Gereformeerd gebedsonderwijs van een grootmeester en een schoolmeester
Samenvatting
Prayer has always played an important role in reformed spirituality. This article analyzes
two texts from the reformed heritage: John Calvin’s rich chapter on prayer in his Institutes
and the first imprint of Wolterus ter Burgh’s Gereformeerde Bloem-hof (1645).
Calvin’s view of prayer wells up from the core of his spirituality, that is, a faithful
reliance on God’s promises and the experience of the unio mystica cum Christo. This
article shows that Calvin’s four basic rules for prayer continue to be significant for
instruction in the essence and significance of prayer. The article then demonstrates the
differences in genre, level, and style of prayer taught by the theological master of
Geneva and the pious schoolmaster of Zwolle, ter Burgh, and the common desire to
demonstrate the importance of prayer and the indispensability of a prayerful life. The
article concludes with an urgent call to prayer as a friendly and fruitful colloquium with
the Lord.