The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-12-11
THE PULPIT.
A scHOL ARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. DR.. c. w. MCCORMICK.
Theme: Prayer.

Prayer" The text was from Ephes-
ians 1:16-17, Wherefore also cease
not to give thanks for you, making
mention of You in my prayers. Dir.
Mccormick said:
Saint Paul was a man of prayer.
He believed in prayer. He was fully
persuaded that between himself, a
prosecuted and imprisoned apostle,
and needy saints everywhere, there
was a vital and effective relationship
by way of the throne Of grace. To
him the question, Does God answer
prayer? had no existence. Had he
lived in our day he would have had
little in common with those who find
the chief value of prayer in the self
inspiration and self-culture which un-
doubtedly are among its good results.
The nearest he ever came to speaking
Of the reflex influence of prayer was
in his letter to the Philippians, where
he says: "Be careful for nothing
but in everything, by prayer supplica-
ton, with Thanksgiving, let your re-
quests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall guard your
hearts and your thoughts in Christ
Jesus" Here the result of prayer is
subjective. 1t is the peace Of soul
that has joyfully confded everything
to the care of God, the Father. But
it Is not the mere relief from anxiety
which follows the shifting of ones
burdens to the back of another. 1t is
the "peace of God," Gods peace, the
kind and measure Of peace which God
has, and which He imparts to His
children who trust in Him, of which
Jesus said, my peace I give unto
you"
The ground of Paul's confidence in
prayer is his conception of God and OF
his own relation to God as a chosen
ambassador. Back of all his theology
and ethical teaching lies his own per-.
sonal experience. God had touched
his life and spoken directly to him.
This experience was at once his point
of outlook and his unfailingA ground
of confidence for himself and for the
church.
His conception of God was that
God is both transceHdent and i'm
mament; above the world and in the
world; not the logical concept of
philosophy, nor the unknowable force
of science. He was personal God,
whose eternal power and Godhead are
displayed in the works Of His crea-
ton; who gave law to sinful men;
who upholds all things by the word
of His power; who seeks to redeem
the world in Christ: who works in the
saints by His spirit to will and TO do
of His own good pleasure; and who
has promised in Christ the complete
restoration of all His children.
Chiefly, however. his view of God
was from the standpoint of Christ as
Redeemer. Here he saw the mystery,
hidden through the ages, which the
angels desired to look into, revealed
in Christ, the unfolding of Gods eter-
nal purpose to redeem a lost world
from sin. This purpose is not new.
1t antedates and is involved in crea-
ton. 1t is as strong and changeleSs
as the nature of God Himself. Such
was Paul's thought of God.
And his conception of his own re-
lation to God and Of his mission &C
cords with this thought. He was sim
ply Gods man or as he loved to say
Gods bond-servant; the least of all
the saints, but called of God to de-
clare the mystery of redemption to
perishing world. Necessity was laid
upon him; the love of God con-
strained him; he was debtor to all
men because of the great grace given
unto him; he was part of Gods plan,
implicated from the very beginning
in the eternal purpose. AS such he
could do nothing but obey and trust
as becomes a co-worker with God.
1t is not strange, therefore, that
with such ideas of God and himself
he should believe in prayer. 1t is in
conceivable that he should not.
Prayer in such a case is simply the
confidential request of weaker part
ner in work dear to both partners.
The answer is assured. Besides, God
had already given His Son: what
needful thing could He withhold?
Whoever prays with Paul will have
no narrow or exclusive views of
prayer. Listen to some of the petit
lions he offers. He prays that he
may be prospered by the will of God
to come to the Romans; for the
Ephesians, that they may have the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of God, being strength
ene6 with power through the Spirit,
and having Christ constantly dwell
ing in their hearts that the.- may per-
fectly know Gods surprising love.
He asks God to give the Philippians
the spirit of wisdom and discernment
and discrimination, that they may be
sincere and void of offense, filled with
all the fruits of righteousness. In
like manner he prayS that the ColoS-
slams may be filled with the knowl-
edge of Gods will in all spiritual wis
dom and understanding, walk worth
lily, bear fruit, increasing in knoWl-
edge and power. Finally he prays
that God may count the Thessalon-
ians worthy of their high calling, and
fill every desire growing out of good
ness, and every work of faith full of
His power
In all of Paul's prayers we miss a
familiar note. He seems to disre-
gard the ordinary needs Of life. Yet
he did not really do so. He simply
subordinated them and assumed that
God would withhold from His chill
dren no good thing. With him Gods
work was everything. Surely, if he
did that work faithfully, God would
supply all his needs. Hence he prayed
for what he thought was of highest
Importance AS to the rest, he was
in Gods care.
The great petitions of Paul's pray
ers are three: For satisfying knowl-
edge of God, worthy life, and &C
cordant power. These are mans
great needs. Our text to-day deals
chiefly with the first.
An essential prerequisite of a sat
isfying knowledge of God is a GER
tain soul-preparation which God only
can give. This preparation is two
fold: 1. The Spirit Of God recreates
the shirt of man SO that it becomes
a 81 t of wisdom. 2. In like man
ner it becomes spirit of revelation.
BY the term spirit of wisdom is
meant, not merely wise spirit,
though so much is, of course, implied,
but spirit which is essentially wise
even in its temper and action. Like
wise the spirit of revelation signi-
fes, not the revelation, or the power
to make revelations, but q spirit
which can receive-is susceptible to
revelations. Such a spirit results
partly from the removal of limita
lions, partly from a change in point
Of view, and partly from added power.
Only such spirit can see God truly
or life wholly. Only heart vision is