# “The first and great petition” by Thomas Watson

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2017/06/01/the-first-and-great-petition-by-thomas-watson/
- Published: 2017-06-01T19:00:13-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“‘Hallowed be Thy name.’ In the Latin, it is, _sanctificetur nomen tuum_,—sanctified
be Thy name. In this petition, ‘hallowed be Thy name,’ we pray, that God’s name 
may shine forth gloriously, and that it may be honoured and sanctified by us, in
the whole course and tenor of our lives.

It was the angels’ song, ‘glory to God in the highest;’ that is, let his name be
glorified and hallowed. This petition, “Hallowed be Thy name,” is set in the forefront,
to show, that the hallowing of God’s name is to be preferred before all things.

It is to be preferred before life; we pray, ‘Hallowed be Thy name,’ before we pray,‘
Give us this day our daily bread.’

It is to be preferred before salvation, Rom. 9:1. God’s glory is more worth than
the salvation of all men’s souls. As Christ said of love, Mat. 22:36., ‘This is 
the first and great commandment;’ so I may say of this petition, ‘Hallowed be Thy
name,’ it is the first and great petition; it contains the most weighty thing in
religion, God’s glory.

When some of the other petitions shall be useless and out of date, we shall not 
need to pray in heaven, ‘Give us our daily bread,’ because there shall be no hunger;
nor, ‘Forgive us our trespasses,’ because there shall be no sin; nor, ‘Lead us not
into temptation,’ because the Old Serpent is not there to tempt; yet the hallowing
of God’s name shall be of great use and request in heaven.

We shall be ever singing hallelujahs, which is nothing else but the hallowing of
God’s name. Every person in the blessed Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
must have this honour, to be hallowed; their glory being equal, and their majesty
co-eternal.

‘Hallowed be Thy name.’ To admire God’s name is not enough. We may admire a conqueror,
but when we say, “Hallowed be Thy name,” we set God’s name above every name, and
not only admire Him, but adore Him.”

–Thomas Watson, [_The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism, and Various Sermons and Treatises_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0851516645?tag=toletaupanre-20)(
New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1855), 406.

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