Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

First, He experiments it in the Assistances of the Holy Spirit; which is as Gales to the Sails of Prayer in its Voyage to Heaven; and as holy Fire to the Incense of it, causing it to ascend to the Throne of Grace. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, Rom. 8.26. [Greek or Hebrew], It lifts over against us, or helps us to lift up a Prayer, which else would be too heavy for us. Whilst the Believer is a-praying, O what heavenly meltings are there! The Believer is like Ephraim, bemoaning himself; or as the Children of Israel at Mizpeh, lamenting after the Lord, and pouring out water, as if their eyes were turned into Fountains of penitential tears; or as the man in ⟨p. 369⟩the Gospel, crying out with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; Catching at Mercy with an hand trembling at his own Infirmity. Such meltings and spiritual mournings over Sin, plainly show, That the Spirit of Grace and Supplication is poured out upon the Prayer; making it, like the bruised Incense, full of fragrancy, breathing out from a broken heart, dissolved into tears by the beams of Gods Love. And in this Evangelical thaw, What Divine enlargements are there! The heart is no longer in the Straits of Sin and Earth, but opened and expanded towards Heaven. Ere the praying Believer is a ware, his Soul sets him on the wheels, and his lips drop as the honey-comb; if not in the very entrance of the Duty, yet in the progress of it. The Psalmist in the beginning of the 38th Psalm, seems cold and frozen in Unbelief; Gods arrows stick fast in him, his hand presseth him sore, the iniquities are too heavy, the wounds stink and are corrupt; There are nothing but bowings, breaches, and miserable roarings: But before he hath done praying, his heart recovers again, In thee, O Lord, do I hope; thou wilt hear, O Lord my God, ver. 15. Sometimes at first there is a Cloud and dark Eclipse upon the Prayer; and yet a little after, Grace breaks forth with its Sunny beams, and draws out the heart towards God, They looked unto him and were lightened, as David speaks, Psal. 34.5; or as the words may be read, they looked unto him and flowed; their hearts were ⟨p. 370⟩as a River running out with spiritual fluency and enlargements; such as are a real proof that the free Spirit is in the Prayer; and withal, What an heavenly ardour is there? While I was musing the fire burned, saith David,