AN EXPOSITION OF THE Lords Prayer DELIVERED IN two and twenty Lectures At the Church of Lieth in SCOTLAND By Mr WILLIAM WISCHART Parson of Restalrigg LONDON Printed by M. FLESHER for NICOLAS BOURNE at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange 1633. TO THE RIGHT Honorable GEORGE Lord GOURDON sonne and heire to the Lord Marquis of Huntley one of his Majesties most Honorable Privy Councell in the Kingdome of Scotland and chiefe Captaine of the Company of men at armes entertained there by the most Christian King MY LORD AS I love not those rheumatique pens which are alwayes scribling on the Presse for in the multitude of words there must bee much folly no more do l approve those adust complexions from whom no intreaty can wrest any drop of refreshment to the fleece of Gedion for if the one shall bee beaten for the unnecessarie wasting of his masters goods the other certainly shall bee whipt with many stripes for that hee hath hid his masters talent in the earth and not returned his owne unto him with advantage The consideratiō hereof hath made mee the least amongst the thousands of Levi to adventure this small peece to the publique view and censure of the present time a hazard I confesse much greater then I can well sustaine for Ioseph cannot goe to Dothan but hee must bee stript and sold to a Medianite Sampson cannot project a wedlock at Timnagh but hee must bee flouted by a Philistine David cannot congratulate Hanon but his legates must bee dismissed with beards halfe shaved and garments cut to their buttockes yea the very Sonne of God shall not cast out an uncleane spirit but Calumny shall say it was by Beelzebub the Prince of devils What wonder then if these few drops of inke leaping straight from my penne to the publique Theater of the world bee both greedily viewed and roundly censured for amids the beames of so pregnant a light and in the throng of so many learned writings already spred abroad on this subject to see a silly David acoast the Philistine of Gath may justly seeme to deserve the rebuke of Eliah I know thy hautines the pride of thy heart But to this supposed reproch let me answer with David What have I done is there not a cause or rather let mee say with Iesus Christ the true Sonne and heire of David If I have said evill beare witnesse of it but if I have spoken truth why do yee smite mee The God whom I serve in the Ministery of his Gospell doth well know my conscience also beareth me witnesse that as in teaching these few sermons I did not affect popularity nor praise of men but his honour who hath honoured mee with his service and the good of that people over whom hee put mee in charge so now when they shall be published to the eyes of all having before beene delivered but to the eares of a few I am neither ambitious of vulgar applause as being no Camelion to feed on such an aire nor do I much regard the frivolous checks of all that goe by for Falsus honor juvat mendax infamia terret Quem nisi mendosum mendacem Therefore whilst I desire to do some service to the Church of God and to contribute my mite to his treasure or my goates skin to the furniture of his Tabernacle I have presumed to present it to your honour my good Lord not onely to begge Patronage from your greatnes but also that by it I may in some measure render due honour unto you for your goodnesse as one not of their number who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are ready to prate of every thing but able to speake right of nothing No my Lord I know and do fully acknowledge that as there are none more truly learned so there is none more sincerely affected to the truth of God and maintenance thereof Let venemous detracting tongues wound as they list wisedome shall be justified of all her children for you have made it apparent to the world by your losse sustained at home and abroad for the testimony of the truth that you have accounted the reproach of Iesus Christ to bee greater riches then all the perishing treasures of Egypt And if there were no more yet the honourable project happy successe of that late expedition imposed by your Prince accepted and accomplished by your Lordship against the locusts of Rome raging in our Northerne quarters It hath clearly instanced to the world that whilst some of deeper profession like Meroz durst not come to the helpe of the Lord against the mighties of the earth you like another Iael did put your left hand to the naile and your right hand to the workmans hammer you have smitten Sisera you have smitten him once and he hath not risen againe Accept then my good Lord this poore handfull of water unworthy I confesse of such a Persian Potentate yet accept in it not what plenty should offer but what my penury can afford The theam is holy and may serve for vesture to a Prince if it had been wrought in Bezaleels loome yet take it howsoever as an evidence of the love and respect I owe you pardon but the weaknesse and the worke is rewarded and my earnest desire praier to God shall bee for your Lordship that your projects may continue holy your actions honourable your house and estate prosperous your death comfortable and your salvation sure in him who hath loved us and given himselfe for us a sacrifice without spot or blemish our Lord Iesus Christ in whom I am and shall alwayes endeavour to remaine Your Lordships servant in the truth W. WISCHART A Table of the Lectures in this booke Lect.  Pag. 1 Our Father which art 1 2 17 3 In Heaven 29 4 Hallowed bee thy Name 56 5 Thy Kingdome come 84 6 110 7 Thy will 133 8 Be done 157 9 In earth as it is in heaven 174 10 Give us this day our daily bread 200 11 225 12 249 13 276 14 And forgive us our trespasses 301 15 325 16 351 17 As wee forgive them that trespasse against us 376 18 And lead us not into temptation 401 19 427 20 455 21 But deliver us from evill 481 22 For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen 511 FINIS LECTVRES upon the Lords PRAYER LECT 1. MAT. 6. v. 9 10 11 12. Our Father which art in heaven IT may perhaps seeme strange that in the middest of so cleare and manifest a light and to the view of so learned and judicious a people I should be bold to represent a taske of so homely and domestique a straine for I know that there is not one amongst you who hath not all this Prayer by heart yet wisedome I know is justified of her childrē Let the truth therfore beget my Apologie and you shall finde that my travels will not be intended in vaine To speake the truth then there bee foure things
for ever to our children Let this disswade and perswade us Disswade us from the world for all things in it are changeable as time honour wealth pleasure and beauty perswade us to perfection as our father which is in heaven is perfect standing stedfast in the faith holding fast what wee have received and continuing constant to the end that wee may receive the crowne in heaven LECTIO 3. In Heaven HEre it may be enquired and not amisse how it is that the presence of God is tyed to the heaven Seeing hee is every where so filling all things that hee is comprehended of nothing and so without all things that hee is excluded of nothing For answer hereof it is requisite that wee know that the dispensation of the presence of God is manifold and diverse There is a generall there is a particular there is a personall and there is a locall presence of God By his generall presence hee is present with all his creatures For in him wee live wee move and have our beeing By his particular presence he is present with man and because the sonnes of men are of two sorts therefore the dispensation of this presence is twofold with the child of disobedience hee is present by his providence his power and his justice by his providence maintaining his life by his power ordering his wayes to their appointed ends and by his justice binding him up in the secret of his soule with chaines of darknesse to the judgement of the great day with the child of his free love he is present by his providence maintaining his life by his power keeping him that he dash not his foot against a stone and by his mercy keeping him through faith to eternall salvation By his personall presence hee is present with his Sonne the Lord Jesus by his locall presence he is said to bee in heaven not that the heaven of heavens is able to containe him who is infinite but that there chiefly he manifesteth his glorious presence and his glorious essence to the Angels who have kept their originall integrity to the Soules of the Saints departed and to all of us both in soule and body in the day of our last and finall refreshment In a word God is said to be in heaven as the soule is said to be in the head or heart of man The soule we know animates the whole body and by her presence in every member thereof communicateth life thereto yet by way of preheminencie and excellencie it is said to be in the head and in the heart of man Because in these two parts and from these two parts shee exerciseth her chiefest fnnctions communicateth and deriveth her chiefest influence So is it with God for howsoever by his infinite essence he be every where and filleth all his creatures yet by way of preheminencie and excellencie he is most specially said to be in heaven because there it is that the rayes and glorious beames of his Majestie are chiefly seene and from thence it is that he maketh the steps and impressions of his power knowne to the sonnes of men It is true indeed wee can no where cast our eyes on the creatures but wee do straight perceive the characters of his wisdome power and Majestie For will we looke on the naturall course of the world we see init foure several sorts of creatures The first bare naked and simple substances without either life sense or reason of this sort are the Heavens the Sun the Moone and the Starres The second sort have substance and life but not sense or reason such are the trees plants herbs of the field all which have a vegitative life but no sense nor reason The third sort have life and sense but no reason such as the fowles of the aire the beasts of the field and the fishes of the sea The fourth and last sort hath all of these substance life sense and reason and that is man Now every one of these severall sorts of creatures do exceed one another and serve one for anothers use for wee see the first which are but mere substances serve for the use of them who have life These who have life do serve for the use of them who have reason and man who hath reason hee doth serve hee should serve and shall serve for the use of that God who dwelleth in the Heavens above Now who can looke on the beauty of these creatures Who can consider the reference or who can contemplate aright their correspondence but must straight know and confesse both that there is a God and that hee both made himselfe visible and palpable in his creatures and yet that the full streine of his glory is in Heaven for here wee see but in part wee know but in part and all that we either can see or know of him is but imperfect our perfection is hidden up with him in the Heavens and when wee shall by his power be brought thither wee then shall fully see him as wee are seene and know him as wee are knowne and be changed into his image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. Now brethren having laid this for a foundatiō that is immoveable that howsoever the Lord is every where yet chiefly hee is in heaven the habitation of his holinesse and that howsoever hee be made visible in all his creatures yet the full and accomplished vision of his glory wee shall not have but in the heavens It resteth that from the consideration hereof wee learne to make use of the same for our spirituall advantage The use that wee make of this is threefold Vse First it teacheth us to whom we should pray Secondly how wee should pray And thirdly how wee should live when wee have prayed First to whom should wee pray but to God and to him who is in heaven There are but two motives which direct man in the time of need to have his recourse to another for helpe The first is affection the second is power who but a foole will in the time of need run for helpe to any man whō hee knoweth doth not love him for it is madnesse for a man to become a suiter where love pleadeth not as a mediator it is for this cause that Christ Jesus our Redeemer hath in the frontispice of this prayer given us the assurance of Gods love to wards us whilst he calls him Our Father that from the assurance of his fatherly love wee may draw neere to the Throne of Grace with boldnesse and there poure out our supplications before him with assurance to be heard in that which we feare The other motive why men in the time of need have their recourse to another is the assurance of his power For though hee were never so wel affected if he be not able our petitions are all in vaine The Lord liveth let the people tremble hee sits betwixt the Cherubins let the Earth be moved let the people imagine vaine things and
knowne by his name to Adam to Moses to Abraham Isaack Iacob and the Prophets And by these his names point out to them the fulnesse of his grace in Jesus Christ I answer thee It is true indeed but the differēce of the revelatiō is great for God in the manifesting of his name unto us hath now done it more neerly more cleerely more fully and more familiarly First more neerly for what is neerer to us then our nature which he did assume hee became flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone yea like unto us in all things sinne onely excepted that wee might bee made to God in him flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone in a spirituall regeneration Secondly more clearely for they saw but darkly and under a veile but wee have seene him in the prime and strength of his light for it is written All these things were but shadowes of things to come but the body was Christ Iesus Galat. 2. Thirdly more fully for he hath kept back no part of the counsell of the Father from us which was necessary to our salvation Fourthly more familiarly for what could be more familiar then to have the Sonne of God walking in our flesh amongst us thirty three yeares and an halfe And what greater familiarity then to make both Jew and Gentile who were estranged from God to bee one in himselfe Let us therefore boldly looke upon him in the revelation of his name and learne in every thing in heaven or in earth on the which we set our eyes to reverence this great and mighty name the Lord our God This being spoken concer-cerning the subject of the petition the Attribute now followeth in order to bee considered and it is laid before us in a word of sanctification or hallowing Hallowed bee thy name For understanding hereof wee will first looke what it is to hallow or sanctifie Secondly in whose power it lyeth to sanctifie Thirdly how Gods name is hallowed or can be sanctified of us First to hallow or to sanctifie any thing is to vindicate the same from any absurd or profane use to its owne holy and proper end and therefore to hallow Gods name is to vindicate it from all abuse whatsoever and to attribute to it the due honour and glory thereof But let this be made a little more cleare Secondly God sometimes halloweth man sometimes halloweth and God and man both do sometimes hallow God hallowed man by creation making him to his image God halloweth man by regeneration in the day of his new birth and God shall totally and finally hallow man in the day of his totall and finall redemption so that whatsoever God halloweth it is positively hallowed Man halloweth God not by making him blessed for what can a finite creature adde to the felicity of the great and infinite Creator Man therfore halloweth Gods name but declaratively when hee confesseth to the honour and glory of God that hee hath nothing but that which hee hath received and when hee giveth praise unto him for the same So that the hallowing and sanctification of God to man in respect of mans to him back againe is as the cause to the effect or as Gods election knowledge love to us from eternity causeth our election knowledge love of God back againe in time Finally there be some things that God and man both halloweth and these are persons times places i. his Ministers his Sabbaths and his Churches for these God hath hallowed and consecrated to himselfe Man halloweth them by observing and keeping them holy without prophanation and sanctifying himselfe in them and by them To speake then in a word Gods name is hallowed two wayes notionally and practically Notionally when wee acknowledge him aright and in the thoughts of our heart do yeeld unto him that due reverence which becommeth the creatures to give to the Creator Practically when in the tenour of our lives we do rightly acknowledge the truth of his word the riches of his mercy the equity of his justice and the majestie of his workes Vse Now that wee may make use of this Petition let us call to minde a little what hath beene said that under the name of God was understood his essence his word and his worke his essence we cannot hallow for wee can adde nothing to that which is infinite neither can we declare it sufficiently for here wee know but in a part and see but in a part Gods name is honoured in his word First when it is reverenced Secondly when it is trusted Thirdly when it is obeyed First when it is reverenced not as the word of man but as the word of God for this cause the Apostle St Paul at Corinth preached not in the vaine inticing eloquence of humane wisdome lest the crosse of Christ should be of no effect Secondly when it is trusted for want of this trust the old world was drowned and Moses debarred the land of Canaan and mockers in the last time shall receive a judgement that lingers not Thirdly when it is obeyed and men walke worthy of the calling wherunto they are called The wāt of this made Eli his house desolate and Shilo a mockingstocke The want of this made the sword to stay on the house of David surely the want of this shall one day beare witnesse against the children of this generation One thing resteth to honour God in his workes and this sort of sanctification is threefold according to the threefold estate of his creatures for some of them wee contemplate onely some of them wee acquire with toyle and much travell and some of them wee use with freedome and true liberty Wee contemplate the Sunne the Moone and the starres all made for the glory of God and the praise of his name we possesse the earth the seas with toyle difficulty and paine wee use with liberty and freedome our meate our drinke and our apparell In the first wee honour God if from the excellencie of the creature wee looke up to the admirable glory of the Creatour In the second we honour God whilst we care for them not with a thornie but a sober care 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the last wee honour God whilst wee sanctifie their use by the word by prayer and by sobriety But shall not man honour God in the words of his mouth also Yes surely but because hee who honoureth God in his heart doth also honor him with his mouth è contra by the one wee shall easily judge of the other For this it is that the wicked man is reproved Psalme 50. And that Christ commandeth Sathan to be silent speaking out of a possessed man for hee knew that his name would be dishonoured whilst it was named out of the mouth of the father of lyes let our speech therefore bee powdered with salt Now onely resteth the word of appropriation Thy which is set as a band and tye knitting the Attribute
of prime honour to the subject of name for it is said Hallowed be thy name For understanding whereof let us remember that the Pronoune thy is possessive and pointeth out to us the chiefe and prime person to whose name honour and glory do chiefly and most duely belong For though there bee many names or rather many things named in heaven in earth and under the earth yet is there not any name to which honour and glory doth of debt and duty belong but onely to the name of God and that in three respects First because by him is named all the family that is either in heaven or on earth Secondly because by his sufferings and victorious triumphs over his adversaries he hath obtained a name farre above all other not onely that is in this world but also in that which is to come Thirdly because there is no other name by the which we can bee saved but by the name of Jesus Christ the just Now then since by the Pronounce thine is understood the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost the whole Trinity whose actions ad extra as they are undivided so their honour quoad nos should bee undivided also For as their essence is one and their majesty coeternall so should their glory bee coequall according to that which is written My honour is mine and my glory I will not give to another Let him bee ashamed that in any wise doth ascribe that which is due to God either to Angell or Saint departed The distinctions of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be no shelter of their errour wee reverence their memory wee blesse God in behalfe of them and wee wish from God the consummation of their glory but to beleeve in them to call upon them or to bow before their images or to adore their relicts as wee have no warrant for it so let us abhorre to doe it lest it be enquired of us Who hath required these things at your hands Esai 1.12 They have already entered in their Masters joy Requiescant in pace Let us labour to follow their example and let us sigh for their consummation as they crie for our addition for they cannot bee perfect in full perfection without us Amen LECTIO 5. Thy kingdome come IN handling of this Petition I will observe the order proposed in the last first I will looke on the reference of the words both with the preceding and subsequent petitions and then on the matter comprised and contained in them The site and posture of this Petition is worthy of remarke first because of the reference it hath with the preceding petition And secondly because of that reference it hath with those petitions which succeed The dependance it hath with the former Petitions is That in the last petition wee craved that Gods name might be hallowed that is to say that the Majestie and holinesse which is in himselfe and is Himselfe for whatsoever is in God is God that Justice Mercy and power that is in his workes that truth righteousnesse and equity which is in his word may not only be knowne and manifested to man but also received honored and obeyed by man in such manner as is fit and due to so great a Majestie and so dread a name So now in this Petition hee sheweth us the way how to doe it Namely by submitting our selves as members of his Kingdome to his supreme Soveraignty for then chiefely and ever till then is the name of God duely honored by man when man by his due and lawfull obedience testifieth himselfe to bee a subject in his Kingdome and a member of his incorporation Againe as this is the reference it hath with the precedent Petition So hath it also a necessary dependance with that which immediately succeedeth For in the words next following we crave that Gods will may be done But it is certaine no man can doe Gods will but hee who is a member of his Kingdome Nor can any man keepe the law of God but by his grace Iohn 3.24 Psalme 119.32 For though our workes should be accomplished from the beginning of the world yet are they all but abomination in the presence of God till our persons be first acceptable unto him in Christ Jesus 1. Cor. 13.3 here then is the true reason of this position he that would either hallow or honor the name of God or desire to performe his will must have a care first to be devised and made a member of his Kingdome for the name of God can never bee truly honored nor his will truly obeyed by any but those who are true members of his Kingdome But it may bee enquired cannot a wicked man doe the will of God I answere that a wicked man may doe the thing that is good as Ioab may give good counsell Iudas may remember the poore A Hypoerite like Achab may be humbled A vicious man may cite and speake Scripture but all is abhomination for two causes First their persons are not acceptable they have no portion in David nor inheritance in Iesse Secondly whatsoever they doe they doe it not in that sincerity nor right intention towards the honor of God as doth become but what they doe is in hypocrisie to be seen of men and to procure honor and glory to themselves and for this cause God casteth backe the dust of their sacrifices in their faces and manifesteth their wickednesse both to men and Angells Then O man if thou dost desire that the name of God may be hallowed and honored by thee Or desirest that his will bee done in thee or by thee Labour then I pray thee that thou maist be made a member of his Kingdome for as many as are called by the Spirit of God are the sons of God and if the Spirit of him that raised JESVS from the dead doth dwell in our mortall bodies our mortall bodies shall then also be raised by it But if this incorporation shall bee wanting though we should give our bodies to be burnt in the fire yet shall it not availe us For as we live strangers from the life of God strangers shall wee likewise die and rising strangers to his Grace we shall be thrust out as strangers from his Glory to the suffering of that worme that dyeth not and of that fire that never is extinguished Now let us come to the words and consider what is contained in them I finde in them three things a Subject an Attribute and a Copulation The Subject is a Kingdome the Attribute is a comming and the word of Copulation Thy. Kingdome For understanding of this we must know that there is a threefold Kingdome Of man of Sathan and of God The Kingdome of man is that preheminency and soveraignty which God in his wisedome hath established amongst men giving to some authority to command and to others a commandement to obey and that for shunning of confusion and disorder amongst
his young infant to come the child cannot goe but creepeth to him He calleth on him by his name the child cannot speake but he bableth Hee biddeth him stand upright and alone but he straight fals Yet the father doth not measure his obedience by the perfection but by the endeavour It is so with God Hee calleth upon us to come to him wee cannot come unlesse wee bee drawne He biddeth us stand stedfast but wee fall till he strengthen us He biddeth us call upon him but wee cannot till he first call upon us and say as to Mary Mary then straight we answere him Rabony Finally hee biddeth us doe his will on earth as it is in heaven and be perfect as he is perfect But we cannot till he first give us the thing that he craveth of us What shall wee then doe shall wee languish because wee are weake or retire because we are faint No let us creepe and bable and struggle We are acceptable not because of our practise but because of our endeavour Not because of our action but because of our affection Coll. 3.2 LECT 10. Give us this day c. HAving spoken of the first three Petitions which concerne the honour and glory of God It resteth now that we looke on those Petitions which concern man and his utility either bodily or spiritually It is bodily wants are poured out here in this Petition and the support and reliefe thereof petitioned In handling hereof wee shall observe the very same order and Method which we observed in the former For first we will looke to the coherence of this Petition and next to the matter comprehended therein The coherence is remarkable For the Petition lookes with a twofold aspect viz. a reference to the former Petitions and a relation to the ensuing The reference it hath to the first three Petitions is that it serves for a touchstone to try the right and true title which wee have to the things of this life For wee live in a world wherein there is nothing which men doe so much affect as plenty and abundance And there is no man so much abhorred and despised as the poore man and hee that wants Howsoever it be absolutely true that the felicity of man consists not in the possession of the earth or earthly things for the Kingdome of God standeth neither in Meat Drinke nor Apparrell but in Righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost But wouldest thou know O man whether thou hast a true title and right to the things that thou possessest or not and wouldst thou know whether or not thou enjoyest and brookes them with a good conscience Then for thy resolution looke to the first three Petitions and see how farre they have taken root in thy heart and how farre thy heart hath beene set on their obedience So farre thou hast right and true title to the things of this life and no farther For I will assure thee unlesse Gods honour hath beene deare to thee and dearer then thy owne Unlesse Gods Kingdome hath beene dearer to thee then all the world besides Yea and all the world in thy accompt hath beene but losse to thee in respect of it And finally unlesse Gods will have beene so deare to thee that thou hast denyed thy selfe and undergone the Crosse patiently captivating thy will to Gods I will tell thee thus much an use of the creatures of God thou mayest have had but a true title or right to them thou never hadst And to speake it in one word an usurper of Gods creatures thou maist bee but a true owner thou never wast No I must tell thee more There is never a bitt of bread that goeth downe into thy belly nor one drop of water that goeth into thy mouth but shall one day accuse thee of the wrong and tyranny that thou hast done unlesse thou canst shew by thy charter that thou art a member of Gods Kingdome And that for thy Reddendo thou hast honored his name and captivated thy will to his obedience For as all things are ours whilst wee are Christs So without Christ nothing in the world is ours No they are so farre from being ours that they sigh and groane against us Rom. 8. And woe bee to us if when they sigh against us wee cannot sigh for our selves But this is not all For as this hath a respect to the former Petitions by way of tryall so doth it also carry a reference and relation to the subsequent and that more wonderfull and observable then the former For it may bee enquired whence it commeth that hee who was the Son of God and thought it no robbery to bee made equall with God himselfe Againe whence it was that he who laid downe the life of his body that hee might save the life of our soules And finally whence it comes that hee who did forbid us to care what wee should eate or what apparrell we should put on should in this measure be so carefull of our bodies and the naturall life thereof that he should preferre a petition concerning the body before that which concerneth the soule Is not the soule of much more worth then the body and are not the things that concerne the soule of farre greater excellencie then those which concerne the body How is it then that hee who is the Prince of our salvation should bee thus preposterous in his Alphabet as to recommend to us the care of our bodies before the care of our soules and the worth of a peece of bread before the worth of the remission of our sinnes To this I answer Wisdome is justified of all her children and therefore it becomes us not to judge any thing before the time for hee is the wisdome of the Father who hath thus taught us and as there was no iniquity found in his wayes so there was no guile found in his tongue Hee hath then suffered us to prefixe the Petition which concerneth our body before those that concerne our soule not for dignities but for necessities sake For behold as hee made us so hee knoweth our frame and of what mould wee are made and for this cause hee submitteth himselfe to our infirmities that by doing so he may gaine us for wee have not such an High-priest as cannot bee touched with the sense of our infirmities but who was made like unto us in all things sinne excepted Will any man then aske the reason of this order I answer God hath done it wisely for three causes First to shew us the infirmity of our flesh or fleshly nature Secondly to shew us the riches of his mercy Thirdly to shew us the true refuge to the which wee should runne in the day of our bodily wants I say first it is done to shew us our naturall infirmity and the weaknesse of flesh who live by sense and not by faith For it is with man walking in the way to heaven as it is with little children walking in their parents families
commeth out of the mouth of God And Beza taking the word litterally out of the Greeke for that Bread which is able to adde to our substance So that the true and native signification and sense of this petition is this Lord give us the supplement of our necessities both for matter and for manner For matter our bodies are earthly and drawing neere to the earth stand in need of daily support support us therefore daily with Bread And for manner because little will content nature suppose our desires bee extravagant give us that which may refresh nature and maintaine this our natural life For if wee get food and rayment we ought therewith to bee content Now this being the interpretation of the word the uses arising therefrom are worthy of our remarke also Vse The uses that are drawne from the consideration of the words are two-fold viz. For rebuke and for instruction It serveth for rebuke to the Church of Rome whose schollers I meane the Rhemists following St. Hierome in his interpretation have interpreted the word and hold fast for it that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth onely signifie supersubstantialis or supersubstantiall bread But I would enquire of them to what use this obsolete and obscure word should be used amongst them Are not the words of greatest familiarity of greatest force also Yes surely For God who had sundry times and in divers manners made himselfe knowne unto the world of old by his Prophets and Patriarkes under types shadowes figures and tropes he hath now in the end of time made himselfe manifest to the world in Jesus Christ his Son who was the image of the invisible God and the ingraven forme and character of his person and that in such a plenty and purity of revelation that none can bee excused by reason of ignorance for If our Gospell bee hidde it is hidde to them that perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of their mindes So seeing then even there where people sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death if God have made a true light to our eyes why should they bee termes of ambiguity and phrases of darknesse to obscure and eclipse the light and sun-shine of Gods truth by keeping up from the people the word of God and giving them the service of God in a strange tongue I know wherefore this can serve but for one or two causes either that they may shew themselves heires to the Scribes and Pharisees whose chaires they claime For they locked up the key of knowledge they neither entered into the Kingdome of God themselves neither would they suffer others to enter Even such are the followers of the Church of Rome at this day they sit as they alledge in the chaire of Moses and Peter but with any of Moses traditions or of Peter his sanctions they will not trouble so much as their little finger and fearing least any should enter into the Kingdome of God to their greater crimination too like blinde guides they keepe their people in blindnesse and by the obscurity of words so eclipse and obscure the truth that unawares Millions of soules are by them ledde captive unto distruction Vse Neither doe they in this alone expresse themselves to build the sepulchers of their fathers the Scribes and Pharisees But what is more they really doe expresse themselves to be the sonnes of their Father the divell who knowing assuredly that nothing in the world can bee so forcible to extract a blessing from the hands of God as Prayer Nor any thing so strong and powerfull to binde up the hands of God from correcting and judging us as is the frequent and familiar confabulation and Prayers of his Saints Hee therefore labours to withdraw men altogether from prayer or else if he cannot get their mouthes stopped but that they must pray then hee will have them praying in an unknowne tongue that their table may be turned to a snare and their prayers to sinne It is a wonder to see what folly is amongst them they will not go out of doores without a crosse about their neckes as if it were an Antidote against whatsoever danger either spirituall or temporall And yet there is none sheweth himselfe a greater enemy of the Crosse of Christ For howsoever in word they confesse him yet in their idolatrous practise they deny him and having a name that they are living in effect they are dead Yet this is not all such an overruling power and soveraignty hath the Prince of darknesse got on them that when their conscience is opened to see their sin and their affections lead them to God to deprecate the remission of their sinne hee tongue-tyeth them that they cannot speake to God And if they speak at all it is but a rapsody of idle words numbred out upon their Beades as if God delighted in much babling or Sathan could bee conjured with tale and number only of Pater nosters But foole that thou maist know that God is a Spirit and will bee worshipped in spirit and truth If thy service be spirituall and sincere though weake yet it is welcome For the bruised reed hee will not breake and the smoaking flaxe bee will not quench But if thou dally with him in a Tautalogie of unknowne words all is in vaine because hee will cast backe the dust of thy sacrifice in thy face for praying to him with thy tongue when thy understanding is without fruit Againe as it serveth for rebuke of the Church of Rome so it serveth also for instruction to us of the true and pure Church and that in these three respects First in the matter of our true understanding Secondly in the matter of our true content And thirdly in the matter of our true desire I say first that in this word we have a lesson given us to enforme our understanding For whilst wee goe to God and seeke of him Daily Bread wee cannot but instruct our selves in the sense of our daily want Who is hee that hath a house and a daily raine drop in it but will goe to the Slater and make him repaire it Who is hee which hath a ship which is leaking but will goe to the carpenter and have it repaired both with timber and calfatting Or hee that hath a wounded body who will not goe to the Physitian and daily dresse his wound and binde it up againe till it bee cured It is even so with us in the matter of our spirituall wants Wee dwell here in Tabernacles and houses of clay This day there is a droppe in the roofe to morrow a balke of our timber is cracked and the third day there is a crevis in the wall To whom shall wee goe but to the Master of the worke and that daily that by our daily necessities wee may daily have our recourse to him and in our daily approaches confesse and acknowledge his daily providence Wee are also Mariners and wee are wounded men Who shall make
this is one and the chiefe that his heart is become earthly and muddy in the beginning hee had a body earthly and from the earth but his soule was celestiall and from above not onely in respect of essence but also in respect of the faculties and the qualities of these faculties now by his fall his soule is made like his body though not in essence or faculties for they are still spirituall yet in respect of the qualities of these faculties for the understanding of the naturall man knoweth nothing but the things of the earth his affections delight in nothing but that which is earthly and his will practiseth nothing but that which is of the earth and in the earth but these things ought not to bee so wee are come from home and are returning thither againe Doth it become a pilgrim whilst he is in the way to be overtaken with the pleasures of the way no certainly for if hee bee in love with the pleasures of the way hee shall never attaine to his journeyes end Do you not remember what is written in prophane stories concerning Theseus and Atalanta a woman of exceeding swiftnesse who being overtaken with the love of the golden balls which Theseus let fall by the way lost the race and the reward of it But why do I cite a prophane story looke to the word of God and the truth therein contained there you shall finde Iudges 7. That the Lord chosing out an army for Gedion to overthrow Midian he first sent away the fearfull and faint hearted which were two and twenty thousand then hee sent away those who fell downe on their knees and dranke water which were nine thousand and seaven hundred so that there remained of all the host of Gedion but three hundred to overthrow their enemies and these were such as stooped not downe to inebriate themselves with the waters of the river but snatched at them onely with their hand refreshing onely the tip of their tongues and continuing their journey It should bee so with us in using the things of this life wee should use them as though wee used them not hee that rejoyceth should not bee over-joyed in his rejoycing and hee that is in griefe should not bee over-grieved in his sorrow He that hath should not be proud hee that wanteth should not dispare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and moderation should bee showne as men knowing that the fashion of this world perisheth Let us therefore bee like Iacob Gen. 28.20 And like Christs disciples Ioh. 6. Labour not for the meat that perisheth And like Israel Hos 2. Secondly wee have here a second lesson which serveth for our instruction and I pray you consider it Man if hee want he murmures he grudgeth and repines It was the errour of Israel in the want of water to murmure against Moses in the want of bread and of flesh So that his heart was grieved Rachel in the want of children could murmure and say to Iacob Give mee children else I die And Abraham himselfe in his barrennesse could say to God Eliazar my servant shall bee my heire So hard and indured are the hearts of men till God both make them see and feele the force of his care and providence towards them neither is the discontentment and grudge of men cleare in the example of these Fathers but also in our own daily and quotidian practice the poore man is no sooner fallen from his estate then through distrust of the providence of God hee must steale the sick man is no sooner in the bed of his disease but hee sends for a wisard to see if hee can recover The man that is wronged hath no sooner received his affront or word of reproach but straight his sword must bee his judge and decider of his quarrell and his owne hand must censure that which hee can neither digest nor cast up againe But tell mee O man from whence proceeds this thy folly wantest thou is there not a God in heaven of whom it is said The eyes of all things do looke up and trust in thee O Lord. Art thou sicke is there not a God in Israel in whose hands are the issues of life and death Art thou wronged knowest thou not that vengeance is the Lords and he will repay For it is a righteous thing with the Lord to render tribulation to them that trouble us and peace unto us in the day of rest Why do wee then in the day of our trouble wrong both our selves and our sufferings by our precipitations Knowest thou from whence this thy precipitation floweth because thou knowest not I will tell thee It floweth absolutely from the want of the sight of thy sinne If thou knewst wherefore thy goods were taken frō thee wouldst thou murmure No. If thou knewst wherefore thy health was taken from thee wouldst thou grudge No. if thou knew from whence thy wrong came wouldst thou repine No. All the distemper cōmeth from this thou knowst not the cause of it Thy sinnes that are not forgiven thee are the cause of all thy calamity If thou hadst but truly repented thee of thy sinnes and by faith gotten the assurance of thy pardon I will assure thee thy captivity should have bin redeemed thy righteousnesse should have shined as the Sun at the noontide of the day but as long as thou hast neither gotten thy sins pardoned thee nor hast pardoned others their sinnes against thee it is no wonder though thou say to God Give mee this day my daily bread and get it not for it is sure that the Lord heareth not nor accepts of sinners for as it is true that the seede of the righteous man was never seene to beg his bread for want so on the other part it is as true The candle of the wicked shall be put out and another man shall take his charge The evidence hereof is cleare in Israel in the dayes of the Judges Looke to Sheba and Iesabel Thirdly and lastly as it rebuketh us for the dirty and muddy quality of our hearts and instructeth us in the true cause and occasion of our wants so it teacheth us how to use the creatures aright or rather how wee should examine our selves aright after the use of the creatures when man sitteth downe to use the creatures of God Three things are required of him Premeditation sobriety examination Premeditation in acknowledging his unworthinesse of them for in themselves they are the good creatures of God as well as thou art yea in some respect they are better then thou for though thou wert created to a more glorious image yet by their innocency they have kept a more glorious station for thou hast sinned and not they and they subject to vanity not because of themselves but because of him who hath subdued thē under hope Sit never downe therefore O man to thy dinner without preponderatiō Whē thou seest the creatures of God set before thee know and remember they lived once as thou
should it also comfort us in the day of our spirituall conflict For as the marches of Israell were ordered in the wildernesse so should our marches be ordered here on earth When they were to march by day the Lord went before them in the piller of a cloud and by night in a piller of fire When they marched it was said Arise O God and let thine enemier be confounded And when they rested it was said Returne O Lord to the thousands of Israel Their walke was long their journey was wearisome but this comforted them that they had a good leader It is even so withus wee are brought blessed bee God from the bondage of an oppressing Pharo and a turmoiling Egypt where our way is thorny and our adversaries are many and surely unlesse our eyes were towards our leader there should bee no more spirit left in us But this is our comfort in which we should alwayes joy and continually rejoyce that our God the Lord of Hosts is our leader That our Redeemer Christ Jesus hath beene our fellow souldier and is now our Captaine And that the holy Ghost the Comforter is our Generall and goeth out and in before us and fighteth in us and for us Why should not wee then submit our selves to this Regiment The world is led by another spirit for the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth after envy But blessed is the man who is led by God and his good Spirit for whosoever are led by the Spirit of God are the Sonnes of God and if wee be sonnes then also shall wee bee heires and fellow heires with Jesus Christ and made partakers of his glory But now my brethren pardon mee for I have spent a great deale of time in teaching you who is your leader The second question is how he can lead us into temptation The answer hereof ariseth from the word by which our government and leading is represented to us For it is thus in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where if wee shall looke aright on the word wee shall finde it composed of two severall particles of compositition and an originall verbe subjoyned to them The particles of composition are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to lead but the particles of composition added and prefixed to it altereth the signification thereof very much The first particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth in So that whilst this manuduction and government in the day of spirituall combate of a Christian is attributed to God it importeth three things unto us from the word it selfe First a leading into temptation Secondly a leading in temptation Thirdly upon the which from the necessity of his goodnesse must follow a leading out againe according to that which is written Hee suffereth us not to bee tempted above our power but with the temptation hee giveth us the issue that wee may be able to beare it The first part of this conduct is safe the second is gracious the third is glorious without the assured support and presence of God these three are like the waters of Marah turned bitter or like the potage of the children of the Prophets There is death in the pot For if man or Sathan lead to temptation it is doubtfull if they shall lead into temptation it is dangerous and if they cannot lead out of temptation it is desperate Opposing therefore the weaknesse of man to the strength of God and the malice of Sathan to the love of God it cannot but bee well said by man to God Lead us not into temptation not deprecating any part of the composition but his desertion in the verbe To cleare this know that to lead a man into temptation is safe for this cause St Iames saith My brothren count it for exceeding joy when you fall into diverse temptations for this is onely to present anobject of temptation to man or to lead man to encounter with an object of temptation Against this we do not al waies pray for it is safe good for us so to be exercised at sometimes it maketh us watch over our senses to make a covenant with our eyes and with David to pray Lord turne away mine eies from beholding vanity To lead a man into temptation is gracious for as meat is to the hungry or drinke to the thirsty or light to the prisoner so is helpe and support to the cōbatant What other comfort I pray you had David in his conflict with Goliah then this that God was with him in his temptation I come not against thee in mine owne name but in the name of the Lord of Hosts who delivered into my hand the Beare and the Lyon hee will also deliver thee this day into my hand But O take heed my hearts howsoever to be led to temptatiō may be safe to be led in temptation be gracious yet except God lead us out again it cannot any way bee glorious for us for if hee lead us not out againe hee leaveth us in it and woe bee to us when hee so forsaketh us and leaveth us to our selves for in so doing wee shall surely forsake him and perish So that this is sure whilst we say Lead us not into temptation wee do not begge of God that hee would not suffer the objects of temptation to bee presented before us but this only that whilst we are in the conflict hee would not leave us alone but rather that hee would say to us as Iacob said to his sonne God a troop shall fight against him but he shall overcome them at the last But thou wilt say to mee O man How or by what meanes can or doth God lead a man to temptation I answer by foure meanes First by a procured desertiō Secondly by a continuall subduction Thirdly by a righteous tradition Fourthly by a necessary induration By a deserved desertion for whilst wee quench and grieve the Spirit of God by our sinnes it is a righteous thing with the Lord to draw his grace from us that by our falls we may learne to intertaine his grace by which wee stand Secondly by a continued subduction which howsoeit bee but one and the selfe same desertion yet is different in degree and more fearefull because of the continuance Thus hee dealt with the Gentiles Rom. 1. Thirdly by a righteous tradition when men have abused his long suffering patience he gives them over to the efficacie of errour and to the malice of Sathan to bee led by him at his will so hee dealt with Saul 2. Sam. 24.4 And last of all by an uncurable induration for Sathan having gotten entry in a sinner thus walking in the way of errour hee maketh his heart daily harder and harder till out of the hardnesse of his heart that cannot repent hee heape up wrath to himselfe against the day of wrath But thou wilt yet enquire why doth God lead
mee unlesse it were given thee from above Unto this the Apostle Paul subscribeth Rom. 13.1 There is no power but of God and the powers that are ordained of God Now this title of Gods power Christ bringeth in here as an attribute by which hee may underproppe our weakenesse And his meaning is O man why doubtest thou and why art thou fearfull to come to God and pray to him How many evidences hast thou of his power manifested to thee for thy protection Is it not by him and by his power that thou livest movest and hast thy beeing was it not by him by the word of his power that all things were made of nothing Is it not by him and by the might of his power that all things are preserved in that state order and frame in which they now are Was it not by him and the might of his power that fire came downe to destroy Sodome That the seadrowned Pharo the earth swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abirom That Ieroboams hand was dryed up that the mercilesse fire had mercy on the children and the hungry lyons fed not on Daniel That the windes and seas are stilled and calmed and finally that the very devills of hell are curbed that they cannot goe beyond the chaine of his power and good pleasure These things are all evidences of his power But his power is yet not knowne in things that are spirituall Looke to our eternall election our temporall redemptiō our effectuall calling the resurrection of our bodies and upon the glory bestowed both upon soule and body and from thence let us never doubt of his power Hee of himselfe is able to do all things and by his power wee are able to do all things and hee hath manifested his power towards us that by it wee may be instructed by it comforted and by it corrected In a word it serveth for our instruction correction and consolation For our instruction in the path of charity for our correction in the way of our presumption and for our consolation in the day of our trouble First for our instruction in the path of charity For wee do no sooner see our neighbour fall but straight way we are precise and prejudicate censurers not remembring our selves lest wee also bee tempted Nor yet remembring the power of God who is able to ingraffe those againe Rom. 14.4 Secondly it serveth for our correction in the way of our presumption for wee thinke if man can befriend us wee are safe and sure but as fooles wee vanish for the Egyptians are but men not gods and their horses are but flesh not spirit When Ephraim saw his wound and Iudah felt his soare they ranne to Iacob and Ashur but their wound was not healed for there is no helpe but in the Lord And whosoever shall seeke helpe beside him may aske counsell at his stocke but his staffe shall answer him for the Lord shall meete him as a lyon and as a lyons whelpe shall teare him in peeces and none shall deliver him Last of all it serveth for our comfort in the day of trouble Man beare thou the crosse that God hath laid upon thee for thy haires bee numbred thy teares be put in his bottle be thou assured that the Lord will deliver thee in the day of trouble when thou art incompassed with the waters of affliction The second attribute of his kingdome is glory which hath many severall significations in Scripture First it is taken for the majesty of God which whilst man doth celebrate it is said they shew forth his glory Thus did the sheepheards heare that sweete Haliluiah sang by the Angells Glory bee to God on high And David Psalm 8. The heavens declare the glory of God Secondly by the glory of God in the time of the Law was meant the Arke of God 1. Sam. 4. The glory is departed Thirdly it signifieth the visible testimony of Gods presence in a cloud Exod. 16.8 Fourthly it is taken for the light of the Gospell 2. Cor. 4.4 Fifthly by the glory of God is understood the image of God according to which man was created Rom. 3.23 All flesh have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God Vse First bee carefull of the glory of God that his name bee not ill spoken of because of thy bad conversation Secondly suffer for him For all the sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us Thirdly sigh and groane for Christs appearing for it is the day of the revelation of thy glory For ever and ever Amen THis is life everlasting to know thee to bee the onely true God and whom thou hast sent thy Sonne the Lord Iesus This is the absolute excellencie of mans knowledge But to attaine hereunto the way is hard for No man hath knowne the Father at any time save the Son and he to whom the Sonne hath revealed him And till the Sonne hath revealed him in his beeing by delineating to them the back-parts of the Father for No man can see God and live It is true indeed if wee shall compare our knowledge of God who live under the Gospell with those who went before us under the Law wee cannot but confesse that our light in regard of theirs is before the light of the Sunne compared to the morning starre for it is written They saw but from a farre and under a vaile but wee behold his glory with open face And yet notwithstanding this our illumination we are imperfect our perfection may bee full in respect of parts yet is not in respect of degrees For our helpe therefore whilst wee dwell in the valley of Meseck tents of Kedar he is pleased to manifest unto us though not absolutely what he is that is to say his nature yet who hee is that is to say what are his attributes for by this hee teacheth us to know both who hee is in himselfe and how he carries himselfe to us Now thus we may know him in his wayes and dispensations towards us Hee hath revealed himselfe three manner of wayes Per viam negationis per viam causationis per viam eminentiae By way of negation by way of causation and by way of excellency By way of negation or denyall hee makes himselfe knowne to us while hee denies the imperfections of the creatures to appertaine unto him as creator and therefore it is said of him that he is immortall invisible immutable that hee cannot lie that hee cannot repent By way of causation while hee makes himselfe to bee knowne to be the cause of all things that are for it is written By him were made all things and without him was made nothing that was made And againe In him wee live wee move and have our beeing And againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By way of excellency while as we looking on the excellencie of the creature are lead to consider the supereminent excellencie of the creator in his wisdome power strength