4. The Spirit by illumination, quickening, and sanctification, giveth us an habitual acquaintance with our sins, our wants, with the word of precept and promise, with God, with Christ, with grace, with heaven. And it giveth us a habit of holy love to God, and goodness and thankfulness for mercy and faith in Christ, and the life to come, and desires of perfection, and hatred of sin; and he that hath all these, hath a constant habit of prayer in him; for prayer is nothing but the expression with the tongue of these graces in the heart; so that the Spirit of sanctification is thereby a Spirit of adoption and of supplication. And he that hath freedom of utterance can speak that which God's Spirit hath put into his very heart, and made him esteem his greatest and nearest concernment, and the most necessary and excellent thing in all the world. This is the Spirit's principal help.[453]
5. The same Spirit doth incline our hearts to the diligent use of all those means, by which his abilities may be increased; as to read, and hear, and confer, and to use ourselves to prayer, and to meditation, self-examination, &c.
6. The same Spirit helpeth us in the use of all these means, to profit by them, and to make them all effectual on our hearts.
7. The same Spirit concurreth with means, habits, reason, and our own endeavours, to help us in the very act of praying and preaching. 1. By illuminating our minds to know what to desire and say. 2. By actuating our wills to love, and holy desire, and other affections. 3. By quickening and exciting us to a liveliness and fervency in all. And so bringing our former habits into acts, the grace of prayer is the heart and soul of gifts; and thus the Spirit teacheth us to pray.[454]
Yea, the same Spirit thus by common helps assisteth even bad men in praying and preaching, giving them common habits and acts that are short of special saving grace. Whereas men left to themselves without God's Spirit, have none of all these forementioned helps. And so the Spirit is said to intercede for us by exciting our unexpressible groans; and to help our infirmities when we know not what to ask as we ought.[455]
[451] Heb. ii. 3, 4; 1 Pet. i. 2, 22.
[452] 2 Thess. i. 13.
[453] John iii. 5, 6; Rom. viii. 8, 9, 15, 16, 26, 27; 2 Tim. i. 7; Neh. ix. 20; Isa. xi. 2; Ezek. xxxvi. 26; xxxvii. 14; Gal. iv. 6; Zech. xii. 10; Ezek. xviii. 31; xi. 19.
[454] Rom. vii. 6; John iv. 23, 24; vii. 38, 39; 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11; vi. 11, 17; 2 Cor. iv. 13; Gal. v. 5, 16-18, 25; Eph. iii. 16; v. 9, 18; vi. 18; 1 Thess. v. 19.
[455] Rom. viii. 26.
Quest. CLXVIII. _Are not our own reasons, studies, memory, strivings, books, forms, methods, and ministry, needless, yea, a hurtful quenching or preventing of the Spirit, and setting up our own, instead of the Spirit's operation?_
_Answ._ 1. Yes; if we do it in a conceit of the sufficiency of ourselves,[456] our reason, memory, studies, books, forms, &c. without the Spirit; or if we ascribe any thing to any of these which is proper to Christ or to his Spirit. For such proud, self-sufficient despisers of the Spirit, cannot reasonably expect his help. I doubt among men counted learned and rational there are too many such,[457] that know not man's insufficiency or corruption, nor the necessity and use of that Holy Ghost into whose name they were baptized, and in whom they take on them to believe. But think that all that pretend to the Spirit are but fanatics and enthusiasts, and self-conceited people; when yet the Spirit himself saith, Rom. viii. 9, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his." And Gal. iv. 6, "Because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."