Secondlij, I come now to the second thing — God 'knoweth the mind of the Spirit.'
Doct. That it is a comfort to God's children that the Lord knoweth what kind of spirit is working in prayer.
Here I shall do three things —
1. Show the different spirit that worketh in prayer.
2. In what sense God is said to know the mind of the Spirit.
3. Why this is such a comfort to God's children.
1. The different spirit that may work in prayer. I shall take notice of a fourfold spirit —
[1.] The natural spirit of a man, seeking its own welfare, which is not a sin ; for God put it into us ; and such an inclination there was in Christ himself : Mat. xxvi. 39, ' 0 my Father ! if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt ;' and John xii. 27, 28, ' Father, save me from this hour ; but for this cause came 1 to this hour.' There was the innocent desire of his human nature to be freed from the burden ; but his greater respect to God's glory and the public benefit of mankind made him submit to it. His human nature was to show a reasonable aversation from what was
250 SKKMONS UPON KOMANS VIII. [SeR. XXXVI.
destructive to it; but his resolved will was to submit to God, and overcome all impediments. Take the instance lower. Nature prompted Paul to ask freedom from the thorn in the flesh; but grace taught him to submit to God's will. Paul sinned not ia having or giving vent to the natural inclination ; but the spiritual instinct must guide and override it. So when we ask natural con- veniences we sin not, but yet this is not the spirit which God heareth in prayer. ' Christ was heard, in that he feared,' Heb. v. *7 ; yet the cup did not pass away, but he was supported ; so Paul was heard, not for the removal of the thorn in the flesh, but for sufficient grace : 2 Cor. xii. 9, ' And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'
[2.] There is a carnal, sinful spirit, which may be working in prayer ; as when the disciples called for fire from heaven, Chri.'it telleth them, Luke ix. 5.5, ' Ye know not of what spirit ye are of.' Men often mis- carry in prayer, being blinded either by an erring judgment, or their carnal passions.
(1.) By an erring judgment. They put their false conceits and opinions into their prayers, and so would engage God, as Balaam souglit by building altars, against his own people. This kind of praying, it is a begging of God to do the devil's work, to destroy his own kingdom, and suppress his most serious worshippers to gratify the faction tliat opposeth them. Nothing is so cruel and bloody but false and partial zeal will put men upon, if their judgments be once tainted ; they tliink the killing of others is doing God good service, John xvi. 2. Their devotions will be soon tainted also ; for men that follow a blind con- science will hallow and consecrate their rage and cruelty by prayer and solemn worship : Isa. Ixvi. 5, ' Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said. Let the Lord be glorified ; ' thence the old by-word, In nomine Domini incipit omne malum ; prayer is made a preface to cruelty. Now it is a comfort to the faithful that God will not hear these prayers ; he knows what is the mind of the Spirit.
(2.) By carnal passions and desires. Fleshly interest breedeth par- tiality ; and men think God should hear them in their worldly requests. The motions of the flesh are very earnest, for corrupt nature would fain be pleased : James iv. 3, ' Ye ask and have not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts ; ' it is the flesh prayeth, and not the spirit — 'You ask meat for your lusts,' Ps. Ixxviii. 18. When their wants were abundantly supplied, yet they remained querulous and unsatisfied ; they must have dainties as well as necessaries, as if God's providence must serve their carnal appetites. In these and such like cases the flesh prayeth, and not the spirit; but Christ will not put this dross into his golden censer, nor perfume our lusts with his sweet incense.
[3.] The new nature, called also spirit, which inclineth us to God and heaven : Zech. xii. 10, ' I will pour upon them the spirit of grace and supplication.' This prompteth and urgeth us to ask spiritual and heavenly things ; and such kind of requests are most pleasing to God, 1 Kings iii. 10 ; those things which are necessary to God's glory and our salvation. There is what the flesh savoureth and what the spirit
VeR. 27.] SBKMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 251
savonreth. The wisdom of the flesh perverteth and diverteth hearts/ from God and heaven to base, low things, such as the good things of this world— pleasures, riches, honours. But the spirit, or the renewed part, savoureth other things. What is the savouring of the spirit? What the new nature would be at, or chiefly desireth. And it is a truth that the same spirit which is predominant at other times will work in prayer ; for the desires follow the constitution and frame of the heart ; Eom. viii. 5, ' For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the spirit.' As their constitution is, so will their gust be ; and this taste and relish will show itself in all things, even in their prayers and devotions ; and whatever their words be, the working of their hearts are according to their universal bent and temper.