"General Charles James Gordon, the hero of Khartum,
was a truly Christian soldier. Shut up in the Sudanese town he gallantly
held out for one year, but, finally, was overcome and slain. On his memorial
in Westminster Abbey are these words, 'He gave his money to the poor;
his sympathy to the sorrowing; his life to his country and his soul to
God.'" -- HOMER W. HODGE.
PRAYER governs conduct and conduct makes character. Conduct, is what we
do; character, is what we are. Conduct is the outward life. Character is
the life unseen, hidden within, yet evidenced by that which is seen.
Conduct is external, seen from without; character is internal -- operating
within. In the economy of grace conduct is the offspring of character. Character
is the state of the heart, conduct its outward expression. Character is
the root of the tree, conduct, the fruit it bears.
Prayer is related to all the gifts of grace. To character and conduct its
relation is that of a helper. Prayer helps to establish character and fashion
conduct, and both for their successful continuance depend on prayer. There
may be a certain degree of moral character and conduct independent of prayer,
but there cannot be anything like distinctive religious character and Christian
conduct without it. Prayer helps, where all other aids fail. The more we
pray, the better we are, the purer and better our lives.
The very end and purpose of the atoning work of Christ is to create religious
character and to make Christian conduct.
"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from
all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works."
In Christ's teaching, it is not simply works of charity and deeds of mercy
upon which He insists, but inward spiritual character. This much is demanded,
and nothing short of it, will suffice.
In the study of Paul's Epistles, there is one thing which stands out, clearly
and unmistakably -- the insistence on holiness of heart, and righteousness
of life. Paul does not seek, so much, to promote what is termed "personal
work," nor is the leading theme of his letters deeds of charity. It
is the condition of the human heart and the blamelessness of the personal
life, which form the burden of the writings of St. Paul.
Elsewhere in the Scriptures, too, it is character and conduct which are
made preeminent. The Christian religion deals with men who are devoid of
spiritual character, and unholy in life, and aims so to change them, that
they become holy in heart and righteous in life. It aims to change bad men
into good men; it deals with inward badness, and works to change it into
inward goodness. And it is just here where prayer enters and demonstrates
its wonderful efficacy and fruit. Prayer drives toward this specific end.
In fact, without prayer, no such supernatural change in moral character,
can ever be effected. For the change from badness to goodness is not wrought
"by works of righteousness which we have done," but according
to God's mercy, which saves us "by the washing of regeneration."
And this marvellous change is brought to pass through earnest, persistent,
faithful prayer. Any alleged form of Christianity, which does not effect
this change in the hearts of men, is a delusion and a snare.
The office of prayer is to change the character and conduct of men, and
in countless instances, has been wrought by prayer. At this point, prayer,
by its credentials, has proved its divinity. And just as it is the office
of prayer to effect this, so it is the prime work of the Church to take
hold of evil men and make them good. Its mission is to change human nature,
to change character, influence behaviour, to revolutionize conduct. The
Church is presumed to be righteous, and should be engaged in turning men
to righteousness. The Church is God's manufactory on earth, and its primary
duty is to create and foster righteousness of character. This is its very
first business. Primarily, its work is not to acquire members, nor amass
numbers, nor aim at money-getting, nor engage in deeds of charity and works
of mercy, but to produce righteousness of character, and purity of the outward
life.
A product reflects and partakes of the character of the manufactory which
makes it. A righteous Church with a righteous purpose makes righteous men.
Prayer produces cleanliness of heart and purity of life. It can produce
nothing else. Unrighteous conduct is born of prayerlessness; the two go
hand-in-hand. Prayer and sinning cannot keep company with each other. One,
or the other, must, of necessity, stop. Get men to pray, and they will quit
sinning, because prayer creates a distaste for sinning, and so works upon
the heart, that evil-doing becomes repugnant, and the entire nature lifted
to a reverent contemplation of high and holy things.
Prayer is based on character. What we are with God gauges our influence
with Him. It was the inner character, not the outward seeming, of such men
as Abraham, Job, David, Moses and all others, who had such great influence
with God in the days of old. And, today, it is not so much our words, as
what we really are, which weighs with God. Conduct affects character, of
course, and counts for much in our praying. At the same time, character
affects conduct to a far greater extent, and has a superior influence over
prayer. Our inner life not only gives colour to our praying, but body, as
well. Bad living means bad praying and, in the end, no praying at all. We
pray feebly because we live feebly. The stream of prayer cannot rise higher
than the fountain of living. The force of the inner chamber is made up of
the energy which flows from the confluent streams of living. And the weakness
of living grows out of the shallowness and shoddiness of character.
Feebleness of living reflects its debility and langour in the praying hours.
We simply cannot talk to God, strongly, intimately, and confidently unless
we are living for Him, faithfully and truly. The prayer-closet cannot become
sanctified unto God, when the life is alien to His precepts and purpose.
We must learn this lesson well -- that righteous character and Christlike
conduct give us a peculiar and preferential standing in prayer before God.
His holy Word gives special emphasis to the part conduct has in imparting
value to our praying when it declares:
"Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer; thou
shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am; if thou take away from the midst
of thee the yoke, the putting forth the finger, and speaking vanity."
The wickedness of Israel and their heinous practices were definitely cited
by Isaiah, as the reason why God would turn His ears away from their prayers:
"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine
eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands
are full of blood."
The same sad truth was declared by the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah:
"Therefore, pray not thou for this people, neither
lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time
that they cry unto Me for their trouble."
Here, it is plainly stated, that unholy conduct is a bar to successful praying,
just as it is clearly intimated that, in order to have full access to God
in prayer, there must be a total abandonment of conscious and premeditated
sin.
We are enjoined to pray, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
doubting," and must pass the time of our sojourning here, in a rigorous
abstaining from evil if we are to retain our privilege of calling upon the
Father. We cannot, by any process, divorce praying from conduct.
"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep
His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight."
And James declares roundly that men ask and receive not, because they ask
amiss, and seek only the gratification of selfish desires.
Our Lord's injunction, "Watch ye, and pray always," is to cover
and guard all our conduct, so that we may come to our inner chamber with
all its force secured by a vigilant guard kept over our lives.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this
life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
Quite often, Christian experience founders on the rock of conduct. Beautiful
theories are marred by ugly lives. The most difficult thing about piety,
as it is the most impressive, is to be able to live it. It is the life which
counts, and our praying suffers, as do other phases of our religious experience,
from bad living.
In primitive times preachers were charged to preach by their lives, or not
to preach at all. So, today, Christians, everywhere, ought to be charged
to pray by their lives, or not to pray at all. The most effective preaching,
is not that which is heard from the pulpit, but that which is proclaimed
quietly, humbly and consistently; which exhibits its excellencies in the
home, and in the community. Example preaches a far more effective sermon
than precept. The best preaching, even in the pulpit, is that which is fortified
by godly living, in the preacher, himself. The most effective work done
by the pew is preceded by, and accompanied with, holiness of life, separation
from the world, severance from sin. Some of the strongest appeals are made
with mute lips -- by godly fathers and saintly mothers who, around the fireside,
feared God, loved His cause, and daily exhibited to their children and others
about them, the beauties and excellencies of Christian life and conduct.
The best-prepared, most eloquent sermon can be marred and rendered ineffective,
by questionable practices in the preacher. The most active church worker
can have the labour of his hands vitiated by worldliness of spirit and inconsistency
of life. Men preach by their lives, not by their words, and sermons are
delivered, not so much in, and from a pulpit, as in tempers, actions, and
the thousand and one incidents which crowd the pathway of daily life.
Of course, the prayer of repentance is acceptable to God. He delights in
hearing the cries of penitent sinners. But repentance involves not only
sorrow for sin, but the turning away from wrong-doing, and the learning
to do well. A repentance which does not produce a change in character and
conduct, is a mere sham, which should deceive nobody. Old things must
pass away, all things must become new.
Praying, which does not result in right thinking and right living, is a
farce. We have missed the whole office of prayer if it fail to purge character
and rectify conduct. We have failed entirely to apprehend the virtue of
prayer, if it bring not about the revolutionizing of the life. In the very
nature of things, we must quit praying, or our bad conduct. Cold, formal
praying may exist side by side, with bad conduct, but such praying, in the
estimation of God, is no praying at all. Our praying advances in power,
just in so far as it rectifies the life. Growing in purity and devotion
to God will be a more prayerful life.
The character of the inner life is a condition of effectual praying. As
is the life, so will the praying be. An inconsistent life obstructs praying
and neutralizes what little praying we may do. Always, it is "the prayer
of the righteous man which availeth much." Indeed, one may go further
and assert, that it is only the prayer of the righteous which avails anything
at all -- at any time. To have an eye to God's glory; to be possessed by
an earnest desire to please Him in all our ways; to possess hands busy in
His service; to have feet swift to run in the way of His commandments --
these give weight and influence and power to prayer, and secure an audience
with God. The incubus of our lives often breaks the force of our praying,
and, not unfrequently, are as doors of brass, in the face of prayer.
Praying must come out of a cleansed heart and be presented and urged with
the "lifting up of holy hands." It must be fortified by a life
aiming, unceasingly, to obey God, to attain conformity to the Divine law,
and to come into submission to the Divine will.
Let it not be forgotten, that, while life is a condition of prayer, prayer
is also the condition of righteous living. Prayer promotes righteous living,
and is the one great aid to uprightness of heart and life. The fruit of
real praying is right living. Praying sets him who prays to the great business
of "working out his salvation with fear and trembling;" puts him
to watching his temper, conversation and conduct; causes him to "walk
circumspectly, redeeming the time;" enables him to "walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith he is called, with all lowliness and meekness;"
gives him a high incentive to pursue his pilgrimage consistently by "shunning
every evil way, and walking in the good." |