An exposition on the Lord's prayer with a catechistical explication thereof, by way of…

And indeed of all Prayers this is the most absolute and comprehensive, containing in it, not so many Words as Petitions; for there is not any one thing that we can pray for, according to the Will of God, but it is summarily couched in this.

And indeed of all Prayers this is the most absolute and comprehensive, containing in it, not so many Words as Petitions; for there is not any one thing that we can pray for, according to the Will of God, but it is summarily couch'd in this.

And yet this Comprehensiveness, which is the admirable Excellency of this Prayer, hath been the only Reason why some of late have scrupled and refused to use it; because they ⟨p. 8⟩cannot pierce through all that is signified by these substantial Expressions; they think they should take God's Name in vain, in uttering that before him, which they do not understand the utmost extent of.

But if they did but consider their own Prayers, the same doubts would still remain. When they pray that God's Name may be glorified; can they comprehend in that short time, while they are uttering, those Words, the infinite Latitude of that Request? Is it unlawful, at the close of our Prayers, to desire that God would give us all good things which we have not mentioned before him? And yet who of us can conceive how large an extent that Request may have? May we not say, Amen, and Seal up our Prayers with a So be it; though while we are speaking it, we cannot presently recollect all that hath been mentioned before God in Prayer? And for any to say, that the Lord's Prayer is a Morsel too big for their Mouths, (as some have done,) I have always accounted it a most unworthy and unsavoury Speech. Certainly Christ thought it not too big for his Disciples, whose Capacities at that time were possibly none of the largest; as appears in many instances, particularly in the Nature of Christ's Kingdom, which he taught them to pray that it might come, which they thought to be Temporal and Earthly. And those who refuse the use of the Lord's Prayer, as too big for them, would yet think themselves much wronged, if we should but suspect them as ignorant in that, and in many other points of Christian Doctrine, as the Disciples were when our Saviour instructed them thus to pray.