[59] SERMON III. The Firft Sermon on the LORD's PRAYER. MATTH. VI. ix. Our Father which art in Heaven. HAD Aving fhewn the Advantages of praying by Forms, and vindicated it from fuch Objections as feemed upon any Account worth answering, I proceed now to the Explication and Illuftration of that moft excellent Form of Prayer which our Lord hath taught us. And first of that folemn Invocation of God under the Title of Our Father which art in Heaven. In which you may be certain I fhall not pretend to explain an obfcure, but to dilate upon a plentiful Argument. That Excellency which belongs to the whole Prayer may be truly affirmed of this Entrance into it, that it is fhort and comprehensive, that it hath but few Words, and thefe containing abundance of good Matter; and yet the Fewness Fewness of the Words, with the Fulness of the Sense, maketh it not difficult to be understood; the Brevity causeth no Obfcurity, the Meaning is very obvious, tho' the Matter be large, and the Words very plainly exprefs the Meaning, tho' they be few; fo that in the midst of that Plenty of Sense which is contained in them, our Minds, if duly attentive, cannot fail of being affected with fome useful Thoughts or other which are proper and conducible to the Ends of Prayer. It hath been always the Way of good Men in their folemn Prayers to begin with direct Invocation of God by fome of his infinite Perfections, in which they seemed to regard these two Things. 1. To poffefs their own Minds with a reverent Senfe of his great Majefty, and to excite in themselves fuch Difpofitions towards him as might answer their Acknowledgment of his Divine Attributes, and qualify them for his Grace, 2. To encourage themselves to ask those Benefits in particular which they prayed for. If they confeffed their Sins, and implored Forgiveness, they began with the Invocation of God, as the God of Mercy. If they prayed to be delivered from their Enemies, that were too ftrong for them, they confeffed his Almighty Power, and the like. This feemed to be the Rule of their Choice, when they chofe any of the Di vine Perfections, with the Acknowledgment whereof to begin their Prayer. And most certainly this Form of Invocation, with which our Saviour hath taught us to begin this Prayer, doth exactly answer those two Ends. There are other Titles, more in Number, and in Appearance more magnificent, which this or any other good Prayer might begin withal, but this which our Lord chose wanteth nothing to make it fit for the difpofing of us as we ought to be difpofed in asking thofe Things he hath taught us to ask. And therefore I fhall confider this Title, wherewith we call upon God in this Prayer, viz. Our Father which art in Heaven. First, With reference to thofe pious Affections wherewith we ought to make our Prayers to God. Secondly, With reference to those Petiti ons which we ask of God in this Prayer. In order to which it will be convenient, First, To fhew what we mean in calling God our Father, and our Father which is in Heaven. That he is our Father denotes these Things: 1. That he is our Creator, that he gave us our Beings, as he gave Being to all other Things. Hath not God created us? Have we not all one Father? 2. That 2. That we are created in the Likeness of God, and made after his own Image, in as much as he made us reasonable Creatures, and free Agents, by which we bear fome Refemblance to the infinite Understanding, being endued with the Knowledge of him that made us, and of his Will and Pleasure concerning the Good we are to do, and the Evil we are to avoid, being capable of enjoying farther Favours from him, of being thankful for all his Benefits, and fubmitting to his Authority, and receiving his Rewards. 3. That we are preferved and sustained by his Care and Providence; that he maintains us; that he fupplies us with all Things needful for our Happiness; and that our Dependence is entirely upon him. 4. (And above all) that we are restored to his Favour by the Redemption which our Lord hath wrought for us; that we are begotten again to a lively Hope by the Refur rection of Jefus Chrift from the Dead; that we have received the Adoption of Sons (i. e.) are made the Sons of God by Grace, after we had forfeited that Title to his Paternal Goodnefs which we had by Nature. This is that which St. John fpeaks of in these Words: Beloved, what manner of Love is this which the Father hath beftowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God, 1 John 3. 1. (¿. e.) that he, who had been fo good good a Father to us in creating us after his own Image, and fuftaining us with all Things needful, fhould upon our Forfeiture of his abused Goodness receive us into his Favour again, and make us his Children, and provide for us fo bleffed an Inheritance as our LORD hath promised. It was in this Senfe that the ancient Church principally understood this Invocation of God as our Father, and therefore they thought this Prayer was fit to be used only by our Lord's Difciples, who were born again of Water and the holy Spirit, who were the Members of Chrift, Children of God, and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven; and therefore in fome Places they did not teach the Catechumens, i. e. those that were yet under Inftru&tion in order to Baptism, to use this Prayer; because they could not yet call God Father in the most excellent and perfect Sense of that Title, and therefore they reserved the Use of this Prayer for them till they were admitted by Baptifm into God's Coverant, and received the Adoption of Sons, and a Right to the everlafting Inheritance of God's Children; and upon this Account in their Offices of Baptism, as it is in ours alfo, the Lord's Prayer was not used till the Perfon was baptized, who being thereby made a Child of God, might join with the reft of the Congregation in calling God Father. And it is a very great Truth which |