Lessons in the School of Prayer

The genesis of this book is very simple. Having occasion to prepare a special address on “Prayer,” it occurred to me to collate and compare all the words spoken by our Lord himself upon the great theme, as it had often been found that His teachings upon any given subject, when so combined, constitute a consistent and harmonious whole — a body of doctrine, singularly comprehensive, and symmetrically complete.

In order to present His teachings, as to Prayer, most fully and satisfactorily, three things seemed essential: First, to gather them all together, for the sake of completeness; secondly, to classify them under appropriate divisions, for the sake of analysis and synthesis; and, thirdly, to arrange them as far as possible in chronological order, for the sake of discovering and disclosing any progress of doctrine which they might exhibit.

The result of these studies has proved so surprising and so satisfactory, that it is given to all devout students of the Scriptures, in the confidence that others will find here some such help, instruction, and comfort, as the writer has found. Perhaps even the imperfection of the work, here embodied, may incite other pupils of the Great Master to a more successful search into the wonderful words of Him who spake as never man spake. Arthur T. Pierson.

1127 Dean St., Brooklyn, New York. October, 1895.

OUR LORD’S OWN WORDS ON
PRAYER.

When thou prayest,

Thou shalt not be

As the hypocrites are;

For they love to pray,

Standing in the synagogues,

And in the corners of the streets;

That they may be seen of men:

Verily I say unto you,

They have their reward.

But thou,

When thou prayest,

Enter into thy closet;

And, when thou hast shut thy door, Pray to thy Father,

Who is in Secret;

And thy Father,

Who seeth in secret.

Shall reward thee openly

II.

But, when ye pray,

Use not vain repetitions.

As the heathen do;

For they think

That they shall be heard,

For their much speaking:

Be not ye, therefore, like unto them;

For your Father knoweth

What things ye have need of,

Before ye ask Him.

III.

After this manner.
Therefore, Pray Ye:

Our Father,

Who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name, ) On Earth

Thy Kingdom come, [• As it is in

Thy Will be done, ) Heaven.

INTRODUCTORY.

Give us, this day,

Our daily bread;

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors;

And lead us,

Not into Temptation;

But deliver us

From evil;

/ The Kingdom,
For Thine is -] And the Power,
( And the Glory,
Forever.
Amen.

IV.

And, when ye stand praying.

Forgive,

If ye have aught against any;

That your Father also.

Which is in Heaven,

May forgive you your trespasses.

Love your enemies;

Bless them

That curse you;

Do good to them

INTRODUCTORY.

That hate you;

And. pray for them

That despitefully use you,

And persecute you.

V.

Have faith in God.

Verily I say unto you:

If ye have faith y

As a grain of mustard-seed,

Ye might say unto this sycamine-tree

Be thou plucked up by the roots,

And be thou planted in the sea,

And it should obey you.

If ye have faith,

And doubt not,

Ye shall not only do this.

Which is done to the fig-tree,

But, also,

Whosoever shall say to this mountain

Be thou removed.

And be thou cast into the sea;

And shall not doubt in his heart.

But shall believe

That those things which he saith

Shall come to pass.

INTRODUCTORY.

He shall have whatsoever he saith.

And nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Therefore, I say unto you,

Whatsoever things ye desire,

When ye pray.

Believe that ye receive them

And ye shall have them.

And all things,

Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,

Believing,

Ye shall receive.

VI.

And He spake a parable unto them,

To this end.

That men ought always to pray

and not to faint,

Saying:

There was, in a city, a Judge

Which feared not God,

Neither regarded man;

And there was a widow in that city,

And she came unto him, saying,

Avenge me of mine adversary!

And he would not, for awhile;

But, afterward, he said, within himself,

Though I fear not God,

Nor regard man;

Yet, because this widow troubleth me,

I will avenge her;

Lest, by her continual coming.

She weary me.

And the Lord said:

Hear what the unjust Judge saith:

And shall not God avenge

His own elect.

Which cry day and night unto Him;

Though He bear long with them?

I tell you, that He will avenge them

speedily.

Nevertheless,

When the Son of man cometh.

Shall He find faith on the earth?

And He said unto them:

Which of you shall have a friend,

And shall go unto him, at midnight.

And say unto him,

Friend, lend me three loaves.

For a friend of mine, in his journey,

Is come to me, And I have nothing to set before him;

And he, from within shall answer and say,

Trouble me not;

The door is now shut.

And my children are with me in bed;

I cannot rise and give thee:

I say unto you.

Though he will not rise and give him,

Because he is his friend;

Yet, because of his importunity

He will rise, and give him

As many as he needeth.

And I say unto you:

Ask,

And it shall be given you;

Seek,

And ye shall find;

Knock,

And it shall be opened unto you.

VII.

If A SON shall ask bread

Of any of you that is a father,

Will he give him a stone;

Or, if he ask a fish, Will he, for a fish, give him a serpent;

Or, if he shall ask an egg,

Will he offer him a scorpion?

If ye then, being evil,

Know how to give good gifts

Unto your childreny

How much more

Shall your heavenly father

Give the Holy Spirit

To them that ask Him!

vni.

And He spake this parable.

Unto certain which trusted in themselves

That they were righteous,

And despised others.

Two men went up into the Temple,

To pray:

The one, a Pharisee,

And the other, a Publican.

The Pharisee stood.

And prayed thus with himself:

God, I thank Thee

That I am not
As other men are:

Extortioners, unjust, adulterers,

Or even as this Publican:

I fast twice in the week;

I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off,

Would not lift so much as his eyes unto

heaven.

But smote upon his breast, saying:

God, be merciful unto me,

A sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his

house justified.

Rather than the other;

For every one that exalteth himself

Shall be abased j

But HE THAT HUMBLETH HIMSELF

Shall be exalted.

IX.

Again, I say unto you,

If two of you shall agree, on earth.

As touching anything that they shall ask.

It shall be done for them,

Of my Father which is in Heaven;

For where two or three are gathered

together,
In my name,

There am I,

In the midst of them.

The Harvest is great,
And the laborers are few;

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