The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 263

II. IT WILL BE DONE WITH TBF: ll'ULLEBT CONSENT 011' THE BEA.BT, Al>'D WITH THE -UNITED, UNDIBTRAOTED 00NBENT OF ALL THE POWERS, Ill. lT WILL JIE DONE WITH AN EVEB·GB0WINGLY BYIIIPATHETIC UNDEnSTAND1;\"G -OF IT. It is beyond us to say that God's will is done even in heaven with (or much less for the mere reason of) a perfect understanding of it. Nay, some of its value may .result there, as here, from its being both accepted and "done" in spite of its not being understood. But how much of our understanding of it ia blocked by weak sympathy with it, or by absence of sympathy with it; and surely these obstacles will be gone, or -ever be giving way I The clearness of eight and of understanding that a perfect .sympathy giv.es, as compared with fitful and imperfect sympathies, must be all ga.in to the doing of God's will on earth ae in heaven. IV. IT-WILL BE DONE WITHOUT THAT BITTEB PAIN, THAT WORST WEA.BINEBS, THAT ,COIIIE OF VA.IN ENDEAVOUR AND EFFORT 80 OFTEN FAILURE. Such descriptions, or even such mere glimpses, as are given to. us. in Scripture of the worship or the work in heaven are ravishing indeed to meditate. To these we can never absolutely attain 11 in earth.". To them, nevertheless, we may ever be approximating. The petition teaches us this ; and, as offered by countless millions of lips, generation after generation, it is gradually and blessedly leading on to this.-B. Ver. 11. ....,. The f(J'IJ,rth petition. Introduce by a few remarks on the sublime simplicity of the petitions of this prayer, typified in none.better perhaps than in this. ,Give also simple explanation of the word rendered here "daily," to the effect that it does not repeat the meaning contained in "this dAy," but designates rather foe natural requirement of any one, and the portion needful and allotted to him by parental care and love. Then the petition may be vivified, and a grateful realizing of its significance and beauty may be helped by speaking of it as- . I. THE HUllBLE PBA YEB OF CREATUl\E·NEED. Instance comparisons of the depend- ,ence of all life, (1) inanimate; (2) animate and conscious; (3) animate, conscious, and intelligent; and show how fatal the fault when to these great facts of nature that .of religious devoutness is not found added (P$. civ. 27, 28; cxlv. 15, 16). The very sense of creature-need may be comfort, and help lead us to think on whom that need is permitted and invited to draw. How different our youth's presumptuous challenge -of responsibility from the craving after relief from that very thing in maturer life, mellower character, and declining age I II. THE HAPPY PRAYED OF CHILD-DEPEl>"DENCE. The youngest child unconsciously depends for its portion every day upon its parents. And it becomes so natural to it that it knows not a doubt or fear for the same as years go on, till with the springing up of thought and the teaching of goodness ond wisdom it becomes an effort to acknowledge its child-dependence and the grace that supplies it. That effort is health- ful and useful. The very beginning of this prayer warrants us in this petition to ask, -as the asking of the dependence that gives the child its claim, and a claim in its character something in advance of that which it utters as a creature. Ill. THE TBUBTFUL PBAYER OF NECESSITY INDEED, YET UNA.NXI0US NECESSITY. When the portion that the day wants h:is changed from milk to bread, and from milk '8.nd bread to wine and strong meat, there are yet other imperious forms of necessity that it takes. In one known word, there is "strength equal to the day" wanted. Various is the day, very various such days I The strength of healing, of pity, of pardon, of gracious and unusual intervention, is .wanted; and is to be prayed for, ond may be even begged for; but then most successfully when from the calm, deep heart .of trustful unanx:iety (Ps. xxxvii., passim).-B. Ver. 12.-The fifth petition. It is to be pointed out that the Gospel version of the Lord's Prayer uses here in this pet.ition the words" debts" and "debtors;" while, i!l what may be regarded as a parallel passage (Luke :xi. 4), the prayer reads, "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive our debtors." It might, possibly, and not altogether unplausibly, be held that this last form of the words designs to avoid bringing into near comparison the dread reality we call sin against God, with our sins (though still justly so called) against one another. At any rate, the version may suggest profitably the thought. Vast also and indeed immeasurable th:> difference between what we owe to God and  256 TITE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. vt. 1-3+.