fhall either be totally preferved from falling into Temptation, or by the Grace of God, fhall quickly be renewed by Repentance, till in the End our Chriftian Warfare fhall end in the Triumph of everlasting Peace and Reft, free from both Sin and Temptation.

Which God of his infinite Mercy, in due time, bestow upon us all, through the Mediation of Jefus Chrift, our bleed Saviour and Redeemer. To whom, &c.

SER M.

SERMON XV.

MATT. VI. 13.

For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever.

Amen.

The Ninth Sermon on the Lord's Prayer.

OF

F the three Parts into which we distributed the Lord's Prayer, namely, the Invocation, the Petitions, and the Conclufion, or Doxology; having fpoke to the two first, the Invocation and Petitions, we come now to the last, the Conclufion or Doxology, being in these Words which I have read, For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever. Amen.

I shall not trouble you with a Dispute which is among the Learned, whether thefe Words were put in by our Saviour himself, as a Part of this excellent Prayer; or whether being a common Conclufion of Prayers in Ufe in the Jewish Church, as fuch they were added to this Prayer by the Church. It is certain there are several eminent Fathers who leave out this Doxology, even where they exprefly explain the Lord's Prayer, and others of them put it in. St Luke leaves it out: Our Church fometimes puts it in, and some

times leaves it out in the Common-Prayer. But fince none will object to the Usefulness of it, and it has now for a long Time, ever fince St Chryfoftom's Days at least, been used in the Greek Church, I fhall go on to the Explication of it with the reft.

The Words will very well bear to be interpreted here, fo as to have an Afpect either to Praise and Thanksgiving, which is always very fit to be joined with Prayer; or to the Reafon upon which the preceding Petitions are grounded; or to the Aim and Intent to which all our Devotions are to be directed. I fhall confider them in all these Ways.

1. First, They may be confidered as an additional Praise and Thanksgiving, which is always very fit to be joined with Prayer; q. d. We humbly hope for a Grant of these our Petitions, when we reflect and confider that thine is the Kingdom, and that thou haft hitherto defended it against all the Attempts of thine and our Enemies; and that thine is the Power, and that whenever thou hast been pleased to exert it, there is nothing too hard for thee; and that thine is the Glory, that is, that thou haft always hitherto gained Honour to thyfelf, by granting the Prayers of thy Servants, for that indeed the whole Honour of all they do is folely owing to thy Grace. And as it has been fo in time past, it will be fo for ever and ever, to all Eternity.

Before I leave this Notion of the Words as a Doxology or Thanksgiving, there are fome Things I think may properly be observed from them. As I. That it is very fit in our Devotions, to join Thanksgiving to Prayers and Petitions.

II. That

II. That the Confideration of former Mercies, is a great Encouragement in our Addreffes to Almighty God.

III. That the many Examples we have had of God's afferting his Sovereignty, and of his exercifing his Power, and of the clofe Conjunction of his Honour with the Happiness of his Creatures, do all furnish great Matter for Thanksgiving.

I. That it is very fit in our Devotions to join Thanksgiving to Prayers and Petitions. To do otherwife, would look like Ingratitude; and of all Things, there is no greater Obftructor of new Favours, than Ingratitude for the old. And befides, Thanksgiving is a more genuine Expreffion of Love, than Petition, and accordingly is a much more rare thing in the World; as our Saviour obferved of the ten Lepers that were cleanfed, only one of them returned to give Thanks, Luke xvii. 17, 18. Were there not Ten cleanfed, fays he, but where are the nine? There are not found to give Glory to God, fave this Stranger. Now the joining Thanksgiving to Prayer, is much practiced by the best Patterns of Devotion we have in the holy Scriptures: Of David's, I fhall quote only that excellent Prayer of his, when they offered freely towards building the Temple; 1 Chron. xxix. 10. what abundance of it runs out in Thanksgiving and Praise, Thine, O Lord, is the Greatness, and the Power, and the Glory, and the Victory, and the Majefty; for all that is in the Heaven, and in the Earth, is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as Head above all. Both Riches and Honour come of thee, and thou reigneft over all, and in thine Hand is Power and Might; and in thine Hand it is to

make

207 make great, and to give Strength unto all. And St Paul exhorts, that Supplications, Prayers, Interceffions, and giving of Thanks, be made for all Men, 1 Tim. ii. 1.

II. I obferve from this Doxology, that the Confideration of former Mercies is a great Encouragement in our Addreffes to Almighty God. The Obfervation how God has delivered his Church and Kingdom at all Times, and in all the greatest Dangers, is a mighty Encouragement to pray that his Kingdom may come in full Strength and Power. The Confideration of the many Proofs he has given us, both of his Power, and of his Willingness and Readiness to help us out of Dangers, is a moft prevailing Motive cordially to addrefs him. (a) I was cast upon thee from the Womb, fays the Pfalmift, thou art my God from my Mother's Belly; be not far from me, for Trouble is near.

III. I observe that the many Examples we have had of God's afferting his Sovereignty, and of his exercifing his Power, and of the close Conjunction of his Honour with the Happiness of his Creatures, do all furnish great Matter for Thanksgiving.

(1.) Firft, his afferting of his Sovereignty, Thine is the Kingdom. What a mighty Comfort is this against all the Attempts of ill Men, who endeavour to fet the World and the Church in a Combustion, to think that God is the Sovereign of the World, and that he will fupport his own

(a) Pf. xxii. 10, II.

Kingdom: