The Hallowed Name

Let knowledge ffrow/rom more to more.

But more of reverence in us dwell;

That mind and soul, according well.
May make one music as before.

But vaster. We are fools and slight;

We mock thee when we do not fear;

But help thy foolish ones to bear; Help thy vain worlds to bear thy light,

Tennyson.

Cle J^allotoeti Bamt

HERE is great need of the lesson of reverence. Men do not seem aware of God. Even in the holiest places of earth there appears to be in most of us a lack of consciousness of the presence and majesty of God. Almost nobody takes off his shoes before the burning bush. “Nobody fears God nowadays,’’ said one distinguished English clergyman to another, with deep pain in his heart. We all need to learn anew the lesson of reverence. This is one of the teachings of this prayer, — “Hallowed be thy name.”

What are we to understand by the name of G<xi? Among the ancient Jews there was one divine name which had peculiar sacredness. It was so holy that they never pronounced it in [59]

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public. When they came to it in reading, they would pass over it in reverent silence, not daring to take it upon their lips. The Mohammedans, also, have a great reverence for the divine name. Itey will not tread upon a piece of paper, even the smallest torn fragment which they see lying upon the groimd, but will reverently pick it up, saying, “It may contain the name of God.*” In this there may be little more than superstition in the outward honor shown to the divine name. Ofttimes men with wicked heart will treat the written or spoken name of God with seeming reverence, bowing at its every mention, while in their own life they have no true regard for God. It is very evident that more than this is meant in this petition for the hallowing of God’s name. We must honor it in oiu* heart and in oiu* life.

In the Bible a name stands for the whole of the character of the person. Many Scripture names have meanings in which are enshrined the qualities which belonged to the man. Even [60]

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among us a name comes to stand for all there is in the persons life and character. A little child is born without a name, and when a name is given to it it means nothing as yet, for the child has no biography, no character, no personality, has done nothing to individualize itself. But as the days and years go on, and the child grows into manhood, everything he does and all that he is are gathered into his name, until by and by the name has a meaning wherever the man is known; is, as it were, a composite photograph made up of all the phases and aspects of his life. Any mans name when spoken in the ears of his friends conveys to them a conception of his personality, his character, his disposition, his whole story; all that he is is enshrined in his name. There are certain names in every community that by reason of the noble life which the persons live, or the great or good things they have done, mean a great deal, standing for honor, for patriotism, for heroism, for philanthropy, for beneficence, for religion. [61]

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So the name of God includes all that Grod is and all that he has done, that is, all the revelations which have been made to us of him. When we speak his name there arises before oiu* mind a vision which gathers in itself all that we know about God — all oiu* thoughts of him, our impressions of him, oiu* experiences of his goodness, his mercy, his help. When we mention the name of Jesus Christ, the whole story of his life is suggested to us, — his condescension, his beautiful character, his gentleness, his works of power, his teachings — above all, his atoning death, and then his resurrection and ascension. Thus the name of God stands for God himself, all that God is. In this petition we pray, therefore, not merely for the formal honoring of a name, but for the honoring of God himself in the revelations of him which have been made in the world. Of course we cannot add a particle to the essential glory of God’s name. Nothing we could do would make his character any more glori- [62]

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ous. We cannot add to the sun’s brightness by lighting candles and lamps on the earth; nor can we, by anything we may say or do, make Grod any more glorious than he is in his essential character.

What then is meant by the hallowing of Grod’s name? In what sense can we honor God? What is implied in this petition? It is a prayer that Grod himself shall hallow his own name; also that he would make its real glory appear before men, and that he would enable us to hallow it in our life. There are several ways in which we may do this.

We may add to the honor in which we hold Grod’s name in our own heart. Some persons live year after year and give little serious thought to the divine character, not studying the Scriptures to discover its glory and its beauty. The more we know about God the more will we revere and honor his name. Every new revealing of him shows us something more that is wonderftil in him. In a Russian palace [63]

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there is a gallery in which are hung several himdred portraits of young maidens. These pictures were painted by Count Rotari, for Catharine II. The striking feature in the collection is that those who were familiar with the empress and her habits and tastes could find in each portrait, half concealed, half revealed, something that reminded them of her. In one it was a jewel that she admired; in another, a flower that was dear to her; in another, a style of dress that she liked; in another, some feature of her face; in another, a scene which had some connection or association with her life. The whole gallery was a glorifying of the empress.

Everything in this world has in it, for a devout mind, some suggestion of God. Every flower that blooms, every plant that grows, every bird that sings, every cloud that flits across the sky, every star that shines, every hirnian face, suggests something about God, the Creator, reveals some featiu*e of his power, his wisdom, his [64]

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goodness. In the Bible there is not a chapter, scarcely a verse, in which the child of God may not find something which speaks to him of his Father. In every true Christian life and character, also, there are revealings of God, qualities in which something of him is reflected. As we thus learn about God, the honor in which we hold him in our heart becomes greater and greater. Every new glimpse of him makes him appear greater and more glorious to our thought and love.

This is a prayer that God would make himself known to us in new ways. “Show me thy glory,’’ was the prayer of Moses, as he pleaded for some visible manifestation. Our prayer here is not, however, for a theophany, but for deeper knowledge of God as our Father, for new experiences of his love, his goodness, his mercy, his faithfulness, for new revealings of his character. **They that know thy name shall put their trust in thee,’’ was the testimony of a devout psalmist. The deeper cry of our heart [66]

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should be to know God better, for then we shall love him more and serve him more devotedly.

We ask in this prayer, also, that Gods name may become better known among men. Dear as God may be to us, his children, and highly as we may honor him in our own heart, he is not worthily reverenced in the world about us. Men do not know him and do not honor him as he ought to be honored. We say of a good man, that he needs only to be known in order to be loved. If we can get men to know God, they will love him. We should pray, therefore, that his name may become better known, that those who pay him no reverence now shall learn of his glory and goodness and shall thus be brought to trust him. What joy it would give to thousands of weary sufferers in this world to-day, if they knew Grod! This is one of those prayers that is not finished when we have breathed its words, however sincerely and earnestly, into the ear of our Fa- [66]

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ther. When we ask God to make his name known among men, he says to ns, “I have put my name into your keeping — do you make it known. I have given you a knowledge of me — go and tell the people everywhere of my love, my mercy, my holiness, my grace. I have gone to the cross to reveal there the divine heart — do you show now in your life the meaning of the cross, interpreting it not merely in words, but in life, in service, in deeds of self-denial and sacrifice.” It is ours to make known to men what God k.

We ask in this petition that we may be enabled to do our part in spreading the knowledge of God in the world. There are many ways in which we may do this. We may scatter the printed word of God, and its pages will be as the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations. We may speak to men everywhere of what God is, what he has done, especially of what he is to us and what he has done for us.

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Another way in which we may hallow God’s name among men is in our own life. If a child does well and lives worthily, he honors his parents before the world. If he lives unworthily, he brings reproach, shame, and grief upon them. We, as God’s children, by our life bring either honor or dishonor upon the name of our Father. Dr. Christlieb said, “Christians are the world’s Bible.” The world does not read the written book, but it does read the life of those who profess to be God’s children. If our life is to be the interpretation of God’s word to the world, we should write nothing in it which would in any way misrepresent or misinterpret God. If we live carelessly, dishonestly, speaking lies, acting deceitfully, doing unloving things, we are dishonoring God. It is important that all those who stand for God in this world shall live in all their common days so that all who see them shall learn something more about God’s grace and the beauty of holiness. Wherever we go our life itself should declare [68]

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God. It should not be necessary for us to tell people that we are Christians; there should be something in the very temper and spirit and atmosphere of our life that would say to every one that we belong to Christ and have been with him.

It is related of a great artist that he was once wandering in the mountains of Switzerland, when some officials met him and demanded his passport. “I do not have it with me,’’ he replied, “but my name is Dore.”” “Prove it, if you are,’’ replied the officers, knowing who Dore was, but not believing that this was he. Taking a piece of paper the artist hastily sketched a group of peasants who were standing near, and did it with such grace and skill that the officials exclaimed, “Enough; you are Doi.”

The world cares little for a mere profession. We say we are Christians, and the challenge is, “Prove it.” If we are of Christ we must be able to do the works of Christ, to live the life [69]

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of Christ, to show the spirit of Christ. The artist’s skilful drawing proved his identity. We must prove that we are the followers of our Master by the love, the grace, the beauty, the holiness of our life.

Religion is not merely a matter of creed and profession, or of church-going and public worship; it is far more a matter of daily life. It is not how we behave on Sundays, nor the kind of creed we hold, nor the devoutness of our worship; it is the way we act at home, in school, in business, in society, in our associations with men. It is vitally important that all who are Christ’s in name shall manifest Christ’s beauty in life and character. It is not enough to witness for Christ in our words; we are to be witnesses to Christ and for him in ourself. It is not enough to preach the gospel in sermon or exhortation; the gospel that honors Christ truly is the gospel men read in our daily life.

Let us so live that in all our life we shall, in- [70]

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deed, not only with our voice but in oiu* life give honor and praise to him whose name should be hallowed above all other names. “Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify thy glorious name; evermore praising thee, and saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of thy glory; glory be to thee, O Lord Most High! “^

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