fection of those secret and retired duties. These, were it not for that depravity, would be the most easy and delightful of all duties: but they now seem to collect and draw to themselves, as the weaker parts of the human frame, the infirmities of every other. This depravity pursues him through them all, and too often converts what ought to be the occasion of his pleasure and gratitude, into the scenes of his conflict and discomfiture.

Let us then proceed to consider,

II. THE ASSISTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BY WHICH THE CHRISTIAN IS RELIEVED UNDER

THESE INFIRMITIES.

The blessed Spirit of God affords us the aid which our weakness requires. If we were left to ourselves, we should entirely fail; but by his powerful help we are enabled to resist our corrupt affections, and to persevere in imperfect indeed, but humble and sincere prayer.

We are accordingly directed in the Holy Scriptures to this Divine Agent as to the great subject of promise in the New Testament dispensation, which is therefore called, by way of eminence, The ministration of the Spirit. We are commanded to pray in the Holy Ghost. We are said to have access by the Spirit unto the Father. We are to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. It is this eternal

Spirit who helps and supports us, as a nurse bears in her arms the tender and feeble infant.

The word rendered, help, in the text is one of peculiar strength. It implies that the Spirit takes upon himself a large part of the burden by which our infirmity is weighed down, and not only succours us in a slight degree, but effectually relieves us by dividing, as it were, the burden with us. The image is taken from one who sets his shoulder to another's, and lifts with him at the same load. Let this consideration then encourage us! What, if it is not said in Scripture that we shall be wholly delivered in this world from our moral sicknesses; is it not much that we are effectually assisted under them? Shall we despair, whilst we have such an helper?

The image here employed may also teach us that we are not to relax our exertions, whilst looking for the gracious aid of the Spirit, but rather to increase them. The idea of help,' seems to imply that we are ourselves making all possible efforts, and that, whilst making them, the Spirit relieves us under our infirmities. It is true indeed, that all which is good in us is the fruit of the preventing grace of God; but it appears to be intimated in the expression before us, that, in the ordinary course of our duty in prayer, we are to put forth and stir up to the utmost the grace of God which is in us, in dependence on this almighty aid.

1

The particular manner in which this help is afforded is by the Spirit MAKING INTERCESSION FOR US, that is, so sanctifying our affections and exciting our desires, that we are enabled to pour out our minds to God in fervent effectual intercession and prayer. This seems to be the meaning of the term Intercession in this place, as it is obviously explanatory of the previous general expression of helping our infirmities, and stands opposed to our not knowing what to pray for as we ought; and as it is connected with those unutterable desires in prayer which the text proceeds to describe.

The intercession of the Spirit, then, is not to be understood of his acting the part of a me'diator between God and man on our account, before the throne of the Majesty on high, but of his relieving our infirmities, as the Illuminator and Comforter of the faithful, in our religious addresses and duties. Christ is the only Mediator and Advocate with the Father; the Spirit is our Sanctifier and the assister of our weaknesses here. The office of Christ is immediately before the throne of God, the agency of the Spirit is more directly with the church. The intercession of Christ is without us, that of the Holy Ghost is within us. The intercession of Christ is meritorious, the intercession of the Spirit is gracious and supporting. Christ intercedes, and the Spirit is given; the Holy Ghost intercedes, and we implore the benefits of the

Saviour's death. By the intercession of Christ all the obstacles to our salvation are removed, as they respect our offended God; by the intercession of the Spirit all the difficulties are taken away which arise from our own frail and corrupt hearts. Christ pleads above, the Spirit pleads below. By the one we are taught to pray, by the other our prayers are accepted. Accordingly the Holy Ghost was of old promised as a Spirit of grace and of supplications: and, because we are sons, God is said to have sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, (or as it is in the 8th chapter of the Romans, whereby we cry), Abba, Father. Gal. iv. 6. This last expression will precisely explain the term Intercession before us: for, as by the blessed Spirit crying in our hearts, Abba, Father, is obviously meant his enabling us so to cry; in like manner his making intercession for us, is designed to describe his enabling us to intercede and pray for ourselves.

The aid which we derive from this gracious assistance of the Holy Spirit will further appear, if we attend to the last words of our text, WITH GROANINGS WHICH CANNOT BE UTTERED. These groanings these heart-felt supplications—are the effect of the gracious movement of the divine Spirit on our hearts. Ardent importunity and fervent desires in prayer are the fruit of his intercession. There would appear to be

a reference in these words, to what the Apostle had just before spoken of the whole creation groaning and travailing in pain together for deliverance. In this earnest longing the true Christian largely partakes. Ourselves also, adds the Apostle, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. And in this, the Spirit itself helpeth our infirmities, making intercession for us with groanings not to be uttered, filling us with desires and pantings of the whole soul after God, which no words can adequately express.

Sin has disordered all the creation. A curse mingles with every pleasure; the irrational creatures are subjected to vanity; and the uncon

* The whole passage is very remarkable-so remarkable, that the full and satisfactory explanation of it has hitherto presented a difficulty to the greatest Divines. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifesta. tion of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Rom. viii, 19-23,