utterances. It may be committed to memory quickly, but it is slowly learnt by heart" (Maurice). How deep its significance ! How it enfolds all the promises! It is the very gospel itself; and means pardon, reconciliation, favour, holiness, blessedness, heaven! What encouragement is here held out to every sinner! If God shows us in the light of His love how great our sin must be, His being a Father encourages us to seek forgiveness. We have not to think about inducing Him to be kind. to be turned from being an angry gracious Father. calling us home. He is this already. He has not Ruler into a As such He is "Before you call I will answer." However far we have wandered, if only we desire to come back, "Thus saith the Lord, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears." "Christ says, When ye pray when ye first begin to pray-when the thought first comes to you, I am not happy, I am not at peace, I am far from home-say, at once, without waiting for fitness, without raising the question of a satisfactory repentance, without investigating your 'evidences' whether of Christian faith or godly sorrow -begin by saying, 'Father,' begin by going straight home" (Vaughan). Return by the one and only way, Christ Jesus, who taught this prayer, died for our sins, and "makes intercession for the transgressors." Our response, “Abba, Father," brings us home. seem to dwell in the black shadow of His displeasure? It rests only on the region of alienation; let us leave it by returning to God, and we are at once in the E Do we sunshine. Do we dread the thunderbolt of justice? let us come nearer to Him who holds it: He will cast it away, and hold out the golden sceptre of mercy. No soul of man desiring to live as a child of God need despair while this word "Father" is inscribed on His throne. No love is so comprehensive, tender, enduring. He is in heaven, and "as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him." "There is no place where earth's sorrows Are so felt as up in Heaven: There is no place where earth's failings -FABER. AT CHAPTER III. THE FIRST PETITION. HALLOWED BE THY NAME." I. THE PLACE OF THIS PETITION. T first sight it seems strange that we commence our supplications with a prayer for God the All sufficient, instead of for ourselves the all-dependent. It would be most natural to begin by asking for the supply of some of our most pressing needs. Feeling our need of food to maintain animal life, our first prayer would be, "Give us bread." When conscious of guilt, a still more urgent need would be pardon. Yet we are taught to defer all petitions for ourselves till we have prayed to God for Himself" Hallowed be Thy Name." Man's worship has been uniformly characterized by selfishness. We come to God either to thank Him for benefits received or to ask more: food, raiment, health, safety, comfort. Like Jacob, we stipulate for "food to eat and raiment to put on." This is seen not only in the votaries of false systems, but in the majority of the prayers of professed Christians. We By this order in our petitions we are taught that the glory of God should have the highest place. are not required to desire His glory in opposition to our own welfare. God is Love, and His highest glory is the good of His creatures. Nor are we taught to be indifferent to what is subordinate. We cannot be so if we try. In a warfare against Nature, success, if not a mere sham, would be only temporary, because won by repression of God's own work in us. We do not hallow His Name if we ignore the nature He has given us. He does not ignore it Himself. "Your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things," and therefore we are divinely taught to pray for bread. Nor is it to be understood that no prayer is acceptable which the heart does not present in this order. Our Father has children of every age. He listens to the infant's cry as well as to the full-toned voices of those who already offer worship in harmony with that of cherubim before the throne. If "He heareth the ravens," will He not listen when His hungry children say, "Give us bread"? and when returning prodigals can only pray, "Forgive us our trespasses " ? But such prodigals, when at home again, grateful and glad, soon learn to say, "Father! hallowed be Thy Name." This will now be their chief desire. They do not cease to feel their dependence for daily bread because at home, nor their need of pardon; they are more conscious of this than ever. But above all this is their delight in God, who not only gives both bread and pardon, but, as they now see, has given Himself; so that they rejoice in the Giver more than in His gifts, and seek His glory above their personal good. "O Thou bounteous Giver of all good, -COWPER. When very young, the child first of all asks food and protection; but as it grows in enlightened love, and in the fullest sense honours father and mother, the highest desire of such a filial heart is not benefits to be obtained, but honour to be rendered. "Let my parents' interests be promoted, their character esteemed, their reputation vindicated. I am identified with them. Let them be honoured first: then, and not apart from this, care I to ask from them any benefit to myself." This is the true sentiment of even earthly sonship. And so it must be with those whom the Spirit of adoption enables to cry, "Abba, Father." As His child I glory in His greatness. O let that greatness be known and honoured. "Make mention that His Name is exalted." In calling Himself my Father, He has guaranteed to me all things. I need not hurry to bring petitions for myself to Him who, as Father, cares for His children. The more He is glorified, the more my best desires are gratified. This will give me greatest confidence when I pray for myself, and make me willing to be denied my personal requests; for such denial will be for His glory, and |