268 2 Cor. 3. 15. Obi. Anfw. Rom. 8 26 The Saints perfect freedom, er and confounded in themfelves, pray for the grace of God andmortification, and to becrucified to the world , alas,a- las, they pray they know not what. And again, these men because they can deliver the out-. ward word, and the Letter, and bring their matter into a handfome form and method, they think they have preached the word ofGod to the people , when alas this is nothing : for the outward letter is not the word ; but, what is there ex- preft litterally, is only as awitneffe to the wordand the truth, and ofwhat the Saints ofGod have found, and shall finde in themselves : and if Chrifi be a Delivervï^ to them, they thall find the like things in themfelves : And there is none can underfiand the Letter in theMyfery, but they in whom the Jame things are done : Thefeonly have the Vail taken cif the Letter , and none but Jefus Chrifi himfelfe can doe this. And particularly many Obje& ; What, íhall we notpray that we may have thisDeliverance ? I Anfwer. No man ever trulyprayed,but out ofafenfe ofwant; ifthou wert brought into a true fcnfe of thy empty, naked and loft condition, ofthypoverty, beggery, andftarvedcondition, then Chrift and his fpirit would pray in thee withfighs andgroans unexprefsible, then thouwouldeft pray indeed,and couldfl not but cry andpray, andgroan indeed : and this is true prayer : prayer is not to get together a manyfine fmoath words, and to colle& this fine exprefiìon, and the other, and observing thisand that time , and that hour ; but prayer is words or rghs from fo deep a fenfe ofmifery and want, that we verily fee weftarve and die except we prevail ; Men, if they truly prayed, they would not come dreaming out with fuch beg- gerly queftions,what then Jhall we not pray ? and (hall we not hear and the like ? these queftions fiew they never did any duty rightly, but only in a way ofform or complement, or to qualifie the cry of confcience and the like ; but if men be really in mifery, in hell, in bitterneffe, they cannot chufe, but cry, and pray, andbeg; l'le warrant you you need not bid them, for you cannot keep them from it, nor will they ask,
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