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

It may be, the Prayers composed by some Holy men under the Old Testament by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost for the use of the Church, will be also pretended. But as the Inspiration or Assistance which they had in their Work was a thing quite of another kind than any thing that is ordinarily promised, or that any Persons can now pretend unto; so whether they were dictated unto them by the Holy Ghost to be used afterwards by others as mere Forms of Prayer, may be yet farther enquired into.

It may be, the Prayers composed by some Holy men under the Old Testament by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost for the use of the Church, will be also pretended. But as the Inspiration or Assistance which they had in their Work was a thing quite of another kind than any thing that is ordinarily promised, or that any Persons can now pretend unto; so whether they were dictated unto them by the Holy Ghost to be used afterwards by others as meer Forms of Prayer, may be yet farther enquired into.

The great Plea for some of these external Aids of Prayer, is by this one Consideration utterly removed out of the way. It is said that some of these Prayers were prepared by great and Holy men, Martyrs it may be some of them, for the Truth of the Gospel and Testimony of Jesus. And indeed had any men in the World a Promise of especial Assistance by the Spirit of God in such a Work, I should not contend but the Persons intended were as likely to partake of that Assistance, as any others in these latter Ages. Extraordinary supernatural Inspiration they had not; And the Holy ⟨p. 217⟩Apostles who were always under the Influence and Conduct of it, never made use of it unto any such purpose, as to prescribe Forms of Prayer, either for the whole Church or single Persons. Whereas therefore, there is no such especial Promise given unto any, this Work of composing Prayer, is foreign unto the Duty of Prayer, as unto any Interest in the gracious Assistance which is promised thereunto, however it may be a common Duty and fall under the help and Blessing of God in general. So some men from their acquaintance with the matter of Prayer above others, which they attain by spiritual Light, Knowledge and Experience, and their Comprehension of the Arguments which the Scripture directs unto, to be used and pleaded in our Supplications, may set down and express a Prayer, that is, the matter and outward Form of it, that shall declare the substance of things to be prayed for, much more accommodate to the conditions, wants and desires of Christians, than others can who are not so clearly enlightened as they are, nor have had the Experience which they have had For those Prayers, as they are called, which men without such Light and Experience compose of phrases and Expressions gathered up from