viewed in two distinct characters — as a combatant and as an assis¬ tant, showing greater strength as an assistant than as a combatant, wrestling, as it were, with his left hand and upholding and strengthening with his right hand; the arm of his strength. Thus we are not to look so much at Jacob's bodily, as at his spiritual, strength, the strong and lively efforts which his faith had been enabled to put forth, when he wrestled with the angel and pre¬ vailed. This glorious truth is recorded for our encouragement in prayer. Again: Why did the angel say, "Let me go for the day break- eth"? He was an uncreated angel, as we have seen; the darkness and the light are both alike to him. It was not, as some apocryphal writers affirm, because the angels sang hymns of praise to God in the morning. The angel Jehovah might use this language for the following reasons, viz: first, to put Jacob in mind of his own affairs - of present duty, just as Jesus taught elsewhere that however nec¬ essary and important prayer is, no Christian is to continue at that exercise to the neglect of present and urgent duty; or secondly, in kindness to Jacob, lest he should be overcome or overwhelmed with the angel's unseen, splendid appearance in the light of day; or thirdly, it may have been to try Jacob's faith and patience — to see if he would exert the same degree of faith in resting and relying as he had done in the combat and also to see if he were willing to yield to the counsel and will of God . Thirdly. What Jacob said, "I will not let thee go except thou help me". First, Jacob asked a blessing — a present blessing. It was, Lord bless me now; and as God had often blessed him before, he, with the greater confidence, now asks for a blessing suited to this needs — his present circumstances. He was now in such a state that he durst not meet his brother Esau, whom he had wronged, but if the angel would only bless him he would not be afraid. Again, he wanted the blessing already conferred upon him renewed and ratified; yea, he wanted the blessing his father con¬ ferred to be obtained, ratified and confirmed — the blessing which his brother despised. There is a great difference between the bless¬ ing of God and the blessing of his servants. When God blesses He does so in His own name; but when a servant of God blesses, he prays for a blessing - for the fulfillment of some precious promise; the blessing is not in his own name, it is in the name of that Jesus in whose name and by whose power Peter performed an admirable miracle on a lame man. What was the Aposde's lang¬ uage? "In the name of Jesus of rise and walk". When 311 Sermon Preached by Rev. William MacGregor , 1821