The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 659

THE ESSENCE OF PRAYER

619

Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication" (Zach.

And

promise was

this

cerning Christ

" :

fulfilled

when

Him we

For through

Spirit unto the Father" (Ephes.

ii.

are the children of

God (Rom.

10).

both have access by one In the

18).

"Abba, Father" of

our prayers the Holy Spirit beareth witness with our

we

xii.

the apostle could testify con-

viii.

And

15).

spirits that

in her longing

for the coming of the Bridegroom, not only the Bride, but the Spirit and the Bride pray: "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." Upon

closer examination,

from the

it

appears that prayer can not be separated

spiritual rule that

we must pray

" :

Not as tho we had

re-

ceived the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us of God"; a prayer which

we then

offer, "

Not with the words which man's wisdom teacheth, teacheth, comparing spiritual things with

but which the Holy Ghost spiritual"

(i

Cor.

ii.

12,

13).

Hence there can be no doubt that even in our prayers we must acknowledge and honor a work of the Holy Spirit and the special ;

treatment of this tender subject our own prayers.

may

bear fruit in the exercise of

We

do not propose, however, to treat here the which belongs to the explanation of the Heidelberg Catechism on this point; but we wish simply to em-

entire subject of prayer,

phasize the significance of the Holy Spirit's work for the prayers of the saint. In the first place, we must discover the silver thread that, in the nature of the case, connects the essence of our prayer with the work

Holy Spirit. For all prayer is not equal.

of the

There

is

a great difference between

the high-priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus and the prayer of the

Holy

Spirit with groans that

can not be uttered.

The

supplications

of the saints on earth differ from those of the saints in heaven, those

who rejoice before Even

the throne and those

who cry from under the altar.

the prayers of the saints of earth are not the

same

in the vari-

ous spiritual conditions from which they pray.

There are prayers of the Bride, that is, from all the saints on earth as a whole; and prayers of the local assemblies of believers, supplications from the circles of brethren when two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus; and supplications of individual beliroers poured out in the solitude of

the closet.

And

distinguished in the root from these

prayers of the saints are the prayers of the

still

unconverted,

whether

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