SERMON XLIV. 21 within us, to lead us into all needful truth, and incline our hearts with power to the practice of every duty, Wemust ask, that he would assist us, by his Spirit, in all the holy and devout exer- cises of our souls, and enable us to worship God the Father aright, through Jesus Christ, in all his own appointments. We are to pray, that the Spirit of God may preserve the divine seed of grace alive in our souls, that he may recover us whenever we go astray from God, and carryon his ownheavenly work in us to perfection. We must seek, and wait for the divine influençes, of this blessed Spirit continually, to give and to maintain holiness and comfort : And we must take the utmost religious care, lest at any time we grieve hire, and cause him to depart, by resisting his sacred influences : And thus, with a daily dependance on the grace of the Holy Spirit, we must perpetually approach nearer to God, both in the temper of our souls, and in holy converse with him, till our state of trial be finished, and till the work of holiness is complete im heaven. It is avery natural enquiry here, whether wemay directly address ourselves in prayer to the Son or the Spirit of God, to bestow these divine influences upon us? _ To which, I answer, that the scripture, which is indited by the Spirit himself, gene- rally instructsus to make God the Father the more direct object of ouraddresses in prayer, and to entreat the Father to bestow his Spirit on us, because it is he sustains the supreme dignity and majesty. of godhead, as the Lord and sovereign of all, as the prime Agent in our salvation, and prime object of worship. It ís the Father of lights, that is the giver of every goodand perfect gift; James i. 17. It is the Father that gives his Holy Spirit to them that ask it ; Luke xi. 13. It is the God, and Father of our LordJesus Christ, to whomSt. Paulbowed his knees, that hewould strengthen his saints, by his Spiritin the inner man ; Eph. iii. 16. And heprays that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation ; Eph. i. 17. It is evident, by the general current of scripture, both in its counsels and in its examples, that we are chiefly to seek the aids of the blessed Spirit, from God the Father, through the mediation of his Son Christ Jesus ; and doubtless, this always has been, and this will be, the most usual practice of christians, who make the word of God the rule and guide of their worship*. * As the Second Person is considered as vested with the office of Mediation, and the Holy Gnostt, as theSanctifier and Comforter, so God the Father is, in a peculiar manner the object ofour faith, love and worship. So Peter tells us ; I Pet. i. III. w Through Christ we believe in God." So writes Dr. Owen, in his Sermons lately published, and so all our divines practise in their holy istrations. B3
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