to heaven. Nor let thy holy boldness be dashed by the thought that prayer has no power to bend these skies, and bring down thy God. When I pull on the rope which fastens my frail and little boat to a distant and mighty ship, if my strength can not draw its vast bulk to me, I can draw myself to it-to ride in safety under the protection of its guns; to enjoy in want the fulness of its stores. And it equally serves my purpose, and supplies my needs, that prayer, altho it were powerless to move God to me, moves me to God. If He does not descend to earth, I—as it were -ascend to heaven."

Where can we find better advice upon the subject of prayer than in the Bible itself? Here we read:

"Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." (Matt. vi., 6-13.)

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight." (Prov. xv., 1.)

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:

for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matt. xvii., 20.)

"Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matt. v., 44.)

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." (Matt. xxvi., 41.)

"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark xi., 24.) "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." (Mark xiii., 33.)

"Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." (Luke xviii., 1.)

"We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered." (Rom. viii., 26.)

"I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also." (I Cor. xiv., 15.)

"Pray without ceasing." (I Thess. v., 17.)

"I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1 Tim. ii., 8.) "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray." (James v., 13.)

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." (Eph. vi., 18.)

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly." (Luke xxii., 44.)

"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months." (James v., 17.)

"But we will now give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." (Acts vi., 4.)

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. iv., 6.)

"And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven." (James v., 15.)

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James v., 16.)

Prayer, then, should be founded upon faith and earnestness. We must avoid vain repetition or doubting, and with thanksgiving and confidence make our requests known unto God. We should pray often, not only for ourselves but for one another, fervently, believingly, both with the spirit and the understanding. Such prayers, especially from one that is righteous, will avail much, such prayers can not fail to be a source of real power.

The Rev. Louis Albert Banks, in his suggestive book, "Windows for Sermons," speaking of genuine prayer, says:

"One of the greatest secrets of effective prayer is that the attitude of the heart shall be right toward God. The heart that recognizes the divine wisdom and love and trusts to them will pray as simply as a child asking-help from its mother. One of the most beautiful prayers I have ever read is that of Fénelon. 'O Lord! I know not what I should ask of Thee. Thou knowest only what I want; and Thou lovest me, if I am Thy friend, better than I can love myself. O Lord! give to me, Thy child, what is proper, whatsoever it may be. I dare not ask either crosses or comforts. I only present myself before Thee. I open my heart to Thee.

Behold my wants, which I myself am ignorant of; but do Thou behold, and do, according to Thy mercy, smite or heal, depress me or raise me up. I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them. I am silent; I offer myself in sacrifice. I abandon myself to Thee. I have no more desire but to accomplish Thy will. Lord, teach me how to pray. Dwell Thou Thyself in me by the Holy Spirit. Amen.'"

In public prayer the minister uses his supremest faculty, that of communion with God. He speaks on behalf of his people, and must voice their needs and sentiments. His language should be simple and fitting, and his sympathies large enough to include all. It will be seen, therefore, that prayer is too important a matter to be left to the chance of the moment. It demands the same care and thought and meditation as are given to the preparation of the sermon.

The style and manner of public prayer are suggested by Professor Schenck in these words: "Terms of familiarity and endearment should be avoided, since we are addressing the Infinite and Holy God. Simple and chaste language should be used, easily understood by the ignorant and distrest and also proper to use before the throne of the Most High. The tone of the voice should be easily heard by all, from the first word of the prayer to the last, and should be earnest but never loud nor boisterous, since God is near by and loves to hear His people pray. The posture should be reverent; usually the minister should stand with claspt hands, without gesture, and the people should listen with bowed heads."1

The criticism is often made that public prayer is too general and does not meet the specific needs of people.

1 Ferdinand S. Schenck, D.D., Modern Practical Theology. Funk & Wagnalls Company.

Spurgeon speaks of this generalization in prayer as disastrous. He pleads for definite prayer, asking clearly and distinctly for certain mercies. "If a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anyhow, possibly somebody might be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed." So, in prayer, the speaker should have a target at which he aims, a clearly defined purpose on behalf of his people. In this way public prayer may be made a source of infinite power to both minister and congregation.