ask and have; Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall

be open'd to you. And upon what milder Terms could we expect fuch ineftimable Favours? Open thy Mouth wide (fays God) in Prayer, and I will fill it. And certainly, they deferve to go without the Favours of Heaven, who think them not worth the asking.

To conclude then, Let us learn always to call for them by diligent Prayer, which we are to put up in the Name of Chrift, and for fuch things only as are agreeable to his Will.

DISCOURSE IV.

LUKE XI. 2.

And he faid unto them, When ye pray, fay, Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.

W

E have feen the Efficacy of Prayer towards the fupply of all our Wants, how it operates with God for the obtaining of Mercy, and how it must be qualify'd to render it effectual to that End. It remains then,

That I proceed to the Lord's Prayer, which the Catechifm in the next words calls upon the Catechumen to rehearfe, in these words, Let me hear you say the Lord's Prayer. To which

The Anfwer is, Our Father which art in Heaven, &c. But before I enter upon the Explication of this Divine Form, 'twill be requifite to premife a few things for the better clearing our way to it. And here the

First and great Thing to be obferv'd, is the Author of this Prayer, which is no other than the Son of God; yea, one that is himself God blessed for ever, call'd therefore the Lord's Prayer. This Son of God lay in the Bofom of his Father and being thereby thorowly acquainted with his Mind and Will, could beft tell what was fitteft for us to ask, and for him to give.

Moreover, this Son of God became the Son of Man too, that he might the better fuccour and inftruct us: he took

upon

upon him our Infirmities, and was in all points tempted like as we are, that he might become a merciful High Priest, willing to pity and to pray for us. Whilft he was in the

Flesh, he was very converfant in this Duty, fpending whole Nights in Prayer, which he offer'd up with strong Cries and Tears, and was heard in that he feared, Heb. 5. 7. He that was thus able to pray himself, was best able to teach us to pray; and being our Advocate and Mediator, was as willing as able to teach us, and likewife to procure Acceptance to the Prayer that he taught. In the Verfe before the Text, we find him bufied in this very Work; for he had just made an end of praying, when one of his Difciples defir'd him to teach them to pray; to whom he then gave this Form, When ye pray, Say, Our Father, &c. Having found the Author, we are,

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2. To confider the Matter of this Prayer, which must be the most excellent, the most useful, and the most agreeable to the Divine Will, being indited by Him who is the Wifdom of the Father, and dictated by that Holy Spirit which cannot err. As for ourselves, the Apoftle tells us, that we know not what to pray for as we ought. We are apt many times to defire things that are more hurtful than beneficial for us, things that tend more to feed our Vanity and inflame our Lufts, than to fave our Souls; and the Mercy is oft-times greater in denying than granting them to us. prevent this, our Saviour hath here fumm'd up the matter of our Prayers for us, and directed us only to ask fuch things as tend to the Glory of God, and the Salvation of our Souls. Here is nothing mean or trivial, nothing unneceffary or unbecoming is made the matter of our Requeft; but all things are fo wifely order'd and contriv'd in it, as may best fute the Dignity of the Divine Majefty, and the Neceffities of those that addrefs to him: So that as Solomon's Song is call'd the Song of Songs, or the most excellent of all Songs, for the Wisdom of the Compofer, and the Weight of the Matter contain'd in it; fo this may be ftyl'd the Prayer of Prayers, for the Wisdom of the Author, and the Worth of the things defir'd in it. This for the Matter of this Prayer. Then,

3. For the Form, 'tis the moft abfolute, perfect and comprehenfive of all Forms; in which, as there is nothing redundant that may be well fpar'd, fo there is nothing defec-. tive that needs to be fupply'd: All that is neceffary to be done or defir'd, for advancing the Honour of our Maker,

is briefly compriz'd in the three firft Petitions, wherein we are taught to pray for the enlarging the Kingdom, the hallowing the Name, and the fulfilling the Will of our Heavenly Father. All that is needful for the fupply of our own Wants, both of Body and Soul, is fumm'd up in the three laft Petitions; wherein we are directed to pray for our daily Bread, for our bodily Suftenance, for Forgiveness of Sins, for the Health and Welfare of our Souls, and for Deliverance from all Evil of Sin and Punishment, for the eternal Happiness and Salvation of both. In a word, all that is requifite to be requested for the Life that now is, and that which is to come, is fummarily contain'd in this complete and comprehenfive Form. Then,

4. For the Parts of this Prayer, they are reduc'd to these three:

(1.) The Preface, contain'd in these words, Our Father which art in Heaven.

(2.) The Petitions, in number fix, in the following words, Hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, and fo forth.

(3.) The Conclufion or Doxology, in these words, For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, for ever and ever, Amen.

In which the three great parts of Prayer, Supplication, Deprecation and Thanksgiving manifeftly meet, as will appear hereafter in the Explication of them. Moreover,

5. We may observe in these words a ftrict charge to use this Form in our Addreffes unto God; for our Saviour bids us, when we pray, to fay, Our Father, &c. which is a plain Command to go to him with thefe words. This is the rather to be minded, because fome have lately ftarted a new and wild Notion, that our Saviour prefcrib'd this Prayer only as a Pattern or Platform to frame other Prayers by, and not as a Form to be us'd in the fame words; which has made many omit it both in their publick and private De

votions.

But this is directly contrary, not only to the express Words of the Text, which wills us, whenever we pray, to fay, Our Father, &c. but likewife to the Senfe put upon them in all Ages of the Church, which hath ever addrefs'd to God in these words, and never left out this divine Form in any of the publick Offices of Devotion.

Laftly, We may obferve from these words, both the Lawfulness and Usefulness of Forms of Prayer in the Wor

fhip of God. We find Forms of Bleffing and Prayer prefcrib'd by God Almighty in the Old Teftament; in conformity to which, the Jewish Doctors gave Forms of Prayer to their Difciples, to be learnt and us'd by them. In the New Teftament we find John the Baptift, the firft GospelPreacher, did the fame; and here we find the Difciples defiring our Saviour to teach them to pray, as John taught his Difciples; and he inftantly gave them this Divine Form, with a Command to use it in all their folemn Addreffes unto God, as the diftinguifhing Badge and Cognizance of his Difciples. So that they who lay afide this Prayer, do in effect renounce their Difcipleship; and instead of being the true Followers of Chrift, prove only fo many Deferters of him. In fhort,

The Precept and Practice of our bleffed Saviour, who both prefcrib'd and us'd Forms of Prayer; the Example of the Primitive Chriftians, and all that fucceeded them, who have done the fame ever fince, may abundantly confirm us in the Lawfulness and Ufe of this, and other Forms of Prayer compos'd by it: yea, the many Indecencies that are found in the Devotions of those that practise otherwise, may plainly convince us not only of the Expediency but Neceffity of godly Forms, to preserve the Harmony and Reverence of Divine Worship.

And now having premis'd these things, I come to the Lord's Prayer itself; where I must begin,

1. With the Preface to it, contain'd in these words, Our Father which art in Heaven. In which words we are directed to address unto God: (1.) With the endearing Title of Father. (2.) With the common Title of Our Father. (3.) With the high and noble Title of Heavenly Father, or Father which is in Heaven. All which tending to the Efficacy and Solemnity of our Devotion, must be briefly confider'd. And,

(1.) We are here directed to begin our Prayers with the endearing Compellation of Father, which we know is the firft and chiefeft of all Relations; faying, Our Father.

To this the Son of God directs us, partly to affure us of God's fatherly Care and Affection towards us, and partly to mind us of our filial Love and Duty towards him and with what fitter Title could we begin our Devotions than that of Father, which includes both? For,

1. The Love of a Parent towards a Child is very dear and tender: Can a Father forget his Son, or a Mother forfake

the

the Offspring of her own Bowels? no more can God leave or forfake his own Children. Why, he made and gave us our Being, and fo is our Father by Creation; and when we, like prodigal and rebellious Sons, had forfeited his Favour, and loft our Sonfhip, he reftor'd it again to us, engrafting us a-new into his Family, and, by a fresh Title of Adoption, enabling us to cry, Abba, Father. He hath begotten us again to a lively Hope, and fo is our Father by Regeneration; he gives us Food and Rayment, he preferves, inftructs, corrects, and does all other good Offices of a Father for us here; and above all, expreffes his fatherly Care by providing an eternal Inheritance for us hereafter. And as this Appellation affures us of this his fatherly Love and Care towards us; fo does it mind us also of our filial Love and Duty towards him, engaging us to draw nigh to him in Faith and Hope, to put our Truft in him, to be thankful for all his Mercies, to fubmit to his Corrections, and to ferve him truly all the days of our Life. All this is included in the Title of Father, with which we are here taught to usher in our Requests; from whence we may learn to come with boldnefs to the Throne of Grace, knowing that we cannot mifs of the Bowels of a Father, if we bring with us the Affections of Children.

2. We are here directed to begin our Prayers, not only with the endearing Appellation of Father, but with the common Title of Our Father: By which our Saviour hath taught us not to confine our Prayers to ourselves only, but to take in all Mankind within the Compafs of our Devotion and Charity. He doth not will us to fay, My Father, or to call upon him fingly for ourselves, but to addrefs to him in a common ftyle, and to fay, Our Father; to link us together in our Devotion, and make us Partakers of each others Prayers. The term of Father minds us of our Relation to God, the term of Our Father minds us of our Relation to one another the former ferves to encrease our Faith, the latter our Charity and both mind us that we are Brethren, partaking of the fame Nature, and belonging to the fame Family, and therefore are concern'd to defire the good of others equally with our own.

By this our Saviour hath taught us to account and call upon God, as the common Father of Mankind, who is much more ready than any earthly Parent to hear the Cries, and to give good things to his Children. And this makes it indeed a common Prayer, in the behalf of ourselves and all Men; yea, by willing us to address to God in this general VOL. II.

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