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A51845
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A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer by ... Thomas Manton.
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Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing M532; ESTC R30512
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305,803
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534
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as we have a Cause to present to God There the High-Priest he entred with the Blood of Beasts but we enter by the Blood of the Son of God O what a great Privilege is this that we have a Father in Heaven In this respect the Holy Place is now open to us Tho we have not a personal Access till Death yet by the Blood of Jesus we may come with Boldness presenting our selves before the Lord with all our Wants and Desires The great Distance between Heaven and Earth shall not hinder our Communion with God if we have a Friend above Therefore it is very comfortable now to say Our Father which art in Heaven that is our gracious and reconciled Father in and by Christ. APPLICATION If we have a Father in Heaven let us look up to Heaven often 1. If we have a Father in Heaven and a Saviour at his right-hand to do all things that are needful for us let us look upon the aspectable Heavens with an Eye of Sense with our bodily Eyes It is good to contemplate the Glory of the heavenly Bodies or the Outside of that Court which God hath provided for the Saints It is not an idle Speculation I press you to The Saints of God have thought it to be worthy of their Morning and Evening-Thought It is notable David doth in two Psalms especially contmeplate Heaven 〈◊〉 seems to be a Nightly the other a 〈◊〉 Meditation The Night-Meditation you have Psal. 8. 3. When I consider thy Heavens the Work of thy Fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained David was got abroad in a Moon-shining Night looks up and had his Heart affected But now the 19th Psalm that seems to be a Morning-Mediation he speakds of the Sun coming out like a Bridegroom from his Chamber in the East and displaying his Beams and Heat and Influences to the World and then saith he v. 1. The Heavens declare the Glory of God Morning and Evening or when ever you go abroad to see the Beauty of the outward Heavens say I have a Father there a Christ there this is the Pavement of that Palace which God hath provided for the Saints Christians it is a sweet Meditation when you can say He that made all Things is there It will be a delightful profitable thing sometimes with an Eye of Sense to take a view of our Father's Palace as much as we can see of it here below 2. Let me especially press you to this with an Eye of Faith to look within the Vail and when ever you come to pray to see God in Heaven and Christ at his Right-hand The great Work of Faith is to see him that is invisible and the great Duty of Prayer is to get a Sight of God in Heaven and Christ at his right-hand What Stephen did miraculously or in an Extasy we must do graciously in Prayer Now it is said of Stephen Acts 7. 56. Behold I see the Heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right-hand of God There is a great deal of Difference about Stephen's Sight How the Heavens could be opened for they are solid Bodies and cannot be divided fluent Air and so come together again How he could see the Glory of God with his corporal Senses which is invisible How he could see Christ at such a Distance the Eye not being able to reach so far Some think it to be a meer intellectual Vision or a Vision of Faith that is he did so firmly believe and had the Comfort of it in his Heart as if he had seen it with his Eyes So they think Stephen saw the Glory of God and Christ at his right-hand as Abraham saw Christ's Day and rejoiced that is he saw it by Faith Some think it to be a Prophetical Vision by seeing those things objected to his Fancy by imaginary Species as Isaiah saw God in a Vision Isa. 6. and as Paul's Rapture Some think it a Symbolical Vision that he saw these thing represented by some corporeal Images as Iohn saw the Holy-Ghost descending in the form of a Dove Some think his bodily Eyes did pierce the Clouds and got a sight of the Glory of Christ. Whatever it be there must be such a Sight in Prayer something answerable to this in a spiritual way this must ever be done Psal. 5. 3. I will pray saith the Psalmist and look up There is a looking up required in all Prayer a seeing the invisible God by Faith If you would have God look down upon you from his holy Habitâ—tion you must look up with an Eye of Faith and converse with God in Heaven Psal. 63. 4. I will lift up my Hands in thy Name If you would have God look upon you with an Eye of Compassion you must look up and see Christ at his right-hand by an Eye of Faith 3. Let us love our Father love God in Christ and love the Place for his sake where his Residence is 1. Love God in Christ. Psal. 73. 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee When God hath been so gracious to you Christians if I had no other Argument to press you to love god but that he which is in Heaven offereth to be your Father in Christ Jesus it might suffice because it is a great Condescension that the God of Heaven will look upon poor boken-hearted Creatures that he whose Throne is in Heaven would look upon him that is of a trembling Spirit Isa. 66 2. That the high and lofty One that dwelleth in the high and holy Place will look to him that is of a contrite Heart Isa. 57. 15. That he that is the Lord of Heaven and Earth will be our Father and own us and bless us A great Condescension on God's part and a great Dignity also is put upon us and how should our Hearts be affected with it Therefore though there be a great Distance between Heaven and Earth it should not lessen our Affections to God He is mindful of us visits us at every turn we are dear and tender to him therefore let the Lord be dear to you The Butler when he was exalted forgot Ioseph but Christ is not grown stately with his Advancement He doth not forget us O let not us forget God Let us manifest our Love by being often with him at the Throne of Grace with our Father which is in Heaven A Child is never well but when in the Mother's Lap or under the Father's Wing So should it be with us with an humble Affection coming into the presence of God and getting into the Bosom of our heavenly Father Never delight in any thing so much as conversing with him and serious Addresses to him in Prayer Again 2. Love the Place for his sake God is there and Christ is there We have cause to love the Place for our own sakes and in a short time if you continue patient in well-doing you will be with God It is not only God's Throne but it is your
Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way naâ—lâ—ng it to his Cross. He hath disannull'd the Law which binds to suffer the Wrath of God The Law was the Bond by which our Death was ratified 3. There is requir'd an unfeigned purpose to forsake Sin He that hath been released of his Debt must not still run into new Arrears Christ never blotted out our Debts that we might renew them and go on upon a new Score of offending God again this is to dally with God to run into the Snare when he hath broken it for us and given us an escape to plunge our selves into new Debts again In this Prayer Forgive us our Debts then presently Lead us not into Temptation Therefore we must purpose to forsake Sin otherwise we do not draw nigh to God with a true Heart Heb. 10. 22. We do but deal falsely with God in all the Confessions we make and in all the Pleas of Faith unless there be an unfeigned purpose to renounce all Sin and cast it off as a thing that will undo our Souls Thus Christians must you sue out your Release and Discharge in your Surety's Name Vse 1. The Use is first to shew us the Misery of an impenitent unpardoned Sinner he hath a vast Debt upon him that will surely undo him unless he doth in time get a Discharge He is bound over to suffer the Wrath of God for evermore and no Hand can loose him but God's Many times they think of no such matter and cry Peace Peace to themselves but it is not the Debtor which must cancel the Book but the Creditor Have you a discharge from God where 's your legal Qualification poor Creatures what will you do Many take care that they may owe nothing to any Man Oh! but what do you owe to God To live in doubt and in fear of an Arrest O what Misery is that But when Sin lieth at the Door ready to attach you every moment and hale you to the Prison of Hell that 's most dreadful Therefore think of it seriously how do Accounts stand between God and you Sinners are loth to think of it When the Lord came to reckon with his Servants Mat. 18. 24. it is said One was brought to him which ow'd him ten thousand Talents He was loth to come to an account he would fain keep out of the way but he was brought to him So we are unwilling to be call'd to account we shift and delay and will not think of our Misery but the putting off Sin will not put it away our not thinking of our Misery will not help us out and will not be a Release and Discharge 2. If Sins be Debts and an increasing Debt so that Man is ever treasuring up Wrath against the day of Wrath it presseth us to be more careful to get out of this Condition Saith Solomon Prov. 6. 3 4 5. If thou beest in debt flee as a swift Roe from the hand of the Hunter and as a Bird from the hand of the Fowler O it 's a sad thing to lie in our Sins If you be under this Debt Give not Sleep to thine Eyes nor Slumber to thine Eye-lids get away like the swift Roe from the hand of the Hunter c. And what I say concerning a State of Sin I say concerning daily Failings make your Peace with God betimes if you have contracted a new Debt make all even between God and your Souls that you may not sleep in your Sins 3. This should make us more cautious that we do not commit Sin Why it is a Debt that will render you obnoxious to the Wrath of God in it self it merits eternal Death O therefore sin no more do not run again into the Snare When you give way to Sin you hazard the Comfort of your Acquittance by Christ Psal. 85. 8. The Lord will speak Peace unto his People and to his Saints but let them not turn again to Folly If the Lord hath given you your Peace and some hope of your being discharged of this heavy Debt take heed of medling with forbidden Fruit and running into debt again 2. From the Subject or Persons which make this Prayer Forgive us Observe Doct. Even those that call God Father ought to beg daily and humbly Pardon of their Sins Forgive Vs who is that Vs that can say in Faith Our Father daily For this is a Patern for daily Prayer as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the former Petition noteth We need beg for Christ hath taught us here to sue out our Discharge In which begging there is an Exercise of Faith eying Christ Rom. 3. 25. God hath set forth him to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood And there is an Exercise also of Repentance as to mourning for Sin 1 Iohn 1. 9. and Prov. 28. 13. He that confesseth and forsaketh his Sin shall have Mercy and as to loathing of Sin Acts 3. 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out And certainly it must be humbly begged for if we seek Pardon we must seek it in God's way We do not beg God to rescind and make void his Laws and those wise Constitutions he hath appointed whereby the Creature shall receive this Grace and the manner wherein he will deal and transact this business with the offending Creature But we seek it as exercising our renewed Repentance that is mourning for Sin and loathing of Sin But of this more hereafter Now that the best of God's Children should be dealing with God about a Pardon of their Sins I shall argue it 1. From the Necessity 2. The Utility and Profit of such a Course First The Necessity of this will appear two ways 1. From the Condition of God's Children here in the World 2. From the way wherein God will give out a Pardon 1. From the Condition of God's Children here in this World The best are not so fully sanctified in this Life but there is some Sin found in them Not only they who walk with no Care but even they that set the most narrow watch over their Ways they are not so sanctified but they need daily to go to God 1. They have Original Sin which remaineth with them to the last they have the sinning Sin which the Apostle speaks of Paul complains of the body of Death Rom. 7. 23 24. Who shall deliver me from it The Hebrews were wont to propound their Wishes by way of Question as O that Salvation were come out of Sion It is in the Hebrew Who shall bring Salvation out of Zion So Who will lead me into Edom That is O that I were led into Edom that I might display the Banner there because of God's Truth So who shall deliver me from the body of this Death that is O that I were delivered Where the Reign of Sin is broken yet there it remains though it be cast down in regard of