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IF you tell me (by way of instance in a particular act of Devotion) that there is a gift of prayer, and that the Spirit of God is not tied to rules; I yeeld both these; but withall, I must say there are also helps of prayer, and that we must not expect immediate inspirations: I find the world much mista∣ken in both; They thinke
that man hath the gift of prayer, that can utter the thoughts of his heart round∣ly unto God, that can ex∣presse himself smoothly in the phrase of the holy Ghost, and presse God with most proper words, & pas∣sionate vehemence: And surely this is a commendable faculty whersoever it is: but this is not the gift of prayer; you may call it, if you will, the gift of Elocution. Doe wee say that man hath the gift of pleading, that can talk eloquently at the Barre, that can in good termes loud and earnestly importune the Judge for his Client; and not rather hee that brings the strongest reason, and quotes his books, and pre∣cedents with most truth,
and clearest evidence, so as may convince the Jury, and perswade the Judge? Do wee say hee hath the gift of Preaching, that can deliver himself in a flowing manner of speech, to his hearers, that can cite Scriptures, or Fa∣thers, that can please his auditory with the flowers of Rhetorick; or rather, he, that can divide the Word aright, interpret it soundly, apply it judiciously, put it home to the Conscience, speaking in the evidence of the Spirit, powerfully con∣vincing the gainsayers, com∣forting the dejected, and drawing every soule nearer to heaven? The like must we say for prayer; the gift whereof hee may be truely said to have, not that hath
the most rennible tongue, (for prayer is not so much a matter of the lips, as of the heart) but he, that hath the most illuminated apprehen∣sion of the God to whom he speakes, the deepest sense of his own wants, the most ea∣ger longings after grace, the ferventest desires of supplies from heaven; and in a word, whose heart sends up the strongest groanes and cries to the Father of mercies.
Neither may we look for Enthusiasmes, & immediate inspirations; putting our selves upon Gods Spirit, in the solemn exercises of our invocation, without heed, or meditation; the dangerous inconvenience wherof hath been too often found in the rash, and unwarrantable ex∣pressions
that have fallen from the mouths of unwary suppliants; but we must ad∣dresse our selves with due preparation, to that holy worke; we must digest our sutes; & fore-order our sup∣plications to the Almighty; so that there may be excel∣lent and necessary use of meet rules of our Devotion.
He, whose Spirit helps us to pray, and whose lips taughts us how to pray, is an all-sufficient example for us: all the skill of men, and An∣gels, cannot afford a more exquisite modell of suppli∣catory Devotion, than that blessed Saviour of ours gave us in the mount; led in by a divine, and heart-raising preface, carried out with a a strong and heavenly en∣forcement;
wherein an aw∣full compellation makes way for petition; and peti∣tion makes way for thanks∣giving; the petitions mar∣shalled in a most exact or∣der, for spirituall blessings, which have an immediate concernment of God, in the first place; then for tempo∣rall favours, which concern our selves, in the second; so punctuall a method had notbeen observed by him that heareth prayers, if it had been all one to him, to have had our Devotions confused, and tumultuary.