it up nothing so high above us or so farre from us but with this hand wee may reach it to us Hee that wrastleth by the strength of prayer though hee wrastle with the strong God shall prevaile as did Iacob of whom it is said Hee had power over the Angell and prevailed hee wept and made supplication Hos 12.4 Of all helps prayer is readiest at hand in all places and at all times if wee be not without our hearts wee neede not be without helpe It is the most universall helpe it is good for all persons at all times in all things It is a most certain helpe no faithfull prayer was ever made in vaine It is a key to open heaven all that have skill to handle it may from thence fetch all things that may doe themselves or their neighbour good Moreover when wee have made our requests knowne to GOD and have commended our cause to him by prayer this will comfort quiet and rejoyce our hearts so that wee neede bee no more sad with Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 nor need we be carefull in any thing but may goe on in our calling in peace Phil. 4.6.7 and may lye downe in peace being assured that now God careth for us knowing that his wisedome truth and power are all set a worke for us And which is more then all which yet hath beene said Prayer is most pleasing to God hee delighteth to heare the voyce of his children It is a more sweet smelling sacrifice then that of incense It maketh way to thanksgiving It is a glorifying of his great name Sith it is the will of God that Vse 4 we should pray all feare of approaching to the throne of his grace may hence be remoued What though God be a God of majestie and thou bee an unworthy person in thy selfe It is no presumption to presse into his presence when hee commandeth this is instead of his scepter of acceptance of thee though no man might come uncalled unto that majesticall Ahashuereth yet any man might come being called nay the Queene was deposed from her place because she came not at his commandement So that it is not presumption to come but rebellion if you come not sith God every where in his word calleth you So that whatsoever thy case be thou maist come with good comfort to God and bee holpen as they say to the blinde man Marke 10.49 Be of good comfort hee calleth thee God calleth you to this duty feare not therefore to goe to God in prayer at any time Objections against prayer answered To this end you must bee able and willing to answer and resist all such objections and discouragements that Satan and your owne heart shall raise against it You may learne how to answer to those objections against the necessity of prayer namely God knoweth what we need and hee hath already decreed what we shall have and many that make no conscience of prayer have more then heart could wish by that which is written before in this doctrine in the third reason taken from the necessity of prayer And for your help I will propound and answer other objections as followeth I am not assured that I am converted Ob. and am the childe of God or that I have the Spirit of God wherefore I think that it belongeth not unto me to pray You are by profession a convert Answ and the childe of God and it may be you have the Spirit of God though yet you do not acknowledge it therefore it belongeth unto you to pray But suppose that you are not converted doth not God command you to convert Ier. 31.18 and turn unto him and finding your inability to turne you should with Ephraim pray saying Turne thou me and I shall bee turned And do you finde the want of the Spirit you should the rather pray for it that God according to his promise may give it Luk. 11.13 Do not say I cannot pray untill God have given me grace and abilitie to pray but having an expresse commandement of God to pray you must set about it assay to pray as well as you can desiring and expecting grace from him to enable you to pray For God doth not usually let us feele the strength of his grace requisite to the performance of a good dutie till that out of conscience of obeying of the command we craving his helpe do set about the doing of it Ob. My sinnes are so many and so great and I have relapsed into such grievous sinnes since I last prayed that I am ashamed and afraâ—d that I dare not come into the presence of God againe to pray unto him Answ The greater and more hainous your sinnes are the more need you have to come unto God whom by them you have offended to aske of him pardon of them And sith God is onely able to cure and heale your soule there is the more cause that by prayer you should seeke unto him to cleanse you of your sinnes and to give you power against them David doth not say because his sinne was great therefore I dare not pray but therefore prayeth thus Psal 25.11 For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great And is not forgivenesse of sins one of the petitions which Christ hath bid you to make daily when you pray To bee ashamed for your sinne when you come before God is good and argueth that you are the fitter for prayer Ier. 31.19.20 and that you are now a meet object of Gods mercie and compassion but to be ashamed to pray and not to dare to come into Gods presence being by him commanded is a great sinne to be repented of Indeed we should not sinne at all 1. Ioh. 2.1.2 but if any man sinne be his sinnes many or few small or great we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation who hath made satisfaction for and hath covered and done away all our sinnes When you come before God to pray in the name and mediation of Christ God looketh upon your sinnes which you confesse unto him as satisfied for done away in Christ Why then should you be afraid and ashamed to pray unto him Ob. When I should pray I feele my selfe so much straitened so dead and so much indisposed to prayer I want words and matter I can neither begin or at least hold out well in prayer to the end for that I am pestred with so many wandring impertinent and sometimes evill thoughts I cannot remember all the sinnes which I should confesse nor yet all the needfull good things which I should aske I cannot pray in faith but am so full of wavering and doubting that God is not well pleased with my prayer I oft feele my selfe worse rather then better after I have prayed I rise up oft times from prayers heavie and discomforted and I offend so many wayes in prayer that I oft times am readie
fourth thing to bee considered is the end which God proposeth and attaineth by permitting and ordering of the sinnes of men far different from those which men propose in committing of them which ends are holy good namely to set forth his owne glory and that many wayes as by discovering the impotency of the creature what need it hath to depend upon the creator for that man though perfect yet could not stand for want of a speciall grace to support him also to manifest his owne freedome and absolutenesse over his creature besides that his wisdome saw that permitting sinne in such a way as could no way impeach his holinesse it would make way for the manifestation of his power in his infinite grace and mercy mixed with justice towards some and in his infinite justice towards others This hee did not that he could not glorify himselfe otherwise but for that in his holy wisdome he held it fitteâ—â—â—o glorify himselfe thus But the end of the proper causes of sin is alwayes naught namely envy against man and malice against God was the cause why Satan tempted man to sinne the satisfying of some vile lust is the cause why man enticeth and is enticed unto sinne Why might not God first permit sinne to be in the world that so a cleere way might bee made to the manifestation of his holinesse in hatred of sinne and in his just revenge upon sinners in which respect though sinne was no way good in acting yet it was good that it should be acted And since the fall his end of giving up the wicked unto abhominable sins is to shew his displeasure in his righteous punishing of one sinne with another for this hee holdeth to bee a meet and equall punishment as he saith of the Romans Rom. 1.17 They received in themselves that recompence of their errour aâ— waâ— meete He doth thus dispose of their sinnes that it may also appeare that he hath just cause to damne them at the day of judgement Wherfore though sinne be evill yeâ— the punishment of sinne is 〈◊〉 evill but exceeding good The ends of the Lords permitting and disposing of the temptations and sinnes of the elect are manifold First at the first his permission of sinne to bee through mans fault made way for an object of his mercy since the fall he permitteth hiâ— owne people to be tempted unto sinne to shew his wisedome and power in sustaining theâ— that they do not fall into evill notwithstanding the subtilty of Satan and the dâ—ceitfulnesse of their owne heart or if they 〈◊〉 into sinne he suffereth it that he might shew his grace and mercie in forgiving and his almightie power in rescuing and delivering them out of the power of sinne Also God oftentimes suffereth his owne children to commit some great sinne that hee might discover unto them which do commit it that wickednes of heart which they would never else have acknowledged to be in them And this God doth that he might cure them of their diseases of sinne doing like a skilfull Physitian let them fall into one disease to cure them of a greater as they say they will cast a man into a burning ague to cure him of his Lethargie or like as a cunning Surgeon can gather dispersed humors unto an head and there make an issue whereas he may let out that corruption which otherwise could not be drawne forth even so God by suffering his children to fall into some great sinne letteth out that securitie and pride which else would not be cured and worketh that humiliation repentance and care to shunne sinne afterwards which would not else have beene wrought in them Seeing therefore God hath such good ends moving him to permit sinne and to dispose of it in manner as hath been said he is to be cleared from all imputation of faultinesse in all that he hath to do in the sinnes of men The last thing to be considered is how God standeth affected unto sinne Touching which be it knowne that he hateth it perfectly as it is sinne for he forbiddeth it before it be done he never approveth of it by his approving will when it is done yea he is so displeased with it that he never letteth it go unpunished after it is committed for he hath punished it in Christ for the elect and is daily in punishing of it and reserveth it to bee eternally punished by hell-fire upon the reprobate Thus Gods holinesse is every way cleared though he permitteth sinne and hath an over-ruling hand in mens sinnes God is the cause of the action which is the matter of sinne Ob. therefore of the sinne Here is no sound consequence Sol. for as sinne is an action and is an effect of God it is good and is no sinne Peccatum est defectus nou effectus but sinne is sinne as it is a defect and failing in the action swarving from the rule of righteousnesse which is not caused by God nor by any cause which hath any direct subordination from God the chiefe cause of all things God disposeth of sinne Ob. and worketh in sinne therefore in some respect an author of it Sinne hath reference unto God as it is an object Sol. or subject wherein or whereupon hee worketh disposing it to his own holy ends but it never hath reference unto God as the effect hath to the efficient cause Peccatum quà peccatum est objectum operis nbâ— opus Dei to be wrought by him therefore it doth not follow because he hath a worke concerning it or in it therefore he is a cause of it so long as it cannot be said he doth worke it Ob. God is a cause without which sinne could not be therefore a cause of sinne after a sort Sol. Grant that wirhout God sin could not be yet he is in no sort a cause for this kinde of cause which is called sine qua non is 〈◊〉 truth no cause And all that caâ— be yeelded is that God is onely a cause by accident now causâ—â— by accident are properly no causes No wise man will say the warmth of the Sunne is a true cause of the stinke of carrion which doth not stinke untill the Sunne did shine upon it the cause of the stinke is in the 〈◊〉 thy corrupt matter of the carrion not in the warmth of the Sunne for the same Sunne shining at the same time upon violets occasioneth a sweet smell The Scripture doth seeme to say plainly Ob. that the cause of some mens sinnes have beene of God 1. King 12.15 The King hearkened not to the people for the cause was of God Now in not hearkening to them the King sinned Cause Sol. in that place doth not signifie the proper effecting of a thing causally but a disposing of the proper causes so as they did produce this effect God left Rehoboam to his evill heart and suffered the young counsellours to give counsell according to the pride of their owne hearts by which meanes it
the person God is understood The third circumstance concerneth the persons prayed for us that is the same persons mentioned in the fourth Petition namely our selves and all our neighbours living upon the earth that belong to Gods election be they alreadie justified or not justified As we forgive These words containe an argument to encourage him that prayeth to aske forgivenesse The Evangelist Luke saith for we forgive which place in Luke doth interpret this in Matthew The particle as doth import a resemblance from an act of ours towards man of that which we would have God do for us but it doth not denote either the measure or manner how we would have God forgive us but onely a certaintie of the truth of their owne forgiving of others And although this as and for in Luke shew that these words are a reason and argument to move us to aske and expect forgivenesse from God yet it doth not imply that our forgiving of others is the cause why God should forgive us but arguing from the lesse to the greater argueth thus We do and can forgive therefore God can much more forgive us also This is but a proposing of their estate and condition unto God reasoning from a signe of Gods love and grace towards them that they have cause to expect forgivenesse In like manner for is used Luk. 7.48 Her sinnes which are many are forgiven for she loved much where the womans love was not a cause of great forgivenesse but a fruit and signe of Gods forgivenesse So that in these words he that prayeth doth represent to his owne thoughts and doth utter unto God thus much That sith he himself that hath but a drop of mercie yet could and did forgive and sith this power in them to forgive others proceeded from a reflexe of his mercy towards them and so was an argument that he already loved them therefore they are bold to aske and expect forgivenesse of him who is infinite in mercie and hath begun to shew mercie to them alreadie The sense of this whole Petition may be rendred thus O Lord God who art the onely forgiver of sinnes sith we cannot glorifie thy Name neither can our lives be pleasing to thee or comfortable to our selves so long as thou art unreconciled to us and so long as thou hidest thy loving countenance from us bee pleased therfore through Christ whom thou hast made to be our redemption to be reconciled to me and to all thine elect upon the earth impute not our sinnes to us but free and acquit us from the whole guilt and punishment of all sinnes small and great For this cause we confesse our sinnes and do beleeve thy promise of forgivenesse Lord helpe our unbeliefe Impute likewise the righteousnesse of Christ unto us and grant that thy Spirit of Adoption may daily make more and more application of forgivenesse to our hearts untto he fâ—â— assurance of hope that we may have peace of conscience joy in the holy Ghost and in the end everlasting life Lord this thou canst easily and will readily do for even we that have but a small measure of compassion forgive those that wrong us And sith by this our forgiving of others we know thou hast begun to forgive us continue therefore thy grace and certifie daily to our hearts that thou art our salvation And forgive us our sinnes If it be observed how this Petition is joyned to the former intimating that natural life without forgivenesse of sinne will little availe a man and if it be considered that forgivenesse of sinnes in that sense as hath beene delivered is the subject of this Petition we may note It concerneth all men to desire Doct. 1 and endeavour after forgivenes of their sinnes through Christ with the application and assurance thereof to their hearts and consciences by the holy Ghost They must desire that God would not impute their sinnes but impute Christs righteousnesse unto them that they may be delivered from all guilt and punishment of sinne and may be heires of glorie and that he would daily passe the sentence hereof to their conscience Hoseah saith Hos 14.2 Take with you words and turne to the Lord say unto him Take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously The Prophet David to whom the Prophet Nathan had pronounced forgivenesse of his murder to his eares 2 Sam. 12.13 yet because God had not pronounced it to his heart but withdrew his countenance from him he is therefore earnest with the Lord saying Purge me with hysop Psal 51.7 to 13. make me heare joy and gladnesse Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities Renew a right spirit within me Restore to me the joy of thy salvation Vntill sinnes be forgiven Reason 1 they separate betweene God and man whether hee be converted or unconverted Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have made him hide his face from you that hee will not heare And We have transgressed and have rebelled saith Ieremie thou hast not pardoned Thou hast covered thy selfe with a cloud Lam. 3.42.44 that our prayer should not passe through If a man be not in state of grace his prosperity in this life doth but fat him against his day of slaughter and increase of his dayes are but a multiplication of his sinnes against the day of account And he may looke for death to arrest him every day which if it doe before his sinnes be remitted hee shall be found in his sinnes at the day of judgement to his everlasting perdition If a man be in state of grace yet if by new sinnes the Lord be provoked to withdraw his loving countenance and to shew tokens of his displeasure against him his life becommeth unprofitable and uncomfortable untill God speake peace to his soule againe He cannot come boldly into Gods presence to pray heare or receive the Sacrament or if he doe come he is very heartlesse in the performance of them and all that a man hath though it be a kingdome can give him no comfort Psal 32. Psal 51. as it was in Davids case But when God forgiveth sins God of an enemy becommeth a friend and of a displeased Father beginneth to looke graciously upon his childe from this pardon it is that a man is freed from all miserie and by the assurance and sealing of pardon to the conscience doe follow peace of conscience freedome and libertie of heart to come before GOD at all times and in the end everlasting life Vntill sinnes past be pardoned Reason 2 and the sinner is justified he cannot doe Gods will nor glorifie his name For Luke 7.47 â—7 untill much be forgiven no man can love much for to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little saith Christ A man is not sanctified untill he be first justified he can never repent and live holily in time to come untill hee have hope that all his sinnes past are
sinne is deprecated and his delivering out of sinne is prayed for whence may soundly be collected this doctrine following God hath an holy over-ruling Doct. 3 and disposing hand in the temptations and evils to which men are subject Hee can and doth restraine or give men up unto temptation he delivereth from sinne and out of sinne or suffereth men to fall into and lye in sinne even as in the holy wisedome of his soveraigntie it shall please him And this he doth and may doe without any the least touch staine or impeachment of his holinesse or being any way properly the author of any sinne as shall further appeare in the handling of this point Gen. 45.8.50.20 Exod. 14.4 The envious practises of Josephs brethren against him The hardening of Pharaohs heart Elies sonnes not harkening to the voice of their father 1 Sa. 2.25 Shemeâ—â— cursing of David 2 Sa. 16.10 The putting of a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets 1 Kin 22.23 The deceiving of those Prophets of the Idolaters mentioned in Ezekiel Ezek. 14 9 The blinding of the eyes Ioh. 12.40 and hardening of the hearts of the Pharisies Rom. 1.26 The giving up of the Gentiles to vile affections And the sending of strong delusion to those which receive not the love of the truth 2 Thes 2.11 All these that I may speak as the Scripture speaketh were of God or from the Lord which things though sinfull are said to be of God and hee speaketh as if he took all to himselfe not for that hee worketh them by an immediate hand of his providence For this were to make God the principall author of sinne which to conceive is blasphemy but because in those things hee permitteth something doth something and doth order and determine all things thereabout God before all times decreed Reas 1 what things should come to passe in time not onely all the good things that should come to passe by his working but also all the evil things that should come to passe by his permission The sinfull conspiracie of Herod and Pontius Pilate Act. 2.23 with the Iewes and Gentiles in putting Christ to death was no other Act. 4.27.28 then what Gods hand and counsell determined before to be done Reas 2 Gods providence and power is present to support and sustain in their naturall life strength all tempters to evill Act. 17.28 all actors of evill in his concourse to the substance of their acts Reas 3 God doth restraine chaâ—â—â— up Satan Iob. 1.12 Iob. 2.6 Psal 81.12 wicked men and a mans own evill heart or letteth them loose permitteth them to tempt even as he will Reas 4 God doth present when hee pleaseth such objects whereâ—â— a man through his owne corruption may stumble or be allured to fall into sinne The administration of certaine occasions and opportunities to sinne is often from God Reas 5 The Lord doth refuse to give his Spirit Mat. 13.11 1 Cor. 2.8.10.14 Deut. 29.4.5 without which no man can resist the first temptation or recover himselfe out of the least sinne or else doth 〈◊〉 it both to whom he will and when he will at his pleasure The Lord when he pleaseth Reas 6 doth withdraw his ordinary restraining and common graces and gifts of the minde whereby he suspendeth those powers of the soule which if they were not suspended might discerne betweene truth and falshood and betweene good and evill Rom. 1.28 he giveth many over to a reprobate minde to a minde void of judgement from whence vainnesse of imagination darkenesse of the understanding blindnesse of minde and hardnesse of heart doe follow as certainely as the darkenesse of the ayre doth follow the setting of the Sunne in the firmament God according as he pleaseth Reas 7 doth limit the sinnes of men both to the time when and to their bounds how farre and no farther Last of all God hath an hand Reas 8 of direction and ordering of mens sinnes ordering them in the manner of committing of them and directing them to their set object and to such good ends as he in his wisdome pleaseth Thus it is evident that God hath a hand in the temptations and sinnes of men Now that he is not blame-worthie or any way a cause of their sinne shall further be cleared For which cause let us consider these five things 1 First what God is in himselfe and in respect of man 2 How farre onely and no farther God hath a hand in mens sinnes 3 What acts come betweene Gods actions touching the action which is sinfull and the immediate act of sinne as it is sinfull 4 What are the ends that God proposeth and attaineth in those his actions 5 How God standeth affected to sinne both before and after it is committed 1 Consider first that God is holinesse it selfe his nature doth not admit of any possibility of erring Gen. 18.25 Heb. 6.18 or of doing any thing which is not holy equall good God is under no Law himselfe is his owne Law whatsoever therefore he doth according to the counsell of his owne will cannot be faultie Now Eph. 1.11 God doth all things according to the counsell of his will Moreover God is the Creator man is his creature God is an absolute Soveraigne no way bound to man to do him good or to preserve him from evill except he please to give him a promise He is so absolute that he needeth not give account to man of his actions nay Iob 33.13 because man when God had made him good did fall by his owne evil inventions or devices Eccles 7.29 he hath deserved that God should do him no good at all but that he should punish him with all evill Wherefore why may not his will be reason and equity enough why he will chuse some to be vessels of mercie and reject others to be vessels of wrath Rom. 9.18.19.20.21 and to dispose of all things concerning them that being left to themselves and to manifold temptations they shal worke out their owne damnation 2 If we consider how farre God worketh in evill all that can bee said that God doth in respect of sinne may as I suppose bee referred unto thoâ—e things mentioned in the reasoâ—â— of the point scil His decree His support of the actors and concurrance of his power to the substance of the act of sinne His permission His proposing of external objects His forbearing to give his sanctifying Spirit His withdrawing his common gifts of his Spirit whereby the powers of the soule become suspended and do cease to doe those good offices for man which else they might do His limitation of sinne and lastly His ordering of sinne to serve his owne ends as he pleaseth Now touching the counsell and decree of God to permit sinne and then for to leave man hardened in his sinne and last of all to punish him eternally for sinne no man hath cause to
except against any thing herein whether we respect Gods negative acts in not willing to hinder sinne but to permit it as also in his not giving grace to some men to rise out of it or whether wee respect his affirmative acts thereabouts as his concurrence to the substance of the act or his determination of the meanes whcreby sin should be committed and of the ends to which sinne should serue after it should bee committed Which I will make to appeare thus as followeth God intending to glorifie himselfe in the manifestation of his manifold excellencies in the attributes of his goodnes wisedome power mercie and justice he decreed and determined with himself to create man and to make him good even after his owne image and withall to give him power to persevere in that goodnesse if hee would Moreover hee decreed to leave him to himselfe even to the liberty of his will and to permit him to fall into sinne decreeing withall to raise some of mankinde out of their fall and sinfull condition through Christ by giving them faith repentance and grace to persevere in the way of holinesse and in the end to give them everlasting life notwithstanding that by sinne they had deserved everlasting death and that for the manifestation of his glory in the way of mercie mixed with remunerative justice likewise hee together decreed to leave the other some of mankinde fallen into sinne and not to vouchsafe them the grace of faith and repentance and withall hee decreed that for their sinne hee would punish them with eternall death and this for the manifestation of his glory in the way of justice vindicative This I conceive to be but one formall decree of meanes not subordinate one to another but ordained together tending to one maine end namely to the end of all ends even to the glory of God though in different wayes to wit in the way of mercy in the way of justice namely Rom. 9.22.23 to the making knowne of the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared to glory and also to the shewing of his wrath and making of his power knowne on the vessels of wrath fitted or made up to destruction For God made therefore it must needs be that he decreed to make all things for himselfe Pro. 16.4 not onely the godly who are the vessels of his mercy for the day of salvation but also the wicked who are the vessels of his wrath for the day of evill even for the day of destruction God decreed that sin should be by his permission through Adams fall God did not leave it to be as a fortuitous or casuall thing which perhaps might come to passe perhaps might not come to passe but fore-saw it as a thing certaine that sinne would bee through Adams transgression of his Law in as much as he determined to permit him so to do Vpon this permission it did infallibly follow that Adam would sinne For this permission being granted the thing permitted must needs follow because Gods will can neither be changed nor resisted And without Gods will nothing can be The event also and mans woful experience doth too wel prove that sin is in the world God likewise decreed to leave some men in state of sin not giving them of his saving grace and also determined for sinne to condemne them as appeareth clearely by the Scriptures For Saint Peter saith that some stumbled at Christ the corner-stone and at the Word 1. Pet. 2.8 being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed 2. Pet. 2.9 And hee saith also that God knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished The Apostle Paul saith We are not ordained to wrath 1. Thes 5.9 implying that God hath ordained some namely the wicked unto wrath Saint Jude saith of certaine men that were ordained to this condemnation Iude 4 13. to wit to bee left to their owne hearts lusts turning the grace of God into wantonnesse and also for that their wickednesse to have the blacknesse of darknesse reserved for them Thus we see what it is which God hath decreed touching sinne Now lest God should have any the least imputation of unjustice or cruelty cast upon him or of being the author of sinne which were blasphemous to conceive I will therefore in the second place shew how and in what manner hee hath decreed sinne to be and to be punished whereby it shall appeare that God is holy and blamelesse even in this as well as in all other his wayes and will bee every way justified when he is judged It is most true that God decreed that sixe should bee but how He did not decree that sinne should be as he decreed that all good things should be namely by his operation hee producing them but he decreed that sinne should be onely by his permission It must also be considered how sinne came to have a being by Gods permission Permission either is a midle thing betweene command and prohibition and in that sense it imports a kinde of allowance in this sense God never did nor will permit sinne for he hath most straightly forbid iâ— or else permission is taken for a middle thing betweene furthering the being of a thing and impedition or hindering of the being of the said thing in this sense it is taken in Gods decree of sinne he willed it to be but so as he did not further the being of it as it is sinne nor yet did he hinder the being of it onely hee did permit it Great difference must be put berweene Gods decreeing the things that be good and the things that be morally evill For the decree that good things shall be is accompanied alwaies with an effectuall operation of God which causeth them to be but the decree that evill shall be by Gods permission is not accompanied with any effectuall furtherance or operation of God in the way of a cause to effect it God is truly the cause of every thing that is good but he is not at all truly the efficient cause of the evill of sinne yet there was good cause why God might decree to permit man for to sinne For he knew it could be no wrong done to the reasonable creature if he should leave him to his owne nature to do according to the nature and freedome of his will especially he having made it onely disposed to good and able to hold it selfe onely to that which was good if he would Besides he knew that to leave the creature made in such perfection to its owne nature was in it selfe not against but according to the common good of the creature Wherfore sith God knew how sinne might be without his causing of it to be and knew also that for the manifestation of his further glory it did belong to his omnipotent wisedome and goodnesse rather to draw good out of evill then not to permit it why might not he
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
inwardly hee was more disposed and better accommodated to obedience then to disobedience being made of an holy disposition within and having the commandement of God from without yea an easie commandment given to Adam for his greatest good and that from that God who had newly made him after his owne likenesse and had made all the world for him Wherein now was God wanting in any thing towards Adam which hee ought to have done for him Man now being fallen not through any fault in God for God made him good but they sought out many inventions Eccl. 7.29 which caused their fall that God should elect whom he will in Christ to give them grace and according to their grace to give them eternall glory and on the other side that God shall reprobate others whom he will and leave them in their sinnes and for their sinnes to punish them with eternall death who can justly complaine or except against it If any man cannot fully comprehend these things and satisfie his owne reason herein yet he is to beleeve that it is so For this is an object of our faith rather then of dispute how it can be It is sufficient that the Scriptures say it is so That saying of the Apostle O man that art a man of a shallow reach and apprehension that art a creature and now art a sinfull creature who art thou that repliest against God Hath not the Potter power over the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour another unto dishonour Rom. 9.20.21 This should satisfie every Christian in this point Secondly that God by an act of his providence and power upholdeth the tempters and tempted giving them life and strength for action this is not subject to exception for herein man is much beholding unto God for that in and by him Act. 17.28 he doth live move and hath a being Thirdly hee by an act of his soveraignty doth let loose Satan and doth not hinder the tempter from tempting Qui cum possit non prohibâ—t â—ubet Indeed amongst men hee that doth not hinder evill when he may hinder it becommeth accessarie and is saâ—â—tie but this is because the law of nature and the law of God requireth that no man shall suffer his neighbour to be hurt or indamaged if hee can hinder in but the absolute Lord God is not tyed in any such bond unto his creature no not before Adams fall much lesse sineâ— Fourthly God doth sometimâ—â— by an act of his wisedome propose some object whereby oâ—casion of sinne may be taken 〈◊〉 Bathsheba's washing her seâ—â—e was ministred unto Davids sight and the wedge of gold Babilonish garment by Gods providence was presented to the covetous eye of Achan and this he doth to discover what is in mans heart and why may he not We think we may laysome siluer or sweetmeats in fit places here there to try our servants or childrens fidelity may not God doe the like much rather Fiftly he forbeareth to give saving grace but whom doth he wrong herein sith hee is not bound to give grace to any man Sixtly God doth by an act of his justice giving up a sinner to a further degree of sinne doth withdraw those gifts of the minde which once he gave which thing hee hath just cause to do if he please for what man hath not by his sinne deserved this punishment If a man abuse his hand why may not God wither it 1 Kin. 13.4 as he did Jeroboam's We hold this to bee good justice and is it not as good justice that those that have abused their powers of imagination of understanding and of discerning things that differ should bee punished by being deprived of the right use of them There is no lesse holy justice in this latter than in the former Lastly that God doth limit sinne for time and measure as he did the sinnes of the Romans for the elects sake Mat. 24.22 and that hee doth direct them to good ends as hee did the sinne of Ioseph's brethen in selling their brother Gen. 50.20 and sending him into Egypt for the good of Iacob and all his family here is matter of praise and glory to God no matter of exception against God If God act no further in sinne than hath beenâ— said I hope it is manifest that hee may act thus farre and 〈◊〉 bee innocent Now God haâ—â— no further act in sinne Iam. 1.13 he tempteth no man Hee is no agent in sinne as it is a sinfull act for he doth not entice or solicite unto sinne he doth not incline mans will unto sinne by infusing or putting into it any evill which was not there before but only leaveth man to the temptations of his owne lusts the lusts of the world and of the devill The third thing considerable is what acts come betweene Gods act and the act of sinne or who are the immediate and proper actors of sinne as it is sin These agents and acts are either externall or internall the externall are the suggestions of Satan and the evill motions of men which propose entice and perswade unto evill the internall is a mans owne evill heart upon which the most blame doth lie For then a man is tempted saith Iames Iam. 1.14 when hee is drawne away by his owne lusts and is enticed Wherefore in those sinnes in which God is said to have most to do the fault was laid upon the person that wrought himselfe unto evill as upon the proper cause when still God is cleered As where God is said to harden Pharaoh's heart Exod. 7.3 the true and proper hardner was Pharaoh himselfe for so saith Moses When Pharaoh saw that there was respite he that is Pharaoh harned his heart Exod. 8.15 And whereas it is said God gave the Romans up to uncleannesse their acts of uncleannesse did not follow as properly caused by any act of God but from a cause in themselves for so hee saith Rom. 1.24 the dishonoring their owne bodies was through the lusts of their owne hearts Sinne is a concrete compounded of two things of the fact and of the obliquity of the fact wee 〈◊〉 distinguish betweene the â—â—stance of the act and the forâ—â— thereof wherein the sinfulnesse of the act doth lie God hee is a cause concurring to the substance of the act he concurreth not to the sinfulnesse of the act but onely denieth his grace which if he would have vouchsafed to bestow it would have hindered it which grace hee is not bound to give to any It was enough that hee gave a sufficient grace to Adam to stand if hee would So that wee may truly avouch that the devill or man that enticeth another or a mans owne selfe that enticeth himselfe Deus est ordinator uon author peccati are the true causes and authors of sinne but not the Lord who hath only a permitting an overruling and disposing hand in sinne as is is sin The
unto the end thereof that in the end we may with firme remembrance of what hath been spoken and with good advisement redouble our desires and testifie our hope of audience when we say Amen Thus to pray is to pray in the spirit Amen In saying Amen a man repeateth and redoubleth his desire as if he said What I have desired I do againe and againe desire and wish it may bee so Whence note Doct. 3 There ought to be an holy fervor and earnestnesse in prayer Good King Hezekiah shewed his earnestnesse when hee said Encline thine eare O Lord and heare open thine eyes O Lord and see Isaiah 37.17 Daniel is likewise earnest when hee saith O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and doe deferre not for thy names sake Dan. 9.19 Aske seeke knock saith our Saviour Matth. 7.7 Those prayers which prevaile with God are called effectuall fervent prayers Iam. 5.16 For when a man is fervent Reas 1 in prayer it argueth that a man is sensible of what he doth aske and that hee is unfained in his asking It argueth that hee hath faith Reas 2 and hope to obtaine what hee asketh Mat. 15 22 25.2â— as it did the faith of the woman of Canaan The evils to bee prayed against Reas 3 are so extremely hurtfull and things to bee prayed for such as grace and glory are so excellent and so exceeding needfull that it concerneth men to be earnest God only can heare and help Reas 4 if he help not we perish good reason therfore why we should be urgent with him Reas 5 The more fervent any man is in requests the more hearty hee will be in thanksgiving Vse 1 This reproveth the faintnesse of the prayers of many persons who put up onely slender and single requsts unto God without redoubling or seconding them with pertinent repetitions or hearty adding of Amen to their requests which argueth that either they have no hearty desires of that they aske or they have little hope to speed both which faylings in prayer do much displease God Vse 2 Let all therefore that are to come before God in prayer not onely pray with understanding and in the spirit but with fervency of spirit Luk. 18.1.2 Christ teacheth this by the parable of the importunate widow and unjust Iudge for by importunity and earnestnesse she prevailed even with him Wherefore if wee would importune the righteous and most gracious God wee should prevaile much more This fervency commendeth and giveth force to our prayers yea though they bee utterred but with unperfect speech and inward grones more than the most fine phrases and most choice words that can be uttered if fervor be absent Amen doth also expresse that perswasion of faith and hope which hee that prayeth hath to obtaine his requests Whence we learne Whosoever prayeth aright Doct. 4 must beleeve and expect that he shall have his prayers granted This same Christ himselfe teacheth saying What things soever ye desire when yee pray beleeve that yee receive them and ye shall have them Mar. 11.24 The Apostle would have men pray every where without doubting 1. Tim. 2.8 John saith This is the confidence that wee have in God that if we aske any thing according to his will hee heareth us 1. Ioh. 5.14 Reas 1 Because whosoever asketh aright asketh onely those things which are lawfull and according to the will of God Therefore may expect to have them granted Reas 2 God hath peomised to grant the petitions of them that pray unto him saying Aske and it shall be given you Matth. 7.7 Our Saviour saith If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall aske what ye will and it shall be done unto you Ioh. 15.7 Yea the promise is made with condition of beleeving that they shall obtaine therefore they must beleeve for Christ saith All things whatsoever ye shall aske in prayer beleeving ye shall receive Matt. 21.22 Reas 3 All which pray aright do aske the Father in the name of Christ Rev. 8 3. who is that Angel which hath much incense which hee doth offer with the prayers of the Saints thereby making them acceptable who hath by his word given all men assurance that whatsoever they shall aske the Father in his name he will give it Ioh. 16.23 This discovereth the sinne of Vse 1 many who notwithstanding they pray daily yet they are full of doubt and do not beleeve that God doth heare or grant their requests Nay many will say that it is not their case onely for they do heare many complaine that their prayers are not granted How can we beleeve that our prayers are or can be granted To such I answer Let not Satan and a misguided judgement deceive you For First the cause may bee in your selves that you are not heard Secondly though God do not take any exception against your person or praier but liketh both well yet in his wisedome he may see cause why hee will not grant your desire Thirdly God may heare and grant your petition when yet you may thinke that you are not heard Fourthly God may for good causes oft-times deferre the granting of your requests which must not be accounted for a deniall If the fault be in your selfe either through the faultinesse of your person or action in prayer then God of purpose forbeareth to grant your prayer not because he heareth not but because he would have you to amend what was amisse both in your selfe and in your prayer To qualifie a mans person that hee may have his prayer heard it is requisite 1. that he be the true childe of God that he be ingrafted into Christ by faith and that hee abide in Christ and have his word dwelling in him For Abide in me Ioh. 15.7 saith our Saviour and let my word abide in you ye shall aske what you will and it shall bee done unto you Or 2. if a man indeed be regenerate Psal 66.18 yet if hee regard any particular knowne iniquitie in his heart and if hee lye in any grosse sinne unrepented of the Lord hath cause not to heare for this sinne as a thicke cloud Lam. 3.40.42.44 causeth that his prayer as Jeremie saith cannot passe through 3. He that would himselfe be heard of God and have God to forgive him must be one that hath put on bowels of mercie Col 3.13 Mat. 6.14 and kindnesse and readinesse to give unto and to forgive his brother at his request else how can hee thinke that God will heare him Matth. 18.32.33.35 so as either to give unto him or to forgive him 4. It is requisite that hee which would have his new petitions granted should first be thankfull for former and for old mercies received else this may be a sufficient barre to the granting of new requests 5. He that would obtaine his petitions must be readie prest and be industrious in using those means wherein and whereby the good thing asked is by
to speake something of this Treatise of this godly and painefull Minister of Christ which is written by him without affectation as desirous to cloath spirituall things with a spirituall manner of writing the diligent and godly Reader shall observe a sound cleare substantiall handling of the greatest points that naturally fall within the discourse and a more large and usefull unfolding of many things than in former Treatises It appeareth he sought the good of all so that besides the labours of other holy men there will be just cause of blessing God for his assistance in this worke To whose blessing I commend both it and the whole Israel of God Grayes Inne R. SIBBS A KEY OF HEAVEN The Lords Prayer opened and applyed MATH 6. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name 10 Thy kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven 11 Give us this day our daily bread 12 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters 13 And leade us not into temptation but deliver us from evill for thine is the kingdome and the power and the glory for ever Amen THese words are part of our Saviours Sermon in the Mount they concerne Prayer and doe consist of a Precept or exhortation to pray in a right manner Patterne to exemplifie the said manner The precept is After this manner pray ye The patterne is Our Father c. This Exhortation is inferred upon consideration of divers abuses of prayer whereof our Saviour had warned his Disciples to wit Hypocrisie and vaine babling of the Pharisies and Heathen Hee reasoneth from the dissimilitude that ought to be betweene hypocrites and heathen between true Christians and faithfull beleevers saying verse 8. Be not ye therefore like unto them but pray ye in an holy manner And for that cause doth propose unto them a perfect forme of prayer intimating that if they would pray according as he did therein prescribe they should neither play the Hypocrites as did the Pharisies nor babble as the heathen nor offend any other way in this holy exercise of calling upon the name of the Lord. The words of the exhortation containe these particulars 1 The person exhorting Christ Iesus implied in his imperative speech Pray 2 The persons exhorted Ye 3 The inference whereupon it is grounded Therefore 4 The subject of the exhortation Pray in this manner Pray 1 Sam. 1 1â—.15 Pâ—â—2 8 Isâ—â—â— to pray doth import an holy speech and pouring out of the soule unto God being a joynt act of the minde will whereby the minde by voyce or thought doth make knowne to God the desires of the heart What it is to pray shewing both what a man wold have God to doe for him or to accept from him A bare desire is not to pray for many wish and desire those things for which they never speake or pray unto God Orare est appetere petere Phil. 4 6. Psal 38.9 Neither are words without desires any prayer but when the minde maketh knowne to God what the will desireth this is to pray By what way soever of expression a man doth signifie his desire directing it to God whether it be by thought onely or also by sigh a Psal 38.9 Rom. 8.26 groane or b Psal 39.12 tears or by lifting up * Ps 28.2 a hand or c Psal 123.1 eyes towards God in the heavens or by d Psal 141.1.2 voyce perfect or e Isai 38.14 unperfect if it be but by f Lam. 3.56 breathing it out as it were so be hee intend and understand what he desireth this is to pray Desires are naturall or spirituall Naturall when a man Difference between naturall and spirituall desires in prayer out of a sense of that which hee needeth and which may be for his naturall well being here and for his happinesse hereafter from a meere well-wishing to himselfe doth pray unto God to obtaine it Thus a naturall man a very Balaam may pray Num. 23.10 A spirituall desire be it of naturall or spirituall good things is from the spirit and regenerate part of man Rom 8.26 27. put up to God with holy affections in a spirituall manner to a spirituall end Onely the regenerate can thus pray Ye first the Disciples and under them hee meaneth all Christians Act. 11.26 For although Christ gave his Disciples some precepts that onely did belong to them as Apostles yet hee gave very many precepts to them as they were Christians as that in Marke 13.37 What I say to one I say to all Watch so here what he saith to them he saith to all Pray Therefore hath a double reference both to the sinfull manner dehorted fom and to this holy manner exhorted to He reasoneth thus the manner of hypocritical and heathenish praying is sinfull this manner here propounded is most holy therefore pray in this manner and not as they doe After this manner or thus the word rendred thus or in this manner is a note of likenesse pointing unto the patterne following As if he had said Say Our Father as it is Luk. 11.2 or if you use other words let them be according unto this patterne here prescribed to wit to the same person the same matter in the same kindes of prayer whether it bee in Petition for our selves for that which is good or in deprecation against that which is evill or in Intercessions for others or in Thanksgiving both for our selves and for others and with the same good disposition of heart as is taught in this forme of prayer following The words thus opened the particulars therein offer divers profitable lessons Christs diligence in teaching his servants and familie this necessarie religious duty of praier both at this time of his owne accord and at another time at the request of one of his Disciples is first to be observed Luk 11.1 All the actions of Christ Jesus are observable and of excellent use but onely some of them binde Christians to imitation That I may therefore cleere the foundation of the doctrine to be concluded from Christs practise let it be considered that the actions of Christ were of different natures He did some acts as he was God and as Mediator betweene God and man as his miracles and offering up of himselfe a sacrifice for sinne c. These actions should work in all men an holy admiration of him and faith in him but must not nay cannot be imitated How far Christs example doth bind to imitation He did other actions as hee was man some whereof were indifferent being neither commanded nor forbidden others were necessarie being commanded Those actions which he did which were indifferent doe teach us Christian libertie shewing what we may do but doe not lay a bond upon the conscience to tye us to doe the same Christ did sometimes stand when he prayed this was an indifferent action
Answ and these they have uncertainely without a blessing with them They have them but as fruits of his common goodnesse providence Psal 36.6 Psal 145.9 God knowing what imployments he hath for them amongst men and not as fruits of his speciall love promise and mercy God giveth them oft-times in wrath with a curse Tit. 1.15 they are impure unto them they make leane soules increasing their sin Psal 92.7 fatting them but it is to the slaughter it is that they may bee destroyed for ever whereas on the contrary all that pray aright shall in the best time have what is best for them with Gods blessing as a token of his speciall love unto them Vse 1 It is therefore a great fault in all those that shall under any pretence omit and neglect prayer then which fault I know none more common For except it be when all other helpes faile and they bee in a desperate extremitie who in comparison seeketh unto God by prayer When they be sicke to the Physitian or to the Surgeon onely but not to God by prayer yea some runne to Witches and Wizards to charmes to the divell to any thing rather then unto God If they be in want then they betake them to their friends to their hands to their wits yea to câ—asening and shifting but never looke up to God and the like in all other cases The same course they take for their soules If the comming to Church and formall hearing the word receiving the Sacraments and the prayers of others will save them they will not alwaies be wanting in these externall devotions but as for prayer any more then a little lip-labour which indeed is no prayer they are meere strangers to it Causes why men call not upon God This neglect of prayer commeth from prophanenesse and pride of heart from confidence in the creature and from selfe-dependance which causeth them to be unwilling to come into the presence of the holy God or to be beholding to him For this cause God in justice casteth them into want They have not Iam. 4.2 because they aske not or if he give unto them without asking he giveth it with a curse it is impure unto them Tit. 1.15 as before you heard There are some so prophane that they omit prayer in contempt and with deriding all which conscionably performe it But as for those which have got into the scorners chaire and have made themselves unworthy the pearle of a reproof I leave them to the considerations following They carry in their faces the very brand of an Atheist for it is his guise not to pray himselfe but would shame him which maketh God his refuge Psal 14 4 6. And how can they be called Christians to whom the description of the heathen doth so properly agree Ier. 10 25. The Prophet Ieremie describeth the heathen by this that they were families that call not on Gods Name and these he holdeth to be meete persons upon whom God should poure out his fury and fiercenesse of his indignation But I leave these and come Vse 2 to speake to Gods owne children who even in this point of prayer are much to blame For many of them make too little account of this pretious dutie How seldome doe they set about it how loath to come to it how cold and livelesse in it and how soone wearie of it Is it any marvell if they be full of crosses and be impatient under them Is it any wonder that the world doth so oft overcome them and the divell so oft foile them when they are so seldome and so weake in prayer This failing proceedeth from want of faith in God from too much confidence in the arme of flesh and meanes here below and from poring too much upon the prosperitie of those Psal 73.7 who without prayer have more then heart could wish and by laying their owne crosses in which they lie notwithstanding they have praied too close unto themselves From these and the like causes as lying in some sinne unrepented of or the like it is that you are unwilling to pray and when you doe pray your edge of praier is quite taken off But enter I pray you into Gods sanctuarie that you may see confesse and bewaile your folly and learne with that Psalmist to say Psal 73.28 It is good to draw neere to God and to put your trust onely in the Lord. Vse 3 Let all that professe the name of God bee exhorted not to conceive of praier as a thing arbitrarie and indifferent but as of a necessarie duty as hath beene proved in the Doctrine Are any afflicted Iam. 5.13 let them pray Are any in prosperitie let them pray and praise God In what condition or state soever ye are pray For besides that it is Gods command and his immediate worship Manifold motives unto prayer we by prayer injoy an holy communion with God taking sanctuarie under his wings We edifie our selves also in our most holy faith and in all other the saving graces of Gods spirit when we pray in the Holy Ghost for by it all the weapons of our Christian warfare all the good gifts of God and meanes of our salvation become usefull and good unto us By prayer either we shall prevent Gods iudgements and corrections or bee made able to beare them and be made much better by them By prayer wee shall obtaine pardon and repentance of sins past and strength to resist temptations of sinnes to come In thus doing we shall have all such good things as be needfull for us with a blessing upon them or with contentednesse without them grace and peace in this life perfection of grace and glory in the life to come Would wee doe good to our enemies and to our friends and would we doe our selves good would we be beneficiall to the Common-weale and Church then let us pray 2 Chron. 30.20 Gen. 25.21 Mark 9.25 Mat 15.28 Mat. 8.13 Gen. 24.12 For Kings have prayed for their subjects husbands for their wives fathers for their sonnes mothers for their daughters masters for servants servants for masters and all have beene heard in that which they praied Prayer because it is ordained by God and hath his promise calleth in and ingageth Gods power truth for him that maketh it and so through God becommeth omnipotent What hath beene or can be too hard for Prayer Exod 14.15.16 It hath caused the Sea to divide it selfe and become an high way to Gods people also together with the Whale Ionah 2 1.1.10 Iosh 10.12 to give up Ionas alive and set him ashore It caused the Sunne to stand still yea to goe backe It hath loosed chaines and unlocked Prisons Act. 1â— 5.7.11 and iron gates and delivered the prisoners What hath not prayer done what will it not doe in the behalfe of the Church or of any of Gods chosen Nothing so deepe but with this bucket we may draw
to thinke that I had better not pray at all That you feele these defects Answ and do observe these your inabilities and failings in prayer if withall you be humbled and your conscience can witnesse that your desire is that your heart were inlarged and were rightly disposed to prayer this is well this argueth that you have some life and some good disposition to the worke but here is no ground of discouragement or cause why you should forbeare to pray The best of Gods children sometimes have beene in your case David himselfe had his spirit overwhelmed Psal 77.3.4 and was so troubled that he could not speake Ezekiah said that he did chatter like a crane Isa 38.14 he did rather stutter and stammer out his desires to God in a broken sort then by distinct and apt words to expresse them As for wandring thoughts who is free or who can be free so long as sinne dwelleth in him and Satan is alwayes readie to cast them in As for faith it may be that you pray in faith though you conceive otherwise because you feele so much doubting but would you pray in faith do you grieve that you cannot beleeve and can you say with him in the Gospel I do beleeve Mar. 9.24 Lord helpe my unbeleefe then you pray in faith though you feele it not If you feele your selfe worse after prayer this is a misconceit of yours or a suggestion of Satan But if it be so indeed in your feeling this doth not argue that you are worse for your prayer but better for that evill which was in you before unseene is now discovered that you may reforme it The flesh and Satan sometimes may bee more stirring with their tentations but prayer gaineth alwayes a secret helpe of God if you would but improve it But know whatsoever your feeling be if failings in prayer be not allowed but resisted and and prayed against God passeth them by and doth not account them unto you If you endeavour to pray aright and do pray as well as you can though you faile very much this unallowed failing is onely a sinne of infirmitie for which God doth pity you and will spare you as a father doth his sonne that serveth him But not to pray at all is a grosse sinne of wilfull negligence which God hateth and will severely punish Wherefore whatsoever your indisposition be and whatsoever your former failings and discouragements have beene you must breake through all lets know that you have the more need to pray setting about it in the power of Gods might sith that you have no power of your owne Psal 119.88 Psal 119.32 Psal 86.9 Do as David did pray to be quickened and to have your heart inlarged and that God would unite your heart to feare his name If there be truth of desire in your prayer then know that you are heard and accepted not for the goodnesse and worth of your prayer but for the goodnesse and merits of Christ Iesus by whom you offer up your prayers What though you know not how to pray Rom. 8.26.27 the Spirit of him who hath commanded you to pray will helpe your infirmitie and enable you to pray in such sort as God shall accept thereof in Christ Iesus And if you be so heavie and comfortlesse after prayer it is your fault proceeding from groundlesse doubts and false feares but yet no argument that you did not pray aright or that you were not heard much lesse that you should think you pray in vaine or that you had better not pray at all But so long as a doubt and scruple remaineth in my mind Quest whether I may pray or no is it not best for me not to pray till that scruple be removed for I must do nothing doubtingly nor against scruple of conscience Answ To this I answer this is but a delusion of the devill and a groundlesse fancie In things indifferent of which the Apostle speaketh a man must be fully perswaded in his owne minde Rom. 14.5.23 and he must not do a thing indifferent though lawfull in it selfe to be done so long as hee doubteth and doth make scruple of conscience thereabout whether it may be done or no and therefore he must with all singlenesse of heart use meanes by the truth of Gods word to informe his conscience But in things expresly commanded such as is this dutie of prayer in this case a man is not to hearken to any scruple which shall rise concerning the not performing of it but is violently to resist that scruple and to breake through it and to addresse himselfe to the dutie of prayer notwithstanding For whensoever scruples under pretence of conscience shall arise to trouble and hinder a man from performing a necessarie dutie When a man may do contrary to scruple of conscience such as prayer and the like it is lawfull to do contrary to such scruples for a scruple is nothing else but a groundlesse feare wherefore to do a thing commanded by God though it be done contrarie to this scruple is not to do it against conscience for there can be no tye of conscience against any of Gods Commandements Wherefore laying aside all carnall reasoning and objecting as also all scruples and doubting be you encouraged to bee frequent in prayer and that not onely because unspeakable good shall redound to your selfe thereby but out of conscience of dutie because it is the wil of God that you should pray unto him Pray in this manner or as Luk. 11.1 Say Our Father c. Note hence that Doct. 4 The Lords prayer is a prayer and may be used in this verie forme of words for a prayer Our Saviour else would not have said Say Our Father Luk. 11.1 Reason Whatsoever is requisite in prayer may be expressed in uttering the very words of this prayer And in them a man may make his requests knowne to God which to do is to pray Vse 1 This confuteth the rash and ungrounded opinion of those which because the Lords Prayer is a patterne of prayer therefore hold it unlawfull to use it for a prayer As if it might not be both a prayer and a pattern as indeed it is And why may it not as well as a Kings standard weights and measures which are patternes of all sorts of weights and measures of the kingdome by which all both small and great are to be made and examined yet no wise man will say those standards are not weights or will not use them but of all weights if he may will use them because they be perfect and by them he may make others of his owne If the Lords Prayer be a Vse 2 prayer to be used in that verie forme in which Christ hath left it Set prayers are lawfull then without question set prayers are lawfull and no man should make scruple thereat yea in private for this prayer may be said in the closet Mat. 6.6 Besides we have good
most apt to enkindle the desires and helpe the faith of them that do pray If many and generall requests be to be put up then such titles and names must bee used that may perswade them they shall be heard in all If some particular petition be to be pressed then such names and descriptions of God are to be used as may helpe the heart in that particular Abrahams servant being to pray for successe in his masters businesse saith Geâ— 24 12. O Iehovah God of my master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day and shew kindnesse unto my mâ—â—tâ—er Abraham When Peter did intricate God to make choice of an Apostle to supply the place of Iudas hee saith Thou Lord Act. 1.24 which knowest the hearts of all men shew whether of these two thou hast chosen When David prayeth against the enemies of God and his children hee saith O Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth Psal 94.1 O God to whom vengeance belongeth shew thy selfe And when hee doth magnifie Gods name and would incire all people to pray unto him and praise him he speaketh to him in this description of God O thou that hearest prayer Psal 65.2 unto thee shall all flesh come For a wise choice of apt names Reason 1 titles to represent God with doth argue knowledge of God and wisedome to make use of his different attributes both which knowledge wisdome being mixed with faith doth much please and delight God to behold in his children The representing of God to Reason 2 the minde in convenient and meet names and notions is verie needfull for it will set the heart and keepe it in good plight working aw and reverence fervencie uprightnesse and confidence all which are requisite in prayer Vse It behoveth therefore every one that would make a good entrance into prayer without which he is not like to make a good proceeding to acquaint himselfe with the true understanding of the manifold names and descriptions of God recorded in Scripture and then let them make choice of the fittest titles of God to name him by according as there shal be especiall cause or use of his power wisedome mercie truth or justice c. Then to use such names as may best expresse those attributes which are especially to bee exercised in the granting of their requests Thus much of the whole description of God being coÌ„sidered joyntly now followeth the consideration of each part of the description Father hath relation first to Christ the second person in Trinity whereby our Saviour directeth us unto a consideration of the three persons in Trinity and to the order of directing of prayers ordinarily viz. to the Father whence the doctrine is In prayer God is to be known Doct. 5 and conceived of in the distinction of persons Father Sonne and holy Ghost to whom prayer must be directed ordinarily in this sort scil to the Father by the Sonne through the helpe of the holy Ghost Christ saith Ioh. 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall aske my Father in my Name he will give it you The Apostle giveth thanks to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ Ephe. 5.20 We call God Abba Father by the Spirit which maketh our intercessions for us Rom. 8.15.27 For such is the divine dispensation of God the Father Reason Son and holy Ghost that though they are but one indivisible essence and whatsoever any one doth out of himselfe the very same doth the other also Ad extra yet they sustaine different persons and offices that I may so speake and do the same things in a different and distinct order yet so as the naming of one doth not exclude but necessarily include the other In prayer the Father sustaineth the person and place of him that is offended by sinne that must be appeased and doth heare and grant requests If we sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Which sheweth plainly that the Father in especiall sort must be appeased and sought unto The Sonne supplieth the place of a Mediator and intercessour by whom requests ascend and become acceptable to the Father He is that golden altar Ioh. 16.23 upon which the prayers of all Saints are offered and caused to ascend as incense Revel 8.3 No man can come to the Father but by him Ioh. 1â— 6 He is appointed of God to be a Mediatour and being God and man is both a fit and all-sufficient Mediator between God and man Without him no mans person or best actions can be acceptable because of the many imperfections Wherefore all prayers must be offered up by Christ Iesus The holy Ghost doth supply the office of a teacher and of one that helpeth our infirmities and in us Rom. 8.26 to make our intercessions and requests for us that they may be offered to the Father by the intercession of the Sonne For we know not what we should pray for as we ought and if the Spirit do not worke together in our prayers there would be no goodnesse at all in them no not so much as truth and uprightnesse without which Christ Iesus will not offer them to his Father for us Therefore prayers must bee made in the Spirit through the helpe of the Spirit Now because of this order of persons in the Deitie the Father being first and because of the different places they sustaine in the worke of our salvation the counsell and will of all three is that the Father should be prayed unto and worshipped in the onely mediation of the Sonne through the Spirit and therefore it is that the Father is here named not the Sonne or holy Ghost But because of the indivisible essence of the Godhead the naming of the Father doth necessarily imply the calling upon both Sonne and holy Ghost also If God must be known and Vse 1 worshipped in the distinction of the persons in Trinitie then it is impossible to represent God by any image as the Papists do For by what visible likenesse can an invisible Spirit which is truly not imaginarily distinguished into three persons and different manner of subsisting be likened or resembled The Papists that come to Vse 2 God by the mediatioÌ„ of Christ but in part joyning to Christ the mediation of Saints are hereby confuted For there is no Mediatour but that one person by whom God is our Father They come a distinction saying Christ is onely Mediatour of redemption but not the onely Mediatour of intercession that so they might leave a roome in which they might place the mediation of Saints but this is to sever what God hath joyned For the Scripture knoweth no Advocate or Intercessour but him who is the Redeemer 1. Ioh. 2.12 scil Christ Iesus the righteous who is the propitiation for our sinnes And it is as proper to the Mediatourship that Christ onely should make intercession at the right hand of God as to die and rise againe for the elect Rom. 8.34
thus divided Summum bonum the first expresseth the desire of the chiefe good scil the glory of Gods name in the first petition Hallowed be thy Name the means whereby his Name is hallowed and glorified are the matter of all the rest delivered in a most heavenly order Gods Name cannot bee hallowed if hee doe not make his holy Name known by erecting his kingdome therefore the comming of his kingdome is the matter of the second petition And because his kingdome is not made manifest and his Name is not acknowledged to be holy and glory is not given unto him untill his will bee unfainedly obeyed therefore thy will be done is the matter of the third petition Now because no man can do the will of God upon earth except God sustain him on earth therefore daily support from God is prayed for and is the matter of the fourth petition And when a man hath all comfortable supplies for this naturall life yet if he bee not in Gods favour and be reconciled unto God he neither hath will nor power to glorifie God nor can bee accepted in any thing he doth therefore forgivenesse of sinnes and justification before God is the matter of the fift petition Lastly though a man have his sinnes past pardoned and he be justified he cannot do Gods will nor declare that the kingdome of God is come to him nor any way hallow his Name if he have not grace and power against sinne therefore the sanctification of the whole man is prayed for which is the matter of the last petition This is the holy order and subordination of the petitions Fourthly the different manner of propounding the petitions cause a different acception of them some are petitions properly so called when the good things asked are expressed and the evill prayed against is understood as in the foure first petitions some are deprecations when the evill prayed against is expressed and the good prayed for is understood as in the two last petitions The first petition is Hallowed be thy Name here it must bee considered what is meant by Name the object of hallowing then what hallow signifieth Name hath reference to God and it signifieth God himselfe scil the person named Also all such names and titles of God his attibutes actions ordinances and all things which have any speciall print of Gods holinesse stamped upon them are Gods name because by them he is knowne as men are by their names The word thy appropriateth the hallowing of the name unto him who is before named and described in the invocation opposing and preferring Gods name to the name of man or Angell or of any other creature To hallow is either to make a thing holy which was common or prophane or to declare and acknowledge and use holily some thing which is holy already Hallow must not bee taken in the first sense scil to make a thing holy for God and his Name alwayes was is and for ever shall be of it selfe most holy But to hallow Isa 29.23 here signifieth thus much to conceive and acknowledge with the heart and to declare with the tongue and life that God and his Name is holy and to bee respected and used as most holy in like sense as Wisdome is said to bee justified of her children Mat. 11.19 that is declared and respected as wisdome ought to bee respected For to hallow a thing is to respect and use it according to the holinesse thereof Prophaning Gods name is contrary to the hallowing of it The aime of our Saviour is that God may bee set up in mens hearts and may bee glorified and acknowledged in the world For this cause hee maketh choice of the most apt word that could be invented for hallowing leadeth vs to a consideration of Gods holinesse which is the glory of all other his attributes and includeth the cause why he should be glorified and therefore is a word of larger extent than magnified or glorified for the one doth but point out the glory of his greatnesse the other doth not expresse the cause why hee should bee glorified both which hallowed doth For holinesse is that rectitude in God and freedome from all impurenesse and from all shadow of imperfection or sinne which is the excellency and perfection of all other things that are in God and to speake with holy reverence of his Majesty the other attributes of God could not be commendable in God if they were not all infinitely holy His soveraignty would be tyranny his justice would bee cruelty his mercy would be foolish pity his wisdome would bee craft and subtilty if his greatnesse justice mercy and wisdome were not infinitely holy The like may be said of his other attributes For we see in creatures as in the Deuill and sinfull men the more strength and wisdome and skill they have the more mischievous they be because they want holinesse to use these gifts aright Wherefore in saying Hallowed be thy Name we desire that the excellency of his Godhead may be acknowledged as there is due cause according as they sing in the Song of the Lambe Rev. 15.4 Who shall not feare hee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou onely art holy Isa 64.2 This word Hallowed is set downe impersonally in such a forme of signification as includeth all persons or things which are capable of setting forth and acknowledging his holinesse As Let thy Name be hallowed by Thee so saith Christ Father glorifie thy Name Ioh. 12.28 and make Me to hallow thy Name in acknowledging thy holinesse and let all others acknowledge thee to be holy and to be the onely true God 1 King 18 36. Thus Elias prayed Let it be knowne this day that thou art God in Israel And God saith when hee will magnifie and sanctifie himselfe Ezech 38.23 I will be knowne in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord. The petition being thus opened we may expresse it in these or the like words Holy Father whose Name is holy to thee therefore all glory doth belong Lord glorifie thy selfe make it knowne that thou onely art God deserving all praises make me and all men to acknowledge thee onely to be God and our God and that of perfect excellencie according as thy Name in thy titles word and workes doe set thee forth And let thy Name Psal 111.9 which is holy and reverend be so honoured that so farre as any person or thing hath upon it any print of thy holinesse it be honoured and respected accordingly And farre be it from me or any man to deny thee in whole or in part or give any of that glory which is due to thee to any person or thing whatsoever or to prophane any thing whereupon any footsteps of thy holinesse is imprinted Hallowed be thy Name If it be observed that to desire that Gods Name should be glorified is the subject of this petition and that Christ hath set
a master where is my feare It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good saith good Eli 1 Sam. 3.18 Reason 2 Gods will take it of things to be done or suffered besides that it is soveraigne and absolute Rom. 7.12 it is holy equall and good And good is the word which thou hast spoken saith Hezekiah Isa 39.8 Whereas on the contrarie the will of Satan and of the flesh is starke naught Great cause therefore why Gods will should be done and be preferred before all other wills Reason 3 The end why God doth make knowne his will unto the sonnes of men Deut 6.1 is that that they should do it and submit unto it Christ did therfore redeeme Reason 4 man that as Peter saith they should no longer live the rest of their time in the flesh according to the lusts or wil of men but according to the will of God 1. Pet. 4 2. The chiefe heads to which the will of God may bee reduced are these First that men should perfectly know his will Secondly that they should perfectly obey it thus much the Law of pure nature taught before the fall Thirdly sith all have sinned and even after conversion do in many things sinne it is the will of God that men should be convinced of their sinne Act. 2.38 be penitent for it confesse it and aske him forgivenesse through Christ Iesus Fourthly when men have done this his will is 1. Ioh. 3.23 that they should beleeve what Christ hath done and suffered for them beleeving in him and relying upon him for pardon for obtaining of grace and for everlasting salvation Fiftly his will is that all that beleeve in him and that endeavour to live holily and righteously should hope stedfastly and be assured that they through Christ shall be for ever glorified Sixthly that in the meane time they bee thankfull for Gods goodnesse towards them in everie condition and that they patiently fruitfully and comfortably beare whatsoever afflictions they shall meete with in the way waiting when God shall accomplish all his promises to them in Christ unto their everlasting glory Vse 1 The greater number of Christians in name come here to be reproved because they are willingly ignorant of Gods will and wilfully disobedient nay as if that were not bad enough they cannot abide any that strive to walke according unto the strict rule of Gods holy commandments but are all for following the course of this world the wil of Satan Eph. 2.2.3 and lusts of the flesh in all manner of disobedience of Law and Gospell These may see how contrarie they are to their profession which in word can say Disswasives from disobedience to Gods will Thy wil be done but indeed do the contrarie God cannot brooke this abhominable dissembling howsoever they thinke of themselves these remaine yet children of wrath Ephe. 2.3 Ephe. 5. â— because they remaine children of disobedience They are yet in the power of sinne Rom. 6.16 for his servants they are whom they obey These men cannot scape without punishment He that knoweth not his masters will is worthy of stripes saith our Saviour But he that knoweth his masters will Luk. 12.47.48 and yet prepareth not neither doth according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Disobedience is a dishonour to God so saith the Apostle to the hypocriticall boasters of the Law Rom 2.23.24 Through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God For the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you And it doth exasperate God exceedingly he could not else have beene so much provoked by Adams and Eve's transgressing his will by eating the forbidden fruit a thing for matter small as to curse the whole world in such sort that it groaneth under the burthen of it unto this day and also to damne all men in eternall flames had not the very Sonne of God by taking the curse upon himselfe saved a chosen number of them How did Sauls disobedience provoke the Lord against him who because he rejected the word of the Lord 1. Sam. 15.23 the Lord rejected him Yet his fact was such as carnall reason could and did say much in excuse of it but it was disobedience Yet who more readie to presume that the wrath of God shall be farre from them in the evill day than such as will not do the will of God but take pleasure in iniquitie and are workers thereof They will crie Lord Lord Luk. 13.26.27 hast thou not taught in our streets and Lord Lord open unto us The Lord abhorreth this scraping of acquaintance with him saying Mat. 25.11.12 Depart from me I know yea not ye workers of iniquitie there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Wherfore let no willing transgressour of Gods will deceive himselfe nor suffer any man to deceive him for Ephe. 5.6 for such things sake commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience For this is most certaine that Christ commeth in flaming fire to render vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ 2. Thess 1.8 Vse 2 Let all that professe the Name of God study to know and endeavour to submit their will to Gods will in al things let them bewaile the ignorance and rebelliousnesse of their owne and other mens evill hearts that with David they may say Psal 119.136 Rivers of waters runne down their eyes because they keepe not Gods Law Motives unto obedience to Gods will 1 Nothing pleaseth God more than to see his children to order their conversation aright and to finish the works he giveth them to do he hath not so much delight in burnt-offerings as in obeying the voyce of the Lord Behold saith Samuel 1. Sam. 15.22 to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken is better than the fat of rammes Secondly the Lord is much glorified when his servants and children submit themselves to his will both in doing and suffering Ioh. 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth saith Christ to his Father this he maketh to appeare thus I have finished the worke which thou hast given me to doe The Apostle having resolved to keepe a good conscience saith be knoweth Christ shall bee magnified in his body Phil. 1.20 whether by life or death Thirdly this is the way to gaine the reputation and honour of wise men Eph. 4 17. Be not unwise saith the Apostle but understand what the will of the Lord is Deut. 4.6 And this is your wisedome and understanding in the sight of the nations Fourthly by doing Gods will wee shall come to more knowledge of his will Ioh. 7.17 If any man will doe his will hee shall know of the doctrine saith Christ whether it be of God or no. Act. 13.22 To fulfill Gods will is to be a man according to Gods owne heart Fiftly it is to approve a mans selfe to bee
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
all the guilt and punishment be satisfied in Christ it must not bee thought that God will at a punish any that are saved by Christ Reason 2 Forgivenesse is no forgivenesse if there be not remisseâ— of punishment Ob. God pardoned Davids adulterie and murther yet reserved for him temporal punishment and the like may be observed in Gods dealing with many others wherefore sinne may be pardoned yet as punishment not remitted Sol. It must be granted that temporall evils did befall David after his sinne was pardoned and the like doth befall other of Gods children but it must be knowne that those afflictions were not satisfactorie punishments or had any respect unto the justification of those that were therewith exercised but they onely had respect unto their further sanctification The same evils in different persons namely the godly and the reprobate are of different natures and are sent of God for different purposes in the wicked they are signes of his wrath but to his children they are signes of his love Heb. 12. they are to the wicked plagues and fore-runners of destruction but they are unto the godly corrections unto instructions they are onely Gods physicke to purge out the corruption and to abate the power of sinne and are meanes leading to sanctification as I said but have no respect of satisfaction in any degree unto justification Vse 1 This confuteth Popish doctrine of satisfactions of Gods justice by temporall punishments either in this life or in Purgatorie They will acknowledge that Christ satisfied for all eternall punishment but not for temporall Which distinction was not knowne in Christs time it was onely invented to lay a foundation for Purgatory and the appurtenances thereof which being razed by this and like truths of Scripture will when Antichrist shall bee revealed by the spirit of Gods mouth be discovered to be but a fable It were little for the honour of Christ that he should pay so great a price for the redemption of man from eternall punishment and yet should leave him to himselfe to satisfie for temporall The hearts of all that beleeve Vse 2 in Christ should rejoyce at this to consider that they are not onely freely redeemed but that they are also fully redeemed from all punishment temporall and eternall If temporall chastisements be inflicted God doth send them in love either as trials of his graces wherewith he hath endued them or as physicke to prevent or remove the corruption of sinne which yet remaineth in them they do onely serve to shew what grace they have or prepare and make way for that grace they shall have Crosses are not curses to them but blessings for Blessed is the man whom the Lord correcteth and teacheth him out of his Law Psal 94.12 Vs that is the Disciples as well as others The Disciples were alreadie justified yet by Christs direction even they must every day make this petition even as oft as for daily bread whence learne Doct. 5 The best of Gods children notwithstanding they be alreadie justified must everie day aske forgivenesse of their sinnes Daniel prayed every day Dan. 6.10 and in his prayer he confessed and asked forgivenesse for his owne sinnes and the sins of the people Dan. 9.19 Reas 1 The best men are clothed with infirmities Iam. 3.2 and in something or other do sinne daily therefore had need to aske forgivenesse daily Reas 2 If pardon of a sinne bee not asked that day in which it is committed the guilt lying upon the conscience it doth benumme the conscience and so it is forgotten altogether or else when it is put off till many sinnes be committed either the heart is discouraged with multitude of offences that it is afraid to present it selfe before God or if it doe come into Gods sight those many sinnes are confessed and prayed against but confusedly and in grosse for the most part In asking forgivenesse a man Reas 3 doth not aske onely that universall and absolute justification of his person before God but also continuance of that his gracious acceptance of him into favour also he asketh under that word forgive new applications to the conscience of pardon of the sinnes which daily he doth commit with a further ratification of assurance of salvation unto his heart It is not enough that the pardon of mans sinne be actually passed with God but this pardon must be sued out that the same may also be passed in a mans conscience and this must be renewed daily even as the conscience is blurred and stained with sins daily else a man shall have little fruit or comfort of that generall and originall pardon which standeth upon record for him in the heavens The Lord hath in most excellent wisedome ordered that the justification of a sinner should be in this manner namely though it be a perfect and absolute act of God whereby the person of every membere Christ in the very instant of actuall ingrafting into Christ standeth acquitted of all sinnes yet in respect of the application of it by the worke of the holy Ghost and in respect of the full execution of it hee will that it shall be made knowne to man by parts and degrees and that he shall waite for the full execution of it untill the day of the Lord. For this maketh a man conceive more hainously of sinne and to be more circumspect that hee doe not commit it it maketh him more earnest to pray that it may be forgiven and it maketh him more heartily thankefull when it is forgiven If any dreame of perfection Vse 1 in this life this doctrine may serve to awake them out of it for if the best men need forgivenesse daily then without question the best doe sinne daily By this it appeareth that sins Vse 2 committed after Baptisme and relapses and backesliding after conversion are pardonable else our Saviour would not have framed this petition of asking forgivenesse for the use of Peter and the rest of the Church in case of their failings And if God require that one man forgive another not onely every day but seven times in one day then God will much more forgive his children if they sinne oft in one day if they doe but confesse their sinnes and aske him forgivenesse Vse 3 This reproveth those that put off the seeking of forgivenesse of sinne either untill the hand of God be upon them Danger of deferring to obtaine forgivenesse of sinnes or untill some especiall cause of humiliation be offered then through disuse they are much to seeke for time hath caused many sinnes to be forgotten and custome of lying long in sinne doth harden the heart that it doth not distaste sinne as it might have done when it was first committed Hence for the most part commeth slight generall and confused confessions and prayers or if they set themselves more carefully to search out their sinnes it having beene long since they made their peace with God the multitude of their sinnes come so thicke
by the discretive conjunctioÌ„ but which sheweth that in the latter clause the petitioner doth enlarge his desire and crave Gods helpe against sinne in a further degree then was asked in the first clause scil that God would not onely not leade thâ—â— into temptation of evill Ne inducas sed educas but to deliver them from evill Sinne here is considered in the immediate cause thereof scil temptation prayed against in the first clause Leade â—s not into temptation It is considered likewise in respect of the very act of sinne scil evill prayed against in the second clause But deliver us from evill In the first clause an act of God concerning temptation unto sinne is deprecated namely that he would forbeare to leade into temptation and forbeare to shew himselfe an adversary but this is asked not absolutely but under correction if it might stand with his pleasure and with his glory In the second clause their sute is enlarged wherein they desire a further act of God that if it must needs be that they must be exercised with temptations that he would stand for them and deliver them from the evill of those temptations this latter is asked for absolutely In both clauses of this petition wee must consider the person to whom sute is made scil God the persons for whom us the things praied against namely sin but in different respects both of the cause thereof temptation act of sinne evill Temptation Temptations unto which men are subect Tentatio probationis tentatio se ductâ—â—n are of two sorts proofes or trials of a mans graces these are not to be praiâ— against for in such hee must rejoyce Iam. 1.2 motions or enticements unto sinne by Satan by evill men or by a mans owne evill heart such as are spoken of Jam. 1.14 Temptation is good or evill A good and blamelesse temptation is when any one that hath right to make experiment of what a man is or of what he will do doth to a right and good end by lawfull meanes make triall whether a man will do or not do that to which he is moved or occasioned An evill and blame-worthy temptation is when the end of him that tempteth is that hee that is tryed or tempted should do that which is evill doing it with a mind to perswade thereunto Leade By this act of Gods leading into temptation we are to understand such an over-ruling act of Gods providence by which he disposeth of all things good and evill whereby partly by what he doth by his concurrence with him that tempteth touching the substance of his act and partly by what hee permitteth in not hindring what he could hinder concerning the evill and irregularitie thereof and partly by what he omitteth leaving a man to himselfe to strugle and wrastle with the temptation it commeth to passe that a man is not onely intised unto but overcome of the evill unto which he is tempted God must be acknowledged to have an holy hand in all temptations whether good or evill In good temptations God is properly an agent and worker Gen. 22.1.2 as when he proved and tempted Abraham by commanding him to offer his onely sonne Isaac likewise when he causeth men to prosper as when he rained Manna to tempt or proove the children of Israel Exod. 16.4 whether they would walke in his law In like manner when he sendeth afflictions as he did to the Israelites in the wildernes to humble them and to prove what was in their hearts Deut. 8.2 whether they would keepe his Commandements or no. In evill temptations God is not at all in proper speech an agent or worker of the evill of the temptation but yet he hath to do in and about all evill temptations and that not onely in determining them to a good end as to his owne glory and also in the concourse of his power to the substance of the act whether of Satan of a mans selfe or of other men when they tempt God hath further to do in evill temptations He hath to do in them both by way of permission in permitting and in not restraining Satan or a mans owne concupiscence or other men from tempting by which way of permission he is said to prove or tempt men as in Deuteronomy Deut 13â— in his permission of false Prophets to seduce and also by way of omission insuspending his action and forbearing to give grace or to do that which he was wont to do and if he would could do to keepe a man from acting the sin to which he is tempted By this way of omission God is said to have proved or tempted Ezekiah when the Embassadours of the King of Babel came unto him 2 Chron. 32.31 The Scripture saith God left him to try him that he might know what was in his heart These acts of Gods permission and omission for which in Scripture phrase God is said to tempt or to leade into temptation are expressed sometimes by words of negation and sometime by words of action By words of negation where it is said speaking of the great temptations which the Israelites saw Deut. 29.4 The Lord had not given them an heart to perceive c. By words of action where it is said by the Church Isa 63.17 O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy wayes and hardened our heart from thy feare Likewise God saith of false Prophets if the Prophet be deceived Ezek. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived him And in the Revelation it is said touching the ten Kings which became Antichristian God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will namely Revel 17.17 his purpose and decree concerning the permission of the tyranny of Antichrist and to agree and give their kingdome to the beast c. Now because where God permitteth tempters to tempt and also forbeareth to give grace to resist the temptation he doth not remove that which if it were removed would hinder the temptation nor give that which should hinder the yeelding to it and for that hereupon such is mans sinful disposition temptation and sinning followeth infallibly therefore this permission and omission of Gods is expressed by words of action and by words as it were of eausality as here by leading though God be farre and farre from being any cause of the sinne or of being any blame-worthy cause of the temptation as shall further appeare hereafter To tempt unto sinne properly which God doth not and to leade onely into temptation which God doth and may do doe much differ For to tempt taken in the evill sense is to intice to indeavour to move the will of man to wickednesse and that with a minde to have him to act it according to that of the Apostle Iames Iam. 1.14 A man is tempted when he is drawne away by his lust and is inticed Of this tempting it is which the Apostle Paul speaketh when hee saith to the Thessalonians 1
Scripture is that we should abhorre that which is evill and cleave to that which is good Rom. 12.9 Reas 1 For Iustification and Sanctification are so inseparably conjoined that no man hath his sins forgiven who hath not withall the fruit of it unto repentance and holinesse of life here in this life This I shall make evident by these arguments following 1 It is one part of the new Covenant of grace that men should be holy and for that cause God hath not onely required holiness to be shewne on their part but hath promised as well to write his Law in the hearts of his people Heb. 8.10.12 as to be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and not to remember their sinne 2. It is one end to which God hath chosen men in Christ to be holy Eph. 1.4.5 and without blame before him in love as well as to be adopted children by Christ to obtaine everlasting life 3. It is the end of the office and comming of our Saviour Iesus Christ and of the merit and efficacy of his death resurrection and intercession not onely that beleevers should obtaine forgivenesse of sinne and everlasting life but that so many as the Father gave unto him might beleeve repent and live holily and righteously in this present world Tit. 2.14 hee purging them to himselfe to be a peculiar people zealous of good workes 4. It is the end of the Scriptures not onely to lay the foundation of faith for the remission of sinnes that through consolation thereof Ioh. 15 4. Ioh. 17.7 Eph. 5.26 beleevers might have hope but also to sanctifie and cleanse them from the filthinesse of their sinnes that they might be holy and without blemish 5. It is the end of everie Christian mans profession and calling 1. Thess 4.7 not only to beleeve and hope to be saved by Christ but also to be holy and to become the servant of Christ 6. It is the end why God sendeth his Spirit into their hearts and causeth it to dwell in his children Rom 8.16 not onely to be a spirit of adoption to witnesse to their spirits that they are Gods children but also to be a spirit of sanctification to worke out the stony heart Ezâ—k 36.26 27. and to frame in them a new heart causing them to walke in his statutes and to do them 7. It is the end of the Sacraments the seales of the new Covenant not onely to signifie and seale remission of sinnes by Iesus Christ but also that by him all that beleeve in him being ingrafted into the similitude of his death and resurrection Rom. 6.4 5 6. should dye unto sinne and walke in newnesse of life These things considered it is most apparant that justification and sanctification are never severed in one and the same partie wherefore he that prayeth for and expecteth to be justified must also pray and indeavour to approve himselfe to be sanctified A second generall reason why all Christians should pray for and labour after holinesse is because if a man be not holy and righteous in this life he is not capeable of true glory and happinesse in heaven in the life to come and that whether we respect God or a mans selfe remaining in his sinne God will not admit him let him make what claime hee can unto the kingdome of heaven his put off shall be Luk 13.27 Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity For without holinesse no man shall see God Heb. 12.14 But suppose it were possible that a sinfull man might be admitted into heaven heaven would be no heaven to him The place persons and exercises there would be tedious and a vexation unto him For all things there are things of God holy and spirituall most contrarie to the disposition of a natural and carnall man 1. Cor 2.14 God saith The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God they are foolishnesse unto him To whom Gods ordinances and presence in them as in hearing praying and praising God and to whom holy company and holy conference is tedious in this life the same heart and affections remaining even these and the like things would be an hell to them even in heaven For to make a man happy even in heaven it is needfull that the faculties and powers of his soule be so fully rectified and perfected that hee may comprehend and enjoy the object that thing wherein mans happinesse doth consist Now though Gods presence in his glory and in his goodnesse which is the object of mans happinesse is alwayes in heaven yet if the understanding the will and the affections of a man be not sanctified and thereby made capeable of and suteable to the object what content and joy can he take therein It is with the reasonable soule in the apprehension of intellectual and spiritual things as it is with the senses in bodily objects Colours though never so orient and various yet they can give no delight to a blinde or ill-affected eye Sounds though never so melodious cannot delight a deafe or ill-affected eare Meat and drink though never so well relished and delicious cannot delight him whose pallat is out of taste nay the best do savour and taste ill with such a one Even so the most spirituall things in heaven would be so farre from delighting a carnall and unholy man that they would seeme to his fancy very foolishnes and they would be to him a very vexation Vse 1 It is therefore an intolerable fault for a man to professe the name of Christ and yet to live ungodly Num. 23.10 this is the fault of too many who desire to have their sinnes forgiven but desire not to have them mortified they desire to go to heaven like cursed Balaam when they dye but endeavour not to be holy while they live But as if this were not enough to be sinfull themselves many do make a jest at all conscionable living in others and a scorne of all that endeavour to keep a good conscience in all things and yet will expect that Christ shall save them How hath the devill deceived these men yet thousands are justly given over to this strong delusion If any of you shall happen to cast your eyes on these lines consider the Doctrine in hand and learne that for certaine he that is not holy in this life shall not bee happy in the life to come For whomsoever God justifieth Rom. 6. those he sanctifieth and whosoever have faith to partake of Christs merits do by the same faith partake of the vertue of Christs death to the killing of sinne and of the vertue of his life and resurrection to the quickening of the inward man And at the day of judgement all that professe Christ and yet obey not the Gospell of Christ 2 Thes 1.8 shall be burnt in flames of Gods vengeance as well as those which know not the Gospell and professe it not at all For
when such shall say to Christ when the doore of heaven is shut against them Lord Lord open to us he shall say to them Luk. 1â— 25 26 27 28. I know you not whence you are if they reply we have professed thy name he doth make the same answer as before saying I know not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when they shal see all the godly in the kingdome of God and themselves thrust out Vse 2 Gods owne children must here be put in remembrance of that too too little holinesse that many of them shew forth in their lives and of their too much pride voluptuousnesse worldlinesse and prophannesse and how that they shew forth little more then a bare forme of godlinesse shewing little or no power thereof in their lives I do intreat these men to consider seriously of the reasons of this point and of the motives to an holy life prosecuted in the next Vse and to say each with himselfe How do I by my sins grieve and dishonour God how do I discredit my holy profession how do I grieve and hinder the godly how do I open the mouthes of the wicked and how do I hurt my self and interupt my peace with God and how do I play the foole in making choice of the crooked damnable wayes of the devill leaving the straight and saving pathes of Gods commandements Thinke this with thy selfe then humble thy selfe then pray and endeavour a reformation Vse 3 This should incite all that professe Christianity to labour in prayer to God and to take paines with their owne hearts that they may get more and more power over their corruptions and more and more grace that they may shew forth true godlinesse in their conversations amongst men To induce you hereunto consider besides the reasons already given in the doctrine these motives following First all Christians should endeavour to bee holy in their conversation out of the due respect which they owe unto God 1. Out of love and in conscience of duty 1. Thess 4.3 1. Pet 1.15 16. 1. Ioh. 3 2â— Mat. 5.16 because it is the will of God our sanctification that we should be holy as he is holy 2. Because holinesse pleaseth him and 3. because he is glorified by it Whereas a wicked life of such as professe his Name Isa 63.10 doth much grieve his holy Spirit Isa 3 8. Heb. 3.10 and doth provoke the eyes of his glory I was grieved with this generation saith he Also they dishonour him as he saith to the Iew by breaking the Law dishonourest thou God Secondly consider that an holy life doth adorne the Gospel Tit. 2.10 and true religion of God but a vicious behaviour of men that professe Christianity 1. Tim. 6.1 doth cause the very religion and doctrine of God to be blasphemed Thirdly consider the different fruits of an holy and of an ungodly conversation in respect of our neighbours with whom we shall converse 1. Pet. 2.12 1. Pet. 3.1 A constant good conversation is a meanes to winne unto the power of godlinesse those which yet are strangers to the life of God and it doth rejoyce the hearts and doth confirme and increase the forwardnesse in grace of those which are already the children of God Moreover an unblameable life doth muzzle the mouthes 1 Pet. 2 15 and put to silence foolish men or if they be so maliciously wicked that they will needs speake of such holy persons as of evill doers they shall be in the end ashamed 1. Pet. 3.16 for falsely accusing their good conversation in Christ But the ungodlinesse of those which professe Christ doth much grieve and oft times doth corrupt in part and infect even those that bee truly good and doth harden the wicked in evil and giveth them just cause to complaine and exclaime against them Fourthly consider the good or evill which accrueth or befalleth to a mans selfe according as his life is holy 1. Tim. 4.8 or sinfull Godlinesse hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Psal 34.9 10. Wherefore holinesse of life will either keep a man from crosses and afflictions and will remove such as are alreadie upon him Psal 34 19 1 Sam 3.18 Psal 119.71 Rom 8.28 Deu. 28.8 Phili 4 11. or will make him able fruitfully and patiently to beare them causing all things to work together for his good It will likewise procure all plenty and prosperity or it will cause contentment in adversity Also by adding unto a mans faith an holy righteous and sober life he doth make unto himselfe his calling and election sure 2. Pet. 1.10 from whence ariseth peace of conscience Rom. 5.1 and joy in the holy Ghost in this life and according to his holinesse Matth. â—5 28.46 such shall be the extent of his eternall glory in the world to come But a sinfull life pulleth downe Gods judgements upon a man and maketh them to abide long and causeth impatience under crosses causing likewise a purblinde judgement barrennesse 2 Pet. 1.8 9. and much unfruitfulnesse in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ This carelesse falling into sinne and lying in it causeth even in the elect doubtings of their being in state of grace Psal 77. and in Gods favour and of their salvation as also desperate feares through horrour of conscience And if a man have onely a forme of godlinesse but denyeth the power of it by a bad conversation he is unto God abhominable Tit. 1.16 and is exposed not onely to be accursed in every thing hee puts his hand unto Deut. 28 20. in the things which concerne the outward man 2. Thes 2.11 12. but to be further given over to Apostacie through strong delusion being to every good worke reprobate that in the end hee may be damned because though he made a profession of beleeving he yet tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse Fifthly consider holinesse it selfe in respect of the nature thereof as it is compared with and standeth opposite to wickednesse Eph. 4.24 Holinesse is a likenesse and conformity to God our heavenly Father it is his very image renued in us which according to him is created in righteousnesse and true holines But sinne is enmity to God Rom. 8.7 Ioh. 4.44 a conformity to the very devill The wayes of holinesse are all heavenly holy spirituall equall Rom. 7.12 and good but the wayes of wickednesse are all earthly unjust Iam. 3.15 sensuall and devillish I referre the judging here of to any that is in his senses and hath but the use of right reason when he is himselfe namely whether workes of piety mercy righteousnesse and sobriety be not farre better then acts of prophanenesse cruelty unjustice intemperance and uncleannesse let any man instance in himselfe in particulars All these motives considered is there not cause why wee
came to passe that Rehoboam sinned the infatuating of Rehoboam who was of himselfe partially and corruptly affected towards his young Councellours and the not putting of wisedome into Rehoboams greene head was of God but that Rehoboam made choice of the worst counsel that was a most free act of his owne Now Gods hand was in the disposing of these things that the thing before prophesied might come to passe Thus much the word translated cause doth signifie scil the thing brought about or brought to passe was from God This act of not hearkening must be considered in divers respects First as an evill act of Rehoboam and his evill Councellours in this respect God did not cause it Secondly it must be considered as a meet punishment of that kingdome and as a means to bring to passe the prophesie of Ahijah in which respect that God in justice should leave Rehoboam and his young Councellours to their folly and to the pride of their owne hearts it was good and was caused of God Thus it may appeare as I hope that God hath an over-ruling and disposing hand in mens sinnes without being author of sinne and without any impeachment of his-holinesse The uses follow They are therefore to blame Vse 1 that alter the forme of this petition saying Suffer us not to be led in stead of Leade us not Their end may bee good but their alteration is naught and to no purpose for in truth this change of words doth not cleare Gods justice any more then Christs owne words Let the petition therefore remaine and stand holy as it is set down by Christ for it is presumption to teach Christ how to speake This our tenent is an apology Vse 2 against Papists or any other that shall slanderously affirme that we hold either directly or by consequent that God is the author of sinne although wee say as this petition teacheth us that God leadeth into temptation and hath more to do in the sinnes of men then a bare permission Vse 3 This should cause all men to admire and magnifie the infinit wisedome and perfection of Gods holinesse that can have so much to do with sinners and with their sinnes and yet there doth not so much as one dust or spot of defilement cleave unto him Vse 4 Hereby are condemned the blasphemies of very many who to excuse or lessen their sin will lay the fault on God because Gods determinate counsell hiâ— providence power permission and his giving men over is in their sin and because he might have hindered it if he would therefore they thinke they cannot chuse but sinne and why should fault bee found with them if God would it shouâ—â— be otherwise Such are brought in objecting Rom. 9. Who hath resisted his will Why doth he yet finde fault This they take from Adam who before his conversion would have laid the fault on God rather then take it on himselfe for he saith Gen. 3.12 The woman whom thou gavest to be wiih me she gave me of the tree and I did eate But take notice that although he thus extenuated his sinne by laying it on God yet God could Gen. 3.17 and did curse Adam and the earth the bitter fruits whereof we feele unto this day Know therefore thou that any way darest put off thy sin upon God if thou do not beleeve in Christ and forsake thy sinne the Lord will one day shew to thy cost that he can bring it about that thou through thine owne evill heart shalt sinne he giving thee over unto it and yet can in holy justice cast thee into hell for thy sinne For he can say he deceived the false Prophet and yet justly punish the said Prophet and all that are deceived by him Ezek. 14.9 10. Vse 5 May God if he please leade into temptation and can we not be overcome by temptation except the Lord permit This should teach all men to live so that God may be their friend and may not be provoked in his justice to give them over to the power of the devill and unto their owne lusts For which cause observe and keepe these directions following 1 First make your peace with God by faith in Christ repent of all sinnes past and having hereby obtained friendship with God then keepe it by being good before him which is then approved when you shall endevour to please him by doing his will in time to come which if ye do for this is to be good before God or to please God then you shall escape the snares and nets the hands and bands of the most enticing harlot in the world the like may be said of all other temptations but the sinner saith Solomon shall be taken by her Eccles 7. 2 As much as in you is abstaine from all sinne for since mans fall Gods giving over unto sinne is a punishment for some former sinne but especially shunne those particular sins for which God doth in speciall sort give men over the chiefe whereof are these following 1 First all refusing 2 Thess 2.10.11 or a slight and formall receiving of the truth For this causeth God to send men strong delusion to beleeve a lye 2 Abusing or not making right use of that knowledge a man hath Rom. 1 21.22 23 24 26 28. doth cause God to infatuate and give him over to vile affections 3 A willingnesse of heart to be ignorant of the truth and a wilfulnesse to practise evill for of such saith the Lord Ezek. 14.4 He that setteth up his idols in his heaâ—â— and cometh to the Prophet I the Lord will answer him that commeth according to the multitude of his idols 4 Presumption of a mans owne power of himselfe to resist temptations Matth. 26.33 34. for this cause the Apostle Peter was given over to fall so fearfully 5 All willing casting of ones selfe into the occasions of sinne for this cause Jehoshaphat's familiaritie with Ahab 1. Kin. 22. caused him to be given over to beleeve Ahabs false Prophets rather then good Micaiah 6 Idlenesse to live without a calling or negligently in a calling Ezek. 16.49 doth expose a man unto the Lords giving him over unto many abhominations for this he gave over Sodom to uncleannes 7 Allowance of secret sinnes this provoketh God many times to give men over unto some grosse open sinne that it may worke sense of sinne shame for sinne and true repentance in the elect may worke unto shame and eternall perdition of the reprobate Shun all sinnes therefore as much as in you lyeth if you would not have God leade you into temptation but especially take heed of those before mentioned Let all that beleeve in Christ and have thereby true interest Vse 5 in God draw comfort from this doctrine for God you see hath an overruling hand in the temptations and the sins of all men Satan therefore cannot winnow us nor buffet us no Luk. 2â— 31 he cannot touch us but as
Whence we learne Whosoever would be preserved Doct. 6 from sinne must pray against and withstand the temptations thereof Hee that is not warie and carefull to resist temptations cannot live godly The divell did deceive Eve through his temptations Gen. 3. and Adam was likewise drawne into the transgression by the temptation of Eve Math. 4. whereas Christ Jesus the second Adam by resisting the divels temptations preserved himselfe from sinne The youth spoken of in the Proverbs was caught and insnared by the subtill temptations of the harlot Pro. 7.10.21 But Ioseph by resisting the temptations of his Mistrisse Gen. 39.9 kept himselfe chaste although her temptations were cunning and most importunate Christ saith again and againe Pray that ye enter not into temptation Luk. 22.40.46 Reas 1 For temptations and motions to sinne are the very seede and kernels of sinne which if they may be entertained so as they may but receive any warmth in a mans heart there is presently a conception of sin which will cause him to bee in labour and travaile of it untill he have brought it forth into act Iam. 1.14.15 There are no creatures so apt to beare issue nor ground so ranke to beare weeds no tinder or gunpowder so readie to take fire as the heart of man is to conceive sinne and be inflamed with lust by evill motions and temptations wherefore all that would avoid sinne have cause to resist it in the temptation To resist beginnings of the evill of sinne Obsta principijs is as needefull to be observed for a rule against diseases of the soule as to withstand evils of paine in their beginning is needefull in diseases of the body Hereby wee may judge what is the cause that sinnes doe abound Vse 1 and spread infinitely It is because temptations are not resisted which fault deserveth sharpe rebuke Yea many are so farre from praying against temptations that they willingly foster and nourish any that shall be offered and like him in the parable doe sweepe and garnish their hearts Mat. 22.44 opening the dores and making it ready prepared to entertaine any temptation They contrary to the Apostles command make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13.14 still thinking and plodding on wealth or feeding themselves with high thoughts or are alwaies hunting after unlawfull pleasure running alwaies into those actions places and companies which minister most occasions of temptations Insomuch that the divell and lust are not more ready to present evill motions then the minde is to plot and contrive how to compasse them Micah 2.1.2 or then the hand is to act them yet these men will mocke God and say Leade us not into temptation And if they be exhorted to avoid the occasions of temptations they set light by it and would make us beleeve they are not so simple as to be taken with idolatrie covetousnesse whoredome drunkennes pride revenge or any such like crime although they keepe company with idolatrous or covetous or voluptuous or vaineglorious persons Yea if we would beleeve them they can wallow in the midst of occasions of sinne and yet come forth undefiled Let a man husband his heart as well as he can and let him sow into it the best seed he can get yet he shall finde that too many lusts will of their owne accord spring up hinder the growth of godlinesse in him We count them ill husbands that will not weede their land but if wee should see men plowing and sowing nothing but all manner of weedes would wee not say they were out of their wits Such mad men are all those that nourish in them temptations unto evill But what men sow or suffer to be sowne that they shall reape Prov. 22.8 If they sow wickednesse they shall reape vanitie At harvest when others shall have corne they shall bee sent empty away When in the day of the Lord the good Wheate shall be saved the wicked with their lusts shall bee cast into a fornace of fire Mat. 13.41.42 Vse 2 Would any therefore not be the breeders and nurses to those evils which will like vipers kill all that doe bring them forth Let them take heed of temptations which beget them Wee must be carefull to shun all occasions of sinne for it is much easier to avoid the occasion then running into the occasion to avoid the sinne Occasions and tentations are snares it is much easier to avoid a snare then being intangled to get out of it Let us al therfore watch pray that we fall not into them But it is doubted by some that it is not lawfull to pray against being tempted thinking it lawfull onely to pray that they may not be overcome of the temptation I answer I doubt not but the very temptation it selfe as it is a motion and enticement unto sinne is to be prayed against also For the Apostle Paul did not onely pray to overcome the pricke of the flesh and buffettings of Satan 2 Cor. 22.7.8 but that it might depart from him And why may not a man desire not to meet at al with those his enemies which seeke his life as well as when they assault him desire to quit himselfe of them I confesse request must be made for the one and the other with some difference When we pray that wee may not be tempted it is always under correction not absolute but if it might stand with Gods will and pleasure wee desire to runne the race of Christianitie without meeting with stumbling blockes or any occasions of our stay or turning out of the way but if God will have us meete with these impediments we pray absolutely that we may passe over them and not be let or turned out of the way by them And if he will that wee must enter into the conflict we pray that we may overcome Now because resisting of temptations is of great consequent it wil be worth the pains to consider these foure things First what is a temptation Secondly who are the tempters Thirdly how they tempt Fourthly how a temptation may be resisted 1 Temptation is any and every motion unto the doing of any thing which God hath forbidden in his word or to the leaving undone any thing that God hath commanded or to do any thing otherwise then God hath commanded When a thought of any evill is presented to the minde to be done this is a temptation 2 The tempters are Satan called the tempter Matth. 4.3 Iam. 2 14. and men with whom we converse when they move others to sinne and also the lusts of our owne evill hearts 3 These tempters doe move a man to sinne by presenting unto the minde thoughts of sinne to be committed by him The divell by his suggestions as hee did to David putting him in minde to number the people 1 Chro 2.21.1 Man tempteth by speech or some outward signe whereby he giveth a man to thinke what evill
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
or as a bird touched with lime-twigges it taketh away the life and comfort of spirituall exercises as of hearing praying and receiving the Sacrament he cannot set about them with any nimblenesse of spirit while he lyeth in any sinne Sinne unrepented of taketh Reas 3 root and infecteth further and further it will increase it selfe and beget other sinnes Reas 4 While a man lyeth in sinne he may look every houre when God shall inflict some fearefull judgement or other and then the remembrance of a sinne unrepented of proveth more heavie and more stinging then the judgement it selfe Whereas though a man have sinned yet if God have given him repentance and have recovered him out of his sinne he may come before God with boldnesse and can performe exercises of Religion with chearfulnesse and shall either prevent crosses or remove them or they shall do much good to his soule while they lye upon him Vse 1 This is to reproove all such who as they care not how they fall into sinne so they care as little how they be delivered out of it yea though God call them to repentance and give them space to repent yea though sometimes God awake them by his judgements and by checks of conscience and doth offer them his Spirit to turne them unto him yet neither his patience nor bountie doth leade them to repentance They will say Lord deliver us from evill but refuse to be delivered This their hypocrisie aggravateth their impenitencie and their impenitencie aggravateth all such sinnes as are not repented of for it is a fault to commit any sinne but when it is not repented of this sinne is continued yea doubled and multiplied for everie day they should turne from their sinne as ordinarily as they seeke their daily bread No sinne so dangerous as impenitencie for therefore the sinne against the holy Ghost is unpardonable not in it owne nature but because they that commit it cannot be renewed unto repentance Heb. 6.6 Impenitencie therefore though it be not the sinne against the holy Ghost yet it must needs be a fearefull sinne For he that liveth and dyeth in impenitencie is as sure to bee damned as he that sinneth against the holy Ghost Let all that refuse to forsake their sinnes looke for Gods visitation Ier. 5.3.7.9 as he saith in Jeremy They have refused to returne c. How shall I pardon shall I not visite for these things and shall not my soule be avenged on such c. Vse 2 It doth therefore concerne every man having fallen into evill for who is it that sinneth not to use all means to repent and recover himselfe of his fall and then do his best to hold on a steadie course of new obedience Have not men in prison cause to seeke for deliverance and if any man be fallen into a lapse after a sicknesse hath he not cause to seeke for recoverie of his former health such is the estate of every sinner untill he have repented But let this repentance bee true and sound proceeding from griefe for sin and hatred of sinne not turning from one sinne to another or a bare leaving of sinne but it must be a conscionable turning from evill to good It must be in the bent and intention of the soule and in our whole endevour a turning from all sinne as well as from any one even from as many as wee can come to the knowledge of as well from secret as open as well from beloved sinnes and such as are in credit in the world as from any other Ezek. 8.31 We must cast away all our transgressions saith the Lord. It must be speedie while it is to day lest our hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne It must be constant Heb. 3.15.16 as daily as we aske daily bread If we would but enter into our hearts and consider what wee have done when wee have sinned how wee have transgressed an holy commandement thereby have grieved the holy Spirit disgraced our holy profession and have offended a mercifull Father and a severe Iudge who yet if we will turne will have mercy but if we refuse to turne he will punish and wil not pardon the thoughts of these things would worke griefe and hatred of sinne and hope of pardon from whence would follow repentance never to be repented of if withall we pray heartily saying Deliver us from evill for with all the meanes we do use prayer must be one for as we cannot repent without Gods helpe so he will not helpe and give us repentance except we aske it From evill By evill is meant sinne Our Saviour would have his Disciples pray against sinne under the name of evil Whence we may learne Sinne is evill and God would Doct. 8 have all men when they thinke of sinne represent it to their minde in the name and notion of an evil yea of the most evill thing It is called evill Rom. 12.9 where it is said Abhorre evill Ioh. 5.19 The whole world lyeth in evill Thus David in confessing his sinne unto God doth affect his heart with shame and remorse saying Against thee have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight Psal 51.4 Sinne is absolutely contrary Reas 1 unto God who is goodnesse it selfe yea enmity to him Rom. 8 7. therefore it is the evill of evils Sin doth separate a man froÌ„ the Reas 2 greatest good Isa 59.2 It doth separate a man from God No other evill bee it imprisonment poverty disgrace in the world sicknesse death doth separate a man from God he may enjoy God and may have a blessed communion with him notwithstanding the worst of these evils which he cannot do while he lyeth in his sinne Wherefore sinne must needs be the greatest evill Reas 3 Sinne is the cause of all the evill of punishment that any creature is subject unto for sin brought man under the curse and will hold him under it except the mercy of God through the merit of Christ do deliver him Reas 4 Sinne doth give denomination unto all things that are truly evill causing them to be called evill Gal. 1.4 the world is therefore called evill because it is a sinfull woâ—ld Men are called evill men 2. Tim. 3.13 because they be sinfull men And because the devill exceedeth all other in sinne he is called the evill one Matth. 13.19 Vse 1 Is sinne evill how then hath it bewitched and deceived most of the sonnes of men for they account nothing evill but what bringeth losse to their estate and shame to their name and paine to their body or some other misery to their outward man as touching sinne many are so farre from judging it to be evill that because they conceive it serveth for their pleasure gaine or credit of all courses they thinke none so good as those that are sinfull What man so vile but thinketh his course good and thinketh all are fooles that are not of his minde The Papist is
Lord and thou art exalted as head above all 1 Chron. 29.10.11 David calleth upon his soule and all that is within him to praise his holy Name Ps 103.1.2 The Apostle requireth that in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we should make our requests knowne unto God Philip. 4.6 Also he saith Let us by Christ offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thankes unto his Name Heb. 10.13 Reas 1 Praise and thankes are 〈◊〉 unto God for hee himselfe do most excellent being infinite in all holinesse of wisedome power mercy and all the rest of his divine attributes If there be any excellency in any creatures the praise belongeth unto God because hee made it excellent and if any good thing be bestowed upon any man whatsoever was the secondary meanes God was the first cause and 〈◊〉 the true giver thereof Of him are all things therefore to him be glory for ever Rom. 11.36 Reas 2 It is good pleasant and comely to praise the Lord Psal 147.1 It is good because it is the will of God being a part of his worship It is the best meanes to continue and make good unto us the good things we have 1 Tim. 4.4 It is the best meanes to procure those good things which wee yet have not It is well pleasing unto God for he saith He that offereth praise glorifieth mee Psal 50.23 It doth become the upright to bee thankfull Psal 33.1 for it doth shew their humility and dependance on God acknowledgment that they in all things are beholding unto God This reproveth all those who Vse 1 notwithstanding they have the great booke of the creation and frame of the world to looke upon and the booke of the Scriptures to looke into both which doe set forth the unspeakeable excellencies of God yet never admire him nor speake of him to his praise whereas if a mortall man shall doe some curious piece of worke shewing therein some rare skill and invention his worke shall be gazed on and admired and the workman praised of every one and hee shall be halfe deified And if a friend shall save their lives or deliver them out of prison or doe any other such speciall kindnesse unto them they thanke him and acknowledge themselves beholding unto him as long as they live whereas God which gave power and will to the same friend to doe thee good and doth give them all other good things who would also deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan aâ—â— from eternall death he is forgotten and is never thanked by them yea many of those who in their distresse doe seeke unto him and are holpen even they like the nine Lepers never returne to give thanks Luk 17.17 It is ten to one as we say if any give glory to God Most men ascribe the praise of all good things which they have unto nature fortune lucke or chance unto their wit or to their hands or to their friends to any person or thing rather then unto God without whom they could have had nothing These men are wilfully blinde if they doe not see that Gods hand doth all things But if they see that all things are of God and yet will not give him the praise and thankes they doe much wrong God in depriving him of his honour and doe manifest themselves to be utterly unworthy of all good There is no sinne can bee more hatefull then ingratitude There is no sinne can bee more hurtfull to the committer of it for it doth provoke God and cause him in wisedome and justice to take away from them those good gifts which once hee gave unto them As he did with his daughter Israel of whom he saith Hos 2.8.9 Because she did not know that I did give her corne c. Therfore will I returne and take away my corne in the time thereof And for this cause God giveth men over unto reprobate mindes because they having meanes to know God and cause to be thankeful Yet they doe not glorifie God neither are thankefull Rom. 1.21.28 Vse 2 Let all that professe the name of God learne hereby to bee alwaies as readie to speake of God and to God in praises and thanksgiving as to aske and receive any thing from him by petition For which cause we must consider the workes and word of God for they testifie of him Gods infinite wisedome power mercy and goodnesse and all other his excellencies are seene in the creation preservation and redemption of man and are all clearely revealed in his word In so much that when David did consider the heavens and the worke of his fingers hee breaketh forth into an holy admiration of God saying O Lord our Lord Psal 8.1.9 how excellent is thy name in all the earth And the Apostle could not speake of the worke of redemption by Christ but he saith concerning God To whom be glory for ever Amen Gal. 1.5 Eph. 3.21 If wee would but consider how little good and how much evill wee deserve at Gods hands how that it is his mercy wee are not consumed and if wee would consider how little evill Lam. how much good wee receive every day of his meere goodnesse we could not chuse but be thankefull Wherefore wee must bewaile our barrennesse of heart and with David call upon our soules and all that is within us to blesse and praise his holy name Psal 103.1 We must call his benefits to remembrance and tell our soules what great things the LORD hath done for us recounting one benefit after another untill we have convinced our hearts of our dutie and have enforced our selves unto thankfulnesse But our thanks must not be verball onely like that of the proud Pharisie saying Lord I thanke thee Luk. 18.11 they must be heartie and reall which is then then wee shew that wee do indeed acknowledge our selves bound and beholding to God for those things for which we say we give him thanks namely when we use his gifts as he hath appointed to his glory and when we give our selves both in soule and body to his service thus let us give thanks it is good it is pleasant it will become us Then this nothing more pleasing unto God nothing more profitable unto us for everie heartie thanks is a reall effectuall begging of continuance and blessing upon what we have and of new supplies unto what wee have not such shall never want good gifts because God knoweth he shall never want hearty thanks Thine is kingdome He saith not thou hast a kingdome but which is more thine is kingdome that is all kingdome and soveraigntie is thine in originall right and is not a derived soveraigntie as all other governments are Whence we learne Absolutenesse of authoritie Doct. 3 and Soveraigntie is properly and onely in God The Lord made that great Monarch and earthly king of kings Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge and proclaime
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