lords? Both have the fame common wants: both have the fame common parent: both have the fame common redeemer: both have the fame right to come before the throne of grace and both have the fame common promise of acceptance, if they come before it with pure hearts and hallowed lips.

How, again, will this enlarge our hearts and affections for all the world, who ftand in the fame common relation with ourselves to the great parent of the world? Will not this teach us to love them, to pray for their welfare, to promote their happiness, to forgive their trefpaffes, and, even in a foe, to behold a brother? Can I address that God, who is our common fupporter, preserver, and redeemer, with partial and narrow thoughts, or wish to monopolize his bleffings? Can I address God with pride, which is a contempt of others, who were made by the fame hand with myfelf? Can I approach him with envy, which is maligning those bleffings he is pleased to give them? Can I come to him with malice, which is a deteftation of those who are children of the fame God, and heirs of the fame hopes? Muft I not rather imitate this my

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venly Father, whom I am addreffing, who is kind to all, and fendeth his rain upon the just and the unjust? Must I not rather, like him, study to forgive their faults, the common faults of that humanity of which I myself am a partaker; to pity their infirmities, to confole their misfortunes, to relieve their neceffities? Will it not better become me, when I am on my knees before God, to confider myself as the common interceffor for the whole human race? Will it not better become me, whilft I am begging a blessing. upon myself, to cry out, in the pathetic language of Efau, of Esau, “ Hast thou but one blessing, my Father Blefs them, even them alfo, 66 O my Father." Blefs the diftant favage and barbarous infidel: blefs the unbelieving Jew and deluded Turk: bless the whole race of mankind, wherefoever difperfed, or howfoever diftreffed; wherefoever placed, or howfoever divided, in language, manners, or affections: O Lord, fave thy people, and bless thine inheritance: for thou art the fame common parent of all: thou art our Father: all the earth doth worship thee, the Father univerfal and everlasting.

Every

Every man, who rightly confiders, will naturally have fuch thoughts as these. May we so consider, that we may never begin this divine prayer without them! May we learn from the condefcending title of parent, to come boldly to the throne of God's grace; yet, at the fame time, let the awe of his majefty fill our fouls with reverence. When we take upon us to fpeak to the Lord, let our words, our thoughts, our gestures, be all expreffive of that humility, which becomes finful dust and ashes. Let no levity or inatten

tion be seen in our countenances, but let this folemn reflection ever be uppermoft in our thoughts, that we are addreffing a God of infinite majefty, for a bleffing upon ourselves, our families, our kingdom, upon the whole race of mankind, for every thing that is dear to us in this life, and every thing that is valuable in a better. And above all, let all our addreffes to God be offered up in the name of that Saviour, who, in compaffion to our infirmities, taught us how to pray, and through whose merits alone, our prayers can hope to find acceptance at the throne of God, our Father in heaven.

SER

SERMON VII.

LUKE xi. 2.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

I

T was always a matter of great uncer

tainty and perplexity, even in the most enlightened parts of the heathen world, in what way men should addrefs their devotions to the fupreme Governor of the universe, under whatever forms they conceived him to exift. Without a guide to direct their footsteps, and without light to refine and illuminate their conceptions, they wandered amidst doubts and shadows; fometimes raised to the visionary elevations of a blind enthusiasm, at other times finking into the dark abyss of defpair, and, at all times, the fport of every gale of novelty, the prey of every vain phantom of delufion.