None but Christ, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. The ſeventh ſigne of the ſaving knowledge of Chriſt, namely the ſpirit of prayer.
Signe. 7 THe ſeventh ſigne whereby we may know that Chriſt is ours, is, if we have received the ſpirit of prayer; You have received the ſpirit of adoption to cry Abba Father, ſaith Paul. And the Prophet Zachariah, Rom. 8. 15.chap. 12. verſe. 10. ſaith, I will poure upon you the ſpirit of grace and ſupplication, which conſiſts of three particulars.
1. Firſt, the heart is moved and excitedInfertur appetitus orandi Aug. ad ſimplic. l. 2. by the ſpirit to be often with God in prayer, as the child naturally cryes and runs to the mother, the young to the dam; So that they make conſcience to performe it, and cannot live without prayer, aRom. 8 26. Pſal. 19. 1. 64. Seven times a day will I praiſe thee, &c.eſpecially not without private prayer. So Paul as ſoon as ever he was converted, he got alone, and betook himſelf to prayer, Act. 9. 11. Behold he prayeth. And Cornel. Act. 10. got upon the top of the houſe, & there was alone with God in prayer; Daniel three times a day prayed in his cloſet, when he was in danger of his life. Nazianzen reports of his ſiſter Gorgonis that her knees ſeemed to cleave to the earth by her often praying; and Gregory of his Aunt Trucilla, her elbow was as hard as a horn, by often leaning upon a desk when ſhe prayed; Euſebius reports of James, that his knees were as hard as Camels knees, bereaved of ſenſe by often praying; And one reportes of Ioachim the father of the Virgin Mary, that he would often ſay, Cibus & potus mihi erit oratio, Prayer is my meat and drink; whereas naturall men have no ability or gift of prayer, they cannot pray; many a wiſe man that can ſpeak eloquently, yea before a king, yet is not able to ſpeak five wiſe words to God in prayer; whereas many a poore ſimple man, that is ſcarce able to ſpeak five wiſe words to a man, (eſpecially if he be ſome great man) yet can ſpeak to God by prayer, even to admiration; To ſay, we have no gift of prayer, is to ſay we have not received the ſpirit of grace, for the ſpirit of grace and ſupplication are put together, Zach. 12. 10. Nor that we have received the ſpirit of Adoption, for that would make us cry Ab…a father, Rom. 8. 15. It may be ſuch cannot pray eloquently, nor ſo as their words will well hang together, yet they can weep, ſigh and groan, which are the ſtrongeſt prayers, Rom 8. 26. 27. Others there are that have no liſt to this duty, they cry what a wearineſſe is it, (Mal. 1. 13) and never pray for conſcience ſake, out of love to the duty, but only out of cuſtome for faſhion ſake, or in diſtreſſe, as the Mariners in the ſhip with Ionah, when they were in a ſtorme,Jonah 1. 5. then they cryed every man to his god, but yet he delighteth not himſelfe in the Almighty, he will not alwayes call upon God, as Iob ſpeaks of the hypocrite, Iob. 27. 10. Now theſe and ſuch like, are ſo farre from having any faith in Chriſt, that they may rather be called Atheiſts who think there is no God, nor do they beleeve his providence; The fool hath ſaid in his heart there is no God, ſaith the Prophet David, Pſal. 14. 1. hence it followes, v. 4. He calleth not upon the Lord.
2. Secondly, by the ſpirit of prayer, the heart is not only excited and enabled to pray, but to pray ſpiritually, to make a ſpirituall prayer; as the Apoſtle exhorts that we pray with all manner of prayer and ſupplication in the ſpirit, aEph. 6. 18.and to pray in the Holy-Ghoſt, bJude 20.and the Apoſtle Paul tels us the ſpirit helpeth our infirmities; though we know not what nor how to ask, yet the ſpirit makes interceſſion for us with groanings, &c. cRom. 8. 25, 26.which aſſiſtance of the ſpirit, conſiſts not in orderly invention, or compoſure of words and eloquent phraſes, for ſome godly people may want this, and it is but a common gift, and the common, not the ſpeciall help of the ſpirit promiſed, in Rom. 8. 27.
But the ſpirit of prayer conſiſts in three things. Firſt in enabling us to pray in faith with a childlike ſpirit, that can go to God as a father, and not as to a ſtranger dRom. 8. 15. Eſa. 63. 16. Lords prayer▪. Wicked men pray, but they have not the ſpirit of prayer, becauſe they pray not in faith, but ſhoot their arrows at randome, never regarding nor looking after them. Now theſe are but bold narratious, (or orations) not humble petitions. It is true, a man in Chriſt may have riſings of infidelity, but they are overcome by faith.
2. Secondly, The ſpirit of prayer, conſiſts in enabling us to pray fervently; the ſpirit helpes us ſaith the Apoſtle, to(c) Rom. 8. 26. pray with ſighs and gronings which cannot be expreſſed; the affections are as it were ſet on fire by the Holy-Ghoſt. Thus Hannah poured out her ſoul before the Lord, 1 Sam. 1. 15. So Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and wept ſore, Eſa. 38. 1. and Jacob wreſtled with God in prayer, Gen. 32. 24. Wherefore cryeſt thou to me ſaith God to Moſes? Exod. 14. 15. and Abraham ſtrove with God from fifty to ten, Gen. 18. 23. eſpecially our Lord Chriſt, who prayed with ſtrong crying and tears. Invention may make us ſpeak, butNon ſemper opus eſt clamore, quia deus ſuſpiria audit. Non vox ſed votum non muſica, &c. the ſpirit will make us cry, which yet conſiſts not ſo much in ſtrength of words, as of affections; naturall men may have externall elocution, but want inward affection, they are dead and cold prayers; they uſually pray as though they cared not whether God heard them or no, like cold Suitors that care not whether theyLudit deum qui ore petit quod corde negligit. ſpeed or no, they want the aſpiration of the ſpirit to pronounce Shibboleth. Caut. Not that a Chriſtian is alwayes alike in prayer, but as the ſpirit pleaſeth to help with his adjuvant cooperating grace, (without me ye can do nothing) the ſpirit muſt inſpirare, or we cannot exſpirare, The wind muſt blow that the ſpices may flow, Cant. 4. 16. we are like a ſhip at ſea, if the wind blow it goes amain, or elſe it creeps upon the ground; ſometimes like Pharaohs chariots onr wheeles are taken off and we drive heavily, and ſometimes like Joſephs chariots we drive chearfully.
3. Thirdly and laſtly, to pray with the ſpirit, is to pray with ſpirituall deſires, when we pray for ſpirituall things, or for temporall bleſſings, with ſpirituall affections and ſpirituall ends, to honour God by them as Chriſts petitions were, John 17. and as we are taught in the Lords prayer. A naturall man may be very earneſt in his prayer, yet it is not a ſpirituall prayer, becauſe his deſires have only reference to ſelf-love, and naturall ends, but not to God and his glory. They have not cryed unto me with their hearts, when they howled upon their beds, ſaith the Prophet, eHoſ. 7. 14.where the Prophet eſteems of their prayers no better then howlings, like the howlings of Baals Prieſts, who cryed aloud, O Baal hear us, and they cut themſelves till the blood guſhed out upon them. f1 King. 18. 28.Therefore ſuch prayers God ſometimes ſends away with a mock, rather then an anſwer, Prov. 1. 28. 29. when diſtreſſe and anguiſh ſhall come upon you; then ſhall they call upon me but I will not anſwer; they ſhall ſeek me early, but they ſhall not find me.