311 r.Ioh.5.14i15. Era. 53. to. Hilt.s.z. Doff.' Spirit brings os before God in pray- er, Rásfo>, i: Exed. tot. Intending to pray, beg the Spirit coa llift. 2. Many prayers are worthletfe. Lphefans,Chap®2. V E c .18. f to him with fecurity to fpeed at his owne hand: fayone fliould reafon thus: I knowifI fhould goe to the King I fhould fpeed , yet though I know not fowell what the Courtiers about him will or candoe in my !I caufe, I will about with it by them ; every one would condemne it as abfurd in him. But weehave fure ground of fecurity touching our requefts. Wearcperfwadedthat whatfever wee aske in his name hehearethus in it. Ifa man had (ome great perfen in the Court that would fecond him and fpeak to his petition preferred , a man would write upon it that he fhould fpeed. Hee that fweat water andblood; that made his footle an offering, and gave himflfe a fecrifice of Tweet fmelling favouracceptable to God the Father,he it is that is our Mediatorar; let us therefore got boldly unto the throne ofgrace that wee may receive mercy, andfind grace to help in time ofneed, Heb. 4. t 6. By oneSpirit.) Obferve then, what it iswhich doth enable us to come xotoGodinprayer, thefpirit ofGod. No man can name the Lord lefus without theglirit,a.Cor. 12.3. We know not how topray as wenrght,6ut the fpirit helpeth our infirmities with fighes and grtanes unutterable, Rom. 8.26. therefore called the Spirit of['application, Zach. r a. ro. Look as it was with thofe holocaufls , they muff have the fire from ! dheavenkindle them, if they were accepted: Soit is true that our f2- crifices of Petition and Thankfgivings they muff have the spirit! which is a fire kindling them,or the favour of them will not be fweet in thenoffrills of God. Such hellifh darkneffe, fuch miffs of igno-' ranee, fuch remainders of death hang about us , that wee cannot for matter or manner order our prayers acceptably to the Lord. The inward man ofthe heart muff chi.fiy bee occupyed in prayer: inall 1 our fervice we fhouldfay with Paul, Rom.r.g. thatwe ferve God inour Í Spirits,butefpecially inprayer:It being not the warblingof words,but the yearning and panting ofthe heart after God and the things ofour peace.Suchwas Chriffs prayers, Heb. 5.7. from his foule they came, for theywere offered up with flrong cryes and many tearer : and ifar- dent defire is the thingwhich God heareth, though there beno voyce annexed,as appeareth in Mefes,Why cryefl thou unto metthe Spirit is the rifeof true prayer, ifit proceed not thence it is anempty thing, which God regardethnot.And this maketh prayerlaborious,becaufc the Spi- rit is to travaile in it; and the Saints in this regard can endure better to heare an houre, then to pray a quarter. Whichmutt teach us to begge the Spirit above all things, without which weare not able to come neare to God in prayer: it is the Spirit which teachethus witha childlikeaffe&ion to cry .1bba Father, when fent into our hearts, Gal.4. 6. It ferveth to convincefuck prayers as are nothing but vaine bab- ling andwords without fpirit;as withmany the nd is running on twenty things, while the body boweth to pray d lips whiîper words that way. Yea it doth check the indevotionaZPd want of Spirit that dothcreepupon us that are theLords. And let us take heed; for a powerleffe prayer, if it come not frommeet feebleneffe , which is accompanyed
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