Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a ser. pent? if ye then, 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? [Matth. vii. 7-11.

Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my king, and my God for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee. But I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy; and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous: with favour wilt thou compass him. as with a shield, Ps. v. 1-12.

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. [Phil. iv. 4-8.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. [Col. iv. 2. [1 Thes. v. 17.

Pray without ceasing. I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godli

PRAYER-PRIDE.

81 ness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto 1 am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (1 speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. [1 Tim. ii. 1-10.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. [James, i. 5-7.

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess 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. [James, v. 13-16.

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto God, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. [Job, xxii. 27.

The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. [Prov. xv. 29.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer be. lieving, ye shall receive. [Matth. xxi. 22,

PRIDE.

Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

[Ps. ci. 5.

G

Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the_Lord, and

depart from evil.

[Prov. iii. 7.

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

[Prov. xi. 2. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.

[Rom. xii. 16. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. [James, iv. 6. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. [Isai. ii. 11, 17.

I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. [Isai. xiii. 11.

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. [1 Tim. vi. 4, 5.

They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. [Ps. xii. 2, 3.

Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised wisdom. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. [Prov. xiii. 10-11.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. [Prov. viii. 13.

Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off. [Ps. cxxxviii. 6. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. [Prov. xvi. 5.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. [Prov. xvi. 18.

PRINCES PROFANITY.

83

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. [Prov. xxvi. 12.

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, another, envying one another.

A man's pride shall bring him low.
Those that walk in pride God is able to

provoking one [Isai. v. 21. [Gal. v. 26. [Prov. xxix. 23.

abase.

[Dan. iv. 37.

Blessed is that man that respecteth not the proud.

[Ps. xl. 4. [Prov. xxi. 4.

An high look and a proud heart is sin. I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. [Isai. xiii, 11. The Lord will destroy the house of the proud.

Pride compasseth the wicked about as a chain; vio[Prov. xv. 25. lence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. [Ps. lxxiii. 6-9. [Jer. xiii. 15.

Be not proud for the Lord hath spoken.

[See Humility.]

PRINCES.

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

God accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth [Prov. viii. 15. the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands. In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

PROFANITY.

[Job. xxxiv. 19, 20.

Avoid profane and vain bablings.
Profane not the holy things of Israel.

[1 Tim. vi. 20.
[Lev. xxii. 15.

84

PROFIT-PROSPERITY-PROVIDENCE.

PROFIT.

The profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is

served by the field.

Vain things cannot profit.

A false tongue what shall it profit thee.
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing.
Lying words cannot profit.

[Eccl. v. 9. Sam. xii. 21.

[Jer. vii. s.

What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul; or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul. [Mark, viii. 36, 37.

PROSPERITY.

In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon the wicked. [Job, xv. 21. The prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Prov. i. 32. The Lord hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. [Ps. XXXV. 27.

PROVIDENCE (OF GOD).

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. [Eccles. ix. 11.

Therefore take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these