A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

1. With affection, 'tis the holy Ghost set us a groaning, Rom. 8. 26. He maketh intercession for the Saints with such sighs and groans as cannot be uttered; words are but the outside of prayer, sighs and groans are the language which God will understand, and these are the prayers which the holy Ghost maketh for us, and in us; we learn to mourn from the Turtle, from him that descended in the form of a Dove, he draweth sighs from the heart and tears from the eyes; parts may furnish us with eloquence, but the spirit giveth affection, that earnest reaching forth of soul, that holy importunity, that spiritual violence, 'tis all of his working, many a prayer is neatly ordered, and tunably delivered, but this artifice of words smelleth of the man, then it savoureth of the holy Ghost, when there is life and power in it, and the poor supplicant sets himself to wrestle with God, as if he would overcome him by his own strength.

1. With affection, 'tis the holy Ghost set us a groaning, Rom. 8. 26. He maketh intercession for the Saints with such sighs and groans as cannot be uttered; words are but the outside of prayer, sighs and groans are the language which God will understand, and these are the prayers which the holy Ghost maketh for us, and in us; we learn to mourn from the Turtle, from him that descended in the form of a Dove, he draweth sighs from the heart and tears from the eyes; parts may furnish us with eloquence, but the spirit giveth affection, that earnest reaching forth of soul, that holy importunity, that spiritual violence, 'tis all of his working, many a prayer is neatly ordered, and tunably delivered, but this artifice of words smelleth of the man, then it savoreth of the holy Ghost, when there is life and power in it, and the poor supplicant sets himself to wrestle with God, as if he would overcome him by his own strength.

2. With confidence, when we come in a child-like manner and call God father, Rom. 8. 16. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father: Usually we do not mind this part of the Spirits help in Prayer, we look to gifts and enlargements, but not to this child-like confidence, that we maybe able to call God father without blasphemy and reproach, tis 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 child like affection, optando si non affirmando, that we may call God Father by option and choice, if not by direct affirmation or a clear sense of our adoption.