An Exposition of the Lord's Prayer, in the Way of Catechism, Serving for Ignorant People, by Master Perkins. Matthew 6:9: After This Manner Therefore Pray: Our Father, etc.
These words contain three parts, 1. A preface. 2. The prayer itself, containing six petitions. 3. The testification of faith in the last word, Amen.
Which although it be short, yet it does not contain the smallest point in the prayer: It is (I say) a testification of our faith, whereas the petitions that go before are only testifications of our desires. Now of these three parts in order.
We must consider how our Savior Christ does not set down the petitions abruptly, but he first begins with a solemn preface. Whereby we are taught this lesson; that he which is to pray to God, is first to prepare himself, and not boldly without consideration as it were to rush into the presence of God.
If a man be to come before an earthly prince, he will order himself in apparel, gesture and words, that he may do all things in seemliness and dutiful reverence: how much more are men to order themselves, when they are to appear before the living God? Ecclesiastes 5:1. Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a thing before the Lord. And David, Psalms 26:6. Washed his hands in innocency, before he came to the altar of the Lord to offer sacrifice.
The means whereby men may stir up their dull and heavy hearts, and so prepare themselves to prayer, are three. The first is to read diligently the word of God, concerning those matters about which they are to pray: and what then? This will be a means not only to direct him, but also to quicken the heart more fervently to deliver his prayer. This is evident by a comparison. The beams of the sun descending, heat not before they come to the earth, or some solid body where they may reflect, and then by that means the earth and air adjoining is made hot: even so the Lord sends down to us his blessed word, even as beams and the goodly sunshine, and thereby he speaks to our hearts: now when we make our prayers of that which we have read, God's word is as it were reflected, and our hearts are thereby warmed with the comfortable heat of God's holy spirit, to pour out our prayers to God more fervently. The second means is to pray to God that he would strengthen us with his spirit, that we might be able to pray as it is practiced, Psalms 143:1. The third means is, the consideration of God's most glorious majesty, wherein we are to remember first his fatherly goodness and kindness, whereby he is willing; and secondly his omnipotence, whereby he is able to grant our requests. One of these emboldened the leper to pray, Lord, if you will you can make me clean. Matthew 8:2. Therefore both together are more effectual.
Now let us come to the preface itself, Our Father which are in heaven. It contains a description of the true Jehovah to whom we pray, and that by two arguments: the first is drawn from a relation, Our Father: the second is taken from the subject or place, Which are in heaven.
