"righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might "be glorified;" If. lxi. 3. If we look into the scripture qualifications for receiving the communications of divine love, we shall find the chief of them to be, the earnestness of our own defires: If, lv. 1. Ho, every one that thirst"eth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; "come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk "without money, and without price."

Further, wrefiling and importunity in prayer gives a capacity of relishing the mercies of God. They are then, and not till then in the fame degree, truly mercies, earneftly defired, infinitely prized. It is a common and beaten remark, That the worth of any mercy is never known till we are deprived of it. There is great access to obferve this in the Chriftian life, not only in its beginning, but in every step of its progrefs. O how refreshing is the intimation of pardon to a convinced finner, who hath long trembled through fear of wrath, or to the believer, who hath long groaned under a spirit of bondage! O how ravishing is a fense of divine love to that child of God who hath long complained of the hiding of his Father's face! When, after he hath been loft on a fea of temptations, one wave or billow following clofe upon the back of another, he is at laft received into a peaceful haven ! the everlasting arms are ftretched round about him, the faithfulness of God is his fhield and buckler, and the ftrength of the Almighty his impregnable fecurity? There is no fuch stayedness or composure of mind as after a variety of trials. The exercifed Chriftian has tried and thrown away every broken reed, one after another; he hath found the vanity of every refuge of lies; and hath fettled his hope on the immoveable foundation of the Rock of ages, which fhall never fail.

I added, in entering on this particular, that wrestling and importunity in prayer is in many cafes itself the poffeflion of the very mercies we defire. It is the exercife of almost every gracious difpofition. To increafe in fanctification, to have his graces ftrengthened, and his corrup tions fubdued, is the habitual and prevailing defire of every real believer. But how can this be more effectually ob

tained than by fervent prayer? How, and where, can any gracious difpofition be either more improved and ftrengthened, or more clearly difcerned, than when it is in exercife. Faith, love, penitential forrow, truft, and refignation, are the very difpofitions effential to a wrestling believer. Perhaps fome will fay, True indeed; but they are only attempting to fhew themfelves, often difcovering their weakness, fometimes yielding to their oppofites. Alas! fays the Chriftian, my faith is often over-matched with unbelief, and my love contradicted by impatient complaints what is my penitential forrow but weeping over a hard heart? my truft and refignation is but a fhort-lived promife in a little time my courage fails, and I am ready to tremble at the falling of a leaf. But my dear brethren, is not the importunate wreftler maintaining the conflict, instead of yielding to the ftream? and how infinitely preferable are his hours of deepest anguish to that flothful and unequal conduct to be obferved in many fecure and formal Chriftians! It is alfo certain, that many times deliverance comes unlooked for. As the Pfalmift fays, that whilst he was mufing the fire burned; fo it frequently happens, that a gracious God, vifits diftreffed fouls, even when they leaft expect it, with the joy of his falvation, and causeth the bones which he hath broken to rejoice.

2. The efficacy of importunate prayer appears from the promises of fuccefs which are annexed to it in fcripture. I must here begin by obferving, that there are many commands in the word of God to pray, to pray without ceafing, to continue inftant in prayer. Now, every command to pray, contains in it a promife of a gracious anfwer from the hearer of prayer. It neceffarily implies it. The truth of God is a pledge and fecurity for it. He would not deceive us with vain hopes, or put us upon a fruitlefs attempt: for he is not a man, that he fhould lie. But befides this general confideration, there are many exprefs promises particularly to the earnestness and importunity of the defire: Prov. ii. 3, 4, 5. "Yea, if thou crieft after knowledge, and lifteft up thy voice "for understanding; if thou feekeft her as filver, and "fearcheft for her, as for hid treafures: then fhalt thou

"understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge "of God." See alfo the parable of the importunate widow, and the unjust judge, Luke xviii. 1, which concludes thus, ver. 7. "And fhall not God avenge his own elect, "which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long "with them ?”

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Let me beg your attention to another paffage recorded in the 17th chapter of Matthew, where there was brought to our Saviour a poffeffed perfon, whom his difciples could not cure: ver. 19, 20, 21. "Then came the difciples to Jefus apart, and faid, Why could not we caft him out? "And Jefus faid unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I fay unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of muftard-feed, ye fhall fay unto this mountain, Remove "hence to yonder place, and it fhall remove; and nothing "fhall be impoflible unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth "not out, but by prayer and fafting." This paffage is fomewhat remarkable, and entirely to our prefent purpose. It fhews, that in the economy of divine grace, there are fome mercies that may be obtained by lefs, and fome that require more earnest and fervent prayer. This fpecies of devils, it feems, would not yield to the fame influence that others did. See only further James v. 16. "Confefs your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: The effectual fervent prayer of "a righteous man availeth much."

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3. In the last place, The fame thing appears from the daily experience of the people of God, and many memorable examples of the efficacy of prayer. I might cite a great number of thefe to you from the holy fcriptures, which are not only a facred repofitory of divine truth, but a hiftory of divine Providence. You may take the few following inftances. Abraham's interceffory prayer for Sodom, in which that ancient patriarch, honored with the glorious title of the friend of God, was allowed to plead with him, to repeat and urge his requeft, as well as to frengthen it with arguments. It is true, it faved not the whole city from deftruction; yet was it heard in every part of it, according to its tenor. Nay, even though the ten righteous, which was his loweft fuppofition, were not

found in it; yet the few righteous that were there, were not involved in the general calamity, but fuffered to escape. Take alfo the example of Elias, as cited by the apostle James, chap. v. 17, 18. "Elias was a man fubject to like paffions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might "not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of "three years and fix months. And he prayed again, and "the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her "fruit." See the cafe of Daniel, recorded in the 2d chapter of that book, particularly the 17th, 18th and 19th verfes of that chapter, where you will learn, that, by the united prayer of Daniel and his companions, the fecret of the king's dream was communicated to them in a revelation from heaven. I only add the inftance recorded Matth. xv. 21, and downwards, where the woman of Canaan fo importunately preffes her requeft, and at laft receives this answer: ver. 28. "Then Jefus answered and faid unto "her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even "as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from "that very hour.

I might eafily mention many more recent examples of the efficacy of prayer; but those which have been already produced are abundantly fufficient. The truth is, I am · perfuaded that every ferious Chriftian is able to recollect examples of it from his own experience; and furely they are of all others moft inexcufable, who reftrain prayer before God, after they have known the unfpeakable benefit which flows from it.

IV. LET us now make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid on this fubject. And,

1. Suffer me to improve what hath been faid, for the conviction and reproof of thofe who are habitually unmindful of this important duty. Alas! my brethren, what reason have we to complain of the neglect of wrestling, and want of importunity in prayer! Is not the language itfelf become unfafhionable, and liable to fcorn? As a perfon as eminent in ftation as in piety once faid, " Men "have now devifed a fmooth and eafy way to heaven, "quite confiftent with the fpirit of the world, in which

"temptations and fpiritual conflicts, and inward trials "are unknown." But be affured, however changeable we are in our fancy and inclination, the word of God abideth for ever. There is very great reason to fear, nay there is good ground to affirm, that those who are ftrangers to wrestling with God in prayer, are fleeping in fecurity, and under the dominion of fin. You will fay perhaps, you live at eafe and undifturbed. It may be fo, and it is fo much the worfe; for the prince of this world, will always confult the peace and quietnefs of his own fubjects.

I would earneftly intreat every hearer of the gofpel to fuffer this reproof to enter into his mind, as it is what can be certainly known only to God and your own fouls. Though there is fufficient outward evidence of the general neglect of this duty, how far any person is particularly guilty, must be left to the determination of his own confcience, and the judgment of him who feeth and fearch. eth the heart. If there is any among you who habitually despiseth prayer, who makes every little bufinefs, every little indifpofition or lazinefs of mind, an excufe for neglecting or poftponing it if there are any who fatisfy themselves with a dead curfory formality in duty; who call in question the reality of communion with God in others, because they are ftrangers to it themselves; without all doubt they have great caufe to fear, that they are in the gall of bitternefs, and in the bond of iniquity. Tell me, what is the reafon of your backwardnefs to drawing near to God? Is it not, that you are afraid of coming into his prefence? Is it not, that you cannot bear the opening of your hearts? Is it not from fome dark jea loufy and fufpicion, that all is not right with you, though you had rather cover than confefs it? My earneft prayer to God is, that though you keep at a diflance from him, he may not keep at a distance from you; that he may, by his Spirit, convince you of your danger, and, in great mercy, deliver you from this miferable ftate.

2. You may learn, from what has been faid, one great caufe of the low state of religion, and the barrenness of ordinances among us at prefent. It is the neglect of prayer, and that many, though they may condefcend to afk, yet