2 Sam. vii. 27. Thou, 0 Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house : therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this ■prayer unto thee.
IF we were to judge from the infinite distance which exists between the Creator and his creatures, and especially between a holy God and sinful man, we should say, it was vain, if not impious, to imagine that any request of ours could enter into the ears of Jehovah, or that he could by any means be induced to notice it with his favourable regards. Indeed, if God had not, of his own sovereign mercy, commanded us to spread our wants before him, and assured us of
an answer to our supplications, Beelzebub himself might as well hope for acceptance in prayer, as we. But " God has given us exceeding great and precious promises ;" which we may plead with him, just as David pleaded in the passage before us.
David had desired to build an house for the Lord: and Nathan, the prophet, had encouraged him in his purpose. But God, not willing that David, who had shed so much blood, should execute that office, de- volved it upon one who should spring from his loins ^; at the same time assuring David, that God would make his family to be of long continuance upon his throne : " The Lord telleth thee, that he will make thee an house ^." Encouraged by this promise, David poured out his soul before God in prayer, saying, " Now, O Lord God, the zvord that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said"." Then, apologizing, if I may so speak, for presuming to offer such a prayer, he refers expressly to the promise before specified, and assigns that as the ground on which he had found it in his heart to pray this prayer"^. Then he goes on, again and again reverting to this in vindication of himself: " And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thi/ zoords be true, and thou hast pro?nised this goodness unto thy servant. There- fore, now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee : for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever^T
Now, in speaking upon this subject, I will shew, L The connexion which exists between the promises of God and our prayers —
The promises of God are, in fact,
L Our warrant for asking —
[Pardon, peace, holiness, glory ! How should it be, that we, sinful creatures, should dare to ask such blessings at God's hands? But God has promised them all. There is not any
a ver. 12, 13. '> ver. 11. <^ ver. 25.
d The text. « ver. 28, 29.