[4.] It teacheth us that all our prayers should carry a correspondence with our great aim. AVhat is our great aim ? To be with God in heaven, as remembering that is the centre and place of our rest, U which we are all tending: Col. iii. 1, ' If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.' We come to our Father which is in heaven. He will have his residence there, that our hearts might be there. Therefore the main things we should seek of God from heaven are saving graces, for these ' come down from above, from the Father of lights : ' James i. 17. AVe have liberty to ask supplies for the outward life, but chiefly we should ask spiritual and heavenly things : Mat. vi. 22, 23, ' Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.' What then ? ' First seek the kingom of God,' &c. If we have to do with a heavenly Father, our first and main care should be to ask things suitable to his being, and his excellency. If children should ask of their parents such a thing as is i)leasing to their palate, possibly they might give it them ; but when they ask instruction, and desire to be taught, that is far more acceptable to them. AYlien we ask supplies of the outward life, food, raiment, God may give it us ; but it is more pleasing to him when we ask for grace. In every
62 AN EXPOSITION OF [MaT. VI. 9.
prayer we should seek to be made more heavenly by conversing with our heavenly Father.
[5.] It giveth us ground of confidence in God's power and absolute dominion over all things, for God is in heaven above all created beings : Ps. cxv. 3, ' Our God is in the heavens, and doth whatsoever he pleaseth.' So 2 Chron. xx. 6, ' Art not thou God in heaven ? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen ? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to with- stand thee?' Oh, what an advantage is this in prayer, when we think of our all-sufficient God, who made heaven and earth, and hath fixed his throne there ! What can be too hard for him ?
[6 .] Here is encouragement against carnal fear. Whatever the world doth against us, we have a Father in heaven, and this should bear us up against all their threatenings and oppositions. When there were tumults and confusions in the world, it is said, Ps. ii. 4, ' But God, which sits in heaven, shall laugh them to scorn.' An earthly parent may have a large heart, but a short hand; though they may wish us well, yet they cannot defend us, and bear us out in all extremities. But our Father in heaven will laugh at the attempts against his empire and greatness. Thus considering God absolutely, it is an advantage to reflect upon him as a Father in heaven.
But I suppose this expression hath respect to a mediator. There- fore,
Secondly, Let us look upon God with respect to a mediator, for so I think we are chiefly bound to consider our Father in heaven, because of Christ which sits there at his right hand : Heb. viii. 1. If is said there, ' He sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary.' Oh, this is comfortable to think of In heaven we have a Saviour, Jesus Christ, representing our persons and presenting our prayers to God, by which means God is reconciled and well pleased with us. So that our duty in prayer is to look up to heaven, and to see Christ at God's right hand as our high priest, mediating for us that we may be accepted with God.
A notable resemblance we have between God's presence in the tabernacle or temple, and God's presence in heaven.
" In the temple you know there were three partitions. There was the outward court, and the sanctuary, as the apostle calls it, where the table of shew-bread was set, and there was the holy place, the holy of holies. Just so in heaven there are three partitions ; there is the airy heaven, and the starry heaven, and the heaven of heavens : the lower heaven, which answers to the outward court ; the starry heaven wliich answers to the sanctuary ; and the heaven of heavens, which answers to the holy of holies by a fit analogy and proportion. Well, in the holy of holies, saith the apostle, there was the golden censer and the mercy-seat : Heb. ix. 4. There you find God conspicuously manifesteth his presence, and gives answers to his people : ' At the mercy-seat, there will I answer thee, saith the Lord.' So here, in this heaven of heavens, there is a mercy-seat, there is a throne of grace, and there God will answer. We may ' come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need:' Heb. iv. 16.
Mat. VI. 9.] the lord's prayer. 63