desires. Of this he assures us by an express promise : " Let him ask of God ; and it shall be given him." This promise may be relied on, as may many others which he has given us
to the same effect" The time, and the manner, and
the measure in which it shall be fulfilled, must be left to God : but fulfilled it shall be to all who rest upon it. Not that a man shall be rendered infallible, or have such wisdom imparted to him as shall keep him from every degree of error ; but so much as his necessities require, God will assuredly vouchsafe to all who seek it of him in sincerity and truth.]
That no man shall seek wisdom in vain, St. James adds a caution, from which we learn,
II. How to secure the attainment of it —
" We must ask in faith, nothing wavering." Here it will be proper for me to shew,
1. What is that faith which we are called to exercise —
[It has not respect to that individual thing which we may chance to ask ; for we may possibly be asking for something which God sees would be injurious to us, or, if not injurious, yet inconsistent with the ends which he has determined to accomplish. When our blessed Lord prayed for the removal of the bitter cup, and Paul for the removal of the thorn in his flesh, neither the one prayer nor the other was granted literally ; though both were answered in the way most satis- factory to the suppliants, and most conducive to God's honour. So the specific thing which we ask, may be withheld : but we shall be sure of receiving something better in its stead : and it is with this latitude only that our faith must be exercised, except where there is an express promise for us to plead : and then we may assuredly expect that very thing to be granted to us.
Now respecting such a measure of wisdom as shall ulti- mately guide us through all our difficulties, we may ask with the fullest possible assurance : and in asking it, we should have no more doubt of its being given to us, than of our own exist- ence : we should " ask in faith, nothing wavering." If we doubt at all, our doubt must arise, either from not being fully persuaded of the power of God to help us, or from some suspicion of his willingness. But to limit his power is sinful in the extreme : and to doubt his willingness is, as St. John expresses it, " to make God a liar :" for the promise in the text is to every creature under heaven who asks in faith. I
" John xiv. 13, H. and xv. 7. and xvi. 23, 24.