The Penn's Grove record., 1889-03-02
THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER.
Sermon Preached by the Rev. II. c.
Fox.

Sermon Preached by the Rev. II. c.
Fox.
.wbatsoever ye snau ask the Father In My
Name, He will give 1t to you'.John 10 80
What is prayerY Prayer is the be-
ginning OF spiritual life, the primary
idea is asking, or request. This idea
intensified Is earnest and i~mp0rtunate
request. Specially 1t IS request offered
to a superior, as to a sovereign. or to
q body of superiors, as to q legislature
In q religious sense prayer Is request
addressed to o Divine being. In q
Christian sense ''prayer is the offering
up OF our desires unto God for things
agreeable to His will in the name Of
Christ" In Its grandest and most
comprehensive and most fruitful effect,
1t Is the uplifting Of u souls. and
the entering into communion with the
Lord Of Heaven and earth. And in this
communion the soul of man expands
90 as to include not merely petition,
but alteration, confession and thanks
giving, for benefits temporal, providen-
tial and spiritual. 1t Is not mare speech,
it Is not merely the language OF the
lips. 1t is an emotion of the heart q
pouring out of the soul. The unbosom-
ing OF our whole heart unto Him that
seeth into the inward parts. And yet
how often we fall to comprehend the
true significance Of prayer, forgetting
that IL Is the Divinely ordained means
through which the power OF God is
invoked. We look around US and see
on all sides the power God has put into
tina hands OF MAJ as regards the ma
tural world. Scarcely a day passes In
which we are not presented with some
thing which has more or less OF the
claims Of novelty; with some new
discovery or else some application or
combination Of powers already known.
To this. man is not blind ; he appreci-
ates, he uses everv new and mighty
engine as it is presented to him ; and
whether 1t be cbloroform, to blunt the
acuteness OF his pain, or electricity to
fash his messages to the ends of the
world ; or steam, to whirl him over the
earth's surface and do in his factories
the work of thousands of hands.
He hears, sees. speaks about and uses
the mighty powers which God has put
within his reach.
We hear but little, however, Of the
mighty powers which God has put into
mans hands, so far as the spiritual
world is concerned. The prevailing
aspect Of Gods people in this respect is
one of weakness, often n of de-
spondency /; they feel the pressure of
the world. they see difficulties to he
overcome, they realize their own inner
emit weakness there is much desp0nd-
ency by reason Of the realization Of
their own feebleness, their is little
vigor, by reason of the non-realization
Of the mighty efficacy Of prayer.
+ Could we but realize and put into
operation the power contained in
prayer the great force Of the spiritual
world ; we should in our collective and
in our individual capacity bo very diff.
ferent from what we are ; we should
know and feel that we had a key to
heavens treasure, and the lever OF
heavens strength we should ''be
strong In the Lord and In the power OF
his might" We should be prepared
for great deeds. both Of action and
resistance In the spiritual life +; we
should never dream of failure, we
should never miss real success.
Now, I desire In this discourse this
morning to help forward myself and
you as we climb together the path Of
Christian life. For that Christian life
no BAL Of grace is 30 absolutely
indispensable as prayer.
Let us ask then what prayer can dc
for us. And to this l reply EVERY
THING. More than one saint like st.
Francis, and like Wesley. has left
behind him the record that God has
never refused him anything for which
he seriously prayed. There are many
sayings of our Lord telling OF answers
to prayer. These promises are very
comprehensive and they must awaken
in us thoughts not to be lightly dis.
missed. Ia prayer altCdys effectualf &c
believer in Christ a doubt 1t for a
moment. Nature teaches us to expect
that prayer will be heard; the Scriptures
assure us that it UIl be. In how many
places and how many ways is the
veracity of God pledged directly OF
indirectly in his word, that he will heal
and answer prayerl In how many
passages of Holy Writ Is the certain
efficacy and great power of prayer
asserted or implied ! 1t Is implied In
the innumsrable invitations and cere'
monies to pray; to pray always with all
prayer and supplicatlon-to pray with
out ceasing, and never faint-of which
the Bible is full; for what are such
invitations and ceremonies but mock
cry If prayer is of no avail to
secure the blessings for whick we aski
1t is yet more forcibly inculcated IN
the severe rebukes which r often ad.
ministered to those who cast on feaI
and restrain prayer, and who say.
aWhat profit shall we have If we pray
unto himP" 1t Is clearly taught in
those numerous passages which impute
our restitution of spiritual blessings
not to Gods u~nwillingness TO heal
prayer, but to u not Offering
prayer Alright. "Ye have not.
because ye ask not" "Ye ask,
and receive not, because ye ask
amiss." 1t IS EXPIRE ssly declared in
passages not a few. where it is the
direct object of the sacred writer to
insist on the efficacy of prayer. "The
effectual, fervent prayer Of the right.
eous man availeth much" TIE Lord
is nigh unto all them that call upon
Him, to all that call up0u Kim In
TRUTH" "He will fulfill the desire OF
them that fear Him; He also will hear
their cry, and ave Them" 1t is CON
tanned In many great and precious
promises. addressed directly to those
who offer prayer: TASK, and it shall
be given you, seek and ye shall find
knock, and 1t shall be opened unto
you.o Time would fail to enumerate
or at the family altar, o. the housetop
or by the seashore, for one's self or for
ones friends and neighbors, or for the
church Of for the world, that has not
been heard and answered. From the
intercession of Abraham for the cities
OF the plain, as recorded in the book OF
Genesis to the unceasing prayers of the
whole church in the acts Of the Apos.
tells. What is the history of the Old
Testament and of the New, bnt a rec
ord of life and death, OF blessing and
cursipg, suspended on the prayers OF