Chapter I - Prayer
15:1
which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in
which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in
secret, shall reward thee openly."
Spiritual sanctuary
15:3
So spake Jesus. The closet typifies the sanctuary of
So spake Jesus. The closet typifies the sanctuary of
Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but
lets in Truth, Life, and Love. Closed to
error, it is open to Truth, and vice versa.
The Father in secret is unseen to the physical senses,
but He knows all things and rewards according to
motives, not according to speech. To enter into the
heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be
closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent,
that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine
Principle, Love, which destroys all error.
Effectual invocation
15:14
In order to pray aright, we must enter into the
In order to pray aright, we must enter into the
closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and
silence the material senses. In the quiet
sanctuary of earnest longings, we must
deny sin and plead God's allness. We must resolve to
take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to
work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We
must "pray without ceasing." Such prayer is an-
swered, in so far as we put our desires into practice.
The Master's injunction is, that we pray in secret and
let our lives attest our sincerity.
Trustworthy beneficence
15:25
Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden
Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden
from the world, but known to God. Self-forgetfulness,
purity, and affection are constant prayers.
Practice not profession, understanding not
belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and
they assuredly call down infinite blessings. Trustworthi-
ness is the foundation of enlightened faith. Without a
fitness for holiness, we cannot receive holiness.
Loftiest adoration
16:1
A great sacrifice of material things must precede this
A great sacrifice of material things must precede this
advanced spiritual understanding. The highest prayer
is not one of faith merely; it is demonstra-
tion. Such prayer heals sickness, and must
destroy sin and death. It distinguishes between Truth
that is sinless and the falsity of sinful sense.
The prayer of Jesus Christ
16:7
Our Master taught his disciples one brief prayer,
Our Master taught his disciples one brief prayer,
which we name after him the Lord's Prayer. Our Mas-
ter said, "After this manner therefore pray
ye," and then he gave that prayer which
covers all human needs. There is indeed some doubt
among Bible scholars, whether the last line is not an
addition to the prayer by a later copyist; but this does
not affect the meaning of the prayer itself.
16:15
In the phrase, "Deliver us from evil," the original
In the phrase, "Deliver us from evil," the original
properly reads, "Deliver us from the evil one." This
reading strengthens our scientific apprehension of the peti-
tion, for Christian Science teaches us that "the evil one," or
one evil, is but another name for the first lie and all liars.
16:20
Only as we rise above all material sensuousness and
Only as we rise above all material sensuousness and
sin, can we reach the heaven-born aspiration and spir-
itual consciousness, which is indicated in the Lord's
Prayer and which instantaneously heals the sick.
Here let me give what I understand to be the spir-
itual sense of the Lord's Prayer:
16:26
Our Father which art in heaven,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,
16:28
Hallowed be Thy name.
Hallowed be Thy name.
Adorable One.
16:30
Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.