A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief…

Thirdly, He alone guides and directs Believers ⟨p. 83⟩to pray, or ask for any thing in order unto right and proper Ends. For there is nothing so excellent in it self, so useful unto us, so acceptable unto God, as the matter of Prayer, but it may be vitiated, corrupted, and Prayer it self be rendered vain, by an application of it unto false or mistaken Ends. And that in this case we are relieved by the Holy Ghost, it is plain in the Text under consideration. For helping our infirmities, and teaching us what to pray for as we ought, he maketh Intercession for us according unto God, that is his mind or his will, v. 27. This is well explained by Origen on the Place, Velut si magister suscipiens ad Rudiment a Discipulum, & ignorantem penitus literas, ut eum docere possit & instituere, necesse habet inclindre se ad Discipuli rudimenta, & ipse prius dicere nomen literae, ut respondendo discipulus discat, & sit quodammodo Magister incipienti Discipulo similis, ea loquens & ea meditans, quae incipiens loqui debeat ac meditari; It a & Sanctus Spiritus, ubi oppugnationibus carnis perturbari nostrum Spiritum viderit, & nescientem quid orare debeat secundum quod oportet, ipse velut Magister orationem praemittit, quam noster spiritus (si tamen Discipulus esse Sancti Spiritus desiderat) prosequatur, ipse ⟨p. 84⟩gemitus ossert quibus noster spiritus discat ingemiscere, ut repropitiet sibi Deum. To the same purpose speaks Damascene, lib. 4. Ch. 3. and Austin in sundry places collected by Bede in his Comment on this. He doth it in us, and by us, or enableth us so to do. For the Spirit himself without us, hath no Office to be performed immediately towards God, nor any Nature inferior unto the Divine, wherein he might intercede. The whole of any such Work with respect unto us, is incumbent on Christ, he alone in his own Person performeth what is to be done with God for us. What the Spirit doth, he doth in and by us. He therefore directs and enableth us to make Supplications according to the mind of God. And herein God is said to know the mind of the Spirit, that is, his end and design in the matter of his requests. This God knows, that is, approves of and accepts. So it is the Spirit of God who directs us as to the design and end of our Prayers, that they may find Acceptance with God.

Thirdly, He alone gides and directs Believers ⟨p. 83⟩