answer our prayers; and which, if known to us, would lead us to acquiesce in, and even to desire, the delay. We need to be stirred up to more importunity in prayer, and to be made more deeply sensible of our need of mercy. We need also to be made more thankful to God for his answers to prayer : and all these benefits may arise from delay. But, beyond the proper season, God will not withhold any communication which, in his wisdom, he sees needful for us. His declaration to this effect may be fully depended on : " The vision is for an appointed time ; but at the end it shall speak, and shall not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will surely come ; it will not tarry1." Only wait for the Lord, and you shall never be disappointed of your hope.]
1 Hab. ii. 3.
Luke xi. 9, 10. / say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened3:
THE prayer which our blessed Lord taught to his Disciples, and which is contained in the verses before my text, is suited to the Church of God in all ages : and it is a very encouraging circumstance, that, in approaching to the throne of grace, we are able to address the Most High in words which he himself has dictated for our use. But doubts are apt to arise in the mind, whether God will hear the prayers of such worthless and sinful creatures as we are : and, to remove such apprehensions, our merciful and gracious Lord has made an appeal to us respecting our own readiness to assist each other, especially in cases of emergency, and when urged by repeated
a This was written at a great distance of time from that which precedes it, and without any consciousness that the text had been treated before. The reader will excuse a little repetition, for the sake of the different ground occupied in the two Discourses. This was, in fact, preached from Luke xi. 5 — 10. But the insertion of it will shew to young ministers how greatly the same subjects may be diversified ; to illustrate which, is an object that the Author has much at heart.