AS ye have been born in a part of the world that professeth Christianity, ye have no doubt been of­ten told that there is one Supreme Being, God over all: that He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of every thing that is in them contained: that, as He created all things, so He preserveth and governeth all things; and that of man He is pleased to require gratitude and obedi­ence.—Gratitude for blessings bestowed and daily en­joyed; and obedience to His commands and will, to pre­pare him for the enjoyment of peace and happiness in the world to come, with angels and arch-angels, who there shine brighter than the starry firmament forever and ever.

These commands, or these things which we are ordered to do, He hath been graciously pleased to make known in the Scriptures, in so plain and simple a manner, that with a very little attention and care, we may obtain a perfect knowledge of our duty, or of what we must do to obtain the glorious prize, an inheritance in the Heaven of Heavens.

The great and gracious purpose, for which you and all mankind were created into this state of existence, is, that ye should serve and glorify your Creator God in this world, and, in the world to come, enjoy a happiness so pure and exalted, that no human heart can conceive its greatness.

For the accomplishment of these great purposes, all the obedience or service, required of us by the Almighty, is of such a nature, that it contributeth, even in this life, to our own happiness. Should we not therefore, yield with much pleasure, such obedience?

Besides, if a life of obedience end in an eternity of bliss, how should we reverence, love and adore that gra­cious Being who hath been pleased to make us capable of such exquisive felicity?

[Page 4]Thus, my dear children—I hope it appeareth clearly to you, that to serve God, and keep His commandments, is our best interest. And ye will probably think that all men cheerfully perform that service, which must end so highly to their advantage.—But this, alas! is not the case.

When man was first created, his mind was pure, and his heart took pleasure, in obeying and worshipping his Almighty Creator. But in this happy state of innocence, he did not continue long. He disobeyed the command­ments of his God, and incurred guilt, although he knew it endangered his eternal peace, and exposed him to the dreadful displeasure of the King of Heaven.

This act of disobedience is called the fall of Adam, or the fall of man; and a dismal fall it hath proved to be to all the human race.

To assist your minds to see and understand the good, and to avoid the evil, is the purpose of my meeting you now: And, if God spare me, I hope to meet you often on the same important business.

But if ye do not attend with desire to improve; if ye do not keep in your minds and practice the advice I give you, my earnest endeavours to instruct you, will all prove fruitless and vain.

But that they may not prove thus vain, ye should im­plore the blessing of Heaven. For from Him cometh every good and perfect gift; and every blessing that we enjoy or hope for, is the free gift of His mercy.

To serve the Lord our God with true, faithful, and willing hearts, is, as I before observed, the grand business that we have to do in this world. It is inculcated, gene­rally, throughout the Scriptures; but in different places, it is expressed in different terms. In our text the command is conveyed by the word, remember—"Remember now thy Creator."

When ye are told to remember any thing, ye all know it is meant, that ye should have it often in your thoughts, and give it your attention. But when ye are told to re­member your Creator, it is intended that ye should think of Him always, or very often, with reverence, gratitude, [Page 5] and love—with reverence, with a respect like that ye have for your parents, but much more exalted. This will prevent your disobedience, and induce you to keep all His commandments.

With gratitude—because He gave you life, and giv­eth you health, food, raiment, and all the blessings of this world; and if ye will be good here, He will make you completely happy in the world to come, and grant you to shine in the brightness of heavenly glory forever and ever.

Again, ye must think of Him with love.—Ye should love Him above all things, because, He hath so loved you, and poured upon you so many blessings; and hath been moreover, pleased to tell you how ye may obtain a life of eternal happiness, and a crown of righteousness in the kingdom of the blessed Redeemer, where there is glo­ry and bliss, beyond every thing ye can now conceive, and which shall be yours forever.

Thus the pious Psalmist declareth his love—"Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee."—Such, my dear chil­dren, should be your love also.

And our blessed Lord Jesus commandeth that "we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul." For He must be worshipped in truth; but how can ye perform such worship, unless your hearts be wholly devoted to Him?

Solomon, the penman of our text, was highly favored of Heaven, and hath been always celebrated for wisdom. Much search did he make after happiness: But having tri­ed all experiments that imagination could suggest, he was convinced, that man's interest and happiness consist in the service of his God, and that every thing else beneath the sun, is altogether vanity, and therefore unfit to be made the object of our desires or pursuits. Hence he solemnly as­serteth, that the whole duty of man is, to fear God, and keep his Commandments. And that he may [...] better and more easily perform this great duty, he [...] to the practice of it early in life—"Remember now thy Cre­ator in the days of thy youth."

[Page 6]To induce you to this pious practice, I beg you to con­sider, that the Supreme Being hath been graciously pleas­ed to speak you into life—that although ye must soon leave this world, yet He will place you in another, which shall never end, and in which, if ye remember and serve Him here, ye shall be completely happy for ever and e­ver, that in this life, ye are blest with all things neces­sary for your support and comfort; and that all these things flow immediately, from the goodness, and mercy of that Supreme Being; and that to Him ye are accountable for your manner of using those blessings, and for every thing else that ye do. For I must observe to you, that the Scriptures assure us that, "God will bring into judgment, every work and every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil."

Reflect often I beseech you, my dear children, upon these things. Acknowledge with thankful hearts, the goodness of the Almighty—Consider, that He seeth and knoweth all that ye do; all that ye say, and even all that ye think. Therefore ye should earnestly endeavor to keep your minds, your words, and your actions, as free from wickedness as ye possibly can. If ye earnestly endeavour to do this, and pray to God to give you grace and strength to live as ye ought, in remembrance of Him, He will most cer­tainly hear your prayer and do whatever He shall think necessary for you.

For His mercy is infinite, and He withholdeth no good thing from them that walk uprightly and remember Him so as to live in his fear.

But in this exhortation or command ye should particu­larly observe, the time appointed for remembering your Creator—It is now; the time present—the days of thy youth—To observe this injunction, and to perform now that great and essential duty, is of the utmost importance to you.

For if ye remember your Creator in the days of your youth: or if whilst ye are young, and free from the cares of the world, ye do your duty as good children ought, and avoid every thing that is bad, ye will escape all that misery, which every kind of wickedness createth [Page 7] in the mind, and which unless it be repented of, will ex­clude those who commit it, from everlasting rest and the unspeakable joys of Heaven.

And unless ye thus remember your Creator whilst ye are young, ye will fall into those vicious pursuits and practices, to which youth (and indeed old age) are but too much inclined, and which, if indulged, will make a dreadful separation, between the Almighty and your souls.

Because, to live in sin, is to live in enmity against the great and holy Creator: and that enmity, whilst it con­tinueth, is worse than death or loss of the present life.

If the prime of your life, if the days of your, youth should be spent thus, unhappily, in the practice of wick­edness, when old age shall approach, and infirmities of body tell you, life is nearly at an end, ye shall find it a difficult task indeed to withdraw your minds from such practices—The force of habit is very great, and bad ha­bits are not easily broken.

But for your comfort and encouragement, good habits are also powerful. If ye accustom yourselves to say your Prayers, as ye ought, at least twice in every day, and to give thanks to God for the mercies, which you daily enjoy,—if ye carefully avoid every thing that is wicked or bad; if ye be dutiful to your parents, and obliging to one another,—if ye live as it becometh you to live; if ye remember your Creator, and strive to do what, in the scripture, He is pleased to tell you to do, ye will have very great pleasure in such conduct, and ye will find, as ye grow in years, that ye will have less and less desire, to pursue those vicious courses, in which bad children, and bad children only, are fond of indulging themselves.

But if ye will not be persuaded thus to remember your Creator in the days of your youth; the miserable conse­quence is, ye will become fixed in vice, and sinful ac­tions; so that as ye grow up, ye will find but little de­sire to turn unto God; neither will ye have pleasure in obeying His commandments. So that if the change from [Page 8] bad conduct to good conduct be ever effected, it will cost you much trouble and grief of heart.—But all this, and many other great evils will be avoided, if ye obey the text; and great, unspeakably great will be the gain of your reward. It will be eternal life, that is, eternal happiness in the Heaven of Heavens.

Death is the fruit, or wages of sin. But although we must all die, yet by the wonderful power of God, we shall have a future existence. In that state of existence, if we have done wickedly in this world, we shall suffer severe punishment: but if, happily, we shall have done the will of our heavenly Father, we shall receive a great, an infinite reward, and be happy throughout eter­nity

Remember then, my dear children, that your greatest care should be, to keep your minds as free as possi­ble, from spot or stain, and to avoid every thing that is bad.

Ye live in a wicked world, where, to our shame, vice aboundeth. But ye daily receive useful instruction within these walls. ^* And I trust your parents also, take care to teach you the things that are right.

Lay up then in your hearts, I beseech you, and care­fully remember what I have now been telling you, and ye shall hereafter receive much comfort and benefit from them.

And as a farther inducement for you to lead virtuous lives, and to shun whatever is base, evil or wicked; con­sider if ye live thus, and be good children, ye will have the esteem of all who know you—and above all, your Father who is in heaven will love you and He will bless you; and when, in His providence, He shall be pleased to call you hence, He will receive you into his mansions of everlasting peace and joy: and there, with all the heavenly hosts, ye will surround the throne of the MOST HIGH GOD, and in rapturous bliss, sing ho­sannas to the King of kings, and unto the LAMB for ever and ever.

[Page 9]The Lord of his infinite mercy give you grace, so to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, that ye may be all prepared for the enjoyment of this supreme and everlasting happiness, and to His great name be glory, honor and praise for ever and for ever. Amen.

I AM very sorry that I have been so long deprived of the pleasure of meeting you here: and I pray God, our Heavenly Father, graciously to grant His blessing to attend our present meeting, for the glory of His great name, and the good of our immortal souls.

Humbly, but fervently to offer up our prayers and our praise to our Creator God, is one of our first and greatest duties.—That He is pleased to permit, and even to com­mand us, thus to address Him, is a very great privilege; and, if rightly performed, it will very much promote our happiness even in this life: but what is of much greater consequence, it will contribute to our preparation, for that happiness, which the good, and only the good, enjoy in heaven forever.

In order to induce us the more earnestly to pray to our heavenly Father, we are assured, that if we ask any thing agreeable to His will, He is graciously pleased to hear us; and if we keep his commandments, He will mercifully give us whatever He shall judge proper and necessary for us.

Thus encouraged, we should endeavor to know in what manner it becometh us to approach the throne of heavenly grace.

Our blessed Lord, whilst in the world suffering for our benefit, was pleased to give us a form of prayer, and to make a few remarks shewing us how we should perform that great duty.

This form of prayer ye may find in the sixth chapter [Page 10] of St. Matthew's gospel; and in the ninth verse, it begin­neth thus:

Our Father which art in heaven.

The words Our Father, are designed to raise in our minds that reverence and love which are most justly due to so great and good a Being. They likewise teach you to have confidence in His mercy. For, as He disposeth of all events, so He will make all things work together for the good of those, who love Him, and keep His commandments.

Those words likewise give you this pleasing assurance, that, as a father pitieth, or is tender and kind to his children; so your heavenly Father will, of His great mercy, pity, support, and comfort you, during your confinement to this vain world, in which disappointments and sorrows are so often the portion of the children of men.

To love your neighbour is repeatedly commanded. But, in scripture language, the word neighbour compre­hendeth all mankind. This is alluded to in the word Our; which teacheth, that ye should consider God, the Father Almighty, as the common Father of all the human race; and therefore that ye should consider all men as your brothers.

If this truth were generally believed, and suffered to direct the conduct of men, the world would be much better than it is; and mankind would avoid many of those evils, with which they are afflicted. But though others neglect their duty; that will not excuse you, if, unhappily, ye neglect yours.

Young as ye are, ye must have some notion of the pleasure of living in this friendly manner; and in being obliging, each to the other. For, I have the great sa­tisfaction to hear, that ye spend your days in this house, in that quiet, and peaceable manner, in which brothers and sisters should live together.—Such a life is delightful to those, who have the goodness to practice it; and it is well pleasing unto the great God of peace and love, who hath been pleased, in His great goodness, to make your duty, your true and real happiness.

[Page 11]To do good to all men in the world, is not in your power; neither is it required of you. But it is required that ye be well disposed towards all men, and be ready to do them good offices, whenever an opportunity pre­senteth—that ye bear malice and ill-will against no man, and implore for all, the blessing of your Father who is in Heaven.

Thus the words Our Father, imply that ye should pray for His goodness to be extended unto all, so that, through His grace, they as well as you, may be enabled always to do that which is right, and acceptable unto Him.

These words likewise direct, that ye offer up your prayers with the greatest reverence and deepest humility. Ye treat your earthly parents with respect, and that is your duty. Much more then, my dear children, is it your duty, to be humble and meek, when ye address yourselves in prayer to your Father in Heaven. For He knoweth your hearts, and all the imaginations of your mind.

Therefore, when ye are going to pray to your Father in Heaven, ye must raise your mind to the highest degree of respect, and reverence, and love. It is impossible to have as much respect as is due to a Being so supremely great and good.

But when ye address Him in your private prayers, ye need not lift up your voice. For it is not the sound of your voice; but the disposition of your heart and mind, that your Father in Heaven regardeth. Ye must like­wise endeavor to have your whole heart engaged in prayer, and not to suffer your thoughts to wander from the solemn duty—Ye must with all your soul desire to be heared.

Whilst ye are engaged in the solemn act of prayer, it will be improper for your thoughts to run after any thing else, or to be employed about those things, which, at other times, might usefully engage them, or innocently amuse you. When ye shall be so happy as to be able thus to restrain your thoughts, so that they accompany your words, ye will have gained a great point, and your [Page 12] pleasure in praying will be much greater than I can ex­press, or ye now conceive.

But if ye do not enjoy this pleasure always when ye pray, ye must not be discouraged. Persevere in your duty with patience and hope; and your heavenly Father, knowing your sincerity, will, in His own good time, grant the desire of your soul.

At your years, some of you at least, cannot be sup­posed capable of understanding, in its full force, the na­ture and importance of thus praying to God your hea­venly Father. But if ye daily continue the practice, ye will habitually acquire respect and reverence for Him, who is the Preserver of your life: And your minds will receive light and knowledge of this, and of every other duty, much sooner than, perhaps, ye now imagine ye can.

In your tasks at school, ye often meet with difficulties: But, by often trying, ye at last overcome all those dif­ficulties. So it is in matters of religion, and in the du­ties by it enjoyed. The more ye strive to overcome dif­ficulties, in restraining your thoughts, and in governing your mind, the fewer difficulties ye will find; and as those difficulties lessen, your pleasures will naturally in­crease. This is sacred truth, and it is great encourage­ment for persevering in your duty.

Again. Our Father Who art in Heaven, teach you to raise your thoughts from this vain world, as the Psalmist raised his.—"Unto Thee, O Lord, lift I up my soul." For as your father is in Heaven, thither ought your thoughts also to ascend; but more particularly when ye are engaged in the solemnity of prayer.

These words likewise teach, that this world is not your place of residence; that this life must come to an end; that heaven is your home, and that as heaven is a place of holiness, ye must strive, with all the powers of your soul, to obtain as much holiness as can be obtained in this life. For without holiness, ye never can be receiv­ed into any of the mansions of your heavenly Father's house, in which pure and holy spirits are enraptured with eternal bliss.

[Page 13]In fine, these introductory words, our Father, Who art in Heaven, imply that the Supreme Being, to whom ye address your prayers, is able to grant your requests, if they be such as He approveth, and be offered up in sincerity and truth. The term Father implieth, that He is willing to grant them, and to shew you His mercy, even to the salvation of your souls. And the term Our Father, implieth, that He hath no respect to persons: But as He created all, so He will have mercy upon all, if they will but look upon Him as their Father, and trust for mercy in Him alone.

Accordingly, when ye approach His presence, or when ye pray to Him, your minds should be deeply impressed with reverence, humility, and fear. Because He is in Heaven, and ye upon earth, and also with confidence and love; because ye pray to your Father, Who know­eth and will pity your infirmities, and will freely give whatever His wisdom shall judge proper for you, if ye will fervently ask in the manner in which ye ought to ask, that is, with such dispositions and impressions as I have now described.

For when ye so ask, or when ye so pray unto Him, ye shew your obedience, and confess your dependence: And unless ye become obedient, and place in Him your whole trust and confidence, ye need not look for, nor expect the great blessing of His favor, either in this life, or in that which is to come.

But to obtain His favor, which is infinitely better than life, too much ye cannot do. It is indeed the only need­ful and valuable thing that ye can by any means obtain. It is life, it is glory; it is happiness and eternal bliss.— Bliss that can never change, that can never fail to trans­port pour souls with rapturous delight; and it must en­dure, like your souls, for ever and ever.

To assist you in your endeavors to obtain this great, this glorious prize, that shall make you rich in happiness throughout eternity▪ is the object of my discourses with you, which I shall, for that reason, pursue with very great pleasure. For it will be a particular happiness to me, if, with the blessing of our Father in heaven, I hap­pily [Page 14] become an instrument in guiding you to His great salvation. And that ye may obtain it—that ye may at last be raised to the communion and fellowship of His holy angels, and the blessed spirits of the just, I beseech you carefully to remember what hath been now said, and diligently to do, as ye shall acquire knowledge, all those things, which the Lord your God requireth you to do.

And I fervently pray to God, our heavenly Father, of His great goodness to grant you grace, and to support and strengthen you with His holy spirit, so that ye may pass this life in His fear, and when this life shall be ended (as soon it must) to receive you into His king­dom of glory everlasting, where ye shall shine brighter than the moon and the stars forever and ever.

Hear now our prayer, O merciful Father! we beseech Thee to hear us, for the sake of thine only son our Lord, and to thy great name be the glory and praise for ever and forever. Amen.

I HOPE I succeeded last Sunday in my endeavors to explain to your understanding, with what temper and disposition of mind ye should offer up your prayers to your Father in heaven: also, what the purport or mean­ing is of the preface or first words of that which is com­monly called THE LORD's PRAYER.

I shall now begin upon the petitions, which it contain­eth; and although these are all distinct and separate in their own literal meaning; yet each part so dependeth upon the other, that there is a connexion throughout the whole.

The first of these petitions is expressed thus, Hallowed be Thy Name.

This implieth an earnest desire in you, that your hea­venly Father be held in the utmost respect by all the [Page 15] world:—and that as His great name is perfectly sacred, so it should never be used by men, but with the most profound veneration and awe.

We read in the Bible that "The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it, ^* and that the temple was hallowed, ^† that is, they were set apart for particu­lar purposes; and to be kept holy unto the Lord. The Sabbath day was set apart from worldly labor, and de­signed for devotion, and other religious exercises; and not for mirth and frolic, as it is now too often used:— and the temple, was used like our churches, for the as­sembling of the people, to offer up their prayers, and their praise to the most High and to hear His law expounded.

Thus were they both hallowed, both set apart for ho­ly uses, and considered as things sacred, and devoted un­to God and His particular service.

Therefore in this petition ye pray, that your heavenly Father may be ever thought and spoken of with godly fear:—that men humble themselves, and exalt Him in their hearts, and pay Him that homage which is due to the Creator and Father of all, who alone can give happi­ness to those who love and serve Him; and inflict misery upon the scorners that profane His sacred name.

But these words, thy name, imply God Himself with all His attributes of justice, power, wisdom, mercy and truth; and that He be praised and glorified for them, as well as for all His wonderful works, and the dispensa­tions of His providence; of which the most amazing and wonderful is the plan of redemption, accomplished by Him, who composed this prayer. And this my beloved children, should endear it to you, that it was designed for your instruction by Him, who suffered and did for your benefit, infinitely more than ever man did or could do for his friends.

This petition, likewise, teacheth, that ye should never suffer yourselves to use His sacred name lightly or profane­ly. I mean in cursing or swearing, (which is a very [Page 16] wicked, but common practice in the world) or in com­mon discourse, upon frivolous occasions.

In surprize or merriment it is become fashionable to exclaim, good God! or to use some expession of that great name. But this is a grievous sin and I hope ye will never be guilty of it. For it is taking His name in vain; and ye know the commandment saith, "The Lord will not hold him guiltless, who taketh His name in vain."

But as I wish to explain this petition as clearly as I can, I shall put it into this form.

O Lord! Our heavenly Father! we beseech Thee to enlighten our minds, that we may know Thee, as we ought; and love and reverence Thee above all things— Adore▪ Thee in all Thy attributes; honor Thee in all that we do, and promote Thy glory by a life of obedience to Thy commandments.

The next petition is, Thy Kingdom come.

As the first petition sheweth that the praise and glory of God, should be the first and great desire of all chris­tians, so this petition sheweth how that is to be accom­plished or fulfilled.

As our heavenly Father is supreme over all, and or­dereth or permitteth all things; so all creation is His king­dom. But the kingdom meant in this petition, is the kingdom of grace, or of righteousness, which is begun in this world, but is made perfect in the world to come. For in this world, no man can live altogether free from sin: but in the next world, those who have been so wise as to become subjects of the kingdom of grace, or to live pious and godly lives, will be made pure and perfect in holiness. For no sin, nor any thing that loveth sin, can ever approach the mansions of eternal bliss.

Therefore when ye say, Thy Kingdom come, ye pray that it be established in your hearts. That is—that your heavenly Father would please to grant you grace that you may be enabled to serve Him, and keep all his com­mandments with a sincere and willing heart. That ye may hate and abhor sin, and every thing that is displea­sing unto God—that ye may ever love what is good; and [Page 17] likewise, that all men may love and practice holiness, and live to the praise and glory of their great Creator.

The establishment of righteousness in your hearts, your growing in grace, or being good, is a coming or increase of His kingdom upon earth—Extremely happy will ye be, my children, when ye shall really have this love of God, and of that which is good in His sight, or is com­manded by Him in the scriptures, fixed firmly in your hearts. The restrictions of religion will not then ap­pear grievous; but all its ways, and all the duties it re­quireth, will appear to you pleasant.

I must again put you in mind, that when ye repeat these words, Thy kingdom come, ye should have an ear­nest desire to become good or to be better than ye are; and that the love of God may so fully possess your minds, as to govern you in all your actions, and even your thoughts, and so restrain you from wilfully or willingly doing a bad action upon any account. For although bad actions may gratify you for the present, or answer some purpose or wish; yet be assured, my dear children, that in the end, they will prove to you the cause of much and lasting sorrow.

The third petition is thus expressed:—"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

Thy will be done, implieth your acquiescence with the dispensations of your heavenly Father; or, that ye give up your own wishes and desires, and rather would that whatever He willeth, may come to pass.

This resignation and submission to His will, shall prove to you an endless source of happiness. Sickness, crosses, and a variety of affliction, are often the portion even of pious men in this life: And if they, or any of them, should befall you, to bear them with patience and meek­ness, will very much lessen the affliction: And if ye are thus submissive and obedient, your heavenly Father will support and comfort you with His Holy Spirit. But if ye fret or murmur, whilst ye suffer affliction, that mur­muring will greatly enhance the evil in your minds, and it will offend your heavenly Father. Because, whilst ye murmur against any thing that He doth, ye behave like [Page 18] disobedient children, and find fault with the wisdom of His government.

But besides being resigned, ye must be obedient to His commandments, delivered in the Scriptures for your improvement in pious knowledge, and for your guide through life. In these instructions or commands, the will of our heavenly Father is revealed, as far as it is necessary for man to know it in this world; and by faith­fully observing and obeying them, ye will be prepared for Christ's kingdom of eternal glory, into which, if ye become good here, ye will be received after death, and there ye shall shine brighter, than the sun in exquisite bliss, forever and ever.

The words, in earth, imply an earnest desire, that all mankind, as well as you, may have a just sense of their duty to your heavenly Father, and have the grace to discharge it with faithful and willing hearts; or with sincerity and truth.

This part of the petition may be rendered thus:

O Lord, our heavenly Father, whose power disposeth of us, and of all things as seemeth unto Thee meet; grant us grace to obey Thee in every thing; to deny the gratification of such affections as are contrary to Thy pure and holy precepts. Give us, we humbly beseech Thee, a true knowledge of our duty, and create in us a full and perfect submission to Thy sacred will, so that we may walk humbly before Thee, with that reverence and fear, which is most justly due unto Thee, our Fa­ther, our King, and our God.

As it is in Heaven. Perhaps there may be a difficul­ty in conveying to your understanding the real meaning of these words. Because angels and saints perform His will in heaven, in a degree of perfection, that is not at­tainable in this life. Yet still to aspire after such per­fection, should be your wish and practice, and the more earnestly ye do so, the nearer to it shall ye come, and the greater satisfaction shall ye have in the performance of all your duties. This satisfaction will induce a sin­cere and chearful compliance, and obedience: And in that sincerity and [...], ye will imitate the blessed spirits [Page 19] in heaven; who never become faint or weary in doing their duty, or in performing the blessed task assigned them.

By these words, then, ye are to understand, that ye implore your heavenly Father to give you true and sin­cere hearts, and a right spirit, that ye may not deceive yourselves; but that with all your mind, and with all your strength, ye may be enabled to do whatever He hath been pleased to command you, with sincerity, fer­vency and zeal. Or that ye may be wholly devoted to His service, and as perfectly obedient as it becometh the children of the Father of mercies.

Thus my beloved children, I have endeavoured to ex­plain to you these three great petitions; the substance or which is this.

Ye implore your heavenly Father, that out of the riches of His grace, He would be pleased to enable you and all men, to glorify His great and holy name, by chearfully submitting to his will, and faithfully perform­ing those things which he hath commanded to be done, and that, in mercy to sinful man, He would be gra­ciously pleased to hasten the time, when all the world shall acknowlege Him to be the Lord, and their God, and, through a sincere love of Him, turn from the evil of their ways, and do only that which is lawful and right before Him all their days, until He shall be pleas­ed to call them to His mansions of everlasting rest.

My dear children, beloved in the Lord, I beseech you to think often of these things, and be assured that if ye live in this manner, according to the spirit and meaning of this prayer, ye will in this life be sensible that ye enjoy the savor of your heavenly Father, who will give you every needful blessing: and in the life to come, ye will inherit, with angels and with saints in light, in glory, and in bliss to all eternity.

And that ye may so live, and be so forever blessed, I pray God our heavenly Father, of His infinite mercy to grant for the sake of Christ, our Lord, and to His great and glorious name be the praise forever and for ever. Amen.

WE have examined those parts of this excellent Prayer, which have particular respect to the Deity, and in which ye, with reverence and humility, pray that your heavenly Father may be glorified by all mankind: And that His high kingdom of grace may come, or that righteousness be so established in the hearts of all men, that His will may be obeyed as chearfully and sincerely upon earth as it is in Heaven.

We are now come to those petitions, which more im­mediately refer to ourselves, and our brethren; and in the eleventh verse, the first of them is thus expressed:

Give us this day our daily bread. In this petition, ye ask of your heavenly Father, such things as He shall think necessary for your support in life: And ye acknow­ledge your dependence upon His bounty and will, from which proceedeth every good thing respecting this life, and the life that is to come.

Neither is it a general dependence that ye acknow­ledge; but a daily and particular one. Ye do not ask for riches, a great abundance of the comforts of life, af­ter which the covetous seek. But ye ask for food conve­nient, or such as shall enable you to perform the offices of life, and duties of a christian, without having the cares and apprehensions of want to disturb your minds.

Submission to the will of your heavenly Father, in the dispensation of His providence, is likewise confessed, and, as St. Peter expresses it—ye cast all your care upon Him, who careth for you ^* and who will never forsake, or withdraw His protection from those who thus put their trust in him.

The words us and our, remind you, that such gene­ral blessings as ye implore for yourselves, ye should like­wise implore for others, that is, for all mankind. One great leading principle in the christian religion is, to in­culcate benevolence, or a general good will to all the [Page 21] human race. As your heavenly Father freely giveth you, so ought ye freely to minister to the wants of others, and be ever ready to assist the distressed.

My children—thus to relieve the distressed is, perhaps, the greatest blessing that can be extracted from wealth, and if those upon whom wealth is bestowed did but know how exalted a pleasure it is, they would so act the faith­ful stewards of the Lord, that little should we find of that wretchedness, which poverty createth in the world.

And always remember, that prosperity enjoineth much thankfulness to the bountiful Giver: and adversity or af­fliction teacheth patience and resignation, as well as the extreme folly of placing your affections on the vanities of this world. For whoever trusteth in them, will ru­in his soul.

The next petition is in these words: And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

My children, this petition is of immense consequence. For unless ye forgive others, ye by this petition bind down upon yourselves the wrath of Heaven.

In the scriptures, debts and debtors, trespasses and trespassers, offences and offenders, are used to imply nearly the same thing. So here, our debts, mean our offences against the law of God: and our debtors mean those, who in any wise commit injuries or offences against us.

In this petition then ye acknowlege ye are sinners, but through His great goodness ye hope and pray to be forgiven. But of this pardoning mercy ye can have no hopes, unless ye forgive those, who injure or offend you. For the words of this petition expressly mean, that ye pray for mercy only as, or on condition that ye are for­giving and merciful to others.

Therefore ye must not suffer to remain in your mind malice or ill-will against any; but live in charity and have friendly dispositions towards all. These charitable dispositions not only conduce to happiness in this life, but to a preparation of the soul for that felicity, which en­dureth for ever.

Blessed, saith the Lord Jesus, blessed are the merci­ful, [Page 22] for they shall obtain mercy. ^* This should be, at all times, the disposition of all christians: but in praying for mercy, the mind should be particularly cleansed from all displeasure, and every desire that thirsteth for revenge. For unless ye are indeed mercifully disposed to others, ye can by no means become the happy object of your heaven­ly Father's mercy.

The Lord pondereth the heart; and if any perverse or uncharitable dispositions, or desires, are harboured there, He knoweth it. And our blessed Lord declareth, "when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have ought against any, that your Father also may forgive you your trespasses; and to enforce the forgiving of others, He addeth, "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive your trespasses." ^†

As in the former petition, your dependence for tempo­ral blessings is acknowledged; so in this, your depen­dence for spiritual gifts and graces, is likewise acknow­ledged. And of this dependence ye should ever retain a lively and grateful sense.

And as ye are directed thus daily to implore the for­giveness of your sin, this should impress upon your minds, the duty and necessity of your being patient, and kind one to another. But the forgiving of your sins, is an act of free, unmerited grace in your heavenly Father: Therefore, most certainly, ought ye freely to forgive others. And unless ye thus forgive your enemies, or those who offend you, ye cannot hope for the forgiveness of your heavenly Father, who delighteth to shew mercy to the merciful.

But, besides the mere act of forgiving injuries, ye should forget them. For whilst ye remember or think of them, it will be difficult to say ye have forgiven them: And in this petition, ye in fact pray not to be forgiven, unless ye also forgive.

Thus it is the duty and interest of all to live in amity, and to be charitably disposed each to the other. Besides, the advantage derived in this life from such dispositions, [Page 23] they constitute much of the happiness of the life to come. Therefore, they must be begun here: for in the grave there is neither work nor device. And unless these cha­ritable dispositions govern yuor mind, ye will be cruel & vindictive; and it is altogether impossible for such spirits to obtain mercy, or to enjoy the happiness which mer­cy createth.

As much of your present happiness dependeth upon those charitable dispositions; and as future happiness cannot be obtained without them; I wish to explain my­self as clearly to your understanding, as I possibly can.

Young as ye are, it is very probable, that all of you have been sometimes offended. Ye have been made an­gry, and ye have felt a desire to revenge, or to punish. Now, whilst your mind was so inflamed with anger and resentment, did ye not feel unhappy? Could any thing please you?

If ye never yet have taken notice of your own unhap­piness, when your mind hath been in this manner dis­sturbed, I beseech you to observe it on some future oc­casion. If ye do this, ye will much better understand the necessity of forgiving others, and of cultivating those kindly affections and dispositions, which unite mankind, and inspire all with charity and love. And ye will like­wise see, or rather feel from the uneasiness of your mind, that it is impossible for the cruel and vindictive spirits to taste or enjoy happiness.

I beseech you then, my dear children, as ye hope for happiness, and the mercy of your heavenly Father, give not your mind to anger; nor to revenge; neither to uncha­ritableness: but live in peace and love as it becometh the children of the God of mercy to live. Let not evil speaking pollute your tongue: nor malice, nor envy corrupt your heart. They should not be, indeed, so much as known or heard amongst you.

The last petition is, And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.

Temptations meaneth incitement to evil: and to be led into temptation, implieth our yielding to it, or being overcome by it.

[Page 24]As our heavenly Father is all goodness, this expression may surprize you. But we read that, He chasteneth whom He loveth; and scourgeth every son whom He re­ceiveth, ^* He is likewise said to tempt them, as in the case of Abraham ^†. But it is not to lead them into error, it is to try their faith, or to give them opportunities of exercising it in a particular manner, to strenghten it and to give good examples to others—"The Lord your God proveth you to know whether ye love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul ^‡.

So that this petition doth not imply a prayer to be kept entirely free from temptations; but that ye may be so strengthened, as not to be overcome by them; or that ye may not be tempted above what ye are able to bear. ^*

In this sense ye are to understand this expression, and not as an enticement to sin. For, as St. James observ­eth, God tempteth no man, ^‖ that is, He induceth no man to commit iniquity.

But instead of enlarging upon the different ways in which your heavenly Father is said to tempt His children, to prove the sincerity of their faith, and to strengthen their minds, I shall paraphrase the petition thus:

"Whenever evil shall befall us—when the world, the devil, or our own evil desires, shall attempt to en­snare us, do Thou, O Lord, our heavenly Father, do Thou, in Thy tender mercies—support and strengthen us; so that we neither stumble nor fall; but make for us a way to escape—enable us to sustain the shock, or rescue us from it." ^§

But deliver us from evil, may be extended to the evils of this life, such as loss of health or of friends, or to the cruel shafts of malice, and so forth. But the chief object of this petition, is a rescue or deliverance from the power of the devil, the contagion of sin, the seduction of our own evil desires, and from every evil frame of heart, and disposition of spirit, which incline us to sin, or to yield to temptations to commit iniquity.

This teacheth, that ye should be always upon your [Page 25] guard, lest ye fall from duty, and the practice of truth, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That ye should with humble, sincere, and contrite hearts, lament your own weakness, and implore your heavenly Father to streng­then you with grace, and the aids of His holy spirit, so that ye may be kept from falling under temptations, and from doing any thing offensive to His pure and holy eye. And that for His infinite mercies, he would uphold you through this mortal life, and "restore you to the joy of His salvation."

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.

As this prayer beginneth, so it endeth with glory to God, your heavenly Father; which sheweth, that whe­ther ye pray, or whatever else ye do, ye should have an eye to His glory and praise.

But these words may be rendered thus:

We pray for the coming of Thy kingdom, or the in­crease of righteousness; that Thy name may be held sacred, and treated with reverence by all mankind; and that Thy will may be done in all things and by all men: For the kingdom is Thine, and it is the duty of all to glorify Thy name, and to obey Thy law: We implore temporal blessings, and the forgiveness of our past of­fences, and a preservation from future transgressionss; because, Thou hast the power thus to provide for, and protect us, and Thou only canst forgive us our sins. All these things we implore, because by hallowing Thy name; by owning Thy kingdom, and by doing Thy will: by Thy forgiving us, by Thy providing for, and pro­tecting us, the glory shall be Thine, forever and forever. Amen.

Amen is commonly supposed to mean a full assent to your prayers, and earnest desire that they may be heard. As if ye should say, "Grant these our humble requests, good Lord, we beseech Thee." But it also implieth a hope, and belief that they will be heard, as far as they are agreeable to the will of your heavenly Father, for the sake of His beloved son Jesus Christ our Lord, through wh [...] mediation alone we can have access to the Father; who with the son and Holy Spirit, is one God, over all, blessed forever more. Amen.

[Page 26]My dear children, I hope these remarks will enable you to understand this prayer better than hitherto you have understood it—and I pray God our heavenly Fa­ther, to increase your knowledge of all those things, which belong to your eternal peace, that as ye grow in years, ye may increase in grace; in wisdom, and in understanding—that He would protect you through the dangerous paths of youth, and through all the chances and changes of this life—that all your days may be spent in His fear; that ye be preserved unspot­ted from the world, and that, at the last, ye be present­ed with exceeding great joy before His throne, and be­come blessed partakers with His saints in light everlast­ing.

Grant this, O Lord our heavenly Father, we beseech Thee, for the sake of Christ, and to thy great name, be glory, honor and praise for ever and forever. Amen.