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26 - Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Discourse VI - Sermons on Several Occasions · Wisdom of the Ages Library

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Upon our Lord's sermon on the mount. Take heed that ye do not your
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arms before men to be seen of them. Otherwise ye have no reward of
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your Father, which is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thine arms,
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do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the
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synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily,
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I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest
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arms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that
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thine arms may be in secret, and thy Father, which seeth in secret
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himself, shall reward THEE openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not
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be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray, standing in the
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synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of
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men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward. But
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thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
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shut the door, pray to thy Father, which is in secret. And
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their father would seeth in secret, he shall reward THEE openly. But when
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ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they
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think that they shall be heard for them much speaking. Be not ye therefore
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like unto them. For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before
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you ask him. After this manner, therefore pray ye, our Father,
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which are in heaven, Hallow be thy name, thy Kingdom. Come.
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They will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
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day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
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debtors. And lead us not its in temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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For Thine is the kingdom and the Power and the glory forever and ever.
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Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
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also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
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your father forgive your trespasses. Matthew six, verses one to fifteen. In
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the preceding chapter, our Lord has described inward religion in its various branches.
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He has laid before us those dispositions of soul which constitute real Christianity, the
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inward tempers contained in that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord,
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the affections which when flowing from their proper fountain, from a living faith in
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God through Christ Jesus, are intrinsically and essentially good and acceptable to God.
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He proceeds to show in this chapter how all our actions, likewise, even
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those that are indifferent in their own nature, may be made holy and good
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and acceptable to God by a pure and holy intention. Whatever is done without
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this, he largely declares, is of no value before God. Whereas whatever
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outward works are thus consecrated to God, they are, in his sight of
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great price. The necessity of this purity of intention he shows first with regard
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to those which are usually accounted religious actions, and indeed are those which performed
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with a right intention. Some of these are commonly termed works of piety,
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the rest works of charity or mercy. Of the latter sort he particularly names
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arms giving are the former, praying and fasting. But the directions given for
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these are equally to be applied to every work, whether of charity or mercy.
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And first with regard to works of mercy, take heed saith He that
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ye do not your arms before men to be seen of them. Otherwise ye
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have no reward of your Father, which is in Heaven. That ye do
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not your arms. Although this only is named. Yet is every work of
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charity included everything which we give, or speak, or do whereby our neighbor
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may be profited, whereby another man may receive any advantage, either in his
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body or soul. The feeding the hungry, the clothing the naked, the
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entertaining or assisting the stranger, the visiting those that are sick or imprisoned,
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the comforting the afflicted, the instructing the ignorant, the reproving the wicked,
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the exhorting and encouraging the well doer. And if there be any other work
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of mercy, it is equally included in this direction. Take heed that ye
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do not your arms before men to be seen of them. The thing which
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is here forbidden is not barely the doing good in the side of men.
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This circumstance alone, that either see what we do makes the action neither worse
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nor better, but the doing it before men to be seen of them.
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With this view, from this intention only, I say, from this intention
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only, for this may in some cases be part of our intention. We
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may design that some actions should be seen, and yet they may be acceptable
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to God. We may intend that our light should shine before men, when
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our conscience bears witness in the Holy Ghost that our ultimate end is designing that
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they should see our good works, is that they may glorify our Father,
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which is in heaven. But take heed that ye do not do the least
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thing with a view to your own glory. Take heed that a regard to
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the praise of men have no place at all in your works of mercy,
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if you seek your own glory, if you have any design to gain the
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honor that cometh of men, whatever is done with this view is nothing worth.
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It is not done unto the Lord, he accepteth it. Not,
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you have no reward for this of our Father, which is in heaven.
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Therefore, when thou doest thine arms, sound a trumpet before thee, as
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the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have
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praise of men. The word synagogue does not here mean a place of worship,
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but any place of public resort, such as the market place or exchange.
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It was a common thing among the Jews, who were men of large
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fortunes, particularly among the Pharisees, to cause a trumpet to be sounded before
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them in the most public parts of the city when they were about to give
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any considerable arms. The pretended reason for this was to call the poor together
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to receive it, but the real design that they might have praise of men.
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But be not thou like unto them. Do not thou cause a trumpet
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to be sounded before thee Use no ostentation. In doing good. Aim at
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the honor which cometh of God. Only they who seek the praise of men
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have their award. They shall have no praise of God. When thou doest
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arms, Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. This
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is a proverbial expression, the meaning of which is do it in as secret
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a manner as possible, as secret as is consistent with the doing it at
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all, For it must not be left undone, omit no opportunity of doing
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good, whether secretly or openly, and with the doing it in the most
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effectual manner. For here is also an exception to be made when you are
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fully persuaded in your own mind that by your not concealing the good which is
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done, either you will yourself be enabled or others excited to do more good.
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Then you may not conceal it. Then let your light appear and shine
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to all that are in the house. But unless where the glory of God
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and the good of mankind oblige you to the contrary, act in as private
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and unobserved a manner as the nature of the thing will admit, that thy
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arms may be in secret, and thy Father, which seeth in secret,
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he shall reward thee openly. Perhaps in the present world, many instances of
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this stand recorded in all ages, but infallibly in the world to come before
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the general assembly of men and angels. From works of charity or mercy,
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our Lord proceeds to those which are termed works of piety. And when thou
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prayest saith he thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love
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to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,
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that they may be seen of men. Thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
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are. Hypocrisy, then, or insincerity, is the first thing we are
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to guard against in prayer. But when not to speak, what thou dost
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not mean? Prayer is the lifting up of the heart to God. All
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words of prayer without this are mere hypocrisy. Whenever, therefore thou attemptest to
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pray. See that it be thy one design to commune with God, to
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lift up thy heart to Him, to pour out thy soul before him,
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not as the hypocrites who love or are wont to pray. Standing in the
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synagogues, the exchange or market places, and in the corners of the streets,
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wherever the most people are, that they may be seen of men.
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This was the sole design, the motive and end of the prayers which they
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there repeated. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.
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They are to expect none from your Father, which is in heaven. But
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it is not only the having an eye to the praise of men which cuts
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us off from any reward in heaven, which leaves us no room to expect
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the blessing of God upon our works, whether of piety or mercy. Purity
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of intention is equally destroyed by a view to any temporal reward whatever. If
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we repeat our prayers, if we attend the public worship of God, if
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we relieve the poor with a view to gain or interest, it is not
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a wit more acceptable to God than if were done with a view to praise
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any temporal view, any motive whatever. On this side of eternity, any
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design, but that of promoting the glory of God and the happiness of men
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for God's sake, makes every action, however fair it may appear to men,
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an abomination unto the Lord. But when thou prayest, enter into thy
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closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to Thy Father,
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which is in secret. There is a time when thou art openly to glorify
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God, to pray and praise Him in the great congregation. But when thou
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desirest more largely, and more particularly to make thy requests known unto God,
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whether it be in the evening or in the morning, or at noonday,
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enter into thy closet and shut the door. Use all the privacy thou canst.
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Only leave it not undone, whether thou hast any closet, any privacy,
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or no. Pray to God, if it be poss when none seeth
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but He. But if otherwise pray to God, thus pray to thy Father,
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which is in secret, pour out thy heart before Him, and thy
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Father, which seeth in secret. He shall reward thee openly. But when
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ye pray even in secret, use not vain repetitions, as the Heathen,
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do may baolr gasetti. Do not use abundance of words without any meaning.
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Say not the same thing over and over again. Think not the fruit of
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your prayers depends on the length of them, like the Heathens, for they
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think they shall be heard for their much speaking. The thing here reproved is
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not simply the length any more than the shortness of our prayers, but first
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length without meaning, speaking much and meaning little or nothing. The using not
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all repetitions, for our Lord himself prayed thrice, repeating the same words,
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but vain repetitions, as the Heathens did, resigning the names of their gods
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over and over, as they do among Christians, vulgarly so called, and
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not among the papers only, who say over and over the same string of
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prayers without ever feeling what they speak. Secondly, the thinking to be heard
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for our much speaking. The fancying God measures prayers by their length, and
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is best pleased with those which contain the most words, which sound the longest
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in his ears. These are such instances of superstition and folly as all who
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are named by the name of Christ should leave to the Heathens, to them
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on whom the glorious light the Gospel hath never shined be not ye. Therefore,
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like unto them, Ye who have tasted of the grace of God in
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Christ Jesus, are thoroughly convinced. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need
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of before ye ask him. So that the end of your praying is not
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to inform God, as though he knew not your wants or read, but
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rather to inform yourselves, to fix the sense of those wants more deeply in
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your hearts, and the sense of your continual dependence on Him who only is
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able to supply all your wants. It is not so much to move God,
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who is always more ready to give than you to ask, as to
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move yourselves, that you may be willing and ready to receive the good things
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He has prepared for you. After having taught the true nature and ends of
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prayer, our Lord subjoins an example of it, even that divine former prayer,
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which seems in this place to be proposed by way of pattern, chiefly
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as the model and standard of all our prayers. After this manner. Therefore,
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pray ye, whereas elsewhere he enjoins the use of these very words he
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said, unto them, when ye pray, say so on so forth Luke
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eleven two. We may observe in Jedi general concerning this divine prayer. First,
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that it contains all we can reasonably or innocently pray for. There is
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nothing which we have need to ask of God, nothing which we can ask
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without offending Him, which is not included, either directly or indirectly, in
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this comprehensive form. Secondly, that it contains all we can reasonably or innocently
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desire, whatever is for the glory of God, whatever is needful or profitable,
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not only for ourselves, but for every creature in heaven and earth.
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And indeed our prayers are the proper test of our desires. Nothing being fit
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to have a place in our desires, Which is not fit to have a
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place in our prayers. What we may not pray for, neither should we
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desire. Thirdly, that it contains all our duty to God and Man,
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whatsoever things are pure and holy, whatsoever God requires of the children of men,
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whatsoever is acceptable in His sight, whatsoever it is whereby we may profit
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our neighbor, being expressed or implied therein. It consists of three parts,
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the preface, the petitions, and the doxology or conclusion, the preface Our
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Father, which art in Heaven, lays a general foundation for prayer, comprising
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what we must first know of God before we can pray in confidence of being
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heard. It likewise points out to us all those tempers with which we are
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to approach to God, which are most essentially requisite if we desire either our
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prayers or our lives should find acceptance with him, our Father. If he
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is a father, then he is good, Then he is loving to his
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children. And here is the first and greatest reason for prayer. God is
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willing to bless Let us ask for a blessing. Our Father, our creator,
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the author of our being, who who raised us from the dust of
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the earth, who breathe into us the breath of life, and we became
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living souls. But if he made us, let us ask, and he
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will not withhold any good thing from the work of his own hands. Our
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Father, our preserver, who day by day sustains the life he has given,
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of whose continuing love we know, and every moment receive life and breath
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and all things. So much the more boldly let us come to him,
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and we shall obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need. Above
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all, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and of all that
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believe in him, who justifies us freely by his grace through the redemption that
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is in Jesus, who hath blotted out all our sins and healed all our
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infirmities, who hath received us from his own children by adoption and grace.
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And because we are sons, hath sent forth the spirit of his son into
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our hearts. Crying, Aba, Father, who hath begotten us again of
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incorruptible seed, and create us anew in Christ Jesus. Therefore we know that
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he heareth us always. Therefore we pray to him without ceasing. We pray
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because we love and we love him because he first loved us. Our father,
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not mine only, who now cry unto him, but ours in the
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most extensive sense, the God and father of the spirits of all flesh,
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the father of angels and men. So the very Heathens acknowledged him to be
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Paate Tathonte, the father of the universe, of all the families, both
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in heaven and earth. Therefore, with him there is no respective persons.
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He loveth all that he hath made. He is loving unto every man,
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and his mercy is over all his works. And the Lord's delight is in
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them that fear Him and put their trust in His mercy, in them that
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trust in Him through the Son of His Love, knowing they are accepted in
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the Beloved. But if God so loved us, we ought also to love
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one another, YEA, all mankind, Seeing God so loved the world that
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he gave his only begotten son, even to die the death, that they
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might not perish, but have eternal life, which art in heaven high and
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lifted up God over all, blessed forever, who sitting on the circle of
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the heavens, beholdeth all things, both in heaven and earth, whose eye
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pervades the whole sphere of created being, YEA, and of uncreated Knight,
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unto whom are known all His works and all the works of every creature,
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not only from the beginning of the world a poor, low, weak translation,
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but up ionus from all eternity, from everlasting to everlasting. Who constrains
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the host of Heaven as well as the children of men, to cry out
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with wonder and amazement of the depth, the depth of the riches, both
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of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God, which art in Heaven,
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the Lord and ruler of all, superintending and disposing all things, who art,
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the King of kings and Lord of lords, the blessed and only potentate,
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who art strong and girded about with power, doing whatsoever pleaseth THEE the
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Almighty. For whensoever thou willest to do, is present with THEE in Heaven.
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Eminently There heaven is thy throne, the place where thine honor particularly dwelleth,
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But not there alone, for thou feell'st Heaven and Earth, the whole
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expanse of space, Heaven and Earth are full of Thy glory. Glory be
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to THEE, O, Lord most High. Therefore should we serve the Lord
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with fear and rejoice unto him with reverence. Therefore should we think, speak,
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and act as continually under the eye, in the immediate presence of the
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Lord, the King. Hallowed be thy name. This is the first of
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the six petitions whereof the prayer itself is composed. The name of God is
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God himself. The nature of God, so far as it can be discover'd
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to man, It means, therefore, together with his existence, all his
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attributes or perfections, his eternity particularly signified by his great and incommune n name
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Jehovah. As the apostle John translates it, tai koturo r k catalos unki
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hoor onenkai how en kai how er Komenos, the Alpha and omega the beginning
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in the end, He which is, and which was, and which is
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to come, his fullness of being, denoted by his other great name,
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I am that, I am his omnipresence, his omnipotence, who is indeed
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the only agent in the material world, all matter being essentially dull and inactive,
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and moving only as it is moved by the finger of God. And
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he is the spring of action in every creature, visible and invisible, which
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could neither act nor exist without the continual influx and agency of His almighty power,
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his wisdom clearly to use from the things that are seen from the goodly
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order of the universe, his trinity and unity and unity and trinity, discovered
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to us in the very first line of his written work Barrah Elohim literally the
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Gods created a plural noun joined with a verb of the singular number, as
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well as in every part of his subsequent revelations given by the mouth of all
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his holy prophets and apostles, his essential purity and holiness, and above all
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his love, which is the very brightness of His glory. In praying that
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God or his name may be hallowed or glorified, we pray that He may
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be known such as he is by all that are capable thereof, by all
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intelligent beings, and with affections suitable to that knowledge, that He may be
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duly honored and feared and loved by all in heaven above and in the earth
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beneath, by all angels and men whom for that end He has made capable
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of knowing and loving Him to eternity, Thy Kingdom come. This has a
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close connection with the preceding petition. In order that the name of God might
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be haloed, we pray that His kingdom, the Kingdom of Christ, may
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come. This kingdom then comes to a particular person when he repents and believes
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the Gospel, when he is taught of God, not only to know himself,
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but to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As this is life eternal,
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to know the only True God and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent.
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So it is the Kingdom of God begun below, set up in the
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believer's heart. The Lord God, omnipotent, then reigneth. When he is
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known through Christ Jesus. He taketh unto himself his mighty power, that he
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may subdue all things unto himself. He goeth on in the soul, conquering
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and to conquer, till he hath put all things under his feet, till
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every thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. When therefore God
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shall give his son the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
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the earth for his possession. When all kingdoms shall bow before him, and
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all nations shall do him service, When the mountain of the Lord's house,
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the Church of Christ, shall be established in the top of the mountains,
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when the fullness of the gentiles shall come in and all Israel shall be saved.
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Then shall it be seen that the Lord is king and hath put on
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glorious apparel, appearing to every soul of man, as King of kings and
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Lord of lords. And it is meet for all those who love his appearing,
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to pray that He would hasten in the time that this kingdom, the
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Kingdom of Grace, may come quickly and swallow up all the kingdoms of the
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earth, that all mankind, receiving Him for their king, truly believing in
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his name, may be filled with righteousness and peace and joy, with holiness
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and happiness, till they are removed hence into His heavenly kingdom, there to
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reign with him forever and ever. For this also we pray in those words,
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Thy Kingdom Come. We pray for the coming of His everlasting Kingdom,
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the Kingdom of Glory in heaven, which is the continuation and perfection of the
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Kingdom of Grace on earth. Consequently, this, as well as the preceding
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petition, is offered up for the whole intelligent creation, who are all interested
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in this grand event, the final renovation of all things, by God's putting
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an end to misery and sin, to infirmity and death, taking all things
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into his own hands, and setting up the kingdom which endureth throughout all ages.
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Exactly answerable to this are those awful words in the prayer at the burial
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of the dead, beseeching THEE that it may please THEE of thy gracious goodness
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shortly to accomplish the number of Thine elect and to hasten Thy Kingdom, that
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we, with all those that are departed, in the true faith of Thy
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Holy name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and
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soul, in Thy ever lasting glory. Thy will be done in earth as
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it is in heaven. This is the necessary and immediate consequence wherever the Kingdom
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of God is come, wherever God dwells in the soul by faith and Christ's
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reigns in the heart by love. It is probable many, perhaps the generality
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of men, at the first view of these words, are apt to amage
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that they are only an expression of, or petition of resignation, for a
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readiness to suffer the will of God, whatsoever it be concerning us. And
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this is unquestionably a divine and excellent temper, the most precious gift of God.
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But this is not what we pray for in this petition, at least
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not in the chief and primary sense of it. We pray not so much
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for a passive as for an active conformity to the will of God. In
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saying Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, how is
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it done by the angels of God in heaven? Those who now circle his
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throne, rejoicing. They do it willingly. They love his commandments, and
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gladly hearken to his words. It is their meat and drink. To do
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his will. It is their highest glory and joy. They do it continually.
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There is no interruption in their willing service. They rest not day or
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night, but employ every hour, speaking after the manner of men. Otherwise,
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our measures of du ration days and nights and ours have no place in
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eternity. In fulfilling his commands, in executing his designs, in performing the
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counsel of his will. And they do it perfectly. No sin, no
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defect belongs to angelic minds. It is true the stars are not pure in
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his sight, even the morning stars that sing together before him in his sight,
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that is, in comparison of him. The very angels are not pure.
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But this does not imply that they are not pure in themselves. Doubtless
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they are. They are without spot and blame us. They are altogether devoted
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to His will and perfectly obedient in all things. If we view this in
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another light, we may observe the angels of God in heaven do all the
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will of God, and they do nothing else, nothing but what they are
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absolutely assured is His will. Again, they do all the will of God
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as he willeth, in the manner which pleaseth Him, and no other.
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Yea. And they do this only because it is His will for this end,
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and no other reason. When therefore, we pray that the will of
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God may be done in earth as it is in heaven. The meaning is
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that all the inhabitants of the earth, even the whole race of mankind,
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may do the will of their Father which is in Heaven, as willingly as
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the holy angels. That these may do it continually, even as they without
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any interruption of their willing service. Yea. And that they may do it
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perfectly, that the God of Peace, through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant,
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may make them perfect in every good work, to do His will and
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work in them all which is well pleasing in His sight. In other words,
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we pray that we and all mankind may do the whole will of God
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in all things, and nothing else, not the life least thing, but
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what is the holy and acceptable will of God. We pray that we may
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do the whole will of God as He willeth, in the manner that pleaseth
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Him. And lastly, that we may do it, because it is His
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will that this may be the sole reason and ground, the whole and only
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motive, of whatsoever we think, or whatsoever we speak or do. Give
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us this day our daily bread. In the three former petitions we have been
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praying for all mankind. We come now more particularly to desire a supply for
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our own wants. Not that we are directed even here to confine our prayer
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altogether to ourselves, But this and each of the following petitions may be used
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for the whole Church of Christ upon earth. By bread, we may understand
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all things needful, whether for our souls or bodies Tha pro zoenki eusebian.
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The things between to life and godliness. We understand not barely the outward bread,
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what our Lord terms the meat which perisheth, but more much more the
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spiritual bread, the grace of God, the food which endureth unto everlasting life.
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It was the judgment of many of the ancient fathers that we are here
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to understand. The sacramental bread also date be received in the beginning by the
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whole Church of Christ, and highly esteemed till the love of many waxed cold,
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as the Grand channel whereby the grace of His spirit was conveyed to the
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souls of all the children of God. Our daily bread. The word we
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render daily has been differently explained by different commentators, but the most plain and
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natural sense of it seems to be this, which is retained in almost all
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translations, as well ancient as modern. What is sufficient for this day,
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and so for each day as it succeeds, give us, For we claim
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nothing of right, but only of free mercy. We deserve not the air
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we breathe, the earth that bears, or the sun that shines upon us.
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All our desert we own is hell. But God loves us freely.
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Therefore we ask Him to give what we can no more procure for ourselves than
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we can merit it at his hands. Not that either the goodness or the
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power of God is a reason for us to stand idle. It is his
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will that we should use all diligence in all things, that we should employ
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our utmost endeavors, as much as if our success were the natural effect of
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our own wisdom and strength. And then, as though we had done nothing.
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We are to depend on Him, the giver of every good and perfect
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gift this day for we are to take no thought for the morrow. For
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this very end has our wives created divided life into these little portions of time,
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so clearly separated from each other, that we might look on every day
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as a fresh gift of God, another life which we may devote to His
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glory, and that every evening may be as the close of life, beyond
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which we are to see nothing but eternity. And forgive us our trespasses,
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as we forgive them that trespass against us, as nothing but sin can hinder
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the bounty of God from flowing forth upon every creature. So this petition naturally
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follows the former, that all hindrances being removed, we may the more clearly
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trust in God of love for every manner of thing which is good, our
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trespasses. The word properly signifies our debts. Thus, as our sins are
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frequently represented in scripture, every sin laying us under a fresh debt to God,
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to whom we already owe, as it were, ten thousand talents,
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What then can we answer when He shall say pay me that thou owest we
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are utterly insolvent, we have nothing to pay. We have wasted all our
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substance. Therefore, if he deal with us according to the rigor of his
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law, if he exact what he justly may, he must command us to
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be bound, handed in foot, and delivered over to the tormentors. Indeed,
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we are already bound hand and foot by the chains of our own sins.
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These, considered with regard to ourselves, are chains of iron and fetters
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of brass. They are wounds, wherewith the world the flesh and the devil
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have gashed and mangled us all over. They are diseases that drink up our
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blood, and spirits that I bring us down to the chambers of the grave.
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But considered as they are here with regard to God, they are debts
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immense and numberless. Well, Therefore, seeing we have nothing to bay,
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may we cry unto Him that he would frankly forgive us all. The word
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translated forgive implies either to forgive a debt or to unloose a chain, And
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if we attain the former, the latter follows. Of course, if our
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debts are forgiven, the chains fall off our hands. As soon as ever,
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through the free grace of God in Christ we receive forgiveness of sins,
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we receive likewise a lot among those who are sanctified by faith, which is
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in Him. Sin has lost its power. It has no dominion over those
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who are under grace, that is in favor with God. As there is
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no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus, so they are freed from
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sin as well as from guilt. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in
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them, and they walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
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As we forgive them that trespass against us. In these words, our Lord
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clearly indicates both on what condition and in what degree or manner we may look
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to be forgiven of God. All our trespasses and sins are forgiven us if
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we forgive, and as we forgive others, first God forgives us if we
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forgive others. This is a point of the utmost importance. And our blessed
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Lord is so jealous lest any time we should let it slip out of our
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thoughts, that he not only inserts it into the body of his prayer,
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but presently after repeats it twice over. If saith he ye forgive men their
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trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not
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men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses Matthew six fourteen and
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fifteen. Secondly, God forgives us as we forgive others, so that if
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any malice or bitterness, if any taint of unkindness or angerer remains, if
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we do it not clearly, fully and from the hearts forgive all men their
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trespasses, we far cut short the forgiveness of our own. God cannot clearly
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and fully forgive us. He may show us some degree of mercy, but
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we will not suffer him to blot out all our sins and forgive all our
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iniquities. In the meantime, while we do not, from our hearts forgive
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our neighbor his trespasses, what manner of prayer are we offering to God?
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Whenever we are to these words, we are indeed sending God at open defiance.
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We are daring him to do his worst to forgive us our trespasses,
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as we forgive them that trust us against us. That is, in plain
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terms, do not thou forgive us at all? We desire no favor at
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thy hands. We pray that Thou will keep our sins in remembrance, and
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that thy wrath may abide upon us. But can you seriously offer such a
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prayer to God? And hath He not yet cast you quick into hell?
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Idempt him no longer now even now, by his grace, forgive as you
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would be forgiven. Now have compassion on thy fellow servant, as God hath
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had, and will have pity on thee. Lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil. The word translated temptation means trial of any kind,
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and so the English word temptation was formerly taken in an indifferent sense,
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although now it is usually understood of solicitation to sin. Since shame uses the
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word in both these senses, first in its general then in its restrained acceptation,
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he takes it in the former sense when he saith blessed is the man,
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and that in dureth temptation, for when he is tried or approved of
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God, he shall receive the crown of life James one, verse twelve to
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thirteen. He immediately adds, taking the word in the latter sense, that
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no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For
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God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither tempeth he any man, but every
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man is tempted when he has drawn away of his own lust or desire excel
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commenos, drawn out of God, in whom alone he is safe and enticed,
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caught as a fish with a bait. Then it is when he is
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thus drawn away and enticed, that he properly enters into temptation. Then temptation
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covers him as a cloud, it overspreads his whole soul. Then how hard
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shall he escape out of the snare. Therefore we beseech God not to lead
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us into temptation. That is, seeing God tempteth no man, not to
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suffer us to be led into it, but deliver us from evil, rather
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from the evil one. Apo tou pon eru ho ponneaus is unquestionably the wicked
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one, emphatically so called the Prince and God of this world, who works
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with mighty power in the children of disobedience. But all those who are the
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children of God by faith are delivered out of his hands. He may fight
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against them, and so he will, but he cannot conquer unless they betray
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their own souls. He may torment for a time, but he cannot destroy,
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for God is on their side, who will not fail in the end
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to avenge his own elect that cry unto him day and night. Lord,
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when we are tempted, suffer us not to enter into temptation. Do thou
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make a way for us to escape, that the wicked one touch us not.
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The conclusion of this divine prayer, commonly called the doxology, is a
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solemn thanksgiving, a compendious acknowledgment of the attributes and works of God. For
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Thine is the kingdom, the sovereign right of all things that are or ever
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were created. Yea, thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion
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endures throughout all ages. The power, the executive power, whereby thou governest
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all things in thy everlasting Kingdom, whereby thou dost whatsoever pleaseth thee in all
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places of thy dominion, and the glory the praise due from every creature for
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thy power and the mightiness of thy Kingdom, and for all thy wondrous works,
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which thou workest from everlasting, and shalt do world without end for ever
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endeavor. Amen. So be it. I believe it will not be unacceptable
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to the serious reader to subjoin a paraphrase on the Lord's prayer, Father of
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All, whose powerful voice called forth his universal frame, whose mercies over all
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rejoice through endless ages. Still the same, Thou, by thy word upholdest
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all. Thy bountiest love to all is showed Thou hearest thy every creature's call
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and fell'st every mouth with good in heaven, Thou ragin'st enthroned in light.
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Nature's expands beneath thee spread Earth, air and sea before thy sight, and
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Hell's deep gloom are open laid. Wisdom and might and love are Thine prostrate
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before Thy face. We fall confess Thine attributes, Divine the sovereign Lord,
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that all confess that moves in earth or air or sky. Revere thy power,
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thy goodness, bless tremble before thy piercing eye. Or ye who owe
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to him your birth in praise your every hour, employ Jehovah reigns, Be
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glad o'er earth, and shout ye morning stars for joy, Son of thy
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sires eternal love. Take to thyself thy mighty power, that all earth suns
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thy mercy, prove that all thy bleeding grace adore the triumphs of Thy love
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display in every heart. Rain Thou alone, till all thy foes confess thy
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sway and glory ends with grace. Begun, Spirit of grace and health and
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power, fountain of light and love. Below uproad Thine healing influence, shower
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o'er all the nations. Let it flow inflame our hearts, with perfect love
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in us the work of faith fulfill So not Heaven's hosts shall swifter move then
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we on earth to do Thy will. Father, tis thine each day to
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yield thy children's wants a fresh supply. Thou clothest the lilies of the field,
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and hearest the young ravens. Cry on thee. We cast our care.
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We live through THEE. We knowest our every need. Oh feed us
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with thy grace, and give our souls this day the living bread, eternal,
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spotless lamb of God before the world's foundation. Slain. Sprinkle us ever
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with thy blood, O cleanse and keep us ever clean to every soul,
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All praise to THEE our bowels of compassion. More and all mankind by this
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may see God is in us. For God is love, giver and Lord
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of life, whose power and guardian care for all are free to THEE.
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In fierce temptations our from sin and satan. Let us thus flee Thine Lord,
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we are, and ours thou art. In Thus be all thy goodness
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showed, renew enlarge and fill our heart with peace and joy, and heaven
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and God blessing and honor, praise and love, coequal, co eternal three
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in earth below, in heaven above. By all thy works be paid to
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THEE thrice wholly thine. The Kingdom is the power, omnipotent is Thine.
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And when created nature dies, Thy never ceasing glories shine. End of Section twenty six