XXII.

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 9.

Hallowed be thy Name.

THE name of God, means commonly in Scripture the same as God Himself: and "hallowed" means had in reverence, or honour. The expression

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HALLOWED BE THY

NAME" is, therefore, one by which we imply, that we consider all honour as due to GOD, and wish it to be rendered to Him. This disposition of the heart to ascribe praise and honour to Gon is a very sublime and excellent part of religion. It is that branch of prayer which is commonly called adoration. In thus adoring GoD, we, as it were, forget ourselves. We adore Him for what He is, essentially in Himself, and generally to all His creatures, rather than for what He is particularly to us. By addressing Him in this manner, our ideas of Him become exalted in the beginning of our prayer: and we, then, descend to our more particular petitions, with the greater reverence for Hin, to whom we offer our supplications. We have an example of the spirit of adoration in that sublime language of the Psalmist, in which he calls upon all created things. to unite with him in praising GOD. "Praise Him, all ye angels of his; praise Him, all his host; praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light; praise Him, all ye heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens :"* “Oh, praise God in his holiness, praise Him in the firmament of his Let every thing that hath breath, praise the LORD."

power.

* Ps. cxlviii. 2-4.

† Ps. cl. 1, 2, 6.

XXIII.

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 10.

Thy Kingdom come.

THE establishment of the religion of CHRIST in the world is represented in Scripture under the figure of the erection of a kingdom. The kings of the earth have their separate territories, over which they reign, and their several interests, which they endeavour to extend; and he is deemed the greatest and most successful monarch who is best able to maintain and enlarge his empire. God also has a kingdom in this world. It interferes not, however, with those of earthly princes; for it is a spiritual kingdom, consisting partly indeed of a visible church, but chiefly in an empire over the hearts of men. This Kingdom of God extends itself over many kingdoms of the world; for the subjects of the MESSIAH are of every nation, and tongue, and people, and language. For the more complete establishment of this Kingdom we are taught by CHRIST to pray, before we proceed to present our private petitions. The LORD's prayer therefore supposes the success of the gospel is to be near our hearts. Let us who so often use these words, ask ourselves whether it be our ardent wish to see the gospel every where flourish? We long for the aggrandisement of our native country. We wish our rivals to be laid low, and our own land to become great and victorious. But do we bear in mind the far more important interests of the kingdom of CHRIST?

May the LORD take to Himself his great power and reign! may all kings fall down before Him, and all nations do Him service! may He go on, conquering, and to conquer, until all His enemies shall be laid under His feet!

XXIV.

ST. MATTHEW VI. 10.

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

We know that God's will is perfectly fulfilled in heav en. The Angels stand ready to perform His pleasure : the Saints are made perfect in holiness: and, because the Divine will is thus accomplished, heaven is a place of perfect happiness. It is the wish and prayer of the Christian, that earth may in this respect resemble heaven : that men may cease from preferring their own pleasure to that of their Creator: and that, as angels are all ministering spirits, ready to fulfil whatever embassy the great Lord of all may assign to them; so men also may learn to do the will of God, by performing all those works of righteousness, which He hath commanded and appointed. The men of this world earnestly wish for their own happiness; and occasionally feel a desire to promote the general good: but they do not consider, that, so long as the will of GOD is not fulfilled, much happiness is not to be expected. From whence come almost all the pains and miseries which are experienced in our passage through life? come they not from the indisposition of man to do the will of GOD? May the time soon arrive when the earth shall resemble heaven in holiness: then will it also resemble heaven in happiness. Hasten the time, O LORD, when Thy kingdom shall come, and Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

XXV.

ST. MATTHEW VI. 11.

Give us this day our daily bread.

MAN is a creature so constituted, that daily food (or bread) is necessary for his continuance in life. This is the great law of his earthly condition. We are therefore taught in this prayer to pray daily to God for the supply of this our great and continually returning necessity. We are instructed to implore of our heavenly Father, that He will sustain these our perishable bodies, which would otherwise come day by day into new peril of death. We are taught to acknowledge, that, unless He, who created us, will also constantly preserve us, the life, which He has bestowed, would end; and vain would be all the help of man. Such is the obvious meaning of this brief request. It implies moreover, that prayer is one of the appointed means of supplying our daily wants: and that the very food, which we earn by the sweat of our brow, is His gift. For is it not His sun, His wind, and His rain, which ripens every blade of corn which we eat? Is it not GOD, who gives health and strength to the reaper? and does not the same God bestow those bodily and mental powers, by which we earn whatever we exchange for our necessary food? Is it not He, who blesses all our daily industry, and causes our substance to increase?

But this petition must be understood in an extensive sense. *Bread being the principal thing which we need, it stands for all other necessaries. Whatever the weakness and helplessness of man desires from his heavenly Father during his passage through this mortal life— whether of a temporal, or of a spiritual nature-is represented, in this short comprehensive prayer, by the term

Bread." Although, therefore, the words in the passage are few, the meaning is large. "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD:"-It is to say, "Give us all things which Thou knowest to be needful to us. Supply, oh Lord, all our wants: we confess, that we cannot sustain ourselves; and that all our support is derived from Thee. We are helpless as to our bodies; and helpless as to our souls: and we, therefore, lift up our prayer to Thee, for whatsoever things we need. Give unto us this day bread to support our bodies; and give unto us this day grace to sustain our souls for on Thee alone do we depend." Such is the meaning of the prayer; and exactly as our hearts tell us, that our wants are, so let our supplications also be. They who think only of temporal blessings, will be likely to consider the prayer as referring only to these; but they, who feel their spiritual poverty, will also pray, while they utter these words, that their spiritual wants may be supplied.

:

XXVI.

ST. MATTHEW VI. 12.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

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By the word "debts" is here evidently meant "trespasses" or sins; for the word "trespasses" is used in the same prayer, instead of debts," in another part of Scripture. By our trespasses, we may be said to become debtors to God; for we incur a penalty proportioned to the sins which we commit. Now the debts, which we There is no hope that we

thus incur, we cannot pay.

shall ever pay them; for the future obedience of our