wealth are not things proportionable to Him That is in heaven, and an earthly prince will count it a disgrace if a man ask at his hands mean things, such as may be had of every man.

The gifts we are to ask of our heavenly Father are, the eternal salvation of our souls, the gift of the Holy Ghost, which He hath promised "to them that ask it," and "all Lu. 11. 13. spiritual blessings in heavenly places."

Eph. 1. 3.

God is a Father, as Abraham was; and as he had moveable goods which he gave to the sons of Keturah, so he bestowed the inheritance which was immoveable upon his son Isaac. Gen. 25. 6. So we that are "the children of the promise as Isaac was,” must Gal. 4. 28. seek for the inheritance of Isaac, and not content ourselves with that portion which was given to the sons of Keturah.

Solomon saith not amiss, "Two things have I desired of Prov. 30.7. the Lord." But David saith better, Unum petii a Domino,

"I have sought one thing of the Lord, that I may dwell in Ps. 27. 4. the house of the Lord;" that I may be partaker of grace in this life, and may be received into glory in the life to come.

Unto Martha that was troubled about many things our Saviour said, Unum est necessarium, "one thing is necessary;" Lu. 10. 42. and this is the reason why it is not said, Qui es in terris, 'Which art in earth,' for God sheweth Himself a Father rather in heaven than in earth; Deus Pater est in cœlis, He is in heaven by assuring us of God's heavenly blessings, for they are the signs of God's fatherly bounty to such as are His heirs by promise. As for earthly things He sheweth Himself in them rather to the sons of Keturah than to Isaac, and in respect of this world Martha is said to have chosen "the Lu. 10. 42. better part."

Sixthly, as it teacheth us what we must pray for, so also we learn hereby what we are to judge of ourselves, and how we are to dispose of our minds when we come to pray: if God our Father be in heaven, then because we are yet on earth, we must esteem ourselves as strangers and pilgrims. This did all the Fathers acknowledge: "I am a stranger, and a Ps. 39. 12. sojourner upon earth as all my fathers were;" and therefore having a longing to be in our city, "Wo is me that I am con- Ps. 120. 5. strained to dwell in Mesech." The Apostles Peter and Paul confessed the same: the one writing to the Church of God, called them "pilgrims and strangers;" the other report- 1 Pet. 2. 11.

SERM. eth of the Fathers, that they confessed themselves strangers VIII. and pilgrims upon earth. And in saying these things they shew that they sought a country, not the land of Canaan Heb.11.15, from whence they came-for they had time to return thither "if they had been mindful of it"-but they sought a better, that is, an "heavenly city;" and "we have no abiding city Heb. 13.14. here, but do look for one to come."

16.

[Ovid. Met. 1.85.]

These shew us that albeit we have our dwelling in earth, and be subject to many calamities, yet for all this our exile we do genus de cœlo ducere, 'we take our pedigree from heaven.' When therefore, as the Poet saith, Os homini sublime dedit, it is a shame for us to have our hearts downward; we must remember that we are of a more excellent nature than other Acts 17.28. creatures, Toû yàp kaì yévos éoμèv, “for we are His offspring ;" [Vid. Wetwe have received from God a soul and a spirit endowed with many heavenly qualities, which being dissolved from the Eccl. 12. 7. body "returneth to God That gave it."

stein. in loco.]

Col. 3. 2.

Lu. 15. 13.

32.

Gal. 3.26.

Ps. 42. 2.

During this our exile and pilgrimage, we are not only to consider that we look upwards with our faces, (which moved the heathen to meditate of heaven) but chiefly, that in our soul we have the image of God imprinted, which ought to move us to think of God, and to "set our minds on things above.”

Albeit we be here in "a far country," far from our Father's dwelling, yet we must not forget our Father's dwelling house.

The portion is in heaven which our Father will give us, and therefore we must seek to be acquainted with the laws of that country where our inheritance lieth, that we may guide our lives according to the same, lest being rebellious we deprive ourselves of our right and be disinherited.

Secondly, seeing we know that we are not in our own 2 Sam. 14. country, we must say as Absalom did, "Why am I come hither, if I may not see the king's face?" He, being an ungracious son, was desirous to see his Father: then it shall be a shame for us that are "all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus," if we have not a longing desire to come before the presence of God our Father. If we have a desire to enter into "the courts of the Lord," if with the Apostle "we desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ," the first begotten of many brethren; and if with our Father God we lay up our treasure in heaven, and count it our chief felicity to be there, then

Ps. 84. 2.

Phil. 1. 23.

21.

would we think upon heaven more than we do, for "where Mat. 6. 19, our treasure is there must our hearts be also." But because we altogether set our hearts on earthly things, therefore it falls out that our heart is as a heavy clod of earth, and unable to lift itself up to heavenly meditation.

Thirdly, as we desire to be in heaven in our Father's house,

so our conversation must be πολίτευμα ἐπουράνιον, we must Phil. 3. 20. not live by the laws of earthly princes, and acts of parliaments, but by a heavenly law. Though we be strangers on earth, yet we are citizens of heaven, and must carry ourselves according to the laws of our country, being always desirous to do that which pleaseth our heavenly Father, though there were no human law to compel us thereunto; and whereas natural men have for the end of their civil actions, bonum commune, 'a common utility,' we that are spiritual must make bonum cœleste, 'the heavenly good,' our end; we must do well, because God will behold our well-doing favourably, and the Lu. 15. 10. Angels of heaven will be glad of it.

47.

Christ, Who is "the Lord from heaven," did subject Him- 1 Cor. 15. self to the will of God His Father; "Not My will, but Thy Lu. 22. will be done.” "And as He that is heavenly," so must they 42.] that will be "heavenly;" as we now "bear the image of the 1 Cor. 15. earthly, so shall we portare imaginem cœlestis, "bear the image of the heavenly."

48, 49.

31.

He, while He lived on earth, did guide Himself by a heavenly law, and we that remain on earth must express His image by the imitation of His obedience. It is true which both our Saviour Christ and John Baptist said, that "that is born of the flesh is flesh," and so "that that is of the Joh. 3. 6, earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth." But there must be an imitation, and we must set ourselves forward to our heavenly country. But because it is not in our power to do this of ourselves, for that, as Christ saith, "No man can come Joh. 6. 44. to Me, except the Father draw him," therefore we must pray with the Church in the Canticles, Trahe me, "Draw me." Cant. 1. 4. And to this end doth the holy exercise of fasting and mortification serve greatly, that we may, as it were with dove's wings, fly up into heaven.

As the word "Father" doth shew us not only our dignity, but our duty also, so the word "heavenly" doth not only give

VIII.

SER M. us a hope of heaven, but also teacheth us that seeing our Father is heavenly we must live by the laws of heaven. As we are careful to be made partakers of the inheritance which God hath prepared for us, so we must be as careful to please Him and to do those things which are agreeable to His will. We must not only know quid sperandum, 'what is to be hoped for,' but quid præstandum, 'what is to be performed of us.' If we pray not only with confidence, because God doth take us for His sons, but also with invocation, with devotion and reverence, knowing that our Father hath His dwelling in heaven, and we are pilgrims in earth, thus shall we be veri Joh.4.23. adoratores, "true worshippers." As we know we shall have our part in heaven, so we must begin our heaven here on earth; and this shall be done if we add our endeavour to those things which we pray for at the hands of God, as Augustine prayeth: Da, Domine, ut pro quibus oramus, pro üs laboremus, 'Grant, Lord, that the things we pray for and crave of Thee, for them we may also labour.'

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

SERMON IX.

Hallowed be Thy Name.

HAVING ended the first part of this prayer which was called invocation, consisting upon the power and goodness of God, we come to the petitions themselves, which are seven, of which the first concerneth God, the other concern ourselves or they may be divided as the days of the week, whereof as one falleth out to God's portion, the other to be employed in our own affairs. So, of these petitions, the first doth immediately concern the glory of God, the other six the supply of our own necessities. In the beginning we heard that it is expedient to know not only what we are to ask, but in what order; what first, and what second; touching which point we are taught by this form of prayer, that that petition which concerneth the sanctification of God's name is caput votorum; and that all other things that we either desire or pray for in our own behalf, ought to stand after it; and that we must both desire and pray for the sanctification of God's name before any thing that we desire, either for ourselves or for our brethren, whether it be for the removing of evil, or for the obtaining of good; for as before we learned what His love is to us, in that He vouchsafed to be our Father, so hereby we shall express our love again to Him, if when we come to pray to Him for our necessities we be carried away with such a desire of the glory of our heavenly Father, that we forget our own selves and desire only that His name may be sanctified, which duty Christ doth by His own example commend unto us.