that cannot be uttered; and he that fearcheth the Heart knoweth what is the Mind of the Spirit, because he maketh Interceffion for the Saints according to the Will of God.

It is plain that he is here fpeaking of thofe that had the First-Fruits of the Spirit; that is, were endowed with extraordinary Gifts, fuch as we have been all this while fpeaking of. This appears from the 23d Verfe, and therefore it is moft likely that the Spirit's helping their Infirmities and making Interceffion for them, which is extraordinary exciting and directing fome particular Perfons to put up Prayers for the Congregation, and infpiring them with ftrong Defires and earnest Groans after fuch and fuch things; which tho' they could not fully comprehend the Meaning of, yet God who knew the Mind of the Spirit, faw that they were for the Good of the Church.

Thus I am fure St. Chryfoftom (the best Interpreter of Scripture of all the Ancients) expounds the Place, whofe Words because they are remarkable, and give a clear Ac count of the Text, I fhall tranflate to you.

Having named this Text, he tells us, "That it was a very obfcure Paffage, be"caufe many of thofe Miracles which

ચંદ

were done in the time when St. Paul "wrote that Epiftle, were now ceafed in "the World. Therefore (faith he in "order to the opening the Senfe of this VOL. IV:

I

Place,

place, it will be neceffary to acquaint you with the State of Things at that Time. "Now what was that? Why God be"ftowed feveral Gifts on all thofe that "undertook the Profeffion of Chriftia"nity; which Gifts were alfo call'd by "the Name of the Spirit. One, for in"ftance, obtained the Gift of Prophecy, "and did foretel future Events; another "had the Gift of Wisdom, and inftructed "the People; another had the Gift of "Healing, and he cured the Sick; ano"ther had the Gift of Power, and he "raised the Dead; another had the Gift of "Tongues, and he fpake in feveral Lan

guages. Moreover, with all these there << was a Gift of Prayer, which is also called "by the Name of the Spirit; and he that "had this prayed for all the Multitude. "For, because, not knowing many of "thofe Things which are good for us, we "defire thofe that are not, (as it is faid "here we know not what to pray for as << we ought) The Gift of Prayer came up

on fome Man; and he ftood up in the "Name of all to defire that which was

good for the Church in common, and "taught others to do it. And he that

“

was thought worthy of this Gift, stood "with much Compunction, and many "Groans, (fuch as proftrate a Man's Mind "before God) and asked thofe Things that

were for the publick Benefit ; corre

fpondent

"fpondent whereunto in our Time is the "Minifter of the Congregation, when he "offers to God the Prayers for the People." Thus far St. Chryfoftom.

But now taking all this for granted, that Men in those Days, efpecially the publick Minifters of the Church, were thus imme diately infpired by the Holy Ghoft in their Prayers for the Congregation; yet it doth not from hence follow, that any Chriftian now, either is fo infpired, or ought to expect it. For this you fee was one of the Charifmata, one of the Spiritual Gifts pecu-liar to that Age; and there is not the fame Reason that it fhould be vouchfafed now: And if any one would make us believe he is endowed with fuch a Gift, he ought in reafon to give us Evidence of his having fome of the other Gifts that were then common in the Church: If he can infallibly expound all difficult Paffages of Scripture, or read the Hebrew Bible in his MotherTongue, having yet never learn'd that Language; then we may be inclined to believe that he can pray by the Spirit, as those Apoftolical Perfons did.

But what then is the Senfe of St. Paul when he bids you not to quench the Spirit? 1 Theff. 5. 19. Is not this a Command that concerns all Chriftians? And is not the Meaning of it that they should not stifle the Infpiration of the Spirit, when they

are at Prayers by any fet Form, but freely fpeak as the Spirit gives them Utterance.

I answer, that this Text alfo refers to those extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit we have been all this while fpeaking of; as appears by the Precept which follows after it, Quench not the Spirit, defpife not Prophefyings. And therefore it doth no way concern us otherwife than by way of Accommodation; and the plain Sense of it is no more than this, that thofe Chriftians, whom God had bleffed with thofe miraculous Powers, whether they were the Gifts of Healing, or of Tongues, or any of the reft, they fhould be very careful that they did not, either by their carelefs Life, or their Neglect to make use of them to good Purpofes, occafion God's withdrawing of them: For if they made an ill Ufe, or no use of them, he that gave them would take them away; that heavenly Fire of the Spirit would, by these means, be extinguished in their Hearts.

And thus much let it fuffice to have spoken on the first Point, which I have been the longer upon, for the fake of explaining thofe Texts of Scripture which have moved fo many Scruples in Mens Minds.

Secondly, I now come to the fecond Point, which is this; that that which we now-a-days are used to call praying by the Spirit, that is, the conceiving Prayers on a fudden, without Study or Premeditation,

and expreffing our Conceptions with great Fluency, and Movingnefs of Speech and Action, is not often, as we are apt to take it, the immediate Effect of the Spirit of God, and Infpiration; but, generally fpeaking, the Work of Art or Industry, or the prefent Heat of a Man's Head.

Far am I here from difparaging the Gift of voluntary and Extemporary Prayer, or crying down the Ufe of it: It is certainly, as all other Accomplishments that a Man has, the very Gift of God, and great Benefit may redound both to a Man's felf and others, by a prudent and discreet Ufe of it. And much farther am I from denying the Neceffity of the Holy Spirit's Concurrence or Affiftance in our Prayers; on the contrary, I believe that whofoever is not affifted by the Spirit when he prays, cannot pray as he ought to do, and I doubt not but both those that pray in a Form, and without one, if they be pious good Perfons, are affifted by the Spirit when they pray. But this I fay, the Faculty of praying plaufibly, fluently, and movingly, in an Extemporary Way, if we confider it in it felf, is not in these Days an inspired Gift; but rather a Gift of Nature, or an Acquifition of Art, or rather, to speak properly, a Gift acquired by Art in a Person that has a Nature and Genius fitted for it. My Reafons for this are very briefly these :