2. Temptation to fin, or whatsoever draws the foul to fin; that is the evil of the world, John xvii. 15. The foul-ruining fnare that is in any thing, is the evil of it. For as fin is evil, fo every thing that has a native tendency to draw into fin is evil.

Secondly, What is meant by deliverance from evil? It stands in two things.

1. To be brought out of it, by way of recovery when fallen into it, Pfal. li. 12. Temptation may get the child of God down, his foot may be fast in the fnare, and he needs an omnipotent hand to rid him out of Satan's net.

2. To be kept from it, that he fall not into it again. The fnares are so many, that it is hard to ftand; there is need of a divine power to keep back the finner's foul from the pit of fin, Jude 14. to take part with him, when engaged with a temptation.

Thirdly, What is the import of this part of the petition? We may take it up in these three things.

1. There is no escaping of temptation, in greater or leffer measure, while we are in this world. Though we should watch ever fo narrowly, fo as not to caft ourselves into temptation; though by no special providence we be led into temptation; yet the heart within is fo full of corruption, the world without is fo full of fnares, and Satan goes fo conftantly about, that we are in danger every where, and no where fafe.

In profperity we are apt to be proud, vain, carnal, fecure; to forget God, and grow taftelefs of heavenly things, &c. In adverfity, we are impatient, and difcontented, and fretting, and dead to good things, Pfal. cxix. 107. In company we are apt to be infected, or to infect others; and in folitude to become a prey to the tempter. House nor field, bed nor board, civil duties nor religious duties, are not fuch, but temptations will haunt us at them.

2. God's children would fain be delivered from evil, from fin and temptation to it, Rom. vii. 24. O wretched man that I am! fays Paul: who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The new nature in them makes them long and groan for it, as ever the captive exile longs for deliverance from his captivity. And there is a threefold deliverance which their fouls defire here.

(1.) A deliverance in temptation, that God would powerfully fupport and enable them to ftand in the hour of temptation, 2 Cor. xii. 8.; that when they are engaged in the battle with Satan, the world, and the flesh, the Lord himself would come

in for their rescue. They fee they are not man enough for their enemies; and they would fain have heaven to interpofe, and caft the balance of victory to their fide.

(2.) A deliverance under temptation, Pfal. li. 8. Sometimes they are trod under foot by their lufts and paffions; they are lying in the mire, and cannot get out. But they look again towards the Lord, as Jonah out of the whale's belly, that he would afford them his heiping hand, and so sanctify their lot to them, as all may work for their good.

(3.) A deliverance completely from all fin, and temptation to it, Rom. vii. 24. forecited. And thus the petitions of this prayer end with a longing cry for perfect freedom from fin in another world. And this good the Lord brings out of the hard handling which his people get here, that thereby they are made to long for heaven.

3. They believe that God, and he only, can deliver them from evil. Without this faith they could not put up this petition; but the belief of the power and willingness of God to grant this deliverance to his people, daily excites them to cry unto him, Deliver us from evil.

I fhall conclude this part of the fixth petition with a few inferences.

Inf. 1. Sinning is more terrible than fuffering, in the eyes of the children of God. They pray to be delivered from fin abfolutely, at any rate, coft what it will. And they have good reafon for it; for there is more evil in the leaft fin than in the greateft fuffering. In finning we are conformed to the devil, but in fuffering to Jefus Chrift. Let us then cry earnestly to God, that he may deliver us from evil.

2. It is a black mark of one that belongs not to God, when there is no parting betwixt him and his lufts. The word and providence works to the delivering the man from his fin, but he will not part with it; he is not content to let it go. It is not the fpot of God's children.

3. A carelefs, fearless way of going through the world, without daily care of being enfnared into fin, is an evidence that the man is at home, and is not travelling Zion-ward, For those who are going through this world as a wildernes, are walking with fear and trembling through it, still faying, Lord, lead us not into temptation.

4. Lastly, It is in the nature of all God's children, to de fire to be home. Our Father, which art in heaven,-deliver us from evil. They know that this will never be completely and fully anfwered till they be beyond the clouds: but from their

hearts they defire it. Let us evidence ourfelves to be the children of God, by our ardent defires for this complete deliverance from fin.

The Conclufion of the Lord's Prayer.

MATTHEW vi. 18.

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

W

E come now to the conclufion of the Lord's prayer, which teacheth us, " to take our encouragement "in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise "him, afcribing kingdom, power, and glory to him. And, "in teftimony of our defire, and affurance to be heard, we "fay, Amen."

In this conclufion three things are to be confidered.

I. The connection thereof with the petitions.

II. The concluding fentence.

III. The concluding word.

IV. I fhall deduce fome inferences.

I. Let us confider the connection of this conclufion with the petitions, in the particle. for; which fhews it to contain arguments to be used in prayer for hearing: q. d. Lord, hear us, for the kingdom is thine, the power is thine, and the glory is thine; and teaches us, that when we pray, we should plead and pray, prefs our prayers, and enforce our petitions with arguments and reafons, to be heard. I fhall fhew you, 1. The truth of it.,

2. The reafon of it.

First, I fhall fhew you the truth of this pleading. And that it is fo, appears from,

1. The Lord himself's teaching us fo to do, which fhews it to be acceptable to him, fince he himself directs us to it. We have the Mediator's direction for it in this pattern of prayer, petition 5. and conclufion. See alfo Luke xi. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. And the more of the Spirit that one has in prayer, he will have his mouth the more filled with arguments.

2. The practice of the faints. See how Mofes pleads and, reafons with God in prayer, Exod. xxxii. 11. 12. 13. Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought jerth out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a

mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and fays For mischief did he bring them out, to flay them in the mountains and to confume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Ifrael thy fervants, to whom thou fwareft by thine own felf, and faidft unto them, I will multiply your feed as the ftars of heaven, and all this land that I have Spoken of, will I give unto your feed, and they shall inherit it for ever. See alfo how Afa pleads, 2 Chron xiv. 11. Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power; help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude: 0 Lord, thu art our God, let not man prevail against thee. Job thought it a good way of praying, and longed to be at it, Job xxiii. 4. I would fill my mouth with arguments, fays he. The woman of Canaan recovered her arguments, when they feemed to be anfwered, Matth. xv. 22.-27. Have mercy on me, fays the, O Lord, thou fon of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his difciples came and befought him, saying, Send her away, for he crieth after us. But he anfwered and faid, I am not fent, but unto the loft fheep of the house of Ifrael. Then came he and worshipped him, faying, Lord, help me. But he answered and faid, It is not meet to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs. And be fid, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.

3. The nature of the thing. In prayer men are upon business of the greatest weight and outmoft neceflity, and fhould be in deep earnest in it; and ordinarily the Lord does not answer but to importunity. Is it not very natural in fuch a cafe to plead? Yea, what cafe can men be in that requires more importunate pleading, than that which relates to God's glory and their everlasting felicity ?

Secondly, I come to fhew the reason of this pleading, why we fhould do fo.

1. It is not to move, perfuade, or bring over the Lord, to give us what we defire. Force of argument may prevail with man to change his mind, but the unchangeable God cannot be turned about with any reafon or thing whatfoever. For with him there is no variableness, neither fhadow of turning, Jam. i. 17. He is in one mind, and who can turn him? Job xxiii. 13.

2. But it is to exercife and ftrengthen our own praying graces, faith and fervency, &c. So that the effect of the pleading is on ourselves, not on God, though the confequent VOL. III. 4 E

of it, by the divine purpose, is prevailing in prayer. It is true, the design of the pleading perfon is not on himself, tho' the effect is; neither ought it to be upon God, to move him, but upon the thing itself, to lay it out before the Lord, in the neceffity and reafonablenefs of it. It is as if a hungry chill fhould apply to his father for bread, and the father fhould Tay, "Child, wherefore should I give you bread ?” and thereupon the child should fay, "Alas! I am pained with hunger, and who will give it me if you refufe? will it not be a reflection on your name, to fay your children faint for lack of bread?" While the child pleads thus, the tear ftrikes in his eye, and his earnestness increases: whereupon he is answered. Here it is evident, that the effect of the pleading is not on the father; it would be but the child's weakness to think that the father is overcome with his arguments, though the confequent of the pleading is the child's getting bread: But the effect of it is plainly on the child himself, though the child defigns it not fo: And fuppofe the child to have fo much wit, as to know that his arguments are not needed to perfuade his father, his defign of pleading in that cafe is on the thing itself, to hold out the neceffity and reafonablenefs of it.

II. Let us confider the concluding fentence, Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Here I fhall

thew,

1. What is meant by the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever.

2. What is the import of this fentence.

FIRST, I am to fhew what is meant by the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever.

1. By the kingdom is meant, not the kingdom of grace, nor the kingdom of glory either; but God's effential kingdom, his univerfal fovereignty over all perfons and all things whatfo

ever.

2. The power is not authority whereby God may do, but the ability whereby he can do what he will, in that kingdom.

3. The glory is not God's effential glory, but the declarative glory, arifing from what he doth in that kingdom, which wil thine forth for ever through eternity.

SECONDLY, I am to fhew what is the import of this fentence. It is twofold, praife, and pleading arguments.

Firft Praife. Hereby we praife im in our prayers, expreffing high and honourable thoughts of him, Thine is the kingdom, &c. Thus we exalt him above ourselves and all creatures whatfoever.