The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-25

things which are conditioned upon
human foresight and effort. Some
years ago, there was religious in
stitution in our city that was run en-
tirely by prayer,-until it was run
into the ground. One day the man
ayers prayed for a deposit in the
bank, and upon the strength of that
petition drew some checks. But the
worldly minded cashier,-a veritable
doubling Thomas,-refused to cash
the checks until he could put his
hand upon the deposit; so he threw
them ignominiously out.
2. The central idea in prayer as
not petition but communion and fel-
lo,Uship ,oith the highest.
Q. To use the expression of an
other, "Prayer as spiritual friend
ship" A French Roman Catholic of
the last century said: prayer is the
movement of the soul from the finite
to the infinite" And long, long be-
fore, one of the old Greek writer's
had said: "Prayer is the flight OF
the one all alone to the Only One"
To quote another sentence from Emer-
son: prayer is the contemplation OF
the facts of life from the highest
point of view. 1t is the soliloquy of
beholding and jubilant soul. 1t is
the spirit of God pronouncing his
works good" Prayer is the repose
of the soul upon God. 1t is delight
in God and in his works and ways.
1t is the response of the heart to his
will, the desire of the heart for his
holiness. Prayer does not say, "Give
my enterprise fair weather; give me
earthly good" 1t says, "Give me
thyse.f." 1t does not say, prosper
me in my undertakings at every
hazard;" it says, "Let me become
thine; let me enter into thy plans; let
me do thy will!'
The supreme example of prayer,
the noblest illustration witnessed up
on this earth, was the prayer of Jesus
in Gethsemane, when from the
thronging miseries and woes that
pressed upon his gentle spirit, he
yet could exclaim, "Thy acill be
done" What though the last bitter
cup must be drained, what though
the shadow of the cross lay dark upon
him, what though he could even hear
upon the air the distant murmur of
the mob led on by Judas, what
though the friends who should have
watched with him lay dull and heavy
in their sleep among the olive trees,
in that climactic moment the great
battle was fought, the victory of the
ages was won,-and that cry of sub
mission was at the same time the
grandest note of exultation that ever
woke the echoes of the globe. "Ihy
aoiH be done'' He had reached a
faith in God which "sees in his laws
the expression of the highest and
best, and the very means which are
to work out conformity between God
and man."
Some one who visited a widow and
child living in gloomy attic, was
astonished to see remarkably luxur
liant geranium, in an old tomato can,
growing in full bloom in the lonely
room. The contrast with the scanty
and miserable app ointments of the
wretched home was marked, and as
no cause could be assigned for the
wonderful growth of the flower, she
called the little girl to her side and
made inquiries concerning it. The
child pointed to crevice in the roof
where single ray of sunlight strug-
gled through, and said, 81 put it in
that ray of sun, and as the sun moves,
move the flower, SO as to keep it in
the sum-" Prayer brings the soul in
contact with the atmosphere and the
sunlight of God; and surrounded by
those warm and inspiring Influences
the soul unfolds its beauty and puts
forth it's strength. Every hidden
germ of goodness leaps into life.
(2). With this idea of the central
meaning of prayer, there can be no
brought against it, any
more than one could bring an argu
ment against that fellowship aclsich
kindred souls hare aUith each other on
earth.
When we take this higher view of
prayer, it seems absurd and even i'm
possible to ask the question of which
Job spoke, "What profit should we
have, if we pray unto hint" What
can we ask more than God himselfs
What can we ask more than to real
ize his love, to share his life, to think
his thoughts, to trust his wisdom7 In
hallowed fellowship with earthly
friends, one never thinks of asking,
~ Al