Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-04-21


course of the argument, and at length to re.
verse its conclusion altogether. These are, the
laws of mans nature, and of his relations Ia
his Maker, and the mode in which the Divine
Being operates upon him.
God is indeed omnipotent but he is, never
theless, God of order and he therefore can
not exercise his omnipotence except according
to the order which is established by his Divine
Wisdom for to act contrary to that order,
would be to act against his own Wisdom, thus
| against himself. That order is, moreover, un-
4 changeable, because it is perfect. Now, it is
| one of the chief laws of Divine order, that man
| shall act, in all things, freely and as of him
| self; and, while he must be careful to ac-
1 knowledge that all his faculties are the gift OF
| God, yet he is allowed and required to use
| them as if they were his own. The end OF this
law of order, is, that man may be man, and not
a mere machine. Man is, in truth, only re-
1 cipent, and can do nothing of himself; MS the
Lord declares, 'swithout me ye can do moth
| ing;"-John XIV. 5-all that he has and is, his
faculties his feelings his very life itself, are
each moment the gift of God, and flow into him
constantly from above. Now, if man had q
| manifest perception that this is so, and We're
| always conscious of this utter inability, he
would lose his humanity; he would let his
arms hang down, and his head drop upon his
bosom, and wait till the influx came into him
| and operated upon him and when so operated
upon, he would act, as it were, mechanically,
like machine moved by wires. Thus he
would be no longer man, but mere antomaton.
| In order TO prevent this result, thefSVis given
to him the appearance that his powers are his
own, together with the full liberty of using
them at his discretion. With this appearance,
he at once feels new life; he longs to use
his faculties and he turns himself to this or
that course of action and sets about accom-
plshing with ardor the plans he conceives.
And going on thus, he at length and by degrees
forms to himself character, and such char
acter as he chooses to make it, either wise or
foolish, good or evil; and thus he fixes his own
fate, for time and for eternity. 1t is true, in
deed, the really wise and good man, after he
has attained that state of wisdom and goodness,
claims no merit to himself on that account,
for he knows that all wisdom and goodness are
from the Lord, and belong to him alone; and
that the appearance that his excellence is his
own, is only an appearance. The knowledge
of this truth keeps him humble. Still he is
thankful for that appearance of having life in
himself, and uses it as it was intended TO be
used and, by means of it, he is man.
Understanding this law of Divine order, we
shall now be enabled to perceive the use and
necessity of prayer. We may now perceive
that blessings are not always conferred on
man, without being asked-without prayer;
not that the Lord wants either the ability or
the will to confer them, but if He should do
so, those blessings could not be received so as
to be blessings. In order that man may re-
ceive those gifts as man, and so appropriate
and enjoy them, perceive his need of them;
and thus feeling and perceiving, he will natu-
rally go to Him who has them, and ask for
them 1t is the Lord who has all true bles-
sings, and to ask the Lord is to pray there
fore, he will necessarily pray. And being
thus asked, the Lord, of his tender love and
mercy, will freely pour out those blessings,
for He is ever ready; and the supplicant will
receive them joyfully and thankfully, and go
away with glad heart, telling "what great
things the Lord hath done" for him. Have
we not all felt how much more precious is
benefit, that came just when we sorely needed
and beseechingly asked for it, than the same
bestowed upon us when we did not particular
ly feel the want Of it. Thus, we perceive the
necessity ofprayer, of asking before we receive,
is founded in law of mans nature, a law Of
Divine order. And therefore it is written,
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find"
But there is another ground on which the
utility of prayer has been questioned. "What
is the advantage says the reasoner, " of pray
ing God to do this or that? you cannot change
Gods purposes he is unchangeahle." True;
you cannot change God-he is Interchangeable.
Blu. the end of prayer is not to change God but
to change the man himself-to work a change
in the state of him who prays. When man
walks proudly on, looking haughtily about him.
in full self-dependence and self-relance, what
is his state? His mind is closed up against
God and heaven, and everything that would
flow in thence, and is turned altogether to the
earth, and to himself (haughtiness always looks
downward, you observe-humility looks up);
for it is the nature of such self-love and pride,
to close up the mind and harden the heart. In
this state, no spiritual blessing no goodness
and truth, can flow from heaven into mans
soul; but he remains wrapped up in his own
evils. But when man knecls down in the
presence of his Heavenly Father, and looks up
to him in humility and self-abasement, ac-
knowledging his own evils and the Lords per-
feet goodness, then the iron band of self-love,
which was around the mind, as it were, and
bound il tight is broken, and his SOUL loosed
and free, is elevated toward heaven; his heart
is opened to the Lord and then from Him there
descends love into his will and light into his
understanding, and he comes into new and
better state. This is the meaning of what is
said, in the passage before quoted from the
doctrine of the New Church, that in prayer
"there is an opening of mans internal toward
God and there descends somewhat resembling
a revelation, which is manifested in the affec-
tion of the person praying, as 10 hope, conso-
lation, or some internal joy" Thus, we per-
ceive that the change wrought by prayer, is a
change, not in God, but in mans own state; for,
in truth, the Lord is ever pouring his love and