94 CHRIST is asked by his Difciples to teach them to pray, Sect. 108. it. Let them, be always folicitous, that neither they, nor others, may neglect it, for the Hurries of too bufy a Life, or even for the Services of an over-officious Friendship. Sect. 109. CHRIST being intreated by his Difciples to teach them to pray, repeats, with fome Additions, the Inftructions and Encou ragements relating to that Duty, which he had formerly given in his Sermon on the Mount. Luke XI. 1,---13. LUKE XI. 1. UR Lord then leaving Bethany, went on his Way; dividing his Time, as ufual, beLuke XI. 1. tween the Care of teaching his numerous Followers, and the Exercifes of fecret Devotion. And as be was one Day praying in a certain retired Place, when he had ended, one of his Difciples faid to him, Lord, we defire thou wouldst teach us to pray, and give us fome fhort Form which may be per for our frequent Ufe, as John also taught his Difciples (a), and other leading Men of the feveral Religious Sects among us have taught theirs. And he faid to them, When you pray, you may 2 pro LUKE XI. 1. AND it came to pafs, that as he was praying in a ceafed, one of his Difciples certain Place, when he faid unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John alsō taught his Difciples. 2 And he faid unto them, ther ufe that as a Form, which I formerly gave you as when ye pray, fay, Our Fa- rence (a) As John alfo taught his Difciples.] Many learned Men fuppofe, that the Jewish Masters ufed to give their Followers fome fhort Form of Prayer, as a peculiar Badge of their Relation to them. This John the Baptift had probably done, tho' we know not now what it was. And in this View only, can we fuppofe the Disciples could now afk Jefus to teach them to pray; for it is not to be thought, that in the three preceding Years of his Miniftry, he had not often given them Inftructions, both as to the Matter, and Manner of Prayer. In this Senfe Mr. Jofeph Mede and Dr. Lightfoot understand the Request and Anfwer before us; and I have never met with any Thing upon it, which has given me more Satisfaction. See Mede's Works, pag. 1, 2. and Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. in loc. (b) Oh GoD &c.] I think it but Juftice to the Reverend Mr. Godwin, to let the Reader know, that this Paraphrafe on the 2d, 3d and 4th Verfes was written by him. I had here only given a Tranflation, having paraphrafed this excellent Prayer before, in the 40th Section. (c) Who and recommends the Form of Prayer he had given them before. ther which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name : Thy Kingdom come: Thy Will be done, as in Heaven, fo in Earth: 95 rence we bow before thee, and with a filial Sect. 109. "Confidence in thy Mercy, and mutual Love Luke XI. 2. "unto each other, we would look up to thee as to our GoD and Father, who with the most amazing Grace and Condefcenfion art ready to "attend unto the Supplications of thy Children "from thy Throne in Heaven: Oh may thy glo"rious Name be fanctified; may thy Perfections "be difplayed thro' all the World, and be regard"ed with the highest Veneration! And that the "Honour of thy Majefty may be exalted, oh may "thy Kingdom come, which thou haft promised to establish under the Meffiah; may thy victo"rious Grace be univerfally triumphant over all "thine Enemies, and thy People be willing in the Day of thy Power! And as an Evidence of its Efficacy on the Hearts of Men, oh may thy holy Will be done, as it is conftantly in Heaven, fo likewife upon Earth, and be as chearfully fubmitted to, and readily obeyed in all Things, as "it is poffible for us in this imperfect State, to imitate thofe Heavenly Spirits, who delight in doing thy Commandments, and hearkening to 3 Give us Day by Day," the Voice of thy Word! During our Con- 3 our daily Bread: "tinuance here on Earth, we would not be foli"citous to feek great Things for ourselves, but 4 And forgive us our Sins, for we alfo forgive every one that is indebted to us: And lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil. 66 humbly beg that thou wouldst give us Day by Day our daily Bread, and wouldft fupply us, as our Wants return upon us, with fuch a compei tent Provifion of the Neceflaries of Life, as may "enable us to serve thee acceptably, and to attend "without Diftraction and Uneafinefs to the Per"formance of our Duty. And tho' the Guilt "of our Iniquities might juftly feparate between "thee and us, and withhold good Things from us, we carneftly intreat thee to extend thy Mercy to us, and to forgive us all our Sins; for even we, the Bowels of whofe Mercy cannot "be compared with thine, are willing to forgive every one that is indebted to us, and are inclined to pardon all that have injured us: And to prevent us for the Time to come from falling into "Sin, oh do not bring us into Circumftances, that "will expofe us to the Danger of Temptation, and "fuffer 4 96 Sect. 109. He encourages them to Importunity in Prayer. "fuffer us not to be tempted above what we are Luke XI. 4. c 5 Iniquity, and refcue us from the Power of the "Evil one, that he may never triumph in our Fall, and we may finally be faved from all the "ruinous Effects of Sin.” And when he thus had taught them what they were to pray for, in order to excite and encourage, them to a believing Importunity in Prayer, he said to them, Who is there of you, that has not obferved the Efficacy of importunate Requests (c)? If, for Inftance, he shall have a Friend, and shall go to him at Midnight, and knock at his Door, and fay to him, Friend, I defire thou wouldst lend me 6 Three Loaves; For a Friend of mine, who was benighted on his Journey, is jult come to my Houfe, and I have nothing to fet before him for his 7 Refreshment: And he from within, inftead of granting his Request immediately, shall at first be unwilling to do it, and answer him, and fay, Do not disturb me at fo late an Hour; for the Door is now Shut and faftened, and my Children are with me in Bed and afleep; fo that I cannot rife to give 8 thee what thou afkeft. Yet if he still go on to press him, that he would confider his Neceffity, and comply with his Request, I tell you, Tho' he would not rife and give him the Loaves that he defired, because he was his Neighbour and Friend, yet on Account of his Importunity, as he continues knocking, and will take no Denial, he will at length get up and give him as many as he wants. 9 Now then if one, who was at firft unwilling to regard his Friend, was overcome at laft by his continued Earnestness, and yielded to his Importunity; much more will GoD, who is infinitely good and rich in Mercy, tho' he may not fee fit to answer you immediately, be certainly prevailed upon at length to give you what you ftand in need of, if you continue to be earnest and impor tunate (c) Who is there of you, that has not obferved the Efficacy of importunate Requests?] The Words in the Original do not make a compleat Grammatical Sentence: But such accidental Inaccuracies are fometimes to be found in the moft approved Authors. The Senfe is not the lefs plain. (d) With you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open ed unto you. 97 GOD is much readier to give good Things, than Men are. tunate in your Prayers to him: And I fay there- Sect. 109. fore to you, Whatever Mercy you defire to obtain, Luke XI. 9. afk it of GOD with a continued Fervency, and it fhall affuredly be given you; feek it with Diligence, and you shall find it; and if it be a while delayed, knock with an earnest Importunity at the Door of Divine Mercy, and it fhall at length be opened to you. And the Succefs of others may encourage 10 you to this, as what indeed has been confirmed by happy and conftant Experience; ́for every one that afks with an unwearied Fervency, receives; and he that diligently feeketh, findeth; and to him that knocks again and again, tho' for a while there may be fome Delay, it shall at length be opened. (Compare Mat. vii. 7, 8. Sect. 42.) 10 For every one that afketh, receiveth; and he to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. II If a Son shall ask Bread of any of you that is a Father, will he give him will he for a Fith give him a Serpent? a Stone? or if he ask a Fish, 12 Or if he shall ask an Egg, will he offer him a Scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children; how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him? VOL. II. And further to affift your Faith on thefe Oc- II 98 Sect. 109. Ver. 2, 3, 4. · Reflections on the Prayer CHRIST taught his Difciples. W IMPROVEMENT. ELL does this Petition become every Difciple of Chrift, Lord, teach us to pray! Thou haft taught us by thine Example, and Luke xi. 1. by the Precepts of thy Word; teach us alfo by thine Holy Spirit! Excellent is this Form of found and divine Words, which our great Mafter here recommends. GOD forbid, that any of his Followers fhould cenfure their Brethren, who think it ftill proper to use it, not only as a Directory, but a Form too, tho' perhaps with fome little Variation from the original Senfe of fome Clauses of it (d). Let us attentively study it, that, concife and expreffive as it is, our Thoughts may go along with its feveral Petitions. Let us learn to reverence and love GOD, and to confider ourselves as Brethren in his Family. Let the Glory of his Name, and the Profperity of his Kingdom, be much dearer to us, than any feparate Intereft of our own. Let it be our cordial Defire, that his Will may be univerfally obeyed, and with the most entire Consent of Soul acquiefced in, by all his Creatures, both in Heaven, and on Earth. Let our Appetites and Paffions be fo moderated, that having even the plainest Food and Raiment, we may be therewith content: And on the other Hand, how plentiful foever our Circumstances may be, let us remember, that Day by Day we depend on GOD for our daily Bread. Nor do we need even the most neceffary Supplies of Life, more than we need daily Pardon; to which therefore we Thould be putting in our conftant Claim, heartily forgiving all our Brethren, as we defire to be forgiven by GOD. Confcious of our own Weaknefs, let us, as far as we can, endeavour to avoid Circumftances of Temptation; and when neceffarily led into them, let us be looking up to Heaven for Support; labouring above all Things to preferve our Integrity, and to maintain a Confcience void of Offence. Ver. 9, 10. Depending on the Certainty of these gracious Promifes, and encouraged by the Experience of fo many Thoufands, who have on afking received, and on feeking found, let us renew our importunate Addreffes to the Throne of Divine Grace. And remembering the Compaffion of our Heavenly Father, let us be emboldened, in the full Aljurance of Faith, to afk every neceffary Bleffing, efpecially the Communication of that enlightening and fanctifying (d) With fome little Variation from the original Senfe, &c.] Dr. Guyfe has excellently fhewn, in his Note on Mat. vi. 13. that this Prayer in its original Senfe was peculiarly fuited to the Difpenfation then prefent, as introductory to the Meal's Kingdom, and has given a juft, and very expreffive Paraphrafe of it in that particular View. But there is not a Claufe in it, which will not bear a more extenfive Senfe, and express what ought to be our daily Temper, and the Breathings of our Heart before Go D. No doubt, Thousands of Chriftians have daily Refreshment and Edification in the Use of it; and it is aftonishing, that any fhould venture to condemn their Brethren for it. But I would hope, there are few of any Profeffion now remaining, who have fo much of the Spirit of Oppofition and Cenforioufness. |