26 .2 S E R M O N S upon Serm. XXXVI. and devotions; and whatever their wards be, the working of their hearts are accord- ing to their uni'verfal bent and temper. 4. The holy fpirit of God, Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghofi. His affiftance is neceffary to prayer, not only to fan tifie our hearts, but to excite our delires, and diret our addreffes to God; fo that we areinabled and raifcd to perform this duty with more ardency and regularity, than we of our Elves could attain unto. A Cbriftian hath both fl,dh and fpirit in him; and they remain in him as active principles, always 'rifting a- gainft each other, Gal. 5. 17. In prayer we feel it, for the Saints fpeak fometimes in a mixt dialed, half the language of A/hdod, and half of Canaan, both of the flefh and of the fpirit ; only the one overruleth the other by the power of the Holy Ghoft ; take it in either property of prayer, confidence, or fervency of delire. t. For confidence, Jonah 2. 4. I fetid I are cafi out of thy fight; yet I ail look again to the holy Temple. There is a plain conflict between faith and unbelief; unbeliefs words is htit out,as if we were utterly reje&ed out of Gods care and favour; yet faith will not Puffer us to keep off from God, and therefore corre&s, and unfaith again, ,what unbelief had fà id before ; yet I will look again to thy holy Temple ; Try what God will do for me g fo Pfal. 94. t 8. When I faid, my foot flippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up: yet there is relief in God, when all their own confidence and courage faileth them. 2. In point of fervency; The flefh valueth, efleemeth, earnellly craveth temporal mer- cies ; fancieth a condition of health, wealth, liberty, and worldly conveniencies, as belt for us. We admire carnal happinefs, Pfal. t44. But the fpirit corre&s the judgement of the flefh: There is an higher and better happinefs, and that we should mainly leek after, and all our worldly interdts fhould be fùbordinated thereunto. Now'tis not meerly the fpirit;or new nature in us,which doth hold out in thefe conflicts, but the new nature affifted by the Spirit of God, who helpeth us in all our infirmities, and to whom Re- ligious manners fheweth we mull afcribe all that we have and do. All our faithand fervency cometh from him ; and without his of &fiance we fhould either fink under the difficulties, or be cold and carelefs in our requefts. 2. In what fenfe God is laid to know the mind of the fpirit r. By way of difiiníliou. 2. By way of approbation. t. By way of di iinPlion. God perfe&ly knoweth the mind and intention of thofe groans which the fpirit exciteth in his own children ; he knoweth what cometh from the natural, what from the carnal, what from the divine Spirit; to what principles thefe motions belong. For he weigheth the [pirita, Prov. 16. 2. That is, he doth fo ex- actly know them, as if they were put into a ballance; What principles , motives and aims we are a &ed by; and obferveth not only the matter of the prayer,but the difpofrtion of the petitioner; whether the frame of his heart be Chriflian and gofpel-like ; humble, holy, and heavenly ; or elfe it hath a carnal bias upon it. 2. He knoweth by way of approbation, that he doth'regard and accept the groans of the fpirit ; for words of knowledg imply allowance, refpe &, approbation ; as Pfal. i. 6. God knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked [hall perifh. Approveth, favoureth, profpereth, as the oppofite claufe manifefteth ; As Chrills not knowing the wicked, implieth their reje&ion, Matth. 7.23. So he knoweth the mind of the fpirit, he doth regard and accept of what is of the fpirit in prayer; The groans of be- lievers are more than the pompous petitions of hypocrites. 'Tis not lufcious eloquence which God regardeth, but ferious devotion; if there be holy breathings after commu- nion with him; If your prayers be not fenliefs, without a due feeling of your neceffi- ties and wants; nor heartlefs,without a delire of the graces and mercies you Rand in need of, God will accept you. 3. Why this is fach a comfort and benefit to the children of God. 1. Gods knowledge by way of diflinclion, between the moans of nature, and the groans of the fpirit. 1. Becaufe fometimes they do not [Peak in prayer, but join with others ; you make it your prayer, if you accompany it with your fighs .and groans. 'Tis not the fpeaker only, but all that confent by the ferious motions of their hearts. When the gifted prayed in the primitive Church, the i8su1s, the private Ierfon, we tranflate it, the unlearned wa
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=