Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-07
FINNEYss LECTURES
Ertfdets from Lleetase Y !
= The PRAYER OF FAITH. 3

r = y w.. 90 2 III .r~
-27$ - Eetfaets from Lecture i.
E - HE PRAHER OF Farm =
Text -. : g Therefore say unto you, What
things soever ye desire when pray. believe
that ye-: receive them, and ye shall have
them ~ Marx xi. IA. j, 49, =
- ]. CONCLUDED from 3ostr last
- ". will proceed to show that this
kind of faith. dlaoQys obtQsas The object
The text is PLAIN here, to show that you,
shall receive the very thing prayed for.
IL does not say Believe that Ye shall:
receive, and re shall ether have that or
Something else equiyalent to q TO.
spfove that his fifth obtains the very hes.
sing asked il observe =
That otherwise we could never
know whether our prayers were answered
And we might continue praying and
praying, long after the prayer was an
swered by some other blessing equivalent
TO thesene we ask 1or,,
- q. IF iWes are, not bound to expect the,
very thing we ask. ,for, it must be that the
Spirit Of God aeeeiEes us: Why should
he excite us To- desire certain blessing,
when he means to grant something else 2
s. "a WHAT'S the meaning of this passage,
II q man ask bread, viii he give him.a
stone ~ Does not our Savior ;rebuke. the
idea that prayer may be answered by Civ
ing something else y ~ w hat encourage
fnent have we TO pray for anything IN par
ticularI # we are to ask for, one thing and
receive ailother! Suppose a Tristan
should pray for arevivak here The would
answered BY a revival ID China Or
he might pray fora revival, and God
would send the; cholera, or an eathquake.
Adj the history of the church shows that
when God answers prayer, he gives his
people the very thing for which their pray
1ers are offered. God confers other bles-
sings, on both saints and sim ers;f which
they do. not pray for at all. He sends his:
rain bethupen the just and the uniust.--
But when he q7esscer:s prage1, is bysde-
ing whatthey ask HIM do. To be sure,
he often more than answers prayer. He
grants them not only what they ask, but
often connects other blessings with it. - +
A.. Perhaps you may feel a difficulty
here about the prayers of Jesus Christ
People may: often ask q Did not he pray.
-llthe garden for the3cupSto bemeved and
was his prayer answered? | answerthat
this is no difficulty at all : for the prayer.
was answered. The cup he prayed to be
delivered from was, removed This is
what the apostle refers to, when he says
WHO in the, days2of his flesh, when he
had Offered up prayers and snpplications
with strong crying and tears unto him
that was able to saTe>him from death, was
heard in that he feared,,'4'~ Now / ask, On
what occasion was he. saved from death,
fnet on :this2 Was it the death of the
cross he prayed to be delivered from a.
Not at all But the2case was this. A
short time before he was betrayed, we
hear him sayingto his disciples, my soul
is exceedingly sorfeWful, even unto DEATH.
Anguish ofmind: came rolling in upon
him, till he was just readyfo die, and he
went out. into the garden to pray, and told
his disciples to waite h, and then he wentby
himself and prayed; go .-4ny Father,
said he = if it be possible. let this cup pass
fromme; nevertheless not as viii, but as
thou wilt y In his agony he: rose from
his knees, and walked. the. garden, till he
came vherezhisdiseip piles were, aud there
he saw them fast asleep. He ,awaked
them and said, = What, could re NOT watch
with me one hourP And then he went
.again, for he was in such distress that he
could not stand still and again he poured
out his soul. 3 And the third time. he goes.
away and prays, e ather, If thou be viii
ling remove this cup from me; neVerthe--
less not my will, but tliiine DONE And
now the third time Of praying there APP
peared an angel unto him from heaven,
Strengthening him. And his mind be-
came composed, and calm, and the cap.
aods, gone. Pill then, he had been in such
anagony that his sweat was asst were
great drops ofblood, but now it was all
over. q. : ~ ~.
Some have supposed that he was pray
ing against the cross; and begging tosbes
delivered from dlying ON the cross! ; Did
Christ ever shrink from the cross r. New
era. + IIe came into the world on purpose
to die on the cross, and he never: shrunk
from il. But 1leswas afraid he should die
.inthe garden before he came to the Cross
The burdens on his soul was so great,
and produced saeh33an agony that he1et
ash he was. on The point of dying. = HIS
soul was serrowfuI even unto death: But
afeftAe angel appeared unto him, we hear
no more of his agony Of soul: He had.
PRAYED for relief from thai cup, and his
praver. was answered. He became calm,
and had no more mental sufferin till just
sas he expired. This case, therefore, is
no exception. He received the very thing
for which he asked, as. he says" knew
thou always nearest me - Y = O.
+ But thepe.is another case often brought