He claimed to sustain to God was in keeping with the constancy of His pray- erfulness. In all the exigencies of His life He turned to the strength of pray- er's fellowship instinctively. The great events of His life were preceded by prayer: such miracles as His walking on the sea and stilling the tempest (Mat. 14:23-35), feeding the 4,000 (Mat. 15:36), healing the lunatic boy (Mrk. 9:14-2«), raising I^azarus( Jno. 11:41, 42), feeding the 5,000 (Jno. 6:11); such outgoings of power as His upholding of Peter upon the sea, and the healing of multitudes at Gannesaret (Mat. 14:23, 31-36). The people con- nected His prayers with helpful influ- ences, and brought little children to Him "that He should lay His hands on them and pray" (Luk. 6:12, 13), and Peter's great confession was made after the disciples had been engaged in prayer alone (Luk. 9:18, 20.) The transfiguration was a phenomenon of prayer. Such prayers of anticipation are com- mon. Facing a great crisis men turn instinctively to a power without them- selves, desiring help in the hour of need. When the crisis is past they lean once more contentedly upon their own strength and discernment. Jesus, however, followed the great events of His life by prayer: the feeding of the 5,000 (Mat. 14:23,) the remarkable Sabbath spent in Capernaum, with its miracles and (Jeep impressions (Mrk. 1:32, 35: the healing of a leper, the symbol of impurity, in a Gallean town (Lyk. 5 : J $ ); His baptism (Luk. 3: 21, 2 2 .) The sorrows of His life were met in prayer: the misunderstanding and ma- terialism of the people (Jno. 6:15), the awful prospect of the murder of God's Son by the nation which God had
trained to' be His first to recognize and obey His Son, His own physical weak- ness and moral strain (Mat. 26:36-46), the prospect of self-sacrifice and the bitter-sweet conditions of His coming dominion (Jno. 12:28), the triumph of death over those He loved, and the fail- ure of His friends to understand His triumph over death (Jno. 11: 41, 42), His agonizing end (Luk. 25:26.) Much of His prayer was for others than Himself. Simon Peter, whose needs He well knew, was a constant object of His prayer (Luk. 22:32); and on His cross He prayed for His murderers (Luk. 23:34), in true com- mentary on Luke 6:27, 28. Such was His confidence in His prayers that He even gave thanks publicly for God's goodness in hearing Him before any answer had come (Jno. 11:41, 42.) In some strange way His soul was stirred in prayer. When He prayed "yet more strainingly" the blood-drops stood out in sweat upon His brow (Luk. 22:44), and it was, "as He was praying" that "the fashion of His countenance was altered" (Luk. 9:29) His prayers were as simple, too, as those of a little child (Mat. 11:25-27); Jno. 11:44, 42;-Luk. 23:34, 46), and as* submissive, wholly free from all self-will and pride (Mat. 11:26; 26:39, 42, 44.)
The busier He was the more" earn- estly He seems to have given Himself to prayer (Mrk. 1:35; Luk. 4:42; Jno. 6:15); but He was ready at any time to forego for the sake of service the privilege of silence and communion which He so greatly valued (Mat. 14:4). His disciples were greatly impressed by His habit of prayer, and they re- quested Him to give them instructions that they might be able to pray (Luk. 11:1.) —From "The Man Christ Jesus." The Theological Seminary Should Be a Biblical Reservoir il Dr. Mark Mathews
gN2XSi(SR. MARK MATHEWS of Seattle ST p w V in his charge to the newly install- Ö [ ) " ed President of San Anselmo Seminary gives some strong, • ( SO O sensible advice. Among other things he said:
Teach Him the Bible, and that is the inspired Word of God. Don't teach him about the Bible, or in the Bible, but teach him the English Bible itself. Teach him how to handle the Bible. It is the sword of the Spirit and one should know how to wield it. A theo-
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