tion that are by Christ Jesus. In him we look to be heard of thee, and in him who gave himself for us all we know that all we are brethren. We therefore pray not for ourselves alone, but for all mankind, for thou hast made, and he hath redeemed them. Thou art in heaven, far exalted in power, and goodness, and all thy glorious attributes.

Therefore we say "Hallowed be thy name. Let it be kept apart, be sacred, and worshipped, for it is holy and reverend, greatly to be feared, and worthy to be had in honour. -"Thy kingdom come." May all creation own thee for its Lord, may the nations be gathered unto thee, and may the knowledge of thee cover the earth; may the gospel of thy saving health, the tidings of the redemption by thy Son, go forth to the ends of the world: and for ourselves, mayest thou set up thy kingdom within us, and rule in our hearts by faith and by love.--"Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Father! may thy children serve and please thee, may the hearts of the disobedient be turned, may thy Holy Spirit direct and constrain our unruly wills, so that earth may not only hear, but obey the word of the Lord, and men may be as thy angels that do thy pleasure, and hearken unto thy voice.—“Give us this day our daily bread." Thus, Oh Lord! have we

first sought the glory of thy great name, for what is there that we should desire in comparison with thee? We trust moreover that if we seek unto thee, thou wilt keep our souls in life. Thou knowest our wants, and as thou graciously sufferest us, we ask thee to supply them; we ask thee but for the need of this day, for it is our duty to ask of thee daily. We would receive of thee, in this our pilgrimage, as thou once didst send the manna unto thy people in the wilderness, when day by day for each as it was coming, they gathered meat enough." And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." We are indeed trespassers against thee, and by these words, trespasses and trespassers, as thy Son hath explained, do we bring before thee what he hath taught us of the forgiveness of our debts and our debtors. Great indeed is the debt which we owe thee for our sins; we have nothing wherewith to pay, our pardon must be bought with his abundance, but how can we plead his merits, unless we follow his bidding and example, unless we every one of us from the heart forgive our brethren their trespasses?" And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Thou, Lord, temptest no man, but as all things serve thee, we speak as if thou wert the doer of what thou permittest to

be done. We should and must undergo the trial of our faith and our obedience, oh, abandon us not in it, suffer us not to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear, but with the temptation make for us a way to escape; let us not be drawn aside from thy love and fear, nor make shipwreck of our faith: let us be kept so that thy glory may be shown in our salvation; save us in dangers to the body; save us from the evils that assault and hurt the soul; save us from our adversary the devil, from his snares of sin that so easily beset us; save us from the corruptions of our nature, and the enemy within our own hearts.—“ For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever." Yea, Lord, it is most fit that in these words, whether or not they were taught by the lips of thy blessed Son, should be ascribed as of old, in all churches of the saints, "unto thee the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." Thou art the faithful and true God. All thy promises in Christ are Yea and Amen. In that one word we sum up our prayer, and trust that for thy Son's sake thou wilt also perform it.

Enough I trust has now been said in direct explanation of this prayer to enable both the

child to understand and apply the instructions in the catechism, and the Christian of fuller years, if any so need it, to connect these petitions and prayers with the scriptural outline of what he must ask of God, and conceive of God. Let us now turn our thoughts to the duties which we acknowledge while we employ these words of prayer, that we may see whether our dispositions and lives are in accordance with our professions and avowed requests. We well know that we must not expect to be heard, if we incline unto wickedness in our hearts, and may dread that the prayer of unrighteousness will even be turned into sin. We call God our Father-do we so with the due feelings of children? If he be a Father, where is his honour? We acknowledge that what he is to us who pray, the same he is to all our race, we include all mankind under the same parentage. Do we then come before him, and ask his favour with other than brotherly affections, would we shut out any of his children from his fatherly love? We say "hallowed be thy name." How do we regard his name, his word, his day, and his worship? With our lips we wish the coming of his kingdom: do we behave as his loyal and dutiful subjects? are our own hearts gained to his dominion? do we strive, as much as

in us lies, to put down rebellion, promote obedience to his laws, and win souls for his empire? When we ask that his will may be done, are we anxious to know and to keep the way of his commandments? We beg from him " our daily bread"-but do we remember that he gives by means and instruments, and willeth not that any should eat the bread of idleness? When we plead with him to forgive us, as we forgive others, do we put in this plea with deceit in our hearts, and a lie in our mouths? Do we fancy that he will support us under trial, and rescue us from evil, if we take no pains to keep afar from the ways of wickedness, if we allow unholy imaginations, and trifle with the serpent sin? Is our Amen an act of faith, an entire resignation, which says-Father make me thine, and wholly in thine own way; or is it but a poor weak wish for something of a better state, a mere spiritless longing for the glories of the crown, while we shrink in dismay from taking up the burden of the cross? If then we would not use the words of the Lord Jesus in vain, if we would not make of them a mockery and a dishonour, we are bound to bring, in all sincerity, to the utterance of them,--in regard to God-the spirit of love, zeal, and obedience; in regard to our fellow creatures-the spirit of unre