lessnn~ on prn~·er which Josue giwe his ,lisciplcs. He had been enjoying whnt we ~h,,uld now call e. "retreat" with them, e.nd had himself led the devotions of the lit Lie band. Struck by the beauty of his petitions, one of his disciples a.eked him to te,\cb tl,em_ to p~ay, e.e J~hn he.d taught his disciples. 'l'o this appee.l Jesus responds n.t ouca, e.nd m dorng so gives them first e. form, which we.s also mee.nt to be e. model; end ~uc_ondly, a theory of prayer, in which we shall have little difficulty in finding its true philosophy. Lot ns look at these two matters in their order. L THE FOBM. AND M.ODEL OF PRAYER COMMONLY CALLED TRB LoRn'e PRAYER, (Vel'll. 2---:4.)_ Jesus is_ re~re~entod here 8:5 saying to the ,fociples, "When ye prn.y, ,ay," w~ile rn Matt. v1. 9 1t 1s " .A./ter this ma1,ner therefore pray ye." H is evident frum thIB that he meant the words to answer the double purpose-to be a form i11 constant. use, and t:<> be _a model constantly imitated. It is consequently most important to loolt carefully mto its contents. And here we have to notice that it sets intercession before petition for personal benefits. Prayer thus becomes a great instrumeu_t for rendering us d1smterested e.nd unselfish. When modelled on this peerless prayer of Christ, ii carriC's u~ e.t once into the wide interests of God's kiul'-dom before we devote any consideration io petty personal interests. The genius of prayer is thus seen to be the rubordination of self to the univeraal interest. 'l'he hallowing of the Father's preciou11 Name comes first, then the coming of his kingdom, aud then the doing of his will on earth as in heaven. \Vhat a statesmanlike view we a.re thus led to take of the general problem before we even think of the particular and personal problem I 'fhe moment we have in our closet entered intelligently and heartily into these three petitions, we have got out of the narrowness of petty cares and troubles into the broad expanse of the Di vine love. We are taken to mountain-tops at once, and from the sublime heights of Divine compassion we are led to intercede for the world below us, that it may be as speedily as possible transmuted into something like what heaven happily is. Then aa tor the minor personal petitions, these refer to daily bread, and daily pardon, and daily deliverance from evil-the personal blessings, in fact, which fit the individual for aiding the wider interest and 1mbserving the universal blessing. We are thus warranted in askiug for bread to sustain the body, for pardon to relieve the heavy-laden soul, for deliverance amid the further temptations to which we may be .expose<l. Aud in the petition for pardon, it is clearly implied that forgiveness can only be realized by a for- gi¥ing spirit. 'l'he soul which will not forgive a brother who \ISks for forgiveness shows that forgiveness has not been and cannot be realized. In fact, the unforgiving spirit is, as far al' we can judge, the unpardonable sin (cf. Matt. xviii. 21-35). IL Oua LoB.D's THEORY OF PRAYER. (Vers. 5-13.) When we analyze onr Lord's argument here, we find it to be analogical; and the truth is that we are shut up in this matter to analogical reasoning. It can be shown that it is to analogy we owe our knowledge of human beings, of the lower animals, and finally of God above us. In order to any other than analogical knowledge, we should require to become incarnated, so to speak, in the other being whose condition we desire to know. Seeing that this is impossible, we are shut up to the argument from analogy upon sueh a subject.1 Our Lord, then, looked around him, and saw that efficacious prayer was embedded as a fad in the very constitution of society. Petition is the form which conscious need assumes in social intercourse; and a response comes forth with more or less promptitude and grace, and demonstrates that the prayer has proved efficacious. It is further to be uuticed that our Lord, in pointing out efficacious prayer as existing in the society of his time, gives us first an example of efficacious intercession, and then an example of efficacious personal petition. His illustrations consequently follow ihe lines laid down in his presciibt:d form of prayer. To encourage intercession, he presents the JJicture of the importunate friend begging successfully a Bupper for an unexpected and hungry guest; to encourage personal petition, he presents the picture of hungry children crying to their father for food; and he would have us to reason from the efficacious prayer among men to the certainty of pray1::r being efficaciol.18 '"°hen presented unto God. Let us look at the illubtrations in the order given. A kindly, hotipitable man is about to rntire to rest wiLh his huusehold, having in the lut meal cou,;um\'d the sme.11 stock of
' We ho.ve discussed this subject in the Christian Mo11thl11 for July, 18S~:. Rian in the 'Tl.u, lugi.cul Ha:,<.it..ouk' U!-'()D t.he suLJect o; prayer, JIUU)i~J.c<l Ly llJJJ.,r u.:.1u bl.ougl,to11, OH. XI. 1--154.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 32'j