THEOLOGICAL SEMI] 
 
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OUR FATHER 
 
 CONSIDERATIONS RELATING 
 
 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION. 
 
Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 
 1846, by A. W. Mitchell, in the office of the Clerk of 
 the District Court for the Eastern District of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Lord's Prayer a Model, not a Form. 
 
 You were taught to repeat the Lord's 
 Prayer before you were able to under- 
 stand it. You used to kneel down by 
 your mother's side and repeat it, when 
 you could scarcely utter a word of it 
 distinctly. As you grew older your pa- 
 rents tried to explain to you the nature 
 of prayer, and to teach you to make 
 known your desires unto God in your own 
 language. And they tried to explain to 
 you more and more the meaning of the 
 Lord's Prayer, which you still continued 
 to use. You are now old enough to study 
 
4 THE LOUD S f'RAYEK. 
 
 it and to understand it fully. To aid you 
 in so doing I have written the following 
 pages. 
 
 The Lord's Prayer is recorded in the 
 sixth chapter of Matthew, and the eleventh 
 chapter of Luke. It is given in Luke in 
 a condensed form. 
 
 Luke gives us an account of the occa- 
 sion on which it was given by our Lord 
 to his disciples. It appears that at a cer- 
 tain time and place he was praying in 
 the presence of his disciples. When he 
 ceased, one of his disciples said, "Lord, 
 teach us to pray, as John also taught his 
 disciples." It is not known who the dis- 
 ciple was that made this request. Per- 
 haps he was one of the twelve — perhaps 
 he was one who had recently become a 
 disciple, and felt the need of instruction 
 in relation to prayer. It is not certain 
 whether he intended to ask for a form of 
 
THE LORD S PRAYER. 5 
 
 prayer, or simply for instruction on the- 
 subject of prayer. Our uncertainty in 
 relation to this is a matter of no conse- 
 quence. We have the prayer before us, 
 and what chiefly concerns us, is the in- 
 struction it was designed to convey. 
 
 It was not the intention of our Lord 
 when he gave this prayer, to teach the 
 doctrine that written forms are necessary 
 to acceptable prayer. No such doctrine 
 is taught in the Bible, nor does the Bible 
 afford any example of the use of written 
 forms. 
 
 The advocates of prelacy contend that 
 none but written forms of prayer should 
 be used in the public worship of God ; 
 that we should never pray without a 
 book. They read over the same pray- 
 ers, Sabbath after Sabbath, and no pray- 
 er can be offered unless it be found in the 
 book. If any extraordinary calamity 
 
D THE LORD S PRAYER. 
 
 visit the people, there can be no public 
 prayer for its removal, till the authorities 
 of the sect have proposed or approved a 
 form. The pestilence may be sweeping 
 men away, but the minister on the Sab- 
 bath must not pray that it be staid, till 
 his diocesan* sends him a prayer. Is 
 this reasonable? Does God require me 
 to abstain from prayer till it is convenient 
 for a fellow sinner to compose a form 
 for me to read? 
 
 You have been educated, thus far, in a 
 church where there are no such shackles 
 in the way of approaching unto God. 
 You are descended from ancestors who 
 would not be tied to a book, when they 
 wished to pour out their hearts in prayer. 
 One of the causes which led them to 
 this western world, was the desire to be 
 
 * An Episcopal or Romish bishop. 
 
THE LORDS PRAYER. 7 
 
 free from the burdens of forms and cere- 
 monies, for which they found no author- 
 ity in Scripture. 
 
 That our Lord did not intend to give a 
 form to be adhered to on all occasions; 
 that he did not intend to teach the neces- 
 sity of forms, appears from a variety of 
 considerations. 
 
 If the Lord had intended to teach that 
 written forms were necessary, he would 
 have left an example of the use of them 
 himself. Mention is often made of his 
 praying, yet never of his using the Lord's 
 Prayer, or any other form. On one 
 occasion it is said that he went up into 
 a mountain, and continued all night in 
 prayer to God. No further account is 
 given of his supplications at that time, 
 but is it probable that he spent the whole 
 night in repeating the Lord's Prayer, or 
 any other form of words? 
 
O THE LORD S PRAYER. 
 
 When he offered the prayer for his 
 disciples, which is recorded in the seven- 
 teenth chapter of John, it is plain that he 
 had no book before him. He prayed for 
 those things of which his disciples, in 
 their peculiar circumstances, had need. 
 
 The prayer which he offered at the 
 grave of Lazarus, was not a precom- 
 posed form. It was suggested by the 
 circumstances of the occasion. 
 
 There was no prayer-book in the gar- 
 den of Gethsemane. He there poured 
 out before his Father the feelings which 
 oppressed his soul. True, he thrice re- 
 peated the same words, but they were not 
 words which were then written in a book. 
 
 So far then as the Saviour's example 
 goes, it is wholly in favour of extempore 
 prayer. His prayers were always suited 
 to the circumstances of the occasion on 
 which they were offered. This could not 
 
THE LORD S PRAYER. 9 
 
 have been the case had he made use of 
 previously composed forms. If we fol- 
 low the example of the Saviour, our pray- 
 ers will be adapted to the various circum- 
 stances of our condition, and hence must 
 be extempore; for it is impossible to pre- 
 pare a book having prayers adapted to 
 all the circumstances in which we may 
 be placed. 
 
 You may in the course of your life 
 become acquainted with those who are 
 very zealous for the use of prayer-books; 
 and they may bring forward, much in 
 their favour, from the Fathers, about 
 whom, you as well as they, may know 
 very little. Be content with the know- 
 ledge of the fact, that the church to 
 which you belong follows the example 
 of Christ in this matter. 
 
 There is no proof that the Lord's Pray- 
 er was ever used in the public worship 
 
10 
 
 of God by the apostles and early Chris- 
 tians. No mention is made of its use by 
 them on any occasion. In every instance 
 in which prayer is mentioned, the con- 
 nexion plainly shows that it was not after 
 any written form. 
 
 The first notice of prayer by the apos- 
 tles after the ascension of Christ, is found 
 in the first chapter of Acts. They were 
 proceeding to ordain an apostle in the 
 place of Judas. Having appointed two 
 persons, they prayed, saying, "Thou, 
 Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, 
 show whether of these two thou hast 
 chosen, that he may take part of this 
 ministry and apostleship from which Ju- 
 das by transgression fell, that he might 
 go to his own place." 
 
 The prayer here offered was adapted 
 to, and suggested by the occasion. It 
 was not precomposed and read out of a 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 11 
 
 book. And so in every case in which 
 prayer is mentioned in connexion with 
 the apostles, there is no notice whatever 
 of a written form ; so far from this, in 
 every instance the circumstances related 
 render it certain that the prayers offered 
 were extempore. 
 
 There is no proof whatever, that the 
 Lord's Prayer was used as a form, so 
 much as once by any church in the first 
 century. There is no proof whatever 
 that any thing like a prayer-book was 
 then in existence. In the early persecu- 
 tions suffered by the Christians, their 
 books were collected and burnt: men- 
 tion is made of the Scriptures, but none 
 whatever of prayer-books. They were 
 not known till after the church began to 
 become corrupt. 
 
 In the third century the Lord's Prayer 
 was used in the public worship of Chris- 
 
12 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 tians, and as corruption increased in the 
 church, it began to be regarded as pos- 
 sessed of peculiar sanctity, and its fre- 
 quent repetition to be considered as pe- 
 culiarly meritorious. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Our Father, which art in Heaven. 
 
 The design of the Lord's -Prayer is thus 
 expressed by Chrysostom, a distinguish- 
 ed minister who lived in the fourth cen- 
 tury. "He gives us a form of prayer, 
 not that we may confine ourselves to this 
 alone, but that as a fountain we may 
 draw from it the thoughts of which our 
 prayers should be composed." 
 
 Entertaining this view of its design, I 
 shall proceed to consider the different 
 parts of the prayer. 
 
the lokd's prayer. 13 
 
 Our Father. 
 
 We are taught to address the " Creator 
 of all things," the "great and dreadful 
 God," by the endearing name of Father. 
 When men address the kings of the 
 earth, they are required to make use of 
 the loftiest titles. " His Majesty," M The 
 Sovereign of the world," are among the 
 titles by which it is customary to address 
 some who are clothed with a little brief 
 authority. Even in our republican land, 
 " His Excellency " is a title often applied 
 to the President of the United States, and 
 to the Governors of the several States. 
 
 But Jehovah, the King of kings, al- 
 lows us — yea, requires us to address Him 
 by the tender name of Father. What 
 amazing condescension! I wish you to 
 consider it. You have used the expres- 
 sion so often that you do not comprehend 
 the fulness of meaning it contains; you 
 
14 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 do not feel the wonderful kindness and 
 condescension which it brings to view. 
 
 Suppose a poor ragged boy had been 
 picked up in the street by Gen. Wash- 
 ington, and clothed and fed by him, and 
 told to come to him for all that he want- 
 ed, and to call him father. Would that 
 not have been wonderful condescension 
 on the part of Washington? 
 
 But all that would be nothing com- 
 pared with what God has done for you ; 
 with what He is now doing for you. He 
 takes a poor, blind, naked, starving sin- 
 ner, and supplies his necessities, invites 
 him to come to him for every thing which 
 he needs, and tells him always to call 
 him Father. O, the amazing kindness 
 and condescension of God ! 
 
 God is our Father. This is a doctrine 
 which is taught by the Bible. Were it 
 not for the Bible we should never learn 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 15 
 
 it. The existence of God can be learned 
 from his works. We survey the earth, 
 and the sun, and the stars, and we infer 
 that they must have had a cause, that 
 there is in existence a Creator; and when 
 we examine the wonderful manifestations 
 of contrivance every where apparent, we 
 conclude that he is possessed of power 
 and wisdom, that he is very powerful 
 and wise, But is he good ? Does he care 
 for us? Will he be our Protector and 
 Friend? Will he be our Father? These 
 are questions which reason can ask, but 
 cannot answer. That he is good, that 
 he will be our Friend and Father, that 
 like as a father pitieth his children, so 
 the Lord pitieth them that fear him, these 
 glorious truths are made known to us by 
 the Bible alone. 
 
 When we pray, we are to say, " Our 
 Father," but we are not to use these 
 
16 TltE LORD'S rllAYEK. 
 
 words as a mere form. There are cer- 
 tain feelings without which we cannot ad- 
 dress those words to God without sin. 
 We must have towards God those feel- 
 ings of respect and affection and confi- 
 dence which a child has towards a kind 
 and noble parent. 
 
 As God is more excellent than any 
 parent, these feelings should be of a 
 deeper and stronger character than those 
 which are felt towards any parent. With 
 the profoundest reverence, with the warm- 
 est gratitude and love, with the most en- 
 tire confidence, we should come into the 
 presence of God and say, "Our Father." 
 
 This is a great and difficult lesson to 
 learn, but it is a blessed one. There is 
 no joy on earth like that which a sinner 
 experiences, when with proper feelings 
 of heart, he can look up to heaven and 
 say, " My Father." 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 17 
 
 I knew a boy who was early taught 
 the way of life, who early felt that he 
 had a soul to be saved. He used to go 
 often into a grove to pray. Once his 
 companions found him there and ridi- 
 culed him. He declared that while he 
 had a soul he would never be ashamed 
 to pray. A revival came and his spirit 
 was deeply moved. He retired more 
 frequently for prayer. One day he came 
 into the house and said to his mother, 
 to the unutterable joy of her heart," Mo- 
 ther, I can say, Our Father ;" meaning 
 that he was now conscious of possess- 
 ing those feelings which rendered it pro- 
 per for him thus to address the Lord. 
 That boy became a preacher of the ever- 
 lasting gospel. 
 
 Reader, can you say, " Our Father ?" 
 Do you answer, " Not with the feelings 
 which I ought to have !" Why not? Is 
 2 
 
18 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 he not willing that you should call him 
 Father? Certainly he is. But you do 
 not feel right. Why do you not? Is 
 there any reason why you should not 
 reverence, and love, and confide in God? 
 Are there not abundant reasons why you 
 should do so? You love your parents r 
 because they are your parents, because of 
 the care they have taken of you, and the 
 affection which they have shown you. 
 But your parents did not create your 
 body. They did not give you a mind to 
 think, or a heart to feel. The relation 
 that you sustain to God is far more inti- 
 mate than that which you sustain to your 
 parents. All that you receive from your 
 parents you receive from Him, for he 
 gave you your parents. If you owe them 
 affection for what you received from 
 them, much more do you owe it to God. 
 I once asked a boy, Who took care of 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 19 
 
 him, and gave him the good things which 
 he enjoyed 7 and he said, His father, mean- 
 ing his earthly father. I asked him where 
 the water came from, that gushed up in 
 the fountain near us. He said that it 
 came out from under the rock. I asked 
 him what made it come out from under 
 the rock? He said that it came from a 
 higher place. He could see this, but he 
 could not see that his blessings, received 
 through his father, came from a higher 
 place. 
 
 A father gives his boy a basket of ap- 
 ples, and the boy is thankful for them; 
 the same father plants a tree for his boy, 
 and it bears him a great many apples. 
 Are not these a gift of the father as much 
 as the former ones were? Is not the son 
 under just as much obligation to be 
 thankful for them ? 
 
 Every thing which you enjoy comes 
 
20 
 
 from God, and calls for gratitude and 
 love. The character of God is such that 
 he is worthy of our deepest reverence, 
 and love, and confidence. We are form- 
 ed to love the beautiful and sublime in 
 nature, and the beautiful and lofty in 
 character. Now all conceivable moral 
 excellence centres in God. We may fail 
 to see this, and we may fail to love him, 
 but there can be no excuse for us. 
 
 If we approach God and call him our 
 Father, not only must our feelings at the 
 time be in accordance with the expres- 
 sion of our lips, but our daily conduct 
 must be in accordance with it. If God 
 be our Father, then must we be zealous 
 for his honour and for his interests. 
 
 You are very zealous for the honour 
 of your earthly father. It gives you pain, 
 perhaps makes you angry, to hear any 
 one speak unkindly or disrespectfully of 
 
21 
 
 him. You are ready to resist every 
 effort to injure his interest in any way. 
 
 If God is your Father, you ought to be 
 very zealous for his honour. When you 
 hear him lightly spoken of, when you 
 hear his holy name profaned, it ought to 
 grieve you sorely. 
 
 You ought to be very careful of his 
 interest — to be ready to do every thing 
 to promote the interests of his cause on 
 the earth. You should never injure his 
 cause yourself, nor surfer it to receive 
 injury from others if you can prevent it. 
 All this you engage to do when you 
 kneel down and say, " Our Father." 
 
 If God is your Father, then are you his 
 son, and your conduct must be in keep- 
 ing with that fact. The son of a Gov- 
 ernor must not be seen in low company, 
 nor engaged in mean pursuits, for he 
 would thereby disgrace his father. Much 
 
22 the lord's prayer. 
 
 more should a son of God so conduct 
 himself as not to bring dishonour on his 
 august Father. By addressing God as 
 your Father you engage to act worthily 
 of the high relationship involved. 
 
 Perhaps you will say, " I did not know 
 there was so much meaning in those 
 words ; it requires a great deal to be able 
 to say, « Our Father.' " 
 
 I know it does, but then there is no- 
 thing required but what is reasonable; 
 nothing but what conduces to your high- 
 est happiness. 
 
 How delightful to have a Father who 
 has the riches of the universe at his com- 
 mand, in whose hand are all the energies 
 of nature, the lightning and the pestilence; 
 and who can thus shield us from all 
 harm, who knows all our wants, tempo- 
 ral and spiritual, and who has declared 
 that he will withhold no good thing from 
 
the lord's fkayer. 23 
 
 those who walk uprightly! Such a Fa- 
 ther God offers to be to you. 
 
 Notice the expression " Our Father." 
 You are not told to say, " My Father," 
 but " Our Father." This expression re- 
 minds us of the relation which each 
 Christian bears towards all other Chris- 
 tians. Each Christian is a member, a 
 part of the one body, of which Christ is 
 the Head. Christians are members one 
 of another. A very intimate relation ex- 
 ists between them. When we address 
 God as our Father, we recognize this re- 
 lation, and pledge ourselves to the per- 
 formance of the duties arising from it. 
 Those duties are a brotherly love to all 
 who belong to Christ, and a brotherly 
 interest in their welfare. 
 
 God looks upon the performance of 
 these duties, upon sympathy and succour 
 given to his people, with great favour. 
 
24 the lord's prayer. 
 
 He says that whoever does to one of them 
 so small a favour, as giving him a cup 
 of cold water because he belongs to Him, 
 shall in no case lose his reward. And 
 further he says, that he looks upon every 
 favour shown to the meanest Christian 
 as shown to himself. 
 
 If Christ were on earth you would 
 love to do things for him, to minister to 
 his wants, and to comfort him. You 
 can do this for him just as well as if he 
 were upon the earth in person. By re- 
 lieving the wants and contributing to the 
 comforts of his people, you are doing 
 what he regards as done to himself. 
 
 I once knew a physician who was 
 very careful to attend on all poor Chris- 
 tians who wished for his services. He 
 seldom received any thing from them in 
 return but their gratitude and prayers. 
 He regarded them as the most profitable 
 
the lord's prayer. 25 
 
 patients he had. He remembered the 
 words of the Saviour, " For as much as 
 ye have done it to the least of these my 
 brethren, ye have done it unto me." If 
 he was not paid in this world, he was 
 sure he should be in the next. 
 
 Which art in Heaven. 
 
 When our translation was made, it was 
 according to custom to use the relative 
 pronoun which in referring to persons. 
 It is in accordance with the present usage 
 of language to say, Our Father, who art 
 in heaven. 
 
 Why was the phrase " who art in hea- 
 ven," added] " In order that we might 
 connect nothing earthly with God's hea- 
 venly majesty." We are to call him 
 Father, but we are to remember how in- 
 finitely he differs from an earthly father. 
 
26 the lord's prayer. 
 
 This expression, " who art in heaven," 
 seems to remind us of this. 
 
 It may also properly remind us that 
 this world is not our home — that our Fa- 
 ther's house in which there are many 
 mansions, is in heaven. 
 
 We are told by the Saviour that he 
 has gone to prepare places for his peo- 
 ple, and by and by he will come and 
 conduct them to the mansions which they 
 are to occupy for ever. Has he gone to 
 prepare a place for you? Do you expect 
 to have a place in your Father's house 
 above? It is a great thing to have a fa- 
 ther's house to dwell in on earth; but 
 what is that, compared with having a 
 home not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens ; a Father's house in heaven, to 
 which you may repair when you have 
 passed as an hireling your day! O, if 
 one has a good home in heaven, it mat- 
 
the lord's prayer. 27 
 
 ters little whether he has or has not one 
 on earth. Many a houseless wanderer on 
 earth has a mansion ready, a glorious 
 home prepared for him in heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Hallowed be thy name. 
 
 The first petition which we are instruct- 
 ed to offer is not for worldly prosperi- 
 ty, nor even for the salvation of our 
 souls. It has reference to God. We are 
 told to pray first of all that God may be 
 reverenced, that his name may be hon- 
 oured; for this is the meaning of the 
 phrase, " Hallowed be thy name." It 
 is to be the first and supreme desire of 
 our souls, that God may be honoured; 
 this is to be the first subject of prayer. 
 If we have this desire we shall ap- 
 
28 
 
 proach unto God in prayer with great 
 reverence. Holy men in all ages have 
 been remarkable for the reverence and 
 awe with which they have come into the 
 presence of God. The angels are repre- 
 sented as veiling their faces in His pre- 
 sence, and crying "Holy, holy, holy is the 
 Lord of hosts." If the angels come into 
 his presence with fear and trembling be- 
 cause of his awful holiness, much more 
 should sinners such as we are. 
 
 If we have any just views of our own 
 sinfulness, and the purity of the Divine 
 character, we shall come into his pre- 
 sence with self abasement and godly fear. 
 
 When you see men affect great fami- 
 liarity with Jehovah, you have reason to 
 fear that they have a very imperfect 
 knowledge of his character and of their 
 own. I am always afraid for those who 
 mistake familiarity for fervour in prayer; 
 
the lord's prayer. 29 
 
 who use the name of God as they would 
 that of a mortal. Some true Christians, I 
 doubt not, being led astray for a time by a 
 zeal which is not according to knowledge, 
 may be guilty of this sin. But in gene- 
 ral, true piety is connected with, I had 
 almost said, consists in, reverence for 
 God. This is what is commonly meant 
 by " fear of the Lord," which occurs so 
 frequently in the Bible. 
 
 In order that you may hallow the name 
 of God in prayer, you should never en- 
 gage in that duty without preparation. 
 
 If you were going to ask a favour of 
 the President of the United States, you 
 would not rush into his presence in a 
 careless or boisterous manner. You 
 would prepare yourself to come before 
 him, and set in order what you intended 
 to say. You would show him all the signs 
 of the most profound respect. And all 
 
30 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 this would be proper and right. But 
 should you come into the presence of God 
 more carelessly than you would come 
 into the presence of the President? 
 
 See to it that you make preparation 
 when you come before God in prayer. 
 Be deliberate; consider his holiness and 
 greatness; the guilt of mocking him by 
 drawing near with the lips while the heart 
 is far from him. Thus will you be aided 
 in hallowing the name of the Lord, in 
 coming into his presence " with reve- 
 rence and godly fear." 
 
 Again, you must always treat the name 
 of God with great reverence when you 
 use it. It should never be used except 
 when necessary, and then with great 
 seriousness and fear. Some persons form 
 the habit of repeating that holy name too 
 frequently in prayer, and thus fail to 
 hallow it. Newton, the great astronomer, 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 31 
 
 never used the name of God, without 
 making a reverential pause. Imitate his 
 illustrious example. 
 
 Again, you must not only avoid pro- 
 fanity, but use your influence to prevent 
 it in others. If it is painful for you to 
 hear it, and you do not conceal your 
 feelings, many will be restrained from 
 profanity in your presence. But this 
 silent disapprobation is not all that you 
 are to show. You are to rebuke those 
 who sin thus openly. I do not say that 
 you are to rebuke every person that you 
 hear swear. You must consider whether 
 it is proper in the circumstances of the 
 case, and whether it will be likely to do 
 more good than harm. 
 
 It is always proper for you to reprove 
 your companions for swearing, and if 
 they do not cease from it, they must not 
 
32 the lord's prayer. 
 
 be your companions. You must not 
 willingly associate with those who wan- 
 tonly insult your Father who is in heaven. 
 
 Sometimes it is proper for a young per- 
 son to reprove this vice in one that is 
 older than himself. But this can com- 
 monly be done to the best advantage in- 
 directly. I will give you an example of 
 what I mean. There was a boy who 
 was travelling with his parents, and be- 
 came acquainted at a hotel at which they 
 stopped, with a stranger. He was a 
 polished man, but he swore dreadfully. 
 The stranger took a liking to little Robert, 
 and offered to take him to see the water- 
 works in the vicinity. Robert wished 
 very much to go, but declined the invita- 
 tion. '• Don't you wish to go?" said the 
 stranger. 
 
 " Yes, sir, very much," said Robert. 
 
the lord's prayer. 33 
 
 " I have asked your father, and he says 
 you may go. What is the difficulty 
 then?" 
 
 Robert hesitated for a moment, and 
 said, " I don't like to go with a man who 
 swears so." 
 
 The stranger blushed, and said, " You 
 are right, my boy ; go with me, and I will 
 not swear a word while we are gone." 
 
 Robert then went with him, and had a 
 very pleasant excursion, much more so 
 than if he had not preferred to forego it, 
 rather than hear God's name dishonour- 
 ed. 
 
 There is a class of expressions which 
 many use without much thought, which 
 ought to be avoided because they savour 
 of irreverence for God. I mean such ex- 
 pressions as " good gracious," " mercy 
 on us," and the like. All such expres- 
 3 
 
34 
 
 sions are wicked, and should be wholly 
 avoided. 
 
 Again, you must hallow God's name 
 in the sanctuary. When you behave 
 with levity and indecorum in God's house, 
 you are guilty of insulting God. A great 
 many fail in this respect. I have seen 
 a great many young persons who, one 
 would think, had been brought up to know 
 better, whispering and smiling in God's 
 house, and looking about with an air of 
 idle curiosity, instead of seriously joining 
 in the worship of God. Sometimes I have 
 seen them asleep. Now would they be- 
 have thus if they were in the Governor's 
 house? Would they go to sleep in his 
 presence, while some one was delivering 
 a message from him to them? Certainly 
 not. They would have too much res- 
 pect for the Governor to do so. Where 
 is their respect for God? 
 
the lord's prayer. 35 
 
 There is another way in which the 
 guilt of irreverence is contracted. It is 
 by quoting Scripture in a light and tri- 
 fling manner. Some attempt to show 
 their wit by making ludicrous applica- 
 tions of texts of Scripture. I have known 
 some good men who indulged in this sin- 
 ful habit. I presume they did not see it 
 in its true light. Never make a quota- 
 tion from Scripture except in seriousness 
 or for some good purpose. Never laugh 
 or in any way express approbation, when 
 you hear the Scriptures used with levity 
 or profaneness. The Bible is God's 
 word. Trifling with it, is insulting; God. 
 
 I have thus pointed out several ways 
 in which men fail to hallow the name of 
 God. All these, and all other ways of 
 doing the same thing, you promise to 
 avoid when you offer the petition, " hal- 
 lowed be thy name." 
 
36 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Thy Kingdom come. 
 
 This is the second petition of the prayer 
 under consideration. It relates to the 
 kingdom of God, and not to ourselves 
 and our own interests, except so far as 
 they are blended with the kingdom of 
 God. We are not to ask blessings for 
 ourselves, in the first, in the second, nor in 
 the third place. We are to pray for God's 
 honour, for the advancement of his cause, 
 and the doing of his will, before we pray 
 for any private blessings. 
 
 This is reasonable. It is reasonable 
 that God and his cause should be served 
 before ourselves and our petty interests. 
 
 This direction is in accordance with 
 the promptings of true Christian affection. 
 It is natural for the heart to pray first 
 
the lord's prayer. 37 
 
 for that which it loves most. The true 
 Christian loves God with all his heart, 
 and soul, and strength, that is, with his 
 highest affection, and hence he is led to 
 pray for his honour and his cause, in pre- 
 ference to his own wants and interests. 
 
 It was not designed to teach that in 
 every prayer, we should preserve the 
 order here laid down. It is often proper 
 to confine our prayers at a given time, 
 to a particular topic. Examples of this 
 have been brought to notice on a former 
 page. It is proper when prayer is of- 
 fered in the public assembly, to offer pe- 
 titions, in an order differing from the one 
 above considered, even as circumstances 
 and the feelings of the heart shall sug- 
 gest. But the objects which should be first 
 in our estimation, and which we should 
 desire above all others, are those which 
 relate to the honour and glory of God. If 
 
38 the lord's prayer. 
 
 a man cannot pray for these objects, he 
 cannot pray at all. 
 
 Perhaps when this prayer was first 
 given, the phrase, "thy kingdom come," 
 had especial reference to the introduction 
 of the Christian dispensation. However 
 this may be, we may now properly un- 
 derstand it as having reference to the 
 spread of the gospel throughout the earth. 
 That God's kingdom may come in this 
 sense, that the gospel may be preached 
 to all men, and that they may receive it 
 and obey it, is to be most fervently de- 
 sired by every follower of Christ. 
 
 Do you thus fervently desire the com- 
 ing of God's kingdom 1 Does your heart 
 rejoice when you hear of the progress of 
 this kingdom ; when you hear of revi- 
 vals, and of increased efforts to publish 
 the glad tidings? 
 
 Are these not strong reasons why you 
 
the lord's prayer. 39 
 
 should desire this? Consider that the 
 world belongs to Christ. He has bought 
 it with his own blood. Ought he not to 
 have that which he purchased at so great 
 a price? Ought he to be kept out of his 
 possession by the great enemy of right- 
 eousness? 
 
 Suppose your father had worked very 
 hard, and had purchased a piece of land, 
 and a wicked man refused to give it up 
 to him. You would feel indignant, and 
 would earnestly desire that your father 
 should have that which he had purchased 
 at the expense of so much toil. You 
 would be willing to employ any lawful 
 means to put him in possession of his 
 own. 
 
 Now this world belongs to Christ, and 
 was purchased by toil and blood. If you 
 love him as you ought, you will earnest- 
 ly desire that he should have that which 
 
40 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 he has purchased, and you will use all 
 lawful means to put him in possession of 
 his own. 
 
 One of the divinely appointed means 
 of doing this is prayer. This is a means 
 which you cannot use too much. By 
 prayer you may help to put the Saviour 
 in possession of his own. 
 
 Again; consider the condition of the 
 world — the miseries of the heathen — the 
 sighing of the oppressed — the bondage of 
 sinners. Consider that the roll of this 
 world's history is written within and 
 without, with mourning, and lamentation 
 and woe. Consider that this cruelty, 
 and degradation and misery would be at 
 once removed by the universal preva- 
 lence of the gospel. Is not this motive 
 strong enough to move a feeling heart to 
 pray "thy kingdom come?" 
 
 But there are other means of promo- 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 41 
 
 ting the coming of Christ's kingdom be- 
 sides prayer. One is the giving of money 
 to send the missionary and the Bible, to 
 the heathen and destitute. If we care 
 for God's cause as we ought, we shall 
 cheerfully give as the Lord has prospered 
 us. There is no one who cannot give 
 something, though it be but a single 
 penny. The poor widow whom Christ 
 saw casting her two mites into the trea- 
 sury, might have said she had nothing 
 to give, with far more propriety than 
 any one who reads this book can. Yet 
 she practised self-denial and gave a far- 
 thing. Christ commended her, and caused 
 her example to be recorded for the imi- 
 tation of all coining time. 
 
 Sometimes young persons say, " I can 
 give so little that it wont do any good. 
 I have but a few cents, they wont buy a 
 Bible or anything else. I will therefore 
 
42 the lord's trayeb. 
 
 spend them for something that I want 
 myself." 
 
 Suppose the poor widow had reasoned 
 in that way, and had bought a dinner 
 with her two mites, instead of casting 
 them into the treasury of the Lord, 
 would she have gained the approbation 
 of Christ? Would she have been hap- 
 pier? I think not. 
 
 Again, you have no right to say that 
 the small offering you may make will 
 not do any good. That rests with God, 
 and you know not his plans and the ex- 
 tent of his power. He often uses the 
 weakest instruments for the accomplish- 
 ment of the greatest effects. He may so 
 order it, that the {ew pennies of the poor, 
 self-denying, praying Christian, may do 
 more good than hundreds of dollars, given 
 in ostentation by a rich Pharisee. Our 
 Lord said that this poor widow had cast 
 
43 
 
 ! in more than they all. That was God's 
 estimate of the value of her gift, and he 
 'had power to make it accomplish more 
 'good than all the other sifts which were 
 cast into the treasury. 
 • The duty of giving does not depend 
 upon the greater or less amount of good 
 "which will be done. It rests on the com- 
 mand of God, and the question should be, 
 what does God wish me to give? To be 
 'sure, the probable amount of good may 
 'be considered, in order to determine God's 
 will. But we should feel the obligation 
 c to give, whether the prospect be dark or 
 bright, for God has commanded it. 
 
 He has also fixed a reward to it. The 
 Lord " loveth a cheerful giver." Men do 
 a great many things to make people love 
 j them. It were wiser to do that which will 
 "make God love them. 
 
 God hath said, " it is more blessed to 
 
44 the lord's prayer. 
 
 give than to receive ;" — and again, " give, 
 and it shall be given unto you ; good mea- 
 sure, pressed down, and shaken together, 
 and running over, shall men give unto 
 you." 
 
 The way to be happy is to form the 
 habit of generous benevolence. The way 
 to provide against future want, is to lend | 
 freely unto the Lord, for it will surely be 
 repaid, and just in the way which infinite 
 wisdom sees fit and best for the individual 
 concerned. 
 
 To pray, thy kingdom come, and not 
 give, is as absurd as to say to a poor per- 
 son, " depart in peace, and be warmed 
 and filled," and yet not give him the 
 things needful to those ends. 
 
 There are other means besides prayer 
 and alms-giving, for the spread of the 
 gospel and the upbuilding of Christ's 
 cause. Every time you strive to do good 
 
the lord's prayer. 45 
 
 on right principles you promote the com- 
 ' ing of Christ's kingdom. Every day fur* 
 -nishes some opportunity of doing good. 
 Now you can show kindness to that 
 J weary traveller for Christ's sake; now 
 you can set an example of Christian for- 
 'bearance before that ungodly man ; now 
 iyou may give a word of reproof and 
 warning to that bold transgressor; now 
 3you may, by acts of kindness, win on 
 ^that Sabbath breaker, so that you can in* 
 ijduce him to come to the house of God. 
 Every day furnishes opportunities of do* 
 *ing good to those who will rightly em- 
 ■ploy them. 
 
 1 But perhaps you may say, " I am 
 'young and feeble. I cannot do any 
 ; good if I were to try. I have tried, but 
 ''never saw that any good followed my 
 'efforts." 
 
 To this I answer, that when God or- 
 
46 the lord's prayer. 
 
 ders us to do a thing, it makes no differ- 
 ence whether we can see any good to 
 come from it or not. We are under ob- 
 ligation to obey. But then God in great 
 kindness has so ordered it, that our la- 
 bour in doing good is never lost. " Inas- 1 
 much as ye know that your labour is not] 
 in vain in the Lord." Labour in the; 
 Lord, that is, labour to do good, per-; 
 formed in obedience to God's will, is -j 
 never in vain. It will accomplish just 
 what God wills it shall accomplish, and .j 
 what pious heart desires more? If God 
 causes my labours to accomplish just 
 what he wills they should accomplish, I 
 ought to be content. 
 
 It is a great privilege and source of 
 happiness to labour for Christ's cause. 
 It causes one to feel that there is some- 
 thing worth living for. All Christians j 
 are labourers together with God, in car- 
 
the lord's prayer. 47 
 
 rying out his glorious plans and purposes 
 respecting the redemption of this fallen 
 world. It is a noble work, it is one in 
 which we have a glorious master and co- 
 worker, and one in which we are sure of 
 glorious results. 
 
 Remember, that when you pray, " thy 
 kingdom come," you engage to give and 
 to labour for the object for which you 
 pray. Every morning you should ask, 
 " What can I do for the cause of Christ 
 to-day?" 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thy Will be done. 
 
 Some think they have made great pro- 
 gress in religion if they can submit to 
 God's will when their own will cannot be 
 
48 the lord's prayer. 
 
 gratified. Submission, true submission, 
 is not acquiescence with what cannot be 
 helped ; it is a cordial desire that God's 
 will should be done in preference to our 
 own. 
 
 It is reasonable that we should have 
 this desire, and say, " Thy will be done." 
 God knows the end from the beginning. 
 He worketh all things according to the 
 counsel of his own will. He has de- 
 clared, that he. will cause all things to 
 work together for good to those who love 
 him. His will must therefore be better 
 for us than our own ; therefore we should 
 desire that it should be done instead of 
 our own. 
 
 A good child submits to the better 
 judgment of his earthly father, and shall 
 we not cheerfully submit to the better 
 judgment of our heavenly Father! 
 
 I have shown that it is reasonable for 
 
the lord's prayer. 49 
 
 us to prefer the will of God to our own, 
 but I do not mean that 1 have given the 
 chief reason why we should do so. The 
 chief reason is not because it will benefit 
 us to do so. The obligation would be the 
 same, even if it were not true that He will 
 cause all things to work together for our 
 good. We ought to desire that God's 
 will should be done because it is holy, 
 because he is God. Our love to him 
 should be so strong, that our will should 
 be lost in his. You know that we prefer 
 the feelings of those we love to our own. 
 This is the nature of pure and strong af- 
 fection. If we love God supremely, our 
 affection will lead us to " know no will 
 but his." 
 
 There is a great deal of false submis- 
 sion, or rather there is a great deal that 
 does not rest on the true foundation. 
 The Psalmist understood it, when he said, 
 4 
 
50 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 " I was dumb because thou didst it." If 
 God has done a thing, that is reason 
 enough for our cheerfully submitting to 
 it. A widow once lost her only son, the 
 stay of her declining years. Her friends 
 gathered around her, and strove to com- 
 fort her. Various topics of consolation 
 were offered, various reasons were set 
 forth, why she should be submissive. She 
 listened to them for a time, and then said, 
 " There may be reason in what you say, 
 but I can't feel it. If it were not for one 
 thought, I could not bear my trouble. 
 God has done it, and I am content." 
 
 O the blessedness of the man who can 
 say in regard to every thing that takes 
 place, " God has done it, and I am con- 
 tent !" 
 
 When we pray, " Thy will be done," 
 we engage to do that will ourselves, and 
 to do all in power to induce others to do 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 51 
 
 it. We cannot pray aright unless it is our 
 purpose to render obedience to God in all 
 things — unless to do his will is our meat 
 and drink, that is, the great and most in- 
 teresting object of our lives. 
 
 To do and to suffer the will of God is 
 our great business here below. In order 
 to do his will we must know what it is ; and 
 in order to pray in the right spirit, we 
 must earnestly desire to know what is 
 the will of God, what the Lord would 
 have us to do. A great point is gained 
 when it becomes a matter of inquiry 
 every day, " Lord, what wilt thou have 
 me to do?" When this is the case, then 
 the Bible will be studied, and the leadings 
 of Providence carefully observed, that we 
 may determine what duty is. Then shall 
 we attain to the true idea of a religious 
 life. 
 
 Some suppose that religion consists in 
 
52 the lord's prayer. 
 
 certain acts of devotion, and praise, and 
 occasional efforts to do good. They do 
 not know that every act of our lives is, 
 or ought to be, a religious act ; that every 
 act performed in obedience to the will of 
 God is a religious act. We are bound 
 to have reference to the will of God in 
 every act. "Whether ye eat or drink, or 
 whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 
 God." When a man is doing at a particu- 
 lar time what God would have him to do, 
 he is performing a religious duty. At one 
 hour God would have a man engaged in 
 prayer. If he prays then, he is perform- 
 ing a religious duty. At another hour 
 God would have a man labour diligently 
 in his calling. If he labour thus then, he 
 is performing a religious duty. The great 
 thing to be aimed at, is always to be em- 
 ployed just as God would have us em- 
 ployed. Then we are always safe and 
 
the lord's prayer. 53 
 
 no evil can surprise us. Some hope that 
 death when it must come, will find them 
 praying. There is no reason why they 
 should desire to be found praying, rather 
 than performing some other duty. 
 
 Chief Justice Hale was once holding a 
 court, and a terrible thunder-storm came 
 up. The heavens grew so dark, and the 
 lightnings were so vivid, and the thunder 
 rolled so loudly, that the lawyers and all 
 who were in the court-room, except the 
 judge, fled in terror. After the storm had 
 passed, they returned and found the 
 judge had been busily engaged in mat- 
 ters pertaining to the cause. One ex- 
 pressed his surprise, and said, that he 
 verily thought the day of judgment had 
 come. 
 
 The judge replied, that he did not 
 think the day of judgment was come, for 
 there remained prophecies yet to be ful- 
 
54 the lord's prayer. 
 
 filled, but if it had been so, he was just 
 where he would wish to be found, en- 
 gaged in the performance of duty. 
 
 We are to pray that the will of God 
 may be done on earth as it is done in 
 heaven. Now his will is done perfectly 
 in heaven — and thus we pray that it may 
 be done perfectly on earth. 
 
 What a change would be effected in 
 the condition of this world if the will of 
 God were perfectly obeyed. We have a 
 beautiful earth ; the materials of happi- 
 ness to a race of holy beings are most 
 abundant. It is sin that has caused this 
 world's history to be written in tears and 
 blood — it is sin that has made the earth 
 one vast charnel-house. If God's will 
 were done on earth as it is done in hea- 
 ven, earth would be almost transformed 
 to heaven. Remember that every time 
 you exert an influence, tending to lead 
 
the lord's prayer. 55 
 
 men to render obedience to the will of 
 God, you are doing that which tends to 
 transform this earth to heaven. 
 
 Of all the ways that you can promote 
 the happiness of others, there is none so 
 effective and lasting as inducing them to 
 do the will of God. You put into their 
 hands a key that unlocks the treasures 
 of the universe. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Give us this day our daily Bread. 
 
 Having prayed for things connected 
 with the glory of God, and the interests 
 of his kingdom, we are next allowed to 
 pray for ourselves. We are taught to 
 pray for such things as are necessary to 
 
56 the lord's prayer. 
 
 the continuance of our existence. By the 
 term bread, is meant all those things 
 which are necessary to our subsistence 
 and comfort. For all such things we 
 are authorized to pray — not for super- 
 fluities and luxuries. 
 
 And we are to ask for them only as 
 we have need of them ; we are to pray 
 for our daily bread. 
 
 We must therefore feel our dependence 
 upon God for our daily bread. Some 
 feel this when they have no visible means 
 of support, but not when they have pro- 
 perty at their command. But they are 
 in truth just as much dependent at one 
 time as another. Suppose one has his 
 barns and his store-houses full ; unless he 
 has health so that he can partake of his 
 daily food, those stores will be of no use 
 to him. For that health he is dependent 
 upon God. So that after all he is just as 
 
THE LORDS PRAYER. 0/ 
 
 much dependent upon God for the con- 
 tinuance and comforts of his life, as is the 
 beggar who gathers his food from door 
 to door. 
 
 When we feel our entire dependence 
 upon God for any thing, then shall we 
 pray for it.. Hence in order to cherish 
 the spirit of prayer, we must meditate 
 upon our condition, so that we clearly 
 perceive and feel our dependence. 
 
 As God furnishes the means of pre- 
 serving our lives, as he gives us our 
 bread, it is as easy for him to give it to 
 us day by day as in any other way. He 
 has directed us to ask for it in this way, 
 that we may be kept in remembrance of 
 our dependence, and may enjoy the plea- 
 sure of recognizing daily the tokens of 
 his affection. 
 
 You love to receive presents from 
 your parents. You value them not only 
 
58 the lord's prayer. 
 
 for their worth, but as tokens of parental 
 love. Now you should look upon every 
 thing you enjoy as a token of your hea- 
 venly Father's love. Would not this habit 
 add greatly to your joy? 
 
 While we thus feel our dependence 
 upon God, and pray to him for our daily 
 bread, we must not neglect the proper 
 means of procuring it. To ask God for 
 it, and not use the means for obtaining 
 it, is tempting God; a sin severely re- 
 buked in the sacred volume. 
 
 When we have prayed in the right 
 spirit, and put forth the exertions in our 
 power, then we are to trust to God and 
 lay aside all anxiety in regard to the 
 means of our support. Our bread shall 
 be given us, our water shall be sure, for 
 the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. It 
 is sinful to indulge fears with respect to 
 our future wants during our pilgrimage. 
 
the lord's pkayer. 59 
 
 i We have a rich Father whose tender- 
 
 - ness towards us the tongue of an angel 
 
 - could not describe. We have his promise 
 i that he will take care of us. We have 
 
 therefore nothing to do but trust in Him. 
 c Many have done so, and there never was 
 
 - one disappointed. 
 
 ! We are unwilling to rest on God's 
 ■ word alone. We feel more secure if we 
 ; can see where our support is to come 
 from. We would aid faith a little by 
 sight. But it is safest to trust in God. 
 We may not be able to see how he will 
 take care of us. As thy day is, so shall 
 thy strength be, is his word, and we all 
 ought to trust it with a firmness that the 
 removal of the foundations of the earth 
 could not shake. 
 
 We are authorized to ask for that de- 
 gree of spiritual nourishment which we 
 need for the day, and we are not author- 
 
60 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 ized to ask for more. Many do not un- 
 derstand this. They contemplate some 
 Christian grace and are conscious that 
 they do not possess it. They find that 
 some have shown themselves ready to 
 embrace the stake, and they know lhat 
 the test of discipleship is to be willing to 
 give up all for Christ, property and life. 
 They pray for the state of mind evinced 
 by the martyr; and their prayers are not 
 answered. In other words they pray for 
 the grace of martyrdom,- and it is not 
 given. They then perhaps are in dis- 
 tress, through fear that they do not come 
 up to the terms of discipleship, for, say 
 they, unless a man is willing to give up 
 all that he hath, he cannot be Christ's dis- 
 ciple. 
 
 Now the error here lies in misappre- 
 hension of the true test of discipleship. 
 A man must be willing to give up his 
 

 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 61 
 
 property or his life, if God requires it, or 
 he cannot be a disciple. But he need 
 not be willing to give up what God does 
 not require, or when he does not require 
 it. The question is, are you willing to 
 give up all that God now requires you 
 to give up? If you are, you meet the 
 conditions of saivation. 
 
 In regard to a martyr's grace, rest upon 
 the promise " As thy day is so shall thy 
 strength be." If God shall call upon 
 .you to breast the flood, or embrace the 
 flame, rely on him for strength to do so. 
 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
 
 We now come to a very solemn part of 
 the prayer under consideration. Forgive 
 
62 the lord's prayer. 
 
 us our debts, our sins. We are all sin- 
 ners, and therefore all need forgiveness. 
 There is no way by which we may atone 
 for our sins. We can give nothing to 
 God which is not already his. We can 
 do no good thing which it is not already 
 our duty to do. We must therefore have 
 mercy shown towards us, or must suffer 
 the punishment of our sins. 
 
 The law requires perfect obedience, 
 perfect holiness on the part of man. It 
 declares that any and every act of diso- 
 bedience shall be followed by punish- 
 ment. The strictness of the law can 
 never be relaxed. The law is holy, just 
 and good, and to change it, were an act 
 of injustice. God himself cannot change 
 the moral law, or fail to execute its 
 penalty. 
 
 It may be said, that those who make 
 the laws can change them, — why cannot 
 
the lord's prayer. 63 
 
 God change the laws that he has made? 
 He can change some laws, such as those 
 pertaining to forms and ceremonies, but 
 he cannot change right to wrong, and 
 wrong to right; he cannot command men 
 to sin, and forbid them to be holy, be- 
 cause his holy nature is a law to himself; 
 in other words, because He is holy. The 
 Bible says, it is impossible for God to lie; 
 the reason is, He is holy. For the same 
 reason he cannot change the holy law, 
 nor omit the penalty in case of violation. 
 
 Sin is the abominable thing which Je- 
 hovah hates. If no suffering or disorder 
 were to take place in consequence of sin, 
 still his holiness would lead him to be its 
 avenger. " Justice and judgment are the 
 habitation of his throne." He can never 
 show mercy, till justice is satisfied. 
 
 Sinners have often very inaccurate 
 ideas of the character of God. They 
 
64 the lord's prayer. 
 
 think, that because he is said to be mer- 
 ciful, he can show mercy without regard 
 to justice; that he can violate his solemn 
 declaration, " the soul that sinneth it shall 
 die." They thus make him an imperfect 
 being, " altogether such an one as them- 
 selves." 
 
 Do you believe that your father, when 
 he has solemnly promised to do some- 
 thing, which he is fully able to do, will 
 do it? Is there more reliance to be placed 
 on a parent's word, than on the word of 
 God? 
 
 There are scarcely any who deny that 
 they have need of mercy, but some think 
 they can induce God to pardon them, by 
 doing better in time to come. They think 
 they can merit pardon by future obedi- 
 ence. But they forget that the law re- 
 quires perfect obedience at all times. Sup- 
 pose you are required every day to pick 
 
65 
 
 up just as many apples as is possible. 
 But to-day you are idle. To-morrow you 
 will pick up as many as you possibly can. 
 But you will then only do what is required 
 of you that day, and can, therefore, do 
 nothing towards the neglected work of 
 to-day. So if the sinner should render 
 perfect obedience to the law in future, 
 it would not make amends for his past 
 ' transgressions. 
 
 He can do nothing to merit forgiveness, 
 and yet he must receive it, or be lost for- 
 ever. If he receive it, since he cannot 
 ido the least thing to merit it, it must be 
 <of grace, a free, unmerited favour. But 
 >how can a just God show mercy when 
 'he has declared that every transgression 
 • shall receive a just recompense? 
 
 You know the way in which God can 
 ■ be just and yet justify the sinner. Christ 
 '■ has died to make atonement for sin, and 
 5 
 
66 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 when the sinner exercises repentance and 
 faith in him, his sufferings are accepted 
 by divine justice in the sinner's stead, 
 and his righteousness is imputed to the 
 sinner. 
 
 Now in order that one may pray for 
 forgiveness, he must know and feel that 
 he is a sinner. He must not only know 
 that he is exposed to punishment, but he 
 must feel conscious of guilt. Do you 
 know what it is to feel conscious of guilt ; 
 to feel that you are guilty? Remember 
 it is one thing to know we have sinned, 
 and to be afraid of punishment, and an- 
 other to feel a sense of guilt. Without 
 this sense of guilt, there is no such thing 
 as true repentance — no such thing as ac- 
 ceptable prayer. In order to repentance, 
 there must be a sense of guilt, and sorrow 
 for sin for its own sake. Many mistake 
 here. They know that they are sinners. 
 
the lord's prayer. 67 
 
 They see their danger, and are alarmed, 
 and are sorry they have sinned, but not 
 with a godly sorrow. They are sorry, 
 i because of the consequences to which sin 
 exposes them, not because it is the abomi- 
 nable thing which Jehovah hates. 
 ; I can illustrate the two kinds of repent- 
 ' ance in the following manner: — A boy 
 i disobeys his father. He is afraid of pun- 
 1 ishment, and, therefore, is sorry that he 
 ; disobeyed. If he were sure that his fa- 
 • ther would never find it out, or if he were 
 t sure he should escape punishment, he 
 t would care nothing about it, and would 
 J readily disobey again under like circum- 
 i stances. 
 
 r Another boy disobeys his father. — 
 
 '3 When he thinks of what he has done he 
 
 [ is sorry. He is sorry beaause he has 
 
 displeased his father, because he has 
 
 treated him unkindly in not obeying his 
 
DO THE LORDS PRAYER. 
 
 commands. Perhaps he has no fear that 
 his father will punish him, still he is not 
 the less sorry that he has repaid that 
 father's kindness with disobedience. He 
 resolves, at all events, that he will not 
 disobey again. This is of the nature of 
 true repentance which must be exercised 
 towards God, before we are authorized to 
 ask, or expect to receive pardon of our 
 sins. 
 
 What a fearful thing to live, with the 
 record of unforgiven sins standing against 
 us in the book of God's remembrance! 
 
 But there is another thing which is too 
 frequently overlooked. Many seem to 
 suppose that repentance is all that is ne- 
 cessary. Yet the teachings of God's 
 book are very different. We are autho- 
 rized to ask forgiveness only so far as 
 we forgive those who have injured us. 
 " Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
 
the lord's prayer. 69 
 
 debtors." Again it is said : " For if ye 
 forgive not men their trespasses, neither 
 will your Father who is in heaven for- 
 give you." There are, I doubt not, many 
 self-deceived souls — many who think they 
 are forgiven when they are not. They 
 have been very sorry for their sins. They 
 have prayed very earnestly for pardon; 
 they have pleaded the promises, and they 
 hope they are forgiven. At the same 
 time they cherish remembrances of inju- 
 ries received; they have not exercised 
 forgiveness towards those who have in- 
 jured them. Now the word of God in 
 relation to such standeth sure. There is 
 no evading it. There is no explaining it 
 away. " If ye forgive not men their 
 trespasses, neither will your heavenly 
 Father forgive you your trespasses." 
 
 If you cherish feelings of revenge and 
 hatred toward any human being, your 
 
70 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 prayers have not been heard, and your 
 sins all stand recorded against you, in 
 the book of God's remembrance. 
 
 There was a boy on his way to school, 
 on a bright clear day in February. The 
 snow melted to a degree that it was easily 
 made into balls. As he went along a 
 large boy, who did not belong to the 
 school, threw a snow-ball which struck 
 him in the face. It did not hurt him 
 much, and he was not sure but that it 
 was accidental, but when his nose began 
 to bleed, he was frightened and began to 
 cry. His assailant, not satisfied with 
 what he had done, now began to laugh 
 at, and to ridicule him, before several 
 other boys who were near. Ridicule is 
 harder to bear thnn snow-balls, so John 
 became very angry, and the consequence 
 was a battle, in which he was worsted. 
 
 He declared that he would have ven- 
 
THE LORD'S PRAYER. 71 
 
 geance, let it cost what it would. He 
 went to school, but his thoughts were not 
 on his studies. When he went home 
 and sat by the fire-side, he was brooding 
 over his wrongs, and thinking how he 
 should punish his enemy. When he 
 went to his chamber for the night, and 
 kneeled down to pray, he got along pretty 
 well till he came to the phrase " forgive 
 us our debts as we forgive our debtors." 
 He stopped and considered, as we for- 
 give our debtors. He saw that he was 
 praying to God not to forgive him. He 
 was afraid to offer such a prayer. What 
 a fearful prayer indeed for a sinner to 
 offer! to pray that his sins may not be 
 forgiven, that he may be punished for 
 them in hell to all eternity! 
 
 How many offer this impious prayer! 
 The fact that they do not think of it, does 
 not render it less impious. Many swear 
 
72 the lord's prayer. 
 
 without thinking of it, but they are not 
 the less guilty of swearing. 
 
 Impious prayers of this kind are some- 
 times answered. In the county of Here- 
 ford in England, a man came before a 
 magistrate, and accused a young man of 
 good character in the place of having 
 robbed him on the high-way. The young 
 man was arrested, and brought before the 
 magistrate, where he was confronted 
 with his accuser. Certain circumstances 
 led the judge to suspect that the charge 
 was false, and he solemnly warned the 
 accuser not to incur the guilt of perjury. 
 He persisted in his statement, and made 
 oath to his truth. The young man 
 brought abundant evidence to prove that 
 he was in another place at the time of 
 the alleged robbery. In consequence he 
 was discharged. The accuser meeting 
 one of his neighbours insisted that he 
 

 the lord's prayer. 73 
 
 was not guilty of perjury, wishing that 
 if he had not spoken the truth his jaws 
 might be locked, and his flesh rot from 
 his bones. In an instant his jaws were 
 locked, and after lingering speechless for 
 a fortnight, he died in great agony, his 
 flesh literally foiling in some places from 
 his bones. 
 
 Other authentic instances are on re- 
 cord in which wicked men have been 
 taken at their word, when they have 
 prayed that God would strike them with 
 blindness, palsy, or death. Impious 
 prayers are therefore sometimes answer- 
 ed — and may be in the case under con- 
 sideration — forgive us our debts as we 
 forgive our debtors. Before we approach 
 the mercy-seat, we must consider whe- 
 ther we have feelings of hostility or un- 
 kindness toward any fellow being ; whe- 
 
74 the lord's prayer. 
 
 ther there are any whom we have not 
 forgiven. 
 
 Perhaps you will say, " I have been 
 injured without giving any provocation, 
 yet if those who have injured me would 
 confess, I could forgive them. But they 
 will not confess. How can I forgive 
 them if they will not confess?" 
 
 You can forgive them for Christ's sake, 
 even as God for Christ's sake has for- 
 given you, if you are a Christian. A 
 forgiving spirit is the peculiar spirit of 
 Christianity. The Bible commands us 
 to forgive those who have injured us, to 
 love those that are hostile to us, to do 
 good to those who hate us. These pre- 
 cepts differ from the precepts of every 
 other religion. This difference indicates 
 that it had its origin in a different 
 source. 
 
the lord's prayer. 75 
 
 I know it is hard for our corrupt 
 hearts to obey these precepts, but through 
 the aid of Divine grace it can be done, 
 and the happiness which is thus secured, 
 more than repays the trouble which the 
 obedience costs. The joy of forgiveness 
 is greater than the joy of revenge. Look 
 for a moment at one who has gratified, 
 by some injurious act, his passion of re- 
 venge ; and then at one who for Christ's 
 sake has forgiven those who have deeply 
 injured him: and say which is the hap- 
 pier of the two? Rely upon it, God's 
 rules, however difficult they may seem, 
 are the only rules which can secure the 
 highest measure of happiness to the 
 soul. 
 
76 the lord's prayer. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Lead us not into Temptation. 
 
 I remember an incident told me by a 
 soldier of the Revolution. When our 
 army lay at White Plains, a party was 
 detached to secure some stores which 
 were at some distance from the camp, in 
 the direction of the enemy's line. While 
 they stood waiting for the officer who was 
 to command them, they expressed to one 
 another very earnest desires that they 
 might not be ordered to march by the 
 lower road, as it was called, as it would 
 take them through a thick forest in which 
 the enemy might be concealed, and fire 
 on them as they passed. They were or- 
 dered to take that road, and were attack- 
 ed by the enemy in ambush. They had 
 
the lord's prayer. 77 
 
 to fight at disadvantage, and lost several 
 men before they put their foes to flight. 
 
 Now in the moral warfare in which 
 we are engaged, we have numerous and 
 powerful enemies, and there are some 
 paths in which we are more exposed than 
 others. It is proper that we should de- 
 sire to be led in those paths in which we 
 shall not be likely to find foes lying in 
 ambush; in which we shall not have to 
 fight at a disadvantage. We are taught 
 therefore to pray, " Lead us not into 
 temptation." By this is meant that we 
 may not be placed in those circumstances 
 which would be likely to be the occasion 
 of our falling into sin. 
 
 Men often lead others into temptation. 
 A boy leads another boy to an orchard 
 where the ripe fruit hangs from the 
 boughs in an inviting manner — he sets 
 the example of taking some. His com- 
 
78 the lord's prayer. 
 
 panion, thus led by him into temptation, 
 yields and incurs the guilt of stealing. 
 
 There is no danger that God will lead 
 us into temptation in this way, but we 
 need deliverance from those who will, and 
 deliverance from them is implied in the 
 prayer, " Lead us not into temptation." 
 
 Some employments render those en- 
 gaged in them less exposed to temptation 
 than others. An employment which 
 leads one to associate with those who 
 fear not God, renders it much harder for 
 him to keep his heart with diligence, than 
 one which gives him retirement and soli- 
 tude. It is proper to pray that our lot 
 may be so ordered, that we may not be 
 exposed unduly to temptation by which 
 we shall be overcome. 
 
 There are varieties of callings, and it 
 is some men's duty to abide in callings 
 which are more open to temptation than 
 
the lord's prayer. 79 
 
 others. In that case they are to be con- 
 tent and to rely on the promise, "As thy 
 day is, so shall thy strength be." 
 
 By offering this prayer we promise to 
 avoid temptation by all the lawful means 
 in our power. If we pray, " Lead us not 
 into temptation," and then rush heedless- 
 ly into circumstances of exposure, we 
 only insult God — we do not pray to him. 
 This heinous sin is very often committed. 
 Men offer this prayer and yet rush wil- 
 fully into scenes and circumstances, 
 which expose them to temptations, which 
 it is almost certain they will not resist. 
 
 A parent was accustomed to pray for 
 his son, and carefully taught him to pray 
 for himself. He taught him the Lord's 
 prayer — and he prayed for him that he 
 might be kept from the evil that was in 
 the world. When the son was about 
 fourteen years of age, the father endea- 
 
80 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 voured to find a situation for him, in 
 some business that might enable him to 
 make his way in life. A pious man in 
 a small business offered to take him. He 
 would be carefully looked after and kind- 
 ly treated if there, but then the prospects 
 of his becoming rich would not be very 
 flattering. Another place was offered. 
 It was with a merchant of enterprise and 
 capital. With him the son would acquire 
 large experience, and would be in the road 
 to wealth. But this merchant was a 
 Universalist. He had in his employment 
 a set of young men who disregarded the 
 Sabbath and ridiculed religion. 
 
 The praying father, allured by the 
 prospect of temporal advantage held out 
 to his son, placed him with the merchant, 
 praying that God would keep him from 
 the evil to which he was exposed. 
 
 By degrees that son began to neglect 
 
THE LORD'S TRAYER. 81 
 
 the perusal of the Bible, for it led the 
 older clerks to bestow upon him the epi- 
 thet of deacon. He occupied the same 
 chamber with one of them, and hence 
 could not often bend the knee in prayer. 
 For a time he repeated his prayers after 
 he was in bed, but by degrees, he aban- 
 doned prayer. The Sabbath gradually 
 lost its sanctity in his eyes. In short, in 
 the course of a few months he could join 
 in the ridicule of that religion for which 
 he formerly felt an awful veneration, 
 and he became at last a rich infidel. 
 
 Let parents and children, while they 
 pray, " Lead us not into temptation," be- 
 ware how they wilfully or thoughtlessly 
 run into it. God will be provoked to 
 withdraw his aid, and leave them to fall 
 into sin and ruin. 
 
 By offering this prayer you in effect 
 pledge yourself to avoid all unnecessary 
 6 
 
82 the lord's prayer. 
 
 temptation. Every one ought to know 
 his weak points — the sins that most 
 easily beset him — those into which he is 
 most apt to fall. All occasions to these 
 sins — all circumstances leading to temp- 
 tation to these sins, ought to be carefully 
 shunned. Many who know that certain 
 temptations are apt to beset them, yet 
 have so much confidence in themselves 
 that they shall not be overcome, that 
 they will not be prudent in season. They 
 rush on, fall and are punished. " He 
 that trusteth to his own heart is a fool." 
 I once knew a boy who was accustomed 
 to pass daily a fine cherry tree that was 
 loaded with fruit. It was on his way to 
 school. It was concealed from the view 
 of the house by the barn, and was so 
 near the fence that by getting upon it, 
 the fruit could be plucked. The children 
 were accustomed to " take some," as 
 
the lord's prayer. 83 
 
 they called it, every day; but John said 
 it was stealing. He, however, earnestly 
 desired the red cherries, and in order 
 that he might not be tempted and over- 
 come, he went to and returned from 
 school another way, till the fruit was 
 gathered from the tree. That boy acted 
 consistently with the prayer, " Lead us 
 not into temptation." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 But deliver us from Evil. 
 
 Tins phrase may mean, deliver us from 
 the Evil One — for our " adversary, the 
 devil, like a roaring lion, goeth about 
 seeking whom he may devour." If there 
 were a great giant in your neighbour- 
 
84 the lord's prayer. 
 
 hood, that was constantly on the watch 
 to seize you, and lead you captive, you 
 would be greatly afraid of him, and 
 would be sure to secure the aid, if pos- 
 sible, of some one who was able to de- 
 fend you from his power. 
 
 Now Satan is an enemy far more to 
 be feared than such a giant would be. 
 The giant, at the worst, could only take 
 captive and destroy the body; he could 
 not lead captive and destroy the soul. 
 This is what Satan seeks to do; this is 
 what he is able to do, and this he will 
 do, unless the soul is kept by the grace 
 and power of God. 
 
 In former days, there were many who 
 entertained superstitious fears in respect 
 to Satan. They were afraid he would 
 appear in a visible form, to seize and 
 carry away the body. Such fears are 
 now entertained by Cew in enlightened 
 

 the lord's prayer. 85 
 
 lands. With these foolish fears have 
 also departed, in many cases, that fear 
 of Satan as a spiritual foe, which the 
 Scriptures recognize as rational. Many 
 scarce believe in the existence of the 
 devil, and would ridicule the idea of be- 
 ing afraid of him. Others never think 
 of him with seriousness as a potent 
 enemy, whose assaults may be attended 
 with the greatest danger. But the Bible 
 doctrine on this subject is clear and ex- 
 plicit. It represents Satan as a subtle 
 and powerful enemy, against whom we 
 are always to be on our guard, and in 
 resisting whom it is necessary to be com- 
 pletely armed. 
 
 Give heed to the teaching of the Bible 
 on this subject, that you may offer prayer 
 to God who alone has power to deliver 
 you from the Evil One. 
 
 While you pray for deliverance, you 
 
86 the lord's prayer. 
 
 must act with reference to it also. We 
 must resist the devil, that he may flee 
 from us ; we must give no place to him 
 in our hearts; we must not listen to his 
 reasonings; we must not parley with his 
 temptations. All this we engage to do 
 when we pray, " deliver us from evil." 
 
 But we may understand the petition 
 under consideration, as having reference 
 to every kind of evil, temporal and spiri- 
 tual ; for from all these it is desirable to be 
 delivered. The loss of gospel privileges, 
 spiritual desertions, and severe tempta- 
 tions are evils which we are to guard 
 against by watchfulness and prayer. — 
 Sickness, adversity, loss of friends, are 
 evils, for deliverance from which we 
 may pray. All these things are under 
 the divine control. Affliction cometh not 
 from the dust, neither doth trouble spring 
 out of the ground. If we have health, it 
 

 the lord's prayer. 87 
 
 is because it is given us of God. If we 
 enjoy prosperity, it is because God has 
 so ordered it. If our friends are con- 
 tinued to us, it is because of the Lord's 
 tender mercies. We are surrounded by 
 dangers, and we are feeble and defence- 
 less. All our help comes from God, and 
 hence it is peculiarly proper that we 
 should pray, " deliver us from evil." 
 
 In regard to this petition, as well as 
 others, our prayer must be accompanied 
 with suitable efforts. When we pray for 
 health, we engage to use the means for 
 the attainment and preservation of health, 
 so far as they may be in our power. We 
 engage to avoid, for example, all intem- 
 perance in eating or drinking, and all 
 unnecessary exposure of the body to dis- 
 ease. 
 
 When we pray for deliverance from 
 want, we engage to exercise the industry 
 
88 the lord's prayer. 
 
 and frugality which are adapted to se- 
 cure that result. If by these means we 
 obtain our daily bread, it should be as- 
 cribed to God, and not to our own wis- 
 dom and skill. In the circumstances 
 in which we are placed, it is the gift of 
 God, as much as it would be, had it 
 been bestowed without exertion on our 
 part; as much as the manna was the 
 gift of God. 
 
 There are few who feel as they ought, 
 their dependence on God, for deliverance 
 from the evils to which they are exposed. 
 Where this sense of dependence is not 
 felt, there is, of course, no real prayer. 
 We may use a form of asking, but the 
 heart does not ask for that of which it 
 does not feel the need. All men ought 
 to feel that they are completely depen- 
 dent upon God for all things, and for 
 all things alike. Some think they are 
 
89 
 
 more dependent for some things than for 
 others. This is not so. All are alike 
 dependent for all things. 
 
 Perhaps you will say, "Is the rich 
 man as much dependent upon God for 
 his daily bread as the beggar who has 
 not a penny 1 The rich man has money 
 with which he can purchase bread, and 
 the poor man has not." That is true, 
 but God can sweep away all the wealth 
 of the rich man in an hour, or he can 
 cause his stomach to reject every article 
 of food. I recollect reading about a man 
 who crossed the ocean, and who was so 
 sick that it was next to impossible to keep 
 food enough on his stomach to keep 
 him alive. He said he never before felt 
 his dependence on God for daily bread, 
 as when he was in danger of famishing 
 amid the abundance which surrounded 
 him. 
 
90 THE LORD'S FRAYER. 
 
 By cherishing this sense of depen- 
 dence, we shall be led to pray aright, 
 and also to render unto God, thanksgiv- 
 ing and praise. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and 
 the Glory, forever. 
 
 This is not a petition, but a statement of 
 the reasons why we should pray for those 
 things above considered, and an expres- 
 sion of our complete submission to the 
 Divine government. The government of 
 the universe belongs to God. Nothing 
 escapes the notice of the great Governor. 
 He numbers the hairs of our head, and 
 notices the sparrow's fall. It is there- 
 
91 
 
 fore proper that in every thing that con- 
 cerns us, we should have recourse to him. 
 
 He is also infinite in power. None can 
 stay his hand, or ask, "What doest 
 thou?" All that he sees fit to ordain, he 
 has power to execute. The energies of 
 his nature are but the instruments of his 
 will. The hearts of all men are in his 
 hand. It is therefore proper that the 
 feeble should apply to Him for protec- 
 tion, and ask him to do what is needful 
 for them. 
 
 The glory of the universe is his. The 
 glory of the material universe is his. He 
 created it, he gave to the ocean its ma- 
 jesty, to the earth its covering, and to the 
 heavens the glory-beaming stars. The 
 glory of the moral universe is his. All 
 that is glorious in the angelic character 
 is his workmanship, all that is glorious 
 in human character is his work, in fash- 
 
92 
 
 ioning it anew in Christ Jesus. From 
 every piece of his handiwork, from every 
 holy being in the universe, there goes up 
 an everlasting chorus, " Thine is the 
 glory forever and ever." 
 
 We have thus gone over the different 
 portions of the Lord's Prayer. We have 
 interpreted it in the light of a dispensa- 
 tion, which was not fully ushered in, 
 when the prayer was given. Viewed in 
 this light, we have regarded it as a com- 
 prehensive summary of the object of 
 prayer. 
 
 When the Christian dispensation was 
 fully ushered in, additional instructions 
 were given in relation to prayer. Chris- 
 tians were instructed to ask in the name 
 of Christ. This is the peculiar charac- 
 teristic of Christian prayer, and to this 
 we must give heed when we use the 
 Lord's Prayer. Though nothing is said 
 
93 
 
 about it in the Lord's Prayer, and nothing 
 recorded as said in relation to it, in con- 
 nexion with the giving of the prayer, yet 
 all prayer ought now to be offered in the 
 name of Christ; and it is only to prayer 
 thus offered, that the promises appertain. 
 "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in 
 my name, He will give it you." 
 
 I shall close by quoting a few passages 
 of Scripture that enjoin the duty of pray- 
 er. " Continue in prayer, and watch in 
 the same with thanksgiving: Praying 
 always with all prayer and supplication 
 in the spirit. The Lord is nigh to all 
 that call upon him, to all that call upon 
 him in truth. Ask and ye shall receive. 
 If ye abide in me and my word abide in 
 you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it 
 shall be done unto you. And this is the 
 confidence which we have in him, that if 
 we ask any thing according to his will, 
 
94 the lord's prayer. 
 
 he heareth us. I will therefore that men 
 pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands 
 without wrath or doubting." 
 
 "Now unto Him who is able to do ex- 
 ceeding abundantly above all that we ask 
 or think, according to the power that 
 vvorketh in us, unto Him be glory in the 
 church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all 
 ages, world without end. Amen." 
 
 THE END.