友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
读书室 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

lecture19-第3部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!




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 by us; and we be found



acting against the commandment of the Lord:  'Owe no man



anything。' From this day and henceforward whilst the Lord gives



to us our supplies by the day; we purpose to pay at once for



every article as it is purchased; and never to buy anything



except we can pay for it at once; however much it may seem to be



needed; and however much those with whom we deal may wish to be



paid only by the week。〃







The articles needed of which Muller speaks were the food; fuel;



etc。; of his orphanages。  Somehow; near as they often come to



going without a meal; they hardly ever seem actually to have done



so。  〃Greater and more manifest nearness of the Lord's presence I



have never had than when after breakfast there were no means for



dinner for more than a hundred persons; or when after dinner



there were no means for the tea; and yet the Lord provided the



tea; and all this without one single human being having been



informed about our need。 。 。 。  Through Grace my mind is so fully



assured of the faithfulness of the Lord; that in the midst of the



greatest need; I am enabled in peace to go about my other work。 



Indeed; did not the Lord give me this; which is the result of



trusting in him; I should scarcely be able to work at all; for it



is now comparatively a rare thing that a day comes when I am not



in need for one or another part of the work。〃'311'







'311' The Life of Trust; Being a Narrative of the Lord's Dealings



with George Muller; New American edition; N。 Y。; Crowell; pp。



228; 194; 219。















In building his orphanages simply by prayer and faith; Muller



affirms that his prime motive was 〃to have something to point to



as a visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful



God that he ever wasas willing as ever to prove himself the



living God; in our day as formerly; to all that put their trust



in him。〃'312'  For this reason he refused to borrow money for any



of his enterprises。  〃How does it work when we thus anticipate



God by going our own way?  We certainly weaken faith instead of



increasing it; and each time we work thus a deliverance of our



own we find it more and more difficult to trust in God; till at



last we give way entirely to our natural fallen reason and



unbelief prevails。  How different if one is enabled to wait God's



own time; and to look alone to him for help and deliverance! When



at last help comes; after many seasons of prayer it may be; how



sweet it is; and what a present recompense!  Dear Christian



reader; if you have never walked in this path of obedience



before; do so now; and you will then know experimentally the



sweetness of the joy which results from it。〃'313'







'312' Ibid。; p。 126。







'313' Op。 cit。; p。 383; abridged。












返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 2 4
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!