The Spirit sanctifies us and fills us with love, and faith, and humility; and every grace that is needful in the work of prayer. Why then should men take so much pains to hinder us from praying by the Spirit, when it is only by the Spirit we can walk with God, and have access to God? Eph. ii. 18.

III. The third argument, to prove that the Spirit of God doth sometimes assist men in the work of prayer, is the experience of all Christians, with regard to the grace of prayer; and many Christians in the exercise of the gift. The great difference that is between some believers and others, in this respect, even where their natural abilities are equal; and the difference that is between believers themselves, at different times and seasons, seems to denote the presence or absence of the Holy Spirit. Some persons at some special seasons, will break out into a divine rapture in prayer, and be carried far beyond themselves; their thoughts, their desires, their language, and every thing that belongs to their prayer, seem to have something of heaven in them.

I will allow that, in some persons, this may be ascribed to a greater degree of understanding, invention, fancy, memory, and natural affections of the mind, and volubility of the tongue; but many times also, it shall be observed, that those persons, who have this gift of prayer in exercise, do not excel nor equal the rest of their neighbors in fancy, invention, passion or eloquence; it may be they are persons of very mean parts, and below the common capacity of mankind.

Nor can it be always imputed to an overflow of animal nature, and warm imagination at those times when they are carried out in prayer thus beyond themselves; for this happens, sometimes when they find their natural spirits not raised nor exalted; but the powers of nature labor perhaps, under a decay and great languishing; and they can hardly speak or think about common affairs. I wish these testimonies to the aids of the Holy Spirit were more frequent among us.

Reflection. And it may be remarked, that those who despise this gift of the Holy Spirit, will deride the persons that pretend to any share of it, as foolish, stupid and ignorant; and will represent them generally as unlearned and sottish, dull and unthinking; and yet when this objection is made, whence comes this fluency, this fervor and this wonderful ability of pouring out the soul before God in prayer, which the scoffers themselves cannot imitate? Oh, then it is attributed to our wit, our memory, our invention, our fancy, our vehement affections, our confi dence or impudence; to any thing rather than to the Spirit of God, because they are resolved to oppose his power, and deny his work in the hearts of believers.

I might here add citations from the articles and liturgy of the church of England, to confirm the doctrine of the aids of the Holy Spirit in our religious performances. We have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will. Art. 10.

The working of the spirit drawing up the mind to high and heavenly things. Art. 17. And this ordinary work of the Holy Spirit in all believers, is called the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Art. 13. O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed: Second Collect at evening prayer. And a little after: Almighty God, who hast given us grace to make our common supplications. And in the Collect, the fifth Sunday after Easter. Grant that, by thy inspiration, we may think those things that be good, and, by thy merciful guiding, may perform the same. Again, Almighty God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service, 13th Sunday after Trinity. Grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, 19th Sunday after Trinity. Homily 16th p. 1, 2, asserts the secret and mighty working of God's Holy Spirit which is within us; for it is the Holy Ghost and no other thing, stirring up good and godly motions in their hearts. Many more expressions of this kind might be collected from the homilies and public prayers of the church of England; so that one would think none of that communion should throw reproach and scandal upon the assistances of the Holy Spirit in good works and religious duties.

SECTION II.

HOW FAR THE SPIRIT ASSISTS US IN PRAYER.

It is evident, then, that there is such a thing as

the assistance of the Spirit of God in the work of prayer; but how far this assistance extends is a farther subject of inquiry; and it is very necessary to have a just notion of the nature and bounds of this divine influence, that we may not expect more than God has promised, nor sit down negligently contented, without such degrees as may be attained.

Persons in this, as in most other cases, are very ready to run away with extremes. They either attribute too much or too little to the Holy Spirit.

In my judgment, those persons attribute too little to the Spirit of Prayer,

1. Who say there is no more assistance to be expected in prayer, than in any ordinary and common affair of life; as when the ploughman breaks the clods of his ground, and casts in the wheat and the barley, his God doth instruct him to discretion, and teach him. Isa. xxviii. 24, 25, 26. But this is, in effect, to deny his special influences.

2. Those who allow the Spirit of God merely to excite some holy motions in the heart while they pray, and to awaken something of grace unto exercise, according to the words of a prayer; but that he does nothing towards our obtaining the ability or gift of praying; nor at all assists us in the exercise of the gift with proper matter, method or expression.

I persuade myself, the scriptures cited in the foregoing section,concerning praying in the Spirit, can never be explained this way, in their full meaning; and I hope to make it apparent in this section, that the Holy Spirit hath more hand in prayer than both these opinions allow.

I think, also, on the other hand, those persons expect too much from the Spirit in our day,

1. Who wait for all their inclinations to pray, from immediate and present dictates of the Spirit of God; who will never pray but when the Spir it moves them. I find in scripture, frequent exhortations to pray, and commands to pray always; i. e. to pray upon all occasions; yet I find no promise nor encouragement to expect the Holy Spirit will, by sudden and immediate impulses in a sensible way, dictate to me every season of prayer. For though the Spirit of God should sometimes withdraw himself in his influences, yet my duty and obligation to constant prayer still remain.

2.

Those who expect such aids of the Holy Spirit as to make their prayers become the proper work of inspiration; such as the prayers of David and Moses, and others recorded in scripture. Let us not be so fond as to persuade ourselves that these workings of the Holy Spirit in ministers or in common Christians, while they teach, or exhort, or pray, arise to the character of those miraculous gifts that were given to the apostles and primitive believers; such as are described in the church of Corinth, and elsewhere. For at those times, a whole sermon, or a whole prayer together, was a constant impulse of the Holy Spirit, perhaps for the words as well as all the matter of it, which made it truly divine. But in our prayers, the Spirit of God leaves us a great deal to ourselves, to mingle many weaknesses and defects with our duties, in the matter, and in the manner, and in the words; so that we cannot say of one whole sentence, that it is the perfect or