when he has once communicated this desire, he expects that it should be cultivated and improved at a throne of grace ; nor will he open the gate of heaven to any, who do not knock at it with importunate and believing prayer. And can we think hardly of this condition ? What if we ourselves had invited a child to come and ask of us the richest gifts we could possibly bestow upon him, and had done every thing in our power to assure him of our unalterable determination to grant his request; could he reasonably blame us for suspending our grant upon his performance of so easy a condition ? or is there a parent in the world who would not say. If you are too proud to ask for it, you shall not have it? Surely then if, through pride, or indolence, or unbelief, we will not make our sup- plications to God, we may well, yea, we must inevitably, be left to perish.
If this appear awful in one view, in another view it is most encouraging. Many are ready to say, ' Such an appeal as this affords no comfort to me : were I a child of God, T could not doubt, but that he would give me all that I could ask, with greater readiness than I would give a piece of bread to my beloved offspring : but am I his child ? and, if not, what is this assurance to me?' But behold, as though he had intended to cut off all occasion for such a doubt, our Lord has here dropped the parallel, and says, " How much more will God give his Spirit, (not to his children, but) to them that ask him?''' So then we have no occasion to inquire. Am I a cliild ? We must go immediately to God and implore his best and choicest blessings, with a full assurance of success.
Some perhaps may reply, ' I have tried these means, and found them ineffectual.' But we are sure either that God has already answered in a way that was not expected, or that he will answer in due time. He is a God that cannot lie; and therefore we have nothing to do but to wait his time. Only let us " continue instant in prayer," and heaven, with all its glory, shall be ours.]