The morning times., 1895-08-12
PRAYER OF The RIGHT SORT
Rev. Alexander Kent Defines the
Kind Which Brings Blessings.
Sharp Criticism of Railroad Wreck
ers, Grain Cornerers, w Whisky Dis
tilIcrs and Sweatshop Owners.

The fifth of the sermons of Rev. Alexan-
der Kent, at the Peoples Church, on the
Lords prayer, was preached yesterday
our daily bread"
1.-The word rendered daily" said the min
lister, "means sufficient. The prayer,
therefore, is for food necessary to the body
TO fit it for the uses and enjoynents of
the soul"
While many question whether it is right
10 pray for temporal blessings; there is really
no difference between such a prayer and
that for spiritual good. Temporal bless
ing is only rightly desired as a means to
spiritual welfare.
There are two elements of prayer, neither
OF which can be dropped from our concep-
tion: First, desire; second, faith. We
have only to add that the highest efficacy
of prayer can only be attained when desire
is controlling and faith unfaltering." Furth-
ermore, desire and faith are not to he
measured by the ardor or vehemence Of
vocal petition, but by our diligent use OF
those means most closely related TO the
faith without works" said Jesus, "and
Will shew thee my faith by'my works"
But, If one is unable to work, will his
! prayer lie useless? Not useless, though un-
awaiting, The petitions of the whole
| country for President Garfield's life to be
spared Were unavailing, but not useless.
If this is to remain universe OF order and
a school for human development, the first
Ia ha nd
orableness OF law. II prayer could be q
substitute for surgery, If it could come in
at any point OF danger and avert the conse
quences and ignorance or of professional
stupidity, nobody would take the pains TO
acquire accurate knowledge or professional
skill.
'An true prayer supposes moral order,
| in which nothing can befan us In the order
| OF irreparablc ruin; a moral order, III which
wise and loving purpose pervades and
underlies every operation OF what We call
: natural forces Without such conviction
that God is unchaBgeably good there can
be nothing worthy or the name OF faith.
with this conviction our own special
desires must always be held subserviens
10 the general good as involved in the or
derly and beneticent operation of natural
/ lOINcs-lO Tue W III VI bOL III lpC "OEue
OF Jesus, Nevertheless, not my VIII but
| thine be done All prayer offered In this
spirit has highest usefulness, even when
unavailing. A true life is not possible
without it. 1t is as proper TO desire, in
this spirit, and trusfuIly to labor for the
] food that feeds the body as for that which
! feeds the soul
1T is apparent that many who do not
| seek in this spirit gain an abundance OF
! temporal things; but IT is almost equally
! clear that they do not secure blessings
with them. and that only what is got in
obedience 10 the laws OF right and justice
80 as 10 promote the truest welfare of all,
! is really 10 be desired.
God gives ysu what you get right
| eousIy. He doesn't give you what you steal
| or what you get by any sort OF trickery. IL
/ is said that certain wreckers on the danger
Gus coasts OF England and Scotland pray
very piously that vessels may be cast
] away on their coast that they may have
4 chance TO ply their trade They are said
/ 10 go even further and use false lights TO
lure vessels to destruction.
This strikes us ct once as monstrous.
! And yet il is not O whit more so than what
! occurs daily in homes called Christian with
| US. These wreckers probably have as muck
| pious emotion as our religious Wall street
railroad wreckers, grain coruerers, or
whisky distiIlers and retailers. 1t is no
more immoral TO wreck q train or a ship
than to wreck Sailroad or corporation.
Men who loan money to widows, board
ing-house keepers, and other persons in dis
tress, on terms that the lenders know that
| the borrowers can never comply with, take
mortgages upon property worth five or
ten times as much as the loan, and then
sell out their debtors and turn them out OF
home, are as cruel and heartless as any
wrecker. So the owner Of the sweatShop,
where women labor fourteen hours a day
for bare living, takes the prosperity from
such wickedness as Gods answer to prayer.
But it is not of Divine giving. The prayer
is given us and the ''us" has no limitation
OF sect or race. We are children Of a CON-
mon father.