THE

LORD'S PRAYER PARAPHRASED.

Our Father.

O ETERNAL and glorious Lord God, thou art our Father by Creation, for thou gavest at first being to the common parents of all mankind; thou art our Father by Nature; we owe our own immediate being more to Thee, than we do to our immediate parents; for thou art the Father of our Spirits: thou art our Father by our Preservation, we could not support ourselves in being one moment of time, without the incessant influence of thy Providence and Goodness: thou art our Father by Adoption, receiving us in a more special manner to be thy children in and through Jesus Christ. In all the course and passages of our lives, thou hast manifested unto us the love, and compassion, and tenderness, and good. ness, and affection, and kindness of a Father; for giving our offences, healing our backslidings, pitying our weaknesses, supplying our wants, delivering us from dangers, accepting our weak endeavors to

please and serve Thee; providing things necessary for us, and an immortal inheritance of glory and hap. piness. Blessed be thy Name that art pleased even from heaven to commissionate us to come unto Thee, and to call upon Thee under that encouraging, com. fortable, and near relation and title of our Father; which carries in it the most full and ample assurance of audience and acceptation; for with whom can we expect acceptation or access? From whom can we expect the concession of what we need, if not from our Father? To whom should we resort for sup plies, but to our Father?

Which art in Heaven.

It is true the fathers of our flesh did bear to us tenderness and affection: but, alas! they are mortal fathers, fathers on earth, fathers that either are dead, or must die; and, besides, though their affections might be large to us, they were straitened in power; they were earthly fathers; and possibly their affec. tions to us were larger than their ability. But thou art Our Father, an abiding Everlasting Father, a Father in Heaven. As thy love is abundantly extend. ed to us as a Father, so thy power and ability to answer us is as large as thy goodness. Thou art an Heavenly Father, an All-sufficient Father; we are not straitened in thy love to us, because thou art our Father neither are we straitened in thy power, wisdom, goodness; for thou art infinite in all thy at tributes. And yet, though thou art in heaven, as thy

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throne, yet earth is thy footstool; though thou dwellest in the heavens by the glorious manifestation of thy Majesty, yet the heavens, nor the heaven of heavens, cannot contain Thee; thou art in all places by thy power, presence, and essence. Our prayers have no long journey to Thee; for thou art near unto us, and acquainted with all our thoughts, and wants, and desires. And thou art not only present to hear our prayers, but to relieve, supply, support us; and art pleased, by a special promise, to make the poor cottage of an humble, sincere, praying soul, to be thy Temple, and to be present there, and to be near to all them that in integrity call upon Thee.

Hallowed be thy Name.

And since thy glory and honor is the great end of all thy works, we desire that it may be the beginning and end of all our prayers and services. Let thy great name be glorious, and glorified, and sanctified through all the world: let the knowledge of Thee fill all the earth, as the waters cover the sea; let that be done in the world, that may most advance thy glory : let all thy works praise Thee: let thy wisdom, pow. er, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth, be evident unto all mankind, that they may observe, acknow. ledge, and admire it, and magnify the name of Thee the eternal God. In all the dispensations of thy prov. idence, enable us to see Thee, and to sanctify thy name in our hearts with thankfulness, in our lips with thanksgiving, in our lives with dutifulness and obedi

ence.

Enable us to live to the honor of that great name of thine by which we are called; and that as we profess ourselves to be thy children, so we may study, and sincerely endeavor, to be like Thee in all goodness and righteousness, that we may thereby bring glory to Thee our Father, which art in heaven; that we and all mankind may have high and honora. ble thoughts touching Thee, in some measure suita. ble to thy glory, majesty, goodness, wisdom, bounty, and purity; and may, in all our words and actionsmanifest these inward thoughts touching Thee, with suitable and becoming words and actions.

Thy Kingdom come.

Let thy kingdom of grace come. Let all the world become the true subjects of Thee the glorious God. And let the Gospel of thy Kingdom, the everlasting Gospel, run victoriously over the face of the whole world; that the kingdoms of the earth may become the kingdom of God and of his Christ. Let thy grace, and thy fear, and thy love, and thy law, rule in all our hearts, and in the hearts of all mankind; and subdue and exterminate the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of Antichrist; bring all men to the knowledge and obedience of the truth and let the sceptre of thy kingdom be set up and upheld as long as the sun endureth. And let thy kingdom of Glory come. Also make us fit vessels of it; and that having this hope, we may perfect holiness in thy fear, waiting for, and hastening unto the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the day wherein he shall deliver up the kingdom unto the Father, that God may be all in all.

Thy Will be done.

And since thy will is a most holy, righteous, gracious, just, and wise will, let it be evermore our choice to make thy will to be ours, and to resign up our wills unto Thee, and to thy will. Let the Will of thy Counsel be done : and although we know it is not in the power of men or devils to hinder it, yet so we do testify our duty unto Thee, in praying that nothing may impede or retard the will of thy counsels; for thy counsels are full of goodness, and be. nignity, and purity, and righteousness. And we beg Thee to give us hearts most entirely to wait upon Thee in whatsoever thou shalt appoint concerning us: that if thou shalt give us prosperity and success in this life, we may receive it with all thankfulness and humility, and use it with sobriety, moderation, and faithfulness; if thou shalt send us adversity, we may entertain it with all submissiveness, patience, contentedness; cheerfully submitting to the dispen. sation of our heavenly Father; ever acknowledging thy will to be the best will, and that whereunto it becomes us with all humility to submit; and in the midst of all to rejoice that our portion, and patrimony, and happiness, is reserved for us in a better life. And as we desire the will of thy counsels may be done upon us, so we desire the Will of thy com