daily bread: Jour daily bread: And forgive us our And forgive us our debts as we forgive our sins as we also forgive debtors: every one that is indebtled to us: And lead us not into he might also have noted "the fact," that the Scriptures are equally silent as to their using it before Pentecost, and that what would thus prove too And lead us not into much would prove nothing. temptation, but deliver temptation. us from evil. 66 The words in Matthew, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever, amen”. - and the words in Luke, "our," "who art in heaven," thy will be done as in heaven so in earth," "but deliver us from evil"—are admitted to be human additions, not being found in the most ancient MSS. The main design of the Lord very clearly is, that his disciples having first forgiven all men, should, in few words, and in secret, state their desires and wants to their Father in heaven, (who already knows them all) and should steadily persevere in such prayer while wishes and wants continue, assured that what is good shall be granted. Respecting the one extreme we learn from the context, that Jesus' disciples must not pray in order to be admired by men; nor must they use vain repetitions, in order to be heard for much speaking. We therefore conclude, that neither the five-timesreading of this prayer in each public service," nor the too-much-likemimicry of responsive repetition, is in accordance with the will of Christ. Respecting the other extreme, it may be remarked, that the rejectors of this prayer have been often asked for scriptural proof that it was merely intended for the use of Jesus' disciples until the commencement of Messiah's reign; but have been asked in vain. Indeed, one of our rejecting brethren acknowledges "the only proof that it was not intended for after time, is the fact the apostles never used it after Pentecost." We might respectfully ask, how could this brother know they never used it after Pentecost? If he merely presumes they did not because they have not mentioned it, Against the use of the words, "thy will be done," it has been objected, that as Jesus came from heaven to do the will of God, and did it fully by his obedience unto the death of the cross 1800 years ago, we could not now with propriety pray that it may be again done. Now admitting all this, it will occur to each reader that there is another will of God to be done, not by Christ, but by disciples of Christ, and from their hearts, in a life of loving obedience to Him who died for us. The next words, 66 on earth as in heaven," plainly tell us who are to do this will because no such thing as Christ doing the Father's will by suffering for sin was ever done in heaven; and because in heaven the Father's will is accomplished by holy angels "doing his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word." The prayer, therefore, desires that His will may be so done on earth by followers of Christ. Against the petition, "Give us this day our daily bread," it has been urged that generally our pantries and larders are supplied for the day at least, and that it would surely be improper to ask God to give what we already possess. Now this, although in appearance pious, is in fact an impeachment of the wisdom of Jesus; for if improper now, the petition was improper when taught by the Lordwhich, if not blasphemy, is very like it. The intelligent will be aware that in these words we ask for the morrow's bread, (implying all that is needful for the body) in humble dependence, and in entire confidence, that our Father is both able and willing to supply our every want. Against the petition, "Forgive us our debts," it has been objected that God, for Christ's sake, forgave all our trespasses when we believed in and put on Christ. To this we, indeed, gladly subscribe, as being the first soul delighting truth of the gospel. But there is a second truth, equally delighting, namely that if, after putting on Christ, we fall into sin, (and who does not ?) we have a throne of grace to go to, and have there an Advocate with the Father, who, on our fully forgiving others, and confessing our offences to Him, is faithful and just to forgive us. We know little of ourselves if unaware, that every day of our lives, we have more or less need to come to the mercy seat, and to ask our Father's forgiveness through Him who intercedes. Against the petition, "Lead us not into temptation," it has been objected -the Father leads none into temptation," neither tempteth he any man." This, also, seeks to make the objector wiser than Jesus; for if wrong now, it was wrong when he taught it! The objection discovers overweening conceit of self-sufficiency and firmness. Poor Peter had similar conceit when he said, "I am ready to go with thee to prison and to death;" but a girl's question soon scared him into "I know not the man!" The Lord knew his and our weakness better than he or we, and therefore appointed this petition which may be rendered, "Bring us not into sore trial, but break all the bands of evil." Thus, patient reader, the objectors to this prayer, and their reasons, have had a hearing. But such objections, and such reasons! A man might well feel ashamed of having made or given one of them, for more puerile objections and more childish reasons surely never escaped human lips. May the result of this hearing be a putting away of such cavillings, and a cordial adoption and use of the prayer, as being the wisdom of God in the words of Christ, given us in the Holy Spirit's records, that we may be enabled to ask and have. We need not seek for the main cause of dislike to this "perfection of prayer." It is its imperative requirement that we should first fully forgive every child of man! Pride cherishes envy and rancour. What is called high-mindedness is deemed a virtue by the world; but the highest mind must become low in Christ — must stoop to forgive others' sins and confess its own, or remain unpardoned. But may not a "proper spirit" be cherished? No! A little mental reservation? Nothing of the kind : all anger, ill-will, grudge, and malice, with all uncharitableness, must be cleared away, and every injury of every shade be frankly forgiven before we can pray this prayer. It is true, we may cheat ourselves; but God we cannot cheat! This, which is indeed the pinching condition and difficulty even with disciples, is, in the Lord's estimation, the main feature of the prayer, as appears from his words following it, (Mat. vi. 14) "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses." We cannot reverently consider this model prayer without exclaiming, What conciseness without obscurity! comprehensiveness coupled with simplicity! the sublimity of heaven mercifully adapted to worms of earth! The whole prayer seems expressed in 66 of Christ. 2nd, in the commission given to his eleven when about to ascend to his throne, he says, "Teach them (baptized believers) to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." This prayer, in both the forms, was among these cominmanded things. It was commanded on two different occasions, and it was urged by different motives, yet was the same prayer. We can only conclude it was intended for all Jesus' disciples; it was, therefore, intended for us. the words, "our Father," as the relation of a father to us his children is exhibited in the three desires which are expressions of our love, and in the three petitions which speak our confidence in his love to us. The three desires exercise our faith, hope, and love. In faith we say, 68 our Father"hope, thy kingdom come"- and in love," thy will be done on earth." The first desire excites our zeal for the glory of His great name: the second carries us forward to the grand consummation in heaven: while the third enlarges the benevolent wish of our hearts to the extent of universal obedience below. The first petition inspires a child-like dependence upon our Father's daily kindness and care; the second fills us with self-abasement, forgiveness for others, and assurance of God's forgiving love to us; and the third impresses us with a sense of our weakness, a fear of being unequal to trial, a desire not to be abandoned to temptation, and an entreaty to be preserved from evil and the evil one. It is a doubly blessing prayer-blessing us first with heavenly dispositions, and secondly with the asked for mercies. It is, indeed, a petition on our behalf, drawn up for us by the King of Kings himself, to be presented through himself to His and our Father, and therefore must prevail ! 1st, Is there, then, no Scripture authority for rejecting this prayer? The most eagle-eyed have not found any. But there are at least two positive proofs that it was intended to be used by disciples to the end of time. the Lord taught this prayer in his sermon on the mount; and he concludes that sermon with these memorable words, "Whosoever shall hear these sayings of mine, (this prayer being one of the sayings) and shall do them, I will liken him to a wise man," &c. This is decisive that the prayer, as well as the rest of the sermon, is applicable to the faithful in all succeeding ages; and that we ought to place ourselves among the "wise men" 2 unanimously assembled in the same place and on a sudden, there was a sound from heaven, as of a rushing violent wind; and it filled all o'clock in the evening, aud continued to the 22nd day of said month. The Paschal lamb was killed during the afternoon of the 14th day, but eaten on the evening of the 15th. The Jewish day being counted from sunset to sunset, the lamb was eaten not long after the beginning of the 15th day, soon after sunset. But it might be eaten at any time within the 24 hours of that day. The first day of the Passover week was always solemnized as a Sabbath, come on what day of the week it might. On the 16th day, or the morrow after this Sabbath, was the ordinance of the wave-sheaf of the first fruits of the barley harvest-the first harvest in Canaan, as well as in most other countries. Levit. xxiii. 10-14. the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, distinctly separated, and it rested upon each of the Spirit, the second harvest, both happening on the first day of the weck, a day truly sacred amongst all Christians. It is alleged that the Lord descended to Mount Sinai, in Arabia, on the fiftieth day after the first Passover; and therefore, the day of setting up the legal institution was the first Pentecost, as the day of setting up the Christian institution by the descent of the Holy Spirit was certainly the last Pentecost. The usual way of reckoning these fifty days, is :--The Paschal lamb was killed on the 14th day of the 1st month; consequently, there were seventeen days in the first month unexpired, including the day on which it was killed; thirty in the second. They arrived at Mount Sinai on the third month; say, on the first day of the third month, for we are not positively told; and after two days' preparation, making in all forty-nine days from the Passover, on the next day, the third of the month, the Lord descended and gave the law to Moses. "The day of Pentecost being fully come"i. e. the morning of that day-"they were all assembled" in the same large upper room. Ancient traditions say that this upper room was on Mount Zion, where a Christian community afterwards erected a house of worship. There is no evidence that it was in the Temple. From the second day of the Passover week they counted seven full weeks, or fifty days including it, for the FEAST OF WEEKS, or the Pentecost. On this day was offered before the Lord at the Temple the first fruits of the wheat harvest. Two loaves out of the new crop were on that day offered to the Lord as the first fruits of that harvest. Deut. xvi. 9-12. The Jewish festivals were regulated by the moon. National observers of the moon, located in Jerusalem and commissioned by the government, publicly announced the first appearance of the new moon in the month Abib. 3. "Separated tongues, as of fire"-There Suppose that in any year, the new moon first was a resemblance of numerous glowing tongues appeared on the 21st of March, in the Jewish of fire on the persons of the Apostles, divided month Abib; then the Passover being the 14th or separated from one another, probably on all day after, would be held on the 4th day of the company, indicative of the gifts of the April. The 5th day of April would then be languages bestowed, and of the quickening the first day of the Passover week; and on the power of the Spirit about to be displayed through 6th they would present the first fruits. Then the words spoken by them on that occasion. on the 19th day after that (May 25th) would Our Lord promised the Apostles that they be the Pentecost, because this would be the should speak in tongues or 'languages unfiftieth day from the morrow after the Sab-known to them before." As God had, by dibath, or the 16th day of the first month. Seven full weeks must transpire between the two offerings-between the first fruits of the barley harvest and the first fruits of the wheat harvest. It is remarkable that in the last Passover week observed by our Saviour, the second day of the Passover week was the seventh day, or the Jewish Sabbath. He died on the first day of the Passover week, being Friday about 3 o'clock. He was buried about four; and having laid in the grave some 36 hours, arose on the morrow after the Sabbath, the first day of our week, very early in the morning. This brought the day of Pentecost in that year to the morrow after the Jewish Sabbath, to the first day of the week. So that we have the first fruits of the bodies of the saints in the resurrection of the Messiah, and the first fruits viding human language, dispersed the nations and greatly dissociated them, the gospel being designed to bring them back to God and to associate them in one community, is immediately communicated to all nations by giving to its heralds the power of overcoming all difficulties occasioned by the various and numerous dialects of the nations. The varieties of tongues bestowed seems to have equalled the number of dialects spoken by the audience. They all heard in their own tougues the wonderful works of God. Modern impostors have betrayed as much ignorance as impiety in pretending to speak in tongues unknown to their hearers. The Apostles always spoke in tongues known to their hearers. 3. "It sat upon each of them"-The antecedent to "it" is not the Holy Spirit, as some suppose; nor each of the tongues, as Jerusalem pious men ; Jews from 6 every nation under heaven : and when this report came abroad, the multitude assembled, and were confounded; for every one heard them speaking in his own dialect. 7 And they were all astonished, and wondered, saying one to another, Behold ! are not these that speak, 8 Galileans! And how do we every one hear in his own native lan9 guage :— .Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those that inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphilia, Egypt, and the parts of Africa, which are about Cyrene : Roman strangers, also, both Jews and proselytes; Cretes, and Arabians; we hear 11 4. "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit"--All were enraptured with light and love. The one hundred and twenty were in an ecstacy from the new developments and inspirations of the Holy Spirit. They were congratulating one another as participants of the blessings of the new and better institution. | 10 They spoke to each other in the presence of the spectators and auditors, in languages unknown to them before, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The matter was immediately divulged. A multitude assembled. They continued to descant upon the wonderful works of God in all the mysteries of the new and everlasting covenant as consummated in the murder of the Messiah. They did all this in the languages of the mixed multitude, without at all | addressing them. The concourse was all in suspense, not knowing what all this meant. Some ignorant and wicked persons said they were all drunken with new wine. This called forth a speech from Peter, in which, simul- | taneously arising, the eleven Apostles participate, he speaking in one tongue, probably the Syro-Chaldiac, then spoken in the city, and they in the languages of the foreigners in attendance. This speech was addressed not to the brethren, but to the world. This is the first evangelical discourse ever spoken after the Messiah was glorified. It is the first full development of the gospel. 5. "Dwelling at Jerusalem.”—This was the city of Melchizedek, who was titled King of Salem, as well as Prince of Righteousness, because righteousness and peace are inseparable. It was founded in the 15th year of Abraham, in the year of the world 2023. About a century after it was taken by the Jebusites. They erected a castle on Mount Zion, and called it Jebus. Joshua, during his wars, killed its king, chapter x. 23. He did not, however, dispossess the Jebusites. They held it in common with the Jews till David drove them out and made it the capital of his kingdom. It was then called Jebus-Salem; but for the sake of euphony, it was called Jerusalem. It held its sovereignity for 477 years. It was then sacked and destroyed by the king of Babylon, and lay in ruins for 70 years. Zerubbabel and his companions rebuilt it after the captivity. It continued 562 years till destroyed by Titus, in all 1039 years. Its foundation was literally ploughed up. | | | It stood in north latitude 31 - 50, 23 miles from the Jordan, and 42 east of the Mediterranean, 102 from Damascus, and 150 from the Eleanitic gulf of the Red Sea. It was built upon four hills- Sion, Acra, Moriah, and Bezetha. Its foundation is a rock, somewhat calcareous, called anciently Moriah, or Vision, because visible at a great distance. Surrounded, except on the north, by a deep valley, and encompassed with hills in the form of an amphitheatre. Its topography we cannot farther detail. Of the modern Jerusalem we have many accounts, not necessary, however to illustrate the original seat of Christianity. Our religion began at Jerusalem, not at Rome, Damascus, or Constantinople. 9-11. This highly favored audience was convened from all the world—from Asia, Africa, and Europe. There were the remote Parthians and Medes from the south and west of the Caspian Sea, and from both sides of the Armenian mountains. There were the Persians, called Elamites, from the confines of ancient India. There, too, the Mesopotamians from between the Euphrates and the Tigris, together with the people of Pontus from the shores of the Euxine, and those from Cappadocia and Proconsular Asia. The Phrygians, Pamphylians, Judeans, with much of Asia Major were represented there. The sons of Africa, also, partook of the honors, of that day. Egypt, Cyrene, and Lybia, had then their deputations at Jerusalem. Europe, too, had her Roman strangers, both Jews and proselytes, with the Islanders of the Mediterranean. From Arabia Felix, from the ancient realms of the Queen of Sheba, there were auditors to witness and attest the transactions of that glorious day. Indeed, these devout people, |