which they are found. The disciples had been listening to many difficult injunctions. They had been instructed to hold this present world in light esteem, and to seek first the kingdom of God: to make it their great business to lay up treasures in heaven to obey commandments, against which flesh and blood would earnestly contend. And they might naturally ask, or at least think within themselves, "Who is sufficient for these things?" Our Lord meets this inquiry by the assurance, repeated by his apostles afterwards, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally. Only let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven here and there, and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." 2

This caution of St. James, "Only let a man ask in faith," exactly agrees with what we read here. To ask, to seek, to knock, implies that earnestness and perseverance which arises out of perfect confidence that he of whom we ask and seek, is able to grant our petitions. It explains also why much of what is called prayer, obtains no answer, receives no blessing. Unless a want is felt, there can be no sincerity in prayer: none of that earnestness with which the mother of Samuel besought the Lord, in her anxiety for a son: when, as we are told, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved; but her voice was not heard, as she poured out her soul unto the Lord." Conscious of her urgent supplication, she says afterwards, "For this child I prayed; and

66

2 James i. 2-1.

3

3 1 Sam. i. 13.

4

5

the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked
of him." So again, Seek, and ye shall find. Seeking
implies perseverance; as described in the parable,
when she who has lost a piece of money, lights her
candle, and sweeps the house, and seeks diligently
until she find it: or as the like promise is given in
the book of Proverbs; 6 "If thou seekest after know-
ledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if
thou seekest for her as silver, and searchest for her as
for hid treasure; then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."
How much is spoken every day, and passes under
the name of prayer, with no sign of this earnest
seeking? Further, knock, and it shall be opened unto
you. Persevere like the beggar at a gate, where he
expects to obtain relief: like the Canaanite who had
been for twelve years a sufferer, and could not be
kept back or turned aside till she had reached the
Lord, and touched the hem of his garment.'
who is within the gate, knows whether we knock in
earnest, really desiring that it should be opened;
whether when we pray for the hallowing of his name,
or the coming of his kingdom, a care for his glory is
really in our hearts; whether when we pray not to
be led into temptation, but delivered from evil, we
are indeed dreading and avoiding sin as our greatest
danger.

He

It is this prayer of faith and perseverance that has the assurance of success; ye shall not ask, and seek, and knock, in vain. And since promises are sometimes doubted, as if too great to be accomplished,

4 Sam. i. 27.
Prov. iii. 3-5.

5 Luke xv.

7

8.

See Mark v. 27.

our Lord even vouchsafes to reason with us, and asks, Do not ye, notwithstanding all the evil there is about you, give such good gifts as are in your power to your children? How much more shall your heavenly Father, who is altogether holy and righteous, give good things to those who are made his "children by adoption and grace," when they sincerely and earnestly desire them?

9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10. Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

A gracious encouragement to prayer is given in these words. But how lightly it is valued! How commonly is prayer considered as a burthensome duty, rather than a delightful privilege!

The way to judge of this, is to reflect how it would be with those whose day of trial is over, and who are now "shut up in everlasting darkness unto the great day." If they who, while on earth, had refused to "hear Moses and the prophets," were now invited to ask for pardon, that they might receive it, to seek for grace that they might find it, to knock at the gate of heaven in time, and it should be opened unto them through eternity; how gladly would they welcome the invitation, and grasp at the offered blessing.

Let us, then, "seek the Lord whilst he may be found, and call upon him while he is near." Bitter indeed will be the reflection in the eternal world,

that the pardon purchased by Christ, and all the unspeakable blessings attending it, might have been ours, had we thought them worth diligently seeking, in humble, fervent prayer.

Some, perhaps, may feel dispirited, and think that the promise of our Lord in this passage is hardly accomplished. They may lament that the supplies of grace, which they had looked for, are less speedily and less abundantly ministered than they hoped and expected. But let not this discourage them. The Spirit is not really ever absent, where his presence is anxiously desired. They may have grown in grace, yet their growth may have been imperceptible to themselves. One thing is sure, that they who have persevered in prayer, have not prayed in vain. God has given to them a "spirit of prayer and supplication," and this is a pledge and earnest of all other blessings.

LECTURE XXX.

THE RULE OF DUTY TOWARDS OTHERS.

MATT. vii. 12.

12. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Our

In the law delivered to the Jews by Moses, a man's conduct towards his neighbour is regulated; and numerous provisions are enacted to prevent cruelty and wrong dealing. The prophets enforce the same; and declare the anger of God against the nation because they had neglected these laws, and considered their own interests, not their neighbour's welfare. Lord lays down a precept, which, as he says, comprises in itself all that the law prescribed in regard to men's behaviour towards each other, and all that the prophets insisted on. This is the law-all the law is comprehended in this saying-this is the prophets-by so acting ye will obey them—whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do unto them. So that if a man desire to fulfil the will of God in his dealings with another, he need not resort to books, or to men who are learned in books; he need only inquire of himself, his own feelings, his own conscience; then he will see the truth at once, and regulate his conduct by what he sees. A man loves