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www.allitebooks.com
Learning Embedded Android N
Programming

Create the perfectly customized system by unleashing

the power of Android OS on your embedded device

Ivan Morgillo
Stefano Viola

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

[ FM-1 ]

www.allitebooks.com
Learning Embedded Android N Programming

Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy
of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is
sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt
Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages
caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: July 2016

Production reference: 1260716

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78528-288-1

www.packtpub.com

[ FM-2 ]

www.allitebooks.com
 Credits

Authors Project Coordinator

Ivan Morgillo Judie Jose
Stefano Viola
Proofreader
Reviewer Safis Editing
Andrew Reitz
Indexer
Commissioning Editor Hemangini Bari
Nadeem Bagban
Graphics
Acquisition Editor Kirk D'penha
Kirk D'costa
Production Coordinator
Content Development Editor Shantanu N. Zagade
Sanjeet Rao
Cover Work
Technical Editor Shantanu N. Zagade
Narsimha Pai

Copy Editors
Dipti Mankame
Laxmi Subramanian

[ FM-3 ]

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 About the Authors

Ivan Morgillo is a computer engineer, a conference speaker, and a community

organizer. He is passionate about programming and embedded systems—from DIY
domotics to Android devices.

He is cofounder of Alter Ego Solutions, a mobile development consulting company.

He is also the author of RxJava Essentials, by Packt Publishing and Grokking Rx, by
Manning Publications.

I want to thank my sister, Selenia, and my mother for their love

and support.

Stefano Viola is an embedded software developer with proved experience with

Linux embedded devices and microcontrollers. He is an Android platform expert
and application developer. He is passionate about programming and embedded
systems, from DIY domotics and robots to customized Android devices.

He is currently working at SECO as an embedded software engineer. He is part of

AXIOM project, an R&D project by the European Community, and the UDOO team.

I want to thank my wife, Carolina, my friend, Antonio, and my

family for their love and support.

[ FM-4 ]

www.allitebooks.com
 About the Reviewer

Andrew Reitz is an Android developer by day and an outdoor enthusiast by

night. He is a maintainer of the Groovy Android plugin and Android Spock. Besides
programming, Andrew likes rock climbing, biking, camping, and hanging out
with his dog.

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 Table of Contents
Preface ix
Chapter 1: Understanding the Architecture 1
An overview of the Android system 2
Linux kernel 3
Hardware abstraction layer – HAL 4
Libraries and the application framework 5
Libraries 5
The application framework 5
Binder IPC 6
The application layer 6
Android compatibility 7
The Android Compatibility Definition Document 8
Device types 8
Software compatibility 9
Beyond Java 10
Native API 10
Maintaining 32-bit support 11
From Dalvik to ART runtime 12
The Android runtime 13
A new old approach – AOT compilation 14
Garbage collection and other improvements 14
Waiting for Android Nougat 15
Meeting the Compatibility Test Suite 16
CTS setup 19
Device setup 19
Media files setup 20
Run! 22
Analyzing the test results 23

[i]

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Table of Contents

Diving deeper with CTS Verifier 25

Setup 25
Manual testing 27
Retrieving the results 29
Summary 30
Chapter 2: Obtaining the Source Code – Structure and Philosophy 31
The Android philosophy 31
The license 32
Open source, closed doors 33
The Android development model 33
Source code tags and builds 35
Nexus 36
Phones 36
Tablets 36
Digital media players 37
Source code tools 37
Git 38
Repo 38
Gerrit 39
Setting up the environment 39
Free space 39
Installing the required tools 40
Getting ready 42
Downloading the code 45
Hands on the code 46
A look inside AOSP 48
The ART directory 50
The bionic directory 50
The build directory 50
The external directory 51
The device directory 51
The frameworks directory 52
The out directory 52
The packages directory 52
The system directory 53
The rest of the directory structure 53
Summary 54

[ ii ]

www.allitebooks.com
 Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Set up and Build – the Emulator Way 55

Preparing the host system 55
Hardware requirements 56
Software requirements 56
Installing Java JDK 57
Installing system dependencies 58
Setting up a Mac OS X environment 59
Creating a case-sensitive disk image 60
Installing the required software 61
The Android build system 62
An overview 62
Bootstrap 64
Setup 66
The TARGET_PRODUCT variable 67
The TARGET_BUILD_VARIANT variable 68
The TARGET_BUILD_TYPE variable 69
The TARGET_TOOLS_PREFIX variable 69
The OUT_DIR variable 69
The TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL variable 69
The buildspec.mk file 69
The lunch command 70
Building the system 71
More about make 72
Beyond the system image 73
Inside an AOSP module 74
Diving into Android.mk 75
Android.mk variables ecosystem 77
Module template examples 80
Creating a custom device 81
Diving into device configuration 82
From zero to the screenlock 83
Setup 84
Build 85
Run 86
Summary 87

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Table of Contents

Chapter 4: Moving to Real-World Hardware 89

Debugging tools 89
Introducing ADB 89
Pushing files to devices 92
Pulling files from devices 94
Installing Android APK files 94
Logcat 95
Fastboot 98
Choosing our hardware 99
Hardware architectures 100
Minimum requirements 100
System on Chip – SoC 101
The baseband processor 102
Our hardware choice 102
Motorola Nexus 6 103
UDOO Quad 104
Compiling Android for a real-world device 106
Nexus 6 106
UDOO Quad 109
Setup 110
Bootloader 110
System 111
Kernel 112
Bootloader mode 112
Nexus devices 113
UDOO family boards 115
Flashing Android images 116
Nexus 6 116
UDOO 117
Summary 121
Chapter 5: Customizing Kernel and Boot Sequence 123
An overview of the Linux kernel 123
Obtaining the kernel 125
Retrieving the kernel's binary version 126
Obtaining the kernel source code 127
Setting up the toolchain 129
Getting the toolchain 130
Preparing the host system 130
Configuring the kernel 131
Compiling the kernel 134

[ iv ]
 Table of Contents

Working with non-Google devices 135

Driver management 139
Altering the CPU frequency 139
An overview of the governors 140
Customizing the boot image 142
Creating the boot image 142
Upgrading the new boot image 145
Android boot sequence 145
Internal ROM – bios 146
An overview of bootloader 146
The kernel 147
The Init process 147
The Android init language 148
Actions 148
Services 149
Options 149
Triggers 150
Commands 151
Imports 153
Summary 153
Chapter 6: "Cooking" Your First ROM 155
History of custom ROMs 155
Cyanogenmod 157
Building Cyanogenmod 159
Installing a pre-build version 159
The Android Open Kang Project 160
Installing AOKP 162
Minor ROMs 163
Overview of OEM customizations 164
Samsung – TouchWiz 164
Huawei EMUI 165
HTC Sense 166
LG Optimus UI 168
Xiaomi MIUI 168
An overview of Android recovery 170
Diving into Android recovery 170
Installing an alternative recovery 172
Clockworkmod 173
TWRP – Team Win Recovery Project 175
Connecting to the recovery shell using ADB 176

[v]
Table of Contents

Device permissions 176

Root access 177
SuperSu 177
Obtaining root access 178
Chef toolkit 178
Preparing the environment 179
Android kitchen 179
Other developers' tools 180
Manipulating DEX files with APKTool 181
Cooking our first ROM 182
Gathering the ingredients 183
Dumping system partitions 183
Modifying an Android system binary image 185
Modifying an Android binary boot image 186
Flashing our custom ROM 187
Summary 188
Chapter 7: Tailoring Your Personal Android System 189
Receiving over the air updates – OTA 190
Updating the whole system 191
Updating the system incrementally 191
Applying a single component update 191
Creating over the air updates 192
OTA internals 194
Edify syntax 195
OTA for custom ROM 197
Advanced ROM customization 198
ROM customization from binary 198
Customizing ROM from source 199
Adding new packages to Android's build system 200
Adding a package by binary 200
Adding packages by source code 203
Hacking the Android framework 209
Customizing the boot sequence UI 209
Customizing the Android Settings menu 213
Enhancing the system performance 218
Customizing the system property file 218
Adding a custom init sequence 220

[ vi ]
 Table of Contents

Advanced Linux kernel modding 221

Diving into CPU frequency management 221
Adding a custom CPU frequency governor 222
Exploring I/O schedulers 224
Looking forward 225
Summary 229
Chapter 8: Beyond the Smartphone 231
Meeting Arduino 232
Android ADK 234
Using UDOO as an all-in-one ADK device 235
Getting ready 235
Flashing the Arduino board 236
Creating the Android app 241
Exploring the possibilities of the Internet of Things 244
Android Auto 245
Android Wear 248
Domotics 249
Can a green droid entertain you? 251
Multimedia 251
Toys 252
Summary 254
Index 255

[ vii ]
 Preface
Android has caused one of the greatest revolutions of our time. Being present
on smartphones, TV, tables, watches, embedded boards, it can be considered
ubiquitous. Its open source nature gives companies, expert users, and hackers the
opportunity to learn from, improve, and customize the system, creating a tailored
version of the most popular mobile operating system.

This book is a journey from the origins of the Android project to what's in the future,
walking through all the phases needed to build a custom Android system from
source and from binary images.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Understanding the Architecture, explains the Android hardware and
software architecture, the Android Compatibility Definition Document,
the Android Compatibility Test Suite, and the Android Runtime.

Chapter 2, Obtaining the Source Code – Structure and Philosophy, explains the Android
Open Source Project.

Chapter 3, Set up and Build – the Emulator Way, teaches how to set up the build
environment and build a system image for the Android Emulator.

Chapter 4, Moving to Real-World Hardware, tells you about how to build a real device
and how to flash the system image.

Chapter 5, Customizing Kernel and Boot Sequence, dives into kernel and boot sequence
customization, in order to tailor the perfect system.

Chapter 6, "Cooking" Your First ROM, discusses about custom recovery images,
root privileges, and Android Kitchen.

[ ix ]
Preface

Chapter 7, Tailoring Your Personal Android System, discusses hacking the Android
framework, adding apps, and optimizing the system.

Chapter 8, Beyond the Smartphone, discusses what's next, what the Android
possibilities are once you step away from the smartphone world.

More about Android N Programming: In this chapter, you will find some more
information about Android N Programming at https://www.packtpub.com/
sites/default/files/downloads/MoreaboutAndroidNProgramming.pdf.

What you need for this book

All you need for the journey is a personal computer, Ubuntu Linux or OS X will do,
an Internet connection, and your passion!

Who this book is for

If you are a programmer or embedded systems hacker who wants to customize,
build, and deploy your own Android version, then this book is definitely for you.

Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different
kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of
their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions,
pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
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LOCAL_SRC_FILES:=\
netcat.c \
atomicio.c

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ git add art_new_feature
$ git commit -m "Add new awesome feature to ART"

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on
the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this:
"Clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen."
[x]
 Preface

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

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[ xi ]
Preface

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[ xii ]
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Questions
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[ xiii ]
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 Understanding the
Architecture
In this chapter, the user will learn about Android hardware and software
architecture. We will provide an overview on the Android Compatibility Definition
Document to properly understand what we need in order to create a fully compliant
and certified device.

The user will learn about the Android Application Framework (AAF), the two
different Android runtime systems—Dalvik, and ART, and a collection on
Google-provided system libraries.

The user will have a first hands-on moment, setting up and running Android
Compatibility Test Suite. We will test together an existing certified device and
we will take the first step on the path towards the creation of a certified device.

[1]
Understanding the Architecture

An overview of the Android system

Android, as with every other operating system, has a layer-based structure. The next
image shows a properly abstracted overview of the whole system architecture:

We can divide the system into the following main layers:

• Linux kernel
• Hardware abstraction layer
• Core libraries and runtime environment

[2]
 Chapter 1

• Application framework
• Binder IPC
• Applications

The software layer closest to the hardware architecture is the Linux kernel. This layer
is in charge of communicating with the hardware components and provides an
easy-to-use interface for the layer above.

Moving up on the architecture path, we have Android runtime and core libraries.
This layer provides the basics tools for the application framework. The application
framework is a collection of ready-to-use components that the system provides to the
Applications layer via the Android SDK. The top layer contains all those applications
we use everyday—games, productivity apps, multimedia, and so on.

Linux kernel
Android is based on the Linux kernel, but it's not a classic Linux-based desktop
system: it's not Ubuntu. However, Android architecture designers and developers
rely on the Linux kernel, because it's open source, it's extensively tested worldwide,
and it can be easily tailored to fit Android-specific hardware needs, on any kind
of device.

From a very pragmatic point of view, choosing to base the system on an open source
heart reinforced the Android philosophy of being an open system, supported by its
community and trusted by enterprise companies, thanks to its transparency. Besides,
this approach saved a lot of development time—they didn't have to start from
scratch and they could focus on the rest of the architecture, taking advantage
of a popular and well-documented core.

The vanilla Linux kernel needed some love to properly fit all the Android
requirements. Most of the contributions by Google were focused on:

• Fixing bugs
• Enabling new hardware
• Improving power management
• Improving error reporting
• Improving performance
• Improving security

[3]
Understanding the Architecture

From a hardware point of view, the Android team made a great effort to add new
goodies to the Linux kernel. Lots of fixes and hacks were released to improve
Bluetooth support and management, lots of General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO)
drivers were added, ARM compatibility was enhanced, as ARM was the primary
Android-supported architecture and also MMC management received lots of
contributions. The new ADB gadget driver was added to help developers
to communicate via USB with external devices.

From a memory point of view, the Android team introduced PMEM, the process
memory allocator. This gave the ability to manage large physically contiguous
memory regions between user space and kernel space. Working in a specific
low-resource hardware domain, the Android team released Ashmem, Android
Shared Memory, which targeted low-memory devices and provided an easy-to-use
file-based API to manage shared memory, especially under memory pressure.

From a power management point of view, the Android team introduced an

improved suspend system, wakelocks, and Android Alarm Timers, the kernel
implementation to support Android Alarm Manager.

The other interesting contributions were the kernel support for Android logcat
command, that provides logs of system messages, application debug messages, and
exceptions, and Android Binder, an Android-specific interprocess communication
system, used for remote method invocation too.

Hardware abstraction layer – HAL

To overcome the increasing hardware fragmentation, Android engineers created
an abstraction layer that allows the system to interact with the hardware just being
aware of a specific intercommunication interface. The system completely ignores the
low-level implementation of hardware and drivers. This approach enforces the idea
of developing software against an interface instead of against an implementation. With
this approach, the Android system does not know and does not need to know how
hardware is accessed or managed.

As a mid-level layer between the hardware and the system, Android HAL is
commonly developed using native technology—C/C++ and shared libraries. There
is no constraint from Google about how we need to implement our HAL and our
device drivers: it's up to us to design it as we think best for our scenario. There is
only one simple rule:

Our implementation must provide the same interface that the system is expecting.

[4]
Random documents with unrelated
content Scribd suggests to you:
6thly, There are promises of an intail of blessings on our families, in
Psal. cxxviii. 3. ‘Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, by the sides of
thine house; thy children like olive-plants round about thy table.’
And, in Psal. ciii. 17. ‘The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to
everlasting, upon them that fear him; and his righteousness unto
children’s children.’ And, in Psal. cii. 28. ‘The children of thy servants
shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.’ And,
in Psal. xlv. 16. ‘Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom
thou mayest make princes in all the earth.’
I might have mentioned many more promises of outward blessings,
which God will bestow on his people, though with this limitation, so
far as it may be for his glory, and their real good, viz. such as
respect riches, as in Psal. cxii. 3. ‘Wealth and riches shall be in his
house; and his righteousness endureth for ever;’ or honours, as in 1
Sam. ii. 30. and these accompanied with long life; as, in Prov. iii. 17.
‘Length of days are in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and
honour.’ And, in Psal. xxxiv. 12, 13. ‘What man is he that desireth
life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue
from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile;’ or, if God does not think
fit to give them this, he will take them out of the world in mercy, and
gather them into a better, to prevent their seeing the evil he designs
to bring on the inhabitants thereof, Isa. lvii. 1. ‘The righteous is
taken away from the evil to come.’ He has also promised some
blessings that respect their good name, in Zeph. iii. 20. ‘I will make
you a name and a praise among all people of the earth.’ And in Prov.
x. 7. ‘The memory of the just is blessed.’ But that which I shall
principally add concerning these and such-like outward blessings, is,
that God has not only promised, that he will give them to his people,
but that he will sanctify them to them for their spiritual advantage,
and enable them to improve them aright to his glory, which will
render them more sweet and desirable to them. Thus God has
promised,
1st, That he will free his people, who enjoy outward good things,
from the sorrow which is oftentimes mixed therewith, and tends
greatly to imbitter them, in Prov. x. 22. ‘The blessing of the Lord
maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’ He has also promised
to give them inward peace, together with outward prosperity, in
Psal. xxxvii. 11. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace.’
2dly, He has promised to give them spiritual and heavenly blessings,
together with the good things of this life, in Job xxii. 24-26. ‘Thou
shalt lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the
brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have
plenty of silver: For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty,
and shalt lift up thy face unto God.’ And in Psal. xxiii. 5, 6. ‘Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou
anointest mine head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will, or, I
shall, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
3dly, God has promised together with outward blessings, to give a
thankful heart, whereby his people may be enabled to give him the
glory thereof, in Deut. viii. 10. ‘When thou hast eaten and art full,
then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God, for the good land which he
hath given thee.’ And, in Joel ii. 26. ‘Ye shall eat in plenty, and be
satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt
wondrously with you; and my people shall never be ashamed.’
4thly, He has not only promised that he will confer outward good
things on his people, but that he will make them blessings to others,
and thereby enable them to lay out what he gives them for their
good, to support his cause and gospel in the world; and to relieve
those that are in distress, in Gen. xii. 2. ‘I will bless thee, and make
thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.’ And, in Deut. xxvi. 11.
‘Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath
given unto thee and unto thine house, thou and the Levite, and the
stranger that is among you.’ These promises more especially respect
those who are in a prosperous condition in the world.
But there are others which are made to believers, in an afflicted
state; and, indeed, there is scarce any affliction which they are liable
to, but what has some special promises annexed to it. Accordingly,
(1.) There are promises made to them when lying on a sick bed, in
Psal. xli. 5. ‘The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of
languishing; thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.’ And, in Deut.
vii. 15. ‘The Lord will take from thee all sickness, and will put none
of the evil diseases of Egypt (which thou knowest) upon thee; but
will lay them upon all that hate thee.’ And, in Exod. xxiii. 25. ‘I will
take sickness away from the midst of thee.’
(2.) There are other promises made to believers, when poor and low
in this world, in Psal. cxxxii. 15. ‘I will abundantly bless her
provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.’
(3.) There are other promises that respect God’s giving a full
compensation for all the losses which his people have sustained for
Christ’s sake, in Matt. xix. 29. ‘Every one that hath forsaken houses,
or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or
lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall
inherit life everlasting.’ And, in chap. x. 39. ‘He that findeth his life
shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my name’s sake shall find
it.’
(4.) There are other promises made to believers under oppression, in
Psal. xii. 5. ‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the
needy, now will I arise (saith the Lord) I will set him in safety from
him that puffeth at him.’ And in Hos. xiv. 3. ‘In thee the fatherless
findeth mercy.’ And, in Psal. lxviii. 5. ‘A father of the fatherless, and a
judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.’
(5.) There are other promises made to believers, when reviled and
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Matt. v. 11, 12, ‘Blessed are ye
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be
exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.’ And, in 1 Pet. iv.
19. ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God,
commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a
faithful Creator.’
(6.) There are promises made to God’s people, when they are in
distress, and, at present, see no way of escape: Thus when
Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison, he had this promise
given him, in Jer. xxxiii. 3. ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and
shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.’
(7.) God has made promises suited to the condition of his people,
when their lot is cast in perilous times: Thus it is said, in Isa. xliii. 2.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee.
Now there are several mercies which God has promised to his
people, under the various afflictions which we are exposed to, as,
(1st,) Sometimes he promises to prevent the afflictions which we are
most afraid of, in Psal. cxxi. 7. ‘The Lord shall preserve thee from all
evils; he shall preserve thy soul.’ And, in Job v. 19. ‘He shall deliver
thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.’
(2d,) He has promised to preserve his people from, or defend them
in, a time of trouble, in Gen. xv. 1. ‘Fear not Abram: I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward.’ And, in Ezek. xi. 16. ‘Thus saith the
Lord; although I have cast them far off among the heathen; and
although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to
them a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’
(3d,) He has promised to moderate their afflictions, in Isa. xxvii. 8.
‘In measure when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it; he
stayeth his rough wind in the day of his east wind.’ And, in Jer. xlvi.
28. ‘Fear thou not, O Jacob, my servant, saith the Lord, for I am
with thee, for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have
driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in
measure; yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished.’
(4th,) He has also promised, that if need be, he will shorten the
affliction, in Psal. cxxv. 3. ‘The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon
the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto
iniquity.’ And, in Mark xiii. 19, 20. ‘In those days shall be affliction
such as was not from the beginning of the creation: And except that
the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh could be saved; but for
the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.’
(5th,) God has also promised his people that he will enable them to
bear those afflictions which he lays upon them, in Psal. xxxvii. 24.
‘Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord
upholdeth him with his hand.’ And, in 2 Cor. xii. 9. ‘He said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in
weakness.’
(6th.) He has promised to shew his people the particular sin that is
the cause of the affliction, that they may be humbled for it, in Job
xxxvi. 8, 9. ‘If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of
affliction; then he sheweth them their work and their transgressions
that they have exceeded.’
(7th.) He has promised to bring good to them out of their afflictions,
in Isa. xxvii. 9. ‘By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be
purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.’ And in Psal.
xcvii. 11. ‘light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the
upright in heart.’ And in Zech. xiii. 9. ‘I will bring the third part
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try
them as gold is tried: They shall call on my name, and I will hear
them: I will say, that it is my people; and they shall say, Thou art my
God.’ Thus concerning the promises that more especially respect
outward blessings which God bestows on his people.
[2.] There are other promises contained in scripture, that relate
more especially to spiritual blessings, which are of great use to us,
when we are asking them of God in prayer.
1st, There are promises that relate more especially to the ordinances
or means of grace: These are various,
1. Some respect the duty of prayer, and also the event and success
that shall attend it, in God’s giving gracious returns, or answers
thereof, in Psal. xci. 15. ‘He shall call upon me, and I will answer
him.’ And in Jer. xxix. 12, 13. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye
shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall
seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your
heart.’ And, in Psal. l. 15. ‘Call upon me, in the day of trouble, I will
deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’
2. Another ordinance to which promises are also annexed, is
meditation about spiritual things, in Prov. xiv. 22. ‘Mercy and truth
shall be to them that devise good.’ And, in Josh. i. 8. ‘This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to
all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ There are also
promises made to those who read the word of God, to wit, that he
will make known his words to them, so that they may understand
them, Prov. i. 23. ‘Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my
Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.’
3. There are promises made to those who attend on the public
worship of God, in Psal. xxxvi. 8, 9. ‘They shall be abundantly
satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them
drink of the river of thy pleasures.’ And, in Psal. cxxviii. 5. ‘The Lord
shall bless thee out of Zion; and thou shalt see the good of
Jerusalem all the days of thy life.’
4. There are promises made to religious fasting on special occasions,
as in Mat. vi. 17. ‘When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash
thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly.’
5. There are promises made to alms-giving, in Prov. xi. 25. ‘The
liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered
also himself.’ And, in Eccl. xi. 1. ‘Cast thy bread upon the waters; for
thou shalt find it after many days.’—And in 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7, 8. ‘He
which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully: God loveth a
cheerful giver, and is able to make all grace abound, &c.’
6. There are promises made to believers, when they appear in the
behalf of truth, at those times when it is opposed and perverted,
that by this means it may not be run down, nor they confounded, or
put to silence by its enemies, Luke xxi. 15. ‘I will give you a mouth
and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay,
nor resist.’
7. There are promises made to the religious and strict observation
and sanctification of the Lord’s day, Isa. lvi. 2. ‘Blessed is the man
that doth this; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and
keepeth his hand from doing any evil.’
2dly, There are promises, contained in scripture, which respect God’s
giving his people special grace, together with that joy, peace and
comfort that flows from it, which will be of great use to them, in
order to their engaging aright in the duty of prayer.
1. There are promises of the grace of faith, and others that are
made to it; as it is said, in John vi. 37. ‘All that the Father giveth to
me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out.’ And, in Eph. ii. 8. ‘By grace are ye saved, through faith;
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.’
2. There are promises of the grace of repentance, in Rom. xi. 26.
‘There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob.’ And, in Ezek. xx. 43. ‘Ye shall remember
your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and
ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils that ye
have committed.’
3. There are promises of love to God: Thus in Gal. v. 2. ‘The fruit of
the Spirit is love.’ And, 2 Tim. i. 7. ‘God hath not given us the spirit
of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind.’ And, in Rom. v.
5. ‘Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ And,
in 2 Thes. iii. 5. ‘The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God,
and into the patient waiting for Christ.’
4. Another grace promised is an holy filial fear of God, in Jer. xxx.
39, 40. ‘I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear
them for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them.
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not
turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me.’ And, in Hos. iii. 5. ‘They
shall fear the Lord and his goodness.’
5. Obedience to God’s commands, which is an indispensable duty, is
also considered as a promised blessing, in Deut. xxx. 8. ‘Thou shalt
return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments
which I command thee this day.’
Moreover, as there are promises of the graces of the Spirit, so the
comforts that flow from thence are also promised: Thus it is said in
Isa. li. 12. I, even I, am he that comforteth you. And, in chap. xl. 1.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people: Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, &c. more particularly,
(1.) There are promises of peace of conscience, which is a great
branch of those spiritual comforts which God gives his people ground
to expect: Thus it is said in Isa. lvii. 18, 19. ‘I will restore comforts
unto him, and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; peace,
peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord.’
And, in chap. xxvi. 4. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.’
(2.) God has promised a good hope of eternal life, in 2 Thes. ii. 16.
‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who
hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good
hope through grace, comfort your hearts.’ And, in Rom. xv. 4.
‘Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning; that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures,
might have hope.’
(3.) God has promised spiritual joy to his people, in Psal. lxiv. 10.
‘The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and
all the upright in heart shall glory.’ And, in Psal. xcvii. 11, 12. ‘Light is
sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous; and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness.’
Here we shall consider a believer, when drawing nigh to God in
prayer, as depressed and bowed in his own spirit, and hardly able to
speak a word to him in his own behalf, as the Psalmist says, in Psal.
lxxvii. 3, 4. I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. I am so
troubled that I cannot speak; and how he may receive great
advantage from those promises which he will find in the word of
God; as,
(1st,) When he complains of the wickedness, hardness and
perverseness of his heart; in this case God has promised, in Ezek. xi.
19. ‘I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart
out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh.’ And, in Jer.
xxiii. 29. ‘Is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord, and like a
hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.’
(2d,) When a believer is sensible of his ignorance, or, at least, that
his knowledge of divine truths bears no proportion to the means of
grace, which he has been favoured with, and that he is often
destitute of spiritual wisdom, to direct his way, and carry him
through the difficulties he often meets with, as to what concerns his
temporal or spiritual affairs: There are promises suited to this case,
in Prov. ii. 3-6. ‘If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy
voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her, as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of
the Lord; and find the knowledge of God.’ And in James i. 5. ‘If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’
(3d,) If they complain of the weakness of their memories, that they
cannot retain the truths of God when they hear them; Christ has
promised, in John xiv. 26. that the Holy Ghost shall teach them all
things, and bring all things to their remembrance.
(4th,) If they complain of their unthankfulness, or that they have not
hearts disposed to praise God for the mercies they receive, he has
promised, in Isa. 21. This people have I formed for myself, they shall
shew forth my praise. And, in Psal. cxl. 14. Surely the righteous shall
give thanks unto thy name, the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
(5th,) There are many who are not altogether destitute of hope that
they have the truth of grace, but yet are filled with trouble, as
apprehending that they do not make those advances, in grace, as
they ought, but seem to be at a stand, which they can reckon little
other than going backward, and they dread the consequences
thereof; such may take encouragement from those promises that
respect a believer’s growing in grace; as it is said, in John viii. 7.
Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end shall greatly
increase. And, in Isa. xl. 29, 31. He giveth power to the faint; and to
them that have no might, he increaseth strength. They that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall
walk and not faint. And if they complain of their unprofitableness
under the means of grace, and not receiving any spiritual advantage
by the various dispensations of providence which they are under;
there is a promise adapted to this case, in Isa. xlviii. 17. Thus saith
the Lord thy Redeemer, the holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy
God, which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldest go.
(6th) Are they afraid that they shall fall away after having made a
long profession of religion? There is a promise which our Saviour
himself took encouragement from, though never liable to any fear of
this nature, which a believer may apply to himself, as affording relief
against these fears and discouragements, in Psal. xvi. 8. ‘I have set
the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved.’ And there is another which is more directly applicable
to this case, in 1 Cor. i. 8. ‘Who shall also confirm you unto the end
that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ And if
he is fallen, and, at the same time, afraid that he shall never be able
to rise again, and recover what he has lost, there is another promise
in Psal. xxxvi. 24, 28. ‘Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. The Lord loveth
judgment, and forsaketh not his saints:’ And God also says, in Heb.
xiii. 5. ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’
(7th,) If a believer be under divine desertion, which he may be, and
yet kept from apostacy; if he is mourning after the Lord, and
earnestly desiring that he would return to him; he may take
encouragement from that promise in Psal. xlii. 5. ‘Why art thou cast
down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in
God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.’ And,
in Jer. xxxi. 13, 14. ‘Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both
young men and old together: For I will turn their mourning into joy,
and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people
shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.’
(8th,) Is he cast down under a sense of the guilt of sin, and afraid of
the punishment that will ensue? there are many promises in the
word of God that respect the forgiveness of sin, in Psal. ciii. 3. ‘Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases.’ And, in
Psal. cxxx. 4. ‘There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be
feared.’ And, in Isa. xliii. 25. ‘I, even I am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’
(9th,) Is a believer afraid of the last enemy, death, by reason of the
fear whereof he is all his life-time subject to bondage: Heb. ii. 15.
and Psal. xlviii. 14. ‘This God is our God for ever and ever; he will be
our guide even unto death.’ And, in Psal. xxiii. 4. ‘Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ And, in
Psal. xxxvii. 37. ‘Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for
the end of that man is peace.’ Thus we have considered the
promises of God as suited to every condition, and, consequently, as
affording matter of encouragement to us in drawing nigh to him in
prayer.
5. Those reproofs for sins committed, and threatenings which are
contained in the word of God, as a means to deter from committing
them, may be improved for our direction in prayer.
(1.) As we are hereby induced to hate sin, beg strength to subdue
and mortify it, and deprecate the wrath and judgments of God
against those that commit it.
(2.) We are hereby led to see our desert of punishment, while we
confess ourselves to be sinners, and to bless God that he has not
inflicted it upon us; but especially if he has given us ground of hope
that he has delivered us from that condemnation which was due to
us for sin.
(3.) They will be of use to us in prayer, as we are thereby led to have
an awful sense of the holiness and justice of God, and to draw nigh
to him with fear and trembling, lest we should provoke his wrath by
our unbecoming behaviour in his presence, and thereby bring on
ourselves a curse instead of a blessing.
6. The word of God is of use for our direction in prayer, as it contains
many examples of the performance of this duty in a right manner by
the saints, whose graces, and the manner in which they have drawn
nigh to God, are proposed for our imitation in this duty: Thus we
read of Jacob’s wrestling with God, and his great importunity, when
it is said, in Hos. xii. 4. ‘He had power over the angel, and prevailed;
he wept and made supplication unto him;’ as referring to what is
mentioned in Gen. xxxii. 26, 28. ‘The angel,’ that is, Christ, says, ‘let
me go, for the day breaketh,’ q. d. cease thy importunity, which thou
hast maintained to the breaking of the day; during which time I have
given thee no encouragement that I will grant thy request. Jacob
persists in his resolution, and says, ‘I will not let thee go, except
thou bless me;’ that is, I will not leave off importuning thee, till thou
givest me a gracious answer: Upon which, our Saviour says, ‘as a
prince hast thou power with God,’ that is, with me, ‘and with men,’
to wit, with Esau thy brother, ‘and hast prevailed:’ So that he shall
do thee no hurt, in ver. 28. but his heart shall be turned toward
thee.
Again, we read of Abraham’s humility in prayer, when he says, in
Gen. xviii. 27. ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the
Lord, which am but dust and ashes.’ And, in ver. 30. ‘Oh! let not the
Lord be angry, and I will speak.’
We also read of David’s sincerity, in Psal. xvii. 1. ‘Attend unto my cry,
give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips;’ and of
Hezekiah’s addressing himself to God with tears in his sickness; upon
which, he immediately received a gracious answer, in Isa. xxxviii 3,
5. and when he was recovered, he gives praise to God, in ver. 19.
‘The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day: The
Father to the children shall make known thy truth.’
We have an instance of Jonah’s faith in prayer, when his
disobedience to the divine command, had brought him into the
utmost distress, in Jonah ii. 2, 4. ‘Out of the belly of hell cried I, and
thou heardest my voice. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet
will I look again toward thy holy temple.’
We have also an instance of Daniel’s drawing nigh to God with an
uncommon reverence, and awful fear of his divine Majesty, and an
account of the manner in which he addresses himself to him, with
confession of those sins which Israel had been guilty of, in Dan. ix.
4, 5. ‘I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and
said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant, and
mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his
commandments: We have sinned, and committed iniquity, and have
done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy
precepts, and from thy judgments.’ And we have this humble
confession and supplication, continued to ver. 19. and then an
account of the success thereof, in the gracious answer that God sent
him by an angel from heaven.
We also read of Joshua’s interceding for Israel, when he ‘fell upon
his face before the ark of the Lord, with his clothes rent,’ Josh. vii. 6.
and we have the plea that he makes use of in ver. 9. ‘What wilt thou
do unto thy great name.’
We have also an instance of fervency in Moses, (when pleading for
the people, after they had worshipped the golden calf,) who prefers
God’s glory to his own happiness; and had rather have no name in
the church, or be blotted out of the book which God had written,
than that his wrath should wax hot against Israel, to consume them;
of which we have an account in Exod. xxxiii. 10, 11, 31, 32.[110]
There are many other instances of this nature mentioned in
scripture; which, for brevity sake, I pass over; and, indeed, the
whole book of the Lamentations is of use to direct us in prayer,
under pressing afflictions, either feared or undergone; and the book
of Psalms is a directory for prayer to the believer, suited to every
condition which he may be supposed to be in, and of praise for
mercies of all kinds, whether temporal or spiritual. And the same
may be said of many other parts of scripture.
From what has been said concerning the word of God being a
direction to us in prayer, we may infer,
(1.) That, as reading the scriptures in our families and closets, is a
great help to raise our affections, and bring us into a praying frame:
So the application of scripture-doctrines and examples to our own
case, will supply us with fit matter and expressions upon all
occasions, when we draw nigh to God in this duty.
(2.) The pretence of some that they know not how to pray, or that
they cannot do it without a prescribed form, arises, for the most
part, from an unacquaintedness with, or a neglect to study the
scriptures, to answer this end.
(3.) Since the word of God is a directory for prayer, we ought not to
affect modes of expression, or human strains of rhetoric, which are
not deduced from, or agreeable to scripture; but, on the other hand,
we are to use such a simplicity of style, and spirituality of
expression, as we find contained therein; especially in those parts
thereof, as are more directly subservient to this duty.
(4.) It will be of very great use for us sometimes, in the course of
our reading scripture, especially in private, to turn what we read into
prayer, though it do not contain in itself the form of a prayer; as
when we read of the presumptuous sins committed by some, and
the visible marks of God’s displeasure that ensued hereupon, we
ought to lift up our hearts to him, to keep us from them; or, if we
have reason to charge ourselves as guilty of them, that we may be
humbled, and obtain forgiveness from him. And when we read, the
excellent characters of some of the saints, in scripture, we ought to
pray that God would enable us to be followers of them herein; or
when, in some parts thereof, believers are represented as praying
for particular mercies, we ought, at the same time, to lift up our
hearts to God for the same: This will be a means, not only to furnish
us with matter and proper expressions in prayer; but to excite our
affections when we engage in this duty, in those stated times which
are set apart for it. This leads us to consider,
III. That there is a special rule of direction contained in that form of
prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord’s
prayer. This prayer is mentioned only by two of the evangelists, viz.
Matthew, in chap. vi. 8,—13. and Luke, in chap. xi. 2, 3, 4. in which
we may observe, that though there be a perfect harmony between
them, as there is between all other parts of scripture, as to the
matter or sense of them; yet it is obvious to all who compare them
together, that there is some difference as to the mode of expression;
particularly as to the fourth and fifth petition, (and that not only in
the translation, as being sufficiently just, but in the original) which
there would not have been, had it been designed for a form of
prayer.
1. In the fourth petition, Luke teaches us to say, Give us day by day
our daily bread: Whereas, in Matthew, it is expressed, Give us this
day our daily bread, in which there are different ideas contained in
the respective words. This is very common, when the same sense,
for substance, is laid down in different parts of scripture.[111] Give us
this day our daily bread, contains a petition for what we want at
present; and, Give us this, day by day, implies, that these wants will
daily recur upon us, in which it will be necessary to desire a supply
from God; and therefore, if both these accounts of this petition be
compared together, we are hereby directed to pray, Lord, give us the
blessings which we want at present; and let these wants be daily
supplied, as we shall stand in need of a supply from thee.[112]
2. In the fifth petition, Luke directs us to pray, Forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us: Whereas, in
Matthew, the expression is very different, viz. Forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
3. The evangelist Luke leaves out the doxology, For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen; which
Matthew adds.
From hence, I conceive, it may be inferred, that our Saviour’s
design, in dictating this prayer to his people, was not that they
should confine themselves wholly to the mode of expression used
therein, without the least variation; for then, doubtless, the two
Evangelists would have laid it down in the very same words; but he
rather designed it as a directory respecting the matter of prayer.
I am sensible it will be objected to this, that the preface, which Luke
prefixes to it, is, when we pray, say, Our Father, &c. which seems to
intimate that these very words should be used, and no other: But to
this it may be replied, that the evangelist Matthew, who beyond
dispute, laid down this prayer more fully than Luke does, says, by
way of preface to it, After this manner pray ye; which seems to be
an intimation that it was designed rather to be a directory, as to the
matter of prayer, than a form of words to be used without the least
variation; and therefore I cannot but think, that what Luke says,
when you pray, say, &c. imports nothing else but, pray after this
manner.
It farther appears, that our Saviour principally designed this prayer
as a directory, respecting the matter of our petitions, rather than a
form; because it does not explicitly contain all the parts of prayer,
nor particularly, confession of sin, or thankful acknowledgment of
mercies. I say, it does not contain these explicitly, but only implicitly,
as a deduction, or inference from the petitions themselves; as when
we say, Forgive us our debts, or sins, this supposes that we
acknowledge ourselves to be sinners. It cannot be denied, but that
there are some expressions which contain matter of thanksgiving; as
when we pray, Hallowed be thy name, it implies, a thankful
acknowledgment of all those instances in which God has sanctified
his name, as well as a desire that he would do it, q. d. thou hast, in
the various dispensations of thy providence; and in all thine holy
institutions, set forth the glory of thy perfections that thou mayest
be adored and magnified by thy creatures; this we own with
thankfulness at the same time that we desire the continuance
thereof. And when we pray, Give us daily bread; we do, in effect,
acknowledge the bounty of his providence, from whence we receive
all the comforts of life, and the large share thereof, which he has
communicated to us, whereby our wants have hitherto been
supplied. This, I say, is an implicit direction for thanksgiving. But if
our Saviour had designed that it should be a perfect form of words,
to be used without varying in the least from them, he would have
given us some more full and direct account of what sins we are to
acknowledge, and what mercies we are to thank him for, which is
more plainly contained in some other scriptures, than it can be
supposed to be in this prayer; therefore, it seems to be principally
designed as a rule for our direction what we are to ask for; or how
that part of prayer, which includes in it petition, ought to be
performed, agreeably to the mind and will of God.
Moreover, there is no explicit mention of the Mediator, in whose
name we are to pray; nor of his obedience, sufferings, or
intercession, on which the efficacy of our prayers is founded, which
our faith is to have a great regard unto. These things therefore are
to be supplied by what we find in other parts of scripture, all which,
taken together, give us a perfect directory for prayer; though neither
this, nor any other prayers used in scripture, sufficiently appear to
have been designed as a form of words which we are to confine
ourselves to, without the least variation from them.
As to what is observed in the latter of the answers, under our
present consideration, viz. that the Lord’s prayer is not only for
direction, as a pattern, but may be used as a prayer, provided it be
done in a right manner. It is granted that the Lord’s prayer is of use,
as a pattern and rule for our direction, in common with all other
prayers contained in scripture; but the main difficulty relating to this
matter, is, whether our Saviour designed that his disciples, and the
church, in all following ages, should confine themselves to the words
thereof, so far as that the mode of expression should not be, in the
least, altered, or any thing added to the petitions contained therein,
how agreeable soever it be to the sense, and words of scripture.
This does not seem to have been his intention therein; and, as it will
not be denied by any, that every one of the petitions contained in it,
may be interspersed and joined with other petitions to God in prayer,
so, when this has been done, or, at least, the sense thereof
expressed in other words, it will be very hard to prove that it is
absolutely necessary that these petitions should be recollected, and
prayed over again, in the same method in which they are laid down
in this prayer, barely for the sake of our making use of it as a form;
especially if this is not expressly commanded by our Saviour, as it
does not sufficiently appear to be, if what was before observed be
true, that those words, When we pray, say, Our Father, &c. implies
nothing else but, pray after this manner.
However, I would be very far from censuring or blaming the practice
observed by many of the reformed churches, who conclude their ex
tempore, or premeditated prayers with it, provided it be done with
understanding, reverence, and suitable acts of faith, as any other
petition contained in scripture may be made use of by us in prayer;
not only in words agreeable thereunto, but in the express words
thereof. The principal thing that I would militate against, is not so
much the using the words, as doing this in a formal way, supposing
that the bare recital of them doth, as it were, sanctify our other
prayers; which, though very agreeable to the sense thereof, are, as
some suppose, rendered so incomplete, that they will hardly be
regarded by God without it. And I cannot but conclude the Papists
highly to blame, who think the frequent repetition of it, though in a
tongue unknown to the common people, is not only necessary, but,
in some measure, meritorious. And the practice of some ignorant
superstitious persons, who think that it may be made use of as a
charm; and that the words thereof repeated, as the Jews of old did
their Phylacteries, as a means to drive away evil spirits, is not only to
be disapproved, but it is a vile instance of profaneness, very remote
from the design of our Saviour in giving it.
 Quest. CLXXXVIII., CLXXXIX.

Quest. CLXXXVIII. Of how many parts doth the Lord’s prayer

consist?
Answ. The Lord’s prayer consists of three parts, a preface,
petitions, and a conclusion.
Quest. CLXXXIX. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer
teach us?
Answ. The preface of the Lord’s prayer [contained in these
words, Our Father which art in heaven] teacheth us, when we
pray, to draw near to God with confidence of his fatherly
goodness, and our interest therein, with reverence, and all other
child-like dispositions, heavenly affections, and due
apprehensions of his Sovereign power, majesty, and gracious
condescension; as also to pray with, and for others.

In this prayer we are taught to begin our prayers with a preface, and
therein to make an explicit mention of the name of God, and some
of his divine perfections. The preface to this prayer is contained in
these words; Our Father which art in heaven. In which we may
observe, that we are to draw near to God with reverence, and
suitable apprehensions of his sovereign power, majesty, and other
divine perfections, and with an holy confidence of his fatherly
goodness; and that we are to pray with, and for others, which may
be inferred from his being styled, Our Father; by which we are
instructed to begin our prayers with some expressions of reverence,
agreeable to the nature of the duty that we are engaged in, whereby
we express the sense we have of his essential or relative glory, of
which we have various instances in scripture, wherein God’s people,
in addressing themselves to him, have made mention of his glorious
names, titles, and attributes, in variety of expressions. Thus David,
in his Psalms, that contain the matter and form of prayers,
sometimes begins them with the name of God, to whom they are
directed; as when he says, God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
&c. Psal. lxvii. 1. And elsewhere, O God! thou art my God, Psal. lxiii.
1. And sometimes he makes mention of his name Jehovah; which
we translate Lord: Thus he says, O Lord, rebuke me not in thy
wrath, &c. Psal. xxxviii. 1. And elsewhere, I will love thee, O Lord,
my strength, Psal. xviii. 1. And, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is
thy name in all the earth, Psal. viii. 1. And Solomon begins his prayer
at the consecration of the temple; Lord God of Israel, there is no
God like thee in heaven above, or earth beneath; who keepest
covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all
their heart, 1 Kings viii. 23. And Ezra begins his prayer, O my God! I
am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God! Ezra ix.
6. And Daniel expresses himself thus, in the preface to his prayer, O
Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant, and mercy
to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments,
Dan. ix. 4. These are all expressions, that denote reverence, and
adoration; which, together with other instances of the like nature,
are of use for our direction, as to what respects the preface, or
beginning of our prayers to God; but the preface to the Lord’s prayer
is somewhat different; in which we are taught,
1. To address ourselves to God as a Father; which relation includes
in it,
(1.) Something common to mankind in general; in which respect we
are to adore him as our Creator, our Owner, and Benefactor, in
whom we live, and move, and have our being, Acts xvii. 28. as the
prophet says, Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created
us? Mal. ii. 10. And elsewhere it is said, He formeth the spirit of man
within him, Zech. xii. 1. upon which account he is called, the God of
the spirits of all flesh, Numb. xvi. 22. and, the Father of spirits, Heb.
xii. 9.
(2.) God being a Father to his people, sometimes denotes that
external covenant-relation which they stand in to him, as a people
called by his name, favoured with the means of grace, and as such,
the objects of that care and goodness, which he is pleased to extend
to those whom he governs by laws given by special revelation from
heaven, and encourages to wait on him in those ordinances, in
which they may hope for his presence, and also promises all saving
blessings to those that give up themselves to him by faith. In this
sense we are to understand those scriptures, in which God says,
Israel is my son, even my first-born, Exod. iv. 22. And, I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against
me, Isa. i. 2. And, Wilt thou not, from this time cry to me, My Father,
thou art the guide of my youth, Jer. iii. 4.
(3.) The relation which God stands in to his people, as a Father, is
sometimes taken in the highest sense, as implying in it
discriminating grace, or special love, which he is pleased to extend
to the heirs of salvation. Thus he is called so by right of redemption;
in which respect Christ is styled, The everlasting Father, Isa. ix. 6. as
being the Head and Redeemer of his people. And the church says,
Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from
everlasting, chap. lxiii. 16. And believers are called his children by
regeneration; in which respect they are said to be born of God, John
i. 13. and to be made partakers of a divine, 2 Pet. i. 4. that is, an
holy and spiritual nature, which had its rise from God, when he was
pleased to instamp his image upon them, consisting in holiness and
righteousness. They are also called the children of God by adoption;
thus he is said to have predestinated them to the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, Eph. i. 5. and they are said to
receive the adoption of sons, Gal. iv. 5. and as such, have a right to
the inheritance of children, Rom. viii. 17. compared with Col. i. 12.
These various senses in which God is said to be a Father to man,
may serve for our direction when we style him, Our Father, in prayer.
Unregenerate persons, when they pray to God, can ascend no higher
than what is contained in their relation to him as a God of nature,
and of providence; who are obliged to adore him for the blessings
which they have received from him, as the effects of common
bounty, which include in them all the blessings which belong to this
life, together with his patience, forbearance, and long-suffering,
which delays to inflict the punishment that sin deserves. Therefore,
when they say, Our Father, they acknowledge that they derive their
being from him, and though they cannot lay claim to the benefits of
Christ’s redemption, yet they confess their obligations to God as their
Creator; and consider him as having given them souls capable of
spiritual blessings, and themselves as daily receiving the good things
of this life from him, and dependent on him for those things that
tend to the comfort and support of life. They also stand in need of
those blessings which are suited to the nature of the soul, and
consequently beg that they may not remain destitute of those things
that may conduce to their everlasting welfare; and therefore they
may use the Psalmist’s words, Thy hands have made me, and
fashioned me: Give me understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments, Psal. cxix. 73.
As for those who are God’s children, by an external covenant-
relation, there is something more implied therein, than barely their
being creatures; for herein they are led to adore him for those
discoveries that he has made in the gospel, of the way of salvation
by Jesus Christ, who calls and invites sinners to come to him, and
encourages them to hope, that those who are enabled to do so in a
right manner, he will, in no wise, cast out; therefore, when they call
upon God as their Father in prayer, it is, in effect, to say; Lord, we
cannot conclude ourselves to be thy children, as redeemed,
effectually called and sanctified; nor can we lay claim to the
inheritance laid up for thy saints in heaven; yet we are encouraged
to wait on thee in the ordinances of thine appointment, and to hope
for thy special presence therein, whereby they may be made
effectual for our salvation. We are, indeed, destitute of special grace,
and cannot conclude that we have a right to the saving blessings of
the covenant; yet, through thy great goodness, we still enjoy the
means of grace. We have not been admitted to partake of Christ’s
fulness, nor to eat of the bread of life; yet we are thankful for those
blessings of thy house, which thou art pleased to continue to us;
and since thou still includest us in the number of those who are thy
children as favoured with the gospel, we humbly take leave, upon
this account, to call thee our Father, and to wait and hope for thy
salvation, and continue to implore that grace from thee, which will
give us a right to the best of blessings that we stand in need of.[113]
As for those who are God’s children in the highest sense, by
redemption, regeneration, and adoption, they may draw nigh to him,
with an holy boldness; for these have, as the apostle expresseth it,
the Spirit of adoption whereby they cry, Abba, Father; they have
reason to adore him for privileges of the highest nature, that he has
conferred upon them, and to encourage themselves that he will
bestow upon them all the blessings they stand in need of as to this,
or a better world. These may draw nigh to God with confidence of
his fatherly goodness, and their interest therein; which they ought to
take notice of and improve, in order to their drawing nigh to him, in
a right manner, in prayer, as well as to induce them to behave
themselves, in the whole course of their conversation, as those who
are taken into this honourable relation to him. Accordingly,
[1.] This should raise their admiring thoughts of him, that they, who
were, by nature, strangers and enemies to him, should be admitted
to partake of this inestimable privilege; as the apostle says, Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God! 1 John iii. 1.
[2.] We should also take encouragement from hence, to hope that
he will hear and answer our prayers, though very imperfect, so far
as it may tend to his glory and our real advantage. Thus our Saviour
says, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give
good things to them that ask him? Matt. vii. 11. Do we pray for
spiritual blessings, such as the increase of grace, strength against
corruption, and to be kept from temptation, or falling by it? we have
ground to conclude that these shall be granted us, inasmuch as they
are purchased for us by Christ, promised in the covenant of grace,
as we have the earnest and first-fruits of the Spirit in our hearts,
whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. And when we
pray for temporal blessings, we have reason to hope they shall be
granted, if they be necessary for us, since our Saviour says, Our
heavenly Father knoweth that we have need of all these things,
Matt. vi. 32.
[3.] This should excite in us those child-like dispositions, which are
agreeable to this relation, not only when we draw nigh to God in
prayer, but in the whole conduct of our lives. And it includes in it,
1st, Humility and reverence, which is not only becoming those who
have an interest in his love, and a liberty of access into his presence,
with hope of acceptance in his sight; but it is what we are obliged
to, as his peculiar people, and a branch of that honour which is due
to him as our God and Father. Thus he says, by the prophet, A son
honoureth his father, Mal. i. 6. whereby he intimates that this is the
character and disposition of those that stand in the relation of
children to him. And the apostle argues from the less to the greater,
when he says, that we have had fathers of our flesh, which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence, shall we not much rather
be in subjection to the Father of Spirits, Heb. xii. 9.
2dly, Patience under rebukes, considering our proneness to go
astray, whereby we not only deserve them, but they are rendered
necessary; and especially when we consider that they flow from
love, and are designed for our good; as the apostle says, Whom the
Lord loveth he chastneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth, ver. 6.
3dly, Another child-like disposition is being grieved for our Father’s
frowns; especially that we have incurred his displeasure by our
misbehaviour towards him; and it contains in it a readiness to
confess our faults, and a carefulness to avoid them for the future.
4thly, Contentment with the provision of our Father’s house,
whatever it be. We shall never, indeed, have the least cause to
complain of scarcity, as the returning prodigal in the parable says,
that even the hired servants of his father, had bread enough, and to
spare, Luke xv. 17. It can hardly be supposed that he who is at the
fountain head, can perish for thirst; nevertheless, though we are not
straitened in God, yet we are often straitened in our bowels, through
the weakness of our faith, when we are not inclined to receive what
God holds forth to us in the gospel; and then we are discontented
and uneasy, while the blame lies at our own door; whereas, if we
behaved ourselves as the children of such a Father, we should not
only be pleased with, but constantly adore and live upon that fulness
of grace that there is in Christ; and whether he is pleased to give us
more or less of the blessings of common providence, we should
learn, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content, Phil. iv.
11.
5thly, Obedience to a father’s commands, without disputing his
authority, or right to govern us, is another child-like disposition. Thus
when we draw nigh to God as to our Father, we are to express a
readiness to do whatever he requires, whereby we not only approve
ourselves subjects under a law, but, as the apostle styles it,
Obedient children, as being holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet.
i. 14, 15.
6thly, Another disposition of children is, that they have a fervent zeal
for their father’s honour, and cannot bear to hear him reproached
without the highest resentment. Thus the children of God, how
much soever they may be concerned about their own affairs, when
injuriously treated by the world, are always ready to testify their
utmost dislike of every thing that reflects dishonour on him, or his
ways.
7thly, Another child-like disposition is love, which the relation of a
father engages to. Thus when we draw nigh to God as our Father,
we express our love to him, which is founded in his divine
excellencies, which render him the object of the highest delight and
esteem.
8thly, He that has a child-like disposition, retains a grateful sense of
the obligations that he is under to his Father. Thus we ought to be
duly sensible of all the favours which we have received from God,
which are more than can be numbered; the contrary hereunto, is
reckoned the basest ingratitude and disingenuity, altogether
unbecoming the temper of children. Thus Moses says to Israel, Do
ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy
Father who hath bought thee? hath he not made, and established
thee? Deut. xxxii. 6. A believer’s obligations to God are so very
great, that he cannot look back upon his former state, or consider
what he was, how vile and unworthy of any regard from him, how
miserable and unable to help himself, when he first had compassion
on him, without seeing himself under the strongest engagements to
be entirely, and for ever, his; which is a becoming behaviour towards
such a Father.
9thly, Love to all that are related to us as children of the same
Father, is another child-like disposition. In like manner our love to
the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, is a temper becoming the
children of God; and, indeed, it is no other than a loving God in
them, as we behold his image instamped upon them; and hereby we
express the high esteem we have for regenerating grace, whereby
God is denominated our common Father; and we, being acted by the
same principle, are obliged and inclined to love as brethren. Thus
they who love God, are induced to love his children, as the apostle
says, Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is
begotten of him, 1 John v. 1. and he also assigns this as an evidence
that we are passed from death to life, because we love the brethren,
chap. iii. 14. Thus concerning our drawing nigh to God, as to a
Father, as we are taught to do in this prayer.
2. We are directed, in this prayer, to draw nigh to God, as being in
heaven; which is the most glorious part of the frame of nature, in
which his power, wisdom, and goodness is eminently displayed, as
he designed it to be an eternal habitation for the best of creatures,
to whom he would discover more of his glory than to any others;
and in this respect it is called his throne, Acts vii. 49. And this leads
us,
(1.) To have high and awful thoughts of the majesty and greatness
of God, whom all the hosts of heaven worship, with the utmost
reverence, and are satisfied with the immense treasure of his
goodness. We therefore take occasion from hence to admire his
infinite condescension, that he will look upon creatures here below;
thus Solomon, in his prayer says, Will God, indeed, dwell on the
earth? behold the heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain thee, 1 Kings viii. 27. will he therefore look down upon
those, who are so mean, deformed, and destitute of his image, as
we are, who dwell in houses of clay, and deserve to be banished out
of his sight?
(2.) It should also be improved by us to teach us humility and
modesty, in our conceptions and discourse, concerning God, and
divine things: It is but a little that we know of the affairs of the
upper world, and the way and manner in which God is pleased to
manifest himself to his saints and angels there; and we know much
less of his divine perfections, which the inhabitants of heaven adore,
being sensible of the infinite distance they stand at from him, as
creatures, upon which account they cannot comprehend, or find out
the Almighty to perfection; and shall we pretend to search out the
secrets of his wisdom, or express ourselves in prayer, as though we
were speaking to one that was our equal, or could fathom the
infinite depths of his unsearchable counsels? Thus Solomon’s advice
may be well adapted to this case, Be not rash with thy mouth, and
let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is
in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few, 1
Kings viii. 27. We are not to think that we may say what we please,
or be rash and inconsiderate in what we say, when we are before
the Lord; for he is in heaven: And when it is farther inferred, that
therefore our words should be few, that is, we should not think that
the efficacy of our prayers depends upon the multitude of our
words; or if we speak more or less to God, our expressions ought
not to be bold, rash, hasty, or inconsiderate, but with a becoming
decency and reverence, as those who are speaking to the majesty of
heaven.
(3.) It should put us upon meditating frequently on the glory of the
heavenly state, as those who hope at last, to be joined with that
happy and numerous assembly, who are, in God’s immediate
presence, in heaven: and therefore our conversation should be
there; and we should profess ourselves to be sojourners here on
earth, seeking a better country, looking and waiting for the glorious
appearing of the great God, our Saviour; and hoping, that when he
comes, he will receive us to heaven, where our hearts are at
present, as our treasure is there.
3. We are, in this prayer, farther taught, that it is our duty to pray
with, and for others, as we say, Our Father: Hereby we signify our
relation to, and concern for, all the members of Christ’s mystical
body; therefore, if we do not join with others in prayer, we are to
have them upon our hearts, who are the objects of Christ’s special
love and care. This argues, that we have a sympathy with all those
who are exposed to the same wants and miseries with ourselves;
and we take a great deal of delight in considering them as subjects
of the same common Lord, joining in the same profession with
ourselves; concerning whom, we desire and hope that we shall be
glorified together.
Moreover, if we join with others in prayer, so that the whole
assembly make their supplications by one that is their mouth, to
God; this is what we call social worship: Therefore it is our duty to
pray with, as well as for others; and in this case we must take heed
that nothing be contained in united prayer, but what the whole
assembly may join in, as being expressive of their faith, desires, or
experiences; otherwise there cannot be that beautiful harmony
therein, such as the nature and design of the duty we are jointly
engaged in, calls for: and this is agreeable to social or united
prayers, in which all the petitions are to be adapted to the particular
case of every one who addresses himself to God, how numerous
soever the worshipping assembly may be; and therefore we are
obliged to make use of that mode of expression, in which we are
taught to say, Our Father.
Thus our Saviour directs us how we should begin our prayers to
God; and, inasmuch as this ought to be reduced to practice, I shall
give a summary account of what is contained in this preface; that
we may be furnished with matter taken from thence, in order to our
addressing ourselves to God in prayer, in a way agreeable thereunto,
when we come into his presence with such a frame of spirit as the
importance of the duty requires; accordingly we are to express
ourselves to this purpose, “O our God, we desire to draw nigh to
thee with a becoming reverence, and an awful sense of thine infinite
perfections: When we consider thee as a jealous God, and ourselves
as sinful, guilty creatures, we might well be afraid to come before
thee; but thou hast encouraged us to approach thy presence as to a
Father, in, and through the merits and mediation of our Lord Jesus
Christ; and therefore we come with an humble boldness before thy
throne of grace, confessing that though we are called thy children,
we have been very undutiful and rebellious against thee, and
therefore unworthy of that relation or of the inheritance which thou
hast laid up for those whom thou hast ordained to eternal life. Thou,
O Lord, hast established thy throne in the heavens, where there is
an innumerable company of angels and spirits of just men made
perfect, who all behold thy face, and are made completely blessed in
thine immediate presence: As for us, we dwell in houses of clay; but
we earnestly beg that we may be made meet for, and then admitted
into that happy society, that we may worship thee in a more perfect
manner than we are capable of doing in this imperfect state. May all
the powers and faculties of our souls be renewed, and influenced by
thy holy Spirit, that we may have our conversation in heaven, whilst
we are here below, and in all things, may be enabled to approve
ourselves thy children, have a constant sense of duty, and the
manifold obligations thou hast laid us under, that we may love,
delight in, and submit to thee in all things, and have a fervent zeal
for the honour of thy name as becomes thy children, that we,
together with all thy faithful servants, may be under thy safe
protection here, and be received to thy glory hereafter.”