Tertullian

“ So the prayer composed by Christ has been composed of three parts. In speech, [5] by which prayer is enunciated, in spirit, by which alone it prevails, even John had taught his disciples to pray, [6] but all John’s doings were laid as groundwork for Christ, until, when “He had increased”—just as the same John used to fore-announce “that it was needful” that “He should increase and himself decrease” [7] —the whole work of the forerunner passed over, together with his spirit itself, unto the Lord. ”

“ The Spirit of God, and the Word of God, and the Reason of God—Word of Reason, and Reason and Spirit of Word—Jesus Christ our Lord, namely, who is both the one and the other, [2] —has determined for us, the disciples of the New Testament, a new form of prayer ”

“ Further, since wisdom succeeded in the following precept, let it in like manner appertain unto faith, and the modesty of faith, that we think not that the Lord must be approached with a train of words, who, we are certain, takes unsolicited foresight for His own. ”