THE MANNER. Our prayers should be the sincere utterance of our hearts;
otherwise they will be a mere mockery. [Matt. 6:5] They may be in our
own words or those of another. It will often be profitable to use the
prayers found in good prayer-books or in the Liturgy, and to draw
largely from the Psalms, which are a treasury of good and beautiful
prayers. We should not lengthen our prayers by vain repetitions, nor
repeat the Lord's Prayer or any other prayer a certain number of times
as if that were a merit. [Matt. 6:7] Nor should we shorten our prayers
through laziness, indifference, and the like. The Lord's Prayer should
generally be added to our own prayers as a summary of those things for
which we should pray.

THE POSTURE which we assume should indicate reverence to God. We should
kneel or stand with folded hands. If we are unable to assume either of
these postures, we may pray in any position. We stand in church on
Sunday, because it is the day of the Lord's resurrection and a day of
joy. We should not sit still in church while others stand, unless we are
too weak or ill to stand. Kneeling is an attitude of humiliation,
particularly appropriate for the confession of sins.

IN CHRIST'S NAME. We should always pray in Christ's name, and never omit
His name to please men or avoid offence; for our prayers are only heard
for Christ's sake. We have the promise that whatever we ask in His name
will be given to us. [John 16:23] To pray in Christ's name means to
pray, 1. As one who trusts in Christ and asks to be heard for His sake.
[Eph. 2:18+, Rom. 5:2] 2. As one who prays in Christ's spirit,
submitting all things to God's will, and saying with Christ, "Not my
will, but Thine, be done." [Matt. 26:29, Matt 6:10]

IN FAITH. We should pray in faith, believing that God will answer our