St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-05
ST. JoSEPH'S NEW PASTOR
REV. j. It. HARRISON, EXPLAINs
THE TRUE SPIRIT OF SUP |
PLICATION. Jn-r |
DIR. COTTON ON MOSES, PRAYER
God Is Waiting for Man, and yyf,,I
ing to Aid If Prayer Is DIE |
Raised.

his new parish yesterday, and
preached his introductory sermon.
His subject was Prayer" and the
text for the sermon was: Truly,
truly L say to you; if you ask the
Father anything in my name, he
will give it you
This is perhaps one of the most
remarkable promises ever made by
our divine Savior. 1t means that we
are encouraged to ask God for any,
thing we need under the divine as
surance of its reception. To question
Gods power to give US anything we
need is equivalent to a denial OF
His omnipOtence and Classics the
QueStiCner as an atheist. To ques-
ton the right of our divine Savior
to make the promise is equivalent to
a denial Of His divinity, and CLASH
fies the questioner as a Deist. And
to question Scriptural accuracy re-
specting the truthfulness of the
words is equivalent to a denial of
inspiration, and Classics the ques-
toner as an infidel. Therefore the
Christian is compelled to believe
that ne can have anything CT value
by asking for it. Few Christians
completely realize the exalted posi-
ton they occupy. How a man would
fill up with unspeakable gratitude
upon hearing from some worldly
prince: Anything you ask for is
yours" Yet God in heaven makes
that offer to each one of us. Any
thing we ask for is ours. Before
commenting further upon the gra-
ciousness of our Savior's promise, it
may be advisable to clear away any
mental difficulty preventing us from
realizing its full significance.
First-Why cid cur Divine Lord
make the promise to man? For the
same reason that a father makes a
similar promise to his child. 1t is not
uncommon for a father to promise
anything the child may ask for, and
he does so to show special love for his
child. So God offers to give us rational
creatures anything we ask for, to
show the special love He entertains
for us. But if God is willing TO give
us anything we ask for, and since he
knows what we need before we ask
Him." why does He wish us to ask?
To help our understanding in this, we
may again appeal to the relationship
existing between parent and child.
The father offers to give his child
anything asked for, and the reason
why the father wishes the child TO
ask is to teach it honesty. The father,
realizing his own superiority and his
child's infeTiority or dependence,
wishes the child to acknowledge that
dependence, and by acknowledging de-
pendence, the child is practicing hon
esty The only way that a child can
be true to it's filial position is by
prayerfully acknowledging the fathers
superiority. Therefore the fundamental
reason why the father does not give
his child what it wants without wait
ing to be asked is because he wishes
the child to express the honesty of its
position. So it is precisely with Gcd.
We are Gods children. God is an in
dependent being. We are dependent
upon Him, and by prayer we simply
acknowledge our dependence and prac-
tice honesty respecting our filial posi-
ton. Therefore, the fundamental rea-
son why God does not give us every
thing we need before being asked, is
because He wishes US to acknowledge
our position; and thereby fall into the
practice of perfect honesty. Coming
more closely to the promise itself we
are confronted with the question "Will
God give anything we ask for?"
ANYTHING BENEFICIAL.
When the father promises to give
his child anything it wants, what does
the father mean? He means that he
will give his child anything beneficial
to it's welfare. The fathers promise
is always conditional and may be in
terpreted in this wise: l will give you
anything you want, provided what you
want is conducive to your temporal
happiness. So it is with the Eternal
Father. His promise to US amounts
to this: 1 will give you anything you
want, provided what you want is con-
ducive to your eternal welfare. But
who lis constituted judge of these
wants? He certainly is by nature con-
stituted judge over mans wants who
is best qualified by superior knowledge
to pass judgment upon them.
When the child asks it's father for
something, the father, before crafty
ing the request, uses his superior
knowledge to determine whether what
the child seeks will prove beneficial
And no one questions the fathers right
to exercise this supervision over pa
ternal grants. The fathers range of
knowledge comprehends a broader
field than that covered by his child,
and therefore he is constituted by
nature to pass judgment upon the
ACCESSIBILITY of complying with. the
child's request. So it is with God
Gods range of knowledge is infinitely
broad, and therefore He is in a posi-
ton to render an infallibIe Judgment
upon the advisability of comprising
with all requests. But if God should
judge our petition inadvisable what
becomes of it? 1t goes for our spiri-
tual welfare in some more desirable
form. The child, in answer to it's nett
ZION, does not always receive from the
father everything wanted, while it may
receive everything needed. So when
we ask Cod for what we think we
want, He answers our prayer by grant
ms Us w hat we really HeSQ. Inc
mother may pray to have the life of
her child spared, and God may answer
that prayer by allowing the child to
die. God, in His wisdom, looking into
the child's future, allows death to take
place, for the child's greater spiritual
benefit. And If the mother had not
prayed, God could have allowed the
child to live, and grow up a disgrace
to the family. Now, since the ultimate
answer to prayer ordinarily has it's
term in the world beyond this, how
are we going to know whether or not
God answers our prayers? We know
it primarily from the knowledge de-
rived from our belief in Divine Provi-
dence, and we know it secondarily and
ordinarily by the improvement of our
own spiritual lives.
If we are i'll, our first prayer is that
a physician come and administer rene
dies. Now, we know this prayer has
been answered If we are restored to
physical health. When we get well
we are apt to say, THAT physician
knew exactly what l needed" There