own natural and distempered affections do immix themselves in our supplications, are innumerable. And there is nothing so excellent in itself, so useful unto us, so acceptable unto God in the matter of prayer, but it may be vitiated, corrupted, and prayer itself rendered vain, by an application of it unto false or mistaken ends. And what is the work of the Spirit to guide us herein, we shall see in its proper place.

CHAP. V.

The work of the Holy Spirit as to the matter of prayer.

THESE things are considerable as to the matter of prayer; and with respect unto them, of ourselves we know not what we should pray for, nor how, nor when. And the first work of the Spirit of God, as a spirit of supplication in believers, is to give them an understanding of all their wants, and of the supplies of grace and mercy in the promises, causing a sense of them to dwell and abide on their minds; as that, according unto their measure, they are continually furnished with the matter of prayer, without which men never pray, and by which, in some sense, they pray always. For,

First, He alone doth, and he alone is able to give us such an understanding of our own wants, as that we may be able to make our thoughts about them known unto God in prayer and supplication. And what is said concerning our wants, is so likewise with respect unto the whole matter of prayer, whereby we give glory to God, either in requests or prayers. And this I shall manifest in some instances, whereunto others may be reduced.

1. The principal matter of our prayer concerneth faith and unbelief. So the apostles prayed in a particular manner, 'Lord increase our faith;' and so the poor man prayed in his distress, 'Lord help thou my unbelief.' I cannot think that they ever pray aright, who never pray for the pardon of unbelief, for the removal of it, and for the increase of faith. If unbelief be the greatest of sins, and if faith be the greatest of the gifts of God, we are not Christians, if those things are not one principal part of the matter of our prayers. Unto

this end we must be convinced of the nature and guilt of unbelief, as also of the nature and use of faith; nor without that conviction do we either know our own chiefest wants, or what to pray for as we ought. And that this is the especial work of the Holy Ghost, our Saviour expressly declares, John xvi. 9. 'He convinceth the world of sin, because they believe not on him.' I do, and must deny, that any one is or can be convinced of the nature and guilt of that unbelief, either in the whole or in the remainder of it, which the gospel condemneth, and which is the great condemning sin under the gospel, without an especial work of the Holy Ghost on his mind and soul. For unbelief, as it respecteth Jesus Christ, not believing in him, or not believing in him as we ought, is a sin against the gospel, and it is by the gospel alone that we may be convinced of it, and that as it is the ministration of the Spirit. Wherefore, neither the light of a natural conscience, nor the law, will convince any one of the guilt of unbelief with respect unto Jesus Christ, nor instruct them in the nature of faith in him. No innate notions of our minds, no doctrines of the law will reach hereunto. And to think to teach men to pray, or to help them out in praying, without a sense of unbelief, or the remainders of it in its guilt and power, the nature of faith with its necessity, use, and efficacy, is to say unto the naked and the hungry, Be ye warmed and filled; and not give them those things that are needful to the body. This, therefore, belongs unto the work of the Spirit, as a spirit of supplication. And let men tear and tire themselves night and day, with a multitude of prayers, if a work of the Spirit of God, in teaching the nature and guilt of unbelief, the nature, efficacy, and use of faith in Christ Jesus, go not with it, all will be lost and perish. And yet it is marvellous to consider how little mention of these things occurreth in most of those compositions, which have been published to be used as forms of prayer. They are generally omitted in such endeavours, as if they were things wherein Christians were very little concerned. The gospel positively and frequently determines the present acceptation of men with God, or their disobedience, with their future salvation and condemnation according unto their faith or unbelief. For their obedience or disobedience are infallible consequents thereon. Now if things that are

of the greatest importance unto us, and whereon all other things, wherein our spiritual estate is concerned, do depend, be not a part of the subject matter of our daily prayer, I know not what deserveth so to be.

2. The matter of our prayer respects the depravation of our natures and our wants on that account. The darkness and ignorance that is in our understandings, our unacquaintedness with heavenly things, and alienation from the life of God thereby, the secret workings of the lusts of the mind under the shades and covert of this darkness; the stubbornness, obstinacy, and perverseness of our wills by nature, with their reluctancies unto, and dislike of things spiritual, with innumerable latent guiles thence arising, all keeping the soul from a due conformity unto the holiness of God, are things which believers have an especial regard unto in their confessions and supplications. They know this to be their duty, and find by experience, that the greatest concernment between God and their souls, as to sin and holiness, do lie in these things. And they are never more jealous over themselves, than when they find their hearts least affected with them. And to give over treating with God about them, for mercy in their pardon, for grace in their removal, and the daily renovation of the image of God in them thereby, is to renounce all religion, and all designs of living unto God.

Wherefore, without a knowledge, a sense, à due comprehension of these things, no man can pray as he ought, be'cause he is unacquainted with the matter of prayer, and knows not what to pray for. But this knowledge we cannot attain of ourselves. Nature is so corrupted, as not to understand its own depravation. Hence some absolutely deny this corruption of it, so taking away all necessity of labouring after its cure, and the renovation of the image of God in us. And hereby they overthrow the prayers of all believers, which the ancient church continually pressed the Pelagians withal. Without a sense of these things I must profess, I understand not how any man can pray. And this knowledge, as was said, we have not of ourselves. Nature is blind, and cannot see them; it is proud, and will not own them; stupid, and is senseless of them. It is the work of the Spirit of God alone, to give us a due conviction of, a spiritual insight into, and sense of, the concernment of these

things. This I have elsewhere so fully proved, as not here again to insist on it.

It is not easy to conjecture, how men pray, or what they pray about, who know not the plague of their own hearts. Yea, this ignorance, want of light into, or conviction of the depravation of their nature, and the remainders thereof, even in those that are renewed, with the fruits, consequents, and effects thereof, is the principal cause of men's barrenness in this duty, so that they can seldom go beyond what is prescribed unto them. And they can thence also satisfy themselves with a set or frame of well-composed words, wherein they might easily discern that their own condition and concernment are not at all expressed, if they were acquainted with them. I do not fix measures unto other men, nor give bounds unto their understandings; only I shall take leave to profess for my own part, that I cannot conceive or apprehend how any man doth or can know what to pray for as he ought, in the whole compass and course of that duty, who hath no spiritual illumination enabling him to discern in some measure the corruption of his nature, and the internal evils of his heart. If men judge the faculties of their souls to be undepraved, their minds free from vanity, their hearts from guile and deceit, their wills from perverseness and carnality, I wonder not on what grounds they despise the prayers of others, but should do so to find real, humiliation and fervency in their own.

Hereunto I may add the irregularity and disorder of our affections. These I confess are discernible in the light of nature, and the rectifying of them, or an attempt for it, was the principal end of the old philosophy. But the chief respect that on this principle it had unto them, is, as they disquiet the mind, or break forth into outward expressions, whereby men are defiled, or dishonoured, or distressed. So far natural light will go, and thereby in the working of their consciences, as far as I know, men may be put to pray about them. But the chief depravation of the affections lies in their aversation unto things spiritual and heavenly.

They are indeed sometimes ready of themselves to like things spiritual under false notions of them, and divine worship under superstitious ornaments and meretricious dresses, in which respect they are the spring and life of all that devo

tion which is in the church of Rome. But take heavenly and spiritual things in themselves with respect unto their proper ends, and there is in all our affections, as corrupted, a dislike of them, and aversation unto them, which variously act themselves, and influence our souls unto vanities and disorders in all holy duties. And no man knows what it is to pray, who is not exercised in supplications for mortifying, changing, and renewing of these affections as spiritually irregular. And yet is it the Spirit of God alone which discovereth these things unto us, and gives us a sense of our concernment in them. I say, the spiritual irregularity of our affections, and their aversation from spiritual things, is discernible in no light, but that of supernatural illumination. For if, without that, spiritual things themselves cannot be discerned, as the apostle assures us they cannot, 1 Cor. ii. it is impossible that the disorder of our affections with respect unto them should be so. If we know not an object in the true nature of it, we cannot know the actings of our minds towards it. Wherefore, although there be in our affections an innate universal aversation from spiritual things, seeing by nature we are wholly alienated from the life of God, yet can it not be discerned by us in any light but that which discovers these spiritual things themselves unto us. Nor can any man be made sensible of the evil and guilt of that disorder, who hath not a love also implanted in his heart unto those things, which it finds obstructed thereby. Wherefore the mortification of these affections and their renovation with respect unto things spiritual and heavenly, being no small part of the matter of the prayers of believers, as being an especial part of their duty, they have no otherwise an acquaintance with them, or sense of them, but as they receive them by light and conviction from the Spirit of God. And those who are destitute hereof must needs be strangers unto the life and power of the duty of prayer itself.

As it is with respect unto sin, so it is with respect unto God and Christ, and the covenant, grace, holiness, and privileges. We have no spiritual conceptions about them, no right understanding of them, no insight into them, but what is given us by the Spirit of God. And without an acquaintance with these things, what are our prayers, or what do they signify? Men without them may say on to the world's