Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Secondly, Adoption carries with it an excellent spirit of Prayer; Because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba father, Gal. 4.6. This praying Spirit is the breath of the New-creature, and as much excels all mere modes and gifts of Prayer, as a pair of natural Lungs doth artificial ones; others may pray artificially, and as it were mechanically, but the Adopted man prays naturally; without this Spirit all words and expressions in Prayer are but poor low things; like the Urim and Thummim made under the second Temple, by which the Jews could not tell how to ask counsel of God, because the holy Spirit was not present with it: In the Adopted that Spirit makes the Prayer issue forth with life and power; when the Blood and Merits of Christ plead above, and the holy Spirit makes intercession in the heart for the ⟨p. 245⟩same blessings, there is such a Harmony, that the Almighty sloops and bows down his car to it. Thus the sweet Singer, In waiting I waited for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and beard my cry, Psal. 40.1. God himself inclines and stoops down at the Prayer of Faith. Vacula Pater, that little word, Father, spoken in the heart is more than all the Eloquence of Cicero and Demosthenes, ¹saith Luther: No sooner doth the Child of Grace cry, but God says, Here am I, Isa. 58.9. as if he were always at hand to answer the request.

Secondly, Adoption carries with it an excellent spirit of Prayer; Because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba father, Gal. 4.6. This praying Spirit is the breath of the New-creature, and as much excels all meer modes and gifts of Prayer, as a pair of natural Lungs doth artificial ones; others may pray artificially, and as it were mechanically, but the Adopted man prays naturally; without this Spirit all words and expressions in Prayer are but poor low things; like the Ʋrim and Thummim made under the second Temple, by which the Jews could not tell how to ask counsel of God, because the holy Spirit was not present with it: In the Adopted that Spirit makes the Prayer issue forth with life and power; when the Blood and Merits of Christ plead above, and the holy Spirit makes intercession in the heart for the