I must then tell you in so farre as it concerneth man it is of two sorts or rather considered by man in two divers manners First as it is hidde and couched up in Gods owne bosome And secondly as it is revealed to us either by his Vivâ voce or by his written word In the first sense it is called Gods secret will In the second it is called his manifest and revealed will Of the first to wit Gods hidden and secret will it is that which Paul saith O deepnesse c. Rom. 11. How unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Of the second it is said Not he who cryeth Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of God but hee who knoweth the will of my Father and doth it And of both conjunctly it is said by Moses that secret things belong to the Lord Things revealed to us and to our children that we may do them First then of the first point It may bee enquired if in this Petition we do or should pray for his secret will I answeare No for his secret will shall come to passe For hee dwells in heaven and according to the secret pleasure and counsell of his will all things in time and after time shall be moderated Is it not lawfull then in any condition to meddle with the hidden and secret counsell of God Yea surely providing it bee with modesty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. For first wee may enquire why it is so called 2. What is our duty in respect of it 3. And how farre it can have any fellowship with the evill that is in the world and with the sinfull actions of men Why is it so called I answere for two causes First because it is hidden from man who cannot reach to it untill God reveale it For no man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and hee to whom the Sonne revealeth him Secondly because when it is revealed man cannot comprehend it except hee be enabled from above For the reasons of Gods secret wayes exceeds humane capacity And the more that humane reason looketh on it the lesse it understandeth Why God loved Iacob and hated Esau Why he rejected Saul for one fault and forgave David many and why he condemned Iudas for selling of him and spared Peter that did forsweare him Enquire the reason hereof at man hee cannot give it you yea God hath revealed it I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and whom I will I harden And now as man could not give this reason untill God revealed it So now when God hath revealed it man cannot comprehend it For nature would say that it was injustice in God of two men equally evill by nature to choose the one and forsake the other Thus Gods will is called secret first because man knoweth it not and secondly because hee cannot comprehend it 2. What is our duty in respect of this will I answere it is our duty not to search into it too deeply Nam nonest curiose investiganda sed religiose adoranda whether God in his secret counsell hath ordained thee to be poore or rich high or low whether thou shalt die of a lent or a fervid Ague Since it is Gods secret counsell it is not fit thou shouldest enquire it Stoope under the abstruse and hidden secrecy thereof But to enquire of it ere God reveale it is but a torment before the time and sure I am it shall never be laid to thy charge in the day of Judgement how farre thou hast searched into the secret counsell of God But how farre thou hast obeyed the revealed will of God Thirdly concerning the secret will of God it may bee enquired since there is so much evill in the world how farre and in what sort God by his secret will concurreth and hath cooperation with the same for men looking on the evills that are in the world and finding them so frequent and fearefull and withall comparing them with the omnipotence of God against whose will nothing can bee done and not being able to solve this riddle have either with the Libertine cast over the cause of their iniquities upon God and made God the Author of sinne Or else fearing to speake blasphemously of God they have with the Manicheans invented two chiefe and prime causes of all things one of good another of evil both equally supreme and absolute in their kinde which is altogether false for God is only the supreme and absolute good but Sathan is not an absolute evill But for cleering of this question a little understand and know The evill is two-fold An evill of sinne and an evill of punishment and this is Tertullians distinction writing against Marcian lib. 2. cap. 180. Concerning the evill which we call the evill of punishment there is no question for it is not a true evill in it selfe it is but thought so of us for the punishment of sinne though it seemes evill to the offender yet it is no evill in it selfe for it is a good of justice The question is only concerning the evill of sin and how farre God communicates with it not being the author thereof nor tainted himselfe therewith This question is so much the more remarkable by how much Scripture seems to give way to it For it was a sinne in Pharaoh to harden his heart Yet Scripture saith that God willed it and that hee did it It was a sinne in Sathan to be a lying spirit in the mouthes of Achabs Prophets Yet Scripture shewes us that God willed it It was a sinne in Sathan to vexe Iob unjustly and yet Scripture sheweth that God willed it And it is a sinne in man to stoppe his eare against the truth and to beleeve a lie and yet Scripture sheweth that God willeth it For solving of this doubt there is a very good answere given by our Divines to this question whilest they say that wee must distinguish the action of the sinner from the sinne that is in the action And they make God the author of the action but not of the viciosity and evill that is in the action And this they cleere by the examples of the Sunne the Earth and the word of God This I grant is good but not sufficient But wouldest thou know O man how God willeth sinne and over-ruleth sinne and yet is free from sinne Then thou must know that sinne and the way of sinne hath a beginning a progresse and also an end God hath a will working on sinne and over-ruling sinne in all these three respects For shall we looke to sinne in the beginning thereof Gods will hath beene two wayes exercised First by way of inhibition in giving a law against it forbidding sinne in the thoughts of the heart in the words of the mouth and in the actions of the conversation By way of permission leaving a lawlesse man to a lawlesse way For it is a righteous thing with God when man knowing him to be God will not glorifie him as
hope and thou shalt finde that thy expectation shall not want his reward for hee that said to thee Call upon mee in the day of thy trouble and I will deliver thee shall surely deliver thee And thy ransome shall not be wanting to thee if thy faith bee not wanting to thy selfe Now having spoken thus much concerning the tye of this part of the Petition with the former it followeth now that wee looke on the words and these foure things considerable in them I was telling you before in my last Sermon that wee are souldiers fighting under the banner of Jesus who being the leader and Generall of our army here telleth us that the fight is desperate for if wee dye not and perish in the conflict yet the best souldier that ever carryed armes except Jesus Christ hath beene taken captive this figuratively he calleth evill he teacheth us to pray against the same whilst he saith But deliver us from evill That wee may understand this evill the better wee must looke on the opposite thereof which is good Know therefore that there is a twofold good one personall another reall The personall good is hee who is the fountaine and welspring of all goodnesse both in himselfe and also in the creature This is God who is not onely good but goodnesse it selfe nothing beside him can truly bee called good And for this cause Christ said There is none good but one that is God Matt. 19. The reall good is that which is communicated from the fountaine to the streames from the root to the branches from the head to the members This is also twofold naturall or morall The naturall good is that which God hath communicated to all his creatures by vertue of their creation For God beheld the things which hee had made and behold they were all very good This goodnesse being considered in the creature is called Vestigium deitatis the character of the deity for by vertue hereof it is that whatsoever perfection wee finde in the creature wee call it good because in this and by this it expresseth the Creator who in himselfe is absolutely good in so farre as a finite creature can expresse an infinite and incorruptible Creator The morall good is that which God hath communicated to man in making him a reasonable soule a good so much the more excellent then that of nature by how much man is more eminent then the beast and reason more excellent then life or sense Well then the creature is naturally good Man is both naturally and morally good But wee must know a little further that the morall good concredited to man is twofold it is either Bonum obedientiae or benum praemij the good of obedience or the good of reward The good of obedience carrying a reference to the commandement of God is more then Vestigium deitatis for surely it is Ipsa imago Dei his true and lively character for by the obedience which wee give to the Commandements of God wee shew our selves to be the sonnes of God and that by the grace of his spirit wee are begotten againe to bee conformed to his image The other to wit the good of reward is the free donation of grace to us in this life or of glory in the life to come To both which wee may adde the good use of all the good creatures of God for godlinesse is great gaine having allotted to it not onely the promises of this life but also of that which is to come Now that I may bee found in my text seeing I have shewed you how many sorts of good and goodnesse there is let us looke now by way of opposition and know the nature of evill for this is common in the Schooles Quot modis unum oppositorum tot modis dicitur alterum Evill then is either personall or reall the personall evill must be opposite to the personall good God was and is the absolute and personall good Sathan must then be the great though not the absolute evill The absolute evill I will not call him for hee was good by creation and as hee remaineth yet in his nature and essence a creature hee remaineth still good but the prime and chiefe evill of the world hee is both in respect of himselfe and man The reall evill cannot bee given in true termes of opposition opposed to the reall good for that was either naturall or morall Now to say that there is any creature naturally evill wee cannot for they are by nature created good onely the ill which is in the creature is morall for the beeing or essence of the creature is good whatsoever is vitious or peccant in the creature is bad because of the bad quality thereof In man then as in a reasonable creature there are two evills one of disobedience another of punishment opposed to the good of obedience and reward The evill of disobedience we call malum culpae the evill of punishment Malum poenae The first is simply and absolutely evill because it is repugnant to the will of God and contrary to his law The last is not so but conditionally evill to wit in respect of us because it seemeth so to our taste for howsoever the evil of punishment seemes evill to man yet it is not so in respect of God in whose presence and by whose providence this malum poenae is bonum justiciae the evill of punishment is the good of his justice But thou wilt enquire O man seeing there be so many sorts of evill what evill is it that we pray against here I answer wee pray only against the evill of sinne For the clearing whereof know that there is a fourefold combination and mutuall reciprocatiō betwixt good and evill First the good of good Secondly the ill of good Thirdly the good of ill fourthly the ill of ill The good of good is that benefit which man reapeth of all the creatures of God health wealth peace liberty instruction of the soule by the ministrie of the word The ill of good is that detriment and harme which the wicked of the world reape out of the benefits and blessings of God for whilst hee maketh his Sunne to shine upon them his raine to fall on them his creatures to feed them and his word to bee preached to them though these things be good of themselves yet the wicked get no good but evill by them for by these bodily and temporall favours they are made inexcusable and by his spirituall mercies their condemnation is aggravated The good of evill is that good which the Lord as a wise Physician extracteth out of the evills of this life which befall them for as the physician maketh of a viper a soveraigne remedy and as Sampsons dead lyon afforded him a honey combe so the Lord out of the worst and baddest estate that can befall his servants he worketh their good Their bodily hunger teacheth them a spirituall hunger their bodily thirst to thirst after righteousnesse their poverty
AN EXPOSITION OF THE Lords Prayer DELIVERED IN two and twenty Lectures At the Church of Lieth in SCOTLAND By Mr WILLIAM WISCHART Parson of Restalrigg LONDON Printed by M. FLESHER for NICOLAS BOURNE at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange 1633. TO THE RIGHT Honorable GEORGE Lord GOURDON sonne and heire to the Lord Marquis of Huntley one of his Majesties most Honorable Privy Councell in the Kingdome of Scotland and chiefe Captaine of the Company of men at armes entertained there by the most Christian King MY LORD AS I love not those rheumatique pens which are alwayes scribling on the Presse for in the multitude of words there must bee much folly no more do l approve those adust complexions from whom no intreaty can wrest any drop of refreshment to the fleece of Gedion for if the one shall bee beaten for the unnecessarie wasting of his masters goods the other certainly shall bee whipt with many stripes for that hee hath hid his masters talent in the earth and not returned his owne unto him with advantage The consideratiō hereof hath made mee the least amongst the thousands of Levi to adventure this small peece to the publique view and censure of the present time a hazard I confesse much greater then I can well sustaine for Ioseph cannot goe to Dothan but hee must bee stript and sold to a Medianite Sampson cannot project a wedlock at Timnagh but hee must bee flouted by a Philistine David cannot congratulate Hanon but his legates must bee dismissed with beards halfe shaved and garments cut to their buttockes yea the very Sonne of God shall not cast out an uncleane spirit but Calumny shall say it was by Beelzebub the Prince of devils What wonder then if these few drops of inke leaping straight from my penne to the publique Theater of the world bee both greedily viewed and roundly censured for amids the beames of so pregnant a light and in the throng of so many learned writings already spred abroad on this subject to see a silly David acoast the Philistine of Gath may justly seeme to deserve the rebuke of Eliah I know thy hautines the pride of thy heart But to this supposed reproch let me answer with David What have I done is there not a cause or rather let mee say with Iesus Christ the true Sonne and heire of David If I have said evill beare witnesse of it but if I have spoken truth why do yee smite mee The God whom I serve in the Ministery of his Gospell doth well know my conscience also beareth me witnesse that as in teaching these few sermons I did not affect popularity nor praise of men but his honour who hath honoured mee with his service and the good of that people over whom hee put mee in charge so now when they shall be published to the eyes of all having before beene delivered but to the eares of a few I am neither ambitious of vulgar applause as being no Camelion to feed on such an aire nor do I much regard the frivolous checks of all that goe by for Falsus honor juvat mendax infamia terret Quem nisi mendosum mendacem Therefore whilst I desire to do some service to the Church of God and to contribute my mite to his treasure or my goates skin to the furniture of his Tabernacle I have presumed to present it to your honour my good Lord not onely to begge Patronage from your greatnes but also that by it I may in some measure render due honour unto you for your goodnesse as one not of their number who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are ready to prate of every thing but able to speake right of nothing No my Lord I know and do fully acknowledge that as there are none more truly learned so there is none more sincerely affected to the truth of God and maintenance thereof Let venemous detracting tongues wound as they list wisedome shall be justified of all her children for you have made it apparent to the world by your losse sustained at home and abroad for the testimony of the truth that you have accounted the reproach of Iesus Christ to bee greater riches then all the perishing treasures of Egypt And if there were no more yet the honourable project happy successe of that late expedition imposed by your Prince accepted and accomplished by your Lordship against the locusts of Rome raging in our Northerne quarters It hath clearly instanced to the world that whilst some of deeper profession like Meroz durst not come to the helpe of the Lord against the mighties of the earth you like another Iael did put your left hand to the naile and your right hand to the workmans hammer you have smitten Sisera you have smitten him once and he hath not risen againe Accept then my good Lord this poore handfull of water unworthy I confesse of such a Persian Potentate yet accept in it not what plenty should offer but what my penury can afford The theam is holy and may serve for vesture to a Prince if it had been wrought in Bezaleels loome yet take it howsoever as an evidence of the love and respect I owe you pardon but the weaknesse and the worke is rewarded and my earnest desire praier to God shall bee for your Lordship that your projects may continue holy your actions honourable your house and estate prosperous your death comfortable and your salvation sure in him who hath loved us and given himselfe for us a sacrifice without spot or blemish our Lord Iesus Christ in whom I am and shall alwayes endeavour to remaine Your Lordships servant in the truth W. WISCHART A Table of the Lectures in this booke Lect.  Pag. 1 Our Father which art 1 2 17 3 In Heaven 29 4 Hallowed bee thy Name 56 5 Thy Kingdome come 84 6 110 7 Thy will 133 8 Be done 157 9 In earth as it is in heaven 174 10 Give us this day our daily bread 200 11 225 12 249 13 276 14 And forgive us our trespasses 301 15 325 16 351 17 As wee forgive them that trespasse against us 376 18 And lead us not into temptation 401 19 427 20 455 21 But deliver us from evill 481 22 For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen 511 FINIS LECTVRES upon the Lords PRAYER LECT 1. MAT. 6. v. 9 10 11 12. Our Father which art in heaven IT may perhaps seeme strange that in the middest of so cleare and manifest a light and to the view of so learned and judicious a people I should be bold to represent a taske of so homely and domestique a straine for I know that there is not one amongst you who hath not all this Prayer by heart yet wisedome I know is justified of her childrē Let the truth therfore beget my Apologie and you shall finde that my travels will not be intended in vaine To speake the truth then there bee foure things