for all that is neceffary for this Life, or for a better. Otherwise we do but reproach him in repeating those Words, when at the fame time we diftruft him, as if he was not able to help and relieve in all our Wants and Neceffities. Whereas, even a * Heathen could fay, There is nothing which God cannot easily effect and bring to pass, without any kind of Labour or Trouble, if he fee it good.

3. We are taught to fay [thine is the Glory:] Whereby we acknowledge the Glory of all that we are, or have, or do, to be due to him from whom all is received. And this may teach us (1.) That we ought not to ascribe any thing to our felves, but to fay with the Pfalmift, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy Name be the Glory. And (2.) That as we ought to feek God's Glory in all that we defire or Pray for, fo we may comfortably expect that he will hear and anfwer our Petitions, fince his own Honour and Glory is concern'd therein. The Good of the Mercies he will please to bestow will come to us, but the Glory of all will redound to Him. And therefore we may well hope that when his Glory and our Good is thus join'd and united together, we fhall not fail in our Petitions. And from the whole, we may conclude, That if what we ask be for our Good, God may as foon lose his Kingdom, and lofe his Power, and lofe his Glory, as we fail of our Hearts Defire.

4. We are taught to add [for ever and ever] to fhew that the Kingdom of God is Everlafting, and without end, that his Power is Infinite, and that his Glory will endure from Generation to Generation: And therefore, that if ever he fhew'd his Sovereignty, exerted his Power, or acted for his Glory, he is ready

Nihil eft quod Deus efficere non poffit, & quidem fine ullo Labore Cic. de Divinat.

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to do fo ftill; for for he is the fame yesterday, to day, and for ever, Heb. 13. 8. And to this whole Prayer, we are taught to fay [Amen] to exprefs at once our defire that it may be fo, and our belief that it shall be fo. For tho' this Particle be not in fome of the Greek Copies (as neither is it added in St. Luke) yet it is according to the Stile, firft of the Jewish, and then of the Chriftian Church, to denote their hearty defire of what they Pray for, and their Confidence of obtaining their Requefts. And as it is commonly us'd by the People, ithews their Partaking and Joyning with the Minifter, in all that has been put up by him in his and their behalf.

And thus I have gone through the feveral Parts of the Lord's Prayer. I fhall conclude this Difcourfe with a fhort Paraphrafe of a Pious Author upon it, as follows,

'O thou who art the Creator, Preferver, Redeemer, ' and Governour of all Men; ready to hear, and able to help, and therefore art to be Lov'd and Trufted 'in. We defire thou may't be advanc'd above all, in the Hearts, and Tongues, and Lives of all Men ; ' and that nothing may be ever done to Difhonour thee. And to this end, endue us with thy Grace, and bring us to thy Glory. Convert all Nations, deftroy the Kingdom of Sin and Satan, and haften thy coming to Judgment. Enable us to obey all thy Laws, as the 'Saints and Angels do in Heaven; in all things, at all times, and with all our Hearts. And in order hereunto, fupply us with all things neceffary for this Life, according as we ftand in need. Punith us not for our Sins which expofe us to thy Judgments, both in this World, and in the World to come : As we forbear all vindictive Punishment of those who have done us any Injury, and are ready to fhew 'em the fame Kindnels as if they had never wrong'd us.

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Preferve us from Temptations and Dangers, that we may not be expos'd to them; or preserve us in them, that we may not be overcome by them; and furnish ⚫ us with all Grace neceffary for our Security therein. • And deliver us from Evil, both Corporal and Spiritual, both of Sin and Suffering. The Soveraign Government, and Disposal of all things belongs to thee. • Thou can't do whatsoever thou wilt, and whatfoever we defire of thee: The Glory of all is due to thee, and this is that we aim at in all our Requests. And therefore as we make bold to Pray to thee, fo we comfortably hope thou wilt grant what we have ask'd according to thy Will, in token whereof we fay, Amen.

LECT.

LECTURE XXVII.

• Queft. What defireft thou of God in this Prayer?

Anfw. I defire my Lord God, our Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all Goodnels, to fend his ace unto me and to all People, that we may Worship him, Serve him, and Obey him, as we ought to do. And I play unto Godthat he will send us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies: And that he will be Merciful unto us, and fo2 give us our Sins: And that it will pleate him to fave and defend us from all Dangers, Ghoftly and Bodily: And that he will keep us from all Sin and Wickedness, and from our Ghostly Enemy, and from Everlasting Death. And this I truft he will do of his Mer Ly and Goodnels, through our Lord Jelus Christ, and therefore I lay, Amen. So be it.

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Aving given you a particular Expofition of the Lord's Prayer, we are now come to confider the Senfe of the Church concerning it, which will afford us ftill further Matter of Ufe and Inftructi

on.

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Now this Prayer (as I have faid) confifts of three Parts, viz. The Preface, the Petitions, and the Con clufion. And therefore in treating of the feveral Particulars here mentioned, I fhall reduce them to the feveral parts of this Prayer to which they belong. And,

(1.) In

(1.) In the Preface, we defire of God our Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all Goodness, and gives willingly, because he is a Father, and plentifully, becaufe he is in Heaven; that he would be pleas'd to fend his Grace unto us and to all People. Wherein,

1. We are taught that God is the Giver of all Goodnefs, and this will teach us where to have recourfe In all our Wants and Neceffities, even to God, who aTone can help and relieve us. Our Friends, and Relations may pity us, and wish us well, but many times they can do us no good: However without him they are but miferable Comforters, and Physicians of no value. And even the Love and Pity we receive from them comes from him fill, as the Divine Poet Sings.

And as here we may know where to apyly our felves for Help and Relief, fo here alfo we learn where we are to make our Acknowledgments, and return our humble Praifes and Thanksgivings for all the Mercies we enjoy.

2. We are taught the Neceffity of Affiftance from above, for the performance of all the Duties requir'd of us, both towards God and Man, and (as our Cate chifm inftructs us in the Queftion immediately before the Lord's Prayer) that we are not able of our felves to do any thing without his fpecial Grace, which we muft learn at all times to call for by diligent Pray er. Thus Chrift tells his Difciples, that without him they could do nothing, John 15. 5. That is, without the Affifiance of his fpecial Grace they could do no

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