old, the Saviour said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me," Gen. xxxii. 26. And he was blessed; all his petitions were granted; the whole tone of feeling and of desire is altered. Who can express what the Saviour must have felt? The psalm changes from sorrow to joy. "Thou hast heard me," is the first cry of victory. It is not, "I have prevailed; I have conquered;" but it is, "Thou hast heard me." The honour is all given to God. He that sitteth on the throne is true and faithful. To Him be all the glory!

Let the desponding Christian take courage. Light must soon arise. "In due season you shall reap if you faint not." Beware of timid thoughts and anxious fears. Lay hold on God's strength; "He never said to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in

F

vain," Isa. xlv. 19. God is the hearer of prayer. He will in no wise cast out those who come to him in his Son. Let this successful example of that Son be ever before your mind. Like him, be unwearied in supplication. As he is your best pattern, so let him be your only ground of confidence, in prayer. Let the word, or doctrine, of his suretyship and righteousness abide in you. His word will purify your desires. Longings after things that are holy, just, and good, shall be kindled by the Spirit of holiness within your breast. The earnestness of your petitions will be expended on heavenly realities; and if his word thus abide in you, you shall ask WHAT YOU WILL, and it shall be done unto you, John xv. 7.

How powerful is the will, for good or evil! The sinner will not abandon

his pleasures, he refuses to receive correction; he will go on, though it be to destruction; and he shall go. The true Christian, however, is one who is made willing by the Spirit of God, to do the very reverse. He is willing to abandon sin; he hates it; he will seek to be pure, he will strive to be holy, he will "follow hard after God;" and he shall find him; and he shall be sanctified.

The promise made by the Father to the Son is, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power," Psa. cx. 3. Till God's Power, even his Holy Spirit, come into the heart, man is willing to walk only in the way of that heart. His will goes forth spontaneously, to the things that please him. It does so naturally, and without an effort. When, therefore, the Quickener enters, in

the day of his power, he first works in the man to will, and then to do, of God's good pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. This is a rational mode. It is exactly according to the manner in which we influence our fellowmen. Our own will being directed towards an object, in which we wish their assistance, we first set ourselves to gain their will, their consent, then their co-operation. To this end we show them how good, desirable, and advantageous the object is. We remove their prejudices. We succeed in turning the full tide of their inclination towards that, which they at first, perhaps, regarded with aversion. Our end is gained. They become one with us in spirit: So is it with the work of the Spirit of God. finds the will of every man turned away from the Creator-fixed on self and worldly objects. He seeks to

He

change that will, and therefore shows how good God is, how advantageous his service, how dangerous the course we are pursuing. He desires us to turn to God, and he shows God turned towards us. He commands us to love our heavenly Father, and he proves how much he loves us. He enjoins us to serve God, and he exhibits him serving our cause, and securing our best interests, in the person of his own Son. Apart from Jesus, the Spirit of God does nothing. From him, all the lessons of heavenly wisdom are derived. The sufferings and Ideath of Christ in our room and stead, form the grand arguments by which the Spirit of God influences the human will.

Nor is the mode of this operation of the Lord the Spirit, either mysterious or extravagant. He deals with