# 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 (0 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 «^ 
 
 0) 
 CO 
 
 I (d 
 
 
 -^i^ 
 
 IE 
 
 00 
 
 
 h> 
 
 CL 
 
 tH W 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■M i:? 
 
 
 t^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■p J^ 
 
 
 s § 
 
 C 
 
 o o 
 
 
 *« ^ 
 
 <t 
 
 VD W 
 
 
 m 8 
 
 "53 
 
 3 
 
 CO 
 
 
 !zi 
 
 £ 
 
 Ph -p 
 
 
 <•> M 
 
 CJ 
 
 Ti< 
 
 
 ^ P5 
 
 C/) 
 
 Ln • a 
 
 
 ■^ PM 
 
 ^: 
 
 mo O 
 
 
 '^fc^ 
 
 S 
 
 • 
 
 
 <k. 
 
 >^ 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 SI 
 
 O 5>H • C 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 -o 
 
 n o o 
 
 
 % 
 
 0) 
 
 CN rH [^ £ 
 
 
 
 M CO 5-1 
 
 
 % 
 
 CO 
 
 > -r^ ^ Q^ 
 
 
 i 
 
 pq ffi m 
 
 
SEEMONS 
 
 THE LOED'S PRAYEE. 
 
SERMONS 
 
 THE LORD'S PEAYER 
 
 REV. 0. PEESCOTT HILLER, 
 
 MIXISTEK OF THE NEW JEKUSALE:M CHCECH, CKOSS STREET, HATTON GARDEN, 
 LONDON. 
 
 LONDON: 
 CHARLES P. ALVEY, 36, BLOOMSBURY STREET. 
 
 BOSTON: T. h" CAETEE & CO., 21, BEOMFIELD STEEET. 
 1864. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1804, by 
 
 0. Prescott Hiller. 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 
 

 THSOLOGIG-^L 
 PREFACE. 
 
 No apology seems necessary for offering to the Church 
 a volume of sermons on the Lord's Prayer. A form 
 of words, which is so often repeated both in public and 
 private, ought certainly to be well understood: other- 
 wise, there is danger, from frequency of repetition, of 
 its becoming a mere form. But if, on the other hand, 
 when the Prayer is uttered, there are clear and full 
 ideas in the mind of the meaning of every part of it, — 
 and if, at the same time, the utterer, not allowing his 
 thoughts to wander, endeavors to put life and feel- 
 ing into the words he is saying, he will find an 
 answering life flow down from heaven, and give a 
 blessing to the prayer. 
 
 Two series of Sermons have, indeed, already ap- 
 peared, in the New Church, on this subject, — the 
 one by' the Eev. John Clowes, of Manchester, and 
 the other by the late Kev. Henry A. Worcester, of 
 Bath, Maine, United States. But the latter work is 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 little known in this conntiy; and the former is, we 
 understand, out of print. At any rate, different 
 writers have such different ways of setting forth the 
 riches of this Divine Prayer, that several works on the 
 subject need not interfere with each other, nor be 
 superfluous. 
 
 That the Divine blessing may go with this little 
 volume, is the earnest prayer of 
 
 The Author. 
 
 London, October, 1864. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 OUB FATHER, WHO ART IN THE HEAVENS, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 SERMON II. 
 HALLOWED BE THY NAME, ... ... 21 
 
 SERMON III. 
 THY KINGDOM COME, 35 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, . . 48 
 
 SERMON V. 
 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, 63 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS, . 76 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, 89 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 DELIVER US FROM EVIL, 103 
 
 NOTE, 115 
 
li I II C ii X V>xl 
 
 \THS0L0GIC-7;L# 
 SERMON I. 
 
 " After this manner, therefore, pray ye : Our Father, who isrt in the 
 heavens." — Matthew vi. 9. 
 
 The Lord's Prayer, as it was spoken from tlie mouth 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ, is, like all his words, 
 Divine. And being Divine, it is infinite in meaning; 
 for whatever is Divine, is infinite. Hence, as is 
 affirmed by the Doctrine of the New Church, " there 
 are in the contents of that Prayer more things than 
 the universal heaven is capable of comprehending;" 
 " infinite tliiugs are in the expressions of that Prayer, 
 and the Lord is present in each."* 
 
 In the letter, indeed, it appears but a short and 
 simple form of words ; but in the spiritual and Divine 
 senses that are beneath the letter, there is wisdom 
 capable of enlightening the minds of men, and of 
 angels also, and of elevating them toward the Lord, 
 more and more, for ever. The degree of this influ- 
 ence depends, indeed, upon the state of him who 
 utters the Prayer : " More things are in it," says 
 the New Church Doctrine, "in proportion as man's 
 thought is more opened towards heaven, and fewer 
 things are in it, in proportion as his thought is less 
 * Ai-coTia Ccelestia, n. 6619. 
 
8 OUR FATHER, 
 
 open ; with those wliose tliouglit is shut, nothing more 
 appears therein than the sense of the letter, or the 
 sense that is next to the expressions." * It is added, 
 that " all spirits and angels may be known as to their 
 quality, from the Lord's Prayer, and this by an influx 
 of their thoughts and affections into the contents of 
 that Prayer." f 
 
 In this view, how interesting, how beautiful, how 
 wonderful does this holy Prayer become; and how infin- 
 itely above all other prayers ! Not, indeed, that we are 
 forbidden by the Lord to offer other prayers : — we are 
 by no means forbidden to pour forth our wants, and 
 hopes, and supplications, like little children, in the sim- 
 plicity of our own words. All heartfelt prayer must be 
 acceptable to the Lord; indeed, all genuine prayer 
 is inspired by the Lord himself — ^both the thought, 
 and the good affection from which it springs : — every 
 heavenly aspiration is from him, and from him 
 alone : " Without me," he says, " ye can do nothing." 
 When, then, a sincere aspiration puts itself forth in 
 words, it is an uttered prayer; and such a prayer 
 cannot but be well-pleasing to the Lord, for it is, in 
 fact, that which is derived from him, returning to him 
 again : and thus, truly, it is not man that speaks, but 
 the Lord in man. The difference between such a 
 prayer and the Lord's Prayer is indeed still great, 
 for one is but human and finite, and the other Divine 
 and infinite : yet both are good, because both are from 
 the Lord, the one mediately, however, and the other 
 immediately : the one being good and truth received 
 
 *A.C., 6476. t A. a, 4047. 
 
WHO ART IN THE HEAVENS. V 
 
 from the Lord into man's finite and imperfect fjiculties, 
 and modified by its weak receptacle ; the other, good 
 and truth uttered directly by the Lord himself, without 
 passing through any human medium, and therefore per- 
 fect and Divine. Yet even the widow's mite is acce]:)t- 
 able to the Lord ; the humblest oflfering from a sincere 
 heart is well pleasing to him ; the simplest prayer of 
 a fervent spirit, expressing itself in natural human 
 language, though it be the rudest upon earth, must be 
 more pleasing in his sight, than the words even of 
 his ow^n Divine Prayer, when uttered merely by the 
 lips, and not filled with the corresponding thought 
 and afiection. For the Lord "looks on the heart, 
 not on the outward appearance;"* it is the thoughts 
 and the affections that the Lord hears, not the words; 
 for in the spiritual world — as the ISTew Church Doc- 
 trine teaches — thoughts speak and are audible: and 
 this is the language that reaches the Lord's ear. 
 
 That the Lord did not intend to confine us exclu- 
 sively to the form of words given on that occasion to 
 the disciples, is evident from the fact that there are 
 other prayers found in the Word itself, and spoken 
 moreover by the Lord himself. The poor publican, 
 who stood and smote upon his breast, saying, " God 
 be merciful to me, a sinner," went down, as the Lord 
 declared, to his house, justified. t These few and 
 simple words, uttered from a humble and repentant 
 heart, were accepted by the Lord: and so is every 
 sincere prayer, be it expressed in what words it may. 
 A full heart, indeed, more naturally perhaps, ex- 
 * 1 Samuel svi. 7. + Luke sviii. 13, 14. 
 
10 OUR FATHER, 
 
 presses itself in language whicli it makes for itself at 
 the moment, than in any set form of words whatever; 
 and though it be true, that the Lord's Prayer, as 
 being Divine and infinite, contains in its interior 
 sense, all prayer, yet in the letter merely that Divine 
 truth may be less accommodated to man's natural 
 mind than a human j^rayer: in the letter alone, the 
 various thoughts and afiections answering to the state 
 of him who is praying, are not expressed in detail 
 and in words in which his feelings can so naturally 
 clothe themselves; and the full soul burns to pour 
 itself forth in terms more correspondent to its simple 
 himian thoughts. Hence the necessity of human 
 prayer. For the same reason, a prayer thus expressed 
 in simple human language, warm from the heart, is 
 often found to have more effect on the minds of 
 listeners, than the mere repeating of the Lord's 
 Prayer ; not that the one is comparable in degree of 
 goodness and truth to the other, but because it is 
 goodness and truth accommodated to man's natural 
 state; and, as the New Church Doctrine teaches, 
 only that which is accommodated to the thing to be 
 acted upon, can produce an effect. It is for the same 
 reason, that expositions of the Word are given, on the 
 Lord's Day, for the purpose of spiritual instruction: 
 it is with the end of presenting Divine truth in a 
 form accommodated to the states of the hearei-s ; other- 
 wise, the simple reading of the Word would be suffi- 
 cient, as that contains in itself all truth. And just as 
 it is necessary to expound, or to express in human 
 language the Divine truth contained in the Word, in 
 
WHO ART m THE HEAVENS. 11 
 
 order that it may be received by the hearer, — so is 
 it of service to expound, as it were, or simplify, by 
 expressing in human language, the truth and good 
 comprehended in the Lord's Prayer, in order to reach 
 and stir up to devotion both our own spirits and those 
 of our fellow- worshipers. 
 
 While, however, for these reasons, it may be both 
 proper and profitable to use in our worship, private 
 and public, other modes of prayer than the set form 
 of words contained in the Lord's Prayer, — yet, as 
 this Prayer, being Divine, tends, like all the rest of 
 the Holy Word, to conjoin the mind directly with 
 the Lord, and to bring it into communication with 
 heaven, it should be habitually used in acts of 
 worship, and may form a fitting conclusion to other 
 prayers. 
 
 Let us enter now upon an examination of the open- 
 ing words of this Divine Prayer. 
 
 " Our Father." When we say these words, what is 
 the idea that we are to have in our minds ? What is 
 the form, object, or appearance, that we should bring 
 before our thousjhts? Whom are we to conceive 
 ourselves as addressing? This is a most important 
 question : all our other ideas, in uttering the prayer, 
 depend upon this: the efiect of the prayer on our 
 hearts, also, will depend in great part upon this. Are 
 we to picture to ourselves a great, distant Being, the 
 Creator of the Universe, an Infinite Spirit, without 
 form? Such an idea would be no idea. God, as he 
 is in his Divine Essence, the infinite Divinity, is 
 incomprehensible to the mind of man ; no idea what- 
 
12 OUR FATHER, 
 
 ever can be formed of him, because man's mind is 
 finite, and the finite cannot comprehend the infinite. 
 "No man hath seen God at any time," saith the 
 Scripture, — no, neither with the eyes of the body, nor 
 with the eye of the mind. But though we cannot go 
 to him, he could come to us; though we cannot 
 behold him, as he is in his Divine Essence, he 
 could come forth, as it were, and manifest himself in 
 such a form as to be comprehensible to the minds, and 
 even visible to the eyes, of men. And this he has 
 already done. Jesus Christ was "God manifest in 
 the flesh." At his birth it was declared who he 
 was, "Emmanuel, God with us."* The Divine Being 
 had put on humanity, that he might present himself 
 to men in a form which they could comprehend 
 with their minds, and even behold with their eyes; 
 in a form, through which he could manifest audibly 
 and visibly his Goodness, Wisdom, and Power in 
 words and deeds; a form, in which he could stand 
 amongst men, speak to them, teach them, pour out 
 his Divine influence upon them, heal their diseases, 
 raise them from the dead, teach them truth, and save 
 them from infernal spirits, the Powers of Darkness. 
 
 The humanity, thus assumed, was called the Son of 
 God, as being derived from the essential Divinity- — in 
 Scripture language that which is derived being called 
 a son, as that from which a thing is derived is called a 
 father. Yet the Father and the Son were not two 
 Persons, but one, — just as the internal and external of 
 man, or as the soul and body, are one : as the Lord 
 * Matthew i. 23. 
 
WHO AET IN THE HEAVENS. 13 
 
 said, " I and the Fatlier are one," " the Father dwelleth 
 in me." Whenever he seemed to speak of himself as 
 distinct from the Father, it was merely the humanity, 
 or human part of his nature, distinguishing itself from 
 the Divine part within; for, before the humanity was 
 fully glorified, there was a distinction between them 
 — ^they were not yet perfectly united : just as man's 
 natural and spiritual minds are distinct, and even 
 opposite, before he becomes fully regenerated. But 
 the process of glorification, or of uniting the Divinity 
 and humanity, was going on steadily during all the 
 Lord's life in the world. What was already accom- 
 plished of that work, the Lord manifested to the 
 disciples at his transfiguration on the mount, when 
 he opened their spiritual sight, and gave them to see 
 his humanity so far as already glorified within — "his 
 face shining as the sun, and his raiment white as the 
 light." But the process continued to go on, the 
 humanity became more and more subject to the 
 Divinity and filled with it, till at last, by the death 
 of the cross, the mere natural human life itself was 
 extinguished, and in the tomb the last of materiality 
 was put off — and the Lord rose glorified — with the 
 humanity completely united to the Divinity, and 
 itself made Divine. In this "glorious body," as the 
 Apostle terms it, this Di\dne humanity, the Lord 
 ascended to the heavens, and " far above all heavens, 
 that he might fill all things."* Jesus Christ was 
 now God and man — himself the Father and the Son 
 in one Divine Person. 
 
 * Ephesians iv. 10. 
 
14 OUR FATHER, 
 
 When now we turn again to the Prayer, and say 
 "Our Father," of whom are we to think? whom are 
 we to address? Plainly, the Lord Jesus Christ and 
 no other. For he is both the Father and the Son; 
 he is the Father, or the Essential Divinity, clothed 
 with Humanity, and thus made comprehensible to 
 man, and visible to his thought. And we are sure, 
 that in looking at him, and beholding in thought 
 his glorious Person, and addressing our prayer to 
 that, we are addressing "our Father;" for he him- 
 self declared to the disciples, " He that seeth me, 
 seeth the Father," and rebuked Philip for desiring 
 to be shown the Father, otherwise than as he is seen 
 in Mm : — " Have I been so long time with you, and 
 yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath 
 seen me, hath seen the Father."* 
 
 But a little further reflection will make it still more 
 plain, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Father, both 
 in a spiritual and in a natural sense. Eighteen hun- 
 dred years ago, God assumed humanity, and appeared 
 in the world in the form of Jesus Christ. He then 
 glorified that humanity, as before explained, and 
 ascended with it to his own eternal place, " far above 
 all heavens." Ever since that time, then, plainly, there 
 has been no other God than he that is called Jesus 
 Christ — Jesus Christ being the name of the Divinity 
 clothed with Humanity. There is no such Being now 
 as a Divinity not clothed with Humanity (by which I 
 mean a Divine Natural Humanity): once there was, 
 but there is not now, and there has not been these 
 * John xiv. 7, 9. 
 
WHO ATtT IN THE HEAVENS. 15 
 
 eighteen hundred years: for the Original Divinity 
 clothed itself with humanity in the world, and glorified 
 it, and thus took it to Itself: and, in that Human- 
 ity glorified, God is called Jesus Christ. And thus 
 Jesus Christ is the one God, and the sole Object of 
 Christian worship. 
 
 But now, we all confess God to be the Author 
 of our being, of our natural life and existence, 
 our Creator, and in that sense our Father. But, 
 as just shown, Jesus Christ is God and the only 
 God. It is Jesus Christ, then, who is the Author 
 of our being and our Creator, and he is there- 
 fore our Father : and consequently it is to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ that we are to address the words 
 of the Prayer, "Our Father." When we lift up 
 our eyes and minds in prayer, we should behold 
 before us the Person of the Lord Jesus, in appear- 
 ance as he was beheld transfigured before the disciples, 
 " His face shining as the sun, and his raiment white 
 as the light." Thus we shall have a distinct object 
 for the mind's eye to rest upon; and from his glo- 
 rious Person there will flow illumination into the 
 understanding, and warmth into the heart, and every 
 blessing; for he is Omnipotent — "All power is given 
 to me," he said, "in heaven and in earth;"* (by 
 " all power being given,'' here, is meant omnipotence 
 communicated from the Di\dne to the glorified 
 Human). 
 
 But, if the Lord Jesus Christ is Our Father in a 
 natural sense, still more plainly is he seen to be such, 
 
 * Matthew xxviii. 18. 
 B 
 
16 OUR FATHER, 
 
 in a spiritual sense. For from him, and from him 
 alone, are we born again — that is, regenerated. It is 
 fix)m his Glorified Humanity that the Holy Spirit 
 flows, by which man's regeneration is effected; for 
 before that humanity was glorified, the Holy Spirit 
 was not — as is declared in John, " the Holy Ghost 
 was not yet, because that Jesus was not yet glorified."* 
 But after the Humanity was glorified, that is, after 
 the Lord rose from the tomb, we find him breathing 
 upon the disciples, saying, " Keceive ye the Holy 
 Spirit. "t And just as the Lord, from his glorified 
 Humanity, breathed the Holy Spuit on his disciples, 
 so now also, upon us, who desire to be his disciples, 
 who wish to learn of him, and worship him, and do 
 his commandments, he still breathes his Holy Spirit 
 constantly ; for though in heaven, he is still on earth, 
 for there is no space with the Lord: he is still 
 near, and can still pour upon us, if we look to him, 
 that light of Divine truth, and that warmth of Divine 
 love, which constitute the Holy Spirit, and which 
 have power to regenerate the heart and mind and the 
 whole man. Thus may we perceive, that the Lord 
 Jesus Christ is truly our Sj^iritual Father, since he 
 and he alone is our Regenerator; from him alone 
 we are born anew, and it is his children that 
 we become, as we grow up in the regenerate life. 
 And when, having been thus regenerated, we enter 
 heaven after death, we shall see and recognize him as 
 indeed our Heavenly Father, and the Only Father 
 and Lord of all. 
 
 * vii. 39. t John xx. 22. 
 
WHO ART IN THE HEAVENS. 17 
 
 We have now to consider the remaining words of 
 the address, " Who art in the heavens." 
 
 Strictly speaking, the Lord cannot be said to be in 
 the heavens, — he is Personally above the heavens. 
 For, iii the words of the Apostle, before quoted, Jesus 
 ascended up " far above all heavens." In Solomon's 
 prayer, also, at the dedication of the temple, we have 
 the sublime words, " Behold, the heaven and heaven of 
 heavens cannot contain thee;"* and in the Psalms it is 
 said, " Lord, our Lord, who hast set thy glory above 
 the heavens;" and again, "The Loi'd is high above 
 all nations, and his glory above the heavens." t Por 
 the same reason, also, the Lord is called the " Most 
 High," and is said to be " over all." The Lord, as is 
 taught by the doctrine of the New Church, appears 
 far above the heavens, as a Sun, whence is derived to 
 the angels their light and heat, which are, in fact, truth 
 and love; for spmtual light is truth, and spiritual 
 warmth is love. And therefore the Lord is called in 
 Scripture a " Sun" — and the " Sun of righteousness." 
 The same truth is also implied in the expression, 
 "His glory is above the heavens" — "glory" signify- 
 ing his splendor and brightness, as the great source 
 of spiritual light. It is also declared by the Apostle, 
 that the Lord dwelleth in light inaccessible, or "which 
 no man can approach unto.";}: Thus, then, the Lord 
 is properly to be thought of, as dwelling above the 
 heavens, in the midst of a glorious spiritual sun, or 
 great source of heavenly light and heat, which is, 
 in truth, but an emanation from his own Divine 
 
 • 1 Kings viii. 27. f viii. 1, and cxiii. 4. J 1 Timothy vi. 16. 
 
18 OUR FATHER, 
 
 and glorious Person. It is the light from the same 
 heavenly Sun, that illumines the minds of men on 
 earth, and it is its heat that warms their hearts with 
 love: as Jesus said, "I am the light of the world."* 
 
 By the expression, then, " Our Father, who art in 
 the heavens," is to be understood, in a strict sense, 
 the Divine of the Lord as it is received in the 
 heavens by the angels there — which is the Lord dwell- 
 ing in their hearts ; and in particular, it signifies the 
 Divine Good from the Lord which is with them. For 
 by the term " Father," in Scripture, when used in an 
 abstract sense, is signified the Divine Good, and by 
 " Son," the Divine Truth, both in and from the Lord ; 
 because Goodness or Love is the first essential and 
 producing principle, from which are all things, and for 
 that reason, termed Father, while Truth is a second- 
 ary princij^le derived from Love, as light proceeds from 
 flame, and is therefore called Son. In this sense, by 
 " Father in the heavens," is signified the Divine Good 
 which is from the Lord in the heavens. In a similar 
 sense, the phrase is used in other places in Scripture ; 
 as in the command of the Lord, "Be ye therefore 
 j)erfect, even as your Father in the heavens is per- 
 fect." + Now it would be too much to require man to 
 equal in goodness the Lord himself, who is Divine 
 and Infinite Goodness ; but the goodness that is from 
 the Lord in heaven, we may take for a model, with 
 the hope of equaling or at least approaching it; for 
 the angels of heaven were all once men like ourselves. 
 In this sense of the phrase, the command to be 
 * John viii. 12. t Matthew v. 48. 
 
WHO ART IN THE HEAVENS. 19 
 
 
 
 "perfect as your Father in the heavens is perfect," 
 is seen to possess a distinct and appropriate meaning. 
 
 It is on account of this signification of the term 
 Father^ as designating especially the Divine Goodness 
 or Love, that the Prayer commences with the expres- 
 sion, " Our Father;" in order to convey the idea that 
 all prayer is directed to the Lord, as a Being of love, 
 and that from his love all requests are granted and 
 all blessings flow. We have indeed a general view 
 of the same truth, when we think of the phrase merely 
 in its literal sense, — the term " father" conveying to 
 our minds the idea of one who loves us as his children, 
 and wishes to bless us. But a knowledge of the 
 spiritual sense of the term makes the idea more full 
 and distinct. 
 
 The reason, probably, why the expression "in 
 the heavens" is added, is because it is to the Lord 
 as the Author of the good that exists in heaven, 
 and as being himself, indeed, that good, that our 
 prayer is in particular directed, — ^because that is the 
 good that we ourselves solicit and wish to receive. 
 The Divine Goodness, as it is in the Lord himself, we 
 can have no conception of, and no hope to attain, for 
 it is Infinite; we cannot, as it were, even see such 
 Goodness in our thought, so as to address it. But 
 the Lord's goodness as it exists in heaven, we can 
 conceive of, and may rightly pray for; and him, as 
 being the author of that goodness, and as being that 
 Goodness, we properly pray to, for of him in that 
 view we can have a distinct idea. 
 
 In conclusion. When, then, we kneel down to 
 
20 OUR FATHER, WHO ART IX THE HEAVENS. 
 
 offer up this holy Prayer, and utter the words, " Our 
 Father, who art in the heavens," let us bring dis- 
 tinctly before our minds the Divine Form and Person 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ, holding out, as it were, his 
 arms to us, and saying tenderly, as he said on earth, 
 " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest." Looking thus to 
 him who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," 
 who has "all power in heaven and earth," who is 
 " the light of the world," we may reasonably hope for 
 an answer to our prayer ; we may hope to receive that 
 light and truth which will guide us in the way of life 
 everlasting; we may trust that we shall be delivered 
 from evil and blessed with good; and that with us, at 
 least, his " kingdom will come, and his will be done 
 on earth, as it is in heaven." 
 
21 
 
 SEEMON 11. 
 
 " Hallowed be thy name."— Matthew vi. 9. 
 
 By the name of the Loi-d, in Scripture, is meant, not 
 merely his name pronounced by the lips, but his 
 Divine quality, character, nature — in a word, him- 
 self, and whatever proceeds from him. Names, as 
 originally given, were descriptive of the character or 
 quality of the person named; hence, names were sig- 
 nificative. This is the character, for the most part, 
 of the names mentioned in the Scriptures; they are 
 expressive either of qualities in the individual, or of 
 circumstances connected with him. This is the nature, 
 also, of names in the spiritual world, as appears from 
 the following passage in the New Church AVritings: 
 — " The reason why by the name of Jehovah or of 
 the Lord is not understood merely the name, but all 
 things of love and faith, — originates in the spiritual 
 world. In that world, names such as are used on 
 earth are not pronounced ; but the names of the per- 
 sons spoken of are formed from the idea of all things 
 which are known concerning them, which things are 
 summed up in one expression : whence it is, that 
 names in that world, like all other things, are 
 spiritual." "Nor are the names of the Lord or 
 
Z'^ HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 of Jesus Christ pronounced there, as on earth; but, 
 instead of those names, a name is formed from the 
 idea of all things which are known and believed con- 
 cerning him, which idea is derived from all things of 
 love towards and of faith in him. This being the 
 case, the quality of every one there is immediately 
 known, as to his love and faith in the Lord, merely 
 by his pronouncing in a spiritual expression or name, 
 The Lord or Jesus Christ : and hence also, they who 
 are not in any love or faith towards him, cannot name 
 him; that is, they cannot form any spiritual name 
 concerning him."* Thus, in the spiritual sense of 
 Scripture, by name is signified quality, and by the 
 name of God, His Divine quality, character, or nature. 
 But what, now, is the quality or nature of God? — 
 for, understanding this, we shall know what it is that 
 is to be hallowed. God, in his essential nature, is 
 Love — Love, of an intensity altogether inconceivable 
 to our finite minds; with which Love is united Wis- 
 dom, equally transcendent. But from that Divine 
 Love and Wisdom there proceed goodness and truth, 
 which are spiritual heat and light: these flow from 
 the Lord down into the heavens, and into the minds 
 of angels there, and also into tlie minds of men on 
 earth, giving light to the understanding and warmth 
 to the heart. In these, the quality or nature of God 
 becomes perceptible to us, and appreciable by us : we 
 perceive him in the beauty of truth, we are affected 
 by him in the tenderness of love : wherever there is 
 genuine truth and goodness, there the Lord is present. 
 
 * Apocalypse Explained^ n. 102. 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 2*6 
 
 This, then, is the name or quality of God — love and 
 wisdom, or goodness and truth. To hallow, means to 
 regard as holy, to reverence, to adore. Then, to hal- 
 low God's name, signifies to regard goodness and truth 
 as holy ; to reverence them, to love them supremely, to 
 place them in our estimation above all other things. 
 The meaning of these words, " Hallowed be thy name," 
 is in truth similar to that implied in the first of the 
 two great commandments given by the Lord, namely, 
 to love God above all things. To " love God" is 
 not meant to love him as a Person, but to love that 
 which constitutes his Divine quality or nature, which, 
 as before said, is goodness and truth. The command, 
 to love God above all things, means that we are to 
 value goodness and truth above all other things, — that 
 we should prefer them to riches, or power, or the 
 pleasures of sense. And why? because goodness and 
 truth constitute heaven itself, with all its infinity and 
 eternity of joys : these are all wrapped up in those 
 two principles; and whoever is possessed of goodness 
 and truth has possession of the keys of heaven; he 
 has the " kingdom of God within him" even now, and 
 after death will come into the full enjoyment of that 
 kingdom and all its delights. As far, then, as heaven 
 is above earth, and so much as eternity is longer than 
 time, so far are goodness and truth more valuable 
 than all earthly possessions. And thus the command 
 of the Lord to love God above all things, is only 
 an urgent and afiectionate entreaty to us, to seek that 
 which will make us most happy in the ages of eternity 
 which we are destined to live. But the reason that 
 
24 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 goodness and truth do thus constitute heaven, and 
 have in them so great happiness, is because they 
 constitute, as before shown, the nature of the Lord 
 himself, who is the life and soul of heaven, and the 
 source of all true happiness. 
 
 This, then, in the most general sense, is the mean- 
 ing of the words, " Hallowed be thy name," — 
 namely, to revere goodness and truth, to regard them 
 as holy, to love them, and to prefer them to all 
 other things. When, then, we utter these words, we 
 pray that we may be enabled to love goodness and 
 truth more ardently, that we may seek them more 
 constantly and more steadily, that we may have 
 strength to resist the temptations and overcome the 
 evils within and without us, that hinder their progress 
 in the soul, and that we may at length become estab- 
 lished in that state of love and faith which is heaven 
 in essence here, and which will be heaven in existence 
 and in blessed experience hereafter. 
 
 This is the prayer for ourselves. And at the same 
 time, we should, in uttering these words, lift up a 
 prayer for others also. Our thoughts and interest 
 extending to the world around us, we should feel and 
 express the hope and prayer, that the Lord's name may 
 be more hallowed on the earth, that goodness and truth 
 may be more loved and more valued by mankind, 
 and that their influence may extend more and more 
 widely, carrying light, life, and blessing wherever they 
 go. And while uttering this hope and pi*ayer, we 
 should make it practical, by adding to it the secret 
 resolution of doing something ourselves towards this 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 25 
 
 consummation, and pray for strength and the spirit 
 to do more and more, by any and all the means in our 
 power — first of all, by setting the example in our 
 own life and conversation, conquering the kingdom 
 of darkness first in ourselves, and then helping to 
 conquer it in others. 
 
 Viewed in this light, we may note how comprehen- 
 sive is this first petition of the Lord's Prayer, — that it 
 includes all that follows. For so far as the Lord's 
 name is hallowed, so far as goodness and truth are 
 known and loved and practised, — so far the Lord's 
 kingdom comes, and is established in the individual 
 and in the world, — so far his will is done on earth as 
 it is in heaven ; so far, also, we receive from him our 
 daily bread and all things needful, for "they that seek 
 the Lord shall not want any good thing j"* and in 
 the same degree, moreover, our trespasses are forgiven, 
 and we are delivered from evil;" for as far and as fast 
 as good and truth become established in the soul, evil 
 and error are cast out, with their attendant anxieties 
 and pains. Thus we may perceive that in this first 
 petition of the Lord's Prayer is included, in substance, 
 the whole of it. And this, as we are instructed by 
 the Doctrine of the New Church, is the Divine style 
 of writing, and it pervades all parts of the Sacred 
 "Word : when a series of propositions or truths is pre- 
 sented, the first in the series includes the substance of 
 all that follow; the reason is, because the fii-st truth 
 or principle uttered is always a universal one, includ- 
 ing under it all the particular truths connected with 
 * Psalm xxxiv. 10. 
 
26 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 it: and the very original reason of this order and 
 Divine style is, that God himself is the . First of all 
 things, and at the same time includes all things, for 
 all things in his creation are derived from him, and 
 he is omnipresent in them. 
 
 But now, in the second place, we have to consider 
 the meaning of the words " Hallowed be thy name," 
 in another and more confined sense. In this sense, 
 by the 7iame of God, is signified, the Holy Word, and 
 at the same time, all things which the Church teaches 
 from the "Word, and from which the Lord is wor-- 
 shiped. That the Divine Word is in a certain sense 
 the name of God, may be seen in this view : — By the 
 name of God, as before said, is meant his quality, 
 his nature, and whatever proceeds from him; for 
 what proceeds from him is but himself going forth. 
 Now, the Holy Word is the very Divine Proceeding 
 itself; it is essential Divine Truth and Goodness, fill- 
 ing the heavens and the earth; it is, indeed, the 
 Lord himself going forth to enlighten and bless his 
 creatures. As we read, " In the beginning was the 
 Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word 
 was God : " thus, in truth, the Word is God himself, 
 and therefore is essentially his Divine quality or 
 nature, and thus his name. Indeed, that it is his 
 very name, may be seen from that sublime passage in 
 the Apocalypse,* in which the Lord is called the 
 Word : " And I saw heaven opened, and behold 
 a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called 
 Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth 
 * xix. 11-14. 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAAFK. 27 
 
 judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of 
 fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he 
 had a name written that no man knew but he him- 
 self: and he was clothed in a vesture dipped in 
 blood : and his name is called the Word of God." 
 
 It has been shown, in the first part of this dis- 
 course, that the Lord's name is, in general, all goodness 
 and truth; for these flow from him, and constitute 
 his quality or nature as received and perceived by 
 man. But the good and truth, thus flowing from 
 God and received by man, are, in fact, the Word — for 
 the Word, as before said, is the essential Divine Pro- 
 ceeding, thus is the Lord dwelling with man, and 
 communicating to him whatever good or truth he 
 possesses. In the Word, in its various senses, na- 
 tural, spiritual, and Divine, is contained all truth, and, 
 joined with it, all good; for truth is but the form of 
 good, and they are united as body and soul. Conse- 
 quently, from the Word, as the great fountain, are 
 derived all true doctrines of the Church, all the truths 
 of religion; and as all truth points to goodness, and 
 is the only basis and foundation of genuine good- 
 ness, so from the Word, too, comes all spiritual good : 
 and this, because the Word is God, and God is the 
 Word. When we read the Word in a spirit of humility 
 and devotion, we perceive not only the mind enlight- 
 ened, but the heart warmed and elevated; which shows 
 that the Holy Word is both truth and goodness — the 
 one affecting the understanding, while the other acts 
 upon the will. Thus is the Word essential goodness 
 and truth. If, then, goodness and truth constitute 
 
28 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 the name of God, in an eminent sense is the Holy 
 Word his name. 
 
 In this sense, then, by hallowing the Lord's name, 
 is meant, to revere and regard as holy and most holy 
 the Divine Word ; to look upon it as being the Lord's 
 visible presence, as it were, with us in our households; 
 to go to it daily for light and instruction, and to listen 
 to its teachings as to the Lord's own voice, for truly it 
 is the voice of the Lord: "Thus saith the Lord" is 
 its constant affirmation. The doctrine of the New 
 Church teaches that the Divine Word is the great 
 medium, both of conjunction with the Lord and of 
 communication with heaven; that it is, as it were, 
 the golden chain that links earth to heaven and to 
 the Lord ; that when it is read even in the letter, in a 
 spirit of humble devotion, the effect is to bring angelic 
 and heavenly influences round the mind of the reader, 
 tending to deviate the understanding and warm the 
 heart; while at the same time, the Lord himself, who 
 dwells in the midst of his Word, acts upon the spirit 
 with a regenerating influence. The true way, more- 
 over, to love the Lord, is to keep the precepts of his 
 Word : " He that hath my commandments, and keep- 
 eth them," saith the Lord, " he it is that loveth me.'* 
 To hallow the Lord's name, then, in this sense, is 
 to understand these truths in regard to the Divine 
 Word, to believe them, to feel them, and to act upon 
 them. He who, understanding the power, the grand- 
 eur, the divinity of the Holy Word, and having too 
 some knowledge of the interior sense that fills and 
 sanctifies the letter, goes each morning to the sacred 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 29 
 
 volume, and reading and meditating upon a portion of 
 its contents, in connection with prayer to the Lord, 
 receives thus into his mind a degree of heavenly light 
 and warmth, — and at the same time stores up and 
 impresses distinctly on his memory certain prac- 
 tical truths and commandments, — and then, closing 
 the book, goes to his daily work and duty, and there 
 strives to bring the light, warmth, and precepts he 
 has received and learned, into act in his intercourse 
 with his fellow-men — whether by resisting tempta- 
 tions to sin that are presented from without, or by 
 struggling against evils that are excited within, or by 
 endeavouring to perform some use and do some good 
 to his neighbor, — such a man truly hallows the 
 Lord^ name as it is manifested in his Word, and 
 daily does he hallow it ; he truly worships the Lord, 
 not in thought only, not in feeling only, but in action 
 and life ; and he is and will be blessed ; for " Blessed," 
 said the Lord, " are they that hear the Word of God, 
 and keep it."* "Herein," said the Lord, "is my 
 Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." Thus, to 
 glorify God, to hallow his name, is to hear his Word, 
 and do it. 
 
 But now, in the third and supreme sense, to hallow 
 the name of God, is to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 in his Divine Humanity, as the one God of heaven 
 and earth: for, in the highest or supreme sense, by the 
 name of God, is signified the Humanity which God 
 assumed in the world and glorified. That this is so, 
 may be seen from the following considerations. As 
 • Luke xi. 28. 
 
30 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 often before said, by name, is signified quality; by- 
 God's name, therefore, is meant his Divine quality. 
 But, as remarked in the beginning, the quality or 
 nature of God, as he is in himself and in his infinite 
 Divinity, is totally above man's comprehension, be- 
 cause man's mind is finite, and the finite cannot com- 
 prehend the infinite. It is only in what is derived 
 from him, in a modified form, as it were, that his 
 quality or nature becomes appreciable to our minds. 
 Now, as before shown, goodness and 'truth are derived 
 from him; and these two great principles filling 
 heaven, and coming down into the minds of men on 
 earth, give to men and angels an idea of God and of 
 his Divine quality or nature : they are as it were his 
 representatives dwelling in the minds of his creatures. 
 Thus, then, goodness and truth constitute the name of 
 God, as manifesting his quality. In the second place, 
 it was shown that the Word is derived from God, 
 and is the essential Divine Proceeding from him, con- 
 taining in itself all the principles of goodness and 
 truth, and is thus truly God's representative on earth, 
 and as it were, his dwelling-place amongst mankind. 
 And thus, the Word, as manifestiug his Divine quality, 
 is also the name of God. But now, there is a third 
 form, in which God has manifested himself to men, 
 more fully, more distinctly, more perfectly, than in 
 either of the others — namely, in the personal form of 
 Jesus Christ. By assuming a Humanity upon earth, 
 God not only spoke to men, as through his Word, — 
 not only gave himself to be mentally perceived, as by 
 his truth in the understandinst and his love in the 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 31 
 
 will — but he actually showed himself to men's eyes, 
 and made himself visible to them in a Personal form. 
 Through this, he spoke audibly Divine words, he did 
 visibly Divine acts, — through this, he stood amongst 
 his creatures, and walked upon the earth which he 
 had made. In this human form, he was called Jesus 
 Christ, which means the Saviour, and the Anointed; 
 for he had assumed this Humanity, not only to mani- 
 fest himself to men, but also that he might become 
 their Saviour from the Infernal Powers; and that 
 Humanity ^as called " the Anointed," as being con- 
 secrated and sanctified by the Divine love within. 
 
 Now, in this Humanity, the quality or nature of God 
 was manifested to men with a fullness and distinct- 
 ness, far beyond that of any of the other forms in which 
 the Divine has sought to make himself comprehen- 
 sible to his creatures. There was, in the first place, 
 a visible form before them, which they could behold 
 with their eyes, and through which they could receive 
 a distinct idea of the character within. It was the 
 Divine indeed thickly veiled, — but it was as much as 
 they could then bear. Moses, himself, a mere man, 
 was obliged to veil his face, when he came down from 
 the mount, after being merely in the presence of 
 God: but here was God himself: how densely then 
 was it necessary to veil himself with a material cover- 
 ing! Yet it was "all glorious within:" and to those 
 who could bear it, as to his disciples in his trans- 
 figuration on the mount, he sometimes showed his 
 interior Humanity, with the face "shining as the 
 sun." Yet even through the outer form, though still 
 C 
 
32 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 material, and yet unglorified, the Divine quality was 
 distinctly manifested to all who had the mental eye to 
 perceive and the heart to feel it. In words of truth, 
 in looks of love, in deeds of power, such as never 
 before came from man, was that Divinity manifested. 
 Even the Jewish officers cried, " Never man spake like 
 this man."* "No one," said Nicodemus, "can do 
 these miracles that thou doest, except God be with 
 him."t The Lord himself declared, " He that seeth 
 me, seeth the Father " — thus testifying that the Divine 
 was manifested and made visible through him. 
 
 It is in this sense, then, that the Humanity of Jesus 
 Christ, as manifesting distinctly and strikingly the 
 quality or nature of God, is called the name of God. 
 And that this is what is signified in the Supreme 
 sense, by name, may be seen from some striking 
 passages of Scripture. Jesus said, " Father, glorify 
 thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, say- 
 ing, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." J 
 Here the humanity is plainly refen-ed to ; the expres- 
 sion, " I have both glorified it, and will glorify it 
 again," implying that the glorification of the Humanity, 
 or the work of making it Divine, was a process gradu- 
 ally accomplishing. Again, " Jesus said, I am come in 
 the name of my Father "§ — that is, the humanity pre- 
 sented itself before them, in the name or as the name 
 of the Father — that is, to manifest the quality of the 
 Divine Being or God before his creatures. The same 
 is meant by the Lord's command to his disciples, to 
 ask in his name — "If ye shall ask anything in my 
 * John vii. 46. f John iii. 2. % John xii. 28. § John v. 43. 
 
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 33 
 
 name, I will do it;"* "Whatsoever ye sliall ask 
 the Father in my name, he will give it you."t To 
 ask the Father in the Lord's name, is to pray to the 
 Divine through the Human — for in no other way can 
 the Divine or the infinite God be seen, or thought of, 
 or addressed, than as he was manifested in the 
 Humanity on earth : Jesus Christ was " God manifest 
 in the flesh:" "No man cometh to the Father," he 
 said, " but through me :" "I and the Father are one." 
 Thus, then, it may be seen that, by the name of 
 God is signified, in the highest or supreme sense, the 
 Humanity which God assumed in the world — that 
 Humanity, which, being glorified, became at length, 
 and still is, and will for ever be, the Divine Humanity. 
 Then, by hallowing the name of God, is meant, in this 
 sense, to revere, to regard as holy, to worship, the 
 Divine Humanity. When, then, we look up in prayer, 
 uttering the words, "Hallowed be thy name," we 
 should behold in thought the Lord Jesus Christ, in 
 his Glorified Humanity, standing as it were before 
 us, and smiling upon us; and to Him, as the true and 
 only God, we shoidd offer our humble petitions. Doing 
 thus, — in the very act of uttering the prayer, it is 
 answered; wliile saying the words, " Hallowed be thy 
 name," we are actually hallowing it in the highest 
 sense — by looking to the Divine Humanity and wor- 
 shiping the Lord as God. And while thus hallowing 
 his name ourselves, we should feel and express the 
 wish and the prayer that his name may be more and 
 more hallowed, that the Divine Humanity may be 
 * John xiv. 14. + John xv. 16. 
 
34 HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 
 
 more and more worshiped in the earth, that thus the 
 day may be hastened when there will be " one Lord 
 over all the earth, and his name one." And truly, 
 w^hen thus the Lord's name shall be hallowed, in all 
 the senses of the term — when goodness and truth are 
 loved above all other things — when the Divine Word 
 is revered and obeyed — and at the same time the 
 Lord himself, in his Divine Humanity, is worshiped 
 — then truly will his kingdom come, and his will be 
 done on earth as it is in heaven. 
 
35 
 
 SERMON III 
 
 " Thy kingdom come."— Matthew vi. 10. 
 
 We have now to consider the meaning of the second 
 petition in the Lord's Prayer, — " Thy kingdom come." 
 The terms king and kingdom, in Scripture, have 
 always reference to truth. For as it is the province of 
 a king to direct, rule and govern, so it is truth that 
 teaches what to do and whither to go, and it is truth, 
 either genuine or seeming, by which power is exer- 
 cised over the minds of men : as the proverb expresses 
 it — "knowledge is power." The understanding is 
 the faculty in man, given him as the guide of his life 
 and actions, to teach and direct him what course to 
 pursue, in all things, whether natural or spiritual: 
 and to this faculty and its teachings the whole mind 
 and man should be subjected. Thus, the understanding 
 is the proper ruler and governor in the little world or 
 kingdom of man's mind: it should be king there. 
 But what is the understanding without truth 1 truth is 
 its all; the understanding itself is a mere receptacle, 
 intended to receive and contain the truth that flows 
 into it either directly from the Lord himself, who is 
 the original Source of all truth, or indirectly through 
 the medium of the Divine Word or of other human 
 
36 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 minds. It is truth that is tlie life of the iinderstan cl- 
 ing, and that gives it all its power and usefulness; and 
 just in proportion to the degree of truth possessed by 
 the understanding, will its teachings be sound, and its 
 guidance be safe. Thus it is truth in the understand- 
 ing, which orders and governs, and thus is Truth a 
 king. 
 
 It is, moreover, from his character as Divine Truth, 
 that the Lord is called, and called himself, a King. 
 "Pilate said unto him. Art thou a king, then?" 
 " Jesus answered. Thou sayest, that I am a king.* To 
 this end was I born, and for this cause came I into 
 the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth." t 
 Thus it was in his character as a witness of the truth, 
 that he was a king: and the witness of truth is truth. 
 Thus the Lord was " King," as being himself Divine 
 Truth; as he said, I am " the way, the truth, and the 
 life." For the same reason he was called "King of the 
 Jews;" "the Jews" signifying in the spiritual sense 
 the Church — for this was represented by the Jews: 
 and the " King of the Jews" means the Divine Truth 
 that guides and governs the Church; and the Lord 
 himself was and is that Truth, and it is in this sense 
 that he was called " King of the Jews." So, wher- 
 ever in the Divine Word, he is called King, or "King 
 of kings," he is so called in reference to his character 
 as Divine Truth. 
 
 It is in the same sense, that men of the Lord's 
 
 * Or, as it might be rendered, " Thou sayest [that is, sayest truly] ; 
 for I am a king.' 
 f John xviii. 37. 
 
THY KINGDOM COME. 37 
 
 cliurch, or the regenerate, are called in the "Word, 
 kings; as in the Apocalyiise,* " and hast made us 
 unto our God kings and priests:" and it is also pro- 
 mised that they shall " reign with Christ," and that 
 " they shall reign for ever and ever." By kings are 
 signified, in the spiritual sense, those who are in truth, 
 and by priests, those who are in good, from the Lord; 
 and by reigning is signified the same as by being kings, 
 namely, being in possession of wisdom by means of 
 Divine truth from the Lord. 
 
 So, by the term kingdom, in the "Word, is signified 
 Divine truth ; and heaven and the church are called 
 the Lord's kingdom, because there truth from him 
 prevails and rules. That the " kingdom of God" sig- 
 nifies the church as to truth, is plain from the pas- 
 sage in Matthew, in which it is said, " therefore the 
 kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and 
 shall be given to a nation bringing forth fruit, "f 
 These words were addressed to the Jews, and the 
 meaning was that the truth of the Divine "Word, 
 which they possessed but did not use nor bring forth 
 into life, should be taken away from them, and given 
 to others, the Gentiles, who would make good use of 
 it by applying it to life. So again, the Lord said, 
 referring to the same nation, " the sons of the king- 
 dom shall be cast into outer darkness;" where by the 
 "sons of the kingdom" are meant those who then 
 possessed the truth of the Church, but who not using 
 it would be deprived of it, and sink into the darkness 
 of falsity. So, in the parable of the sower, the seed, 
 
 * V. 10; XX. 6; xxii. 5. f xxi. 43. 
 
38 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 or truth from the Lord, is called " the word of the 
 kingdom," as in the following words: "When any 
 one heareth the word of the kingdom, and iinderstand- 
 eth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth 
 away that which was sown in his heart!"* From 
 these passages, it may be plainly seen, that by the 
 term kingdoTn, is signified distinctively the truth of the 
 church, or, which is the same thing, the church itself 
 in regard to its characteristic of truth. 
 
 Understanding now, the precise meaning of the 
 term " kingdom," we may perceive what is the proper 
 object of our petition, when we utter the words " Thy 
 kingdom come." We are to pray, that truth. Divine 
 truth, may come to the world and to the minds of men ; 
 that it may be spread abroad more widely; that it may 
 be seen and understood more clearly and more fully. 
 And who that has any love for his fellow-men, any 
 desire for the welfare and happiness of mankind, but 
 will utter with fervor this prayer! Look at the 
 spiritual darkness that now hangs over the world — 
 yes, even over the Christian world, proud as it is of 
 the light which it supposes itself to possess. Note 
 the ignorance and doubt that prevail in regard to the 
 most important points of spiritual knowledge, the 
 first principles of a true belief In regard to God him- 
 self, the Lord, man's Creator and Saviour, is there not, 
 in general, either stubborn denial, trembling doubt, 
 or confirmed error? — some maintaining that God is 
 One absolutely, and that he is merely the Creator — not 
 the Saviour; some, that he is in three Persons and yet 
 * Matthew xiii. 19. 
 
THY KINGDOM COME. 39 
 
 one God — thus maintaining what the reason rejects 
 as a manifest contradiction; while neither party has 
 a distinct and rational view of the relation that ex- 
 ists between God, man's Creator, and the Lord, his 
 Saviour — few or none understanding and acknowledg- 
 ing that these are one and the same Divine Being — at 
 once God and Lord, at once Creator and Kedeemer. 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only God. Again, 
 in regard to heaven and hell and the life after death, 
 how few and vague are the ideas entertained — one 
 portion indeed of the Christian world, and that a sect 
 of considerable and increasing numbers (the TJniver- 
 salists), disbelieving and denying the existence of 
 any hell or state of evil at all after death ; and the 
 great majority of Christians maintaining, at least in 
 doctrine, (though often, doubtless, in their private 
 reflections, having a more enlightened view) that the 
 myriads yearly dying and already dead, will not rise 
 again to life till some future distant day — and that all 
 the long interval between is a dismal blank in their 
 existence ; for such, we know, is the common doctrine 
 of the resurrection. Again, the Divine Word itself, 
 the great and chief source of religious light — how '(in 
 the view of most men) is it covered with clouds and 
 obscurity ! Not being able to penetrate through the 
 veil of the letter to the glorious truths that lie beneath, 
 they see only its darkened surface — chequered with 
 alternate light and shade — with the truth only seen 
 dimly here and there, like the sun gleaming through 
 clouds. And how many, being nearly in despair, 
 have been inclined to throw away entirely the sacred 
 
40 . THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 Yolume, wMcli they cannot understand! But in tlie 
 last place, and above all, how is the world filled with 
 evil, with selfishness and wickedness, the consequence, 
 in great part, of the wide-spread and destructive 
 errors prevalent in the Church. When it is taught, 
 far and wide, as a strict doctrine of evangelical Chris- 
 tianity, and believed to be derived from the Scriptures, 
 that a man's salvation does not depend on his actions, 
 on his life and conduct, but on his faith, merely — that 
 he is to be saved, if saved at all, merely by his belief — 
 by an idea in his mind or feeling in his heart, quite 
 separate and distinct from his life, — what can the con- 
 sequence be, but that men become comparatively indif- 
 ferent to the character of their life and actions, indulge 
 their evil inclinations, give way to temptations, and 
 so at length become sunk in selfishness, sin, and crime, 
 and that thus love to God and man are nearly ban- 
 ished from the earth. 
 
 "Well, indeed, may we pray that light may be spread 
 abroad ; earnestly and fervently may we pour out the 
 prayer that the knowledge of truth may increase 
 among men — especially in what is termed the Christian 
 world ; that the darkness may be dispersed, that these 
 falsities may be removed, and that the light of truth 
 clear and full may shine down into men's minds ! With 
 feeling and reason may we utter the petition that the 
 Lord's " kingdom may come." 
 
 But here an interesting question presents itself — 
 the question in regard to the utility of a prayer of 
 this kind. The Lord, we know, is ever ready to con- 
 fer blessings on all, and does continually pour forth 
 
THY KINGDOM COME. 41 
 
 his tnith and love, as the sun unceasingly sends out 
 its light and heat; and if his blessings are not 
 enjoyed, it is never because he does not give, but 
 because men will not receive. "What need, then, is 
 there, it might be asked, to pi'ay to the Lord to send 
 more truth into the world, when he is always send- 
 ing it in abundance, if only man will receive it? — and 
 when, moreover, he is ever doing all that is possible 
 to be done, consistently with man's freedom, to make 
 him willing to receive. We know, also, that the use 
 and effect of prayer for ourselves, is to produce a 
 change, not in the Lord, but in our own minds, by 
 opening them more fully toward the Lord, and thus 
 rendering them more receptive of his blessings. In 
 this manner, individual prayer is seen to be useful. 
 But h(sw can prayer for others, it may be asked, be of 
 any utility, since both the parties concerned, — both he 
 whom we pray to, and they whom we pray for, — are 
 fixed each in his own state, and cannot apparently be 
 affected by us or our prayers; — the Lord being already 
 ever good, and doing all that can be done, and men 
 being also fixed in their own way, and going on in 
 such courses as they have chosen or are daily choosing, 
 and thus receiving or rejecting the Lord's bounties 
 according to their states 1 How then can our prayers 
 for them be of any avail ? In a word, how can our 
 prayer that the Lord's kingdom may come, cause it 
 any faster or more fully to come 1 
 
 This inquiry is certainly an interesting and impor- 
 tant one — and one, perhaps, not very readily answered. 
 One thing however appears to be certain, that we are 
 
42 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 commanded in tlie Lord's Word to perform tliis duty 
 — to pray for others, both for individuals, and for the 
 world at large. Thus the Lord himself said, in his 
 sermon on the mount, " Pray for them that despite- 
 fully use you, and persecute you."* And that we are 
 commanded to pray for the coming and increase of the 
 Lord's kingdom in the world, is manifest not only from 
 the passage in the Lord's Prayer which we are now 
 considering, but also from other passages in the Word. 
 Thus, in the last chapter of the Apocalypse,t are these 
 words : " And the S^^irit and the bride say. Come : and 
 let him that heareth say, Come," referring to the 
 Lord's second coming. The Doctrine of the New 
 Church, commenting on this passage, remarks : " These 
 words signify that heaven and the church desire the 
 Lord's coming, and that he who knows anything of 
 the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the 
 New Church, should iway that it may come, and that 
 he who desires truth should pray that the Lord may 
 come with light." J In these and other places in the 
 Divine Word, we are commanded to pray for others. 
 And it being a Divine command, it becomes our duty 
 to obey it, whether we fully imderstand or not the 
 manner in which the performance of the duty will be 
 effective. Of one thing we may be sure, that it is and 
 will be in some way effective, for the Lord commands 
 nothing which will not be of use, for the Lord's 
 kingdom is a kingdom of uses : he does nothing, and 
 directs us to do nothing, in vain. Perliaps, moreover, 
 
 • Matthew v. 44. ^ ver. 17. 
 
 I Apocalypse Revealed, nn. 955, 956. 
 
THY KINGDOM COME. 43 
 
 it may not be impossible for lis, by the light of New 
 Church truth, to form some idea of the law of Divine 
 order which is here called into operation, and of the 
 mode in which the act of praying for others produces 
 effect. 
 
 We are already aware, that the effect of prayer on 
 ourselves is to open our minds to Divine and heavenly 
 influences, and thus to produce a fuller reception of 
 truth and good from the Lord. But now, in praying 
 for others, what is our state of mind? let us consider: 
 as, for instance, in the act of praying for those that 
 " despitefully use and persecute" us, as the Lord com- 
 manded. The first effect, plainly, will be to benefit 
 our own hearts; a spirit of forgiveness will be induced, 
 and our state of love and kindness strengthened and 
 enlarged; and with this spirit of forgiveness and 
 charity will come heavenly peace, and a feeling of full 
 trust in the Lord's protection. This will be the first 
 beneficial result. But will the effect stop here? Will 
 there not an influence pass from us to the spirits of 
 those for whom we pray 1 In the spiritual world, the 
 world of mind — it is to be remembered there is 
 no distance. It matters not where upon the earth, 
 whether in the same house or in a distant city, may be 
 the person for whom we are lifting up our hearts in 
 prayer : in the act of thinking of him thus earnestly 
 he is brought spiritually near to us; for thought — as 
 we are instructed by the New Church Doctrine — is 
 spiritual presence. He is in spirit, as it were, standing 
 before us. Will not, then, from the gentle, kind, and 
 forgiving state in which we are while in this act of 
 
44 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 prayer, extend to him? — will there not an influence 
 reach him, though he may be unconscious whence it 
 comes? — will not our sphere of Christian love be felt? 
 and will it not tend to soften his heart, and to assuage 
 his feeling of hardness and unkindness which induced 
 him " despitefully to use and persecute" us. If he 
 be capable of receiving any influence of good from God 
 or man, if he be not hardened and confirmed in evil 
 — there is reason to believe it will have this efiect in a 
 greater or less degree; and then, when the two parties 
 again meet, there will perhaps be experienced by each 
 an unexpected inclination to forbear any act or word 
 of unkindness, — a disposition, which the evident look 
 of meekness and forgiveness in the countenance of him 
 who has thus prayed, and which is a direct efiect of 
 ofiering that prayer, will tend to foster and confirm; 
 till at length, and by degrees, full reconciliation may 
 follow, and enmity may be changed into afiection. 
 Such may sometimes be the result of praying for our 
 enemies. The Lord himself, on the cross, set us an 
 example of such a prayer : " Father," he said, " for- 
 give them, for they know not what they do." 
 
 By an understanding of this important law of the 
 mind, then, that " thought is spiritual presence," and 
 the other law, also, that those whom we are spiritually 
 in society with, are infiuenced by the sphere of our own 
 spirits — we may perhaps form some conception of the 
 manner in which the act of prayer for others may be 
 eflfective. 
 
 But now, it is to be inquired, will not the same 
 principle be operative in some degree in a general 
 
THY KINGDOM C03IE. 45 
 
 prayer for otliers, — a prayer for mankind at large. 
 Suppose that not one person only, but a thousand or 
 ten thousand — suppose that all the members of the 
 Lord's church in a nation or in the world, were at the 
 same time uttering the supplication that the Lord's 
 kingdom would come, and from a full heart were thus 
 all "with one accord" fixing their thoughts and affec- 
 tions on mankind, with the ardent hope and longing to 
 see them elevated, purified, and regenerated — would not 
 this state of intense spiritual warmth be felt in the 
 spiritual world, and by the spirits of men there — (for 
 all men are as to their spirits in the spiritual world, 
 even now) — would not the ardent sphere of those thus 
 earnestly thinking, feeling, praying, be felt by those 
 in whose spiritual presence they were? and might 
 not the effect be to increase their warmth, their love 
 of truth and good ? might it not tend to elevate their 
 spirits also in some degree towards the Lord, soften 
 their disposition, lessen their inclination to adhere to 
 false doctrines? and where there was a tendency to 
 good in some hearts, would it not, by the power of 
 spiritual sympathy, reach that good disposition, rouse 
 it up, strengthen and elevate it? Thus, by the power 
 of united prayer, might it not be rationally conceived 
 that an effect would be produced in some degree on 
 the spirits of mankind at once individually and col- 
 lectively, and so tend to prepare them for the reception 
 of truth and good from the Lord ? and in this manner, 
 might not the act of earnestly praying for the Lord's 
 kingdom to come, have some effect in causing it to 
 come? In this njanner, perhaps, may be rationally 
 
46 THY KINGDOM COME. 
 
 explained the meaning and use of tlie Lord's command 
 to pray that his " kingdom may come." 
 
 But, in conclusion, of one effect of such prayer 
 we may be sure, — the effect on our ov/n hearts : and 
 this should be one object, if not the chief one, to be 
 kept in view, in uttering the petition, " thy kingdom 
 come." When we utter these words, we should look 
 up to the Lord Jesus Christ, and pray that his king- 
 dom may come in ourselves. We should pray that the 
 light of spiritual truth may increase in our own minds ; 
 that the perception and understanding of such truth 
 may be deepened and enlarged within us ; and that the 
 knowledge of such truth may be more fully attained 
 by us. And to this end, we should pray especially, 
 that our love of spiritual truth may be increased, and 
 that our love of worldly things may proportionably 
 be lessened. And above all, we should pray that our 
 acquisition of spiritual truth may be increased through 
 that which is the great and chief means of increasing 
 it, namely, by putting into life and practice the truths 
 we already know; for truth, by being practised, is 
 turned into good — knowledge becomes love ; and then 
 from the flame of love in the heart there flows an 
 interior light into the mind, far brighter than the cold 
 light of the understanding alone; a light which is 
 truly of heaven a-nd of the Lord, and which has power 
 to give a clear perception of truths, which were hidden 
 in mist and darkness before. By such a course, more- 
 over, not only shall we be able to attain that higher 
 light ourselves, but also be enabled to manifest it 
 to others through the example of a good and upright 
 
THY KINGDOM COME, 47 
 
 life; and so in the most effectual way do our part 
 towards causing the Lord's kingdom to come, by 
 obeying his command, " Let your light so shine before 
 men, that they may see your good works, and glorify 
 your Father which is in heaven." 
 
48 
 
 SERMON lY. 
 
 " lay will be dene on earth, as it is in heaven." — Matthew vi. 10. 
 
 What is the Lord's will? His will is that man 
 should be happy in heaven to eternity. This is his 
 will, because the Lord's essential natui^e is Love; and 
 love wishes the happiness of its object; and Divine 
 love can look to nothing less than the eternal happi- 
 ness of its object ; and man, as an intelligent being, is 
 the chief object towards which the love of the Creator 
 is directed. Therefore, the happiness of man to eter- 
 nity is the end, or supreme desire, or, in other words,* 
 the will, of the Lord. And as heaven is the place 
 or state, in which man is destined, if good, to live to 
 eternity, therefore man's happiness in heaven is the 
 thing to which the Lord chiefly has regard. 
 
 In this view, then, for man to pray that the Lord's 
 will may be done, is evidently most reasonable; for 
 it is in truth but praying that man himself may be 
 happy to eternity. And so far, indeed, it may be said 
 that man's will agrees with the Lord's will; for every 
 man wishes to be happy. 
 
 Ends, however, even Divine ends, cannot be attained 
 but by means. The Lord is indeed omnipotent, but yet 
 he must exercise his omnipotence according to the laws 
 
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH. 49 
 
 of Divine order, for to act otherwise would be to act in 
 opposition to his own Divine Wisdom which provided 
 those laws, and thus to act against himself, — which 
 is impossible; and it would also be to act in oppo- 
 sition to the nature of things, which would also be to 
 act against himself, for from him the nature of things 
 was derived. The Divine end, therefore, in regard 
 to man, namely, man's eternal happiness, cannot be 
 attained but by the orderly means : and consequently, 
 as God wills the end, he also wills the means. The 
 next inquiry, then, is, what is the Lord's will in 
 regard to the means of effecting man's salvation or 
 everlasting happiness. 
 
 The essential and the only means, by which man 
 can attain heavenly happiness is by his coming into 
 a state of love and goodness; for love is the essential 
 principle of the heavenly state, and carries with it 
 heavenly happiness: and the reason it is so, is, be- 
 cause heaven is an image of God himself, and God is 
 love. The means again by which man can come into a 
 state of love and goodness, is by keeping the Divine 
 commandments; for the sole object of these is to 
 teach love and goodness, and how to attain it. The 
 Lord said, " The first and great commandment is to 
 love the Lord thy God with the whole heart and soul, 
 and mind, and strength; and the second is like unto 
 it, to love thy neighbor as thyself; on these two 
 commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 
 Thus the end and sum of the commandments, and of 
 the whole Divine Word, is to teach man to love God 
 and his neighbor. 
 
50 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, 
 
 The conclusion is, tliat while the Lord's will, as to 
 end, is man's eternal happiness in heaven, — his will, as 
 to means, is that man should come into a state of love 
 and goodness, — and his will, again, as to the means of 
 that means, is, that man should keep the command- 
 ments revealed and taught in the Divine Word; for 
 the Lord has given that Word to man, for " a lamp 
 to his feet and a light to his path," in his journey- 
 through the world. The sum of the whole, then, is, 
 that it is the Lord's will that man should learn the 
 Divine commandments and keep them: love, and, 
 together with it, heavenly happiness, will necessarily 
 be the result : as the Lord said, " he that hath my 
 commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth 
 me:" "and," he added, "my Father will love him, 
 and we will come unto him, and make our abode 
 with him:" * and where the Lord's abode is, there is 
 heaven. 
 
 But this point, namely, that the Lord's will is, 
 chiefly, that man should live according to the Divine 
 commandments, — will be seen more clearly by consider- 
 ing in what manner the keeping of those command- 
 ments tends to produce that state of love in the heart, 
 which is the essence of the heavenly state. It is 
 effected in this way. In the first place, the Divine 
 commandments forbid the indulgence of every feel- 
 ing or inclination that is opposed to love, whether 
 towards God cr man. The commandment, for in- 
 stance, " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
 thy God in vain," when understood in its full spiritual 
 * John xiv. 21, 24. 
 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEX. 51 
 
 sense, forbids not only all blasphemy or levity in 
 speaking of God, but also all thonglit or feeling of 
 irreverence towards him or of murmuring at his pro- 
 vidences, — in a word, all that stands opposed to the 
 love and worship of him. He, then, who keeps this 
 commandment, by resisting every such evil feeling, 
 thought, or word, when tempted to give way to it, 
 will have such evil removed from his heart by the 
 Lord, and the opposite good implanted in its stead. 
 So, the commandments, " Thou shalt not kill," '' Thou 
 shalt not steal," " Thou shalt not bear false witness," 
 and the rest, — forbid, in their full comprehension, every 
 kind of hatred and ill-will, every evil act, word, or 
 thought in regard to the neighbor. "Whoever, then, 
 keeps these commandments, by resisting all such evil 
 deeds, thoughts, or feelings, when temptations to them 
 arise in the heart, will have those evils removed by 
 the Lord, and in their place will find a spirit of love 
 and kindness towards the neighbor implanted and 
 continually increasing, till he comes at length into 
 that full state of love which constitutes heaven in the 
 soul : and then, after death, he will enter into heaven 
 and into the full enjoyment of its eternal delights. 
 
 Thus it may be seen, how keeping the Divine com- 
 mandments tends to bring man into that state of love 
 and goodness, which is the essence of the heavenly state. 
 Since therefore, it is the Lord's will that man should 
 come into that state of love, it must be his will that 
 he should keep the Divine commandments, which is 
 the means and the only means of attaining that state. 
 This, then, in fine, is the Lord's will, namely, that 
 
52 THY WILL BE DOXE ON EARTH, 
 
 man should heep the commandments of the Word ; and 
 this is the will alluded to in the text, where it is said 
 " Thy will be done." 
 
 But we are now to inquire, in the second place, what 
 is to be understood by the words " on earth, as it is 
 in heaven." These words have two senses, — a general 
 sense, referring to the whole world and all mankind, 
 and a specific or particular sense, in which they refer 
 to the individual man. Let us consider first the par- 
 ticular sense. 
 
 By the terms "heaven" and "earth," when used in 
 reference to the individual man, are signified, in the 
 internal sense of Scripture, the spiritual and the 
 natural minds, — heaven, the spiritual mind, and earth, 
 the natural mind. This is the signification of those 
 terms in the first chapter of Genesis, which, in the 
 spiritual sense, treats of the new creation or regenera- 
 tion of man. By the " earth without form and void" 
 (or, as it should be rendered, " empty and void"), is 
 signified the natural mind of man before regeneration, 
 when it is in its natural e\dl state, and devoid of good- 
 ness and truth. By " the firmament" or "expanse," 
 afterwards mentioned, is signified the spiritual or 
 internal mind, which in the process of man's regen- 
 eration is formed by the Lord, and filled with good- 
 ness and truth, and through which the earth or 
 natural mind is afterwards brought into order and 
 regenerated, also. The same is the signification of 
 the terms "heaven" and "earth," in the command 
 uttered by the Lord, " Lay not up for yourselves trea- 
 sures on earth, but in heaven." The "treasures" here 
 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. 06 
 
 mentioned signify spiritual treasures, which are the 
 knowledges of truth. To "lay them up on earth," is to 
 hear spiritual truths, and receive them merely into the 
 natural mind, or the memory, whence, if they rise no 
 higher, they will be soon dissipated and cast out by 
 the evils of the heart, bursting forth from within — 
 which evils are signified by the " moth and rust that 
 corrupt" and the "thieves that break through and 
 steal." But to " lay up treasures in heaven," signifies 
 to receive those truths into the internal or spiritual 
 mind, which is efiected by practicing and living accord- 
 ing to them; and when thus elevated, they cannot 
 be cast out or destroyed, but remain for ever, and 
 establish heaven in the soul. 
 
 The reason why by " heaven" is signified the 
 internal or spiritual mind, is, because that mind or 
 that part of the mind is formed after the image of 
 heaven, and constitutes heaven with man. There 
 reside all heavenly thoughts and affections; there 
 dwell the angels, who, as the Psalmist says, " encamp 
 round about those that fear the Lord, and deliver 
 them." This region of the mind, indeed, may be said 
 to belong to heaven and not to the world; it is wholly 
 spiritual, and consequently cannot be opened or fullj^ 
 enjoyed whilst man remains in the natural world; but, 
 after death, when he throws off the body and enters 
 into the spiritual world, then he comes into the full 
 perception and sense of the heavenly thoughts and 
 affections that fill that mind, and they constitute his 
 heaven within. 
 
 The reason that "earth" sisfnifies the external or 
 
54 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, 
 
 natural mind, is because this region of man's mind is 
 earthly and natural, and formed of and filled with 
 ideas and affections that are derived from and have 
 reference to the natural world. This degree of the 
 mind is for man's use while he lives in this lower 
 world; and while he remains here, it is fully open and 
 active, and his delights and enjoyments are either 
 wholly derived from, or greatly modified by, the 
 thoughts and feelings in this part of his mind. But 
 after death, it is shut, inactive, quiescent; and the 
 thoughts and feelings that constitute the natural 
 mind are no longer of service, except as a motion- 
 less basis, on which spiritual thoughts and affections 
 rest. 
 
 Now, the work of regeneration consists chiefly in 
 bringing the earthly or natural mind into subjection 
 to, and agreement with, the spiritual or heavenly 
 mind; and when this is effected, the Lord's will is 
 done " in earth as it is in heaven." It will be seen, that 
 when there are good and truth in the internal mind — 
 w^hen good is desired, and truth is understood and loved 
 — ^then in will and in thought, and thence in purpose 
 and intention, man keeps the Divine commandments, 
 — and thus, the Lord's will is done in man's "heaven" 
 — that is, in his internal or spiritual mind. Now, the 
 great work to be accomplished is, to cause this good 
 and truth to come down and fill the earthly or na- 
 tural mind also ; and in this, as before said, chiefly con- 
 sists the work of regeneration. And this descent of 
 good and truth takes place, just in proportion as evils 
 and falses are cast out of the natural mind, and thus 
 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. 55 
 
 room is made for good and truth to enter. And this 
 casting out of evils and falses can be effected only by- 
 combat, which man must caiTy on, as of himself, yet 
 looking to the Lord for help. When any evil passion 
 or disorderly inclination rises in the natural mind, — 
 then, remembering the Divine commandment which 
 forbids that evil, the understanding of the spiritual 
 mind, watching from above, sees it, and perceives 
 it to be evil and contrary to the Divine command- 
 ment ; and the will of the spiritual mind, loving good 
 as it does, hates and gi-ieves at this rising evil; and 
 thus the man is incited to resist and struggle against 
 it; and if he then make the effort to overcome it, 
 looking to the Lord at the same time for aid, he will 
 be enabled to conquer it, and cast it out; or, what is 
 the same thing, — when man striving thus, as of him- 
 self, has conquered it, the Divine Spirit from the Lord 
 coming down from within, will cast it out of his 
 heart. This evil being thus cast out of the natural 
 mind, the good affection or love which is the opposite 
 of that evil, flows down from the internal or spiritual 
 mind, and takes its place. And thus the natural 
 mind is so far regenerated, and brought into agree- 
 ment with the spiritual : and the Lord's will, so far, 
 " is done on earth as in heaven." 
 
 The work of regeneration consists of a series of such 
 temptations, combats, and victories. Consequently, it 
 is a gradual work, not accomplished in a day or a year; 
 but with the spiritual man, it is constantly going on, 
 and is continued throughout his life in the world. 
 He is, if faithful, becoming daily and weekly more 
 
56 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, 
 
 and more purified from evils and falses; his natural 
 mind is coming more into a state of agreement and 
 conjunction with his spiritual mind, and both with the 
 Lord. The Lord's will with him is constantly more 
 and more perfectly done " on earth as in heaven." The 
 good and truth that he internally thinks and wills, he 
 is enabled to bring more and more into life and act, 
 into look, word, and deed. Thus, the kingdom of 
 heaven is becoming established within him; the laws 
 of heaven, which are the Divine commandments, are 
 becoming the laws of his life; the truths of heaven 
 are more and more enlightening his understanding, 
 and the loves of heaven filling and warming his heart. 
 Thus, he is becoming prepared for the heavenly state; 
 and when at length the Lord sees that it is the full 
 time, the purified spirit is withdrawn from the material 
 body, and enters into a state of spiritual and celestial 
 blessedness; it comes into association with the spirits 
 of just men made perfect, who have done their work 
 and gone before; it is among beatified si)irits, itself a 
 beatified spirit. The battle has been fought and the 
 victory won, and now he receives the crown: the 
 hours of labor and struggle are over, — the hour of 
 reward and glory has arrived. And who can tell that 
 reward, — who can conceive that glory? Thousands of 
 years and of ages of peace, delight, and joy are before 
 that blessed spirit. He has reached the happy land 
 and the blissful fountains. Earth and its cares are left 
 below and behind him: — heaven and its everlasting 
 joys are before him, to be more and more deeply 
 enjoyed for ever. He hears the joyous salutation, 
 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. 57 
 
 "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou 
 into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 Such is the consequence of regeneration! Such is 
 the reward held out to him, who is willing to " jSght 
 the good fight" and overcome. This, then, is what 
 above all things is to be desired — and this, therefore, 
 is what before all things we nfeed to pray for — namely, 
 that the Lord's will with us may be done, as in our 
 "heaven," so in our "earth;" that is, that our natural 
 mind may be brought into subjection to and agree- 
 ment with, our spiritual mind; in other words, that 
 we may be regenerated. This is the summum bonum 
 — this is the great good to be sought — this should be 
 the chief object of our prayers and efforts. For all 
 things depend on this; all joys, all delights, all happi- 
 ness, all that is worth existing for, through the ages 
 of eternity, depend on this, — our regeneration. For 
 regeneration is the being brought into heavenly order; 
 it is the re-forming of the soul into God's image and 
 likeness, which it was intended to be; it is the pre- 
 paration of the mind for the reception of all the 
 delights that fill heaven, of all the joys that flow from 
 the exhaustless fountain of joy — the Lord himself. 
 Without this preparation, those joys cannot be re- 
 ceived or perceived by man's spirit ; without this 
 reformation, man cannot he gifted with the eternal 
 happiness which the Lord longs to confer upon him; 
 without such regeneration, — without being born again, 
 no man, it is written, can " see the kingdom of God. 
 If a happy life, then, not for this world only, but for 
 the endless ages of eternity, be a thing most desimble, 
 
58 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, 
 
 and to be earnestly prayed for and sought for, — then 
 do we need earnestly to pray and to strive for that 
 which is the only means of attaining a happy eternal 
 life, namely, our regeneration. 
 
 When, then, we utter in prayer the words, " Thy 
 will be done on earth, as it is in heaven," we are to 
 look up to the Lord Jesus Christ, and pray that the 
 good which is from him in our spiritual mind, may be 
 brought down into our natural mind and purify it; 
 we are to entreat him to help us in the labor and 
 struggle for our regeneration; to aid us in fighting 
 with our spiritual foes; to deliver us from the evil 
 passions and inclinations^the love of self and love of 
 the world,- — ^to which we are so prone; and that in their 
 stead, good and kind afiections and pure desires may 
 be received, and that thus his will may be done in us; 
 and so we may be prepared to enjoy his kingdom here- 
 after, and to receive the fulfilment of his Divine pro- 
 mise, " He that overcometh shall inherit all things."* 
 
 But we have now, in the last place, to consider the 
 words of this petition in their general sense, in which 
 they have reference to mankind at large. In this 
 sense, the prayer, " Thy will be done on earth, as it is 
 in heaven" (or, as it would be more exactly rendered, 
 " Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon earth"), 
 is an expression of earnest desire that the state of love 
 and peace, which prevails in heaven, may also come to 
 earth, and that the world may be brought into heavenly 
 order; that mankind may be delivered from their 
 * Apoc. sxi. 7. 
 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. 59 
 
 present sins and sufferings, troubles and disorders, 
 public and private; and that tlie earth may again 
 become what it was in the beginning, and what it was 
 by its good Creator intended to be, — a lower heaven : 
 that just as in an individual man, while regenerating, 
 the earthly or natiu-al mind becomes purified from evils 
 and falses, and thus the good descending from the 
 heavenly or spiritual mind enters into and occupies 
 it, and forms it into a likeness of itself, and thus 
 in him earth becomes an image of heaven, — so, in 
 general, and with mankind at large, we are to pray 
 that evil and its attendant falsity may be put away, 
 and that then love and truth descending from heaven 
 may take their place, — and so the lower world may 
 become a likeness of the upper, — the earth, an image 
 of heaven. 
 
 But how is this to be accomplished ? It is to be 
 accomplished with the world in general, precisely in 
 the same way that it is accomplished in the little 
 world of an individual mind : indeed, the work will 
 be effected with mankind at large, only in proportion 
 as it is effected with the individuals of whom man- 
 kind is composed. To regenerate the world, you must 
 regenerate the individuals that constitute the world : 
 goodness and truth will increase and be established in 
 the world at large, only in the degree that they are 
 established in the minds of individual men. There 
 is no such thing as regenerating the world in general, 
 and yet leaving the individuals in their natural unre- 
 generate state. Yet it seems to be a kind of feeling or 
 fancy with some, that such a thing can be done. Or, 
 
60 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, 
 
 at least, we often see schemes proposed and attempted, 
 for making the world good and happj, while the 
 inner world of men's minds is left unchanged. But 
 such schemes have ever failed, and must ever fail. 
 Por they are founded on utterly mistaken views of 
 human nature j they rest upon the idea that man's 
 heart is by nature good, whereas, as God's Word and 
 all experience prove, it is, as at this day inherited, 
 selfish and evil : they go on the presumption that the 
 disorder and suffering in the world are chiefly the re- 
 sult of circumstances and external condition, whereas 
 in truth they spring from a poisonous root within. The 
 effect may, indeed, react upon its cause and increase it; 
 the disordered external condition which first sprang 
 from the selfishness and evil within, may and in all 
 probability does react and increase that selfishness. 
 Yet man's inherited propensity to evil exists inde- 
 pendently of external circumstances, and is, in fact, 
 the true cause of all the disorder and misery in the 
 outward world. The way to cure the disease, is not 
 to heal over the surface, while the corruption remains 
 within, ready at any time to burst forth again, but 
 to cure the internal system; "cleanse, first, said the 
 Lord, that which is within the cup and platter, that 
 the outside may be clean also." The only way to 
 purify the stream, is to cleanse the fountain; the only 
 way to reform and regenerate the world, is to regen- 
 erate the minds and hearts of individuals, — which is 
 to be done according to the laws of Divine order, 
 and the commandments of God's Word. The Lord's 
 will must be done on earth as in heaven, in the man- 
 
AS IT IS IX HEAVEN. Gl 
 
 ner before described, namely, in tlie mind of each 
 individual, before it can be done with mankind in 
 general: peace and love must be established in the 
 world within, before they can appear in the world 
 without. 
 
 But can our prayers, it may be asked, contribute 
 anything towards the attainment of this most desir- 
 able end? Can our daily ojBfering up in an earnest 
 spirit the petition that the Lord's will may be done 
 on earth as in heaven, have any effect in causing that 
 happy state to come upon the world. It is to be 
 answered, that doubtless it may have such an effect, 
 at least, in some degree, — upon the principles and 
 in the manner explained in the preceding discourse, 
 namely, that there being no space in the world of 
 mind, the love and warmth dwelling in the heart of 
 one uttering a jDrayer may be communicated so as in 
 some degree to influence the spirit of him or them for 
 whom the prayer is uttered. " The effectual fervent 
 prayer of the righteous man," says the apostle, " avail- 
 eth much." * But there is one certain way, in which 
 we can do something and perhaps much for the ameli- 
 oration of mankind and the regeneration of the world : 
 and that is, by regenerating that part of the world 
 which lies absolutely in our own power — namely, oui-- 
 selves. We are each a part of the world and of man- 
 kind, and, by regenerating our own minds, we regenerate 
 a portion of the world. And who can tell, moreover, 
 the influence we may extend around us : "A little 
 leaven leaveneth the whole lump :" the influence of one 
 * James V. 16. 
 
02 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH. 
 
 good man is incalculably great. If every individual 
 of the thousands and tens of thousands, who daily or 
 weekly utter the prayer that the Lord's kingdom 
 may come, and his will be done on earth as in heaven, 
 would strive to cause this effect to take place in him- 
 self by laboring in the work of his own regeneration, 
 and thus causing the Lord's will to be done in earth 
 as in heaven with himself individually, — soon would 
 there come a change over the face of the world ; soon 
 would evil deeds decrease, with the quenching of the 
 evil fires from which they spring — and soon, too, 
 would disorderly external institutions and circum- 
 stances begin to disappear, and good and happy ones 
 take their place; till, by and by, as foretold, "all 
 things would become new," and the earth " be filled 
 with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the 
 waters cover the sea." 
 
63 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 " Give us to-day our daily bread." — Matthew ^^. 11. 
 
 This petition, when viewed in the light of the internal 
 sense, is most comprehensive: it means, Give ns, O 
 Lord, every moment, all things we need for the body 
 and the soul. 
 
 The expression "to-day" signifies, in the spiritual 
 sense, perpetually, every instant, and also to eternity. 
 That such is the signification of " to-day" and " daily" 
 in the Word, is evident from the fact that in the 
 Israelitish or representative Church, the daily offering 
 of a lamb was called a perpetual burnt-offering.* The 
 same truth may be seen from the fact that, in the 
 spii'itual sense, by day is signified state: thus, "to- 
 day" or "this day" signifies "in this state." Keep- 
 ing before us this signification of " to-day," we may 
 offer up the prayer, in the evening as well as in the 
 morning, in sickness or in health, in trouble or in joy : 
 in all it is applicable : for the petition is, that in this 
 present state, whatever it be, whether of mind or of 
 body, we may be gifted from the Lord with all things 
 needful for us. 
 
 It may be remarked that the phrase "our daily 
 
 * See Numbers xxviii. 3-6. 
 E 
 
64 GIVE us TO-DAY 
 
 bread," would have been more correctly translated 
 " our sufficient," or, *^ our needful" bread. As the 
 sentence stands in tbe common version, there appears 
 to be a needless repetition of the word " day," which 
 there is not in the original. It should be, " Give us 
 to-day our sufficient [or our needful] bread." 
 
 Let us now consider the meaning of the term 
 "bread." By "bread," in a natural sense, is signified 
 food in general, all that sustains the bodily life.* But, 
 in a spiritual sense, it signifies all mental food, all that 
 supports the spiritual life or life of the soul. Thus it 
 signifies all goodness and truth, or love and wisdom ; 
 for these sustain the soul's life: this is the food of 
 angels, and also the food of our spirits even now, 
 while we are preparing to become angels; it is the 
 food that nourishes us to life everlasting ; and accord- 
 ing to our reception of which v/e are growing inwardly 
 into angelic form and beauty. In this sense, the Lord 
 calls himself "Bread:" "lam," he says, "the living 
 Bread which came down from heaven : if any man eat 
 of this bread, he shall live for ever."t The Lord 
 calls himself " Bread," as being essential Goodness and 
 Truth, the veriest food and life of the soul. 
 
 Now, the petition is, " Give us this day our needful 
 bread:" Give us this day, this hour, this moment, 
 all we need for our bodies and our spirits. Let us 
 consider the petition first in its natural sense, and 
 afterwards in its spiritual. 
 
 When we kneel down, and offijr up this prayer, as 
 
 * See Judges xiii. 15, 16, where a kid is called bread. 
 f John vi. 51. 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 65 
 
 we should do daily, we ask tliat the Lord, in his pro- 
 vidence, will supply us with what is needful for our 
 bodily wants, and for those of our families, or of such as 
 are dependent upon us. And if this petition is offered 
 in a humble and devout spirit, we may be sure it will 
 be answered. The Lord knows all our wants, even to 
 the minutest particular: "Your heavenly Father," 
 said the Lord, " knoweth what things ye have need of 
 before ye ask him."* And he is both able and will- 
 ing to supply them. Is he not the Almighty Creator 
 and sustainer of the universe? Is he not the owner 
 of all things? "The world," says he, " is mine, and 
 the fulness thereof." "Every beast of the forest is 
 mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, "f Nay, 
 when he was in the world, dwelling as a man amongst 
 men, did he not show his omnipotence, by creating 
 bread instantaneously, and feeding five thousand with 
 five loaves ? — for, as it is declared, " he had compassion 
 on the multitude, because they had nothing to eat; 
 and he would not send them away fasting, lest they 
 should faint by the way." J And will not the same 
 Jehovah Jesus, the one Lord of heaven and earth, 
 have compassion on any of his children, whoever or 
 wherever they be, who cry to him for food, and ask 
 him for the necessaries of life ? Assuredly, he will. 
 Do not you think he knew, before you were born, 
 everything you would need till the day of your death, 
 — ^yes, and to eternity after? and would he have 
 brought you into being, without knowing that he 
 could provide for you? No: your minutest want was 
 * Matthew vi. 8. f Psalm 1. 12, 10. } Matthew xv. 32. 
 
66 GIVE us TO-DAY 
 
 foreknown, and, in liis Divine foresight, is already 
 provided. He knows where you are to get each 
 morsel you are to eat, every article of clothing you are 
 to wear, and the roof that is to shelter you. For he 
 has himself declared that " the very hairs of our heads 
 are all numbered," that " not a sparrow falleth to the 
 ground Avithout our Father, and that we are of more 
 value than many sparrows;"* and he bids us, " Fear 
 not, therefore. "t "We may then pray for our "daily 
 bread" with full trust that the Lord in his providence 
 will supply us, and those dependent upon us, with all 
 we need, provided we look to him, and at the same 
 time do our duty. 
 
 But it may be asked, If the Lord is our heavenly 
 Father, and if he knows all our wants, and is able 
 and willing to supply them, — why does he require us 
 to pray for them? why will he not supply them with- 
 out prayer ? The answer is, — because he wishes us to 
 feel and to acknowledge our dependence upon him. 
 And the reason he so wishes, is, to prevent our falling 
 into pride and self-dependent states of mind, the effect 
 of which would be to separate us from him, and thus 
 to shut out the influence of his Spirit, which would 
 be to shut out heaven and eternal hajDpiness. The 
 first end of the Lord in regard to us, is, to secure our 
 salvation, our eternal happiness in heaven; for that 
 we are created, for that we live. Now, heaven is not 
 merely a place, but a state of the mind : it is a state, 
 in which the heart is open to the Lord, and so is 
 receptive of the blessednesses which are ever flowing 
 • Matthew x. 29-31. + Luke xii. 7. 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 67 
 
 from Him who is the oue Source of all blessing. But, 
 it is humility that opens the heart; it is the state of 
 looking up, and child-like dependence, and devout 
 gratitude, that opens the mind, and conjoins it to the 
 Lord, and so enables it to receive that flood of joy and 
 bliss, which he pours into every soul that is open to 
 receive it. This, then, is the reason, why the Lord 
 requires us to pray, and to ask for what we want, 
 even in natural things- — namely, to accustom us to 
 look to him and depend on him, and so become con- 
 joined to him in spirit, in order that we may receive 
 peace of mind even in this world, and after death life 
 everlasting. It is thus from the Lord's love, and 
 desire for our good and happiness, that he requires 
 us to pray. 
 
 But now, it is to be remarked, that while the Lord 
 requires us to pray for our daily bread, he also requires 
 us to labor for it : that is, we are to obtain it from 
 him not directly but indirectly. "We are not, after 
 prayer, to fold our hands, and wait for our food to be 
 brought to us : we must work, as well as pray. This 
 requirement is founded on a great law of Divine order : 
 it is to the end that man may be man, and not a mere 
 machine ; — that he may be an active, and not merely 
 a passive, being. ^ In order that a man may be truly 
 human, — that he may form, as it were, a character for 
 Mmself, a character which he is to retain to eternity, 
 — he must act as of himself; he must exercise his 
 faculties; he must think, reason, judge, consider; he 
 must try this and that, "he must endeavor and use 
 exertions, altogether as if the result depended entirely 
 
68 GIVE us TO-DAY 
 
 on himself. Yet at tlie same time, he must look up 
 and acknowledge that all the power to act, and all the 
 wisdom to judge, come from the Lord alone, and he 
 must pray to be continually gifted with that power, 
 and guided by that wisdom. Thus doing, he effects 
 two things : first, he keeps his mind open to the Lord 
 by acknowledgment, and secondly, he receives power 
 from the Lord by action; and thus he is gradually 
 formed into an angelic man. He becomes a vian, by 
 exercising as of himself the faculties with which he 
 is endowed, — by bringing into operation the light and 
 strength which continually flow from the Lord into 
 those faculties; and he becomes an angelic msin, that 
 is, an image and likeness of the Lord, by continually 
 looking up to the one Source of all good, and thus 
 receiving the love and wisdom which continually flow 
 down from that source, and which mould his spirit 
 into a heavenly form. 
 
 As you cannot steer a ship unless it is in motion, so 
 the Lord cannot guide man unless he is in action. 
 "Were man merely to pray, — were he to remain ever on 
 his knees looking up and asking, his prayer could not 
 be answered. For even though a dove should fly 
 down from heaven with a morsel in its beak, and lay 
 it on his tongue, yet that would not be sufficient : he 
 wants clothes as well as food, and a house to shelter 
 him from the weather; and he wants many things be- 
 sides these. Nor, even if all these were supplied him 
 by a continual miracle, would he be content or happy. 
 For happiness comes from within, not from without; 
 it is chiefly a state of the mind; and a happy state of 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 69 
 
 mind is not consistent with perfect pasaiveness, — with 
 mere reception : there must be action added. For it 
 is the glow of action, the delight of use, the joleasure 
 of exercising the faculties in doing something bene- 
 ficial to ourselves and others, — it is by these, chiefly, 
 that happiness exists. The primal reason is, that God 
 is activity itself: " My Father worketh hithei-to," said 
 the Lord, "and I work;"* and the reason of that is, 
 because he is Love itself, — and love, from its very 
 nature and ardor, must exert itself in doing good to 
 the being it loves. And it is in and from this Divine 
 activity that God has his infinite joy. Man being 
 created in God's image and likeness, it is infixed in 
 the order of his nature that he can possess joy and 
 happiness only in the same way, namely, in exercising 
 love towards others, in the efibrt to benefit and bless 
 them. All the angels are happy in this way, and 
 man must learn to be so, too, if he would become an 
 angel after death. Thus, then, action is the law of 
 order. Consequently, man is required to work as well 
 as pray, in order to form the habit of action ; that thus 
 he may come at length into that state of heavenly 
 activity which is angelic and blessed. Were man 
 already in that state, — did he find his delight, as the 
 angels do, in doing good to others, and in exercising 
 himself in pouring out blessing on those around him, 
 there would be always a blessed return ; others would 
 do the same to him; and bread, and clothing, and 
 comforts of all kinds and in abundance would be 
 poured in upon him, and he would never want; and 
 * John V. 17. 
 
70 GIVE US TO-DAY 
 
 were all men in this state, this earth would be, as it 
 was intended to be, a heaven below. 
 
 But, alas! men are now selfish. Man, in his fallen 
 state, has perverted the order of his nature, — has 
 departed from the Divine likeness in which he was 
 created, and his chief concern is to get something for 
 himself, thinking little of the good and happiness of 
 others. And all men being such, this life is now a 
 struggle among selfigh competitors, and the earth thus 
 has become changed from a heaven into a kind of 
 hell: for self-love is the ruling principle of hell, as 
 love to others is that of heaven. Hence, some snatch 
 away the food of others, and these, consequently, are 
 in want; and so, turning away from the'r selfish fel- 
 low-men, they look iip to heaven, and cry for bread; 
 and God could give them bread directly, if it were 
 best for them that he should do so. But the Lord is 
 desirous not only that they should have present bread 
 for the body, but more desirous that they should have 
 and feel the need of that " bread of life," that state 
 of love and goodness, which alone can noiu'ish their 
 souls to life everlasting. He is desirous to convert 
 them, to change and regenerate their natures. Hence, 
 he does not answer their prayer directly, but requires 
 that they go first and work, looking up to him at the 
 same time for guidance. And while they are thus in 
 action, he can guide and direct them, — gradually re- 
 mould their spirits, push out evils here, introduce good 
 aflfections there, and so, little by little, amidst trials, 
 temptations, combats, strivings, daily labors, and 
 every form of activity, he gradually accomplishes their 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 71 
 
 regeneration; and thus, while indirectly supplying 
 them with food for the body, he is at the same time 
 inwardly nourishing them with the more 2)recious food 
 of the soul, — love and wisdom, and so preparing them 
 to become angels of heaven. This, then, is the reason, 
 why man must, as before said, not only pray for his 
 daily bread, but labor for it at the same time. And 
 if they do their duty faithfully, their wants will, under 
 the Lord's providence, be certainly supplied. 
 
 But there are times in life, — it may be said — in 
 which one has done and is doing all he can, and yet he 
 has not a sufficient support for himself and his family; 
 and there are times, when, in the derangement of 
 general business one cannot get employment. This is 
 no doubt true, and it is an effect direct or indirect 
 of the present disordered state of society, occasioned by 
 man's selfishness. But there is no case that can be 
 mentioned or imagined, in which we are to despair, 
 or in which we may not look up trustingly to the 
 Lord, saying, " Give us our daily bread." If you are 
 doing the best you can, using every exertion, trying 
 in every way, then you may be sure a support will be 
 provided for you in one way or another, — perhaps in 
 a manner and at a time in which you least expected 
 it, and when your surprise and delight will cause 
 you to fall down on your knees in thankfulness. I say 
 to you, the Lord would create bread for you directly, 
 as he did to feed the five thousand, or shower down 
 manna from heaven, as he did for the Israelites, or 
 send ravens to feed you, as he did to Elijah — rather 
 than permit any one to suffer, who trusts in him 
 
72 GIVE us TO-DAY 
 
 and does his duty. Kemember the Psalmist's words, " I 
 have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen 
 the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."* 
 The Lord has a thousand ways of supplying you. 
 Eemember that he foresees everything; he is not like 
 one taken by surprise. Before you were born, as 
 already remarked, he knew all you would need, even 
 to the minutest particular. Before you were married, 
 he knew the offspring you would have, and all the 
 wants of each one of them. He will put it into 
 the heart of friends to assist you; he will cause you, 
 in his providence, to meet with some one to whom 
 your needs may be made known : and this, by the 
 way, is sometimes an end for which Divine Pro- 
 vidence permits even the good to be brought very, 
 very low, namely, to break down their pride. You 
 must not be too proud to make your wants known — 
 after you have done all you reasonably can to supply 
 them yourself We are all dependent more or less on 
 each othei', and there may be seasons of distress in 
 which an individual may be so placed as to be wholly 
 or partially dependent on others. And if this is not 
 his own wish nor doing, but he has been brought into 
 that state by providential circumstances, it is nothing 
 to be ashamed of: he must consider that this is the 
 means which Providence has taken to supply him, and 
 that the friends who so assist are merely the Lord's 
 instruments. This consideration will enable him, 
 while receiving their aid, still to preserve his self- 
 respect. But you may be sure, that in one way or 
 * xsxvii. 25. 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 73 
 
 another, the Lord will provide for you and yours, if 
 you look to him in daily prayer, and then do the best 
 you can. " No good thing," as he has declared in his 
 Word, " will he withhold from them that walk up- 
 rightly."* " Commit thy way unto the Lord : trust 
 also to him, and he shall bring it to pass." t " Cast thy 
 burthen upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee." J 
 These are texts applicable to every trouble in life. 
 
 I have dwelt thus fully upon the natural sense of 
 this petition, because in the present selfish and dis- 
 ordered state of society, there are many individuals, even 
 among the good and pious, who are at times concerned 
 about the means of providing for the natural wants of 
 themselves and their families j persons, who pray 
 with earnestness, and wish they could pray with 
 trust, " Give us this day our daily bread." I wish 
 to assure them on Scriptural and also on rational 
 grounds, that they may pray with perfect confidence 
 that their prayer will be answered; and that they 
 need not and must not be anxious ; but, doing the duty 
 of the present moment, leave the future to the Lord. 
 
 But we must now consider briefly the spiritual sense 
 of this petition. 
 
 By the words, " Give us this day our daily [or our 
 needful] bread," is meant, in the spiritual sense, a 
 looking to the Lord, and an acknowledgment of our 
 dependence upon him for our spiritual food, — for that 
 which nourishes the heart and mind and the whole 
 spiritual life. It is a prayer that the Lord will every 
 moment keep and guide our thoughts and feelings; 
 * Psalm kxsiv. 11. f sxxvii. 5. % Psalm Iv. 22. 
 
74 GIVE us TO-DAY 
 
 tliat lie "will supply thoughts for the understanding 
 and affections for the will, in the degree and manner 
 that in his wisdom he sees to be for our eternal good. 
 And, after all, — though men in general think so much 
 less of it — this is by far the more important concern 
 of the two. The proper supply of the soul's nourish- 
 ment is far more essential to our highest, that is, to 
 our eternal, interests, than the supply of bodily food. 
 The body will, in a few years, die and return to dust ; 
 but the soul is destined to an everlasting existence. 
 And the condition of that existence, whether happy 
 or unhappy, will depend upon the soul's having a 
 due supply of its appropriate nourishment, from day 
 to day, and from moment to moment now, in order 
 that it may grow into the truly human and angelic 
 form, into the image and likeness of the Lord. 
 
 Goodness and truth are the food of the soul, and 
 these are meant in the spiritual sense by "bread." 
 Hence, the Lord who is Goodness and Truth, or Love 
 and "Wisdom itself, calls himself "Bread." To eat 
 of this Divine bread is to look to the Lord as God, 
 and to become conjoined with him by doing his will 
 and commandments. Then will a stream of love and 
 truth flow from him into the soul, giving light and 
 warmth to the whole inner man, and filling the spirit 
 with peace. 
 
 Says the Doctrine of the New Church, " The manna 
 given to the Israelites, and the daily bread mentioned 
 in the Lord's Prayer, signify heavenly food, which is 
 nothing else than love and charity, together with the 
 goods and truths of faith. This food is given by the 
 
OUR DAILY BREAD. 75 
 
 Lord to tlie angels every moment, thus forever and to 
 eternity.* It is also beautifully said in another place, 
 " It is given to the angels by the Lord every moment 
 what to think, and this with blessedness and felicity, 
 and thus they are without cares or anxieties; and 
 that this is what is meant in the internal sense by 
 the Israelites receiving manna daily from heaven, and 
 by the daily bread prayed for in the Lord's Prayer. "t 
 How delightful thus to be supported by the Lord each 
 moment! to be defended by him from evil, and to 
 be blessed with good every instant; to have all our 
 thoughts and feelings regulated and kept by him, so 
 as to have anxiety and trouble removed far away, and 
 peace, trust, and joy given instead. This is the state 
 of the angels in heaven, and this should be our state, 
 in some degree, even while here below, if we would 
 become angels hereafter. We must learn to trust, not 
 in ourselves, but in the Lord ; we must fight against 
 anxiety as a sin; we must make it our continual 
 endeavor to keep close to the Lord, doing each 
 moment, like obedient children, the duty set before 
 us by his providence, and then leaving all the rest to 
 him. As the little bird sings cheerily its last note, as 
 the day-light fades, and, putting its head beneath its 
 wing, sleeps peacefully, un-anxious about the morrow, 
 — so w^e should lay our heads each night on our pillow, 
 thankful to the Lord for the comforts and blessings we 
 have that day enjoyed, and trusting that, in his Divine 
 Goodness, the same will be given to-morrow, and every 
 day, and in every state, to eternity. 
 
 t A. C, 2838. %A. a, 2493. 
 
76 
 
 SEKMON VI. 
 
 " And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." — Matt. vi. 12. 
 
 This portion of tlie Lord's Prayer, when rightly 
 understood, will be found to have a most important 
 and practical meaning. 
 
 We must first explain the signification of the terms. 
 The term " debts" is here used in the sense of trespasses 
 or sins. This is plain from the parallel passage in 
 Luke,* " Forgive us our sins;" and also from the Lord's 
 own comment on this pmyer in the succeeding verse : 
 " For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Father 
 will also forgive you." The reason that " debts" has 
 such a meaning, seems to be this. A debt is some- 
 thing due to another, but not paid : hence it implies 
 the idea of delinquency, defect, fault; and according 
 to the greatness of the debt, is the degree of the 
 delinquency. Now, to our Heavenly Father, the 
 Divine Creator and Saviour, from whom we have 
 received the gift of existence, and from whom come, 
 directly or indii'ectly, all our enjoyments and blessings 
 natural and spiritual, — we owe the deepest debt of 
 gratitude, and, with it, worship, love, and, withal, 
 obedience. "When, theu, we do not pay these debts, 
 • xi. 4. 
 
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS. 77 
 
 — if we do not make these returns that are due, — 
 if we do not love and worship him as we ought, — if we 
 do not yield obedience to his commands, — then we are 
 delinquents; and our delinquencies are sins against 
 him. It is on this ground, probably, that oflfences 
 against our Heavenly Father are called " debts," that 
 is, returns of gratitude and obedience due, but yet 
 unpaid. 
 
 Now, the prayer is, that the Lord would forgive 
 us these " debts" — would pardon our offences, our sins 
 against him. And this subject of the forgiveness of 
 sins opens up a wide field of thought, and one on 
 which the light of the New Church Doctrine shines 
 with peculiar brightness. 
 
 That doctrine teaches that the Lord always forgives, 
 for he is Love and Mercy itself; that is, he never 
 entertains any feeling of revenge or even of anger 
 against any one, nor any desire to punish any one, how- 
 ever great his sins or offences may have been. " The 
 Lord," says the New Church Doctrine, " remits to 
 every one his sins; and never punishes for them, nor 
 ev^r imputes them to any one, nor brings accusation 
 against any one, inasmuch as he is essential Love and 
 Goodness. When Peter asked him. How often his 
 brother might sin against him and be forgiven, — 
 whether seven times ? t\e Lord answered, ' Not seven 
 times only, but seventy times seven.' What then 
 must be the extent of the Lord's forgiveness, who is 
 Mercy itself?"* "But," it is added— and this is a 
 most important qualification of the previous remark, — 
 * Divine Providence, n. 280. 
 
78 AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 
 
 "thougli tlie Lord forgives all, nevertheless sins are 
 not on that account wiped away, for this can be 
 effected only by repentance." * 
 
 Now, here is a distinction most important to be 
 observed. The old idea — and one still extensively 
 prevalent — in regard to God's forgiveness of sins, is, 
 that he has but to speak the word "pardon," and at 
 once the sins are blotted out, with all their painful 
 consequences, and the man can be at once received 
 into heaven. But such a view shows an utter 
 ignorance of the nature and constitution of the human 
 mind, and also of the nature and laws of Divine order. 
 Were it possible for men to be thus forgiven, — were 
 nothing needed but for the Lord to speak the words 
 " I pardon," — there would not remain an unforgiven 
 sinner in the universe, nor would there be any hell 
 at all, but the Lord, in his infinite love, would draw 
 all his creatures to his arms, and make them happy 
 in heaven for ever. 
 
 But such is not the nature of things, nor the nature 
 of man, nor the nature of man's relation to his Maker. 
 Man, in order that he may be man, and not a mere 
 machine, is constituted with freedom of will; which 
 implies the power to pervert his own nature, if he will, 
 and thus to bring himself into disorder and consequent 
 unhappiness. Suppose, then, that a man, abusing his 
 freedom, disobeys the Divine commandments, which 
 are the laws of heavenly order, and falls into sin. By 
 repeated acts of disobedience, he perverts his nature 
 and his tastes, forms evil habits, and sinks into a low 
 * True Christian Religion, n. 409. 
 
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 79 
 
 and miserable state. At lengtli, some painful blow, 
 some excess of sin, bringing excess of misery, rouses 
 him from his degradation, wakes his conscience from 
 its sinful lethargy, causes him, like the "prodigal son," 
 to reflect on his wretched condition, recalls to his 
 mind his former state of peace and innocence ere 
 yet he had left his Heavenly Father's house, — that is, 
 before he had wandered away into the paths of vice 
 and wi-etchedness, — and with a sudden determination, 
 he resolves to " arise and go to his Father," he deter- 
 mines to return to the Lord his God, confess his sins, 
 and pray for pardon of his transgressions, and begin a 
 new and better life. 
 
 He keeps his resolution. He has not far to go ; for 
 "the Lord is not far from any one of us." He is 
 always near, watching over his erring children, and 
 noting with joy the first movement towards a return. 
 The young man throws himself on his knees before the 
 Lord his God, and prays most earnestly for forgiveness 
 of his sins, promising with heart-felt asseverations not 
 to sin any more, but to begin a new course of life, and 
 to live henceforth in obedience to the Divine Word, 
 and in a manner accordant with the Lord's will. 
 
 Like the loving father of the prodigal, the Lord at 
 once forgives; he calls up no recollections of the past, 
 but tries, as it were, to forget it all : for, " He desireth ^ 
 not the death of a sinner; but rather that he turn 
 from his wickedness and live," and he declares in his 
 Word, that " If the wicked will turn from all his sins 
 that he hath committed, and keej) all my statutes, and 
 do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, 
 
80 AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 
 
 he shall not die: all his transgressions that he hath 
 committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: 
 in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live."'"* 
 Thus the Lord, so far as tenderness, and love, and 
 feelings, and Divine rejoicings of spirit go, — entirely 
 forgives, and, as it were, takes the repentant sinner to 
 his arms. 
 
 Nor is this state of Divine forgiveness without its 
 effect on the repentant person himself He feels, for 
 the time, an interior peace and joy. And why? Be- 
 cause he has, so far as intention goes, returned to the 
 Lord : he has, in purpose and resolve, turned from his 
 evil courses; and thus, so far as ends and resolutions 
 are effective, he is a new man, and is now looking 
 towards the Lord and heaven, while, before, his back 
 was turned upon them. So far, then, he is a changed 
 man, and consequently, so far, he has the reward of 
 turning again to the Lord, by coming for the time into 
 a state of peace. 
 
 But are the man's evils removed? Are those habits 
 of sin, confirmed by long indulgence, so easily broken? 
 Are those evil passions, which have been so long his 
 masters, to be subdued and brought under by a repent- 
 ant sigh and tear ? No ! when he becomes cool again, 
 — when the first agonies of remorse are over, — when 
 another day's sun shall rise upon him, or another 
 week has passed away, — he will find the serpent creep- 
 ing up his limbs again: he will find his old evil 
 passions and inclinations returning upon him; and it 
 will require all his resolution, together with constant 
 * Ezekiel xvui. 21, 22. 
 
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 81 
 
 prayer to tlie Lord, to put them clown and keep them 
 down. 
 
 This experience every spiritual man must have gone 
 through. And this shows us, that the Lord's forgive- 
 ness of our sins is one thing, and the removal of our 
 evils quite another. After the Lord has forgiven, — 
 after we have seen our evils and confessed them before 
 the Lord, and have felt for the time, in consequence, 
 an inward peace, which is the sign of the Lord's recog- 
 nition of us as his repentant children, and of his 
 acceptance of our good resolves — is the work then 
 done? No! it is but begun: the difficult part is 
 now to commence. We have but come to the Lord, 
 acknowledged ourselves his subjects, and looking to 
 him for strength, have buckled on our armor for the 
 fight; for now it is to begin : — the fight with our evils, 
 the combat with our long-cherished and often-indulged 
 inclinations, the struggle with our passions and lusts, 
 which hell has long infused, and which hell means 
 still to stir up, and of which it will not easily let 
 go its hold. But it is our comfort, that we have an 
 Almighty power to support us, an Omnipotent arm to 
 aid us, the great Redeemer's strength to sustain us. 
 He fought with all the Powers of hell before, when in 
 his humanity on earth; and by continual victories, 
 gained to himself full dominion over them, and stands 
 now ready to help us in our hour of need. And if we 
 pray to him fervently, and then strive as of ourselves, 
 — little by little, we shall find the enemy give way, — 
 gradually we shall gain the mastery over our passions, 
 — one after another our evils will be brought into sub- 
 
82 AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 
 
 jectiou and submission, and their power over us will 
 be broken. And then will the Lord by his Holy 
 Spirit remove them, and introduce heavenly affections 
 in their stead, and inspire lore to God and man, and 
 re-mould our spirits, and regenerate our hearts, and 
 prepare us for our heavenly home. Thus will our sins 
 truly be pardoned, by our evils being removed. Such 
 and no other is the order of man's regeneration ; such 
 is the true manner of the remission of sins. 
 
 But now we have to consider the second part of this 
 petition, which will be found to have an important 
 bearing on the first. The words are, " Forgive us our 
 debts, as we forgive our debtors.'' " As," means here, 
 " according as," or "in proportion as:" " Forgive us 
 our trespasses, in proportion as we forgive the trespasses 
 of others against us." That such is the meaning, is 
 evident from the Lord's comment, immediately follow- 
 ing — (and what is remarkable, it is the only part of 
 the Prayer which he does comment upon, showing 
 thus, it would seem, his view of its importance). 
 " For," he says, " if ye forgive men their trespasses, 
 your heavenly Father will also forgive you ; but if ye 
 forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
 Father forgive your trespasses." Here, now, is a 
 very important subject for reflection: here is a con- 
 dition laid down in regard to the forgiveness of sins, 
 which needs to be well considered. 
 
 Why is it that the Lord will not forgive our 
 trespasses, unless we forgive the trespasses of others 
 against us? Because he cannot. We know that the 
 
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 83 
 
 Lord never acts arbitrarily : he never says, " I will," 
 and "I won't," without there being a principle of 
 truth, a law of Divine order, on which the " will" or 
 " will not" is founded. And why can he not forgive 
 our trespasses, unless we forgive the trespasses of 
 others ? If we recur to the true meaning of forgive- 
 ness, as before explained, the answer will be clear. It 
 was shown that the forgiveness or remission of sins, 
 means, in fact, the removal of evils. Now, evils can- 
 not be removed by the Lord, so long as man clings to 
 them, cherishes them, and will not give them up. 
 When we indulge feelings of anger, revenge, ill-will 
 towards those who we think have injured us, or who 
 we consider have been guilty of trespasses against us, 
 we are cherishing evils in our hearts, deep and horrid 
 evils — for there are few evils deeper or more infernal 
 than a spirit of retaliation and revenge. And while 
 we so cherish these evils, they cannot be removed : in 
 fact, we do not wish them removed, we are not willing 
 to have them removed: we fondle and caress this 
 viper, and hug it to our bosoms, till it stings us to 
 death : we cherish and brood over our wrongs, real or 
 imagined, and form plans of revenge, little thinking 
 that, in so doing, we are gathering around us infernals 
 of the deepest dye, and letting ourselves down amongst 
 the societies of hell. But truly we are so doing. 
 Every evil thought or passion indulged, connects man 
 with infernal spirits, and the longer it is indulged the 
 more closely is he conjoined with them, till at length 
 it becomes difficult to extricate himself from their 
 grasp; and if he does not by a violent effort tear 
 
84 AND FOKGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 
 
 himself away from them, he becomes their slave for 
 ever. 
 
 Such is the true state of the case. How, then, is 
 it possible for one who cherishes an unforgiving spirit 
 towards others, to have his own trespasses forgiven? 
 To have sins forgiven, or, what is the same, to have 
 evils removed, is, in fact, — as the New Church Doctrine 
 teaches, — to have our spirits removed or withdrawn 
 from infernal societies ; for so long as man is in evils, 
 he is in connection with such societies, and it is from 
 that source that the evils flow in. But if man in- 
 dulges his evils, he is, as just shown, binding himself 
 more and more closely to infernal societies; and he 
 cannot be separated or withdrawn from them except 
 by ceasing to indulge the evil, and by fighting against 
 it. But he who will not fight against an evil — as the 
 evil of anger and revenge, for instance — but prefers to 
 indulge and cherish it, does not sufier himself to be 
 withdrawn from the company of the infernal spirits 
 who are in that evil. In this state, it is impossible 
 that that sin should be forgiven him ; for he does not 
 ask to have it forgiven : he rather chooses it and loves 
 it : he is not willing to be withdrawn from that hell. 
 And as all evils are connected together — therefore by 
 binding himself to one, he, in a manner, gives himself 
 up to all ; and thus his other sins and trespasses cannot 
 be forgiven, while he voluntarily indulges in any one sin. 
 
 How can a man kneel down with a sincere heart, 
 and say to the Lord, "forgive me my trespasses," 
 while he is conscious of cherishing an angry and un- 
 forgiving spirit against his felloW-man? He cannot: 
 
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 85 
 
 his prayer is either hypocritical or unmeaning; and 
 such a prayer finds no response. "If I regard iniquity 
 in my heart," says the Psahnist, " tlie Lord will not 
 hear."* No! the prayer cannot be heard, because it 
 is not a true prayer: the iniquity cherished in the 
 heart chokes the words as they issue from the mouth, 
 draws down the thought as it aspires to heaven, and 
 extinguishes the prayer's very life. 
 
 Says the Lord, " If thou bring thy gift to the altar* 
 and there remember that thy brother hath aught 
 against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar and 
 go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and 
 then come and offer thy gift."t Whether we approach 
 the altar in prayer or in worship, it is all in vain, 
 whilst we are conscious of having done an unatoned 
 wrong to others, or whilst we are cherishing feelings 
 of hostility for supposed wrongs done to us. Both 
 states are evil, and unrepenting evil cannot pray, nor 
 is its worship accepted. We must " first go and be 
 reconciled to our brother, and then come and offer our 
 gift:" we must first make amends for the wrong we 
 have done, — if we have done wrong to others, — or we 
 must put away from our hearts any feelings of enmity 
 towards others on account of the wrongs, real or sup- 
 posed, which they may have done to us. We must 
 remove from our hearts feelings of anger and ill-will, 
 before we presume to come into the presence of our 
 Maker. How can hell mix with heaven? But anger 
 is hell, and the Lord is heaven — and they cannot 
 approach each other. 
 
 * Psalm Ixvi. 18. f Matthew v. 23, 24. 
 
se 
 
 AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, 
 
 But perhaps we may think ourselves justified in 
 cherishing angry feelings, on some particular occasions, 
 in consideration of the greatness of the wrongs we may 
 have suffered. If that be our excuse, we need but call 
 to mind the Lord's parable of the king and his ser- 
 vants. " Therefore," said the Lord, " is the kingdom 
 of heaven likened to a certain king, who would take 
 account of his servants. And when he had begun 
 to reckon, one Avas brought to him who owed him 
 ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not 
 to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his 
 wife and children, and all that he had, and payment 
 to be made. The servant, therefore, fell down and 
 worshiped him, saying. Lord, have patience with me, 
 and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that ser- 
 vant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and 
 forgave him the debt. But the same servant went 
 out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed 
 him a hundred pence; and he laid hands on him, and 
 took him by the throat, saying. Pay me that thou 
 owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, 
 and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, an<J 
 I will pay thee all. And he would not; but went and 
 cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So, 
 when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they 
 were very sorry, and came and told their lord all 
 that was done. Then his lord, after he had called 
 him, said to him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave 
 thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me : shouldest 
 thou not also have had compassion on thy fellow- 
 servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord 
 
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 87 
 
 was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till 
 he should pay all that was due to him. So likewise 
 shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from 
 your hearts forgive not every one his brother their 
 trespasses."* 
 
 There, now, is the lesson : there is the Divine de- 
 claration, and it will be fulfilled to the letter. If any 
 one fancies himself justified in indulging anger because 
 he has been wronged, let him think how much more 
 justifiable would our Divine Master be in exercising 
 wrath against us. "If thou, Lord, shouldst mark 
 iniquities, Lord, who shall stand T't Have we not, 
 each and all, sinned against him again and again, in 
 thought and word and deed, — and if he should take 
 revenge for all these wrongs against his Divine law, 
 where should we bel And yet if we are wronged in 
 the least degree by our " fellow- servant," — our fellow- 
 man, we fancy we are justified in being angry and 
 taking revenge to the utmost. How do those accounts 
 square with each other? How will those reckonings 
 stand, when a comparison is made? — and it will be 
 made at our judgment. Our fellow-servant owes us a 
 hundred pence; but we owe our own Lord ten thousand 
 talents: such is the proportion between the wrongs 
 done to us, and the wrongs which we ourselves have 
 done. 
 
 Let us beware, then, how we cherish an unforgiv- 
 ing spirit, if we wish to be ourselves forgiven. Let 
 us hasten to put away all feelings of anger, revenge, 
 and ill-will, and come into a state of love and kind- 
 * Matthew sviii. 23-35. f Psalm cxxx. 3. 
 
8S AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS. 
 
 ness, of Christian forbearance and forgiveness to- 
 wards all men, if we would be drawn out of hell and 
 be elevated into heaven. " Recompense to no man," 
 says the Apostle, " evil for evil. Dearly beloved, 
 avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto 
 wrath; for it is written. Vengeance is mine; I will 
 repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thy enemy hunger, 
 feed him; if he thirst, give him drink."* "For," 
 says the Lord, "if ye forgive men their trespasses, 
 your Heavenly Father will also forgive you : but if ye 
 forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
 Father forgive your trespasses." 
 
 • Romans sii. 17, 19, 20. 
 
89 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 " And bring * us not into temptation." — Matthew vi. 13. 
 
 The subject of temptations is, to the spiritual man, a 
 most interesting one: it is one in which he feels a 
 strong personal concern. For every spiritually minded 
 man experiences temptations, and it is necessary that 
 he should experience them, in order that he may be 
 regenerated. " Whosoever," says the Lord, " doth not 
 take his cross, and follow after me, is not worthy of 
 me."t To take the cross and follow after the Lord, is 
 to endure temptations, as the Lord himself endured 
 them. 
 
 The uses which temptations effect, are set forth with 
 great clearness in the Doctrines of the New Church. 
 Their origin and nature, also, are there very plainly 
 shown. A consideration of this subject cannot fail to 
 be highly instructive and useful. 
 
 It is said in the text, " Bring us not into tempta- 
 tion." But though it is so expressed in the literal 
 sense, the Lord, in truth, brings no one into tempta- 
 tion : it is man's own evil through which he is tempted. 
 Says the Apostle James, " Let no man say, when he is 
 
 * The common translation, " kad us," is less correct, 
 t Matthew x. 38. 
 
90 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be 
 tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."* 
 " In the sense of the letter," says the Doctrine of the 
 New Church, " temptations and other such things are 
 attributed to God; whereas it is according to the 
 internal sense that God tempts no one, but continually 
 delivers from temptations, so far as is possible, or so 
 far as deliverance does not cause evil, — and that he 
 continually regards good, into which he leads those 
 who are in temptations. It is the evil with man 
 which causes temptation, and which also leads into 
 temptation." t 
 
 Let us now consider the origin and nature of temp* 
 tations, and then the uses which they ejQTect. But 
 first, in order to get a clear view of the subject, it is 
 necessary to define what is meant by " temptations." 
 
 Temptations may be divided into two classes, ex- 
 ternal and internal; or, as they might be termed, 
 active and passive temptations. By external or active 
 temptations, I mean inducements to sin presented from 
 without. We all know what these are, for this is the 
 ordinary sense in which the term, "temptation," is 
 used. A temptation, in this sense, is anything which, 
 seen or heard or felt, rouses man's lusts or passions, 
 thus inviting and urging him to go astray; Such 
 objects are all around us in the world : such invitations 
 to sin present themselves on every side. In the pre- 
 sent disordered state of mankind, the path of life, as 
 we all know, is beset with dangers: inducements to 
 sin are everywhere presented. There are temptations 
 * i. 13. t Arcana Coelestia, n. 2768. 
 
AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 91 
 
 offered to the bodily lusts and appetites; tliere are 
 temptations that call up the angry passions ; there are 
 temptations to deceive and defraud in business ; there 
 are temptations to prefer one's self to others, to ad- 
 vance ourselves at the expense of others; there are 
 temptations to love the world more than the Lord and 
 heaven. Such temptations press upon us from every 
 side : no one can entirely escape them : what we have 
 to do, is to fortify ourselves against them. And it is 
 one of the chief duties of parents, by careful and pious 
 instructions, to arm their children against these temp- 
 tations of the world. Some parents have endeavored, 
 by watchfulness and seclusion, to protect their children 
 from all temptation : but it is in vain : rather arm them 
 well, and let them go out to the fight. They must 
 "fight the good fight of faith;" every one must do so, 
 who becomes regenerate; the kingdom of heaven is 
 taken by violence.* It is necessary that man's here- 
 ditary evils be in some degree and measure called up 
 by temptation, in order that he may see and resist 
 them, and thus be purified from them. Not, indeed, 
 that any one is to throw himself needlessly into temp- 
 tation, and thus put himself in harm's way: this is 
 wrong and dangerous: by such a course he may be 
 tempted beyond his strength. It is our duty to guard 
 ourselves from temptation, as far as we can without 
 leaving the path of duty : there are temptations enough 
 that come up in the usual and orderly course of life; 
 and Divine Providence will, if we yield ourselves 
 to his guidance, bring us into such courses and circum- 
 • Matthew xi. 12. 
 
92 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 stances as will present to us just the needful tempta- 
 tions and no more. Beyond this, it is dangerous to go. 
 No parent is warranted in exposing his child — no man 
 has a right to expose himself — to imnecessary tempta- 
 tions, under the idea of his becoming thus hardened 
 against the trials of life : you may thereby fall, or 
 cause your child to fall, into the very evils you sought 
 to guard against. The prayer is, " Bring us not into 
 temptation;" which means, "Permit us not, O Lord, 
 to be brought into temptation beyond our strength to 
 bear." 
 
 But when, in the regular course of our duty, temp- 
 tations are presented to us, inviting us to sin, — 
 "Now," we should say to ourselves, "now is the 
 opportunity for self-conquest, — now is the opportunity 
 for moral and spiritual advancement, — now can we, by 
 an effort, take a leap towards the kingdom of heaven." 
 For, by a battle and a conquest in temptation, one 
 makes a far more rapid advance in regeneration, than 
 merely by the slow course of ordinary quiet improve- 
 ment. The enemy assembles his forces : you meet and 
 conquer him in a great battle, and the whole kingdom 
 of heaven then lies open before you, and you have lasting 
 peace ; whereas, when you move on in only the ordinary 
 course of duties, and are not brought face to face with 
 any strong temptations, you are yet continually harassed 
 by petty evils hanging about your path, and you make 
 but little spiritual progress. This, now, is the case 
 with the merely natui'al man : he is not strong enough 
 to bear much temptation, and hence he makes but 
 little spiritual advancement : while the S2)iritnal man. 
 
AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 93 
 
 strong in the Lord's strength, goes on "conquering 
 and to conquer," and so makes rapid advances towards 
 the kingdom of heaven. Hence says the Apostle 
 James,"' " My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall 
 into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of 
 your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her 
 perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, want- 
 ing nothing." It was by a long series of temptations, 
 endured throughout his whole life, that the Lord per- 
 fected and glorified his humanity: he was "made per- 
 fect through sufferings." And we, also, by enduring 
 temptations in our degi'ee and measure, are to "fol- 
 low him in the regeneration;" and, doubtless, he who 
 endures the most and greatest temptations, — provided 
 he conquer in them, — will be the most thoroughly 
 regenerated. 
 
 It is, however, the subject of external or active temp- 
 tations, to wliich I must confine myself just now. And 
 I wish to give a few directions in regard to meeting and 
 conquering them. When temptations to sin present 
 themselves from without, what we have to do, is, first 
 to look up to the Lord with a momentary ejaculation 
 for help; and then, as it were, clenching our hands 
 and shutting our eyes against the tempter, hold on, 
 struggle on, resist the evil thought, crying out, like 
 the Lord, " Get thee behind me, Satan," — till at length, 
 the storm has blown over, — till the blast from the in- 
 fernal caverns within, called up by the evil object 
 presented from without, has passed by, and we come 
 forth weakened and humbled by the effort, yet purified 
 «i.2. 
 
94 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 and inwardly strengthened, and brouglit nearer to the 
 kingdom of heaven. And then, as after the Lord's 
 temptation in the wilderness, "angels come and 
 minister unto us;" an interior, heavenly peace is 
 breathed into the heart, — a sweet calm comes over 
 the spirit, like the dawn of morning after a night of 
 storm, — and we feel ourselves more nearly conjoined 
 to the Lord. Such is the reward of victory in temp- 
 tation. 
 
 " He who is in the combats of temptation and con- 
 quers," says the New Church Doctrine, " acquires to 
 himself more and more power over evil spirits, or over 
 the diabolical crew, till at length they dare not assault 
 him ; but, on every victory obtained, the Lord reduces 
 to order the goods and truths from which the combat 
 was supported, when, consequently, these are purified; 
 and in proportion as they are purified, the celestial 
 things of love are insinuated into the exterior man, and 
 a correspondence is effected."* Again, "When any 
 one revolves evil in his mind, and intends it, he should 
 say to himself, * I think of this, and I intend it ; but 
 because it is a sin, I will not do it' By this, the temp- 
 tation injected from hell, is broken, and its further 
 entrance prevented, "t And again: "A man explores 
 the intentions of his will, while he explores his thoughts, 
 for the intentions manifest themselves in the thoughts. 
 "While, for instance, he thinks, wills, and intends, re- 
 venge, or adulteiy, or theft, or false witness, and has 
 a desire for such things, — if he applies his mind, and 
 considers whether he would do those things if the fear 
 
 * Arcana Ccslestia, n. 1717. i^ True Christian Religion, n. 535. 
 
AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 95 
 
 of the law and of reputation did not prevent, and 
 then, after such scrutiny, resolves that he will not do 
 them because they are sins, — he then performs true 
 and interior repentance ; and still more so, when he is 
 in the delight of those evils, and is at the same time in 
 the liberty of doing them, and yet resists and abstains^ 
 He who repeatedly practises this, finds the delight of 
 evils, when they return, become at length unde- 
 lightful, and he condemns them."* 
 
 Such is the efiect of conquest in temptations: by 
 every such conquest man becomes spiritually stronger, 
 finds it more easy to resist, and at length evils have 
 no more power over him; and then they are no longer 
 temptations. 
 
 Having thus spoken of the first class of temptations, 
 which I have termed external or active temptations, 
 being such as are presented from without, and act palp- 
 ably and violently on man's evil propensities, — I come 
 now to speak of the second great class of temptations. 
 These I have termed internal and passive, fii-st because 
 they come, in general, unattended with any outward 
 allurement, and spring from no apparent or visible 
 cause j and also because the man is in a manner a pas- 
 sive sufierer under them : what he has then to do, is, 
 not so much to fight, as to bear, — to endure. These are 
 what are properly called spiritual temptations; for 
 only the spiritual-minded are subject to them; whereas 
 to the other class of temptations, all men, the bad as 
 well as the good, natural men as well as spiritual, are 
 
 • T. C. R., n. 532. 
 G 
 
96 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 exposed; the wicked, however, fall under them, while 
 the good generally conquer. 
 
 Concerning spiritual temptations, the Doctrine of 
 the New Church thus speaks: — "Scarcely any one in 
 the Christian world at this day knows whence temp- 
 tations are. He who undergoes them, believes no 
 otherwise than that they are torments arising from 
 the evils which are inwardly in man, and which first 
 render him unquiet, next anxious, and finally torment 
 him. He is altogether ignorant that they are pro- 
 duced by the evil spirits that are with him : that he is 
 ignorant of this, is because he does not believe that he is 
 in consociation with spirits while he lives in the world, 
 and hardly supposes that there is any spirit with him at 
 all ; when yet man, as to the interiors, is continually in 
 the society of spirits and angels. Temptations take 
 place when man is in the process of regeneration, for 
 no one can be regenerated without undergoing tempta- 
 tions. And they exist, as before said, from evil spirits 
 who are about him ; for man is let at such times into 
 the state of evil which constitutes his proprium (or 
 selfhood) ; and when he comes into this state, evil or 
 infernal spirits encompass him; and when they per- 
 ceive that he is interiorly protected by angels, the evil 
 spirits excite the falses which he had thought, and the 
 evils which he had done, while the angels from the 
 interior defend him. It is this combat which is per- 
 ceived by man as temptation, but so obscurely that he 
 scarcely knows otherwise than that it is a kind of 
 anxiety. Nevertheless, man and his eternal salvation 
 are then at staJce; and the determination of the stake 
 
AXD BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 97 
 
 is from man, for the combat is carried on from and 
 concerning those things that are with man."* 
 
 The nature of these temptations is thus further 
 described : — " Evil spirits never make assault upon 
 anything but what man loves, and their assault is 
 violent in proportion to the intensity of the love. As 
 soon as they observe even the smallest thing which 
 man loves, — or perceive by the scent, as it were, what 
 is delightful and dear to him, they assault and endea- 
 vor to destroy it; consequently, they assault and 
 endeavor to destroy the whole man, since his life 
 consists in such loves. Nothing is more pleasant to 
 them than thus to destroy man, nor would they ever 
 desist from their attempts, even to eternity, unless 
 they were repelled by the Lord. Such of them as are 
 particularly malignant and cunning, insinuate them- 
 selves into man's very loves by soothing and flattering 
 them; thus they introduce themselves into the man; 
 and presently when they have thus introduced them- 
 selves, they endeavor to destroy his loves, and by so 
 doing to kill the man; and this, in a thousand ways 
 and modes altogether incomprehensible. Nor do they 
 cany on their assaults merely by reasonings against 
 goods and truths, but they pervert goods and truths, 
 and enkindle a sort of fire of lust and persuasion, so 
 that the man does not know but that he is actually in 
 such lust and persuasion, and at the same time they 
 inflame these with a delight which they steal from 
 man's other delights. Thus with the utmost cunning 
 they infect and infest the man, and this so artfully by 
 * A.C., 5,036. 
 
98 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 leading on from one thing to another, that unless the 
 Lord came to man's help, he would never know but 
 that he was really such as their suggestions make him 
 feel himself to be. In like manner, they assault the 
 affections of truth, wliich form man's conscience. As 
 soon as they perceive anything of conscience whatever, 
 they form to themselves an affection out of the falses 
 and infirmities that are with man, and by means of this 
 they overshadow the light of truth, and so pervert it 
 as to produce anxiety, and thus cause torment. More- 
 over, they have tlie art of keeping the thought fixed 
 intently on one object, and so fill it with phantasies, 
 and at the same time secretly infuse lusts into those 
 phantasies. Not to mention innumerable other arti- 
 fices, which it is impossible to describe so as to give 
 any just conception of them." - 
 
 From this vivid description of the nature of spiritual 
 temptations, we may begin to realize the truth of the 
 Apostle's words, " Be sober, be vigilant; for your 
 adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 
 seeking whom he may devour ;"+ and of the Lord's 
 words, in the parable of the sower, " Then cometh the 
 evil one, and catcheth away that which was sown in 
 the heart." J We may understand now the source of 
 many of the mental torments and anxieties which 
 spiritually-minded men undergo, — having no relation 
 whatever to worldly affairs, or to anything outside of 
 them, but altogether connected with states of con- 
 science and of the soul. How often are the percep- 
 tions of truth darkened in the mind, and the man 
 • Arcana Coelestia, n. 8120. f 1 Peter v. 8. J Matthew xiii. 19. 
 
AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 99 
 
 walks about, even at noon-day, as in a mental night, 
 his spirit wrapped as in a shroud, and bound hand and 
 foot! God and heaven seem to be blotted out, and 
 the whole universe appears a blank. And then, in 
 the darkness, lurid fires of lusts are kindled in the 
 heart, and the man is invited to seek relief in sen- 
 suality and sin, and sometimes even in self-murder. 
 All this the man fancies to be a course of opera- 
 tions going on in his own mind; he supposes it all to 
 be of his own doing, — mere natural changes of state 
 within his proper self. He does not see the fiends 
 that are blowing the fires; he does not discern the 
 active infernals that are spreading the dark pall over 
 his soul: but they are there; and could he but see 
 them, he would cry out in terror, — " Lord Jesus, save 
 me, lest I perish." 
 
 And now, in conclusion, we are to consider the uses 
 of such temptations — why they are permitted, and 
 what spiritual ends they accomplish. On this point, 
 the Doctrine of the New Church thus speaks: — 
 "What good is effected by temptations or the com- 
 bats of temptations, scarcely any one knows. They 
 are the means by which evils and falses are loosened 
 and dispersed in man, and by which horror is excited 
 for them, and by which moreover the conscience is 
 formed and strengthened, and thus man is regenerated. 
 This is the reason why those who become regenerated, 
 are let into combats, and undergo temptations ; which, 
 if not done in the life of the body, takes place in the 
 other life with such as can be regenerated. "Where- 
 
100 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 fore the Lord's Church is called the church mili- 
 tant."* 
 
 These uses are still more fully explained in the fol- 
 lowing passage : — " Good cannot be conjoined with 
 truth in the natural man without combats, or, what is 
 the same thing, without temptations. That it may be 
 known how the case is, in this respect, with man, it 
 shall be briefly told. Man is nothing else than an 
 organ or vessel which receives life from the Lord, for 
 man does not live from himself. The life, which flows 
 in with man from the Lord, is from his Divine love : 
 this love, or the life thence derived, flows in and 
 applies itself to the vessels, which are in man's rational 
 principle and also to those which are in his natural 
 principle. These vessels, with man, are in a situation 
 contrary to that of the in-flow;ng life, in consequence 
 of the hereditary evil into which man is born, and in 
 consequence, also, of the actual evil which he forms in 
 himself. But as far as the influent life is able to dis- 
 pose the vessels to receive it, so far it does dispose 
 them. But when the vessels are in a contrary posi- 
 tion and direction in respect to the life, it is evident 
 that they must be reduced to a position in agreement 
 with it. This can by no means be efi'ected, so long as 
 man is in the state into which he was born, and to 
 which, also, he has brought himself; for the vessels 
 are not compliant, but obstinately repugnant, and 
 opposing wdth all their might the heavenly order 
 according to which the life acts. Before they can be 
 rendered compliant, and be made fit to receive any- 
 * A. a, 1692. 
 
AXD BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 101 
 
 thing of tlie Lord's love, they must be softened; which 
 softening is effected by no other means than by temp- 
 tations : for temptations remove the things pertaining 
 to self-love and to contempt of others in comparison 
 with self, consequently things which are connected with 
 self-glorying, and also with hatred and revenge thence 
 derived. When thus the vessels are somewhat tem- 
 pered and subdued by temptations, then they begin to 
 become yielding to, and compliant with, the life of the 
 Lord's love, which continually flows in. Thus it is, 
 that man is regenerated, that is, made new, by temp- 
 tations, or, what is the same, by spiritual combats; 
 and that he is afterwards gifted with another disposi- 
 tion, being made mild, humble, simple, and contrite in 
 heart."* 
 
 Here, then, we see the grand use of spiritual temp- 
 tations, namely, 'to soften the heart to receive the 
 influx of the Lord's love and life. And we thus see 
 clearly why all who reach the kingdom of heaven 
 must pass through tribulation and trial : no otherwise 
 can man's proud and stubborn will be broken, and 
 self-love be changed into that love of others which is 
 the essence of the heavenly state. We must thus ex- 
 pect and be prepared to endure temptations. When, 
 then, we utter the petition, " Bring us not into temp- 
 tation," we do not mean to pray that we may undergo 
 no temptations at all — for, as just shown, these are 
 necessary, — but we pray not to be brought or let into 
 temptations heyond our strength to hear, and we pray, 
 also, to be sustained in such temptations as it is neces- 
 * A.C., 3318. 
 
102 AND BRING US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 saiy for us to undergo. This must be considered to be 
 the true meaning of the petition. And we have this 
 thought for our consolation, — that in all our tempta- 
 tions we have an Almighty protector, the Divine 
 Redeemer, who conquered all the Powers of hell on 
 the battle-ground of his own humanity, and who 
 now, if we look to him, can conquer them also in our 
 bosoms: "for," as says the Apostle, "in that he him- 
 self hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor 
 also those that are tempted."* 
 
 * Hebrews ii. 18. 
 
103 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 "Deliver us from evil."— Matthew vi. 13. 
 
 This is the closing and crowning petition of the Lord's 
 Prayer, and it includes, in a manner, all the rest. For, 
 when this petition is granted, all the rest will have 
 their accomplishment. With him who is delivered 
 from evil, the Lord's name will be hallowed, the Lord's 
 kingdom will come, and his will be done ; daily bread, 
 both natural and spiritual, will be given him; and he 
 will be brought no more into temptation. Deliverance 
 from evil, indeed, is the one great object to be prayed 
 for and striven for : this attained, all other blessings 
 will follow ; we shall be good and happy both here and 
 hereafter. This, then, is a subject that deserves our 
 most attentive consideration. 
 
 And, in considering it, let us inquire, first, why 
 deliverance from evil is so necessary; secondly, in 
 what manner it is to be effected ; and lastly, in what 
 way and degree the offering of this petition will aid in 
 effecting it. 
 
 First, Why is deliverance from evil so necessary ? 
 Because evil — by which I mean moral evil — is the one 
 great disturber of the universe, the one great destroyer 
 of man's happiness, the one source of all the wretched- 
 
l04 DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
 
 ness that exists on earth or in hell. "Evil," says 
 the Doctrine of the New Church, " is all that which is 
 contrary to Divine order;"* and as Divine order is the 
 source of all the jOy of heaven, because thereby man is 
 formed into the likeness of his Maker, who is Order 
 itself and Joy itself, — consequently, evil, being that 
 which opposes and disturbs Divine order, is the one 
 source of all that is contrary to joy and happiness, and 
 therefore the one great curse to be delivered from. 
 
 But yet, unhappily, we are full of this curse; human 
 nature, as inherited at the present day from parents 
 and ancestors, is, as Revelation declares, one mass of 
 evils. "The heart of man," says the Scripture, "is 
 deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. "+ — 
 "That every man," says the New Church Doctrine, 
 "has hereditary evil, and that thus he is in the in- 
 clination to many evils, is well known in the Church. 
 Thence it is, that a man from himself cannot do good; 
 for evil does not do good, except it be such good as has 
 evil lurking within it; which evil consists in his doing 
 good for the sake of self, and thus doing what is good 
 only in appearance. That this evil is inherited from 
 parents is well known. It is said to be from Adam and 
 Eve, but this is a mistake : every one is born into it from 
 his own parent, that parent from his parent, and so 
 on; and thus it is successively transferred from one to 
 another, by which it is vastly increased and augmented, 
 and is transmitted to posterity. Thence it is, that in 
 man there is no health, that is, nothing sound ; but he 
 is one entire mass of evil. Who is there, for instance, 
 • Divine Providence, n. 279. f Jeremiah xvii. 9. 
 
DEUVER US FROM EVIL. 105 
 
 tliat feels that to love himself more than others is evil 1 
 and who therefore knows that there is any evil in it? 
 when, nevertheless, it is the head of all evils." — " Man 
 is by birth like a little hell, between which and heaven 
 there is perpetual disagreement. And no one can be 
 dra^vn out of this hell by the Lord, unless he sees that 
 he is there, and wishes to be delivered."* Again says 
 the Doctrine of the New Church, " Few, if any, know, 
 that all men whosoever are withheld from evils by the 
 Lord, and this with a stronger force than man can con- 
 ceive. For there is in every man a perpetual tendency 
 to evil, and this as well from the hereditary evil into 
 which he is born, as from the actual evil which he 
 has induced upon himself; so much so, that unless he 
 were withheld by the Lord, he would rush headlong 
 every moment towards the lowest hell. But such is 
 the mercy of the Lord, that he is elevated every mo- 
 ment, yea, every smallest part of a moment, and with- 
 held from rushing thither. This is the case even with 
 the good, but with a difference according to the life of 
 their charity and faith. Thus the Lord continually 
 fights with man, and for man with hell, although to 
 man it does not so appear, "t 
 
 Such is man's real state, although he has so little 
 idea of it : such is the real condition of man's soul, as 
 it appears before the Divine Eye,— a mass of coiTupt 
 passions and inclinations, all pulling him downward 
 with a tremendous force, so that were it not for the 
 perpetual mercy and upholding of the Lord, he would 
 
 * Divine Providence, nn. 277, 251. 
 f Arcana Coelestia, n. 2406. 
 
106 DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
 
 precipitate himself into the deepest hell, and perish 
 everlastingly. It is necessary that man should know 
 this, although, in the mercy of the Lord, he is pre- 
 vented from feeling or realizing it : for if he were 
 conscious, all the time, of his real state of evil, he 
 would be in desjDair. Yet it is right that he should 
 know and believe it, as a truth of Divine Revelation, 
 for otherwise he cannot be truly humble, otherwise he 
 cannot feel his need of a Saviour, nor utter with sin- 
 cerity the prayer, "Deliver us from evil." 
 
 At times, indeed, man does realize how evil he is, 
 and the more interior and spiritual-minded he becomes, 
 the more clearly does he perceive this. For it is a 
 great truth, that the purer and the better a man 
 becomes, the more humble he is; because in the higher 
 light to which he thus attains, the more distinctly does 
 he understand the nature of evil, and the more plainly 
 does he perceive it in himself Hence, as we are in- 
 structed, the highest angels are the humblest of all. 
 The reason is, — that from a state of good, evil can be 
 seen : but evil cannot see itself Hence, they who are 
 immersed in evil, have the least perception of their 
 own evil. The lowest and most sensual men think 
 themselves good enough : even the infernals do not 
 imagine themselves to be evil, because, being not above 
 it but in it, they have no perception, by contrast, of 
 what evil is : evil to them is good. Hence we may 
 perceive how dangerous a state a man is in, who thinks 
 himself good enough : it is the most certain proof that 
 he is not so. He who is well satisfied with himself, 
 may be assured that he has the least reason for being 
 
DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 107 
 
 self-satisfied: it is simply a proof that he has not good 
 enough to see his own evil by. 
 
 Yet, at times, every man, who has any degree of 
 spirituality whatever, or even any knowledge of reli- 
 gious truth, by the light of which he may be able to 
 distinguish evil from good — feels that he is evil, that 
 he has terrible evils within himself. Those times are, 
 when his passions have been aroused in an unwonted 
 manner by some outward provocation ; when circum- 
 stances have occurred, which have called forth words 
 and deeds of violence and rage, which he had not sup- 
 posed himself capable of; when he has perceived feelings 
 stiiTed within his bosom, which he did not imagine had 
 an existence there. Then, if he possesses any degree of 
 spiritual good at all, he is ashamed and alarmed at him- 
 self, feels indeed humbled in the Lord's sight, and in 
 his sense of self -degradation is ready to exclaim, " Lord, 
 deliver me from evil." And it is for the purpose of 
 thus calling out man's hidden evils, that the Lord, in 
 his providence, permits various temptations to assail 
 us, various trials to harass us. It is the good Physi- 
 cian probing the wound, in order to heal it. The 
 Lord permits various occurrences to take place in life, 
 various circumstances to act upon us, in order that 
 our real characters may be called forth — that we may 
 see ourselves, and know of what nature we are; and 
 that, feeling thus our own weaknesses and disorders of 
 spirit, we may be conscious of our utter dependence 
 on Him for any degree of good, and may truly and 
 from the heart pray to be " delivered from evil." 
 
 Understanding, then, by the light of Divine Revela- 
 
108 DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
 
 tion, the true nature of man, we may now perceive why 
 deliverance from evil is so necessary; we may see our 
 need of regeneration, and can thus understand the 
 truth of the Lord's words, " Unless a man be born 
 again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."* 
 
 But having thus attained a perception of our evil 
 state, our next thought and earnest desire must be, to 
 know how we may be delivered from it. " What shall 
 I do to be saved ? " must be the earnest inquiry. By 
 what means are we to be delivered from this evil 
 which hereditarily fills our hearts, and which stands 
 between us and heaven? 
 
 The Holy Word makes known the means: the 
 Book of Divine Revelation is given for the very 
 purpose of showing us the way to heaven, and conse- 
 quently of showing ns the way to be delivered from 
 evil, for this is the only means of attaining heaven : the 
 Word of the Lord is given for " a lamp to our feet, 
 and a light to our path."t The means of deliverance 
 from evil, as taught in the Word, are many and 
 various, and hence we need to peruse frequently that 
 Sacred Book, in order to be well instructed in its 
 teachings, and to keep them fresh before our minds. 
 Those means, however, may be summed up in two — 
 to believe in the Lord and keep his commandments. 
 Whoever makes a steady and persevering use of these 
 two means, will gradually be delivered from his evils; 
 and as these are removed, he will receive goodness 
 from the Lord, and so at length be regenerated, and 
 * John iii. 3. f Poolm cxix. 105. 
 
DELIVER US FEOM EVIL. 109 
 
 fitted for the kingdom of heaven. But it is necessary 
 now to get a clear idea of what is meant by believing 
 in the Lord and keeping his commandments. Let us, 
 then, consider these two points. 
 
 To believe in the Lord, means, to believe the Lord 
 Jesus Christ to be God, and the only God; to look 
 to him in his Divine Humanity as the Omnipotent 
 Saviour — one, who, as his own words declare, has 
 " all power in heaven and earth;"* and to worship him 
 and pray to him as such. The three Essentials of 
 Divinity, termed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are to 
 be viewed, not as three Persons, but as three Prin- 
 ciples or Essentials dwelling in the One Person of the 
 Lord Jesus — the Father signifying the pure invisible 
 Divinity, the Son the Divine Humanity, and the Holy 
 Spirit the Divine Proceeding or Emanation : all these 
 are in Jesus, for he himself said, " the Father dwell- 
 eth in me," and " he that seeth me seeth the Father ;"•(■ 
 and he himself, also, breathed on the disciples, paying, 
 "Receive ye the Holy Spirit. " j To believe in the Lord, 
 then, is to fix the thought upon the Lord Jesus as the 
 one and only God; to behold, in thought, his Person, 
 glorified and Divine — as he was beheld transfigured 
 on the mount, " his face shining as the sun, and his 
 raiment white as the light;" to look to that Divine 
 Person in daily prayer, morning and evening ; and to 
 ask him for strength to keep his commandments, and 
 do his will. 
 
 To believe in the Lord implies, moreover, an under- 
 standing of the Lord's work of Redemption. Jehovah, 
 
 • Matthew xxviii. 18. f John xiv. 10, 9. J John xx. 22. 
 
110 DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
 
 the great Creator of the universe, came down and took 
 upon himself Humanity in the world, in order, upon 
 the battle-ground of that Humanity, to meet the 
 powers and hosts of hell, and overcome them, and cast 
 them down, and so remove them from mankind. Thus 
 Jehovah- Jesus redeemed mankind, by delivering them 
 from the preponderating influence of hell, and so re- 
 storing them to mental freedom ; as a consequence of 
 which, every man is now able to think and do right if 
 he will, and thus to be regenerated and saved. It is 
 to be understood that before the Lord came into the 
 world, the influence of hell over men was so powerful 
 as to take away their mental freedom, so that they 
 could scarcely help thinking and doing evil. More- 
 over, infernal spirits, or devils, entered into men's 
 bodies (as we read in the Gospels) and tortured them. 
 Thus, mankind were fast becoming the very slaves of 
 the infernal Powers. Now, this yoke the Lord came 
 to break. He assumed a human nature like that of 
 other men, in order that the Powers of hell might 
 flow into it, that there he might meet and overcome 
 them, and bring them into subjection. It was this, in 
 which the work of Redemption consisted. To believe 
 that the Lord Jesus did accomplish this work of Re- 
 demption, and thus is the Almighty Saviour, and to 
 look and pray to him as such — this is what is meant 
 by believing in the Lord. 
 
 Let us now consider what is meant by keeping his 
 commandments. To keep the Divine commandments 
 is, chiefly, to resist in ourselves the evils which those 
 commandments forbid. Most of the Divine command- 
 
DELIVER US FROM EVIL. Ill 
 
 ments, you observe, are expressed in the negative 
 form, as, " Thou shalt not steal," " Thou shalt not 
 kill," " Thou shalt not commit adultery," &c. Now 
 what we have to do, when the temptation to break 
 these or other commandments is presented, is this : — 
 Looking up to the Lord for strength, we must resist 
 and fight against and drive away the sinful thought, — 
 abstain from the evil act, — with an effort conquer 
 ourselves, and overcome the evil passion or inclination. 
 When we have done this, then the Lord enters with 
 his Holy Spirit and removes that evil inclination, 
 takes away the sinful desire itself, and so purifies the 
 internal man ; and at the same time he introduces the 
 ojDposite good affection, he brings in new heavenly 
 loves and aspirations, and so, gi'adually forms heaven 
 in the soul. This is the way we are delivered from 
 evil: this is the way we are regenerated; and regen- 
 eration is salvation : for salvation is not merely intro- 
 duction into a certain place, but it is a change in the 
 state of the mind. 
 
 This, now, is what is meant by " taking up our cross 
 and following the Lord.'' Jesus said, "If any one 
 will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up 
 his cross, and follow me."* To "deny ourselves" is 
 to resist our evil inclinations, and to "take up our 
 cross" is to endure spiritual temptations. Both of 
 these are necessary to man's deliverance from evil. 
 We must both passively submit to trials, and we must 
 actively fight against evils. Trials and spiritual temp- 
 tations, as shown in the preceding discourse, are neces- 
 
 • Matthew xvi. 24. 
 H 
 
112 DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
 
 sary in order to break down, man's proprium and 
 stubborn self-will, to make Mm willing to yield to tlie 
 Divine guidance, and to enable him to become recep- 
 tive of heavenly good. This is meant by "taking 
 up the cross." But, besides that, we are actively to 
 struggle against the evils which we perceive in our- 
 selves ; to stop the sharp words issuing from the 
 mouth; to check the angry passion rising in the 
 heart ; to refrain from the sinful action to which we 
 are inclined. This it is to "deny ourselves;" and 
 this is what is meant by "keeping the command- 
 ments." 
 
 But now, in the last place, we are to inquire what 
 effect the daily offering up of this prayer, " Deliver 
 us from evil," will have on tlie result? In what way 
 will this contribute to our deliverance from evil? 
 
 The object of prayer, we know, is not to change the 
 Lord, but to change ourselves — to change the state of 
 the person who prays. The Lord is unchangeable: 
 He is Infinite Goodness and Love; and desires nothing 
 more ardently than to deliver man from all evil, and 
 to bless him with all good and happiness. But in this 
 work, as already shown, man's co-operation is neces- 
 sary. The laws of Divine order require that man 
 shall, as of himself, fight against evils; and when he 
 does this, and thus rejects evils from the outside, then 
 the Lord by his Holy Spirit enters and removes them 
 from the interiors of the mind, takes away the very 
 inclinations to them ; and thus man is purified, both 
 externally and internally. Now, the use of prayer is, 
 
DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 113 
 
 to strengthen man for this combat, to arm and pre- 
 pare him for the part which he has to perform. When 
 a man rises in the morning, and goes forth to the 
 work of the day, resting entirely on his own strength, 
 and without having looked up to the Lord for protec- 
 tion, it is ten to one that he will fall before the day is 
 through. For that very confidence in his own strength 
 is the most certain proof of weakness : " He that think- 
 eth he standeth, let him take heed lest he fall." Tor 
 the self-love and pride from which such confidence 
 proceeds, is essential evil, and, though he little thinks 
 it, is in fact insjDired into his heart by the evil spirits 
 who are around him. Evil spirits desire nothing 
 more burningly than to injure and destroy man; 
 and they bolster him up in his self-conceit, and lift 
 him up in proud self-elevation, to the very end that 
 they may presently give him the greater fall. For 
 they have a keen perception of all man's weaknesses ; 
 and the moment they get him upon the precipice of 
 temptation, they will drop him — and the man is gone. 
 Where is his self-confidence now? Before he knows 
 it, he is overhead in the mud and mire of sin. 
 
 But now, on the other hand, when a man, before he 
 goes forth from his chamber, kneels down in prayer to 
 the Lord, and looking up, says, "Lord, deliver me 
 from evil," — at once his internals are opened towards 
 the Lord and heaven, and into those interiors so 
 opened, the Lord pours his Spirit, with its purifying 
 and strengthening power. " He that humbleth him- 
 self, shall be exalted." Having humbled himself by 
 the acknowledgment that he is evil, the infernal spirits 
 
114 DELIVER US PROM EVIL. 
 
 who inspire self-conceit, are driven away, and good 
 angels, who are all humble — ^for they are in the likeness 
 of him who was " meek and lowly in heart," — come 
 about him and strengthen him with thoughts of truth 
 and affections of good, and thus arm him for the 
 battles of the day. He goes forth thus in a panoply 
 of heavenly armor : the angelic hosts, whom prayer, 
 together with reading the Divine Word, have dmwn 
 about him, attend him on his way; and then, when 
 temptation comes, they fight for him, while he at the 
 same time struggles as of himself; and by their united 
 efforts — the Lord, too, being in the midst — all ene- 
 mies are overcome, and victory, spiritual victory is 
 the result. He has that day fought with and con- 
 quered some evils : he has that day kept the Divine 
 commandments; and consequently he is so far purified 
 and " delivered from evil," and is one step nearer the 
 kingdom of heaven. And a succession of such days, 
 week after week, month after month, year after year, 
 — will at length perfect the work, and complete his 
 regeneration; and then, when his last day on earth 
 comes, — being now delivered from evil and filled with 
 good, he will rise to his place amid the angelic host, 
 where " in the Lord's presence is fulness of joy, and at 
 his right hand arc pleasures for evermore." Amen. 
 
115 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The " doxology," as it is termed, appended to the 
 Lord's Prayer in Matthew, namely, the words, " For 
 thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory 
 for ever. Amen," — is of no certain authority. Every 
 reader must have observed that those words are want- 
 ing at the end of the Lord's Prayer in Luke (xi. 4). 
 Nor are they found in Matthew, in the best and most 
 ancient manuscripts; and they are therefore almost 
 unanimously rejected by the editors of the Greek Text. 
 They were probably taken from the early Christian 
 Liturgies, in which they were used as a response by 
 the people to the Lord's Prayer as repeated by the 
 minister. In some MSS. they are found written in 
 red ink in the margin, whence, doubtless, they became, 
 in time, interpolated into the text. The Prayer pro- 
 perly ends with the words, " Deliver us from evil" 
 
 BELL AND BAIN, PEINIEES, GLASdOW. 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 SERMONS, DOCTRINAL, MISCELLANEOUS, AND 
 
 OCCASIONAL 
 
 Second Edition. Price 4s. 6d., Cloth. 
 
 PRACTICAL SERMONS. Price 4s. 6d., Cuoth. 
 
 THE PLEASURES OF RELIGION: 
 
 A POEM, IN TWO PAETS. WITH OTHER POEMS. 
 
 Price 2s. 6d., Cloth. 
 
 GEMS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SWEDENBORG. 
 
 Price 3s. 
 
 GOD MANIFEST. 
 A Treatise on the Goodness, Wisdom, and Power of God, as 
 manifested in his Works, Word, and Personal Appearing : 
 showing also how the Permission of Moral and Physical 
 Evd is reconcilable with the Divine Attributes, pp. 466. 
 Price 6s. 
 
 A CHAPTER ON SLAVERY, 
 
 Sequel to God Manifest. In Six Sections : — I. Slavery in 
 Ancient Times — In the Middle Ages. II. Slavery in Russia. 
 III. Slavery in Africa. IV. The Repubhc of Liberia. V. 
 Why the Slave Trade has been Permitted. VI. Slavery 
 in America; its Origin, and the Probable Manner of its 
 Removal, pp. 175. Price 2s., Cloth. 
 
ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH SKETCHES. 
 
 Contents: — First SigM of the Britisli Isles — Pilgrimage to 
 the former Home of a Poetess — Lindley Murray and Ben- 
 jamin West — The Tomb of Swedenborg — Poet's Comer — 
 St. Paul's — Nobility — Eichmond Hill and Pope's Grotto — 
 Addison's Walk — The Country Churchyard — Channing — 
 American Authors in England — Shakespeare's Birthplace 
 and Tomb — The "Thunderer" — Abbey Euins — English 
 Skies — Anglicisms — The Scotch — Wallace's Tree — Tanna- 
 hill's Hole — Wilson the Ornithologist — The Land of Burns 
 — A Day's Journey through the Highlands — Melrose Abbey 
 by Moonlight — A Scottish Election — Visit to Jeffrey. 
 Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 AMERICAN NATIONAL LYRICS AND SONNETS. 
 Price 2s. 
 
 RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY UNITED; 
 
 OE, 
 
 AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW THAT PHILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES LIE AT 
 THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. 
 
 By Mrs. M. H. Prescott. 
 
 With a Memoir of the Author, by her Son, Rev. 0. Prescott 
 Hiller. Price Is. Cd., Cloth. 
 

 Date Due 
 
 1 
 
 MV 1 ^ '■■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 f)