I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also: A Discourse Touching Prayer

by John Bunyan, Jeff Voegtlin (Editor)

From the Introduction....

PRAYER is an ORDINANCE of God, and that 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; and is also so prevalent in action, that it gets of God, both for the person that prays, and for them that are prayed for, great things. It is the opener of the heart of God, and a means by which the soul, though empty, is filled. By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God, as to a friend, and obtain fresh testimony of God’s friendship to him. I might spend many words in distinguishing between public and private prayer; as also between that in the heart, and that with the vocal voice. Something also might be spoken to distinguish between the gifts and graces of prayer; but eschewing this method, my business shall be at this time only to show you the very heart of prayer, without which, all your lifting up, both of hands, and eyes, and voices, will be to no purpose at all. “I will pray with the Spirit.”
The method that I shall go on in at this time shall be, FIRST. To show you what true prayer is. SECOND. To show you what it is to pray with the Spirit. THIRD. What it is to pray with the Spirit and understanding also. And so, FOURTHLY. To make some short use and application of what shall be spoken.

From the This ebook edition has been carefully edited to allow the modern reader to easily read the text. Original word spellings have been brought up to date and chapter divisions have been added.

Genres: Prayer, Theology, Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Devotional

61 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1663

About the author

John Bunyan, a Christian writer and preacher, was born at Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory. In the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August.

Reviews

[David M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I hoped.

I hate to leave things at this, but it is where they are at. Perhaps it is my attitude..and in fairness I really only skimmed most of it rather than read proper.

Given my love for Bunyan and my lifelong pursuit on the topic of prayer, I expected a gem. I found a long and rambling case against the use of books of common prayer. Perhaps I'm being harsh.

It was not altogether bad. There were helpful bits. I found his definition of prayer up front to be the best I have ever heard consolidated. Also, the longer book (the second one which I didn't even know I was getting) had some helpful thinking points related to priesthood and priestliness.

Overall, I wish - I just wish I could give a higher rating...but cannot. He gets 3 solid stars because of some good pieces here and some still returning dividends from his allegories.

[Isaac Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compilation of 2 works on prayer. As it is Bunyan, these works are much more “symbolic”, which may cause some to stumble. I personally am pulled toward Bunyan’s style and therefore really enjoyed the symbolic nature of much of his exposition.

[Jack McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good. This book is two of Bunyan's works on prayer put together, "Praying in the Spirit" and "The Throne of Grace." The former is succinct, the latter less so. Feels weird giving Bunyan three stars, but "The Throne of Grace," a 100-page exposition of only Heb. 4:16, seemed repetitive and unnecessarily wordy at times. I think that made his flow of thought harder to follow than Thomas Goodwin's "The Heart of Christ" which is on the same subject and, in my opinion, easier to follow.

While I would recommend Goodwin instead, I am nonetheless thankful for Bunyan's 100-page exposition of one verse of Scripture and for how faithful he was to draw out all the riches that lie therein.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bunyan isn't the best of the Puritans and this book isn't a practical or theological work on prayer. It's a compilation of two works: one treatise against the Book of Common Prayer and another which exposits Hebrews 4:16. There are some gems sprinkled throughout, especially in his meditations on the symbolism of Christ in Hebrews, though even that is a bit of a stretch at times. In my opinion, Bunyan overreacts to the Book of Common Prayer, condemning written prayers in favor of spontaneity. The second half is overly verbose to the point of losing a clear, theological flow.

Read Thomas Brooks or John Owen or John Chrysostom or Athanasius instead if you want to be stirred to love Jesus more and regarding similar topics.

[Vincent Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it in John Bunyan’s Works by Banner of Truth, p.621-640.

This little book on prayer (one of the two books used by Banner of Truth to form the Puritan paperback simply entitled Prayer) is contextually peculiar, because it is a heat discourse against the use of the book of Common Prayer.

Bunyan argues for true praying (praying in the Spirit and with understanding) against false praying (using the imposed form of the Anglican or the Catholics of his days). He concluded by writing : « For he that advanceth the book of Common Prayer above the Spirit of prayer, he doth advance a form of men’s making above it. » I’M not sure if Bunyan would be against all form of prayer, but he’s surely against the imposition of and limitation to it.

While reading this, one have to remember that early in his Christian life, Bunyan had been most cruelly imprisoned, with threats of transportation, and even an ignominious death, for refusing conformity to the Book of Common Prayer. He wrote this treatise while yet a prisoner in Bedford fail.

I really liked the book, and Bunyan wrote as a man who experienced the blessing of prayer. But if you’re looking to revitalize your prayer life, maybe this isn’t the best pick for you, and you should pick instead The Saint’s privilege and profit, the second book in Banner’s Prayer, by Bunyan.

[Daniel Parkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simply this is a classic; absolutely loved the simplicity of it and the encouragement I found in my soul. I love books, but generally stay away from ones on prayer because they seem to try and say more than what it really is; placing too much "power" in the hands of those who pray. However, Bunyan runs a wonderful race in this book, believes in the sovereignty and Almighty power of God through Christ acted out by the Holy Spirit, and really encourages the reader. The simplicity hits it's climax when Bunyan articulates the difference between praying in the Spirit and praying in the flesh; the Spirit filled prayer is the faith filled prayer; it isn't something more, something grander. You either pray in the Spirit or you pray in the Flesh. The Lord only hears those offered by faith in the Spirit. Amen!

[Blue Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book although the title could be slightly misleading as Bunyan is focused less on the act of prayer itself and more on illuminating the Holy Spirit's role in prayer during the first half of the book (1 Cor 14:15 "I will pray with the spirit...") and during the second half of the book describing Christ's High Priestly role as described in the Hebrews 4:16 invitation to "come boldly to the throne of grace."

Below are some of the highlights from these 2x sections:

SECTION 1 "Praying in the Spirit" (1 Cor 14:15)

- Bunyan's definition and description of prayer:
Definition: "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."
Descriptions:
-"The opener of the heart of God, and a means by which the soul, though empty, is filled."
-"A pouring out of the heart or soul ... an unbosoming of a man's self."
-"An expression that in prayer that there goes the very life and whole strength to God."
-"Sees an emptiness in all things under heaven; that in God alone there is rest and satisfaction for the soul."

- The Holy Spirit's Role in Prayer:
-"Without the Spirit man cannot... think one right saving thought of God, of Christ, or of His blessed things ... right prayer must come from what the soul apprehends in the light of the Spirit; otherwise it is condemned as vain and an abomination."
-"The prayer that goes to heaven is the one that is sent thither in the strength of the Spirit."
-"The one word spoken in faith is better than a thousand prayers."
-"O the starting-holes that the heart has in the time of prayer! None knows how many by-ways the heart has, and back-lanes, to slip away from the presence of God."
-"For mark, I beseech you, there are two things that provoke to prayer ... one is a detestation of sin ... the other is a longing desire after communion with God ... Compare but this one thing with most of the prayers that are made by men, and you shall find them but mock prayers."
-"Let now your mouth go any further than you strive to draw your heart along with it."
-"The best prayers have often more groans than words."

SECTION 2: "The Throne of Grace" (Heb 4:16)

-"For a seat is a place of rest, yea is prepared for that end, and mercy is here called that seat, to show that whatever work is on the wheel in the world, let it be never so dreadful and amazing, yet to God's church it shall end in mercy, for that is God's resting place."

-"Sin seeks for the dominion, and grace seeks for the dominion, but sin shall not rule, because it has no throne in the church among the godly. Grace is king."

-"This throne of grace is the humanity, or heart and soul of Jesus Christ, in which God sits and rests for ever in love toward them that believe in Him."

-"Every day has a sufficiency of evil in it to destroy the best saint that breathes, were it not for the grace of God."

-"There is not sight more takes the heart of God, than to see of the travail of the soul, and the bruisings of the body of His Son for our transgressions."

-"Faith is sometimes in a calm, sometimes up, and sometimes down, and sometimes at it with sin, death, and the devil; as we say, in blood up to the ears. Faith now has but little time to speak peace to the conscience; it is now struggling for life, it is now fighting with angels, with infernals; all it can do now, is to cry, groan, sweat, fear, fight, and gasp for life."

-"A prudent man will make it one of the great concerns of his whole life, to get and lay up a stock of grace for this day [day of death]."

-"Study the priesthood, the high priesthood of Jesus Christ, both the first and second prat thereof. The first part was that when he offered up Himself without the gate, when He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The second part is that which He executes there whither He is now gone, even in heaven itself, where the throne of grace is. I say, study what Christ has done, and is a-doing. O! what is he a-doing now? With His priestly robes on, He is sprinkling His blood before the throne of grace; that is too little thought on by the saints of God (Heb 8:1-2)."

[Clay Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

#9 of 60+ in the Puritan Paperbacks series by Banner of Truth.

We all know Bunyan from The Pilgrim’s Progress. In this volume, two of his other writings are combined into one collection on prayer. The first (Praying in the Spirit) is most beneficial. The second (The Throne of Grace) is verbose and could be synopsized as follows: Christians will meet with needy times on earth, we need grace and mercy to get through, and prayer is how we attain grace and mercy. As eager as I was to finish the second part of this book, I felt the desire to linger in the first. Bunyan truly helps the Christian’s perspective on prayer. He reminds us that “Christ is the way through whom the soul has admittance to God, and without whom it is impossible that so much as one desire should come into the ears of the Lord.” (11) Think then about how we end our prayers. Most Christians close with a nonchalant “in Jesus’ name” but how does that reconcile with what Bunyan is saying here? Christ is the only way we have admittance and can pray at all. We shouldn’t skip over the significance of this statement that ends most prayers. He also ties our prayers to God’s Word. He says “Prayer is only true when it is within the compass of God’s word; it is blasphemy, or at best vain babbling, when the petition is unrelated to the Book.” (13) This add much more significance to knowing God’s Word when it is the guide by which we should pray. He also shows how important it is to submit ourselves and our requests to the will of God: “the people of the Lord in all humility are to lay themselves and their prayers, and all that they have, at the foot of their God to be disposed of by him as he in his heavenly wisdom sees best.” (16) Even Christ submitted himself. He made known His request (to be delivered from the cup) but then said “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt 26:39) I’m left with the thought that this example from our Savior should accompany nearly every prayer we utter. Finally, Bunyan offers a rebuke that is suspiciously absent in American evangelicalism. I’ve heard often believers ask each other how their “prayer life” is going. It is common to hear that a person doesn’t pray much at all or needs to work on their prayer life. Contrast this with Bunyan’s rebuke: “You then are not a Christian if you are not a praying person.” (59) Have you ever heard a believer tell a person they are not a believer when they admit they don’t pray? I haven’t. Prayer isn’t an option for the believer. We should stop acting like it is and stop affirming those that assume it is.

If you are a believer, do yourself a favor and read the first 70 pages of this book. After that, put it back on the shelf and really ponder your perspective regarding prayer. My guess is that it will be refreshed and possibly even corrected.

[Matthew Gasperoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Bunyan’s Prayer, which consists of two works—Praying in the Spirit and The Throne of Grace—was the first of his theological writings I’ve read outside of The Pilgrim’s Progress and The Holy War.

I found it both helpful and timely, as many aspects of my journey have pointed toward a year of increased devotion to the Lord in time and prayer.

The first book is concise and practical, while the second is much deeper theologically. Yet, by carefully raking through its pages, I uncovered beautiful gems that I plan to keep gazing at.

Overall, Prayer is well worth the time and effort.

[Harper Roderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate this volume because it is two books in one. Praying in the Spirit (the first book) was excellent and helpful to my understanding of prayer.

Throne of Grace was good, but a loooot of dense allegory (I mean, this is the dude who wrote the (and I mean “the”) great Christian allegory).

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started as a book study with a friend last year… finished this past week. Fruitful concepts of sincerity in prayer that have definitely impacted my approach to communing with the Lord!

Bunyan rips into the common book of prayer like a PREDATOR of weak christian traditions

[Kyle Grindberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful.

[Péricles Bessoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Útil, porém discordei das posições contrárias ao uso de orações escritas (Livro de Oração) como suporte à vida pessoal de oração.

[Conor Culverhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.“
‭‭
A great exposition

[Xenophon · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were two extremely well-selected works by the Banner of Truth publishers. If I didn't know better, I would swear these two works on prayer were purposefully written to complement each other. Turns out they were not. Hats off to Banner of Truth for this brilliant bit of editing.

As for Bunyan, I can't write highly enough for these texts. He nails the nature of prayer, the propriety of prayer before God, where exactly our prayers go, and Christ's station as priest before the Throne of Grace willingly urging those petitions. His literary genius also comes to bear in certain turns of phrase and analogies. These are not nearly as important as the substance of the text, but make the book that much more worth reading.

I closed the back cover a better Christian than I was when I opened the front. I'll never think of prayer the same way again. The last time I said that was after reading Calvin's Institutes years ago. High praise indeed.

Buy and read this book. It will always have a cherished place on my shelf.

[Noah York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. A fair amount of the middle portion is dedicated to Christology, which Bunyan then uses as a foundation for our confidence in prayer. He delves deeply in the book of Hebrews and especially into the reality of the throne of Grace, and how Christians should approach it often and boldly. As Spurgeon said, I you were to cut Bunyan, he'd bleed Scripture.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BoT edition of "Prayer" is actually two tracts in one. Some have suggested this makes the title misleading as the former, "Praying in the Spirit", is much more in line with the theme of prayer than the latter, "The Throne of Grace." However, prayer is so essential to "Throne of Grace"--what else is meant by "approaching boldly"?--that the two are important contributions to the theme and Bunyan's theology of prayer. I think they work together swimmingly. Of greater interest to me is how Bunyan's theology changes over time (1662 for the former, posthumously in 1692 for the latter). But of greatest interest is the question of if what he says is true of God. I don't read Puritan Paperbacks for historical curiosities. I read them for the truth.

"Praying in the Spirit" is much more occasional. Bunyan here uses his opposition to the Act of Uniformity and its requirement to use the Book of Common Prayer to argue that the BCP violates the nature of prayer. All recited and proscribed prayers, he argues, are compulsory and conjured by men. Therefore, they are not honoring to God at best and blasphemous at worst. "[T]o say God is your Father, in a way of prayer or conference, without any experiment [experience] of grace on your souls, it is to say you are Jews and are not, and so do lie" (26). He helpfully defines prayer as "the 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" (5). From there, Bunyan builds upon each clause in his definition. It is the only by the Spirit's prompting that anyone may pray, and from there the Christian must grow in understanding. This growth in understanding is growing in the Spirit. Ultimately, prayer becomes communion with God. As the soul groans in need or affliction, the Spirit directs it to God. Only the Christian may pray in the Spirit (for only he is indwelt by the Spirit), and carried along he enters into communion with God by pouring out his need, learning of his own sin and God's righteousness and provision, and there coming to know God instead of merely knowing about God.

I'm torn on Bunyan's first essay. For years, I have eschewed saccharine and squishy prayers common in my low-church circles. I really like the BCP, at least the Episcopal 1929 version and the ACNA 2019, and its liturgy is often pulled straight from Biblical psalms. The Psalter itself is often touted and treated as a means of teaching one how to pray, even in low church circles. Yet the point Bunyan makes is a mighty one. The un-redeemed have no place calling God Father. The ritualized prayers in a liturgy may give me a structure to use when I am unmotivated or uninspired. But it isn't authentic; it becomes trying to will myself into a mindset or heart posture I want rather than the one I have in that moment. This point has challenged me to return to something a little more honest. It's not that I don't pray when I'm not in the mood; now I have begun to plunge into *why* I'm not in the mood, or even admitting right up front that I'm not in the worshipful posture in which I ought to be. The shift is subtle but profound. And if Bunyan is right and prayer is bringing my affections to God through Christ, then proscribed liturgy won't help because my affections are clouded beneath ritual. Put plainly: I cannot will myself into the heart posture I ought to have. Only the Holy Spirit can bring me there.

"The Throne of Grace" is based on Hebrews 6:14, arguing that God is seated upon a Throne of Grace (among several other thrones), that Christians can distinguish between these thrones, and that the Christian may approach boldly the Throne of Grace to surely find mercy and grace from God. God reigns over heaven, earth, and judgment (each discrete thrones) but only on the Throne of Grace may the Christian approach boldly because there he is cleansed by the High Priest Jesus Christ. There Jesus performs multiple roles: he is the high priest who cleanses us from sin and covers us with this blood; he is the sacrifice whose blood is shed for our sin and whose blood is applied to us each time we approach; he is the altar upon which the sacrifice is offered (for as the Temple altar was considered greater than any sacrifice upon it, yet nothing can be holier than Christ himself). Thus, each time we approach God in prayer as prompted by the Holy Spirit, Jesus performs a complex intercessory role beyond human comprehension to render our prayers acceptable to God. Nonetheless, in line with "Praying in the Spirit", no unbelieving person may draw near to the Throne of Grace without cleansing, and no one ought to approach God brazenly on any of his other seats (earth, heaven, judgment) without imperiling his life and soul.

"The Throne of Grace" is a much more sophisticated essay than "Praying in the Spirit", doubtless a reflection of thirty more years of preaching, counseling, and even imprisonment for nonconformist preaching. Bunyan notes toward the end the ten seasons of life in which one must draw near to the Throne of Grace, all toward the end of sanctification. It turns out that we find ourselves in one of these ten seasons at any given point in our lives! Moreover, Bunyan's definition of mercy and grace stirred me. "Mercy is that by which we are pardoned, even all the falls, faults, failings, and weaknesses that attend us" (187), but grace is that "which God has appointed for us, to dwell in us; and that by and through the continual supply of which we are to be enabled to do and suffer, and to manage ourselves in doing and suffering according to the will of God" (190). As opposed to high-church definitions of grace as an external force or substance that may be applied to physical objects through blessing or ritual by clerics, Bunyan sees grace as an internal emotional or psychological state that "by the increase and continual supply of which we are inwardly strengthened to abound in every good work" (190-191).

I have often heard charismatic definitions of being "filled with the Spirit" that sound like a heightened emotional or even supernatural state that enable one to perform supernatural acts or healings. I have heard high-church definitions of grace that treat it as an ethereal substance that increases holiness, cleanses us from sin in a sacramental or purgatorial economy, or elevates natural things to holy realities. I don't mean to disparage these definitions, but I must be frank: I am most encouraged by a spiritual view that sees being filled with grace as being enabled to persist against my wicked and/or dejected desires and encourages me to continue living virtuously. Grace raises my head, grace dries my tears, grace washes my face. It is a heightened knowledge of who I am in Christ, who Christ is, and what I am to do in joyful obedience to him. It drives me to Christ in my grief. It draws me running like a heartbroken child when my sin hurts me again. It brings me the living water that will never run dry when all my earthly efforts have run dry in my sinful blindness or in just plain failure. And whence come grace and mercy? The Throne of Grace.

Theological, pastoral, comforting; Bunyan is first-rate. One of the finest Baptist theologians to ever live, this kind man helped me from beyond the grave in a season where I desperately needed it.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunyan uses as his key verse for this discussion Heb. 4:16: "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
He first looks at what true prayer is, who should pray, what kinds of prayers are acceptable to God, and what we should pray for.

He then 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 talks about the proper attitude and motives for prayer, and overcoming obstacles to prayer.

Blessed reminders of the wonderful privilege prayer is and how detrimental and sinful it is when we neglect it.

"We have boldness, brethren, to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. What can be more plain, more encouraging, more comfortable to them that would obtain mercy, 'and find grace to help in time of need'! It is a dishonor to God, a disadvantage to you, and an encouragement to Satan, when you hang back and seem afraid to 'come boldly to the throne of grace.'"

[Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bold discourse touches on aspects of “praying in the Spirit” with encouragements to the weak for prayer. Written in the context people being thrown in prison for rejecting the Book of Common Prayer, Bunyan shares his strong conviction against it. Good and edifying read.



“I shall conclude this discourse with this word
of advice to all God's people.
1. Believe that as
sure as you are in the way of God you must meet
with temptations. 2. The first day therefore that
thou dost enter into Christ's congregation, look for
them.
3. When they do come, beg of God to
carry thee through them.
4. Be jealous of thine
own heart, that it deceive thee not in thy evi-
dences for heaven, nor in thy walking with God
in this world.
5. Take heed of the flatteries of
false brethren.
6. Keep in the life and power of
truth.
7. Look most at the things which are not
seen.
8. Take heed of little sins.
9. Keep the
promise warm upon thy heart. 10. Renew thy
acts of faith in the blood of Christ. 1l. Consider
the work of thy generation.
12. Count to run
with the foremost therein.
Grace be with thee.”

[Nicholas Maulucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book. a little deep. I did not know of Bunyan's other writings. I enjoyed his writing style in this one, and his logical writing form. he numbers everything. the book is sort of like an extremely fleshed out outline. good truths. good read. recommended.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book on prayer by John Bunyan sounded like it would be wonderful, but I found it largely disappointing. This book is actually two books in one. The first part is a book on praying in the Spirit which he wrote in jail and is partly against the idea of using set forms of prayer, part of the reason he had been imprisoned. The second part is based on Hebrews 4:16 about coming to the throne of grace boldly.

In the end, I didn't find that it helped me understand prayer better or motivate me to pray more. There were a few helpful things in it, he has a way of saying things in a striking way as anyone who has read Pilgrim's Progress will know, but it wasn't as full of rich material as I had hoped.

I also suppose it won't surprise anyone that he loves allegory. The problem is that he uses this approach to Scripture as well, especially when it comes to the throne of grace. For instance, he explains why the rainbow is around the throne, he says it is because it is an emblem of Christ's righteousness and gives 7 ways it is a fit emblem. Number 4 is "The bow is seen but now and then in the cloud; Christ's righteousness is but here and there revealed in the word." [Page 82]. I found the large sections given over to such allegorizations contrived and tedious.

One of the passages I found helpful says in part "This also shows the reason why some that, to one's thinking, would fall every day- for that their want of parts, their small experience, their little knowledge of God's matters, do seem to bespeak it- yet stand, walk better, and keep their garments more white than those that have, when compared with them, twice as much as they. They are praying saints..." [Page 164]

[Vincent Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it John Bunyan’s Works by Banner of Truth, p.641-684. It is also the second book used by Banner in their book Prayer, by Bunyan.

I give it a 4.5 ⭐️ and there’s why : I kind of divided the book in two. The first part was on defining the throne of grace as Christ, the sacrifice as Christ, and the High Priest as Christ. Bunyan’s analysis is full of glorious truths and it lays a fondation for the second section of his book. I give to this section a 4 ⭐️ because tough Bunyan is right on the doctrines, the way he get there is sometimes somewhat a bit bizarre (the way he explain the meaning of the rainbow around the Throne, etc.).

Then, the second part of the book is sublime and heart lifting. It felt like reading Goodwin’s The heart of Christ. It is a great encouragement not to neglect the Throne of Grace where the mercy and Grace of Christ is so freely given. This part of the book worth a 5 ⭐️. (So overall it is a 4.5)

He himself concluded with these words :« It is a dishonor to God, disadvantage to thee, and an encouragement to Satan, when thou hangest back, and seemest afraid to ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace.’ » (1.684)

I recommend.

[Shane Goodyear · Rating 3 out of 5]

* Book about prayer by John Bunyan
* Dense, hard to read but good
* True prayer is praying in the spirit and knowing God as your father and Jesus as your saviour
* Must prayer with understanding
* Advice for struggling to pray with faith
* Big conversations on the throne of grace. What it is where is it. Look in revaluation, hebrews and Ezekiel
* Delves into grace and the rainbow around the throne. God hangs up his bow and mercy seat in the tabernacle and temple
* Law and mercy seat together. Sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat and human priests wearing their robes and taking off the robes. Jesus does not do this
* Discussion on thrones of grace and judgment
* Discussion on boldness coming to the throne of grace and what that looks like by faith in Christ
* Legal qualifications for Jesus being high priest Melchizedek
* Christ as the alter not the as well as the gift Christ has to be altar
* What to do in needy times good discussion on our dying day and the temp stations that come with that

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY thorough study on prayer. Written by the author of "Pilgrim's Progress," it is actually the combination of two of his expositions: "Praying in the Spirit" (1662) and "Throne of Grace" (1692). The first (pp. 9-61) is an exposition of I Corinthians 14:15, "I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also." Hebrews 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in to help in time of need," is the focus of pages 63-172.
I initially thought this would be a quick read, but it is one that takes some time and effort. I found it worth the commitment and recommend it for those who desire to go deeper in their prayer life.
I found the second book on approaching the throne of grace especially helpful. The first got a bit polemical at times on his disdain for prayer forms, i.e. the Book of Common Prayer, but I still found it worthwhile.

[Gabe Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘We have boldness, brethren, to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus’ (Hebrews 10:19, 20). What can be more plain, more, encouraging, more comfortable to them that would obtain mercy, ‘and find grace to help in time of need’! It is a dishonor to God, disadvantage to you, and an encouragement, to Satan, when you hang back, and seem afraid to come boldly unto the throne of grace.’

‘Let us’, therefore, ‘draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water; Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds’ (Hebrews 10:22-24).

This was a wonderful, devotional read, and was very convicting when meditating on the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ and His office, our sin, and the privilege it is to pray in the Spirit, and approach the throne of grace.

[logankstewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is two different books in one volume. The first, Praying in the Spirit, is about 60 pages in length. This section of the book offers insight into Bunyan’s thoughts on prayer. I found it fairly easy to read and practical in how it deals with prayer.

The second book, The Throne of Grace, is twice as long and the first part, twice as dense, and half as practical. The whole section is exegesis on Hebrews 4:16 and coming boldly to the throne of grace. There are a few gems buried in the text, but it is long worded. As it were, Bunyan was in prison while writing this, so he had plenty of time to put words down.

I recommend this to Puritan readers and people interested in improving their prayer-life. I also recommend to anyone doing a serious study on Hebrews.

The conclusion of both books are very good succinct summaries and worth reading if nothing else.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and deeply instructive in the gospel. The shorter first part discussing the act of prayer (which has a bit of a rant against the Book of Common Prayer) is sort of like the (good) crust before you get to the *really* good stuff in the longer second part on The Throne of Grace. I felt I had never had the gospel so heartily preached to me as in this work, and would put the book down even after just one paragraph, with my faith and love toward Christ strengthened. This man knew and loved the Word of God like few others.

"O! They that are partakers of redeeming grace, and that have a throne of grace, a covenant of grace, and a Christ, that is the Son of God's love, to come to, and to live by, should be a thankful people!"

[Luke Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was two books in one, and the first is so much richer, well-presented & written than the second. While some wisdom is in the second one on the throne of grace, it was haphazard and confusing in its many, many points & sub points.

The first part is a true gem & I will return to that in the future I’m certain for an excellent theology of prayer, though his outright dismissal of the Book of Common Prayer is a little too reactionary to his specific time & context. History has probably shown a different perspective on the BCP to Bunyan’s negative approach, though I do understand what context he was writing it in.

[Wilfor Galindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que habla del tópico de «La oración» desde la perspectiva biblica de dos reconocidos puritanos del siglo XVII, que son John Bunyan y Thomas Goodwin. El primera aborda la oración desde una definición particular que nos da, explicando punto por punto la misma, con gran sustento bíblico y profundidad; el segundo nos habla de la oración desde un punto de vista más general, y varias implicaciones que derivan de ella.

Es un recurso que recomiendo para conocer principios bíblicos desde la óptica puritana de estos dos hombres, y también como ellos veían este tema en el contexto del puritanismo inglés de dicho siglo.

[Cole Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book, Praying In The Spirit, was good. Bunyan has the best definition of prayer I have come across, and his perspective on prayer as a reaction to law for the sake of grace is helpful. The second book, The Throne Of Grace, felt like a disorganized ramble, as if Bunyan read Hebrews and jotted down his musings in no particular order as he went. If he had organized it into a brief commentary on Hebrews it would have been much easier to follow. I don’t think I’ll reference it again though because Banner of Truth does not include a Scripture index, a real shame.