es to the
outward, as must ever be the law of progress in the sanctifying of human
souls and life. It begins with heaven and brings heaven down to earth,
that earth may become like heaven, and both 'according well may make one
music.' Then, in the second part of the prayer we come to individual
wants. These have their legitimate place in our approaches to God.
Prayer is not merely communion with God, not merely reverent
contemplation of His fatherly and holy name, though that should always
be first and chiefest in it. It is not merely the expression of absorbed
contemplation, but of a nature that desires and is dependent. Nor is it
only the utterance of world-wide desires, and the expression of a being
that has conquered self. The perfection of man is not to have no
desires, or to be petrified or absorbed into a state without a will and
without a wish, still less to be elevated into a condition of absolute
possession of all he seeks, without a want. And the perfection of prayer
is not that it should be the utterance of that impossible emotion,
'disinterested love' to God, but that it should be the recognition of
our dependence on God, the expression of our many wants, and the frank
telling Him, with wills submitted, or rather conformed, to His, what we
need. To pray is to adore; to pray is also to ask. We have to say Our
Father, and we have also to say, Give us, being sure that if we, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, much more does He
know how to give good things to them that ask Him.

So much for the general considerations applicable to the whole of this
second part.

As to the connection of its several petitions with each other, it may be
noticed that it is the exact opposite of the former part. That began
with the highest and came downwards; this begins with the lowest and
goes upwards. That began with the inward and worked outwards; this
begins with the outward and passes inwards. That set forth the heavenly
order in its gradual self-revelation, working the transformation of
earth; this sets forth the earthly order in its gradual appropriation of
Heaven's gifts. The former declares, that foremost in importance and in
God's order are the spiritual blessings which come from knowledge of
His name; the latter, beginning with the prayer for bread, and thence
advancing to deeper necessities, reminds us, that in the order of time
the least important is still the condition of all the rest. The lofti