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upon occafion of the Defire of one of them that he would teach them to pray, as John alfo taught his Difciples, for from hence it follows that he taught them a Form of Prayer; for it was not only the Custom of the Jews to use Forms of Prayer, but for the principal Rabbies or Mafters amongst them to teach their Scholars a certain Form of Prayer composed for them, by the ufing of which they were known to be Scholars of fuch a Master; in Compliance to which Custom John, as it appears by the Place in St. Luke, taught his Difciples a Form of Prayer, by which Joba's Difciples were diftinct from all other. Now our Saviour having gathered Difciples, one of them also came to him, defiring him to teach them to pray, as John had taught his Difciples, (i. e.) to teach them alfo a Form of Prayer, by which they might be known to be his Difciples, and to own him for their Master. Now it is plain that he yielded to that Requeft, by teaching them a Prayer, and therefore that his Intent was to teach them a Form of Prayer; this was the Intention of the Disciple that defired him to teach them to pray, and therefore it must needs be our Lord's too, unless he had otherwise inform ed that Difciple, and the reft of them, which we find not that he did, but have this reafon to believe that he did not, that upon this Occafion he taught them the very fame Prayer

Prayer that he had before taught from the Mount.

There is indeed an Objection against all this fometimes produced, which is, that we do not find that the Apoftles ever ufed this Prayer, therefore they used it not, therefore they did not understand that our Saviour prescribed it as a Form. But is this a good Argument, we do not read that the Apoftles used it? It is granted that the Lord's Prayer was prescribed as a Pattern of Prayer; this is granted (I fay) by those who are not willing to grant that it was intended for a Form of Prayer; but do we find that ever the Apostles ufed it as a Rule of Prayer? Do we read that ever they pray'd at all before our Lord's Afcenfion? Shall we therefore conclude that they did not? He had required them long before to pray for their Enemies, ch. 5. v. 44. but till after his Afcenfion we do not find that they did fo; is it reasonable therefore to infer that till then they never pray'd for them? Is it not more proper to argue thus: Chrift gave them fuch a Command, therefore in all likelihood they put it in practice, tho' we read not of fuch their Practice, than to argue on this fashion; we read not that they put it in practice, therefore they understood no fuch Command?

It is objected farther, that fuppofing the Apoftles conftantly ufed the Lord's Prayer

in their Devotions, from the Time they were first taught it, why, in ufing it they did not ask in the Name of Chrift, to be heard for his fake, as he told them, John 16. 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my Name; therefore the Use of it was not proper to be continued. To this I answer, It is true indeed that the Difciples of Chrift could not be fuppofed to mean to pray in the Name of Chrift, much lefs to do it exprefly, before they underflood rightly the grand Points of his Merits and Interceffion; but when at length they were led into all Truth, they did pray in the Name of Chrift, and when they prayed in his Name explicitly in their other Devotions, no doubt then, even in the Ufe of the Prayer he had taught them, they knew very well how to pray, not only in his Words, but in his Name too, as we do. There are other Objections as trifling as thefe I have mentioned, which I fhall not abufe your Patience withal; but I fhall conclude this Matter with fhewing you the good Effects and Advantages of our conftant Ufe of the Lord's Prayer in our Devotions.

1. That the Ufe of this Form in our religious Affemblies is a publick Profession and Acknowledgment that we belong to Chrift, and do own HIM for our Lord and Mafter, as I told you but juft now; and this would be a good Inducement to the Use of it, that

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he HIMSELF taught it, tho' he had not commanded the Ufe of it, because by this Ufe, amongst other Things, we make Profeffion to the World that we are his Difciples.

2. Hereby alfo we acknowledge our Conformity with the Catholick Church of Chrift throughout the World: By joining in the common Prayers of this particular Church we fignify our Union to the Governours and Members of it, and fo our ufing the Lord's Prayer amongft our other Prayers is one meet Expreffion of our Union to the Catholick Church, we hereby conforming with all good Chriftians in defiring of God the fame Things for our felves and others in the fame Words; the former, I fay, expreffeth our Conformity to the National Church, the latter our Conformity to the Church Univerfal, which (I think) will be found every where to use this Prayer, all Men profeffing Chriftianity doing fo, all joining in this very fame Form of tendring our Petitions to God, excepting only fome few of late in thefe Iflands, who therefore ought to enquire whether they have not in this Matter broken away from the Unity and Agreement of the Church in all Ages and Places.

3. By this we acknowledge our own Infirmity and Weakness in all the Prayers that are by our felves contrived, when we ever offer

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offer them up without joining that Prayer with them which our Lord himself hath prescribed; the inferting of it into the publick Offices of Devotion is the publick Confeffion of the Guides of the Church, that they durft not think they had contrived Prayers fufficiently anfwering our general Needs, and fully, according to the Will of God, unless the Lord's Prayer had been added to every diftinct Office of Invocation; but the fame Modesty and Humility doth much more become us in our private Devotions, the Forms of which for the most part are not fo likely to be contriv'd full enough for the Ends of Prayer as the publick Forms are which are for common and publick Ufe; all other Prayers are but of Human Contrivance ftill, and likely to be fome way or other defective, according to our Weaknefs; and our Lord feemed to leave this Divine Prayer to be a Supplement to our Imperfections, and thereby to be a Support to our Faith, fince we may be fure that whatfoever good Thing in particular we may have failed of asking, we have asked it in general, by praying as our Lord hath taught us; and it is to the ufing of this Prayer more particularly that he seems to have made that Promife in St. Luke, ch. 11. v. 9. Ask and it shall be given you.

4. In the reverent Ufe of this Prayer nothing can be wanting to make it acceptable

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