Chapter
1: Prayer
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1 divine
Truth and Love,
we cannot conceal
the ingrati-
tude
of barren
lives.
3 What
we most need is the prayer
of fervent
desire
for growth in grace,
expressed in patience,
meekness,
love, and good deeds. To keep the com- Efficacious
6 mandments of our Master and
follow his petitions
example, is our proper debt to him and the only
worthy evidence of our gratitude
for all that he has
9 done. Outward worship is not
of itself sufficient to
express loyal and heartfelt
gratitude,
since he has
said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
12 The
habitual
struggle to be always good is unceas-
ing prayer.
Its motives are made manifest
in the
blessings
they bring,--blessings
which, even if not
15 acknowledged in audible
words, attest
our worthiness
to be partakers
of Love.
Simply asking
that we may love God will never
18 make us love Him; but the longing
to be better
and holier, expressed in daily watchful-
Watchfulness
ness
and in striving
to assimilate
more of requisite
21 the divine character,
will mould and fashion us
anew, until we awake in His likeness. We reach
the
Science of Christianity through demonstration
of the
24 divine nature; but in this wicked
world goodness
will "be evil spoken of," and patience
must bring
experience.
27 Audible
prayer
can never do the works of spiritual
understanding, which regenerates;
but silent prayer,
watchfulness,
and devout
obedience
enable Veritable
30 us to follow Jesus' example. Long prayers, devotion
superstition,
and creeds clip
the strong pinions
of love,
and clothe religion in human forms. Whatever
mate-
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