ledge the supremacy of the Divine government, and profess our allegiance to the Divine Ruler, whose reign shall be the reign of justice, peace, and truth. We therefore, by this expression, engage to be the subjects of that kingdom, and to advance its speedy establishment, by our firm adherence to the principles which distinguish those of whom it is composed. If this engagement is made with sincerity, it is hardly possible that it can do otherwise than influence our conduct. If it does not, every solemn utterance which we give to this petition shall bear witness. against us.

"Thy will be done on earth as it "is in heaven." By this explicit declaration of submission to the di vine will, we declare our resignation to the divine decrees, and our perfect reliance upon the wisdom of Provi dence.

dence. We resign ourselves, and all that is dear to us, to be guided and governed by the will of our heavenly Father; and pray that all may be equally disposed as we are to do his will, and to be governed by his directions. To that Sovereign will, we leave the disposal of all the circumstances of our lot: but, to shew that our dependence for the support of life is solely placed on his goodness, we supplicate him for what is necessary to its immediate preservation. We supplicate in the name of all: "Give us this day our daily bread."

That sustenance, in whatever circumstances we are placed, we acknowledge as his gift. And are we not bound thus to acknowledge it? However liberally God may have provided for us in the abundance of things of this life, are not the events of life, and life itself, in his disposal?

Can

Can wealth insure to us a continuance of our daily bread? Or is it not in the power of God to deprive us of the wealth in which we trust? Let us then, with gratitude and trust, look up to the Giver of all good for whatever is necessary to the comfort of our existence; and while in the name of all our brethren we beseech the Universal Parent for our daily bread, let us remember that we are bound to do all in our power to render the prayer effectual. If, while we pray to the Almighty to supply the wants of all, we, to whom he has given a superabundance, supply the wants of none; if through carelessness or hardness of heart we permit. those to perish for whom we beseech God to provide, our prayers will ascend to heaven as an offence, and our supplications as a mockery.

In the same breath in which we

request

request the food that is essential to the preservation of the body, we implore that forgiveness of our sins, without which our souls must perish everlastingly. How are we entitled to this forgiveness? What plea have we to offer in support of our claims upon the divine clemency? He who came to publish the glad tidings of salvation, and through whose merits we alone dare hope for forgiveness, has encouraged us to hope for it upon such conditions as will, if duly considered, be seen as a proper test of the sincerity of our repentance. He has taught us to ask of God to forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Surely it cannot be in vain that this duty of forgiveness is thus repeatedly enforced upon us. In a point on which so much depends, it behoves us to ascertain with accuracy

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the

the precise meaning of the terms we make use of. Our Saviour has so

well explained it, as to leave no room for subterfuge or evasion. It is not only errors of judgment or sins of inadvertency that we here bind ourselves to forgive, but offences of whatever nature that have been committed against us. We are not merely to forgive them in words, but we are to forgive them from the heart, which must be so purified from every feeling of malice and resentment, as to retain no desire of revenge, no personal ill-will against those who have done or wished us evil. Until we have effected this, we cannot say we forgive as we hope to be forgiven; nor while we petition the throne of mercy for pardon, on conditions which we do not fulfil, can we hope to escape the punishment we so vainly with our lips attempt to deprecate.