New-York tribune., 1917-12-16

to anticipate as result OF
the exercise of faith?" asks writer in
"The Living Church." and, citing the case
of the mother whose son is at the front,
this writer proceeds as follows to answer
the perplexing question:
"She is praying as only a mother can pray;
and God knows that nowhere is the force OF
intercessory prayer more earnestly put into
operation than when a pious mother prays
for her boy. So, also, nowhere amidst human
conditions on earth will there be better
example of fixed faith in God than that which
a pous mother praying for her boy will exer-
else. No doubt the prayer, even so, is imper-
feet and the faith weak. But when our Lord
spoke of the power Of the prayer Of faith
He must have referred to an exercise OF
faith that is not beyond human power. The
mothers prayer and the mothers faith are
imperfect, but they are as perfect as earthly
imperfections will admit, and they must be
assumed to come within those conditions
which our Lord he's stated. For otherwise,
if the divine standard Of human faith and
human prayer is so high that the pious
mother praying for her son, cannot attain
to it, then neither prayer nor faith, in the
sense that our Lord used the words, is pos
sible to man. In teaching us, with our
human limitations, to pray, He must have
meant to assure US that those limitations did
not make prayer impossible. In limiting the
efficacy of prayer according to the exercise
Of faith, He must have understood that faith,
in sufficient degree is possible to us under
the conditions in which ordinary Christians
live in the world. Prayer and faith are not
merely counsels OF perfection, possible to
the few great saints who arise in every age.
Rather are they the marks and the right OF
the everyday sinner who yet has the right
to call himself a Christian.
"But the mother prays the prayer Of faith
and her boy dies. Evidently, therefore, we
have no assurance that prayer can certainly
secure the human safety Of the person prayed
for.
LET US frankly admit il; and let US go
further and show that it would be supreme
disaster il it could. For the moment
human being could secure the power, by
means OF prayer, to obtain such an end az
this, that moment God would be dethroned.
supreme power would be vested l.. the pray
ing individual human limitations and indi-
yidual selfshness would rule the universe,
and the conflict Of opposing prayers between
individuals would produce chaos. lrresist-
ible force would then be pitted against abso-
Lutte immovablity, when prayer clashed with
prayer.
"This limitation to the power Of prayer is
therefore both protection to tie universe
and a mercy to the individual There could
be no greater calamity than TO be able, by
prayer, certainly 10 cause something to hap
pen TO a third party when, not being all
knowing. there were no way Of being sure
that the desired end were good. either for
him or for humanity or our cosmic order.
To a conscientious person, therefore, prayer
would be impossible if it were TO be abso-
lut.ly effective, with no restraining power
anywhere to correct the petition in the in
terest Of 9 greater good.
"Thus We pray to Almighty God for tenn
poral blessings for ourselves or others al
ways with a condition attached: Grant this,
/, il be Thy will; or, in the usual language
OF the liturgy, Grant this, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. This latter clause, so COM
mon and so misunderstood, means much more
than q suggestion Of the agency by which
prayer shall be granted. II means that We
pray God TO grant what We ask, through the
loving censorship Of One who has assumed
cur nature, who has experienced human SEN
sibilities and human pain, who is one with
US. and who is both able and willing TO
change our petition in such wise as to make
il perfect prayer for an end that will GER
tainly be good. Praying thus. leaving our
blessed Lord 70 reframe our prayer so as 70
ask that which will be true blessing, there
is certainty that our prayer will be an
swered. We have then set in motion posi-
tive. efectual force which, once started, win
b. directed by supreme and loving and per
feet intelligence to produce result which
that intelligence shall direct We are. not
starting blind force that must irresist IDLY
carry out the will OF the fallible person who
prays."