AN

EXPOSITION

ON

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

AMONG all the duties prescribed to us by our religion, the rendering due worship to God is in nature and for consequence the principal; God thereby being most directly honoured and ferved, we from it immediately deriving most ample and high benefits; to the performance of which duty we are furnished with excellent direction and affiftance from that prayer, which our Lord (at several times and upon feveral occafions) dictated, and recommended to his difciples, both as a pattern, according to which they should regulate their devotions, (Pray thus, Matt. vi. 9. or in this manner, faith he in St. Matthew,) and as a form, in which they should exprefs them; (When you Luke xl. 2. pray, Jay; that is, fay this, or in these words; fo he enjoins them in St. Luke:) unto it therefore we should carefully attend, as to our best rule; and we should frequently use it as our beft matter of devotion: to the well performing of both which duties, it is requifite that we fhould diftinely understand the particulars contained therein; in order to which purpose we fhall endeavour to explain them: but first let us premife a few words in general about prayer.

• Quamlibet alia verba dicamus, quæ affectus orantis vel præcedendo format ut clareat, vel confequendo attendit ut crefcat, nihil aliud dicimus, quam quod in ifta Dominica Oratione pofitum eft, fi reéte et congruenter oramus. Aug. Epift. 121. Vide illum.

προσευχαί,

1 Tim. ii. 1. Prayer, in its latitude of acceptation, doth comprehend all devotion, or worship immediately addreffed unto Al, mighty God; confifting of praife, which we render to εὐχαριστίαι. God in regard to his most excellent perfections and glorious works; of fubmiffive gratulation, declaring our fatisfaction in all the difpenfations of his moft wife and just providence; of thanksgiving, for the numberlefs great benefits we have received from him; of acknowledging our total dependence on him, and our subjection to him; of profeffing faith in him, and vowing service to him; of confeffing the fins we have committed against him, with the guilt and aggravation of them; of deprecating the wrath and punishment due to us for our offences; of petition for all things needful and convenient for us; of interceffion for others, whofe good we according to duty or charity are concerned to defire and promote; prayer, I fay, (although, according to its most restrained fenfe, it only doth fignify one of thefe particulars, namely, the Où μávov - petition of what is needful or expedient for us, yet,) in its anai larger acception, as it commonly is ufed, it doth comprife them all and fo we may well take it here; this form, although fo very brief, being with fo admirable a wifdom contrived, as without ftraining the words beyond δαγωγία. Chryf. tom. their natural importance, we may, applying a moderate V. p. 185. attention, difcern them all, as to their main substance, couched therein; fo that we may indeed reasonably regard this prayer as a complete directory, and a full exEvangelii ercife of all our devotion toward God: of devotion, I fay, the which (to engage, excite, and encourage us to the Orat. i. 9. careful and conftant practice thereof) we may confider enjoined us as à neceffary duty, commended to us as & requifite means of good, and a special inftrument of all piety, and as a high privilege granted to us by God.

χῆς ἐσι δια

ixiva rà ζήματα,

aaa Biau

Totius

breviarium.

Tert. de

1. It is a natural duty and debt we owe to God, (both in correspondence to the defign of our being made and endowed with rational capacities agreeable to our relations; and in requital for our being, and for all the good we have, and do continually receive from him,) as moft highly to love and reverence him in our hearts, so to de

clare our esteem of his excellences, and our sense of his bounty toward us, to avow the dependence we have upon his will and providence; the obligations we are under to his mercy and goodness; to yield our due homage of respect, fubmiffion, and obedience to him; if we do acknowledge a God, our Maker, our Lord, our continual benefactor, to be, we must confequently acknowledge these performances in reafon, juftice, and gratitude due to him; and God accordingly requires, and pofitively enjoins them: he is the Lord our God, whom we must worship and Deut. x. 20. ferve; the God whom praise waiteth for; who heareth prayers, and to whom therefore all flesh must come. The Pf. lxv. 2. Scripture is very frequent in commanding the duty.

1

Matt. iv.

10.

καίας

10. cxlv.

Jer. xxix.

1. John iii.

22. vii. 7.

13. xv. 7.

2. It is a most useful means, or a condition requifite, for the procurement of benefits and bleffings upon us. God Exñs die hath declared that he doth accept, he hath promised that. he will reward, all devotions with an honeft intention and Pf. xxxiv. pure mind offered up unto him; that he is nigh unto all 18, 19. x. them that call upon him in truth; that he will be found of 17. them who feek him with all their heart; that he will ful-13. fil the defire of them that fear him; he will hear their cry, 22. and will fave them; that they who feek him shall not want Matt. xxi. any good thing; that, whatever we ask in prayer believing, Luke xi. 9. we shall receive; that if we afk, it shall be given us; if we John xiv. Seek, we shall find; if we knock, it shall be opened to us. xvi. 23. Prayer is alfo a means of procuring a bleffing upon all our undertakings; it fanctifieth every performance, &c. There is no good thing fo great and precious; so high above the reach of common power; fo ftrange to expect, or difficult to compafs, which we may not eafily and furely by this means obtain; relief in all diftreffes, both of our outward and inward eftate; fupplies of all our needs, both corporal and fpiritual; comfort in all our forrows and fadneffes; fatisfaction in all our doubts and darkneffes of mind; help and strength against all our temptations, we may be confident to obtain, if we duly feek them from the Almighty Dispenser of all good gifts: fure promises there are, and obvious examples hereof, too many to be now recited: as, on the other hand, they

that will neglect this duty, that will not vouchfafe to feek help and remedy of God, may be sure to want it; fhall certainly fuffer for their proud contempt, profane diffiJohn v. 40. dence, or foolish floth; You will not, faith our Saviour, come to me, that ye may have life: no wonder then if they do not receive it, if they will not go thither for it, where only it is to be had. All good things are in God's hand; and we shall never by any force or policy get them thence without his will, moved by entreaty: all good gifts come from heaven; and thence we fhall never fetch them down, without afcending thither in our hearts and affections; spiritual goods especially are fo high above us, that we can never reach them otherwise than by God's help by humble fupplication obtained.

Difficilli mum eft

opus orare. Luth.

pirit

Rom. xii.

11.

τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες.

3. It is not only a means, by impetration acquiring for us, but it is an effectual instrument working in us, all true good; it is the channel, by which God conveyeth spirit tual light into our minds, and fpiritual vigour into our hearts. It is both the feed and the food of spiritual life by which all holy difpofitions of foul, and all honeft refolutions of practice, are bred and nourished, are augmented Fervour of and ftrengthened in us. It exciteth, it quickeneth, it maintaineth all pious affections; the love of God can no otherwife than by it be kindled, fomented, or kept in 'life, (without it we certainly fhall have an eftrangement, and an averfation from him;) it alone can maintain a constant reverence and awe of God, keeping him in our thoughts, and making us to live as in his presence; it chiefly enliveneth and exerciseth our faith and our hope in God; it is that which begetteth in our hearts a favoury relifh of divine things, which fweeteneth and endeareth to our fouls the practice of piety, which only can enable us with delight and alacrity to obey God's commandments; it alone can raise our minds, from the cares and concernments of this world, to a fenfe and defire of heavenly things. By it God imparteth ftrength to fubdue bad inclinations, to reftrain fenfual appetites, to compress irregular paffions; to evade the allurements to evil, and the discouragements from good, which this world always

prefenteth; to fupport also with patience and equanimity the many croffes and troubles we must furely meet with therein. It is, in fhort, the only frong bulwark against temptation and fin; the only fure guard of piety and a good confcience; no man indeed can be a faithful fervant to God, a real friend to goodness, a ferious practiser of duty, without a constant tenor of devotion.

4. It is a moft high privilege and advantage to us, that we are allowed to pray and addrefs our devotions to God. To have a free accefs to the prefence and audience of an earthly prince (to the effect of receiving from him all that we could defire) would be deemed a matter of great honour and much advantage: how much more is it so to us, that we are admitted to the presence and ear of the great King of all the world; fo mighty in power, fo large in bounty, fo full of goodness and pity; fo thoroughly able, fo exceedingly willing to grant and perform our requests! How fweet a thing, of what comfort and benefit is it, to have the liberty of pouring out our fouls and Pf. Ixii. 8. our hearts, as the Pfalmift fpeaks, before God; of difbur- xlii. 4. dening our minds of all their cares, their defires, their doubts, their griefs, and anxieties, into the breast of so kind a friend, so wife a counsellor, so able a helper; who alone indeed can afford relief, eafe, fatisfaction, and comfort to us! Confidering which things we fhall appear, not only very disobedient to God, and highly ingrateful toward him, (who so infinitely condescends in vouchsafing to us duft and afhes (vile and unworthy creatures) leave to Gen. xviii. speak and converse with him,) but very injurious and un- 27. faithful to ourselves, and to our own good; if we neglect this duty commanded, or slight this privilege indulged to

us:

tuit, ut fe

In the due performance of which we are directed and affifted by this form of prayer, compofed and dictated for that purpose by him, who beft knew what we ought to Deus folus pray for, and how we ought to pray; what matter of de- docere pofire, what manner of addrefs, what difpofition of mind vellet orari. would be most pleafing and acceptable to his Father, would most become and befit us in our approaches to him. LI

VOL. V.

Tert. de

Orat. c. 9.