d the Father had cleansed them, cut away all
confidence in themselves or the world, and prepared them for the
inflowing and filling of the Spirit of the Heavenly Vine. It is not we
who can cleanse ourselves: God is the Vinedresser: we may confidently
intrust ourselves to His care.

Beloved brethren,--ministers, missionaries, teachers, workers, believers
old and young,--are you mourning your lack of prayer, and, as a
consequence, your lack of power in prayer? Oh! come and listen to your
beloved Lord as He tells you, "only be a branch, united to, identified
with, the Heavenly Vine, and your prayers will be effectual and much
availing." Are you mourning that just this is your trouble--you do not,
cannot, live this branch-life, abiding in Him? Oh! come and listen
again. "_More fruit_" is not only your desire, but the Father's too. He
is the Husbandman who cleanseth the fruitful branch, that it may bear
more fruit. Cast yourself upon God, to do in you what is impossible to
man. Count upon a Divine cleansing, to cut down and take away all that
self-confidence and self-effort, that has been the cause of your
failure. The God who gave you His beloved Son to be your Vine, who made
you His branch, will He not do His work of cleansing to make you
fruitful in every good work, in the work of prayer and intercession too?

Here is the life that can pray. A branch entirely given up to the Vine
and its aims, with all responsibility for its cleansing cast on the
Vinedresser; a branch abiding in Christ, trusting and yielding to God
for His cleansing, can bear much fruit. In the power of such a life we
shall love prayer, we shall know how to pray, we shall pray, and receive
whatsoever we ask.

A PLEA FOR MORE PRAYER

CHAPTER VI

Restraining Prayer: is it Sin?

"Thou restrainest prayer before God."--JOB xv. 4.

"What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"--JOB xxi. 15.

"God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray
for you."--1 SAM. xii. 23.

"Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed
from among you."--JOSH. vii. 12.

Any deep quickening of the spiritual life of the Church will always be
accompanied by a deeper sense of sin. This will not begin with theology;
that can only give expression to what God works in the life of His
people. Nor does it mean that that deeper sense of sin will only be seen
in stronger expressions of self-reproach or penite