the elders of the church in those times for the fick, which the apostle James speaks of'; Is any fick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over bim, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith fhall fave the fick, and the Lord fhall raise him up. Ordinary prayer is what is used in common in the church of God, in a religious family, or by a fingle perfon, at stated times; which, with David and Daniel under the Old Teftament, were three times a day ", evening, morning, and at noon; which practice is laudable enough to follow, provided no ftrefs is laid on the punctual performance of this duty at these precife times, and is not made the term and condition of our acceptance with God, and of our standing in his favour, which would be to reduce us to the covenant of works, enfnare our fouls, and bring us into a state of bondage. II. I come now to confider the manner in which the apostle was defirous of performing this duty. 1. With the Spirit. By the Spirit", fome understand no more than the human breath, or voice; and suppose, that the apostle's meaning is, that he would pray vocally, with an articulate voice, with distinct founds, fo as to be understood: perhaps fome paffages in this chapter, which may seem to favour this fenfe, might incline them to it; as when the apostle obferves, that things without life giving found, whether pipe or harp, except they give a diftinction in the founds, bow fhall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain found, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewife you, except ye utter by the tongue words eafy to be understood, bow shall it be known what is Spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them are without fignification; therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a Barbarian; and be that speaketh, a Barbarian unto me. But the apoftle here, by voice and diftinction in founds, does not intend a clear, distinct, articulate voice, but the mother-tongue, a known language, in oppofition to an unknown tongue and foreign language, not understood by the people. This fenfe of the words is mean, low, and trifling, as well as forced and ftrained. By the Spirit, rather is meant the extraordinary gift of the Spirit bestowed on the apostle and others, by which they spoke with divers tongues, and which James v. 14, 15. Pfal. lv. 17. Dan. vi. 10. Primafius, Gaignaeus & Erafmus in Eftius, in v. 14. Vide Bezam & Paracum in ibid. * Verses 7-11. he he determined to make use of, though in fuch a manner, as to be understood: He would not use it without an interpretation. This is the fenfe I have given of it already, and is the moft generally received fenfe of interpreters, and which may be confirmed by the ufe of the word in the context; as in ver. 2. He tha: Speake:b in an unknown tongue, Speaketh not unto men, but unto God, for no man understandeth him; howbeit, in the Spirit, that is, by exercising the extraordinary gift of the Spirit, he speaketh mysteries; and in ver. 14. If I pray in an unknown tongue, my Spirit prayeth, that is, I pray by virtue of the extraordinary gift of the Spirit, bestowed on me; but my understanding is unfruitful; I am of no use and service to thofe that hear me. So likewife in ver. 16. Elfe when thou shalt blefs with the Spirit, that is, when thou givest thanks in an unknown tongue, through the gift of the Spirit, how shall be that occupieth the room of the unlearned, fay, Amen, at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou fayeft? There is another fenfe of the phrafe, which I am unwilling to omit, and that is this: By praying with the Spirit, fome understand the apostle's own spirit, or his praying in a spiritual way, with a fpirit of devotion and fervency; and, indeed, in such a manner he performed every part of religious worship and service, whether preaching or praying, or any thing else: God is my witness, fays he', whom I ferve with my spirit, in the gospel of bis Son; which kind of service is most agreeable to the nature of God: He is a Spirit, and they that worship bim, must worship him in Spirit and in truth. And it becomes us to be fervent in fpirit, whilst we are ferving the Lord. Such a frame of foul, particularly in prayer, is most suitable to the work, most desirable to the faints, acceptable to God, and powerful with him; the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much. We may be faid to pray with our fpirits, or in a spiritual way, when we draw nigh to God with a true heart; or when we are enabled to lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens; people may draw near to him, as the Jews of old did', with their mouth, and with their lips honour him, and yet, at the same time, their heart may be removed far from him, and their fear towards him, be taught by the precept of men. It is one thing to have the gift of prayer, and another to have the grace of prayer, and that in exercise; it is one thing to pray with the mouth, and another to pray with the heart. Praying in a formal, graceless manner, is mere outside worship, lip-labour, bodily exercife, that profiteth nothing; nothing; it is ufelefs to men, and unacceptable to God, who accounts of it, and calls it no other than howling. Hence he fays of fome, They have not cried unto me with their hearts, when they bowled upon their beds. Spiritual fervent prayer is, more or lefs, performed in the exercife of the grace of faith; fuch who draw nigh to God with a true heart, fhould also in full affurance of faith. The apostle James directs to prayer in this way; If any of you, says he, lack wifdom, let him afk of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraid. eth not, and it shall be given him: But let him afk in faith, nothing wavering; for be that wavereth is like a wave of the fea, driven with the wind, and tossed; for Let not that man think, that be shall receive any thing of the Lord. We should not only have an affurance of faith, with respect to the object whom we address, which is abfolutely neceffary; For be that cometh to God, muft believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him; but alfo with respect to the things we pray for, when they are fuch which God has promifed, which he has laid up in his covenant, put into the hands of his Son, and, we know, are according to his revealed mind and will to give; all which is confiftent with that reverence and godly fear, by which we ferve God acceptably; with that humility which becomes fupplicants, and is grateful to God, who refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble; and with that fubmiffion and refignation of our wills to his will, in which Chrift is a glorious pattern to us, when he in prayer faid', Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. In a word, when we pray with our fpirits, or in a spiritual way, we not only lift up our hearts to God, and what we ask for, afk in faith, with a reverential, filial fear of the divine Majesty, in deep humility of foul, and with an entire fubmiffion to God's will; but also in the name and for the fake of our Lord Jefus Chrift; we do not prefent our fupplications to God for our righteoufneffes, but for the Lord's fake, and for his great mercies; we come not in our own name, but in Chrift's; we go forth not in our own ftrength, but in his; we make mention of his righteousness, and of his only; we plead the merits and efficacy of his blood; we bring his facrifice in the arms of our faith; we expect audience and acceptance upon his account alone, and that our petitions and requests will be heard and anfwered for his fake; and we leave them with him, who is our Advocate with the Father. This may be called true, spiritual, fervent, and effectual prayer. Prayer cannot be performed in fuch a manner, without the grace, influence, and affiftance of the Spirit of God. Some therefore think, that by the Spirit, in my text, is meant the Holy Spirit of God; and that praying with the SpiVOL. III. rit, Luke xxii. 42. • Hof, vii. 14. James i. 5-7• 4 E Heb. xi. 6. h rit, is the fame which the apostle Jude calls, praying in the Holy Ghoft. If we take the words in this fenfe, we are not to fuppofe that when the apostle fays, I will pray with the Spirit, that he imagined he could pray with the Holy Spirit, and under his influences when he pleased; his words must be confidered only as expreffive of the sense he had of the need of the Spirit of God in prayer, and of his earnest desires, after his gracious affistance in the performance of it. I have already obferved what place the Holy Ghost has in the work of prayer; he is the Author of it; he is the Spirit of grace and fupplications; the inditer of it, he forms it in the heart; the effectual fervent, py, the inspired, the inwrought prayer of a righteous man availeth much; that is, fuch prayer as is formed in the foul by the powerful energy of the Spirit of God, who puts things into the heart, and words into the mouth: Take with you words, and turn to the Lord; fay unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: He directs in the matter of prayer; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; he maketh interceffion for the faints, according to the will of God. And, indeed, who fo proper as he, who fearches the deep things of God, and perfectly knows his mind? he helps the faints under all their infirmities: when they are shut up in their fouls, and cannot come forth in prayer with liberty, he enlarges their hearts, and gives them freedom of foul, and liberty of fpeech, fo as they can pour out their fouls before God, and tell him all their mind: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Without him we cannot pray, either in faith or with fervency; nor can we call God our Father without him, the Spirit of adoption, or use that freedom with him, as children with a Father; but because ye are fons, fays the apostle', God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Perhaps it may be objected, that if the Spirit of God is fo abfolutely neceffary in prayer, then men ought not to pray, unless they have the Spirit, or are under the immediate influences of his grace. To which I answer, That prayer may be confidered as a natural duty; and as fuch is binding on all men, even on a natural man, deftitute of the Spirit, and ought to be, and may be, performed by him in a natural way; to which there is fomething analogous in the brute creatures, whofe eyes wait upon the Lord; And be giveth to the beaft his food, and unto the young ravens which cry". And we may obferve, that the apoftle Peter put Simon Magus upon prayer, though he was * James v. 16. J Gal. iv. 6. b Hof. xiv. 2. 2 Cor. iii. 17. in in a state of unregeneracy; Repent, fays he ", of this thy wickedness; and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. It is true, none but a fpiritual man can pray in a spiritual manner; but then the fpiritual man is not always under the gracious and powerful influences of the Spirit of God; he is sometimes deftitute of them, which feems to be David's cafe, when he faid, Caft me not away from thy presence, and take not thy boly Spirit from me : restore unto me the joy of thy falvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit; and yet we are to pray without ceafing, to pray always, and not faint. And one thing we are to pray for is the Spirit, to influence and affift us in prayer, and to work in us whatever is well pleafing in the fight of God: And we have reason to believe that fuch a petition will be heard and anfwered; for if earthly fathers know how to give good gifts unto their children, how much more fball our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him?? And, indeed, when we are in darkness and distress, without the light of God's countenance, the influences of his Spirit, and the communications of his grace, we have need of prayer most, and ought to be most constant at the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. This was David's practice'; Out of the depths, fays he, have I cried unto thee, O Lord; and fo it was Jonah's, when he was in the belly of hell, and faid, I am caft out of thy fight; yet, fays he, I will look again towards thy holy temple: And he adds, When my foul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. And fo it was the practice of the church in Afaph's time; who, under darkness and distress, faid', Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? But I proceed, 2. To obferve that the apoftle is defirous of performing this duty of prayer, with the understanding also, that is, in a language that may be understood by others; for, as he obferves in ver. 9. except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? And for his own part, he declares, in ver. 19. he had rather speak five words in the church with his understanding, that by his voice he might teach others alfo, than ten thouJand words in an unknown tongue. This condemns the practice of the Papists, who pray in a language not understood by the people. Or to pray with the understanding, is to pray with the understanding illuminated by the Spirit of God, or to pray with an experimental fpiritual understanding of things. A man may ufe many words in prayer, and put up a great many petitions, and yet have no favoury experience, or fpiritual underftanding 4 € 2 |