9. _Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven._ This is the necessary and immediate consequence, wherever the kingdom of God is come: wherever God dwells in the soul by faith, and _Christ_ reigns in the heart by love.
It is probable, many, perhaps the generality of men, at the first view of these words, are apt to imagine, they are only an expression of, or petition for resignation; for a readiness to suffer the will of God, whatsoever it be concerning us. And this is unquestionably a divine and excellent temper, a most precious gift of God. But this is not what we pray for in this petition, at least not in the chief and primary sense of it. We pray, not so much for a passive, as for an active conformity to the will of God, in saying, _Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven_.
*How is it done by the angels of God in heaven? Those who now circle his throne rejoicing? They do it _willingly_; they love his commandments, and gladly hearken to his words. It is their meat and drink to do his will; it is their highest glory and joy. They do it _continually_; there is no interruption in their willing service. They rest not day nor night, but employ every hour (speaking after the manner of men; otherwise our measures of duration, days and nights and hours, have no place in eternity) in fulfilling his commands, in executing his designs, in performing the council of his will. And they do it _perfectly_. No sin, no defect belongs to angelick minds. It is true, _the stars are not pure in his sight_, even the morning-stars that sing together before him. _In his sight_, that is in comparison of him, the very angels are not pure. But this does not imply, that they are not pure _in themselves_. Doubtless they are; they are without spot and blameless. They are altogether devoted to his will, and perfectly obedient in all things.
*If we view this in another light, we may observe, the angels of God in heaven, do _all_ the will of God. And they do nothing else, nothing but what they are absolutely assured is his will. Again, they do all the will of God, _as_ he willeth, in the manner which pleases him, and no other. Yea, and they do this, only _because_ it is his will; for this end and no other reason.
10. When therefore we pray, that the _will of_ God may _be done on earth as it is in heaven_, the meaning is, that all the inhabitants of the earth, even the whole race of mankind, may do the will of their Father which is in heaven, as _willingly_ as the holy angels: that these may do it _continually_ even as they, without any interruption of their willing service: yea, and that they may do it _perfectly_; that _the_ God _of peace, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, may make them perfect in every good work to do his will, and work in them all which is well-pleasing in his sight_.
In other words, we pray, that we and all mankind, may do the whole will of God in all things: and nothing else, not the least thing but what is the holy and acceptable will of God. We pray that we may do the whole will of God _as_ he willeth, in the manner that pleases him: and lastly, that we may do it, _because_ it is his will: that this may be the sole reason and ground, the whole and only motive of whatsoever we think, or whatsoever we speak or do.
11. _Give us this day our daily bread._ In the three former petitions, we have been praying for all mankind. We come now more particularly to desire a supply for our own wants. Not that we are directed even here, to confine our prayer altogether to ourselves: but this and each of the following petitions may be used for the whole church of _Christ_ upon earth.
By _bread_ we may understand, all things needful whether for our souls or bodies: τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν καὶ εὐσέβειαν· _the things pertaining to life and godliness_. We understand not barely the outward bread, what our Lord terms _the meat which perisheth_; but much more the spiritual bread, the grace of God, the food _which endureth unto everlasting life_. It was the judgment of many of the antient fathers, that we are here to understand, the sacramental bread also: daily received in the beginning by the whole church of _Christ_, and highly esteemed ’till the love of many waxed cold, as the grand channel whereby the grace of his Spirit was conveyed to the souls of all the children of God.
_Our daily bread._ The word we render _daily_ has been differently explained by different commentators. But the most plain and natural sense of it seems to be this, which is retained in almost all translations, as well antient as modern: what is sufficient for this day; and so for each day, as it succeeds.
12. _Give us._ For we claim nothing of right, but only of free mercy. We deserve not the air we breathe, the earth that bears, or the sun that shines upon us. All our desert, we own, is hell. But God loves us freely. Therefore we ask him to _give_, what we can no more _procure_ for ourselves, than we can _merit_ it at his hands.