Thoughts on Public Prayer

Samuel Miller 
Presbyterian board of publication 

 
This document is overwritten when you make changes in Play Books. 
You should make a copy of this document before you edit it. 
 
 

6 notes/highlights
Created by LIndomar MOreira da Silva Moreira ​ ​ – Last synced September 17, 2019 
 
 

He has the spirit of prayer who engages in that duty 11

with serious, enlightened, cordial sincerity; with that
penitence, faith, love, and holy veneration which
become a renewed sinner, in drawing near to God to
ask for things agreeable to his will. Even if he have
weak intellects, but little knowledge of theo logical
truth, and a very imperfect command of appropriate
language, yet if he have a heart filled with love to
God, with confi dence in the Saviour, and with ardent
desires to be conformed to his image, a heart
September 17, 2019 

He has the spirit of prayer who engages in that duty 11

with serious, enlightened, cordial sincerity;

September 17, 2019 

broken and contrite for sin, breathing after holiness, 12

and earnestly desiring the enjoy ment of covenant
blessings—in a word, a heart in which the Holy Spirit
dwells and reigns, that man has the spirit of prayer,
the grace of prayer.

September 17, 2019 

These qualities are not always united in those who 13

lead in public prayer. On the one hand, there may be
much of the spirit of prayer, that is, much of a
spiritual and devout frame of mind; much sincerity
and even ardour of devotion, where the topics of
prayer are not happily selected or arranged; where
the language is not well chosen; where the utterance
is embarrassed; and where the voice is grating,
ill-managed, and unpleasant. So that, while we have
no doubt of the sincerity, and even ardent piety of
him who leads us to the throne of grace, our pleasure
in uniting with him is not a little diminished by the
infelicity of his dic tion and manner.

September 17, 2019 

On the other hand, there may be much of the gift of 14
prayer, where there is, so far as we can judge by
appearances, but little of the spirit. That is, there may
be much skill in the selection of topics, in offering up
the prayers of the public assembly; much happiness
of expression; much fluency of utterance; and much
sweetness and solem nity of voice, where we have
reason to believe, there is but little of the spirit of fer
vent and elevated devotion.

September 17, 2019 

The happy union of the spirit and the gift of prayer, is 15

the great object to be desired, and the attainment of
which is so truly important to the acceptance, and
espe cially to the usefulness of every minister of the
gospel.

September 17, 2019