PRAYER

To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to His command and in confidence of His promises, to ask mercy for His sake; not by bare mentioning of His name, but by drawing our encouragement to pray, and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in prayer, from Christ and His intercession.

The sinfulness of man and his distance from God, be reason thereof, being so great as that we can have no access into His presence without a mediator; and there being none in Heaven or earth appointed to or fit for that glorious work but Christ alone, we are to pray in no other name but His only.

We do not know what we should pray and so the Spirit helps our weakness by

enabling us to understand both for whom and what and how prayer is to be made; and by working and quickening in our hearts (although not in all persons nor at all times in the same measure) those apprehensions, affections and graces which are needed for the proper performance of that duty.

We are to pray for all things tending to the glory of God, the welfare of the church, our own or other good; but not for anything that is unlawful.

We are to pray with an awe of the majesty of God and deep sense of our own unworthiness, necessities and sins; with penitent, thankful, and enlarged hearts; with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love and perseverance, waiting upon Him with humble submission to His will.