ought to consider well what we pray for: and especially in all temporal matters refer ourselves wholly to God's good pleasure. Nor doth he always grant immediately what he designs to grant, and hath given us the fullest right to ask: but delays it perhaps a while to exercise our patience and trust in him: for which reason our Saviour directs us always to pray and not to faint. But whatever is really good, he will undoubtedly, as soon as it is really necessary, give us upon our request: provided further, that with our earnest petitions we join our honest endeavours: for prayer was never designed to serve instead of diligence, but to assist it. And therefore, if in our temporal affairs we are idle or inconsiderate, we must not expect that our prayers will bring us good success; and if, in our spiritual ones, we wilfully or thoughtlessly neglect ourselves; we must not imagine, that God will amend us against our wills, or whilst we continue supinely indifferent. But let us do our duty to the best of our power, at the same time that we pray for his blessing; and we may be assured that nothing but an injurious disbelief can prevent our obtaining it: on which account St. James requires, that we ask in faith, nothing wavering †.

Indeed, without the encouragement given us in Scripture, it might well be with some diffidence, and it should still be with the utmost reverence, that we take upon us to speak unto the Lord, who are but dust and ashes. The heathens therefore addressed their prayers to imaginary deities of an inferior rank, as judging themselves unworthy to approach the supreme one. But our rule is, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve§. The affected humility of worshipping even angels, and there

* Luke xviii. 1. Jam. i. 6. Gen. xviii. 27. § Matth. iv. 10.

fore much more saints (who, if really such, are yet lower than angels *), may, as we are taught, beguile us of our reward: whereas we may come boldly to the throne of our Maker's grace ‡, though not in our own right, yet through the Mediator whom he hath appointed; and who hath both procured us the privilege, and instructed us how to use it, by delivering to us a prayer of his own composition; which might be at once a form for us frequently to repeat, and a pattern for us always to imitate.

That the Lord's Prayer was designed as a form, appears from his own words: After this manner pray ye; or, translating more literally, Thus pray ye§; and, which is yet more express, When ye pray, say, Our Father ||, &c. Besides, it was given by him to his disciples on their request, that he would teach them to pray, as John also taught his disciples: which undoubtedly was, as the great rabbies among the Jews commonly taught theirs, by a form. And accordingly this prayer hath been considered and used as such, from the earliest ages of Christianity down to the present.

Yet our Saviour's design was not, that this should be the only prayer of Christians: as appears both from the precepts and the practice of the Apostles, as well as from the nature and reason of the thing. But when it is not used as a form, it is however of unspeakable advantage as a model. He proposes it indeed more particularly as an example of shortness. Not that we are never to make longer prayers: for he himself continued all night in prayer to God**: and we have a much longer, made by the Apostles, in the fourth chapter of the Acts. But his intention was, to

• Psalm viii. 5. Luke xi. 2.

+ Col. ii. 18.

Heb. iv. 16. § Matth. vi. 9. ** Luke vi. 12.

¶ Luke xi. 1.

teach by this instance, that we are not to affect unmeaning repetitions, or any needless multiplicity of words, as if we thought that we should be heard for our much speaking*. And not only in this respect, but every other, is our Lord's prayer an admirable institution and direction for praying aright: as will abundantly appear, when the several parts of it come to be distinctly explained. But though such explanation will shew, both the purport and the excellency of it, more fully; yet they are to every eye visible in the main, without any explanation at all. And therefore let us conclude at present with devoutly offering it up to God.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

trespass against us.

* Matth. vi. 7.

LECTURE XXX.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name.

THE prayer, which our blessed Saviour taught his disciples, doth not need to be explained, as being, in itself, and originally, obscure. For no words could be more intelligible to his Apostles, than all those which he hath used throughout it. And even to us now, 'there is nothing that deserves the name of difficult; notwithstanding the distance of time, the change of circumstances, and the different nature and turn of the Jewish tongue from our own. But still, in order to apprehend it sufficiently, there is requisite some knowledge of religion, and the language of religion. Besides, as we all learnt it when we were young, whilst we had but little understanding, and less attention; it is not impossible, but some of us may have gone on repeating it to an advanced age, without considering it near so carefully as we ought. And this very thing, that the words are so familiar to us, may have been the main occasion, that we have scarce ever thought of their import.

Now, we are sensible, it would be a great unhappiness to have our devotions as the church of Rome have the principal part of theirs, in a language that we could not understand. But surely it is as great a fault, if, when we may so easily understand them, we do not, or if, though we do understand them, when we think of the matter, we think about it so little, that, as to all good purposes, it is much the same with praying in an unknown tongue. The Lord's prayer, in itself, is very clear, very expressive, very comprehensive. But all this is nothing to us, if we say it without knowing, or without minding, what we say. For how excellent words soever we use; if we add no meaning to them, this can be no praying. And therefore, to make it really beneficial to us, we must fix deeply in our thoughts, what it was intended by its Author to contain.

Now it consists, you may observe, of three parts. I. An invocation, or calling upon God. II. Petitions offered. III. Praises ascribed to him.

The invocation is in these words, Our Father, which art in heaven. And, few as they are, they express very fully the grounds on which divine worship stands.

As the whole world derives its being from God, he is on that account styled, the Father of all*. But as rational creatures are produced, not only by him, but in his image and likeness, he is in a stricter sense the father of these. And therefore angels and men are called in Scripture, what the animals beneath them never are, the sons † and the offspring of God: in which sense the prophet saith, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are all the work of thy hand §.

* Eph. iv. 6. Acts xvii. 29.

Now,

† Job i. 6. ii. 1. xxviii. 7. § Isa. lxiv. 8.