SERMON VIII.
"Deliver us from evil."—Matthew vi. 13.
This is the closing and crowning petition of the Lord's Prayer, and it includes, in a manner, all the rest. For, when this petition is granted, all the rest will have their accomplishment. With him who is delivered from evil, the Lord's name will be hallowed, the Lord's kingdom will come, and his will be done; daily bread, both natural and spiritual, will be given him; and he will be brought no more into temptation. Deliverance from evil, indeed, is the one great object to be prayed for and striven for: this attained, all other blessings will follow; we shall be good and happy both here and hereafter. This, then, is a subject that deserves our most attentive consideration.
And, in considering it, let us inquire, first, why deliverance from evil is so necessary; secondly, in what manner it is to be effected; and lastly, in what way and degree the offering of this petition will aid in effecting it.
First, Why is deliverance from evil so necessary? Because evil—by which I mean moral evil—is the one great disturber of the universe, the one great destroyer of man's happiness, the one source of all the wretched-
