ousy, and party spirit, of all the meanness and pettiness of self-seeking, which so often (alas!) mars the work that we would do for God! As we meditate on this clause we learn to pray with more significance the familiar words of the Church's collect, “that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may glorify Thy Holy Name." This was the rule of Jesus' life: "I seek not Mine own glory, but His that sent Me."* This was the sublime expectation and hope of the Apostle, that Christ should be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death.† In sickness or in health, in joy or in sorrow, by my success or in my failure, Hallowed be Thy Name, O Lord. Seek to make this your rule, your choice. How shall I act? what shall I choose, for the glory of God? Let this be the determining consideration, Ad majorem Dei gloriam. What an inspiring motive does this give! how great an encouragement under temptation! how urgent an incentive to strive + Phil. i. 20. * St. John, viii. 50. after holiness, that God may be glorified in us! By our labors, by our suffering, by our example, by our prayers, by our endurance of temptation, by the grace which He bestows upon us, may His glory be advanced, His Name be hallowed. May our light so shine before men--the reflected light that He pours upon us as we turn toward Him-that they may see our good works, and glorify (not us, but) our Father who is in Heaven.* May His Holy Name, the Name which is called upon us, never be unhallowed, or blasphemed among the unbelievers, by our bad example or inconsistency, our irreverence or levity. † Let us see that this petition has its due place in our prayers, as an expression, 1. of actual worship, indicating 2. a reverential spirit, and 3. a desire and striving for God's glory. Let us consider the application of this petition to the Holy Eucharist, our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, wherein all our *St. Matt. v. 16. Rom. ii. 24. prayers find their highest realization. In the blessed Eucharist in a special manner, in the highest, do we, if we rightly join in that Heavenly Sacrifice, hallow God's Name. For therein 1. Before all we shew forth His goodness and love unspeakable, for which it is indeed. meet, right, and our bounden duty that we should, with the host of Heaven, laud and magnify His glorious Name. * 2. Therein we present to the Eternal Father His Well-beloved Son, mystically slain upon the Altar, "the Lamb as It had been slain, with all the merits of His Passion and of His perfect obedience even unto death. This is our highest, our one worthy act of worship, this our true sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, by the offering of which God's Name should be great among the Gentiles.f "Behold, Lord God, the Face of Thine own Christ 3. And along with Him, the Incarnate † Mal. i. II. * Rev. v. 6. Son, "we offer and present ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice," to do and suffer all that He shall appoint, to the glory of His Name, Who is worthy to receive all glory, honor, and power for He has created all things,. and for His pleasure they are and were created.* * Rev. iv. II. MEDITATION III. "THY KINGDOM COME." ST. MATTHEW, IV. 10. IT has been sometimes claimed or pretended that the Lord's Prayer is only a compilation from previously existing forms of prayer in use among the Jews or even among heathen nations. The assertion or supposition is altogether unsupported by historical testimony. But even were it true, or partially so, there would be nothing really remarkable to a thoughtful Christian in the fact. Christ our Lord, the Incarnate Son, we worship as the Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.* As the Word of God He speaks, and from the beginning has spoken, in the consciences of all, even where no further external revelation has been vouchsafed. All that is really true * St. John, i. 9. |