ashamed of his tears. . To the true bee.rt !he co_nditi~n of the_ Church is e. per~onal sorrow _or a ~ersonal Joy. 5. The practical, aim mmgled WJ.th the supplications. The faith which prays is the fe.ith which works. When we ask God for help we sh ou )<l be ready for service. Nehemie.h did not satisfy himself with weeping e.nd pray mg. He said, "Here e.m I, send me." The true prayer is always consecration. III. An eminent instance of PRAYER AT A GREAT CRISIS. The characteristics of Nehemiah's prayer were-1. Adoring.faith. He believed that God we.s God. 2. Rememlira.nce of the word of God, and his gracious revelation of himself in keeping covenant and mercy. 3. Confe,ssion of sin and acknowledgment of God's righteous- ness. 4. Hwmble boldness in appealing to him who has given his word to fulfil it. 5. Spiritual insight and foresight. Looking on the world e.nd its rulers and all its affa1:s as in the hand of him whose throne is the throne of grace, to which hie people can come at all times. To such a faith the Persian monarch is only "this man," a mere instrument in the hands of God. 6. Identification of the personal life e.nd feelings with the interests and doctrines of God's Church. "Prosper thy servant." Not for his own sake, but for thy people's sake. "I was the king's cupbearer ; " but I was the representative of Zion, and the intercessor for Jerusalem. IV. A GREAT ENTERPRISE undertaken in dependence upon God. 1. Thefounda- ti,on was sure. It was an enterprise on which God's blessing could be sought. 2. The instrument was fit. Nehemiah was conscious both of intense desire and con- secration, and of personal quality by which he was adapted to the work. 3. The method was wise. He did not break away from his connection with Persia, but sought to use the earthly power for the heavenly purpose. 4. The spirit was truly religious. "Prosper thy servant this day." Without God nothing is strong. With his help all things are possible. He rules both men and things for his people.-R. Vere. 4-11.-Piety and prayer. I. The SORROW of prayer (ver. 4). Prayer was designed to be a glad communion with God; but sin has embittered it. Now it is often suffused with tears ; but it will soon rejoice in God. Hannah's prayerful sorrow soon became her prophetic song. The sorrows of prayer are more joyous than the rejoicings of sin. II. The IMPORTUNITY of prayer (ver. 5). Nehemiah besought God to hear his prayer; his whole being was engaged in his devotion. Sorrow makes men earnest; things spiritual must be earnestly sought. III. The THEOLOGY of prayer. True prayer has a right conception of the Divine Alrnracter; it will see in God-1. The Divine. 2. The exalted. 3. The faithful. 4. Tlie powerfnl All true prayer is based on a right conception of the Deity ; the more we know of God, the more true and acceptable will our worship become. IV. The DURATION of prayer (ver. 6). Nehemiah prayed day and night. We m~t pray without ceasing. "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Gen. xxxn. 26). V. The CONFESSIONS of prayer (vers. 6, 7). 1. Personal. 2. Domestic. 8. National. 4. Unreserved. VI. The SUPPLICATION of prayer. Prayer generally has some specific request to urge. 1. The Divine promise (vere. 8, 9). 2. The Divine mercy. 8. The Divine aid in the past.-E. Vere. 5-11.-.A prayer: its chara.deristu;a. We have many recorded prayers in the sacred Scriptures. They have varioUB characteristics, as we should expect they would have ; for our individuality-that in which God has made us to be different from every one else-should appear in "J'rayer as much as in any other act. More rather than lees, for if there be one thmg more especially in which we should " be ourselves," it is when we approach him who requires "truth in the _in;ward farts." Nevertheless, we shall find in the prayer of Nehemiah.those characte~st10s which we should expect to find in any address to God from a holy man, and which should mark our devotion. I. REYERENCE. " I beseech thee, 0 Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God" (ver. 5). "Let thine ear be attentive, and thine eyes open'' (ver .. 6). Nehemiah speaks as one who feels that it is an infinite condeeC'eneion for the MaJ"sly 011. I, 1-11.] THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 9
on high to" humble himself to behold the things which are done upon the earth." In our " access with boldness " there is danger iest we run into irreverence. Who can help marking a painful familiarity in the addresses of some men to the Saviour of mankind? If we feel that our Maker is our friend, we must never forget that our friend is our Maker. II . .ADORATION, "Thou keepest covenant and mercy," &c. (ver. 5). Critics who raise an easy sneer about our "telling God the truth concerning himself" must not be lllowed to deprive us of the privilege and drive us from the duty of adoratinn. It is a fitting thing, w:ell sanctioned in Scripture, fruitful of humility and sacred joy, to ascribe in prayer "the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty" to our God (1 Chron. xxix. 11; Rev. iv. 11, &c.). III. CONFESSION. "The sins which we have sinned against thee," &c. (vers. 6, 7). Here is confession of national sin. Our consciousness tells us of our own guilt, and should lead us to confess (a) our transgresswns (" we have dealt corruptly") and (b) our shortcomings(" we have not kept," &c.). Our confession of sin should he simple and natural, not conventional or ostentatious. The truer, the more acceptable. Beside the acknowledgment of our own personal faultiness, our sympathy with our fellows (of the same family, Church, nation) will lead us to confess our sins as members of a community. IV. SUPPLICATION, PLEADING (vers. 8, 9, 10). Nehemiah pleads with God his ancient promises, and he reverently affirms that they for whom he is making inter- cession are such as these promises included. We cannot do better than plead (a) God's word of promise, and (b) his past deliverances (ver. 10): "Thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling?" (Ps. lvi. 13). V. EARNESTNESS. In verse 11 Nehemiah urges his petition : " 0 Lord, I beseech thee," &c. Earnestness is not content with one clear utterance. It returns and repeats. The language of entreaty is naturally redundant. It does not spare words; it pleads and pleads again. VI. DEFINITENESS. " Prosper thy servant . . and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer" (ver. 11 ). Nehemiah prays not only generally for God's merciful regard to be given to his people, hut he asks especially that the mind of the king, .Artaxerxes, may be favourably disposed towards himself. We should consider what we urgently require when we draw nigh to God in prayer, and ask him for those special and definite favours which are most calculated to meet the need of our circumstances and life. Only, as here, we must be unselfish and high-minded in the desires we cherish.-C.