your prayers are not
profitable, are not heard, because not mixed with faith. Ye use to doubt,
that ye may be fervent, to question your interest, that ye may stir up
your spirits to prayer. But alas! what a simple gross mistake is that?
Poor soul, though thou get more liberty, shall it be counted access to
God? Though you have more grief, and your bitterness doth indite more
eloquence, shall God be moved with it? Know ye not that you should ask
without wavering, and lift up pure hands without wrath and doubting? And
yet both are there.

_Fourthly_, The duty we are called to in such a time when God is angry, is
to lay hold on him. We would speak a word more of it. We ought to hold a
departing Lord, by wrestling with him in supplication, not to let him
depart till he bless, Hos. xii. 3, 4. The application of Jacob's victory
over the angel is thus, "Turn ye to the Lord, and wait on him," &c. How
had Jacob power over the angel? By supplication and weeping, so that
prayer is a victory over God, even the Lord God of hosts. We ought, as it
were, to strive against outward dispensation, when it saith, He is gone,
when our condition saith, He is gone, or going, we ought to wrestle with
it. No submission to such a departing, I mean, no submission that sitteth
down with it, and is not careful how it be. Now this time calleth you to
such an exercise. The Lord seemeth to be angry with us. There is a strong
cloud over the land, and like to pour down upon us--the Lord is drawing a
sword again, and beginning now to lay on. Many threatenings would not put
us to supplication. Now, what will the laying on of the rod do? If the
former days be returning wherein ye saw much sorrow, is it not then high
time for the Lord's remembrancers, and for the Lord's children to wrestle
with God? As Esau was coming on Jacob, so hath God armed men, and such
desperate men, as he hath made a rod to us before. If we be twice beaten
with it, it is very just, for before we did not seek in to him who smote
us.(322) You would know this, that the Lord is but seeking employment, and
if ye would deal with him, ye may make advantage of the present and future
calamities. And look to this laying hold on him, this is the chief thing
ye should now heed. It is God himself that should be your principal
object. Praying should be a laying hold on God, it should meet with
himself. For the most part in the time of prosperity, we cannot meet with
God singly, we have so much to