CHAPTER IV. 173 When the Son of God saw is perishing in guilt and `misery, did he descend and relieve and save us by dying for us ? And when the Spirit of God beholds a poor creature willing to receive this reliefand salvation, and yet is afraid to venture into the pre- sence of an offended God ; why may he not give secret hints of encouragement, and draw out the addresses of the heart and lips to a God that is willing to pardon ? When he sees an humble sin- ner labouring and striving to break through temptations, to lay aside vain thoughts, to put carnal things far away from the mind, and to converse with God alone ; why may he not impress some divine thoughts upon him stir up devout and strong affections, make him surmount HS-difficulties, and raise him a little towards his heavenly Father ? Since he has given him faculties of memory, invention, and speech ; why may he not assist those faculties when directed towards himself, and make them swifter and warmer in their advances toward God ? To what purpose is The blessed Spirit mentioned so often in the New Testament as one that helps forward the salvation of men ? To what purpose does he sustain so many characters and offices inscripture ? and to what end is he so oftenpromised tochristians, to be with them, and dwell in them as a most glorious blessing of the gospel ; if he be not permitted to do so much as this in assistingmen to draw near to their Maker, and helping the children of God on earth, to converse with their Father which is in heaven Now, ifsuch condescensions as these are not unworthy of theblessed God, why should it be unworthy of aman or a christianto believe them and hope for them ? SECT. III. Cautions about the Influences of the Spirit. There are many practical cases that arise upon this subject, of the assistance of the Spirit of prayer, which exercise the thoughts of honest and pious persons. It is not my purpose here to enlarge in this way ; yet that I may preventor obviate some difficulties, I would lay down these few cautions : I. Do not believe all manner of impulses, or urgent impres- sions of the mind to go and pray, proceed' always from tho blessed Spirit. Sometimes the mere terrors of conscience, awakened under a sense of guilt and danger, will urge a natural man to get to prayer. So the sailors in Jonah's ship, when sur- prized with a storm, each of them fell a praying. Though the Spirit of God, in his own operations, wakes much use of the consciences of men to carry on his own work, yet when these in- ward impulses to pray arise merely from some affrightning pro- vidence, or sudden conviction, and torment' of mind, and thus drag us into the presence of God, without any assistance and strength to perform the duty, and without much regard to the success of the duty, we may justlyfear the holy Spirit of God
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