Preface.

Whether Prayer be a reality or a make-believe is a serious question, for a man or a community. That we should have access to the august Centre of the Universe, must, if true, be of inconceivable moment. If prayer be a real thing, then, to neglect it will be a loss; while, to disdain it, must be offensive to Him to whom it should be addressed.

But why should the working of prayer be incredible, any more than the sending of a message in a few minutes to the opposite end of the earth? That a man should stand beside a wall, take a little instrument off a hook, and, putting it to his ear, listen to the very tones of a voice many miles away, would, not long ago have been held to be impossible: but yet it is fact to-day. Is it then unbelievable that the ear of the Omnipotent should attend the petitions of the humble believer, and grant or refuse them according to what is best for him?

That it is denied is notorious, and the following pages are offered to meet one point of difficulty, sincerely existing in many minds, namely, the alleged inconsistence of prayer with the principle of general laws in the Universe.

What is prayer? Whatever else it may be, Prayer is an intelligent creature's expression of dependence upon the Creator. God alone is sufficient to Himself : every creature, whether he acknowledge it or not, is a dependent being. Man, revolted, has lost the sense of page 4 this dependence : he has slipped his moorings, got away from the Blessed Centre of the Universe, and, wandering in darkness, thinks it the finest and grandest thing to be independent. On the other hand, the Gospel comes to effect a reconciliation : it encourages the confidence of man and restores him to intelligent and becoming intercourse with his Maker, one mode of which is—Prayer.