On the Lord’s Prayer.

 

 1. The evangelical precepts, beloved brethren, are nothing else than divine teachings,—foundations on which hope is to be built, supports to strengthe

 2. He, among the rest of His salutary admonitions and divine precepts wherewith He counsels His people for their salvation, Himself also gave a form o

 3. Let us therefore, brethren beloved, pray as God our Teacher has taught us. It is a loving and friendly prayer to beseech God with His own word, to

 4. But let our speech and petition when we pray be under discipline, observing quietness and modesty. Let us consider that we are standing in God’s si

 5. And this Hannah in the first book of Kings, who was a type of the Church, maintains and observes, in that she prayed to God not with clamorous peti

 6. And let not the worshipper, beloved brethren, be ignorant in what manner the publican prayed with the Pharisee in the temple. Not with eyes lifted

 7. These things, beloved brethren, when we have learnt from the sacred reading, and have gathered in what way we ought to approach to prayer, let us k

 8. Before all things, the Teacher of peace and the Master of unity would not have prayer to be made singly and individually, as for one who prays to p

 9. But what matters of deep moment are contained in the Lord’s prayer! How many and how great, briefly collected in the words, but spiritually abundan

 10. Nor ought we, beloved brethren, only to observe and understand that we should call Him Father who is in heaven but we add to it, and say our

 11. But how great is the Lord’s indulgence! how great His condescension and plenteousness of goodness towards us, seeing that He has wished us to pray

 12. After this we say, “Hallowed be Thy name ” not that we wish for God that He may be hallowed by our prayers, but that we beseech of Him that His na

 13. There follows in the prayer, Thy kingdom come. We ask that the kingdom of God may be set forth to us, even as we also ask that His name may be san

 14. We add, also, and say, “Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth ” not that God should do what He wills, but that we may be able to do what God

 15. Now that is the will of God which Christ both did and taught. Humility in conversation stedfastness in faith modesty in words justice in deeds

 16. Moreover, we ask that the will of God may be done both in heaven and in earth, each of which things pertains to the fulfilment of our safety and s

 17. And it may be thus understood, beloved brethren, that since the Lord commands and admonishes us even to love our enemies, and to pray even for tho

 18. As the prayer goes forward, we ask and say, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And this may be understood both spiritually and literally, because

 19. But it may also be thus understood, that we who have renounced the world, and have cast away its riches and pomps in the faith of spiritual grace,

 20. He teaches us that riches are not only to be contemned, but that they are also full of peril that in them is the root of seducing evils, that dec

 21. For daily bread cannot be wanting to the righteous man, since it is written, “The Lord will not slay the soul of the righteous by hunger ” and aga

 22. After this we also entreat for our sins, saying, “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” After the supply of food, pardon of s

 23. He has clearly joined herewith and added the law, and has bound us by a certain condition and engagement, that we should ask that our debts be for

 24. For even in the sacrifices which Abel and Cain first offered, God looked not at their gifts, but at their hearts, so that he was acceptable in his

 25. Moreover, the Lord of necessity admonishes us to say in prayer, “And suffer us not to be led into temptation.” In which words it is shown that the

 26. Now power is given against us in two modes: either for punishment when we sin, or for glory when we are proved, as we see was done with respect to

 27. After all these things, in the conclusion of the prayer comes a brief clause, which shortly and comprehensively sums up all our petitions and our

 28. What wonder is it, beloved brethren, if such is the prayer which God taught, seeing that He condensed in His teaching all our prayer in one saving

 29. Nor was it only in words, but in deeds also, that the Lord taught us to pray, Himself praying frequently and beseeching, and thus showing us, by t

 30. But the Lord prayed and besought not for Himself—for why should He who was guiltless pray on His own behalf?—but for our sins, as He Himself decla

 31. Moreover, when we stand praying, beloved brethren, we ought to be watchful and earnest with our whole heart, intent on our prayers. Let all carnal

 32. Moreover, those who pray should not come to God with fruitless or naked prayers. Petition is ineffectual when it is a barren entreaty that beseech

 33. Those prayers quickly ascend to God which the merits of our labours urge upon God. Thus also Raphael the angel was a witness to the constant praye

 34. And in discharging the duties of prayer, we find that the three children with Daniel, being strong in faith and victorious in captivity, observed

 35. But for us, beloved brethren, besides the hours of prayer observed of old, both the times and the sacraments have now increased in number. For we

 36.  Let not us, then, who are in Christ—that is, always in the light—cease from praying even during night. Thus the widow Anna, without intermission

35. But for us, beloved brethren, besides the hours of prayer observed of old,94    [By the apostles, as here mentioned. Acts iii. 1 and passim.] both the times and the sacraments have now increased in number. For we must also pray in the morning, that the Lord’s resurrection may be celebrated by morning prayer. And this formerly the Holy Spirit pointed out in the Psalms, saying, “My King, and my God, because unto Thee will I cry; O Lord, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; in the morning will I stand before Thee, and will look up to Thee.”95    Ps. v. 2. And again, the Lord speaks by the mouth of the prophet: “Early in the morning shall they watch for me, saying, Let us go, and return unto the Lord our God.”96    Hos. vi. 1. Also at the sunsetting and at the decline of day, of necessity we must pray again. For since Christ is the true sun and the true day, as the worldly sun and worldly day depart, when we pray and ask that light may return to us again, we pray for the advent of Christ, which shall give us the grace of everlasting light. Moreover, the Holy Spirit in the Psalms manifests that Christ is called the day. “The stone,” says He, “which the builders rejected, is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us walk and rejoice in it.”97    Ps. cxviii. 22. Also the prophet Malachi testifies that He is called the Sun, when he says, “But to you that fear the name of the Lord shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and there is healing in His wings.”98    Mal. iv. 2. But if in the Holy Scriptures the true sun and the true day is Christ, there is no hour excepted for Christians wherein God ought not frequently and always to be worshipped; so that we who are in Christ—that is, in the true Sun and the true Day—should be instant throughout the entire day in petitions, and should pray; and when, by the law of the world, the revolving night, recurring in its alternate changes, succeeds, there can be no harm arising from the darkness of night to those who pray, because the children of light have the day even in the night. For when is he without light who has light in his heart? or when has not he the sun and the day, whose Sun and Day is Christ?

XXXV. Sed nobis, fratres dilectissimi, praeter horas antiquitus observatas, orandi nunc et spatia et 0541D sacramenta creverunt. Nam et mane orandum est, 0542A ut resurrectio Domini matutina oratione celebretur. Quod olim Spiritus sanctus designabat in Psalmis dicens: Rex meus et Deus meus, quoniam ad te orabo , Domine, mane exaudies vocem meam, mane assistamtibi, et contemplabor te (Psal. V, 2). Et iterum per Prophetam loquitur Dominus: Diluculo vigilabunt ad me dicentes: Eamus et revertamur ad Dominum Deum nostrum (Ose. VI, 1). Recedente item sole ac die cessante necessario rursus orandum est: nam, quia Christus sol verus et dies est verus, sole ac die saeculi recedente, quando oramus et petimus ut super nos Iux denuo veniat, Christi precamur adventum lucis aeternae gratiam praebiturum. Christum autem diem dictum declarat in Psalmis Spiritus sanctus: Lapis, inquit, quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, hic factus 0542Best in caput anguli. A Domino factus est isteet est admirabilisin oculis nostris. Iste est dies quem fecit Dominus, ambulemus et jucundemur in eo (Psal. CXVII, 22, 23). Item, quod sol appellatus sit Malachias propheta testatur dicens: Vobis autem qui timetis nomen Domini, orietur sol justitiae, et in alis ejus curatio est (Malach. IV, 2). Quod si in Scripturis sanctis sol verus et dies verus est Christus, hora nulla a Christianis excipitur quominus frequenter ac semper Deus debeat adorari; ut qui in Christo, hoc est in sole et in die vero, sumus, insistamus per totum diem precibus et oremus, et quando mundi lege decurrens vicibus alternis nox revoluta succedit, nullum de nocturnis tenebris esse orantibus damnum potest, quia filiis lucis et in noctibus dies est. Quando enim sine lumine 0542C est cui lumen in corde est? aut quando sol ei et dies non est cui sol et dies Christus est?