his fhield and buckler, and the ftrength of the Almighty his impregnable fecurity? There is no such stayednefs or compofure of mind as after a variety of trials. The exercised 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 poffeffion of the very mercies we defire. It is the exercife of almoft every gracious difpofition. To increase in fanctification, to have his graces ftrengthened, and his corruptions fubdued, is the habitual and prevailing de fire of every real believer. But how can this be more effectually obtained than by fervent prayer? How, and where, can any gracious difpofition be either more improved and strength. ened, or more clearly difcerned, than when it is in exercise. 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 themselves, often discovering 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 shortEived promise in a little time my courage fails,

and

and I am ready to tremble at the falling of a leaf. But, my dear brethren, is not the impor tunate wrestler maintaining the conflict, inftead of yielding to the stream? 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 says, that whilst he was musing 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.

It ne

2. The efficacy of importunate prayer appears from the promises of success which are annexed to it in fcripture. I must here begin by ob ferving, that there are many commands in the word of God to pray, to pray without ceasing, to continue inftant in prayer. Now, every command to pray, contains in it a promise of a gracious answer from the hearer of prayer. ceffarily 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 fruitless attempt: for he is not a man, that he fhould lie. But befides this general confideration, there are many exprefs promises particularly to the earnestnefs and importunity of the defire: Prov. ii. 3. 4. 5. “ Yca, 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 treasures:

"then

"then shalt thou understand the fear of the "Lord, and find the knowledge of God." See also the parable of the importunate widow, and the unjuft 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?"

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 Jesus "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 mustard-seed, ye "fhall fay unto this mountain, Remove hence "to yonder place, and it fall remove; and "nothing fhall be impoffible unto you. How. "beit 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 seems, would not yield to the fame influence that others did. See only further James v. 16. "Con"fels your faults one to another, and pray one "for another, that ye may be healed: The ef "fectual fervent prayer of a righteous man a"vaileth much."

3. In the last place, The fame thing appears

from

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 these to you from the holy fcriptures, which are not only a facred repofitory of divine truth, but a history of divine providence. You may take the few following inftances. Abraham's interceffory prayer for Sodom, in which that ancient patriarch, honoured 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 ftrengthen 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 lowest 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 apoftle James, chap. v. 17. 18. "Elias was a man subject to like paf"fions 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 hea"ven 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, 19th verses 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 revela

tion

tion from heaven. I only add the inftance recorded Matth. xv. 21. and downwards, where the woman of Canaan fo importunately preffes her request, 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 easily 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 persuaded that every serious Christian 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 unspeakable 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 those 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 itself become unfashionable, and liable to fcorn? As a person as eminent in station as in piety once faid, Men have now devised a smooth and ea'fy way to heaven, quite confiftent with the spirit of the world, in which temptations and • fpiritual