them that believe

And to this End

and fashioned us; whofe Eyes continually watch over us, and whose never-failing Providence preferves and protects us:- He is moreover our Father by Adoption and Grace; having mercifully reftored us to the Right of Sonship which we had forfeited by our Difobedience, and made us again his Children in Chrift Jefus: for as many as received Him, to them gave He Power to become the SONS OF GOD, even to in his Name. John i. 12. were we redeemed, fays the Apostle, that we might receive the ADOPTION of SONS:— And because we are Sons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts, crying, Abba, Father! Gal. iv. 5, 6. And we call him our Father IN HEAVEN, to fignify his abfolute Supremacy and Dominion over Us; in Contra-distinction to our earthly Parents, who are but Inftruments in his Hands as our Saviour fays upon another Occafion, Call no Man your Father upon the Earth; for One is your Father, which is in Heaven. Matt. xxiii. 9; hereby teaching us, that our Obedience to our earthly Superiors must be in all Things fubfervient to our Duty towards God,

God. In all Matters that are lawful or indifferent, they are certainly to be followed and obeyed; but whenever their Commands are contrary to the divine Precepts, the Rule is abfolute, we ought to obey God rather than Men. Acts v. 29. In this Senfe it is, we muft understand thofe remarkable Words of our Saviour: If any Man come to me, and HATE not his Father and Mother, he cannot be my Difciple. Luke xiv. 26; that is, as it is expreffed by St. Matthew, He that LOVETH Father or Mother MORE than me is not worthy of me. Matt. x. 37. It is to be obferved farther, that when God Almighty is spoken of as being in Heaven, (which is the conftant Language of Scripture) we are not to understand it, as if He were confined to that, or any one, Part of the Universe in particular; for his Prefence is boundlefs, and we are exprefsly told, that the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him. 1 Kings, viii. 27. But He is represented to us as being in Heaven, as the peculiar Place of his Refidence, where his Honour dwelleth, and his Glory is moft illuftriously displayed. So the Heaven is called his THRONE, and

the

the Earth his FOOTSTOOL - that Throne; before which the holy Angels now do him Homage; in which bleffed Regions the righteous fhall fhine forth as the Sun, in the KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER. Matt. xiii: 43. Having thus invoked our heavenly Father, we proceed to offer up our Petitions to Him, the first of which is, "Hallowed

be thy Name:"-To ballow is an old Word, that fignifies properly to make holy; or fanctify: When applied to God, or to his Name, it must be understood to mean, to honour, or glorify. Accordingly we here pray that the Glory of God may be fet forth, and his holy Name honoured, throughout the World, by the Reverence, Worship, and Adoration of all his Creathat the Belief of the true God may prevail univerfally; and that we, who do believe in Him, may entertain just and worthy Notions concerning Him, may give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his Name, and worship the Lord with holy Worship. Pl. xxix. 2. The proper Inference to be drawn from this Petition is, that we should study above all Things to fanctify the Lord God in our

tures;

Hearts,

Hearts, our Words and Actions; that we fhould never think or speak of Him but with the most profound Awe and Reverence; and should be careful that the Name of God and his Doctrine be not blafphemed through our Disobedience." Thy Kingdom come."

In this Petition we pray for the Coming of that bleffed Time, foretold both in the Old and New Teftament, when the Earth fhall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the Waters cover the Sea. If, xi. 9; and when the Kingdoms of this World fhall become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Rev. xi. 15; that is, when the true Religion, and Gospel of Chrift, fhall be embraced throughout the World: when the Fulness of the Gentiles fhall be come in; and all Ifrael fhall be faved . Rom. xi. 25, 26. We should

alfo

That fuch a Time will come, we have the ftrongest and plaineft Affurances imaginable from the fure Word of Pro phecy, both in the Old and New Testament. That it may come speedily, as it must be the hearty Wish, so should it be the conftant Prayer, of all good Chriftians; and this is indifputably the primary Intent of the Petition, "THY KINGDOM COME." But as all Approaches towards the general Spreading of the true Faith, or of the Kingdom of the

Meffiah,

also extend our Thoughts and Prayers still farther; even to that Time, when the Son of Man fhall come in his Glory, and all the holy Angels with Him, and he shall fit upon the Throne of his Glory: When He, as KING, Shall fay unto them on his Right-hand, Come, ye Bleffed of my Father, inherit the KING·DOM prepared for you from the Foundation of· the World. Matt. xxv. 31, 34. AMEN! EVEN SO COME, LORD JESUS! Now if we pray fincerely and heartily for the Arrival of this happy Time, how careful ought we to be, that we may be found meet and duly qualified to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, by doing the Will of our Father which is in Heaven! For on no other Conditions, our bleffed Lord plainly tells us, can we enter

Meffiah, are highly defireable, we may, I think, include in this Petition a Defire or Prayer for the Furtherance of the Gospel in part, till that bleffed Period fhall arrive, when it fhall prevail univerfally. In this Refpect we may, by God's Grace, and as Inftruments in his Hand, contribute to effect what we pray for; if we use our earnest Endeavours to promote and propagate the Faith of Chrift; not by Force and Violence (as the Papifts do, in direct Oppofition to the Example and Command of Him, whom they pretend to fervé) but by the SWORD of the SPIRIT, which is the Word of God. Eph. vi. 17.