of the revealed will of God which he hath propounded as a rule to square our actions by and therefore sinne is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of the law Ad legem testimonium To the law and testimony 2. If all things come to passe as God hath willed and decreed then sinne also and how then is not God the authour of sinne Some things God hath decreed to do some things he hath decreed to suffer to be done Of those things which he hath decreed to do his will is the efficient cause as of his creatures and all good things Of those things which he hath onely decreed should be effected by such and such causes his will is not the cause as namely sinne And howsoever sin is evil yet it is good that sinne should be for the manifestation of the glory both of the mercy of God and also of his justice and therefore though the Lord doth not velle peccatum per se will sinne properly by it self yet he doth will it per accidens by accident as it is referred to good ends Again sinne may be considered as it is malum culpae or malum poenae an evil of fault or evil of punishment Sinne as it is a punishment is a work of justice in him that punisheth for it is just that he that doth commit malum culpae the evil of fault should suffer malum poenae the evil of punishment as it is therefore a punishment i. a work of justice and not sin it is willed of God the authour of all good In sin as it is malum culpae the evil of fault three things do concurre actus macula reatus the act stain guilt The action is materiale peccati the matter of sin the corruption is formale peccati the form of sin reatus est obligatio ad poenam the guilt is the obligation to punishment the which is just as the punishment it self The action as it is an action severed from the corruption is good Omne ens quatenus ens est bonum Every being as it is a being is good and God is the authour of it for in him we live and move and have our being Acts 17. 28. But of the corruption wherewith the action is stained God is not the cause For unto every action concurreth the first cause and some secondary cause depending from him as being the instrument of the first The which instrument being bad as many times it is there is a double work in the action one of the first cause good the other of the instrument evil God then is the cause of the action but not of the corruption but yet useth ordereth disposeth the corruption of the instrument for the execution of his own good work When the Lord gave his Sonne to death he used Judas as his instrument The action is the delivering of Christ which as it came from God was a most glorious work John 3. 16. Rom. 8. 32. But quem Deus tradidit Judas prodidit whom God delivered Judas betrayed When God will chastise his servant he useth some wicked man as his instrument to afflict him This affliction as it cometh from God is castigatio a chastisement but as from the instrument persecutio rapina c. persecution rapine c. A man that rideth on a lame horse is the cause why he goeth but not why he halteth Again Deus non est autor ejus cujus est ultor God is not the authour of that of which he is the punisher and revenger Thus we see that howsoever God doth voluntarily permit sinne and also useth ordereth and disposeth the same to good ends for such is his wisdome that he knoweth how to use that well which is evil yet he cannot be said properly to will sinne which he hateth or to be the authour of it which he revengeth For this priviledge Gods will hath Whatsoever it willeth it is therefore good but sinne as it is sinne cannot be good But to return to my purpose That this absolute will of God be performed we need not to pray unlesse it be to shew our affection to Gods glory and conformity submission to his will As in the time of affliction The will of the Lord be done Neither indeed doth our Saviour speak of it as appeareth by the clause following in earth as it is in heaven Secondly therefore the will of God which he requireth to be done of his creatures quatenus praecipit vel prohibet so farre forth as he commandeth or forbiddeth which is therefore called voluntas Revelata Conditionalis Signi Antecedens Inefficax non quatenus promittit vel minatur absque conditione est decreti revelatio the Revealed will Conditionall of the Signe Antecedent Inesficacious not as he promiseth or threatneth and without condition is the revelation of the decree Now the word of God is called voluntas signi the will of the signe because it signifieth what our duty is and what is acceptable unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and conditionall because it doth not shew simply what God will have done but upon condition Si vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata Si vis servari crede If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments If thou wilt be saved believe and inefficax uneffectuall because it is not alwayes performed Fit voluntas Dei de omnibus non ab omnibus The will of God is done concerning all though not of all To do the will of God is in respect of the matter to perform that which he commandeth after the same manner to the same end that he appointeth but if you look into our weakenesse this doing of Gods will by us is especially to be understood of the will and endeavour which the Lord in his children accepteth as the deed Precamur optamus ut non tantùm faciat Deus quod vult sed nos facere possimus quod vult We pray and wish not onely that God do what he will but that we may be able to do what he will Whereas therefore this will of God is contemned of men oppugned by the flesh the world the devil and yet must of necessity be obeyed of us if either we would be subjects of the kingdome of grace or inheritours of the kingdome of glory great cause there is why we should instantly make this prayer c. In earth that is by us men on earth and consequently as Paul speaketh Tit. 2. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this present world So as Oecumenius saith on that place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this life susteineth the fight but the life to come shall receive the reward In this life eternall life is either won or lost In this life we must do the will of God or else we shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven Matth. 7. 22. According to that which every man doth in the flesh shall he be judged 2. Cor. 5. 10. And therefore
the spirit of regeneration In respect of the former it is said that the righteous man shall live by his faith In respect of the latter that he is a righteous man which worketh righteousnesse And this twofold righteousnesse must of necessitie concurre in the same partie c. By the doctrine therefore of the Gospel he is a righteous a godly man a Saint of God who doth believe and repent And this is to be understood not onely of those who are indued with perfect faith and repentance or the higher degrees thereof but even of the lowest degrees of true faith and unfeigned repentance So that whosoever truly assenting in his judgement to the promises of the Gospel concerning salvation by Christ doth earnestly in his heart desire to be made partaker of Christ and hiâ—… merits and unfeignedly resolveth in his will to acknowledge Christ to be his Saviour and to rest upon him alone for salvation he doth believe to justification And whosoever being displeased with himself for his sinnes doth unfeignedly desire and truly purpose amendment of life he doth repent to sanctification And he that but thus believeth and repenteth is within the latitude of those faithfull and righteous men whose prayers are acceptable unto God and whose persons are accepted yea blessed of him Matth. 5. 3 4 5. and 11. 28. Psal. 34. 18. Examples of Manasseh 2. Chron. 33. 13. the Publicane Luke 18. And these beginnings of faith and repentance do alwayes concurre in our regeneration or conversion unto God For in regenerating us the holy Ghost doth ingenerate in us the grace of faith and contrariwise CHAP. X. None but the faithfull can pray effectually and acceptably NOw how necessarie it is that he which prayeth acceptably should be a righteous or faithfull man indued with some measure of true faith and unfeigned repentance it may appear both by manifest reasons and manifold testimonies of holy Scriptures wherein the promise of hearing the prayer is restrained to the righteous and all hope of being heard denied to the wicked First then it is necessary that he who calleth upon God should be indued with faith For how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed Rom. 10. 14. and Without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. and likewise with repentance For unlesse a man repent he reteineth a purpose to go on in sinne and this his impenitencie or sinne not repented of is as a wall of separation between God and him God heareth not impenitent sinners as hereafter we shall shew Secondly before our prayers or other actions can be accepted of God our persons must be accepted in Christ Neither can the fruit be good while the tree is bad neither can we hope to prevail with God by intreaty whiles we do not desire to be reconciled unto him but as we were born the children of wrath so his wrath abideth upon us John 3. 36. and we do continue in our enmitie against God Thirdly there is no accesse to God but through Christ by the holy Ghost Ephes. 2. 18. and 3. 12. But the unbelieving and impenitent sinner as he hath no part in Christ so is he void of the holy Ghost Fourthly it cannot be but that the prayer of the unbelieving and impenitent sinners is very absurd and odious in Gods sight because they ask many â—…imes such things as they do not desire and promise such things as they do not mean to perform and bear the Lord in hand that they be such men then whom they are nothing lesse going about to deceive the Lord with their mouthes and with their lips speaking lies unto him Psal. 78. and in all their prayers and praises concerning spirituall things playing the notorious hypocrites before God For the manifestation whereof let us take a brief survey of the Lords prayer whereof the impenitent sinner is not able to utter one word aright and if not of that then of none for that is the summe of all First therefore they call God their Father in Christ when as they are nothing lesse then his children For he that committeth sinne is of the devil 1. John 3. 8. and his children they are whose works they do John 8. They say Our Father Give us as though in brotherly love they prayed for the whole brotherhood of the faithfull whereas they being void of Christian charitie seek onely themselves and have no part in the communion of Saints They direct their prayers to God who is â—…n heaven infinite in majestie glory and power themselves being on earth vile and base creatures Eccles 5. as if they came in great humility in respect of their own unworthinesse and reverence in respect of the glorious majestie of God whereas indeed they rush into the presence of God with lesse regard and speak unto him with lesse reverence then they would to a mortall man who is but a little their superiour They call him Father noting his love which art in heaven noting his power as if they believed that their prayers should be granted as being assured that God is both willing and able to grant their desires and yet have no faith in God and therefore call not upon him aright in whom they have not believed In the first place they beg the advancement of Gods glory as if that were more deare unto them then their own good whereas in truth they have no zeal of Gods glory but unto it preferre the obteining of any worldly and sinfull desire They pray that his name may be sanctified which they do daily pollute with their mouthes and by their lives do cause it to be blasphemed They desire that his kingdome may câ—…me and that his will may be done as though they did first seek the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse whereof indeed they have no studie or care but are wholly addicted to worldly desires They pray that the kingdome of grace may be advanced and that God would rule and reigne in them by his Spirit according to his word when they are in the number of those who say We will not have this man to reigne over us resisting the spirit and casting the word behind their backs They pray that the kingdome of glory may be hastened by the speedy coming of Christ unto judgement and yeâ—…desire nothing lesse then the second coming of Christ. They desire that Gods will may be done which themselves will not do The will of God is their conversion and sanctification that they should abstein from those sinnes whereunto they are more specially addicted but though they know it to be the will of God that they should turn unto him they will not turn that they should leave their speciall sinnes they will not leave them as the drunkard his drunkennesse the whoremaster his fornication c. and yet like egregious hypocrites do pray that they may do the will of God as it is done in heaven that is after an angelical manner readily
profit and necessity of those things which we crave that so our affections may be inflamed with a desire thereof as also of the necessity of Gods help that except the Lord heare us and help us our case is desperate So David prayeth Psal. 28. 1. and 143. 6 7. Heare me O Lord and hide not thy face else I shall be like to them that go down into the pit Fourthly we are upon extraordinary occasions to joyn fasting with our prayers as we are directed in many places of the Scripture For fasting as it causeth the hunger of the body so it is an effectuall means to stirre up and increase the hunger of the soul. For which cause the Fathers call fasting orationis alas the wings of prayer CHAP. XXX Of Faith which is chiefly required in prayer BUt the chief thing which maketh prayer effectuall is Faith whereof Fervency it self is a fruit And therefore our Saviour attributeth the earnestnesse and importunity of the woman of Syrophenicia's prayer to the greatnesse of her faith Matth. 15. 28. For that prayer which S. James chap. 5. 16. calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 15. verse he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prayer of saith Now in prayer there is a double faith required The one more generall apprehending the promises of the Gospel concerning salvation by Christ by which we are in some measure perswaded that we and our prayers are accepted of God in Christ Of which I have spoken before in the general doctrine Rom. 10. 14. Heb. 11. 6. Ephes. 3. 12. The other more speciall giving speciall assent to the promise made to our prayer whereby we are perswaded that our particular requests shall be granted unto us according to Gods gracious promise in this behalf Matth. 7. 7 8. John 14. 13 14. and 16. 23 24. To pray effectually therefore is to pray faithfully For what things soever saith our Saviour ye desire when ye pray believe that ye shall receive them and ye shall have them And it is usuall with our Saviour Christ to dismisse his suiters with this answer As thou believest so be it unto thee On the other side he prayeth not effectually who doubteth whether he shall be heard or not Wherefore as S. James saith chap. 1. 5. If any man want wisdome let him ask it of God and it shall be given him But let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed to and fro Neither let that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. So S. Paul 1. Tim. 2. 8. would have men pray without doubting Examples Psal. 4. 3. and 55. 16 17. And the Apostle S. John saith This is our confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him 1. John 5. 14 15. Wherefore seeing in Christ we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence by the faith of him Ephes. 3. 12. we ought as we are exhorted Hebr. 4. 16. to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtein mercy and find grace to help in time of need and draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 19 22. But here a distinction is to be used In matters spirituall necessary to salvation as we are to ask them absolutely as being perswaded that God hath subordinated our salvation to his own glory so are we absolutely to believe that the Lord will grant them unto us Yea this may be added for our comfort that if God hath given us grace unfeignedly and earnestly to desire any saving grace the same grace is begun in us In matters temporall or spirituall which are not necessary to salvation as 2. Cor. 12. as we are to ask them conditionally so far forth as they may stand with Gods glory and the good of our selves and our brethren so are we to believe that he will so far forth grant them and therefore that he will either grant our desire or that which is better For which cause in such requests we are most willingly with our Saviour Christ to submit our will and desires to the will and pleasure of God Matth. 26. 39 42. who as he knoweth what is good for us better then our selves so he is most ready to give good things unto us Matth. 7. 11. and therefore we are alwayes to believe that our requests being rightly conceived shall be granted unto us I would believe that I should be heard were it not for mine unworthinesse and my wants in prayer Indeed thou mayest be such an one and such may be thy prayers as thou canst have no hope to be heard that is if thou be an impenitent and unbelieving sinner God will not heare thee or if thou pray in hypocrisâ—…e and dissimulation the Lord will not heare thy prayer But if thou art a penitent and believing sinner yea if thou dost unfeignedly desire to believe and repent and dost pray unto the Lord in truth with unfeigned lips thou oughtest to pray with assurance to be heard and this thy faith and assurance must not be grounded on thine own worthinesse or dignitie of thy prayer but on the undoubted promises of God and on the merits and mediation of Christ in whom both we our prayers are accepted of God As for the sense of thine unworthinesse if it be in truth and joyned with unfeigned desire of grace it ought to make thee the rather to pray in faith for such as I have shewed our Saviour calleth with promise to heare and help them And such he pronounceth blessed Matth. 11. 28. John 7. 37. Matth. 5. 4 5 6. Now for the helping of our faith we are in our preparation to meditate of these things especially First of the power of God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we do ask or think Eph. 3. 20. Secondly of his fatherly good will who will deny us nothing that is good Matth. 7. 11. The consideration of both which our Saviour hath prefixed before the Lords prayer when he teacheth us to call upon God as our Father therein noting his love good will which is in heaven therein noting his power Psal. 111. 3. that being perswaded that God is both able and willing to grant our requests we might pray in faith and assurance that our prayer shall be heard Thirdly of his gracious promises made unto prayer as Matth. 7. 7 8. John 16. 23 24. which if we cannot find in our hearts to believe we are not to pray for in not believing we make God a liar Lastly and especially of the merits and mediation of our Saviour Christ who sitteth at the right hand of his Father making intercession for us Though our prayer must be fervent and confident
that for which they are not thankfull either because they have it not or do not think themselves beholding to God for it Luke 18. And as in prayer the Lord especially regardeth the desire of the heart so in thanksgiving the thankfulnesse of the soul. Now unto this thankfulnesse there is required grata recordatio mindfulnesse in the soul agnitio acknowledgement in the soul affectio affection in the heart For first if we be not mindfull of Gods benefits non habemus gratias we bear them not in mind we are not thankfull And therefore we are often stirred up to remember Gods benefits and straitly charged that we do not forget them for to forget them is to be unthankfull See Deuâ—… 6. 10 11 12. and 8. 11 14 17 18. and 32. 15 18. Psal. 103. 2. and 116. 21. And this remembrance it must be effectuall moving us to be thankfull both in heart word and deed Psal. 78. 7. Deut. 8. 11. The second is a gratefull acknowledgement beneficii Divini of Gods goodnesse and officii nostri of our beholdingnesse To the gratefull acknowledgement of Gods benefit is required first a faithfull agnizing of the authour or benefactour and a right prizing of the benefit For if we would be truly thankfull unto God we must acknowledge what good thing soever we have whether spirituall or temporall by what means soever that God is the authour and giver thereof Jam. 1. 17. But infidelity in not acknowledging God to be the giver but either resting in the secondary causes which are but the instruments of God or ascribing the good things we have either to our good fortune or to our own industry or worthinesse maketh men unthankfull unto God For faithlesse men as when they desire any good thing which they want do not seek unto God so having obteined their desire they do not return praise unto him but ascribe the good thing which they have either to blind fortune with profane Atheists or to their idoles with idolaters and Papists Hos. 2. 5 8. or else rest in secondary causes as the principall and preferre the tool before the workman Isai. 10. 15. or attribute it to their own means and industry and so sacrifice to their net Hab. 1. 16. or lastly to their own wisdome and worthinesse as if they were gods to themselves Deut. 8. 17 18. The second thing is a gratefull estimate and a right prizing of Gods benefits as well when we have them as when we want them But ungratefull men lightly esteem the benefits of God when they have them which they greatly desire and highly prize when they want them The which is most usuall in ordinary blessings The benefits of health of peace of liberty the spirituall food of Gods word c. we make no reckoning of them when we have them but carendomagis quà m fruendo by wanting rather then enjoying them we learn rightly to prize them and God many times bereaveth men of these benefits that by the want they may learn rightly to value them and to be thankfull unto him for them Our duty therefore is not to extenuate Gods blessings but with thankfull acknowledgement rather to amplifie them in respect of the greatnesse of them the excellency the profit the commodiousnesse the necessity the sufficiencie saying with the Psalmist Psal. 16. 6. acknowledging also therein Gods wisdome power goodnesse fatherly providence and bounty towards us being perswaded that he doth all things well Mark 7. 37. and that by the gracious dispensation of his good providence he causeth all things to work for our good Rom. 8. 28. They therefore are unthankfull who either extenuate or lightly esteem the benefits of God which as I said is usuall in ordinary blessings Num. 11. 6. or which is worse do take in ill part that which God hath done for their good Deut. 1. 27. which is usuall in the fatherly chastisements and crosses which God layeth upon us for our profit Heb. 12. 10. But who is wise and will observe these things even he shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord Psal. 107. 43. And as we are thankfully to acknowledge Gods goodnesse towards us so also we are humbly to acknowledge our own beholdingnesse Which we shall the better do if to the acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse we shall adde the consideration of our own nullity in our selves and our own unworthinesse For first if we consider that we came naked into the world in respect of temporall blessings and void of all spirituall goodnesse we will acknowledge that what good thing soever we have we are beholding unto the Lord for it Job 1. Naked we came into the world and naked we shall go out of it for what have we that we have not received 1. Cor. 4. 7. and that by the grace of God we are that we are 1. Cor. 15. 10. But secondly if we adde thereto the consideration of our unworthinesse by reason of our sinnes by which we have deserved the plagues of God in this life and eternall damnation in the life to come we shall be thankfull to God in all estates acknowledging that he hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Psal. 103. 10. In time of distresse we shall acknowledge his great bounty that we are not consumed Lam. 3. 22. and so be thankfull for his privative blessings And for the positive if we have any as we never are without some more or lesse we will acknowledge with Jacob Gen. 32. 10. that we are lesse then the least of his mercies But if in stead of heaping his judgements upon us which we have deserved he multiply his blessings which we have not deserved in the least degree how are we then to acknowledge our own unworthinesse with David 1. Chron. 17. 16. and 29. 14 15. True humility therefore is the mother of thankfulnesse But pride contrariwise maketh men unthankfull perswading themselves either that they have not so much as they are worthy of and so are discontented that they have no more or that whatsoever they have is to be ascribed to their own worthinesse wisdome or strength Deut. 8. 17. Isai. 10. 13. which is to make themselves Gods Ezek. 28. 4 5 6. Dan. 4. 30. Now this acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and our beholdingnesse if it be effectuall as it ought to be will work upon the heart that it shall be gratefully affected with the sense of Gods goodnesse and bounty towards us causing us to love God and rejoyce in him and to be obsequious towards God in all duties of thankfulnesse For upon this sense and acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse towards us wherewith we are affected followeth alacrity and chearfulnesse which is the second inward duty required in thanksgiving For as the Lord loveth a chearfull giver so a chearfull thanksgiver and as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanks cometh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to rejoyce so 〈◊〉
absolute necessity not indeed of constraint but of nature for most willingly he willeth His creatures he willeth most freely having liberty either to will them or to nill them Howbeit things willed come to passe by necessity not absolute but ex hypothesi voluntatis Divinae on the condition of Gods will Now God willeth the means not thereby to perfect the end which is himself or to purchase any good to himself for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most perfect and doth not stand in need of any of his creatures Psal. 16. 2. but he willeth them propter se communicandum that they by the communication of himself unto them may be perfected Omnia ordinantur infinem ut à fine perficiantur All things are ordained unto an end that from the end they may be perfected So that he willeth and willeth well to his creatures for their good and not for his own which commendeth the riches of his love towards us But to proceed Those things that God willeth concerning his creatures are either quae fieri vult de creaturis aut quae fieri vult à creaturis the things that he will have done concerning the creatures or the things which he will have done of the creatures the knowledge of both which must be sought after so farre forth as it hath pleased him to reveal the same or promised to reveal it Deut. 29. 29. Rom. 12. 2. That which is voluntas beneplaciti concerning the creatures is the will of his good pleasure which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 11. 25 26. and decretum Dei the decree of God The which is partly secret which the Lord will not have foreknown and therefore we must religiously adore it not curiously search it Rom. 11. 33 34. Acts 1. 7. John 21. 23. partly revealed And this decretum Dei decree of God is either universall concerning the government of the world or more speciall concerning the salvation of the elect or damnation of the reprobate The former revealed in part both beforehand to the Prophets and also by the events the latter revealed by his Sonne in the Gospel John 6. 40. Eph. 1. 5. What this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good pleasure of God is not onely towards the elect in generall but also towards himself every Christian ought to know For besides that it is declared in the Scriptures sealed by the Sacraments confirmed by his daily benefits the holy Ghost also revealeth this knowledge unto us 1. Cor. 2. 10 12. Rom. 8. 39. Gal. 20. 20. 2. Tim. 1. 12. Rom. 5. 5. The will which God willeth to be performed of us is voluntas signi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is well-pleasing Col. 1. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is acceptable Ephes. 5. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That will of God which is good acceptable and perfect Rom. 12. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This will we are bound to know Eph. 5. 17. because he hath revealed it in his word because we are to practice it and according to it as the rule of justice are to frame and fashion our wills not onely to will the same things but also after the same manner with love unfeigned to the same ends seeking the glory of God and the good of our brethren And of this will doth our Saviour speak This in generall is whatsoever the Lord requireth of us either in the Law or Gospel But more specially there are some branches thereof recorded in the word of God As it is the will of God that so many as shall be saved being adulti come to age shall come unto knowledge of his truth 1. Tim. 2. 4. that a sinner should convert unto him Ezech. 33. 11. that we should believe in Christ 1. John 3. 23. that we should be thankfull unto him for his mercies 1. Thess. 5. 18. that we should be sanctified 1. Thess. 4. 3. and by weldoing stop the mouthes of the ignorant 1. Pet. 2. 15. that we should patiently and chearfully suffer affliction Matth. 16. 24 25. Unto this will of God are opposed the flesh which is enmity against God the desires of the world the will of Satan which is sinne and whatsoever is an enemie to the performance of this will And therefore as we are taught to pray that Gods will may be done so also that these things which be contrary and are impediments may be removed Thy will which is not onely just but also the rule of all justice Not our will nor the will of Satan or of the world For here we are taught to pray that our words and our lives may be framed according to the will of God which is the rule of justice and that we may have grace to deny our selves and our own will renounce the desires of the world resist the will of the devil that he would create new hearts in us and establish us by his free Spirit that we may will and desire such things as are acceptable unto him And surely if our Saviour Christ whose will was pure said Not my will but thine be done how much more ought we so to desire Fiat be done But here it may be demanded Whether the will of the Lord be alwayes performed or not and if it be to what end serveth this prayer and if not how can that be verified Isai. 46. 10. Consilium meum stabit omnem voluntatem meam faciam My counsel shall stand and I will do all my will The will of God is diversly taken in the scriptures For sometime it signifieth the decree of God whereby he willeth simply and absolutely Which is called voluntas Absoluta Beneplaciti Consequens Efficax Invicta the Absolute will of his Good pleasure Consequent Effectuall and Unresistable This will of God is alwayes performed Psal. 115. 3. Quaecunque vult facit he doth whatsoever he will and 135. 6. Isai. 46. 10. Omnis mea voluntas fiet All my will shall be done Neither is any thing able to resist this will Isai. 14. 26 27. Rom. 9. 19. Which also is proved by his omnipotencie And therefore we may truly say that voluntas Dei est omnium rerum necessitas the will of God is the necessity of all things and that in respect hereof all things come to passe necessarily howsoever in respect of secondary causes some things are necessary and some contingent And this will is so effectuall and invincible that whatsoever happeneth cometh to passe according to the will of God who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will Ephes. 1. 11. yea the very enemies of God when they do most oppose themselves against the will of God do unwittingly perform it Acts 4. 28. But hence arise two objections 1. If that which the wicked do happen according to the will of God how can they be said to sinne Sinne is not the transgression of the secret and hidden will of God which cannot be hindred but