I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also,…

O the cursed hypocrisy that is in most hearts, and that accompanieth many ⟨p. 39⟩thousands of praying men, that would be so looked upon in this day, and all for want of a sense of their misery! But now the Spirit, that will sweetly show the soul its misery, where it is, and what is like to become of it; also the intolerableness of that condition: For it is the Spirit that doth effectually convince of sin and misery, without the Lord Jesus, John 16. 7, 8, 9. and so puts the soul into a sweet, serious, sensible, affectionate way of praying to God according to his Word.

O the cursed hypocrisie that is in most hearts, and that accompanieth many ⟨p. 39⟩thousands of praying men, that would be so looked upon in this day, and all for want of a sence of their misery! But now the Spirit, that will sweetly shew the soul its misery, where it is, and what is like to become of it; also the intolerableness of that condition: For it is the Spirit that doth effectually convince of sin and misery, without the Lord Jesus, John 16. 7, 8, 9. and so puts the soul into a sweet, serious, sensible, affectionate way of praying to God according to his Word.

Fourthly, If men did see their sins, yet without the help of the Spirit, they would not pray: For they would run away from God, with Cain and Judas, and utterly despair of mercy, were it not for the Spirit. When a man is indeed sensible of his sin, and God's curse, then it is an hard thing to persuade him to pray; For saith his heart, There is no hope, It is in vain to seek God, Jer. 2. 25. Jer. 18. 12. I am so vile, so wretched, and so cursed a creature, that I shall never be regarded. Now here