to the Father.[1] " Behold, He prayeth," is the beginning of the new life; "Abba, Father," is the first word of the regenerate. And as the spiritual life commences, so is its continuation. Thus it is true that Jesus teaches to pray, and that the sum and substance, the summit and crown of the teaching of Jesus, is prayer in His name.
Guided by the central fact, that the Lord Jesus is seen praying, and bearing in mind the Saviour's teaching, which, in connexion with the perfect model He gave on prayer, let us consider:—
I. Jesus Praying—The Revelation of Prayer.
II. Prayer in Relation to Life.
III. The Spirit of Prayer, and Stated Seasons for Prayer.
IV. Difficulties and Experiences in Prayer.
I. Jesus Praying — The Revelation of Prayer.
We often read in the gospel narrative, that Jesus prayed; and besides this fact, we possess also the petitions, which on several occasions He offered to His Father, in the hearing of His disciples and the people.
What is usually called the Lord's Prayer is not such in the sense that Jesus offered it in His own person as the expression of His wants. Not merely was it impossible for Him, who was sinless, to use the fifth petition, but we never find that the Lord,
- ↑ Hofmann, "Schriftbeweis," ii, 321
