Dr. Smaldridge, bishop of Bristol, has the following expressions in his sermons:  “Prayer doth not consist either in the bending of our knees, or the service of our lips, or the lifting up of our hands or eyes to heaven, but in the elevation of our souls towards God.  These outward expressions of our inward thoughts are necessary in our public, and often expedient in our private devotions; but they do not make up the essence of prayer, which may truly and acceptably be performed, where these are wanting.”

And he says afterwards, in other parts of his work—­“Devotion of mind is itself a silent prayer, which wants not to be clothed in words, that God may better know our desires.  He regards not the service of our lips, but the inward disposition of our hearts.”

Monro, before quoted, speaks to the same effect, in his Just Measures of the Pious Institutions of Youth.  “The breathings of a recollected soul are not noise or clamour.  The language in which devotion loves to vent itself, is that of the inward man, which is secret and silent, but yet God hears it, and makes gracious returns unto it.  Sometimes the pious ardours and sensations of good souls are such as they cannot clothe with words.  They feel what they cannot express.  I would not, however, be thought to insinuate, that the voice and words are not to be used at all.  It is certain that public and common devotions cannot be performed without them; and that even in private, they are not only very profitable, but sometimes necessary.  What I here aim at is, that the youth should be made sensible, that words are not otherwise valuable than as they are images and copies of what passes in the hidden man of the heart; especially considering that a great many, who appear very angelical in their devotions, if we take our measures of them from their voice and tone, do soon, after these intervals of seeming seriousness are over, return with the dog to the vomit, and give palpable evidences of their earthliness and sensuality; their passion and their pride.”

Again—­“I am persuaded, says he, that it would be vastly advantageous for the youth, if care were taken to train them up to this method of prayer; that is, if they were taught frequently to place themselves in the divine presence, and there silently to adore their Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  For hereby they would become habitually recollected.  Devotion would be their element; and they would know, by experience, what our blessed Savour and his great Apostle meant, when they enjoin us to pray without ceasing.  It was, I suppose, by some such method of devotion as I am now speaking of, that Enoch walked with God; that Moses saw him that is invisible; that the royal Psalmist set the Lord always before him; and that our Lord Jesus himself continued whole nights in prayer to God.  No man, I believe, will imagine that his prayer, during all the space in which it is said to have continued, was altogether vocal.  When he was in his agony in the garden, he used but a few words.  His vocal prayer then consisted only of one petition, and an act of pure resignation thrice repeated.  But I hope all will allow, that his devotion lasted longer than while he was employed in the uttering a few sentences.”