In these and other passages, the power or sufficiency of God to supply our wants manifestly includes his abundant goodness and mercy. And it is particularly in reference to the riches of his glory, and to the incomprehensible dimensions of his love, that the Apostle says in the text, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."

If we consider our own imperfection, and the appear, that boundless perfection of the deity, it will there is no proportion between what we can ask, and what he can do. It is impossible, that creatures of such limited minds as ours, should comprehend all the things which perfect wisdom may devise, unbounded goodness may design, and infinite power may effect. As the nature, perfections and operations of the divine Being are infinitely superior to the powers which we possess, and the works which we can perform, so we must believe, that he is able to do exceedingly better for us, than we request in our prayers, or imagine in our thoughts.

To illustrate this point, it may be observed,

1. God often does for men those favors, which they never thought of asking for themselves. He is found of them who sought him not: Before they call, he hears them; he shews them great things, which they knew not of.

Our happiness, in many cases, depends on things which are entirely out of our sight. We know not what is good for a man in this life, all the days of this. vain life which he spends as a shadow. But the perfect wisdom of God sees all the connexions and dependencies of things through the boundless extent of the universe, and the endless duration of eternity; the relation of every creature to other beings around him; and the influence that every event will have on his hap. piness or misery, That Providence, which God exercises in the world, is guided, in every step, by this consummate this all comprehensive wisdom; and as it is,

particularly employed for the benefit of pious men, to whom all things shall work for good, so undoubtedly there are innumerable cases, in which God orders circumstances and events in their favor, without their request or knowledge. In some instances they are able afterward to discover the happy consequences of events, which, in the time of them, appeared quite indifferent, or perhaps very unfavorable to their intcrest. And, without question, there are numberless cases, in which their safety is owing to causes, which they nev er will discover, until the mysterious scenes of Providence shall be opened to their grateful and astonished view in the future world.

2. God answers prayer in ways that we think not of. As he requires us to make known to him our requests, so he assurés us, that his ears are open to them. He will not always bestow the particular things which we ask, for we often mistake our own interest; but he will grant us things more valuable in themselves, or better adapted to our condition. Or if he gives us the blessings in substance, he will send them in a more suitable time and manner, than we had proposed. Paul's prayer for the removal of an infirmity, which seemed an obstruction to his ministerial success, was answered in a way far better than he asked or imagined. Sufficient grace was afforded him, not only to comfort him under his peculiar trial, but to give him greater success in his ministry, than he could have expected, if the infirmity had been removed.

Pious Jacob doubtless often prayed for the prosperity of his children, especially of Joseph, concerning whom he had conceived peculiar hopes. But the patriarch had no conception of the dignity to which this son would be advanced, nor of the useful sphere in which he would move; much less did he imagine by what mysterious methods God would raise him to such/distinguished importance, and make him instrumental of general good to mankind. The course of

Providence seemed, for a time, to be against him; but eventually it appeared to be designed for his own and the common felicity.

I remember to have heard, on good authority, a remarkable story of an African, which will illustrate this thought. The poor negro, in his own country, was led, by contemplation on the works of nature, to conceive that there must be, though invisible to him, a supreme, all powerful, wise, just and good Being, who made and governed the world. Impressed with this sentiment, he used daily to pray to this invisible Being, that he might by some means or other, be brought to a more distinct knowledge of him, and of the service due to him. While he was in this contemplative and devout state of mind, he, with a number of others, was treacherously and perfidiously taken by some of his own countrymen, and soon after was sold for a slave. Now his faith began to waver, "For," thought he with himself, "if there is such a just and good Being, as I have supposed, who governs the world, how is it possible, that fraud and iniquity should be successful against innocence and integrity? Why am I and my fellow prisoners, who have acted with openness and simplicity, made to suffer, while our enemies are permitted to triumph in the success of their deceit and violence?"The poor fellow after several changes of masters, was finally sold into a pious family in Newengland, where he was carefully instructed in the Christian religion, which he embraced with great appearance of sincerity and joy, and obeyed with exemplary diligence and zeal. And in the relation of his story, he often made this pious reflection, that while he was perplexed to see the triumph of fraud over innocence, God was really answering his fervent prayers, and bringing him to the enjoyment of the means of religious knowledge and eternal salvation-that what he had thought was an objection against the justice of

Providence was really a wonderful and merciful compliance with his daily supplication. To proceed,

3. The mercies which God is pleased to grant us, often produce happy consequences far beyond what we asked or thought.

In our prayers, our thoughts usually stop at the enjoyment of the blessing requested. God's gracious de. sign, in the bestowment of the blessing, reaches forward to a long series of happy events, which stand connected with it. We sometimes ask we know not what; and God, whose wisdom judges right, does exceedingly better for us than we ask he denies our prayer. If what we have asked be a real favor, it may probably comprise abundantly more than we think. It may be pregnant of consequences, which we cannot foresee, or even imagine. When Saul, the blasphemer and persecutor, was converted to the faith of Christ, he certainly viewed himself as having obtained a high favor a favor of more value than all the riches and honors of the universe. But this happy convert could have no conception of the interesting consequences of his conversion to the world of mankind, in that and all succeeding generations. At first his thoughts were chiefly employed in his own deliverance from guilt. But afterward, when he became more acquainted with the gracious purposes of God in his conversion, be made this admiring reflection; "I for this cause ob. tained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them, that should afterward believe in him to life everlasting. To God be honor and glory forever and ever." The A. postle observes, that, in the mysterious workings of Providence, the unbelief of the Jews was the occasion of a more general conversion of the Gentiles; and on the other hand, the faith of the Gentiles, in some future period, will prove the means of reclaiming the unbelieving Jews. He says to the Roman converts, "Ye have obtained mercy through their unbelief, that

through your mercy they may obtain mercy.-O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or, Who hath been his counsellor? Of him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory, for ever."

es."

4. The worth of the blessings, which we ask and God bestows, infinitely exceeds all our thoughts. The blessings of the gospel are "unsearchable richThey are purchased with an infinite price-not with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Blessings purchased at such a price must be of immense value. We can form no perfect estimation of their worth in them. selves or of their importance to us.

The sinner, awakened to a sense of his guilt, knows pardon and heaven to be vastly more desirable than all the treasures of the earth. He views them as pearls of great price, to purchase which he would sell all that he has. In comparison with them he counts his worldly wealth as dross; and to win them he would cheerfully suffer the loss of all things. While he meditates on the evil of sin and its dreadful demerit, he feels ardent and increasing desires of God's forgiving and saving mercy. But all his desires-all his thoughts sink far be low the worth of the object.

As we have no adequate conception of the purity and dignity of the Supreme Jehovah, so we can have no full apprehension of the exceeding sinfulness and demerit of our numerous offences committed against this glorious Being; and, consequently, but a very imperfect sense of the immensity of that mercy which they receive, whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. When we ask pardon, we ask that. which abundantly exceeds all our thoughts.

The happiness of heaven as much surpasses our ideas, as does the demerit of sin. We know it to be