may wash even your sin away. him no more: but now, now, NOW, the wrath to come."

Lastly, to the Christian I say,

O provoke "flee from

Be consistent, and shew your faith by your works. You are bound by every consideration, to bring forth holy fruit. The Father himself hath loved you-you will not displease so kind a parent: Christ hath bought you with a precious price-you will "glorify him in your body, and in your spirit, which are his:" the Holy Spirit hath wrought in you you will not resist his gracious motions. You have stood forth the vowed servants of the Lord-you will not contradict your professed allegiance. Many eyes are on you; even of a "cloud of witnesses; mighty lay aside' therefore, in the strength of the Highest, "every weight, and the sin that doth easily beset you," and run with patient, persevering, growing earnestness, "the race that is before you, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of your faith."

LECTURE VI.

ON THE CHARACTER OF PRAYER.

ROMANS XII. 12.

Continuing instant in prayer.

THE scriptures have left us perhaps more frequent and warmer admonitions to prayer, than to any other duty. The prophets and psalmists of most ancient times, and our Saviour and his apostles have alike pressed earnestly upon the church the importance of prayer. We can be placed in hardly any circumstances, to which they have not especially referred, and commanded us to use therein continual prayer. In public,1 and in private; under a

1 Joel ii. 15, 16.

2

2 Matt. vi. 6.

7

8

sense of sin,1 and of infirmity;2 in trouble," and temptation; in affliction,5 and in persecution; 6 for our rulers, our brethren, our enemies, and for all men,10 we are instructed to offer up our prayers. It might be thought that such reiterated admonitions were needless; that when once it was known, that God, from whom flows every precious gift, stands ready to accept petitions, a crowd of importunate suitors, of every condition, and of every class, would throng his presence, preferring, with breathless anxiety, their eager and impassioned desires. But he that should imagine this, would shew himself very little acquainted with human nature. It requires all the energy of that Almighty Spirit who quickeneth whom he will, to awaken in the heart of man such a real desire after heavenly blessings, as will pour itself forth in earnest, lively, spiritual devotion. And so multitudes, with a perverse and almost incredible blindness, either send up no petitions for the mercy of God, or offer them of such a kind, and in

such a manner, as to be rather an affront to his majesty, than the pleasing sacrifice which he delighteth to accept. The loss is all their own. They go without those true riches, which he liberally bestows on them that ask him. "Ye have not, because ye ask not: ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss."

The sovereignty of God, from whom "all holy desires proceed," is no extenuation of this guilty carelessness. It never interferes with man's duty. As well might the husbandman refuse to sow his seed, because only a divine power can nourish it and make it fruitful, as the sinner refuse to bend his knee in prayer, because the Lord alone can shed forth on him the "spirit of grace and supplication." Hence God treats us as reasonable creatures, and takes those means to bring us to a better mind, which are most likely, constituted as we are, to win upon us. And, as he is rich in mercy, he condescends to expostulate with us, and has shewn us, in his word, a multitude of arguments why we [should "pray always and not faint." Every temptation, therefore, which the enemies of our salvation are so ready to furnish, and to which the infirmity

of our nature is so apt to yield, to restrain prayer, must be strenuously resisted. The means of grace must, for our part, be diligently and actively employed, if we hope to attain God's blessing. The words of the text seem, in this respect, peculiarly forcible :continue instant in prayer; use mighty and unremitted exertion; opposition you may meet with, but cease not to struggle; let your prayer be, as it were, the wrestling of a mortal conflict, on the issue of which is staked eternal life or everlasting death.

In enforcing, on the present occasion, the command of our text, it may be profitable to speak,

I. Of some of the difficulties and deficiencies of prayer.

II. Of the assistance afforded by the church, in principle and practice, in the supplicatory part of her ritual. I shall,

III. Give you, on this subject, some practical admonitions.

I. In order to have a clear apprehension of the difficulties to be overcome in prayer, it will be necessary to make a preliminary

I