The occasion of the Lord's Prayer being delivered a second time, in the verses before us, is full of interest. It appears that ''one of the disciples" said, "Lord, teach us to pray." The answer to that request was the well- known prayer which we are now considering. Who this "disciple" was we do not know. What he did will be re- membered as long as the world stands. Happy are those who partake of his feelings, and often cry, " Lord, teach me to pray."
The substance of the Lord's Prayer is a mine of spiritual treasure. To expound it fully in a work like this, is manifestly impossible. The prayer, on which volumes have been written, does not admit of being handled properly in a few pages. For the present it must suffice us to notice its leading divisions, and to mark the leading trains of thought which it should suggest to us for private meditation.
The first division of the Lord's Prayer rejects the God whom we worship. We are taught to approach TTitti as our Father in heaven, — our Father no doubt as our Creator, but specially as our Father reconciled to us in Christ Jesus,— our Father whose dwelling is "in heaven," and whom no temple on earth can contain. We then make mention of three great things, — our Father's name, our Father's kingdom, and our Father's will.
We are taught to pray that the name of God may be sanctified : " Hallowed be thy name." Li using these words, we do not mean that God's name admits of degrees of holiness, or that any prayers of ours can make it more holy than it is. But we declare our hearty de- sire that God's character, and attributes, and perfections.