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pofe in a cafe, which, as far as we can judge, is yet more wor thy of his interpofition; and incline and ftrengthen his poor creatures to become good and happy, by gracious impreffions on their fouls, as occafions require? But ftill, hope and likelihood are not certainty and God, whofe ways are paft finding out, might have left all men to their own ftrength, or rather indeed their own weakness. But whatever he doth in relation to others, which is not our concern, he hath clearly promifed to us Chriftians, that his grace shall be fufficient for ust; his Holy Spirit fhall enable us effectually, to do every thing which his word requires.

We may refifthis motions: or we may receive them into cur fouls, and act in confequence of them. Every one hath power enough to do right: fcripture, as well as reafon, fhows it only we have it not refident in us by nature; but bestowed on us continually by our Maker, as we want it. In all good actions that we perform, the preparation of the heart is from the Lord §. And that faith, which is the fountain of all actions truly good, is not of ourfelves, it is the gift of God. But be giveib liberally to all ¶, who afk him; and therefore no one hath caufe of complaint.

It is true, we are seldom able to distinguish this heavenly influence from the natural workings of our own minds: as indeed we are often influenced one by another without percei ving it. But the affurance, given in fcripture, of its being vouchfafed to us, is abundantly fufficient to which, experience also would add ftrong confirmation, did we but attend with due ferioufnefs to what paffes within our breafts.

Qur natural freedom of will is no more impaired by these fecret admonitions of our Maker, than by the fecret perfuafions of our fellow-creatures. And the advantage of having God's help, far from making it unneceffary to help ourselves, obliges us to it peculiarly. We are therefore, to work out our own falvation, because he worketh in us both to will and to do For it is a great aggravation of every fin, that, in committing it, we quench the pious motions excited by the Spirit of God in our hearts and a great incitement to our endeavours of performing every duty, that with fuch aid we may be fure of fuccefs,

*

Rom. xi. 33. Eph. ii. 3.

† 2 Cor. xii. 9, ‡ Acts vii. 51.
Jam. i. 5.
Phil. l. 12, 14.

§ Prov. xvi. 1.

1 Thef. v. 19.

**

fuccefs. Our own natural ftrength cannot increafe, as temptations and difficulties do: but that which we receive from Heaven can. And thus it is, that we learn courage and humility at once; by knowing, that we can do all things, but only through Chrift which strengtheneth us; and therefore not we, but the grace of God, which is with us +.,

This grace therefore being of fuch importance to us, our catechifm, with great reafon, directs us at all times to call for it by diligent prayer. For our heavenly Father hath not promised, nor can we hope, that he will give the Holy Spirit to them who proudly difdain, or negligently omit, to ask him †. And hence it becomes peculiarly neceffary, that we should understand how to pray to him: a duty mentioned in the former part of the catechism, but reserved to be explained more fully in this.

God having bestowed on us the knowledge, in fome meafure, of what he is in himself, and more especially of what he is to us; we are doubtlefs bound to be fuitably affected by it: and to keep alive in our minds, with the utmost care, due fentiments of our continual dependence on him, of reverence and fubmiffion to his will, of love and gratitude for his goodness, of humility and forrow for all our fins against him; and earneft defire, that his mercy and favour may be fhown, in fuch manner as he fhall think fit, to us and to all our fellow-crea

tures.

Now, if these sentiments ought to be felt, they ought alfo to be fome way expreffed: not only that others may fee we have them, and be excited to them by our example; but that we ourselves may receive both the comfort and the improvement, which muft naturally flow from exercifing such valuable affections. And unquestionably the moft lively and moft respectful manner of exercifing them is, that we direct them to him who is the object of them; and pour out our hearts before him in suitable acts of homage, thanksgiving, and confeffion; in humble petitions for ourselves, and interceffions for all mankind. Not that God is ignorant, till we inform him, either of our outward circumftances, or the inward temper of our hearts. If he were, our prayers would give him very imperfect knowledge of either: for we are greatly ignorant

*Phil. iv. 13. +1 Cor. xv. 10. Į Luke xi. 13.

of

of both ourselves. But the defign of prayer is, to bring our own minds into a right frame; and so make ourselves fit for those bleffings, for which we are very unfit, while we are too vain or too carelefs to afk them of God.'

The very act of prayer therefore will do us good, if we pray with attention, else it is worse than nothing. And the confequences of praying, God hath promised, shall be further good. All things whatfoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive * ? Not abfolutely all things whatsoever we defire: for fome of our defires may be on feveral accounts unfit, and fome would prove extremely hurtful to us. Therefore we ought to confider 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 defigns to grant, and hath given us the fulleft right to afk: but delays it perhaps a while to exercife our patience and truft in him: for which reafon our Saviour directs us always to pray, and not to faint. But whatever is really good, he will undoubtedly as foon as it is really neceflary, give us upon our requeft: provided further, that with our earneft petitions, we join our honeft endeavours: for prayer was never defigned to serve instead of diligence, but to aflift it. And therefore, if, in our temporal affairs, we are idle or inconfiderate, we must not expect that our prayers will bring us good fuccefs and if, in our fpiritual ones, we wilfully or thoughtlessly neglect ourfelves; we' muft not imagine, that God will amend us against our wills, or whilst we continue fupinely indifferent. But let us do our duty to the best of our power, at the fame time that we pray for his bleffing; and we may be affured, that nothing but an injurious difbelief can prevent our obtaining it: on which account St James requires, that we ask in faith, nothing wa vering ‡.

Indeed without the encouragement given us in fcripture, it might well be with fome diffidence, and it-fhould be with the utmost reverence, that we take upon us to speak unto the Lord, who are but duft and afbes §. The heathens therefore addreffed their prayers to imaginary deities of an inferior rank, as judgeing themselves unworthy to approach the Supreme One. But our rule is, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fcult

*Mat. xxi. 22.

+ Luke xviii. 1.

Jam. i. 6. § Gen. xviii. 27.

Jhalt thou ferve *. The affected humility of worshipping even angels, and therefore much more faints, (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 §, tho' not in our own right, yet through the Mediator whom he hath appointed: and who hath both procured us the privilege, and inftructed us how to use it, by delivering to us a prayer of his own compofition; 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 defigned as a form, appears from his own words: After this manner pray ye; or, tranflating more literally, Thus pray ye ||; and, which is yet more exprefs, When ye pray, fay, Our Father, &c. Befides it was given by him to his difciples on their request, that he would teach them to pray, as John also taught his difciples : which undoubtedly was, as the great Rabbies amongst the Jews commonly taught theirs, by a form. And accordingly this prayer hath been confidered and used as fuch, from the earliest ages of Christianity down to the present.

*

Yet our Saviour's defign was not, that this fhould be the only prayer of Chriftians: as appears both from the precepts and the practice of the apoftles, as well as from the nature and reafon of the thing. But when it is not used as a form, it is however of unfpeakable advantage as a model. He propofes it indeed more particularly as an example of fhortnefs. Not that we are never to make longer prayers: for he himself continued all night in prayer to God 4: and we have a much longer, made by the apoftles, in the fourth chapter of the Acts. But his intention was, to teach by this inftance, that we are not to affect unmeaning repetitions, or any needlefs multiplicity of words, as if we thought that we should be heard for our much Speaking +, And not only in this refpect, but every other, is our Lord's prayer an admirable inftitution and direction for praying aright: as will abundantly appear, when the feveral parts of it come to be diftinctly explained. But though fuch explanation will fhow, both the purport and the excellency VOL. IV.

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++Matth. vi. 7.

Verse 1.

of

tellen, carefully; yet they are to every eye vifible in the main, without any explanation at all. And therefore let us conclude at prefent, 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 trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us. into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. A

And lead us not

men.

LECTURE XXX.

THE LORD's PRAYER.

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy

THE

Name.

HE prayer, which our bleffed Saviour taught his difciples, doth not need to be explained, as being, in itself, and originally, obfcure: For no words could be more intelligible to his apoftles, than all thofe which he hath ufed throughout it. And even to us now, there is nothing that deferves the name of difficult; notwithflanding the diftance of time, the change of circumftances, and the different nature and turn of the Jewish tongue from our own. But ftill, in order to apprehend it fufficiently, there is requifite fome knowledge of religion, and the language of religion Befides, as we all learnt it when we were young, whilft we had but little underftanding, and lefs attention; it is not impoffible, but some of us may have gone on repeating it to an advanced age, without confidering it near fo carefully as we ought. And this very thing, that the words are fo familiar to us, may have been the main occafion, that we have fcarce ever thought of their im

&

port.

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