Page:Sermons on the Lord's Prayer.djvu/81

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Lord to the angels every moment, thus forever and to eternity.[1] It is also beautifully said in another place, "It is given to the angels by the Lord every moment what to think, and this with blessedness and felicity, and thus they are without cares or anxieties; and that this is what is meant in the internal sense by the Israelites receiving manna daily from heaven, and by the daily bread prayed for in the Lord's Prayer."[2] How delightful thus to be supported by the Lord each moment! to be defended by him from evil, and to be blessed with good every instant; to have all our thoughts and feelings regulated and kept by him, so as to have anxiety and trouble removed far away, and peace, trust, and joy given instead. This is the state of the angels in heaven, and this should be our state, in some degree, even while here below, if we would become angels hereafter. We must learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in the Lord; we must fight against anxiety as a sin; we must make it our continual endeavor to keep close to the Lord, doing each moment, like obedient children, the duty set before us by his providence, and then leaving all the rest to him. As the little bird sings cheerily its last note, as the day-light fades, and, putting its head beneath its wing, sleeps peacefully, un-anxious about the morrow,—so we should lay our heads each night on our pillow, thankful to the Lord for the comforts and blessings we have that day enjoyed, and trusting that, in his Divine Goodness, the same will be given to-morrow, and every day, and in every state, to eternity.

  1. A. C., 2838.
  2. A. C., 2493.