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Lord's Prayer

Name: Lord's Prayer
Author: Thomas Watson
ISBN: 9781612036168

by Thomas Watson

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Overview

"This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven." -Matthew 6:9
In this Scripture are two things observable: the introduction to the prayer-and the prayer itself.
The introduction to the Lord's prayer is, "This, then, is how you should pray." Our Lord Jesus, in these words, gave to his disciples and to us a directory for prayer. The ten commandments are the rule of our life, and the sum of our faith-and the Lord's prayer is the pattern of our prayer. As God prescribed Moses a pattern of the tabernacle (Exod 25:9), so Christ has here prescribed us a pattern of prayer. "This, then, is how you should pray," etc. The meaning is, let this be the rule and model according to which you frame your prayers. [We ought to examine our prayers by this rule.] Calvin. Not that we are tied to the exact words of the Lord's prayer. Christ says, "This, then, is how you should pray" that is, let all your petitions agree and harmonize with the things contained in the Lord's prayer; and well may we make all our prayers consonant and agreeable to this prayer. Tertullian calls this prayer, "a breviary and compendium of the gospel!" It is like a heap of massive gold.
Thomas Watson was an English preacher and author who obtained great fame preaching until the Restoration when he was ejected as the vicar of St. Stephen's Walbrook for noncomformity. Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately and upon the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license to preach at the great hall in Crosby House.

About the Author, Thomas Watson

He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was noted for remarkably hard study. In 1646 he was commenced a sixteen year pastorate at St. Stephen's Walbrook. In 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in Christopher Love's plot to recall Charles II. He was released on 30th June,1652, and was formally reinstated vicar of St. Stephen's Walbrook. He obtained great fame and popularity as preacher until the Restoration, when he was ejected for nonconformity. Notwithstanding the rigor of the acts against dissenters, Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately as he found opportunity. Upon the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license for the great hall in Crosby House. After preaching there for several years, his health gave way, and he retired to Barnston in Essex, where he died suddenly while praying in secret. He was buried on 28th July, 1686.