SERMON XVIII.

THE NEED AND SUCCESS OF EARNEST PRAYER.

MATT. vii. 7.

Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

THOUGH the yoke of Christ be easy, and His burden light, when compared with any other yoke and burden, yet un doubtedly there are many self-denying duties, many conflicts and exertions in the christian life, which require the exercise of wisdom, and fortitude, and strength, too great for unassisted man: Man wants the will as well as the power;

the vail must be removed from his understanding, before he can behold the beauty and excellency of spiritual things; the dross must be purged from his affections, before he can truly love them; he must be "strong in the Lord," or he will soon be "weary of well-doing." Nevertheless, thanks be to God, there is nothing wanting, either for inclination, or guidance, or strength, but what He will abundantly and effectually supply, to all who seek assistance according to His will.

When our blessed Lord delivered the text to His disciples, He had been inculcating upon them many great and arduous duties; had been explaining to them how strict an obedience to all God's commandments, in the spirit as well as the letter, the gospel absolutely required; how it required them to forsake the world, and despise its opposition; to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness;' to part with the offending eye and the offending hand; with every pursuit and pleasure, which stood in the way of their

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faithful allegiance and duty, which prevented a surrender of the heart to God. At all times, the world has a multitude of temptations to allure, and of vexations and buffetings to drive us from our purpose in the early days of the gospel, these dangers were peculiarly formidable; no earthly benefit awaited the believer, and every hindrance and opposition were thrown in his way.

Jesus therefore, in order to encourage His disciples, declares to them, in the text, the means of obtaining help sufficient for all their wants and necessities: He directs them to the throne of grace, and commissions and commands them to pray unto their heavenly Father; adding moreover a positive assurance, that their desires should be satisfied, their petitions granted; "for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." And that there might be no doubt remaining upon their minds, on this important point, that they might not pray in a lax or lukewarm

manner, as if it were uncertain whether the Almighty would or could hear them, our Lord represents it as an injustice done to the wise and merciful God, to suppose that He should be deaf to the supplications of His people: for He says, “what man is there of you (what human being, with all his frailties,) whom, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Shall earthly parents, weak and ignorant as they are, be readily and fully trusted by their children, for the granting of a reasonable request, and shall not confidence be placed in the wisdom, and goodness, and omnipotence of Jehovah, the Creator and Preserver of men? When children are crying for the supply of food or raiment, or any temporal necessity, natural affection will prevent a parent from a harsh denial; he will not give a useless thing, still less a hurtful one, to his famishing child. And can it be imagined, that the Father of mercies will be heedless of the cries of His children; that

He will leave them to perish in want? "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion upon it?-yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee:" That is, the tenderest and strongest of human affections will sooner fail, than the affection of God for those who trust in Him.

But there is another point in the consideration, which our blessed Lord urges, of irresistible force: "If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?" The best affections of the best of men are wofully intermixed with evil: and in the generality of them, evil passions are so frequent and prevalent, that their children receive at their hands but a small proportion of the benefits, which might be reasonably expected and yet notwithstanding, upon the whole, the children do look to them. for good and many good gifts, for their subsistence and comfort, are undoubtedly