CHAPTER. II. 127 up, in their first essays of prayer, to a loose and negligent habit of speaking every thing that comes uppermost, but attempted to learn this holy skill, by a recollection of the several parts of prayer, and disposing their thoughts into this method, there would be great numbers in our churches that would have arrived at a good degree of the gift of prayer, and be capable after- wards of giving a moro glorious and unbounded loose to their souls, without breaking the rules of just and natural method; and that to the great edification of our churches, as well as of their own families. SECT. V. -Of Expression in. Prayer. III. The third thing that relates to the gift of prayer, is expression. Though prayer be the proper work of the heart, yet in this present state, in secret as well as in social prayer, the language of the lips is an excellent aid in this part of worship. A person indeed may pray heartily and effectually, and yet make use of no words : sometimes the desires of the heart may be toobig to be expressed, when the Spirit of God is with us in plentiful operations, and assists us to plead with sighs and groans which cannot be uttered, as Rom. viii. 26. Persons that are dumb may think over their wants, and raise their souls to God in longing desires and wishes for grace in a time of need : nor is there any necessity of using language upon God'saccount, for he knows the desires of our hearts, and our most secret breathings towards him. He that hears without ears, under- stands us without our words. Yet as language is of absolute necessity in social prayer, that others may join with us in our addressesto God ; so for the most part we find it necessary in secret too : for there are few persons of so steady and fixed a power of meditation, as to maintain their devotion warm, and to converse with God, or with themselves profitably, without words. Expressions are useful, not only to dress our thoughts, but sometimes to form and shape, and perfect the-ideas and affec- tions of our minds. The use of words makes us doubly sensible of the things we conceive. They serve to awaken the holy pas- sions of the soul as well as to express them. Our expressions sometimes follow and reveal the warmer motions of the heart, and sometimes they are- dictated by the judgment, and are a means to warm the heart, and excite those holy motions. They fix and engage all our powers in religion and worship, and they serve to regulate as well as to encrease our devotion. We are bid to take unto us words, and turn to the Lord, andsay unto him, take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: Hosea xiv. 2. And in the psalms of David, we often read of his cry- ing to the Lord with his voice, and making supplication with his tongue, when the matter of his prayer is such, that we have abundant reason to believe that it was performed in secret.
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