310 WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PRAYER. [BOOK VII.
and is able to exercise, grace in prayer, any saving grace, without which prayer itself is an abomination, if he neglect not the improve- ment of the spiritual aids communicated unto him, doth so far par- take of this gift of the Holy Spirit as to enable him to pray accord- ing as his own occasions and duty do require. He who wants mercy for the pardon of sin, or supplies of grace for the sanctification of his person, and the like, if he be sensible of his wants, and have gracious desires after their supply wrought in his heart, will be enabled to ask them of God in an acceptable manner, if he be not wofully and sin- fully wanting unto himself and his own duty.
[2.] As to the second inference, namely, that if this ability be in- ^ separable from the gracious assistance of the Spirit of prayer, then whosoever hath this gift and ability, he hath in the exercise of it that gracious assistance, or lie hath received the Spirit of grace,, and hath saving graces acted in him, I answer, — 1st. It doth not follow on what we have asserted : for although wherever is the grace of prayer there is the gift also in its measure, yet it follows not that where the gift is there must be the grace also; for the gift is for the grace's sake, and not on the contrary. Grace cannot be acted without the gift, but the gift may without the grace. Idly. We shall assent that this gift cloth grow in another soil, and hath not its root in itself. It followeth on and ariseth from one distinct part of the work of the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of supplication, from which it is inseparable; and this is his work on the mind, in acquainting it with the things that are to be prayed for, which he doth both in the inward convictions of men's own souls, and in the declaration made thereof in the Scripture. Now, this may in some be only a common work of illumination, which the gift of vocal prayer may flow from and accompany, when the Spirit of grace and supplication works no farther in them. Where- fore, it is acknowledged that men in whom the Spirit of grace did never reside nor savingly operate may have the gift of utterance in prayer unto their own and others' edification; for they have the gift of illumination, which is its foundation, and from which it is inse- parable. Where this spiritual illumination is not granted in some measure, no abilities, no industry, can attain the gift of utterance in prayer unto edification; for spiritual light is the matter of all spiri- tual gifts, which in all their variety are but the various exercise of it. And to suppose a man to have a gift of prayer without it, is to sup- pose him to have a gift to pray for he knows not what ; which real or pretended enthusiasm we abhor. Wherefore, wherever is this gift of illumination and conviction, there is such a foundation of the gift of prayer as that it is not ordinarily absent in some measure, where due use and exercise are observed.
Add unto what hath been spoken that the duty of prayer ordi-
CHAP. VIII.] THE DUTY OF EXTERNAL PRAYER. 311
narily is not complete unless it be expressed in words. It is called " pleading with God," " rilling our mouths with arguments," " cry- ing unto him," and "causing him to hear our voice;" which things are so expressed, not that they are any way needful unto God, but unto us. And whereas it may be said that all this may be done in prayer by internal meditation, where no use is made of the voice or of words, as it is said of Hannah that " she spake in her heart, but her voice was not heard," 1 Sam. i. 13, I grant in some cases it may be so, where the circumstances of the duty do not require it should be otherwise, or where the vehemency of affections, which causes men to cry out and roar, will permit it so to be. But withal I say, that in this prayer by meditation, the things and matter of prayer are to be formed in the mind into that sense and those sen- tences which may be expressed ; and the mind can conceive no more in this way of prayer than it can express. So of Hannah it is said, when she prayed in her heart, and, as she said herself, " out of the abundance of her meditation," verse 16, that "her lips moved," though " her voice was not heard ;" she not only framed the sense of her sup- plications into petitions, but tacitly expressed them to herself. And the obligation of any person unto prescribed forms is as destructive of prayer by inward meditation as it is of prayer conceived and ex- pressed; for it takes away the liberty and prevents the ability of framing petitions, or any other parts of prayer, in the mind accord- ing to the sense which the party praying hath of them. Wherefore, if this expression of prayer in words do necessarily belong unto the duty itself, it is an effect of the Holy Spirit, or he is not the Spirit of supplication unto us.