lieving prayer. It is sad sailing where there is no anchoring, and sad praying where there is no promise to anchor upon, Jam. i. 1. The disciples toiled all night and caught nothing : the unbeliever toils in prayer and catcheth nothing, — he re- ceives not any spiritual blessings, pardon of sin, or grace ; as for the temporal mer- cies the unbeliever hath, he cannot look upon them as the fruit of prayer, but as the overflowings and spillings of God's bounty. Oh therefore labour to exert and put forth faith in prayer !
Obj. lint there is so much sin cleaves to my prayer^ that I fear it is not the prayer of faith, and God will not hear it.
A71S, If thou mournest for this, it liinders not but that thy prayer may be in faith, and God may hear it. Weakness in prayer shall not make void the saint's prayers, Ps. xxxi. 22., " I said in my haste, I am cut off." There was much unbelief in this prayer : " I said in my haste : in the He- brew, " in my trembling." David's faith did tremble and faint, yet God heard his prayer. The saint's passions do not hinder the saint's prayers, Jam. v. 17. Therefore be not discouraged ; though sin will cleave to thy holy offering, yea these two things may comfort, thou mayest pray with faith, though with weakness ; and God sees the sincerity, and will pass by the infirmity.
Quest. IIow shall we do to pray in faith ?
Ans. Implore the Spirit of God. We cannot say, ' Our Father,' but by the Ho- ly Ghost. God's Spirit helps us, not only to pray with sighs and groans, but with faith. The Spirit carries us to God, not only as to a Creator, but a Father, Gal. iv. 6., " He hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." ' Crying,' there the Spirit causeth us to pray with fervency ; * Abba, Father,' there the Spirit helps us to pray with faith. Prayer is the key of heaven ; the Spirit helps faith to turn this key, and then it un- locks Iieavea.
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OF THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
OF THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Mat. vi. 9. Hallowed he thy name.
HAVING spolcen of the introduction to the Lord's prayer, "after this manner pray ye," — and the preface, " Our Fatlier which art in heaven," — I come now, thirdly, to the prayer itself, which consists of seven petitions. A short hody of divinity is con- tained in them. I begin with the first pe- tition.
I. " Hallowed be thy name." In the Latin, it is, sanctijicetur nomen tuuin, — sanc- tified be thy name. In this petition, " hal- lowed be tiiy nain«," we pray, that God's name may shine forth gloriously, and that it may be honoured and sanctified by us, in the whole course and tenor of our lives. It was the angels' song, " glory to God in the highest ;" that is, let his name be glo- rified and hallowed. This petition, " Hal- lowed be thy name," is set in the forefront, to shew, that the hallowing of God's name is to be preferred before all things. Is/. It is to be preferred before life ; we pray, " Hallowed be tliy name," before we pray, " Give us this day our daily bread." It is to be preferred before salvation, Rom. ix. 1. God's glory is more worth than the sal- vation of all men's souls. As Christ said of love, Mat. xxii. 3G., " This is the first and great comnKiiidiueut ;" so I may say of this jx'tilion, "• Hallowed be thy name," it is the first and great petition ; itcoiitains the most weighty thing in religion, (jiod's glory. When some of tlie other petitions sliall be useless and out of date, we shall not need to pray ia heaven, " Give us our daily bread," because there shall be no lumger ; nor, " Forgive us our trespasses,"
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because there sliall be no sin ; nor, us not into temptation," because the Old Serpent is not there to temj)t ; yet the hal- lowing of God's name shall be of great use and recpiest in heaven ; we shall be ever singing hallelujahs, which is nothing else but the hallowing of God's name. Every triumjdis and hallelujahs, there is nothhig person in the blessed Trinity, God the Fa- added to his essential glory; God cannot ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, must have this be greater than he is, only we may make honour, to be hallowed ; their glory being 1 him appear greater in the eyes of others.
equal, and their majesty co-eternal. " H.il- lowed be thy name." To admire God's name is not enough ; we may admire a con- queror, but when we say, " Hallowed be tliT/ name ;" we set God's name above every name, and not only admire him, but adore liim ; and tliis is proper only to the Deity. For the further explication, I shall propound three questions :
1. What is meant by God's name ?
2. JVhat is meant by halloicing God's name ?
3. When may we be said to hallow or sanc- tify God's name ?
Quest. 1. What is meant by God's najne ?
Ans. 1. By God's name is meant his es- sence, Ps. XX. ]., " The name of the God of Jacob defend thee j" that is, the God of Jacob defend thee.