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Efficacy of prayer.

people may know that thou art the Lord God- -Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice.

2 K. 6. 18. Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness.

2 K. 19. 20. Then Isaiah the son of Amos sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Senecherib king of Assyria I have heard.

2 K. 20. 5. Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee- -And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake. 11. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward.

Ps. 18. 6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled. 16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me. 19. He brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Ps. 30, 2. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

Ps. 34. 2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear hereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their

Efficacy of prayer.

cry. 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Ps. 40. 1. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Ps. 66. 19. Verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

Ps. 86. 5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Ps. 99. 6. Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

Ps. 106. 23. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

Ps. 107. 6. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. (13. 19. 28.)

Ps 118. 5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

Ps. 138. 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

Is. 65. 24. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Is. 66. 8. As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

Dan. 9. 21. While I was speaking in prayer, even the

Neglect of prayer.

man Gabriel-being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Dan. 10. 12. Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Jonah 2. 1. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God. 10. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Ac. 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison; but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 7. And his chains fell off from his hands.

Ph. 1. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye are all partakers of my grace.

Jam. 4. 3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Jam. 5. 16. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

523. Do sinners delight in devout prayer?

Job 21. 14. They say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Job 27. 8. What is the hope of the hypocrite? 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

Danger of neglecting prayer-Prayers of the unregenerate.

Ps. 10 4. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Ps. 53. 4. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread? they have not called upon God.

Is. 43. 22. Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

524. Is God displeased with prayerless persons?

Jer. 10. 25. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.

Zep. 1. 4. I will cut off the remnant of Baal

6. And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him.

525. Are the prayers of the unregenerate acceptable to God?

Ps. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

Pr. 1. 28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Pr. 15. 3. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 29. The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Pr. 21. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

Pr. 28. 9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me. 15. And when ye spread

Is. 1. 13.

Prevalence of.

forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."

Mat. 23. 26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Jn. 9. 31. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Heb. 11. 6. Without faith, it is impossible to please

him.

Pride and Boasting.

526. Have pride, self-righteousness and boasting been prevalent?

Gen. 11. 4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Ps. 10. 2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: 4. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Ps. 39. 6. Surely every man walketh in a vain show. Ps. 73. 3. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 5. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like as other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

Pr. 20. 6. Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

Ezk. 16. 49. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did

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