The Spirit the Author of Prayer
The Believer Drawing Near to God
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what wo should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” — Rom. viii. 26.
That God should have erected in this lower world a throne of grace, — a mercy-seat, around which may gather, in clustering and welcome multitudes, the helpless, the burdened, the friendless, the vile, the guilty, the deeply necessitous, — that no poor comer, be his poverty never so great, his burden never so heavy, or his case never so desperate, should meet with a refusal of a hearing or a welcome, does greatly develope and magnify the riches of his grace, his wisdom, and his love to sinners. What a God our God must be, thus to have appointed a meeting-place, and audience chamber for those upon whom all other doors were closed! But more than this, —
That he should have appointed Jesus the door of approach to that throne, — should have given his only-begotten and well-beloved Son, to be the ‘ new and living way’ of access, thus removing all obstruction in the way of the soul’s coming, both on the part of himself, and on the part of the sinner; that the door should be the cru- 19 ( 221 )
THE SPIRIT
cified Saviour — the wounds of the Son of God, — that through blood, and that blood the blood of the incarnate Deity, the guilty should approach, wonder, 0 heavens, and be astonished, 0 earth! Shall we say even more than this? For there is a yet lower depth in this love and condescension of God — that he should have sent his Spirit into the heart, the Author of prayer, inditing the petition — breathing in the soul — implanting the desire — convincing of the existing necessity — unfolding the character of God — working faith in the heart — and drawing it up to God through Jesus, seems the very perfection of his wisdom, benevolence, and grace.
It must be acknowledged by the spiritual mind that all true prayer is of the inditing of the Spirit — that he is the Author of all real approach of the soul to God. And yet, how perpetually we need to be reminded of this! Prayer is one of the most spiritual employments that can possibly engage the mind. It is that holy act of the soul which brings it immediately in contact with a holy God. It has more directly to do with the “high and lofty One” than any other exercise. It is that state of mind, too, that most deeply acknowledges its dependence on God. Prayer is the expression of want, — it is the desire of need — the acknowledgment of poverty, — the language of dependence, — the breathing of a soul that hath nothing in itself, but dependeth on God for all it wanteth. It must therefore be a highly spiritual and holy exercise. But still more so will this appear, if we consider that true prayer is the breathing of the life of God in the soul of man. It is the Spirit dwelling and breathing in him. It is the new nature pouring out its vital principle, and that into the ear of the God whence it came. It is the cry of the feeble child turning to the Father it loves, and in all its conscious weakness, dependence, and need, pouring out the yearnings of its full heart into the bosom where dwells nothing but love. In a word, it is God and the creature meeting and blending in one act of blessed, holy, and eternal fellowship.
Now, that on a subject so spiritual, and involving so deeply the happiness and the holiness of a child of God, the believer should at times be greatly and seriously harassed and tempted, as much by the weakness of his nature, as by the influence of Satan, is not to be wondered at. We desire therefore, before going into the consideration of the Spirit’s operation in this holy exercise, to glance at some of those peculiar infirmities which so frequently and so painfully lessen the habit, and weaken the power, and keep back the answer of prayer. May the Spirit now teach us.
There is a state of mind often enfeebling to the exercise of prayer, arising from the difficulty of forming proper views of the spiritual nature of the Divine Object of prayer. The spirituality of God, through the weakness of our nature, has been felt to be, by some, a stumbling-block in the approach of the soul. “God is a Spirit,” is a solemn announcement that meets it at the very threshold, and so completely overawes and abashes the mind, as to congeal every current of thought and of feeling, and well-nigh to crush the soul with ita inconceivable idea. Nor is this surprising. Prayer is the approach of finity to Infinity; and although it is the communion of spirit with Spirit, yet it is the finite communing with the Infinite, and that, through the organs of sense. Is it any marvel, then, that at periods, a believer should be baffled in his endeavour to form some just conception of the Divine existence, some faint idea
THE SPIRIT
of the nature of that God to whom his soul addresses itself; and, failing in the attempt, should turn away in sadness, sorrow, and despair? The remedy for this state of mind, we believe, is at hand. It is simple and scriptural. That we can enlarge our thoughts with any adequate idea of the nature and the appearance of the Divine Spirit, is an utter impossibility. IJe that attempts it, and thinks he has succeeded, lives in the region of fancy, and opposes himself to the revelation of God himself, which expressly declares, “No man hath seen God at any time.” John i. 18. “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see.” 1 Tim. vi. 16. This being, then, admitted, as it must be by all reflective minds, the question arises, “How am I to view God? what idea am I to form of his existence in approaching him in prayer?” In reply, two things are necessary in getting proper thoughts of God as the Object of prayer. First, that the mind should resign all its attempts to comprehend the mode of the Divine existence, and should concentrate all its powers upon the contemplation of the character of the Divine existence. In what relation God stands to the creature, not in what way he exists in himself, is the point with which we have to do in approaching him. Let the mind be wrapt in devout contemplations of his holiness, benevolence, love, truth, wisdom, justice, &c., and there will be no room for vain and fruitless imaginations respecting the fathomless and inconceivable mode of his existence.
The second thing necessary is, that the mind should view God in Christ. If it is baffled and perplexed, as it surely will be, in its attempts to unravel the spiritual nature of God, let it seek a resting-place in the 4 incarnate mystery, This was one part of the gracious design of God in assuming human nature. It was to bring, so to speak, the Infinite in a direct angle with the finite, so that the two lines should not merely run parallel, but that the two extremes of being should meet. It was so to embody his essential and surpassing glories, as would present an object which man could contemplate without fear, worship without distraction, and look upon and not die. The Lord Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God,” “the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person.” “He that hath seen me (his own declaration) hath seen the Father.” Wondrous stoop of the great God! In all approach to God, then, in prayer, as in every other kindred exercise, let the eye of faith be fixed upon him who is at the right hand of the Father — the Day’s-Man — the Mediator — the incarnate Son of God. How quieting to the mind of a praying soul is this view of God! What a mildness invests the throne of grace, and what an easy access to it presents itself, when the eye of faith can behold “the glory of God in the faith of Jesus Christ!” And if the mind be embarrassed in its attempts to conceive an idea of his spiritual nature, it can soothe itself to repose in a believing view of the glorified humanity of Jesus, “God manifest in the flesh.” To this resting-place he himself invites the soul — “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” And thus, too, he calmed the fears of his exiled servant, who, when the splendour of his glorified humanity broke upon his view, fell prostrate to the earth: “And when I saw him,” says John, “I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
THE SPIRIT
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
Another infirmity which often operates as an obstruction to the free course of prayer is, — the manifest want of wisdom that may mark the petition of a child of God. He may ask a thing from God, in itself hurtful. As, for example, when Paul prayed for the removal of the thorn in the flesh, he asked that from God which betrayed a want of judgment in his estimate of the thing for which he petitioned. Who would have suspected this in the apostle of the Gentiles? But the Lord knew best what was for the good of his dear servant. He saw that, on account of the peculiar revelations that were given him in his visit to glory, the discipline of the covenant was needed to keep him low in the dust. And, when his child petitioned thrice for the removal of the thorn in the flesh, he for a moment overlooked, in the painful nature of the discipline, its needed influence to keep him “walking humbly with God.” So that we see even an inspired apostle may ask those things from God which he may see fit to refuse. We may frequently expect some trial — something to keep us low before God, after a season of peculiar nearness to him, a manifestation of his loving-kindness to our souls. There is a proneness to rest in self-complacency after close communion with God, that the gentle hand of our Father is needed to screen us from ourselves. It was so with Paul, — why may it not be with us? In withholding, however, the thing we ask of him, we may be assured of this, that he will grant us a perfect equivalent. The Lord saw fit to deny the request of the apostle, but he granted him an equivalent, yea, more than an equivalent to that which he denied him; — he gave him his all-supporting grace.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” Beloved reader, hast thou long asked for the removal of some secret, heavy, painful cross? Perhaps thou art yet urging thy request; and yet the Lord seems not to answer thee. And why? because the request may not be in itself wise. Were he now to remove that cross, he may, in taking away the cross, close up a channel of mercy which thou wouldest never cease to regret. 0 what secret and immense blessing may that painful cross be the means of conveying into your soul! Is it health for which thou hast long petitioned? And is the request denied thee? It is wisdom that denies. It is love too, tender unchangeable love to thy soul, that refuses a petition which a wise and gracious God knows, if granted, would not be for thy real good and his glory. Do you not think that there are love and tenderness enough in the heart of Jesus to grant you what you desire, and ten thousand times more, did he see that it would promote your true holiness and happiness? Could he resist that request, that desire, that sigh, that tear, that beseeching look, if infinite wisdom did not guide him in all his dealings with your -soul? 0 no! But he gives you an equivalent to
the denied request. He gives you himself. Can he give you more? His grace sustains you — his arm supports you — his love soothes you — his Spirit comforts you; and your chamber of solitude, though it may not be the scene of health and buoyancy and joyousness, may yet be the secret place where a covenant God and Father pours his grace into your soul — where Jesus seeks to meet you with the choicest unfoldings of his love. Could he not, would he not heal thee in a moment, if it would be for your good? Then, ask for a submissive spirit: a will swallowed up in God the Father’s. And
THE SPIRIT
it may be, when the lesson of secret and filial submission is learned, so that health shall no longer be desired but as a means of glorifying God, be may put forth his healing power, and grant thee thy request. But, forget not, the Lord best knows what will most promote his own glory. You may have thought that health of body would better enable you to glorify him. He may think that the chamber of solitude and the bed of languishing are most productive of glory to his name. The patience, resignation, meek submission, child-like acquiescence, which his blessed Spirit through this means works in your soul, may more glorify him than all the active graces that ever were brought into exercise.
A believer may urge a request that i 8 in itself wrong. This is another infirmity connected with prayer. The mother of Zebedee’s children did so, when she asked the Lord that her two sons might sit, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left, in his kingdom, Matt. xx. 20, 21. Who does not mark the self that appears in this petition? And although it was a mother’s love that prompted it, and, as such, presents a picture of inimitable beauty, and one exquisitely touching to the feelings, yet it teaches us that a parent, betrayed by his love for his child, may ask that from God which is really wrong in itself. He may ask worldly distinction, honour, influence, wealth for his child, which a godly parent should never do; and this may be a wrong request, which God, in his infinite wisdom and love, withholds. This was the petition of the mother, which our Lord saw fit to deny. Her views of the kingdom of Christ were those of earthly glory. To see her children sharing in that glory, was her high ambition; which Jesus promptly but gently rebuked. Let a Christian mother ask for spiritual blessings for her children, and whatever else is needful the Lord will grant. Let converting, sanctifying, restraining grace be one and the constant petition presented at the footstool of mercy, and then she cannot ask too much, nor press her suit too frequently or too fervently.
To allude to another illustration of our remark — It was wrong in Job to ask the Lord that he might die. “Oh that I might have my request! (are his words,) and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off.” Job vi. 8, 9. It was an unwise and sinful petition, which the Lord in great mercy and wisdom, denied him. Truly, “we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” What a mercy that there is One who knows!
A child of God may ask for a wise and good thing in a wrong way. There may be no faith in asking. There may be a wrong frame of mind. No sense of God’s freeness in bestowing. No filial approach, — going as a child, — as one pardoned, — “accepted in the Beloved,” — as one dear to the heart of God. There may be no honouring of the Father in himself — no honouring of him in the Son — no honouring of the blessed Spirit. There may be no resting upon the cross, — no pleading of the atoning blood, — no washing in the fountain, — no humble, grateful recognition of the 4 new and living way’ of access. There may be a want of lowliness in the mind, — brokenness in the spirit, — sincerity in the heart, — reverence in the manner, — sobriety in the words. There may be no confession of sin, — no acknowledgment of past mercies, — no faith in the promised blessing. Oh, how much there may be in the prayer of a dear child of God, that operates as a blight upon his request, 20
THE SPIRIT
that seems to close the ear and the heart of God! Bat oh, to go to him with filial confidence, — sweet faith, — love flowing from a broken heart; — to go to him as the people of his choice, — dear to him as the apple of his eye, — viewed each moment in his Son, — and who would for the love he bears us, undeify himself if that would be for our real good, and his own glory. Did he not once empty himself of his glory, — did he not become poor, — did he not humble himself, — did he not take upon him human nature, all for the love he bore his people? That was approaching so near, in appearance, the cessation of Deity, that, as we gaze upon the spectacle, we wonder what another step might have produced! We seem to think he could not have gone further without ceasing to be God. Behold the broad basis, then, on which a child of God may approach him in prayer. His love, 0 how immense! it is past finding out!
Yet again, — A believer may present a right petition in a right way, and yet, he may not wait the Lord’s answer in his own time. He may appoint a time, and if the Lord does not answer within that period, he turns away, resigning all expectation of an answer. There is such a thing as waiting for the Lord. “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Lam. iii. 26. And the apostle alludes to, and enjoins the same holy patience, when he speaks to the Ephesians, of “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance,” ch. vi. 18. A believer may present his request, — may have some degree of nearness in urging it, may press it with fervency, and yet, forgetting the hoping, quiet, waiting patience which ought invariably to mark a praying soul, he may lose the blessing he has sought. There is such a thing as “waiting upon the Lord.” 0 how long have we made him to wait for us! For years, it may be, we kept him knocking, and standing, and waiting at the door of our hearts, until his own Spirit took the work in his own hands, and unlocked the heart, and the Saviour entered. The Lord would now often have us wait his time in answering prayer. And, if the vision tarry, still let us wait, and hope, and expect. Let the delay but stimulate hope, and increase desire, and exercise faith, and multiply petitions at the mercy-seat. It will come when the Lord sees best.
Lastly, — A believer may lose the answer to his prayer, by dictating to the Lord the mode as well as the time of answering. The Lord has his own mode of blessing his people. We may prescribe the way the Lord should answer, but he may send the blessing to us through an opposite channel — in a way we never thought of, and should never have selected.. Sovereignty sits regent upon the throne, and in no aspect is its exercise more manifestly seen than in selecting the way and the means by which the prayers of the saints of God are answered. Dictate not to the Lord. If you ask a blessing through a certain channel, or in a prescribed way, let it be with the deepest humility of mind, and with perfect submission of the will to God. Be satisfied to receive the blessing in any way which a good and covenant God may appoint. Be assured, it will be in that way that will most glorify himself, and secure to you the greatest amount of blessing.
Many and endearing are the characters or offices ascribed to the Spirit in the word; but none more sweet or appropriate to a child of God than that which he fills as the Intercessor in his saints. We have already remarked that all true prayer is of the Spirit’s inditing.
THE SPIRIT
He is the Author of prayer in the soul. A brief reference to the Divine testimony will clearly substantiate this. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us y with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Rom. viii. 26, 27. “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Eph. ii. 18. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” &c., vi. 18. “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” Jude 20. And our dear Lord encouraged his disciples in view of their approaching persecutions, with the same truth — “It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in yrfu.” Matt. x. 20. The consideration of two or three points, will sufficiently unfold his work as the Author of prayer in the believer.
First, — It is the Spirit who leads the soul to an acquaintance with its wants. Such is the fallen condition of the soul — such its poverty, ignorance, and infirmity, it knows not its real weakness and deep necessity until taught it by the Holy Ghost. This is even so after conversion. A dear child of God (and it is awfully true, without any qualification, of an unrenewed man) may fall into the state of the Laodicean church, to whom it was said, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,” &c. Rev. iii. 17. A believer may not know his real condition, his absolute need. There may be a secret declension in his soul, — the enfeebling and decay of some spiritual grace, — the slow but effectual inroad of some spiritual enemy, — the cherishing of some Achan, — the feeding of some worm at the root of his holiness, and all the while he may remain ignorant of the solemn fact. And how is he to know it, unless some one teach him? And who is that teacher but the Spirit? As he first convinced of sin, so, in each successive stage of the believer’s experience, he convinces of the daily want, the spiritual necessity, the growing infirmity, the increasing power of sin, and the deepening poverty. Overlook not this important part of his work. To go to the throne of grace, we must have something to go for, — some errand to take us there, some sin to confess, some guilt to mourn over, some want to supply, some infirmity to make known, nor would we leave out — some blessing to acknowledge. How is all this to be effected, but by the blessed Spirit? 0 what an unspeakable mercy to have One who knows us altogether, and who can make us acquainted with ourselves! It is a far advanced step in grace when we know our real, undisguised condition. A man may lose a grace, and may travel far, and not be sensible of his loss. The world has come in, and filled up the space. Some carnal joy or pursuit has occupied the mind, engrossed the affections and the thoughts; and the soul has not been sensible of the loss it has sustained. Thus have many lost the sense of adoption, and pardon, and acceptance — and the graces of faith, and love, and humility have become enfeebled, until the description of Ephraim may truly and painfully apply to them — “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and 20 *
THE SPIRIT
there upon him, yet he knoweth it not.” Hos. viL 8, 9. But the blessed Spirit at length discovers to the soul its loss, convinces it of its departure, makes known its real condition, and, in this way, leads it to the throne of grace. Dear reader, cherish high views of the work of the Spirit. To have one nigh at hand, yea in thee, as he is, to detect so faithfully and lovingly as he does, the waning grace, the feeble pulse, the spiritual decay; to awaken sensibility, godly sorrow, and draw out the heart in confession, is to possess one of the most costly blessings. Honour the blessed Spirit,^ — laud him for his work, — extol his faithfulness and love, — and treat him as thy tenderest, dearest Friend.
He stirs up the slumbering spirit of prayer. This is either perpetually declining, or exposed to declension in the believer. And it needs as perpetual a supply of grace from the Author of prayer, to keep it in vigour, as to restore it when it has declined. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications.” Zech. xii. 10.
He teaches the believer to plead the atoning blood of Christ. He puts this great and prevailing argument in his mouth; and when sin seems a mountain, and unbelief would suppress the aspiration, and a deep consciousness of unworthiness would cause the soul to “stand afar off,” He opens to his view this precious and encouraging truth, the prevalency of the blood of Jesus with God on behalf of his people. In a moment, the mountain is levelled, unbelief is checked, and the soul, unfettered and unrestrained, draw r s near to God, yea, rushes into the bosom of its Father. What a view does this give us of the love of the Spirit, as the Author of prayer! Who has not experienced it who is not yet a stranger to the blessed exercise of communion with God? How often has guilt caused the head to hang down, and the sense of utter vileness and worthlessness has covered the soul with shame, and even the very destitution has kept back the believer, just as the penury, and the wretched covering, and the loathsomeness of the poor beggar have kept him from the door, — then does the blessed Spirit, in the plenitude of his grace and tenderness, unfold Jesus to the soul, as being all that it wanteth to give it full, and free, and near access to God. He removes the eye from self, and fixes and fastens it upon the blood that pleads louder for mercy than all his sins can plead for condemnation; he brings, too, the righteousness near, which so clothes and covers the soul, as fits it to appear in the presence of the King of kings, not merely with acceptance, but with delight. Beholding him thus washed and clothed, God rests in h is love, and rejoices over him with singing.
Nor must we overlook the understanding which subsists between God the Father and the Spirit. “And he
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” There is a perfect agreement or understanding between the Father and the interceding Spirit. First, the Father, the Searcher of hearts, knoweth the mind of the Spirit. He understands the desire and the meaning of the Spirit in the souls of his saints. He understands the “groanings which cannot be uttered.” He can interpret their sighs, yea, he can read the meaning of their very desires. And, when feeling has been too deep for utterance, and thought too intense for expression, and the soul could but groan out
THE SPIRIT
its wants and desires, then has God understood the mind of the Spirit. 0 the inconceivable preciousness of a throne of grace! To have a God to go to, who knows the mind of the Spirit — a God who can interpret the groan, and read the language of desire, — to have promise upon promise bidding the soul draw nigh; and when, from the fulness of the heart, the mouth has been dumb, and from the poverty of language, thought could not be expressed, — that then, God, who searcheth the hearts, and knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, should say, “Never didst thou, my child, pray to me as thou didst then, — never was thy voice so sweet, so powerful, so persuasive, — never wast thou so eloquent as when my Spirit made intercession for thee with groanings which thou couldst not utter.” It was, perhaps, thy last resource; refuge failed thee, no man cared for thy soul; friends failed thee, frames failed thee, all forsook thee and fled, and, in thine extremity, thou didst betake thyself to God, and he failed thee not. Thou didst find the throne of grace accessible; thou didst see a God of grace upon it, and the sweet incense of the Redeemer’s precious merits going up; and thou didst draw near, and sigh, and groan, and breathe out thy wants, and didst say, “It is good for me to draw near to God.” Yes! “he knows the mind of the Spirit.” The secret desire for Jesus, the longing for Divine conformity, the hidden mourning over the existence and power of indwelling sin, the feeblest rising of the heart to God, the first sigh of the humble and contrite spirit, all are known to God. “He searcheth the heart, and he knoweth the mind of the Spirit.” 0 let this encourage you, dear reader, when you feel you cannot pray by reason of the weakness of the flesh, or the depth of your feeling; if the Spirit is interceding in you, your heavenly Father knoweth the mind of the Spirit, and not a sigh or a groan can escape his notice.
There is yet another animating declaration connected with the perfect agreement of the Father and the Spirit in the great article of prayer; it is “because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Whatever the inditing of the Spirit is, the believer may be assured that it is according to God’s will. The worldly desires which sometimes take possession of a child of God, may not he included in this. He may sometimes be left to ask God for worldly distinction, influence and wealth, — for places of temporal honour and aggrandisement, as the mother of Zebedee’s children did; but who will dare assert that, in presenting such petitions, he is asking those things which are “according to the will of God?” No believer, if he is in a truly spiritual frame, panting after God, crucifying the world, and living as a stranger and a pilgrim here, can go to the throne of grace and plead for these. It would be a carnal petition for carnal things, and there must he a dearth of spirituality in the soul that can urge it.
But, in spiritual things, how vastly different is it! When we draw near to God, and ask for more love, more zeal, an increase of faith, a reviving of God’s work within us, more resemblance to Christ, the subjection of some enemy, the mortification of some evil, the subduing of some iniquity, the pardon of some guilty more of the spirit of adoption, the sprinkling of the atoning blood, the sweet sense of acceptance, we know and are assured that we ask for those things which are according to the will of God, and which it is in the heart of God, fully and freely to bestow. There need be no backwardness
THE SPIRIT
here — there need be no restraint here — there need he no misgiving here. The believer may, when pleading for such blessings, spreading out such wants before the Lord, with “boldness enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.’ * He may draw near to God, not standing afar off, but, in the spirit of a child, drawing near to God, — he may come with large requests, large desires, hopeful expectation, — he may open his mouth widely, because he asks those things which it is glorifying to God to give, which glorify him when given, and which we know from his own word, are according to his blessed will to bestow. 0 the unspeakable encouragement of going to God with a request which we feel assured it is in his heart, and according to his will, freely to grant!
We would remark, in closing, — Forget not, dear reader, it is the throne of grace, to which you come in prayer. It is a throne, because God is a Sovereign. He will ever have the suppliant recognise this perfection of his nature. He hears and answers as a Sovereign. He hears whom he will, and answers what and when he will. There must be no dictation to God; no refusing to bow to his sovereignty, no rebelling against his will. If the answer be delayed, or God should seem to withhold it altogether, remember that “he giveth no account of any of his matters,” and that he has a right to answer or not to answer as seemeth good in bis sight* Glorious perfection of God, beaming from the mercy-seat!
But it is also a throne of grace. And why? Because a God of grace sitteth upon it, and the sceptre of grace is held out from it, and all the favours bestowed there are the blessings of grace. God has many thrones. There is the throne of creation, and the throne of providence, and the throne of justice, and the throne of redemption; but this is the throne of grace. Just the throne we want. We are the poor, the needy, the helpless, the vile, the sinful, the unworthy, — nothing have we to bring but our deep wretchedness and poverty, — nothing but our complaints, our miseries, our crosses, our groanings, our sighs and tears. But it is the throne of grace. For just such it is erected. It is set up in a world of woe — in the midst of the wilderness — in the very land of the enemy — in the vale of tears, because it is the throne of grace. It is a God of grace who sitteth upon’ it, and all the blessings he dispenses from it are the bestowments of grace. Pardon, justification, adoption, peace, comfort, light, direction, — all, all is of grace. No worth nor worthiness in the creature, draws it forth, — no price he may bring, purchases it, — no tears, or complainings, or misery, moves the heart of God to compassion, — all is of grace. God is so full of compassion, and love, and mercy, he needeth not to be moved to pour it forth. It gushes from his heart, as from a full and overflowing fountain, and flows into the bosom of the poor, the lowly, the humble, and the contrite; enriching, comforting, and sanctifying their souls. Then, dear reader, whatever be your case, you may come. If it is a throne of grace, as it is, then why not you? Why stand afar off? If the poor, the penniless, the disconsolate, the guilty, are welcome here, — if this throne is crowded by such, why make yourself an exception? Why not come too? What is your case, what is your sorrow, what is your burden? Ah! perhaps you can disclose it to no earthly ear. You can tell it to God only. Then take it to him. Let me tell thee for thine encouragement, God has his secret audience chamber, where he will meet thee alone, and where no eye shall
THE SPIRIT
see thee, and no ear shall hear thee but his; where thou mayest open all thy heart, and disclose thy real case, and pour all thy secrets into his ear. Precious encouragement! It comes from those lips into which grace was poured: “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.” Then, upon this promise, go to the throne of grace. Whatever be the want, temporal or spiritual, take it there. God loves your secrets. He delights in your confidence, and will honour the soul that thus honours him.
Remember, the throne of grace is nigh at hand. You have not to travel far to reach it; no lengthy and painful journey; no wearisome and mortifying pilgrimage. It is nigh at hand. Lying down, or rising up, — going out or coming in, — in the streets, or in the house, in public, or in private, — in the chamber, or in the sanctuary, God is everywhere: and where he is, there is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God. In a moment, in the greatest emergency, you may lift up your heart to the Lord, and in a moment, your cry shall be heard, and your request shall be granted. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer: and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isa. lxv. 24. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and
his ears are open unto their cry. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psa. xxxiv. 15, 17, 18. Remember, the throne of grace is everywhere. On the land and on the sea, — at home or abroad, — in the publicity of business, or in the privacy of retirement, “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Wherever a believer goes, he bears about with him the intercession of the Spirit below, and he has the consolation of knowing that he has the intercession of Jesus above.
Stay not from the throne of grace because of an unfavourable frame of mind. If God is ready to receive you just as you are, — if no questions are asked, and no examination is instituted, and no exceptions are made on account of the badness of the state, then count it your mercy to go to God with your worst frames. To linger from the throne of grace because of unfitness and unpreparedness to approach it, is to alter its character from a throne of grace, to a throne of merit. If the Lord’s ears are only open to the cry of the righteous when they seek him in certain good and acceptable frames, then he hears them for their frames, and not because he is a God of grace. But he can never alter his character, nor change the foundation of his throne. It is the mercy- seat — the throne of grace; and not for any frame, either good or bad, in the suppliant, does he bow his ear, but for his own mercy’s sake. Yield not, then, to this device of your adversary, to keep you from prayer. It is the privilege of a poor soul to go to Jesus in his worst frame, to go in darkness, to go in weak faith, to go when every thing says c stay away,’ to go in the face of opposition, to hope against hope, to go in the consciousness of having walked at a distance, to press through the crowd to the throne of grace, to take the hard, the cold, the reluctant heart, and lay it before the Lord. 0 what a triumph is this of the power and the grace of the blessed Spirit in a poor believer! Dear 21
THE SPIRIT
reader, what is thy state? Art thou feeble in prayer? Art thou tried in prayer? And yet, is there aught of real want, of real desire in thy heart? Is it so? Then, draw near to God. Thy frame will not be more favourable to-morrow than it is to-day. Thou wilt not be more acceptable, or more welcome at any future period, than at this moment. Give yourself unto prayer. I will suppose your state to be the worst that can be, — your frame of mind the most unfavourable, your cross the heaviest, your corruption the strongest, your heart the hardest; yet, betaking yourself to the throne of grace, and with groanings that cannot be uttered, opening your case to the Lord, you shall adopt the song of David, who could say in the worst of frames, and in most pressing times, “But I give myself unto prayer” — “0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened; and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psa. xxxiv. 3 — 6.
The throne of grace is for the needy. It is always a time of need with a child of God. “Without me,” says Jesus, “ye can do nothing.” There is not a moment, but, if he knows his real state, he is in need of something. What a blessing, then, is the throne of grace! It is for the needy. It is for those who are in want, — upon whom all other doors are closed, with whom all other resources have failed, who have nowhere else to look, nowhere else to fly. To such is the throne of grace always open. Is it a time of trial with thee? then it is a time of need. Take your trial, whatever it be, simply to God. Brood not over it. Cherish it not. This will not mate it sweeter, or more easy to be borne. But taking it to Jesus will. The very act of taking it will lighten it, and casting it upon his tenderness and sympathy will make it sweet. Is it a time of spiritual darkness with thee? then it is a time of need. Take your darkness to the throne of grace, and “in his light” who sitteth upon it, you “shall see light.” Is it a time of adverse providences? then it is a time of need. And where can you go for guidance, for direction, for counsel, for light upon the intricacies of the way, but to the God of grace? Is it a time of temporal distress with thee? then it is a time of need. Take your temporal cares and necessities to the Lord, for he who is the God of grace is also the God of providence. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Thank the Lord for every errand that takes you to the throne of grace. Whatever that be which sends you to prayer, count it one of your choice blessings. It may be a heavy cross, a painful trial, a pressing want; it may be a broken cistern, a cold look, an unkind expression, yet, if it leads you to prayer, regard it as a mercy sent from God to your soul. Thank God for an errand to him. It may be, thou hast felt no heart to pray for thyself — thou hast been sensible of no peculiar drawings to the throne for thine own soul, but thou hast gone in behalf of another, — the burden, trial, the affliction, or the immediate want of some member of God’s family has pressed upon thee, and thou hast taken his case to the Lord; thou hast borne him in thine arms to the throne of grace, and, while interceding for thy brother, the Lord has met thee, and blessed thine own soul. Perhaps thou hast gone and prayed for the church, for the peace
THE SPIRIT
of Jerusalem, for the prosperity of Zion, that the Lord would build up her waste places, and make her a joy and a praise in the whole earth; — perhaps it has been to pray for thy minister, that the Lord would teach him more deeply and experimentally, and anoint him more plenteously with the rich anointing and unction of the Holy Ghost; perhaps it has been to pray for Christian missions, and for laborious and self-denying missionaries, that the Lord would make them eminently successful in diffusing the knowledge of the precious Saviour, and in calling in his people; and thus, while for others you have been besieging the throne of grace, and pouring out your heart before the Lord, the Lord himself has drawn near to your own soul, and you have been made to experience the blessing that is ever the attendant and the reward of intercessory prayer. Then let every event, every circumstance, every providence be a voice urging you to prayer. If you have no wants, others have; — take them to the Lord. If you are borne down by no cross, smitten by no affliction, nor suffering from any want, others are; — for them, go and plead with your heavenly Father, and the petitions you send up to the mercy-seat on their behalf, may return into your own bosom freighted with rich covenant blessings. Turn every thing into an occasion for prayer. Whether it is a dark providence or a bright one, let it take you to God. The falls, the weaknesses, the declensions of others, make them grounds for prayer. Thus, and thus only, can you expect to grow in grace, and grace to grow in you.
Above all, cultivate the habit of secret prayer. No other prayer can suffice instead of this. No other can supply its place. There are confessions that can be made, desires that can be expressed, sins that can be lamented, and wants that can be disclosed only in the closet, shut in with God. He that confines himself to the altar of the sanctuary, the family, or the social circle, will find leanness come into his soul. It must necessarily be, the very nature of the case proves it, that there are states of mind which the believer can unfold to none but God, sins that can only be acknowledged in his presence, and wants that can only be poured into his ear. What a loser, then, is that professor, who lives in the daily and habitual neglect of closet prayer! It is the close and secret walk with God, that marks the true and advancing believer. It is in that walk, and that only, that fresh grace, and strength, and love, are poured into the soul. It is in secret communion with God, that the believer becomes girded for the conflict, strengthened for the hour of trial, and meetened for the joys of heaven.
Let it be remembered that one essential and important part of the Spirit’s work as the Author of prayer, is to unfold Jesus .as the medium of prayer. There is no access to God but through Jesus. If there be not an honouring of Christ in his person, blood, righteousness, intercession, in prayer, we can expect no answer to prayer. The great encouragement to draw near to God, is Jesus at the right hand of God. Jesus is the door. Coming through him, the poorest, the vilest, the most abject, may approach the throne of grace, and ask what he will. The glorious Advocate is on the throne, to present the petition, and urge its acceptance, and plead for its answer on the basis of his own infinite and atoning merits. Come then, ye poor; come, ye disconsolate; come, ye tried and afflicted; come, ye wounded; come, ye needy; come and welcome to the mercy-seat; for 21 *
THE SPIRIT
Jesus waits to present your petition and press your suit. Ask nothing in your own name, but ask everything in the name of Jesus; “ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may he full. ,, The Father may reject you; but his Son y he cannot reject. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a High-priest over the house of God, let us draw near.” Heb. x. 19 — 22.
Draw near, then, seeking soul, with boldness; not the boldness of a presumptuous, self-righteous man, but that of one chosen, called, pardoned, and justified. Draw near with the lowly boldness of a child, with the humble confidence of a son. Dear art thou to thy Father. Sweet is thy voice to him. Precious is thy person, accepted in his Beloved. Thou canst not come too boldly — thou canst not come too frequently — thou canst not come with too large requests. Thou art coming to a King, that King thy Father, that Father viewing thee in his beloved Son. 0 hang not back. Stand not afar off. He now holdeth out the golden sceptre, and saith, “Come near, what is thy request? Come with thy temporal want. Come with thy spiritual need. Ask what thou wilt, it shall be granted thee. I have an open hand, and a large heart.” Is it thy desire — “Lord, I want more grace to glorify thee. I want more simplicity of mind, singleness of eye. I want a more holy, upright, honest walk. I want no more meekness, patience, lowliness, submission. I want to know more of Jesus, to see more of his glory, to feel more of his preciousness, and to live more simply upon his fulness. I want more of the sanctifying, sealing, witnessing, and anointing influences of the Spirit V 9 Blessed, holy desires! It is the Spirit making intercession in thee according to the will of God; and, entering into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, the Lord will fulfil the desires of thine heart, even to the half of his kingdom.
Watch diligently against the least declension in the spirit of prayer. If there be declension here, there will also be declension in every part and department of the work of the Spirit in your soul. It is prayer that keeps every grace of the Spirit in active, holy, and healthy exercise. It is the stream, so to speak, that supplies refreshing vigour and nourishment to all the plants of grace. It is true, that the fountain-head of all spiritual life, and “grace to help in time of need,” is Christ; “for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” And Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians was, “My God will supply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” But the channel through which all grace comes, is prayer — ardent, wrestling, importunate, believing prayer. Suffer this channel to be dry, — permit any object to narrow or close it up, and the effect will be, a withering and decay of the life of God in the soul. Every plant will droop, every flower will fade and lose its fragrance, and the state of the soul will no longer resemble that of the church thus so beautifully described: “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire with spikenard. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, 0 north wind, and come, thou south; blow upon the srntiT
my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.” Sol. Song iv. 12 — 16. This is the true and glowing picture of a believing soul, in which the spirit of prayer is flourishing and vigorous. Reverse this, and how melancholy would it appear! And yet, that would be .the exact state of every unpraying professor. Guard, then, against the slightest decline of prayer in the soul. If prayer — family prayer, social prayer, most of all, closet prayer, is declining with you, no further evidence is needed of your being in a backsliding state of mind. There may not yet have been the outward departure, but you are in the way to it, and nothing but a return to prayer will save you. Oh, what alarm, what fearfulness and trembling, should this thought occasion in a child of God, “I. am on my way to an awful departure from God! Such is the state of my soul at this moment, such my present frame of mind, such the loss of my spirituality, such the hold which the world has upon my affections, there is no length in sin to which I may not now go, there is no iniquity which I may not now commit. The breakers are full in view, and my poor weak vessel is heading to and rapidly nearing them!” What can shield thee from the commission of that sin, what can keep thee from wounding Jesus afresh, what can preserve thee from foundering and making shipwreck of thy faith, but an immediate and fervent return to prayer? Prayer is your only safety. Prayer, for grace to help in your time of need. Prayer, for reviving grace, for quickening, restraining, sanctifying grace. Prayer, to be kept from falling, to be held up in the slippery paths. Prayer, for the lowly mind, for the contrite spirit, for the broken heart, for the soft and clo.se and humble walk with God.
Will it be inquired, what are some of the symptoms of a decline of the spirit of prayer? We reply, that the decay of any one grace of the Spirit in the soul, — faith, love, zeal, patience, meekness, temperance, lowliness, &c., marks the low and feeble pulse of prayer in a believer. There may not be a decay of all the graces at once; and because this is so, the believer may be greatly deceived. Outward zeal may continue long after other and more hidden and spiritual graces have withered; and because this remains, the soul is deceived as to its real state before God. A secret and a fearful process of spiritual declension may be going forward in the soul, while for a time, there may be nothing outward to mark it. There are many evidences, known only to the individual himself, by which the declining spirit of prayer may be detected. A disrelish for the word of God, for a spiritual and searching ministry, for intercourse with spiritual minds, for holy thought and meditation; all, and many more which cannot be unknown to the backsliding soul, indicate a neglected throne of grace.
Does this page address itself to an unpraying professor? Oh, what is all thy profession worth, if thou art a prayerless soul? What are thy zeal, thy church membership, thy talking well and loudly, thy gifts, thy name to live, whilst thou art dead to the true spirit and life of prayer, living in awful neglect of family prayer, social prayer, secret prayer? All your profession of godliness,. your outward zeal, your splendid gifts, all are but a “fair show in the flesh,” an empty name, while you live in neglect of prayer. Prayer is the breathing of the life of God in the soul. It is the pulse of the renewed man.
It is the turning of the soul to God. Where this is want-THE SPIRIT
ing, the great evidence is wanting of the actual existence of life.
This may meet the glance of an individual who has never yet truly prayed; who all his life thus far, has neglected the throne’ of grace. 0 awful condition! 0 melancholy spectacle! Your life, reader, has been a prayerless life. It has been a life devoted to self, to sin, to rebellion against God, to impenitence and unbelief, to hardness of heart, and contempt of God’s word, to a neglect of the great salvation, to a despising of Christ, to a pursuit of happiness in a poor, dying, present evil world. Not a breath of prayer has ever risen from thy soul to God. Not one pulse of love has ever beaten in thy breast for Jesus. You have lived a lover of self, a lover of the world, a lover of sin, a lover of wealth, pleasure, and ambition, rather than a lover of God. And why are you at this moment out of hell? You have long been preparing for it. Your character for years has been moulding for the society and the sufferings of the lost. Why are you not now there, calling for a drop of water to cool that parched tongue, which never once called in earnest supplication upon God? It is of the Lord’s mercies that you are not consumed. And because his long-suffering patience has borne with you so long, it is that you are yet within the region of hope. “What meanest thou, 0 sleeper? Arise, and call upon God.” The wrath of God here, and its fearful outpouring hereafter, rest upon the soul that comes not to the throne of grace. The hell of an unpraying man is a fearful hell. To go from the means of grace, from the ordinances of religion, from a preached Gospel, from a praying family, to the judgment-seat, — an unpraying, unrepenting, unbelieving soul, — is to go to a special hell.
The untaught, unenlightened, and unwarned heathen, goes not to the hell of that soul that dies surrounded by the means of saving grace, rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, and a stranger to prayer. “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,” who has heard of the throne of grace but to slight it — of Jesus but to despise him — of the Gospel but to reject it — of God’s love, long-suffering and grace, but to trample it under his feet? “It shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment” than for that soul. “Those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me.” “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. xx. 11, &c. This will be the doom, and this the portion, of an unpraying soul! Remember, reader, that without prayer in your family, your family is cursed; that, without prayer in your business, your business is cursed; that, without prayer for your own soul, the curse of God rests upon you. If you have not time for prayer, then seek time, find time, make time. You must pray, or be lost! You must pray, or be eternally condemned!
THE SPIRIT
You must pray, or sink down overwhelmed with the wrath of God for ever and for ever! Seek time, find time, make time for prayer. Abstract it from business, take it from pleasure, yea, steal it from sleep. You must pray, or go to an awful, an especial hell. A sorer punishment than all others, will be yours, if you die a prayerless soul!
Are you sensible of the slightest motion of your heart towards God f Cherish it as your most costly mercy. It is the first gentle breathing of the blessed Spirit in your soul. It is the first pulse of spiritual life. It may be feeble, — it may be but a desire, a misgiving, a solemn thought, a feeling after God, a cry, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” — Oh, it is the life-giving Spirit overshadowing thee; let it lead thee to the mercy-seat. O precious longing after God! 0 blessed and gentle drawing of the Spirit! Let it lead you at once to the throne of grace. There go, and spread your case before the Lord. Confess your sins, acknowledge your iniquity, humble yourself at his feet, and God, for Jesus’ sake, will receive you graciously, pardon you freely, and seal you as his child.
One exhortation more, — Watch unto prayer, with all diligence and perseverance. Expect an answer to your prayer, a promise to your request, a compliance with your suit. Be as much assured that God will answer, as that you have asked, or that he has promised. Ask in faith; only believe; watch daily at the posts and at the gates for the return; look for it at any moment, and through any providence; expect it not in your own way, but in the Lord’s; be not astonished if he should answer your prayer in the very opposite way that you had anticipated, and it may be, dictated. With this view, watch every providence, even the smallest. You know not when the answer may come, — at what hour, or in what way. Therefore watch. The Lord may answer in a great and strong wind, in an earthquake, in a fire, or in a still small voice; therefore watch every providence, to know which will be the voice of God to you. Do not pray as if you asked for or expected a refusal. God delights in your holy fervency, your humble boldness, and your persevering importunity. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ,, Pray submissively, expect hopefully, watch vigilantly, and wait patiently.
Behold then the throne of grace! Was ever spot so verdant and so sunny? Was ever resting place so sacred and so sweet? Could God himself invest it with richer, with greater attraction? Behold it yet again. It is the throne of grace. There are dispensed all the blessings of sovereign grace — pardon, justification, adoption, sanctification, and all that connects the present state of the believer with eternal glory. There is dispensed grace itself — grace to guide, to support, to comfort, and to help in time of need. There sits the Grod of grace, proclaiming himself “the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.” There is extended the sceptre of grace, bidding welcome the sons and daughters of want, the weary and the heavy laden, the guilty, the broken in heart, the poor, the friendless, the bereaved. There stands Jesus the High-priest and Mediator, full of grace and truth, waving to and fro his golden censer, from which pours forth the fragrant incense of his atoning merits, wreathing in one offering as it ascends, the name, 22 the wants, and the prayer of the lowly worshipper. And there, too, is the Spirit of grace, breathing in the soul, discovering the want, inditing the petition, and making intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Behold, then, the throne of grace, and draw near! Thou art welcome. Come with thy cross, come with thy infirmity, come with thy guilt, come with thy want, come with thy wounded spirit, come with thy broken heart, come and welcome to the throne of grace! Come without price, come without worthiness, come without preparation, come without fitness, come with thy bad frame, come with thy hard heart, come and welcome to the throne of grace! God, thy Father, bids thee welcome. Jesus, thy Advocate, bids thee welcome. The Spirit, the Author of prayer, bids thee welcome. All the happy and the blessed who cluster around it, bid thee welcome. The spirits of just men made perfect in glory, bid thee welcome. The ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation, bid thee welcome. All the holy below, and all the holy above, all, all bid thee, poor trembling soul, welcome, thrice welcome, to the throne of grace!