men, either to use or not to use this form, but they are pofitively required when they pray to fay, Our Father, &c.

This preface then means an exprefs order to use the following form,

not only a model of our

part of them. The words

and to make it devotions, but a naturally lead to

this fenfe; and the conftant practice of the Church in all ages fhews, that they were always fo interpreted. The primitive Chriftians us'd the Lord's Prayer in their daily fervice; and, as St. Austin obferves, call'd it for that reafon the daily cleansing, and the daily healing. They fanctify'd their own pious compofures by the more perfect one taught by their Mafter, and never failed to offer up this Prayer at the celebration of the holy Communion. It was joyn'd to the Prayer of Oblation; and, as far as we can judge at this distance, was employ'd in no

a

Sic docuit Apoftolos fuos ut quotidiè in corporis illius facrificio credentes audeant loqui, Pater nofter. Hieron. lib. 3. adv. Pelag. Oratio quotidiè dicenda eft vobis, cùm baptizati fueritis, in ecclefiâ enim ad altare Dei quotidiè dicitur dominica oratio ut audiant illam fideles. Aug. Homil. Orationem verò dominicam idcirco mox poft precem dicimus, quia mos Apoftolorum fuit ut ad ipfam foJummodo orationem oblationis hoftiam confecrarent. Greg. Mag. epift. Είτα με ταῦτα τὴν εὐχὴν λέγονμ ἐκείνην ἣν ὁ σωτὴρ παρέδωκε τοῖς οἰκείοις αὐτῷ μαθηταῖς. Cyril. Hierof. Cath. 5.

other part of the fervice. So great veneration was conceiv'd for this excellent form, that thofe that were not yet admitted into the Church by Baptifm, or excluded from it by juft cenfure, were not admitted to bear a part in it. in it. And therefore it was made a part of thofe more folemn offices, from which excommunicated or unbaptized perfons were excluded. b He must have been a true difciple of his Saviour that could then be allow'd to pray publickly in those words he had taught; and must be thought to have both the faith and the practice of a Christian, to claim fo much hope as he doth in this Prayer. The difcipline of the African Church, as we learn from St. Austin, was to deliver to the Catechumens, in Paffion week, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer; and to require an account of them the week following, which was the ufual feafon of Baptifm. The adult perfons then to be baptized were carefully instructed in both these offices, that when they were admitted to the whole fervice (as they never

5 Ότι δ' πισοῖς αὕτη ἡ προσευχὴ προσήκε, καὶ οἱ νόμοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας διδάσκεσι καὶ τὸ προοίμιον τῆς εὐχῆς, ὁ γδ ἀμύητα ἐκ är dúvasto wariga naλeived. Chryfoftom. Hom.in Matth. Orabant utique jam fideles jam Apoftoli, nam ifta oratio dominica fidelibus magis datur. D. Aug. adv. Pelag.

were

were before Baptifm) they might profess their faith with more judgment, and their hope in this Prayer with more fincerity and comfort. It was fitting that fo much reverence should be fhewn to a form fo perfect in its matter, fo excellent in its teacher, and fo comfortable in its use. The antient Church had reason to exclude all but her true members from partaking in this Prayer, the fuccefs of which is only founded in the reconciliation to God by his Son. The haftening of God's Kingdom, the forgiveness of our trefpasses, and the deliverance from our spiritual enemies, are only due to us as Chriftians, by virtue of our relation to our Lord Jefus; the bleffings here ask'd for do fo much exceed both human merit and understanding, that they could neither be discover'd without the preaching, nor claim'd without the fatisfaction of a Redeemer.

It is farther obfervable, that as we in this Prayer profefs the faith and the hope, fo likewife do we promise the practice of a Chriftian. Every article of it is a leffon of fome virtue, and fuppofeth our own honeft endeayours to improve those fpiritual perfections for which we here pray. The Lord's Prayer is not only a direction to our defires, but a

rule of behaviour; and, as a learned father obferves, contains an abridgment of all the Gospel precepts.

In short, it fets forth the full extent of our hope, and the conditions of it; and fhews in one short view, both what we are entitled to ask by the merits of our Saviour, and what we are oblig'd to do by the rules of his Gofpel.

I shall therefore endeavour, by God's bleffing, to explain the meaning and practical ufes of the feveral parts of this excellent Prayer, and shall confine the prefent difcourfe to these introductory words,

Our Father which art in heaven.

In which words two things are to be confider'd.

First, What is meant by calling God our Father in heaven.

c Compendiis paucorum verborum quot attinguntur edicta Prophetarum, Evangeliorum, Apoftolorum, fermones Domini, parabolæ, exempla, præcepta; quot fimul expunguntur officia? Dei honor in patre, fidei teftimonium in nomine, oblatio obfequii in voluntate, commemoratio fpei in regno, petitio vitæ in pane, exomologefis debitorum in deprecatione, folicitudo tentationum in poftulatione tutelæ. Tertull. de Oratione.

Secondly,

1

Secondly, What those practical ufes are that arise from doing so.

The first thing to be confider'd in this ap. pellation is that we call God, Father.

Now in the first place God may be called Father, as he is the Creator of the world, and all things in it,

The very entrance into this Prayer reminds men of that humility, with which they should send up this and all other petitions, They, by calling God Father, impute to him folely the means of their being; that he hath made us, and not we our felves. They confefs in the language of the Prophet, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the Ifai. Ixiv. clay, and thou the potter, and we all are the work of thy hands. We can never want a leffon of humility or thankfulness when we look into our felves, fince every good thing there, is the mark of God's bounty.

That men can call nothing properly their own, but owe the original of all to God, is a maxim the best known and the leaft apply'd of any in nature. They need only in order to this to reflect, that they a few years ago, without either merit or concurrence of their own, ftept out of nothing into this pride of nature and perfection of being,

8.