"In this is the simple recognition of the All-Father, His love and His omnipotence. And after this, what? Trust--unwavering, childlike trust.

So the burden is truly 'cast upon the Lord,' evil is overcome, swallowed up in the Good.

"With such mighty faith, what a cleansing there would be! what a sincere, glad rejoicing that the true relation between G.o.d and man were proven, for faith is the bond between the invisible and the visible, a 'basis of things hoped for, a conviction of things unseen.'

"With what devoutness, then, would we name the needs and aspirations?

With what certainty would we a.s.sert that we have 'already received?' Not far off in the intangible somewhere, but here, there, everywhere may we find the Good, and 'he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.'

"To dwell in the secret place, in the pure and righteous thought, is to be always under the protection of the Most High. To be able to say, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,' is the grand privilege given to the heir of the King, the heir that has come to the full knowledge of his inheritance and thankfully uses it.

"'The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,' wrote the wise and righteous James. There is an infinite promise of the fulfillment of righteousness in these words. They contain the key to all accomplishment or all failure. The righteous man is one who 'walketh righteously, speaketh uprightly, stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, shutteth his eyes from seeing evil' (prayer and fasting). The righteous man decrees magnificently and trusts infinitely. He does not approach G.o.d like a cringing servant, licking the dust at his master's feet, but like a Prince who enters his Father's presence with the simple statement of his wants, and knowing his Father's will takes the glorious gift with thanksgiving and praise.

"Is it health he would have manifested for himself or his neighbor? He confidently acknowledges the health, even though he can not see it, the health with which all humanity is endowed, if it would claim its endowment. Is it peace, power, strength he desires, he again goes to the royal treasury. With the right word he climbs the stair of heaven; with the right faith he enters his Father's house, where all things abound.

"The righteous man is of one mind, the divine Mind that works through him. Were all the praying world of one mind, think you a Lincoln would have been martyred, a Garfield sacrificed, or tender little children lost to our sight?

"G.o.d is the same forever. There is no inharmony to come from Harmony. Be of one mind; let the divine Mind work through you; acknowledge only the divine creation, and then all beliefs in the opposite of G.o.d will be destroyed. The immaculate Christ (Truth) destroys the works of the evil (error) to-day, even as in the far away centuries of the past, 'if so be you let the Mind that was in Christ Jesus be in you.'

"The practical naming of daily prayer is denial and affirmation, denying evil or undesirable conditions, and acknowledging the Good or absolute.

"'Being is the vast affirmative excluding negation, self-balanced and swallowing up all relations, parts and times within itself. Nature, truth, virtue, are the influx from thence,' said Emerson, noting the absoluteness of that which is. To become one with this affirmative Allness, is to manifest the affirmative condition of Being.

"Paul says in t.i.tus: 'The grace of G.o.d hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying unG.o.dliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, righteously and G.o.dly in this present world;' and in the next chapter, referring to the same subject: 'This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which hath believed in G.o.d might be careful to maintain good works.'

"There is no ceasing of this most necessary process. It is only by denying and affirming constantly that we fast and pray, thus fitting ourselves for the cleansing ministry. It is to 'be diligent in season and out of season,' if we would gain the true reflection from Omnipotence.

What the sun is to the flower, Thou to us art every hour; Like the dew on lily's breast Fall all blessings from the Best.

Not alone in day would we Turn our faces, Lord, to Thee, But through lowering clouds of night Would reflect Thy radiant light; Thanking Thee for all Thy care, May our lives be filled with prayer.

"What an outpouring there was in the silence after this. Such a flood of reverence and trustfulness filled my heart, and instantly it flashed upon me that G.o.d requires no outward forms or ceremonies of His children, except they be the spontaneous and involuntary expression of an overflowing heart.

"Kneeling in prayer was first prompted by reverence and not the servile form into which it has too much degenerated. A form is only a sign at best. If there is nothing to prompt the sign, what a mockery it is!

Truly, 'the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life.'

"Exactly how these thoughts came to me I can not tell, but after the silence I knew by a great and sudden wave of understanding, things that I had never thought of before, and to attempt to tell them would be like trying to catch the sunshine. The hint I have tried to give seems very far from the reality of my experience--but what are words compared to thoughts, anyway!... My heart is too full. I know now what 'inexpressible' means.

"Good bye, with love to all.

"MARION.

"P. S. I had just finished my letter when Mrs. Dawn and Miss Singleton came in. They too, had something wonderful in the silence. It seems too sacred to tell, but to you three who are so earnestly seeking the way of Truth, I can say what might seem sacrilege to the thoughtless world.

Miss Singleton had realized in those few moments the inexpressible meaning of the Lord's prayer. 'Why,' she said, 'why, if we could realize what it means, there would be no more sickness, sin or death. It seemed to me the very heavens opened, and I looked upon a broad white shining light like a path, only it was broadened and broadened as I looked, till it became wide enough to cover the whole earth. This is to be wherever the kingdom has come upon earth. Wherever the thoughts are heavenly and pure there the Father is, there heaven, wholeness, health are, and I could realize that the light is here, but ignorance keeps it veiled, so that verily the 'light shineth in darkness but the darkness comprehendeth it not.' Talk of sickness, trouble, sorrow, why, they are nothing! The _light_ is here, the kingdom of heaven _has_ come, and been here all the time. Jesus knew it, but he had to use language they could understand. He knew if they prayed faithfully in that spirit, bye and bye the spiritual meanings would flash upon them. Oh, how much, how much it means! I can never lose this, for it means unutterable things, and I _know_ there is no reality in sickness for I am _well_!'

"Miss Singleton is, or has been troubled for years with heart disease and a slight curvature of the spine.

"It was not very light in the room, and I had not noticed her figure particularly, but as she spoke, her face fairly shone with a heavenly light (I can think of nothing else to describe it), and she was straight as any one! She declared over and over that she was well, but more than all else she appreciated the spiritual uplifting and knowledge that had come.

"Mrs. Dawn had no special revelation to-day, but she seems to be unfolding most beautifully. We talked a long time, and then sat in the silence. They have just gone. How I wish I could see you, but it is late and I must again close. Give my love to Grace and Kate. I am so glad Kate is getting into the light. I felt she would be all right after she begun. Of course, Kate, you will read this, but you will not care, I am sure.

"M. H."

CHAPTER XXIV.

"Not till the soul acts with all its strength, strains its every faculty, does prayer begin."--_Frances Power Cobbe._

"I have always thought a great deal on the subject of prayer," said Mr.

Hayden, drawing his chair up closer and bending over to look at his listeners, Grace and Kate, who had called to get the letter which had just been read, "and it appears to me," he continued, "that subject has been misunderstood."

"Well?" interrogated Grace.

"Well, we have always been taught to pray to a G.o.d who could be informed of our wants and needs, and be induced to change His mind about the method of dealing with them, or be softened in His judgments concerning His children. Now if G.o.d is all-wise and all-powerful, why need we so carefully instruct Him? If He is all Love why need we ask Him with piteous tears to bless our sick and afflicted? If He is everywhere present, and no respecter of persons, why need we ask Him to do for one more than for another? As G.o.d is omniscient, is He not all the knowledge there is?"

"The great mistake has been to regard Deity as Person, instead of Principle," said Grace, as he paused a moment.

"As G.o.d is changeless and eternal, the essence of Love and Life," he went on, not heeding the interruption, "how can it be otherwise than that we have an influx of this divine Life into ourselves as we acknowledge its eternal and omnipresent existence, realizing the truth of what we say?"

"There the trouble has been," said Kate, taking up his thought, "that we have not realized the divine Presence which we call Truth, because we have not acknowledged it."

"That is exactly the reason, and it needs a constant acknowledgment of the Good to keep us from admitting false beliefs that beset us because of an acknowledgment of the opposite of the Good."

"What then is your idea of the true method of prayer?" asked Kate, much interested.

"More of thanksgiving, as Mrs. Pearl teaches. I like her comparison to the servant and prince. We can not dwell too much on the thought that G.o.d is always giving us blessings. They are here, have been from the beginning of all knowledge, and our part is to take them. I often think of that comparison between the earthly and the heavenly Father, given by Jesus, when he said: 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?' Here is Mabel, for instance. Pa.s.sionately fond of flowers as she is, suppose some day I should bring her a rare bouquet from the florist's, and with a smile hold them out to her, saying: 'Here Mabel, are some roses for you!' How would I feel if she came with the most pathetic expression of longing and misery in her face, and dropping down on her knees, should beg me to give her one flower? But instead, like a true child that knows the father love, she would fly to take the beautiful gift and say, 'Oh, thank you, papa!' as she gives me a rapturous kiss, then runs for a vase to hold her treasures."

"Indeed, that is like the true child we all should become, and give thanks for the beautiful gifts of G.o.d," said Kate, softly, as if to herself.

"What do you think of the Lord's prayer as it was revealed to the lady?"

asked Grace, to whom this part of the letter seemed a little hard to understand.

"I think her revelation far exceeds mine, but I have enough to know that it is as she says: 'We must finally get the inner meaning, but I would uncover the spiritual ideas by clothing them in more spiritual language.'

"It would be a great help if you would interpret it for us," said Kate, moving her chair closer in her eagerness to hear.

"Wait a moment," said Mr. Hayden, as he went for the Bible. "I don't know very well how to word it, but the thought came to me this morning, and became much plainer after I had read the letter."

He read the Lord's Prayer, then gave his conception of the spiritual meaning.

"All-pervading Father-Mother Spirit, which art in all harmony, revered and holy is Thy name. Thy peace and love and righteousness is conceived and realized amid earthly environments as it is in the highest state of harmony.

"Give to us each day the hidden manna, the living word that sustains us, and give us the truth for error as we in our divine likeness to Thee, give truth for error to those who err against us.

"Leave or let us not in temptation, but preserve us from all thoughts that would dishonor Thee, for Thine _is_ the kingdom and power and glory forever."

"That is wonderful. Oh, how beautiful it all is," exclaimed Kate with much feeling.

"Isn't it?" added Grace, "and quite in accord with the pa.s.sage quoted by Mrs. Hayden,'what things soever ye desire, that--'"