The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 660

PRAYER

620 regenerate or not,

whom

who

cry unto

God whom they do not know and

they oppose.

The question

whether the Holy Spirit is active, either in one Does He affect our prayers only when, in the rare moments of exalted spiritual life, we have intimate communion with God? Or does He affect only the prayers of the saint, or in

all

is

these prayers.

excluding those of the unconverted!

Or does He

affect all prayer

and supplication, whether from saint or sinner? Before

we answer

this question,

it is

necessary accurately to de-

For prayer may be taken in a limited sense, as a religious act requesting something of God, in which case it is merely the expression of a desire springing from a conscious want, void, or need which we ask God to supply, an application to the divine power and providence, in poverty to be enriched, in danger to be fine prayer.

protected, in temptation to be kept standing. in

a.

wider sense and include thanksgiving.

Or it may be taken Reformed Church

In the

the Service of Prayer always includes the Service of Thanksgiving. In this sense the Heidelberg Catechism treats it, calling prayer the chief part of thankfulness (q. ii6).

In fact,

we can

scarcely con-

ceive of prayer, in the higher sense, ascending to the

Throne

of

Grace without thanksgiving. Moreover, prayer also includes //-^wi? and every ouipouri?ig of the soul. Prayer without praise and thanksgiving is no prayer. In the supplication of ^Qxxi\.%, prayer and adoration go together. Oppressed with the multitude of thoughts, the soul may have no definite sup-

hymn of praise, yet frequently feels constrained to pour out those thoughts before the Lord. When, in

plication, or thanksgiving, or

Psalm xc, Moses pours out his prayer, there is: (i) a supplication; Lord, how long! and let it repent Thee concerning Thy servants";

"

Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from ever(2)

thanksgiving,

generations";

"

Lord,

(3) praise,

Thou art God." And besides these there is (4) an outpouring of the thoughts that fill his soul, " We are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled"; and stronger still, " The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away." lasting to everlasting

And

so

we

find in the high-priestly prayer of Christ:

(i)

a sup-

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