and sayings the simplest man in the world could vse for a temporall commoditie how much more able would he be to call vpon God by prayer wherein there is farre more matter offred whether we regard the wretchednesse of the suter or the mercie and goodnesse of God But to returne to the matter in hande the third difference is that the carnall man prayeth very seldom yea for the most neuer but vpon some vrgent cause as when he is pinched with some grieuous crosse as sicknes or pouertie or when he is in some great danger as being in battaile on Land or in a tempeston the sea as we reade Ionas 1. 5. The Infidels in extream danger fell to praier These extremities will wring out of the most irreligious atheist some kinde of praier but not till he see that all other meanes do faile For till then he neuer thinketh on God But it is farre otherwise with the faithfull man for he praieth daylie hourly to the Lord he neuer wanteth matter of praying but taketh euerie occasion to pray if not openly and in wordes yet secretlie in his heart Yea the faithfull in all their dangers troubles miseries and affaires whatsoeuer do not put the means in the first and cheife place reposing their confidence therein but first they seeke for helpe at the handes of God and then trusting that he will giue a happie successe vse the meanes with all care and diligence Fourthly the carnall man doth not in praying vse either perseuerance in continuing his sute till it please God to heare him or yet patience in suffering with a quiet minde the delay of that which he desireth But if he be not heard at the first he straightway giueth ouer yea most commonly he waxeth so prophane and godlesse that he will neuer afterward pray to God tho he haue neuer so greate need and not resting herein he murmureth against God and in greate rage curseth all things that come in his sight or minde but the godly man is neuer wearied with calling vpon God but is content to tary the Lords leasure considering that God knoweth what is good for him better then he himselfe Fiftly the carnall man prayeth onely for temporall blessings as health peace riches honour and such other And if so be that he haue some knowledge of the life to come he will indeed desire that he may after this life be in heauen but you shall neuer heare him desiring to go in that way in this life which leadeth to heauen He desireth to be happy in the worlde to come but not to be holy and righteous in this worlde He would gladly be partaker of the ioyes of heauen but yet not with the condition of forsaking his earthly pleasures He thinketh it no wisdom to forgoe a certaine and present happinesse for that which will perhaps come but he knoweth not when neither can any man make him as he thinketh any good assurance of it but the faithfull man counteth all worldly pleasures to be as they are in deed but as drosse and dung in comparison of spirituall graces and therefore his prayers are cheifly of those things which concerne his eternal saluation Sixtly the carnall man prayeth onely for him selfe for his children and friendes by whom he may haue some temporall comfort or profit neuer remembring the affliction of Ioseph that is hauing no fellowe-feeling of the miseries of the church of God and of the particular members thereof whereas the faithfull desire the good of their brethren yea euen with their owne hurt if so it stand with the good pleasure of God Lastly which is the maine difference of all the carnall man prayeth without faith and therefore he cannot pray aright Rom. 10. 14. doubting as he hath good cause whether God will heare him or no whereas the faithfull man is vndoubtedly perswaded that God will graunt his desire if it be needfull for his saluation otherwise if it be some temporall blessing or some particular grace without the which he may be saued he knoweth that God will either graunt his request or make him plainely see and confesse that it is more for his good that his minde be not fulfilled in that behalfe Nowe for a conclusion we see howe greatly it behoueth euery one who would be accounted in the sight of God and man a true Christian to giue himselfe carefully to the attaining of this gift of prayer and to the performing of this dutie both by himselfe alone and also with his family especially if we do duely consider the manifolde commodities both temporall and spirituall which may be reaped by this meanes For as touching this present life hearty and feruent prayer comming from a faithfull man is health in sickenesse riches in pouertie safetie in daunger comforte in all aduersity yea it is all in all But farre more notable are the vses of it in regard of the spirituall life of our soules for prayer is the exercise of a mans soule as the worde of God is the foode and nourishment of it So that as a man cannot keepe his body for any long time in health strength vnlesse he vse some exercise yea although he doe fil it with meate and feede it most carefully euen so although a man doe heare the worde of God euery day preached vnto him yet vnlesse he do by this spirituall exercise of prayer drawe the sayd heauenly foode into the seuerall partes of his soule he shall sensibly feele his faith loue patience and all other partes of holinesse to decrease by little and little vntill at length they come to nothing yea as the exercising of the body doth not onely preserue it in the naturall vigour but also encreaseth the strength of it and keepeth it from sicknesse so by the dayly vse of prayer we shall finde that the Lord will encrease in vs all spirituall graces farre aboue our owne expectation or the opinion of any other And therefore let vs giue eare to the Apostles exhortation Eph. 6. 18. Take to you the helmet of your saluation which is the word of God and withall pray alwaies with all manner of prayers and supplications in the spirit and watch therevnto withall perseueraunce not onely for your selues but also for all saints Thus much of the duties of renewed filiall subiectiō which man oweth to God his heauenly father To the which one other duty of filiall subiectiō must be added to wit patience in regard of those manifold and grieuous afflictions wherewith God doth chastise trie and nurture his children For as the goldsmith intending to make pretious and excellent vessels fit for the vse of great kinges doth cast his gold into the fyre that so it may be come pure from all drosse so before that the faithfull can be vessels of honour fitte for the seruice of God in the kingdome of heauen they must be cast into the furnace of affliction and there be weaned from the vaine delightes and pleasures of sinne
day and stood before the Lord and thus Adam is called Luke 3. 38 The sonne of Seth the sonne of Adam the sonne of GOD. This fatherhoode is the cheife and as we may say the father of all other kinds of fatherhoode Hence it is that Christ forbiddeth vs Math. 23. 9 To call any our father here on earth because we haue one father in heauen whome we must all acknowledge to be our first cheifest highest and best father And therefore looke what dueties anie sonne oweth to any terrestriall father the same ought man to performe much more to God his heauenly father as namely First that he reuerence him secondly that he imitate him and thirdly that he seeke vnto him for those thinges whereof he standeth in neede For the first to reuerence is In an ingenuous kynde of awe to giue honour as to one who is euerie way our better and superiour as the father doth excell the son in wisdome strength of bodie in age authoritie and in all other respectes This dutie God requireth Mal. 1. 6. saying by the prophet The sonne doth vse to honour his father and therefore if I be a father where is my honour Yea in truth we may well thinke that this affection of reuerence is too meane to be giuen to God whose authoritie ouer man is so greate that it requireth rather a iust feare then this modest awe as his incomparable excellencie doth deserue rather glorie then honour The second duty due to God in regarde of this fatherhoode is Imitation the which fathers doe and that iustly require of their children whome they doe not suffer to vse the fashions and behauiour of straungers but rather do conforme them to their owne conditions manners and gestures Yea children for the most part doe performe this duty of their owne accord for they being of the same constitution of bodie and disposition of minde whereof their fathers are and hauing beene continually brought vp in beholding their manner of life cannot so degenerate but that they will more or lesse tread in the steppes of their fathers Ioh. 8. 39. If ye were Abrahams children ye would doe the workes of Abraham In like manner man in this his first state did wholly fix his eyes on God as on the only perfect patterne of holynesse making his actions presidents and examples for imitation so farre forth as they might be followed by him the which caution is necessariy to be added for it were not holinesse but presumption greate impiety either for man or Angell to take vpon him to imitate God in the actions of omnipotencie and in such other respectes which are not agreeable to the condition of any creature otherwise man may ought to imitate God as Christ teacheth vs Math. 5. 45. saying Do good to them who do euill to you that so you may be or may appeare to be the sonnes of your father in heauen who suffereth the sunne to shine and the raine to fall vpon the iust and vniust be ye therefore perfect as your heauenly father is perfect The third and last dutie belonging to this heade is supplication for thinges needfull for as children in all their wantes and necessities haue straightway recourse to their parents in assured confidence of hauing their wants supplied by meanes of that tender affection which parents beare to their children so ought man vpon euerie occasion to seeke by humble praier for helpe at the handes of his heauenly father whose loue farre exceedeth the affection of any earthly father or mother to their children This Christ himselfe who in all his doctrines which he deliuereth hath recourse to the first creation of man teacheth vs Math. 7. 9. What man is there among you which if his sonne aske him bread will giue him a stone If ye then which are euill can giue to your children good giftes how much more shall your heauenly father giue good things to them that aske To this agreeth the practise of Christ who in that forme of prayer which he propounded to his disciples taught them to pray to GOD not as to their master Lord or King but as to a louing father Math. 6. 9. Praie after this manner Our father which art in heauen Lastly if it be here obiected that there could not be any vse of this duety in the state of perfect happinesse wherein nothing was wanting and therefore nothing could be asked we answere that mans happinesse although it were perfect Yet it might haue bene greater that he had not so many blessings but that he might by praier haue obtained moe at the hands of God Sect. 2. Of the want of filiall subiection It hath bene declared that of all earthly creatures man onely was created the sonne of God because he onely was endued with the image and likenesse of God the heauenly father in perfect holinesse and happinesse the which whenas he did loose by his disobedience he did together loose the name title and prerogatiue of being the sonne of God Yea withall he lost all abilitie of performing any dutie to God which the sonne oweth to his father being nowe affected to God not as a dutifull sonne but as an vngratious stubborne and lewd runnagate who hath openly forsaken and disclaimed his father For that we may insist in those duties which are named in the former section he is so far from yeelding due honour and reuerence to him that he doth euery way dishonor him he standeth in no awe neither maketh he any reuerent account of the presence of God yea farre lesse then of the presence of any sinfull man like to himselfe in whose sight he woulde be ashamed to commit any hainous sinne or to speake any filthie worde without vsing some preface of reuerence vnto him whereas the consideration of Gods presence and of the reuerence due therevnto cannot either restraine him from sinne or anie thing abash him in committing it Further whereas the sonne shoulde honour his father by yeelding humble attention and carefull obedience to his sayings and commaundements man doth in this respect so notoriously dishonor God that it is a shame to speake howe base and vile account he maketh of Gods word how he doth continually without any remorse of conscience or shame of face breake euerie one of his commaundementes But we will not stand in amplifying the irreuerent behauiour of man towards God As touching the second duty which is imitation of God we knowe that the heauens are not so farre distant from the earth or the east from the west as the waies of man are from the waies of God Yea as Christ telleth the Iewes plainely Ioh. 8. 41. man hath chaunged his father and therefore he doth the workes of his newe father the deuill his lustes raigne in man he is a liar and the father of liars He fell away from God and this his damnable rebellion man did imitate and so continueth following his example motions and
entisements in all things Lastly as touching supplication which we make the third filial duty man is so wholly alienated from God that what necessitie soeuer do pinche him he hath not either the minde or the will and as we vse to speake neither the heart nor the face once to go to God by humble prayer for helpe He flyeth to worldly meanes as to his own wisdome strength riches and friendes and if all faile yet he will rather seeke for helpe by sorcery and witchcraft at the hands of his newe father the diuell then he will by prayer call vpon the name of God Thus are all vnregenerate men affected howsoeuer in a shew of religion or as a common prouerbe they will somtimes say God helpe me or God be mercifull to me whereas in trueth they being destitute of faith haue no confidence in God neither any hope of obtaining any thing at his hand Neither is there any cause why they shoulde thinke otherwise for God doth not heare and helpe but detest and plague vnbeleeuers Sect. 3. Of filiall subiection renewed THus we see how man is altogether spoiled by the malice of Sathan of this excellent dignitie of being the sonne of God but by the mercie of God he recouereth it in the state of regeneration in as ample manner as he had it in his first creation For as all naturall men are in Adam vngratious bastardes so they become the sonnes of God in Christ not by partaking his eternall and essentiall filiation whereof no creature is capable but by being renewed and made conformable to the holinesse of his humaine nature For as man lost this dignitie by loosing the image of God to wit his perfect holinesse by vertue whereof he onely of all earthly creatures was the sonne of God so being nowe by the spirite of God restored to the saide image of God he is together restored to the dignitie of being the sonne of God Ioh. 1. 12. As many as beleeued in him to those he gaue power to be the sonnes of God For as we read 2. Pet. 1. 4. We are made partakers of his diuine nature that is of the image or resemblaunce of the diuine nature in that we fly the corruption of lust which is in the world From this prerogatiue of being the sonnes of God the scripture speaking to men according to the manner of men whose sonnes do in time enioy their fathers possessions stirreth vp the faithfull to an vndoubted expectation of eternall glory Gal. 4. 7. We are no more seruantes but sonnes and the heires of God through Christ Rom. 8. 17. If we be sonnes then are we heires the heires truly of God and the fellow heires of Christ and 1. Iohn 3. 2. We are nowe the sonnes of God although our inheritaunce doth not appeare till Christ appeare Nowe to proceed As the faithfull are restored to this dignitie so they are indued by the spirite of God with the disposition belonging to it being so affected to God as children ought to be to their naturall fathers They reuerence him aboue al thinges in the worlde in worde and deed in minde harte and in all their behauiour The great securitie and certainty which they haue of their owne good estate doth not make them any way presumptuous neither doth the familiarity which God vouchsafeth to haue with them as with freindes Ioh. 15 15. Breed in them any contempt of God but they stand continually in awe of him and of his glorious presence yeelding to him his due honour both in word deed and affection whensoeuer they haue any occasion to deale with him This we may obserue as in the other seruants of God so especially in Abraham who although he was the friend of God as he is called Iam. 2. 23. And had familiar conuersation and talke with God as one friende vseth to haue with another yet he durst not speake the second time to God in the behalfe of the Sodomites without vsing some preface of reuerence saying Gen. 18. 27. Behold I haue taken vpon me to speake to God who am but dust and ashes And againe Vers. 30 let not my lord be angrie if I speake for them This affection of the faithfull is described Psal. 123 As the eyes of the seruant are vpon his lord and as the handmaid doth modestly waite in presence of her mistris so are we affected to God Likewise for the second duty which is Imitation the faithfull man endeuoureth by all meanes to conforme himselfe to the absolute puritie and holinesse of God Whereof the Apostle hauing wise consideration vseth the examples of Christes death and resurrection as most forcible argumentes to enforce the mortification of sinne and the viuification of all holynesse in vs Rom. 6. and Eph. 5. 1. Be ye followers of God as beloued children Lastly As a sonne being pinched with any griefe or want doth straight way run to his father for reliefe so doe the faithfull in the manifolde miseries and crosses of this present life seeke for helpe at the handes of their heauenly father For the which purpose they are indued with a notable gift of God called the spirit of prayer that is the grace ability or faculty of praying wrought in them by the holy spirite This grace of God is diligently to be declared and considered for that of all the partes of mans holinesse none is a more vnfallible signe of true regeneration then is this gift of prayer whereby a man is made able willing and ready to pray aright vnto God as the present occasion doth require For this gifte consisteth of many particular graces of Gods spirit the which are needfull for the right performance of this duety and cannot be founde in any carnall man First there is required the true knowledge of those things which belong vnto the good happy state of man which is not attained but by the worke of the holy spirite Rom. 8. 26. We know not for what to pray as we ought but the spirit helpeth our infirmity For all men generally and naturally feele their temporall wants as pouerty sicknesse shame and whatsoeuer belongeth to the maintenance of this present life but as for spirituall graces as the knowledge and feare of God faith loue patience and the rest which concerne their eternall saluation they neuer trouble themselues in seeking them or are greeued for the want of them nay for the most part they neuer thinke of any such matter or knowe what these thinges meane Besides none can pray aright yea although he be enlightned with some knowledge of the spirituall state of man and haue a glimmering of the thinges belonging vnto it as a carnal man may haue vnlesse he haue true faith wherby he may be assured that god both loueth him and wil graunt his requests Rom. 10. 14. The Apostle maketh it impossible for him who doth not beleeue in God to call vpon him But the
hearing And therefore men muste be taught religion as children are taught to reade learning one letter to daie and another to morrowe one poynte nowe and the rest hereafter as the prophet complaineth of the dulnesse of the Iewes Esay 28. 13. But it may be heere obiected that if naturall men be so dull and vnable to vnderstande Gods worde they are not to be blamed for not learning and for not doing that which they cannot doe Whereunto we answere that this dulnes of men commeth through their owne defaulte in that they cannot by any meanes be brought to bestowe their naturall giftes their time and labour in learning The which thing if they would once carefully and heartely doe and so continue without being wearie in seeking to knowe GOD and in vsing the meanes of their saluation ioyning with their endeuours heartie prayer to God for his blessing they woulde soone see that it is an easie matter to learne these thinges the which are of that nature that one poynt of them being well learned all the reste will followe of their owne accorde so that all the hardnesse is in beginning to learne Yea GOD is harde at hande and easie to be founde of all that seeke him howsoeuer it be impossible for man by his owne wit or industry without the grace of God to attaine the true and sauing knowledge of God Sect. 3. Of the renewed subiection of man to God his teacher In the third place we are to consider the contrary disposition of those who being renewed by the spirit of God giue thēselues vnto his discipline to be instructed by him in all things For although they attaine to their knowledge by the means and ministerie of man whereby it hath pleased God rather then by his owne voice or by immediate reuelation that the saluation of his elect should be wrought yet not man but God himselfe is the author and worker of this knowledge who as he did in the state of mans innocencie so doth he in his regeneration reueale himselfe and his will vnto them by his holy spirit Iob. 32. 8. There is indeede a spirit iu man but it is the spiration of the almightie that giueth vnderstanding Math. 13. 8. 10. Callnot any man Rabbi maister or doctor For you haue one doctor euen Christ and all ye are brethren That is you are not to thinke that because you heare men preach vnto you that therefore your mindes are enlightned by them for they are your brethren that is men like to your selues who cannot without the speciall worke of my spirit learne any thing themselues much lesse teach others so that Christ is the heade maister in the schoole of his Church who although he be absent from it according to his humaine nature yet he is present in it by his spirit by the which he teacheth the faithfull all things needefull and that without any errour or shaddow of any For as hath bene declared it is impossible that God should deceiue or be deceiued and therefore the holy ghost is called The spirit of truth Ioh. 14. 16. and 15. 26. Christ promiseth that When he commeth he shall leade them into all truth Ioh. 17. 13. And as God is the teacher so the faithfull are his scholers as all those who did beleeue the gospell are vsually in the booke of the actes called Disciples 1 Thess. 4. 9. Men taught by God Ineede not saith the Apostle to write to you of brotherly loue for you are taught of God to loue one another That is the spirit of God hath alreadie engrauen the doctrine of loue in your mindes and heartes and ther fore ye haue not so greate neede and vse of my ministery in this behalfe as they whome God hath not taught after this manner Thus the prophet Dauid often praieth to God that it would please him to instruct him in his commaundements as we may reade often Psal. 119. Lastly they performe to God the second dutie of this subiection which is to beleeue his word in all things reiecting whatsoeuer is contrarie thereunto Yea tho an Angel did preach it frō heauen all antiquitie Churches councels all the wise and learned men in the world do maintaine affirme it yea tho their owne wittes and senses do witnesse the truth of it so that the faithfull may in this respect be cōpared to the scholers of a certaine philosopher named Pythagoras who if they once hearde any thing vttered by their maister they held that as a most certain truth without inquiring any further into it And so among the true disciples of Christ his holy word is of so absolute authoritie as that no doubt is made of anie thing therein contained CHAP. X. Sect. 1. Of mans subiection to his creator THe last and greatest kind of mans subiection is that which he oweth to God as to the creator of all things whereof there is no question to be made and therefore we neede not stand to proue it The duties of this subiection are three The first is to glorifie God the second to be wholly moued in him or by him the third to rest contented in his will For the first as the chiefe and last ende of the creation of the world and of al things therein contained is the glorie of God so it is meete and needefull that all creatures iointly seuerally do performe this dutie of glorifying him Yea there is no creature either so base or so excellent that it should be exempted from this dutie The greatest and mightiest creature must stoupe to the performance of it as the weakest and seelyest thing in the world is able to set forth the glorie of God Psal. 145. 9. 10. The Lord is good to all and his mercie is ouer all his workes All thy workes O Lord shall praise thee They shall shew the glorie and beautie of thy kingdome Thus we see that it belongeth to all creatures to praise GOD as they are exhorted particularlie Psalme 148. and as we reade Reuel 5. 13. And all the creatures which are in heauen on the earth vnder the earth and in the sea all thinges that are in them I hard saying praise honour glory and power be vnto him that sitteth on the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore Yet they do not all performe this duety after the same manner for those creatures which are void of reason do it onely by giuing to men and Angels matter of the actuall setting foorth of Gods glory For the reasonable creatures are as it were the trumpeters of Gods glory which they do enlarge and publishe as by all other their actions so cheifly by those which tende directly to God himselfe are vsually called the worship of God For although al the actions of man in his pure estate euen the common actions of life as eating and drinking did make for the glory of God yet these do not make the worship of God because