The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 687

PRAYER FOR AND WITH EACH OTHER A man may

universal love of benevolence.

building to save another from perishing by

647

rush into a burning

while he is a perAnd, on the contrary, there are

fect stranger to prayer for others.

fire,

who constantly enown prayer of intercession, who ever say to others, " Pray for me," and who would yet, in the hour of danger, quietly allow us to drown or perish in the flames; who

who always

people

talk of praying for others,

large the phylacteries of their

carefully guard their pockets lest

mercy

call

upon them

to assist

us with their money.

From which between pray

loi'e

it is

joined

Love alone is

it

and

is

is

evident that there must be a connecting link

\.o

love,

as love begins to

Jaith ; and by this union prayer becomes active.

not yet prayer.

being joined to

And

mere prayer

the

Then alone

not the evidence of love.

when

As soon

the prayer born oj iove.

of intercession

there real intercession,

is

us to carry the object

faith, constrains

of love before the throne of grace.

Let

us, therefore,

when

be careful in our prayers of intercession

whom we

pray

;

es-

For then there is danger lest our prayer in his behalf have the tendency to show him how much we think of him and love him, rather than constrain us to ask something for him of God. Methodism * has often sinned in this respect, and many a prayer has been desecrated by this insincere intercession. This shows clearly what is the additional work of the Holy Spirit in this respect not merely that He quicken in us general faith, nor pecially

the person for

is

present.

:

that

He

fan in us the flames of brotherly love

faith to join love in

brother for

when he

;

but that

He also cause

holy wedlock, directing them thus united to the

whom we

This

are to pray.

is

the object of

St.

Paul,

desires that there shall be a fellowship of saints, not only

in the gift of God, but also in the

prayer of thanksgiving

;

not only

That the abounding grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of God" (i Cor. iv. 15). Just as in a drawing-room whose walls are lined with crystal for our sakes, but

"

mirrors the light of the chandelier

by every an endless with reference to the prayer of is

reflected not only

mirror, but also from mirror to mirror, so that there reflection of the light, so also is

it

intercession and thanksgiving in the

*See ism.

section

5

body

of Christ.

is

In this cham-

in the Preface for the author's explanation of

Method-

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