" whatever such persons, so associated, have agreed to ask, it shall be granted unto them." I well know, that persons may very easily and very materially err in relation to the subject of answers to prayer; and that to expect fire to descend from heaven, as on that occasion, or a visible manifestation of God's glory before our eyes, would be the height of enthusiasm. But still there are ways in which God may manifest his acceptance of our prayers, and in which he will manifest it: what else can be meant by that promise, " It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear^?" and again, " Thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say. Here I am*?" The whole Scriptures attest, that, "if we draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to us ; " and that " he will manifest himself unto us, as he does not unto the world;" yea, that " he will come unto us, and make his abode with us :" and, I think there is not in the universe a person who has sought after God with humble, fervent, and believing prayer, but will acknowledge, that God does fulfil his promises, " satisfying the hungry soul, and replenishing the sorrowful" with the richest consolations of his Spirit.
This, then, we maij expect, and this we should expect, in God's house of prayer : nor should we ever be satisfied, if we have not a sensible access to God in prayer, and a well-founded hope that he has heard the petitions which we have presented before him.
But I have also observed, that we may hope for the actual forgiveness of our sins in answer to our prayer. And, in truth, if we obtain not this, we pray to little purpose. In drawing nigh to God, this must be chiefly kept in view. We go as sinners, to obtain mercy at the hands of God. And in this respect, the Liturgy of our Church is admirably fitted for our use. The extemporaneous effusions that are used in other places bear no comparison with the formularies of our Church. In truth, our churches themselves are,
^ Isai. Ixv, 24. e jsai. Iviii. 9.