The reasonableness and efficacy of prayer

.3

LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

PRINCETON, N. J.
PRESENTED BY

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

BV 205 .H23 1874

Hall, Newman..
The reasonableness and
efficacy of prayer

THE

Reasonablen

AND

Efficacy of Prayer.

BY

REV. NEWMAN HALL,, D.D.

BOSTON:

NOYES, HOLMES, & COMPANY,

219 Washington Street.

1S74.

author's editiox.

Cambridge :
Press of JoJin Wilson &' Sou.

THE REASONABLENESS

EFFICACY OF PRAYER.

Prayer is an essential element in all religion
worthy of the name ; and religion is inseparably
connected with the history of the human race.
In some form or other, with seeming exceptions
so insignificant as to illustrate the rule, all nations,
in all ages, have worshipped God ; all nations, in
all ages, have prayed.

To borrow the words of Guizot : " Alone, of
all living beings on the earth, man prays. There
is not among all his moral instincts a more uni-
versal, a more invincible one than jjrayer. The
child betakes himself to it with ready docility*
aged men return to it as a refuge against decay

4 THE REASONABLENESS AND

and isolation. Prayer rises spontaneously from
young lips that can scarcely lisp the name of
God, and from expiring ones that have scarcely
strength left to pronounce it. Among every peo-
ple, celebrated or obscure, civilized or barbarous,
acts and formulaB of prayer meet us at every step.
Everywhere there are living men, under certain
circumstances, at certain hours, under certain
impressions of the soul, whose eyes are raised,
whose hands are clasped, whose knees are bent
to implore, or thank, or adore, or appease. With
joy or terror, publicly or in the secret of his own
heart, it is to prayer man turns as a last resource
to fill the void places of his soul, or bear the
burdens of his life. It is in prayer he seeks,
when all else fails, a suj^port for his weakness,
comfort in his sorrows, and hope for his virtue."

Especially is prayer identified with Christianity.
As faith is the essence of the divine life in the
soul, so prayer is the first evidence and constant

EFFICACY OF PRAYER.

exercise of that life. The religion of the Bible,
both in its Jewish and Christian forms, teaches
men to pray to a personal God, who does listen
and will answer. In all ages there have been
men who are represented as having been specially
instructed and aided by God, who have lived in
the constant practice of prayer. From Genesis
to Revelation the ascription goes up, — " O Thou
that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh
come."

"But," says an objector, " are we not already
in the presence of God, — if there be a God ? By
the necessity of things we cannot be absent from
those powers of Nature which you call God, and
which operate throughout the universe. Where,
then, is the necessity of coming into a Presence
where we are already ? " But in this sense every
sparrow is in the presence of God, and we are
of more value than many sparrows. Nay, every
blade of grass, every drop of water, every grain

6 THE REASONABLENESS AND

of sand is already there. Cannot we in any
higher sense come before God ? Is there not a
coming to Him which is in harmony with our
superior nature, — a voluntary approach, a coming
of the mind and heart and soul, — such a coming
as we call prayer?

And if so, may we not infer a corresponding
act on the part of God? To be convinced of
this is a necessity for those who pray, else their
petitions would be absurd. No one would make
a request to a person of whose existence he was
ignorant, or in whose favorable disposition he
had no confidence. So " he that cometh to God
must believe that He is, and that He is the
rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
We are not taught by these words that our
belief w^ill be rewarded by a favorable reply, but
that it is an absolutely necessary prerequisite
for prayer itself. As we cannot walk without
feet, nor see without eyes, so we cannot pray

EFFICACY OF PRAYER.

without some degi'ee of belief in the existence
of Him whom we address, and in His power and
disposition to grant our request.

But there have always been sceptics who doubt
and scoffers who deride ; and old missiles, newly
polished, have recently been launched by skilful
hands against the citadel of Faith, for the pur-
pose of discrediting Prayer as being contrary to
a universal experience of the uniformity of nat-
ural law, and therefore unreasonable. We have
been told that, whatever may have been the case
in former times. Science knows nothing of a
personal God acting now, but only observes a
chain of physical causes and sequences, — a sys-
tem of laws invariable in their operations and
certain in their fulfilment. We are told that as
the course of nature never is and never can be
changed, it is wrong to ask it, and absurd to
expect it.

We do not pause to inquire how far such an

8 THE REASONABLENESS AND

objection strikes at the root of all the religions
of mankind; but it is certainly opposed to the
most cherished belief and the habitual worship
of all Christians, who, whatever their differences,
believe alike in a God who hears and answers
prayer, and who therefore have a common in-
terest in a subject of vital importance to them
all.

Because it is of such vital importance, there is
some danger lest we should feel angry with our
assailants. It is natural to be incensed against
those who would rob us of any treasure, — and
this in proportion to its value: yet the more
firmly we are convinced of its security, the less
are we likely to be irritated by vain threats.
Documents enclosed in a fire-proof safe cannot
be hurt by a match ignited outside. An iron-
plated ship may defy pop-guns. Firm faith is
not soon frightened. "He that believeth shall
not make haste."

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 9

It must be admitted that some defenders of
Cliristianity, by their hasty fright at the discov-
eries and theories of philosophers, have given
occasion for the suspicion that their own faith
was not very strong. The fatal impression has
gone forth that Science is regarded by them as
opposed to Revelation. But Science, so far from
being an enemy, is the handmaid of Religion.
Philosophers, engaged in their true work, are
helping, not hindering, the faith. All honor and
gratitude to those who are devoting their learn-
ing and genius to the great business of examining
and explaining the wonders of the physical uni-
verse ; for the facts of nature are the works of
our God and Father, — which, the better they
are understood, enlarge our conceptions of His
wisdom, powei", and goodness, and furnish us
with fresh material for praise.

Hitherto we have treated the subject on the
assumed truth of the Bible. If the Bible be

10 THE REASONABLENESS AND

divine, prayer is reasonable. Let us now try to
meet tlie arguments of those who do not admit
the authority of the book. -

The chief objection to prayer is based on
the supposed uniformity of natural laws. The
argument seems to be, — "We know nothing
of any deviation from the course of nature;
therefore there is none, and can be none. It is,
therefore, unreasonable to expect any such devi-
ation in answer to prayer, and therefore un-
reasonable to pray."

In such an objection we presume to think there
may be some fallacies, which those who exact so
much accuracy from others should themselves
avoid. Do sceptical philosophers never forget the
laws of exact science when they assail the faith
of Christians? Do the lovers of positive truth
never jump at conclusions somewhat beyond the
bounds of positivity, and in a manner they would
condemn in their own scientific investisrations ?

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. H

Ignorance seems to be confounded with knowl-
edge. It is supposed that our not knowing a
fact is ptoof of the fact not existing. " I do not
know that a certain event ever happened ; there-
fore, I know it never did happen." But surely-
far more is here inferred than is contained in the
premises. In proportion to the range of my in-
vestigation my non-discovery of something may
render me cautious how I admit the testimony
of another explorer; but surely my failure to
discover it would not warrant my assertion that
it is undiscoverable, because non-existent. I
may have spent my life in exploring the physical
universe, but have I yet reached the outmost
bounds of it ? Have I examined every thing
within it? Is it safe to reason from the little
province I may know something of, so as to dog-
matize as to what can or cannot exist through-
out the vast empire of God? From what I
know of the phenomena of fifty years, may I

12 THE REASONABLENESS AND

pronounce an infallible judgment as to what
always was and always will be ? Is my ignorance
of a thing's existence equivalent to my knowl-
edge of its non-existence?

If so, the barbarian prince was w^ise when he
condemned to death as an impostor the traveller
who told him that in his country people walked
on water and chopped it with axes. There is a
mountain in Eastern Africa called the Silver
Mountain. A friend of the writer described the
first ascent of it by himself. He could not per-
suade his native attendants to accompany him
the last few hundred yards. After a very diffi-
cult climb he reached the " silver," and brought
some of it down to his guides. Not till they
saw the rapidly melting snow, would they aban-
don their persuasion that the mountain was
crested with the precious metal. They had
known silver, but had never seen snow ; but were
they right in their inference ^ Would it have

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 13

been wise if before comets had been observed
astronomers had denied the possibility of their
existence ? If the inhabitants of an inland dis-
trict were told that the waters of the river they
had always known as sweet and as flowing west-
ward became salt and sometimes flowed east-
ward, would they be wise in denying it? Be-
cause they had never seen nor heard of this,
would they be philosophical in asserting that it
never was and never could be?

Grant that the knowledge of a barbarian or a
child is far less than that of a philosopher ; but
is not the knowledge of a philosopher that of a
child compared with what is still unknown ? Is
it not but the sea-shore pebble to which Newton
likened his discoveries, while the great ocean
of truth rolled undiscovered before him ? If I
am ignorant of a fact, I cannot of course afiirm
its actual or even probable existence ; but is it
philosophical to deny its possibility, especially

14 THE REASONABLENESS AND

when I have authentic testimony that others
have witnessed it? Therefore, although we may
never have witnessed any deviation from the
course of nature, it is not unphilosophical to
admit the possibility, nor even to acknowledge
the fact on authentic testimony.

Another fallacy results from the ambiguous
meaning of the term law. In government a
law is an edict, made by competent authority
and executed by the appointed officer. But what
is law in the realm of nature ? Do positive phil-
osophers see it or hear it? Where is it writ-
ten, and by whom enforced? We observe
resemblances in natural phenomena. We notice
how similar results follow similar causes. We
then imagine a law which those events obey.
But this is the realm of imagination, not of exact
science. This is not consistent Positivism.

We are told of the " operation of laws." They
are said to '* work." But who ever saw a law

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 15

work? We see the constable, the judge, the
sheriff executing the law in reference to crime ;
but the law itself does nothing^: it needs an asjent.
How, then, can the laws of nature work? They
need an agent capable of fulfilling them. It is
God who works. From the wise and beneficent
regularity of His operations, we deduce that He
has a plan on which to work. But that plan is
the product of His wisdom and goodness, and all
that happens is the working of His own right
hand. Does our ignorance of His having worked
exceptionally, warrant our assertion that He never
has done so, and never can ?

A fallacy often arises from the ambiguous
meaning of the word necessity. We sometimes
speak of a necessary truth, when the question is
one merely of words. To say that the whole is
necessarily equal to the sum of its parts, is merely
to express what is involved in the terms them-
selves. There are propositions which we say are

16 THE REASONABLENESS AND

necessarily true, because the mind cannot possibly
conceive of thera otherwise. Thus it is a neces-
sity that things which are equal to the same
thing are equal to one another. We say there
is a physical necessity that a certain weight
requires an adequate force to move it; or a
financial necessity that expenditure requires an
adequate income to sustain it. But what is
meant by the term necessity when applied to
the course of nature, so as to exclude the influ-
ence of prayer? Would there be any logical
contradiction and absurdity if events were to
happen otherwise than we expect ? Do we know
of any absolute law which natural events cannot
possibly violate ? Have we any right to affirm
more than this, — that we observe a certain regu-
lar sequence of phenomena; that as far as our
own limited observation and knowledge extend,
we are aware of no deviation ; and that, there-
fore, we may expect similar phenomena in the

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 17

future? But regularity is not necessity. We
expect the sun to shine to-morrow ; we expect it
with the utmost degree of certainty. But is this
the same as absolute necessity? Does the con-
ceiDtion of its not rising involve a logical contra-
diction or a mathematical absurdity ? Gravitation
is a great fact, but can we assert that of necessity
it is universal and eternal in its influence ? Is it
of necessity that there can be no part of the
universe where it does not operate, or that it
could not be suspended? We say that a certain
power is necessary in order to overcome a certain
weight. But are there not powers of which we
are ignorant, and might not that weight be raised
by agencies beyond our range of experience ?

There have already been departures from what
had seemed to be the necessary course of nature.
If the universe itself is not eternal, should any
change in that universe be regarded as impossible
in face of the greater event of its origin? There
2

18 THE REASONABLENESS AND

are obvious records of change in the strata of the
earth's surface. There have been successive con-
structions and destructions. Why should it be a
necessity that all things remain for ever as they
now are, when they are not now as they once
were?

It is replied that these changes are only differ-
ent stages of development of eternal necessary
forces. Since it must be admitted that there is
some eternal existence, we prefer to believe in
an eternal God who governs all things, rather
than in eternal forces without thought, or feeling,
or character. We believe in "God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." He is
the only necessity : He is necessarily what He is ;
but He is free, and if He chooses to act according
to some plan which you call the necessary order
of nature, and if what we call changes you call
developments of the eternal order,, may not my
prayer and may not His response be parts of

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 19

that eternal order; and may He not help me in
some way which to me is new and unexpected
and contrary to what I know of the order of
things, but which may yet be in harmony with
that order, as known and ordained by Himself?

Had I lived in earlier ages I should have been
ignorant of, and could not have anticipated, the
present development. If so, may not God help
me now in some manner not within the range of
my experience, yet in harmony with His own
perfect plan and with higher laws than those
which philosophy is able to codify? May not
what we call miracles be parts of the eternal
order, — God working according to pre-arranged
principles which are developed whenever their
appropriate sphere of operation opens; and may
not our prayers be a part of the eternal order,
bringing about the very conditions in which the
results we pray for may come to pass, in harmony
with the higher order which includes moral as
well as jDhysical forces?

20 THE REASONABLENESS AND

We are told that we know nothing but facts,
and that to these positive palpable facts we must
confine our observations. But is not our freedom
a fact in the Kosmos ? We are more certain of
our own existence than of the existence of any
thing else which we only know through our own
faculties. Thus our moral freedom — the power
of the will — is a positive fact ; and it is a fact
also that one mind can influence another mind.
By the expression and exercise of my will, I can
affect the will of some one else, and induce him
to perform some action which otherwise he would
not perform. May it not be a fact that as our
minds influence one another, we may influence
the mind of God ? Is not His freedom a fact ?
We can exercise our freedom in relation to the
physical universe so as to direct the powers of
nature in one course rather than another. What
we can do in a lower sphere, cannot. God do in a
higher? And if we can influence one another to

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 21

do this, may we not also influence God? We
believe that God has encouraged us to do this in
prayer ; but can philosophy prove that what is
actual in regard to our own minds and actions, is
impossible in relation to God ?

It is said there is no such force as prayer in
the natural universe, and that it is incredible that
any creature can launch at will a new agency on
the pre-arranged system of nature. We admit
there is no such physical force. Prayer is a
moral force. That there is such a force as this,
our daily experience testifies. We exert it on
one another. We do " launch at will " this agency
on society. Under its influence the mind origi-
nates new actions, and gives a new direction to
the various forces of nature. Where is the proof
that it is impossible such a moral force may influ-
ence Him who rules the universe ? We believe
He has commanded us to employ it.

There are laws seemingly irreversible, which

22 THE REASONABLENESS AND

nevertheless are resisted and modified in their
operation. What so universal as the law of
gravitation ? But see yonder majestic oak spread-
ing wide its gnarled branches. What tons of
timber have been carried up there in defiance
of gravitation ! " True — but it has all been
carried upwards, and is held there by another
physical law, — that of vegetable life." Still, here
is an instance of one law modifying the action of
another. But take another force. Thought can
defy gravitation ; mind can control matter. By
gravitation this book falls ; I think, and interpose
my hand, and arrest its descent, — 1 am stronger
than gravitation. I exercise my will, and my
arm is extended. It weighs several pounds, but
this mass of matter is moved in an instant by ray
volition. " Oh, but it is the muscles ! " And the
muscles? "They are moved by the nerves."
And the nerves ? " They are stimulated by the
brain." And the brain ? That obeys the mind !

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 23

By this outstretched arm moved by my will, I
can set going a railway-train, which may destroy
life, or I may apply the brake, and preserve many
from death. I am made in the image of God :
wherein am I like to Him ? Surely this is one
feature of resemblance, — that I have the powder
by my will to originate actions. If I then am,
in fact, able — personally or by influencing others
— so to interpose in connection with physical
laws as to avert evil w^hich would otherwise hap-
pen, is not God able to do the same ? Can I, His
feeble and imperfect likeness, do what He is
unable to do? Has He endowed me with a
faculty He does not possess? Has He shut him-
self out of His own universe ? Has He made any
laws to bind himself? Is His wise and beneficent
order a chain by which He is kept in bondage,
so that no prayer from His creatures can modify
any event, bring any desired benefit, or avert
any dreaded calamity ?

24 THE REASONABLENESS AND

It must be admitted that many who deny that
it is reasonable to expect special answers to
prayer, recommend the practice of prayer as ben-
eficial to the mind and heart of the person who
prays. We should continue to pray, though we
are not to expect what we ask. The act of
asking, not the thing we ask, will bring the
blessing. But shall we continue to ask when
we have no expectation that we shall receive?

The indirect benefits of prayer must not be
underrated. They are of the very highest value
in their influence on our spiritual nature. All
true prayer cultivates sincerity. Whatever mask
we may assume in the presence of man, it is vain
to dissemble before God. In prayer we throw
ofi" our disguises, and stand revealed in the divine
light. Thus we learn to know ourselves, — to
detect our hidden faults, — to test the real char-
acter of our motives and conduct. We learn
also our true dignity as human beings. We have

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 25

been admitted to an audience of the King of
kings, and, coming forth from His presence-cham-
ber, we are likely to feel that we are too noble
to degrade ourselves with what is sordid and
base and sinful. At the same time, we learn
humility. For, if exalted by intercourse with
God above what is degrading, we learn by con-
trast with Him our littleness, and can scarcelj^,
when we have been prostrate before our Maker,
rise up to treat with pride and scorn those with
whom we have been (ic)nfessing our unworthiness.
True courage is promoted by prayer. When we
have cast ourselves on the divine protection, and
sought help in difficulty and danger from One
so mighty to strengthen and save, we shall more
cheerfully labor at our toilsome task, — more pa-
tiently bear our daily burden, — more valiantly
resist every temptation to evil. And by prayer
will gratitude be promoted. What we have
asked from God, we shall be more likely, when

26 THE REASONABLENESS AND

we receive it, to regard as His gift. Gratitude
is an emotion always attended with pleasure in
its exercise. The value of any possession is en-
hanced by the grateful remembrance of the giver.
The common comforts of life are exalted into
divine gifts when we receive them as from God :
the humblest fare of His providing yields greater
pleasure than the costliest dainties regarded as
the mere result of accident or our own acquire-
ment. Prayer thus dignifies the lowliest as well
as the loftiest condition, and refines, elevates,
and gladdens all who hve in the habitual practice
of it.

These indirect and collateral results, because
more constant, are, on the whole, more beneficial
than the direct answers to prayer. But would
they be obtained apart from the expectation that
the thing for which we pray will be granted?
The motive of prayer is not the benefit of the
exercise, so much as the obtaining of the boon.

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 27

Did Hannah think of the benefit to her spiritual
nature when she asked for a Uttle son to conse-
crate to the Lord? She was thinking only of
the j^riceless treasure her mother's heart was
longing for. Was Hezekiah prompted by a re-
gard to the improvement of his own heart when
he appealed against Sennacherib ? He was think-
ing only of his country and Jerusalem, threatened
by the vaunting foe.

A prize is offered to the swiftest runner. " One
hundred pounds for him who first reaches the
goal ! " Several prepare to run for the prize.
They then are told that they must not expect
to get the hundred pounds, but that the race
itself and preparation for it will be more valu-
able than gold, as it will develop their muscles
and increase their strength. Who would run ?

In the old fable we read how the orchard was
dug to find hidden treasure. None was found ;
but the digging made the orchard more fruitful,

28 THE REASONABLENESS AND

and a golden crop was the result. But suppose
they who dug had been assured at the outset
that no treasure was hidden there, would they
have taken up the spade ?

You say to your child, " It is very important
that there should be constant intercourse between
us. Always come to your father or mother with
any sorrow or any wish. Do not by day and
night think about your troubles, but come at
once and tell me. Do not for days and weeks
think anxiously about something you would like
to have, and do not talk about it only to your
playmates, but come and tell me what you wish,
and ask me for it. But remember, — you will
never obtain what you ask for, nor escape the
trouble you fear, any more than if you had not
applied to us. Only by coming to us, with all
your sorrows and wishes, you will benefit your
own moral nature!"

I am ill : I send for a physician, entreating him

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 29

to come to me. I tell him my symptoms, — my
pain, — my fear. I say to him, "Doctor, you
know more of the laws of disease and of health
than I do : I do not expect you to perform a
miracle ; but I do ask you to consider carefully
my case, and to apply your knowledge of natural
laws in such a way as to relieve my pain and save
my life." The physician listens to my appeal,
undertakes my case, prescribes the suitable reme-
dies, and, without a miracle, effects a cure. By
the laws of disease, without his interposition, my
death was inevitable ; but in answer to my prayer
he saves my life. Cannot God do what the doc-
tor does ?

Your little boy is playing on the window-sill.
See, he slips! he is falling! "Father! father!"
You run to save him, and catch him in your
arms. The laws of gravitation would have killed
him; but in answer to his cry you have inter-
posed, and, without a miracle, have saved his

30 THE REASONABLENESS AND

life. Cannot God do what you can do? Are
there not occasions when we feel ourselves fall-
ing, and no help is near, and our only resource
is to cry to our Father, who has said, — " Call
upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver
thee"?

We who accept the Scriptures as the Word of
God have His own authority that the laws of
nature are not necessarily immutable. He who
was " God manifest in the flesh," — the " Word
by whom all things were made," — did not, when
He dwelt on the earth, give us to understand
that the Creator was unable to act in any man-
ner different from that order which it is His
beneficent pleasure generally to observe. He
walked on the water, — was that in accordance
with the laws of specific gravity ? He stilled the
tempest by a word, — does meteorology recognize
such a force? He cleansed the leper, he cured
the blind, by a touch, by a word, — was this in

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 31

accordance with medical experience ? " Lazarus !
come forth ! " — the dead man arose ! He him-
self arose from the grave the third day, — was
not this altogether beyond our experience of the
action of natural laws? We must believe this
greatest miracle of all if we are Christians. Our
religion is a religion of truth, but it is based on
supernatural facts. " If Christ be not risen, your
faith is vain ; " but if Christ rose from the dead,
— since He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and
for ever," — He is as able now as He was then
to act in other methods than those which are
understood as the order of nature. No one who
believes the gospel history can doubt that He to
whom we pray is still able to calm the tempest,
heal the sick, and raise the dead.

Prayer has been objected to on the ground of
its presumption. To ask for something which
would not otherwise have taken place, is regarded
as implying that we can improve the plans of the

32 THE REASONABLENESS AND

All-wise Disposer of events. Is it not absurd to
suppose we can make things better for ourselves
by prayer?

Many a metaphysical and many a theological
difficulty, which cannot be easily met by logic,
has been annihilated by the application of com-
mon-sense maxims and the experience of daily
life. So in this case. We do not deny the pre-
established order of things, and the minute fore-
knowledge which implies the actual certainty of
what is fore-known ; yet all who are not bereft
of their senses act as if they could, by prudence
and diligence, make life j^leasanter than it would
otherwise be. Does any one practically deny
this? Suppose a trader were to say, — "All
things are arranged in the best way by God. By
no efforts of mine can they be improved ; it would
be presumptuous in me to make the attempt. If
my business is to prosper, it will prosper ; and if
not, my failure will be for some good. I shall

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. . 33

not, therefore, trouble myself to collect the money
owmg me so as to meet my obligations ; and I
shall not examine the quality of the goods I am
purchasing; and I shall do nothing to secure
customers." Or another may say, — "I feel
symptoms of a disease likely to give me great
pain, and to cut short my life ; but it would be
presumption to think that by any efforts of mine
I can improve upon the arrangements of God ; so
I shall take no remedies, and consult no physi-
cian." Poor fellow ! the sooner your friends take
care of you the better ; for evidently you ought
not to be left at large ! If every one of sane
mind acts as if he considered that by his own
efforts he can make things better for himself, is it
presumption in us to think that God can make
things better for us in answer to prayer, — prayer
which He himself has encouraged us to present ?
The principal objection to prayer for direct
benefits is based on what is regarded as the uni-
3

34 THE REASONABLENESS AND

form operation of natural laws. These, we are
told, are iindeviating in their action, so that it is
unreasonable to expect answers to j^rayer which
imply any alteration in what otherwise would
have taken place. But the Bible abounds in
instances of such prayers being answered. This
subject is so interwoven wdth the entire sacred
history, tliat it is impossible to eliminate it and
treat the book apart from it. It is not accidental
to it, but essential. If the book is not to be
trusted in what it teaches respecting prayer, it is
essentially defective, and cannot be trusted as a
guide. It is impossible at the same time to rev-
erence the Bible as the Word of God and deny
the reasonableness and efficacy of prayer. If our
opponents are right, the Bible is wrong. If we
accept their pliilosophy, we cannot retain script-
ural Christianity.

Let us recall a few instances given us in the
sacred records, and notice the variety of the

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 35

cases in which prayer is said to have been effica-
cious.

Abraham prayed, and God healed Abimelech,
his wife, and her maidens ; he prayed for Sodom,
and the city would have been saved had ten
righteous men been found there. Eliezer " prayed
in his heart," and Rebekah presented herself as
Isaac's bride. Isaac " entreated the Lord for his
wife, and Rebekah conceived." Jacob wrestled
with the angel, and w^as commended as having
power with God ; he prayed, and was saved from
the wrath of Esau ; he thanked God at Bethel for
having answered his prayers. The Israelites
prayed, and the Lord heard their groaning.
Moses prayed, and the Red Sea was divided, the
manna fell, and the serpent-bitten people were
healed. Joshua prayed, and God gave him
victory at Ai. Hannah prayed, and Samuel was
born. Samson prayed, and water sprang forth
to revive him. Samuel prayed, and God thun-

36 THE REASONABLENESS AND

dered at Mizpeh. David prayed, and records his
experience, — " The righteous cry, and the Lord
heareth, and delivereth him out of all his
troubles." Solomon prayed, and God gave him
wisdom. Elijah prayed, and no rain fell during
three years and six months ; he prayed, and the
heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth
her fruit ; he prayed, and fire came down to con-
sume the sacrifice. Elisha prayed, and life
returned to the son of the Shunemite. Hezekiah
prayed, and was healed of his sickness ; he prayed,
and the army of Sennacherib was destroyed.
Daniel prayed, and he understood the dream
and the interpretation ; he prayed, and while yet
on his knees, the angel Gabriel, "being caused
to fly swiftly, touched him about the time of the
evening oblation." The people of Nineveh
prayed, and the destruction threatened was
averted. Jonah prayed, and was rescued from
the dej)ths of the sea. Nehemiah prayed, and

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 37

found favor with Artaxerxes. The Apostles
prayed to be directed in the choice of a colleague.
Peter prayed, and Tabitha arose. Cornelius
prayed, and Peter was sent to him. The church
prayed, and an angel delivered Peter from his
dungeon. Paul and Silas prayed, and an earth-
quake opened the prison doors. The Apostles
bid us "pray without ceasing," and assure us
that, " the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much." Above all, Jesus, as man,
prayed. He " continued all night in prayer."
In Gethsemane he reiterated the earnest appeal,
— '* Father, let this cup pass from me ; " and He
taught us that " men ought always to pray, and
not to faint."

Surely such examples as these, gathered from
one end of the book to the other, clearly prove
that the Bible teaches the efficacy, and, there-
fore, the reasonableness of prayer.

An apology has been made for prayer by limit-

38 THE REASONABLENESS AND

ing its sjihere of operation. There are two
spheres, — the physical and the spiritual. In the
former, the laws of nature operate with undevi-
ating regularity. Here, we are told, prayer is
ineffectual, and therefore unreasonable. But in
the latter, prayer may be offered with a reason-
able expectation of success. We may ask for
mental enlightenment, for moral aid, for sj^iritual
comfort, and we shall not ask in vain : but we
may not ask for beneiits which would involve
any intervention in the ordinary course of nature,
in regard to the weather, or health, the safety of
property, or the security and duration of life.
All will admit that there are some facts in the
natural world which are regarded as unsuitable
for prayer. But because no one, for example,
would pray that the year might be lengthened,
or the seasons changed, or the duration of life be
doubled, it does not follow that there is no place
for prayer within tlie domain of natural law. The

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 39

distinction has, we admit, been made in the sup-
posed interest of religion, — but it seems like
destroying an essential outwork to preserve the
citadel, — or, rather, like surrendering one part of
the citadel itself in order to defend the rest.

There are three replies to this theory. First
— God is equally supreme in both spheres. He
is equally able to do all things, both in the world
of matter and of mind. Secondly — The two
cannot be separated. Thoughts and emotions
influence matter. A change of opinion and feel-
ing prompts a man to act on outward things, so
as to change their condition. My appeal to a
fellow-creature may cause a Are to be extinguished
or a life to be saved. May I not then appeal to
God, who can act through mind upon matter?
Thirdly — The Bible makes no such distinction.
The cases just enumerated deal alike with the
material and the spiritual. The healing of
Abimelech, the fall of the manna, the birth of

40 THE REASONABLENESS AND

Samuel, the raising of the widow's son, were
events in the sphere of natural laws.

David was eminently a man of prayer. Beauti-
fully he describes its efficacy in Psalm cvii. Those
who wander in the wilderness cry to the Lord,
and He brings them to a city where they may
safely dwell. The sick who abhor all manner of
meat appeal to Him, and He sends His word and
heals them. The sailors, mounting to the heavens
and descending to the depths, ci-y to the Lord
in their trouble, and He bringeth them to their
desired haven. These are surely cases within
the natural sphere. Solomon prayed in the
spiritual sphere when he asked for wisdom ; but
in the exercise of that wisdom he prayed at the
consecration of the temple in reference to bene-
fits in the physical sphere, about which some of
our philosophers, and perhaps some of our theolo-
gians, would hesitate. They would not pray for
rain in times of drought, nor for health in seasons

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 41

of pestilence. In many things they may know
more than Solomon, but we prefer his wisdom
when he prays, — "when there is no rain — if
there be fimine — if there be pestilence — what
prayer and supplication soever be made by any
man, hear Thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and
forgive " (the spiritual spliere) " and do ! " (the
natural sphere).

Our Saviour gave us a comprehensive model of
prayer, which, as might be expected, chiefly relates
to the spiritual sphere. But in it is one petition
which comprehends all our temporal necessities,
of whatsoever kind, and thus encourages us to
pray in the physical sphere. " Give us this day
our daily bread." He also taught us " always to
pray and not to faint." Not many would regard
as an improvement such an emendation as " He
taught a parable to this end, that men ought
always to pray in the spiritual sphere only, and
not in the natural sphere." This is not the letter,
and we cannot accept it as the interpretation.

42 THE REASONABLENESS AND

The Apostles, whom their Lord specially
endowed to develop and teach the truths of His
kingdom, exhort us, without any such distinction,
to " pray without ceasing." There is an injunc-
tion which leaves no room for doubt on the sub-
ject. " Be careful for nothing, but in every thing,
by prayer and supplication, make your requests
known unto God." By using the same word in
both clauses, the argument is the more obvious.
" In every thing be without anxiety ; but in every
thing pray." Those things which make us anxious
are the things we are to make known to God.
What are those things ? Are they spiritual or
natural ? Is it not our estate, business, health,
life, or friends, about which we are anxious? But
in all these things, we are told to be without
care. Why ? Because we may cast our care on
God. But if these things, belonging to the natu-
ral sphere, are beyond the region of rational
prayer, the cure prescribed for care is not avail-

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 43

able ; we must still be careful or anxious about
them. But we are told not to be anxious, because
we may carry our anxieties in prayer to God ;
therefore, as the anxiety arises in the natural
sphere, and the remedy is prayer, the prayer also
is in the same natural sphere. About every thing
which may cause us anxiety, we are bidden by
divine authority to pray.

We may affirm, without hesitation, that no
such distinction as that which has been suggested
is hinted at in the Bible. A denial of the rear-
sonableness and efficacy of prayer is a denial of
Bible religion. If the Scriptures are the Word
of God, — if Christianity is divine, — we may say,
if religion, whatever its form, is any thing more
than a name, it is reasonable to pray.

That nature can contradict Christianity is
impossible, if God is the author of both. We
grant that science may contradict theology.
But it must be borne in mind that while both

44 THE REASONABLENESS AND

are occupied about what is divine, both are
themselves human, and therefore fallible. Sci-
ence is human knowledge of divine facts in
nature, and theology is human knowledge of
divine truths in revelation. Our science both
of natural facts and revealed truth may be defec-
tive, and thus contradictions may result which
only an amended science can remove. We are
apt so much to love our knowledge as to confound
it with absolute truth. If science contradicts
theology, it does not follow that nature contra-
dicts revelation. Our science of nature may be
defective. Further discoveries, a larger induc-
tion, a truer theory, will remove the discrepancy.
If not, then our science of revelation must be
mistaken. A more correct interpretation of the
book, either of nature or revelation, or both,
\\\\\ reveal the harmony which must exist between
the works and words of the one Great Author of
all truth.

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 45

Meanwhile, it is not good to be angry even
with those who may seem with malicious intent
to assail our most cherished beliefs. It was not
wise of the clown to kill the ass because it drank
the water which reflected the moon. The moon,
with calmness undisturbed, still ruled the night.
A few burning weeds may produce smoke enough
to hide the stars, but the stars are shining all the
same. It is not wise to vex and weary ourselves
by angry denunciations of the smoke, which will
soon pass off" without our labor.

Let us hope that men of science generally have
no such motive in the disproof of Christianity.
Many of them are devout believers, and while
prosecuting their investigations, on principles
l^urely scientific, do so in the full confidence that
the result will confirm and illustrate the truths
of religion. And if there should be some so hos-
tile to Christianity as to prosecute their investi-
gations in the hope of disparaging it, while we

46 THE REASONABLENESS AND

lament their spirit, we will, nevertheless, value
their labors. The bad motive will not affect
the good result, — and the result must be good,
so far as it throws fresh light on the works of
God.

There are many persons who may seem hostile
to religious truth who are not really so. They
are sceptics, but not infidels. They do not deny
and denounce the faith. But they scrutinize,
criticise, investigate it; they search beneath it
and around it ; they analyze and test it ; they put
searching questions to the defenders of it, and
demand explanations of the difficulties which
beset their reception of it. Such scepticism may
result from high intelligence earnestly seeking
the truth. It is often faith in the making. Such
sceptics may become the soundest believers. Let
us not then be angry at objections which may
result, not from hatred, but love of religion. Per-
haps they are urged in hope that they will be

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 47

refuted. Many j^ersons lament that they cannot
receive the truth in the simplicity of children.
They regard with envy the humble believer who
derives peace and joy from a firm reliance upon
the God of the Bible. Instead of desiring to
shake, they would give all they possess to share
such faith. Well I remember an aged unbeliever
saying, at the death-bed of a former companion
who w^as rejoicing in hope through Christ, "I
would give all the world to feel as you feel." He
did so eventually, and himself died happy in the
faith of Christ. Let us then encourage rather
than repress the utterance of doubt. Better that
it be fepoken and refuted than hidden and matured.
If a young man appeals to his minister or his
parents for an explanation of a difficulty, or even
if he appears in the attitude of an assailant of the
faith, it is most unwise to meet him with a frown,
and reply with a reproof Far better for him to
be mentally alive and to be inquiring about sub-

48 THE REASONABLENESS AND

jects of supreme importance, though as yet uncon-
vinced, than to be absorbed in the greedy quest
for gold, or the frivolous pursuit of pleasure.
That question which sounds so sceptical may be
the birth-cry of struggling belief God grant
that if any are urging objections in honest doubt
they may in some measure have those objections
met by these plain words on the reasonableness
of prayer.

Another objection urged against prayer is, that
its being answered implies a change in God. If
He has wisely determined what to do, and then
changes His determination in answer to prayer,
it would show that He is not " without variable-
ness," and that His first and His second purj^oses
could not both have been the best.

But may there not be an unchanged purpose
with changed methods ? A sailor wishes to reach
Liverpool from New York. Suppose with chang-
ing winds he should keep the same tack, and

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 49

never alter the ship's course, — would he reach
his port? Because his purpose is fixed, his
methods must change. What is the difference
between the quack doctor and the skilful physi-
cian ? The former gives the same medicine to
differing patients, and continues to give it to the
same patient however his symptoms vary. He
does not change. But the skilful physician, with
a fixed purpose, changes his methods according
to the condition of his patient.

A parent has a philosophical child who says,
"My father and mother have made all their plans
for my training. It would be presumjjtion in me
to suggest any alteration ; therefore, I will ask
nothing from them." Parents would not like
this. The house would be dull when the children
never went to the parent for help in difiiculty,
comfort in trouble, and the supply of some real
or supposed want. Desiring the expression of
the child's wishes and confidence, the parent
4

50 THE REASONABLENESS AND

might resolve to change his treatment, so that the
child might be led to consider that it would per-
haps be for its advantage to offer some request.
But we will not pursue this illustration. There
never were such philosophical children. They
must grow older before they attain this wisdom.
But there are disobedient children ; and if you are
wise parents, with unchanged love, you alter your
treatment, you give no tender word of endear-
ment, no kind caress. Your object is soon gained.
The child can bear no longer the seeming es-
trangement, but comes with tears of genuine
contrition and begs forgiveness. Then you take
that child to your arms and cover its cheek with
kisses, and make it soon forget your displeasure.
You alter your method with your child according
to its altering moods, because you do not alter in
your loving purpose to promote its welfare.

So afflictions are a needful discipline. Sorrows
are sent or permitted for our welfare ; and when

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 51

we pray with submission, — when we come to
our Father with j^enitence and submissiveness of
spirit, asking succor from Him, — this may be
the very state of mind which alone was needed
to render the bestowment of the boon a blessing
indeed. To withhold it in the absence of such
prayer, and to give it in response, may be equally
wise and equally kind. The constancy of our
heavenly Fathei's love is illustrated rather than
disparaged by such changes in the treatment of
His children. The sun's rays are always shin-
ing in lines of perfect rectitude. They do not
vary in their direction ; in them there are no
deflections. But we are not always within the
line of the light, and prayer brings us into the
range. It was no change in God bat in the peo-
ple who repented, when they heard the warning,
— " Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be de-
stroyed." It has been well observed that it was
as though one said, — "Yet forty steps, and you

52 THE REASONABLENESS AND

will fall over the precipice." But if the forty
steps are not taken, the precipice is escaped. " O
wicked man, thou shalt surely die." But if the
wicked man forsakes his wickedness, he shall
surely live and not die. This is a change, not in
God, but in the sinner.

O men of science ! all honor to you in your
own sphere. Show us the I5eauty, the wasdom,
the beneficence of God, by showing us the order
that pervades His works. But do not shut Him
out of His own universe. Do not say that your
experiments wdth microscope and telescoj)e in-
clude all the facts of the universe, when the facts
of Christianity and the facts of consciousness are
not within yom* induction. These are facts
which are incapable of being subjected to scien-
tific scrutiny. God will not, at your bidding,
come into your crucible, cross the field of your
telescope, or enter the wing of some hospital
which you may choose to designate for experi-

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 53

meriting upon the Almighty. " There are a
thousand things in heaven and earth not dreamt
of in your philosophy^"*

To use the beautiful words of Tennyson, —

" More things are wrought by prayer than this world
dreams of ;
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer,
Both for themselves and those who call them friends ?
For so the whole round wt>i4d-is every way /'-l-v^C-^^

Bound by gold chains around the throne of God."

Yes ! what better than sheep and goats if we
do not pray ? But why pray, if, like sheep and
goats, we are subjected to the irresistible action
of physical laws ? Why pray if we are but as so
many sparrows flitting our little life from tree to
tree, with no intelligent loving guardianship from
One who is above nature ? He has said, " Ye are
of more value than many sparrows." Yet even
the sparrows are the objects of His care. They

54 THE REASONABLENESS AND

fall, but not one of them falls unnoticed by our
Father. Much more does He watch over us !

O the difference between Christianity and the
philosophy which puts us on a level with sheep
and goats and sparrows, — which even reduces
us to the condition of inorganic atoms, — which
tells us that equally with every drop of water and
every grain of sand we are the helpless victims
of mere physical forces, which, irrespective of any
wishes and prayers of ours, must have their sway,
whether in the process we be crowned or crushed.
You may boast your superior endowments, —
your intellect, genius, will, — but exalted as you
may be above the film of dust that settles on
your hand, you are equally wdth it in the grasp
of an iron necessity, from which you cannot
escape, and with which there is no God to inter-
fere. O the difference between such a represen-
tation of humanity and that which says, " You
are all the children of the Most Hisjh. However

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 55

poor, helpless, obscure, you are equally with the
ricli and the great the objects of His loving care.
There is not a lonely wanderer unwatched by
Him. There is not a sufferer to whose cries He
does not listen. There is not a little child to
whose voice He does not bend His ear. He is
mightier than the mighty waves of the sea. The
stormy wind is His servant fulfilling His word.
The sun and stars shine at His command. The
universe obeys His bidding. To Him all things
are possible. And He is Love. He watches
over His children; He listens to their prayers ;
He delights to do them good ; they are precious
in His esteem ; the very hairs of their head are all
numbered ; and in all things by prayer and suppli-
cation they may make their requests known to
Him." Which of these philosophies does the
human heart feel to be most in accordance with
its nature, its wants, its yearnings ?

Prayer is a natural instinct. Arguments against

56 THE REASONABLENESS AND

it may be multiplied a hundred-fold, but nature
will ever be stronger than logic. To the end of
time objections, though unanswered, will be
powerless to prevent prayer. Every child begins
life with prayer. The parent is in the place oi
God to it. By its infxnt cries, by the motion of
its little hands, by its look of fear, or desire, or
love, it prnys. And the parent delights in the
expression of the child's dependence and confi-
dence. How promptly the father flies to the
succor of his imperilled boy. How the mother
folds to her breast, with fresh endearments, the
babe whose cry is its prayer for comfort. And
God, who created the parental and filial instinct,
bids us from what is human conceive of what is
divine. It is not a mere figure of speech when
we are told, " Like as a father pitieth His children
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." " As
one whom his mother comforteth, so will I com-
fort you." From our earliest infancy we are pre-

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 57

pared to respond to the voice of our Father in
heaven. " Call upon me in the day of trouble
and I will deliver you."

Even those who know not the happiness of a
life of habitual prayer betake themselves to it as
a refuge in sudden and great calamities. When
bending beneath some overwhelming sorrow,
trembling in view of some enormous and impend-
ing danger, the most irreligious pray. Whole
nations have suspended their pleasures and their
toils to bend the knee to God. Infidelity itself
often gives way under pressure.

" But is there proof in mere desire
For that to which my hopes aspire 1
May I thus trust my nature weak 1 '

'Tis God in thee doth speak !
From God that heavenly instinct came:
He wrote on thee His holy name.
That conscious need, those yearnings strong,

He gave, and will not wrong."

What a dull, insupportable life would this be
to multitudes, if they could not pour^

JUlL ^

58 THE REASONABLENESS AND

sorrows into the ear of One who they believe
listens to their supplications, and is able and will-
ing to help them! How many there are who
would faint under the burden of their trials, who
could no longer prosecute their weary task, who
"Would be utterly unfit to cope with their daily
difficulties, but for the comfort they find in prayer !
Shall they be robbed of this comfort? Yonder
is a mother who has just parted from her only
son. She stood on the pier watching the waving
of his handkerchief till tears blinded her eyes,
and the vessel was lost in the distance, — now
with bursting heart she seeks her chamber, and
with earnest cries beseeches Him, who is the
Lord of the ocean, to give charge to the winds
and waves respecting her son. " Foolish woman !
don't you know that the winds and weaves are
subjected to the irresistible action of physical
law?" There was a little girl in the speaker's
Sunday school, who w^as overheard the other

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 59

day praying thus : " O God, make me a good girl,
and bless father and mother ; and do please send
father a little work soon." Silly child ! don't you
know that work and wages are under the control
of the laws of suj^ply and demand, and are beyond
the sphere of prayer?

Alas! for the lonely wanderers in crowded
cities; alas! for the exile far from home; alas!
for the broken-hearted to w^hom life has no more
charm; alas! for the injured struggling against
wrong; alas! for the tempted, fighting the fierce
fight for honesty and virtue and truth ; alas ! for
the bereaved; alas! for the sick; alas! for the
poor, if they may not take their sorrows to God,
and expect help and comfort from above. And
alas ! too, for many in seeming prosperity whose
wealth and position cannot satisfy the craving of
their souls; and alas! for many of our greatest
merchants, and lawyers, and physicians, and
statesmen, who feel they could not perform their

60 THE REASONABLENESS AND

responsible duties, but must give way under the
pressure, but for the thought derived from
prayer ! Without this solace, how many a great
intellect Avould fail, — how many a valuable life
would prematurely close !

" O Thou who driest the mourner's tear,
How dark this world would be,
If, pierced by sin and sorrow here,
We could not fly to Thee !

" When joy no longer sootiies or cheers,

And e'en the hope that tlirew

A moment's sparkle o'er our tears,

Is dimmed and vanished too ;

" 0, who could brave life's stormy doom.
Did not Tiiy wing of love
Come brightly wafting through the gloom.
Our prayer-branch from above.

" Then sorrow, touched by Thee, grows bright
With more than rapture's ray ;
As darkness shows us worlds of light,
We never saw by day."

— T. MOOBE.

We do not always obtain just what we ask;

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 61

but we pray to One who, we believe, is able to
give us any thing. His ability, however, is di-
rected by wisdom and love. We cannot judge
of what is absolutely best, whether as regards the
universe at large, or our own personal interests.
But we may be sure He always hears us, though
we may not see how the answer comes. We
cannot pray without deriving some benefit. We
are sure to be benefited indirectly by the influ-
ence of such prayer on ourselves ; we may also
obtain, if not what we ask, something better.
We may receive a blessing even in what seems a
contradiction to our prayers ; but we may expect,
and we often do receive, the actual granting of
our requests. Why should not prayer be an-
swered as literally now as in the days of old ?
Is not God the same loving Father? Has His
ear become heavy that it cannot hear, — His arm
shortened that it cannot save ? The history of
the church abounds in illustrations of the efli-

62 THE REASONABLENESS AND

cacy of prayer. Every one who has lived a few
years in its exercise possesses personal proofs of
its power.

If the preceding arguments do not carry con-
viction to the sceptic, illustrations will be of little
value ; but they may confirm the faith of those
who already believe. For this purpose I refer to
a few facts which have come under my own
knowledge. It would be easy to cull from histo-
ries and biographies incidents of a much more
striking nature; but those with which one is
personally acquainted more powerfully impress
the mind, though in themselves they may possess
inferior interest.

On a recent evangelizing visit to Newport, one
of its citizens said to me : " In yonder house dwell
a man and his wife who recently needed a sum
of £30 to meet some payment the next morning.
Having failed in their efforts to collect it, they
earnestly prayed God to provide it. The store

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 63

was being closed for the night when a sea-cap-
tain knocked at the door and asked for some
seamen's clothes. The gas was relighted and
various articles were selected ; the purchaser then
asked for the account, and the money was paid, —
a little more than £30." "A lucky accident?"
The man and his wife thanked their heavenly
Father for sending it in answer to prayer.

Another house was shown me. "In yonder
room lies the body of a young woman, who,
though near to death, seemed unprepared. Her
friends set apart Saturday evening for special
jjrayer. Next morning, to one who visited her,
she said : ' Oh, I see it all now ! I see what a
poor guilty sinner I am ! but I can trust in Jesus
as my Saviour, and I am not afraid to die ! ' On
being asked how and when she began to feel
this, she replied : ' Last evening it seemed to
come to me, and I understood all you had said
to me!'" Those friends regarded this as an
encouragement still to pray.

64 THE REASONABLENESS AND

Not many months ago, I was visiting on his
dying bed John Cranfield, son of the South wark
tailor, who was the originator of ragged schools,
under the ministry of Rowland Hill. We were
conversing on prayer. He said : " A remarkable
instance occurred in connection with my fjither.
The former organist of Surrey Chapel, Mr.
Heward, was dangerously ill. He was greatly
beloved, and his friends met for special prayer
that God would spare his life. My father on that
occasion was remarkably earnest in asking that
the life of his friend might be lengthened, as in
the case of Hezekiah. The next day he began to
recover ; and during fifteen years was a blessing
to his friends and the church."

My brother told me that when superintendent
of a Sunday school he felt a strong impulse, one
Saturday evening, to call at the house of one of
the teachers, whom he had never visited before.
He found his mother and sisters in such evident

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 65

distress that he inquired the cause. With much
reluctance they exj^lained that, being unable to
pay their taxes their goods were to be taken on
the coming Monday, and they had been asking
S]3ecial help from God to save them from a dis-
aster which they felt would be a dishonor to
religion. By the aid of a few friends the diffi-
culty was at once met, — but the timely succor
was regarded as the divine response to prayer.

With that brother I was once climbing the
Cima di Jazzi, one of the mountains in the chain
of Mount Rosa. When nearly at the top, we
entered a dense fog. Presently our guides faced
right about and grounded their axes on the fro-
zen snow slope. My brother, seeing the slope
still beyond, and not knowing it was merely the
cornice, overhanging a precijDice of several thou-
sand feet, rushed onward. I shall never forget
their cry of agonized warning. He stood a
moment on the very summit, and then, the snow
5

66 THE REASONABLENESS AND

yielding, he began to ftxll through. One of the
guides, at great risk, had rushed after him, and,
seizing him by the coat, drew him down to a
place of safety. No one could be nearer death
and yet escape. On his return home, an invalid
member of his congregation told him that she
had been much in prayer for his safety, and men-
tioned a sjDCcial time when she particularly was
earnest, as if imploring deliverance from some
great peril. The times corresponded. Was not
that prayer instrumental in preserving that life ?

Whilst preparing these pages, a clergyman of
great scholarship and genius has told me of a
remarkable answer to prayer, authenticated by
three missionaries known to himself, who are
personally acquainted with the facts. A Prus-
sian, the master of a hotel in India, was anxious
to relinquish his large income, and labor as a
missionary among the Santil tribes. Objection
was made to him on account of an impediment

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 67

in his speech, which woiUd render him, in speak-
ing a foreign language, incajjable of being under-
stood. Believing in the efficacy of prayer, he
called together his friends specially to ask that
his impediment might be removed. The next
morning he presented himself again at the Mis-
sion House, — the impediment had gone : he was
accepted, relinquislied his business, and is now
preaching the gospel to the Santils in their own
tongue. Why should those who believe the
narrative of the Acts of the Apostles regard such
a statement as incredible ?

My father, the author of the " Sinners' Friend,"
narrates in liis Autobiography a circumstance
which he often used to speak of with great emo-
tion. My mother was very ill, and apparently
dying. The doctor said that now, if at all, the
children might be brought for her to look at them
once more. One by one we were brought to the
bed-side, and her hand was placed on our heads.

68 THE REASONABLENESS AND

Then my father bade her farewell, and she lay
motionless, as if soon to breathe her last. He
then said to himself, " There is yet one promise
I have not pleaded, — ' If ye ask any thing in my
name I will do it.' " He stepped aside, and in an
agony of soul exclaimed, " O Lord, for the honor
of thy dear Son, give me the life of my wife ! "
He could say no more, and sank down exhausted.
Just then the nurse called him to the bedside
saying, — " She has opened her mouth again, as if
for food." Nourishment was given, and from
that time she began to recover. The doctor said
it was miraculous. My father said it was God
who heard the prayer of His sorrowing servant.
During fifty years that mother was spared to her
family, and then passed away, surrounded by
children and grandchildren, to whom her example
and prayers had been an invaluable blessing, her
hands held by two sons, w^ho owe whatever they
are enabled to do in the ministry to her influ-
ence.

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 69

But we must pause in such narrations. Facts
abound in every one's exj^erience. We Avill not
give up praying, for all that some philosophers
may say. Give up prayer ? Prayer is the pillar
of cloud, beneath the shadow of which we march
with vigor along a wilderness whose sultry heat
would else be intolerable. Prayer is the pillar of
fire, in the light of which we will sing songs of
gladness in the valley whose darkness would else
appal and vanquish us. Prayer is the golden
causeway uniting earth to heaven, by which
angels ascend and descend bearing rich blessings
in response. Prayer is a telegraphic wire stretch-
ing from the heart to the throne of God ; and
often are there times, whether or not there is an
outward answer, when we feel the thrill within us
of heaven's responsive vibrations, and are ready
to say, — " Yerily God hath heard me : He hath
attended to the voice of my supplication. Because
He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will
I call upon Him as long as I live."

70 THE REASONABLENESS AND

Alas ! how much they lose who do not pray !
How heavy the burden of sorrow when it is not
thus lightened ! How dark, and lonely, and sad
the path in which we have not for our companion
and guide the hearer of prayer !

But how shall they who never truly prayed,
begin ? As the 23ublican, when he smote upon
his breast saying, " God be merciful to me a sin-
ner ! " Without waiting for correct views of
theology, — without waiting to have every doubt
removed and every difficulty explained, — with-
out waiting to feel as much sorrow for sin as
others have expressed, or as, you are convinced,
ought to be felt by yourself, — without comparing
yourself with others as being either better or
worse ; but simply as a sinner needing mercy,
apply to the merciful Father who waits to wel-
come His wandering children. Pray in the name
of that Saviour who said, "Him that cometh
unto me, I will in no wise cast out."

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 71

Then bring to Him all your sorrows and all
your desires. But ever, chief of all, ask Him to
deliver you from sin, the great adversary of the
soul. Let us be encouraged by that parable of
marvellously compressed logical force, in which
our Lord taught His disciples " always to pray
and not to faint."

There was in a city a magistrate whose office
was to protect the weak against injustice and
violence. But he cared neither for the authority
of God nor the opinion of men. There was a
widow in that city, — poor, solitary, friendless.
She was suffering injury from some enemy whom
she was powerless to resist. So she went to the
magistrate for protection, saying, — " Avenge me
of mine adversary : save me from my oppressor."
For some time the magistrate paid no attention
to her request. But she went to him again and
again, until he was weary with her importunity,
and said to himself, " Though I fear not God, nor

72 THE REASONABLENESS AND

regard man, yet because this widow troubleth
me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual com-
ing she weary me." And Jesus said, " Hear what
the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge
his own elect, which cry day and night unto Him,
though He bear long with them ? I tell you that
He will avenge them speedily."

This is an argument, not of comparison, but of
contrast. Because God is so unlike the unjust
judge in character, and because His elect are so
Tinlike the widow in condition, He will much
more listen to them. There is a double contrast.
The first is between the judge and God. The
judge was unjust, disregarding all the claims of
righteousness, violating his word, neglecting his
duties, profaning his office. Yet he helped the
woman. How much more will prayer be answered
by God, who is righteous and true, whose province
it is to help the needy, who has promised succor
to those who seek it, and. who must ever be faith-

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 73

ful to His word. The judge was unmerciful as
well as unjust. He regarded his own ease alone.
Even when he granted the widow's request it
was from a selfish motive. Yet he granted it.
How much more will supplicants be answered by
Him who is a tender Father, and who delighteth
in mercy ?

There is also a contrast between the widow
and God's elect. The widow was evidently poor,
friendless, and of no worldly rank. Yet she
gained her request. How much more will God
help His own elect, the aristocracy of the uni-
verse, His " kings and priests," the " sons and
daughters of the Lord God Almighty ! " The
widow was answered in a cause which had inter-
est for herself alone. What cared the judge for
her adversary? But God's elect appeal to Him
in a cause in which He himself is deeply inter-
ested, for their adversary is His also, their deliv-
erance is His honor, their safety is the safety of

74 EFFICACY OF PRAYER.

His own possession, their deliverance is the vin-
dication of His own honor. The widow applied
to the judge without invitation, — how much
more will they be heard who are invited and
commanded to pray by God himself? The
widow presented a petition drawn up by herself,
— but God's elect take petitions which He has
inspired and recorded for their use. Will He not
accept the prayers He himself has promj^ted ?
The widow was answered, though she stood alone
in the presence of the judge. And will not God
avenge His own elect, who never plead alone, but
at whose side there standeth the well-beloved
Son of God, who ever liveth to make interces-
sion, and whom the Father heareth always !

He knows what goes on in the court of heaven,
for He dwells there. And He it is who taught
us " always to pray and not to faint."

Cambridge: Press of John Wilson & Son.

Date Due

J