present before God according to his revealed will. Waiting on him, in the humble posture of supplicants, powerfully tends to bring all holy affections into lively exercise, and to prepare the soul for the suitable reception and due improvement of the blessings thus desired and sought. The answer of prayer likewise exceedingly promotes the increase of faith; it inspires and strengthens hope and patience; it enlivens love, and gratitude, and holy joy; and it excites cheerful diligence in self-denying services. That, which is given in answer to the united and fervent supplications of numbers, "abounds in many thanksgivings unto God:" and when probabilities seem against our success or de. liverance, and yet we do succeed, and are delivered according to our earnest and persevering requests; we receive the clearest and deepest conviction imagi nable of the reality and importance of true religion.

It is needless to insist particularly on the examples, recorded in Scripture, of the prevalence of prayer. Consider Abraham interceding for Sodom, and closing his petitions before the Lord ceased to grant them. Jacob wrestling, weeping, making supplication, and saying, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me:"* when the Angel (" even the LORD God of "Hosts,") at length answered, "Thy name shall be "no more called Jacob but Israel; for as a prince hast "thou power with God and with men, and hast pre"vailed."t-Moses "standing in the breach" to turn

* Gen. xxxii. 24-30.

† Hos. xii. 4. 5.

away the wrath of God from Israel, while He says, "Let me alone, that I may destroy them in a mo"ment." And David's short ejaculation, "O LORD, "turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”— The time would fail to speak of Samuel, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Elijah, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and of the apostles, and the church in the New Testament. What shall we then say to these things, if we do not unreservedly admit, that the prayer of faith is exceedingly powerful, and that nothing can withstand its efficacy?

But if the prayer of an individual frequently proved so prevalent: what may we not hope from the united, fervent, and persevering supplications of many thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, could the whole body of real christians be excited to concur in the present emergency?" Again I say unto you, that if two "of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing

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they shall ask, it shall he done for them by my Fa"ther who is in heaven." Surely these words of our blessed Saviour, viewed in connexion with the scriptural declarations and examples already considered, authorize us to form great expectations, when we thus agree together in "making our requests known unto "God!"

Prayer has indeed already prevailed: and our protection hitherto, in so wonderful a manner, amidst the shock of nations, should be regarded as an encouraging exhortation to "pray always and not faint;" and to be more earnest and enlarged in our petitions. Some, however, may be discouraged from this duty,

by an error in judgment, connected with deep humility. Who am I, that my prayers should be of any avail, in preserving the nation from desolating judgments, or the church from persecution? My former heinous sins, and my present numerous defilements and distressing conflicts, render me unworthy, and often almost wholly unable, to pray for myself: and my own case so engrosses my thoughts and excites my anxious fears, that when, covered with shame, I approach the throne of grace, I feel myself altogether unfit to intercede in behalf of others, and indeed have little heart to attempt it.' But let such persons recollect, that, after the severest trials and conflicts, conscious guilt had just caused Job to exclaim, "I ab"hor myself, and repent in dust and ashes;" when the Lord directed his offending friends to present their sacrifices by his hands: "And," says he, "my ser"vant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept."* And again, Isaiah had said, "Woe is me, I am un" done, I am a man of unclean lips;" before he so effectually united with Hezekiah, in "lifting up his "prayer for the remnant that was left." Our supplications indeed could not be accepted, any more than our persons or other services, did not our great High Priest present them with his all-prevailing intercession. But now this provision is made; deep humility prepares us for coming in simple faith and entire reliance on the Lord Jesus, to the throne of grace. And pre

* Job xlii. 5-9,

senting our supplications, for others, especially for the church and people of God, admirably tends to encou rage our hearts, even in the darkest seasons, to make our personal desires and requests known to our heavenly Father. In short, did we abound more in intercessions for our brethren and fellow sinners, and for the church and nation; we should every one of us pray, with more comfort and expectation, for our selves and for those who are most nearly connected with us.

prayers

We cannot indeed be absolutely certain, that our for the land will be answered in the manner which we intend: for we remember, that the Lord once said concerning Judah, "Though Moses and “Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be "towards this people."* But we have considerable ground of hope, that we are not yet reduced to this awful condition. One thing, however, is certain; our prayers will either prevail for the land, or they will return into our own bosom. “ Verily it shall be well "with" all those, who thus attend to the duties of the times; and, in one way or other, "they shall be hid "in the day of the LORD's anger." And we may likewise confidently expect, that our supplications will be answered, in the conversion of many individuals, who, at all events, may be the seed of a future harvest.But we must proceed to consider,

IV. The other duties which should accompany our prayers, in the present circumstances of the nation.

* Jer. xv. 1.

If Moses stood before God, in behalf of Israel, “to "turn away his indignation from them, lest lie should "destroy them;" he likewise stood before Israel, in the cause of God, by using all his influence and authority to turn the people from idolatry and wickedness: and in both respects, he stemmed the torrent of vengeance, which was about to burst upon the nation. This single instance may suffice to shew the attentive reader, what is meant by the other duties which should accompany our prayers.

It is obvious to every one, who seriously and impartially considers the subject, that national guilt is the aggregate of the sins, committed by the several individuals who constitute the nation. We have therefore all contributed, and some of us in a very large proportion, to raise that black cloud of divine vengeance, which hangs over the land and threatens our destruction: and consequently we are all required to humble ourselves before God for our own sins; nor can any individual plead an exemption.

The persons indeed, for whom these reflections are principally intended, are habitually penitent: yet it behoves the most eminent christians, according to the examples of beloved Daniel, and Ezra, and Nehemiah, to renew their personal repentance, with every expression of godly sorrow, deep humility, and selfcondemnation, while they plead in behalf of our guilty land. They should especially investigate, with care and diligence, the whole of their conduct, since they first made a profession of the gospel, and of devoting themselves to the Lord according to its encouragements and