Ouranos kai tartaros= heaven and hell epitomized. The true Christian characterized. As also an…

It were easy to instance how fiery and fervent the children of God, in whom was this spirit of God (which is compared to fire) have been in their supplications: look Gen. 32.24, 25. Psal. 5. Ps. 77. Ps. 88. Jacob wrestled with God, and would not let him go, unless he blessed him; Christ seemed willing to shake him off; Let me go, saith Christ: I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me, saith Jacob. My limbs may go, my life may go, but no going for thee without a pawn, without a blessing. Thus indeed doth the seed of Jacob seek the face of their God, and thence are called Israelites; for as Princes they have power with God, and prevail, Gen. 32.26, 27. And this is the difference betwixt the prayer of a living and a dead Christian, the prayer of the former is instant and fervent, not discouraged, but rather increasing by opposition; as lime by water cast upon it burneth the hotter, (see Matth. 15.22. and 25.27.) the ⟨p. 166⟩latter is flat and indifferent, easily put off, though it be with a crumb instead of a crown, with a bubble, a butterfly, instead of the everlasting fruition of God. Any temporal good is satisfying to them that have no true spiritual good in them, Psal. 4.5. And the reason is clear, the breath of a pair of bellows is cold, because it doth not proceed from a living principle within, but the breath of a man is warm, because it cometh from a principle of life within; so the prayer, the breath of an hypocrite is cold, because it doth not flow from the spirit of God, the only inward principle of spiritual life; but the prayer, the breath of a sincere Saint is warm, is fervent, because it proceedeth from this living principle, the spirit of Christ within. Indeed the Christian knoweth not how to pray as he ought, but the spirit helpeth his infirmities with sighs and groanings, which cannot be uttered,