by William Ames
The Forty-sixth Lord’s Day
Mat 6.9-13
After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
This prayer was dictated by Christ, and for this reason all Christians should hold it in chief esteem as coming from him that was the wisdom of God himself; therefore he knew well all our necessities, and also knew most perfectly what the will of God is towards us. And it was dictated so that it might be an example or pattern of all Prayers that we ought to use. It is not that we should be bound to this very frame and form of words, yet it may also be freely used by us. For we do not read that this very form of words was used by the Apostles; rather, other diverse Prayers of theirs are mentioned in the Acts as well as in their Epistles. This Prayer is made up of certain Petitions, to which are adjoined a foregoing Preface, and a following Conclusion. The Preface is in these words: Our Father which art in Heaven.
And in this is proposed and commended to us a certain description of God, to whom our prayers are always to be directed. This description suitably to its occasion — that is, to praying — lays out for us those perfections of God which are most necessary to be known and considered by us for devoutly calling upon his name. And because nothing does more for this than that we be assured of God’s goodness and good will towards us, whereby he intends good to us; and that we be assured of his power, whereby he is able to do all that he pleases in Heaven or on earth. Therefore 1. The goodness of God is declared by that title of, Our Father. And 2. His greatest power and majesty is designed in these other words, Which art in Heaven. He is called Father not only from the benefit of creation and providence, whereby as with a Fatherly care he provides for us in all things; but chiefly also for the benefit of adoption, whereby of his special favour he chooses us, to be of the rank and number of his sons. And he is said to be in Heaven, because in Heaven, especially the third Heaven, he manifests his majesty as it were, in his royal throne, among the blessed and glorious spirits. And from there he sends out his Word as a royal declaration of his will, through all parts of the world, for the powerful effectuating of all and every thing that he wills or pleases.
Doctrine 1. Some preparation of mind is necessary for rightly making our prayers.
This is hence gathered, in that a preface is used here, and such a preface as directly makes for preparing our minds, that we may make our prayers more directly before God.
Reason 1. Because so great is the majesty of God,
that to appear before him, and rashly rush into conference with him, and do so negligently, without taking any care of our fitness and predisposition for it, would be such an indignity, that it would be a great incivility and lack of wisdom if it were done to any worldly Prince or great man.
Reason 2. Because so great is our weakness, that unless our minds are strengthened by some religious meditation, they will never lift themselves up to God as becomes them.
Reason 3. Because so great is our unworthiness, that our minds can hardly be raised up to consider and believe how our prayers are heard by God, unless we seriously meditate on the favour or grace of God and his promises.
Use. Of Direction: how we ought to dispose and settle ourselves to prayer, namely by such a preparation which chiefly consists in two things:
1. In calling away our mind, and thoughts, and cares, from all other things during that time and exercise of prayer — not only unlawful things, but otherwise lawful though worldly things.
2. In setting our minds, and thoughts, and affections on heavenly things; and do that according to that occasion which our prayers in general, and in their special and particular nature, give us.
Doctrine 2. God alone, by religious prayer, is to be called upon.
This is hence gathered, because in this most perfect pattern of Christian prayer, we are not taught to call upon any in that way except the one whom we may call, Our Father which art in heaven.
Reason 1. Because prayer is so divine a worship, and it gives so much glory to the party that it is made to,
that without idolatry it cannot be offered to any creature. This is also why it is called everywhere in Scripture a sacrifice, which the very Papists themselves confess cannot be offered but to God alone.
Reason 2. Because no creature can sufficiently know our prayers; because they come from the heart, and not from the mouth only.
Reason 3. Because no creature can always and everywhere be present to hear prayers where they are made.
Reason 4. We cannot religiously call on those whom we do not religiously believe in, Rom 10.14. But we may not religiously believe in a creature, Jer 17.5.
Use. Of Refutation: against the perverse superstition of Papists.
Doctrine 3. In all our prayers, we ought to come to God with confidence, as to our Father.
It is gathered from the word, Father.
Reason 1. Because prayer in its most inward and essential nature, is an action of affiance and trust. For we seek nothing from God, except out of trust and hope grounded on his promises.
Reason 2. Because we ought to strive for this, that we ourselves may be accepted by God as his sons, so that we may know that our prayers will be accepted by him. And this we only attain by faith and affiance placed in God, through Jesus Christ.
Reason 3. Because we ought to give God this glory, that as a bountiful Father he will liberally give to us all that is good for us, when we ask of him.
Question: What shall they do then, who have not yet received the spirit of adoption, so that with any certainty they may call upon God as their Father?
Answer: Though they cannot for that time receive
that comfort from their prayers that others do, yet they should not therefore cease from the exercise of prayer. This is because prayer itself is a most fit means to attain this confidence — when by lifting up the heart to God we at least wish, if we cannot with downright confidence and affirmation say from the Word, that we could and might truly call upon God as our Father.
Use. Of Direction: that we always call upon God in Christ, in whom alone God is our Father by adopting us, and is reconciled to us, and accepts us and our prayers.
Doctrine 4. In our prayers, confidence towards God, and charity towards our brethren, should always be joined together.
It is gathered from the word, Our. It is both lawful and sometimes expedient and profitable that a believer say in his prayers, O my Father, to manifest his particular confidence in God, and not for designing any sonship he has in God that is more special than others have; for Christ alone might and did use that form of speaking. Yet even for designing our particular confidence, it should never be joined with excluding thoughts of others. But whatever our own particular feelings are in respect to charity, the judgment, and our desire for it towards others, we should always, either expressly or impliedly, call upon God as the common Father of ourselves, and of others also.
Reason 1. Because it belongs to our comfort that we so call on God, as being members with others of that mystical body for which God has prepared and promised all good things.
Reason 2. Because it belongs to the communion of
Saints, that they have a perpetual communication or the mutual partaking and benefit of prayers among themselves.
Reason 3. Because charity towards others is a disposition which is in a special way required of us, so that our prayers may be acceptable to God according to that teaching of our Lord, If you forgive others, you shall be forgiven.384
Use. Of Reproof: against those who, burning with hatred and a desire for revenge, rush into praying — not that we ought to abstain from praying merely because of such perturbations of ours, nor abstain from the Lord’s Supper. But we ought to lay aside and purge such perturbations, not only when we come to partake publicly of the Lord’s Supper, but also daily, and privately, whenever we set ourselves to make our daily prayers to God.
Doctrine 5. The majesty and power of God are to be set before us when we call upon God.
It is gathered from the words, Which art in Heaven.
Reason 1. Because this majesty of God rightly set before us and thought upon, strikes us into an awful reverence and fear of God, which is required for all humble and rightly conceived prayers.
Reason 2. Because the consideration of that same majesty lifts up our minds above all earthly and worldly things, to think upon and seek heavenly things.
Reason 3. Because the heavenly power of God directly strengthens our confidence according to that word of the Apostle in Rom 4.21, He believed and did not doubt that he who had promised could also perform.
Use. Of Direction: how in our prayers we may resist sundry thoughts and temptations; namely, we resist them by lifting up our minds to behold and think upon the majesty and power of God, in whose presence we are.
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From The Substance of Christian Religion by William Ames