cient pledge to us, that of those who come to him in his Son's name, he never did, nor ever will, cast out so much as one.]
4. His zeal and earnestness —
[The diversified petitions and pleas which we have already considered, together with the renewed urgency of his supplica- tions in the verse following my text s, shew, how determined David was not to rest, till he had obtained favour of the Lord. And thus must we also "continue instant in prayer: " we must " watch unto it with all perseverance ;" we must "pray always, and not faint." Alas ! how are we condemned in our own minds for our manifold neglects, and for our lukewarmness in prayer to God ! But we must not rest satisfied with confessing these neglects : we should remedy them, and break through this supineness, and correct this negligence, and lie at Bethesda's pool till the angel come for our relief. This is suggested to us in our text. What we translate, " I cry unto thee daily" is, in the margin, " I cry unto thee all the day." O that there were in us such a heart ! O that our sense of need were so deep, our desire of mercy so ardent, and our faith in God so assured, that we were drawn to God with an irresistible and abiding impulse ; and that, like Jacob of old, we " wrestled with him day and night, saying, I will not let thee go except thou bless me V Such prayer could not but prevail ; and such a suppliant could not but find everlasting acceptance with God, who is so "plenteous in mercy, so ready to forgive u."]
s ver. 6. t Gen. xxxii. 24, 26, 28. with Hos. xii. 3 — 5.
u Luke xviii. 1 — 8.