both of his conftancy and importunity: 28. "And he faid, Thy name fhall be called no "more Jacob, but Ifrael: for as a prince haft "thou power with God, and with men, and "haft prevailed." The laft part of this verse is fuppofed indeed to be wrong tranflated; and that it fhould be," as a prince thou haft had power "with God, and therefore much more fhalt thou "prevail over men;" which was a promise not only of prefent fecurity, but of future profperity and conqueft.

But though this remarkable event had a particular and immediate relation to Jacob, there is no doubt, that the Spirit of God, in putting it on record, had a purpose of further and more extensive usefulness. It is plainly an example of importunity, and, as it were, holy violence in prayer. So uniform and general has this fenfe of the paffage been, that fervency and impor tunity in prayer has been generally called wrest ling with God. This is a fubject which well deferves our most ferious attention; the rather that I am forry to say, the practice has fallen into much difrepute; and I am afraid the expreffion itself is in fome danger of being treated with derifion. In difcourfing further on this fubject, I fhall,

1. Explain and illustrate a little the nature and fubject of this holy wreftling and importunity in prayer.

2. The duty and reasonableness of it.

3. The great benefit arising from it.

And,

4. In the last place, I fhall make fome im

provement

provement of the subject, for your inftruction and direction.

I. FIRST, then, I am to explain and illustrate a little the nature and subject of this holy wreftling and importunity in prayer. Wrestling neceffarily fuppofes some resistance or opposition to be overcome. Prayer indeed, of itself, and in the fimpleft cafes, may be faid to carry this idea in it; because he that prays ftands in need of fomething which he can only obtain by prevailing with, or bending the will of another to beftow: Matth. vii. 7. "Afk, and it shall be given you feek, and ye fhall find: knock, and it "shall be opened unto you." But as there are many gracious affurances of God's readiness to hear our prayers, the subject we are now upon leads us particularly to the confideration of the obftructions or difficulties that lie in the way, eisher of our praying as we ought, or praying with fuccefs. Thefe two things must be joined together, because they are in their nature infeparably connected: James iv. 3. "Ye ask, and "receive not, because ye ask amifs, that ye may "confume it upon your lufts." James i. 5. 6. 7. "If any of you lack wifdom, let him afk of God, "that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth "not; and it shall be given him. But let him "afk in faith, nothing wavering: for he that "wavereth is like a wave of the fea, driven with "the wind, and toffed. For let not that man "think that he fhall receive any thing of the "Lord." Now, for the illuftration of this duty

and

募

and practice, in a way fuited to the condition and daily experience of the children of God, I fhall mention fome of the chief obstructions or diffi. culties we have to wrestle with in our access to God, and which must be overcome by the importunity and holy violence of prayer.

1. The first of these I fhall mention is a fenfe of guilt overwhelming the foul. This, which is the strongest of all arguments for the neceffity of prayer, is often found in experience to hinder the performance. When any perfon is arrefted of conscience, when his multiplied tranfgreffions appear before him in all their variety, and in all their aggravations, it is apt to fill him with a jealousy of God, a dread of entering into his presence, and in fome fort a despair of obtaining his mercy. This hath been often seen in great profligates, overtaken by a visitation of Providence, and ftung by the reproaches of confcience. When they have been urged to apply for divine mercy, they have answered, 'I cannot pray ;' or, 'How can I pray who have been fo monftrous a finner?' Nay, it may be frequently obferved, that men who live in fecurity, without any juft conviction of their finful ftate, will maintain fome fort of form of religion, will even go through their form with fome pleasure, and place fome dependence upon it. But when confcience begins to rife a little upon them, and they fee the enormities they are guilty of, though it cannot make them forfake their fins, it makes them fpeedily for fake all

their religion. It is taken notice of by Dr Dodridge, in his life of Col. Gardiner, that when he was indulging himself in all manner of wic kednefs, he began, from a natural sense of duty, to pay fome acknowledgements to God; but as he was not refolved to forfake his fins, the daring profanity of it ftruck him with horror. He therefore determined, fays the author, to make no more attempts of this fort; and was perhaps one of the firft that deliberately laid afide prayer from fome fenfe of God's omniscience, and fome natural principle of honour and con. fcience. In this laft reflection, the worthy author is undoubtedly miftaken; for he was not the firft, nor will he be the laft, who has been driven from prayer by a fenfe of fin, and a horror of his maker's prefence.

I have defcribed this difficulty in its moft hideous form, if I may fpeak fo, as it ftands in the of wicked men. way But there is often too much of it to be found even in good men themfelves. A deep fenfe of fin often fills them with a flavish fear, mars their confidence before God, and tempts them to keep at a distance from him. Pf. xl. 12. "For innumerable evils have com"paffed me about, mine iniquities have taken "hold upon me, fo that I am not able to look

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up: they are more than the hairs of mine "head, therefore my heart faileth me." He that wrestles in prayer, refufes to yield to this difcouragement. He ftill ventures, though at a distance, to look to his offended God. Though

he

he is filled with tribulation and fear, he will not give up his plea. He fays with the Pfalmift, Pf. lxxvii. 7. 8. 9. "Will the Lord caft off for "6 ever ? and will he be favourable no more? "Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his "promife fail for evermore? Hath God for. (6 gotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ? Selah." He endeavours to take fuch views of the glory and extent of divine mercy as will give him some ground of hope. He maketh fupplication with strong crying and tears. Against hope he believeth in hope; or refolves, that if he perish, he shall perish at the footftool of mercy. And nothing is fo proper to bring him to this refolution, nay, nothing is fufficient for that purpose, but the freeness of falvation, as it is offered in the gofpel of Chrift, where all confidence is derived, not from the goodness of the finner, but from the power and grace of the Saviour.

2. Another difficulty to be overcome in prayer is, a frowning Providence discouraging the mind. When this is added to the former, as they commonly go together, it augments the difficulty, and adds to the diftrefs. When great calamities are brought upon the believer, when one ftroke follows upon the back of another, when fin challenges, and Providence punishes him, he is then in danger of giving up his condition as defperate, and without remedy. See the reflections of Job in this ftrain, notwithftanding he is commended to us as a pattern of VOL. I. patience,