lecture19-第3章

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theological　complications；　has　shown　itself　to　consist



everywhere；　and　at　all　its　stages；　in　the　consciousness　which



individuals　have　of　an　intercourse　between　themselves　and　higher



powers　with　which　they　feel　themselves　to　be　related。　This



intercourse　is　realized　at　the　time　as　being　both　active　and



mutual。　　If　it　be　not　effective；　if　it　be　not　a　give　and　take



relation；　if　nothing　be　really　transacted　while　it　lasts；　if　the



world　is　in　no　whit　different　for　its　having　taken　place；　then



prayer；　taken　in　this　wide　meaning　of　a　sense　that　SOMETHING　IS



TRANSACTING；　is　of　course　a　feeling　of　what　is　illusory；　and



religion　must　on　the　whole　be　classed；　not　simply　as　containing



elements　of　delusionthese　undoubtedly　everywhere　existbut　as



being　rooted　in　delusion　altogether；　just　as　materialists　and



atheists　have　always　said　it　was。　　At　most　there　might　remain；



when　the　direct　experiences　of　prayer　were　ruled　out　as　false



witnesses；　some　inferential　belief　that　the　whole　order　of



existence　must　have　a　divine　cause。　　But　this　way　of



contemplating　nature；　pleasing　as　it　would　doubtless　be　to



persons　of　a　pious　taste；　would　leave　to　them　but　the　spectators'



part　at　a　play；　whereas　in　experimental　religion　and　the



prayerful　life；　we　seem　ourselves　to　be　actors；　and　not　in　a



play；　but　in　a　very　serious　reality。







The　genuineness　of　religion　is　thus　indissolubly　bound　up　with



the　question　whether　the　prayerful　consciousness　be　or　be　not



deceitful。　　The　conviction　that　something　is　genuinely　transacted



in　this　consciousness　is　the　very　core　of　living　religion。　　As　to



what　is　transacted；　great　differences　of　opinion　have　prevailed。　



The　unseen　powers　have　been　supposed；　and　are　yet　supposed；　to　do



things　which　no　enlightened　man　can　nowadays　believe　in。　　It　may



well　prove　that　the　sphere　of　influence　in　prayer　is　subjective



exclusively；　and　that　what　is　immediately　changed　is　only　the



mind　of　the　praying　person。　　But　however　our　opinion　of　prayer's



effects　may　come　to　be　limited　by　criticism；　religion；　in　the



vital　sense　in　which　these　lectures　study　it；　must　stand　or　fall



by　the　persuasion　that　effects　of　some　sort　genuinely　do　occur。　



Through　prayer；　religion　insists；　things　which　cannot　be　realized



in　any　other　manner　come　about：　　energy　which　but　for　prayer



would　be　bound　is　by　prayer　set　free　and　operates　in　some　part；



be　it　objective　or　subjective；　of　the　world　of　facts。







This　postulate　is　strikingly　expressed　in　a　letter　written　by　the



late　Frederic　W。　H。　Myers　to　a　friend；　who　allows　me　to　quote



from　it。　　It　shows　how　independent　the　prayer…instinct　is　of



usual　doctrinal　complications。　　Mr。　Myers　writes：







〃I　am　glad　that　you　have　asked　me　about　prayer；　because　I　have



rather　strong　ideas　on　the　subject。　　First　consider　what　are　the



facts。　　There　exists　around　us　a　spiritual　universe；　and　that



universe　is　in　actual　relation　with　the　material。　　From　the



spiritual　universe　comes　the　energy　which　maintains　the　material；



the　energy　which　makes　the　life　of　each　individual　spirit。　　Our



spirits　are　supported　by　a　perpetual　indrawal　of　this　energy；　and



the　vigor　of　that　indrawal　is　perpetually　changing；　much　as　the



vigor　of　our　absorption　of　material　nutriment　changes　from　hour



to　hour。







〃I　call　these　'facts'　because　I　think　that　some　scheme　of　this



kind　is　the　only　one　consistent　with　our　actual　evidence；　too



complex　to　summarize　here。　　How；　then；　should　we　ACT　on　these



facts？　　Plainly　we　must　endeavor　to　draw　in　as　much　spiritual



life　as　possible；　and　we　must　place　our　minds　in　any　attitude



which　experience　shows　to　be　favorable　to　such　indrawal。　　PRAYER



is　the　general　name　for　that　attitude　of　open　and　earnest



expectancy。　　If　we　then　ask　to　whom　to　pray；　the　answer



（strangely　enough）　must　be　that　THAT　does　not　much　matter。　　The



prayer　is　not　indeed　a　purely　subjective　thing；it　means　a　real



increase　in　intensity　of　absorption　of　spiritual　power　or



grace；but　we　do　not　know　enough　of　what　takes　place　in　the



spiritual　world　to　know　how　the　prayer　operates；WHO　is



cognizant　of　it；　or　through　what　channel　the　grace　is　given。　



Better　let　children　pray　to　Christ；　who　is　at　any　rate　the



highest　individual　spirit　of　whom　we　have　any　knowledge。　　But　it



would　be　rash　to　say　that　Christ　himself　HEARS　US；　while　to　say



that　GOD　hears　us　is　merely　to　restate　the　first　principlethat



grace　flows　in　from　the　infinite　spiritual　world。〃







Let　us　reserve　the　question　of　the　truth　or　falsehood　of　the



belief　that　power　is　absorbed　until　the　next　lecture；　when　our



dogmatic　conclusions；　if　we　have　any；　must　be　reached。　Let　this



lecture　still　confine　itself　to　the　description　of　phenomena；　and



as　a　concrete　example　of　an　extreme　sort；　of　the　way　in　which　the



prayerful　life　may　still　be　led；　let　me　take　a　case　with　which



most　of　you　must　be　acquainted；　that　of　George　Muller　of　Bristol；



who　died　in　1898。　　Muller's　prayers　were　of　the　crassest



petitional　order。　　Early　in　life　he　resolved　on　taking　certain



Bible　promises　in　literal　sincerity；　and　on　letting　himself　be



fed；　not　by　his　own　worldly　foresight；　but　by　the　Lord's　hand。　



He　had　an　extraordinarily　active　and　successful　career；　among　the



fruits　of　which　were　the　distribution　of　over　two　million　copies



of　the　Scripture　text；　in　different　languages；　the　equipment　of



several　hundred　missionaries；　the　circulation　of　more　than　a



hundred　and　eleven　million　of　scriptural　books；　pamphlets；　and



tracts；　the　building　of　five　large　orphanages；　and　the　keeping



and　educating　of　thousands　of　orphans；　finally；　the　establishment



of　schools　in　which　over　a　hundred　and　twenty…one　thousand



youthful　and　adult　pupils　were　taught。　In　the　course　of　this　work



Mr。　Muller　received　and　administered　nearly　a　million　and　a　half



of　pounds　sterling；　and　traveled　over　two　hundred　thousand　miles



of　sea　and　land。＇310＇　　During　the　sixty…eight　years　of　his



ministry；　he　never　owned　any　property　except　his　clothes　and



furniture；　and　cash　in　hand；　and　he　left；　at　the　age　of



eighty…six；　an　estate　worth　only　a　hundred　and　sixty　pounds。







＇310＇　My　authority　for　these　statistics　is　the　little　work　on



Muller；　by　Frederic　G。　Warne；　New　York；　1898。















His　method　was　to　let　his　general　wants　be　publicly　known；　but



not　to　acquaint　other　people　with　the　details　of　his　temporary



necessities。　　For　the　relief　of　the　latter；　he　prayed　directly　to



the　Lord；　believing　that　sooner　or　later　prayers　are　always



answered　if　one　have　trust　enough。　　〃When　I　lose　such　a　thing　as



a　key；〃　he　writes；　〃I　ask　the　Lord　to　direct　me　to　it；　and　I　look



for　an　answer　to　my　prayer；　when　a　person　with　whom　I　have　made



an　appointment　does　not　come；　according　to　the　fixed　time；　and　I



begin　to　be　inconvenienced　by　it；　I　ask　the　Lord　to　be　pleased　to



hasten　him　to　me；　and　I　look　for　an　answer；　when　I　do　not



understand　a　passage　of　the　word　of　God；　I　lift　up　my　heart　to



the　Lord　that　he　would　be　pleased　by　his　Holy　Spirit　to　instruct



me；　and　I　expect　to　be　taught；　though　I　do　not　fix　the　time　when；



and　the　manner　how　it　should　be；　when　I　am　going　to　minister　in



the　Word；　I　seek　help　from　the　Lord；　and　。　。　。　am　not　cast　down；



but　of　good　cheer　because　I　look　for　his　assistance。〃







Muller's　custom　was　to　never　run　up　bills；　not　even　for　a　week。　



〃As　the　Lord　deals　out　to　us　by　the　day；　。　。　。　the　week's　payment



might　become　due　and　we　have　no　money　to　meet　it；　and　thus　those



with　whom　we　deal　might　be　inconvenienced