fpiritual perfection; and therefore whensoever we pray, that God's name may be hallow'd, we must think it as true an expreffion of concern for our felves, as of duty to our heavenly Father.

Thirdly, and laftly, This petition obliges us to avoid all occafions of giving offence.

If our hearts go with our tongues in this Prayer, we profefs herein that caution in our behaviour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blafphem'd. This profession of hallowing God's name abridgeth those who ufe it, not only of all criminal, but even indecent liberties, and obligeth them to fuit their whole behaviour to the credit of Religion.

There is fomething more than a bare moral conduct requir'd of the difciples of Christ Jefus, who are commanded to fhine as lights in a crooked and perverfe generation. The honour of that Mafter whose name a Christian here obliges himself to fanctify, is reproach'd in every open or even suspected irregularity; and he is not true to his duty in this point, who, tho' innocent, yet takes not care to avoid (as far as he may) the fufpicions of guilt. He muft for the fake of his most holy profession justify his example to the world, and for that reafon must not only abstain from

evil, but from all the appearances of it. Not only flagrant vices, but even indifcreet liberties become finful, when they offend the weak, or harden the obftinate. The mispent worldliness of one, the ill-tim'd gayety of another, and the criminal connivance at the works or workers of darkness in most, by the mistaken example of them, may do harm to Religion, and may become more criminal in the effects of them than they were in their defign. We may be parties to fuch mistakes as we never defign'd, and may feduce others to leap down the precipice, by coming too near the brink of it our felves.

The lazy, the indolent, and the voluptuous, feem to themselves to be between the extremes of guilt and innocence; but their example is on the oppofite fide to Chriftianity, and will therefore be an article of their future condemnation. They do no service to their holy profession; and whilst they by their works honour not God's name, they do in effect reproach it. They ftrengthen the bands of wickedneß by not endeavouring to loose them, according to that rule of our Saviour, whereby he that gathereth not with him, fcattereth abroad.

But the true Christian muft exceed these in his conduct, if he hopes to do fo in his reward;

E 3

ward; and must refolve not only to do no harm, but even to do fome good. His regard to this petition obliges him to fhew the power of Religion by its fruits, and to endeavour to rob publick immorality of that custom and prescription which keep it in countenance. In fhort, if he defires with fincerity that God's name may be hallow'd, (and he is not a Chriftian that defires it not in fome degree,) he will make God's Will the rule, and his Glory the end of his actions; his active example will speak out God's honour in more intelligible language than all the other more fruitless tributes of praise and thankfgiving; his good works thus conducted by himself, and thus fhining out before men, will be the best means of glorifying his Father in heaven.

SERMON

OTOTOTOTOTO

SERMON III.

UKTURUNURIAUTODETININIAIROGününün

MATT. VI. 10.
Thy Kingdom come.

HIS petition hath been thought by
fome to be only an illustration or
repetition of the foregoing: but
it is certain that each of these ar-
ticles hath a distinct sense; the former wishes
for the fanctification of God's name; and the
latter limits that wish to the methods of
Christianity in the one we pray
that he may
be glorify'd; in the other, that he
may be
fo in that way our Lord Jefus hath taught.
We pray herein for the welfare of that com-
munity, of which we as Chriftians are mem-
bers, and for that Glory to God in the high-
eft, which was foretold to be the consequence
of the Gospel.

:

55

a

The words of both these petitions are found in the Jewish Prayers; which appearing from their dialect to be very antient, it is not improbable that our Saviour alluded to them in this place. The daily wish of God's people of old was, that he would give deliverance and redemption to Ifrael; and they ever expreft that with in defiring, that bis name might be hallow'd, and his kingdom establish'd. They apply'd these blessings to the coming of the Messiah; and thereby appear not only to have us'd the fame language, but to have meant the fame thing with Chriftians: only with this difference, that what they wish'd for in the first coming of the Meffiah, is by us with a more certain expectation defir'd in the fecond, when he shall appear without fin unto Salvation.

a The very words themselves are in the old Jewish Litur-` gies, and the additions that are made to them explain their

יתגדל ויתקדש שמיה רבא רבעלמא דברא כרעותיה .Jenfe רמלך מלכותיה ויצמח פורקניה ויקרב משיחיה ויפרוק עמו בהיכון ובחייהון דכל בית ישראל בעגלא ובזמן קריב. vide

Maim. Sedar. Tehil. May God's great name be magnify'd and fanctify'd; may he establish his kingdom, and fet forth his redemption, and haften his Meffiah, and fave his people in your days and the days of the houfe of Ifrael, haftily and fpeedily. These words are a part of the folemn benediction, and by the Chaldee termination of them appear to be much older than our Saviour.

I fhall