world at large, before his agony, and to the concluding sentence of that prayer during that awful moment, "Lord, not my will but thine be done," (Matt. xxvi. 39, Mark xiv. 36, Luke xxii. 42,) in order to be convinced of the spirit of resignation and faith which ought to possess the soul of the petitioner.

Can we, therefore, wonder, as every thing is to be obtained by sincere and fervent prayer, and nothing without it, that our Saviour, from the beginning of his teaching his disciples, should have taught them how and when to pray? How could they else have hoped for success in the vast undertaking of converting the whole world? Prayer 232. implies faith in the power of the person invoked, to grant your petition; consequently if your prayer be sincere, your faith must be unbounded. (Mark ix. 23, xi. 22-24.) How 233. difficult of acquirement is this perfect faith we

may

be convinced, when we read, that a year after our Saviour had taught his disciples how to pray, (Matt. vi. 9,) and after He had given them power to work miracles, (Matt. x. 1, Mark iii. 15, vi. 7, Luke ix. 1,) He had occasion to rebuke them, not only for a want of the smallest portion of faith, which in his impressive

H

language He compares to a "grain of mustard seed," (Matt. xvii. 20,) but also, as the context would lead us to suspect, (v. 21,) for presuming to work a miracle without even first praying to God for his assistance. It appears from the apostle's own words, which as they prove their honesty in condemning themselves, also prove the truth of the narrative, that they had tried in vain to cast out a devil from one possessed. Our Saviour having relieved the patient, his disciples

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came to him and asked him, Why could we not cast him out?" (Id. v. 19,) His answer was at once and without hesitation, “Because of your unbelief," and as He went on to say, 234. (v. 21,) “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting," we may infer, without injury to the reputation of the disciples, that they had attempted to do, what only could be done by first asking for God's assistance with faith. This incident ought to furnish us with many useful lessons. First, it sets forth the patience and mildness of our Saviour's character, inasmuch as after being provoked to the calling the disciples "a perverse generation," He immediately reassures them with a kindness and sweetness

difficult to imitate, "that nothing would be impossible to them if they had faith.” (Matt. xvii. 20.) Secondly, it next shows us the presumption of depending on our own strength, inasmuch as the disciples could not, for want of God's assistance, cast out the devil. And finally, it affords us the great comfort to think, that if we ask with faith, we have our Saviour's word, that we shall obtain our request, even to the power of "removing mountains;" (v. 20;) not indeed literally, 235. for such an effort of power would be useless, and we know that God does nothing but what is profitable; but we may remove from our conscience, through his grace, the weight of our sins; and though this was spoken to his disciples, we may apply it generally to all who are of Christ's church; "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. xviii. 20.) Having treated generally of prayer and its efficacy, let us refer to the prayer itself which 236. our Saviour taught us to use, and which is, therefore, called the Lord's prayer. It is as follows: "Our Father which art in Heaven," &c. (Matt. vi. 9-13.)

We are here directed to address God as

The Lord's

Prayer.

237.

our Father, not only to remind us constantly of his exalted rank and nature, and of our entire dependence on him, but also to endear him to us by that familiar appellation as our common father, and to make us look upon each other as brethren. We pray that "his name may be hallowed," respected, and not used in vain. That "his kingdom may come," or that his laws may be established among mankind, and engraven in our hearts. That "His will which is done in heaven by the holy angels, may likewise be done in earth.” We ask, by this petition, that we may obtain, through the gift of his grace, that faith which will enable us to do his will. That "He will give us day by day our daily bread,” or our maintenance daily. The moderation of this only petition for our temporal wants, teaches us that we are to restrict them within proper limits, and to repel that over anxiety for the things of this world, which our Saviour expresses by desiring us to "take no thought for the morrow," (Id. v. 34.) We next pray that "He will forgive us our trespasses, on condition that we also forgive them that trespass against us." A petition that makes it imperative on us to be kind to our fellow

creatures, if we would obtain God's mercy. That "He will not lead us into temptation;" or in other words, that he will enable us to withstand the temptation which the riches or the vanities of this world may expose us to, and that "He will deliver us from evil," or from the snares which the evil spirit is ever setting to seduce us from our duty to God. The prayer ends with the doxology, or the giving praise to God as Father Almighty, "whose is the kingdom, the power, and the glory." Amen.

It was on the occasion of his preaching his 238. sermon on the mount, (Matt. v.) that our Saviour first communicated to his disciples this form of prayer. And he again, about a year after, taught them the same form, when asked by one of his disciples to teach them to pray. (Luke xi.) His comments upon this prayer, and upon prayer in general, which he made at the same time, make it easy to understand its object and meaning. We are told what we are to avoid asking of our heavenly Father, as well as what we are permitted to ask for.

For example, our Saviour introduces the subject of prayer by putting us on our guard