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the enemy of the light, and ever their parting words have been, "Pray for me that I faint not; that having put my hand to the plough I turn not back again; pray for those to whom I am sent that the words of truth may find access into their souls."

Lastly, then, thus we pray THY KINGDOM COME. Let it come into our own hearts, Oh! Lord. Set up Thy throne there; quench in them all unholy desires, and all evil passions; bring them into subjection to Thy will, and a cheerful compliance with all Thy commandments. Let it come not only on ourselves, Oh! Lord, but upon all those who have not known Thy Name, or having known it have rebelled against Thy easy sway. Let it come in the fulness and brightness of Thy glory. Take us into it, and unto Thee. "Wipe away all tears from our eyes."* and unite

us to those who have

gone before us to their rest. "The Spirit and the Bride say, come. And let him that heareth say, come." Thou hast said, "Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus."‡

* Rev. vii, 17.

+ Rev. xxii, 17.

Ibid, ver. 20.

Sermons on the Lord's Prayer.

SERMON IV.

66

MATT. vi, 10.

THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

HE first impression which many persons

entertain as to the meaning of this, and of

the preceding clause of the Lord's Prayer, would make them both subaltern, as it were, to the opening petition, Hallowed be Thy name. That is to say, they regard these clauses as expressing two different modes in which that Name may be hallowed; namely, by the recognition and advancement of our Lord's kingdom, and by a general submission to His most holy law. Regarded in this point of view the three sentences do indeed combine to form a whole, but certainly a whole which was truly and

perfectly contained within the first. Yet surely this is a very inadequate conception of their Divine wisdom, while it is also contrary to the generally received opinion which recognizes in this monument of the Saviour's love to us and to the Father, seven petitions united indeed by one spirit yet distinct and separate from each other. The general aspiration of the prayer appears to centre in the words Thy kingdom come, and it is to this, as was before said, that the other sections have reference, not as merely praying for that in part, which has been elsewhere prayed for collectively, but with a remarkable progressive force, which is peculiarly to be traced in these first three clauses.

For whereas the first petition appears to relate primarily and principally to the glorifying of the Divine essence in itself, and therefore externally to ourselves, so the second regards the Divine power as exerting itself within man, acting with and upon his spirit. But since the Kingdom of God itself, as it exists on earth, admits of extension and development, our Lord has added the third petition, THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, that we may not omit to pray for the consummation

of the kingdom of God, which consists in the perfect and unlimited fulfilment of God's will. And so these petitions stand connected with each other as beginning, middle, and end.* They follow as it were the order of events in the economy of Providence, recognizing God as existing and glorified independently of the human branch of His creation; willing now to be glorified in His Church; willing further that that Church should be perfected. That this is the intention of the last is clear, for the words AS IN HEAVEN SO IN EARTH, express the unqualified submission and obedience to the law of the Almighty, which now is yielded only by His Angelic ministers, but which shall be also upon earth, though not now, yet when all things shall have been placed beneath the rule of the Redeemer.

This is the simple sense of the words. Another interpretation has indeed been proposed. Seeing that the Church is spoken of in the gospel as the Kingdom of Heaven, and that the evil one is termed the prince of this world, it has been thought that the words might mean little else than this, "may the men of the earth be conformed to the gospel

* Olshausen.

covenant." But if this is indeed, as we have seen that it is, a prayer for consummation and perfection, then this explanation is obviously incorrect because inadequate. Even among believers occasions of sin will appear, and the frequent yielding to temptation will occur. The very chiefest of God's saints on earth do perform His will imperfectly. A contention could arise between two apostles, so sharp that they parted asunder;* one could withstand another to the face " because he was to blame;"† yea St. Paul was liable to an apprehension that it was possible that "having preached to others he himself might be a castaway." This then is not

a state with which they could be contented, as the end and object of their entreaties to the throne of grace. Indeed the author, who first broached the idea, by no means adheres to it uniformly, but generally adopts the more familiar application of the words.

Nor are we to understand, what might at first sight be thought very naturally to be implied in them, a prayer that all other wills may be absorbed

* Acts xv, 39. 1 Cor. ix, 27.

† Gal. ii. 11.

|| St. Augustin.

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