Exhortation to those who by the rules of trial find the Spirit of God is in them 2/2

(3.) By priding ourselves in and with the assis­tances he gives.  Pride is a sin that God resists wher­ever he meets with it; for indeed it is a sin that justles with God himself for the wall.  It is time for the Spirit to be gone when his house is left over his head.  He takes it as a giving him warning to be gone, when the soul lifts up itself into his seat; if he may not have the honour of the work he will have no hand in it.  Now the proud man makes the Spirit an underling to him­self, he useth his gifts to set up himself with them. Three ways pride discovers itself in prayer, and all to be resisted if we mean to have the Spirit’s company.

           (a) When the creature ascribes the Spirit’s work to himself, and sets his own name upon the duty, where he should write the Spirit’s; like Caligula, who set the figure of his own head on the statue of Jupiter. Instead of blessing God for assisting, he applauds himself, and hath a high opinion of his own abilities, pleasing himself with what expressions and enlarge­ments of affection he had in the duty.  This is plain felony, a sin which every gracious soul must needs tremble at.  Church robbery is a great wickedness: O what then is spirit robbery!  ‘I live,’ saith Paul, ‘yet not I,’ Gal. 2:20.  ‘I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me,’ I Cor. 15:10.  Thus shouldst thou, Christian, say, ‘I prayed, yet not I; I laboured and wrestled, yet not I, but the Spirit of God that was with me.’  Ap­plaud not thyself, but humbly admire the grace and dignation of God, to help such a poor creature as thou art.  Thus David did: ‘Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee,’ I Chr. 29:14.  That steward deserves to be put out of his office, that brags of his master’s money as his own.

           (b) When we go to duty in confidence of the gifts and grace we have already received, and do not ac­knowledge our dependence on the Spirit, by casting ourselves after all our preparations upon him for present assistance.  As we must pray by the Spirit, so we must ask for him that we may pray by him: ‘How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him,’ Luke 11:13.  And it is not once asking for all will serve the turn.  Thou mayest have his help in the morning and want it at night, if thou dost not humbly ask again for his aid.  You know how Samson was served when he thought to go out as he used to do.  Alas! poor man, the case was altered, he was weak as water; the Spirit was gone and he had carried away his strength with him.  God will have thee, O Christian, know the key to thy heart hangs at his girdle, and not thy own, that thou shouldst be able to open and enlarge it at thy pleasure.  Acknowledge God, and his Spirit shall help thee; but ‘lean to thy own understanding,’ and thou art sure to catch a fall. When pride is in the saddle, shame is in the crupper; if pride be at the beginning of a duty, shame will be at the end of it.

           (c) When we rely on our prayers, and not en­tirely on Christ’s mediation, for acceptance and audi­ence; this is pride with a witness, and highly deroga­tory to the honour of Christ.  God indeed accepts the saints in prayer, but not for their prayer, but for Christ’s sake.  Now the Spirit, who is Christ’s messen­ger, will not, you may be sure, give his assistance to rob Christ of his glory.  When he helps thee to pray, if thou wouldst harken to his voice, thou mayest hear him calling thee out of thyself, and confidence of thy prayers, to rely wholly on the mediation of Christ.  Wrong Christ, and you are sure to grieve his Spirit.