs to man is the beneficiary of prayer4 ,all of man receives benefits in prayer4 ,the whole man must be given to ,god in praying4 ,the largest results in praying come to him who gives himself1 all of himself1 all that belongs to himself1 to ,god4 ,this is the secret of full consecration1 and this is a condition of successful praying1 and the sort of praying which brings the largest fruits4 ,the men of olden times who wrought well in prayer1 who brought the largest things to pass1 who moved ,god to do great things1 were those who were entirely given over to ,god in their praying4 ,god wants1 and must have1 all that there is in man in answering his prayers4 ,he must have whole-hearted men through whom to work out ,his purposes and plans concerning men4 ,god must have men in their entirety4 ,no double-minded man need apply4 ,no vacillating man can be used4 ,no man with a divided allegiance to ,god1 and the world and self1 can do the praying that is needed4 ,holiness is wholeness1 and so ,god wants holy men1 men whole-hearted and true1 for ,his service and for the work of praying4 8,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly2 and ,i pray ,god your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ40 ,these are the sort of men ,god wants for leaders of the hosts of ,israel1 and these are the kind out of which the praying class is formed4 ,man is a trinity in one1 and yet man is neither a trinity nor a dual creature when he prays1 but a unit4 ,man is one in all the essentials and acts and attitudes of piety4 ,soul1 spirit and body are to unite in all things pertaining to life and godliness4 ,the body1 first of all1 engages in prayer1 since it assumes the praying attitude in prayer4 ,prostration of the body becomes us in praying as well as prostration of the soul4 ,the attitude of the body counts much in prayer1 although it is true that the heart may be haughty and lifted up1 and the mind listless and wandering1 and the praying a mere form1 even while the knees are bent in prayer4 ,daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day in prayer4 ,solomon kneeled in prayer at the dedication of the temple4 ,our ,lord in ,gethsemane prostrated ,himself in that memorable season of praying just before ,his betrayal4 ,where there is earnest and faithful praying the body always takes on the form most suited to the state of the soul at the time4 ,the body1 that far1 joins the soul in praying4 ,the entire man must pray4 ,the whole man1 life1 heart1 temper1 mind1 are in it4 ,each and all join in the prayer exercise4 ,doubt1 double-mindedness1 division of the affections1 are all foreign to the closet4 ,character and conduct1 undefiled1 made whiter than snow1 are mighty potencies1 and are the most seemly beauties for the closet hour1 and for the struggles of prayer4 ,a loyal intellect must conspire and add the energy and fire of its undoubting and undivided faith to that kind of an hour1 the hour of prayer4 ,necessarily the mind enters into the praying4 ,first of all1 it takes thought to pray4 ,the intellect teaches us we ought to pray4 ,by serious thinking beforehand the mind prepares itself for approaching a throne of grace4 ,thought goes before entrance into the closet and prepares the way for true praying4 ,it considers what will be asked for in the closet hour4 ,true praying does not leave to the inspiration of the hour what will be the requests of that hour4 ,as praying is asking for something definite of ,god1 so1 beforehand1 the thought arises8,what shall ,i ask for at this hour80 ,all vain and evil and frivolous thoughts are eliminated1 and the mind is given over entirely to ,god1 thinking of ,him1 of what is needed1 and what has been received in the past4 ,by every token1 prayer1 in taking hold of the entire man1 does not leave out the mind4 ,the very first step in prayer is a mental one4 ,the disciples took that first step when they said unto ,jesus at one time1 8,lord1 teach us to pray40 ,we must be taught through the intellect1 and just in so far as the intellect is given up to ,god in prayer1 will we be able to learn well and readily the lesson of prayer4 ,paul spreads the nature of prayer over the whole man4 ,it must be so4 ,it takes the whole man to embrace in its god-like sympathies the entire race of manthe sorrows1 the sins and the death of ,adam's fallen race4 ,it takes the whole man to run parallel with ,god's high and sublime will in saving mankind4 ,it takes the whole man to stand with our ,lord ,jesus ,christ as the one ,mediator between ,god and sinful man4 ,this is the doctrine ,paul teaches in his prayer-directory in the second chapter of his first ,epistle to ,timothy4 ,nowhere does it appear so clearly that it requires the entire man in all departments of his being1 to pray than in this teaching of ,paul4 ,it takes the whole man to pray till all the storms which agitate his soul are calmed to a great calm1 till the stormy winds and waves cease as by a ,godlike spell4 ,it takes the whole man to pray till cruel tyrants and unjust rulers are changed in their natures and lives1 as well as in their governing qualities1 or till they cease to rule4 ,it requires the entire man in praying till high and proud and unspiritual ecclesiastics become gentle1 lowly and religious1 till godliness and gravity bear rule in ,church and in ,state1 in home and in business1 in public as well as in private life4 ,it is man's business to pray2 and it takes manly men to do it4 ,it is godly business to pray and it takes godly men to do it4 ,and it is godly men who give over themselves entirely to prayer4 ,prayer is far-reaching in its influence and in its gracious effects4 ,it is intense and profound business which deals with ,god and ,his plans and purposes1 and it takes whole-hearted men to do it4 ,no half-hearted1 half-brained1 half-spirited effort will do for this serious1 all-important1 heavenly business4 ,the whole heart1 the whole brain1 the whole spirit1 must be in the matter of praying1 which is so mightily to affect the characters and destinies of men4 ,the answer of ,jesus to the scribe as to what was the first and greatest commandment was as follows3 8,the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord2 ,and thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy mind1 and with all thy strength40 ,in one word1 the entire man without reservation must love ,god4 ,so it takes the same entire man to do the praying which ,god requires of men4 ,all the powers of man must be engaged in it4 ,god cannot tolerate a divided heart in the love ,he requires of men1 neither can ,he bear with a divided man in praying4 ,in the one hundred and nineteenth ,psalm the ,psalmist teaches this very truth in these words3 8,blessed are they that keep his testimonies1 and that seek him with the whole heart40 ,it takes whole-hearted men to keep ,god's commandments and it demands the same sort of men to seek ,god4 ,these are they who are counted 8blessed40 ,upon these whole-hearted ones ,god's approval rests4 ,bringing the case closer home to himself the ,psalmist makes this declaration as to his practice3 8,with my whole heart have ,i sought thee2 ,o let me not wander from thy commandments40 ,and further on1 giving us his prayer for a wise and understanding heart1 he tells us his purposes concerning the keeping of ,god's law3 8,give me understanding and ,i shall keep thy law2 ,yea1 ,i shall observe it with my whole heart40 ,just as it requires a whole heart given to ,god to gladly and fully obey ,god's commandments1 so it takes a whole heart to do effectual praying4 ,because it requires the whole man to pray1 praying is no easy task4 ,praying is far more than simply bending the knee and saying a few words by rote4 8',tis not enough to bend the knee1 ,and words of prayer to say2 ,the heart must with the lips agree1 ,or else we do not pray40 ,praying is no light and trifling exercise4 ,while children should be taught early to pray1 praying is no child's task4 ,prayer draws upon the whole nature of man4 ,prayer engages all the powers of man's moral and spiritual nature4 ,it is this which explains somewhat the praying of our ,lord described as in ,hebrews #e3g3 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 feared40 ,it takes only a moment's thought to see how such praying of our ,lord drew mightily upon all the powers of ,his being1 and called into exercise every part of ,his nature4 ,this is the praying which brings the soul close to ,god and which brings ,god down to earth4 ,body1 soul and spirit are taxed and brought under tribute to prayer4 ,david ,brainerd makes this record of his praying3 8,god enabled me to agonise in prayer till ,i was wet with perspiration1 though in the shade and in a cool place40 ,the ,son of ,god in ,gethsemane was in an agony of prayer1 which engaged ,his whole being3 8,and when he was at the place1 he said unto them1 ,pray ye that ye enter not into temptation4 ,and he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast1 and kneeled down and prayed1 saying1 ,father1 if thou be willing1 remove this cup from me2 nevertheless1 not my will1 but thine1 be done4 ,and there appeared an angel unto him1 from heaven1 strengthening him4 ,and being in an agony1 he prayed more earnestly3 and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground40 ,luke #bb3dj-dd4 ,here was praying which laid its hands on every part of our ,lord's nature1 which called forth all the powers of his soul1 ,his mind and ,his body4 ,this was praying which took in the entire man4 ,paul was acquainted with this kind of praying4 ,in writing to the ,roman ,christians1 he urges them to pray with him after this fashion3 8,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and for the love of the ,spirit1 that ye strive together with me in your prayers to ,god for me40 ,the words1 8strive together with me10 tells of ,paul's praying1 and how much he put into it4 ,it is not a docile request1 not a little thing1 this sort of praying1 this 8striving with me40 ,it is of the nature of a great battle1 a conflict to win1 a great battle to be fought4 ,the praying ,christian1 as the soldier1 fights a life-and-death struggle4 ,his honour1 his immortality1 and eternal life are all in it4 ,this is praying as the athlete struggles for the mastery1 and for the crown1 and as he wrestles or runs a race4 ,everything depends on the strength he puts in it4 ,energy1 ardour1 swiftness1 every power of his nature is in it4 ,every power is quickened and strained to its very utmost4 ,littleness1 half-heartedness1 weakness and laziness are all absent4 ,just as it takes the whole man to pray successfully1 so in turn the whole man receives the benefits of such praying4 ,as every part of man's complex being enters into true praying1 so every part of that same nature receives blessings from ,god in answer to such praying4 ,this kind of praying engages our undivided hearts1 our full consent to be the ,lord's1 our whole desires4 ,god sees to it that when the whole man prays1 in turn the whole man shall be blessed4 ,his body takes in the good of praying1 for much praying is done specifically for the body4 ,food and raiment1 health and bodily vigour1 come in answer to praying4 ,clear mental action1 right thinking1 an enlightened understanding1 and safe reasoning powers1 come from praying4 ,divine guidance means ,god so moving and impressing the mind1 that we shall make wise and safe decisions4 8,the meek will he guide in judgment40 ,many a praying preacher has been greatly helped just at this point4 ,the unction of the ,holy ,one which comes upon the preacher invigorates the mind1 loosens up thought and gives utterance4 ,this is the explanation of former days when men of very limited education had such wonderful liberty of the ,spirit in praying and in preaching4 ,their thoughts flowed as a stream of water4 ,their entire intellectual machinery felt the impulse of the ,divine ,spirit's gracious influences4 ,and1 of course1 the soul receives large benefits in this sort of praying4 ,thousands can testify to this statement4 ,so we repeat1 that as the entire man comes into play in true1 earnest effectual praying1 so the entire man1 soul1 mind and body1 receives the benefits of prayer4 ,,ii ,,prayer ,,and ,,humility 8,if two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from ,god1 one to go down and rule earth's grandest empire1 the other to go and sweep the streets of its meanest village1 it would be a matter of entire indifference to each which service fell to his lot1 the post of ruler or the post of scavenger2 for the joy of the angels lies only in obedience to ,god's will1 and with equal joy they would lift a ,lazarus in his rags to ,abraham's bosom1 or be a chariot of fire to carry an ,elijah home40,,john ,,newton4 ,to be humble is to have a low estimate of one's self4 ,it is to be modest1 lowly1 with a disposition to seek obscurity4 ,humility retires itself from the public gaze4 ,it does not seek publicity nor hunt for high places1 neither does it care for prominence4 ,humility is retiring in its nature4 ,self-abasement belongs to humility4 ,it is given to self-depreciation4 ,it never exalts itself in the eyes of others nor even in the eyes of itself4 ,modesty is one of its most prominent characteristics4 ,in humility there is the total absence of pride1 and it is at the very farthest distance from anything like self-conceit4 ,there is no self-praise in humility4 ,rather it has the disposition to praise others4 8,in honour preferring one another40 ,it is not given to self-exaltation4 ,humility does not love the uppermost seats and aspire to the high places4 ,it is willing to take the lowliest seat and prefers those places where it will be unnoticed4 ,the prayer of humility is after this fashion3 8,never let the world break in1 ,fix a mighty gulf between2 ,keep me humble and unknown1 ,prized and loved by ,god alone40 ,humility does not have its eyes on self1 but rather on ,god and others4 ,it is poor in spirit1 meek in behaviour1 lowly in heart4 8,with all lowliness and meekness1 with long-suffering1 forbearing one another in love40 ,the parable of the ,pharisee and publican is a sermon in brief on humility and self-praise4 ,the ,pharisee1 given over to self-conceit1 wrapped up in himself1 seeing only his own self-righteous deeds1 catalogues his virtues before ,god1 despising the poor publican who stands afar off4 ,he exalts himself1 gives himself over to self-praise1 is self-centered1 and goes away unjustified1 condemned and rejected by ,god4 ,the publican sees no good in himself1 is overwhelmed with self-depreciation1 far removed from anything which would take any credit for any good in himself1 does not presume to lift his eyes to heaven1 but with downcast countenance smites himself on his breast1 and cries out1 8,god be merciful to me1 a sinner40 ,our ,lord with great preciseness gives us the sequel of the story of these two men1 one utterly devoid of humility1 the other utterly submerged in the spirit of self-depreciation and lowliness of mind4 8,i tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other2 for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased2 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted40 ,luke #ah3ad4 ,god puts a great price on humility of heart4 ,it is good to be clothed with humility as with a garment4 ,it is written1 8,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble40 ,that which brings the praying soul near to ,god is humility of heart4 ,that which gives wings to prayer is lowliness of mind4 ,that which gives ready access to the throne of grace is self-depreciation4 ,pride1 self-esteem1 and self-praise effectually shut the door of prayer4 ,he who would come to ,god must approach ,him with self hid from his eyes4 ,he must not be puffed-up with self-conceit1 nor be possessed with an over-estimate of his virtues and good works4 ,humility is a rare ,christian grace1 of great price in the courts of heaven1 entering into and being an inseparable condition of effectual praying4 ,it gives access to ,god when other qualities fail4 ,it takes many descriptions to describe it1 and many definitions to define it4 ,it is a rare and retiring grace4 ,its full portrait is found only in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,our prayers must be set low before they can ever rise high4 ,our prayers must have much of the dust on them before they can ever have much of the glory of the skies in them4 ,in our ,lord's teaching1 humility has such prominence in ,his system of religion1 and is such a distinguishing feature of ,his character1 that to leave it out of ,his lesson on prayer would be very unseemly1 would not comport with ,his character1 and would not fit into ,his religious system4 ,the parable of the ,pharisee and publican stands out in such bold relief that we must again refer to it4 ,the ,pharisee seemed to be inured to prayer4 ,certainly he should have known by that time how to pray1 but alas6 like many others1 he seemed never to have learned this invaluable lesson4 ,he leaves business and business hours and walks with steady and fixed steps up to the house of prayer4 ,the position and place are well-chosen by him4 ,there is the sacred place1 the sacred hour1 and the sacred name1 each and all invoked by this seemingly praying man4 ,but this praying ecclesiastic1 though schooled to prayer1 by training and by habit1 prays not4 ,words are uttered by him1 but words are not prayer4 ,god hears his words only to condemn him4 ,a death-chill has come from those formal lips of prayera death-curse from ,god is on his words of prayer4 ,a solution of pride has entirely poisoned the prayer offering of that hour4 ,his entire praying has been impregnated with self-praise1 self-congratulation1 and self-exaltation4 ,that season of temple going has had no worship whatever in it4 ,on the other hand1 the publican1 smitten with a deep sense of his sins and his inward sinfulness1 realising how poor in spirit he is1 how utterly devoid of anything like righteousness1 goodness1 or any quality which would commend him to ,god1 his pride within utterly blasted and dead1 falls down with humiliation and despair before ,god1 while he utters a sharp cry for mercy for his sins and his guilt4 ,a sense of sin and a realisation of utter unworthiness has fixed the roots of humility deep down in his soul1 and has oppressed self and eye and heart1 downward to the dust4 ,this is the picture of humility against pride in praying4 ,here we see by sharp contrast the utter worthlessness of self-righteousness1 self-exaltation1 and self-praise in praying1 and the great value1 the beauty and the ,divine commendation which comes to humility of heart1 self-depreciation1 and self-condemnation when a soul comes before ,god in prayer4 ,happy are they who have no righteousness of their own to plead and no goodness of their own of which to boast4 ,humility flourishes in the soil of a true and deep sense of our sinfulness and our nothingness4 ,nowhere does humility grow so rankly and so rapidly and shine so brilliantly1 as when it feels all guilty1 confesses all sin1 and trusts all grace4 8,i the chief of sinners am1 but ,jesus died for me40 ,that is praying ground1 the ground of humility1 low down1 far away seemingly1 but in reality brought nigh by the blood of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,god dwells in the lowly places4 ,he makes such lowly places really the high places to the praying soul4 8,let the world their virtue boast1 ,their works of righteousness2 ,i1 a wretch undone and lost1 ,am freely saved by grace2 ,other title ,i disclaim1 ,this1 only this1 is all my plea1 ,i the chief of sinners am1 ,but ,jesus died for me40 ,humility is an indispensable requisite of true prayer4 ,it must be an attribute1 a characteristic of prayer4 ,humility must be in the praying character as light is in the sun4 ,prayer has no beginning1 no ending1 no being1 without humility4 ,as a ship is made for the sea1 so prayer is made for humility1 and so humility is made for prayer4 ,humility is not abstraction from self1 nor does it ignore thought about self4 ,it is a many-phased principle4 ,humility is born by looking at ,god1 and ,his holiness1 and then looking at self and man's unholiness4 ,humility loves obscurity and silence1 dreads applause1 esteems the virtues of others1 excuses their faults with mildness1 easily pardons injuries1 fears contempt less and less1 and sees baseness and falsehood in pride4 ,a true nobleness and greatness are in humility4 ,it knows and reveres the inestimable riches of the ,cross1 and the humiliations of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it fears the lustre of those virtues admired by men1 and loves those that are more secret and which are prized by ,god4 ,it draws comfort even from its own defects1 through the abasement which they occasion4 ,it prefers any degree of compunction before all light in the world4 ,somewhat after this order of description is that definable grace of humility1 so perfectly drawn in the publican's prayer1 and so entirely absent from the prayer of the ,pharisee4 ,it takes many sittings to make a good picture of it4 ,humility holds in its keeping the very life of prayer4 ,neither pride nor vanity can pray4 ,humility1 though1 is much more than the absence of vanity and pride4 ,it is a positive quality1 a substantial force1 which energises prayer4 ,there is no power in prayer to ascend without it4 ,humility springs from a lowly estimate of ourselves and of our deservings4 ,the ,pharisee prayed not1 though well schooled and habituated to pray1 because there was no humility in his praying4 ,the publican prayed1 though banned by the public and receiving no encouragement from ,church sentiment1 because he prayed in humility4 ,to be clothed with humility is to be clothed with a praying garment4 ,humility is just feeling little because we are little4 ,humility is realising our unworthiness because we are unworthy1 the feeling and declaring ourselves sinners because we are sinners4 ,kneeling well becomes us as the attitude of prayer1 because it betokens humility4 ,the ,pharisee's proud estimate of himself and his supreme contempt for his neighbour closed the gates of prayer to him1 while humility opened wide those gates to the defamed and reviled publican4 ,that fearful saying of our ,lord about the works of big1 religious workers in the latter part of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 is called out by proud estimates of work and wrong estimates of prayer3 8,many shall 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 you3 depart from me1 ye that work iniquity40 ,humility is the first and last attribute of ,christly religion1 and the first and last attribute of ,christly praying4 ,there is no ,christ without humility4 ,there is no praying without humility4 ,if thou wouldst learn well the art of praying1 then learn well the lesson of humility4 ,how graceful and imperative does the attitude of humility become to us6 ,humility is one of the unchanging and exacting attitudes of prayer4 ,dust1 ashes1 earth upon the head1 sackcloth for the body1 and fasting for the appetites1 were the symbols of humility for the ,old ,testament saints4 ,sackcloth1 fasting and ashes brought ,daniel a lowliness before ,god1 and brought ,gabriel to him4 ,the angels are fond of the sackcloth-and-ashes men4 ,how lowly the attitude of ,abraham1 the friend of ,god1 when pleading for ,god to stay ,his wrath against ,sodom6 8,which am but sackcloth and ashes40 ,with what humility does ,solomon appear before ,god6 ,his grandeur is abased1 and his glory and majesty are retired as he assumes the rightful attitude before ,god3 8,i am but a little child1 and know not how to go out or to come in40 ,the pride of doing sends its poison all through our praying4 ,the same pride of being infects all our prayers1 no matter how well-worded they may be4 ,it was this lack of humility1 this self-applauding1 this self-exaltation1 which kept the most religious man of ,christ's day from being accepted of ,god4 ,and the same thing will keep us in this day from being accepted of ,him4 8,o that now ,i might decrease6 ,o that all ,i am might cease6 ,let me into nothing fall6 ,let my ,lord be all in all40 ,,iii ,,prayer ,,and ,,devotion 8,once as ,i rode out into the woods for my health1 in #agcg1 having alighted from my horse in a retired place1 as my manner commonly had been to walk for divine contemplation and prayer1 ,i had a view that for me was extraordinary1 of the glory of the ,son of ,god4 ,as near as ,i can judge1 this continued about an hour2 and kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud4 ,i felt an ardency of soul to be what ,i know not otherwise how to express1 emptied and annihilated2 to love ,him with a holy and pure love2 to serve and follow ,him2 to be perfectly sanctified and made pure with a divine and heavenly purity40,,jonathan ,,edwards4 ,devotion has a religious signification4 ,the root of devotion is to devote to a sacred use4 ,so that devotion in its true sense has to do with religious worship4 ,it stands intimately connected with true prayer4 ,devotion is the particular frame of mind found in one entirely devoted to ,god4 ,it is the spirit of reverence1 of awe1 of godly fear4 ,it is a state of heart which appears before ,god in prayer and worship4 ,it is foreign to everything like lightness of spirit1 and is opposed to levity and noise and bluster4 ,devotion dwells in the realm of quietness and is still before ,god4 ,it is serious1 thoughtful1 meditative4 ,devotion belongs to the inner life and lives in the closet1 but also appears in the public services of the sanctuary4 ,it is a part of the very spirit of true worship1 and is of the nature of the spirit of prayer4 ,devotion belongs to the devout man1 whose thoughts and feelings are devoted to ,god4 ,such a man has a mind given up wholly to religion1 and possesses a strong affection for ,god and an ardent love for ,his house4 ,cornelius was 8a devout man1 one that feared ,god with all his house1 which gave much alms to the people1 and prayed always40 8,devout men carried ,stephen to his burial40 8,one ,ananias1 a devout man1 according to the law10 was sent unto ,saul when he was blind1 to tell him what the ,lord would have him do4 ,god can wonderfully use such men1 for devout men are ,his chosen agents in carrying forward ,his plans4 ,prayer promotes the spirit of devotion1 while devotion is favourable to the best praying4 ,devotion furthers prayer and helps to drive prayer home to the object which it seeks4 ,prayer thrives in the atmosphere of true devotion4 ,it is easy to pray when in the spirit of devotion4 ,the attitude of mind and the state of heart implied in devotion make prayer effectual in reaching the throne of grace4 ,god dwells where the spirit of devotion resides4 ,all the graces of the ,spirit are nourished and grow well in the environment created by devotion4 ,indeed1 these graces grow nowhere else but here4 ,the absence of a devotional spirit means death to the graces born in a renewed heart4 ,true worship finds congeniality in the atmosphere made by a spirit of devotion4 ,while prayer is helpful to devotion1 at the same time devotion reacts on prayer1 and helps us to pray4 ,devotion engages the heart in prayer4 ,it is not an easy task for the lips to try to pray while the heart is absent from it4 ,the charge which ,god at one time made against ,his ancient ,israel was1 that they honoured ,him with their lips while their hearts were far from ,him4 ,the very essence of prayer is the spirit of devotion4 ,without devotion prayer is an empty form1 a vain round of words4 ,sad to say1 much of this kind of prayer prevails1 today1 in the ,church4 ,this is a busy age1 bustling and active1 and this bustling spirit has invaded the ,church of ,god4 ,its religious performances are many4 ,the ,church works at religion with the order1 precision and force of real machinery4 ,but too often it works with the heartlessness of the machine4 ,there is much of the treadmill movement in our ceaseless round and routine of religious doings4 ,we pray without praying4 ,we sing without singing with the ,spirit and the understanding4 ,we have music without the praise of ,god being in it1 or near it4 ,we go to ,church by habit1 and come home all too gladly when the benediction is pronounced4 ,we read our accustomed chapter in the ,bible1 and feel quite relieved when the task is done4 ,we say our prayers by rote1 as a schoolboy recites his lesson1 and are not sorry when the ,amen is uttered4 ,religion has to do with everything but our hearts4 ,it engages our hands and feet1 it takes hold of our voices1 it lays its hands on our money1 it affects even the postures of our bodies1 but it does not take hold of our affections1 our desires1 our zeal1 and make us serious1 desperately in earnest1 and cause us to be quiet and worshipful in the presence of ,god4 ,social affinities attract us to the house of ,god1 not the spirit of the occasion4 ,church membership keeps us after a fashion decent in outward conduct and with some shadow of loyalty to our baptismal vows1 but the heart is not in the thing4 ,it remains cold1 formal1 and unimpressed amid all this outward performance1 while we give ourselves over to self-congratulation that we are doing wonderfully well religiously4 ,why all these sad defects in our piety8 ,why this modern perversion of the true nature of the religion of ,jesus ,christ8 ,why is the modern type of religion so much like a jewel-case1 with the precious jewels gone8 ,why so much of this handling religion with the hands1 often not too clean or unsoiled1 and so little of it felt in the heart and witnessed in the life8 ,the great lack of modern religion is the spirit of devotion4 ,we hear sermons in the same spirit with which we listen to a lecture or hear a speech4 ,we visit the house of ,god just as if it were a common place1 on a level with the theatre1 the lecture-room or the forum4 ,we look upon the minister of ,god not as the divinely-called man of ,god1 but merely as a sort of public speaker1 on a plane with the politician1 the lawyer1 or the average speech maker1 or the lecturer4 ,oh1 how the spirit of true and genuine devotion would radically change all this for the better6 ,we handle sacred things just as if they were the things of the world4 ,even the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper becomes a mere religious performance1 no preparation for it beforehand1 and no meditation and prayer afterward4 ,even the sacrament of ,baptism has lost much of its solemnity1 and degenerated into a mere form1 with nothing specially in it4 ,we need the spirit of devotion1 not only to salt our secularities1 but to make praying real prayers4 ,we need to put the spirit of devotion into ,monday's business as well as in ,sunday's worship4 ,we need the spirit of devotion1 to recollect always the presence of ,god1 to be always doing the will of ,god1 to direct all things always to the glory of ,god4 ,the spirit of devotion puts ,god in all things4 ,it puts ,god not merely in our praying and ,church going1 but in all the concerns of life4 8,whether1 therefore1 ye eat or drink1 or whatsoever ye do1 do all to the glory of ,god40 ,the spirit of devotion makes the common things of earth sacred1 and the little things great4 ,with this spirit of devotion1 we go to business on ,monday directed by the very same influence1 and inspired by the same influences by which we went to ,church on ,sunday4 ,the spirit of devotion makes a ,sabbath out of ,saturday1 and transforms the shop and the office into a temple of ,god4 ,the spirit of devotion removes religion from being a thin veneer1 and puts it into the very life and being of our souls4 ,with it religion ceases to be doing a mere work1 and becomes a heart1 sending its rich blood through every artery and beating with the pulsations of vigourous and radiant life4 ,the spirit of devotion is not merely the aroma of religion1 but the stalk and stem on which religion grows4 ,it is the salt which penetrates and makes savoury all religious acts4 ,it is the sugar which sweetens duty1 self-denial and sacrifice4 ,it is the bright colouring which relieves the dullness of religious performances4 ,it dispels frivolity and drives away all skin-deep forms of worship1 and makes worship a serious and deep-seated service1 impregnating body1 soul and spirit with its heavenly infusion4 ,let us ask in all seriousness1 has this highest angel of heaven1 this heavenly spirit of devotion1 this brightest and best angel of earth1 left us8 ,when the angel of devotion has gone1 the angel of prayer has lost its wings1 and it becomes a deformed and loveless thing4 ,the ardour of devotion is in prayer4 ,in the fourth chapter of ,revelation1 verse eight1 we read3 8,and they rest not day nor night1 saying1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1 which was1 and is1 and is to come40 ,the inspiration and centre of their rapturous devotion is the holiness of ,god4 ,that holiness of ,god claims their attention1 inflames their devotion4 ,there is nothing cold1 nothing dull1 nothing wearisome about them or their heavenly worship4 8,they rest not day nor night40 ,what zeal6 ,what unfainting ardour and ceaseless rapture6 ,the ministry of prayer1 if it be anything worthy of the name1 is a ministry of ardour1 a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after ,god and after ,his holiness4 ,the spirit of devotion pervades the saints in heaven and characterizes the worship of heaven's angelic intelligences4 ,no devotionless creatures are in that heavenly world4 ,god is there1 and ,his very presence begets the spirit of reverence1 of awe1 and of filial fear4 ,if we would be partakers with them after death1 we must first learn the spirit of devotion on earth before we get there4 ,these living creatures in their restless1 tireless1 attitude after ,god1 and their rapt devotion to ,his holiness1 are the perfect symbols and illustrations of true prayer and its ardour4 ,prayer must be aflame4 ,its ardour must consume4 ,prayer without fervour is as a sun without light or heat1 or as a flower without beauty or fragrance4 ,a soul devoted to ,god is a fervent soul1 and prayer is the creature of that flame4 ,he only can truly pray who is all aglow for holiness1 for ,god1 and for heaven4 ,activity is not strength4 ,work is not zeal4 ,moving about is not devotion4 ,activity often is the unrecognised symptom of spiritual weakness4 ,it may be hurtful to piety when made the substitute for real devotion in worship4 ,the colt is much more active than its mother1 but she is the wheelhorse of the team1 pulling the load without noise or bluster or show4 ,the child is more active than the father1 who may be bearing the rule and burdens of an empire on his heart and shoulders4 ,enthusiasm is more active than faith1 though it cannot remove mountains nor call into action any of the omnipotent forces which faith can command4 ,a feeble1 lively1 showy religious activity may spring from many causes4 ,there is much running around1 much stirring about1 much going here and there1 in present-day ,church life1 but sad to say1 the spirit of genuine1 heartfelt devotion is strangely lacking4 ,if there be real spiritual life1 a deep-toned activity will spring from it4 ,but it is an activity springing from strength and not from weakness4 ,it is an activity which has deep roots1 many and strong4 ,in the nature of things1 religion must show much of its growth above ground4 ,much will be seen and be evident to the eye4 ,the flower and fruit of a holy life1 abounding in good works1 must be seen4 ,it cannot be otherwise4 ,but the surface growth must be based on a vigourous growth of unseen life and hidden roots4 ,deep down in the renewed nature must the roots of religion go which is seen on the outside4 ,the external must have a deep internal groundwork4 ,there must be much of the invisible and the underground growth1 or else the life will be feeble and short-lived1 and the external growth sickly and fruitless4 ,in the ,book of the prophet ,isaiah these words are written3 8,they that wait on the ,lord shall renew their strength2 they shall mount up with wings as eagles2 they shall run and not be weary2 and they shall walk and not faint40 #dj3ca4 ,this is the genesis of the whole matter of activity and strength of the most energetic1 exhaustless and untiring nature4 ,all this is the result of waiting on ,god4 ,there may be much of activity induced by drill1 created by enthusiasm1 the product of the weakness of the flesh1 the inspiration of volatile1 short-lived forces4 ,activity is often at the expense of more solid1 useful elements1 and generally to the total neglect of prayer4 ,to be too busy with ,god's work to commune with ,god1 to be busy with doing ,church work without taking time to talk to ,god about ,his work1 is the highway to backsliding1 and many people have walked therein to the hurt of their immortal souls4 ,notwithstanding great activity1 great enthusiasm1 and much hurrah for the work1 the work and the activity will be but blindness without the cultivation and the maturity of the graces of prayer4 ,,iv ,,prayer1 ,,praise ,,and ,,thanksgiving 8,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,gordon describes the impression made upon his mind by intercourse with ,joseph ,rabinowitz1 whom ,dr4 ,delitzsch considered the most remarkable ,jewish convert since ,saul of ,tarsus3 #8,we shall not soon forget the radiance that would come into his face as he expounded the ,messianic psalms at our morning or evening worship1 and how1 as here and there he caught a glimpse of the suffering or glorified ,christ1 he would suddenly lift his hands and his eyes to heaven in a burst of adoration1 exclaiming with ,thomas after he had seen the nail-prints1 8,my ,lord1 and my ,god40'0 ,d4 ,m4 ,,mcintyre4 ,prayer1 praise and thanksgiving all go in company4 ,a close relationship exists between them4 ,praise and thanksgiving are so near alike that it is not easy to distinguish between them or define them separately4 ,the ,scriptures join these three things together4 ,many are the causes for thanksgiving and praise4 ,the ,psalms are filled with many songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving1 all pointing back to the results of prayer4 ,thanksgiving includes gratitude4 ,in fact thanksgiving is but the expression of an inward conscious gratitude to ,god for mercies received4 ,gratitude is an inward emotion of the soul1 involuntarily arising therein1 while thanksgiving is the voluntary expression of gratitude4 ,thanksgiving is oral1 positive1 active4 ,it is the giving out of something to ,god4 ,thanksgiving comes out into the open4 ,gratitude is secret1 silent1 negative1 passive1 not showing its being till expressed in praise and thanksgiving4 ,gratitude is felt in the heart4 ,thanksgiving is the expression of that inward feeling4 ,thanksgiving is just what the word itself signifiesthe giving of thanks to ,god4 ,it is giving something to ,god in words which we feel at heart for blessings received4 ,gratitude arises from a contemplation of the goodness of ,god4 ,it is bred by serious meditation on what ,god has done for us4 ,both gratitude and thanksgiving point to1 and have to do with ,god and ,his mercies4 ,the heart is consciously grateful to ,god4 ,the soul gives expression to that heartfelt gratitude to ,god in words or acts4 ,gratitude is born of meditation on ,god's grace and mercy4 8,the ,lord hath done great things for us1 whereof we are glad40 ,herein we see the value of serious meditation4 8,my meditation of him shall be sweet40 ,praise is begotten by gratitude and a conscious obligation to ,god for mercies given4 ,as we think of mercies past1 the heart is inwardly moved to gratitude4 8,i love to think on mercies past1 ,and future good implore2 ,and all my cares and sorrows cast ,on ,him whom ,i adore40 ,love is the child of gratitude4 ,love grows as gratitude is felt1 and then breaks out into praise and thanksgiving to ,god3 8,i love the ,lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplication40 ,answered prayers cause gratitude1 and gratitude brings forth a love that declares it will not cease praying3 8,because he hath inclined his ear unto me1 therefore will ,i call upon him as long as ,i live40 ,gratitude and love move to larger and increased praying4 ,paul appeals to the ,romans to dedicate themselves wholly to ,god1 a living sacrifice1 and the constraining motive is the mercies of ,god3 8,i beseech you1 therefore1 brethren1 by the mercies of ,god1 that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice1 holy1 acceptable unto ,god1 which is your reasonable service40 ,consideration of ,god's mercies not only begets gratitude1 but induces a large consecration to ,god of all we have and are4 ,so that prayer1 thanksgiving and consecration are all linked together inseparably4 ,gratitude and thanksgiving always looks back at the past though it may also take in the present4 ,but prayer always looks to the future4 ,thanksgiving deals with things already received4 ,prayer deals with things desired1 asked for and expected4 ,prayer turns to gratitude and praise when the things asked for have been granted by ,god4 ,as prayer brings things to us which beget gratitude and thanksgiving1 so praise and gratitude promote prayer1 and induce more praying and better praying4 ,gratitude and thanksgiving forever stand opposed to all murmurings at ,god's dealings with us1 and all complainings at our lot4 ,gratitude and murmuring never abide in the same heart at the same time4 ,an unappreciative spirit has no standing beside gratitude and praise4 ,and true prayer corrects complaining and promotes gratitude and thanksgiving4 ,dissatisfaction at one's lot1 and a disposition to be discontented with things which come to us in the providence of ,god1 are foes to gratitude and enemies to thanksgiving4 ,the murmurers are ungrateful people4 ,appreciative men and women have neither the time nor disposition to stop and complain4 ,the bane of the wilderness-journey of the ,israelites on their way to ,canaan was their proneness to murmur and complain against ,god and ,moses4 ,for this1 ,god was several times greatly grieved1 and it took the strong praying of ,moses to avert ,god's wrath because of these murmurings4 ,the absence of gratitude left no room nor disposition for praise and thanksgiving1 just as it is so always4 ,but when these same ,israelites were brought through the ,red ,sea dry shod1 while their enemies were destroyed1 there was a song of praise led by ,miriam1 the sister of ,moses4 ,one of the leading sins of these ,israelites was forgetfulness of ,god and ,his mercies1 and ingratitude of soul4 ,this brought forth murmurings and lack of praise1 as it always does4 ,when ,paul wrote to the ,colossians to let the word of ,christ dwell in their hearts richly and to let the peace of ,god rule therein1 he said to them1 8and be ye thankful10 and adds1 8admonishing yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs1 singing with grace in your hearts unto the ,lord40 ,further on1 in writing to these same ,christians1 he joins prayer and thanksgiving together3 8,continue in prayer1 and watch in the same with thanksgiving40 ,and writing to the ,thessalonians1 he again joins them in union3 8,rejoice evermore4 ,pray without ceasing4 ,in everything give thanks1 for this is the will of ,god concerning you40 8,we thank ,thee1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 ,who hast preserved us from our birth2 ,redeemed us oft from death and dread1 ,and with ,thy gifts our table spread40 ,wherever there is true prayer1 there thanksgiving and gratitude stand hard by1 ready to respond to the answer when it comes4 ,for as prayer brings the answer1 so the answer brings forth gratitude and praise4 ,as prayer sets ,god to work1 so answered prayer sets thanksgiving to work4 ,thanksgiving follows answered prayer just as day succeeds night4 ,true prayer and gratitude lead to full consecration1 and consecration leads to more praying and better praying4 ,a consecrated life is both a prayer-life and a thanksgiving life4 ,the spirit of praise was once the boast of the primitive ,church4 ,this spirit abode on the tabernacles of these early ,christians1 as a cloud of glory out of which ,god shined and spoke4 ,it filled their temples with the perfume of costly1 flaming incense4 ,that this spirit of praise is sadly deficient in our present-day congregations must be evident to every careful observer4 ,that it is a mighty force in projecting the ,gospel1 and its body of vital forces1 must be equally evident4 ,to restore the spirit of praise to our congregations should be one of the main points with every true pastor4 ,the normal state of the ,church is set forth in the declaration made to ,god in ,psalm #fe3 8,praise waiteth for thee1 ,o ,lord1 and unto thee shall the vow be performed40 ,praise is so distinctly and definitely wedded to prayer1 so inseparably joined1 that they cannot be divorced4 ,praise is dependent on prayer for its full volume and its sweetest melody4 ,singing is one method of praise1 not the highest it is true1 but it is the ordinary and usual form4 ,the singing service in our churches has much to do with praise1 for according to the character of the singing will be the genuineness or the measure of praise4 ,the singing may be so directed as to have in it elements which deprave and debauch prayer4 ,it may be so directed as to drive away everything like thanksgiving and praise4 ,much of modern singing in our churches is entirely foreign to anything like hearty1 sincere praise to ,god4 ,the spirit of prayer and of true praise go hand in hand4 ,both are often entirely dissipated by the flippant1 thoughtless1 light singing in our congregations4 ,much of the singing lacks serious thought and is devoid of everything like a devotional spirit4 ,its lustiness and sparkle may not only dissipate all the essential features of worship1 but may substitute the flesh for the spirit4 ,giving thanks is the very life of prayer4 ,it is its fragrance and music1 its poetry and its crown4 ,prayer bringing the desired answer breaks out into praise and thanksgiving4 ,so that whatever interferes with and injures the spirit of prayer necessarily hurts and dissipates the spirit of praise4 ,the heart must have in it the grace of prayer to sing the praise of ,god4 ,spiritual singing is not to be done by musical taste or talent1 but by the grace of ,god in the heart4 ,nothing helps praise so mightily as a gracious revival of true religion in the ,church4 ,the conscious presence of ,god inspires song4 ,the angels and the glorified ones in heaven do not need artistic precentors to lead them1 nor do they care for paid choirs to chime in with their heavenly doxologies of praise and worship4 ,they are not dependent on singing schools to teach them the notes and scale of singing4 ,their singing involuntarily breaks forth from the heart4 ,god is immediately present in the heavenly assemblies of the angels and the spirits of just men made perfect4 ,his glorious presence creates the song1 teaches the singing1 and impregnates their notes of praise4 ,it is so on earth4 ,god's presence begets singing and thanksgiving1 while the absence of ,god from our congregations is the death of song1 or1 which amounts to the same1 makes the singing lifeless1 cold and formal4 ,his conscious presence in our churches would bring back the days of praise and would restore the full chorus of song4 ,where grace abounds1 song abounds4 ,when ,god is in the heart1 heaven is present and melody is there1 and the lips overflow out of the abundance of the heart4 ,this is as true in the private life of the believer as it is so in the congregations of the saints4 ,the decay of singing1 the dying down and out of the spirit of praise in song1 means the decline of grace in the heart and the absence of ,god's presence from the people4 ,the main design of all singing is for ,god's ear and to attract ,his attention and to please ,him4 ,it is 8to the ,lord10 for ,his glory1 and to ,his honour4 ,certainly it is not for the glorification of the paid choir1 to exalt the wonderful musical powers of the singers1 nor is it to draw the people to the church1 but it is for the glory of ,god and the good of the souls of the congregation4 ,alas6 ,how far has the singing of choirs of churches of modern times departed from this idea6 ,it is no surprise that there is no life1 no power1 no unction1 no spirit1 in much of the ,church singing heard in this day4 ,it is sacrilege for any but sanctified hearts and holy lips to direct the singing part of the service of ,god's house of prayer4 ,much of the singing in churches would do credit to the opera house1 and might satisfy as mere entertainments1 pleasing the ear1 but as a part of real worship1 having in it the spirit of praise and prayer1 it is a fraud1 an imposition on spiritually minded people1 and entirely unacceptable to ,god4 ,the cry should go out afresh1 8,let all the people praise the ,lord10 for 8it is good to sing praises unto our ,god2 for it is pleasant2 and praise is comely40 ,the music of praise1 for there is real music of soul in praise1 is too hopeful and happy to be denied4 ,all these are in the 8giving of thanks40 ,in ,philippians1 prayer is called 8requests40 8,let your requests be made known unto ,god10 which describes prayer as an asking for a gift1 giving prominence to the thing asked for1 making it emphatic1 something to be given by ,god and received by us1 and not something to be done by us4 ,and all this is closely connected with gratitude to ,god1 8with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god40 ,god does much for us in answer to prayer1 but we need from ,him many gifts1 and for them we are to make special prayer4 ,according to our special needs1 so must our praying be4 ,we are to be special and particular and bring to the knowledge of ,god by prayer1 supplication and thanksgiving1 our particular requests1 the things we need1 the things we greatly desire4 ,and with it all1 accompanying all these requests1 there must be thanksgiving4 ,it is indeed a pleasing thought that what we are called upon to do on earth1 to praise and give thanks1 the angels in heaven and the redeemed disembodied spirits of the saints are doing also4 ,it is still further pleasing to contemplate the glorious hope that what ,god wants us to do on earth1 we will be engaged in doing throughout an unending eternity4 ,praise and thanksgiving will be our blessed employment while we remain in heaven4 ,nor will we ever grow weary of this pleasing task4 ,joseph ,addison sets before us1 in verse1 this pleasing prospect3 8,through every period of my life ,thy goodness ,i'll pursue2 ,and after death1 in distant worlds1 ,the pleasing theme renew4 8,through all eternity to ,thee ,a grateful song ,i'll raise2 ,but ,oh6 eternity's too short ,to utter all ,thy praise40 ,v ,,prayer ,,and ,,trouble 8#8,he will4' ,it may not be today1 ,that ,god ,himself shall wipe our tears away1 ,nor1 hope deferred1 may it be yet tomorrow ,he'll take away our cup of earthly sorrow2 ,but1 precious promise1 ,he has said ,he will1 ,if we but trust ,him fullyand be still4 8,we1 too1 as ,he1 may fall1 and die unknown2 ,and e'en the place we fell be all unshown1 ,but eyes omniscient will mark the spot ,till empires perish and the world's forgot4 ,then they who bore the yoke and drank the cup ,in fadeless glory shall the ,lord raise up4 ,god's word is ever good2 ,his will is best3 ,the yoke1 the heart all brokenand then rest40 ,,claudius ,l4 ,,chilton4 ,trouble and prayer are closely related to each other4 ,prayer is of great value to trouble4 ,trouble often drives men to ,god in prayer1 while prayer is but the voice of men in trouble4 ,there is great value in prayer in the time of trouble4 ,prayer often delivers out of trouble1 and still oftener gives strength to bear trouble1 ministers comfort in trouble1 and begets patience in the midst of trouble4 ,wise is he in the day of trouble who knows his true source of strength and who fails not to pray4 ,trouble belongs to the present state of man on earth4 8,man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble40 ,trouble is common to man4 ,there is no exception in any age or clime or station4 ,rich and poor alike1 the learned and the ignorant1 one and all are partakers of this sad and painful inheritance of the fall of man4 8,there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man40 ,the 8day of trouble0 dawns on every one at some time in his life4 8,the evil days come and the years draw nigh0 when the heart feels its heavy pressure4 ,that is an entirely false view of life and shows supreme ignorance that expects nothing but sunshine and looks only for ease1 pleasure and flowers4 ,it is this class who are so sadly disappointed and surprised when trouble breaks into their lives4 ,these are the ones who know not ,god1 who know nothing of ,his disciplinary dealings with ,his people and who are prayerless4 ,what an infinite variety there is in the troubles of life6 ,how diversified the experiences of men in the school of trouble6 ,no two people have the same troubles under like environments4 ,god deals with no two of ,his children in the same way4 ,and as ,god varies ,his treatment of ,his children1 so trouble is varied4 ,god does not repeat ,himself4 ,he does not run in a rut4 ,he has not one pattern for every child4 ,each trouble is proportioned to each child4 ,each one is dealt with according to his own peculiar case4 ,trouble is ,god's servant1 doing ,his will unless ,he is defeated in the execution of that will4 ,trouble is under the control of ,almighty ,god1 and is one of ,his most efficient agents in fulfilling ,his purposes and in perfecting ,his saints4 ,god's hand is in every trouble which breaks into the lives of men4 ,not that ,he directly and arbitrarily orders every unpleasant experience of life4 ,not that ,he is personally responsible for every painful and afflicting thing which comes into the lives of ,his people4 ,but no trouble is ever turned loose in this world and comes into the life of saint or sinner1 but comes with ,divine permission1 and is allowed to exist and do its painful work with ,god's hand in it or on it1 carrying out ,his gracious designs of redemption4 ,all things are under ,divine control4 ,trouble is neither above ,god nor beyond ,his control4 ,it is not something in life independent of ,god4 ,no matter from what source it springs nor whence it arises1 ,god is sufficiently wise and able to lay ,his hand upon it without assuming responsibility for its origin1 and work it into ,his plans and purposes concerning the highest welfare of ,his saints4 ,this is the explanation of that gracious statement in ,romans1 so often quoted1 but the depth of whose meaning has rarely been sounded1 8,and we know that all things work together for good to them that love ,god40 ,even the evils brought about by the forces of nature are ,his servants1 carrying out ,his will and fulfilling ,his designs4 ,god even claims the locusts1 the cankerworm1 the caterpillar are ,his servants1 8,my great army10 used by ,him to correct ,his people and discipline them4 ,trouble belongs to the disciplinary part of the moral government of ,god4 ,this is a life of probation1 where the human race is on probation4 ,it is a season of trial4 ,trouble is not penal in its nature4 ,it belongs to what the ,scriptures call 8chastening40 8,whom the ,lord loveth he chasteneth1 and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth40 ,speaking accurately1 punishment does not belong to this life4 ,punishment for sin will take place in the next world4 ,god's dealings with people in this world are of the nature of discipline4 ,they are corrective processes in ,his plans concerning man4 ,it is because of this that prayer comes in when trouble arises4 ,prayer belongs to the discipline of life4 ,as trouble is not sinful in itself1 neither is it the evidence of sin4 ,good and bad alike experience trouble4 ,as the rain falls alike on the just and unjust1 so drouth likewise comes to the righteous and the wicked4 ,trouble is no evidence whatever of the ,divine displeasure4 ,scripture instances without number disprove any such idea4 ,job is a case in point1 where ,god bore explicit testimony to his deep piety1 and yet ,god permitted ,satan to afflict him beyond any other man for wise and beneficent purposes4 ,trouble has no power in itself to interfere with the relations of a saint to ,god4 8,who shall separate us from the love of ,christ8 ,shall tribulation1 or distress1 or persecution1 or famine1 or nakedness1 or peril1 or sword80 ,three words practically the same in the processes of ,divine discipline are found1 temptation1 trial and trouble1 and yet there is a difference between them4 ,temptation is really a solicitation to evil arising from the devil or born in the carnal nature of man4 ,trial is testing4 ,it is that which proves us1 tests us1 and makes us stronger and better when we submit to the trial and work together with ,god in it4 8,my brethren1 count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations2 knowing this1 that the trying of your faith worketh patience40 ,peter speaks along the same line3 8,wherein ye greatly rejoice1 now for a season1 if need be1 ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations2 that the trial of your faith being much more precious than that of gold that perisheth1 though it be tried with fire1 might be found unto praise1 and honor and glory at the appearing of ,jesus ,christ40 ,the third word is trouble itself1 which covers all the painful1 sorrowing1 and grievous events of life4 ,and yet temptations and trials might really become troubles4 ,so that all evil days in life might well be classed under the head of the 8time of trouble40 ,and such days of trouble are the lot of all men4 ,enough to know that trouble1 no matter from what source it comes1 becomes in ,god's hand ,his own agent to accomplish ,his gracious work concerning those who submit patiently to ,him1 who recognise ,him in prayer1 and who work together with ,god4 ,let us settle down at once to the idea that trouble arises not by chance1 and neither occurs by what men call accident4 8,although affliction cometh not forth of the dust1 neither doth trouble spring out of the ground1 yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward40 ,trouble naturally belongs to ,god's moral government1 and is one of ,his invaluable agents in governing the world4 ,when we realise this1 we can the better understand much that is recorded in the ,scriptures1 and can have a clearer conception of ,god's dealings with ,his ancient ,israel4 ,in ,god's dealings with them1 we find what is called a history of ,divine ,providence1 and providence always embraces trouble4 ,no one can understand the story of ,joseph and his old father ,jacob unless he takes into the account trouble and its varied offices4 ,god takes account of trouble when ,he urges ,his prophet ,isaiah on this wise3 8,comfort ye1 comfort ye my people1 saith your ,god4 ,speak ye comfortably to ,jerusalem1 and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished1 that her iniquity is pardoned40 ,there is a distinct note of comfort in the ,gospel for the praying saints of the ,lord1 and ,he is a wise scribe in ,divine things who knows how to minister this comfort to the broken-hearted and sad ones of earth4 ,jesus ,himself said to ,his sad disciples1 8,i will not leave you comfortless40 ,all the foregoing has been said that we may rightly appreciate the relationship of prayer to trouble4 ,in the time of trouble1 where does prayer come in8 ,the ,psalmist tells us3 8,call upon me in the day of trouble2 ,i will deliver thee1 and thou shalt glorify me40 ,prayer is the most appropriate thing for a soul to do in the 8time of trouble40 ,prayer recognises ,god in the day of trouble4 8,it is the ,lord2 let him do what seemeth him good40 ,prayer sees ,god's hand in trouble1 and prays about it4 ,nothing more truly shows us our helplessness than when trouble comes4 ,it brings the strong man low1 it discloses our weakness1 it brings a sense of helplessness4 ,blessed is he who knows how to turn to ,god in 8the time of trouble40 ,if trouble is of the ,lord1 then the most natural thing to do is to carry the trouble to the ,lord1 and seek grace and patience and submission4 ,it is the time to inquire in the trouble1 8,lord1 what1 wilt thou have me to do80 ,how natural and reasonable for the soul1 oppressed1 broken1 and bruised1 to bow low at the footstool of mercy and seek the face of ,god8 ,where could a soul in trouble more likely find solace than in the closet8 ,alas6 trouble does not always drive men to ,god in prayer4 ,sad is the case of him who1 when trouble bends his spirit down and grieves his heart1 yet knows not whence the trouble comes nor knows how to pray about it4 ,blessed is the man who is driven by trouble to his knees in prayer6 8,trials must and will befall2 ,but with humble faith to see ,love inscribed upon them all ,this is happiness to me4 8,trials make the promise sweet1 ,trials give new life to prayer2 ,bring me to my ,saviour's feet1 ,lay me low1 and keep me there40 ,prayer in the time of trouble brings comfort1 help1 hope1 and blessings1 which1 while not removing the trouble1 enable the saint the better to bear it and to submit to the will of ,god4 ,prayer opens the eyes to see ,god's hand in trouble4 ,prayer does not interpret ,god's providences1 but it does justify them and recognise ,god in them4 ,prayer enables us to see wise ends in trouble4 ,prayer in trouble drives us away from unbelief1 saves us from doubt1 and delivers from all vain and foolish questionings because of our painful experiences4 ,let us not lose sight of the tribute paid to ,job when all his troubles came to the culminating point3 8,in all this ,job sinned not1 nor charged ,god foolishly40 ,alas6 for vain1 ignorant men1 without faith in ,god and knowing nothing of ,god's disciplinary processes in dealing with men1 who charge ,god foolishly when troubles come1 and who are tempted to 8curse ,god40 ,how silly and vain are the complainings1 the murmurings and the rebellion of men in the time of trouble6 ,what need to read again the story of the ,children of ,israel in the wilderness6 ,and how useless is all our fretting1 our worrying over trouble1 as if such unhappy doings on our part could change things6 8,and which of you with taking thought1 can add to his stature one cubit80 ,how much wiser1 how much better1 how much easier to bear life's troubles when we take everything to ,god in prayer8 ,trouble has wise ends for the praying ones1 and these find it so4 ,happy is he who1 like the ,psalmist1 finds that his troubles have been blessings in disguise4 8,it is good for me that ,i have been afflicted1 that ,i might learn thy statutes4 ,i know1 ,o ,lord1 that thy judgments are right1 and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me40 8,o who could bear life's stormy doom1 ,did not ,thy wing of love ,come brightly wafting through the gloom ,our peace branch from above4 8,then sorrow1 touched by ,thee1 grows bright1 ,with more than rapture's ray2 ,as darkness shows us worlds of light ,we never saw by day40 ,of course it may be conceded that some troubles are really imaginary4 ,they have no existence other than in the mind4 ,some are anticipated troubles1 which never arrive at our door4 ,others are past troubles1 and there is much folly in worrying over them4 ,present troubles are the ones requiring attention and demanding prayer4 8,sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof40 ,some troubles are self-originated4 ,we are their authors4 ,some of these originate involuntarily with us1 some arise from our ignorance1 some come from our carelessness4 ,all this can be readily admitted without breaking the force of the statement that they are the subjects of prayer1 and should drive us to prayer4 ,what father casts off his child who cries to him when the little one from its own carelessness has stumbled and fallen and hurt itself8 ,does not the cry of the child attract the ears of the father even though the child be to blame for the accident8 8,whatever things ye desire0 takes in every event of life1 even though some events we are responsible for4 ,some troubles are human in their origin4 ,they arise from second causes4 ,they originate with others and we are the sufferers4 ,this is a world where often the innocent suffer the consequences of the acts of others4 ,this is a part of life's incidents4 ,who has not at some time suffered at the hands of others8 ,but even these are allowed to come in the order of ,god's providence1 are permitted to break into our lives for beneficent ends1 and may be prayed over4 ,why should we not carry our hurts1 our wrongs and our privations1 caused by the acts of others1 to ,god in prayer8 ,are such things outside of the realm of prayer8 ,are they exceptions to the rule of prayer8 ,not at all4 ,and ,god can and will lay ,his hand upon all such events in answer to prayer1 and cause them to work for us 8a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory40 ,nearly all of ,paul's troubles arose from wicked and unreasonable men4 ,read the story as he gives it in ,,ii ,corinthians #aa3bc-cc4 ,so also some troubles are directly of ,satanic origin4 ,quite all of ,job's troubles were the offspring of the devil's scheme to break down ,job's integrity1 to make him charge ,god foolishly and to curse ,god4 ,but are these not to be recognised in prayer8 ,are they to be excluded from ,god's disciplinary processes8 ,job did not do so4 ,hear him in those familiar words4 8,the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord hath taken away4 ,blessed be the name of the ,lord40 ,o what a comfort to see ,god in all of life's events6 ,what a relief to a broken1 sorrowing heart to see ,god's hand in sorrow6 ,what a source of relief is prayer in unburdening the heart in grief6 8,o ,thou who driest the mourner's tear4 ,how dark this world would be1 ,if1 when deceived and wounded here4 ,we could not fly to ,thee8 8,the friends who in our sunshine live1 ,when winter comes are flown1 ,and he who has but tears to give1 ,must weep those tears alone4 8,but ,thou wilt heal the broken heart1 ,which1 like the plants that throw ,their fragrance from the wounded part1 ,breathes sweetness out of woe40 ,but when we survey all the sources from which trouble comes1 it all resolves itself into two invaluable truths3 ,first1 that our troubles at last are of the ,lord4 ,they come with ,his consent4 ,he is in all of them1 and is interested in us when they press and bruise us4 ,and secondly1 that our troubles1 no matter what the cause1 whether of ourselves1 or men or devils1 or even ,god ,himself1 we are warranted in taking them to ,god in prayer1 in praying over them1 and in seeking to get the greatest spiritual benefits out of them4 ,prayer in the time of trouble tends to bring the spirit into perfect subjection to the will of ,god1 to cause the will to be conformed to ,god's will1 and saves from all murmurings over our lot1 and delivers from everything like a rebellious heart or a spirit critical of the ,lord4 ,prayer sanctifies trouble to our highest good4 ,prayer so prepares the heart that it softens under the disciplining hand of ,god4 ,prayer places us where ,god can bring to us the greatest good1 spiritual and eternal4 ,prayer allows ,god to freely work with us and in us in the day of trouble4 ,prayer removes everything in the way of trouble1 bringing to us the sweetest1 the highest and greatest good4 ,prayer permits ,god's servant1 trouble1 to accomplish its mission in us1 with us and for us4 ,the end of trouble is always good in the mind of ,god4 ,if trouble fails in its mission1 it is either because of prayerlessness or unbelief1 or both4 ,being in harmony with ,god in the dispensations of ,his providence1 always makes trouble a blessing4 ,the good or evil of trouble is always determined by the spirit in which it is received4 ,trouble proves a blessing or a curse1 just according as it is received and treated by us4 ,it either softens or hardens us4 ,it either draws us to prayer and to ,god or it drives us from ,god and from the closet4 ,trouble hardened ,pharaoh till finally it had no effect on him1 only to make him more desperate and to drive him farther from ,god4 ,the same sun softens the wax and hardens the clay4 ,the same sun melts the ice and dries out the moisture from the earth4 ,as is the infinite variety of trouble1 so also is there infinite variety in the relations of prayer to other things4 ,how many are the things which are the subject of prayer6 ,it has to do with everything which concerns us1 with everybody with whom we have to do1 and has to do with all times4 ,but especially does prayer have to do with trouble4 8,this poor man cried and the ,lord heard him1 and saved him out of all his troubles40 ,o the blessedness1 the help1 the comfort of prayer in the day of trouble6 ,and how marvelous the promises of ,god to us in the time of trouble6 8,because he hath set his love upon me1 therefore will ,i deliver him2 ,i will set him on high because he hath known my name4 ,he shall call upon me1 and ,i will answer him2 ,i will be with him in trouble2 ,i will deliver him and honor him40 8,if pain afflict1 or wrongs oppress1 ,if cares distract1 or fears dismay2 ,if guilt deject1 if sin distress1 ,in every case1 still watch and pray40 ,how rich in its sweetness1 how far-reaching in the realm of trouble1 and how cheering to faith1 are the words of promise which ,god delivers to ,his believing1 praying ones1 by the mouth of ,isaiah3 8,but now1 thus saith the ,lord that created thee1 ,o ,jacob1 and he that formed thee1 ,o ,israel1 ,fear not3 for ,i have redeemed thee1 ,i have called thee by thy name2 thou art mine4 ,when thou passest through the waters1 ,i will be with thee2 and through the rivers1 they shall not overflow thee3 when thou walkest through the fire1 thou shalt not be burned3 neither shall the flame kindle upon thee'''4 ,for ,i am the ,lord thy ,god1 the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 thy ,saviour40 ,,vi ,,prayer ,,and ,,trouble 7,continued7 8,my first message for heavenly relief went singing over millions of miles of space in #ahfi1 and brought relief to my troubled heart4 ,but1 thanks be to ,him1 ,i have received many delightful and helpful answers during the last fifty years4 ,i would think the commerce of the skies had gone into bankruptcy if ,i did not hear frequently1 since ,i have learned how to ask and how to receive40,,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,in the ,new ,testament there are three words used which embrace trouble4 ,these are tribulation1 suffering and affliction1 words differing somewhat1 and yet each of them practically meaning trouble of some kind4 ,our ,lord put ,his disciples on notice that they might expect tribulation in this life1 teaching them that tribulation belonged to this world1 and they could not hope to escape it2 that they would not be carried through this life on flowery beds of ease4 ,how hard to learn this plain and patent lesson6 8,in the world ye shall have tribulation2 but be of good cheer2 ,i have overcome the world40 ,there is the encouragement4 ,as ,he had overcome the world and its tribulations1 so might they do the same4 ,paul taught the same lesson throughout his ministry1 when in confirming the souls of the brethren1 and exhorting them to continue in the faith1 he told them that 8we must1 through much tribulation1 enter into the kingdom of ,god40 ,he himself knew this by his own experience1 for his pathway was anything but smooth and flowery4 ,he it is who uses the word 8suffering0 to describe the troubles of life1 in that comforting passage in which he contrasts life's troubles with the final glory of heaven1 which shall be the reward of all who patiently endure the ills of ,divine ,providence3 8,for ,i reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us40 ,and he it is who speaks of the afflictions which come to the people of ,god in this world1 and regards them as light as compared with the weight of glory awaiting all who are submissive1 patient and faithful in all their troubles3 8,for our light affliction1 which is but for a moment1 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory40 ,but these present afflictions can work for us only as we co-operate with ,god in prayer4 ,as ,god works through prayer1 it is only through this means ,he can accomplish ,his highest ends for us4 ,his ,providence works with greatest effect with ,his praying ones4 ,these know the uses of trouble and its gracious designs4 ,the greatest value in trouble comes to those who bow lowest before the throne4 ,paul1 in urging patience in tribulation1 connects it directly with prayer1 as if prayer alone would place us where we could be patient when tribulation comes4 8,rejoicing in hope1 patient in tribulation1 continuing instant in prayer40 ,he here couples up tribulation and prayer1 showing their close relationship and the worth of prayer in begetting and culturing patience in tribulation4 ,in fact there can be no patience exemplified when trouble comes1 only as it is secured through instant and continued prayer4 ,in the school of prayer is where patience is learned and practiced4 ,prayer brings us into that state of grace where tribulation is not only endured1 but where there is under it a spirit of rejoicing4 ,in showing the gracious benefits of justification1 in ,romans #e3c1 ,paul says3 8,and not only so1 but we glory in tribulation also3 knowing that tribulation worketh patience2 and patience1 experience2 and experience1 hope2 and hope maketh not ashamed2 because the love of ,god is shed abroad in our hearts by the ,holy ,ghost which is given unto us40 ,what a chain of graces are here set forth as flowing from tribulation6 ,what successive steps to a high state of religious experience6 ,and what rich fruits result from even painful tribulation6 ,to the same effect are the words of ,peter in his ,first ,epistle1 in his strong prayer for those ,christians to whom he writes2 thus showing that suffering and the highest state of grace are closely connected2 and intimating that it is through suffering we are to be brought to those higher regions of ,christian experience3 8,but the ,god of all grace1 who hath called us into his eternal glory1 by ,christ ,jesus1 after that ye have suffered awhile1 make you perfect1 stablish1 strengthen and settle you40 ,it is in the fires of suffering that ,god purifies ,his saints and brings them to the highest things4 ,it is in the furnace their faith is tested1 their patience is tried1 and they are developed in all those rich virtues which make up ,christian character4 ,it is while they are passing through deep waters that ,he shows how close ,he can come to ,his praying1 believing saints4 ,it takes faith of a high order and a ,christian experience far above the average religion of this day1 to count it joy when we are called to pass through tribulation4 ,god's highest aim in dealing with ,his people is in developing ,christian character4 ,he is after begetting in us those rich virtues which belong to our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is seeking to make us like ,himself4 ,it is not so much work that ,he wants in us4 ,it is not greatness4 ,it is the presence in us of patience1 meekness1 submission to the ,divine will1 prayerfulness which brings everything to ,him4 ,he seeks to beget ,his own image in us4 ,and trouble in some form tends to do this very thing1 for this is the end and aim of trouble4 ,this is its work4 ,this is the task it is called to perform4 ,it is not a chance incident in life1 but has a design in view1 just as it has an ,all-wise ,designer back of it1 who makes trouble ,his agent to bring forth the largest results4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews gives us a perfect directory of trouble1 comprehensive1 clear and worth while to be studied4 ,here is 8chastisement10 another word for trouble1 coming from a ,father's hand1 showing ,god is in all the sad and afflictive events of life4 ,here is its nature and its gracious design4 ,it is not punishment in the accurate meaning of that word1 but the means ,god employs to correct and discipline ,his children in dealing with them on earth4 ,then we have the fact of the evidence of being ,his people1 namely1 the presence of chastisement4 ,the ultimate end is that we 8may be partakers of his holiness10 which is but another way of saying that all this disciplinary process is to the end that ,god may make us like ,himself4 ,what an encouragement1 too1 that1 chastisement is no evidence of anger or displeasure on ,god's part1 but is the strong proof of ,his love4 ,let us read the entire directory on this important subject3 8,and ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children4 ,my son1 despise not thou the chastening of the ,lord1 nor faint when thou art rebuked of him3 ,for whom the ,lord loveth he chasteneth1 and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth4 ,if ye endure chastening1 ,god dealeth with you as with sons2 for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not8 ,but if ye are without chastisement1 whereof all are partakers1 then are ye bastards and not sons4 8,furthermore1 we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us1 and we gave them reverence3 shall we not much rather be in subjection to the ,father of spirits and live8 ,for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure2 but he for our profit1 that we might be partakers of his holiness4 ,now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous1 but grievous2 nevertheless1 afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby40 ,just as prayer is wide in its range1 taking in everything1 so trouble is infinitely varied in its uses and designs4 ,it takes trouble sometimes to arrest attention1 to stop men in the busy rush of life1 and to awaken them to a sense of their helplessness and their need and sinfulness4 ,not till ,king ,manasseh was bound with thorns and carried away into a foreign land and got into deep trouble1 was he awakened and brought back to ,god4 ,it was then he humbled himself and began to call upon ,god4 ,the ,prodigal ,son was independent and self-sufficient when in prosperity1 but when money and friends departed1 and he began to be in want1 then it was he 8came to himself10 and decided to return to his father's house1 with prayer and confession on his lips4 ,many a man who has forgotten ,god has been arrested1 caused to consider his ways1 and brought to remember ,god and pray by trouble4 ,blessed is trouble when it accomplishes this in men6 ,it is for this among other reasons that ,job says3 8,behold1 happy is the man whom ,god correcteth4 ,therefore1 despise not thou the chastening of the ,almighty4 ,for he maketh sore1 and bindeth up2 he woundeth1 and his hands maketh whole4 ,he shall deliver thee in six troubles2 yea1 in seven there shall no evil touch thee40 ,one thing more might be named4 ,trouble makes earth undesirable and causes heaven to loom up large in the horizon of hope4 ,there is a world where trouble never comes4 ,but the path of tribulation leads to that world4 ,those who are there went there through tribulation4 ,what a world set before our longing eyes which appeals to our hopes1 as sorrows like a cyclone sweep over us6 ,hear ,john1 as he talks about it and those who are there3 8,what are these which are arrayed in white robes8 and whence came they8''' ,and he said to me1 ,these are they which came out of great tribulation1 and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb'''4 ,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes40 8,there ,i shall bathe my weary soul1 ,in seas of heavenly rest1 ,and not a wave of trouble roll1 ,across my peaceful breast40 ,oh1 children of ,god1 ye who have suffered1 who have been sorely tried1 whose sad experiences have often brought broken spirits and bleeding hearts1 cheer up6 ,god is in all your troubles1 and ,he will see that all shall 8work together for good10 if you will but be patient1 submissive and prayerful4 ,,vii ,,prayer ,,and ,,god',s ,,work 8,if ,jacob's desire had been given him in time for him to get a good night's sleep he might never have become the prince of prayers we know today4 ,if ,hannah's prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself1 the nation might never have known the mighty man of ,god it found in ,samuel4 ,hannah wanted only a son1 but ,god wanted more4 ,he wanted a prophet1 and a saviour1 and a ruler for ,his people4 ,some one said that #8,god had to get a woman before ,he could get a man4' ,this woman ,he got in ,hannah precisely by those weeks and months and years there came a woman with a vision like ,god's1 with tempered soul and gentle spirit and a seasoned will1 prepared to be the kind of a mother for the kind of a man ,god knew the nation needed40,w4 ,e4 ,,biederwolf4 ,god has a great work on hand in this world4 ,this work is involved in the plan of salvation4 ,it embraces redemption and providence4 ,god is governing this world1 with its intelligent beings1 for ,his own glory and for their good4 ,what1 then1 is ,god's work in this world8 ,rather what is the end ,he seeks in ,his great work8 ,it is nothing short of holiness of heart and life in the children of fallen ,adam4 ,man is a fallen creature1 born with an evil nature1 with an evil bent1 unholy propensities1 sinful desires1 wicked inclinations4 ,man is unholy by nature1 born so4 8,they go astray as soon as they be born1 speaking lies40 ,god's entire plan is to take hold of fallen man and to seek to change him and make him holy4 ,god's work is to make holy men out of unholy men4 ,this is the very end of ,christ coming into the world3 8,for this purpose was the ,son of ,god manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil40 ,god is holy in nature and in all ,his ways1 and ,he wants to make man like ,himself4 8,as he who hath called you is holy1 so be ye holy in all manner of conversation2 because it is written1 ,be ye holy1 for ,i am holy40 ,this is being ,christlike4 ,this is following ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is the aim of all ,christian effort4 ,this is the earnest1 heartfelt desire of every truly regenerated soul4 ,this is what is to be constantly and earnestly prayed for4 ,it is that we may be made holy4 ,not that we must make ourselves holy1 but we must be cleansed from all sin by the precious atoning blood of ,christ1 and be made holy by the direct agency of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,not that we are to do holy1 but rather to be holy4 ,being must precede doing4 ,first be1 then do4 ,first1 obtain a holy heart1 then live a holy life4 ,and for this high and gracious end ,god has made the most ample provisions in the atoning work of our ,lord and through the agency of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the work of ,god in the world is the implantation1 the growth and the perfection of holiness in ,his people4 ,keep this ever in mind4 ,but we might ask just now1 ,is this work advancing in the ,church8 ,are men and women being made holy8 ,is the present-day ,church engaged in the business of making holy men and women8 ,this is not a vain and speculative question4 ,it is practical1 pertinent and all important4 ,the present-day ,church has vast machinery4 ,her activities are great1 and her material prosperity is unparalleled4 ,the name of religion is widely-spread and well-known4 ,much money comes into the ,lord's treasury and is paid out4 ,but here is the question3 ,does the work of holiness keep pace with all this8 ,is the burden of the prayers of ,church people to be made holy8 ,are our preachers really holy men8 ,or to go back a little further1 are they hungering and thirsting after righteousness1 desiring the sincere milk of the ,word that they may grow thereby8 ,are they really seeking to be holy men8 ,of course men of intelligence are greatly needed in the pulpit1 but prior to that1 and primary to it1 is the fact that we need holy men to stand before dying men and proclaim the salvation of ,god to them4 ,ministers1 like laymen1 and no more so than laymen1 must be holy men in life1 in conversation and in temper4 ,they must be examples to the flock of ,god in all things4 ,by their lives they are to preach as well as to speak4 ,men in the pulpit are needed who are spotless in life1 circumspect in behaviour1 8without rebuke and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation1 among whom they are to shine in the world40 ,are our preachers of this type of men8 ,we are simply asking the question4 ,let the reader make up his own judgment4 ,is the work of holiness making progress among our preachers8 ,again let us ask3 ,are our leading laymen examples of holiness8 ,are they seeking holiness of heart and life8 ,are they praying men1 ever praying that ,god would fashion them according to ,his pattern of holiness8 ,are their business ways without stain of sin1 and their gains free from the taint of wrong-doing8 ,have they the foundation of solid honesty1 and does uprightness bring them into elevation and influence8 ,does business integrity and probity run parallel with religious activity1 and with churchly observance8 ,then1 while we are pursuing our investigation1 seeking light as to whether the work of ,god among ,his people is making progress1 let us ask further as to our women4 ,are the leading women of our churches dead to the fashions of this world1 separated from the world1 not conformed to the world's maxims and customs8 ,are they in behaviour as becometh holiness1 teaching the young women by word and life the lessons of soberness1 obedience1 and home-keeping8 ,are our women noted for their praying habits8 ,are they patterns of prayer8 ,how searching are all these questions8 ,and will any one dare say they are impertinent and out of place8 ,if ,god's work be to make men and women holy1 and ,he has made ample provisions in the law of prayer of doing this very thing1 why should it be thought impertinent and useless to propound such personal and pointed questions as these8 ,they have to do directly with the work and with its progress and its perfection4 ,they go to the very seat of the disease4 ,they hit the spot4 ,we might as well face the situation first as last4 ,there is no use to shut our eyes to real facts4 ,if the ,church does not do this sort of workif the ,church does not advance its members in holiness of heart and lifethen all our show of activities and all our display of ,church work are a delusion and a snare4 ,but let us ask as to another large and important class of people in our churches4 ,they are the hope of the future ,church4 ,to them all eyes are turned4 ,are our young men and women growing in sober-mindedness and reverence1 and in all those graces which have their root in the renewed heart1 which mark solid and permanent advance in the ,divine life8 ,if we are not growing in holiness1 then we are doing nothing religious nor abiding4 ,material prosperity is not the infallible sign of spiritual prosperity4 ,the former may exist while the latter is significantly absent4 ,material prosperity may easily blind the eyes of ,church leaders1 so much so that they will make it a substitute for spiritual prosperity4 ,how great the need to watch at that point6 ,prosperity in money matters does not signify growth in holiness4 ,the seasons of material prosperity are rarely seasons of spiritual advance1 either to the individual or to the ,church4 ,it is so easy to lose sight of ,god when goods increase4 ,it is so easy to lean on human agencies and cease praying and relying upon ,god when material prosperity comes to the ,church4 ,if it be contended that the work of ,god is progressing1 and that we are growing in holiness1 then some perplexing questions arise which will be hard to answer4 ,if the ,church is making advances on the lines of deep spiritualityif we are a praying people1 noted for our prayer habitsif our people are hungering after holinessthen let us ask1 why do we now have so few mighty outpourings of the ,holy ,spirit on our chief churches and our principal appointments8 ,why is it that so few of our revivals spring from the life of the pastor1 who is noted for his deep spirituality1 or the life of our church8 ,is the ,lord's hand shortened that ,he cannot save8 ,is ,his ear heavy that ,he cannot hear8 ,why is it that in order to have so-called revivals1 we must have outside pressure1 by the reputation and sensation of some renowned evangelist8 ,this is largely true in our larger charges and with our leading men4 ,why is it that the pastor is not sufficiently spiritual1 holy and in communion with ,god1 that he cannot hold his own revival services1 and have large outpourings of the ,holy ,spirit on the ,church1 the community and upon himself8 ,there can be but one solution for all this state of things4 ,we have cultivated other things to the neglect of the work of holiness4 ,we have permitted our minds to be pre-occupied with material things in the ,church4 ,unfortunately1 whether designedly or not1 we have substituted the external for the internal4 ,we have put that which is seen to the front and shut out that which is unseen4 ,it is all too true as to the ,church1 that we are much further advanced in material matters than in matters spiritual4 ,but the cause of this sad state of things may be traced further back4 ,it is largely due to the decay of prayer4 ,for with the decline of the work of holiness there has come the decline of the business of praying4 ,as praying and holiness go together1 so the decline of one1 means the decay of the other4 ,excuse it if we may1 justify the present state of things if we will1 yet it is all too patent that the emphasis in the work of the present-day ,church is not put on prayer4 ,and just as this has occurred1 the emphasis has been taken from the great work of ,god set on foot in the atonement1 holiness of heart and life4 ,the ,church is not turning out praying men and women1 because the ,church is not intently engaged in the one great work of holiness4 ,at one time1 ,john ,wesley saw that there was a perceptible decline in the work of holiness1 and he stopped short to inquire into the cause1 and if we are as honest and spiritual as he was1 we will now see the same causes operating to stay ,god's work among us4 ,in a letter to his brother1 ,charles1 at one time1 he comes directly to the point1 and makes short1 incisive work of it4 ,here is how he begins his letter3 8,what has hindered the work8 ,i want to consider this4 ,and must we not first say1 we are the chief4 ,if we were more holy in heart and life1 thoroughly devoted to ,god1 would not all the preachers catch fire1 and carry it with them1 throughout the land8 8,is not the next hindrance the littleness of grace 7rather than of gifts7 in a considerable part of our preachers8 ,they have not the whole mind that was in ,christ4 ,they do not steadily walk as ,he walked4 ,and1 therefore1 the hand of the ,lord is stayed1 though not altogether2 though ,he does work still4 ,but it is not in such a degree as ,he surely would1 were they holy as ,he that hath sent them is holy4 8,is not the third hindrance the littleness of grace in the generality of our people8 ,therefore1 they pray little1 and with little fervency for a general blessing4 ,and1 therefore1 their prayer has little power with ,god4 ,it does not1 as once1 shut and open heaven4 8,add to this1 that as there is much of the spirit of the world in their hearts1 so there is much conformity to the world in their lives4 ,they ought to be bright and shining lights1 but they neither burn nor shine4 ,they are not true to the rules they profess to observe4 ,they are not holy in all manner of conversation4 ,nay1 many of them are salt that has lost its savour1 the little savour they once had4 ,wherewith then shall the rest of the land be seasoned8 ,what wonder that their neighbours are as unholy as ever80 ,he strikes the spot4 ,he hits the centre4 ,he grades the cause4 ,he freely confesses that he and ,charles are the first cause1 in this decline of holiness4 ,the chief ones occupy positions of responsibility4 ,as they go1 so goes the ,church4 ,they give colour to the ,church4 ,they largely determine its character and its work4 ,what holiness should mark these chief men8 ,what zeal should ever characterise them8 ,what prayerfulness should be seen in them6 ,how influential they ought to be with ,god6 ,if the head be weak1 then the whole body will feel the stroke4 ,the pastors come next in his catalogue4 ,when the chief shepherds and those who are under them1 the immediate pastors1 stay their advance in holiness1 the panic will reach to the end of the line4 ,as are the pastors1 so will the people be as a rule4 ,if the pastors are prayerless1 then will the people follow in their footsteps4 ,if the preacher be silent upon the work of holiness1 then will there be no hungering and thirsting after holiness in the laymen4 ,if the preacher be careless about obtaining the highest and best ,god has for him in religious experience1 then will the people take after him4 ,one statement of ,wesley needs to be repeated with emphasis4 ,the littleness of grace1 rather than the smallness of gifts1this is largely the case with the preachers4 ,it may be stated as an axiom3 ,that the work of ,god fails as a general rule1 more for the lack of grace1 than for the want of gifts4 ,it is more than this4 ,it is more than this1 for a full supply of grace brings an increase of gifts4 ,it may be repeated that small results1 a low experience1 a low religious life1 and pointless1 powerless preaching always flow from a lack of grace4 ,and a lack of grace flows from a lack of praying4 ,great grace comes from great praying4 8,what is our calling's glorious hope ,but inward holiness8 ,for this to ,jesus ,i look up1 ,i calmly wait for this4 8,i wait till ,he shall touch me clean1 ,shall life and power impart2 ,give me the faith that casts out sin1 ,and purifies the heart40 ,in carrying on ,his great work in the world1 ,god works through human agents4 ,he works through ,his ,church collectively and through ,his people individually4 ,in order that they may be effective agents1 they must be 8vessels unto honour1 sanctified1 and meet for the ,master's use1 and prepared unto every good work40 ,god works most effectively through holy men4 ,his work makes progress in the hands of praying men4 ,peter tells us that husbands who might not be reached by the ,word of ,god1 might be won by the conversation of their wives4 ,it is those who are 8blameless and harmless1 the sons of ,god10 who can hold forth the word of life 8in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation40 ,the world judges religion not by what the ,bible says1 but by how ,christians live4 ,christians are the ,bible which sinners read4 ,these are the epistles to be read of all men4 8,by their fruits ye shall know them40 ,the emphasis1 then1 is to be placed upon holiness of life4 ,but unfortunately in the present-day ,church1 emphasis has been placed elsewhere4 ,in selecting ,church workers and choosing ecclesiastical officers1 the quality of holiness is not considered4 ,the praying fitness seems not to be taken into account1 when it was just otherwise in all of ,god's movements and in all of ,his plans4 ,he looked for holy men1 those noted for their praying habits4 ,prayer leaders are scarce4 ,prayer conduct is not counted as the highest qualification for offices in the ,church4 ,we cannot wonder that so little is accomplished in the great work in the world which ,god has in hand4 ,the fact is that it is surprising so much has been done with such feeble1 defective agents4 8,holiness to the ,lord0 needs again to be written on the banners of the ,church4 ,once more it needs to be sounded out in the ears of modern ,christians4 8,follow peace with all men1 and holiness1 without which no man shall see the ,lord40 ,let it be iterated and reiterated that this is the ,divine standard of religion4 ,nothing short of this will satisfy the ,divine requirement4 ,o the danger of deception at this point6 ,how near one can come to being right and yet be wrong6 ,some men can come very near to pronouncing the test word1 8,shibboleth10 but they miss it4 8,many will say unto me4 ,lord1 ,lord1 in that day10 says ,jesus ,christ1 but ,he further states that then will ,he say unto them1 8,i never knew you2 depart from me1 ye that work iniquity40 ,men can do many good things and yet not be holy in heart and righteous in conduct4 ,they can do many good things and lack that spiritual quality of heart called holiness4 ,how great the need of hearing the words of ,paul guarding us against self-deception in the great work of personal salvation3 8,be not deceived2 ,god is not mocked3 for whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap40 8,o may ,i still from sin depart2 ,a wise and understanding heart1 ,jesus1 to me to be given2 ,and let me through thy ,spirit know ,to glorify my ,god below1 ,and find my way to heaven40 ,,viii ,,prayer ,,and ,,consecration 8,eudamidas1 a citizen of ,corinth1 died in poverty2 but having two wealthy friends1 ,arctus and ,carixenus1 left the following testament3 ,in virtue of my last will1 ,i bequeath to ,arctus my mother and to ,charixenus my daughter to be taken home to their houses and supported for the remainder of their lives4 ,this testament occasioned much mirth and laughter4 ,the two legatees were pleased and affectionately executed the will4 ,if heathens trusted each other1 why should not ,i cherish a far greater confidence in my beloved ,master1 ,jesus8 ,i hereby1 therefore1 nominate ,him my sole heir1 consigning to ,him my soul and my children and sisters1 that ,he may adopt1 protect1 and provide for them by ,his mighty power unto salvation4 ,the whole residue of the estate shall be entrusted to ,his holy counsel40,,gotthold4 ,when we study the many-sidedness of prayer1 we are surprised at the number of things with which it is connected4 ,there is no phase of human life which it does not affect1 and it has to do with everything affecting human salvation4 ,prayer and consecration are closely related4 ,prayer leads up to1 and governs consecration4 ,prayer is precedent to consecration1 accompanies it1 and is a direct result of it4 ,much goes under the name of consecration which has no consecration in it4 ,much consecration of the present day is defective1 superficial and spurious1 worth nothing so far as the office and ends of consecration are concerned4 ,popular consecration is sadly at fault because it has little or no prayer in it4 ,no consecration is worth a thought which is not the direct fruit of much praying1 and which fails to bring one into a life of prayer4 ,prayer is the one thing prominent in a consecrated life4 ,consecration is much more than a life of so-called service4 ,it is a life of personal holiness1 first of all4 ,it is that which brings spiritual power into the heart and enlivens the entire inner man4 ,it is a life which ever recognises ,god1 and a life given up to true prayer4 ,full consecration is the highest type of a ,christian life4 ,it is the one ,divine standard of experience1 of living and of service4 ,it is the one thing at which the believer should aim4 ,nothing short of entire consecration must satisfy him4 ,never is he to be contented till he is fully1 entirely the ,lord's by his own consent4 ,his praying naturally and involuntarily leads up to this one act of his4 ,consecration is the voluntary set dedication of one's self to ,god1 an offering definitely made1 and made without any reservation whatever4 ,it is the setting apart of all we are1 all we have1 and all we expect to have or be1 to ,god first of all4 ,it is not so much the giving of ourselves to the ,church1 or the mere engaging in some one line of ,church work4 ,almighty ,god is in view and ,he is the end of all consecration4 ,it is a separation of one's self to ,god1 a devotement of all that he is and has to a sacred use4 ,some things may be devoted to a special purpose1 but it is not consecration in the true sense4 ,consecration has a sacred nature4 ,it is devoted to holy ends4 ,it is the voluntary putting of one's self in ,god's hands to be used sacredly1 holily1 with sanctifying ends in view4 ,consecration is not so much the setting one's self apart from sinful things and wicked ends1 but rather it is the separation from worldly1 secular and even legitimate things1 if they come in conflict with ,god's plans1 to holy uses4 ,it is the devoting of all we have to ,god for ,his own specific use4 ,it is a separation from things questionable1 or even legitimate1 when the choice is to be made between the things of this life and the claims of ,god4 ,the consecration which meets ,god's demands and which ,he accepts is to be full1 complete1 with no mental reservation1 with nothing withheld4 ,it cannot be partial1 any more than a whole burnt offering in ,old ,testament times could have been partial4 ,the whole animal had to be offered in sacrifice4 ,to reserve any part of the animal would have seriously vitiated the offering4 ,so to make a half-hearted1 partial consecration is to make no consecration at all1 and is to fail utterly in securing the ,divine acceptance4 ,it involves our whole being1 all we have and all that we are4 ,everything is definitely and voluntarily placed in ,god's hands for ,his supreme use4 ,consecration is not all there is in holiness4 ,many make serious mistakes at this point4 ,consecration makes us relatively holy4 ,we are holy only in the sense that we are now closely related to ,god1 in which we were not related heretofore4 ,consecration is the human side of holiness4 ,in this sense1 it is self-sanctification1 and only in this sense4 ,sanctification or holiness in its truest and highest sense is ,divine1 the act of the ,holy ,spirit working in the heart1 making it clean and putting therein in a higher degree the fruits of the ,spirit4 ,this distinction is clearly set forth and kept in view by ,moses in 8,leviticus10 wherein he shows the human and the ,divine side of sanctification or holiness3 8,sanctify yourselves1 therefore1 and be ye holy1 for ,i am the ,lord your ,god4 ,and ye shall keep my statutes and do them2 ,i am the ,lord which sanctify you40 ,here we are to sanctify ourselves1 and then in the next word we are taught that it is the ,lord which sanctifies us4 ,god does not consecrate us to ,his service4 ,we do not sanctify ourselves in this highest sense4 ,here is the two-fold meaning of sanctification1 and a distinction which needs to be always kept in mind4 ,consecration being the intelligent1 voluntary act of the believer1 this act is the direct result of praying4 ,no prayerless man ever conceives the idea of a full consecration4 ,prayerlessness and consecration have nothing whatever in common4 ,a life of prayer naturally leads up to full consecration4 ,it leads nowhere else4 ,in fact1 a life of prayer is satisfied with nothing else but an entire dedication of one's self to ,god4 ,consecration recognises fully ,god's ownership to us4 ,it cheerfully assents to the truth set forth by ,paul3 8,ye are not your own4 ,for ye are bought with a price4 ,therefore1 glorify ,god in your body and spirit1 which are ,god's40 ,and true praying leads that way4 ,it cannot reach any other destination4 ,it is bound to run into this depot4 ,this is its natural result4 ,this is the sort of work which praying turns out4 ,praying makes consecrated people4 ,it cannot make any other sort4 ,it drives to this end4 ,it aims at this very purpose4 ,as prayer leads up to and brings forth full consecration1 so prayer entirely impregnates a consecrated life4 ,the prayer life and the consecrated life are intimate companions4 ,they are ,siamese twins1 inseparable4 ,prayer enters into every phase of a consecrated life4 ,a prayerless life which claims consecration is a misnomer1 false1 counterfeit4 ,consecration is really the setting apart of one's self to a life of prayer4 ,it means not only to pray1 but to pray habitually1 and to pray more effectually4 ,it is the consecrated man who accomplishes most by ,his praying4 ,god must hear the man wholly given up to ,god4 ,god cannot deny the requests of him who has renounced all claims to himself1 and who has wholly dedicated himself to ,god and ,his service4 ,this act of the consecrated man puts him 8on praying ground and pleading terms0 with ,god4 ,it puts ,him in reach of ,god in prayer4 ,it places him where he can get hold of ,god1 and where he can influence ,god to do things which ,he would not otherwise do4 ,consecration brings answers to prayer4 ,god can depend upon consecrated men4 ,god can afford to commit ,himself in prayer to those who have fully committed themselves to ,god4 ,he who gives all to ,god will get all from ,god4 ,having given all to ,god1 he can claim all that ,god has for him4 ,as prayer is the condition of full consecration1 so prayer is the habit1 the rule1 of him who has dedicated himself wholly to ,god4 ,prayer is becoming in the consecrated life4 ,prayer is no strange thing in such a life4 ,there is a peculiar affinity between prayer and consecration1 for both recognise ,god1 both submit to ,god1 and both have their aim and end in ,god4 ,prayer is part and parcel of the consecrated life4 ,prayer is the constant1 the inseparable1 the intimate companion of consecration4 ,they walk and talk together4 ,there is much talk today of consecration1 and many are termed consecrated people who know not the alphabet of it4 ,much modern consecration falls far below the ,scripture standard4 ,there is really no real consecration in it4 ,just as there is much praying without any real prayer in it1 so there is much so-called consecration current1 today1 in the ,church which has no real consecration in it4 ,much passes for consecration in the ,church which receives the praise and plaudits of superficial1 formal professors1 but which is wide of the mark4 ,there is much hurrying to and fro1 here and there1 much fuss and feathers1 much going about and doing many things1 and those who busy themselves after this fashion are called consecrated men and women4 ,the central trouble with all this false consecration is that there is no prayer in it1 nor is it in any sense the direct result of praying4 ,people can do many excellent and commendable things in the ,church and be utter strangers to a life of consecration1 just as they can do many things and be prayerless4 ,here is the true test of consecration4 ,it is a life of prayer4 ,unless prayer be pre-eminent1 unless prayer is to the front1 the consecration is faulty1 deceptive1 falsely named4 ,does he pray8 ,that is the test-question of every so-called consecrated man4 ,is he a man of prayer8 ,no consecration is worth a thought if it be devoid of prayer4 ,yea1 moreif it be not pre-eminently and primarily a life of prayer4 ,god wants consecrated men because they can pray and will pray4 ,he can use consecrated men because ,he can use praying men4 ,as prayerless men are in ,his way1 hinder ,him1 and prevent the success of ,his cause1 so likewise unconsecrated men are useless to ,him1 and hinder ,him in carrying out ,his gracious plans1 and in executing ,his noble purposes in redemption4 ,god wants consecrated men because ,he wants praying men4 ,consecration and prayer meet in the same man4 ,prayer is the tool with which the consecrated man works4 ,consecrated men are the agents through whom prayer works4 ,prayer helps the consecrated man in maintaining his attitude of consecration1 keeps him alive to ,god1 and aids him in doing the work to which he is called and to which he has given himself4 ,consecration helps to effectual praying4 ,consecration enables one to get the most out of his praying4 8,let ,him to whom we now belong ,his sovereign right assert2 ,and take up every thankful song1 ,and every loving heart4 8,he justly claims us for ,his own1 ,who bought us with a price2 ,the ,christian lives to ,christ alone1 ,to ,christ alone he dies40 ,we must insist upon it that the prime purpose of consecration is not service in the ordinary sense of that word4 ,service in the minds of not a few means nothing more than engaging in some of the many forms of modern ,church activities4 ,there are a multitude of such activities1 enough to engage the time and mind of any one1 yea1 even more than enough4 ,some of these may be good1 others not so good4 ,the present-day ,church is filled with machinery1 organisations1 committees and societies1 so much so that the power it has is altogether insufficient to run the machinery1 or to furnish life sufficient to do all this external work4 ,consecration has a much higher and nobler end than merely to expend itself in these external things4 ,consecration aims at the right sort of servicethe ,scriptural kind4 ,it seeks to serve ,god1 but in entirely a different sphere than that which is in the minds of present-day ,church leaders and workers4 ,the very first sort of service mentioned by ,zachariah1 father of ,john the ,baptist1 in his wonderful prophecy and statement in ,luke #a3gd1 was thus3 8,that he would grant unto us1 that we1 being delivered out of the hand of our enemies1 might serve him without fear1 in holiness and righteousness1 all the days of our life40 ,here we have the idea of 8serving ,god in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life40 ,and the same kind of service is mentioned in ,luke's strong tribute to the father and mother of ,john the ,baptist before the latter's birth3 8,and they were both righteous before ,god1 walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the ,lord blameless40 ,and ,paul1 in writing to the ,philippians1 strikes the same keynote in putting the emphasis on blamelessness of life3 8,do all things without murmurings and disputings1 that ye may be blameless and harmless1 the sons of ,god without rebuke1 in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation1 among whom ye shine as lights in the world2 holding forth the word of life40 ,we must mention a truth which is strangely overlooked in these days by what are called personal workers1 that in the ,epistles of ,paul and others1 it is not what are called ,church activities which are brought to the front1 but rather the personal life4 ,it is good behaviour1 righteous conduct1 holy living1 godly conversation1 right tempersthings which belong primarily to the personal life in religion4 ,everywhere this is emphasised1 put in the forefront1 made much of and insisted on4 ,religion first of all puts one to living right4 ,religion shows itself in the life4 ,thus is religion to prove its reality1 its sincerity and its ,divinity4 8,so let our lips and lives express ,the holy ,gospel we profess2 ,so let our works and virtues shine ,to prove the doctrine all ,divine4 8,thus shall we best proclaim abroad ,the honors of our ,saviour ,god2 ,when the salvation reigns within ,and grace subdues the power of sin40 ,the first great end of consecration is holiness of heart and of life4 ,it is to glorify ,god1 and this can be done in no more effectual way than by a holy life flowing from a heart cleansed from all sin4 ,the great burden of heart pressed on every one who becomes a ,christian lies right here4 ,this he is to ever keep in mind1 and to further this kind of life and this kind of heart1 he is to watch1 to pray1 and to bend all his diligence in using all the means of grace4 ,he who is truly and fully consecrated1 lives a holy life4 ,he seeks after holiness of heart4 ,is not satisfied without it4 ,for this very purpose he consecrates himself to ,god4 ,he gives himself entirely over to ,god in order to be holy in heart and in life4 ,as holiness of heart and of life is thoroughly impregnated with prayer1 so consecration and prayer are closely allied in personal religion4 ,it takes prayer to bring one into such a consecrated life of holiness to the ,lord1 and it takes prayer to maintain such a life4 ,without much prayer1 such a life of holiness will break down4 ,holy people are praying people4 ,holiness of heart and life puts people to praying4 ,consecration puts people to praying in earnest4 ,prayerless people are strangers to anything like holiness of heart and cleanness of heart4 ,those who are unfamiliar with the closet are not at all interested in consecration and holiness4 ,holiness thrives in the place of secret prayer4 ,the environments of the closet of prayer are favourable to its being and its culture4 ,in the closet holiness is found4 ,consecration brings one into holiness of heart1 and prayer stands hard by when it is done4 ,the spirit of consecration is the spirit of prayer4 ,the law of consecration is the law of prayer4 ,both laws work in perfect harmony without the slightest jar or discord4 ,consecration is the practical expression of true prayer4 ,people who are consecrated are known by their praying habits4 ,consecration thus expresses itself in prayer4 ,he who is not interested in prayer has no interest in consecration4 ,prayer creates an interest in consecration1 then prayer brings one into a state of heart where consecration is a subject of delight1 bringing joy of heart1 satisfaction of soul1 contentment of spirit4 ,the consecrated soul is the happiest soul4 ,there is no friction whatever between him who is fully given over to ,god and ,god's will4 ,there is perfect harmony between the will of such a man and ,god1 and ,his will4 ,and the two wills being in perfect accord1 this brings rest of soul1 absence of friction1 and the presence of perfect peace4 8,lord1 in the strength of grace1 ,with a glad heart and free1 ,myself1 my residue of days1 ,i consecrate to ,thee4 8,thy ransomed servant1 ,i ,restore to ,thee ,thy own2 ,and from this moment1 live or die1 ,to serve my ,god alone40 ,,ix ,,prayer ,,and ,a ,,definite ,,religious ,,standard 8,the ,angel ,gabriel described ,him as #8that holy thing' before ,he was born4 ,as ,he was1 so are we1 in our measure1 in this world40,,dr4 ,,alexander ,,whyte4 ,much of the feebleness1 barrenness and paucity of religion results from the failure to have a ,scriptural and reasonable standard in religion1 by which to shape character and measure results2 and this largely results from the omission of prayer or the failure to put prayer in the standard4 ,we cannot possibly mark our advances in religion if there is no point to which we are definitely advancing4 ,always there must be something definite before the mind's eye at which we are aiming and to which we are driving4 ,we cannot contrast shapeliness with unshapeliness if there be no pattern after which to model4 ,neither can there be inspiration if there be no high end to stimulate us4 ,many ,christians are disjointed and aimless because they have no pattern before them after which conduct and character are to be shaped4 ,they just move on aimlessly1 their minds in a cloudy state1 no pattern in view1 no point in sight1 no standard after which they are striving4 ,there is no standard by which to value and gauge their efforts4 ,no magnet is there to fill their eyes1 quicken their steps1 and to draw them and keep them steady4 ,all this vague idea of religion grows out of loose notions about prayer4 ,that which helps to make the standard of religion clear and definite is prayer4 ,that which aids in placing that standard high is prayer4 ,the praying ones are those who have something definite in view4 ,in fact prayer itself is a very definite thing1 aims at something specific1 and has a mark at which it aims4 ,prayer aims at the most definite1 the highest and the sweetest religious experience4 ,the praying ones want all that ,god has in store for them4 ,they are not satisfied with anything like a low religious life1 superficial1 vague and indefinite4 ,the praying ones are not only after a 8deeper work of grace10 but want the very deepest work of grace possible and promised4 ,they are not after being saved from some sin1 but saved from all sin1 both inward and outward4 ,they are after not only deliverance from sinning1 but from sin itself1 from its being1 its power and its pollution4 ,they are after holiness of heart and life4 ,prayer believes in1 and seeks for the very highest religious life set before us in the ,word of ,god4 ,prayer is the condition of that life4 ,prayer points out the only pathway to such a life4 ,the standard of a religious life is the standard of prayer4 ,prayer is so vital1 so essential1 so far-reaching1 that it enters into all religion1 and sets the standard clear and definite before the eye4 ,the degree of our estimate of prayer fixes our ideas of the standard of a religious life4 ,the standard of ,bible religion is the standard of prayer4 ,the more there is of prayer in the life1 the more definite and the higher our notions of religion4 ,the ,scriptures alone make the standard of life and experience4 ,when we make our own standard1 there is delusion and falsity for our desires1 convenience and pleasure form the rule1 and that is always a fleshly and a low rule4 ,from it1 all the fundamental principles of a ,christly religion are left out4 ,whatever standard of religion which makes in it provision for the flesh1 is unscriptural and hurtful4 ,nor will it do to leave it to others to fix the standard of religion for us4 ,when we allow others to make our standard of religion1 it is generally deficient because in imitation1 defects are transferred to the imitator more readily than virtues1 and a second edition of a man is marred by its defects4 ,the most serious damage in thus determining what religion is by what others say1 is in allowing current opinion1 the contagion of example1 the grade of religion current among us1 to shape our religious opinions and characters4 ,adoniram ,judson once wrote to a friend1 8,let me beg you1 not to rest contented with the commonplace religion that is now so prevalent40 ,commonplace religion is pleasing to flesh and blood4 ,there is no self-denial in it1 no cross bearing1 no self-crucifixion4 ,it is good enough for our neighbours4 ,why should we be singular and straight-laced8 ,others are living on a low plane1 on a compromising level1 living as the world lives4 ,why should we be peculiar1 zealous of good works8 ,why should we fight to win heaven while so many are sailing there on 8flowery beds of ease08 ,are the easy-going1 careless1 sauntering crowd1 living prayerless lives1 going to heaven8 ,is heaven a fit place for non-praying1 loose living1 ease loving people8 ,that is the supreme question4 ,paul gives the following caution about making for ourselves the jolly1 pleasure-seeking religious company all about us the standard of our measurement3 8,for we dare not make ourselves of the number1 or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves2 but they1 measuring themselves by themselves1 and comparing themselves among themselves1 are not wise4 ,but we will not boast of things without our measure1 but according to the measure of the rule which ,god hath distributed to us1 a measure to reach even unto you40 ,no standard of religion is worth a moment's consideration which leaves prayer out of the account4 ,no standard is worth any thought which does not make prayer the main thing in religion4 ,so necessary is prayer1 so fundamental in ,god's plan1 so all important to everything like a religious life1 that it enters into all ,bible religion4 ,prayer itself is a standard1 definite1 emphatic1 ,scriptural4 ,a life of prayer is the ,divine rule4 ,this is the pattern1 just as our ,lord1 being a man of prayer1 is the one pattern for us after whom to copy4 ,prayer fashions the pattern of a religious life4 ,prayer is the measure4 ,prayer molds the life4 ,the vague1 indefinite1 popular view of religion has no prayer in it4 ,in its programme1 prayer is entirely left out or put so low down and made so insignificant1 that it hardly is worth mentioning4 ,man's standard of religion has no prayer about it4 ,it is ,god's standard at which we are to aim1 not man's4 ,it is not the opinions of men1 not what they say1 but what the ,scriptures say4 ,loose notions of religion grow out of low notions of prayer4 ,prayerlessness begets loose1 cloudy and indefinite views of what religion is4 ,aimless living and prayerlessness go hand in hand4 ,prayer sets something definite in the mind4 ,prayer seeks after something specific4 ,the more definite our views as to the nature and need of prayer1 the more definite will be our views of ,christian experience and right living1 and the less vague our views of religion4 ,a low standard of religion lives hard by a low standard of praying4 ,everything in a religious life depends upon being definite4 ,the definiteness of our religious experiences and of our living will depend upon the definiteness of our views of what religion is and of the things of which it consists4 ,the ,scriptures ever set before us the one standard of full consecration to ,god4 ,this is the ,divine rule4 ,this is the human side of this standard4 ,the sacrifice acceptable to ,god must be a complete one1 entire1 a whole burnt offering4 ,this is the measure laid down in ,god's ,word4 ,nothing less than this can be pleasing to ,god4 ,nothing half-hearted can please ,him4 8,a living sacrifice10 holy1 and perfect in all its parts1 is the measurement of our service to ,god4 ,a full renunciation of self1 a free recognition of ,god's right to us1 and a sincere offering of all to ,himthis is the ,divine requirement4 ,nothing indefinite in that4 ,nothing is in that which is governed by the opinions of others or affected by how men live about us4 ,and while a life of prayer is embraced in such a full consecration1 at the same time prayer leads up to the point where a complete consecration is made to ,god4 ,consecration is but the silent expression of prayer4 ,and the highest religious standard is the measure of prayer and self-dedication to ,god4 ,the prayer-life and the consecrated life are partners in religion4 ,they are so closely allied they are never separated4 ,the prayer life is the direct fruit of entire consecration to ,god4 ,prayer is the natural outflow of a really consecrated life4 ,the measure of consecration is the measure of real prayer4 ,no consecration is pleasing to ,god which is not perfect in all its parts1 just as no burnt offering of a ,jew was ever acceptable to ,god unless it was a 8whole burnt offering40 ,and a consecration of this sort1 after this ,divine measurement1 has in it as a basic principle1 the business of praying4 ,consecration is made to ,god4 ,prayer has to do with ,god4 ,consecration is putting one's self entirely at the disposal of ,god4 ,and ,god wants and commands all ,his consecrated ones to be praying ones4 ,this is the one definite standard at which we must aim4 ,lower than this we cannot afford to seek4 ,a ,scriptural standard of religion includes a clear religious experience4 ,religion is nothing if not experimental4 ,religion appeals to the inner consciousness4 ,it is an experience if anything at all1 and an experience in addition to a religious life4 ,there is the internal part of religion as well as the external4 ,not only are we to 8work out our salvation with fear and trembling10 but 8it is ,god that worketh in us to will and do of ,his good pleasure40 ,there is a 8good work in you10 as well as a life outside to be lived4 ,the new birth is a definite ,christian experience1 proved by infallible marks1 appealing to the inner consciousness4 ,the witness of the ,spirit is not an indefinite1 vague something1 but is a definite1 clear inward assurance given by the ,holy ,spirit that we are the children of ,god4 ,in fact everything belonging to religious experience is clear and definite1 bringing conscious joy1 peace and love4 ,and this is the ,divine standard of religion1 a standard attained by earnest1 constant prayer1 and a religious experience kept alive and enlarged by the same means of prayer4 ,an end to be gained1 to which effort is to be directed1 is important in every pursuit in order to give unity1 energy and steadiness to it4 ,in the ,christian life1 such an end is all important4 ,without a high standard before us to be gained1 for which we are earnestly seeking1 lassitude will unnerve effort1 and past experience will taint or exhale into mere sentiment1 or be hardened into cold1 loveless principle4 ,we must go on4 8,therefore1 leaving the principles of the doctrine of ,christ1 let us go on unto perfection40 ,the present ground we occupy must be held by making advances1 and all the future must be covered and brightened by it4 ,in religion1 we must not only go on4 ,we must know where we are going to4 ,this is all important4 ,it is essential that in going on in religious experience1 we have something definite in view1 and strike out for that one point4 ,to ever go on and not to know to which place we are going1 is altogether too vague and indefinite1 and is like a man who starts out on a journey and does not have any destination in view4 ,it is important that we lose not sight of the starting point in a religious life1 and that we measure the steps already trod4 ,but it is likewise necessary that the end be kept in view and that the steps necessary to reach the standard be always in the eye4 ,x ,,prayer ,,born ,,of ,,compassion 8,open your ,new ,testament1 take it with you to your knees1 and set ,jesus ,christ out of it before you4 ,are you like ,david in the sixty-third ,psalm8 ,is your soul thirsting for ,god1 and is your flesh longing for ,god in a dry and thirsty land where no water is8 ,then set ,jesus at the well of ,samaria before the eyes of your thirsty heart4 ,and1 again set ,him before your heart when ,he stood on the last day1 that great day of the feast1 and cried1 saying1 #8,if any man thirst let him come to me and drink4' ,or1 are you like ,david after the matter of ,uriah8 #8,for1 day and night1 thy hand was heavy upon me3 my moisture is turned into the drouth of summer4' ,then set ,him before you who says3 #8,i am not come to call the righteous1 but sinners to repentance4 ,they that be whole need not a physician1 but they that are sick4'''' ,or are you the unhappy father of a prodigal son8 ,then1 set your ,father in heaven always before you3 and set the ,son of ,god always before you as ,he composes and preaches the parable of all parables for you and your son40 ,,dr4 ,,alexander ,,whyte4 ,we speak here more particularly of spiritual compassion1 that which is born in a renewed heart1 and which finds hospitality there4 ,this compassion has in it the quality of mercy1 is of the nature of pity1 and moves the soul with tenderness of feeling for others4 ,compassion is moved at the sight of sin1 sorrow and suffering4 ,it stands at the other extreme to indifference of spirit to the wants and woes of others1 and is far removed from insensibility and hardness of heart1 in the midst of want and trouble and wretchedness4 ,compassion stands besides sympathy for others1 is interested in them1 and is concerned about them4 ,that which excites and develops compassion and puts it to work1 is the sight of multitudes in want and distress1 and helpless to relieve themselves4 ,helplessness especially appeals to compassion4 ,compassion is silent but does not remain secluded4 ,it goes out at the sight of trouble1 sin and need4 ,compassion runs out in earnest prayer1 first of all1 for those for whom it feels1 and has a sympathy for them4 ,prayer for others is born of a sympathetic heart4 ,prayer is natural and almost spontaneous when compassion is begotten in the heart4 ,prayer belongs to the compassionate man4 ,there is a certain compassion which belongs to the natural man1 which expends its force in simple gifts to those in need1 not to be despised4 ,but spiritual compassion1 the kind born in a renewed heart1 which is ,christly in its nature1 is deeper1 broader and more prayerlike4 ,christly compassion always moves to prayer4 ,this sort of compassion goes beyond the relief of mere bodily wants1 and saying1 8,be ye warmedbe ye clothed40 ,it reaches deeper down and goes much farther4 ,compassion is not blind4 ,rather we should say1 that compassion is not born of blindness4 ,he who has compassion of soul has eyes1 first of all1 to see the things which excite compassion4 ,he who has no eyes to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin1 the wants and woes of humanity1 will never have compassion for humanity4 ,it is written of our ,lord that 8when he saw the multitudes1 he was moved with compassion on them40 ,first1 seeing the multitudes1 with their hunger1 their woes and their helpless condition1 then compassion4 ,then prayer for the multitudes4 ,hard is he1 and far from being ,christlike1 who sees the multitudes1 and is unmoved at the sight of their sad state1 their unhappiness and their peril4 ,he has no heart of prayer for men4 ,compassion may not always move men1 but is always moved toward men4 ,compassion may not always turn men to ,god1 but it will1 and does1 turn ,god to man4 ,and where it is most helpless to relieve the needs of others1 it can at least break out into prayer to ,god for others4 ,compassion is never indifferent1 selfish1 and forgetful of others4 ,compassion has alone to do with others4 ,the fact that the multitudes were as sheep having no shepherd1 was the one thing which appealed to our ,lord's compassionate nature4 ,then their hunger moved ,him1 and the sight of the sufferings and diseases of these multitudes stirred the pity of ,his heart4 8,father of mercies1 send ,thy grace ,all powerful from above1 ,to form in our obedient souls ,the image of ,thy love4 8,o may our sympathising breasts ,that generous pleasure know2 ,kindly to share in others' joy1 ,and weep for others' woe40 ,but compassion has not alone to do with the body and its disabilities and needs4 ,the soul's distressing state1 its needs and danger all appeal to compassion4 ,the highest state of grace is known by the infallible mark of compassion for poor sinners4 ,this sort of compassion belongs to grace1 and sees not alone the bodies of men1 but their immortal spirits1 soiled by sin1 unhappy in their condition without ,god1 and in imminent peril of being forever lost4 ,when compassion beholds this sight of dying men hurrying to the bar of ,god1 then it is that it breaks out into intercessions for sinful men4 ,then it is that compassion speaks out after this fashion3 8,but feeble my compassion proves1 ,and can but weep where most it loves2 ,thy own all saving arm employ1 ,and turn these drops of grief to joy40 ,the ,prophet ,jeremiah declares this about ,god1 giving the reason why sinners are not consumed by ,his wrath3 8,it is of the ,lord's mercies we are not consumed1 because his compassions fail not40 ,and it is this ,divine quality in us which makes us so much like ,god4 ,so we find the ,psalmist describing the righteous man who is pronounced blessed by ,god3 8,he is gracious and full of compassion1 and righteous40 ,and as giving great encouragement to penitent praying sinners1 the ,psalmist thus records some of the striking attributes of the ,divine character3 8,the ,lord is gracious and full of compassion1 slow to anger1 and of great mercy40 ,it is no wonder1 then1 that we find it recorded several times of our ,lord while on earth that 8he was moved with compassion40 ,can any one doubt that ,his compassion moved ,him to pray for those suffering1 sorrowing ones who came across ,his pathway8 ,paul was wonderfully interested in the religious welfare of his ,jewish brethren1 was concerned over them1 and his heart was strangely warmed with tender compassion for their salvation1 even though mistreated and sorely persecuted by them4 ,in writing to the ,romans1 we hear him thus express himself3 8,i say the truth in ,christ1 ,i lie not1 my conscience also bearing me witness in the ,holy ,ghost1 that ,i have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart2 for ,i could wish that myself were accursed for my brethren1 my kinsmen according to the flesh40 ,what marvellous compassion is here described for ,paul's own nation6 ,what wonder that a little later on he records his desire and prayer3 8,brethren1 my heart's desire and prayer to ,god for ,israel is that they might be saved40 ,we have an interesting case in ,matthew which gives us an account of what excited so largely the compassion of our ,lord at one time3 8,but when he saw the multitudes1 he was moved with compassion on them1 because they fainted1 and were scattered abroad1 as sheep having no shepherd4 ,then saith he unto his disciples1 ,the harvest truly is plenteous1 but the labourers are few4 ,pray ye therefore the ,lord of the harvest1 that he will send forth labourers into his harvest40 ,it seems from parallel statements that our ,lord had called ,his disciples aside to rest awhile1 exhausted as ,he and they were by the excessive drafts on them1 by the ceaseless contact with the persons who were ever coming and going1 and by their exhaustive toil in ministering to the immense multitudes4 ,but the multitudes precede ,him1 and instead of finding wilderness-solitude1 quiet and repose1 ,he finds great multitudes eager to see and hear1 and to be healed4 ,his compassions are moved4 ,the ripened harvests need labourers4 ,he did not call these labourers at once1 by sovereign authority1 but charges the disciples to betake themselves to ,god in prayer1 asking ,him to send forth labourers into ,his harvest4 ,here is the urgency of prayer enforced by the compassions of our ,lord4 ,it is prayer born of compassion for perishing humanity4 ,prayer is pressed on the ,church for labourers to be sent into the harvest of the ,lord4 ,the harvest will go to waste and perish without the labourers1 while the labourers must be ,god-chosen1 ,god-sent1 and ,god-commissioned4 ,but ,god does not send these labourers into ,his harvest without prayer4 ,the failure of the labourers is owing to the failure of prayer4 ,the scarcity of labourers in the harvest is due to the fact that the ,church fails to pray for labourers according to ,his command4 ,the ingathering of the harvests of earth for the granaries of heaven is dependent on the prayers of ,god's people4 ,prayer secures the labourers sufficient in quantity and in quality for all the needs of the harvest4 ,god's chosen labourers1 ,god's endowed labourers1 and ,god's thrust-forth labourers1 are the only ones who will truly go1 filled with ,christly compassion and endued with ,christly power1 whose going will avail1 and these are secured by prayer4 ,christ's people on their knees with ,christ's compassion in their hearts for dying men and for needy souls1 exposed to eternal peril1 is the pledge of labourers in numbers and character to meet the wants of earth and the purposes of heaven4 ,god is sovereign of the earth and of heaven1 and the choice of labourers in ,his harvest ,he delegates to no one else4 ,prayer honours ,him as sovereign and moves ,him to ,his wise and holy selection4 ,we will have to put prayer to the front ere the fields of paganism will be successfully tilled for ,christ4 ,god knows ,his men1 and ,he likewise knows full well ,his work4 ,prayer gets ,god to send forth the best men and the most fit men and the men best qualified to work in the harvest4 ,moving the missionary cause by forces this side of ,god has been its bane1 its weakness and its failure4 ,compassion for the world of sinners1 fallen in ,adam1 but redeemed in ,christ will move the ,church to pray for them and stir the ,church to pray the ,lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into the harvest4 8,lord of the harvest hear ,thy needy servants' cry2 ,answer our faith's effectual prayer1 ,and all our wants supply4 8,convert and send forth more ,into ,thy ,church abroad2 ,and let them speak ,thy word of power1 ,as workers with their ,god40 ,what a comfort and what hope there is to fill our breasts when we think of one in ,heaven who ever liveth to intercede for us1 because 8,his compassion fails not60 ,above everything else1 we have a compassionate ,saviour1 one 8who can have compassion on the ignorant1 and on them who are out of the way1 for that he himself is compassed about with infirmity40 ,the compassion of our ,lord well fits ,him for being the ,great ,high ,priest of ,adam's fallen1 lost and helpless race4 ,and if ,he is filled with such compassion that it moves ,him at the ,father's right hand to intercede for us1 then by every token we should have the same compassion on the ignorant and those out of the way1 exposed to ,divine wrath1 as would move us to pray for them4 ,just in so far as we are compassionate will we be prayerful for others4 ,compassion does not expend its force in simply saying1 8,be ye warmed2 be ye clothed10 but drives us to our knees in prayer for those who need ,christ and ,his grace4 8,the ,son of ,god in tears ,the wondering angels see2 ,be thou astonished1 ,o my soul6 ,he shed those tears for thee4 8,he wept that we might weep2 ,each sin demands a tear2 ,in heaven alone no sin is found1 ,and there's no weeping there40 ,jesus ,christ was altogether man4 ,while ,he was the ,divine ,son of ,god yet at the same time1 ,he was the human ,son of ,god4 ,christ had a pre-eminently human side1 and1 here1 compassion reigned4 ,he was tempted in all points as we are1 yet without sin4 ,at one time how the flesh seems to have weakened under the fearful strain upon ,him1 and how ,he must have inwardly shrunk under the pain and pull6 ,looking up to heaven1 ,he prays1 8,father1 save me from this hour40 ,how the spirit nerves and holds8but for this cause came ,i to this hour40 ,only he can solve this mystery who has followed ,his ,lord in straits and gloom and pain1 and realised that the 8spirit is willing but the flesh is weak40 ,all this but fitted our ,lord to be a compassionate ,saviour4 ,it is no sin to feel the pain and realise the darkness on the path into which ,god leads4 ,it is only human to cry out against the pain1 the terror1 and desolation of that hour4 ,it is ,divine to cry out to ,god in that hour1 even while shrinking and sinking down1 8,for this cause came ,i unto this hour40 ,shall ,i fail through the weakness of the flesh8 ,no4 8,father1 glorify thy name40 ,how strong it makes us1 and how true1 to have one pole star to guide us to the glory of ,god6 ,,xi ,,concerted ,,prayer 8,a tourist1 in climbing an ,alpine summit1 finds himself tied by a strong rope to his trusty guide1 and to three of his fellow-tourists4 ,as they skirt a perilous precipice he cannot pray1 #8,lord1 hold up my goings in a safe path1 that my footsteps slip not1 but as to my guide and companions1 they must look out for themselves4' ,the only proper prayer in such a case is1 #8,lord1 hold up our goings in a safe path2 for if one slips all of us may perish4'0,h4 ,,clay ,,trumbull4 ,the pious ,quesnel says that 8,god is found in union and agreement4 ,nothing is more efficacious than this in prayer40 ,intercessions combine with prayers and supplications4 ,the word does not mean necessarily prayer in relation to others4 ,it means a coming together1 a falling in with a most intimate friend for free1 unrestrained communion4 ,it implies prayer1 free1 familiar and bold4 ,our ,lord deals with this question of the concert of prayer in the eighteenth chapter of ,matthew4 ,he deals with the benefit and energy resulting from the aggregation of prayer forces4 ,the prayer principle and the prayer promise will be best understood in the connection in which it was made by our ,lord3 8,moreover1 if thy brother shall trespass against thee1 go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone3 if he shall hear thee1 thou hast gained thy brother4 ,but if he will not hear thee1 then take with thee one or two more1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses1 every word may be established4 8,and if he shall neglect to hear them1 tell it unto the church2 but if he neglect to hear the church1 let him be unto thee as an heathen and a publican4 8,verily ,i say unto you1 ,whatsoever ye shall bind on earth1 shall be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth1 shall be loosed in heaven4 ,again ,i say unto you1 ,that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask1 it shall be done for them of my ,father which is in heaven4 ,for where two or three are gathered together in my name1 there am ,i in the midst of them40 ,this represents the ,church in prayer to enforce discipline in order that its members who have been overtaken by faults1 may yield readily to the disciplinary process4 ,in addition1 it is the ,church called together in a concert of prayer in order to repair the waste and friction ensuing upon the cutting off of a ,church offender4 ,this last direction as to a concert of prayer is that the whole matter may be referred to ,almighty ,god for ,his approval and ratification4 ,all this means that the main1 the concluding and the all powerful agency in the ,church is prayer1 whether it be1 as we have seen in ,matthew1 #ith chapter1 to thrust out labourers into ,god's earthly harvest fields1 or to exclude from the ,church a violator of unity1 law and order1 who will neither listen to his brethren nor repent and confess his fault4 ,it means that ,church discipline1 now a lost art in the modern ,church1 must go hand in hand with prayer1 and that the ,church which has no disposition to separate wrong doers from the ,church1 and which has no excommunication spirit for incorrigible offenders against law and order1 will have no communication with ,god4 ,church purity must precede the ,church's prayers4 ,the unity of discipline in the ,church precedes the unity of prayers by the ,church4 ,let it be noted with emphasis that a ,church which is careless of discipline will be careless in praying4 ,a ,church which tolerates evil doers in its communion1 will cease to pray1 will cease to pray with agreement1 and will cease to be a ,church gathered together in prayer in ,christ's name4 ,this matter of ,church discipline is an important one in the ,scriptures4 ,the need of watchfulness over the lives of its members belongs to the ,church of ,god4 ,the ,church is an organization for mutual help1 and it is charged with the watch care of all of its members4 ,disorderly conduct cannot be passed by unnoticed4 ,the course of procedure in such cases is clearly given in the eighteenth chapter of ,matthew1 which has been heretofore referred to4 ,furthermore1 ,paul1 in ,galatians #f3a1 gives explicit directions as to those who fall into sin in the ,church3 8,brethren1 if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness1 considering thyself lest thou also be tempted40 ,the work of the ,church is not alone to seek members but it is to watch over and guard them after they have entered the ,church4 ,and if any are overtaken by sin1 they must be sought out1 and if they cannot be cured of their faults1 then excision must take place4 ,this is the doctrine our ,lord lays down4 ,it is somewhat striking that the ,church at ,ephesus1 7,rev4 #b7 though it had left its first love1 and had sadly declined in vital godliness and in those things which make up spiritual life1 yet it receives credit for this good quality3 8,thou canst not bear them that are evil40 ,while the ,church at ,pergamos was admonished because it had there among its membership those who taught such hurtful doctrines that were a stumbling-block to others4 ,and not so much that such characters were in the ,church1 but that they were tolerated4 ,the impression is that the ,church leaders were blind to the presence of such hurtful characters1 and hence were indisposed to administer discipline4 ,this indisposition was an unfailing sign of prayerlessness in the membership4 ,there was no union of prayer effort looking to cleansing the ,church and keeping it clean4 ,this disciplinary idea stands out prominently in the ,apostle ,paul's writings to the ,churches4 ,the ,church at ,corinth had a notorious case of fornication where a man had married his step-mother1 and this ,church had been careless about this iniquity4 ,paul rather sharply reproved this ,church and gave explicit command to this effect3 8,therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person40 ,here was concert of action on the part of praying people demanded by ,paul4 ,as good a ,church as that at ,thessalonica needed instruction and caution on this matter of looking after disorderly persons4 ,so we hear ,paul saying unto them3 8,now we command you1 brethren1 in the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly40 ,mark you4 ,it is not the mere presence of disorderly persons in a ,church which merits the displeasure of ,god4 ,it is when they are tolerated under the mistaken plea of 8bearing with them10 and no steps are taken either to cure them of their evil practices or exclude them from the fellowship of the ,church4 ,and this glaring neglect on the part of the ,church of its wayward members1 is but a sad sign of a lack of praying1 for a praying ,church1 given to mutual praying1 agreement praying1 is keen to discern when a brother is overtaken in a fault1 and seeks either to restore him1 or to cut him off if he be incorrigible4 ,much of this dates back to the lack of spiritual vision on the part of ,church leaders4 ,the ,lord by the mouth of the ,prophet ,isaiah once asked the very pertinent1 suggestive question1 8,and who is blind but my servant80 ,this blindness in leadership in the ,church is no more patent than in this question of seeing evil doers in the ,church1 in caring for them1 and when the effort to restore them fails1 to withdraw fellowship from them1 and let them be 8as a heathen man and a publican40 ,the truth is there is such a lust for members in the ,church in these modern times1 that the officials and preachers have entirely lost sight of the members who have violated baptismal covenants1 and who are living in open disregard of ,god's ,word4 ,the idea now is quantity in membership1 not quality4 ,the purity of the ,church is put in the background in the craze to secure numbers1 and to pad the ,church rolls and make large figures in statistical columns4 ,prayer1 much prayer1 mutual prayer1 would bring the ,church back to ,scriptural standards1 and would purge the ,church of many wrongdoers1 while it might cure not a few of their evil lives4 ,prayer and ,church discipline are not new revelations of the ,christian dispensation4 ,these two things had a high place in the ,jewish ,church4 ,instances are too numerous to mention all of them4 ,ezra is a case in point4 ,when he returned from the captivity1 he found a sad and distressing condition of things among the ,lord's people who were left in the land4 ,they had not separated themselves from the surrounding heathen people1 and had intermarried with them1 contrary to ,divine commands4 ,and those high in the ,church were involved1 the priests and the ,levites with others4 ,ezra was greatly moved at the account given him1 and rent his garments and wept and prayed4 ,evil doers in the ,church did not meet his approval1 nor did he shut his eyes to them nor excuse them1 neither did he compromise the situation4 ,when he had finished confessing the sins of the people and his praying1 the people assembled themselves before him and joined him in a covenant agreement to put away from them their evil doings1 and wept and prayed in company with ,ezra4 ,the result was that the people thoroughly repented of their transgressions1 and ,israel was reformed4 ,praying and a good man1 who was neither blind nor unconcerned1 did the deed4 ,of ,ezra it is written1 8,for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away40 ,so it is with every praying man in the ,church when he has eyes to see the transgression of evil doers in the ,church1 who has a heart to grieve over them1 and who has a spirit in him so concerned about the ,church that he prays about it4 ,blessed is that ,church who has praying leaders1 who can see that which is disorderly in the ,church1 who are grieved about it1 and who put forth their hands to correct the evils which harm ,god's cause as a weight to its progress4 ,one point in the indictment against those 8,who are at ease in ,zion10 referred to by ,amos1 is that 8they are not grieved for the affliction of ,joseph40 ,and this same indictment could be brought against ,church leaders of modern times4 ,they are not grieved because the members are engulfed in a craze for worldly1 carnal things1 nor when there are those in the ,church walking openly in disorder1 whose lives scandalise religion4 ,of course such leaders do not pray over the matter1 for praying would beget a spirit of solicitude in them for these evil doers1 and would drive away the spirit of unconcern which possesses them4 ,it would be well for prayerless ,church leaders and careless pastors to read the account of the ink horn man in ,ezekiel1 #ith chapter1 where ,god instructed the prophet to send through the city certain men who would destroy those in the city because of the great evils found therein4 ,but certain persons were to be spared4 ,these were they who 8sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst of the city40 ,the man with the ink horn was to mark every one of these sighers and mourners so that they would escape the impending destruction4 ,please note that the instructions were that the slaying of those who did not mourn and sigh should 8,begin at my sanctuary40 ,what a lesson for non-praying1 unconcerned officials of the modern ,church6 ,how few there are who 8sigh and cry0 for present-day abominations in the land1 and who are grieved over the desolations of ,zion6 ,what need for 8two or three to be gathered together0 in a concert of prayer over these conditions1 and in the secret place weep and pray for the sins in ,zion6 ,this concert of prayer1 this agreement in praying1 taught by our ,lord in the eighteenth chapter of ,matthew1 finds proof and illustration elsewhere4 ,this was the kind of prayer which ,paul referred to in his request to his ,roman brethren1 recorded in ,romans #ae3cj3 8,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and for the love of the ,spirit1 that ye strive together with me in your prayers to ,god for me2 that ,i may be delivered from them that do not believe in ,judea40 ,here is unity in prayer1 prayer by agreement1 and prayer which drives directly at deliverance from unbelieving and evil men1 the same kind of prayer urged by our ,lord1 and the end practically the same1 deliverance from unbelieving men1 that deliverance wrought either by bringing them to repentance or by exclusion from the ,church4 ,the same idea is found in ,,ii ,thessalonians #c3a3 8,finally1 brethren1 pray for us that the word of the ,lord may have free course and be glorified1 even as it is with you2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men40 ,here is united prayer requested by an ,apostle1 among other things1 for deliverance from wicked men1 that same that the ,church of ,god needs in this day4 ,by joining their prayers to his1 there was the desired end of riddance from men who were hurtful to the ,church of ,god and who were a hindrance to the running of the ,word of the ,lord4 ,let us ask1 are there not in the present-day ,church those who are a positive hindrance to the on-going of the ,word of the ,lord8 ,what better course is there than to jointly pray over the question1 at the same time using the ,christ-given course of discipline first to save them1 but failing in that course1 to excise them from the body8 ,does that seem a harsh course8 ,then our ,lord was guilty of harshness ,himself1 for ,he ends these directions by saying1 8,but if he neglect to hear the ,church1 let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican40 ,no more is this harshness than is the act of the skilful surgeon1 who sees the whole body and its members endangered by a gangrenous limb1 and severs the limb from the body for the good of the whole4 ,no more was it harshness in the captain and crew of the vessel on which ,jonah was found1 when the storm arose threatening destruction to all on board1 to cast the fleeing prophet overboard4 ,what seems harshness is obedience to ,god1 is for the welfare of the ,church1 and is wise in the extreme4 ,,xii ,,the ,,universality ,,of ,,prayer 8,it takes more of the power of the ,spirit to make the farm1 the home1 the office1 the store1 the shop holy than it does to make the ,church holy4 ,it takes more of the power of the ,spirit to make ,saturday holy than to make ,sunday holy4 ,it takes much more of the power of the ,spirit to make money for ,god than it does to make a talk for ,god4 ,much more to live a great life for ,god than to preach a great sermon40,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds4 ,prayer is far-reaching in its influence and world-wide in its effects4 ,it affects all men1 affects them everywhere1 and affects them in all things4 ,it touches man's interest in time and eternity4 ,it lays hold upon ,god and moves ,him to interfere in the affairs of earth4 ,it moves the angels to minister to men in this life4 ,it restrains and defeats the devil in his schemes to ruin man4 ,prayer goes everywhere and lays its hand upon everything4 ,there is a universality in prayer4 ,when we talk about prayer and its work we must use universal terms4 ,it is individual in its application and benefits1 but it is general and world-wide at the same time in its good influences4 ,it blesses man in every event of life1 furnishes him help in every emergency1 and gives him comfort in every trouble4 ,there is no experience through which man is called to go but prayer is there as a helper1 a comforter and a guide4 ,when we speak of the universality of prayer1 we discover many sides to it4 ,first1 it may be remarked that all men ought to pray4 ,prayer is intended for all men1 because all men need ,god and need what ,god has and what prayer only can secure4 ,as men are called upon to pray everywhere1 by consequence all men must pray for men are everywhere4 ,universal terms are used when men are commanded to pray1 while there is a promise in universal terms to all who call upon ,god for pardon1 for mercy and for help3 8,for there is no difference2 for the same ,lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him4 ,for whosoever shall call upon the name of the ,lord shall be saved40 ,as there is no difference in the state of sin in which men are found1 and all men need the saving grace of ,god which only can bless them1 and as this saving grace is obtained only in answer to prayer1 therefore all men are called on to pray because of their very needs4 ,it is a rule of ,scriptural interpretation that whenever a command issues with no limitation1 it is universal in binding force4 ,so the words of the ,lord in ,isaiah are to the point3 8,seek ye the ,lord while he may be found2 call ye upon him while he is near4 ,let the wicked forsake his way1 and the unrighteous man his thoughts1 and let him return unto the ,lord1 who will have mercy1 and to our ,god who will abundantly pardon40 ,so that as wickedness is universal1 and as pardon is needed by all men1 so all men must seek the ,lord while he may be found1 and must call upon ,him while he is near4 ,prayer belongs to all men because all men are redeemed in ,christ4 ,it is a privilege for every man to pray1 but it is no less a bounden duty for them to call upon ,god4 ,no sinner is debarred from the mercy seat4 ,all are welcomed to approach the throne of grace with all their wants and woes1 with all their sins and burdens4 8,come all the world1 come1 sinner thou1 ,all things in ,christ are ready now40 ,whenever a poor sinner turns his eyes to ,god1 no matter where he is nor what his guilt and sinfulness1 the eye of ,god is upon him and ,his ear is opened to his prayers4 ,but men may pray everywhere1 since ,god is accessible in every clime and under all circumstances4 8,i will therefore that men pray everywhere1 lifting up holy hands1 without wrath and doubting40 ,no locality is too distant from ,god on earth to reach heaven4 ,no place is so remote that ,god cannot see and hear one who looks toward ,him and seeks ,his face4 ,oliver ,holden puts into a hymn these words3 8,then1 my soul1 in every strait1 ,to ,thy ,father come and wait2 ,he will answer every prayer2 ,god is present everywhere40 ,there is just this modification of the idea that one can pray everywhere4 ,some places1 because of the evil business carried on there1 or because of the environments which belong there1 growing out of the place itself1 the moral character of those who carry on the business1 and of those who support it1 are localities where prayer would not be in place4 ,we might instance the saloon1 the theatre1 the opera1 the card table1 the dance1 and other like places of worldly amusement4 ,prayer is so much out of place at such places that no one would ever presume to pray4 ,prayer would be an intrusion1 so regarded by the owners1 the patrons and the supporters of such places4 ,furthermore those who attend such places are not praying people4 ,they belong almost entirely to the prayerless crowd of worldlings4 ,while we are to pray everywhere1 it unquestionably means that we are not to frequent places where we cannot pray4 ,to pray everywhere is to pray in all legitimate places1 and to attend especially those places where prayer is welcome1 and is given a gracious hospitality4 ,to pray everywhere is to preserve the spirit of prayer in places of business1 in our intercourse with men1 and in the privacy of the home amid all of its domestic cares4 ,the ,model ,prayer of our ,lord1 called familiarly 8,the ,lord's ,prayer10 is the universal prayer1 because it is peculiarly adapted to all men everywhere in all circumstances in all times of need4 ,it can be put in the mouths of all people in all nations1 and in all times4 ,it is a model of praying which needs no amendment nor alteration for every family1 people and nation4 ,furthermore1 prayer has its universal application in that all men are to be the subjects of prayer4 ,all men everywhere are to be prayed for4 ,prayer must take in all of ,adam's fallen race because all men are fallen in ,adam1 redeemed in ,christ1 and are benefited by prayers for them4 ,this is ,paul's doctrine in his prayer directory in ,i ,timothy #b3a3 8,i exhort1 therefore1 that first of all1 supplications1 prayers1 intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men40 ,there is strong ,scriptural warrant1 therefore1 for reaching out and embracing all men in our prayers1 since not only are we commanded thus to pray for them1 but the reason given is that ,christ gave ,himself a ransom for all men1 and all men are provisionally beneficiaries of the atoning death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but lastly1 and more at length1 prayer has a universal side in that all things which concern us are to be prayed about1 while all things which are for our good1 physical1 social1 intellectual1 spiritual1 and eternal1 are subjects of prayer4 ,before1 however1 we consider this phase of prayer let us stop and again look at the universal prayer for all men4 ,as a special class to be prayed for1 we may mention those who have control in state or who bear rule in the ,church4 ,prayer has mighty potencies4 ,it makes good rulers1 and makes them better rulers4 ,it restrains the lawless and the despotic4 ,rulers are to be prayed for4 ,they are not out of the reach and the control of prayer1 because they are not out of the reach and control of ,god4 ,wicked ,nero was on the throne of ,rome when ,paul wrote these words to ,timothy urging prayer for those in authority4 ,christian lips are to breathe prayers for the cruel and infamous rulers in state as well as for the righteous and the benign governors and princes4 ,prayer is to be as far-reaching as the race1 8for all men40 ,humanity is to burden our hearts as we pray1 and all men are to engage our thoughts in approaching a throne of grace4 ,in our praying hours1 all men must have a place4 ,the wants and woes of the entire race are to broaden and make tender our sympathies1 and inflame our petitions4 ,no little man can pray4 ,no man with narrow views of ,god1 of ,his plan to save men1 and of the universal needs of all men1 can pray effectually4 ,it takes a broad-minded man1 who understands ,god and ,his purposes in the atonement1 to pray well4 ,no cynic can pray4 ,prayer is the divinest philanthropy1 as well as giant-great-heartedness4 ,prayer comes from a big heart1 filled with thoughts about all men and with sympathies for all men4 ,prayer runs parallel with the will of ,god1 8who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth40 ,prayer reaches up to heaven1 and brings heaven down to earth4 ,prayer has in its hands a double blessing4 ,it rewards him who prays1 and blesses him who is prayed for4 ,it brings peace to warring passions and calms warring elements4 ,tranquillity is the happy fruit of true praying4 ,there is an inner calm which comes to him who prays and an outer calm as well4 ,prayer creates 8quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty40 ,right praying not only makes life beautiful in peace1 but redolent in righteousness and weighty in influence4 ,honesty1 gravity1 integrity and weight in character are the natural and essential fruits of prayer4 ,it is this kind of world-wide1 large-hearted1 unselfish praying which pleases ,god well1 and which is acceptable in ,his sight1 because it co-operates with ,his will and runs in gracious streams to all men and to each man4 ,it is this kind of praying which the man ,christ ,jesus did when on earth1 and the same kind which ,he is now doing at ,his ,father's right hand in heaven1 as our ,mighty ,intercessor4 ,he is the pattern of prayer4 ,he is between ,god and man1 the one ,mediator1 who gave ,himself a ransom for all men1 and for each man4 ,so it is that true prayer links itself to the will of ,god1 and runs in streams of solicitude1 and compassion1 and intercession for all men4 ,as ,jesus ,christ died for every one involved in the fall1 so prayer girdles every one and gives itself for the benefit of every one4 ,like our one ,mediator between ,god and man1 he who prays stands midway between ,god and man1 with prayers1 supplications1 8and strong cryings and tears40 ,prayer holds in its grasp the movements of the race of man1 and embraces the destinies of men for all eternity4 ,the king and the beggar are both affected by it4 ,it touches heaven and moves earth4 ,prayer holds earth to heaven and brings heaven in close contact with earth4 8,your guides and brethren bear ,forever on your mind2 ,extend the arms of mighty prayer ,in grasping all mankind40 ,,xiii ,,prayer ,,and ,,missions 8,one day1 about this time1 ,i heard an unusual bleating amongst my few remaining goats1 as if they were being killed or tortured4 ,i rushed to the goat-house and found myself instantly surrounded by a band of armed men4 ,the snare had caught me1 their weapons were raised1 and ,i expected the next moment to die4 ,but ,god moved me to talk to them firmly and kindly2 ,i warned them of their sin and its punishment2 ,i showed them that only my love and pity led me to remain there seeking their good1 and that if they killed me they killed their best friend4 ,i further assured them ,i was not afraid to die1 for at death my ,saviour would take me to heaven and that ,i would be far happier than on earth2 and that my only desire to live was to make them happy by teaching them to love ,jesus ,christ my ,lord4 ,i then lifted up my hands and eyes to the heavens and prayed aloud for ,jesus to bless all my ,tannese and to protect me or take me to heaven as ,he saw to be for the best4 ,one after another they slipped away from me and ,jesus restrained them again4 ,did ever mother run more quickly to protect her crying child in danger's hour than the ,lord ,jesus hastens to answer believing prayer and send help to ,his servants in ,his own good time and way1 so far as it shall be for their good and ,his glory40,,john ,g4 ,,paton4 ,missions mean the giving of the ,gospel to those of ,adam's fallen race who have never heard of ,christ and ,his atoning death4 ,it means the giving to others the opportunity to hear of salvation through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and allowing others to have a chance to receive1 and accept the blessings of the ,gospel1 as we have it in ,christianised lands4 ,it means that those who enjoy the benefits of the ,gospel give these same religious advantages and ,gospel privileges to all of mankind4 ,prayer has a great deal to do with missions4 ,prayer is the hand-maid of missions4 ,the success of all real missionary effort is dependent on prayer4 ,the life and spirit of missions are the life and spirit of prayer4 ,both prayer and missions were born in the ,divine ,mind4 ,prayer and missions are bosom companions4 ,prayer creates and makes missions successful1 while missions lean heavily on prayer4 ,in the seventy-second ,psalm1 one which deals with the ,messiah1 it is stated that 8prayer shall be made for him continually40 ,prayer would be made for ,his coming to save man1 and prayer would be made for the success of the plan of salvation which ,he would come to set on foot4 ,the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ is the spirit of missions4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was ,himself the first missionary4 ,his promise and advent composed the first missionary movement4 ,the missionary spirit is not simply a phase of the ,gospel1 not a mere feature of the plan of salvation1 but is its very spirit and life4 ,the missionary movement is the ,church of ,jesus ,christ marching in militant array1 with the design of possessing the whole world of mankind for ,christ4 ,whoever is touched by the ,spirit of ,god is fired by the missionary spirit4 ,an anti-missionary ,christian is a contradiction in terms4 ,we might say that it would be impossible to be an anti-missionary ,christian because of the impossibility for the ,divine and human forces to put men in such a state as not to align them with the missionary cause4 ,missionary impulse is the heart-beat of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 sending the vital forces of ,himself through the whole body of the ,church4 ,the spiritual life of ,god's people rises or falls with the force of those heart-beats4 ,when these life forces cease1 then death ensues4 ,so that anti-missionary ,churches are dead ,churches1 just as anti-missionary ,christians are dead ,christians4 ,the craftiest wile of ,satan1 if he cannot prevent a great movement for ,god1 is to debauch the movement4 ,if he can put the movement first1 and the spirit of the movement in the background1 he has materialised and thoroughly debauched the movement4 ,mighty prayer only will save the movement from being materialised1 and keep the spirit of the movement strong and controlling4 ,the key of all missionary success is prayer4 ,that key is in the hands of the home churches4 ,the trophies won by our ,lord in heathen lands will be won by praying missionaries1 not by professional workers in foreign lands4 ,more especially will this success be won by saintly praying in the churches at home4 ,the home church on her knees fasting and praying1 is the great base of spiritual supplies1 the sinews of war1 and the pledge of victory in this dire and final conflict4 ,financial resources are not the real sinews of war in this fight4 ,machinery in itself carries no power to break down heathen walls1 open effectual doors and win heathen hearts to ,christ4 ,prayer alone can do the deed4 ,aaron and ,hur did not more surely give victory to ,israel through ,moses1 than a praying church through ,jesus ,christ will give victory on every battlefield in heathen lands4 ,it is as true in foreign fields as it is in home lands4 ,the praying church wins the contest4 ,the home church has done but a paltry thing when she has furnished the money to establish missions and support her missionaries4 ,money is important1 but money without prayer is powerless in the face of the darkness1 the wretchedness and the sin in unchristianised lands4 ,prayerless giving breeds barrenness and death4 ,poor praying at home is the solution of poor results in the foreign field4 ,prayerless giving is the secret of all crises in the missionary movements of the day1 and is the occasion of the accumulation of debts in missionary boards4 ,it is all right to urge men to give of their means to the missionary cause4 ,but it is much more important to urge them to give their prayers to the movement4 ,foreign missions need1 today1 more the power of prayer than the power of money4 ,prayer can make even poverty in the missionary cause move on amidst difficulties and hindrances4 ,much money without prayer is helpless and powerless in the face of the utter darkness and sin and wretchedness on the foreign field4 ,this is peculiarly a missionary age4 ,protestant ,christianity is stirred as it never was before in the line of aggression in pagan lands4 ,the missionary movement has taken on proportions that awaken hope1 kindle enthusiasm1 and which demand the attention1 if not the interest1 of the coldest and the most lifeless4 ,nearly every ,church has caught the contagion1 and the sails of their proposed missionary movements are spread wide to catch the favouring breezes4 ,herein is the danger just now1 that the missionary movement will go ahead of the missionary spirit4 ,this has always been the peril of the ,church1 losing the substance in the shade1 losing the spirit in the outward shell1 and contenting itself in the mere parade of the movement1 putting the force of effort in the movement and not in the spirit4 ,the magnificence of this movement may not only blind us to the spirit of it1 but the spirit which should give life and shape to the movement may be lost in the wealth of the movement as the ship1 borne by favouring winds1 may be lost when these winds swell to a storm4 ,not a few of us have heard eloquent and earnest speeches stressing the imperative need of money for missions where we have heard one stressing the imperative need of prayer4 ,all our plans and devices drive to the one end of raising money1 not to quicken faith and promote prayer4 ,the common idea among ,church leaders is that if we get the money1 prayer will come as a matter of course4 ,the very reverse is the truth4 ,if we get the ,church at the business of praying1 and thus secure the spirit of missions1 money will more than likely come as a matter of course4 ,spiritual agencies and spiritual forces never come as a matter of course4 ,spiritual duties and spiritual factors1 left to the 8matter of course0 law1 will surely fall out and die4 ,only the things which are stressed live and rule in the spiritual realm4 ,they who give1 will not necessarily pray4 ,many in our churches are liberal givers who are noted for their prayerlessness4 ,one of the evils of the present-day missionary movement lies just there4 ,giving is entirely removed from prayer4 ,prayer receives scant attention1 while giving stands out prominently4 ,they who truly pray will be moved to give4 ,praying creates the giving spirit4 ,the praying ones will give liberally and self-denyingly4 ,he who enters his closet to ,god1 will also open his purse to ,god4 ,but perfunctory1 grudging1 assessment-giving kills the very spirit of prayer4 ,emphasising the material to the neglect of the spiritual1 by an inexorable law retires and discounts the spiritual4 ,it is truly wonderful how great a part money plays in the modern religious movements1 and how little prayer plays in them4 ,in striking contrast with that statement1 it is marvellous how little part money played in primitive ,christianity as a factor in spreading the ,gospel1 and how wonderful part prayer played in it4 ,the grace of giving is nowhere cultured to a richer growth than in the closet4 ,if all our missionary boards and secretaryships were turned into praying bands1 until the agony of real prayer and travail with ,christ for a perishing world came on them1 real estate1 bank stocks1 ,united ,states bonds would be in the market for the spreading of ,christ's ,gospel among men4 ,if the spirit of prayer prevailed1 missionary boards whose individual members are worth millions1 would not be staggering under a load of debt and great ,churches would not have a yearly deficit and a yearly grumbling1 grudging1 and pressure to pay a beggarly assessment to support a mere handful of missionaries1 with the additional humiliation of debating the question of recalling some of them4 ,the on-going of ,christ's kingdom is locked up in the closet of prayer by ,christ ,himself1 and not in the contribution box4 ,the ,prophet ,isaiah1 looking down the centuries with the vision of a seer1 thus expresses his purpose to continue in prayer and give ,god no rest till ,christ's kingdom be established among men3 8,for ,zion's sake will ,i not hold my peace1 and for ,jerusalem's sake ,i will not rest till the righteousness thereof goeth forth as brightness1 and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth40 ,then1 foretelling the final success of the ,christian ,church1 he thus speaks3 8,and the ,gentiles shall see thy righteousness1 and all kings thy glory1 and thou shalt be called by a new name1 which the mouth of the ,lord shall name40 ,then the ,lord1 ,himself1 by the mouth of this ,evangelical prophet1 declares as follows3 8,i have set watchmen upon thy walls1 ,o ,jerusalem1 which shall never hold their peace1 day nor night4 ,ye that make mention of the ,lord1 keep not silence4 ,and give him no rest till he establish and till he make ,jerusalem a praise in the earth40 ,in the margin of our ,bible1 it reads1 8,ye that are the ,lord's remembrancers40 ,the idea is1 that these praying ones are those who are the ,lord's remembrancers1 those who remind ,him of what ,he has promised1 and who give ,him no rest till ,god's ,church is established in the earth4 ,and one of the leading petitions in the ,lord's ,prayer deals with this same question of the establishing of ,god's kingdom and the progress of the ,gospel in the short1 pointed petition1 8,thy kingdom come10 with the added words1 8,thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven40 ,the missionary movement in the ,apostolic ,church was born in an atmosphere of fasting and prayer4 ,the very movement looking to offering the blessings of the ,christian ,church to the ,gentiles was on the housetop on the occasion when ,peter went up there to pray1 and ,god showed him ,his ,divine purpose to extend the privileges of the ,gospel to the ,gentiles1 and to break down the middle wall of partition between ,jew and ,gentile4 ,but more specifically ,paul and ,barnabas were definitely called and set apart to the missionary field at ,antioch when the ,church there had fasted and prayed4 ,it was then the ,holy ,spirit answered from heaven3 8,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them40 ,please note this was not the call to the ministry of ,paul and ,barnabas1 but more particularly their definite call to the foreign field4 ,paul had been called to the ministry years before this1 even at his conversion4 ,this was a subsequent call to a work born of special and continued prayer in the ,church at ,antioch4 ,god calls men not only to the ministry but to be missionaries4 ,missionary work is ,god's work4 ,and it is the ,god-called men who are to do it4 ,these are the kind of missionaries which have wrought well and successfully in the foreign field in the past1 and the same kind will do the work in the future1 or it will not be done4 ,it is praying missionaries who are needed for the work1 and it is a praying church who sends them out1 which are prophecies of the success which is promised4 ,the sort of religion to be exported by missionaries is of the praying sort4 ,the religion to which the heathen world is to be converted is a religion of prayer1 and a religion of prayer to the true ,god4 ,the heathen world already prays to its idols and false gods4 ,but they are to be taught by praying missionaries1 sent out by a praying ,church1 to cast away their idols and to begin to call upon the name of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,no prayerless church can transport to heathen lands a praying religion4 ,no prayerless missionary can bring heathen idolaters who know not our ,god to their knees in true prayer until he becomes pre-eminently a man of prayer4 ,as it takes praying men at home to do ,god's work1 none the less does it take praying missionaries to bring those who sit in darkness to the light4 ,the most noted and most successful missionaries have been pre-eminently men of prayer4 ,david ,livingstone1 ,william ,taylor1 ,adoniram ,judson1 ,henry ,martyn1 and ,hudson ,taylor1 with many more1 form a band of illustrious praying men whose impress and influence still abide where they laboured4 ,no prayerless man is wanted for this job4 ,above everything rise1 the primary qualification for every missionary is prayer4 ,let him be1 above everything else1 a man of prayer4 ,and when the crowning day comes1 and the records are made up and read at the great judgment day1 then it will appear how well praying men wrought in the hard fields of heathendom1 and how much was due to them in laying the foundations of ,christianity in those fields4 ,the one only condition which is to give world-wide power to this ,gospel is prayer1 and the spread of this ,gospel will depend on prayer4 ,the energy which was to give it marvelous momentum and conquering power over all its malignant and powerful foes is the energy of prayer4 ,the fortunes of the kingdom of ,jesus ,christ are not made by the feebleness of its foes4 ,they are strong and bitter and have ever been strong1 and ever will be4 ,but mighty prayerthis is the one great spiritual force which will enable the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to enter into full possession of ,his kingdom1 and secure for ,him the heathen as ,his inheritance1 and the uttermost part of the earth for ,his possession4 ,it is prayer which will enable ,him to break ,his foes with a rod of iron1 that will make these foes tremble in their pride and power1 who are but frail potter's vessels1 to be broken in pieces by one stroke of ,his hand4 ,a person who can pray is the mightiest instrument ,christ has in this world4 ,a praying ,church is stronger than all the gates of hell4 ,god's decree for the glory of ,his ,son's kingdom is dependent on prayer for its fulfilment3 8,ask of me1 and ,i will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance1 and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession40 ,god the ,father gives nothing to ,his ,son only through prayer4 ,and the reason why the ,church has not received more in the missionary work in which it is engaged is the lack of prayer4 8,ye have not1 because ye ask not40 ,every dispensation foreshadowing the coming of ,christ when the world has been evangelised1 at the end of time1 rests upon these constitutional provisions1 ,god's decree1 ,his promises and prayer4 ,however far away that day of victory by distance or time1 or remoteness of shadowy type1 prayer is the essential condition on which the dispensation becomes strong1 typical and representative4 ,from ,abraham1 the first of the nation of the ,israelites1 the friend of ,god1 down to this dispensation of the ,holy ,spirit1 this has been true4 8,the nations call6 from sea to sea ,extends the thrilling cry1 #8,come over1 ,christians1 if there be1 ,and help us1 ere we die4' 8,our hearts1 ,o ,lord1 the summons feel2 ,let hand with heart combine1 ,and answer to the world's appeal1 ,by giving #8that is thine4'0 ,our ,lord's plan for securing workers in the foreign missionary field is the same plan ,he set on foot for obtaining preachers4 ,it is by the process of praying4 ,it is the prayer plan as distinguished from all man-made plans4 ,these mission workers are to be 8sent men40 ,god must send them4 ,they are ,god-called1 divinely moved to this great work4 ,they are inwardly moved to enter the harvest fields of the world and gather sheaves for the heavenly garners4 ,men do not choose to be missionaries any more than they choose to be preachers4 ,god sends out labourers in ,his harvest fields in answer to the prayers of ,his ,church4 ,here is the ,divine plan as set forth by our ,lord3 8,but when he saw the multitudes1 he was moved with compassion on them1 because they fainted1 and were as sheep having no shepherd4 ,then saith he unto his disciples1 ,the harvest truly is plenteous1 but the labourers are few4 ,pray ye1 therefore1 the ,lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest40 ,it is the business of the home church to do the praying4 ,it is the ,lord's business to call and send forth the labourers4 ,the ,lord does not do the praying4 ,the ,church does not do the calling4 ,and just as our ,lord's compassions were aroused by the sight of multitudes1 weary1 hungry1 and scattered1 exposed to evils1 as sheep having no shepherd1 so whenever the ,church has eyes to see the vast multitudes of earth's inhabitants1 descendants of ,adam1 weary in soul1 living in darkness1 and wretched and sinful1 will it be moved to compassion1 and begin to pray the ,lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into ,his harvest4 ,missionaries1 like ministers1 are born of praying people4 ,a praying church begets labourers in the harvest-field of the world4 ,the scarcity of missionaries argues a non-praying church4 ,it is all right to send trained men to the foreign field1 but first of all they must be ,god-sent4 ,the sending is the fruit of prayer4 ,as praying men are the occasion of sending them1 so in turn the workers must be praying men4 ,and the prime mission of these praying missionaries is to convert prayerless heathen men into praying men4 ,prayer is the proof of their calling1 their ,divine credentials1 and their work4 ,he who is not a praying man at home needs the one fitness to become a mission worker abroad4 ,he who has not the spirit which moves him toward sinners at home1 will hardly have a spirit of compassion for sinners abroad4 ,missionaries are not made of men who are failures at home4 ,he who will be a man of prayer abroad must1 before anything else1 be a man of prayer in his home church4 ,if he be not engaged in turning sinners away from their prayerless ways at home1 he will hardly succeed in turning away the heathen from their prayerless ways4 ,in other words1 it takes the same spiritual qualifications for being a home worker as it does for being a foreign worker4 ,god in ,his own way1 in answer to the prayers of ,his ,church1 calls men into ,his harvest-fields4 ,sad will be the day when ,missionary ,boards and ,churches overlook that fundamental fact1 and send out their own chosen men independent of ,god4 ,is the harvest great8 ,are the labourers few8 ,then 8pray ye the ,lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest40 ,oh1 that a great wave of prayer would sweep over the ,church asking ,god to send out a great army of labourers into the needy harvest fields of the earth6 ,no danger of the ,lord of the harvest sending out too many labourers and crowding the fields4 ,he who calls will most certainly provide the means for supporting those whom ,he calls and sends forth4 ,the one great need in the modern missionary movement is intercessors4 ,they were scarce in the days of ,isaiah4 ,this was his complaint3 8,and he saw that there was no man1 and wondered that there was no intercessor40 ,so today there is great need of intercessors1 first1 for the needy harvest-fields of earth1 born of a ,christly compassion for the thousands without the ,gospel2 and then intercessors for labourers to be sent forth by ,god into the needy fields of earth4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,obsolete and alternative spellings were left unchanged4 ,misspelled words were corrected4 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added4 ,the following was changed3 added unprinted 8is0 to #8,it is so easy to lean ''''