In various parts of the New Testament we are instructed to pray in the name of Christ, and to pray "without ceasing." Realizing the impossibility of unceasing prayer from the standpoint of the ordinary conception of prayer, and not understanding the real, spiritual meaning of these instructions, many Christian people have concluded that they are not practicable.
In the sixth chapter of Matthew the right method for prayer, left us by the Master, is given as follows: "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." In this chapter also is given the only prayer left us by the Master, the Lord's Prayer, as generally used by all Christian people. Many repetitions of this and other prayers, however, usually ending with the statement that the things desired were asked for his sake and "in his name," if made without one's having first complied with the instructions referred to, have failed to bring the promised reward, namely, relief from sickness and sin.
Upon commencing the study of Christian Science and learning that the healing of sickness and sin is effected through prayer, the writer was surprised at the omission of the name of Jesus from most of the testimonies. About that time there appeared in the Sentinel an article in which it was shown that the real significance of the word name in this connection is nature, that the real nature of a man is his true name, and thus that the real name of Jesus is the spiritual or Christ nature; and that owing to the Master's understanding and demonstration of man's real nature he has been called Christ Jesus, or Jesus the Christ. Jesus had previously been regarded as a supernatural being, and his so-called miracles as manifestations of some supernatural power specially bestowed upon him. Since then the substitution of the word nature for name has often been a great help in the study of the Bible, illuminating the text wonderfully, and it is now seen how one can pray "in his name" and "without ceasing."
