Let us now proceed to such an exposition of the prayer itself as can be given in one discourse. The first part of the Lord's Prayer is the preface, which is in these words: "Our Father who art in heaven." Among the various titles of God, that of our Father, is, perhaps, the most instructive, solemn, and endearing. He is the Father of us all by creation. "It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves."-"He is the Father of our spirits," and "the former of our bodies."- "Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" In this address, then, we glorify him as our creator. He is also the Father of us all, in respect of his providence. As an earthly father is supposed to protect and provide for his children, so the Lord, whatever may be our state and character, preserves and provides for us: and, in this view, we also acknowledge him in this address. But neither as our creator, nor as our preserver, can we approach him aright, unless, as his children by regeneration and adoption, we come to him as our reconciled Father through Jesus Christ. We are not naturally his spiritual children; we are not his children in any endearing sense, or in dutiful feelings, nor is he our Father, as taking any complacency in us: on the contrary, we are the children of the wicked one, and God is angry with us every day. But those who are reconciled to him by faith in his Son's atonement, and born again and renewed after his image, and adopted by grace into his family, become his children indeed, and are treated by him with much greater kindness than the word "father" can express when applied to man. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." He provides for them all things needful, not only for life, but for godliness. He loves them. He defends them. He allows them free access into his presence, to make known all their feelings. He chastises them when needful. He constitutes them heirs with God, and joint heirs with Christ. On each of these ideas much might be said, but we must be contented with merely stating them.

What a foolish and sinful part do you act who refuse to acknowledge this gracious Father, as your Father! "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then, I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you.”—“ Do

belong to our communion. All these remarks are made, merely to explain our views on this subject, and by no means with the wish to attack those of others.

ye thus requite the Lord? O foolish people and unwise! is not he thy Father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee and established thee?" Return, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight:" and he will receive and bless you.

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On the other hand, what a blessed privilege is yours who, in the saving sense, have God for your Father! What manner of love he hath bestowed on you, that you should be called his children! Avail yourselves of the privilege; and see that you conduct yourselves towards him with all dutiful affection. It is, however, chiefly in reference to the sentiments with which you should approach him in prayer, that this most interesting title of Father is here to be considered and, in this view, it teaches you to approach him "with all holy reverence and confidence." The title forbids all indecent familiarity, and yet invites all filial boldness. It reminds you at once of your complete dependence on him, and of your endearing relation to him. You do him injustice, if you doubt of his gracious disposition towards you, or of his readiness to hear you. This very comparison is employed by our Lord in a subsequent part of this chapter, to remove your suspicion, and to encourage you, not only to pray to God, but to pray in the belief that you will be heard. You see, then, to what a glorious privilege you are called, in being called to pray to God as your Father. Endeavour to approach him in that character; and, sensible of the difficulty of doing so, nay, of your own complete insufficiency to do so, let it be one of your most earnest requests that you may be delivered from the spirit of bondage and of fear, and may receive "the spirit of adoption, whereby you may cry, Abba. Father."

The expression is "Our Father;" and the pronoun, being in the plural number, reminds us to use social prayer—“ to pray with and for others." Social prayer, in general, and especially this mode of praying to God as our common Father, is finely calculated to cherish mutual Christian love. Social prayer, moreover, has a particular promise of a gracious answer. Our Lord said to his disciples, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

God is here styled our Father "who is in heaven." When he is called our Father in heaven, or heavenly Father, this

distinguishes him from our earthly fathers, and obviates all grovelling ideas of him. It is true that he is everywhere present" Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord:" yet there is a difference; on earth he is invisible, in heaven he is visible; on earth his glory is only seen reflected from his works, in heaven his glory is seen directly; heaven is his throne, while the earth is his footstool. This shows that he is able to help us, and also that we should approach him reverently, though confidently. "Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few."

After the preface comes the first of the six petitions, "Hallowed be thy name." God's name is put for his designation, or his glory, or himself; and, in the enlarged sense, it includes his " names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works." Let thy name be "hallowed"-sanctified, considered as holy and glorious. To hallow God's name is to have right thoughts, reverential expressions, and righteous actions with regard to it. How contrary to this petition are profane swearing, and also the various light and thoughtless ways of speaking of God and divine things in common conversation, and even in exercises that are considered to be religious! Well is he entitled to the most reverential regard, of whom it is said, "Holy and reverend is his name." This may be considered both as an act of adoration, and as a petition. Viewing it in the former light, we ourselves should magnify the Lord in pronouncing it; and viewing it in the latter, we should feel an earnest desire that he would enable us and others to magnify him. In putting up this petition, we are asking what God is sure to grant. When Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify thy name; then there came a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

The second petition is, “Thy kingdom come." May the kingdom, or reign, of God come. God's right to reign is universal; nay, in respect of providential government, "his kingdom" actually "ruleth over all." But, in respect of willing and dutiful submission, it is far otherwise: for men have rebelled against him, and have said that they will not have him to rule over them. In order to restore them to

obedience and happiness, he has appointed the various means of grace: especially, he has committed the task of regaining them to his only-begotten and well-beloved Son, whose kingdom is a gracious kingdom-a reign over the hearts and lives of his people, consisting in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It is known that when the Jews, in ancient times, prayed for the coming of the kingdom of God, they had a particular view to the coming of Messiah. He was indeed come, and his kingdom was in some degree, come, at the time our Lord directed his disciples to put up this petition; but little, comparatively, was yet accomplished, in the actual establishment of his reign over sinners of mankind. The disciples were, therefore, to make its success an object of special prayer. And, though the Spirit was poured down in rich effusion at Pentecost, and many have been brought in, yet this kingdom is far from having attained that universality to which it is destined. There is given unto the Son of man "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him." To pray that God's kingdom may come, is now to pray that the gospel may be universally published and received; it is to pray that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; it is to pray "that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened." Let us consider what is necessary for us to do, to show that we are in earnest in putting up this petition. It is necessary that we become the subjects of this kingdom ourselves. We cannot really wish the prosperity of a kingdom with which we are at variance. If every one who hears the gospel of the kingdom would be careful to embrace it for himself, the number of its subjects would rapidly increase. And if we are earnest in putting up this petition, we shall not only pray, but do everything in our power, for the promotion of religion in the world. We shall study to forward it by a holy life, letting

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our light so shine before men that they, seeing our good works, may glorify our Father who is in heaven." We shall exert ourselves with our own connexions, and in our own neighbourhood. And we shall, according to our ability, contribute of our substance to the support of plans for the propagation of Christianity in heathen and other unenlightened lands. It would be absurd for a man who was able to work, to content himself with praying for his daily bread,

and lie by in idleness; equally absurd it is for men to pray that the kingdom of God may come, and to take no steps for its establishment. Let us, then, as this petition reminds us, begin with the cordial submission of our own hearts to the reign of God; and then take a sincere, lively, and active interest in the salvation of our fellow-men.

The third petition is, "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." The preceptive will of God, which seems here chiefly intended, is done, perfectly done, in heaven. As for the glorified saints, "they serve him day and night in his temple." As for the holy angels, the Psalmist says, "Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." It is true we cannot attain to their perfection: but perfection should be our aim; and our obedience must be like theirs, in respect of cheerfulness and universality. For ourselves, let us remember the absolute necessity of our being brought to do the will of God here, if we would do it at last in heaven. "Not every one who saith unto ine, Lord, Lord," says Christ, "shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven." His preceptive will is revealed to us in his Word, and that will we should study to know and obey. We here also pray that the purposing and providential will of God may be done. He doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: such is the fact; and by presenting this petition, we express our cordial acquiescence in that fact. There is, indeed, one branch of this duty, in which the inhabitants of heaven cannot set us an example, namely, patient submission to painful dispensations of God's providential will; and yet their earthly history was troubled, for it was "through much tribulation that they entered into the kingdom of God." Whether it is painful, or pleasant, let us ever say, "The will of the Lord be done." As for others, this is a petition that the will of God may be done by them universally. If we thus pray aright, the sight of sin in others will be very distressing to

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-when we behold transgressors we shall be grieved: and, on the other hand, we shall rejoice greatly when we see any walking in the truth. But especially, let us be careful that we do the will of God ourselves. "This is the will of God, that we believe on him whom he hath sent;" and "this is the will of God, even our sanctification." Let it be our constant study and earnest prayer, that we may