to his justice he knowing that no person in the Godhead was capable as God onely to performe any act of satisfaction to God knowing likewise that no meere creature could be of all-sufficient power and worthinesse to satisfie his justice or to stand as a Mediator betweene God and man they being at enmitie by reason of sinne He therefore in his infinite wisedome and of his rich and free grace did ordaine his onely begotten Sonne the second person in Trinity now Iesus Christ our Lord by whom he made man and all things else and in whom all things consist that he should become man by assuming into the person of his dietie the very nature of man consisting of bodie and soule to subsist in the dietie by a personall union being to be verie God and very man in one person who being thus qualified to be a Mediatour Rom. 5.17 18 19. 1. Cor. 15.45 he ordained him to be a second Adam as a common root and to stand as a suerty in the stead of all those whom he co-ordained should be ingrafted into him and which should be made members of him and be saved by him Wherefore he together ordained that with mans nature he should assume the guilt of sinne Isa 53.4 2. Cor. 5.21 Rom. 8.3 and to be accounted as a sinner and by God himself to be proceeded against as against a notorious sinner For which cause hee was to be accursed not only by being made subject to humane infirmities but to be arraigned condemned and withall to have the fiercenesse of the wrath of God due to sinners poured out and executed upon him And that hee should dye the accursed death that by death he might expiate sinne and through death hee might overcome death and destroy him that had the power of death Heb. 2.14 even mans greatest enemie which is the devill All this our Saviour took upon him and perfectly fulfilled Philip. 2.8 being obedient even to the death of the crosse upon which he made that one oblation by the merit and efficacie whereof Ephes 2 15 hee slew the enmity and made the attonement between God and us having obtained eternall redemption for us Heb. 9.12 and became the author of eternall salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 perfecting for ever them that are sanctified in that by the power of his dietie he conquered and rose from the death Act. 2.24 it being unpossible that he should be holden of it Heb. 8.1 and is set downe on the right hand of the throne of majestie in the heavens Heb. 7.25 ever living to make intercession for them Thus you see the first of those requisites which go before remission of sinnes namely satisfaction of Gods justice by the merit of those things which Christ Iesus did and suffered in mans stead Hee sheading his bloud as he himselfe saith for many for the remission of sinnes Mat. 2◠28 The worth and efficacie of this satisfaction made and redemption purchase◠by the precious bloud of Christ was greater than onely to merit at Gods hands that now his justice being satisfied he might forgive sinnes and save men if he would upon any such possible condition as hee should please to appoint and accept for Christ by his death resurrection and intercession deserved and procured that God should actually forgive Iob. 17.19 1. Thes 5.9 10. and also give grace and eternall life to all those to whom Christ was ordained to bee an head and a Saviour Act 3.31 even to all those whō from before the beginning of the world Ioh. 17 2. God gave unto Christ and were ordained to beleeve in Christ and that should be united to him by his Spirit A second thing required before that a mans sinnes shall be forgiven Rom. 10. ◠10. is beleefe and faith in Christ Iesus For faith is the condition of the new Covenant published in the Gospell Ioh. 6.29 and i◠is the bond of our spirituall union with Christ on our part and is the meane and instrument whereby wee receive Christ and do relie upon him Ioh. 1.12 and whereby we do apply him with all his merits and benefits unto our selves unto our salvation Ioh. 6.35 This the Scriptures do hold so usefull and necessarie that they ascribe our justification by forgivenesse of our sinnes unto it Rom 5.1 God accounting our faith as he did Abrahams Ro 4.3 5. unto righteousnesse But how is our faith accounted for righteousnesse not as it is a gracious qualitie inherent in us and a part of our sanctification but as it hath relation to Christ who is our righteousnesse and is the sole object of our faith unto justification for which cause we hold against the Papists that we are justified by faith onely Of this it is that all both Prophets Christ himselfe Ioh. 3 16. Act. 10.43 and all the Apostles have witnessed namely that through Christs name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive forgivenesse of sinnes By faith in Christ I meane such a faith as is a sound a lively and an effectuall faith such a faith as hath faith in the Law unto conviction of sinne and unto penitence for sinne going before it and a faith in the precepts both of the Gospell and of the Law unto repentance of sinne and holinesse of life concurring with and following after it This condition of beleeving which doth qualifie a man for and which doth interest a man into the benefit of Christs redemption is not left as Adams standing or falling was in the hands of a mans free will for so there might have beene a possibilitie that all Christs sufferings might have been in vaine and none might have beene saved namely if none would beleeve But Christ dyed and rose againe not onely to satisfie Gods justice in the behalfe of all which were to be saved but also to give them faith that they might indeed be saved For it is apparant by the Scripture that the end why Christ dyed and gave himselfe a ransome for many was not Mat. 10.28 that onely hee might satisfie Gods justice in which satisfaction mans redemption doth virtually consist but that also God by him might give faith unto all which were ordained to eternall life Act. 13.47.48 by which their redemption and salvation purchased with Christs bloud might actually in the time appointed by God exist and take effect in them For faith is one of those blessings wherewith God blesseth Eph. 1.3.4.15 in and through Christ all whom he chose in him before the foundation of the world It was not enough for mans redemption and salvation Heb. 10.14.15.16.17 that Christ by his once offering of himselfe should onely beginne to save man but by the same he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Wherefore the promise of the new covenant is as the holy Ghost witnesseth that hee will put his lawes in their hearts and
in his holy wisedome decree to permit it Moreover there could be no faultinesse in such a decree because that in it was set such an order that neither the coming of things to passe by Gods permission nor that which should come to passe by his working should either offer violence to the wills of the reasonable creatures or should take away the liberty or contingency of second causes but doth establish them rather For Gods decree doth determine the creature to worke according to its nature that as all naturall agents as that stones should descend if they be not upheld and that fire should burne combustible matter should worke necessarily so all voluntary agents should worke freely and contingently The liberty of the creature together with the sinfulnesse of the act of the creature may and doth well stand with the decree of God Indeed upon supposition of Gods decree to permit Adam to fall it followed by necessarie consequent that Adam would fall yet was it not necessarie that Adam should fall necessarily But rather upon supposition of Gods decree Adams fall by eating the forbidden fruit which God permitted him to do came to passe freely and contingently that is with a possibility of the contrary namely of forbearing to eate of the forbidden fruit This was because God had made man a rationall and voluntary agent to worke contingently and freely according to the freedome of his will and not to be forced thereto by any necessity The decree of permitting sinne doth not lay any necessity upon any man to commit sinne Sinne hath not relation to Gods decree as the effect hath to its cause but onely as a consequent of it and as an object whereabout the decree is conversant Gods fore-knowledge of what shall come to passe and his will to permit it to come to passe are sufficient to denominate a necessity or certaintie of event that the same thing must needs come to passe but neither his fore-knowledge or his will that a thing shall come to passe by his permission maketh God the author of that which is fore-knowne or permitted but to produce a thing that maketh God to be the author of it As for sinne there is no operation of God concerning it as it is sinne but rather negation or suspension of that grace which if God did bestow would keep man from committing of it Gods decree to permit sinne doth not destinate any man to sinne for destination is the ordaining of a person to a certaine end an evill action cannot be the end to which a man is ordained And this decree of permitting sinne and of leaving him in his sinne and then of damming him for sin all which presuppose that God decreed to create man yet from hence it doth not follow that God made any man to the end hee might damne him the end of his creation and of all the parts of Cods decree was the manifestation of his owne glory He made all things for himselfe Prov. 16 4. Now if man might fall by Gods permission and yet God is free from being author of sinne then who can have any colour of exception if after man is fallen God do leave him in his sinne and shall condemne him for his sin especially sith that though Gods decree to leave a man in state of sinne and to reprobate him from faith and other graces needfull to salvation be absolute and without any cause out of God but of his meere will and absolute pleasure yet he never decreed to reprobate or destinate any to damnation absolutely nor yet doth he execute or damne any but for his sinne God never doth save or damne any absolutely but as they are found to be in Christ or as they are found to be in their sinnes out of Christ For God did not absolutely elect any unto salvation nor absolutely reject any to damnation but he decreed to save only those which should actually by his Spirit beleeve in Christ repent and persevere in an holy life to the end if they be of yeares of discretion and such as by secret union of the Spirit should by a way unknowne to us partake of and belong to Christ if Infants within the covenant of grace And he decreed to damne onely such as should persevere in their sinne and infidelity For the promise of salvation and the threat of damnation is made respectively onely to such Yet know that God of his meere will and pleasure did absolutely elect some and did determine to give them the grace of faith in Christ repentance towards God and perseverance in holinesse of life and likewise absolutely to reject others therefrom and to leave them in their sinne and infidelity Thus God is cleared from being any author of sinne or yet to blame if he proceed in rigour in the eternall punishment of some for sinne I will last of all shew that God was no deficient cause in Adams sinne though he did decree to permit it and did work accordingly either by denying his grace or by concurring with him to the substance of the act which was sinfull In all this God did not carry himselfe otherwise than an absolute Lord and a most holy God might rightfully do What though God made the forbidden fruit of an alluring nature pleasant to the eye and good for food as it seemed to Eve and was called by an alluring name a Tree of knowledge of Good and evill What though God exposed Eve unto the temptation of the Serpent and Adam to the temptation of his wife What if God restrained the good Angels that they did not as otherwise they might assist Adam against Satan and against his temptation by minding him of his duty to God and of the falshood and malice of the devill and how much he was but lately beholden to God And what though God left Adam and Eve to themselves without giving thē actuall assistance of his grace any more than what he gave them in their creation to preserve them from falling which he gave to the good Angels and denyed to others What hath God done in all this which he might not do For notwithstanding all this there was a naturall and true possibility in Adam and Eve to have forborne to eate of the forbidden fruit in spite of Satan though hee did his utmost that he could Adam and Eve did eate the forbidden fruit as freely without compulsion as ever before they had eaten of any other tree in the Garden No compulsion but bodily appetite leading them to eate of the common fruit and partly bodily appetite and partly affectation of being like God in knowing good and evill seducing them to eate the fruit which was forbidden There remained I say a true possibility in Adam to have stood For by vertue of the graee of God received in the creation he could not only have abstained from every outward action forbidden him of God but to abstaine from it in a gracious manner for that both outwardly and
Gods providence or grace usually bestowed else let no man looke to have his prayer granted He that doth aske daily bread he must labour and use the lawfull ordinarie meanes of maintenance else he may justly starve notwithstanding his prayer So likewise a man may pray for knowledge for faith repentance and for eternall life but if this bee but a sluggards wish and be not joyned with using the ordinarie meanes of knowledge faith and repentance as namely hearing reading and meditating of the Word of God and a right partaking of the Sacraments If a man do not heed the Word if he do not consider it and lay it to his heart If he do not withall improve the strength which hee hath gotten in the use of the meanes of grace considering what grounds and what cause he hath to beleeve and repent c. and if he do not assay and put himselfe on to the leaving the sinne he prayeth against or to the doing whereof he desired grace of God let him never thinke that he shall obtaine the things prayed for For God never intended to give them but in the use of those means which he hath prescribed If therefore your person bee not thus qualified If either you be not in state of grace or if you live in any grosse sinne unrepented or if you bee not in charity with your neighbour or if you have beene and are unthankfull for old favours or if you be failing in not using the lawfull meanes of having what you aske you may thanke your selfe if though you have prayed yet you have not your petitions Though your person may be in the maine fitly qualified in the former respects yet there may be such failing in the particular act of praying that it may hinder the granting of the praier As 1. If you pray not to God onely 2. If you conceive not of God aright 3. If you pray not in the name of Christ at least impliedly 4. If the matter of your prayer bee not good and warrantable 5. If you do not pray with understanding 6. If you do not intend your prayer as a worship of God and be sincere in it 7. If it be not with a sensible desire 8. If it bee not with attention of minde 9. If it be not with fervour 10. If it be not with holy devotion 11. If it be not to a right and warrantable end 12. And if it be not in faith beleeving that you shall have your request put up to God in manner as aforesaid and if it bee not such a faith which causeth you to waite patiently then if God have not heard you must blame your self and if you would be heard another time consider wherein you failed and amend it and particulary take heed that when you have endeavoured to pray as well as you can that your not beleeving you should be heard be not the chiefe cause why you have not your prayers granted It will further be objected Ob. If the before-mentioned failings may hinder the granting of our prayers then who can beleeve that ever his prayer shall be heard for who faileth not in some or other of them I answer first God is many times better to us than our praiers and if hee please hee may grant our petitions though made with some speciall failings if he do it is of his mercy if he do not the fault was in us But secondly difference must be put betweene a failing out of weaknesse and manifold temptations and that which is through wilfulnesse and customary negligence If a mans conscience can witnesse to himselfe that when he prayeth the intent and the bent of his heart is to pray aright and not to faile then God for Christs sake in whose name prayer is made doth passe by and forgive such failings and doth certainely heare Wherefore in such cases we ought when we pray to beleeve that God will grant our prayers notwithstanding such failings in prayer Secondly though we have not offended him in our prayers yet God may see cause why he will not grant them For the generall rule of his promise to heare our prayers doth admit of some exception As first when if the thing asked were granted it would crosse some acts of his eternall purpose not knowne to us which he hath intended for the setting forth of his glory in wayes unknowne to us whether it be in things concerning his Church or our owne selves in particular Moreover we are apt to desire things to come to passe in such or such a way and by such or such meanes and in such or such a manner as we thinke may stand well with Gods will when yet God hath some other way some other meanes of doing his Church or of doing us good in another manner then we expect Many times wee would have it our way but God holdeth it best to give it his way 2 King 5.11 Like Naaman the leper he would be cured one way but God cured him by another way Act. 27.24.30.44 God saved Paul and all with him not as they would by the safety of the ship but by the pieces of the ship after shipwracke We are apt to rest upon such and such meanes and to set the meanes above God then it is fit that he should choose other meanes yea hee doth many times choose weake meanes to confound the strong that all the praise may be given to God and that no flesh might glory in his presence Many want comfort and other things because they prescribe to God the meanes Mat. 26.39 In such cases wee should alwayes pray with a reservation namely if thou wilt let this thing be or let this thing passe yet not my will but thine be done A second exception is if the thing asked be not for our good We many times aske for things good in themselves and lawfull for us to aske but God who knoweth what is better for us than we do he knoweth that if we had them they would not be good for us In this case to be denyed our suite is a mercy and and a favour to us God promiseth that we shall want nothing that is good Psa 34.10 Psa 84 1â— Rom. 8.28 and that hee will with-hold nothing that is good and that all things shall worke together for good to them that love him Thirdly God doth heare and grant our prayers when wee thinke that he doth not God doth grant our requests divers wayes Sometimes he giveth the same thing that is asked even in the same kinde as when God gave unto Hannah a sonne at her request 1 Sa. 1.27 Psal 21.2 and gave unto David his hearts desire Sometimes God doth not give the same thing in kinde which is asked but the same in effect or that which is farre better When wee aske temporall blessings as health wealth liberty or the removall of such and such a crosse it may be God doth not hold it fit that those particulars
act in respect of the Father Son holy Ghost in the first act of Faith and conversion of a sinner whereby the person of a man stands justified before God and shall without intercision of justification and losse of this favour of God stand before the barre of Gods tribunall and is and alwaies shall be absolutely justified and acquitted from all sinnes past present to come because all obligations hand-writings against him are in that act cancelled and blotted out he forgiving all trespasses Colos 2.13.14 Yet it must be knowne that of this act there is as it were a double sentence First in Court of heaven at which time the elect in Christ have their names inrolled in the booke of Gods effectuall calling and are numbred among the just which sentence can never be revoked or blotted out this is that which was passed with God that I may so speake after the manner of men in the first act of conversion Secondly this sentence of forgivenesse is passed in the court of the conscience of him that had the former sentence pronounced for him in heaven This sentence is the second act of the holy Ghost wrought in this manner First after that a sinner is cōvinced of his guiltines of sin and of his damnable condition because of his sinne then forgivenesse is offered and pronounced to the eare in that gracious promise of salvation to all that beleeve in Christ Iesus which promise is proclaimed in the ministerie of the Gospell in which light of the Gospell he sheweth unto a man possibility of salvation setting before him I speake of men of yeeres and understanding Christ the meanes of salvation and by this meanes the holy Ghost worketh faith in Christ then confession and griefe for sinne then prayer to aske forgivenesse and grace to live godly and then doth witnesse to his spirit that he is accepted of God Thus sentence is pronounced in the conscience from whence ariseth sense of Gods love which is called the shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 also sense of the loving countenance of God Psal 4.6 7. which is the signe of his loving kindnesse and is that speech of God by which he doth say to our soules he is our salvation and then ariseth in our hearts peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost This sentence of forgivenesse unto the conscience hath different degrees it is sometimes more cleare in the apprehension of the soule somtimes more dimme yea sometimes quite blotted out in the counterpane of our release or copie of our acquittance as it was with David Psal 51. so that a person perfectly just before God hath sometime little or no sense or apprehension of it in his owne conscience but doubteth whether he be in state of grace or no. Which happeneth because of the staine and guilt of new sinnes which guilt abideth in the conscience untill a man do confesse his sinnes repent and aske forgivenesse and by a renewed faith apply forgivenes by which meanes the evidence of his pardon is againe by the holy Ghost exemplified and sentence by this new application is againe pronounced in his conscience whence ariseth new assurance of salvation and renewed joy in the holy Ghost This is that justification which for distinction sake Divines call justification by parts or continued or repeated justification or new application of one and the same justification which justification though in respect of the sentence pronounced in heaven is one individuall act whereby a man standeth alwayes just before God yet in respect of the pronouncing of that sentence to the heart it is not actually applyed neither can a particular sinne be said to be everie way actually forgiven untill after it have beene committed is confessed and repented of nor untill forgivenesse be asked and until the holy Ghost hath made new application thereof unto the conscience through renewing of faith by which a man doth againe and againe as new sinnes are committed apply the merits of the bloud of Christ unto his soule Also it must be knowne that the sentence of pardon which is passed in heaven with God is not fully executed untill the last degree of it when sentence of absolution shall be pronounced by Christ Iesus Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Matt. 25.34 It must moreover be conceived and held that notwithstanding this distinction of justification betweene an absolute justification in respect of God and a justification by parts in respect of application to mans conscience there are not two kindes of justification a first and a second as the Papists hold but one and the same justification considered in different respects In respect of Gods actuall acceptation of a mans person justification is absolute but in respect of the actuall application and manifestation of Gods acceptation unto a mans conscience justification is by parts and degrees When a man alreadie justified asketh forgivenesse he doth not ask a new justificatiō but a second or new application of pardon unto the conscience of those particular sinnes which are daily committed together with continuance of Gods favour and more cleare evidence that he is sealed up unto the day of redemption The third thing to be spoken of for the better understanding the word forgive concerneth the effects following the apprehension thereof these are Peace of conscience Rom 5.1 Ro. 14.17 and joy in the holy Ghost These things touching justification and remission of sinnes being opened we may understand what is prayed for when we say Forgive sinnes Wee pray first that those which belong unto Gods election but are not yet converted may be accepted of God through Christ Iesus God not imputing their sinnes to them but unto Christ whereby they are freed from the curse We pray likewise that Christs righteousnes may be imputed to them that they beleeving in Christ might bee saved and for that cause pray that they may beleeve Secondly wee pray that our selves and others being justified and accepted into favour it would please the Lord to continue this his favour and that he would signifie and make the same knowne to our hearts and consciences daily by a new testification of the holy Ghost accompanied with a new application of pardon for new sinnes daily committed and that wee may have more and more assurance of our perfect redemptiō at the day of judgement and that we may have peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost in the meane time The particular circumstances in this Petition come next to bee laid open which are three First the connexion of this Petition by this copulative and that is As well forgive sinnes as give daily bread The second is the person who is to forgive that is God the Father through the satisfaction and mediation of the Sonne by the application of the holy Ghost Thus much is implyed in forgive in which
resolution to will in all things to live honestly When the heart is thus made sure for God and for our selves the next care must be that the understanding the watchman and intelligencer of the soule bee rightly informed by the Scriptures of all such things that do belong unto its office in the Christian warfare First it must bee able to discerne between good and evill between things not sinfull and sinfull of good things to discern which are good but in part which every way good what things are good onely to sense and in appearance and what is good in truth also what is but in part evill and what is wholly evill and what is evill onely to sense and in appearance and what is evill in truth that the baites to draw unto sinne taken from the gaine pleasure and glory of this world may not move us because we shall know they are but uncertaine transitorie and not the true riches pleasure and glory and that on the other side the bug-beares to fright us from doing good may not remove us because they are but uncertaine momentanie and light evils in comparison of the certaine true riches of grace and of the everlasting true pleasures and glory which is laid up for those that bee constant in keeping faith and a good conscience to the death When the understanding is thus enlightened wee must alwayes set the true danger of sinning and the true good and glory that followeth upon well-doing before our eyes and it will cause the heart to chuse the good and refuse the evill Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season the reason was because his judgement was sound in discerning betweene good and bad for it is said Heb. 11.25.26 He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Aegypt for he had respect to the recompence of reward If we can but judge aright of the joy that is set before us in the course of holinesse Heb 12 2. it will make us with our Saviour Christ endure the crosse and despise the shame which in this world doth accompanie Christianity and we shall with speed runne the race that is set before us notwithstanding the impediments that we shal meet withall Now when the heart is established and armed with grace and the mind with knowledge and judgement there must be a continuall watch set and faithfully kept wherefore the eye of the minde must be alwayes awake to see and observe what particular temptations do arise against us either from within or without Therefore the Apostle Peter saith 1. Pet. â— 8 Be vigilant for your adversary the devill as a roaring Lion 1 Cor. 16.13 seeketh whom he may devoure Watch saith the Apostle Paul else there will be no standing fast in the faith nor quitting our selves like men Our Saviour saith unto all Watch Mark 13.17 When by watchfulnesse the temptation is discovered then we must buckle all the Christian armour about us scil Sinceritie righteousnesse Eph. 6. patience hope faith and the sword of the Spirit the word of God And being thus armed we must animate and fill the heart with courage and resolution to resist even unto the death For which cause we must make an oration unto it such as wise and valiant leaders will make to encourage their souldiers wee must minde our hearts of the odiousnesse and hurtfulnesse of that thing to which wee are tempted how that it is a lust of the flesh and of the devill how it is enmity to our God and a deadly enemie unto us how that we must kill it or else it will kill us Let us minde our hearts with this that it will be to the dishonour of our King and countrey to be overcome that to yeeld to any temptation is contrary to our vow of allegiance which we entred into when we first professed to fight under Christs banner Lastly let us tell our selves of the equitie of our cause how that our war is just thinke also of the wisedome valour of our captaine our Lord Iesus Christ assuring our selves that how hard soever our conflict may be yet if wee do not yeeld in the end wee through him shall overcome and be more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 Having thus wonne the heart to resolution then let us as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.16 Stand in the faith quit our selves like men In the conflict we must avoide two evils First we must not trust to our owne wisedome for then sinne will be too craftie for us Secondly we must not resist in the power of our owne might for then the principalities and powers will be too strong for us We must therefore resist by the wisdome of the holy Scriptures being able to say with our Saviour Christ It is written Mat. 4. I must not commit that sinne to which I am tempted and with Joseph Gen. 39.9 shall I commit this great wickednesse and sinne against God Resistance of sinne in this sort is not onely a defending of our selves but a wounding of our adversaries We must also be sure in our conflict to intreat Gods aide that in the power of his might wee may prevaile When we resist by the wisedome of the word and power of God if we submit unto God and be earnest and constant in resisting we shall put Satan to flight for God saith Iam. 4 7. Resist the devill and hee will flie from you But remember alwayes that his departure will be but for a season Luk. 4.13 we must therefore alwayes keepe on our armour and keepe our watch and let our experience of over-mastering former temptations give fresh courage unto us to resist all that are to come But deliver us Here our Saviour will have his Disciples to aske to be delivered out of their sinne into which they are fallen as well as to bee kept from falling Whence observe Doct. 7 It must be every mans desire and endevour if he be fallen into any sinne to be delivered out of it by repentance and that he may walke before God in new obedience Ier. 31.18 Turne us Lord and we shall be turned saith the Prophet The Church of Ephesus is bid to remember from whence she is fallen Revel 2.5 and repent And the Minister must waite when God will give repentance and recover evill men out of the snare of the devill 2. Timoth. 2.25.26 Which place sheweth that repentance is deliverance out of sinne and doth intimate that it must be desired Vntill a man have repented Reas 1 his prayers are not accepted of God for that cause God commanded the Iewes to repent saying Isa 1.26.18 19. Put away the evill of your doings cease to do evill and learne to do well and then they might come to God and hee would respect them Vntill sinne be repented of a Reas 2 man is as it were manacled
so well conceited of his Poperie as he looketh to winne heaven by it Ioh 16.2 The persecutour thinketh he doth God good service in molesting such as feare him The swearer thinketh his speech doth not sound well and is without all grace if it be not filled up with oathes The covetous the voluptuous the vaine-glorious all of them applaude themselves in their wayes as if they were good though as Solomon saith the issue there of is the way of death Pro. 14.12 It standeth sin upon that the devill and wicked men should transforme themselves and transforme sin and put some goodly painting upon it to make it seeme good else no reasonable man could be brought to commit it for the will of man doth by vertue of its meere nature so perfectly abhorre evill it being the proper object of detestation that it would alwayes shunne it therefore there is put an appearance of good upon it wherby it may deceive But woe be unto them that call evill good and good evill that put darknesse for light and light for darknesse Isa 5 2â— Vse 2 Doth Christ call sinne evill then let us beleeve him and not our owne lying hearts nor yet the father of lyes who would beare us in hand that sinne is not evil But let us alwayes conceive of every sinfull act as 〈◊〉 evil naughtie hurtfull act and let it be our greatest care to avoid sinne Oh if we could represent the acts of sinne under the name of an evill act unto our apprehensions our will would at the first motion loathe and detest it more then it doth a toad and a serpent and would either kill it or runne from it Whensoever therefore wee are tempted unto sinne let us see it as it is a most evill thing let us account of it as it is a most evill thing And whatsoever colours be set upon it or whatsoever good meanes it is called by if the thing so called be a transgression of Gods law let us call it a most evill and most abhominable thing Yea we must conceive of every sinfull action and must account it a greater evill then the eternall torments of hell For the least evill of sinne is greater then the greatest evill of punishment for the greatest punishment is an effect of Gods righteous hand but the least sin is contrary to God it is very enmitie unto his holinesse If sinne might appeare to everie reasonable soule to be as it is such an evill as hath beene said it would worke griefe and repentance of sinnes past and hatred and departing from sinne for ever afterward Vse 3 Lastly how thankfull should all Gods children be to him because he doth preserve and deliver us out of sinne out of the great evill every day and wee have his word that he will continue this grace untill we shall be presented to himselfe without any spot of this evill in the day of the Lord He doth not only pardon us and free us from the guilt and punishment of our sinnes but which is no lesse mercy he doth deliver us from the power of sin he delivereth us from evil We must therefore magnifie the Lord and say Who is a God like thee Mica 7.19 who doest not onely pardon but wilt subdue our iniquitie And with David let us call upon our soules to praise God because as he forgiveth all our iniquities so also he healeth all our diseases that is Psal 103.3 he doth sanctifie us delivering us from all evill For thine is the kingdome and the power and the glorie for ever These words containe the reason of all the petitions it is delivered in an exact forme of thanksgiving so that it doth excellently serve both to confirme the faith of him that prayeth and to give glory unto him that is prayed unto The Evangelist Saint Luke doth not mention this clause It is probable that when our Saviour did teach his disciples in private at the request of one of his disciples he did onely teach them how to make petitions but when hee taught them in publicke he did adde this clause to teach them as well how to praise him and give him thanks as to pray unto him and make requests It is sufficient for our learning that any one Evangelist hath recorded it In this clause wee have the note that sheweth that these words are a reason of the former requests in the word for Then wee have the arguments or grounds of the reason which are taken from certaine respeâ—â— in God which do minister matter of faith assuring them that they had cause to aske and expect of God all the former petitions and do also minister matter of praise shewing what cause there is why all glorie should be given unto him These respects of God are three Soveraigntie Power Glory which are set forth by the appropriating particle thine whereby these three Kingdome Power and Glory are ascribed as proper to God Thine is kingdome c. and also with the copulative and conjoyning the two latter respects or priviledges in God with the former and the power and the glory All which three are illustrated by their continuance for ever Kingdome signifieth Gods absolute soveraigntie over all things to whom onely it appertaineth of right to forgive and to give at his pleasure therefore they make their suite unto him Power signifieth that all-sufficiencie in God whereby he is able to do all things according to the good pleasure of his will Many have kingdome so that it pertaineth to them to help their subjects but want power as it was with the King of Israel who said in the famine 2 Kin. 2.27 If the Lord do not helpe whence shall I helpe But as it belongeth unto God to heare the petitions of his subjects so he hath power to grant whatsoever they shall have need of hence the petitioner gathereth assurance that he shall have his petitions granted Glory is that high estimation honour and praise which is due to any person for their worth and goodnesse this is originally in God as well as soveraigntie and power and in that respect is appropriated to him Wherefore when it is said Thine is the glory thus much is implied that as all glorie and praise is due to him so they do now give it to him And if he shall grant their requests it will be for his glory therefore they are bold to make these petitions and hope to speed in their suites whereas though it appertaineth unto God and he were able yet if the things asked were not for his honour and glory he would never grant them For ever is to be applied unto kingdome power and glorie namely it doth now and shall alwayes belong to his prerogative royall because kingdome is his to heare the petitions of his people He is now and shall for ever be able to helpe them he now hath and shall for evermore have glorie and praise ascribed unto him for granting their requests
should bee given but if instead thereof hee shall please to give patience and contentednesse and more and more acquaintance with God and a greater dependance on him If God shall give strength and grace sufficient to beare the crosse and to want the thing desired if God by the want of earthly things teach us to esteeme of and to seeke after the true health riches and liberty of the soule If hereby we bee weaned from this present world and bee more renewed in our mindes and can bee brought to have our conversation more in heaven than otherwise wee should have had if our particular prayer had been granted who can say that God hath not heard him who will not say but that God hath given him more than his requests Moreover God doth give unto his children their requests in the same kind when they think he doth not for many thinke that if they have not humility patience power to resist temptations and to pray with life and fervour as they would and if they feele not that they have faith according to that measure which they desire or if they have not the like measure of faith and of the gift of prayer and of other graces which they conceive to be in other Christians they conclude they have none at all whereas God having at their request given these to them in truth in any measure hee hath heard their prayer and hath granted their requests God never intendeth to give to all men one and the same measure of his saving graces but as hee in the parable gave to some more and to some lesse so doth hee in dispensing of his grace If wee have obtained these graces in truth as we have certainely if we continue to desire them and do desire to grow in them Wee should bee now thankfull for what we have and ready to be glad and more thankfull if wee could have more and wee sholud bee carefull to improve what wee have to the utmost But we must not repine against God for that we have so little nor yet envy others for that they have so much nor yet slander Gods gifts by saying hee hath not heard us or given us such and such graces because hee hath not given us so much grace as hee hath given to others or so much as wee have desired that hee should give to our selves This fault must be amended else know that wee deserve that God should be so farre from giving us more that in his justice he may take away from us even that which wee have The least measure of saving grace which hee giveth to any of his children the graine of mustard seed and that which is called a little strength this deserveth to be acknowledged and to be cherished and untill wee can get more wee should walke and worke and fight in the strenth thereof for this little strength if wee put it forth Revel 3.8 will enable us to keepe Gods word and will keep us that we shall not deny Christs name This small measure of grace will uphold us in state of grace and by the support of the word of Gods grace it will build us up Act. 20.32 and bring us to heaven even to an inheritance among them that are sanctified Fourthly God doth often defer the granting of our prayers this must not be accounted a deniall God deferreth to give the thing asked many times because wee are not sufficiently humbled Iudg. 20.18.23.26 or otherwise fitted for audience Sometimes he deferreth the thing petitioned for the triall and exercise of our faith and patience Mat. 15.22 unto verse 28. and hope for this cause hee deferred the woman of Canaan Sometimes hee doth it to quicken our desires and to make us the more importunate with him Sometimes hee deferreth us that we may be drawne to seek him againe and againe hee loveth to see the faces of his children often which hee should not do if we might speed at the first asking Lastly hee sometimes deferreth to give the thing asked to the end that we might the more esteeme the thing asked after that it is granted and may bee the more thankfull for it For such is our corruption and folly that what is lightly come by is lightly set by and what is easily gotten is quickly forgotten But what we get with many prayers and teares and with much wrastling wee esteeme it the more pretious in it selfe and wee acknowledge our selves the more beholden to him that giveth it Now therefore to conclude this point let none say how can I beleeve that God heareth mee when yet I finde that I have not the thing asked Consider what hath last been written I will only adde this If you have not yet that needfull good thing which you have prayed for yet still you must continue to pray for it For know that Gods promise of hearing and granting is not made to this or that particular prayer but to a constant course of asking God would have us alwayes pray Luk. 18.2.7 againe and againe and not faint therefore Christ saith Mat. 7.7 aske seeke knock then it shall bee given then you shall finde then it shall be opened unto you Vse 2 Wherefore it doth concern all that pray to pray in confidence and in an assured expectation of the things they pray for When in the truth of your soule you have assayed and endevoured to poure out your soule to God in prayer though with much infirmity yet it being put up in the name of Christ to be heard for his sake be sure that you adde this that you doe beleeve that you are heard and beleeve that in the best time and in the best manner your petition shall bee granted beleeve this that you shall have what you asked or which is much better which you should rather have asked There is a necessity of faith in prayer without which wee cannot hope to speed I meane not onely that faith by which wee beleeve that God is Heb. 11 6. and that hee is a diligent rewarder of them that seeke him and whereby we do beleeve in him to salvation Mar. 11.24 but that faith whereby we beleeve that wee shall receive in particular the things which in prayer we doe desire of him Faith in prayer is so necessary that Saint James saith If any man lack wisdome the same may bee said of all other things let him aske of God Iam. 5 6.7 c. But let him aske in faith if he do not let not that man saith hee thinke that hee shall receive any thing of the Lord. If we beleeve we glorify God Ioh. 3.33 and set to our seale that God is true in his promise but if we beleeve not 1 Io. 5.10 we make him a liar and do much dishonour his holy name I confesse that a mans faith and expectation may and must differ in degrees it must bee more or lesse according as the things prayed for are