Dimitte

ta nostra.

rather super-exalting His throne of grace, all His are to answer to these articles.

1. Whether they have hearkened to grace, and have had a care, a respect, an eye, a love to God's Commandments?

2. Whether their hearts were troubled, that their care was not such as it ought, nor their obedience equal and correspondent to their love and desires?

3. Whether they have not grieved, quenched, done despite to the Spirit of grace?

4. Lastly, whether they have daily prayed for increase of grace, whether daily for remissions of sins, which was also one of the commands of this Mediator, "forgive us our sins, nobis debi- and lead us not into temptation?" And if we can answer with a good conscience to these interrogatories, our desires and endeavours will pass for real performances, our sorrow for not keeping will be accepted, and our asking of pardon, procure and obtain mercy.

Cœli clavis oratio.

Ascendat

oratio, ut descendat gratia.

Lu. 11. 2.

Cyp. de
Orat. Dom.

Quest. How is this special grace and help to be attained? Answ. By prayer; for prayer is the key that opens the gate of Heaven, and moves God to bestow a blessing: whence it was, and is good counsel, "let prayer ascend, that grace may descend." And thus much this Catechism intimates, warning us at all times to call for this "special grace, by diligent prayer."

Quest. Is there any rule and form of prayer prescribed ? Answ. Yes, the Lord's Prayer. When ye pray, say, "Our Father which art in Heaven;" which command no man can with a good conscience obey, that holds all set forms necessary to be cast out of the Church. A prayer it is, full and comprehensive of all we can sue for; enlarge ourselves we may, but more we cannot ask than is comprehended in it. In this, we have not only Christ's name to countenance our suits, but words put into our mouths by Christ to sue in.

Amica et familiaris oratio est Deum de suo rogare; ad aures ejus ascendere Christi orationem. Agnoscat Pater Filii sui verba, quum precem facimus; qui habitat intus in pectore, ipse sit et in voce; et cum ipsum habeamus apud Patrem Advocatum pro peccatis nostris, quando peccatores pro delictis nostris petimus advocati nostri verba promamus.

That is, it is a grateful, friendly, and familiar prayer to entreat God by that petition He framed; the prayer that Christ taught ascending to His ears. Let the Father acknowledge the words of His own Son when we pray. Let Him who dwells in the heart be in the voice; and since we have Him an advocate with the Father for our sins, when we poor sinners ask pardon for our offences, let us produce and send up the words of our advocate.

c. 9.

This by Tertullian is called legitima oratio, 'the lawful De Orat. prayer.' And the ancients began their liturgy with it, Et hâc præmissâ legitimá oratione, jus est accidentium desideriorum, 'this lawful prayer being premised, a right there was of succeeding petitions.'

Quest. Let me hear, therefore, if thou canst say the Lord's prayer?'

Answ. "Our Father which art in Heaven," &c.

Quest. 'What desirest thou of God in this prayer?'

Answ. The answer in the Catechism is in one continued tenor of words, which I digest into this form..

1. The sum of the preface. I desire my Lord God, our Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all goodness.'

2. The sum of the two first petitions. To send His grace unto me and all people, that we may worship Him and serve Him.'

3. The sum of the third petition. That we may obey Him as we ought to do.'

4. The sum of the fourth petition. He will send us all things needful for

And I pray God that our bodies and souls.'

And that He will be

5. The sum of the fifth petition. merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins.'

6. The sum of the sixth petition. And that it will please Him to save and defend us in all dangers, bodily and ghostly, and that He will keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from our ghostly enemy, and from everlasting death.'

7. The sum of the close is this. And this I trust He will do of His mercy and goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore I say, Amen. So be it.'

Thus far the Catechism; to which I shall make bold to add a few brief notes, for further explication.

THE EXPOSITION

OF THE

THIRD PART OF THE CATECHISM,

BEING

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

THIS Prayer excels all other, not only for the Author, but also because in so short a compass of words it comprehends a Tertull. de whole sea of matter. Compendiis paucorum verborum quot Orat. c. 9. attinguntur? edicta Prophetarum, Evangeliorum, Apostolorum, sermones Domini, parabolæ, exempla, præcepta. It is the breviary or epitome of the whole Book of God. For in this epitome of words, the substance of the Law and Gospel is delivered; our love, with the expressions of our duties intimated; good things for ourselves and our brother desired. 1. Honour exhibited, when we call Him Father.

Isa. 58. 13.

2. Faith in the invocation of His Name.

3. A tender of our obedience in His will.

4. A commemoration of our hope in His kingdom.
5. A petition of life in bread.

6. Confession of sin, in our begging of remission.

7. Our care to avoid temptations, in our request for defence and tutelage.

That I may say the same over again a little more plainly, observe, I pray, how the body of this Prayer answers to the body of the Law.

1. God is "our Father." Therefore have no other gods. } 2. God is "in Heaven." Therefore have no graven image. 3. "Hallowed be His Name." Therefore take it not in vain. 4. His "will be done." Therefore not our own, especially on His day.

5. "Give us our daily bread." Therefore not to take it by killing, stealing, &c.

6. "Lead us not into temptation." Therefore not to tempt ourselves, by suffering our eyes to gaze upon strange flesh, which is an occasion of adultery; or by letting covetous motions enter into our hearts. This is to covet.

7. Trespassers we are all, and therefore had need to pray, forgive us our trespasses." Docet Dominica Oratio nos esse peccatores, et totam vitam esse pænitentiam, the Lord's Prayer teacheth that we are sinners, and that our whole life ought to be a life of repentance.'

In little you see much is comprehended. As for the method of it, it is admirable, and the order wonderful; the petitions being not nakedly set down, but headed with a solemn preface; not abruptly broken off without a reasonable and most weighty conclusion. On both sides there is a hedge set, to teach us that we break not in upon God irreverently in our petitions, nor break from Him unmannerly and abruptly. There be of this Prayer

Three parts

1. The head, preface, or exordium.
2. The body, consisting of six petitions.
3. The foot, or conclusion, or doxology.

The three first petitions concern God.

1 Cor. 10.

The three last petitions concern man or ourselves. And by this method we are to learn, that our first and Mat. 6. 33. chief care ought to be the glory of God, the advancement of His kingdom, and obedience to His will; after which we may petition for ourselves.

To which if you annex the doxology, in which we close with God's glory, the observation will be enlarged and strengthened, viz. that the glory of God ought to be our first and our last aim; for that which concerns us is limited and circumscribed with it.

The preface to this Prayer is

Our Father which art in Heaven.

In which we are

to take notice of

1. The title, "Father."

2. The possessive, "Our Father."
3. The adjunct, "which art in Heaven."

31.

1 Joh. 5. 14, 15.

1. Father.

In what sense God is our "Father," and we His children, is expressed before. But this name is by our Saviour made choice of here, because it, of all other, may give encouragement to petitioners. To the throne of grace it is they come and ask, on which their Father sits, as the great master of requests; and what is it that is reasonable and beneficial that a father will deny the son he Isa. 65. 24. loves? Paterni est animi velle subvenire, 'No man so easily entreated as a father to help a child.' This is our Saviour's Ps. 103.13. argument to encourage us to "ask, seek, and knock." "If Lu. 11. 13.j you who are evil, give to your children good things, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Spirit to those that ask Him," &c. This name put heart into the prodigal, "I will arise and go to my father." And what came of it? a pardon granted, and sealed with a kiss. "When his father saw him afar off, he had compassion on him, he ran to meet him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him." But I pray observe, that this prodigal approached not his father's presence without confession and submission; on which terms if you come, you shall be accepted; if with an impudent boldMal. 1. 6. ness, rejected. For as a father's name is a word of love, so it is of reverence also.

Lu. 15. 18, 20.

Isa. 64. 8.

Mal. 2. 10.

Eph. 4. 6.

2. Our.

"Father," is a term of relation; "our," of appropriation; yet so that it intimates a community: the meaning is, that God is so our Father," that He is also the Father of all our 1 Pet. 2.17. brethren, whom St. Peter charges us to love, "Love the brotherhood." Now this love and charity cannot be better expressed than by a prayer for them. In these our devotions, then, our brethren must not be forgotten. As there is a communion of Saints, so the Saints ought to communicate in each other's prayers. Here we begin with "Our Father," and the petitions that concern ourselves following, Mat. 5. 44. are set down plurally, "Forgive us, lead us not, deliver us:” Joh. 17. 20. "us," others, not me only. In doing this office we shall follow our Saviour's example, and execute St. Paul's injunc1 Tim. 2. 1. tion, "Let prayers be made for all men."

Lu. 6. 28.