A wicked man scorneth prayer, in the shallow sophistry of reason, He derideth the silly hope that God can be moved by supplication:-- Shall the Unchangeable be changed, or waver in His purpose? Can the weakness of pity affect Him? Should He turn at the bidding of a man? Methought He ruled all things, and ye called His decrees immutable, But if thus He listeneth to words, wherein is the firmness of His will?-- So I heard the speech of the wicked, and, lo, it was smoother than oil; But I knew that his reasonings were false, for the promise of the Scripture is true: Yet was my soul in darkness, for his words were too hard for me; Till I turned to my God in prayer: for I know He heareth always. Then I looked abroad on the earth, and, behold, the Lord was in all things; Yet saw I not His hand in aught, but perceived that He worketh by means; Yea, and the power of the mean proveth the wisdom that ordained it, Yea, and no act is useless, to the hurling of a stone through the air. So I turned my thoughts to supplication, and beheld the mercies of Jehovah, And I saw sound argument was still the faithful friend of godliness; For as the rock of the affections is the solid approval of reason, Even so the temple of Religion is founded on the basis of Philosophy. Scorner, thy thoughts are weak, they reach not the summit of the matter; Go to, for the mouth of a child might show thee the mystery of prayer: Verily, there is no change in the counsels of the Mighty Ruler: Verily, His purpose is strong, and rooted in the depths of necessity: But who hath shown thee His purpose, who hath made known to thee His will? When, O gainsayer! hast thou been schooled in the secrets of wisdom? Fate is a creature of God, and all things move in their orbits, And that which shall surely happen is known unto Him from eternity; But as, in the field of nature, He useth the sinews of the ox, And commandeth diligence and toil, Himself giving the increase; So, in the kingdom of His grace, granteth He omnipotence to prayer, For He knoweth what thou wilt ask, and what thou wilt ask aright. No man can pray in faith, whose prayer is not grounded on a promise: Yet a good man commendeth all things to the righteous wisdom of his God: For those, who pray in faith, trust the immutable Jehovah, And they, who ask blessings unpromised, lean on uncovenanted mercy.