Sermons on the Lord's Prayer/Sermon 8
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 wretchedness that exists on earth or in hell. "Evil," says the Doctrine of the New Church, "is all that which is contrary to Divine order;"[1] and as Divine order is the source of all the joy of heaven, because thereby man is formed into the likeness of his Maker, who is Order itself and Joy itself,—consequently, evil, being that which opposes and disturbs Divine order, is the one source of all that is contrary to joy and happiness, and therefore the one great curse to be delivered from.
But yet, unhappily, we are full of this curse; human nature, as inherited at the present day from parents and ancestors, is, as Revelation declares, one mass of evils. "The heart of man," says the Scripture, "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."[2]—"That every man," says the New Church Doctrine, "has hereditary evil, and that thus he is in the inclination to many evils, is well known in the Church. Thence it is, that a man from himself cannot do good; for evil does not do good, except it be such good as has evil lurking within it; which evil consists in his doing good for the sake of self, and thus doing what is good only in appearance. That this evil is inherited from parents is well known. It is said to be from Adam and Eve, but this is a mistake: every one is born into it from his own parent, that parent from his parent, and so on; and thus it is successively transferred from one to another, by which it is vastly increased and augmented, and is transmitted to posterity. Thence it is, that in man there is no health, that is, nothing sound; but he is one entire mass of evil. Who is there, for instance, that feels that to love himself more than others is evil? and who therefore knows that there is any evil in it? when, nevertheless, it is the head of all evils."—"Man is by birth like a little hell, between which and heaven there is perpetual disagreement. And no one can be drawn out of this hell by the Lord, unless he sees that he is there, and wishes to be delivered."[3] Again says the Doctrine of the New Church, "Few, if any, know, that all men whosoever are withheld from evils by the Lord, and this with a stronger force than man can conceive. For there is in every man a perpetual tendency to evil, and this as well from the hereditary evil into which he is born, as from the actual evil which he has induced upon himself; so much so, that unless he were withheld by the Lord, he would rush headlong every moment towards the lowest hell. But such is the mercy of the Lord, that he is elevated every moment, yea, every smallest part of a moment, and withheld from rushing thither. This is the case even with the good, but with a difference according to the life of their charity and faith. Thus the Lord continually fights with man, and for man with hell, although to man it does not so appear."[4]
Such is man's real state, although he has so little idea of it: such is the real condition of man's soul, as it appears before the Divine Eye,—a mass of corrupt passions and inclinations, all pulling him downward with a tremendous force, so that were it not for the perpetual mercy and upholding of the Lord, he would precipitate himself into the deepest hell, and perish everlastingly. It is necessary that man should know this, although, in the mercy of the Lord, he is prevented from feeling or realizing it: for if he were conscious, all the time, of his real state of evil, he would be in despair. Yet it is right that he should know and believe it, as a truth of Divine Revelation, for otherwise he cannot be truly humble, otherwise he cannot feel his need of a Saviour, nor utter with sincerity the prayer, "Deliver us from evil."
At times, indeed, man does realize how evil he is, and the more interior and spiritual-minded he becomes, the more clearly does he perceive this. For it is a great truth, that the purer and the better a man becomes, the more humble he is; because in the higher light to which he thus attains, the more distinctly does he understand the nature of evil, and the more plainly does he perceive it in himself. Hence, as we are instructed, the highest angels are the humblest of all. The reason is,—that from a state of good, evil can be seen: but evil cannot see itself. Hence, they who are immersed in evil, have the least perception of their own evil. The lowest and most sensual men think themselves good enough: even the infernals do not imagine themselves to be evil, because, being not above it but in it, they have no perception, by contrast, of what evil is: evil to them is good. Hence we may perceive how dangerous a state a man is in, who thinks himself good enough: it is the most certain proof that he is not so. He who is well satisfied with himself, may be assured that he has the least reason for being self-satisfied: it is simply a proof that he has not good enough to see his own evil by.
Yet, at times, every man, who has any degree of spirituality whatever, or even any knowledge of religious truth, by the light of which he may be able to distinguish evil from good—feels that he is evil, that he has terrible evils within himself. Those times are, when his passions have been aroused in an unwonted manner by some outward provocation; when circumstances have occurred, which have called forth words and deeds of violence and rage, which he had not supposed himself capable of; when he has perceived feelings stirred within his bosom, which he did not imagine had an existence there. Then, if he possesses any degree of spiritual good at all, he is ashamed and alarmed at himself, feels indeed humbled in the Lord's sight, and in his sense of self-degradation is ready to exclaim, "Lord, deliver me from evil." And it is for the purpose of thus calling out man's hidden evils, that the Lord, in his providence, permits various temptations to assail us, various trials to harass us. It is the good Physician probing the wound, in order to heal it. The Lord permits various occurrences to take place in life, various circumstances to act upon us, in order that our real characters may be called forth—that we may see ourselves, and know of what nature we are; and that, feeling thus our own weaknesses and disorders of spirit, we may be conscious of our utter dependence on Him for any degree of good, and may truly and from the heart pray to be "delivered from evil."
Understanding, then, by the light of Divine
Revelation, the true nature of man, we may now perceive why deliverance from evil is so necessary; we may see our need of regeneration, and can thus understand the truth of the Lord's words, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."[5]
But having thus attained a perception of our evil state, our next thought and earnest desire must be, to know how we may be delivered from it. "What shall I do to be saved?" must be the earnest inquiry. By what means are we to be delivered from this evil which hereditarily fills our hearts, and which stands between us and heaven?
The Holy Word makes known the means: the Book of Divine Revelation is given for the very purpose of showing us the way to heaven, and consequently of showing us the way to be delivered from evil, for this is the only means of attaining heaven: the Word of the Lord is given for "a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path."[6] The means of deliverance from evil, as taught in the Word, are many and various, and hence we need to peruse frequently that Sacred Book, in order to be well instructed in its teachings, and to keep them fresh before our minds. Those means, however, may be summed up in two—to believe in the Lord and keep his commandments. Whoever makes a steady and persevering use of these two means, will gradually be delivered from his evils; and as these are removed, he will receive goodness from the Lord, and so at length be regenerated, and fitted for the kingdom of heaven. But it is necessary now to get a clear idea of what is meant by believing in the Lord and keeping his commandments. Let us, then, consider these two points.
To believe in the Lord, means, to believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God, and the only God; to look to him in his Divine Humanity as the Omnipotent Saviour—one, who, as his own words declare, has "all power in heaven and earth;"[7] and to worship him and pray to him as such. The three Essentials of Divinity, termed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are to be viewed, not as three Persons, but as three Principles or Essentials dwelling in the One Person of the Lord Jesus—the Father signifying the pure invisible Divinity, the Son the Divine Humanity, and the Holy Spirit the Divine Proceeding or Emanation: all these are in Jesus, for he himself said, "the Father dwelleth in me," and "he that seeth me seeth the Father;"[8] and he himself, also, breathed on the disciples, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit."[9] To believe in the Lord, then, is to fix the thought upon the Lord Jesus as the one and only God; to behold, in thought, his Person, glorified and Divine—as he was beheld transfigured on the mount, "his face shining as the sun, and his raiment white as the light;" to look to that Divine Person in daily prayer, morning and evening; and to ask him for strength to keep his commandments, and do his will.
To believe in the Lord implies, moreover, an understanding of the Lord's work of Redemption. Jehovah, the great Creator of the universe, came down and took upon himself Humanity in the world, in order, upon the battle-ground of that Humanity, to meet the powers and hosts of hell, and overcome them, and cast them down, and so remove them from mankind. Thus Jehovah-Jesus redeemed mankind, by delivering them from the preponderating influence of hell, and so restoring them to mental freedom; as a consequence of which, every man is now able to think and do right if he will, and thus to be regenerated and saved. It is to be understood that before the Lord came into the world, the influence of hell over men was so powerful as to take away their mental freedom, so that they could scarcely help thinking and doing evil. Moreover, infernal spirits, or devils, entered into men's bodies (as we read in the Gospels) and tortured them. Thus, mankind were fast becoming the very slaves of the Infernal Powers. Now, this yoke the Lord came to break. He assumed a human nature like that of other men, in order that the Powers of hell might flow into it, that there he might meet and overcome them, and bring them into subjection. It was this, in which the work of Redemption consisted. To believe that the Lord Jesus did accomplish this work of Redemption, and thus is the Almighty Saviour, and to look and pray to him as such—this is what is meant by believing in the Lord.
Let us now consider what is meant by keeping his commandments. To keep the Divine commandments is, chiefly, to resist in ourselves the evils which those commandments forbid. Most of the Divine commandments, you observe, are expressed in the negative form, as, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," &c. Now what we have to do, when the temptation to break these or other commandments is presented, is this:—Looking up to the Lord for strength, we must resist and fight against and drive away the sinful thought,—abstain from the evil act,—with an effort conquer ourselves, and overcome the evil passion or inclination. When we have done this, then the Lord enters with his Holy Spirit and removes that evil inclination, takes away the sinful desire itself, and so purifies the internal man; and at the same time he introduces the opposite good affection, he brings in new heavenly loves and aspirations, and so, gradually forms heaven in the soul. This is the way we are delivered from evil: this is the way we are regenerated; and regeneration is salvation: for salvation is not merely introduction into a certain place, but it is a change in the state of the mind.
This, now, is what is meant by "taking up our cross and following the Lord." Jesus said, "If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."[10] To "deny ourselves" is to resist our evil inclinations, and to "take up our cross" is to endure spiritual temptations. Both of these are necessary to man's deliverance from evil. We must both passively submit to trials, and we must actively fight against evils. Trials and spiritual temptations, as shown in the preceding discourse, are necessary in order to break down, man's proprium and stubborn self-will, to make him willing to yield to the Divine guidance, and to enable him to become receptive of heavenly good. This is meant by "taking up the cross." But, besides that, we are actively to struggle against the evils which we perceive in ourselves; to stop the sharp words issuing from the mouth; to check the angry passion rising in the heart; to refrain from the sinful action to which we are inclined. This it is to "deny ourselves;" and this is what is meant by "keeping the commandments."
But now, in the last place, we are to inquire what effect the daily offering up of this prayer, "Deliver us from evil," will have on the result? In what way will this contribute to our deliverance from evil?
The object of prayer, we know, is not to change the Lord, but to change ourselves—to change the state of the person who prays. The Lord is unchangeable: He is Infinite Goodness and Love; and desires nothing more ardently than to deliver man from all evil, and to bless him with all good and happiness. But in this work, as already shown, man's co-operation is necessary. The laws of Divine order require that man shall, as of himself, fight against evils; and when he does this, and thus rejects evils from the outside, then the Lord by his Holy Spirit enters and removes them from the interiors of the mind, takes away the very inclinations to them; and thus man is purified, both externally and internally. Now, the use of prayer is, to strengthen man for this combat, to arm and prepare him for the part which he has to perform. When a man rises in the morning, and goes forth to the work of the day, resting entirely on his own strength, and without having looked up to the Lord for protection, it is ten to one that he will fall before the day is through. For that very confidence in his own strength is the most certain proof of weakness: "He that thinketh he standeth, let him take heed lest he fall." Tor the self-love and pride from which such confidence proceeds, is essential evil, and, though he little thinks it, is in fact inspired into his heart by the evil spirits who are around him. Evil spirits desire nothing more burningly than to injure and destroy man; and they bolster him up in his self-conceit, and lift him up in proud self-elevation, to the very end that they may presently give him the greater fall. For they have a keen perception of all man's weaknesses; and the moment they get him upon the precipice of temptation, they will drop him—and the man is gone. Where is his self-confidence now? Before he knows it, he is overhead in the mud and mire of sin.
But now, on the other hand, when a man, before he goes forth from his chamber, kneels down in prayer to the Lord, and looking up, says, "Lord, deliver me from evil,"—at once his internals are opened towards the Lord and heaven, and into those interiors so opened, the Lord pours his Spirit, with its purifying and strengthening power. "He that humbleth himself, shall be exalted." Having humbled himself by the acknowledgment that he is evil, the infernal spirits who inspire self-conceit, are driven away, and good angels, who are all humble—for they are in the likeness of him who was "meek and lowly in heart,"—come about him and strengthen him with thoughts of truth and affections of good, and thus arm him for the battles of the day. He goes forth thus in a panoply of heavenly armor: the angelic hosts, whom prayer, together with reading the Divine Word, have drawn about him, attend him on his way; and then, when temptation comes, they fight for him, while he at the same time struggles as of himself; and by their united efforts—the Lord, too, being in the midst—all enemies are overcome, and victory, spiritual victory is the result. He has that day fought with and conquered some evils: he has that day kept the Divine commandments; and consequently he is so far purified and "delivered from evil," and is one step nearer the kingdom of heaven. And a succession of such days, week after week, month after month, year after year,—will at length perfect the work, and complete his regeneration; and then, when his last day on earth comes,—being now delivered from evil and filled with good, he will rise to his place amid the angelic host, where "in the Lord's presence is fulness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore." Amen.
- ↑ Divine Providence, n. 279.
- ↑ Jeremiah xvii. 9.
- ↑ Divine Providence, nn. 277, 251.
- ↑ Arcana Cœlestia, n. 2406.
- ↑ John iii. 3.
- ↑ Psalm cxix. 105.
- ↑ Matthew xxviii. 18.
- ↑ John xiv. 10, 9.
- ↑ John xx. 22.
- ↑ Matthew xvi. 24.
NOTE.
The "doxology," as it is termed, appended to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew, namely, the words, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen,"—is of no certain authority. Every reader must have observed that those words are wanting at the end of the Lord's Prayer in Luke (xi. 4). Nor are they found in Matthew, in the best and most ancient manuscripts; and they are therefore almost unanimously rejected by the editors of the Greek Text. They were probably taken from the early Christian Liturgies, in which they were used as a response by the people to the Lord's Prayer as repeated by the minister. In some MSS. they are found written in red ink in the margin, whence, doubtless, they became, in time, interpolated into the text. The Prayer properly ends with the words, "Deliver us from evil"
BELL AND BAIN, PRINTERS, GLASGOW.