SERMON X.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

AVING finished what I inHtended on the former part of the Lord's Prayer, I am now to dif

courfe on the Conclusion, which contains first, a doxology, or folemn giving glory to God, thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever; and fecondly, an expreffion of our full approbation of,

and

and hearty confent to the whole prayer, in the word, Amen. I fhall therefore explain the meaning of these words, and fhew what. fense we ought to have in our minds, when we express them; and then obferve what du ties we may learn, and are instructed in, by the use thereof.

These words may be understood as a recognition and acknowledgment of the greatnefs and majesty of God, and may be thus paraphrased. We heartily acknowledge thy fupreme dominion over us, and the whole world; we adore and worship thee as the great King, the Sovereign Lord of all. We alfo humbly admire and praise that infinite power, whereby thou governest the world, [and ordereft all the affairs of it according to

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thine own pleasure; and we give thee the glory of thy Greatnefs and Power, for all the good thou doft to any, efpecially for what thou beftoweft on us and laftly, we hereby acknowledge that God is unchangeable, that he ever was, and will be, as great, powerful, and glorious as he now is, being infinite

ly and eternally the fame, yesterday, to-day and for ever.

We may also understand these words as affigning some reasons inducing us to ask, and God to grant us our feveral requests; and the connection between these words, and the foregoing petition by the word For, feems to favour this interpretation. And then the full fense that we ought to have in our minds, when we fay this Conclufion of the Lord's Prayer, will be thus.

And having now offered up our Petitions for what we want, it is but fit that we should also render thee our praife and thanks for what we have received. We therefore acknowledge that thou art a great King, whom we ought to worship with the lowest reverence, and that thy Power is infinite to grant what we have requested. We confess that thy Glory is above all, and humbly defire that thou mayest be glorified in all things. Laftly, we acknowledge, that thy kingdom, power, and glory are for ever, eternal and immutable; and therefore we will, at all

times,

times, put our whole truft in thee, because thou canst never fail us.

From this form of praife being added by our Lord, to that form of Prayer which he hath taught us to ufe, we may learn, that it is always our duty to join to our prayers for what we want, our praises and thanksgivings alfo for the mercies that we have received, with joyful acknowledgments of his majesty, greatness and bounty; that we should pray without ceafing, and in every thing give thanks, and by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known. unto God. And in particular from the first clause of this doxology, for thine is the kingdom, we are reminded that it is our duty in all things to fubmit to the will of God, and to resign ourselves to his difpofal, he haying fovereign dominion over all..

From the fecond claufe of it, thine is the power, we should learn it is our duty, in all ftraits and difficulties to apply for his grace to help, direct and fupport us, and in all our

dangers

dangers and wants to rely on his Almighty Power, to relieve and deliver us.

From the third clause of it, thine is the glory, we are taught to direct all our actions to his Glory, to whom we here acknowledge that all Glory is due. According to the Apostle therefore, whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God.

Lastly, from that eternity which we here acknowledge in all the divine attributes and perfections, we are taught to worship God continually, to praise him evermore, and to give divine honours to none befides him; because he is God from everlasting to everlasting, the only God, and will not give his Glory to another.

As to the word Amen, it fignifies verily, truly, or the like; a phrase often used by our Saviour at the beginning of his speeches, to engage the attention of his hearers to what he was going to fay. This being the proper

meaning