Friday, March 27, 2015

Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 67

Prayer (continued)

To an effectual prayer there must concur the intention of the mind and the affections of the heart; else it is not praying but parroting. (John Trapp)

We must join our endeavor in the use of all means with our prayers, whether they be put up for spiritual or temporal blessings. We must pray with our hand at the pump, or the ship will sink in sight of our prayers. Is it temporal subsistence thou prayest for? Pray and work, or pray and stave. Dost thou thing to set God at work, while thou sittest with thy hand in thy bosom? (William Gurnall)

Do not any day, upon any pretense, omit to offer up thy morning and evening sacrifices. Remember, so often as thou neglectest morning prayer, so often thou art all the day naked, destitute of thy spiritual guard, and exposed to all manner of evils and enemies, and dost forespeak thyself an evil day; and so often as thou omittest evening prayer tho presumest upon sleep, and rest, and safety, without God's leave, and forespeakest thyself an evil night. (George Swinnock)

When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words, than thy words without a heart. (John Bunyan)

Pray often rather than very long at a time. It is hard to be very long in prayer, and not slacken in our affections. (William Gurnall)

I have been benefited by prayer for others; for by making an errand to God for them I have gotten something for myself. (Samuel Rutherford)

When you do not hear as much and so often from God in preaching, let God hear the more and oftener from you in prayer. Ply the throne of grace. Give God no rest til He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (John Whitlock)

One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His Word. (Thomas Manton)

A praying man can never be very miserable, whatever his condition be, for he has the ear of God; the Spirit within to indite, a Friend in heaven to present, and God Himself to receive his desires as a Father. It is a mercy to pray, even though I never receive the mercy prayed for. (William Bridge)

Ah! How often, Christians, hath God kissed you at the beginning of prayer, and spoken peace to you in the midst of prayer, and filled you with joy and assurance upon the close of prayer! (Thomas Brooks)

How can I know that my prayers are prompted by the Spirit?

When they are not only vocal, but mental; when they are not only gifts, but groans. (Thomas Watson)


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