But all this conducts us, naturally and simply, to another of those moral conditions at which we have been glancing in this series of papers. Let us turn for a moment to the opening lines of Luke xviii.
"And He spake a parable unto them to this end, _that men ought always to pray, and not to faint_: saying, "There was in a city a judge, which feared not G.o.d, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not G.o.d, nor regard man, yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not G.o.d 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."" (Ver. I-8.)
Here, then, we have pressed upon our attention the important moral condition of _perseverance_. "Men ought _always_ to pray, and _not to faint_." This is intimately connected with the definiteness and importunity to which we have already referred. We want a certain thing; we cannot do without it. We importunately, unitedly, believingly, and perseveringly wait on our G.o.d until He graciously send an answer, as He most a.s.suredly will, if the moral basis and the moral conditions be duly maintained.
_But we must persevere._ We must not faint, and give up, though the answer does not come as speedily as we might expect. It may please G.o.d to exercise our souls by keeping us waiting on Him for days, months, or perhaps years. The exercise is good. It is morally healthful; it tends to make us real; it brings us down to the roots of things. Look, for example, at Daniel. He was kept for "three full weeks" waiting on G.o.d, in profound exercise of soul. "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three full weeks were fulfilled."
All this was good for Daniel. There was deep blessing in the spiritual exercises through which this beloved and honored servant of G.o.d was called to pa.s.s during those three weeks. And what is specially worthy of note is, that the answer to Daniel"s cry had been despatched from the throne of G.o.d at the very beginning of his exercise, as we read at verse 12, "Then said he unto me, "Fear not Daniel; for _from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy G.o.d, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words_.
But"--how marvelous and mysterious is this!--"the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days."
All this is full of interest. Here was the beloved servant of G.o.d mourning, chastening himself, and waiting upon G.o.d. The angelic messenger was on his way with the answer. The enemy was permitted to hinder; but Daniel continued to wait: he prayed, and fainted not; and in due time the answer came.
Is there no lesson here for us? Most a.s.suredly there is. We, too, may have to wait long in the holy att.i.tude of expectancy, and in the spirit of prayer; but we shall find the time of waiting most profitable for our souls. Very often our G.o.d, in His wise and faithful dealing with us, sees fit to withhold the answer, simply to prove us as to the reality of our prayers. The grand point for us is, to have an object laid upon our hearts by the Holy Ghost--an object as to which we can lay the finger of faith upon some distinct promise in the Word, and to persevere in prayer until we get what we want. "Praying _always_ with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and _watching_ thereunto _with all perseverance_ and supplication for all saints." (Eph. vi. 18.)
All this demands our serious consideration. We are as sadly deficient in perseverance as we are in definiteness and importunity. Hence the feebleness of our prayers and the coldness of our prayer-meetings. We do not come together with a definite object, and hence we are not importunate, and we do not persevere. In short, our prayer-meetings are often nothing but a dull routine--a cold, mechanical service--something to be gone through--a wearisome alternation of hymn and prayer, hymn and prayer, causing the spirit to groan beneath the heavy burden of mere profitless bodily exercise.
We speak plainly and strongly: we speak as we feel. We must be permitted to speak without reserve. We call upon the whole Church of G.o.d, far and wide, to look this great question straight in the face--to look to G.o.d about it--to judge themselves about it. Do we not feel the lack of power in all our public reunions? Why those barren seasons at the Lord"s table? Why the dullness and feebleness in the celebration of that precious feast which ought to stir the very deepest depths of our renewed being? Why the lack of unction, power, and edification in our public readings--the foolish speculations and the silly questions which have been advanced and answered for the last forty years? Why those varied evils on which we have been dwelling, and which are being mourned over almost every where by the truly spiritual? Why the barrenness of our gospel services? Why are souls not smitten down under the Word? Why is there so little gathering-power?
Brethren, beloved in the Lord, let us rouse ourselves to the solemn consideration of these weighty matters. Let us not be satisfied to go on with the present condition of things. We call upon all those who admit the truth of what we have been putting forth in these pages on "Prayer and the Prayer-Meeting," to unite in cordial, earnest, united prayer and supplication. Let us seek to get together according to G.o.d; to come as one man and prostrate ourselves before the mercy-seat, and perseveringly wait upon our G.o.d for the revival of His work, the progress of His gospel, the ingathering and upbuilding of His beloved people. Let our prayer-meetings be really prayer-meetings, and not occasions for giving out our favorite hymns, and starting our fancy tunes. The prayer-meeting ought to be the place of expressed heed and expected blessing--the place of expressed weakness and expected power--the place where G.o.d"s people a.s.semble with one accord, to take hold of the very throne of G.o.d, to get into the very treasury of heaven, and draw thence all we want for ourselves, for our households, for the Whole Church of G.o.d, and for the vineyard of Christ.
Such is the true idea of a prayer-meeting, if we are to be taught by Scripture. May it be more fully realized amongst the Lord"s people every where. May the Holy Spirit stir us all up, and press upon our souls the value, importance, and urgent necessity of unanimity, confidence, definiteness, importunity, and perseverance in all our prayers and prayer-meetings.
Yes, there"s a power which man can wield, When mortal aid is vain; That eye, that arm, that love to reach, That list"ning ear to gain.
That power is prayer, which soars on high, Through Jesus, to the throne, And moves the hand which moves the world To bring deliverance down.
_C. H. M._
NOTE.--It may perhaps be useful to notice that in the foregoing most needful pages, the beloved author has been speaking of the _prayer-meeting_, and the moral basis and conditions of prayer in general, not of personal, secret prayer. The importance of it can hardly be overestimated. The lack or neglect of this soon tells in the spiritual life of the Christian. Is not the lack of this the explanation of much leanness of soul, from which knowledge alone is not able to lift us up? It is, as it were, the spiritual gauge of our soul"s condition.
There, in the secret of the closet, the G.o.dly soul ever loves to pour out in its Father"s ear its trials, its fears, its desires, its wants, its thanksgivings, in all their details. And what comfort, what joy, what G.o.dly strength and purpose, the soul carries from thence! what preparation to go through the daily toil, and testings of the day!
Beloved of the Lord, let us wait on G.o.d, that we may know more of this secret power, gotten in our closet with Him.
[Ed.]
FOOTNOTE:
[x.x.x.] How interesting to find "Mary the mother of Jesus" named here, as being at the prayer-meeting! What would she have said if any one had told her that millions of professing Christians would yet be praying to her?