is contained in these words, "Our Father, which art in heaven." This is used as a preparative to prayer; and what greater inducement can there be to dispose us into a holy awe and reverence of God, than to set before us the greatness and glory of that majesty before whom we prostrate ourselves? And therefore we find that the saints in Scripture, in all their approaches to the throne of grace, were wont in the beginning of their prayers to affect and overawe their hearts with the humble mention of God's glorious attributes. Thus Solomon, "O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants," 1 Kings viii. 23. Thus Jehoshaphat, “O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might," 2 Chron. xx. 6 ? So Hezekiah, "O Lord God of Israel, who dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven and earth," 2 Kings xix. 15. And so the prophet, "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts is his name, great in counsel, and mighty in work," Jer. xxxii. 17

19. And thus our Saviour himself, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth," Matt. xi. 25. And so the primitive believers," Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is," Acts iv. 24. And thus to consider seriously of, and reverently to express, the infinitely glorious attributes of God, is an excellent means to compose us into a holy fear and awe of

God, such as becomes vile dust and ashes to be af fected with when it stands in the presence of its great Lord and Creator: only here let us remember that we dwell not so long upon the titles and attributes of God, nor run so much out into preface, as to forget our errand to him.

Second. Next after the preface, we have the petitions following in their order. Of these some reckon six, others seven. They may be all reduced under two general heads. 1. Such as respect God's glory. 2. Such as respect ourselves and others. The first three respect God's glory, and the last three or four our own good: and that either temporal or spiritual. Temporal, in begging at God's hands our daily bread; spiritual, in desiring both the pardon of, and deliverance from sin.

And here, again, we may observe the admirable order and method of this prayer, in that our Saviour hath placed the petition which refers to our temporal good, as it were, in the very midst and centre of it, it being encompassed round about with petitions for heavenly and spiritual blessings. And this may intimate to us that we are only to bait at the world in our passage and journey to heaven, that we ought to begin with spirituals, and end with spirituals, but only to take up and relish ourselves a little with our daily bread in our way.

Third. In the doxology, or praise, there are four things contained. 1. God's sovereignty, "Thine is the kingdom." 2. God's omnipotency, "And the power." 3. God's excellency, "And the glory." 4. The eternity and unchangeableness of them, and of all God's other attributes noted to us in that expression, “For ever.”

Fourth. Here is the ratifying particle, "Amen,"

added as a seal to the whole prayer; and it importeth a desire to have that confirmed or granted which we have prayed for. And thus Benaiah, when he had received instructions from David concerning the establishing of Solomon in the kingdom, answereth thereto, "Amen," and explains it, "The Lord God of my Lord the king say so too," 1 Kings i. 36. So that when we add this word, "Amen," at the close of our prayers, it is as much as if we had said, The Lord God say so too; or, The Lord grant these requests. For the proper signification of Amen is, So be it, or So it is, or So it shall be; the former denotes our desires, the latter our confidence and assurance of being heard.

Now, of all these four parts of which this praver is composed, I shall speak in their order.

SECTION II.

THE PREFACE TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.

LET us consider the preface in these words, "Our Father, which art in heaven." And here God is described by two of his most eminent attributes, his grace and his glory, his goodness and his greatness: by the one, in that he is styled "our Father;" by the other, in that he is said to be "in heaven :" and both these are most sweetly tempered together, to beget in us a holy mixture of filial boldness and awful reverence, which are so necessary to the sanctifying of God's name in all our addresses to him. We are commanded to come to the throne of grace with boldness, Heb. iv. 16, and yet to serve God acceptably with reverence, and with godly fear, Heb. xii. 28. Yea, and indeed the very calling of it a throne of grace intimates both these affections at once. It is a throne, and therefore requires awe and reverence; but it is a throne of grace too, and therefore permits holy freedom and confidence. And so we find all along in the prayers of the saints, how they mix the consideration of God's mercy and his majesty together in the very prefaces and preparations to their prayers. So Neh. i. 5, "O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him." So Dan. ix. 4, "O Lord, the great and

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dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him." Now this excellent mixture of awful and encouraging attributes will keep us from both the extremes, of despair on the one hand, and of presumption on the other. He is our Father, and this may correct the despairing fear which might otherwise seize us upon the consideration of his majesty and glory; and he is likewise infinitely glorious, a God whose throne is in the highest heavens, and the earth his footstool. And this may correct the presumptuous irreverence, which else the consideration of God as our Father might perhaps embolden us unto.

Now here I shall first speak of the relation of God unto us as a father, and then of the place of his glory and residence, in heaven, and of both but briefly; for I must not dwell upon every particular.

I. To begin with the relation of God to us, as a Father. Now God is a Father three ways. 1. God is a Father by eternal generation. 2. By temporal creation and providence. 3. By spiritual regeneration and adoption.

1. God is a Father by eternal generation; having by an inconceivable and ineffable way begotten his Son, God co-equal, co-eternal, with himself, and therefore called, "The only-begotten Son of God," John iii. 16. Thus God is a Father only to our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his Divine nature. And whensoever this title "Father" is given to God, with relation to the eternal sonship of our Lord Jesus Christ, it denotes only the first Person in the ever-blessed Trinity, who is therefore chiefly and especially called the Father.

2. God is a Father by temporal creation, as he