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THIRD BOOK, 
LESSON LXXIX. 
ON PRAYER, 
I often say my prayers; 
But do I ever pray, 
Or do the wishes of my heart 
Dietate the words I say? 
"Tis useless to implore, 
Unless I feel my neecd,— 
Unless ’tis from a sense of want, 
That all my prayers proceed. 
I may as well kneel down, 
And worship gods of stone, 
As offer to the living God 
A prayer of words alone. 
For words without the heart, 
The Lord will never hear; 
Nor will he e’er that child regard, 
Whose pray'rs are insincere, 
Lord, teach me what I want, 
And teach me how to pray; 
Nor let me e’er implore thy grace, 
Not feeling what I say. 
Yet remember, you who read this, you are not 
to neglect your prayers—because you do not feel 
inclined to pray: but this little hymn is to show 
you the wickedness of pretending to pray to the 
great God, while you are thinking all the time