was afraid to lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, and said, God be merciful to me a sinner. Such language is often regarded as exaggerated or hypocritical. It is, however, appropriate. It expresses the state of mind which can- not fail to be produced by a proper apprehension of our charac- ter as sinners, in the sight of a just and holy God. Indeed there is no language which can give adequate expression to that rational sense of sin which the people of God often experience.
4. Importunity. This is so important that on three different occasions our Lord impressed its necessity upon his disciples. This was one evident design of the history of the Syrophenician woman, who could not be prevented from crying, " Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David." (Matt. xv. 22.) Thus also in the parable of the unjust judge, who said, " Because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual com- ing she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them ? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily." (Luke xviii. 5-8.) Again in Luke xi. 5-8, we read of the man who refused to give his friend bread, of whom Christ said, " Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his impor- tunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." God 4eals with us as a wise benefactor. He requires that we should appreciate the value of the blessings for which we ask, and that we should manifest a proper earnestness of desire. If a man begs for his own life or for the life of one dear to him, there is no repressing his importunity. He will not be refused. If the life of the body is to be thus earnestly sought, can we expect that the life of the soul will be granted to those who do not seek it with importunate earnestness.
5. Submission. Every man who duly appreciates his relation to God, will, no matter what his request, be disposed to say, " Lord, not my will but thine be done." Even a child feels the propriety* of subjecting his will in all his requests to his earthly father. How much more should we submit to the will of our Father in heaven. He alone knows what is best ; granting our request might, in many cases, be our destruction. Our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane set us an example in this matter, that should never be forgotten.
6. Faith. We must believe, (a.) That God is. (6.) That He is able to hear and answer our prayers. (<?.) That He is dis-
704 PART in. Ch. XX- THE MEANS OF GRACE.
posed to answer them, (c?.) That He certainly will answer them, if consistent with his own wise purposes and with our best good. For this faith we have the most express assurances in the Bible. It is not only said, " Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek and ye shall find," but our Lord says explicitly, " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." (John xiv. 13.) And again, " If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt, xviii. 19.) All the promises of God are con- ditional. The condition, if not expressed, is implied. It cannot be supposed that God has subjected Himself in the government of the world, or in the dispensation of his gifts, to the short- sighted wisdom of men, by promising, without condition, to do whatever they ask. No rational man could wish this to be the case. He would of his own accord supply the condition, which, from the nature of the case and from the Scriptures themselves, must be understood. In 1 John v. 14, the condition elsewhere implied is expressed. " This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, He heareth us." The promise, however, gives the assurance that all prayers offered in faith, for things according to the will of God, will be answered. The answer, indeed, may be given, as in the case of Paul when he prayed to be delivered from the thorn in the flesh, in a way we do not expect. But the answer will be such as we, if duly enlightened, would ourselves desire. More than this we need not wish. Want of confidence in these precious promises of God ; want of faith in his disposition and readiness to hear us, is one of the greatest and most common defects in the prayers of Christians. Every father desires the confidence of his children, and is grieved by any evidence of distrust ; and God is our Father ; He demands from us the feelings which children ought to have towards their earthly parents.
7. The prayers of Christians must be offered in the name of Christ. Our Lord said to his disciples : " Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive." (John xvi. 24.) " I have chosen you .... that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." (xv. 16.) " What- soever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." (xiv. 13.) By " the name of God " is meant God himself, and God as mani- fested in his relation to us. Both ideas are usually united. Thus to believe " in the name of the only begotten Son of God " is to believe that Christ is the Son of God, and that as such He