John Newton's Letters
Thoughts on the exercise of social prayer
Sir,
I account it a great mercy, that at this time, when iniquity so generally
abounds, there is a number, I hope a growing number, whose eyes affect their
hearts, and who are stirred up to unite in prayer for the spread of Gospel
knowledge, and a blessing upon our sinful land. Meetings for social prayer
are frequent in different parts of the kingdom, and among various
denominations of Christians. As the Lord has promised, that, when he
prepares the heart to pray, he will graciously incline his ear to hear, who
can tell but he may yet be entreated for us, and avert the heavy and
justly-deserved judgments which seem to hang over us?
It is much to be desired, that our hearts might be so
affected with a sense of Divine things, and so closely engaged when we are
worshiping God, that it might not be in the power of little circumstances to
interrupt and perplex us, and to make us think the service wearisome, and
the time which we employ in it tedious. But as our infirmities are many and
great, and the enemy of our souls is watchful to discompose us, if care is
not taken by those who lead in social prayer, the exercise which is approved
by the judgment may become a burden, and an occasion of sin. Complaints of
this kind are frequent, and might, perhaps, be easily rectified, if the
people chiefly concerned were spoken to in love. But as they are usually the
last who hear of it, it may perhaps be of service to communicate a few
remarks on a subject of such general concern.
The chief fault of some good prayers is, that they are
too long. Not that I think we should pray by the clock, and limit
ourselves precisely to a certain number of minutes; but it is better of the
two, that the hearers should wish the prayer had been longer, than spend
half or a considerable part of the time in wishing it was over. This is
frequently owing to an unnecessary enlargement upon every circumstance which
comes to mind, as well as to the repetition of the same things. If we have
been copious in pleading for spiritual blessings, it may be best to be brief
and summary in the article of intercession for others; or if the frame of
our spirits, or the circumstances of affairs, lead us to be more large and
particular in laying the cases of others before the Lord, respect should be
had to this intention in the former part of the prayer.
There are, doubtless, seasons when the Lord is pleased to
favor those who pray with a peculiar liberty; they speak because they feel;
they have a wrestling spirit, and hardly know how to leave off. When this is
the case, those who join with them are seldom wearied, though the prayer
should be protracted something beyond the usual limits. But I believe it
sometimes happens, both in praying and in preaching, that we are apt to spin
out our time to the greatest length, when we have in reality the least to
say. Long prayers should in general be avoided, especially where several
people are to pray successively; or else even spiritual hearers will be
unable to keep up their attention. And here I would just notice an
impropriety we sometimes meet with, that, when a person gives expectation
that he is just going to conclude his prayer, something not thought of in
its proper place occurring that instant to his mind, leads him as it were to
begin again. But, unless it is a matter of singular importance, it would be
better omitted for that time.
The prayers of some men are more like preaching than
praying. They rather express the Lord's mind to the people, than the
desires of the people to the Lord. Indeed this can hardly be called prayer.
It might in another place stand for part of a good sermon; but will afford
little help to those who desire to pray with their hearts. Prayer should be
sententious, and made up of breathings to the Lord, either of confession,
petition, or praise. It should be, not only scriptural and evangelical, but
experimental—a simple and unstudied expression of the needs and feelings of
the soul. It will be so if the heart is lively and affected in the duty; it
must be so if the edification of others is the point in view.
Several books have been written to assist in the gift and
exercise of prayer, as by Dr. Watts and others; and many useful hints may be
borrowed from them; but a too close attention to the method and transitions
therein recommended, gives an air of study and formality, and offends
against that simplicity which is so essentially necessary to a good prayer,
that no degree of acquired abilities can compensate for the lack of it. It
is possible to learn to pray mechanically, and by rule; but it is hardly
possible to do so with acceptance, and benefit to others. When the several
parts of invocation, adoration, confession, petition, etc. follow each other
in a stated order, the hearer's mind generally goes before the speaker's
voice, and we can form a tolerable conjecture what is to come next. On this
account we often find, that unlettered people, who have had little or no
help from books, or rather have not been fettered by them, can pray with an
unction and savor in an unpremeditated way; while the prayers of people of
much superior abilities, perhaps even of ministers themselves, are, though
accurate and regular, so dry and starched, that they afford little either of
pleasure or profit to a spiritual mind.
The spirit of prayer is the fruit and token of the Spirit
of adoption. The studied addresses with which some approach the Throne of
Grace, remind us of a stranger's coming to a great man's door; he knocks and
waits, sends in his name, and goes through a course of ceremony, before he
gains admittance; while a child of the family uses no ceremony at all, but
enters freely when he pleases, because he knows he is at home. It is true,
we ought always to draw near the Lord with great humiliation of spirit, and
a sense of our unworthiness. But this spirit is not always best expressed or
promoted by a pompous enumeration of the names and titles of the God with
whom we have to do, or by fixing in our minds beforehand the exact order in
which we propose to arrange the several parts of our prayer. Some attention
to method may be proper, for the prevention of repetitions; and plain people
may be a little defective in it sometimes; but this defect will not be half
so tiresome and disagreeable as a studied and artificial exactness.
Many, perhaps most people who pray in public, have some
favorite word or expression, which recurs too often in their prayers, and is
frequently used as a mere expletive, having no necessary connection with the
sense of what they are speaking. The most disagreeable of these is, when the
name of the blessed God, with the addition of perhaps one or more epithets,
as, Great, Glorious, Holy, Almighty, etc. is introduced so often, and
without necessity, as seems neither to indicate a due reverence in the
person who uses it, nor suited to excite reverence in those who hear. I will
not say, that this is taking the name of God in vain, in the usual sense of
the phrase: it is, however, a great impropriety, and should be guarded
against. It would be well if those who use redundant expressions had a
friend to give them a caution, as they might with a little care be mended;
and hardly any person can be sensible of the little peculiarities he may
inadvertently adopt, unless he is told of it.
There are several things likewise respecting the voice
and manner of prayer, which a person may with due care correct in himself,
and which, if generally corrected, would make meetings for prayer more
pleasant than they sometimes are. These I shall mention by pairs, as the
happy and agreeable way is a medium between two inconvenient extremes.
Very loud speaking is a fault, when the size of the
place, and the number of hearers, do not render it necessary. The end of
speaking is to be heard; and, when that end is attained, a greater elevation
of the voice is frequently hurtful to the speaker, and is more likely to
confuse a hearer than to fix his attention. I do not deny but allowance must
be made for constitution, and the warmth of the passions, which dispose some
people to speak louder than others: yet such will do well to restrain
themselves as much as they can. It may seem indeed to indicate great
earnestness, and that the heart is much affected; yet it is often but false
fire. It may be thought speaking with power; but a person who is favored
with the Lord's presence may pray with power in a moderate voice; and there
may be very little power of the Spirit, though the voice should be heard in
the street and neighborhood.
The other extreme, of speaking too low, is not so
frequent; but, if we are not heard, we might as well altogether hold our
peace. It exhausts the spirits, and wearies the attention, to be listening
for a length of time to a very low voice. Some words or sentences will be
lost, which will render what is heard less intelligible and agreeable. If
the speaker can be heard by the person furthest distant from him, the rest
will hear of course.
The tone of the voice is likewise to be regarded.
Some have a tone in prayer, so very different from their usual way of
speaking, that their nearest friends could hardly know them by their voice.
Sometimes the tone is changed, perhaps more than once; so that, if our eyes
did not give us more certain information than our ears, we might think two
or three people had been speaking by turns. It is pity, that, when we
approve what is spoken, we should be so easily disconcerted by an
awkwardness of delivery; yet so it often is, and probably so it will be, in
the present weak and imperfect state of human nature. It is more to be
lamented than wondered at, that sincere Christians are sometimes forced to
confess, "He is a good man, and his prayers, as to their substance, are
spiritual and judicious; but there is something so displeasing in his
manner, that I am always uneasy when I hear him."
Contrary to this, and still more offensive, is a custom
that some have of talking to the Lord in prayer. It is their natural voice,
indeed; but it is that expression of it which they use upon the most
familiar and trivial occasions. The human voice is capable of so many
inflections and variations, that it can adapt itself to the different
sensations of our mind, as joy, sorrow, fear, desire, etc. If a man was
pleading for his life, or expressing his thanks to the king for a pardon,
common sense and decency would teach him a suitableness of manner; and
anyone who could not understand his language, might know by the sound of his
words that he was not making a bargain, or telling a story. How much more,
when we speak to the King of kings, should the consideration of his glory,
and our own vileness, and of the important concerns we are engaged in before
him, impress us with an air of seriousness and reverence, and prevent us
from speaking to him as if he was altogether such a one as ourselves? The
liberty to which we are called by the Gospel, does not at all encourage such
a pertness and familiarity as would be unbecoming to use towards a
fellow-worm who was a little advanced above us in worldly dignity.
I shall be glad if these hints may be of any service to
those who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, and who wish that
whatever has a tendency to dampen the spirit of devotion, either in
themselves or in others, might be avoided. It is a point of delicacy and
difficulty to tell anyone what we wish could be altered in his manner of
prayer: but it can give no just offense to ask a friend, if he has read a
letter on this subject, in "A Collection of Twenty-six Letters," published
in 1775.