Thestrengthoftheseaestheticsentimentsmakesitrigorouslyimpossible，itseemstome，thatProtestantism，howeversuperiorinspiritualprofundityitmaybetoCatholicism，shouldatthepresentdaysucceedinmakingmanyconvertsfromthemorevenerableecclesiasticism。Thelatteroffersasomuchricherpasturageandshadetothefancy，hassomanycellswithsomanydifferentkindsofhoney，issoindulgentinitsmultiformappealstohumannature，thatProtestantismwillalwaysshowtoCatholiceyesthealmshousephysiognomy。ThebitternegativityofitistotheCatholicmindincomprehensible。TointellectualCatholicsmanyoftheantiquatedbeliefsandpracticestowhichtheChurchgivescountenanceare，iftakenliterally，aschildishastheyaretoProtestants。Buttheyarechildishinthepleasingsenseof“childlike“——innocentandamiable，andworthytobesmiledoninconsiderationoftheundevelopedconditionofthedearpeople’sintellects。TotheProtestant，onthecontrary，theyarechildishinthesenseofbeingidioticfalsehoods。Hemuststampouttheirdelicateandlovableredundancy，leavingtheCatholictoshudderathisliteralness。
Heappearstothelatterasmoroseasifheweresomehard-eyed，numb，monotonouskindofreptile。Thetwowillneverunderstandeachother——theircentresofemotionalenergyaretoodifferent。
Rigoroustruthandhumannature’sintricaciesarealwaysinneedofamutualinterpreter。Somuchfortheaestheticdiversitiesinthereligiousconsciousness。
ComparetheinformalityofProtestantism，wherethe“meekloverofthegood。”alonewithhisGod，visitsthesick，etc。，fortheirownsakes，withtheelaborate“business“thatgoesoninCatholicdevotion，andcarrieswithitthesocialexcitementofallmorecomplexbusinesses。Anessentiallyworldly-mindedCatholicwomancanbecomeavisitorofthesickonpurelycoquettishprinciples，withherconfessoranddirector，her“merit“storingup，herpatronsaints，herprivilegedrelationtotheAlmighty，drawinghisattentionasaprofessionaldevote，herdefinite“exercises。”andherdefinitelyrecognizedsocialposeintheorganization。
Inmostbooksonreligion，threethingsarerepresentedasitsmostessentialelements。TheseareSacrifice，Confession，andPrayer。Imustsayawordinturnofeachoftheseelements，thoughbriefly。FirstofSacrifice。
Sacrificestogodsareomnipresentinprimevalworship；but，ascultshavegrownrefined，burntofferingsandthebloodofhe-goatshavebeensupersededbysacrificesmorespiritualintheirnature。Judaism，Islam，andBuddhismgetalongwithoutritualsacrifice；sodoesChristianity，saveinsofarasthenotionispreservedintransfiguredforminthemysteryofChrist’satonement。Thesereligionssubstituteofferingsoftheheart，renunciationsoftheinnerself，forallthosevainoblations。IntheasceticpracticeswhichIslam，Buddhism，andtheolderChristianityencourageweseehowindestructibleistheideathatsacrificeofsomesortisareligiousexercise。InlecturingonasceticismIspokeofitssignificanceassymbolicofthesacrificeswhichlife，wheneveritistakenstrenuously，callsfor。[306]But，asIsaidmysayaboutthose，andastheselecturesexpresslyavoidearlierreligioususagesandquestionsofderivation，IwillpassfromthesubjectofSacrificealtogetherandturntothatofConfession。
InregardtoConfessionIwillalsobemostbrief，sayingmywordaboutitpsychologically，nothistorically。Notnearlyaswidespreadassacrifice，itcorrespondstoamoreinwardandmoralstageofsentiment。Itispartofthegeneralsystemofpurgationandcleansingwhichonefeelsone’sselfinneedof，inordertobeinrightrelationstoone’sdeity。Forhimwhoconfesses，shamsareoverandrealitieshavebegun；hehasexteriorizedhisrottenness。Ifhehasnotactuallygotridofit，heatleastnolongersmearsitoverwithahypocriticalshowofvirtue——helivesatleastuponabasisofveracity。ThecompletedecayofthepracticeofconfessioninAnglo-Saxoncommunitiesisalittlehardtoaccountfor。Reactionagainstpoperyisofcoursethehistoricexplanation，forinpoperyconfessionwentwithpenancesandabsolution，andotherinadmissiblepractices。Butonthesideofthesinnerhimselfitseemsasiftheneedoughttohavebeentoogreattoacceptsosummaryarefusalofitssatisfaction。Onewouldthinkthatinmorementheshellofsecrecywouldhavehadtoopen，thepent-inabscesstoburstandgainrelief，eventhoughtheearthatheardtheconfessionwereunworthy。TheCatholicchurch，forobviousutilitarianreasons，hassubstitutedauricularconfessiontoonepriestforthemoreradicalactofpublicconfession。WeEnglish-speakingProtestants，inthegeneralself-relianceandunsociabilityofournature，seemtofinditenoughifwetakeGodaloneintoourconfidence。
AfullerdiscussionofconfessioniscontainedintheexcellentworkbyFrankGranger：TheSoulofaChristian，London，1900，ch。xii。
ThenexttopiconwhichImustcommentisPrayer——andthistimeitmustbelessbriefly。Wehaveheardmuchtalkoflateagainstprayer，especiallyagainstprayersforbetterweatherandfortherecoveryofsickpeople。Asregardsprayersforthesick，ifanymedicalfactcanbeconsideredtostandfirm，itisthatincertainenvironmentsprayermaycontributetorecovery，andshouldbeencouragedasatherapeuticmeasure。Beinganormalfactorofmoralhealthintheperson，itsomissionwouldbedeleterious。Thecaseoftheweatherisdifferent。
Notwithstandingtherecencyoftheoppositebelief，[308]everyonenowknowsthatdroughtsandstormsfollowfromphysicalantecedents，andthatmoralappealscannotavertthem。Butpetitionalprayerisonlyonedepartmentofprayer；andifwetakethewordinthewidersenseasmeaningeverykindofinwardcommunionorconversationwiththepowerrecognizedasdivine，wecaneasilyseethatscientificcriticismleavesituntouched。
Example：“TheministeratSudbury，beingattheThursdaylectureinBoston，heardtheofficiatingclergymanprayingforrain。Assoonastheservicewasover，hewenttothepetitionerandsaid’YouBostonministers，assoonasatulipwiltsunderyourwindows，gotochurchandprayforrain，untilallConcordandSudburyareunderwater。’“R。W。Emerson：LecturesandBiographicalSketches，p。
Prayerinthiswidesenseistheverysoulandessenceofreligion。“Religion。”saysaliberalFrenchtheologian，“isanintercourse，aconsciousandvoluntaryrelation，enteredintobyasoulindistresswiththemysteriouspoweruponwhichitfeelsitselftodepend，anduponwhichitsfateiscontingent。ThisintercoursewithGodisrealizedbyprayer。Prayerisreligioninact；thatis，prayerisrealreligion。Itisprayerthatdistinguishesthereligiousphenomenonfromsuchsimilarorneighboringphenomenaaspurelymoraloraestheticsentiment。
Religionisnothingifitbenotthevitalactbywhichtheentiremindseekstosaveitselfbyclingingtotheprinciplefromwhichitdrawsitslife。Thisactisprayer，bywhichtermIunderstandnovainexerciseofwords，nomererepetitionofcertainsacredformula，buttheverymovementitselfofthesoul，puttingitselfinapersonalrelationofcontactwiththemysteriouspowerofwhichitfeelsthepresence——itmaybeevenbeforeithasanamebywhichtocallit。Whereverthisinteriorprayerislacking，thereisnoreligion；wherever，ontheotherhand，thisprayerrisesandstirsthesoul，evenintheabsenceofformsorofdoctrines，wehavelivingreligion。Oneseesfromthiswhy“naturalreligion，so-called，isnotproperlyareligion。Itcutsmanofffromprayer。ItleaveshimandGodinmutualremoteness，withnointimatecommerce，nointeriordialogue，nointerchange，noactionofGodinman，noreturnofmantoGod。Atbottomthispretendedreligionisonlyaphilosophy。Bornatepochsofrationalism，ofcriticalinvestigations，itneverwasanythingbutanabstraction。Anartificialanddeadcreation，itrevealstoitsexaminerhardlyoneofthecharacterspropertoreligion。”[309]
AugusteSabatier：Esquissed’unePhilosophiedelaReligion。2meed。，
ItseemstomethattheentireseriesofourlecturesprovesthetruthofM。Sabatier’scontention。Thereligiousphenomenon，studiedasinInnerfact，andapartfromecclesiasticalortheologicalcomplications，hasshownitselftoconsisteverywhere，andatallitsstages，intheconsciousnesswhichindividualshaveofanintercoursebetweenthemselvesandhigherpowerswithwhichtheyfeelthemselvestoberelated。Thisintercourseisrealizedatthetimeasbeingbothactiveandmutual。Ifitbenoteffective；ifitbenotagiveandtakerelation；ifnothingbereallytransactedwhileitlasts；iftheworldisinnowhitdifferentforitshavingtakenplace；thenprayer，takeninthiswidemeaningofasensethatSOMETHINGIS
TRANSACTING，isofcourseafeelingofwhatisillusory，andreligionmustonthewholebeclassed，notsimplyascontainingelementsofdelusion——theseundoubtedlyeverywhereexist——butasbeingrootedindelusionaltogether，justasmaterialistsandatheistshavealwayssaiditwas。Atmosttheremightremain，whenthedirectexperiencesofprayerwereruledoutasfalsewitnesses，someinferentialbeliefthatthewholeorderofexistencemusthaveadivinecause。Butthiswayofcontemplatingnature，pleasingasitwoulddoubtlessbetopersonsofapioustaste，wouldleavetothembutthespectators’
partataplay，whereasinexperimentalreligionandtheprayerfullife，weseemourselvestobeactors，andnotinaplay，butinaveryseriousreality。
Thegenuinenessofreligionisthusindissolublyboundupwiththequestionwhethertheprayerfulconsciousnessbeorbenotdeceitful。Theconvictionthatsomethingisgenuinelytransactedinthisconsciousnessistheverycoreoflivingreligion。Astowhatistransacted，greatdifferencesofopinionhaveprevailed。
Theunseenpowershavebeensupposed，andareyetsupposed，todothingswhichnoenlightenedmancannowadaysbelievein。Itmaywellprovethatthesphereofinfluenceinprayerissubjectiveexclusively，andthatwhatisimmediatelychangedisonlythemindoftheprayingperson。Buthoweverouropinionofprayer’seffectsmaycometobelimitedbycriticism，religion，inthevitalsenseinwhichtheselecturesstudyit，muststandorfallbythepersuasionthateffectsofsomesortgenuinelydooccur。
Throughprayer，religioninsists，thingswhichcannotberealizedinanyothermannercomeabout：energywhichbutforprayerwouldbeboundisbyprayersetfreeandoperatesinsomepart，beitobjectiveorsubjective，oftheworldoffacts。
ThispostulateisstrikinglyexpressedinaletterwrittenbythelateFredericW。H。Myerstoafriend，whoallowsmetoquotefromit。Itshowshowindependenttheprayer-instinctisofusualdoctrinalcomplications。Mr。Myerswrites：——
“Iamgladthatyouhaveaskedmeaboutprayer，becauseIhaveratherstrongideasonthesubject。Firstconsiderwhatarethefacts。Thereexistsaroundusaspiritualuniverse，andthatuniverseisinactualrelationwiththematerial。Fromthespiritualuniversecomestheenergywhichmaintainsthematerial；
theenergywhichmakesthelifeofeachindividualspirit。Ourspiritsaresupportedbyaperpetualindrawalofthisenergy，andthevigorofthatindrawalisperpetuallychanging，muchasthevigorofourabsorptionofmaterialnutrimentchangesfromhourtohour。
“Icallthese’facts’becauseIthinkthatsomeschemeofthiskindistheonlyoneconsistentwithouractualevidence；toocomplextosummarizehere。How，then，shouldweACTonthesefacts？Plainlywemustendeavortodrawinasmuchspirituallifeaspossible，andwemustplaceourmindsinanyattitudewhichexperienceshowstobefavorabletosuchindrawal。PRAYER
isthegeneralnameforthatattitudeofopenandearnestexpectancy。Ifwethenasktowhomtopray，theanswerstrangelyenoughmustbethatTHATdoesnotmuchmatter。Theprayerisnotindeedapurelysubjectivething；——itmeansarealincreaseinintensityofabsorptionofspiritualpowerorgrace；——butwedonotknowenoughofwhattakesplaceinthespiritualworldtoknowhowtheprayeroperates；——WHOiscognizantofit，orthroughwhatchannelthegraceisgiven。
BetterletchildrenpraytoChrist，whoisatanyratethehighestindividualspiritofwhomwehaveanyknowledge。ButitwouldberashtosaythatChristhimselfHEARSUS；whiletosaythatGODhearsusismerelytorestatethefirstprinciple——thatgraceflowsinfromtheinfinitespiritualworld。”
Letusreservethequestionofthetruthorfalsehoodofthebeliefthatpowerisabsorbeduntilthenextlecture，whenourdogmaticconclusions，ifwehaveany，mustbereached。Letthislecturestillconfineitselftothedescriptionofphenomena；andasaconcreteexampleofanextremesort，ofthewayinwhichtheprayerfullifemaystillbeled，letmetakeacasewithwhichmostofyoumustbeacquainted，thatofGeorgeMullerofBristol，whodiedin1898。Muller’sprayerswereofthecrassestpetitionalorder。EarlyinlifeheresolvedontakingcertainBiblepromisesinliteralsincerity，andonlettinghimselfbefed，notbyhisownworldlyforesight，butbytheLord’shand。