patience, Job xix. 8. 9. 10. "He hath fenced up 66 my way that I cannot pafs, and he hath fet "darkness in my paths. He hath stript me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. "He hath destroyed me on every fide, and I am "gone and mine hope hath he removed like a ❝ tree." : When the rod of correction falls heavy, the Christian finds it very difficult to believe that it comes from the love of a father, and is rather apt to tremble under it as the feverity of a judge. So did Jacob himself, after all his experience, in the clofe of life, Gen. xlli. 36. "And "Jacob their father faid unto them, Me have "ye bereaved of my children: Jofeph is not, "and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away all these things are against me." Sometimes the courfe of Providence in general has the fame effect. The profperity and infolence of finners, the oppreffed ftate of the children of God, the disappointed endeavours of his fervants, make them often call in question his prefence, his faithfulness, or his power. This is the fubject of the whole 73d pfalm, and fummed up in the 10th and 11th verfes: "Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they fay, "How doth God know? and is there knowledge "in the Moft High?" He that wrestles in prayer, therefore, confiders the depth of Divine Providence with reverence. He dwells upon the wisdom and power of God, who alone can bring light out of darkness, and order order out of confufion. He taketh hold of his covenant, and the fure and everlasting mercy that is contained in it, and humbly and earnestly prays for univerfal and abfolute refignation to the divine will. This, my brethren, is one of the greatest and most important objects of prayer, and what believers fhould wrestle for with the greatest fervour and importunity. They should cry mightily to God, and expoftulate earnestly with their own hearts, as the Pfalmift, Pf. xlii. 9. 10.11. "I will fay unto God my rock, Why "haft thou forgotten me? why go I mourning "because of the oppreffion of the enemy? As "with a sword in my bones, mine enemies re"proach me while they fay daily unto me, "Where is thy God? Why art thou caft down, "O my foul? and why art thou difquicted with"in me? hope thou in God, for I fhall yet praise “him, who is the health of my countenance, " and my God." I am not here to go through all the grounds of encouragement on which the fuffering and pleading believer may place his dependence, drawn from the perfections of an unchangeable God, from the power of a Saviour upon a throne, from the precise and express promises in fcripture of fupport or deliverance, and the daily experience of the faithful. It is fufficient that I have pointed out to you the state and practice of a diftreffed and afflicted Chriftian wrestling with God. 3. Another difficulty often arifes from unbelieving thoughts, and inward temptations diftreffing the spirit. Prayer takes its rife from : and is carried on by faith. Prayer indeed is little elfe than the immediate and lively exercife of faith Heb. xi. 6. "For he that cometh to "God, mi ft believe that he is, and that he is a "rewarder of them that diligently feek him." On this account, dutiful and acceptable prayer is called the prayer of faith. Who would apply, or who can apply, to God, for any mercy, but from a perfuafion, that he is present to hear, and that he is able and willing to bestow? Now, when this faith begins to fail, either from its natural weakness, from our finful negligence, from the fubtle infinuations, or the more violent affaults of the adverfary of our falvation, it must be a great hindrance to the exercise of prayer. Many are the difficulties of this kind which the Chriftian, from time to time, hath to ftruggle with. Sometimes he is made to doubt of the certainty, and fometimes of the meaning, of the promifes. We fee fome diftreffed perfons fo imbarraffed with fcruples, or fo mifled by controverfy, as to lose the relish and fpiritual comfort of the word of God, while they are contending about it. Sometimes they are made to doubt their own title to apply the promises, which appear like a rich and sumptuous table, encompassed with a flaming fword, forbidding their approach. Thus they are led away from the confolation of lfrael, and made to feek in vain for a foundation of comfort in themselves. How often do we fee, that the very sense of fin, and fear of danger, the very mifery and neceffity ceffity which particularly discover the fitness and excellence of the truths of the everlasting go-fpel, are made ufe of to difcourage us from em-bracing them! Sometimes the truths themselves are pervert ed, or fet in oppofition one to another, and mu-tually deftroy each other's influence. Thus, while the conftant and over-ruling providence of God fhould be the great foundation both of our faith and prayer, it is fometimes fet in oppofition to both. The falfe reafoner will fay to himself, Why fhould I pray for deliverance from: this diftrefs? why should I pray or hope for the poffeffion of fuch a mercy? The whole order and course of events is fixed and unalterable. If it is appointed to happen, it shall happen, whether I speak or be filent; if it is other wife determined, the prayers of the whole creation will not be able to obtain it. How unhappily do men thus reafon themselves out of their own peace! not confidering the unspeakable abfurdity of making our weak and imperfect conceptions. of the nature and government of God to ftand in oppofition to his own exprefs command. The influence of fecond caufes, moral as well as natural, is a matter of undeniable experiencé. If you acknowledge it in the one, should you deny it in the other? Is not intemperance the caufe of difeafe? is not flothfulness the way to poverty is not neglected tillage the caufe of a barren field? and is not reftraining prayer alfo the way to barrennefs of fpirit? Believe it, my brethren, fervent prayer is as fure and effec 23 tual 3 tual a mean of obtaining those mercies which may be lawfully prayed for, as plowing and fowing is of obtaining the fruits of the ground. Again, fometimes by the cunning of Satan, the believer is driven to the brink of the precipice, and made to doubt of the very being of God, and the reality of all religion. It is easy to fee, that this must wholly take away the neceffity and ufe of prayer. But even when it is not fo powerful as to prevent the practice, yet doth it, in a great measure, cool the fervour and destroy the comfort of prayer. He that wrestles with God has often these difficulties, in a greater or leffer degree, to ftruggle with. Some of them it is his duty to oppofe by reason, and fome of them directly and immediately to resist and banish as temptations; and I think an exercised Chriftian will ufually make the matter of his complaint the fubject of his prayer. This is indeed defeating the tempter with his own weapons: it is bringing fweetness out of the ftrong, and meat out of the eater, when the difficulties thrown in the way of our prayers ferve to excite us to greater ardour, importunity, and frequency in that neceffary and profitable exercife. 4. Another difficulty with which the believer hath to ftruggle, is the coldnefs and flothfulnefs of his own heart. This is as great a hindrance of prayer as any that hath been named; and I believe it is of all others the moft com. mon and prevalent. At the fame time it affords a very mortifying view of our own character and |