deny himself." He has said, " Ask, and ye shall have ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." He has not determined any thing indeed with respect to the time or manner of answering our petitions : but answer them he will, in the best manner and the fittest time. He may not grant the particular thing which we ask for, because he may see that the continuance of the trial will answer a more valuable end than the removal of it : but in that case he will give us, as he did to Paul, what is far better"1. In the confidence of this we should wait for him. " If the vision tarry, still we must wait for it, assured that it will come at last"." And if at any time our soul feel discouraged by the delay, we must chide it, as David did: " Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God °." In a word, we must hold fast our blessed Lord, though under the greatest discouragements p, and must say, " I will never let thee go, except thou bless me."]
Where such prayer is offered up before God, no tongue can tell,
II. The blessings it will bring down into the soul — It will ensure to us,
1 . The effectual care of God's providence —
[The danger to which Jacob was exposed was imminent : but his prayer averted it, so that the brother whom he feared as an enemy, was turned into a friend. And what interpo- sitions will not persevering prayer, when offered with humility and faith, obtain ? It matters not what situation we are in, if God be our God. We may have seas of difficulty in our way ; but they shall open before us : we may be destitute of food ; but the clouds shall send us bread, and the rocks gush out with water for our use. Even though we were at the bottom of the sea, from thence should our prayers ascend, and thither should they bring to us effectual help. We read of such things in the days of old : but we are ready to think that no such things are to be expected now. But has God ceased to govern the earth? or is he changed in any respect, having " his hand shortened, that he cannot save, or his ear heavy, that he cannot hear ?" What if God do not repeat his former miracles now, has he no other way of accomplishing his will, and of fulfilling his gracious promises ? If our hairs are all numbered, and not so much as a sparrow falls to the ground without him, shall it be in vain for us to call upon him ? No : he is still " a God that heareth prayer :" and " whatsoever we
m 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. " Hab. ii. 3. ° Ps. xlii. 11. v Cant. iii. 4.