SUNDAY READING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1880, 2 December 1887, Page 10

SUNDAY READING.

A plea for Prayer, based on the Divine Moral Ovdev. By a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland. Price ; Fourpenoo. The author of this brief: tractate on prayer has ' advanced an Argument characterised fry great freshness and force, and calculated to Blruugtben and confirm the faitu of thoughtful Christian people in One of tho supreme duties and privileges of tttefe religion. The writer turns aside ftcta the common line of defence, and bases his argument for prayer ou the ground of man's moral freedom and of God's moral administration. Assuming that man is a moral and reßponBible being, his relation to his Maker must be that of conscious dependence-, which obviously involves the duty of prayer, through watch medium God deals witii man la regard to his supreme need. This relationship between man and his Crt&tov lends dignity to man's character, fend assigns him pre-eminence among all God's creatures. For man to neglect to pray or ignore the duty as unnecessary or unreasonable, is really to ignore alike his dependence and hie moral freedom. The author has presented hIS plea with great force and saCcinfcjfcries?:, oasing the duty of prayer, not 'on any artificial arrangement, but on the moral fitness of things. The argument is illustrated by a brief reference to the Divine order of husbandry, ia which man insist consciously co-operate with his Creator in the physical arrangements of this world) and where his neglect to do so entails on hfin IWS3 and failure. And the eatne law pelvades the whole moral and spiritual life ol man. This plea of tho writer has much force, and will greatly strengthen Christian people frh'6 may bo liable to be influenced b> objections to prayer on the ground that the Divine goodness must q\ iteel? fce<e to tlvs meeting of the wants of man. • Having established his main position, the author proceeds to deal with the more distinctly theological aspects of his theme— jihotre ' concerning man as fallen into sin", biid of the consequent loss of intetceAirs'e with his Maker, and of claims ,to $is favour and gc-odness,— as a!ao the tem'edial work of redemption, whereby matt, is shown to be reinstated in the moral order of the universe, outside of which sin had put him, aud so rendered again capable of the renewed favour and goodness of his Creator. The argument for the restoration of man to the forfeited goodness of God is strikingly presented, and incidentally inVolVeß the 'cfootrine of infant salvation— a doctrine which the author had previously demonstrated in & telling pamphlet on Infant Ohutch Membership. The plea clones with a practical statement of the elements of prayer, and with a discussion of the apparent lack of anfcwbrs to the prayer 8 ol the Church, which the writer accounts for on the ground of the probable absence ot" true Christian self- surrender, which is an essential element of all Christian life, and a necessity of acceptable prayer. The argument throughout is comprehensive, lucid, and able. And to those having intellectual difficulties on the all important question of the relation of prayer to the Divine government, this plea cannot fail to be extremely helpful and satisfactory. We cordially commend it to all Christian readers, and especially to thoughtful Christiaa young men who will find it a confirmiatory statement of their Christian faith.