nothing to depend upon, there the Christian is the most confident. And now the whole difference between these two characters may be traced up to one single principle-A man of the world has no intercourse with GoD in prayer, so that he knows nothing of what God is doing or will do-of the revealed will and purpose of heaven he knows nothing-whatever does not immediately connect with some visible system of means, he abandons as chimerical and impossible. The Christian while here is in another world, by prayer and faithful waiting, he knows the mind and will of God; and whatever he can gain by fervent heaven-inspired prayer, he holds and maintains, let outward means and visible instrumentality be what they may. This is the subject we have before us. GOD WILL HEAR AND ANSWER FERVENT FAITHFUL PRAYER this makes Christians confident.

The words first read are the concluding sentence upon this article, the prevalency of fervent prayer. Some foregoing verses are so full on this point that they fall naturally within our reflection. The subject of prayer, particularly closet-prayer, is introduced by our LORD in a former part of his sermon, "When thou prayest enter into thy closet." Here secret prayer is urged, prayer in retirement, in opposition to the open and observed devotions of the ostentatious Pharisees. But in the passage now to be considered, the fervency of prayer is rather to the subject-fervent prayer offered to our heavenly Father, who, as a kind and benevolent parent, will give every good thing to his waiting children.

Let us, first, look at the direction laid down, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." This direction is taken from three figures of speech, asking-seeking-knocking. Asking is application-secking is application with diligence—and knocking is application with perseverance.

1. Asking is application, so is prayer an application to the "mercy-seat." You see, brethren, what prayer is, or rather, in the first place, what it is not. It is not a resorting to menit is not an act of associating outward and visible instrument

ality-it is not what worldly men generally resort to. But it is at once a retiring from the world, a renunciation of it; it is a taking the eyes off from every creature, and from every son of man, and from every arm of flesh, and making a direct application and appeal to the invisible and eternal GOD. This is an application that can be made by no mere natural or animal man, but only by a spiritual man, for only such a man can apprehend GOD; "He that is spiritual discerneth all things, even the deep things of GOD-the pure in heart see GOD." Now, without inquiring into the particular object you have in view, whether it be a spiritual or a temporal blessing you want, if the application be first made to GOD, you are beginning in the right way; "In every thing by prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God." I am persuaded that it is for want of following this direction many fail in their enterprises. Instead of making application to GOD first, they ply every creature they can come at under heaven, and then, when they have got together some plans and means, on which they think they can depend, they go to GoD in prayer and endeavor to embark Him in their schemes. But this is But this is a way foreign to the divine directory. First, GOD is to be asked and His will sought in those means which He shall provide, and to which He shall direct. GoD is honoured by this simple reference of the whole case to Him: what is given in answer to thus asking is that thing most likely to do us good.

2. "Seek, and ye shall find." Apply with diligence. Prayer is not the mere form of application, it is not a petition to be thrown in and there left, with no more care about it--it must be watched and backed with repeated addresses. Having once gone to the throne of mercy, we must go often and be constant in our application. The prayer which our LORD taught his disciples includes this idea; it is a daily prayer, it does not ask for a stock to lay up in reserve, but for bread day by day. This is the way in which seeking is enjoined. But,

3. Application with perseverance is enforced; "Knock, and it shall be opened." Application, under this head, assumes importunity, of which we have many specimens. CHRIST

"Spake a parable to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint, saying, There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for awhile: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not GoD, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." Here you see importunity is the means of success: this ungodly and inhuman judge has no motive to do justice, but he dislikes to be teased, and, lest he should be worried,, he grants the widow her cause. This unjust judge is no specimen of the Divine character; but the widow's importunity is the specimen of our duty-the duty of incessant prayer. This, too, is inculcated by repeated knocking" Knock, and it shall be opened."

We are, secondly, to look at the encouragement there is to this application and importunity. "Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone, or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts to them that ask Him?" This is the greatest encouragement, success seems to be certain; prayer, fervent and effectual, inwrought faithful prayer is no speculation, no adventure, a thing that may succeed or notno, it is the most certain work in which we can engage: there is no instance of the prayer of faith failing. God never said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. Let us not be misunderstood. We do not mean to say, that God's people have never prayed for things which they have never received, they have oftentimes been denied, as in the sequel we shall see : but we are speaking of prayer as founded upon God's promise, the prayer of faith, and here we shall see that such prayer always succeeds.

The success of fervent prayer may be gathered from the failure of cold, formal, and wavering prayer. "Ye have not

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because ye ask not:" or, prayer that has been offered with great reserve and unbelief, has failed, or been very partially answered. We have this idea very impressively set forth in the book of the Kings. The prophet Elisha, before his death, would make known to Joash, king of Israel, what success should attend him in his wars: "Elisha said to the king, Take bow and arrows. And he said, Open the window eastward, and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot, and he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria, for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows, and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground, and he smote thrice and stayed. And the man of GoD was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." Here you see in the king of Israel there was a want of energy, confidence, and faith; he believed too little, and therefore accomplished little. "Little faith," though it be real faith, stands reproved, because it is little. "Where is your faith?" said JESUS to his fearful disciples in a storm. And so he says to the man who prays once or twice and stays,-who prays to-day and desponds to-morrow.

The examples of successful prayer are so numerous, that time would fail us to recite them: a brief selection only can be attempted. God promised to Abraham a son; this promise Abraham believed, and for the fulfilment of it he prayed; and he prayed long, too, under great and increasing discouragements, but his prayer prevailed. Nehemiah long prayed in the face of frowning providences, but prevailed by holding on to the promise. A very striking and familiar incident occurs in the woman of Canaan, who came to our LORD with the case of her daughter grievously vexed with a devil. Here the application is direct to CHRIST; the woman came and fell at his feet, and besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. "But he answered her not a word. And the disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away, for she VOL. III.-29

crieth after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, LORD, HELP ME. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, LORD, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then JESUS answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt." In this case we have an example of success in prayer by fervency and importunity; but for this the woman's suit had been lost. Her prayer was not a formal one; she felt her grievance, the wound was deep, the affliction was heavy, her prayer therefore must be heard; and if the first application be disregarded, it must be repeated; if the inhabitant cannot hear, she will continue knocking, and knock louder and louder, and louder still, till the door is opened; and by this means she obtains an answer. Thus the case is illustrated by our Divine Teacher as recorded by another evangelist in relation to our subject, expressed in similar words: "Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth."

But there is one thing more to be considered. Importunity prevails with men; and to get rid of some troublesome applicants, men will give. And parents, too, will give, because of children's entreaty; but God does not give upon such motives. In men's motives there is a mixture of evil, and yet good things are given notwithstanding this imperfection; but with God there is perfect wisdom and perfect goodness. "If ye being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask him." GOD will avenge his own elect from a sense of