WE are now come to the second sort of Petitions, that concern our selves, as the former did more immediately concern God. Now you may observe the Stile in the Prayer is altered: It was before, Thy Name, Thy Kingdom, Thy Will; now it is, Give us, and forgive us, &c. Before, our Lord had taught us to speak in a third Person, Thy Will be done; and now in a second Person, Give us this day. Which is not so to be understood, as if we were not at all concerned in the former part of the Lord's Prayer. In those Petitions, the Benefit is not God's, but ours. When his Name is sanctified, his Kingdom cometh, and his Will is done; these Things do not only concern the Glory of God, but also our Benefit. It is our Advantage, when God is honoured by the Coming of Christ's Kingdom, and the Subjection of our Hearts unto himself. But these latter Petitions do more immediately concern us. Now among these, in the first place, we pray for the necessary Provisions of the present Life. Some make a scruple, why such a Prayer should be put in the first place? Surely, not to show the Value ⟨p. 303⟩of these Things above Pardon and Grace; but this is the last of the Supplications. The Lord's Prayer may be divided into Supplications and Deprecations. Among the Supplications, there we prayed, first, for the Glory of God; next, for the Kingdom of God; next, for our Subjection to that Kingdom; and in the last place, we pray for daily Bread, or Sustentation of the present Life. But the other two are Deprecations; and that either of Evil already committed; and so we pray for Pardon of Sin, Forgive us our Trespasses: Or Deprecation of Evil that is likely to be admitted; and so we pray against Temptation, Lead us not into Temptation. So that this Request is put into a fit Order: First, we seek God's Glory, as the End; his Kingdom, as the primary Means; our Subjection to that Kingdom, as the next Means; and last of all, our comfortable Subsistence in the World, as a remote subservient Help, that we may be in a capacity to serve and glorify God.
WE are now come to the second sort of Petitions, that concern our selves, as the former did more immediately concern God. Now you may observe the Stile in the Prayer is altered: It was before, Thy Name, Thy Kingdom, Thy Will; now it is, Give us, and forgive us, &c. Before, our Lord had taught us to speak in a third Person, Thy Will be done; and now in a second Person, Give us this day. Which is not so to be understood, as if we were not at all concern'd in the former part of the Lord's Prayer. In those Petitions, the Benefit is not God's, but ours. When his Name is sanctified, his Kingdom cometh, and his Will is done; these Things do not only concern the Glory of God, but also our Benefit. It is our Advantage, when God is honoured by the Coming of Christ's Kingdom, and the Subjection of our Hearts unto himself. But these latter Petitions do more immediatly concern us. Now among these, in the first place, we pray for the necessary Provisions of the present Life. Some make a scruple, why such a Prayer should be put in the first place? Surely, not to shew the Value ⟨p. 303⟩of these Things above Pardon and Grace; but this is the last of the Supplications. The Lord's Prayer may be divided into Supplications and Deprecations. Among the Supplications, there we pray'd, first, for the Glory of God; next, for the Kingdom of God; next, for our Subjection to that Kingdom; and in the last place, we pray for daily Bread, or Sustentation of the present Life. But the other two are Deprecations; and that either of Evil already committed; and so we pray for Pardon of Sin, Forgive us our Trespasses: Or Deprecation of Evil that is likely to be admitted; and so we pray against Temptation, Lead us not into Temptation. So that this Request is put into a fit Order: First, we seek God's Glory, as the End; his Kingdom, as the primary Means; our Subjection to that Kingdom, as the next Means; and last of all, our comfortable Subsistence in the World, as a remote subservient Help, that we may be in a capacity to serve and glorify God.
