But it may be said, "That where there is any defect herein, it may be easily supplied ; for if men are not acquainted with the promises of God themselves in the manner before described, and so know not what they ought to pray for, others, who have the understanding of them, may compose prayers for their use, according to their appre- hensions of the mind of God in them, which they may read, and so have the matter of prayer always in a readiness."
284 WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PRAYER. [BOOK VII.
I answer, — 1. I do not know that any one hath a command or promise of assistance to make or compose prayers to be said or read by others as their prayers; and therefore I expect no great matter from what any one shall do in that kind. The Spirit of grace and supplication is promised, as I have proved, to enable us to pray, not to enable us to make or compose prayers for others.
2. It savours of some unacquaintance with the promises of God and the duty of prayer, to imagine that the matter of them, so as to suit the various conditions of believers, can be pent up in any one
form of man's devising. Much of what we are to pray about may be in general and doctrinally comprised in a form of words, as they are in the Lord's Prayer, which gives directions in and a boundary unto our requests; but that the things themselves should be pre- pared and suited unto the condition and wants of them that are to pray is a fond imagination.
3. There is a vast difference between an objective proposal of good things to be prayed for unto the consideration of them that are to pray, which men may do, and the implanting an acquaintance with them and love unto them upon the mind and heart, which is the work of the Holy Ghost.
4. When things are so prepared and cast into a form of prayer, those by whom such forms are used do no more understand them than if they had never been cast into any such form, unless the Spirit of God give them an understanding of them, which the form itself is no sanctified means unto; and where that is done, there is no need of it.
5. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to give unto believers such a comprehension of promised grace and mercy as that they may con- stantly apply their minds unto that or those things in an especial manner which are suited unto their present daily wants and occa- sions, with the frame and dispositions of their souls and spirit This is that which gives spiritual beauty and order unto the duty of prayer, — namely, the suiting of wants and supplies, of a thankful dis- position and praises, of love and admiration, unto the excellencies of God in Christ, all by the wisdom of the Holy Ghost. But when a person is made to pray by his directory for things, though good in themselves, yet not suited unto his present state, frame, inclination, wants, and desires, there is a spiritual confusion and disorder, and nothing else.
Again ; what we have spoken concerning the promises must also be applied unto all the precepts or commands of God. These in like manner are the matter of our prayers, both as to confession and supplication; and without aright understanding of them, we can perform no part of this duty as Ave ought. This is evident in their
CHAP. V.] THE SPIRIT'S WORK AS TO MATTER OF PRAYER. 285
apprehension who, repeating the words of the decalogue, do subjoin their acknowledgments of a want of mercy, with respect unto the transgression of them I suppose, and their desires to have their hearts inclined to keep the law. But the law with all the commands of God are spiritual and inward, with whose true sense and import- ance, in their extent and latitude, we cannot have a useful acquaint- ance but by the enlightening, instructing efficacy of the grace of the Spirit. And where this is, the mind is greatly supplied with the true matter of prayer; for when the soul hath learned the spirituality and holiness of the law, its extent unto the inward frame and dispo- sition of our hearts, as well as unto outward actions, and its requir- ing absolute holiness, rectitude, and conformity unto God, at all times and in all things, then doth it see and learn its own discre- pancy from it and coming short of it, even then when as to outward acts and duties it is unblamable. And hence do proceed those con- fessions of sin, in the best and most holy believers, which they who understand not these things do deride and scorn. By this means, therefore, doth the Holy Spirit help us to pray, by supplying us with the due and proper matter of supplications, even by acquainting us and affecting our hearts with the spirituality of the command, and our coming short thereof in our dispositions and frequent inordinate actings of our minds and affections. He who is instructed herein will on all occasions be prepared with a fulness of matter for con- fession and humiliation, as also with a sense of that grace and mercy which we stand in need of with respect unto the obedience required of us.