Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-09-03
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"PRARER."
Sermon ant Ocean Grove by Grnce's
Former Pastor.

The Rev. George w. Miller, d. D.,
| pastor of Spring Garden Street Methodist
Church, formerly pastor Of Grace Church,
this city, delivered sermon on s.Prayer''
to large congregation at Ocean Grove,
N. j. yesterday.
The speaker said that prayer is a
mystery. He could not explain THE
manner of its operations, but as it was not
the only mystery that he could not under
stand he accepted it, Prayer is something
for which we feel M instructive need
1t is "the out-croppings of fixed law of
human being" You find no nation
absolutely prayerless. Wherever there
has been the truest, broadest culture there
has been the best prayer. The best and
most influential men have been those who
prayed. They drew their inspiration
from the original inspiration of goodness.
On the other hand, those who have
disregarded prayer have been among the
lowest and most debased. The inspira-
tion of their lives was not drawn from
the pure Being.
Prayer is sanctioned by revelation.
This law of prayer, like all other laws,
has its origin in the very nnture of
things. The man who lives by its
habitual exercise is better than he who
disregards it. The man who does not
pray is out of harmony with himself and
God, and is on his way to perdition.
There is whole range of life and ex-
perience of which he is ignorant. Prayer
is the Christians native breath. II is
communion with God. The speaker
could not conceive that there should ever
come time, even in eternity, when he
should cease to commune with God.
why God will have respect for the
man who prays. The child cries, the
mother hears or she would not be o
mother. The necessity we find in our
selves to pray is not greater than Gods
necessity to hear us. You may ask
How can we change the will of God p
No true Christian in prayer desires a
change of Gods will, but desires reve-
lation of that will. Instead of Gods
mind being changed to mans mind, sup
pose that mans will be changed to Gods
will is not the prayer answered ? We
do not know what is best for us. Sup
pose that a man who is feeble has bur
den which is given to him that he may
ever after be able to carry something. But,
because he is SO weak he prays that the
burden may be taken away. Now, if the
Lord gives him strength to carry the bur-
ueu rs nOb bue prayer answered.
''It must be that all true prayer is
answered, if not in our way, in Gods
way. Ignorance will always cloud our
earthly horizon, even when on our knees,
and we may ask for what will harm us.
Does the mother give candle to the
little one who cries for it? No more will
a loving God answer our prayers made in
ignorance, in way that will be to our
injury. In prayer, mans mind is set
before Gods like q mirror, till Gods
mind be revealed in it. Some tell us that
law is an impossible barrier to prayer.
They say that formerly it might have been
excusable to pray for rain and about
a pestilence, but, now that science has
thrown its light upon these things, it is a
beautiful, but useless, superstition. If
God cannot change effects he is not as
great as man. For instance, water nat
urally runs down hill, but man has made
it run up hill; not that the law is an
nulled, but that this law is combined
with other laws, and thus different effect
is produced.
"Thus God by combining laws that we
know not of produces the effect He
desires. The Bible is record of things
impossible to man, but possible to God.
1t is the highest reason for human being
made in the image of God to pray for
both temporal and spiritual things. The
spiritual is above the natural, but God
reigns above all"