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the tenour of the parable itself, and also from the

observation of St.

be of general use.

which feared not

Luke; that it was designed to "There was in a city a judge, God, neither regarded man :

and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, avenge me of mine adversary: and he would not for a while: but afterwards he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?"

It was before observed that our Saviour has illustrated his parable, by applying it to the prayers offered up by the Christian converts, for relief from the persecutions and troubles to which they were exposed from Jewish and Gentile adversaries. But on another occasion, he has adopted a similar channel of conveying an encouragement to perseverance in prayer, and has deduced from the parable an admonition of universal importance. In the 11th chapter of St. Luke's gospel, we find this instructive passage thus recorded. "And he said unto them, which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey

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is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. And he from within shall answer and say, trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' It seems evident then, from this language of our Lord, that continual and fervent prayer is powerful with God; that he does frequently withhold for a season his mercies, that he may try our faith in his power and goodness, and in the end convince us, that though he may seem to be far off, he is yet ever near to help such as call upon him faithfully. The disciples and apostles of Christ felt this precious truth, and they are instant in exhorting their converts to persist in their supplications to the throne of grace. "Pray without ceasing," is the injunction of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. And the Romans also he urges to continue "instant in prayer."

Here then, my brethren, we have every encouragement that a Christian can desire, to induce us to pray to God,—in the undoubting assurance, that, if we ask him sincerely and faithfully for spiritual blessings, although they may be for a

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time delayed, yet, if we persevere in our requests, we shall not sue in vain. To every humble and penitent Christian then, who feels his need of aid from above; who desires to become a partaker in that strength and comfort, which the true knowledge of the Saviour's mercies never fails to impart; but who has not hitherto received that inward peace and gladness, with which the true servants of the Redeemer are strengthened and cheered, I would speak in the blessed words of the pious Psalmist, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

The consideration of the necessity of perseverance in prayer, leads us by a very natural consequence, to enquire into the second part of our subject, namely, the efficacy of prayer. For on our conviction of God's readiness to listen to our sincere and constant petitions, must depend our hope and confidence in his goodness to hear us in the end. Now here we stand upon the most triumphant ground. We have in the Scripture such extraordinary instances given of the power of prayer, that we are almost unable to conceive, that God should so condescend to listen to the voice of his frail creatures of the dust. Take the words of the text for example: and hear the Almighty sovereign of the universe, almost, as it were, requesting his feeble servant not to inter

"Let me

cede for his rebellious countrymen. alone," said God to Moses. Gracious and precicious words! Thy poor, weak, feeble creatures, may then, O God, if they come before thee in faith and penitence of heart, call down blessings from thy hand, where thou hadst almost purposed to visit with thy vengeance. In the case before us, Jehovah was most justly provoked by the senseless rebellions of his chosen people, no sooner had the commandment to abstain from idolatry been given, than these obdurate offenders made them a molten figure, and turned the image of the invisible God into the likeness of a calf that eateth hay. God then addressed Moses in those remarkable words, which I have selected for our text to-day. "Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they." As if the Almighty had said, your prayers are powerful to turn away my wrath, and if you supplicate for mercy, I can scarcely refuse to listen. Do not therefore seek to avert my just indignation upon this stiff-necked and faithless people: let me alone, and I will destroy them, and transfer to thy posterity the blessings I had designed for their inheritance.

These are gracious words, because they bring home to our hearts the persuasion, that in the expressive language of St. James, "the effectual

fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” But the most astonishing part of the history yet remains behind. The man of God, heeded not, if I may so speak, the desire of the Lord, but rejecting the wish for his own aggrandizement by the ruin of his ungrateful, yet still beloved countrymen, he dared to prefer those petitions in their behalf, which God had, as it were, commanded him not to offer. How few of us, my brethren, would have felt this confidence in the efficacy of prayer? How few would in this particular, have ventured thus to counteract the designs of God, especially when we knew that those designs would tend to promote our own glory, by the prosperity. and exaltation of our descendants. And mark the result, for it will give confidence and comfort to every humble Christian; it will encourage him to confide in God's mercy, and to draw hope to himself from the loving-kindnesses which he shewed of old. Jehovah vouchsafed to listen to the supplications of his servant. He was moved by his prayer to turn aside from his wrathful indignation: he withdrew his heavy displeasure from the idolatrous Hebrews, and thus shed a blessing upon the firm and undoubting trust of his chosen prophet.

Can you desire, my brethren, can you imagine, a stronger proof of the efficacy of prayer, than that thus afforded by the words of our text? Nor

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