God enrols the names of his children, and will not blot them out of the register. Others may have more of the venison, but God’s children have more of the blessing. Sin deflowers the virgin soul; it defaces God’s image; it turns beauty into deformity; it is called the plague of the heart.
It is an abuse of God’s love; it is taking the jewels of his mercies, and making use of them to sin. To be carried in God’s bosom shows how near his children lie to his heart. Thus the evil one, Satan, shall not prevail against the children of God. 9) If God be our Father, no real evil shall befall us.
God’s children shall not wait long for their inheritance; it is but winking, and they shall see God. It is evident that God’s children cannot be finally disinherited, by virtue of the eternal decree of heaven. God’s fidelity, which is the richest pearl of his crown, is engaged in this promise for his children’s perseverance.
O ye children of the high God. do not disgrace your high birth by sordid covetousness.
THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
In particular, hallowing God’s name is to give him high honor and veneration, and render his name sacred. We hallow and sanctify God’s name when we never make mention of it but with the highest reverence. We hallow and sanctify God’s name when we ascribe the honor of all we do to him.
We hallow and sanctify God’s name when we lift up his name in our praises. We hallow and sanctify God’s name when we sympathise with him;. when we grieve when his name suffers. We hallow God’s name when we prefer the honor of his name before the dearest things.
We hallow God’s name when we are content to have our name eclipsed, that his name may shine the more.
THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
The airy heaven, which is the space from the earth to the sphere of the moon
The starry heaven, the place where the planets are, of a higher elevation, as Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars
The coelum empyraeum, the empyrean heaven, which Paul calls the third heaven; where Christ is, there the kingdom of glory is situated
The first-fruits of the Spirit, consisting of joy and peace, assure the saints of the full vintage of glory they shall be ever reaping in the kingdom of God. Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.’. A man may forsake his sins, oaths, drunkenness, uncleanness, and yet come short of the kingdom.
A third aggravation of the loss of heaven will be, to look upon others that have gained the kingdom. A fourth aggravation is, that this loss of the kingdom of heaven is accompanied with the punishment of sense. If you would not come short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed at prejudice.
If you would not come short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of indulging any sin. If you would not fall short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of inordinate passion. If you would not fall short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of injustice in your dealings.
If you would not fall short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of falling off. Bullinger and Gregory the Great understood this of the magnificent supper prepared in the kingdom of heaven. If, with Herod, we do many things that God commands, yet, if we die in the total neglect of any duty, we come short of the kingdom of heaven.
It is like the spring in the watch, which sets all the wheels of the soul running. So that there is no making sure of anything here below, but we may make sure of the kingdom of heaven. They cannot pray heartily that Christ’s kingdom of glory may come who are lovers of the world.
Oh, then, well may you pray for the hastening of the kingdom of glory, ‘Thy kingdom come.’. The hope of the kingdom of heaven, says Basil, should indulcerate and sweeten all our troubles.
THE THIRD PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
For active obedience; that we may do God’s will actively in what he commands
For passive obedience; that we may submit to God’s will patiently in what he inflicts
Knowing God’s will may make a man admired, but it is doing it that makes him blessed. Thou who hast knowledge of God’s will but does not do it, wherein does thou excel a hypocrite. It is improper to call such Christians, who are knowers of God’s will but not doers of it.
1] All God’s royal edicts and precepts are to bring us to be doers of his will. In a word, all that is written in the law or gospel tends to this, that we should be doers of God’s will. Not to do God’s will on earth is foolish; because there is no standing out against God.
Not to do God’s will is foolish; because, if we do it not, we do the devil’s will. It is God’s will that we should repent, and this is for our good; for repentance ushers in remission. It is God’s will that we should believe; and why is it, but that we should be crowned with salvation.
By doing God’s will on earth, we resemble Christ, nay, we are akin to him and are of the blood royal of heaven. If anything make our pillow easy at death, it will be that we have endeavored to do God’s will on earth. If we are not doers of God’s will, we shall be looked upon as condemners of his will.
It is a great question, therefore, ‘In what manner are we to do God’s will that we may find acceptance?’. To do God’s will as the angels similitudinem notat, non aequalitatem [marks our likeness to them, not our equality with them]. We do God’s will as it is done in heaven when we do it regularly, when we reverence his institutions, and the.
