the spirit," says St. Paul, "and I will pray with the understanding also." Nothing is more important in Prayer than devout attention. To remember a Prayer or Psalm is not of the slightest use, unless such Prayer is afterwards, by consideration and attention, made to give out all its meaning. Prayers are the wings of the soul, by which it arises to Heaven; but how so not the mere words of the Prayer-they cannot be spiritual wings but the thoughts and desires which are in the Prayer. These wing the soul and lift it up to GOD. Take the LORD'S Prayer itself, how short it is; how soon said; how easily recollected. But unfold its meaning, say what a devout and Christian soul should desire as be repeats the words, and how full is it of inestimable riches in every part? So much so, that some Divines have made their private Prayers to consist almost entirely of the LORD's Prayer; stopping to spread out and unroll every part of it, and pausing to ask themselves what it is they desire of GOD under each petition; what each sentence teaches of GOD, what it teaches concerning themselves; and then putting them both together in a new petition, to explain what it is they desire of GoD in every part.

Now this is not a matter of learning-thus to expound and explain the LORD's Prayer, or any other Prayer or Psalm-but of that spiritual understanding which God gives to all who seek for it, more especially to babes or humble minds. It is, in short, nothing but attention, or what Scripture calls ears that hear," or a "heart to understand." For instance, I suppose the LORD'S Prayer itself has very different meanings to the same person at different times. If any great change of circumstances was to happen to any one of us, if we were to be in any very great affliction an hour hence, we should then find that the LORD's Prayer had a new meaning for us in every part of it, more full than it now has. If you then felt bereaved and friendless, for instance, you would understand the words Our FATHER" very differently to what now you do. Thus is it all times, if you will give your mind to any part of it, you will find therein wisdom and knowledge hid in CHRIST, beyond what you think for. Nothing which can be said in explanation of the LORD's Prayer could so

3 1 Cor. xiv. 15.

unfold its full meaning as your own heart, and your own trials will do.

Now it is in this sense that I would have understood all that has been said of the inestimable value of Divine forms of Prayer. When I spoke of such as being so great a treasure in times of old age or sickness, it was not intended that the mere words of themselves alone were so, but the holy desires, and the many Divine thoughts which are wrapped up in those words, these are the songs in the night," the comforter on the bed of sickness and death.

66

This, indeed, is the true meaning of the words of the text, and of the passage where it occurs, "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of GOD;" pause, stop, and consider; remember what you are doing when you are going to pray; "Be not rash with thy mouth," attend to what you say; "be not hasty to utter any thing before God;" "repeat not any thing idly and vainly;" "for GOD is in Heaven and thou upon earth;" be impressed with an awful sense of God's Majesty when you pray to HIM. 'Therefore," adds the inspired writer, "let thy words be few;" that is to say, let your words and desires go together; remember what GOD is. Be not like the heathen, who, as our LORD says, think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not like a false friend, who uses many words to make up for the want of sincerity in his heart. But let your thoughts and desires ever go with your prayers; and let your actions and endeavours follow them at no great distance, that your Prayer itself be not turned into sin.

SERMON III.

OUR FATHER, WHICH ART IN HEAVEN.

GAL. iv. 6.

"And because ye are sons, GOD hath sent forth the SPIRIT of His SON into your hearts, crying, Abba, FATHER."

WE are little sensible of the greatest wonders and blessings of GOD when we are daily used to them. And thus it is with the LORD's Prayer; we are so familiar with it, that we do not consider how great a privilege it is that GOD HIMSELF should teach us in what manner, and with what words, we should pray to HIM; what a treasure it is; what a store of Divine wisdom and mercy it comprehends. It is the case with every thing that comes from GOD, that the more we examine into it the more we find it to contain; if, for instance, we look at the least flower or insect with a magnifying glass, we observe in it the most amazing beauty and arrangement throughout, and the marks of His hand Whose name is Wonderful. Thus it is with the LORD's Prayer. It is given for little ones, and suitable for them, yet so full and comprehensive, that almost all the ancient Fathers of the Church, and the most learned Divines of all ages, have written at length on the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which are laid up therein. It is said to contain in a short compass all the Gospel. As the starry Heavens at night are reflected in a little pool of water, so the kingdom of Heaven may be seen in this Prayer. "In the brief summary of a few words," says one, "how many sayings of the Prophets, Gospels, Apostles, discourses of the LORD, parables, examples, precepts, are touched upon1." "What

1 Tertullian, De Orat. ix. 11.

sacraments," says another, "are those of the LORD's Prayer! How numerous! how weighty! gathered up in few words, but with such wealth of spiritual virtue, that nothing is left unincluded in this comprehension of Heavenly doctrine ".'

2

Take, for instance, but the two first words, "Our FATHER;" are they not full of the love of GOD, and the love of our neighbour? For when we call GOD" Our FATHER," surely we express love to HIM; we turn to HIM with love, we are fulfilling the first and great Commandment. And when we say, "Our," this

is an acknowledgment that we all are brethren, the common sons of one FATHER; the very word is expressive of brotherly regards, and is the beginning of all those petitions which we make throughout for others as well as ourselves, saying, "Give us," and "Forgive us," not as the world would say, Give me." This word "our," therefore, is an intimation of the second great Commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," which is like unto the first. "And on these two Commandments," says our LORD, "hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Or again, if we take the LORD's Prayer more at length, and compare it throughout with the Ten Commandments, the two tables of the Law, we shall find such a correspondence in the two, that the LORD's Prayer is like a Christian's manner of fulfilling what the Law had enjoined. Thus, when we begin with the words 66 Our FATHER," we acknowledge the first Commandment, that there is but One GOD, Whom we worship; and when we add, "Which art in Heaven," this shows that we are turning to the One living and true God, in distinction from idols, which we are by the second Commandment forbidden to worship. And the next words, "Hallowed be Thy name," contain the spiritual and Divine way of keeping the third Commandment, which is better than the mere keeping to the letter only, of not taking GOD's name in vain. Nor is there any more full and Evangelical way of understanding the fourth Commandment, than by the two next petitions in the LORD's Prayer, that God's kingdom may come, the Heavenly Sabbath of rest; and that it may be even now a Sabbath on earth, by His will being done as it is in Heaven; for doing God's will, instead of our own will, is the true meaning of keeping Sabbath.

2 Cyprian. Treat. vii. 5.

In like manner might it be shown throughout; for as the four first Commandments contain our duty to GoD, and the six last our duty to our neighbour, so is it the case with the LORD'S Prayer; for the three first petitions are more especially to the glory of God, and the four last are for ourselves and for our own wants. And these last Prayers may be applied to the last table of the Commandments, that He will give us our daily bread, that we may not steal. That we may forgive others, and be ourselves forgiven; so shall we neither bear false witness, nor commit murder. That He will not lead us into temptation, so should we not covet.

Thus it may be observed, that the LORD's Prayer is like the Ten Commandments, as all the works of GOD are wont to resemble each other, and "one thing is double against another," as the Wise man says. But more than this, it is a carrying out of the same into spiritual action and fulfilment. It is the Law within the Gospel; it is "faith working by love." It is that which was foretold by the Prophet', wherein the kingdom of grace should be different from the old covenant. "For this is the covenant that I will make after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a GOD, and they shall be to Me a people." Blessed is he who hath the LORD's Prayer written on his heart by the finger of CHRIST; so far will He fulfil and keep unbroken the two Tables of stone.

So remarkable is the LORD's Prayer when considered as a whole, containing so much as to be like an abridgment of GOD'S revealed Law, a brief compendious sum, as it were, of the Christian life; a sort of living expression of faith, hope, and charity, written by the SPIRIT on the regenerate heart, the everlasting Gospel comprised into a small compass. In like manner, it may be observed of all the petitions in it, how short and comprehensive they are, and contained in a very few words. And not only this, but each request in it stands separate and by itself, parted off from the others, as if to lead us to pause and consider between each clause or sentence. For our LORD cautions us in Prayer against "much speaking," for God knows

3 Jer. xxxi. 31-34.

4 Heb. viii. 10.