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

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 forgiven us in such a manner as we ourselves forgive our debtors, knowing that that which we seek for our sins cannot be obtained unless we ourselves have acted in a similar way in respect of our debtors. Therefore also He says in another place, “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”60    Matt. vii. 2. And the servant who, after having had all his debt forgiven him by his master, would not forgive his fellow-servant, is cast back into prison; because he would not forgive his fellow-servant, he lost the indulgence that had been shown to himself by his lord. And these things Christ still more urgently sets forth in His precepts with yet greater power of His rebuke. “When ye stand praying,” says He, “forgive if ye have aught against any, that your Father which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive you your trespasses.”61    Mark xi. 25. [Elucidation III.] There remains no ground of excuse in the day of judgment, when you will be judged according to your own sentence; and whatever you have done, that you also will suffer.  For God commands us to be peacemakers, and in agreement, and of one mind in His house;62    [Ps. lxviii. 6. Vulgate and Angl. Psalter.] and such as He makes us by a second birth, such He wishes us when new-born to continue, that we who have begun to be sons of God may abide in God’s peace, and that, having one spirit, we should also have one heart and one mind.  Thus God does not receive the sacrifice of a person who is in disagreement, but commands him to go back from the altar and first be reconciled to his brother, that so God also may be appeased by the prayers of a peace-maker. Our peace and brotherly agreement63    [Cyprian was very mild in his position against the accusations of Stephen. Sec. 26, p. 386, supra; also Treatise ix., infra.] is the greater sacrifice to God,—and a people united in one in the unity of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

XXIII. Adjunxit plane et addidit legem, certa nos conditione et sponsione constringens, ut sic nobis dimitti debita postulemus secundum quod et ipsi debitoribus nostris dimittimus, scientes impetrari non posse quod pro peccatis petimus, nisi et ipsi circa debitores nostros paria fecerimus. Idcirco et alio in loco dicit: In qua mensura mensi fueritis, in ea remetietur 0535Bvobis (Matth. VII, 2). Et qui servus post dimissum sibi a domino omne debitum conservo suo noluit ipse dimittere (Matth. XVIII, 34), in carcerem religatur: quia indulgere conservo suo noluit, quod sibi a Domino indultum fuerat amisit. Quae adhuc fortius Christus in praeceptis suis majore censurae suae vigore proponit: Cum steteritis, inquit, ad orationem, remittite si quid habetis adversus aliquem, ut et Pater vester qui in coelis est remittat peccata vestra vobis. Si autem vos non remiseritis, neque Pater vester qui in coelis est remittet vobis peccata vestra (Marc. XI, 25). Excusatio tibi nulla in die judicii superest, cum secundum tuam sententiam judiceris, et quod feceris hoc et ipse patiaris. Pacificos enim et concordes atque unanimes esse in domo sua Deus praecipit, et 0535C quales nos fecit secunda nativitate, tales vult renatos perseverare; ut qui filii Dei esse coepimus, in Dei pace maneamus, et quibus spiritus unus est, unus sit et animus et sensus. Sic nec sacrificium Deus recipit dissidentis, et ab altari revertentem prius 0536A fratri reconciliari jubet (Matth. V, 24), ut pacificis precibus et Deus possit esse pacatus. Sacrificium Deo majus est pax nostra et fraterna concordia, et de unitate Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti plebs adunata.