Prayer
Weight | 0.42 lbs |
---|---|
Dimensions | 7.13 × 4.75 × 0.5 in |
ISBN | 9781800402706 |
Binding | Paperback, eBook (ePub & Kindle), Paperback & eBook (ePub & Kindle) |
topic | Prayer, Spiritual Growth |
Original Pub Date | 1662, 1692 |
Banner Pub Date | Oct 4, 2022 |
page-count | 176 |
scripture | 1 Corinthians |
format | Book |
series | Puritan Paperbacks |
Endorsements
‘The nutriment of Bunyan’s writings has been a staple food of believers in each succeeding generation, while their sweetness has been an unfailing delight.’ — FRANK MOTT HARRISON
Book Description
Even in today’s secular world, scholars continue to be fascinated by the influences behind John Bunyan’s famous allegories, The Pilgrims Progress and The Holy War. In the pages of this book we discover part of the real secret of Bunyan’s greatness. He was a man whose life was profoundly God-centred, and consequently he was a man of prayer.
Praying in the Spirit, written in 1662 in Bedford gaol (where Bunyan was later to have his immortal dream) expounds what he calls ‘the very heart of prayer.’ In clear and simple terms he defines what it means to pray with the spirit and with the understanding, deals with difficulties in prayer, and shows how ‘the Christian can open his heart to God as a friend.’
In The Throne of Grace, Bunyan explains how to approach God’s throne in prayer, and gives a rich, practical exposition of the blessings God’s people receive from the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ.
Table of Contents Expand ↓
Publisher’s Foreword | ix | |
PART I: Praying in the Spirit | ||
1 | What True Prayer Is | 5 |
2 | What It Is to Pray with the Spirit | 19 |
3 | What It Is to Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding | 35 |
4 | Queries and Objections Answered | 43 |
5 | Use and Application | 49 |
6 | The Conclusion | 63 |
PART II: The Throne of Grace | ||
1 | God Has More Thrones than One | 71 |
2 | The Godly Can Distinguish One Throne from Another | 75 |
i. | There is a throne of grace | 75 |
- Import of the term ‘grace’ | 76 | |
- What is to be inferred from the term, ‘throne of grace’? | 79 | |
- What this throne of grace is | 81 | |
- Where the throne of grace is erected | 83 | |
- Why the law and the mercy-seat are so near together | 86 | |
ii. | How the godly distinguish the throne of grace from other thrones | 88 |
iii. | The Persons Intended by the Exhortation ‘Let Us Come’ | 115 |
- The orderly coming to the throne of grace | 117 | |
iv. | How We Are to Approach the Throne of Grace | 123 |
- What it is to come to the throne of grace without boldness | 128 | |
- None but the godly know the throne of grace | 131 | |
v. | Motives for Coming Boldly to the Throne of Grace | 139 |
- Because we have such an high priest there | 139 | |
- The legal qualifications of Jesus Christ for the office of high priest | 140 | |
- Christ the sacrifice as well as the high priest, and how he offered it | 151 | |
- Christ a willing and an effectual sacrifice | 153 | |
- Christ the altar | 154 | |
- How Christ executes the office of high priest | 157 | |
- How these mysteries are to be learned | 163 | |
- The natural qualifications of Jesus Christ to be our high priest | 167 | |
- Because we are sure to speed | 179 | |
- Saints are like to meet with needy times | 180 | |
- Continual supplies of grace are essential to our welfare | 186 | |
What this should teach us | 191 | |
vi. | Conclusion | 197 |
- Six lessons to be learned from this text | 197 |
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Robert Norman –
The treatise on prayer is excellent and worthy of five stars, however, this volume is dragged down by the included treatise on the throne of God in which Bunyan (unfortunately) makes many exegetical errors. His doctrine is still correct, despite this mishap, however I would only give the Throne of God two stars.
Linda Gabriel –
This one little volume actually contains two works by John Bunyan on prayer. The first exposition on the subject, originally entitled “A Discourse Touching Prayer,” looks at what true prayer is, who should pray, what kinds of prayers are acceptable to God, and what we should pray for. Bunyan begins with making this statement about prayer:
“Prayer is an ordinance of God to be used both in public and private; yea, such an ordinance as brings those that have the spirit of supplication into great familiarity with God.”
Followed by this definition of prayer:
“Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to his Word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God.”
He then proceeds to expound on the points mentioned in this definition, and explains what it means to pray with or in the Spirit. Following this, he addresses what may serve as obstructions to prayer. Bunyan writes,
“As prayer is the duty of every one of the children of God, and carried on by the spirit of Christ in the soul, so everyone that takes it upon him to pray to the Lord, had need to be very wary and go about that work especially with a dread of God, as well as with hopes of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ.”
Prayer is indeed serious business, and it is a hard business. We cannot do it in our own strength; it requires the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
Bunyan’s second discourse, originally published by the title “The Saints’ Privilege and Profit,” focuses on the idea of coming to the throne of grace – what does this mean and how are we to approach it? Bunyan demonstrates how it is that we are able to pray because Jesus Christ was himself the sacrifice, the altar, and the high priest who has provided the way for us to come. He also talks about the proper attitude and motives for prayer.
This book provides many blessed reminders of the wonderful privilege prayer is and how detrimental and sinful it is when we neglect it.