the Earth did quake the Rocks did rend the Graves were opened the Veil of the Temple was rent in the midst from the top to the bottom to signifie that the great High-Priest having offered himself by the eternal Spirit without spot was entring with his own Blood into the Holy Place of Heaven to obtain eternal Redemption and the expiation of mans sin for ever The very frame of Heaven and Earth seem'd to be shaken in the time of this great suffering men were astonished women wept many beat their breasts the Centurion who had the charge of this execution was convinced that the party executed was the Son of God Our blessed Saviour suffered this death with unparallell'd patience meekness he laid down his life willingly in obedience to his heavenly Father and out of love and a longing desire of sinful mans salvation No man could take it from him till the hour was come and he was willing to part with it because he as a Priest and general head and representative of mankind offered his life unto his heavenly Father as supreme Judge as a ransom for sinful man therefore his death was the greatest Sacrifice and the highest piece of service and obedience that ever was performed and was so highly accepted of God that it made him propitious satisfied his Justice merited his favour to sinful man made his sin pardonable and his salvation possible upon fairest terms whil'st he was by his own blood entring the sacrary of heaven his side is pierced and out of the same issue water and blood His body is taken from the Cross decently interred in a new Sepulchre where never any man was laid before his soul abides for a time separate and under the power of death and his humiliation did continue till the Resurrection and by his burial he hallows the grave to all believers By this Humiliation thus finished the foundation of our eternal salvation is laid and a way prepared and opened for a passage into heavens Kingdom I believe that Jesus Christ who was thus humbled who suffered cruel pains and was delivered to death for our transgressions was raised for our justification and so to communicate the mercies merited by his death converts us and procures the actuall remission of all the sins of such as repent and believe in him and by his life saves such as he had reconciled by his death He that did rise was the very same who died upon the Cross and the same body and soul which were separated by Death were united again by Resurrection as man he was raised as God he raised himself he rose never to die again but to live for evermore The time was the third day according to the predictions and prefigurations of old and the decree of God's eternal wisdom God did not suffer his Holy One to see corruption The manner of this Resurrection was glorious God then shook the Earth sent from Heaven an Angel appearing in great glory who terrified the Guard rouls away the stone which closed up the Sepulchre and made way for Christs Disciples to come freely and see that he was not there The Graves were opened divers of the Saints raised and appear'd in the holy City Death was conquered and divers of his Captives rescued out of his hands This his Resurrection was made manifest by testimony of Angels and of divers others who saw him spake with him and were assured of it he appears unto many and that many times and especially to the eleven Apostles who saw him heard him did eat and drink with him touched him with their hands To these he unfolds the Mysteries of his Kingdom gives them commission to go into all Nations and commands them to stay at Jerusalem till they received the Holy Ghost according to the promise of his Father God by thus raising him did manifest that he had accepted his Sufferings and Death as a full propitiation of the sins of men and by saying Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee made him universal King and Priest fully consecrated for ever He rose as head and representative of mankind especially of his Church and became not only the pattern but the first fruits and cause of our Resurrection so that as in Adam dying all died so in Him rising we shall all be made alive first to newness of life then to eternal glory The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead shall raise us from the death of sin unto newness of life and raise our bodies to immortality forty days he stays on Earth to comfort his Disciples strengthen their Faith make evident his Resurrection and give orders for the administration of his future Kingdom then he ascends from Mount Olivet in a Cloud up into the Heaven of Heavens Men and Angels being witnesses according to a former Vision that one like the Son of man came with the Clouds of Heaven and came unto the ancient of days and that the Angels brought him peace before him He ascended that he might fulfill all things send down the Holy Ghost enjoy full joy in his Fathers presence and pleasures at his right hand for ever make intercession for his Saints prepare eternal blessed mansions for them raise up their thoughts and affections to that heavenly estate he had merited and prepared for them that where he is our hearts might be also and that he might receive a place at his Fathers right hand so it was prophesied of old that when the Son of man was brought before the ancient of days there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People and Nations and Languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroy'd For his Father said unto him Sit at my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool and gave him a name above all names and set him far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but in that which is to come He was solemnly invested with a supreme universal power above all men and Angels established in his Kingdom confirmed by Oath in his everlasting Priesthood sent down the holy Ghost the Gospel the rod of his power went out of Zion he reigned in the midst of his enemies and many thousands did willingly submit unto him and his people for number were like drops of dew which fall from the womb of the morning When all things are fulfilled all enemies subdued the number of his Saints finished he will come from Heaven to determine of the final estate of men and Angels and judg both quick and dead And then he will deliver up his Kingdom to the Father that God may be all in all I believe that the Holy Ghost which is One God with the Father and the Son and is the Spirit of the Father and the Son by whom all things in Heaven and
world Amen CHAP. I. Of Christ's Universal Power Section 1 THese are the words of our blessed Saviour which he spake unto his Apostles and Disciples when after his Resurrection he was ready to ascend into Heaven for they pre-suppose Man's Sin Christ's Suffering and his Resurrection Man by sin had made himself miserable and liable to temporal and eternal death yet God was willing to deliver him Sin and Satan cast him down yet God in his abundant mercy was pleased to raise him up again The way which his eternal Wisdom had contrived to effect this great deliverance was strange wonderful his only begotten Son even that word which was God and by which he made the world must be made flesh and assume the nature of man and in that nature must take upon him the form of a servant be obedient unto death the death of the Cross rise again and be advanced to the highest pitch of glory so that the means of mans salvation are the humiliation and exaltation of the Son of God By his humiliation and sacrifice of himself he expiates mans sin satisfies Divine Justice and merits all mercies and blessings necessary for the full and eternal happiness of man By his exaltation he makes his sufferings effectual and communicates the benefits he had merited for we read That he was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification Rom. 4. 25. To be delivered for our offences was his humiliation unto death for our sins to render them pardonable To be raised again for our justification was his exaltation for the obtaining of actual remission his humiliation begins his exaltation consummates our salvation For being advanced to the right hand of his Father he sends down the Holy Ghost reveals the Gospel causeth it to be preached to all Nations and by his Word and Spirit converts man and plants the heavenly vertue of Faith in his heart and upon Conversion and Faith makes intercession in Heaven and procures his actual pardon reconciliation with his God and in the end the enjoyment of eternal glory so that without his humiliation man is not savable and without his exaltation he is not actually saved And thus we must understand that of the same Apostle For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. where we must observe That the death of Christ is his humiliation his life is his exaltation 2. That reconciliation is ascribed to his death salvation to his life For the Death and Blood of Christ was the propitiation for our sins and the foundation of our reconciliation the life and exaltation of Christ by his Word and Spirit converting us and making intercession for us is the cause of actual salvation Sect. 2. As in the two former Chapters we may read of Christs suffering death and humiliation whereby he mirited incomparable mercies and blessings so in this we read of his resurrection and the manner how he will apply and communicate his blessings and that is by a commission and power received and a commission and power given for the subject of the words are a two-fold commission The first granted by God to Christ The second by Christ to his Apostles These agree in some things differ in others 1. They agree as commissions giving great power 2. As expressing an unspeakable love unto and a tender care of sinful man 3 As issuing from the supream and universal Lord. 4. As tending to the same end mans eternal salvation yet they differ in these things 1. The former commission is granted by God immediately to Christ the latter is granted from God by Christ unto the Apostles 2. The former is the cause of the latter the latter an effect of the former 3. By the former Christ receives an universal power in heaven and earth and by the latter the Apostles receive only a limited power on earth Sect. 3. I will not say much of the first commission expressed in these words Ver. 18. All power in heaven and earth is given unto me Wherein he signifies that he had large power and it was given him where we must consider 1. Power given 2. The party to whom it was given 3. The donor or the Donation of it from the Donour In the power we may observe 1. The nature and quality of it 2. The measure of it 1. For the nature and quality of it it is spiritual and divine for Christ said My kingdom is not of this world John 18. 36. That is it s no secular power like that of the Princes of the world it s far more excellent and above it in respect of the subjects the laws the judgments the end thereof The subjects besides Angels are men considered in a spiritual notion and as capable of an eternal estate The Laws also are spiritual and bind not only Angels but the immortal souls and consciences of men Such are the judgments which determine and accord not only temporal but eternal punishments and rewards The end in respect of all loyal and obedient subjects is eternal peace and felicity for God gave Christ power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as he had given him John 17. 2. 2. The measure of this power is extensive and intensive Extensive in respect of the territory which is very large even the whole world whereof there be two parts heaven and earth so that it extends to all places and all things and so is universal yet the principal subjects are Angels in heaven and men on earth both intellectual and immortal creatures Intensive for its all power one may have some power or all power on earth and none in heaven or some or all power in heaven and none on earth but this is all power in heaven all power on earth all power on both so that Christ is over all persons in all causes supream Governour without any created superiour without any competitour without any partner it s all in the highest degree invested and inherent in one This is concernig the power 2. The person invested with it is Christ For all power saith he is given to me it was not given to any Angel or Angels nor to any Monarch or Monarchs of the world but to Jesus of Nazareth a man nearer to God then any of the Princes of the earth or any Principalities and Powers of heaven one more beloved of God and who had done a greater service than any other for he had humbled himself at his Fathers command so low as to be a servant and a servant obedient unto the death of the Cross therefore he and none other was thus highly exalted and received a name above every name 3. The Donour was God the Father As none but Christ was capable none was worthy of this transcendent power according to that universal acknowledgment of Saints and Angels Rev. 5 10. The Lamb slain
World loving sinful man 2. His only begotten Son given to redeem us 3. The Holy Ghost regenerating us and working Faith in us that by faith we may escape eternal death and attain eternal life For this is the true and genuine sense of these words we read of many forms of faith and confession some called Apostolical related by many of the Ancients and of the Nicene Ephesine Constantinopolitan Roman Athanasian and others yet this is before them all above them all the ground of them all immediately divine delivered by Christ himself recorded in holy Scipture and therefore no unwritten Tradition In this respect Tertullian might well say that the Apostles had the rule of Faith from Christ and Christ from God For from whom he received his power from him he received this Doctrine which he commands his Apostles to teach and all Nations to believe Sect. 3. This is the ground of the ancient and Apostolical Creed delivered by the Apostles to the Churches which they planted as by several of the first Primitive Writers we are informed For they for matter and method agree with this and in both are conformable unto it The matter of them all is God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost and the method is to begin with the Father go on with the Son and end with the Holy Ghost though not in express terms yet by consequence By which it appears they took their rise from these words 1. They begin with God the Father and under this part bring in that first great work of Creation 2. They proceed to the Son the eternal word of the Father who was made flesh and redeemed mankind created righteous and holy and faln in Adam 3. They speak of the Holy Ghost who as Tertullian expresseth it is Sanctificator fidei by whom Christ was conceived the Prophets inspired the Church comforted Divers of them conclude with the final judgment wherein Christ shall render to all such as being sanctified by the spirit do believe eternal rewards to the devil and wicked men eternal punishments where we must observe 1. That creation extends to all things for God created heaven and earth and all things therein 2. Redemption reacheth only man for Christ redeemed not the Angels nor any other creature but sinful mankind 3. Sanctification is confined to the Church and the Elect people of God So that the Spirit sanctifies not all men but the Church Christ reedeems man but not all creatures God the Father createth all things and all persons The first part of the Creed concerning one God is against all Atheists and Heathen Idolaters The second concerning the Son Jesus Christ is against all Mahumetans and Unbelieving Jews The third concerning the Holy Ghost is against all Pelagians enimies of grace and counterfeit Christians And here it is to be noted that the mystery of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost was never so clearly and distinctly made manifest as it was when the Father out of Love gave his only begotten Son and sent him into the World and when the Son and eternal word was made flesh and redeemed man and when the holy Ghost descended in the likeness of a Dove and rested upon our Saviour Jesus Christ and came upon the Apostles and sanctified believers Sect. 4. After it hath been manifested that in this Doctrine concerning God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost 1. We have Christs own Creed and 2. That this was the ground of the ancient Apostolical Creeds and Confessions it remains 3. that I say something of that which is commonly called the Apostles Creed which we find in Ruffinus with an Exposition and which is used in the Catechisms and Liturgies of the Roman and reformed Churches In this we may observe 1. That for the principal matter and method its grounded upon our Saviours Creed and exactly agrees with the ancient and primitive Confessions For therein we have three principal parts the 1. Concerning God the Father and the work of Creation of the world the 2. concerning God the Son and the work of Redemption of man the 3. concerning God the Holy Ghost and sanctification of the Church and the Elect people of God This appears by that brief contraction of it in our publick Catechism which is a prime peice in this particular of antiquity and gives great light how to understand the confession and implies that it was grounded upon our Saviours Creed 2. To understand this Creed the better we must observe 1. The object 2. The act of man about this object 1. The object is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost considered 1. In himself 2. In his works which are 1. Creation 2. Providence Providence where of there are two parts 1. Preservation 2. Ordination 1. General of all 2. Special of man especially as faln Of this special providence there be two principal branches Redemption Application Concerning the Redeemer two things are to be observable 1. Who he is 2. What 's his work 1. He is Jesus Christ who for person is the only Son of God for Natures God and man and as man he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary for Offices he is King Priest and Prophet 2. His work is that which we call Redemption whereof two parts His Humiliation His Exaltation His humiliation in that he taking upon him the form of a servant suffered under Pontious Pilate was Crucified dead and buryed descended into Hell His Exaltation in his Resurrection His Exaltation in his Ascension His Exaltation in his Session at the right hand of God His Exaltation in his Comming to Judgement The application of this Redemption hath three things considerable 1. The principal cause which is the holy Ghost by the word working Faith in us 2. The subject to which this application is made which is the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints which is the number of believers 3. The effects of this Redemption applyed Which are 1. Forgiveness of sins 2. Resurrection of the body 3. Life everlasting And here it s to be noted 1. That by the humiliation of Christ and especially the death and sacrifice of himself upom the Cross these effects and blessings were merited and in consideration of the same were promised 2. That God as loving us Redeeming us by Christ and applying this Redemption by his Spirit is the fountain and cause of salvation and eternal happiness 3. That God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as considered in himself and in his works of Creation Redemption and Sanctification is the principal object of the acts of this saving faith 2. As these things are the object of our Faith and the Credenda so the act is to believe To believe is 1. To be certainly perswaded of the truth of these things as revealed by God and certainly known to be so For the ground of a divine infallible faith must be a divine Testimony known certainly to be divine 2.
must be universal we must do whatsoever our Lord hath commanded us for though there may be an inequality of things commanded yet there is the same reason why we should obey one as well as another the least as well as the greatest and that is the will and command of our Saviour In this respect it 's said that he that offends in one offends in all because of the contempt of the will of the Lawgiver we must not pick and chuse to do what we please obey some and disobey other commands we must not expect from Christ any liberty indulgence toleration dispensation to transgress any of the least of Gods Laws 3. It must be constant and continued to the end for there are no days nor hours of intermission we must always be doing and we must not rest till we have finished our work that will not be till this mortal life is ended we must serve our God day and night whilst we have any being And as God did not rest till he finished his work of Creation so we must not expect our Sabbath till we have finished the work of our Salvation our obedience must be one line drawn out and continued from the first moment of our conversion to the last day of our dissolution 4. As we must be constant so we must be diligent zealous active watchful God loves not lazie servants and the work is great and difficult and we meet with many enemies much opposition and must wrestle with many difficulties which are the greater because of the Devil and the World without and the Relicks of corruption within us Therefore our Christian life is a race and a continual warfare therefore we must not only put on the complete armour of God but we must strive and fight and put forth all our power and never think of rest till we have obtained a final and ful victory And though we cannot reach yet we must aim at the perfection of Angels according to that prayer Thy will be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven that is by those immortal blessed spirits who never sinned but do his Commandments hearkning to the voice of his word 5. Yet we must know that of our selves we are frail weak and without Christ we can do nothing and can do all things through Christ who strengthneth us Christ must give us his Spirit and strengthen us within and by this Spirit support us and assist us without Therefore must continually pray that according to his promise he would put his Laws in our inward parts and write them in our hearts and to do this more and more according to his promise we must not presume upon our strength but always humbly depend upon him who worketh both the will and deed of his good pleasure If he but a little desert us and withdraw his hand how suddenly may David and St. Peter fall and sin grievously 6. Yet though we may transgress and sometimes fall grievously yet we must not despair nor be secure but presently renew our repentance return unto God muster up all our power and fight and work and strive again and this with the greater force and power And this is our comfort we are not under the Law of Works which requireth perfect perpetual obedience or else threatneth certain and unavoidable death and destruction but under Grace which ministreth power and when we fall upon our repentance promiseth pardon life ane Christ will plead our Cause procure our Peace From all this it doth appear that baptized Christians must not be Soliâ—idians much less Antomonians and Lawless we must be loyal and obedient and not live like base earthly worldlings but like Citizens of Heaven for upon this condition we are admitted Subjects of an heavenly Kingdom Thus we understand that our duty is to submit to Christ our Law-giver know his Laws remember them observe them all out of Faith Love Fear with all our hearts carefully constantly depending always upon our Saviour and renewing our repentance daily For this obedience must be universal perpetual sincere free and we must obey not only in doing good but suffering evil if we be put unto it Sect. 3. By this time we know what our duty is now follows the reasons why we should perform it And lest any man should be discourag'd with the difficulty of the work or think it impossible I must first prove that it may be done It was a famous question of old Whether it be possible by Grace to observe and fulfil all the Commandmentâ— of God And it hath been determined in the affirmative that by Grace it is possible for what cannot Grace do Paul saith I can do all things A Christian hath a kind of Omnipotency in things necessary to Salvation and may truly say That these things which are impossible with men are possible with God and if God be for us who can be against us It 's true that to deny our selves to subdue our native and deeply-rooted corruptions and our sins confirm'd by custom to bear the heavy burthen of the Cross and suffer reproaches and bitter afflictions and persecutions for Christ's sake to forsake all and hate Father Mother dearest relations and life it self to offer an Isaac to rejoyce in the midst of fiery trials are very difficult things and far above the power of nature and so indeed they are Yet there is a divine power in Faith whereby all this may be done and hath been through the assistance of Christ And therefore let none of us despair but let us be assured that whil'st Christ sits at the right hand of God and his holy Spirit abideth in the Church we shall be enabled to remove Mountains subdue Sin and conquer Satan the great enemy of our Salvation Christ did never intend to bind us to impossibilities what we cannot do of our selves he will enable us to do neither did he ever require that we should observe whatsoever he hath commanded us by our own strength but as he hath merited Grace and Power for us by his Death so he will give it us by his Resurrection and then such things as are grievous to flesh and blood shall be sweet and delightsom to sanctified souls This being possible let us consider the reasons 1. We not only by God's command but also by our promise so solemnly confirmed by Baptism are bound to observe these commandments A loyal Subject will obey his Sovereigns command and will remember his Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity and an honest man will be as good as his word and promise made unto man and shall not we obey our Saviour's Laws written and confirmed with his own blood shall we promise and promise unto him and not perform shall we not only be disobedient but perfidious too and violate ouâ— sacred bonds This will make our sins most heinous and our punishment most grievous O therefore let us remember our Baptism and solemn Vows and prove faithful unto God and
very little our imperfections many yet we must desire and endeavour to be perfectly obedient to the end 4. We pray Give us this day our daily Bread In the former part of this form of prayer we sought of God spiritual blessings and such as tended more immediately to Gods glory and our salvation And in this we sue for temporal mercies and the necessary comforts of this life whilst we are seeking a better and the order here observed by our Saviour doth teach us that we must prefer spiritual graces before temporal blessings and seek Gods Kingdom and his righteousness first which if we do we may more certainly expect our daily Bread according to his promise In the words we have 1. Bread 2. Our daily Bread 3. This day 4. Our petition for this to be given us 1. By bread is meant all necessary comforts of this life which are given us that we may more chearfully and freely without distraction serve our God seek his Kingdom and do his will Bread which is the staff of Life and hath great affinity with Mans Body is only namely to signifie that we must not seek unnecessary dainties rarities variety superfluity and abundance to expend them in maintaining our Pride pomp and pleasure These necessaries signified by bread are private or publick temporal Commodities Goods Blessings as health food raiment house lands cattle and other things whereby Man 's life is preserved and also good government peace seasonable and plentiful times safety quiet enjoyment of that we have and Gods blessing upon our labours 2. Our daily bread that is the bread of our indigency which we daily want so the Syriack our Bread for to morrow so the Arabick our Food of every day so the Ethiopick our Bread which is necessary for the day The meaning of all is that by daily bread is meant a competent portion of necessaries fit for the preservation of our lives so that we need not perish or be distracted with fear of want 3. This day that is the present time of our life and doth imply that our life is not long neither must we expect to live many daies and though we have not provision beforehand but from hand to mouth as the Proverb is yet we should be content and trust in God we must not perplex or distract our selves with thoughts of future times nor promise to our selves long life and torment our souls with needless and ineffectual cares as tho we had no faith no Father in heaven no Interest in him or think that he that feeds the Ravens who make no provision for time to come nor have any thing laid up in store will be so careless of us as to see his Children want bread 4. We in these words petition our heavenly Father to give us this bread This implies 1. That we have nothing not one morsel of bread but from our God 2. That he gives us this and all things necessary freely we do not deserve or buy it but beg it at his hands therefore 1. we seek it of him by prayer for our selves and others 2. That he would continue to provide for us still 3. That he would bless that which he gives and we possess unto us for if he give it not we have nothing if he continue it not it s easily took from us and tho we be as rich as Job yet we may be as poor as he was in a day have much this hour and have nothing the next and that our best and most wholsom food without his blessing can do us no good 4. We pray that God would deliver us from Diseases sickness famine nakedness sword oppression drought inundation unseasonable times and all such things as deprive us of our daily bread and because we never knew what want of bread is nor ever considered how much we depend for these things upon our God therefore we so little prize these earthly comforts and are unthankful for these mercies 5. We must with our prayers labour and use lawful means for the attaining of these things be provident frugal liberal charitable and expend as much as we can spare in pious uses and then that Father who will give us Eternal will surely give us Temporal blessings he that will give us an heavenly kingdom will give us earthly necessaries and he that hath given us Christ will with him give us all things 5. We pray for forgiveness of our sins in these words Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us Here begins the deprecatory part of this prayer whereby we seek deliverance from evil and that which is contrary to our happiness This kind of prayer is sometimes joyned with weeping fasting complaints lamentations and confession of sins The first evil is that of sin past which remains in the guilt for to understand this petition we must consider 1. Trespasses 2. Our trespasses 3. The forgiveness of trespasses 4. The party forgiving 5. The party capable of forgiveness 1. By trespasses we must understand sin and disobedience to Gods Laws the word which in St. Matthew signifies debts is expounded in Luke by a word which signifies sins and all sins are debts or rather contract debts for first we owe unto God obedience and by the Law are bound to perform it but if we pay not this but prove disobedient we run into another debt and owe a punishment to God and by the same law are bound to suffer it for we are bound unto obedience by the precept and to punishment by the commination of the law When sin is once past the guilt thereof which is an obligation unto punishment remains The punishments which man deserves and God doth threaten are not only bodily and temporal but spiritual and eternal The reason and cause why sin doth render the sinner liable to the displeasure of God and to so many and fearful penalties not only of the loss of all those mercies God hath promised but of suffering of all those evils God doth threaten is because it is so base and vile and so unworthy and unbeseeming so noble a creature as man is by Gods creation that it must needs offend God pollute man and debaâ—e him very much its contrary to Gods justice and holiness and includes in it a contempt of Gods power and of his law which is a mirrour of wisdom and righteousness The sins of men are many and of different sorts there is sin original sin actual sin of omission sin of commission sin against the law of nature sin against the law of grace and a great inequality between these actual transgressions some less some more hainous and such as may be several wayes fearfully agravated and the more of will there is in any sin the more grievous it is 2. These sins and trespasses are said to be Ours so that we are chargeable with them and punishable for them For though the Devil may tempt us yet he cannot force us cannot necessitate us Though
our wants defects and imperfections be many and our corruptions what by nature what by custom be great yet they are some ways from our selves And we make our selves guilty by consent so that our hearts are the chiefest subject and also either the sole or principal or accessary causes of our sins This consent appears by our continuance in them or return unto them and that especially when we contrary to the light of nature the law of God and other means and motives of repentance walk according to the imaginations and lusts of our hearts Therefore we must say Our trespasses that we may charge our selves and justifie God 3. The Forgiveness of Sins the freeing of the party sinning from the sad and woful consequents of sin and especially from the guilt and so from the punishment in this respect its called remission or absolution loosing because pardon takes away the obligation unto penalty This act of forgivness presupposeth first that sin is pardonable and that without any violation or breach of justice yet according to the rules of Gods proceeding with sinful man this cannot be without satisfaction made unto divine justice Therefore God to signifie that he was just and hated sin yet willing to shew mercy to the sinner required the bloody sacrifice of his dearest Son to be offered without spot unto his eternal Majesty before he would grant that any sin of man should be pardonable and this blood must be pleaded by Christ in heaven before he would actually pardon any Neither would this blood-shed pleaded be accepted for any but such as were penitent and believing and did rely upon this satisfaction and intercession And this freedom from guilt doth not leave the party pardoned under the dominion of sin which is the greatest penalty but is alwaies joyned with sanctification of the divine Spirit without which remission is to little purpose because the root of sin remains and will be a cause of new sin which will make man punishable again when man is thus pardoned and purified the greatest cause of shame of fear of grief is taken away Gods wrath averted the sinner reconciled adopted and in a state of salvation of peace and joy in hope of everlasting life There is no sin but is pardonable in respect of Christ death Gods mercy and the general promise yet upon impenitency and unbelief no sin not the least shall actually be pardoned There are some sins so hainous and so directly contrary to the blood of Christ and the holy Spirit and no benefit can be expected from the blood nor any hope of repentance to be wrought by that Spirit which was never promised to renew such persons These are sins to death for which we must not pray By forgiveness we are freed from the eternal punishment by way of prevention from present punishment lying upon us by way of removal 4. The party which can forgive and to whom we sue for pardon is God yet as atoned and propitiated by the blood of Christ. This is proper unto him for as he is the supreme Law-giver so he is the supreme Judge whose peremptory sentence is irrevocable from him lies no appeal who only knows the hearts of men seeking pardon who alone can free not only from temporal but eternal punishments and can execute his sentence to the full which none else can do He may make use of men to declare his sentence and apply his promises to such as by them being prepared may seem capable of pardon yet their sentence and absolution on earth is so far good and valid as he shall ratifie and make it effectual in heaven This absolution by some is said to be only declarative by others to be judicial yet if it be passed by vertue of their commission and according to the rules of that commission from Christ it s judicially declarative Therefore if man believe Christ plead the Church absolve and God justifie who can condemn who can lay any thing to our charge 5. The parties who being capable of remission upon their prayers shall obtain mercy are such as being conscious and sensible of their sins are grieved because they have offended God hate sin loath themselves are willing to amend their lives confess themselves guilty offer the sacrifice of an humble and contrite spirit rely upon the Death and Intercession of Christ the promise and mercy of God and are as willing to be merciful to their offending Brethren returning unto them as they desire God to be merciful unto them These and only these are they who shall be washed in the Blood of Christ and justified before the throne of God and being justified shall have peace with God and joy in the hope of glory In these words therefore we in all humility and godly sorrow confessing our sins and daily renewing our repentance do earnestly pray that God for Christs sake would forgive our many and grievous sins turn away his wrath receive us into favour look upon us as his children give us joy and comfort seal unto us a pardon by giving us his blessed Spirit of consolation and sanctification that so we being delivered from the terrours of conscience the accusations of the devil the danger of hell and fear of eternal death may magnifie his mercy and glorifie his name for evermore 6. We pray Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil This petition is against sin and respects it as to come and us as in danger to contract new guilt for as before so after our-penitent and believing Prayers made in this name of Christ we have obtained remission of sin past we may be tempted and overcom and so sin again therefore we pray to be delivered from temptation And here we must consider 1. What temptation is 2. What it is to be led into temptation 3. What we pray for in these words 4. What it is to be delivered from evil 1. To tempt in this place is taken in an ill sense and to tempt is to sollicite and perswade man to sin and disobey the just and good and holy Laws of God and seeing man is endued with understanding and free-will the way is to delude his understanding and pervert his will by representing that which is evil as good and that which is good as evil and by taking away the fear of punishment and promising some happiness to follow that so the understandding may assent to that which is false and the will consent to that which is evil Those suggestions are always false and contrary to the holy Scriptures and the thing perswaded unto is against the Laws of God which always should be the rule of our thoughts words and deeds So likewise the swasives and motives are contrary to the promises and the comminations of the word And if we be ignorant of the Scriptures depraved in our hearts or rash and inconsiderate the tempter will have great advantage against us The great tempter the devil that old subtle serpent who
deluded our first mother Eve perswaded her that in transgressing Gods law there was no fear of death but certain hope of high advancement as he is subtle so he is malicious restless raging knows our weakness takes all advantages and seeks our everlasting ruine Besides the Devil there are the wicked men of the world who are his agents who by their evil example customs laws promises threats preferments persecutions and many other ways seek to draw us unto sin therefore if any person either fear men more then God and temporal miseries more then eternal punishments or love himself more then God and the world more then heavenly glory and eternal life then a little temptation will easily draw such an one into transgression We are also said to be tempted in this respect by our own lust or concupiscence for when any occasion is offered we are easily moved and overcome Such is our ignorance and blindness that our understanding is easily deluded Such is the corruption of our wills that we are easily perverted This makes us like tinder and we take fire at every spark of temptation nay we are so vile by nature that our own corruption inclines us unto sin and sometimes when there is no temptation from without carries us violently into iniquity 2. To be led into temptation is not meerly to be tempted but something more for one may be tempted and yet be in no great danger because the party tempted may be so armed and prepared that the temptation may be overcome and that sometimes with ease so that in such a case there is no great danger but one may be said to be led into temptation when the party tempted is weak or surprized or deserted or over-powred or brought into such straits that there is great fear of a foil and little hope of escape because of the advantage gained by the tempter and disadvantage befallen the person tempted In this case the danger is great and the temptation difficult if not impossible to be overcom This is to be brought into the midst of potent enemies plunged into the depth of great waters and cast into the mouth of the Lion and so sin is unavoidable 3. In these words we pray 1. That God would so order all occurrences and events that we may not be brought into straights for this petition implies that nothing can come to pass without the providence of God doing or permitting what he pleaseth and ordering all events Without his permission neither man nor devil can tempt us without it Satan could not touch Job nor be a lying Spirit in the mouth of Ahab's Prophets nor enter so much as into the Herd of Swine And the event of all temptations depends upon his will 2. That when we are too weak he would restrain the malice and power of Satan 3. That he would not suffer us to be secure and so easily surprized 4. That he would continually arm and strengthen us that we may not only resist but overcome 5 That he would not suffer us to presume upon our own strength or despair of his assistance 6. That he would not desert us in the day of trial and great danger 7. That he would so inflame us with the zeal of his glory possess us with the fear of sin and his wrath and the desire of heavens glory that no earthly prosperity may much affect us or any earthly affliction much daunt us yet he requires that we acknowledg all our strength to be from him that the issue of all temptations depends upon him that renouncing our own strength we trust in him that we continually watch and pray and use all means to provide for our safety and when we see and consider the fall of David Peter and other eminent Saints how great cause have we to fear and be careful This must be our daily prayer and our earnest petition 4. To deliver us from evil may be understood to be a distinct petition from the former or part of the same In the former sense evil is not the evil of sin from temptation but the evil of affliction And in this sense we desire God so to perfect and bless us as either to prevent the miseries troubles afflictions and adversities of the world or if we fall into them that he would sanctifie them unto us for our spiritual good give us strength to bear them with patience and in the end deliver us out of them and hasten that day and time when there shall be no sorrow pain crying but eternal peace and joy when all sorrow shall flee away and all tears be wiped from all faces yet though God by these doth chastise and try us yet the devil by them takes advantage to tempt us unto many sins and discourage us in the ways of godliness So great is the frailty of man that both in prosperity and adversity he is in danger and in both hath need to pray to be delivered from evil therefore the wisdom of God mixeth our joys with sorrow and our prosperity with adversity For thine is the Kingdom c. Some make this no part of the body but the conclusion of the Prayer We find not these words in Luke nor in many Greek Copies nor in the Arabick and therefore it may be a question whether our Saviour added them to this form of Prayer or no but suppose them to be the words of our Saviour it 's doubted whether that be a form of Doxology or contain certain reasons for to move God to hear our petitions or both The words are found in Scripture 1 Chron. 29. 11. and there used in form of a Doxology and praising of God which is a part of divine Worship and sometimes joyned with petition and oftentimes concludes the same and in this sense it may be a part of prayer and fit to be used when we depart out of his presence and take our leave with our heavenly Father Amen is made the conclusion and by it we signifie our desire that God would hear us and put his hand and seal to our petitions and also our joynt consent in our desires with him who is the mouth of the people praying together which implies that we understand the Prayers made have attended to them and approve them and by this word make them Our Prayers It 's oftentimes a word of confirmation and then it signifies so it is sometimes a word of petition and then it signifies so be it Sect. 5. The matter of all these petitions may be reduced into the form of a Prayer in this manner 1. O Almighty Lord and in Christ Jesus our most gracious Father we thine unworthy Servants do here present our selves before the throne of Grace and desire in the first place and above all things that thy name be hallowed and thine eternal excellency and supreme dominion being manifested more and more both by thy blessed word and glorious works we and all others may know thee to be God alone who dost