man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright, for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, 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.

Note.-Daniel's prayers brought down an angel sent to give an answer to them-a wonderful occurrence. But is it not more wonderful still, when the things asked in our poor prayers are conveyed to us by the hand of Jehovah himself?

HOSEA.

A prayer of Hosea.

Hosea ix.-14 Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Note.-Better this, than that their children should

perish miserably by cruel hands. God permits us, in submission to his will, to ask the lesser impending evil, if evil must come.

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A prayer to be used by penitents.

Hosea xiv.-2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not horses; neither will we say any more to

ride upon

the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

Note.-Here God puts words of prayer into the mouth; usually it is into the heart of his praying people that he puts his Spirit. Either way, it is a most blessed gift of God.

JOEL.

Joel bewailing the desolation of his country. Joel i.-19 O Lord, to thee will I cry for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the field. 20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee; for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Note.-There is help for man and beast in God, when all other help is vain.

AMOS.

Amos for deliverance from judgments.

immediately.

Answered

Amos vii.-2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise for he is small. 3 The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the Lord.

Note. In any calamity, public or private, let our prayer be, in the first instance, for the pardon of sin. If we get that, the calamity will issue in good to us.

Amos for deliverance from judgments. Answered immediately.

Amos vii.-4 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. 5 Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee by whom shall Jacob arise for he is small. 6 The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.

Note. Both in this and the preceding instance, the prophet's prayer stopped the judgment. Let us here and elsewhere note the fact, whilst we cannot tell how it does so.

JONAH.

The first prayer of the mariners.

Jonah i.-4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

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Note. It is a principle of natural religion that God is

to be prayed to. These men were heathens, yet every one of them had a god, and in their danger prayed to him. How many in Christian lands never pray, and are living without God!

The mariners' second prayer.

Jonah i.-12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. 15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.

Note. When we have a hard duty put upon us, let us seek to be sure that it is from God, and then let us go forward and do it, trusting in him.

The prayer of Jonah.

Jonah ii.-1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were

wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord d; and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Note. We have here a remarkable prayer from a remarkable place. We may pray in any place, and in any circumstances lay our confessions and petitions before God. No external things can come between God and us, or shut out our prayers from him, or his help to us in answer thereto.

The prayer of the Ninevites. Answered immediately. Jonah iii. -6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water: 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and