One trustworthy officer of the church testified that his child had wandered away from the railroad station while he was asleep on the bench, and that he could not find her after an all-night search. He prayed at his family prayers, asking the Lord in sobs to protect and return his child. He said that an impression as strong as a voice insisted in his mind that he ought to search in some freight yards across the river. The yards were one mile from the station. He told his friends how he felt and insisted that he would go to the yards and search. There he found his starving child under an old fallen fence. He never could discover any satisfactory solution of the mystery of her presence in the railroad yards. She must have toddled the whole mile among vehicles in the night. He has firmly believed in guardian angels ever since that day.
There were numerous cases told of mental impressions made upon children away from home by the influence of a mother"s prayer. To all of these incidents the skeptic will a.s.sert that, though there be millions of cases where men and women "happened to think" of the person praying at the moment the prayer was offered, it would not be conclusive proof that the thought was suggested by the prayer or in answer to it. But this suggestion presents other cases wherein it is far more difficult to disbelieve than it is to believe. The weight of evidence is almost overwhelmingly on the side of the Christian believer.
The belief that G.o.d will so adjust his providences as to bring to a person friends, weather, business, health, and domestic peace in answer to the prayer of some insistent friend is almost universal. General Garibaldi stated that he found that his belief in the efficacy of his mother"s prayers in securing protection of his life when in danger was accepted by all his friends as a statement which at least might be realized. The common-sense view that where a theory cannot be subjected to proof either way it surely is wisest to believe in that view which has the strongest influence for good on the life and usefulness of the believer. What a man believeth, as well as what he thinketh, determines what he is. He who believes in the efficacy of his father"s or mother"s prayers lives a n.o.bler life than the skeptic. The sincere trusting heart which believes that the Christ is the Son of G.o.d, and that man is under the oversight of a loving heavenly Father, is nearer the highest standard of human perfection than is the unstable and reckless man who claims that all things exist by chance.
The friend who sincerely prays for you is a friend who would sacrifice most for you in case of need. Two lovers, separated far and praying long for each other, is an exhibition of the truest, sweetest love. It is, also, the best test of G.o.d"s disposition to heed the requests of his children. No prayer for another can be felt to be effective which is not inspired more or less by real love. The loving heart is a large part of a great previous character. He or she has an intercessory disposition--an intrinsic tendency toward doing good, and that, with a strong, clean mind, makes a true Christian. Such men are grateful to those who pray for them, and are impelled to pray for others. These are some of the reasons given by Christians why people ought always to pray.
Chapter VII
Forms of Prayer
It appears that the extremest ritualist does not feel wholly bound to his prayer book. The people exercise great liberty in the choice of words or postures when they go to Christ in anxious prayer. Appropriate forms are reasonably sought for varying occasions, and some of the forms of prayer which are venerable for age and sublimity are reverenced and adopted because so often they best express the heart"s sincere desire.
The Lord"s Prayer is recited with profit in a formal church service, but is seldom recited in time of extreme need. During the earthquake at San Francisco no one was known to have repeated the Lord"s Prayer. Christ directed his disciples to pray "after that manner," and the spirit of that prayer, as well as the divine ideas or principles it contains, are applicable everywhere.
But the exact words in English are not adjustable to every occasion. Men in earnest ask for what they need in their own words and in their own way. The effectual and fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much because it is fervent and righteous. To be in every way right, and then to add the inspiration or fire or fervency, are conditions which only the righteous can fill. But, happily, the sinner is not required to be right in all things before his prayer is heard. The stately dignity and beautiful phraseology of the Catholic churches, the impressive forms of the old English ritual, or the simple appeal of the mission worker are all alike acceptable to G.o.d when they are the expression of real heart worship or of a call for relief in some actual need.
In the worship at the Baptist Temple there has been no form of prayer in which the people so sincerely and so generally joined as in the prayers found in some of the hymns. A study of the human or apparent agencies which may have had some influence does not fully account for the spirit of prayer which some hymns awaken. A cool and a.n.a.lytical examination of this subject was made by the preacher one Sabbath morning for the purpose of recording it here. A relation of the plain facts, without using the circ.u.mstances to establish any sectarian theory, will most clearly set out the case before the impartial critic. The hymn chosen that morning for the opening of the service was selected chiefly because it is a prayer. The three verses are as follows:
FATHER, WHATE"ER OF EARTHLY BLISS
Father, whate"er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, Accepted at thy throne of grace, Let this pet.i.tion rise:
Give me a calm, a thankful heart, From every murmur free; The blessings of thy grace impart, And make me live to thee.
Let the sweet hope that thou art mine My life and death attend, Thy presence through my journey shine, And crown my journey"s end.
The people were everywhere in motion. Some were coming in, some were standing near the doors, some were talking in low voices in the rear of the deep gallery, and many were arranging for their wraps or hats, while all, in the freedom of the social atmosphere ever prevailing there, were smilingly nodding to acquaintances or searching for hymn books. The opening chorus of the Children"s Church, at their regular service, in the lower hall, could be indistinctly heard. The painful and awkward silence which embarra.s.ses and chills the incoming worshiper in some churches was altogether absent that morning. The preacher began to read the hymn without waiting for silence or attention. He simply remarked, "Let us sincerely and intelligently use this old hymn for our opening prayer." The congregation arose while the organist played a sweet, tender prelude, giving the impression that the organ itself was praying.
A fair-haired child, kneeling in a snow-white night robe, lisping its evening prayer, was suggested to hundreds by the worshipful music. The well-trained religious chorus began to sing with devotion and unity and opened the prayer with the harmonious call, "Father!" The congregation instinctively raised their eyes toward heaven. Then all came strongly into the hymn with the pet.i.tion:
"Father, whate"er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, Accepted at thy throne of grace, Let this pet.i.tion rise:
"Give me a calm, a thankful heart, From every murmur free; The blessings of thy grace impart, And make me live to thee."
There was a single strain of an interlude and then the solemn prayer was entered upon with an unction and appreciation that thrilled every soul in the great audience:
"Let the sweet hope that thou art mine My life and death attend, Thy presence through my journey shine, _And crown my journey"s end_."
Then came a pause, and with a magnificent volume of sound the emphatic "Amen!" confirmed the earnestness of the prayer. That was a real prayer!
The holiness of the spirit of worship had taken possession of the whole congregation. All were interested in the reading of the Bible, and when the notices were being read a most saintly old deacon sent up a slip of paper to the preacher on which were written these words--"Pastor, please give us another prayer for the next hymn!" The pastor read the note to the people without comment, and looked over the hymn book for another prayer, when his eyes fell on the following hymn:
JESUS, I MY CROSS HAVE TAKEN
Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow thee; Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be: Perish every fond ambition, All I"ve sought, and hop"d, and known; Yet how rich is my condition, G.o.d and heav"n are still my own!
Let the world despise and leave me, They have left my Saviour, too; Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like man, untrue; And, while thou shalt smile upon me, G.o.d of wisdom, love, and might, Foes may hate and friends may shun me; Show thy face, and all is bright.
Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In thy service, pain is pleasure; With thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called thee, "Abba, Father"; I have stayed my heart on thee, Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, All must work for good to me.
Man and trouble may distress me, "Twill but drive me to thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me, Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, "tis not in grief to harm me While thy love is left to me; Oh, "twere not in joy to charm me Were that joy unmixed with thee.
Know, my soul, thy full salvation; Rise o"er sin, and fear, and care; Joy to find in every station Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee; What a Father"s smile is thine; What a Saviour died to win thee: Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?
Haste thee on from grace to glory, Armed by faith and winged by prayer; Heaven"s eternal day"s before thee, G.o.d"s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, Swift shall pa.s.s thy pilgrim days, Hope shall change to glad fruition, Faith to sight and prayer to praise.
Oh, pity the seekers after G.o.d who go to a house of prayer to be provoked and hara.s.sed by the performance of some gymnastic performance in acoustics, by some professional entertainer of theatrical audiences.
Pity, indeed, the devout soul pleading for comfort in some deep sorrow whose sore heart is wrenched and bruised by the discordant attempts to leap, catlike, from shelf to shelf, up and down the musical scale. Pity the overtempted contrite sinner who enters to pray for the strength to keep his resolution to reform and finds himself in a sham ceremonial which introduces the inartistic performers who almost force him to do worse.
The extremely cultivated voice which seeks a prize exhibition of varied tones, or the extremely crude egotism of the community singer who ties himself in squirming knots as he yells the sacred and pathetic hymns which were written for the deep devotions of a broken heart are both sacrilegious and disgraceful. Pity the congregation who, after wasting a most precious hour inside, hasten out, discussing along the street the wonders of the wild musical exhibition, and forgetting that they went in to worship.
When the hymn we mentioned above was announced and read deliberately the preacher said, feelingly, "Let us pray!" The prayer in that hymn was used by all. As they sang, their faces flushed. Old men shed tears, and the preacher decided, before the last verse was sung, to take for his theme the last two lines:
Hope shall change to glad fruition, Faith to sight and _prayer to praise_.
One could almost catch the gleam of the glories that John saw at Patmos.
The place was a Bethel to all the a.s.sembly. All were glad they were marching on to Zion, and praised G.o.d with all their hearts for his promise of a home in that land where there is no night. The deep, soul-filled joy of the morning worship carried good cheer, hope, and courage into a thousand homes and made the week"s labors enjoyable and prosperous.
In choosing the form of prayer the temperament and state of health of the worshiper may be an important consideration. But whether in hymns or psalms or gestures, the call must be earnestly sincere. When the formal, monotonous recitations of the customary Church rituals are recalled it becomes a marvel that the Church survives the pious hypocrisy and sacrilegious indifference of the Church pulpits and altars. The pulpit is seen by all and the words and tones of the preacher are heard by all; the place is the most conspicuous in the church life; and if the action or the ceremony is hypocritical or careless there, then the whole church is permeated by the same spirit. The form of expression must be a secondary consideration in all prayer, while appropriateness and custom have rightfully an influence on the pet.i.tion. Yet the essential thing is in the natural cry of a needy soul. Prayer, as a public function, should be a stimulant or an instructor leading the individuals in the congregation to pray by and for themselves. The people must pray. The need of this was apparent in many of the requests made for prayer at the Temple in Philadelphia. "Lord, teach us to pray," is ever the appeal of the religious ma.s.ses. The union of two or three in concerted prayer for a definite thing was very effective. The observation of the same hour by many people has often developed a deep religious life and secured practical results. The testimony of one active business man exhibited triumphantly the use of continuous prayer and may serve as a comprehensive ill.u.s.tration. He wrote:
I fought it out with myself, knowing the Lord Christ would work with me. When I awoke in the morning I thanked G.o.d for shelter and sleep. Then I began to pray for the least things of my morning preparations--my clothes, my bath, my comb and brush, my articles used in any way. I thanked G.o.d for, and prayed for, the continuance of his kindness. I managed to keep in a state of prayer at the breakfast table. I prayed for instruction in purchasing the necessities of the home. I prayed as I left my door. I prayed along the street for wisdom to transact business. I prayed for the persons I met on my way. I prayed for the clerks, for the customers, for thoughts, for words, for farsightedness, for a contented disposition consistent with activity. If I wrote a letter I asked the Lord to aid me in the writing and to protect the letter on to its delivery. I did not speak aloud or tell people I was praying. I kept the Lord constantly in mind. I had some discouraging experiences with myself, but I kept pursuing the idea.
At last it grew easy and enjoyable. It was in every way a success.
I did not waste my money. I did not carelessly destroy articles I used. I did not overeat. I did not get angry with my employees. I felt a real interest in the welfare of others. I did my best and left all to G.o.d. It is now a settled habit. My health is almost perfect. Before I began to pray I was asthmatic and gouty. If this has anything boastful about it, the Lord forgive me. But in the request for my experience you insisted on "frankness in all accounts."
Whether it be possible for all to reach that prayerful condition and retain it permanently cannot be denied or a.s.serted infallibly. But it is evident that but few reach it. The exhortation that is appropriate here appears to be to urge an honest effort to get as near to that devotional condition as possible and to hold all the ground we do gain.