2. What we ought principally to desire in all our
addresses to him —
[The leading subjects of men's petitions usually are ; that their sins may be pardoned, and their ways reformed : and certainly these are important subjects for our supplications. But the offices of the Holy Spirit are very much overlooked even by the saints themselves : and though God will not alto- gether withhold his blessings, because we do not ask for them in the best manner, yet certainl}' it is of importance that we should feel our need of his Spirit, and express those feelings in our petitions to him. We cannot repent or pray, unless God, " pour out upon us a Spirit of grace and of supplication." We cannot know either our disease or our remedy, unless the Spirit be given to us " to convince us of our in-dwelling sin, and of the Saviour's righteousness." It is the Spirit's office " to glorify Christ, and to take of the things that are his, and shew them unto us." If we would " mortify the deeds of the body, it must be through the Spirit's " influence : if we would bring forth the fruits of righteousness, it must be through the opera- tion of the same Spirit, whose fruits they are. Every act of the spiritual life must be performed by the intervention and agency of God's Spirit. As Christ is all in procuring salvation for us, so the Holy Spirit is all in imparting salvation to us. Our illumination and strength, our sanctification and comfort, are all his gifts ; and therefore we should continually acknow- ledge our dependence upon him, and ask of God the communi- cations we stand in need of. The importance of this is strongly marked by St. Matthew, who, relating the substance of our Lord's discourse, says, " How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him ? " but St. liuke sums up all good things in this, the gift of the Holy Spirit; because, without that gift, all that we possess is of no value ; and with it, we cannot want any thing that is good.]
3. The efRcacy and importance of prayer —
[Since God has so strongly declared his readiness to give us his Spirit, we may be well assured, that he will not refuse us any thing else : "we may ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us." But, on the other hand, we can expect nothing without prayer: " God will be inquired of by US'"," even for those things which he has promised to give us ; nor will he give, if we neglect to ask. This also is intimated in the text itself; his favours are limited to them that ask him. It is true indeed, that the first desire after what is good is inspired by him ; and, as far as relates to that, "he is found of them that sought him not, and known to them that inquired not after him :" but
^ ver. 10.