The First Instance of Wrestling with the Angel of the Covenant

Many a long year passed away before Jacob made bis arrangements to return to the Holy Land. He could not forget the circumstances of bis departure; and bis heart still trembled “for fear of bis brother Esau.”

Esau, in the mean time, bad settled in the mountains east of the river Jordan, and bad become a rich and powerful prince. Tbe country which be occupied at the time of Jacob’s return from Mesopotamia, was originally possessed by the descendants of Seir; a numerous and powerful people as early as the time of Abraham, and whom Esau subdued. It was called Mount Seir, or the mountains of Seir, and formed a province in Arabia, which was subsequently called Edom, or Idumea, and from which the descendants of Esau spread themselves throughout Arabia Petrea, south of Palestine, and between the Dead Sea and the

Mediterranean. In returning to the land from which he had been so long exiled, Jacob conducted himself with all the caution of a prudent man, and with the humility and confidence of one who feared God. His comfort and safety demanded that he should leave the land of his exile; and he had no small apprehension in view of his return to Palestine. What his course of conduct was is beautifully narrated in the following paragraph:

“And Jacob 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 said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be no more called Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me I pray thee thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Peniel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.”

The event of which we have the preceding record, is confessed to be of difficult explanation. Some have supposed that the appearance of the angel, and Jacob’s wrestling with him, was a mere prophetic vision, designed to cheer and comfort the holy patriarch, by the assurance that the danger which he immediately apprehended, should be averted, and that he should be prospered in his return to his native land. Others have concluded that the transaction is to be understood literally, and that it is only with this interpretation that the import of it can be discerned.

Without attempting a solution of all the difficulties which this interpretation is supposed to involve, we have no hesitation in adopting it, and no difficulty in discerning the practical design of the narrative. Jacob was a child of God and the peculiar care of his covenanted mercy. Though he had been far from uniformly conducting himself as a good man, and had sometimes manifested no small distrust in the divine faithfulness; he continued to be the object of the divine guidance and protection. He had for many years been an exile from his father’s house, and a servant in the family of a covetous and envious kinsman. Worn out with cruelty and oppression, he was now returning, accompanied by a beloved family, and a numerous retinue, which God had given him while in Padanaram. On his way, he was informed that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. He recollected what had taken place in the family of his father, and what reason he had to expect that the intentions of his brother were hostile. It is not surprising that he was “greatly afraid and distressed,” and that in this embarrassment, he lifted up his soul to God.

In that memorable vision in the open field, God had said to him, “The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” He knew that God was faithful; while the dispensations of his providence, and probably the presentiments of his own mind, indicated to him, that the time was not far distant when the promise would be fulfilled. It is no marvel that he “was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Yet it was not a blind and heedless confidence. After having adopted such measures as his wisdom and discretion suggested to steal upon the heart of Esau, he made arrangements to spend the night in solemn and fervent supplications. A portion of the night he had resolved to spend alone, and therefore rose up long before day, and sent his wives and children and servants over the brook, and then retired to a solitary place, to renew his prayer. While he was “stirring up himself to take hold on God,” and to pour out his soul with “strong crying and many tears,” a person in the form of a man appeared to him, and engaged in wrestling with him. Jacob soon perceived that his antagonist was more than human, and therefore put forth all his strength and ardor in wrestling for a blessing. The prophet Hosea more than intimates that there was something spiritual in this conflict, as well as natural; for he says, Jacob “had power over the angel and prevailed; he wept and made supplication? When the angel saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he “touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh,” and put it out of joint. Notwithstanding this, the patriarch continued the conflict; and when the angel said, “Let me go,” he adhered to his purpose, and said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” The heavenly messenger then assured him that his holy exertion and importunity were not in vain, — and “he blessed him there.”

This event in the life of the patriarch Jacob has been so universally considered as exhibiting the propriety, nature, and encouragements of prayer, that nothing is more common among Christians than to speak of prayer under the idea of xorestling with God, and of successful prayer under the idea of wrestling like Jacob, and prevailing like Israel.

Among the many truths which this incident inculcates, one is that men have but one refuge; there is but One to whom they can look for relief in times of distress and danger. The object of Jacob’s supplication was the Supreme God. After he had been wrestling with the angel Jehovah in human form, he says, “I have seen God face to face.”

The Old Testament Scriptures frequently speak of a distinguished personage under the name of the angel of Jehovah* To Hagar the angel of Jehovah said, “I will exceedingly multiply thy seed;” and then it is added, “She called upon the name of Jehovah who had spoken to her.” The angel of Jehovah, we are told, called to Abraham and said, “By myself I have sworn, saith Jehovah, that in blessing I will bless thee.” To Moses, we are told, that the angel of Jehovah appeared in the burning bush at Horeb, and said, I am the God of thy father; I am that I am.” The patriarch Jacob more than once speaks of this angel of Jehovah. “The angel of God said to me, I am the God of Beth-el.” When he blessed the sons of Joseph, his language was, “The God in whose presence my fathers Abraham and Isaac have walked, the God who hath nourished me from my first being to this day, the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads!”

Jacob knew with whom he was wrestling; it was the angel of the covenant, the God of Abraham in human form, in some respects distinct from God, yet truly and essentially the same with God. The divine kindness had been most conspicuous toward him during his absence from his

* “Scripture Testimony to the Messiah,” by John Pye Smith, D.D.

native land. Many a time he would have sunk under the load of oppression, and been overcome, if the God of his fathers had not been his refuge. Well might Israel say, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.” He was not insensible of the gracious interpositions of a kind providence in what was past, nor did he overlook them in time to come. Involved as he now was in perplexity and trouble, and apprehending his brother’s anger, instead of meditating how he should meet force with force, his only resort was to lay the whole concern before God, with the hope that he would graciously interpose, and so direct the circumstances and events of his journey, that peace and safety might be the happy issue of this unexpected meeting. He lifted up his soul to God in a short ejaculation, so humble, so fervent, so appropriate, that all the piety of his heart seems to flow out, and you at once discover where his strength lies, and what he considers his last resort. “And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee! I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy.servant, for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.” Not satisfied with this, he set apart a night of prayer, when he might enjoy a season of calm and undisturbed access to the mercy-seat.

Times of fear and trouble are times of special prayer with the people of God. No sooner are they pressed with perplexity, than they set their hearts to seek relief at the throne of grace. It is their privilege, at such seasons particularly, to be alone with God, and to seek opportunities in which they may indulge all the unrestricted familiarity and fervor of children. They find relief only in calm and deliberate communion with God. Their hope is in the favor of God alone; their desires are directed immediately to him; they have peculiar views and feelings which they wish none but God to know; and therefore, like Jacob, often desire to be left alone, that they may speak with God, as a man speaketh with his friend.

This may appear strange to the men of the world, who have no impressions of the being and overruling providence of the Most High. Such persons have no practical views of his minute inspection of the concerns of men, or of his all-pervading care, and, no confidence in his faithfulness and mercy. But is it an absurd belief, that the omnipresent God watches over all the events of this lower world, and that he can and does answer the prayers of his people? However the men of the world may reason in seasons of peace and prosperity; in seasons of danger they feel their dependence as well as other men. Whatever the philosopher may say in the hours of cold debate; in the hour of trouble, there is something that leads him, as it were involuntarily, to exclaim, Lord, help me! And what the philosopher may be constrained to do from the dictates of nature, the Christian does from intelligence, affection, and choice. His heart is placed on God. He feels his dependence. He is habitually sensible that” every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights. with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. On every emergency, it is his privilege to repair to God as his only refuge and helper. Nowhere else can the people of God go so well, as to a throne of grace; nowhere else can they go so confidently, when threatened with evil, or alarmed with fears. God is our refuge and strength, a every present help in trouble.

But, Jww are the people of God to look to him in times of distress and danger? Here much may be learned from the conduct of the patriarch. One of the first thoughts which suggests itself from this narrative, as to the manner in which we ought to draw nigh unto God, is that it should be in unfeigned sincerity. Men may draw nigh unto him with their lips, while their heart is far from him. Good men often do this; but this is not the sacrifice with which God is well pleased. He has respect to the heart.

It is equally obvious that the true spirit of prayer is the spirit of earnestness and fervency. God has a right to expect that when men come to him for help, they should feel their wants, should know the errand on which they come, and should urge it with earnestness and fervency. No person can read the account of Jacob’s wrestling with the angel, without being convinced that he was in earnest. They are touching words which say that “he wept and made supplication.” Some ardency of affection is due to the greatness and glory of that God whom we worship; to approach him with indifference and carelessness, is to treat him with disdain. The character of men too, as creatures, and as sinners, may well give urgency to their desires when they come before the Holy God. There is also a fitness in this spirit which disposes the people of God to appreciate his mercies and to receive them with thankfulness. Everything which bears a relation to the being they approach, to the object of their access, and the character of the worshippers, justifies and demands a holy fervency and engagedness.

Not inconsistent with this is an humble and modest spirit. The spirit of prayer is far from being boisterous and self-confident. It is the unassuming disposition of a child, who, though he has no claims, has many entreaties to urge upon the heart of its offended parent. Men who virestle with God for his blessing, like Jacob, must lose their own strength, and become sensible of their weakness and dependence. God is often pleased to make his people feel this, in the seasons of their most ardent expectation in prayer. As the angel touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, and showed him, that instead of gaining the victory by his own vigor and activity, he was entirely at the mercy of his competitor; so does God, and often in a very remarkable manner, convince his people that it is not by their own strength that they prevail with him. All who wrestle with him must be made sensible of their own weakness, of their utter unworthiness, and of their complete and absolute dependence on his free and sovereign mercy. The reason why Christians strive so long with God without success, is that they so often strive in their own strength, and secretly depend on themselves rather than on him. The spirit of self-confidence and self-righteousness cleaves to their best efforts; and it is necessary for them often to wrestle long and hard, and meet with unexpected tokens of their impotency before they are truly convinced of it. Jacob no doubt strove too much in his own strength, and trusted too much to his own power; and had he succeeded in wrestling with the angel without having his thigh dislocated, he might have supposed his own arm had gotten him the victory. And are not Christians exposed to the same temptation? How often do they find themselves giving a secret merit to their own duties — how often expecting to be heard for their much speaking — how often do their fears and hopes rise and fall according to the freeness and fervency of their petitions; when at the same time they have no special views of their un worthiness, and no holy breathings that the Lord may be magnified! The opposite of this disposition is the spirit of prayer.

We would add to this humble and self-diffident spirit, the spirit of perseverance and importunity. When believers are made sensible that they cannot prevail with God by their own strength or righteousness, and at the same time do not relinquish their importunate pleadings at the throne of grace, they have the true spirit of prayer. And here the conduct of Jacob speaks volumes. Though while he was wrestling his thigh was put out of joint, yet he was so intent upon obtaining the blessing, that he kept his hold on his Antagonist, and refused to give up the conflict. The blessing appeared so valuable, and in his view was so entirely depending on the will of his superior, that his own impotence, so far from inducing him to give up the contest, led him to persevere with the more determined resolution. He hung upon him, and would not let him go. It was of little moment to him that he had lost the power of victory, or that his natural strength had failed. His confidence was in God, and not in himself; and he did not stop to inquire what he had lost, or what he suffered, so long as he could obtain the blessing.

How few are there who wrestle like Jacob, and have the highest confidence and expectation when their strength is all gone! There are difficulties in coming to the mercy-seat which very often dishearten and discourage them. Their souls are sad. The prospect is gloomy. They weep. They make supplication with strong cries. Though God appears as their covenant God, and stands engaged by his promise to hear their prayers; yet there are obstacles in their path which they know not how to surmount, and difficulties which they feel unable to remove. They do all in their power to come nigh to God, but all is darkness, and they have no cheering tokens of his favor. They struggle hard, but see very little fruit of their prayers. They go to their closets and return from them, but everything is gloomy and unsatisfying. The blessing is still at a distance, and they feel strong temptations to relax their diligence and abate their zeal. If they do not immediately gain their object, they sink down under the pressure of their dependence and worthlessness; their love grows cold, their faith weak, and all their exertion dies away. It is not so with those who are truly engaged in prayer. If God withholds the light of his countenance, this increases their importunity; if they painfully feel their own weakness and unworthiness, this inspires them with perseverance and hope. Never are they so truly engaged in pleading with God, and in hanging upon his mercy, as when they feel emptied of self, dependent on God, worthless and useless in themselves; and as when they feel, that without his favor and gracious answer to their requests, they must irrecoverably sink. O it is then, when all the power of resistance is gone; when, by some sacred touch their strength is turned into weakness; when just about to sink, they fall into the arms of mercy, they hang upon the bosom of their Lord, feel that they cannot give up the conflict, and exclaim, though thou slay me, yet will I trust in thee — and with holy fervency resolve, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless meP”1 Thus they have the pure spirit of supplication. This is cleaving to God, when our hearts and our hands are broken off from every other confidence. This is prayer. This is the prayer of faith. This is wrestling like Jacob, and prevailing like Israel.

And what are the grounds we have to hope that they who thus seek the Lord shall not seek in vain?

When men possess this spirit of sincerity, of earnestness, of humility and dependence; and especially, when they become confident that their success does not depend on their own exertions, and yet still continue to strive with God; they shall receive his blessing. Jacob saw that his own strength was gone, but he also knew that the mercy of God was not exhausted. It was at this critical moment, that his faith and hope fastened on the divine compassions and faithfulness, and he resolved he would not cease his supplications. Yea, his resolute and determined faith could say, “I will not let thee go until thou bless me!” And God blessed him there. His name was no more Jacob, but Israel. Every true Israelite, who, like Jacob, wrestles with God in a spiritual agony, importunately pleading for mercy, and resolving not to desist from his most fervent supplications, shall find favor. Those who so address his throne as to show that they are in earnest, — that they truly rely upon his mercy, — that they cannot be denied his favor, — that they never will give up their entreaties, shall be heard. That prayer of faith, which as it were takes hold of the desired favor, apprehends the divine promise, and tests the divine mercy and faithfulness, will always prevail.

This is the supplication which God has required, and to which he has made promises of acceptance. He has said, “Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence; and give him no rest.” The same truth our blessed Lord teaches in his own admirable manner. “And he spake a parable unto this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Saying, There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a certain widowin that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary. And he would not for awhile: but afterward 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? I tell you, he will avenge them speedily.” To the same purpose, he also spake another parable, saying, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer, saying, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are now 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: for every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketb, it shall be opened.”

The kind and gracious Lord has always allowed himself to be influenced and overcome by his dear children. The intercessions of Abraham so far prevailed upon him to spare the cities of the plain, that he said he would not destroy them, if ten righteous men could be found there. The intercessions of Moses influenced him to spare the idolatrous Israelites at Sinai. The prayers of Joshua influenced him to arrest the sun and moon in their orbits, until he had vanquished the enemies of his people. The prayers of David intercepted the blow of the destroying angel, when he stood with a drawn sword over Jerusalem. “Elias, a man of like passions with us, prayed that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again that it might rain, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Thus the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Though there may be reasons why God should delay to answer prayer, yet he will answer it, if we remain importunate. Such is the gracious constitution which he has condescended to establish in his spiritual kingdom. He has given us energy and efficiency to prayer. It is the surest weapon in the Christian armory. While those whose hearts are unhumbled and unbelieving, ask and receive not; those who come to God through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and importunately plead for his blessing, shall not be sent empty away, but shall prove by their own experience, that “the Lord is nigh unto those that fear him, and saveth them that be of an upright heart.” Christians may learn from the example of Jacob that they ought always to pray and not to faint. We cannot live a day without seeing some object of prayer; — something for which it is proper for us to make supplication to God. Either in our own state and circumstances, in those with whom we are particularly connected, in those of society in general, or in those of the church of God, we may constantly see much which should excite the purest feelings of our souls, and call forth our most fervent and importunate intercessions. The demand on this duty is universal, and never will cease. The helpless infant is not half so dependent on a mother’s care, as every son and daughter of Adam is dependent on God. No state of mind is more becoming our character or our condition than this habitual tendency to look away from

earth to heaven. Nor is it enough that the emotions of a pious mind are expressed in those occasional aspirations, which we call ejaculatory prayer. The soul is often too full to be satisfied with this, and longs to be alone, that she may give vent to her desires in seasons of deliberate and special supplication. And in this delightful duty, who that is a child of God will not engage often? Deliverances that we do not ask for, mercies that we never supplicate, are not so fraught with blessing as those which are granted us in answer to prayer. God’s choicest favors are reserved for those who ask for them in faith. The neglect of prayer always induces him to hide his face from us. It is this that accounts for the low state of religion in our own souls and in the souls of those who are around us. We cannot have joy in God, and walk in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, without great constancy in prayer. No temptations from within or from without, should induce us to cease wrestling with God.

It is a great privilege for the people of God to have the comfortable assurance that he has heard their supplications. They may have it, Those who have the spirit of prayer are not only sure of meeting the divine approbation and favor, but often do they receive some pledge of them, and bear in their own bosoms some memorial that God has been with them. In the morning after the memorable night in which Jacob prevailed with God, the patriarch passed over the brook Jabbok to rejoin his family, just as the sun rose, and “he halted upon his thigh.” The conqueror came off the field with marks of triumph; but with an eternal memento of his own weakness, and of the divine power and mercy. He was reminded of Peniel as long as he lived, where “he had seen God face to face, and his life was preserved.” He had perpetual evidence that he had been engaged in a successful conflict with One who could have crushed all his hopes, but who gave him power, and enabled him to prevail. He carried about with him perpetual evidence of being the “worm Jacob,” though his name was changed to Israel, a prince, or a conqueror of the Most High.

Just so is it with the people of God in every age of the world. The memorial of their victory is a token of their impotence. The best assurances they have that they have been successful in their supplications, are a deep sense of their own unworthiness and of the infinitely free, rich grace of God that they are what they are. The mark of victory is the mortification of a proud and selfish heart. As surely as we feel any disposition to take the credit of auspicious events to ourselves, or to think that God has produced them in consequence of our goodness, so sure we may be that he has not done it in answer to our prayers. To have any comfortable assurance that he has heard the voice of our supplications, or that he has granted mercy to us, or to others in answer to our petitions, we must see that we earnestly desired it — that we humbly prayed for it — that we expected it only on the ground of God’s sovereign mercy — that we have done nothing to merit it — that we are humbled under a view of receiving it — and that we are inclined from the heart to ascribe it all to his sovereign mercy, through the mediation of his dear Son. As far as these emotions exist in our bosoms in reviewing the attainment of any object for which we have prayed, may we hope that it has been in answer to our prayers.

It is not difficult, therefore, to see why the people of God receive so few answers to prayer. Christians frequently fail in their applications to the throne of grace. And the reason always is, they ask amiss. It is no difficult matter to tell why so many walk in darkness — go mourning all the day — attend the appointed ordinances of the gospel and find them barren — why there is so little attention to religion — why so few are awakened — and so few find mercy, in the midst of so many prayers. We fail in this one thing; confidence in ourselves and distrust in God. There is very little of Jacob’s spirit and very little of the memorials of his success. We must see Christians lialtinq more than we do, before we discover any remarkable answers to prayer. Though the Lord’s arm is not shortened, nor his ear heavy; and though Christians may appear to be somewhat fervent and zealous; they must be brought to lose all their strength, or their prayers will not “avail much.” How often do good men pray God that he would quicken their own souls — that he would pour out his Spirit and revive his work — that he would bring men to the knowledge and love of the truth — that he would send out his light and grace to the dark portions of the earth; — and how many sacrifices do they make and how much opposition do they withstand in pursuing this hallowed work; yet how frequently does the prospect darken, rather than grow brighter? The truth is, they are looking the rather to see the effect of their own exertion, than the effect of divine power and grace. There may be great wrestlings with God; but there must be also the dislocating touch to wither the confidence of human strength. We have other lessons to learn beside those we have learned. We must yet see that Zion is built up “not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.” We must feel that we are in the hands of God — that he exercises his own sovereign pleasure — that he has mercy on whom he will have mercy — and that if our prayers are heard, it will be entirely owing to his grace in Christ Jesus, and not to anything we have done, or can perform. It may appear paradoxical that we must strive, and yet be sensible that we have no power of our own; but it is no greater paradox than that uttered by the Apostle, when he said, “When I am weak, then am I strong? The Christian’s conscious weakness is the very secret of his strength. It is when his own fond and presumptuous confidence is as the spider’s web, that he is most cheered with the thought that he has omnipotence to lean upon. It is only then that he who is of yesterday and knows nothing, a creature of want, infirmity and sin, becomes peaceful in God’s love, wise in his wisdom, mighty in his strength. This is the truest, the happiest, the most cheerful and most effective Christianity. Nothing discourages, intimidates, crushes the spirit of such prayers; nor does anything disturb its sweet and heavenly serenity. “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, for thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff.” “He that is feeble shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah.”

May not these thoughts address conviction and reproof to those who are habitually unmindful of the duty of prayer? Are there not those who are thus unmindful? Yet are you the creatures of God. In his hand your breath is, and by his constant and powerful visitation, you are every moment preserved in existence. He is the author of all your mercies; and yet lie is the being whom of all others you can forget and disregard. You do not thank him for anything; you do not ask him for anything. You do not supplicate his favor; you do not deprecate his displeasure. You do not venerate his excellence; you do not magnify his name. No, God is not in all your thoughts. You do not desire to draw near to him, but to keep far from him. When you rise up and when you lie down, you forget God. Your hearts, your closets, your families, all bear testimony that you are afraid of coming into the divine presence. In the hour of danger, you can cry for mercy, and vow that you will not forget your obligations if you are delivered out of it; but in a little time, you are as thoughtless and prayerless as ever. Allow me to ask you, is such a course of conduct what God deserves at your hands? Is it not undutiful? If your child should treat you as you have treated God, would you not reproach him as a most undutiful child? Is it grateful, thus to disregard the divine hand and cherish no sense of your obligations to the good Being who has done more for you than all the universe beside? Can you justify such a prayerless life? Does your conscience feel satisfied? Do you never fill your own bosoms with reproach, when you recollect how you abuse the Father of mercies? Can you be satisfied thus to live, without the love of God in your hearts, and the fear of God before your eyes?

Are you happy? Have you any solid ground of hope, either for the life that now is, or that which is to come? Do you feel prepared to die, and to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ? In your rapid and unobstructed passage to the grave, are you satisfied that all will be well? Tell me, immortal man! do you never fear lest God may treat you, as you have treated him, and after all your thoughtlessness, that you may become an inhabitant of that world, where there is none to pity and relieve you, and where hope never comes? How wretched must be that condition, which affords no pleasing reflections, no hopeful prospects? Cease to do evil and learn to do well! When God says, Seek ye my face; let your hearts reply, Thy face, 0 Lord, will we seek!