CHAPTER W. 181 Sometimes it may happen that the Spirit of prayer is cotn- municated in a great degree to an humble christian, who falls into many thoughtless indecencies of gesture in prayer, or deli- vers his sentences with a most unhappy tone of voice : perhaps he was never taught to practise decency when he was young, and such ill habits are not easily cured afterward.' We are not therefore to despise ,and be offended at all such prayers, but en- deavour to separate what is pious and divine from the human frailty and weakness, to pity such persons heartily, and be so much the more excited ourselves to seek after every thing that is agreeable in the gift of prayer. The third case wherein we are in danger of mistake is, When thegift is not exercised at all. Some persons have been ready to imagine they could not pray by the Spirit, but when they exercised the gift of prayer themselves : But this is a great mistake. For though one person be the mouth of the rest to God, yet every one that joins with him, maybe justly said to Prey in Spirit, if all the graces that are suited to the duty of prayer, and to the expressions that are then used, are found in exercise and lively vigour. And it is possible that a poor humble christian may pray in the Spirit, in the secret and silence of his heart, while the person that speaks to God in the name ofothers, bath very little or nothing of the Spirit of God withhim, or when the words of the prayer are a known and prescribed form. Though the Spirit of prayer, in the common language of Chris- tians, is never applied to the exercise of the gift where there is no grace ; yet it is often applied to the exercise of the graue of prayer, without any regard to the gift. V. Do not expect the same measures of assistance at all times from the Spirit of prayer. Ile has no where bound him- self to be always present with his people in the same degrees of influence ; though lie will never utterly forsake those of whose heart he has taken possession as his temple and residence. Ile is compared to the wind, by our Lord Jesus Christ ; John iii. The wind blows where, and when it listeth, and is not always equal in the strength of its gales, nor constant in blowing on the same part of the earth. The holy Spirit is a sovereign and free agent, and dispenses his favours iu what measure he pleased', and at what seasons he will. Those therefore that enjoy at present a large share of assis- tance from the Spirit of prayer, should not presume upon it that they shall always enjoy the saine. Those that have in any mea- sure lost it, should not despair of recovering it again : and those that have not yet been blessed with his influences, may humbly hope to attain them by seeking. And this naturally leads the to the following section. 14 3
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