As we are weake in judgement to understand so are we weake in power how to mannage not only the things that are of God but also the things that are of men That wee cannot mannage the things that are of God it is cleere out of this example David and Israel did purpose to bring up Gods Arke out of the house of Abinadab in a new cart 1. Chronicles 15.13 But because they thought themselves able enough to follow that businesse without Gods direction Looke to Perez Vzzah by the way Looke also to Israel fighting against Benjamin And as it is in things concerning God so is it in things concerning us for howsoever we have understanding to know what they are yet we want wisedome to mannage them aright Looke to Israel who did sow much and reaped little who did eate and were not filled who earned wages but could never get a purse to keepe them in And in a word except wee get both judgement to discerne of the creature aright and power to make a right use of it Wee may say concerning the first our counsells are caryed headlong for wee meete with darknesse in the day And for the second we may justly say with Peter Wee have fished all the night and yet have caught nothing In the last roome whilest wee are commanded to goe to God and to say to him Give Wee are taught to know how to use the creatures aright and that three manner of wayes First by travell secondly by prayer thirdly by charity By travell because man must eate his bread in the sweate of his brow In his innocency he was ordained to delve in the garden of God When hee fell the earth was accursed for his sake And let him travell as he liketh yet in the sweat of his brow hee shall eate his bread and in the use of a lawfull calling he hath only reason to expect an answerable blessing I say secondly hee must pray for let him toile never so much except he pray he shall not speed For it is written Nisi Iehovah frustra and these two are surely knit together labour and prayer For as sighing without expectation and expectation without sighing as prayer in a tempest without toiling and toile without prayer and as in a Sermon information of the understanding without working on the affections and travell on the affections without information of the minde is all in vaine So also in things temporall neither will our travell alone nor our prayer alone serve our necessities but travell and prayer conjoyned together make up the worke of our reliefe Thirdly it teacheth us how to commiserate others in their necessities For there are many who like Nabal cannot yeeld to David or like to the rich glutton cannot pity Lazarus or like a Iezebel feeding foure hundred false Prophets and yet can suffer Eliah to starve But in this O man thou art deceived For thou canst not get it till thou say to God Give And when hee giveth it thee it is to this end amongst many that thou maiest not refuse him who saith to thee Give nor that thou hide not thy eyes against thy owne flesh For a cuppe of cold water shall not want a reward Adde to these our owne use in sobriety neither pampering our bodies to surfeit like the rich glutton nor disrespecting them by nigardice but using them in sobriety For the belly is for meate and meate for the belly but God will destroy them both Vse Now having spoken a little concerning the person of whom wee crave these things and the reasons thereof make wee some few uses thereupon which are foure First it serves to confute the common opinion of Chance Secondly of merit Thirdly it treades downe our pride And fourthly it rebuketh our distrust and dispaire I say first it confuteth chance For howsoever the greater part of the world bee ignorant of the wayes of the most high and attribute either their prosperity or adversity to chance or fortune yet let the Christian know that this proceeds from the ignorance that is in them For there is neither chance nor fortune in the world but that God who by the word of his power made the world by the word of his providence governeth it and by the word of his good pleasure shall ruine it hee dwelleth in the heavens and doth upon the earth whatsoever hee will that man may know that he it is who woundeth and bindeth up againe who killeth and maketh alive and who having exalted bringeth down againe to the dust and to the dung hill and that beside him there is no God even besides him who is the God of Jacob and the holy One of Israel Secondly it confutes merit for who art thou O man that darest bee bold to bragge of thy merit canst thou by thy merit or the power thereof make one haire of thy head white or blacke canst thou make the Sunne to shine or the raine to fall upon the earth to give her increase No thou canst not How much lesse art thou able to pay a ransome for thy owne soule No no alas thou canst not It may be thou saist that thou art rich and increased with goods c. but Lord open thy eyes to see thy pouerty and nakednesse and with a temptation the Lord give the issue to beare it I say thirdly that this word serveth to tread downe our pride for of all the creatures of the world man is borne the weakest and the most wretched Other creatures fall no sooner from the belly of their damme but they can goe eate and are covered Man is borne weak wretched unable to walke unable to eate and unable to cloath himselfe And when he hath gotten all that hee can possesse under the Sunne what hath hee but what he borroweth He borroweth food from the earth clothes from the beasts riches out of the Mynes of the earth wine and oyle from the trees And yet hee is proud as though all were his owne But foole that thou art why art thou so miscaryed Naked thou camest into the world and naked thou shalt returne againe If thou have therefore food and rayment waxe not proud for it is but a borrowed spoile thou art proud of and if God shall strippe thee naked of them thou shalt know that all was but vanity and that it is a foolish thing for man to rejoyce in any thing but in this that his name is written in the booke of life Last of all it rebukes with a moderate griefe for the want of the things of this life We are to day strong to morrow weake to day beautifull to morrow deformed to day honourable to morrow despised to day rich and to morrow poore And in all these our estates no further changed then our minds are As long as the Halcyan dayes of our ease and prosperity do last we over-joy our joyes and we say with David Our estate shall never bee moved But if God change our portion our minde is straight
power and the glory of God for whom and by whom all things were made to him bee glory for ever Amen Now after the order let us come to the words of the Petition It hath three things considerable in it First a subject secondly an attribute thirdly and a word of copulation tying the Attribute unto the Subject The Subject is Gods name the Attribute is in the word Hallowed The tye of copulation is Thy To speake somewhat more fully of this purpose it shall not be amisse to follow the order either of the civill or common law both of them referre the whole body or bulke of of their law to these three Ad Personas Res Actiones Iustin lib. 1. Instit titulo 2. in fine Lancelot institut Iure Canon lib. 1. Titus 3. in fine Pardon mee a little to invert their order and it shall serve for the better illustration of our matter In handling of this petition three things are to be cōsidered some things some actions some persons in peculiar The thing proposed is Gods name The action concerning it is the fanctifying or hallowing thereof The peculiar person whose name should be sanctified is Gods name beyond all other name or things in heaven in earth or under the earth Let us now come to the Subject of this Petition Gods name For understanding hereof know that names of things are the notes and demonstrations of the true beeing of them and serve to represent unto our understanding the true knowledge of the things themselves by the assistance of voice and aire This made Aristotle in his book of interpretation to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is cleare by the denomination of all the creatures of God for as the folly of a foole is knowne in nothing more then in denominating of things amisse so is the wisdome of man knowne in nothing more then in the true denomination of things presented before him This being the sole and absolute difference betwixt them that as a thing doth give essence to the name so the name giveth a declaration of the thing Res est nominis ratio nomen est rei signū But lest in stead of playing the divine I should seeme to play the Philosopher let mee shew you that names are of three sorts First some givē to the creatures by man Secondly some given to man by God Thirdly some given and ascribed by God to himselfe I say first some names were given to Gods creatures by Adam for it is written As Adam called every living creature so was the name thereof This was a part of that image of God imprinted in Adam in the beginning that as the Parent the Master and Conquerour of all Gods creatures he imposed names unto them yet was not this his soveraignty absolute but subordinate for though the name was Adams yet the workemanship was Gods God made the creatures Adam onely was the godfather unto them and therefore wee see that Adam who gave a name to every creature yet did not assume a name to himselfe hee named the creatures but God named him and called him Adam Secondly I say that as man gave names to the creatures so God giveth a name to man as is evident not onely in that which he gave to Adam and Evah his chiefe creatures but also in those which hee hath sometimes given to men before they came from their mothers belly as to Cyrus Iosiah Iohn the Baptist and to Iesus Christ and in those names which hee did change from a naturall to a spirituall signification as Abram to Abraham Sarai to Sarah Iacob to Israel and Ieconiah to Coniah shewing us that as our parent our Master and our Conqueror he both gives and changes names unto us at his pleasure Thirdly I say God taketh a name to himselfe for since names are but the signification of things that are and of that which they are none can give a name to God because none doth know what hee is for he is infinite and wee finite he is incomprehensible and all our judgement may bee comprized within a spanne onely he himselfe who hath his beeing of himselfe and giveth a beeing to all things that are can of himselfe and by himselfe declare what hee is and make his name knowne unto man according to that which is written No man hath seene the Father at any time save the Sonne who is in the bosome of the Father neither hath any man knowne the Father save the Son and hee to whom the Sonne reveales him And now this being spoken in generall concerning names it rests that wee looke in particular to the name of God And if any shall aske the meaning thereof I answer that three things are signified by it his essence his workes and his word for the name of God is two wayes taken in Scripture First essentially secondly with relation Essentially it is taken for himselfe as in the 20. Psal The name of the God of Iacob defend thee that is to say the God of Iacob defend thee And againe 10. Ro. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved that is whosoever shall call on the Lord relatively the name of God in Scripture is three wayes taken for his attributes his workes and his words For his attributes of justice or of mercy looke to Pharaoh I will get my selfe a name of him The second relation of it is to his word and the truth thereof and of this it is said that Ierusalem was the place which hee had chosen for his name for as the Law was given from Sinai so the grace of the Gospell went first out from Ierusalem And lastly his name is relative to his workes for so is it written God is knowne in Israell and in Iudah hee hath manifested his name Vse Now having in some measure delineated unto you him that is invisible not as he is knowne of us but as he manifesteth himselfe unto us in his attributes his word and his workes let us stay a little and draw from thence some comfort to our owne soules which surely is here in great measure to bee found for whilst wee looke on the manner of the revelation how God hath made himselfe known to us by his name who is hee that cannot nor will not infinitely rejoyce therein For it is true indeed that many times and in divers manners God made himselfe knowne to the world of old yet all were but clouds in respect of our light all was darknesse in respect of our day and all were but shadows in respect of that sweet Sun-shine that hath now appeared unto us in Jesus Christ his Sonne in whom hee hath made his name fully knowne and to whom in our flesh hee hath given a name farre above every name that is named that at the name of Jesus made manifest in our flesh every knee should bow both of things that are in heaven and in earth But thou wilt inquire of me O man Did not God make himselfe
this that God demonstratively teacheth us how wee shall know whether wee bee members of his kingdome or not I finde that there is a lesson requisite to every Christian to be learned to salvation to wit That hee should try and examine himselfe in what measure of grace he standeth For many times our hearts flatter us and we cry peace to our selves when God meanes us no peace Yea many times wee condemne our selves in the sense of our sinnes when God condemneth us not nor mindeth any thing but our excitation from security Least therefore that we should mistake looking upon a flattering security as a true peace And least in the day of our visitation wee should mistake the arrowes of Ionathans advertisement for the arrowes of Sauls malice and destruction God hath given us here a touchstone to know both the nature of our peace as also of our correction which is this Looke to Gods will and what thou hast done concerning it Whilst thy soule speaks peace to thee and sayes with the Publican I thanke God I am not a sinner as this man content not thy selfe with that naked and generall verdict for it may deceive thee as it did him For he went away unjustified But draw rather home to the conscience of thy obedience and see how thy will hath beene subdued to Gods will and thy affections captivated to his obedience and from thence draw home in a practicall Syllogisme the true assurance of thy joy For as by faith in Jesus Christ wee have peace with God so on the other part nothing is more sure then that faith worketh by love that faith without workes is but a dead faith and he that brags of it may well have a name that he is living but in effect he is dead Againe on the other part it is as requisite for our comfort in the day of our troubled conscience by sinne that wee looke to the care of our obedience to Gods will for as the Apostle Paul telleth us Of my selfe I know no evill yet by this I am not justified And againe Of my selfe I know no good yet by this I am not condemned So it is with every Christian as he hath not so much good in him as by vertue of his merit may make him looke to get heaven So hath hee not so much evill in him as can sequestrate him from heaven if he have but a will and desire to doe Gods will For the best of Gods Saints may bee justified but are not in this life sanctified wholly There is in them two men the old and the new the flesh and the Spirit and these are so contrary one to the other that wee cannot doe the things which we would Yet in the middest of this our defect if wee have a delight in Gods law concerning the inner man all is well for by this we may know that hee hath begunne and will accomplish his work in us Yea what is more since the first Adam fell never man was able to doe Gods will Jesus Christ being excepted Not Abraham David Salomon nor Sampson Only Jesus Christ the second Adam hath fully done it and in his perfect obedience hath covered our defects and imperfections Two documents and evidents whereof wee have in Scripture One in the Epistle to the Collossians cap. 1.19 Another in the fourtieth Ps I desire to do thy will ô God saith David But in the tenth to the Hebrewes Loe here I am For in thy booke it is written of mee I come to doe thy will O God To come now to the Petition it selfe the parts thereof are two The first is simple and positive The second is comparative or set downe with a reference The simple and positive part is Thy will be done The comparative part is In Earth as it is in Heaven To returne to the first part In it three things are remarkable 1. What is the Object we looke to and it is a Will 2. Whose will it is wee should have respect unto and it is Gods Thy. 3. What way should wee be exercised after the knowledge of his will And that is wee should obey it Thy will be done Will. To speake of these things then as they lie in order Of the object of our Petition Gods will Wee must know that by the learned the will of God is diversly taken and considered Sometimes it is distinguished in an antecedent and consequent will So Damaseen lib. 2. cap. 46. Sometimes they distinguish it in the wil of his good pleasure and the will of his signification So Lumbardus Scholastici lib. 10. destinctione 45. Sometimes they distinguish it in an effectuall and ineffectuall Will. So Augustine in his Manuall 102. 103. But the Church in her latter times looking on the will of God hath found it taken three manner of wayes 1. For that faculty of power and willing which is in God And this they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. For the act of his willing and this they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. For the thing which he willeth And this they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As for the first signification whilst it is taken for the power of willing In that sense it is one with the essence of God For as God in himselfe and by himselfe understands and knoweth and is wise so also he willeth For whatsoever is in God is God and that neither by way of accident or composition but by way of essence and essentially As to the second for the act of his willing Wee must understand that God willeth not as man willeth For man being but a finite and temporall creature willeth but in time and that in variety alteration and change But God being infinite and unchangeable hath willed from eternity that which is done in time or shall bee done after all time and nothing is or shall bee done for ever but that which in eternity hee both willed and decreed And in this sense the will of God is one with the essence of God also For as he is eternall and immutable so is also his will As to the third and last signification to wit the thing which God willeth For understanding hereof know that the object of Gods wil is three-fold First hee willeth himselfe and his owne glory Secondly he willeth something concerning the end of his creatures these are called his decrees Thirdly he willeth something concerning the way to that end and that is either obedience or disobedience Now it may bee enquired what is meant here by the will of God I answere not the first not the second but the third And that in all the three acceptations thereof both that which concerneth himselfe and his glory in that which concerneth the end of the cretures and in that which concerneth the way to that end But if these bee too deepe for thee I will speake more plainly and point out to the will of God concerning us for thy better understanding