such are soon weary of being there and may come home as soon as they please But those that are men of much Business and great Dealing have many Occasions to take up their time which cause them many times to stay late Formal Christians have little to do with God when they come to him only for Company or Custom but a serious Christian that understands the Business of Christianity hath so much to do when he comes to the Throne of Grace and the Favour of God to desire towards him in so many particular Cases and on so many Occasions that he hardly knows how to get away He hath such Duties to perform which he wants Help in to perform them as he knows he ought such Graces to be strengthened which are ready to dye such difficulties to be directed in such Temptations to be strengthened against Secondly by this Wisdom and Understanding we come to approve the things that are more excellent Phil. 1.10 to value things according to their real worth and so not to insist too peremptorily on temporal Mercies As Christ submitted his natural Desires to the Will and Designe of his Father Matt. 26.39 So that we do not too much urge Petitions for outward Blessings but as David Jo. 12.27 look upon it as an Answer to our Prayers in Trouble or Affliction if God strengthen us with strength in our Souls and account a sanctifyed use of Affliction so Psal 138.3 Heb. 12.11 as thereby to be made Partakers of Gods Holiness as better than Deliverance from it It is true these acts of the Spirit upon the Soul do but habitually qualifie it for Prayer and many suppose there is yet a further actual Assistance of the Spirit in Prayer whereby he doth suggest our very Words to us 1 Cor. 2.13 Now to look a little more narrowly into this matter we may observe that God who worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own will Eph. 1.11 is pleased to work variously as the nature of things doth require or as may best serve his own wise and holy Ends. Our Salvation depends chiefly upon his effectual heart-turning Grace But yet he makes his Providence many times subservient to this Grace For we see he doth hereby usually cast men under such means and into such Circumstances as may best serve his Grace though when he would make manifest the power of his Grace and the rights of his Mercy he will turn a man in his ful Career to Hell as he did Paul So he usually makes Nature and other Means subservient to his Power and to the operations of his Spirit Yet when he would give clearer Proof of his divine Power and when such subservient means fail he shews that he hath no need of them Of old he fed his people with Bread from Heaven while they were in a Wilderness and could not be supplied with Bread in an ordinary Way But when they came into the Land of Canaan and had Opportunity to eat of the Corn thereof Josh 5.12 the Manna ceased So when God gave a new Law by Moses for gaining the greater Credit thereto he indued him with extraordinary Gifts and inspired him immediately by his Spirit And so he did other Prophets when he would recover his Church from some notorious Defection But ordinarily we know he served himself of such as had an Education which fitted them for that work which he imploied them them in as will appeare to any that shall consider that there were places of Education which were called Schools of the Prophets For it is evident from Scripture that there were certain Companies of them which did abide together in some considerable Number because they were forced to go and build them another Place and they were called Sons of the Prophets 2 Kings 2.3 Cap. 4.38 Cap. 6.1 c. because they were instructed by some famous or eminent person whom they called Father For there were Fathers by Instruction as well as by Generation Matâ— 23.9 It is further evident that it was lookt upon as an unusual thing for the Spirit of God to come upon any but such as were thus trained up because it was lookt upon as such a strange thing that Saul should prophesie 1 Sam. 10.11 Cap. 19.24 and by the Apology of Amos Amos 7.11 Zech. 13.5 and the Confession of the false Prophet Now to bring this nearer to our Purpose At the first preaching of the Gospel God was pleased to confirm it by signs and Wonders Heb. 2.4 and diverse Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost for the gaining of more Credit thereto And then there were Persons to be sent forth into several Nations of the World which could not speak their Languages nor were instructed in many things which might be useful to them in such an Imployment So God did supply that Defect by the extraordinary work of his own Spirit But when the Gospel was confirmed by these Gifts and Miracles and was planted in the several Nations of the World It hath pleased the Lord to make use of ordinary Means as he did of Old to be subservient to his Spirit in such Ministrations as are for the Good of his Church so that there is not such a distinct evident Assistance of the Spirit now in preaching and praying 1 Cor. 14.15 as was in the Primitive Church Yet we may observe whom it hath pleased God to make use of for the work of the Ministry Eph. 4.12 for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the Body of Christ If any shall to what I have said object That of old when any were acted by the Spirit of God though there were Societies of Prophets it came evidently upon them and there was such a divine Power upon them as it did plainly appear they were not acted by their own Spirit but by the Spirit of God I answer the Spirit of God did then act them according to that dispensation which they were then under and agreeable to his manner of working upon the Prophets of old And we may observe a manifest Difference betwixt the Work of the Spirit upon the Prophets under the Old Testament and such as were extraordinarily gifted under the New Those had the Spirit coming upon them onely at certain times as it is frequently said the Word of the Lord came to them at such a time 2 Kings 4.27 or at such a time they had such a thing revealed to them and it came upon them in such a manner that they were as men in a Rapture or extacy out of themselves so that they used strange Gestures sometimes 1 Sam. 19.24 and in their stile they speak not after the manner of men but pass from one thing to another not observing any Method or Connexion of things of the same Nature or Argument But under the New Testament they had a more constant habitual Assistance of the Spirit whereby they
20.12 as Jeremiah expresses it Isa 63.9 He is afflicted in all our Afflictions and pities us therein Psal 103.13 as a Father pities his Children 2. Prayer is a Remedy against Afflictions Psal 138.3 as thereby we obtain support and Comfort under them or Deliverance from them And I may say as much of Prayer Heb. 11.3 c. as the Apostle doth of Faith Jam. 5.16 the effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous Man avails much It turned the Heart of Esau Gen. 32.11 it put to Flight the Amalekites Ex. 17.11 Numb 14.17 It held God's Hand Exod. 23.11 It turned away his wrath Joshua 10.12.13 It stay'd the Sun in the Firmament It opened Heaven Jam. 5.17.18 and shut it again Yea time would fail me to tell of David Asa Jehoshaphat Hezehiah Esther The Prayer made by the Church for Peter which open'd the Prison-doors The thundering Legion in the Time of Aurelius which were so prevalent for the Emperour against his Enemies when he was in a great Strait that he thereupon wrote to the Senate to forbear the Persecution of them of which amongst others we may read Tertullians Apology Cap. 5. and Eusebius Lib. 5. Cap. 5. And the Reason of this Efficacy of Prayer is because they are his Children that pray to him their Prayers are indited by the Holy-Ghost and presented by Jesus Christ 3. Though God do not alwayes answer the Desires of his People in Prayer yet he many Times quiets their Hearts so as they go away satisfied as one that hath left the Management of his Affairs in the hands of a Friend who he knows is both faithful and able to look after them As Hannah when she had poured forth her Soul before the Lord 1 Sam. 1.15.18 went away and her Countenance was no more sad And we find that often verified which Bernard saith of himself Serm. 32. In Cant. Quoties me Oratio quem pene desperantem suscepit reddidit exultantem et de Venià presumentem he went to Prayer oftentimes even despairing and returned rejoycing and confident of Pardon Thus we shall find David beginning his Psalms many times with mournful complaints which he ends with Thanksgiving and Triumph as particularly Psal 6. Psal 13. Psal 22. Psal 28. Psal 69. Psal 142. But Secondly hereby sometimes are meant moral or Spiritual Infirmities Psal 10. as the Psalmist accounts it his Infirmity when he was ready to give up his Hopes and to complain of God as if he had forgot to be gracious And these are the Infirmities which the Apostle requires the strong to bear with in the weak Rom. 15.1 Now here it seems to signifie those spiritual Infirmities which we are subject to in our prayers by what followes in the Text and I shall make it more fully appear in mine ensuing discourse Rom 8.35 It is said he makes Intercession for us Which is not to be understood as if he did mediate or intercede for us as Christ doth who doth also make Intercession for us Neither doth he intercede in us using us only as Instruments to express his Mind as evil Spirits speak by those who are possessed by them but what he doth is by way of Assistance lifting over against us as the Greek word is by many interpreted as he that lifts over against another to help him when he is lifting at something that is too heavy for him And he is said to intercede because he helps us therein or causeth us to intercede As in one Place it is said the Spirit of Adoption cryeth Abba Father Gal. 4.6 in another Place that We thereby cry Abba Rom. 8.15 Father 1 King 8.13 As Solomon is said to build the Temple at Jerusalem because he directed encouraged and furnished Materials for the Building of it Both Christ and the Holy-Ghost are concerned in our Prayers Ephs 2.18 It is by Jesus Christ through one Spirit that we have Access to the Father 1 Jo. 2.1 Jo. 14.16.26 And the same Word translated Advocate when applyed to Jesus Christ is likeways frequently applyed to the Holy Ghost And as Advocates do not only plead for their Clients but many times dictate to them what they should say So both Christ and the Spirit are as Advocates to us And as Nathan did first suggest to Bathsheba what she should say 1 King 1.12 c. and then came in himself to confirm her Words to second them further to urge them So the Spirit doth first assist us in drawing up our Petitions for which Cause we are said to pray in or by the Spirit or Holy Ghost Ephes 6.18 Jude 20. And in this respect as is generally supposed he is called the Spirit of Supplication Zech. 12.10 And when we have presented our Petitions then Christ doth by his Intercession further confirm them and plead with the Father on our Behalf Now I shall shew particularly what are those Infirmities which we are subject to in Prayer and how the Spirit helps them And the first Infirmity I shall speak of is that which the Apostle here mentions in the Text that is Ignorance we know not what we should pray for as we ought He saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which might be understood of an Inability in General as that they know not to do right which is according to the ordinary manner of Expression in several Languages particularly the French and Italian and our English Bibles do well express that of the Evangelist which hath puzled many Criticks make it as sure as ye can Matt. 27.65 But it is here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we know not what we should pray for as we ought And this may be understood two wayes either of the Matter of our Prayers that we know not as we should indeed know what to pray for or of the manner of them we know not what to pray for as we should pray It is certainly true of both As will appear by what I have here to say First we know not what we should pray for we know not first what we stand in need of such is the Latitude of the Commands of God Psal 119.96 and consequently the extent of our Duty that although we may know how to express our Desires in some Comprehensive Petitions which according to a large Interpretation of them may reach to our several necessities Yet we cannot pray explicitely for those several Mercies which we need And again so various are the Occurrences of our Lives that we know not what particular temporal Blessings to pray for As God caused a Gourd to grow up for Jonah which he laboured not for So he prevents us with many Favours which we cannot by our foresight or forecast contribute any thing to Now as it is in Learning those who have some Infight into it may possibly if they have Opportunity to furnish themselves with Books provide such as may serve
were moved more agreably to their Natures in a more sober rational way So that their stile is more even compos'd and one thing depending more methodically upon another and they are not so disultorious as the Prophets makeing frequent and sudden Transitions from one Subject to another of a quite different Nature and agreable hereto is the ordinary Assistance which we now have from the Spirit of God which being in such a calme connatural Way or Manner is not so easily observed as the Transports or more violent Motions of Prophets and prophetical men of Old And as in Preaching when men have by giving attendance to Reading 1 Tim. 4.13 Study both got a stock of habitual Knowledge and made actual Preparation for delivering a Sermon it pleases God sometimes to suggest things to them that may serve his own wise and holy End which they never thought of in their Preparation as in the case of Austin who converted Firmas a Manichee by something which he did besides his Intention fall upon in his preaching And the experience of many can witness that they have had many things brought to mind in Preaching which they had never prepared So in Prayer though the Spirit of God do not ordinarily assist either Ministers or private Christians so as he did those that had the Gift of Prayer in the primitive Church but they do ordinarily consider what Errand they are going to God on beforehand yet as is said in another Case there is many times given them in that hour what they Mat. 10.19 should speak And divers things suggested to them by the Spirit of God who doth doubtless put into them many Good things as the evil Spirit steals away Good things from us And though I would not impute the difference that is in the Prayers of Christians alwayes to the unequal Assistance of the Spirit yet on the other Hand we should not impute it wholly to the uneven working of mens Fancies or the different motion of the natural Spirits Another Infirmity which we are subject to in our praiers is Unbelief That this is a sinful Infirmity is evident from the displeasure of God against the Noble-man that would not believe the plenty that should be in Samaria 2 King 7.19 and against the good man Zacharia that did not believe the things promised which were to be fulfilled in their season Luke 1.20 And we are subject to this Infirmity in three cases especially First when we are under great and clear convictions of Sin when we have our sin set in order before us and reprefented by the Spirit of God in all the Circumstances which may aggravate it For first the pardon of it seems to be no light matter but an act of Divine Power As Moses praies that the Power of the Lord may be great therein Num. 14.17 I know it may be interpreted of his power in bringing them into the Land of Canaan upon the pardon of their sin But yet it is an act of Divine power to pardon sin in that God doth so far prevail with himself therein we should not be able to overcome our own passion so far as to pardon such as had so far offended us and were so much in our power But further those who are under such convictions have such an esteem of Gods pardoning grace that they are afraid to believe it or please themselves with the hopes of it lest their hopes should fail them and such a disappointment aggravate their trouble Gen. 47.26 Thus Jacob was backward to believe the advancement of his Son Joseph looking upon it as too good news to be true So when Christ was risen they believed not for joy Luk. 24.41 Quod nimis volumus haud facile credimus tarda solet magnis rebus inesse fides Whereas unhumbled sinners that were never made sensible of the evil of sin are so ready to believe the pardon of it that they can hardly believe that God will punish it but think it would be rigour and severity in him so to do A second case is when we are in great straits and difficulties as the Israelites Psal 78 19. Can God furnish a table in the Wilderness Ezek. 37.11 Can these dry bones live Our hope is lost we are cut off for our part It is made an argument of strong faith in Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. to believe in hope against hope A third case is when the answer of our prayers is deferred or denyed Sometimes God seems to be angry against the prayers of his people Psal 80.4 and when they pray things go worse and worse And it was an argument of strong faith in the woman of Canaan that she did not east away her confidence when first Christ seemed not to regaad her prayers He answered her not a word and when he did answer did in effect deny her telling them that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Maâ— 15.22 c. and when she perfisted in her suit upbraids her as one unfit for mercy this would be to take the childrens bread and cast it unte dogs It is hard to hold on when God thus beats us off Now the Spirit helps this Infirmity First by strengthening the habit of Faith in us Heb. 12 2â— Jesus indeed is the Author and Finisher of our Faith Ioh. 16.14 yet it is by the Spirit that he doth it Phil. 1.19 the work of Faith is fulfilled as well as begun with power Thes 1.11 He doth so fully convince us of the infinite Wisdom Power Goodness and Truth or Veracity of God Eph. 1.19 that we do not confidently rely upon his Promises or Attributes Psal 60. so far as the Scripture gices us encouragement to do it Secondly he doth this by witnessing to us our Adoption so as we can come to God with a filial boldness crying to him Rom 8.15.16 Abba Father Many suppose this testimony of the Spirit to be an internal immediate evidence of the Spirit of God to the Soul of a Believer saying as David prayes I am thy Salvation Psal 35.3 or as Christ to him that was sick of the Palsy Matt. 9 2. thy sins are forgiven thee Now to affirm there is no such testimony of the Spirit because we find no such thing in our selves is as the Philosophers speak to measure vertue by our selves and to think nothing can be done which we cannot do our selves Seneca Epist 71. And for what is objected against this from the countenance that it gives to Enthusiasmes and pretences to secret inspiration and the tendency that it hath to make men deceive themselves by Satanical suggestions and delusions It is answered that though this Testimony be not mediately by the Word it is always according to the Word so that men do in vain pretend to such a Testimony while they have not these characters of the Children of God which
very great and we may be pressed out of measure above strength 2 Cor. 1.8 as Paul was in Asia and then God pities us Psal 103.13 as a Father pities his Children and as when the Spirits are exceedingly oppressed we apply Cordials which may relieve them and enable the sick person to breath so God doth by his Spirit shed abroad his love into our hearts which doth relieve and revive the Soul by a more immediate virtue Rom. 5.5 then those comforts which by degrees we relieve our selves with by communing with our own hearts or meditating on the Scriptures as Cordials do not require time or natural strength to concoct them and turn them to Nourishment as meat doth but immediately diffuseth its virtue to the sudden cheering or revival of the Patient Sometimes Christians are as I may say sullen like Ahab when he could not have Naboth's Vinyard 1 Kin. 21 4 being exceedingly discontented at some worldly cross or disappointment as Jonah at the withering of his Gourd Jon. 4.1 8. and at Gods sparing of Ninive or they do too much give way to grief and indulge themselves therein as the Psalmist refused to be comforted Psal 77.2 Now the way to deal with such is to awaken their Consciences to a due sense of the evil of sin that they may more earnestly pray for the pardon of it or more prize the pardon of it and think with themselves they have greatter matters to exercise their minds then those that they trouble themselves so much with or that God hath done so much for them in the pardon of their sins that they should not take outward troubles so grieviously at the hands of God Job 2.10 but be content to receive some evil from him having received so much good 2 Sam. 19.5 as when David was so exceedingly troubled at the death of Absalom Joab roused him out of his dumps by representing to him his unkindness to his faithful Subjects and how this act of his might be justly interpreted and likewise the great danger which might ensue thereon by his people leaving him while he did so discourage them and this made him shake himself from his sorrow I shall in a few words apply what I have said on this Subject and this may First instruct us how exceeding impotent we are to that which is good there is nothing doth more fully convince us of our weakness then our inability to pray We might think if we considered things only in the Idea as they speak without consulting experience that if we could do any thing we might pray it being that which our necessity doth so far enforce us to that it might seem enough to us to have liberty to pray but we see that as we cannot call Christ Lord without the Spirit so we cannot call God Father without the assistance thereof nor pray either for matter or manner as we ought without it Wherefore it seems strange to me that any wise considering man should reduce the whole interest of the Spirit in the Prayers of Christians to that extraordinary gift in the primitive times whereby as they say those that were to pray for others were enabled to ask those things which were useful for them and to teach others how to form their prayes and so that to pray in the holy Ghost Jude 20. enjoyned by the Apostle was to keep to the publick Assembly and joyn with him that was then assisted in his Prayers by the holy Ghost And that this gift when it ceased was supplied by set prepared forms for daily and constant uses provided by such as had benefited under those that had such gifts and remembred some of their Forms or at least the method and manner used by them and that Liturgies in the Church had their rise from hence About the use of Liturgies in the Primitive Church or the authority of those recommended to us for their venerable antiquity it is not for me now to speak any thing but by what I have already said it appears that the Spirit of God is further concerned in the Prayers of Christians and I cannot see how the Spirit should this way make intercession for us with Groanings which cannot be uttered Secondly This may teach us when ever we go to God by Prayer Eph. 2.18 not only to come to him by Jesus Christ for acceptance but to look to the Spirit for his assistance We do not expect nor teach others to expect Enthusiasmes or immediate Inspirations ordinarily in Prayer neither do we suppose that men should attend so for the assistance of the Spirit as to forbear their Prayers till they find themselves like holy men of old who were the pen men of the Scripture moved by the holy Ghost much less do we think that all Extempore Prayer as it is called or conceived Prayer is by the holy Ghost neither do we suppose that those that joyn with others in Prayer do not pray by the holy-Ghost for he assists as to the manner as well as the matter of our Prayers neither do we believe that the Spirit assists us to the utmost of his power so that those Prayers wherein we have his assistance should be in every respect perfect but he doth as a Spirit of Grace and Supplication not only qualifie us habitually for Prayer Zach. 12.10 but assist us actually in Prayer yet in such measure as seems good to him and as of old God would not accept of Sacrifices offered by strange fire Lev. 10.1 so neither will he accept of our Spiritual Sacrifices unless they be offered by the fire of Zeal kindled from Heaven and blown up by the holy Ghost but as he may hear Sinners 1 King 21.29 as he did Ahab for some outward Mercies which are from the exuperance or overflowings of his bounty And though I doubt not but many do vainly pretend to or falsely boast of the assistance of the Spirit in Prayer not understanding what they speak or whereof they affirm yet to scoff at praying by the Spirit as if it were not a thing for any to expect or in any sense to pretend to is such a piece of boldness and prophaness and at least borders so near upon Blasphemy that no sober serious Christian will adventure upon it FINIS Books printed for and to be sold by B. 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