The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-07-19
Jesus Teaching How to Pray.

'Lord, what change within US one
short hour
Spent in Thy presence will prevail to
makep'
Trench.
The apostles observed Jesus in
the act and attitude ofprayer. In
some oratory of nature, perhaps,
they saw him kneeling with up
turned face. His glowing Inca
ments showed the bliss Of COM
munion with God, or repose after
wrestling, and the conscious OBJ
tanning of the thing desired. a
goodly sight No wonder it pro-
voked the question how they
could learn to pray after such a
fashion.
The universal Teacher taught
through these suppliants all who
would afterward learn Of Him con-
corning this supreme act of the
soul. He gave first the model of
prayer-the ideas, the words. The
Paternoster is an epitome. Here
are the needs alike of the race and
the individual in miniature. 1t is
the alphabet, the mineral system
out of which prayer of every de-
scription can he spelled and fig
ured. Analytically, in its separate
parts, it illustrates the com ponents
of a true, rounded, acceptable
prayer. Synthetically, there is in
it a tenor, a spirit-a cumulative
power unmatched in written Ian
guage. 1t is the chief ornament
Of every ritual. Its perpetual rep
etition wearies no one. 1t IS
suited alike to child and adult.
The Lords Prayer is a fine ex-
ample of the avoidance of many
words which Jesus on another &C.
casion insisted upon. The equi-
1ibrium between comprehensive
ness and condensation is main
tanned. The exordium is a rever-
entail address to the Deity, in
which his existence, unity, and
paternal character are adoringly
recognized. The Kingdom of
heaven" will be found to be the
solvent of the prayer. The com
ing of the kingdom will insure the
hallowing Of the Divine name, and
the doing Of the Divine will, as in
heaven, so on earth. The coming
of the kingdom insures absolution,
reduces temptations, and conse-
quentlv delivers from evil. Criti-
cism has fairly established that
the Inscriptions of kingdom, power
and glory was not a part OF the
prayer as originally given. But
the lofty doXology chords so per
fectly that it will probably con-
tinue in use forever The prayer
can be divided into two parts.
The first relates to the Father, and
contains three petitions; i. e., con-
corning His name, His kingdom,
and His will. The second con-
Germs ourselves, and is compre-
hended in the words bread, for
giveness, and deliverance. Ru-
dolph Stier says in his "Words of
Jesus, All the tones of the hui
man breast which 90 from earth to
heaven sound here in their key
notes.
From this matchless formulary
Jesus passes to the spirit which
should characterize the suppliant.
To set this forth, He uses a home
1y domestic incident. We must
transfer ourselves to the Orient to
appreciate it. There was no mail
or timetable to apprise the host of
the hour of the guests arrival. 1t
would like as not be late at night,
as travel was ordinarily continued
then, to escape the heat of the day.
The guest would be downright
hungry, as there were no facilities
of the modern restauranteur. The
hosts larder would like as not be
empty, the climate making the
preservation of edibles difficult,
and leading them to live from
hand to mouth. Borrowing would
be the next thing in order. What