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

This Gift or Ability, as all others of the like nature, may be considered either as to the Habit, or as to the external Exercise of it. And those who have received it in the Habit, have yet experience of great variety in the Exercise, which in natural and moral habits, where the same preparations proceed, doth not usually appear. For as the Spirit of Grace is free, and acts arbitrarily, with respect unto the Persons unto whom he communicates the Gift it self; for he divideth to every man as he will; so he acteth also as he pleases in the Exercise of those Gifts and Graces which he doth bestow. Hence Believers do sometimes find a greater Evidence of his gracious working in them in Prayer, or of his Assistance to pray, as also enlargement in Utterance, than at other times; for in both he breatheth and acteth as he pleaseth. These things are not their own, not absolutely in their own power, nor will either the Habitual Grace they have received, enable them to pray Graciously, nor their Gift of Utterance unto Edification, without his actual Excitation of that Grace and his Assistance in the Exercise of that Gift. Both the conceiving and utterance of our desires in an acceptable manner are ⟨p. 148⟩from him, and so are all spiritual enlargements in this Duty. Vocal Prayer whether private or public, whereof we speak, is the uttering of our Desires and Requests unto God; called The making of our Requests known unto him, Phil. 4. 6. This Utterance is a Gift of the Holy Ghost, so also is Prayer as to the manner of the performance of it by words in Supplication. And if any one say he cannot so pray suitable unto his own occasions, he doth only say, that he is a stranger to this Gift of the Holy Ghost, and if any one will not, by him it is despised. And if these things are denied by any, because they understand them not, we cannot help it.

This Gift or Ability, as all others of the like nature, may be considered either as to the Habit, or as to the external Exercise of it. And those who have received it in the Habit, have yet experience of great variety in the Exercise, which in natural and moral habits, where the same preparations preceed, doth not usually appear. For as the Spirit of Grace is free, and acts arbitrarily, with respect unto the Persons unto whom he communicates the Gift it self; for he divideth to every man as he will; so he acteth also as he pleases in the Exercise of those Gifts and Graces which he doth bestow. Hence Believers do sometimes find a greater Evidence of his gracious working in them in Prayer, or of his Assistance to pray, as also enlargment in Utterance, than at other times; for in both he breatheth and acteth as he pleaseth. These things are not their own, not absolutely in their own power, nor will either the Habitual Grace they have received, enable them to pray Graciously, nor their Gift of Utterance unto Edification, without his actual Excitation of that Grace and his Assistance in the Exercise of that Gift. Both the conceiving and utterance of our desires in an acceptable manner are