This quote "His prayers were as bolts shot up to Heaven" is recorded in the tract "A Call To Prayer," by JC Ryle; a most beautiful book indeed. Here, Mr Ryle is speaking of that "Scotch divine" Bruce, which is Alexander Balmain Bruce (1831 - 1899). I have found one of his books listed to read on the internet @ www.ccel.org titled "The Training Of The Twelve." I have only begun to read it; although, I would like to share a quote taken from the 1st Chapter of this book. It reads,"For the followers of John (The Baptist) were all like (John) himself, they were men who hungered and thirsted after real righteousness, being sick of the righteousness then in vogue; they said Amen in their hearts to the preacher's withering exposure of the hollowness of current religious profession and of the worthlessness of fashionable good works, and sighed for a sanctity other than that of pharisaic superstition and ostentation; their conscience acknowledged the truth of the prophetic oracle, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have takenn us away," and they prayed fervently for the reviving of true religion, for the coming of the Divine Kingdom, for the advent of the Messianic King with fan in His hand to seperate chaff from wheat, and to put right all things which were wrong. Such, without doubt, were the sentiments of those who had the honor to be the first disciples of Christ."I do hope the remaining of this book is as pleasant as I have read thus far. And what attracted me was the fact that when JC Ryle can say this about a man, it would be in good interest to examine such a person's prayer life myself and His relationship with the Lord Christ Jesus.Lord make me the man you desire me to be, for Your Glory, because of Your Lovingkindness and tender mercies.
_________________Richie
J.C. Ryle is one of my favorites to read. He is forthright and practical in matters of doctrine. "Authentic Christianity" is a must read, as is "We Must Be Holy." Both can be found on ccel.org.
_________________Martin G. Smith