LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS ,CHRIST., 51 call God our Father, fhould raife in us an holy emulation, by exciting us to con- fider what fort of children we ought to be, who' claim fo high and honourable a relation. And our being exhorted to call God our Father, in the plural number, ought to put us in mind that we are all brethren, the children of one common parent, and that we fhould Love one another in fincerity, and fincerely and fervently pray for the good of each other. Which art in heaven. By thefe words, we are commanded to exprefs the glory, majehy, and power of the great God : his prefence is not confined to the heavenly worlds ; the heaven of heavens cannot containhim ; the whole univerfe lies open to his eye: his prefence extends itfelf through the infinitude of fpàce: at one vaft comprehenfive view, he beholds the whole creation, pali, prefent, and to come ; heaven is his throne, and earth is his foot- flool ; the night and the day, the darknefs and the light, are equal to him ; he fees all things, both in heaven and earth; even hell is naked before him, and deltrutlian hath no covering. But, by God's being in hea- ven, we are to underhand, that this is the place where his glories are plaineft feen, and wherehe is belt worlhipped. Hallowed be thy name. By the name of God, the Hebrews underftood the divine Majefly himfelf, all his attributes, and his works; and therefore, we are to under- handby this petition, a defire in the wor- shipper, that the honour, dignity, glory, and majefty of the great Creator, may be difplayed" and exalted amongi men ; as much as though we fhould pray, may thy exiftence-be univerfally believed, thy fupremacy over all things acknowledged, thy goodnefs believed and confided in, and may all men think well, honourably, and worthily of thee, of all thy works, and all thy ways, and all thy dealings towards them.- Thy kingdom come. May thy glorious gofpel, and the fpiritual kingdom of thy Son, be extended over the whole, earth ; and may all ignorance, fuperflition, idola- try, and iniquity, be driven before .the glo- rious riling ofthe Sun of righteoufnefs. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. May the fons of men be turned from darknefs to light, and front fin and Satan to the knowledge of thyfelf, and by the divine aids of thy Spirit, may they be enabled to do thy will, as Readily and fincerely, "though not with fuch perfec- tion, as it is done by the angels of light in the heavenly world. Give us this day our daily bread. Be pleafed, O thou great Parent of the uni- verfe ! who fupplieft all thy creatures from the rich fountain of thy fulnefs, to give us, day by day, fuch a portion of thy creature-comforts, as may enable us to ferve thee with cheerfulnefs and fads- faélion of mind. And forgive us our debts, as we for- give our debtors. God being the fupreme and righteous Governor of the world, he hath a right to punifh thofe who break his jul and equitable laws. The fuffer- ing ofpunifhment is therefore a debt, which finners owe to fupreme juftice : and when we are commanded to pray, that God will forgive us our debts, the meaning is, that he will remit that dreadful punifhment due to our fins. This enormous debt, the great King of the univerfe, on account of the fatisfaélion which his jultice has received, in the blood and righteoufnefs of his Son, is ready to forgive to all that believe in him, with fuch a lively and powerful faith, as produces a heady and prevailing obedience to his gofpel. But the infinite mercy of God in forgiving our tranfgreflions, ought at all times to be remembered by us, in fuch a manner as to foften our minds, and infpire them with a readinefs to forgive thofe who have tranf- greffed
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