Chapter V - Prayer and Atonement
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sense, and not Soul, produces these moods of feeling.
sense, and not Soul, produces these moods of feeling.
If spiritual sense guided men at such times, there
would grow out of those ecstatic desires, higher exper-
iences and a better life; self-examination, and more
purity. A self-satisfied ventilation of ecclesiastical
fervor never made a Christian; verbal prayer embraces
too much error to forward this great purpose. First,
it supposes God a person influenced by man, making
the divine ear a personal sense instead of the all-hear-
ing and all-knowing Intelligence, to whom every want
of man is understood, and by whom it will be supplied.
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Again, what we desire, and ask to be given, is not
Again, what we desire, and ask to be given, is not
always best for us to receive, in which case the infinite
understanding will certainly not grant our request;
therefore what avails it with God how much a man
prays? When we pray aright, we shall "enter into
the closet;" in other words, shut the door of the lips
and in the silent sanctuary of earnest longings, deny
sin and sense, and take up the cross, while we go forth
with honest hearts laboring to reach Wisdom, Love,
and Truth. This prayer will be answered, insomuch
as we shall put in practice our desires. The Master's
injunction was to pray in secret; to desire to be better,
and let our lives attest the sincerity of that desire.
Are we really grateful for the good we receive? then
we shall have more, and never until then, and avail
ourselves of the blessings we have, and this will thank
God more than speech. From the Intelligence that
numbers the very hairs of our heads, we cannot conceal
the ingratitude of barren lives by thanking Omnipo-
tence with our lips, while the heart is far from Truth.
When we vainly imagine gratitude is a mere expression
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of thanks, we had better examine our hearts and learn
of thanks, we had better examine our hearts and learn
what is there, and this will show us what we are, and
is the only honest expression of ourselves.
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How empty are the conceptions of Deity that admit
How empty are the conceptions of Deity that admit
theoretically, the omnipotence and omnipresence of
God, and then would inform the supreme mind, or
plead for pardon that is unmerited, or for blessings
poured out liberally. If we are not grateful for Life,
Truth, and Love, but return thanks to them, we are
insincere, and incur the sharp censure bestowed upon
the hypocrite. The only acceptable prayer in this
case is to put our finger to our lips and remember our
blessings.
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Praying for humility with however much fervency
Praying for humility with however much fervency
of expression, is not always to desire it. If we turn
away from the poor and set aside their judgment, we
are not fit to receive the reward of that which blesses
the poor. When confessing to a very wicked heart,
and asking to have it laid bare before us, do we not
know more of this heart than we are willing our neigh-
bor should know, and if a friend informs us of a fault,
do we listen to the rebuke patiently and credit what is
said, or rather join in thanks that we are not as other
men? It is many years that I have been more grateful
for a merited rebuke than for flattery; the only real
sting is the unmerited censure, the wicked falsehood
that does no one any good.
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Do we love our neighbor as ourself, or because we
Do we love our neighbor as ourself, or because we
do not, should we pray to be given this love and expect
it because of asking, while we pursue the old selfish-
ness satisfied with having prayed for something better,
without a single evidence of the sincerity of this re-