CHAPTER III. 153 inclination or holy principle in the mind. So we say, the grace of faith, the grace of repentanée, the grace of hope, or love. Su 2 Cor. viii. 7. Therefore as ye abound in faith, in know- ledge in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also, that is, liberality. S ometimes it is used in a sense a little more enlarged, but not universal, and it implies all those pious qualifications that belong to any one action or duty ; so we read of the grace that belongs to conversation ; Col. iv. 6. Let your s/ieech be always with grace. The grace of singing; Col. iii. Singing with grace inyour hearts. And the grace of divine worship seems to be mentioned ; Heb. xii. 23. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, 8 c. And the grace of prayer ; Zech. xii.'10. 1 will pour on the house of David the spirit of grace and supplication. The grace of prayer, in our common acceptation, is not any one single act or habit of the mind, but it implies all those holy dispositions ofsoul, which are to be exercised in that part of divine worship. It consists in a readiness to put forth those se- veral acts of the sanctified mind, will and affections, which are suited to the duty of prayer. Hencewill appear the great differ- ence that is between the gift and grace of prayer. The gift is but the outside, the shape, the carcase of the duty. The grace is the soul and spirit, that gives it life, and vigour, and efficacy; that renders it acceptable to God, and of real advantage to our- selves. The gift chiefly consists in a readiness of thought, agreeable to the several parts of prayer, and a facility of ex- pressing those thoughts in speaking to God. The grace consists merely in the inward workings of the heart and conscience to- ward God and religion. The gift has a shew and appearance of holy desires and affections ;but holy affections, sincere desires; and real converse with God, belong only to the grace of prayer. The gift and the grace are many times separated one from the other; and it hath been often found that the gift of prayer hath been attained in a great degree by study and practice, and by the common workings of the Spirit of God communicated to some persons that have nothing of true grace. There may be also the grace of prayer in lively exercise in some souls, who hase but a very small degree of this gift, and that hardly know how to form their thoughts and desires into a regular method, or to express those desires in tolerable language. Concerning some persons it may be said, as in Mat. vii. 22. that though they could pour out abundance of words before God' in prayer, though they could preach like apostles, or like angels, or cast out devils in the name of Christ, yet our Lord Jesus knows them not, for they have no grace. On the other hand, there are some that are dear to Geil, that can but chatter wid cry like a swallow or a crane, as Hezekiah did, and yet are
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