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

Having described or given an account of the Gift of Prayer, and the use of it in the Church of God, and the Nature of the Work of the Spirit therein; it will be necessary to consider briefly what is by some set up in Competition with it, as a more Excellent way in this part of Divine Worship. And in the first place Mental Prayer as described by some devout persons of the Church of Rome, is preferred above it. They call it pure spiritual Prayer, or a quiet repose of Contemplation; that which excludes all Images of the Fancy, and in time all perceptible actuations of the Understanding, and is exercised in single Elevations of the Will, without any force at all, yet with admirable Efficacy; and to dispose a Soul for such Prayer there is previously required an entire Calmness and even Death of the Passions, a perfect purity in the spiritual affections of the will, and an entire abstraction from all Creatures, Cressy Church Hist. Pref. parag. 42, 43.

HAving described or given an account of the Gift of Prayer, and the use of it in the Church of God, and the Nature of the Work of the Spirit therein; it will be necessary to consider briefly what is by some set up in Competition with it, as a more Excellent way in this part of Divine Worship. And in the first place Mental Prayer as described by some devout persons of the Church of Rome, is preferred above it. They call it pure spiritual Prayer, or a quiet repose of Contemplation; that which excludes all Images of the Fancy, and in time all perceptible actuations of the Understanding, and is exercised in single Elevations of the Will, without any force at all, yet with admirable Efficacy; and to dispose a Soul for such Prayer there is previously required an entire Calmness and even Death of the Passions, a perfect purity in the spiritual affections of the will, and an entire abstraction from all Creatures, Cressy Church Hist. Pref. parag. 42, 43.

1. The Truth is, I am so fixed in a dislike of that mere outside formal course of reading or singing Prayers, which is in use in the Roman Church (which though in Mr. Cressy's esteem, it have a show of a very civil Conversation with God, yet is it indeed accompanied with the highest contempt of his infinite purity and all Divine Excellencies) and do so much more abhor that Magical incantation which many among them use in the Repetition of Words which they understand not, or of applying what they repeat, to another End than what the words signify, as saying so many Prayers for such an End or purpose, whereof it may be there is not one word of mention in the Prayers themselves; that I must approve of any search after a real internal intercourse of Soul with God in this Duty. But herein men must be careful of two things: (1.) That they assert not what they can fancy, but what indeed in some measure they have an Experience of. For men to conjecture what others do experience (for they can do no more) and thence to form Rules or Examples of Duty, is dangerous always, and may be pernicious unto those who shall follow such Instructions. And herein this Author fails, and gives