1 Kings 3:5

"And God said, ask what I shall give thee?"—1 Kings iii. 5.

My honoured Lord! may I not, with all humbleness of soul, apply what was here said to Solomon, in the old testament dispensation, as said to all thy redeemed under the new testament grace? Didst thou not say, Lord! "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full?" John xvi. 23, 24. I feel encouraged by this saying of my Lord; and I am come up, this evening, to my Lord, to get large supplies of grace, mercy, pardon, peace; yea, Christ himself, with all his gifts, with all his fulness, and all his blessings. And sure I am, if my Lord will give me as large a hand to receive, as my Lord's hand is to give, I shall have a blessed time of it this evening. My soul, look to it, that thou take with thee all thy wants; yea, come as empty as the poorest beggar that ever appeared in the poverty and wretchedness of a fallen nature; for he that gives," gives liberally, and upbraideth not." And knowest thou what thy wants are; and what the wants of Christ's church upon earth are, and thine household, thy family, thy children, thy friends? Let them tell thee, if thou dost not know; for say unto them, Jesus is upon the throne, and delighting to give oat of his inexhaustible fulness; and there is an assurance of blessings, if asked in faith. 'Fell them that thou wilt faithfully lay their cases before him; yea, bring them with thee, and let ail unite in prayer and supplication together, that every want may be supplied, and every poor sinner's heart made glad! Oh! what encouragement it is to consider, that every thing in Christ is for his people, and that he waits to be gracious, and delights in imparting blessings. The Father's gift of Christ is to this express purpose; for he so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; and therefore, with him, "he will freely give all things." And Jesus, who gave himself for his people, will surely give every thing that can be needed to his people. And it is the glory, grace, and love of the Holy Ghost, to give to the people views and enjoyments of both the Father's love and the Son's grace. Hear then, my soul, the voice from the mercy-seat, this evening, "ask what I shall give thee?" And see that thy petition, and the blessings thou prayest for, be great and large, suited to the glory of the great Giver, and the largeness and tenderness of the Lord's heart. And do mark this down, as an encouragement to take with thee, of the assurance of thy success: if he that bids thee ask, gives thee faith at the same time to believe; and if, while the Lord is stretching forth the sceptre of his grace, he enables thee to stretch forth thy withered hand to touch it; sure 1 am, that thou wilt not come empty away; for he hath said, "all things that ye ask believing, ye shall receive."