God, and sanctifying grace, the infallible testimony and effect of it. We must pray for them unsatisfiedly, not content with any thing else, nor without excellent degrees of them. David breaks out his ardent desires, 'O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes !' O that my soul may be baptized with the Holy Ghost as with fire, to purify and refine me from all my dross! That, as gold taken from the earth receives such a lustre from the fire, as if it were the fire's sole product;' so my renovation by the Spirit may be so entire, that all carnality shall be abolished!

Our prayers should be for our perseverance in well-doing. Perseverance is a most free gift of God; a new grace superadded to what we have received. Without it, we shall forsake God every hour. God promises to give the sanctifying Spirit as a permanent principle of holiness in his people, to cause them to walk in his statutes; but he declares, 'For this I will be enquired of by the house of Israel.' We must imitate Jacob, who wrestled with the angel, and would not let him go till he had blessed him. This is an emblem of fervent prayer, wherein we strive with the strength and sinews of our souls, and as it were offer violence to the King of heaven to bestow spiritual blessings

upon us.

Carnal men are intemperate, greedy and passionate, in their desires of temporal blessings; though reason, religion, and experience of their vanity, should regulate them. They are impatient and insatiable, and will bear no denial nor delay

without regret and reluctancy. But how remiss

"Nomen terræ in igni reliquit.” Tertull.-It left its name of earth in the furnace.

and cold are their desires for spiritual and eternal blessings! They invite a denial. Their prayers are defective in the principle. They do not understand the value of those blessings, nor their own want of them. Divine grace, the gift of God's saving mercy, the dear purchase of the sufferings of Christ, the precious fruit of his Holy Spirit, are of little price in their esteem. Our Saviour tells the Samaritan woman, 'If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that asketh thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.'

We are encouraged to be earnest and resolved suppliants for the graces of God's Spirit, because we are assured he is most willing to bestow them. Our Saviour sometimes encourages us from the resemblance of a father, who cannot so unnaturalize himself, and divest his tender affections, as to renounce his own offspring, and deny a child necessary food for his subsistence. Will he give him a stone for bread, or a serpent for a fish? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?' Sometimes he excites us to pray, and not to faint, from the parable of an incompassionate stranger; or of a judge who was overcome by importunity to afford relief to one in distress. God delights to hear and answer those prayers that are for his best blessings. When Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule his people, God was so pleased, that he gave him wisdom in an eminent degree, and as an accession, riches and honour. If we imitate Solomon in his prayer, we shall have his acceptance. St. James directs us, 'If any man want wisdom, let

him ask of God, who gives liberally and upbraideth not,' the wisdom to manage afflictions, that may be for his glory and our spiritual advantage. 'He gives liberally;' which either respects the affection of the giver, or the measure of the gift, or the repeated acts of giving: and upbraids not,' neither with their unworthiness, nor the frequency of their addresses. Liberality among men is a costly virtue. But few have a natural generosity, or Christian mercy and means to express and exercise it. The necessities of others do not affect men with so quick a sense, as the parting with their money to relieve them; as the balsam-tree does not drop its healing liquor, till the bark is cut. Sometimes the great number of suitors is a pretence to excuse from the exercise of bounty. None of these can be conceived of God. There is nothing more divine in the Deity and becoming his nature, than his inclination to do good. As the mother nourishes the child with her milk, with equal pleasure as the child draws it. God much more rejoices in doing good, than we in receiving it.

We are also assured of obtaining spiritual blessings by the intercession of the Mediator. The dignity of his person, who is higher than the heavens, the Son of the Father's love, and the merits of his obedience and sufferings, assure us of his power with God. He takes us by the hand, and brings us to the Father; he perfumes and presents our requests to obtain a favourable reception. When we are under impressions of fear, that God will deny our prayers for spiritual blessings, it is as if there were no love in the Mediator, nor prevalency in his mediation.

Besides, the Spirit of holiness is plenteously con

veyed under the dispensation of the gospel. The gift of the Spirit, in the richest degrees, was reserved as an honour to Christ upon his ascension.

"The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.' The blood of Christ was liberally shed, that the Spirit might be liberally poured forth. But the bestowing of the Spirit, was at the triumphant ascension of Christ. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men:' that is, from the Father, as the reward of his victory, that he might dispense them to men. The principal gift is the Holy Ghost, comprehensive of all good things. The promise is performed under the gospel, 'I will pour forth of my Spirit,' the Spirit of grace and supplication, upon all flesh.' There were some sprinklings of it under the law, and confined to a separate nation; but now showers are poured down upon all nations, to purify them, and make them fruitful in good works. The apostle declares the admirable efficacy of the gospel, The law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin and death.' The spirit of the fiery law, so called with respect to its original and operations, convinced of sin, and constrained conscience to inflict tormenting impressions on the soul, the presages of future judgment; but afforded no spiritual grace to obey it. Therefore it is said to be weak and unprofitable.' But the gospel conveys supernatural strength, to obtain supernatural happiness. It is foretold concerning the state of the church in the times of the gospel,' He that is feeble among them shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.' The Holy Spirit also directs our desires; and God 'knoweth

6

the mind of the Spirit, who makes intercession for us according to the will of God.' Christ is our Advocate in heaven, and the Spirit in our hearts; by inflaming our affections, and exciting in us filial trust in the divine mercy. They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength,' If we are impotent in resisting temptations, and in doing the will of God, when divine assistance is ready upon our desires to confirm us, our impotence is voluntary, and not only does not excuse us from consequent sin, but it is an antecedent sin. The sharpest reproof we read from our Saviour to his disciples was for their guilty impotence: Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?' He had given them power to heal diseases, and expel evil spirits, but they had not used the means of prayer and fasting, which was requisite for the exercise of that power. How justly do we deserve that stinging reproach, who, notwithstanding the gospel is the ministration of the Spirit, do not by continual fervent prayer apply ourselves to God, to partake of a rich abundance of grace from the Holy Spirit?

I shall only add, that as prayer is a means to obtain more grace by impetration, so by the exercise of grace in prayer, it is increased. Frequent prayer has a cleansing virtue. As those who often come into the king's presence to speak to him, are careful to be in decent habits, that they may not be disparaged in his sight; so those who draw near to God, will cleanse themselves from sin, that they may be prepared to appear before his Holy Majesty. Humility, faith, reverence, love, zeal, resignation to the divine will, compassion to the afflicted, and