5. And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

6. Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

7. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Note the four expressions of Nehemiah's intense earnestness (v. 4), wept; mourned, a word in the original used especially for outward expressions of intense sorrow, as over the dead; fasted as an expression of his intense desire, and as aiding him to receive the answer he needed; and prayed," the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man which "availeth much in its working," continued for four months.

"More things are wrought by prayer

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Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day;
For what are men better than sheep or goats,
That nourish a blind life within the brain,

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer,
Both for themselves and those who call them friends?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God."

- Tennyson's Idyls of the King, The Passing of Arthur.

2. He Prayed to the Only Being who could Answer his Prayer, v. 5. O LORD. Jehovah" (Am. R.) the self-existing God, the God especially revealed to the Jews. But Jehovah was the God of heaven, the invisible, spiritual God who dwelt in heaven, as distinguished from the visible idol gods which were on the earth. The great and terrible God. So great as to inspire reverential awe in every worshipper, and unspeakable fear in his enemies. Only so great a God can answer our prayers, for he only controls all the forces and powers which can work out our desires or ward off enemies. Hence the propriety and the necessity of the closing words of the Lord's prayer, "For thine is the kingdom," etc. It is delightful to magnify God, so long as we remember that his goodness and love are as great as his power.

The children will recall the story of " Christoforus," given in the Schönberg Cotta Family: the giant Oferus was determined to serve only the mightiest. He served a king till he learned that he feared an emperor. He served the emperor till he found him afraid of Satan. He served Satan till he saw him tremble before the cross. He then served Christ evermore as the strongest. So should we seek the true King of our souls, and never give up the search till we find him. No other king, king Pleasure, king Riches, king Fame, can help us when we need real help. Children and older people cannot do better than to read again those magnificent words in Isaiah 40: 12– 17, 26-31.

That keepeth covenant and mercy (Am. R., "loving kindness"). That hath made covenants of mercy and love, and never fails in keeping them. What he has once promised may be relied on forever. For them that love him and observe his commandments. With whom the covenant was made, who fulfil the conditions on which alone the blessings can be given. The covenant is a promise to do certain things for those who agree to the covenant on their part. It is impossible from the nature of things to fulfil a covenant with those who refuse to accept it.

3. Confession of sin. vs. 6, 7. Confess the sins of the children of Israel. (1) He recognizes that the cause of their troubles lay in their sins. (2) That God was not to blame for their troubles. He had kept his part of the covenant. (3) Confession

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is natural to a truly penitent heart. (4) Notice how he joins himself with the people in this confession. He does not say they have sinned," but we have sinned." Both I and my father's house have sinned. He had sinned with them in three ways. (1) He had some of the same spirit which led them to outbreaking sins. Good as he was, he was not wholly free from all wrong motive or feeling. (2) Every sin of every kind in his heart was related to the great sins of the people, and partook of the nature of disobedience to God. (3) He may not have done all he could to prevent the sins of the people. Thus are we partakers of the sins of our country. No man stands alone.

8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

9. But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

7. We have dealt. . . corruptly. Some of these sins are mentioned in Neh. 5 : 17, IO, II; 13: 15; Ezra 9:1; 2 Chron. 36: 14-17. Commandments statutes,... judgments (Am. R. " ordinances "), i.e., the divine law from every point of view, what God has commanded, the laws he has enacted and recorded on the statute-book, his wise judgments or decisions as to right and wrong.

It was not merely a few people and the city that were in danger, but the kingdom of God on earth. The condition of things at Jerusalem was a dishonor to Jehovah and to his religion. The hope of the world was dimmed.

The exile and all its sufferings and hardships was the means used by God to lead his people to repentance, and to save both the people and the nation. It was to have them experience the natural consequences of their conduct, till they realized that the way of transgressors is hard, and the only way of escape was to repent and change their lives, and return to God.

An example. Andrew D. White in his Autobiography (vol. 1: 276, 7) tells this story of the wise method of President Tappan of the State University of Michigan in its early days. The present tower and chimes did not then exist, but a bell on a simple wooden pole was rung for lecture hours and chapel.

One winter night some students cut down the pole and carried off the bell. At chapel the next morning there was great interest to know what the president would say. He did not threaten, but after the exercises he spoke in this wise : Gentlemen, there has doubtless been a mistake in the theory of some of you regarding the college bell. It would seem that some have believed that if the bell were destroyed, time would cease and university exercises be suspended. But time goes on, and lectures go on just the same with a bell or without it. Knowing that many of you have no watches the authorities at considerable expense have provided a bell to help you. If you think you can get along without it, the authorities are willing you should try the experiment and suffer the consequences; but you must be strictly on time at every exercise." The professors were unusually strict, and in six weeks the bell was

returned.

4. The Prayer was importunate, v. 6. I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel. Recall the parable of the " Importunate Widow," Lu. 18 : 1-8. The reason for importunity is, (1) Not because God is unwilling to bestow good things, or must be over-persuaded, for he is more ready to give than we are to ask. (2) It is to cherish and cultivate our faith, bringing us into closer relations to God. (3) It is to make us fit to receive, to intensify our desire and appreciation of the things God would bestow. As Jeremy Taylor says, " Our prayers upbraid our spirits when we beg tamely for those things for which we ought to die; which are more precious than imperial sceptres, richer than the spoils of the sea or the treasures of Indian hills." There is no use in furnishing large measures of food to those who have no appetite, nor of giving libraries and colleges to those who care nothing for learning. The great difficulty with all God's best gifts is on our part, to make us able to receive and use them.

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5. An Appeal to what God had done for his People in the Past, as an Assurance of Hope in the Present Emergency, vs. 8-10. If ye transgress (Am. R., trespass ") I will scatter you abroad, as they had experienced, in the Babylonian captivity. "This is not a quotation, but a reference to the general sense of various passages, as, for instance, Lev. 26: 27–30; Deut. 28: 45-52; 62-67.” Pulpit Com.

9. But there was a way of escape. If ye turn (Am. R., "return ") unto me. If you will so act as to make it possible and wise to bless. Though there were of you cast out unto (Am. R. " though your outcasts were in ") the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence (Lev. 26:40–45; Deut. 30: 1–10). This had already been fulfilled to as many as were willing to accept the privilege, but the blessing would be in vain unless the land was preserved for the people.

10. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

II. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

10. Now these, for whom he was praying, and who were in trouble, are thy servants and thy people, the same nation whom thou hast redeemed, many times in the past, by thy great power, and by thy strong hand; referring to such deliverances as the wonderful redemption from Egyptian thraldom, and from the Red Sea and victories by Joshua, by Samson, by Deborah, the overthrow of the Assyrian army of Sennacherib, and every triumph God gave them during their whole history.

That God had blessed them before was an assurance that he would again, if they turned to him now as they did then: for he is the same God, keeping the same covenant and changing not. Thus David was assured that God would give him the victory over Goliath of Gath, because he had given him the victory over the lion and the bear. So all our past mercies from God are arguments for our trust in him in present trials.

Two Jewish Rabbis walking near Jerusalem and beholding its desolations, one of them, Rabbi Joshua, wept; the other, Rabbi Eliezer, laughed. Wherefore dost thou laugh?" said he who wept. "Nay, wherefore dost thou weep?" demanded Eliezer. "I weep," replied Rabbi Joshua, 66 I because I see what is written in the Lamentations fulfilled, and the holy hill of Zion

desolate and in ruins." "For the same reason," said Rabbi Eliezer, "do I laugh; for when I see with mine own eyes that God has fulfilled his threatenings to the letter, I have thereby a pledge that not one of his promises shall fail."

6. Prayer that Nehemiah himself might be the means of Saving his Country, in their Hour of Distress, v. 11. Prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man, King Artaxerxes, who had the power to send him to Jerusalem, or to withhold his permission. Nehemiah was not asking anything for his own personal advantage, but for the privilege of being of service to his country and to the Kingdom of God.

The last line of this verse, for I was the king's cupbearer, implies that the asking of a favor of this king was a dangerous business, as is shown (2:2) by the fact that when the king noticed Nehemiah's sadness he was sore afraid. He needed the assurance of God's help for himself, because if he were slain or dismissed, he could do nothing for his country.

"If

George Macdonald said, " If I can put one touch of a rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God." John Ruskin said, you do not wish for God's kingdom, don't pray for it; but if you do, you must do more than pray for it."

"O do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God." Phillips Brooks.

Better than Seeking Blessings. "Better than seeking God's blessing is seeking to be God's blesser. And God's richest blessing comes to those who have forgotten to desire it in their longing to see others blessed. Suppose we should meditate in prayer each evening upon the words of Frederick Deering Blake: 'Not what has happened to myself to-day, but what has happened to others through me that should be my thought.' Suppose we should ask Christ in the early morning, daily, to make the purpose and passion of our life that day his constant, direct enrichment of others through us. There would be little time then for self-seeking - even for feeling our own spiritual pulse and selfishly, hinderingly concerning ourselves about getting a greater blessing from Christ. Christ will take abundant care of our blessing if we will let him use us abundantly to bless others." - Sunday School Times, Editorial.

THE TEACHER AND HIS CLASS.

Not long ago the "Congregationalist had a series of articles on Bible Men and Women by Men and Women named after them. One of these was written on Nehemiah by Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Boynton of Brooklyn, N.Y.

It may give a fresh interest to our study of the Nehemiah of 2350 years ago, to compare his work in the building up of the kingdom of God in Judea so long ago, with the work of the modern Nehemiah in building up the Kingdom of God in our day.

Nehemiah was a hero, and became a greater hero through his prayer, and the answer to his prayer which we study today.

MATT. 7:7.

King of the Empire. 20th or 21st year of his reign.

Nehemiah made governor of Judea. Psalms. The fourth and fifth book of the Psalms belong to the period of Ezra and Nehemiah. Perowne.

THE TEACHER'S LIBRARY.

One of the best commentaries on this lesson is the Expositor's Bible by W. F. Adeny.

Works on Prayer as in the last lesson. Recall the character of Nehemiah as given in the last lesson.

PLAN OF THE LESSON. SUBJECT: God's Answers to Nehemiah's Prayer.

III. FOUR ANSWERS ΤΟ NEHEMIAH'S
PRAYER, 2 I-II.

FIRST ANSWER. THE DEVELOPMENT OF
NEHEMIAH DURING THE LONG
FOUR MONTHS.

SECOND ANSWER. ARTAXERXES GRANTS
NEHEMIAH'S REQUEST.

THIRD ANSWER. THE PRAYER FOR THE
NEW SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE
JEWS IN PALESTINE.

I. A REMARKABLE PROMISE TO THE FOURTH ANSWER. THE SUCCESS OF
PRAYER OF FAITH.
NEHEMIAH'S MISSION.

It is well, before studying the answers to the prayer of Nehemiah which we studied last week, (1) to recall the things for which he prayed, so that we may connect the answers with the prayer; and (2) to consider how God answers prayer, and to sweep away some of the difficulties that sometimes arise in our minds.

One of Longfellow's earlier poems, "The Beleaguered City," is founded on an old marvellous tale "that a midnight host of specters pale beleaguered the walls of Prague."

But when the old cathedral bell
Proclaimed the hour of prayer,
The white pavilions rose and fell
On the alarmèd air.

"Down the broad valley fast and far

The troubled army fled;

Up rose the glorious morning star,
The ghastly host was dead."

The poet applies this story to the army of phantoms vast and wan that beleaguer the human soul.

"And when the solemn and deep church bell Entreats the soul to pray,

"Down the broad Vale of Tears afar

The spectral camp is fled;

Faith shineth as a Morning star,
The ghastly Fears are dead."

The midnight phantoms feel the spell And shadows sweep away. I. A REMARKABLE PROMISE TO THE PRAYER OF FAITH. You will find the promise in Mark II: 23, 24. It was three days before his crucifixion, and the morning of the last day of his public ministry, that Jesus gave to his disciples this most remarkable promise to those who should pray in faith.

Laocoon.

Verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

A marble group in the Vatican in Rome, representing the Priest Laocoon, with his sons, infolded in the coils of two serpents, as described by Virgil.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye shall receive them, and ye shall have them.

Of course they had no thought of removing literal mountains, any more than a child would think of Bunyan's Apollyon as a literal dragon, or in speaking of the struggles of a drunkard wrestling with his appetite and comparing him to Laocoon in the tightening coils of the serpent, would imagine that he was wrestling with a literal serpent.

Many mountains stood in the way of the disciples. In three days Jesus was to be crucified, and there was laid on these disciples the most difficult task ever undertaken by man, mountains towering above the clouds, on each one of which was written Impossible.