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!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響




if we knew everything about healthexcept the way to get it。



I am quite sure that the difficulty does not lie in the fact that

men are not in earnest。  This is simply not the fact。  All around

us Christians are wearing themselves out in trying to be better。

The amount of spiritual longing in the worldin the hearts

of unnumbered thousands of men and women in whom we should never

suspect it察among the wise and thoughtful察among the young and

gay察who seldom assuage and never betray their thirstthis is one

of the most wonderful and touching facts of life。  It is not more

heart that is needed察but more light察not more force察but a wiser

direction to be given to very real energies already there。



The usual advice when one asks for counsel on these questions is

;Pray。;  But this advice is far from adequate。  I shall qualify the

statement presently察but let me urge it here察with what you will

perhaps call daring emphasis察that to pray for these things is not

the way to get them。  No one will get them without praying察but

that men do not get them by praying is a simple fact。  We have all

prayed察and sincerely prayed察for such experiences as I have named

prayed察believing that that was the way to get them。  And yet have

we got them拭 The test is experience。  I dare not limit prayer

still less the grace of God。  If you have got them in this way

it is well。  I am speaking to those察be they few or many察who have

not got them察to ordinary men in ordinary circumstances。  But if we

have not got them察it by no means follows that prayer is useless。

The correct conclusion is only that it is useless察or inadequate

rather察for this particular purpose。  To make prayer the sole

resort察the universal panacea for every spiritual ill察is as radical

a mistake as to prescribe only one medicine for every bodily trouble。

The physician who does the last is a quack察the spiritual advisor

who dies the first is



Grossly ignorant of his profession。



To do nothing but pray is a wrong done to prayer itself察and can

only end in disaster。  It is as if one tried to live only with the

lungs察as if one assimilated only air and neglected solid food。

The lungs are a first essential察the air is a first essential察but

the body has many members察given for different purposes察secreting

different things察and each has a method of nutrition as special to

itself as its own activity。  While prayer察then察is the characteristic

sublimity of the Christian life察it is by no means the only one。

And those who make it the sole alternative察and apply it to purposes

for which it was never meant察are really doing the greatest harm

to prayer itself。  To couple the word ;inadequate; with this might

word is not to dethrone prayer察but to exalt it。



What dethrones prayer



is unanswered prayer。  When men pray for things which do not come

that waypray with sincere belief that prayer察unaided and alone

will compass what they askthen察not getting what they ask察they

often give up prayer。



This is the natural history of much atheism察not only an atheism of

atheists察but a more terrible atheism of Christians察an unconscious

atheism察whose roots have struck far into many souls whose

last breath would be spent in denying it。  So察I repeat察it is a

mistaken Christianity which allow men to cherish a blind belief in

the omnipotence of prayer。  Prayer察certainly察when the appropriate

conditions are fulfilled察is omnipotent察but not blind prayer。

Blind prayer is superstition。  Prayer察in its true sense察contains

the sane recognition that while man prays in faith察GOD ACTS BY LAW。

What that means in the immediate connection we shall see presently。



What察then察is the remedy拭 It is impossible to doubt that there

is a remedy察and it is equally impossible to believe that it is

a secret。  The idea that some few men察by happy chance or happier

temperament察have been given the secretas if there were some sort

of knack or trick of itis wholly incredible and wrong。  Religion

must be for all察and the way into its loftiest heights must be by

a gateway through which the peoples of the world may pass。



I shall have to lead up to this gateway by a very familiar path。

But as this path is strangely unfrequented where it passes into

the religious sphere察I must ask your forbearance for dwelling for

a moment upon the commonest of commonplaces。



I。 Effects Require Causes



Nothing that happens in the world happens by chance。  God is a God

of order。  Everything is arranged upon definite principles察and

never at random。  the world察even the religious world察is governed

by law。  Character is governed by law。  Happiness is governed by

law。  The Christian experiences are governed by law。  Men察forgetting

this察expect Rest察Joy察Peace察Faith to drop into their souls from

the air like snow or rain。  But in point of fact they do not do so

and if they did察they would no less have their origin in previous

activities and be controlled by natural laws。  Rain and snow do

drop from the air察but not without a long previous history。  They

are the mature effects of former causes。  Equally so are Rest and

Peace and Joy。  They察too察have each a previous history。  Storms and

winds and calms are not accidents察but brought about by antecedent

circumstances。  Rest and Peace are but calms in man's inward nature

and arise through causes as definite and as inevitable。



Realize it thoroughly察it is a methodical察not an accidental world。

If a housewife turns out a good cake察it is the result of a sound

receipt察carefully applied。  She cannot mix the assigned ingredients

and fire them for the appropriate time without producing the

result。  It is not she who has made the cake察it is nature。  She

brings related things together察sets causes at work察these causes

bring about the result。  she is not a creator察but an intermediary。

She does not expect random causes to produce specific effectsrandom

ingredients would only produce random cakes。  So it is in the making

of Christian experiences。  Certain lines are followed察certain

effects are the result。  These effects cannot but be the result。

But the result can never take place without the previous cause。

To expect results without antecedents is to expect cakes without

ingredients。  That impossibility is precisely



The almost universal expectation。



Now what I mainly wish to do is to help you firmly to grasp this

simple principle of Cause and Effect in the spiritual world。  And

instead of applying the principle generally to each of the Christian

experiences in turn察I shall examine its application to one in

some little detail。  The one I shall select is Rest。  And I think

any one who follows the application in this single instance will

be able to apply it for himself to the others。



Take such a sentence as this此 African explorers are subject to

fevers which cause restlessness and delirium。



Note the expression察 cause restlessness。;  RESTLESSNESS HAS A CAUSE。

Clearly察then察any one who wished to get rid of restlessness would

proceed at once to deal with the cause。  If that were not removed

a doctor might prescribe a hundred things察and all might be taken

in turn察without producing the least effect。  Things are so arranged

in the original planning of the world that certain effects must

follow certain causes察and certain causes must be abolished before

certain effects can be removed。  Certain parts of Africa are

inseparably linked with the physical experience called fever察this

fever is in turn infallibly linked with a mental experience called

restlessness and delirium。  To abolish the mental experience the

radical method would be to abolish the physical experience察and

the way of abolishing the physical experience would be to abolish

Africa察or to cease to go there。



Now this hold good for all other forms of Restlessness。  Every other

form and kind of Restlessness in the world had a definite cause

and the particular kind of Restlessness can only be removed by

removing the allotted cause。



All this is also true of Rest。  Restlessness has a cause此 must

not REST have a cause拭 Necessarily。  If it were a chance world we

would not expect this察but察being a methodical world察it cannot be

otherwise。  Rest察physical rest察moral rest察spiritual rest察every

kind of rest has a cause察as certainly as restlessness。  Now causes

are discriminating。  There is one kind of cause for every particular

effect and no other察and if one particular effect is desired察the

corresponding cause must be set in motion。  It is no use proposing

finely devised schemes察or going through general pious exercises

in the hope that somehow Rest will come。  The Christian life is

not casual察but causal。  All nature is a standing protest against

the absurdity of expecting to secure spiritual effects察or any

effects察without the employment of appropriate causes。  The Great

Teacher dealt

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