tells us that " the prayer of the upright is his delight." To what an amazing extent did he bear with the importunity of Abraham, when, in a long strain of consecutive petitions and arguments in behalf of Sodom, he urged the sparing of that guilty city for the sake of fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, yea, even ten righteous persons, who might be there ! So, we may be sure, he will never be displeased with us, though we " cry to him night and day," and " wrestle with him, as Jacob did, refusing to let him go until he bless us0."]
2. Nor can our petitions ever be unseasonable —
[Unseasonable they may often be, if made to man. His occupations may not admit of his attending to them at the time they are offered. But no hour is unsuited for our sup- plications to God. He is never disinclined to listen to the case which we spread before him, nor ever so occupied as to defer it to a season of greater leisure. We find the Scripture saints "preventing the night watches" in their addresses at the throne of grace d; and, however sudden the emergency that calls for his attention, he has shewn himself, at all times, equally disposed to fulfil the desires which have been ex- pressed even by a sigh, a look, a thoughts]
3. Nor can they ever exceed either his power or willingness to give —
[The friend who was applied to for bread, might have been in the same predicament with him who made the appli- cation : or, as was the case, he might, on some account or other, be unwilling to grant the request. But God is never either unable or unwilling to grant all that we can ask. On the contrary, we are assured, that he is " able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, or even think." The weakest or the vilest of the whole human race should " find mercy and grace to help him in the time of need," if only he sought it in Jesus' name : nor should all the glory and felicity of heaven be withheld from one who applied to God in penitence and faith. " However wide he opened his mouth, God would fill it."]
4. Importunity is the very mean which God him- self has prescribed for our obtaining of blessings at his hands —
[He bids us not only to pray, but to " continue instant in prayer;" yea, to "pray without ceasing," and to "give him no rest" till we have obtained the blessings which we have desired f. He has spoken a parable, for the express purpose
c Gen. xxxii. 26. d Ps. cxix. 148.
e Exod. xiv. 15. Neh. ii. 4. f Isai. lxxi. C, 7.