hand, or weariness of the flesh and spirit upon the other. Without prayer, "home work" would be but another form of self-intrenchment. Without prayer, "warfare" weapons would dim with rust, and there would be a turning back in the day of battle.-Ps. lxxviii. 9. Without prayer, "waiting work" would become sloth and self-indulgence ; 66 preparatory work" would turn into intellectual idolatry, and desultory work" would be aimless and spasmodic. Without prayer, there could be no there could be no "praising work,” or it would be but the effusion of the natural heart, praising nature but not God, admiring beauty but not its Creator. Without prayer, "special work" would be nought but the "splendid sins" of the selfrighteous, and the self-justifying. Without prayer, the missionary in his hut beneath the banyans would be weak as other men. Without prayer, the Jew of Tarsus would have been but a blind leader of the blind Gentiles. Without prayer, the strengthening angel would not have appeared to the Agonized of Gethsemane. Nor is prayer the medium only through which we receive spiritual blessings and consolations, an opening of the heavens, through which, like the Captives of Chebar, we may see visions of God ;-nor is it only the salt which preserves from corruption, -the throb of life in the living work; it is in itself work-the noblest, the highest, the most successful; for it moves God himself to work; it commands His hand! This wonderful work is not limited in its sphere; it is suited to all situations and all capacities. Many there are who cannot work what man calls work, but none there are who cannot pray. The lonely dweller among the mountains, with no neighbours save the eagles of the corrie, with no listeners save the winds of the heavens, can pray; and the dry bones of the far-off world may become a living army through his lonely prayers. The pale silent sufferer on the couch of pain can pray; and by her voiceless petitions may be hastened the outpouring of the Spirit, the coming of the Kingdom. Far away may we be from those whom we love better than life; powerless may we be to guide them, to watch over them, to comfort them; but we can rouse up for them an untiring Watcher, an unchanging Lover, an unfailing Comforter-we can pray. Agonizing may be our fears for precious souls hurrying on the broad road to destruction-our words fall unheeded, our anxieties are laughed to scorn, our presence is avoided. Can we do nothing? We can pray! We can call down upon them the mighty Spirit, the resistless Pleader; we can bring the Saviour to them, though they will not go to the Saviour. An old author writing upon intercessory prayer, tells the following story:"It was a law amongst the Romans, when in the field, that any person found near the emperor's tent at night should suffer death. One night a soldier was found holding in his hand a petition. The sentence was F about to be executed, when the emperor called out'If the petition is for himself, let him die; if for another, spare his life.' It was found to be for two of his fellow-soldiers who had incurred the displeasure of their monarch, and the lives of all three were saved. Was this office of charity so pleasing to an earthly prince, as to induce him to dispense with a law for its sake? Oh, how acceptable then to our merciful God to intercede for our fellow-sinners!" It might seem at first sight as if this work were an easy one; and that the slothful heart might take refuge in it when averse to any other; but it is not so, either as work for ourselves or others. It is easy, indeed, to offer the prayers of the hypocrite and the formalist, morning and evening, at noon, and at midnight, sending words up to Heaven, while the thoughts remain on the earth.* It is easy to stand in the weekly prayer meeting, or kneel in the daily service, and to wander the while contentedly upon the mountains of vanity. It is easy to ask a hasty blessing for a friend, or for a work, and then forget to expect the answer,-to press the petition. But it is very hard to pray so that Satan shall tremble. It is hard to pray so that God by His pledged word must answer us. It is hard to pray while seemingly the heavens are of brass, "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below, Words without thoughts can ne'er to heaven go.” "For Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees." and there is neither sign nor voice, and yet to take no denial. It is hard to pray and to be resigned to the answer, even to the breaking of idols, the crucifying of affections. It is hard to pray for "everything,"to be "careful for nothing," and to realize that in no other way can we obtain daily strength, wisdom, and success. It is hard to pray in all sincerity, as true men speaking to Him who is the truth. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira is oft repeated in prayer,— we keep something back,—we spare some darling treasure,―we make the reservation, "Lord, not yet.” There was once a little child who understood somewhat of the nature of sincere prayer; he refused to pray one evening; his mother reproved him, but to no purpose he would not pray ;-he was asked his reason, and weeping bitterly, he said, "My sparrow dee'd last night, and I couldna say "Thy will be done."" -Yes! it is hard to pray,—but we make it harder. We come as subjects to a king, but we come not as children to a Father, we come as slaves to an overseer, but we come not as brethren to an Elder Brother. We are afraid of irreverence in prayer; or we think there is little need of telling God what He knows already; or we dread being selfish in our petitions, and so we do not come to particulars in prayer. We confess our sin in a general way, but we do not detail its sufferings, its temptations, and its aggravations. We pray for our friends, and we implore the Divine guidance upon our way, but we do not specify times and seasons, circumstances, sorrows, idols, fears, names, cares, and reasons; and thus we have so few answers to prayer-so many heavy and unrelieved burdens, often made up of trifles, like rocks of microscopic shells. Yes! it is hard to pray, but blessed be God we are not left to pray alone. There is One who will put within us the courage of sons,-the confidence of daughters; One who is the Teacher of prayer, loving to teach, and loving the taught, and who is the helper of our infirmities; One who ever liveth to present our petitions, that they may be answered for His own sake. Oh, then, Christian, pray and work, work and pray! Prayer is the beginning of work, prayer is the end of work, prayer is work itself. "Were not my watchings another's care, Long since I had wearied and ceased from prayer; Pity if wearied and faint I be, Wake me with new and reviving power, Say to me, Canst thou not watch one hour?" |