Lord, and to look to him for " strength according to his day." And, if the Lord should not instantly impart all the succour he could desire, he would " wait for the Lord," and tarry his leisure, and expect from him all that an indulgent Father can bestow.
Here is the line of conduct which all the godly must pursue. If they attempt to contend with these difficulties in their own strength, they must fail. The direction which God himself gives them is this : " Call upon me in the time of trouble ; so I will hear thee ; and thou shalt praise me1." What then should we do, but adopt, every one of us for ourselves, the determination of David, saying, "As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall hear me. Evening, and morning, and at noon-day, will I pray, and cry aloud ; and he shall hear my voice k." Indeed David proposes himself to us as an example in this particular: "My soul," says he, "wait thou only upon God ; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation : he is my defence ; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times, ye people: pour out your hearts before him: God is a refuge for us1." In the New Testament, the directions to this effect are numberless : so that we may conclude, that humble, fervent, and persevering prayer is the true remedy for every saint, against all the evils which he either feels or fears.]
2. The conviction of his soul —
[There is something very imposing in that declaration of the prophet, " My God will hear me." He speaks not of God's assistance as a matter of hope, but as what he could not fail of obtaining : so great, so irresistible, was the efficacy of believing prayer. And what says the Apostle John on this subject ? " This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And, if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of himm." Nor is this a rash assertion: it is confirmed by actual experience. " I sought the Lord," says David ; " and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Yes : this poor man cried ; and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles11." I hesitate not, then, to say to all of you, that this measure shall be crowned with the desired success. " Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass: he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and
l Ps. 1. 15. k Ps. lv. 16, 17. l Ps. lxii. 5—8.
m 1 John v. 14, 15. n Ps. xxxiv. 4, 6. See also Ps. xl. 1 — 3.