A Pra[/ical Expojition tain wha~ we have fO m~~h Reafon to ask: Now Faith and Affurance of obtaining our Requeft ts a great Co~dmon to the Acceptation o'f our Prayers; ard therefOre rhe L1po-- file _commands us to hft up Holy Hand$, ~s witb~ut W:arb, fo ~lfo wit hour Do11btmg, J Ttm. 2. 8. A~dagam, Jam. I. 7· ~etb1m dJ~ Ill Fuah, nothtng wavering; for let not that M·an tbrnk that he /hall recezve any Tbmg_ of t be L ord. Now when we Cln humbly reprefent umo God bmh the great Necefiny rhar we fiand in of rho~ Mercies that. we beg, and li~ewife the f:quity which arifeth eilh<:I from his Pro ifes pail, or htsName and .Attrzbutes proc!auned, that we fhould receive them, wha abundant Strength and Confidence may thts add ro our Fairh, and make us come to God widl an humble Exl?e.Elation, that he would either anfwer our Prayers, or our Heafons ~ And the!efore ~f thou. wouldfi be fure to hJve t~y Prayers anfwered, pray cbiefiy for fuch Thmgs for whtch thou canlt produce luch Rtofons as cannot be anfWered. And therefore, . Secondly, The mofi fo·cible Renfons and Argumentf in Prayer are to be taken fiom the Attributes oj God: Th_efe mu it needs be powerful when they are himfelf ; and if thou canfi but get an Attnbut~ ro take thy Part when thou comeH to theThrone of Grace, and ift_hou canft. butrighrly ufe and fit it to thy Requefis, thou rnay'ft be fure of Speeding, for God wilL nor, nay, he cannot, deny himklf; in us there can be nothing found ro move him, nor anywhere our of himfdf; and where we find (as very often we do in Scripture) that the Miferies and Affiitlions of Gcd's Pt:ople are made ufe of as a Plea for Mercy, yet this Plea hfelf, which is ufuJIJv moft winning,· and moft affeS:ing, can no mherwife prevail wi th God than as his Pity and Compailions engage him to relieve rhofe that are in Mifery; and ro fpeak properly, they are not our AffiiS:ions, but theGlory of his Power and Mercy in delivering us from them, that is a Motive umo God; only it is the Arr of a prayi ng Cbriflian ap!ly to reprefenr himfelfas an Objell fOr God's Auributes to be exercifed about ; and if he can but interefl: any Name or Attribute of God in his behalf, he may be confident of rhe Succefs of his Prayer, and that he (hall not return atbamed : Thefe Two Obfervations · I gather tfom the lllative Particle For; FOr thine is the Kingdom , &c. Concerning the Kingdom ofGod I tball fpeak but very little now, having already treated of it in explaining the SccondPetiuon ofthis molt Excellent Prayer, Tby Kingdom come. Certain it is that God's Univerfal Kingdom is here underfiood as he is the High Creator and Su~reme Lord of all Things, both in He1ven a~d in Earth, yet BOt fo as to exclude hiS Peculzar"'Kmgdom of the Church; and thiS ts an Excellent Argument to confirm our Faith for the obtaining of thofe Things which we pray for, becaufi: the Kingdom is God's, and he is the Abfolute Sovereign over all, and rhere. ' fore all Things are at his difpofe: As fOr Spirirual Bleffings which we feek he h:uh rbe Power ofbefl:owing of them, for he is King of his Ch11rch, and beftows the Gifrs and Graces of his Spirit upon the Faithful Subjells of that his KintJom' And as for Temporal Bleillngs that we beg, he likewife can ~eadily befiow rbem up?n us, fOr ~e is the Univerfal.111onarch of all the World, a Ktng to whom all other Kmgs are fuhjeEl, and all other Tbronts are bur the Footfiool of his. And therefore in the general, whatfoever we want, be h Prote8ion or Pro,,ifion, our Faith in the Sovereignty of God may encourage us to ask ir with an hu.mble Bold· nefs and Confidence, for it is the Office of a King to g;i\'e both unto his SubjeEts. Bur let us more particularly confider how God'f Kingdom may be accommodated to all the Petitions of this Prayer of our Lord, as a firong Argument and Reafon to prevail with God for the obtaining what we requeCt iil each of them. ' Firft. The Kingdom is God's, therefore.. he will !ee that his J\7ame he ballowed and glorijiedin it: Ktngs are jealous-of their Hono~r; ~~d it. is a gr:ar Offence eithe~ to fpeak or do any Thing that may redound to thelf DI_fcredu. It IS fi~ and d:cenr fora King to have the higheft Name, and the greateft Repute, among hiS Suh;cfls ; and Iherefore we may be fure God will maintain this in the W01ld; yea, fo jealous is God of having Difhonour refteaect upon him, that be harh forbidden not only the Profanation and Trivial Mention cfhisown Name, bur the Profanation of that which doth but belong unto him, Maub. 5· 34, 35· Swear nor_ by Heaven, for it is G~d.s Throne; neitQ~r by zh~ Eartb1 for it.u his Foot./fool ; n_eaber. by Jerufalem, for/t ~~ the Ciq of tNGreal Kmg : Heaven 1s the Throne of hts llla;e}ly, the Th~:aue of h1s Power; 1erufalem and the Temple Ihe Seat of his Wcrlhip. A~d therefore as King.s and Princes have RefpeEt fhewn to their Prejence-Cbamhe,. ; fo God, becaufe he IS the Great King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, requires to be r<vmoced in all that do•h
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