IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING.
By Ada D. Wellman
Individuals who are quite deferential, and even obsequious, to small dignitaries, are sometimes so heedless as to enter the presence of the King in an uncouth manner, regardless of personal appearance, and speak abstractedly, not realizing the presumption of such a course. A young girl whose daily work included much counting, on wearily kneeling for prayer one evening, preoccupiedly addressed Divinity thus: “One, two, three, four,” etc. Surprising as was the act, it was not more irreverent than is the unthinking utterance of set phrases in prayer. The aboriginal pagan priests of some of the South Sea Islands believed that an incantation lost its efficiency if the slightest blunder was made in the repetition thereof, and though our merciful God does not despise stammering speech when it is the utterance of a consecrated heart, nevertheless, when we realize that the mediatorship of Christ is necessary in order that any prayer of mortal be brought in acceptable form before the Majesty of heaven, it seems recklessly impious to assay to address Divinity with little regard to our words, our attitude, or our personal condition. A tobacco-using professor of Christianity once declared that he always rinsed his mouth before prayer. Verily, the use of the narcotic had not wholly deadened this man’s reverence. When we “kneel before the Lord, our Maker,” we ill express holy awe if our clothing and person are not neat, or if we crouch in an indolent position. The infinite One is very gracious to usward; but let us not therefore fail to render to Him, as far as possible, the respectful bearing which is meet.