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And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

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Y brethren, real communion with God is a bleffing of fuch ineftimable value, that it cannot be fought with too great earnestness, or maintained with too much care. If it is no fable, that God vouchsafes to his people, on fome occafions, a sense of his gracious prefence, and, as it were, vifits them in love; with what fervor fhould they defire, with what diligence should they improve, fo great a mercy! In a particular manner, when a good man hath in view, either an important and difficult duty, or a dangerous trial, it is his interest to implore, with the greatest importunity, the prefence and countenance of God, which only can effectually direct him in the one, and fupport him in the other. This, my brethren, ought to be our concern at prefent, as we have in view a very folemn approach to God, viz. laying hold of one of the feals of his covenant: what trials may be before us, or near us, it is impoffible to know.

The words I have read relate to a remarkable passage of the patriarch Jacob's life. He was now returning from Padan-aram with a numerous family, and great fubftance, and had received imformation that his brother Efau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. We are told, v. 7. of the chapter, that he was "greatly afraid and "diftreffed," being, in all probability, quite uncertain VOL. I. 4 E

whether his brother was coming with a friendly or a hostile intention; or rather, having great reason to fufpect the latter to be the cafe. He rofe up, we are told, long before day, and fent his wives, his children, and cattle, over the brook Jabbock and as it follows, in the 24th verfe, "Ja"cob was left alone: and there wrestled a man with him, “until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that "he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of "his thigh: and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of "joint, as he wrestled with him. And he faid, Let me go, for the day breaketh: and he faid, I will not let thee 66 go, except thou blefs me."

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Some of the fathers, and alfo fome of the Jewish writers, fuppofe, that all this was done in prophetic vifion, to reprefent to him the difficulties that were yet before him, which, by faith and patience he was to overcome. But it is more reasonable to think, that this was in truth the appearance of an angel to him; and indeed moft probably of the angel of the covenant; because, from the paffage itfelf, it appears that he had "prevailed with God." The fame thing we are affured of by the prophet Hofea, chap. xii. 3, 4. "He took his brother by the heel in the womb, "and by his ftrength he had power with God: yea, he had "power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept and made "fupplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and "there he fpake with us." From this paffage alfo we learn, that it was the fame who met with him at Beth-el. Some think, with a good deal of probability, that this attack was made upon him by way of punishment for the weakness of his faith; that though he had received the promife, he fhould yet be under fo great a terror at the approach of his brother. In this indeed he was an example of what happens to believers in every age. Paft mercies are forgotten at the approach of future trials; therefore the fame God who visited at Beth-el, and promised to be with him, now meets him in difpleasure, and threatens to deftroy him but by "weeping and fupplication" he not only obtained his prefervation, but a further bleffing. It is alfo the opinion of many, that the wrestling or conflict was literal and real for fome time, and that Jacob perhaps

took it to be one of Efau's attendants who had come to furprise him in the night; but that at last he perceived his mistake, when the angel, by a flight touch of his thigh, fhewed him, that, if he had pleased, he might eafily have deftroyed him. Then, as he had contended with his fup pofed adverfary, he now continues the firuggle, by infilting upon a bleffing; which he obtains, in fuch terms as earry in them a commendation both of his conflancy and importunity v. 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 prevail "ed." 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.

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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 extenfive ufefulnefs. 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 importunity in prayer been generally called wrestling with God. This is a fubject which well deferves our moft ferious attention; the rather that I am forry to fay, 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 illuftrate a little the nature and fubje&t of this holy wrestling and importunity in prayer. 2. The duty and reasonableness of it.

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3. The great benefit arising from it. And,

4. In the laft place, I fhall make fome improvement

of the subject, for your inftruction and direction.

I. FIRST, then, I am to explain and illuftrate a little the nature and fubject of this holy wreftling and importu. nity in prayer. Wrestling neceffarily fuppofes fome re

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fiftance or oppofition to be overcome. Prayer indeed, of itself, and in the fimpleft cafes, may be said 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 bestow: 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 fubject we are now upon leads us particularly to the confideration of the obstructions or difficulties that lie in the way, either of our praying as we ought, or praying with fuccefs. These two things must be joined together, because they are in their nature infeparably connected: James iv. 3. "Ye afk, and receive not, because ye afk 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 up"braideth 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

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any thing of the Lord." Now, for the illuftration of this duty and practice, in a way fuited to the condition and daily experience of the children of God, I shall mention fome of the chief obftructions or difficulties we have to wrestle with in our access to God, and which muft 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 ftrongest of all arguments for the neceflity of prayer, is often found in experience to hinder the performance. When any perfon is arrefted of confcience, when his multiplied tranfgreffions appear before him in all their variety, and in all their aggravations, it is apt to fill him with a jealoufy of God, a dread of entering into his prefence, and in fome fort a despair of obtaining his mercy. This hath been often feen in great profligates, overtaken by a vifitation of Providence, and lung 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 monftruous a finner ?? Nay, it may be frequently obferved, that men who live in fecurity, without any juft conviction of their finful state, 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 see the enormities they are guilty of, though it cannot make them forfake their fins, it makes them speedily forfake all their religion. It is taken notice of by Dr. Doddridge, in his life of Col. Gardiner, that when he was indulging himself in all manner of wickedness, he began, from a natural fenfe of duty, to pay fome acknowledgments to God; but as he was not refolved to forfake his fins, the daring profanity of it struck him with horror. He therefore determined, fays the au thor, to make no more attempts of this fort; and was perhaps one of the first that deliberately laid afide prayer from fome fenfe of God's omniscience, and fome natural ' principle of honor and confcience.' In this laft reflection, the worthy author is undoubtedly mistaken; 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 most hideous form, if I may speak fo, as it ftands in the way of wicked men. But there is often too much of it to be found even in good men themselves. 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 compaffed me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, fo that I am not "able to look up: they are more than the hairs of mine head, therefore my heart faileth me." He that wrestles in prayer, refuses to yield to this difcouragement. He ftill ventures, though at a diftance, to look to his offended God. Though he is filled with tribulation and fear, he will not give up his plea. He fays with the Pfalmift, Pf. Ixxvii. 7, 8, 9. "Will the Lord caft off for ever? and will 8,9. he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for

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