Prayer, Return of Prayer and the Saint's JewelSovereign Grace Publishers,, 2007 - 84 pages Prayer is an ordinance of God, and that to be used both in public and private; yea, such an ordinance will bring those that have the spirit of supplication into great familiarity with God; and is also so prevalent an action, that it gets of God, both for the person that prays, and for them that are prayed for, great things. It is the opener of the heart of God, and a means by which the soul, though empty, is filled. By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God, as to a friend and obtain fresh testimony of God's friendship to him - I might spend many words in distinguishing between public and private prayer as also between that in the heart, and that with the vocal voice. Something also might be spoken to distinguish between the gifts and graces of prayer; but as eschewing this method my business shall be at this time only to show you the very heart of prayer, without which, all your lifting up both of hands, and eyes, and voices, will be to no purpose at all. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word for the good of the Church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God. 1. For the first of these: it is a sincere pouring out of the soul to God. Sincerity is such a grace as runs through all the graces of God in us, and through all the actings of a Christian, and has the sway in them too, or else their actings are not anything regarded of God, and so of and in prayer, of which particularly David speaks, when he mentions prayer: "7 cried unto the Lord with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me " (Psa. 68:18). Part of the exercise of prayer is sincerity, without which God looks not upon it as prayer in a good sense. "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). The want of this made the Lord reject their prayers in Hos. 7:14, where He says, "They have not cried to Me with their hearts (that is, in sincerity), when they howled upon their beds "! But for a pretense, for a show, in hypocrisy, to be seen of men, and applauded for the same, they pray. Sincerity was that which Christ commended in Nathaniel when he was under the fig-tree: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47). Probably this good man was pouring out of his soul to God in prayer under the fig-tree, and that in a sincere and unfeigned spirit before the Lord. The prayer that has this in it as one of the principal ingredients is the prayer that God looks at: "The prayer of the upright is His delight. " Bunyan (1628-1688) rose from an humble beginning to being a preacher to a little house church, to 12 years in jail because he would not agree to quit preaching, to a huge church in London. He wrote 66 books, nearly all while in jail. Goodwin (1600-1679) was rightly described as ''one of the twin pillars of the Puritan movement.'' His 12 volumes are filled with information not to be found in any other works. Thomas Shepard was an early New England Puritan. His work was praised at once by eminent divines, four of them being Westminster Confession participants. Jonathan Edwards quoted from Shepard more than any other. |
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... mouth , and He was extolled with my tongue . If I regard iniquity in my heart , the Lord will not hear me " ( Psa . 68:18 ) . Part of the exercise of prayer is sincerity , without which God looks not upon it as prayer in a good sense ...
... mouth , and He was extolled with my tongue . If I regard iniquity in my heart , the Lord will not hear me " ( Psa . 68:18 ) . Part of the exercise of prayer is sincerity , without which God looks not upon it as prayer in a good sense ...
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... mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed as the eagles . " And thus is the prayer of saints sometimes turned into praise and thanksgiving , and yet are prayers still . This is a mystery ; God's people pray with their praises ...
... mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed as the eagles . " And thus is the prayer of saints sometimes turned into praise and thanksgiving , and yet are prayers still . This is a mystery ; God's people pray with their praises ...
Page ii
... mouth shall show forth Your praise . ” I suppose there is none can imagine but that David could speak and express himself as well as others , nay , as any in our generation , as is clearly manifested by his word and his works ...
... mouth shall show forth Your praise . ” I suppose there is none can imagine but that David could speak and express himself as well as others , nay , as any in our generation , as is clearly manifested by his word and his works ...
Page ii
... mouth , even in their most pretended sanctity ? The Lord awaken you , and teach you , poor souls , in all humility , to take heed that you are not rash and unadvised with your heart , and much more with your mouth , when you appear ...
... mouth , even in their most pretended sanctity ? The Lord awaken you , and teach you , poor souls , in all humility , to take heed that you are not rash and unadvised with your heart , and much more with your mouth , when you appear ...
Page ii
... mouth or pen the unutterable desires , sense , affection and longing , that went to God in that prayer . The best prayers have often more groans than words ; and those words that it has are but a lean and shallow representation of the ...
... mouth or pen the unutterable desires , sense , affection and longing , that went to God in that prayer . The best prayers have often more groans than words ; and those words that it has are but a lean and shallow representation of the ...
Contents
8 | 6 |
Prayers Made for Others | 12 |
Common Directions Helpful in Praying | 18 |
The Effects of Mercy on the Heart | 30 |
A Reproof for Those Who Expect No Answer to Prayer | 37 |
Common terms and phrases
Abimelech accepted accomplishment according Amalek answer apostles assurance believe blessing Canaan cast cause child children of God Christ church comes comfort creature curse David denied desire devil discouragements duty earnest Eliphaz faith fall Father fear fill your heart give glory God's ears godly grace gracious grant the thing groans haply hear heard heart to pray heaven hell Holy Spirit importunity infirmities iniquity Ishmael Israel Israelites Jesus John Bunyan live look Lord Lord's prayer lusts man's manner means mercy misery Moses mouth never observe ordinance ourselves particular perform petition poor soul promise prophet Psalm reason rejoice request right prayer Satan says Scripture seek sensible servant sincere sins sometimes speak spirit of prayer stirred supplication Take heed thanks thing prayed Thomas Goodwin Thomas Shepard token understanding unto vows wait wicked words
Popular passages
Page iii - Is Ephraim my dear son ? is he a pleasant child ? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.
Page 5 - I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Page 45 - Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Page 45 - For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Page ii - THE preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Page i - And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Page ii - For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. These, O God, You will not despise, Do good in your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.