to behave our felves with due Reverence and Regard, to beware of wanton and foolish Thoughts, of irreverent Postures, of unfeemly and broad Expreffions, for which it is no Excuse to say that God is our Father, fince this is an Aggravation of that Fault, the Goodness of God being infeparable from his Majesty. If I be a Father, where is mine Honour ?

4. If our giving up our felves to do the Will of God, and the Sincerity of our Obedience be requifite to make our Prayers acceptable; This is what we confess, when we fay, Our Father. For hereby we acknowledge his Authority over us, and our Obligations to Obedience; and that the Prayer of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord, but the Prayer of the Upright is his Delight; fince the former feems to call God his Father in Mockery, the latter not only speaks, but does, like a Son. It is this Compellation of God that teacheth us to be Followers of God as dear Children, to grow more and more like to him, by walking in the Light as he is in the Light, by loving and doing his Will, which is the Spirit and Difpofition that most of all recommendeth our Prayers to God.

Thus much may be faid of the former Part of the Compellation, Our Father: To which is added, which art in Heaven; the Meaning of which is to be had from those

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Places

Places of Scripture where the Phrase is used, as in Ifaiah 66, and elsewhere, in which it feems plain that the Phrafe is defigned to exprefs the infinite Perfections of God; and when it is faid that God's Throne is in Heaven, and that he dwelleth on high, and the like, the Excellency of his Greatness, the Almightiness of his Power, and the Infinitenefs of his Wisdom and Goodness, and the Peerlesness of his Majefty, is defigned to be expreffed. And that our Lord intended fuch a Meaning under thefe Words, feems plain enough from the 11th Verse of the following Chapter: If ye being evil, fays our Saviour, know how to give good Gifts to your Children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good Things to them that ask him? If you being evil (i. e.) imperfect as to all Qualities requifite to Beneficence, fubject to foolish Anger and Ill-will, very often ignorant what is for your Childrens Good, and often unable to do what you would, if yet You are willing and knowing, and able to do them many good Turns, how much more fhall your HEAVENLY Father (i, e.) God, who is infinitely good, who is the Almighty and Scvereign Difpofer of all Things, who is allwife, and forefees every thing, how much more fhall He give good Things to his Children that ask him? So that this Paffage admonisheth us, that in Prayer we speak to

that

that infinite Goodness upon which we all depend, that Almighty Power to which we must all be subject, and that all-feeing Knowledge from which nothing is hid, and to that holy Majefty which cannot with the leaft Approbation behold Iniquity. And do not these Confiderations tend to excite in us those Affections, which were just now mentioned, yet more effectually? For they plainly fhew,that we are to poffefs our Souls with that Faith and Truft in God which fhould expel all manner of Doubt, with that Affection to him, that Reverence of him, that Spirit of Obedience and Submission, which his infinite Goodness, Majesty and Authority do require; And therefore we ought to be very much afhamed and abaflıed that we have fo often faid thefe Words, Our Father which art in Heaven, without any due Senfe of what we say, not so much as obliging our felves to attend to our Prayer, but fuffering our felves to wander impertinently, and to be taken off by every idle Fancy, when we speak to the infinitely great and good Majefty of God, as if we were not bound to have a fingular Regard to his Prefence. A Man would be apt to be offended if he perceived, that we were moftly thinking of fomething elfe, when we pretend to converfe with him; But we do not confider, that this is a greater Affront to God, by how much more reafon there is F 4

that

that we should stand in awe of fo great a Majefty, and be devoted to fuch infinite Goodnefs, and be affured that he knows our Thoughts, and cannot be made to believe by our Words that our Hearts are difpofed to him as they ought to be, when in Truth there is no fuch Matter.

And now we must not think that thefe Words, Our Father which art in Heaven, will work fuch Difpofitions in our Minds as I have been fpeaking of, as if they were a Charm, and could produce the Effect without our minding and confidering them, or that the mere repeating of thefe Words juft at the time we use this Prayer, will be likely to excite thofe good Effects in us which the Things meant by them require; alas! I doubt, we know the contrary by too much Experience. But without question, when our Saviour gave this Form to his Difciples, he intended they fhould confider it before they used it, and that they might underftand not only what they prayed for, but in what manner they fhould do fo, and this by letting them fee, of Whom they were to ask fuch Things, to wit, of their Father in Heaven. We muft make our felves well acquainted with the Meaning of these Words, and not only that, but get a lively and habitual Senfe of their Meaning upon our Hearts, and be affected with it at other times, befides thofe when, we fay our Pray

ers

ers, that the fame Affections may be ready to be awakened in us whenever we fall down upon our Knees to fay the Words. And for that reafon I have fhewn you what is the true Meaning and Ufe of this Form of calling upon God, with refpect to those Difpofitions and Affections wherewith we ought to pray; and if we do not observe and mind this Ufe of fuch Forms of Invocation when we pray to him, we edify nothing at all by them: God careth not for our yielding to him his great and excellent Titles, our calling him Heavenly Father, Moft gracious, Almighty, Moft merciful, Everlasting, &c. if he doth not fee that Love, and Reverence, and Humility, and Faith, and Devotion, in our Hearts, which are the only real Acknowledgments of his infinite Perfections. And if we do not make this Ufe of, and give this real Meaning to our Words, when we call upon him by his Titles of Excellence and Perfection, I fear, we do no better than give Testimony against our felves, and declare our own Impudence, in proftituting our felves fo unfittingly and rudely before him, to whom we acknowledge all Devotion of Mind is due, when we give him none at all, in profeffing to know God, when at the fame time we glorify him not as God.

I come in the second place to fhew you the Suitableness of our calling upon God by