Secondly, With confidence. When w^e come in a childlike manner, and call God Father , Eom. viii. 16, ' We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' Usually, we do not mind this part of the Spirit's help in prayer ; we look to gifts and enlarge- ments, but not to this childlike confidence, that we may be able to call God Father without blasphemy and reproach. It is an easy matter to language it with our mouths, but to have the sense of our adoption in our hearts is a difficult thing. Sometimes the Spirit witnesseth it more explicitly by expressions ; as if it were said when we go to prayer, Be of good cheer, thy sins are pardoned, God is thy God. At other times, by impressions or more secret instincts ; if not by working child- like confidence, yet chiklHke affection, optando, si non affirmando, that we may call God Father by option and choice, if not by direct affirma- tion, or a clear sense of our adoption.
Thirdly, With reverence. That we may be serious and awe-full, God is best seen in the light of his own Spirit. The heathens could say, No7i loquendum de Deo sine lumine — we need light from God when we come to speak of or to God. That sense of the Lord's greatness, and those fresh and awful thoughts that we have of his majesty in prayer, they are stirred up in us by the Holy Ghost ; he uniteth and gathereth our hearts together, that they may not be ravelled and flittered abroad by impertinent and vain thoughts, Ps, Ixxxvi. 11. Leave men to themselves, and they will do as foolishly as a man that is to gather a posy for his friend, and filleth it fuller of stinking weeds than flowers. We shall mingle many unsavoury worldly thoughts, or deal as basely and afiProntingly w^ith God as if a man under the law should mingle sulphur and brimstone with the sweet perfumes that were in the censer. Lust will be interposing in prayer, and out-talking grace; therefore, that we may be reverent and heedful, we must use the help of the Spirit, ' praying in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance,' Eph. vi. 18,
1, Well, then, when thou goest to prayer, look upon the Holy Ghost as appointed by the Father and purchased by the Son to help thee in this sweet and comfortable service : Kom. viii. 26, ' The Spirit helpeth our infirmities,' avpavTiXdju^/Saverat, goeth to the other end of the staff and beareth a part of the burden. We are tugging and wrestling at it, and can make no work of it, but the Spirit cometh, and puts under his shoulder, and then it cometh off kindly.
2, It informeth us how much they sin that are so far from praying with the Holy Ghost, that they do not pray with their own spirit. Alas ! this is but babbling, when the heart doth not go along with the lips. ^
3, It informeth us of the privileges of the saints. God is their
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father, willing to hear prayers ; Christ is their advocate, willing to present their requests in court ; and the Spirit a notary to indite and draw up their requests for them. Oh ! what encouragement have we to go to the throne of grace ! Surely we do not improve our privileges, or else we might have more comfortable access to the Father through Christ by the Spirit, Eph. ii. 18.
Ver. 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
The apostle goeth on directing to the means of perseverance. As before he mentioned two duties, conference and prayer, so here two graces, love and hope.
Keep yourselves ; that is, use the means : ' We are kept by the power of God unto salvation ; ' but because of the concurrence of our endeavours, it is ascribed to us, yourselves. Some interpret it as be- fore, alii alios, keep one another. In the love of God. It may be taken for that love which God beareth to us, or else for the love wherewith we love God, which is fitly called the love of God, partly because God is the object of it, partly because the author of it, he commandeth or begetteth it, increaseth it, perfecteth it in the soul. In this second sense I take the love of God here, namely, for that grace wrought in us ; and the great work committed to our care is to keep it, increase it, and discover it in all the operations of it. Looking, the formal act of hope ; for the mercy. The cause is put for the effect. For all that good which we shall receive at Christ's coming, it is called mercy, because his proceeding with the elect at the last day will be upon terms of grace. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is so called because it is pur- chased by Christ, and dispensed by him : John xvii. 2, he hath ' power to give eternal life ; ' and at his coming he introduceth his people into their happy estate, John xiv. 3. Unto everlasting life. Our happiness in heaven is sometimes called ' everlasting life,' at other times ' ever- lasting glory.' Observe hence: —