chearfulnesse their thanks are not hearty but cold and counterfeit So much of the inward duties CHAP. XXXVII Of the outward expressing inward thankfulnesse by praysing God THe outward duty is to expresse our inward thankfulnesse and chearfulnesse Our thankfulnesse by celebrating and praysing the name of God extolling his goodnesse recounting his mercies and exciting others to prayse God Our chearfulnesse jubilando by making a joyfull noyse and singing unto God Psal. 100. 1. and 81. 1. Jam. 5. 13. Now because naturally we are backward in the performance of this duty insomuch that scarce one of ten can be found to return prayse and thanks unto God as appeareth in the story of the ten lepers Luke 17. 17. I will therefore use some arguments to move us thereunto And first that threefold argument Psal. 147. 1. Praise ye the Lord for it is good to sing prayses to our God for it is pleasant and prayse is comely I. It is good For it is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us 1. Thess. 5. 18. It is the commandment of God in many places Psal. 50. 14. And the same is testified Psal. 92. 1 2. II. It is pleasant Psal. 135. 3. For it is an exercise wherein not onely the faithfull on earth do especially rejoyce but also the Saints and Angels in heaven who enjoy perpetuall joy and happinesse rejoycing and reposing therein a part of their happinesse III. It is decent or comâ—…ly 1. in respect of God to whom all glory and praise is due and it is therefore just to give unto him the glory and praise which is due unto his name Psal. 92. 2. in respect both of his attributes and works Praise the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for evâ—…r Psal. 136. 1 2 c. Secondly in respect of the faithfull Psal. 33. 1. For what can more become those who by Christs benefit are become priests to offer spirituall sacrifices unto God then to sacrifice praise unto him 1. Pet. 2. 5. Revel 1. 5. By him therefore let us offer continually the sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of our lips confessing to his name Heb. 13. 15. To these we may adde another ternion of arguments That praise and thanksgiving is an exercise it self most Excellent to God most Honourable to us most Necessary 1. The excellency of it may appear by comparing it first to the sacrifices of the Law For the sacrifice of praise the calves of our lips is farre preferred before the sacrifices of goats and bulls Psal. 50. 14. secondly with Prayer for as it is a more blessed thing to give then to receive Acts 20. 35. so a more excellent thing to give thanks then to beg and crave Again what more excellent thing can be done on earth then that which is the exercise of the Saints and Angels in heaven and therefore to praise God is not onely an excellent but also a blessed exercise wherein the faithfull have reposed happinesse Psal. 84. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thine house they will be still praysing thee 2. Praise is Honourable to God Psal. 50. 23. He that sacrificeth praise he honoureth me God so highly esteemeth his praises proceeding from us as if thereby something were added to his glory to which being infinite nothing can be added Therefore the praysing of God in the Scriptures is called bl ssing Psal. 103. 1. the magnifying of God Luke 1. 46. and the glorifying of his name Matth. 9. 6. the making of his praise glorious Psal. 66. 2. or as some reade appone gloriam nomini ejus appoint glory to his name not that our praises indeed do make him great or glorious or adde to the glory of his name for his name is exalted above all praise Nehem. 9. 5. but that to incourage us to this duty he is pleased so to term the setting forth of his praise and the declaring or celebrating of his glory 3. It is Necessary 1. Necessitâ—…te praecepti by necessity of precept Psal. 50. 14. 1. Thess. 5. 18. the which imposeth necessitatem officii the necessity of duty and the rather because we are priests ordained to offer spirituall sacrifices 1. Pet. 2. 5. Revel 1. 3. Heb. 13. 15. because in our daily prayers we desire that we may glorifie his name and therefore in our lives are to endeavour it We desire also that his will may be done but this is the will of God 1. Thess. 5. 18. Would we as we pray do the will of God as it is done in heaven then must we be frequent in sounding forth his praise for this is the exercise of the Saints and Angels in heaven II. Necessitate medii by necessity of the means as a necessary means in respect both of our good and Gods glory 1. Of our good for new blessings because it is the condition upon which the Lord promiseth to heare and deliver us Psal. 50. 15. And in this respect thanksgiving is also profitable because God will honour them that honour him 1. Sam. 2. 30. The readiest way to obtein new blessings is to give thanks for the old not that by giving thanks we deserve better and greater blessings as the Papists reach for this i before confuted 2. In respect of Gods glory which is the sovereigne end of all All creatures do set forth Gods glory Psal. 19. 1. and 148. The dumbe creatures as Basil saith are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 silent praysers piercing preachers of Gods hidden works but much more men who set forth Gods praise not onely as the matter but as the instruments of his praise Psal. 145. 10. Our speech was given us to glorifie God therefore our tongue is our glory So that they are worse then bruit creatures who are mute in Gods praises Yea such necessitie there is of praysing and glorifying of God that if men should be silent God would make the stones to sound forth his praise III. Necessitate signi by the necessitie of the signe For it is necessary not onely that we should be thankfull unto God for his mercies but also that we should expresse our thankfulnesse And for as much as we cannot reserre or recompense Gods bounty for our goodnesse will not reach to him Psal. 16. 3. It remaineth therefore that we must agere gratias that is give thanks For if we should enter into consultation with our selves and deliberate what course we should take to testifie our thankfulnesse our resolution must be the same with that of David Psal. 1 16. 12 17. Seeing then this is the onely thing besides the glorifying of God by a godly conversation that we can do to expresse our thankfulnesse we are very unthankfull if we be defective herein CHAP. XXXVIII Of the duties which ought to be performed before and after thanksgiving and of the object and time DUties to be performed out of the action both before and after Before Preparation Psal. 108. 1. and 57. 7.
intend the glory of God in all things putting into our hearts to give glory to his name Mal. 2. 2. In our mouthes we glorifie him when we make the glory of God the mattâ—…r and end of our speech The matter when in our speech we set forth the praises of God whose name is to be exalted above all prayse Neh. 9. 5. For to prayse him is to glorifie him Luke 2. 20. Psal. 50. 23. and to make his prayse glorious Psal. 66. 2. We make it the end of our speech when therein we intend the glory of God either by the profession of a necessary truth Josh. 7. 19. or by a speech seasoned with grace tending to the glory of God or the good and edification of our brethren which is subordinate thereunto Col. 4. 6. In our lives we glorifie God 1. When in all our actions whatsoever we aim at the glory of God according to that 1. Cor. 10. 31. 2. When by our godly lives we do not onely glorifie God our selves John 15. 8. but give just occasion to others of glorifying him Matth. 5. 12. 1. Pet. 2. 12. Vses 1. In prayer Wants to be bewâ—…yled 1. Our pride and vain-glory seeking our selves and our own prayse 2. The neglect of Gods glory the main end of all things which ought to be more dear to us then our salvation Such we are that except the Lord endue us with this grace we neglect his glory and so live in vain 3. Our suppressing of Gods prayse our unthankfulnes 4. Our idle and unsavoury speeches 5. Our manifold slips in our lives whereby God is dishonoured All which are faults incident to the best of us and therefore we had need earnestly to pray that God may be glorified of us 2. Sam. 12. 14. Graces which we desire 1. Zeal of Gods glory 2. Thankfulnesse 3. A desire to glorifie God by a godly life 2. Vses in our lives As we are in prayer earnestly to desire that we may give glory to God so in our lives we must endeavour both in our hearts tongues and works to glorifie him c. Otherwise if in our mouthes we desire that we may glorifie him and in our hearts neither desire it nor intend it if we altogether seek our selves and our own praise if we use to suppresse the praises of God and to smother his truth if our ordinary speech be idle and unsavoury our lives dissolute from whence no honour can arise unto God and in truth desire not to be freed from these sinnes nay on the contrary if in stead of intending Gods glory we seek his dishonour in stead of sounding forth his prayse we blaspheme his holy name in stead of professing and defending his truth we oppugne the same in stead of savoury speeches they be rotten and infective in stead of causing the name of God to be glorified we cause it to be blasphemed our prayer is little better then mockery of God And yet such is the prayer of very many which with their mouthes desire that they may glorifie God and yet desire not his glory in their hearts nor seek it in their lives but rather practice such things whereby the name of God is dishonoured and blasphemed The glory of God is most dear unto him and so must be to us Acts 12. 22. His glory he will not lose III. The name of God signifying his titles how it is hallowed THirdly the name of God doth signifie his titles the titles I say of the Deity Attributes and Persons This name of God is sanctified when as it is holy and reverend so it is used of us It is used of us either by taking it into our mouthes or by taking it upon us We sanctifie it in our mouthes and so in our writings when as we make aâ—… holy and reverent mention of the titles of God Which we do when we mention them in a serious matter after a reverent manner to a holy end For the most holy and dreadfull name of the Lord our God Deut. 28. 58. must not be used to trifles and ridiculous matters neither may we lightly take up the most reverend name of God which we are not worthy to take into our mouthes neither must the glorious name of God be mentioned but to his glory either mediately or immediately And hereunto we are to referre two sorts of usurpation of Gods name and titles by Blessing and Swearing aright Blessing is either of God or man The blessing of God is the praysing of God of which we have spoken Example Rom. 9. 5. and 1. 25. 2. Cor. 11. 31. Blessing of men in the name of God which the Scripture calleth the putting of Gods name upon them Num. 6. 27. is a duty to be performed by all to all even unto enemies Rom. 12. 14. Matth. 5. 44. whereunto referre salutation but especially to be performed by superiours Hos. 7. 7. to their inferiours in the commonwealth by Princes and Magistrates David 2. Sam. 6. 18. Solomon 1. Kings 8. 55. In the Church Num. 6. 23 24 25. Melchisedec Gen. 14. 19. In the family by parents unto which the Lord giveth great force c. By swearing we make a holy and reverent mention of the name of God whenas we swear in truth judgement and righteousnesse Jer. 4. 2 c. We take upon us the name of God when his name is called upon in us as Gen. 48. 16. i. when we call our selves by his name and professe our selves to be the children of God Isai. 43. 6 7. which began to be done in the time of Seth after the birth of Enosh Gen. 4. 26. 6. 2. In these last times those of the Church of God do invocate the name of Christ Acts 9. 14 21. 1. Cor. 1. 2. and are called by his name Christians Acts 11. 26. and are baptized into his name Thus we sanctifie the name of Christ when as we walk worthy our calling whereby we are called Ephes. 4. 1. and adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour in all things departing from inâ—…quity as it is 2. Tim. 2. 19. Vses in prayer 1. Graces to be desired 1. That we may use the titles of God reverently 2. That we may swear by his name alone in judgement truth and righteousnesse 3. That we may walk worthy our calling 2. Wants to be bewayled 1. Irreverence in using the titles of God 2. Rash swearing 3. Not walking worthy our calling Vses in our lives As we pray that we may sanctifie the name of God so must we be carefull in our lives 1. To be mindfull of God and to mention him in matters serious to a good end after a reverent manner We mention not our prince without some shew of reverence how much more ought we to bow the knees of our hearts when we mention the glorious name of our God Exâ—…mple Rom. 9. 5. 2. To use blessing and not cursing Rom. 12. 14. 3. To swear by the Lord alone in truth judgement and righteousnesse
follow him submitting our selves willingly to his will 1. Sam. 3. 18. Acts 21 14. 2. Sam. 15. 26. 5. The Angels do the will of God fully accomplishing whatsoever the Lord commandeth so ought we to do it fully and not by halves otherwise he will say to us as to them of Sardis Revel 3. 2. I have not found thy works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complete before God Remember the example of Herod Mark 6. 20. who albeit hearing John Baptist he did many things and heard him gladly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet because he continued in that sinne of incest his partiall obedience did nothing avail him He that keepeth all the law and faileth in some one commandment is guilty of all Jam. 2. 10. And he that truly repenteth of any one sinne repenteth of all Where there is upright obedience there is intire obedience but where there is halving there is halting between God and Mammon between Christ and Antichrist The covetous man thinketh well of himself because he is not a whoremaster or a drunkard the riotous person thinketh well of himself that he is not covetous no extortioner c. the Pharisee because he is no Publicane Luke 18 c. Many separate justice and holinesse c. But herein we are as much as we are able to follow the example of Christ who did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulfill all righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. For if we will be men according to Gods own heart we must desire and endevour to do all his will Acts 13. 22. 6. The Angels of the Lord do his will constantly never giving over untill they have accomplished the will of the Lord so must we be constant persevering in obedience being not weary of weldoing knowing that we are redeemed of the Lord to worship him c. all the dayes of our lives Lâ—…ke 1. 74. Our obedience must not be like the morning mist. Remember that religion is a way to the end whereto we cannot come untill the end of our lives and therefore if we set down our staff before we come to the end and will go no further what will all our former pains avail us If we run in this race and faint before we come to the goal how shall we hopâ—… to obtein the garland Be faithfull unto death saith our Saviour and I will give thee the crown of life Revel 2. 10. and Matth. 24. 13. He that continueth to the â—…nd he shall be saved 7. Lastly the holy Angels do the will of God faithfully and in all their doings seek the glory of God that sendeth them not assuming unto themselves any part of the praise So must we 1. Cor. 10. 31. For if therein we shall seek our own praise or other sinister respects we have our reward Thus must we truly in our lives desire and endevour to do the will of God on earth as the Angels do it in heaven otherwise when we make this prayer we do ask with our mouthes that which we desire not with our hearts Here therefore is discovered the hypocrisie of many men who pray that they may do the will of God which they will not do God would have thee to turn unto him thou prayest that thou mayest do the will of God and yet wilt not turn to him c. What is this then but to mock God when thou askest that of him which thou hast neither desire nor purpose to do But here especially appeareth the hypocrisie of obstinate and stiff-necked sinners who will seem so forward as to desire that they may do the will of God even as the Angels do it in heaven and yet in very truth obey the will of God no otherwise on earth then the devils in hell who although they oppose themselves against the revealed will of God yet willingly though unwittingly perform his secret will which no creature is able to disanull If therefore we would be thought to pray in truth let us desire and endeavour to do that in our lives which in prayer we ask and desire So having imitated the obedience of the Angels on earth we shall be made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like the Angels and fellow-citizens with the Saints and Angels in heaven c. The fourth Petition HItherto we have spoken of those petitions which immediately concern the glory of God Now we are to come unto those which more nearly appertein unto our good Howbeit mediately also they are referred to Gods glory which must be the main end of all our desires for whatsoever we are to ask for our selves we are to desire no otherwise but as it is subordinate to Gods glory Spirituall graces and salvation we are to desire for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy in our salvation And because a Christian man is bound to believe that the Lord harh ordained him to salvation therefore salvation and those spirituall graces which are necessary thereunto may be asked absolutely as being subordinate to Gods glory with which he joyneth the salvation of the chosen Temporall benefits are to be asked conditionally so farre forth as they serve for Gods glory and our spirituall good Gods glory is to be sought for even in our eating and drinking and whatsoever we do 1. Cor. 10. 31. Nay our life it self is no otherwise to be desired then it is referred to Gods glory Psal. 80. 19. Preserve O Lord our life and we will call upon thy name Psal. 119. 175. Let my soul live and it shall praise thee Isai. 38. 18 19. Psal. 6. 5. and 30. 9. and 50. 15. Sufficientia vitae saith Augustine rectè appetitur non propter seipsam quidem sed ut eam habentes commodiùs Deo serviamus Sufficiencie for life is rightly desired not for it self but that we may more commodiously serve God Now these petitions are of two sorts For in them we ask either temporall benefits concerning the body for the maintenance of this life present or spirituall blessings in heavenly things concerning the soul for the obteining of a better life Of both which we have a promise 1. Tim. 4. 8. and therefore are to pray for both The prayer for temporall blessings is conteined in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Give us this day our daily bread But first let us consider the order of the petition in respect both of those which go before and also which follow In respect of the antecedents our Saviour speaketh Matth. 6. 33. First seek the kingdome of God which is that which we desire in the second petition and his righteousnesse which we desire in the third and then all these things which we begge in the fourth shall be cast unto us Therefore preposterous is their care and study who first labour for temporall benefits and post off the seeking of Gods kingdome and his righteousnesse untill the end of their dayes c. And whereas this petition is set after the third we are taught before we ask
knock and it shall be opened unto you for whosoever asketh receiveth c. Joh. 16. 23 24. Verily verily I say unto you Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full To these commandments adde 1. Thess. 5. 17 18. Pray without ceasing in every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you And to the promises that in Psal. 145. 18. belongeth The Lord is near to all that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth And therefore they can no sooner call but he heareth Dan. 9. 23. Yea before we call the Lord hath promised to heare Esa. 65. 24. Which sheweth that he is more ready to heare then we are to call upon him CHAP. III. Other motives to the duty of prayer UNto these we may adde three principall motives viz. the excellency the profit the necessity of invocation that the excellency may invite the profit allure the necessity draw us to the performance thereof First therefore it is excellent and honourable For this is a great honour and high favour for a sinfull and mortall man who is but dust and ashes to have ordinary accesse unto God and free conference with him but especially to have the Lord near unto us in all things that we call upon him for Deut. 4. 7. For it is no small honour for a man to have free accesse to his prince who is made of the same mould and to have as we say the kings eare Illud maximum saith Chrysostome quòd quisquis orat cum Deo colloquitur Quantae autem dignitatis sit hominem cum Deo miscere sermonem nemâ—…nem lâ—…tet That is the greatest priviledge that whosoever prayeth talketh with God And how great a dignity it is for a man to be admitted conference with God none can be ignorant But it is not onely honourable unto us but which is much more to be regarded unto God himself For hereby we asscribe unto him omniscience omnipotency and all-sufficiency infinite mercy and goodnesse acknowledging him to be the authour and fountain of all good things And therefore he preferreth the sacrifice of prayse and of prayer which are the calves of our lips before the sacrifice of goats and bulls Psal. 50. 8. ad 16. For as touching the sacrifice of a broken and humble soul poured forth in prayer the holy Ghost testifieth that the Lord esteemeth it in stead of all sacrifices Psal. 51. 17. And for the other of praise the Lord professeth Psal. 50. 23. He that offereth or sacrificeth praise honoureth me By prayer we glorifie God for magna est Dei gloria saith Augustine ut nos simus mendici ejus that is It is the great glory of God that we are his beggers But by praysing much more for to prayse God is to magnifie and glorifie him and by these terms it is expressed in the scriptures But profit is that respect which most men look after Psal. 4. 6. There be many which say Who will shew us any good And in this particular What will it profit us if we shall call upon God Job 21. 15. First for prayse If we glorifie God he will glorifie us 1. Sam. 2. 30. Secondly for prayer The profit is so great that it is the ordinary means of obteining all good things which we do desire and of avoyding all evil which we fear It hath the promises both of this life and of a better neither is there any good thing which the Lord hath ordeined for us whether temporall for our good or spirituall for our salvation but he hath appointed that we should obtein it by prayer Prayer is the key of Gods treasury yea it is clavis coeli that is the key of heaven It is armour of proof against all tentations serving for all parts and therefore not assigned to any one Ephes. 6. 18. flagellum diaboli the scourge of the devill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—… sovereigne remedy against all evil In the spirituall life it is as the hand in the temporall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the instrument of instruments But the profit is best manifested by the promises of God which are infallible especially if ye will compare Matth. 7. 7 8. with John 16. 23. and 1. John 5. 14. Whosoever asketh any thing whatsoever in the name of Christ according to Gods will it shall be granted What promise can be more large then whosoever and whatsoever In a word God is rich unto all that call upon him for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10. 12 13. CHAP. IIII. Three questions cleared NOw for the further clearing of this point concerning the profit and efficacy of prayer there are three questions to be decided 1. Whether prayer be opuâ—… impetratorium or of any efficacy to obtein our desires 2. And if it be Whether by prayer we do alwayes obtein our desires 3. Whether there be any other profit or fruit to be expected by our prayers besides the obteining of our desires The decision of the first question is needfull not onely because some hereticks have held prayer to be superfluous but chiefly because our adversaries father this heresie upon us Those that take away the use of prayer ground their fansie on the knowledge and providence of God For first If God our heavenly Father do know our wants and be of himself ready to supply them shall not we seem to doubt either of his knowledge or of his goodnesse if we pray unto him Answ. Our Saviour indeed doth teach us that God our heavenly Father doth know our wants and is willing to supply them Matth 6. 32. but yet in the same chapter he teacheth us to pray and promiseth that by prayer we shall obtein Matth. 7. 7 8. and therefore in obedience to the commandment and in faith in the promise we are to call upon God whatsoever flesh and bloud can object to the contrary Gods knowledge of our wants and readinesse to supply them must free us from distrustfull care and move us with affiance to seek unto God in all our necessities to which end our Saviour Christ informeth us of Gods knowledge and fatherly love And so the Apostle Phil. 4. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not distrustfully carefull for any thing but in every thing let your requests by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving be made known before God The perswasion therefore of Gods knowledge and love must not hinder us from prayer but rather incourage us with faith and affiance to call upon him Neither do we call upon God either to inform him in that which he knoweth not or to move him to that which he hath not purposed but to do our duty to God and our selves to God in worshipping him by this exercise and acknowledging him by prayer and thanksgiving to be the authour of all
necessity of faith in Christ and repentance towards God Again those which give thanks must be joyfull and rejoyce in the Lord but the wicked cannot rejoyce in the Lord neither ought they whilest they continue in their sinnes to be joyfull yea our Saviour denounceth a wo to such laughers Luke 6. The faithfull therefore alone are exhorted as to rejoyce alwayes so in all things to give thanks 1. Thess. 5. 16 18. Psal. 132. 9 16. and 149. 2 3 5 6. and 33. 1. Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for prayse is comely for the upright Secondly as prayer so also thanksgiving is to be offered unto God alone as the authour and principall giver of all good things Jam. 1. 17. Psal. 50. 14. Col. 3. 17. Ephes. 5. 20. We may and ought to be thankfull unto men as unto the instruments of God as Rom. 16. 4. And to be unthankfull is a great fault 2. Tim. 3. 2. But if neglecting God we give thanks unto men as the authours we commit sacrilegious idolatry in robbing God of his honour and giving it unto men In this sense prayse and thanksgiving is a sacrifice which must be offered to the Lord alone and in this sense his name alone is to be exalted Psal. 148. 13. and therefore they which so give thanks to men or rest in the means they sacrifice unto them and make them their God they sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their drag Hab. 1. 16. Eph. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto God and the Father Thirdly Thanksgiving as well as Prayer is to be offered unto God in the name of Christ Ephes. 8. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Christ Jesus Ephes. 3. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through Christ Jesus Rom. 1. 8. 7. 25. Col. 3. 17. Heb. 13. 15. For we are an holy priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1. Pet. 2. 5. Revel 8. 3. Fourthly for the manner There is required in the soul 1. in generall that our thanksgiving be a speech of the soul and not of the lips alone David therefore in some places stirreth up his soul to prayse God Psal. 103. 1 2. and 104. 1. And elsewhere he professeth that he would prayse God with his whole heart Psal. 9. 1. and 86. 12. and 111. 1. that is with an upright heart Psal. 119. 7. To which purpose Paul also exhorteth us to sing in our hearts unto God Ephes. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. To little purpose serveth the outward melody of the voyce unlesse there be a concent thereof with the heart We must therefore be carefull to sing Davids Psalmes with Davids affections but we may not sing or praise God either with feigned lips or with wandring thoughts 2. In the mind there is required first Understanding Psal. 47. 7. Col. 3. 16. and secondly Fâ—…ith whereby we are to be perswaded that this our service and sacrifice of praise is acceptable unto God in Christ without which our thanksgiving cannot be as it ought chearfull unlesse we be perswaded by faith of Gods goodnesse towards us how can we be thankfull to him 3. In our heart it is required that our praise or thanksgiving be humble reverent and hearty Humble that we may ascribe the whole praise unto God unto whom alone it is due and assume no part thereof unto our selves Psal. 115. 1. Reverent for without reverence we cannot give unto the Lord the praise that is due unto his name Psal. 29. 2. nor ascribe unto him eternall kingdome power and glory We must in our thanksgiving rejoyce in God but we must rejoyce in reverence Psal. 2. 11. and 95. 2 6. performing therein a religious service and worship to God Hearty with all our heart and that in particular with thankfulnesse and chearfulnesse without which our thanks will be either cold or counterfeit See Psal. 68. 26. And as for bodily duties The voyce in more speciall manner is required in thanksgiving Therefore our tongue is called our glory because by it we are to glorifie God We are not by silence to smother Gods prayse but as we are inwardly thankfull so must we testifie our inward thankfulnesse by our outward thanksgiving And in this kind of Invocation especially is singing warranted and commended unto us in the Scriptures not onely of the Old Testament but also of the New Jam. 5. 13. Ephes. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. Matth. 26. 30. Acts 16. 25. Fifthly this invocation also is to be performed by the help of the holy Ghost For naturally we are tongue-tied in Gods prayses but it is the spirit of God that doth open our lips that our mouth may shew forth his prayse Psal. 51. 15. It is the spirit of grace which maketh us to sing with grace in our hearts Sixthly and lastly our thanksgiving must be for good and lawfull things otherwise we go about to make God the authour of evil CHAP. XXXVI Speciall duties required in thanksgiving THe duties specially required in Thanksgiving do concern either the manner how or the time when or the object for which we are to give thanks For the manner there are duties required both in the action it self and out of it that is before and after In the action there are duties required both inward and outward The inward are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thankfulnesse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chearfulnesse The former is required Col. 3. 16. that we should sing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with grace in our hearts For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and gratia do signifie both the benefit and the thanks as when we say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gratia gratiam parit A good turn begetteth thanks And in this sense the word grace is used for Thanksgiving at meals The grace therefore that is required in the soul is Thankfulnesse For outward thanksgiving without inward thankfulnesse is counterfeit and hypocriticall There is no doubt but that habendae sunt gratiae quas agimus we must have thankfulnesse when we give thanks And as prayer is the expressing of our desire so thanksgiving is the testifying of our thankfulnesse And therefore as they play the hypocrites which pray for that which they do not desire so likewise they which give thanks for that for which they are not thankfull either because they have it not or do not think themselves beholding to God for it Luke 18. And as in prayer the Lord especially regardeth the desire of the heart so in thanksgiving the thankfulnesse of the soul. Now unto this thankfulnesse there is required grata recordatio mindfulnesse in the soul agnitio acknowledgement in the soul affectio affection in the heart For first if we be not mindfull of Gods benefits non habemus gratias we bear them not in mind we are not thankfull And therefore we are often stirred up to remember Gods benefits and straitly charged that we do not forget them for to forget them is to be
is discovered the hypocrisie of those men who calling upon God as their Father in heaven lift not up their hearts to heaven but let them lie groveling on the earth who imagine God to be like themselves who without reverence speak unto him or use vain babbling who trust not in his power nor acknowledge his presence with them unreverently behaving themselves because they see him not that submit not themselves to his fatherly wisdome nor rest in his mercy and goodnesse Vses in our lives First if our Father be in heaven who also hath begotten us to an heavenly inheritance then we who are the children of God are in this world pilgrimes from God and from our countrey and therefore ought not to mindearthly things but have our conversation in heaven Phil. 3. 19 20. Secondly if God our Father be full of maiesty and power we ought to fear him and to stand in aw Thirdly if omnipotent let us rest confidently under his protection neither let the fear of any danger draw us unto sinne for God is able to deliver us Dan. 17. And on the other side let us fear to sinne for he is able to destroy both body and soul in hell Matth. 10. 28. If God be omnipresent let us behave our selves as in his presence and walk before him in uprightnesse of heart If our heavenly Father be most wise and mercifull let us cast our care upon him in all our necessities depending on him As for those that are mere worldlings terrae filii who neither stand in aw of his majesty nor trust in his power nor waâ—…k as in his presence nor depend upon his fatherly goodnesse they cannot but in hypocrisie call God their heavenly Father Now if we joyn these two together of which we have spoken severally That God is our Father and therefore willing to heare us and also in heaven and therefore able to grant our desires there will be no place left to diffidence and distrust seeing God is both willing and able to grant our requests Therefore we ought not to be distrustfully carefull but with confidence and assurance that we shall be heard to make our requests known unto God Phil. 4. 6. seeing as Fulgentius saith Deus multus est ad ignoscendum in hoc multo nihil deest in quo omnipotens misericordia omnipotentia misericors est God is much in forgiving in this much nothing is missing in whom is omnipotent mercy and mercifull omnipotence The consideration of either of these may stirre up a man to pray but if he doubt of either I see not how he can pray in faith The leper Mark 1. 40. being perswaded of Christs power desireth him to make him clean the father of him that was possessed Mark 9. 22. having some good opinion of Christs willingnesse intreated his help for the dispossessing of the unclean spirit But because the one was not assured of his willingnesse the other of his power they make but doubtfull prayers If thou wilt thou canst make me clean If thou canst do any thing help us But we may be assured of both in our heavenly Father and therefore are to be encouraged to pray in faith c. The division of the Petitions HItherto we have spoken of the preface Now we are to proceed unto the petitions Which are in number six but yet in respect of the objects they may be distinguished into two sorts For either they concern more properly and immediately the glory of God without respect of our own profit or else our own good and mediately the glory of God For in the three former we say Thy name Thy kingdome Thy will in the three latter us and our c. Those that concern Gods glory are indeed most profitable for us for with his own glory he joyneth the good and salvation of the elect For if we glorifie the name of God he will glorifie us if we be subjects of the kingdome of grace we shall be inheriters of the kingdome of glory if we do the will of God upon earth we shall enter into the kingdome of heaven But in propounding these petitions we are not to respect our own profit but the glory of God Those which immediately concern our own good must also mediately respect the glory of God whereunto if our good be not referred it is not good Those which immediately concern the glory of God are set down in the first place By which order our Saviour Christ teacheth us to preferre Gods glory before our own good yea if they should come in comparison before our own salvation Exod. 32. 32. because Gods glory is the end and therefore better then those things which are referred thereunto For which cause not onely in order of petitions but also in the measure of our affections the glory of God must be preferred before our own good Ideóque in tribus primis petitionibus oratio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est cùm posteriores conjunctionibus colligantur And therefore in the three first petitions there is no copulative when as the three latter are tied together with conjunctionâ—… In the three first petitions we desire either the glory of God it self as the end or else the means whereby his glory is procured the end in the first petition the means in the other two For then is God glorified when his kingdome is advanced and his will fulfilled This order teacheth us that the main end of all our desires and actions should be the glory of God I. Petition FIrst of the first petition Wherein we are to learn the meaning of the words and then to consider the uses which arise from thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hallowed be thy name The name of God signifieth both God himself and his attributes which are himself and also that whereby he is named In the former sense the word name is often used to signifie the persons named as Acts 1. 15. and 4. 12. Revel 3. 4. and 11. 13. So the name of God is put for God himself Joel 2. 23. Deut. 28. 58. Hereupon the Hebrews use to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is His name is himself and he is his name And hereunto belong those places in which the name of God signifieth his attributes which are nothing but himself For the justice of God is the just God the wisdome of God is the wise God the mercy of God is the mercifull God c. And these also are the name of God as appeareth Exod. 33. 19. and 34. 5 6 7. For this is the name which he proclaimeth The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth c. Secondly the name of God signifieth that whereby God is named whereby he is either renowned or known The name of renown is his glory which is as it were his good name For so in great persons their good name is their glory and renown and therefore they are said in
the creatures or abusing them to bâ—… the instruments of sinne Duties in our lives 1. Holy meditation and mentioning of the works of God to his glory and our spirituall good To his glory for so must we meditate and speak of the creatures as that the wisdome goodnesse and power of God shining in them be acknowledged that we knowing him by his works may glorifie him as God To our good by meditating in such things as are to be followed or eschewed in them 2. The pure and holy use of the creature sâ—…nctified by the word and prayer c. Otherwise if we knowing God by â—…is works shall not glorifie him Rom. 1. 21. if we shall play the Momes in detrâ—…cting from the works of God or mocking the same if we shall abuse his creatures to superstitious wicked and profâ—…ne uses and please our selves in so doing we are to take heed lest in making this prayer we be found mockers of God Now follow the works of administration which are his blessings or judgements towards our selves or others His blessings on our selves are sanctified 1. in our hearts when we are truly thankfull for them 2. in our tongues when we give thanks Psal. 124. 6. and shew forth his benefits Psal. 66. 16. and 71. 8 18. 3. in our deeds when we referre the good things received to his glory and the good of others and when by them we are brought to repentance Rom. 2. 4. The blessings of God on others are sanctified when we rejoyce with them 1. Cor. 12. 26. and glorifie God in them Psal. 35. 27. Gal. 1. 24. The judgements of God on our selves are sanctified when they have the like effect in us that they had in Job that is First when we are humbled under the hand of God and brought to repentance Job 1. 20. and 42. 6. Secondly when we bear them patiently Job 1. 21. Thirdly when we blesse God in them and for them v. 21. The judgements of God on others are sanctified when by consideration thereof we fear to sinne when we shew forth the justice of God in the punishment of the wicked Psal. 58. 11 12. when we condole with the just Wants to be lamented First unthankfulnesse in that neither in our hearts we have the chearfull sense of Gods goodnesse in his benefits nor in our tongues return praise to him nor in our deeds bring forth the fruits nor yet by them are brought to repentance Secondly our not acknowledging Gods graces in others or depraving or lessening them or envying their good Thirdly our senselesnesse in affliction Jer. 5. 3. Fourthly impatiencâ—… Isai. 22. 12 13. Fifthly murmuring Sixthly not to be terrified by the example of others but rather pleasing our selves Luke 13. 1. Seventhly not condoling but rather rejoycing in other mens evils as laughing at fools Duties in our lives To be thankfull to God for his benefits To expresse our thankfulnesse by thanksgiving by referring them to the glory of God by repentance To rejoyce with others To glorifie God in them To make right use of his chastisements on our selves and others Otherwise if we shall be proud of those good things which we have as though we had not received them not giving God the glory nor referring them to his glory and the good of others but contrariwise abusing them to the dishonour of God and the hurt of others as many do their learning wit riches strength c. If we shall deprave Gods mercies in others or envie them If in the judgements of God upon our selves we shall harden our hearts with Pharaoh If we shall impatiently bear them and murmure against the severity of God If with Belteshazzar we shall not be moved with the example of others Dâ—…n 5. 22. If we shall make a sport of 〈◊〉 mens calamities we are farre from that desire of sanctifying Gods name which in this prayer we pretend Secondly in these words we pray that the Lord would sanctifie his name The which petition we are the rather to make because his glory is so little regarded amongst men And in this sense our prayer is the same with that of our Saviour John 12. 28. Father glorifie thy name or with that of David Psal. 57. 6 11. Be thou exalted Lord above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth or that Psal. 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us c. The Lord doth sanctifie his name I. When he doth shew forth and manifest the excellencie and glory of his name that is of his attributes and perfections as wisdome power c. but especially by making manifest the glory of his mercy and justice Of mercy by preserving his Church and multiplying his blessings upon the faithfull Ezech. 36. 21. For the glory of his own name he preserved his Church amongst the heathen and promised to reduce them into their own countrey not for their sakes but his holy names sake v. 22. and then v. 23. I will sanctifie my great name which was polluted amongst the heathen namely because of the affliction of his people v. 20. and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes c. So 2. Thess. 1. 12. Of his justice and power in executing his judgements on transgressours and on the wicked and overthrowing the enemies of his Church When Nadab and Abihu had offered strange fire contrary to the commandment of God and were destroyed by fire from heaven he said I will be sanctified in them that come near me that is By executing judgement even against those that are near to me I will make manifest the glory of my justice and before all the people will I be glorified Levit. 10. 3. Isai. 5. 15 16. By the judgements of God executed upon the wicked it is said that man shall be humbled and brought low but the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgement and the holy God shall be sanctified in justice Ezech. 28. 22. Thus saith the Lord God Behold I come against thee Sidon and I will be glorified in the midst of thee and they shall know that I am the Lorâ—… when I shall have executed judgements in her and shall be sanctified in her For I will send into her pesâ—…ilence c. And chap. 38. 22 23. he threatneth to rain fire and brimstone upon Gog and Magog that is both the open and secret enemies of the Church c. Thus saith he will I be magnified and sanctified and known in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord. II. God doth sanctifie and glorifie his name when he doth removâ—… the impediments of his glory as idolatry worshipping of false gods superstition ignorance and giveth a free passage to his Gospel when he taketh away the wicked Psal. 104. 35. III. By freeing it from the abuses pollutions of men and mainteining his own glory When Moses and Aaron at
the waters of Strife did not sanctifie the Lord by believing and acknowledging his omnipotent power then the Lord did sanctifie his name himself Num. 20. 12 13. Lev. 22. 32. Neither shall ye pollute my holy name but I will be hallowed amongst the people of Israel So when Herod would not give the glory to God the Lord glorified himself in his destruction In the second place therefore we pray in zeal of Gods glory That howsoever men pollute and profane his holy name yet he would glorifie it and manifest the praise both of his mercy in blessing and preserving his Church and also of his justice in executing his judgements upon the wicked and enemies of his Church by removing the impediments by freeing it from the pollution of men and mainteining his glory Duties 1. Zeal of his glory that he may sanctifie it whatsoever become of me 2. Fear to profane his name seeing he will be sanctified c. V. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy kingdome come What Gods kingdome is THe first petition conteined the main scope of all our desires This and the next contein the way and means whereby that end is to be atchieved for then is God glorified when his kingdome is advanced and his will is performed The meaning of the words Thy kingdome come We must know that there are two kingdomes in the world ruling in the minds and hearts of men the one of darknesse the other of light the one of Satan the other of God Col. 1. 13. unto the one of which every man in the world is subject The kingdome of Satan and darknesse is whereby the children of disobedience being blindfolded and bewitched of the devil go on and continue in ignorance and sinne to their own perdition The prince of this kingdome is Satan the prince of the air Ephes. 2. 2. and God of this world 2. Cor. 4. 4. John 12. 31. The subjects are all men by nature untill they be brought out of this kingdome of Satan into the kingdome of God and then is the kingdome of God said to come to them But in this subjection do none finally remain but the reprobate who are the children of disobedience in whom Satan worketh effectually Ephes. 2. 2. and blindeth their minds that the light of the glorious gospel of the kingdome of God shine not unto them 2. Cor. 4. 4. and carrieth them away captive to the obedience of his will 2. Tim. 2. 26. The law of this kingdome whereby he ruleth is sinne Hujus regni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The law of this kingdome is to be without law This sin reigneth in the mortall bodies of men mâ—…king them give up their members to be instruments of sinne unto iniquity Rom. 6. 12 13. untill it please God to let his kingdome come upon them ruling them by his word and spirit The end of this kingdome is endlesse perdition 2. Thess. 1. 9. and against this kingdome are we taught to pray in this place c. The other is the kingdome of God And this is either universall or speciall The universall is that whereby the Lord ruleth over all things even over his enemies whereunto all things are subject and from which subjection nothing can exempt it self This of Divines is called regnum potentiae the kingdome of power whereof the holy Ghost speaketh Psal. 99. 1 2. and 145. 13. and in the clause of this prayer For thine is the kingdome But most plainly Psal. 103. 19. The Lord hath established his throne in heaven and his kingdome is over all This kingdome nothing can resist nothing can hinder no not although all creatures should band themselves together against it The speciall kingdome of God is that whereby he ruleth not over all men in generall but onely over the Church that is the company of the elect And as there be two parts of the Church the one militant upon the earth the other triumphant in heaven so are there two parts of Gods kingdome the first of grace the Church militant the second of glory the Church triumphant The former is the blessed estate of Christians in whom he reigneth in this life for it doth not consist in meat and drink or in any temporall or worldly thing but it is righteousnes that is assurance oâ—… justification and peace of conscience arising from thence Rom. 5. 1. and joy in the holy Ghost a consequent of both the other Rom. 14. 17. The latter is the glorious and blessed estate of the faithfull after this life where they shall have the fruition of God in whose presence there is fulnesse of joy c. Of these two the former is the way to the latter therefore whosoever would be an inheritour of the kingdome of glory in heaven must first be a subject of God in the kingdome of grace in this life Luke 22. 30. and therefore out of the Church there is no salvation And on the other side whosoever is a true subject of God in the kingdome of grace shall be an heir of glory in heaven and therefore to them that be true members of the Church there is no condemnation And this David teacheth us Psal. 15. 1. Who shall sojourn c. both parts of that question concerning one and the same man The kingdome of grace is that government whereby the Lord doth effectually rule in our hearts by his word and Spirit working in us his own good work of grace and making us fellow-citizens and meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and of the houshold of God Ephes. 2. 19. Saints in light Col. 1. 12. In this kingdome the Prince is the Lord who exerciseth this kingdome by his Sonne Psal. 96. 10. and 97. 1. and 110. 1. The people are the Church which is therefore called the kingdome of heaven Matth. 5. 19. and the particular subjects are all true Christians The sceptre of this kingdome is the word of God Psal. 110. which is also the law whereby he reigneth and is therefore called the word of the kingdome Matth. 13. 19. the gospel of the kingdome of God Mark 1. 14. The preaching of which word and gospel is also called the kingdome of heaven Matth. 13. 11. and 22. 2 c. Where by the way we may note that where the word of God and gospel of the kingdome is truly preached there is the kingdome consequently the Church of God and therefore that may be also verified of us which our Saviour Christ speaketh of the Jews that the kingdome of God is amongst us Luke 17. 21. This preaching of the word is also called the arm of God Isa. 53. 1. whereby he pulleth men out of darknesse into light and out of the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. 18. But especially the Lord ruleth in our hearts by his Spirit drawing us unto his Sonne bending and bowing us to the obedience of his word inlightening our minds and sanctifying our hearts and leading us
kingdome of government which Kings and Princes have it is the kingdome of God whose ministers and leiutenants they are Rom. 13. 4. by whom they reigne Prov. 8. 15. and from whom all authoritie is Rom. 13. 4. Which as it must teach them to subordinate their government unto the Lord and in him to rule their subjects because the kingdome which they exercise is not theirs but Gods their judgement is not theirs but the Lords 2. Chron. 19. 6. so doth it teach all subjects to be subject to their governours so farre forth as they are subordinate to the Lord because in obeying them they obey the Lord and in resisting them they resist God Rom. 13. 2. But if Magistrates and Kings shall leave their order in commanding that which God forbiddeth we are bound to be subordinate to our supreme King whose the kingdome is in whom onely we are to obey the inferiour governours Ephes. 5. 21. that so far forth as in obeying them we obey also the Lord for better it is to obey God then men Acts 4. 19. 5. 29. And as to obey an inferiour Magistrate which rebelleth against his Prince is to rebell with him so to obey a Prince or Magistrate rebelling against God in that wherein he rebelleth that is in unlawfull things which he commandeth it is also to rebell against God So that not onely good but also evil Princes and Magistrates are to be obeyed but neither good nor bad unto evil More especially the kingdome of God is the kingdome of grace in this life and the kingdome of glorie in the life to come In the former the Lord communicateth grace to his servants ruling in them by his word and Spirit In the latter he communicateth glory to his Saints vouchsafing unto them the fruition of himself who shall be to them all in all Do we therefore desire grace in this life or glory in the life to come God is the King of grace and of glory let us sue to his throne of grace for he will give grace and glory and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Psal. 84. 11. Vses 1. If God be our King we are to be encouraged in all our necessities to call upon him For it is the property of good kings to heare the suits of their subjects and to relieve and defend them 2. If he be the absolute Lord of all his creatures and all things whatsoever be in his power and possession then ought we not to be distrustfully carefull but to cast our care upon God and to depend upon him The earth is the Lords and all that therein is Hé is a Father that is rich towards all those which put their trust in him 3. If God be our King our duty is to obey him and to behave our selves towards him as dutifull subjects Why call ye me Lord saith our Saviour and do not the things which I command you What is meant by thine is the power And the power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Power belongeth in some degree to all creatures but to God it is ascribed after a peculiar manner In them it is a faculty proceeding from their nature in God it is his essence Theirs is a power created and received from God Acts 17. 28. his is uncreated eternall and from himself Theirs is mixt with impotencie and passive power which maketh them subject to change but Gods power is most perfect and pure without such mixture Theirs is finite as themselves are but his is infinite as himself is And it is infinite 1. in it self 2. in respect of the multitude of effects which he is able to work and unto which his power is extended in which sense it is said to be infinite extensively 3. in respect of the efficacy of working in which regard it is infinite intensively It is infinite extensively because it is extended to all things Matth. 19. 26. Luke 1. 37. and for that cause is called omnipotencie For the Lord never doth so many or so great things but he is able to do infinitely more and greater His power is extended to all things which either can be done and that is called his absolute power or which he will do and that is called his active or ordinary power For whatsoever God will do that he can do yea by his actuall power doth it Psal. 115. 3. but he can do many things by his absolute power which he will never do Matth. 3. 9. and 26. 33. It is also infinite intensively in respect of the efficacie of the action For the Lord doth not work any thing so effectually or intensively but he is able to effect it infinitely more effectually or intensively Ephes. 3. 20. Vses Uses respecting means I. To humble our selves under the mighty hand of God 1. Pet. 5. 6. not to be lifted up against him with pride nor opposed through obstinacy 1. Pet. 5. 5. Job 9 4. Rom. 9. 17. Dan. 4. 37. II. To fear God above all things and to be afraid to offend him Matth. 10. 28. 1. Cor. 10. 22. Are we stronger then the Lord III. To repose trust in him Deut. 33. 26. For if God be on our side who can be against us Psal. 27. 1 2 3. Num. 14. 9. Deut. 7. 21. Jer. 42. 11. There is no good thing but he is able to effect it no evil but he is able to deliver us from it No creature can help us unlesse God use it as his instrument for our good no creature can hurt us unlesse God use it as the rod of his anger The devil is strong but he is not able to pull us out of Gods hands nor yet to hinder or stop the course of Gods blessings towards us Vses respecting faith I. To confirm it in believing any article of our faith as of the resurrection Matth. â—…2 29. II. To confirm our faith in the promises of God Luke 1. 37. Rom. 4. 19 20 21. III. In prayer For which purpose it is here alledged Matt. 8. 2. 2. Chron. 20. 6. 14. 11 12. Ephes. 3. 20. IV. In the assurance of perseverance unto salvation 1. Pet. 1. 5. Rom. 14. 4. John 10. 29. 2. Tim. 1. 12. What is meant by thine is the glory And the glory Whereby is meant honour and praise 1. Tim. 1. 17. For to him belongeth the glory honour and prayse of bestowing all good things He is the fountain and authour of every good gift Jam. 1. 17. His is the glory of hearing and granting our prayers Psal. 65. 2. And to his glory whatsoever we ask according to his will doth especially tend Therefore as by his kingdome aâ—…d power he is able so for his glory he is ready and willing to grant our requests which we make according to this direction of our Saviour For what Christ hath taught us to ask in his name that the Lord hath promised to give for his sake in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen to his
glory 2. Cor. 1. 20. This therefore serveth to confirm our faith For doubtlesse such things as tend to his glory he will grant especially considering it is his glory to heare the prayers of his servants and seeing to him belongeth the glory of giving every good gift but these things which we ask according to our Saviours direction do tend to the glory of God and to that end we ask them therefore we may be assured that he will grant our requests so far forth as they stand with his glory Now whereas our Saviour directed us to make this our first suit That Gods name may be glorified and now teacheth us to make his glory the reason of our prayers this sheweth That the glory of God should be the main end of all our desires for which we should affect them and unto which when we have obteined them we should referre them 1. Chron. 16. 35. Psal. 50. 15. And forasmuch as the glory is the Lords which he will not have communicated to any other Isai. 42. 8. therefore we are to call upon him alone as being the onely fountain of every good gift the onely hearer of our prayers Of which glory we rob the Lord if we direct our prayers to any other And as we are not to give his glory to any other so we are not to take it to our selves For seeing the glory is the Lords therefore vainglorious persons seek to rob God of that glory which is proper to him and to assume it to themselves But we must say with David Psal. 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord c. and with Daniel chap. 9. 7. Righteousnesse O Lord belongeth unto thee and to us shame c. But we ascribe unto the Lord not onely kingdome power and glory but also an everlasting kingdome an eternall power and immortall glory For as Moses saith Psal. 90. 2. He is God from everlasting to everlasting he is King for ever Therefore he hath right not onely in this life to crown us with his blessings but after this life he hath an everlasting kingdome to bestow upon us Luke 12. 32. unto which he is able and willing to bring us by his power everlasting to the immortall glory of his mercy Now these reasons as they must be propounded in faith so also with chearfulnesse as a consequent thereof And when they are chearfully uttered they are not onely reasons of our requests but also a notable form of praysing God which our Saviour hath taught us to joyn with our prayer And so the holy Ghost hath directed us elsewhere as Col. 4. 2. Phil. 4. 6. And that this is a form of prayse and thanksgiving appeareth by other places of Scripture where the men of God setting themselves of purpose to prayse God have used the very like form As David 1. Chron. 29. 10 11 12. and Psal. 145. 10. and 11. 12 13. Revel 7. 12. Jude v. 25. Revel 4. 11. Vses Duties concerning prayer 1. That we pray to God and him alone Whereof a reason is conteined in these words For his is the kingdome c. 2. That we pray in faith seeing our heavenly Father whose is the kingdome power and glory is both able and willing to grant our requests 3. That with our prayer we joyn prayse and thanksgiving which in this short form is not omitted Duties in our lives 1. To arrogate nothing to our selves but to ascribe all kingdome power and glory to the Lord Psal. 29. 1 2. and 115. 1. and of all good things received to ascribe the praise to God 2. If God be our King then must we behave our selves as dutifull and obedient subjects If his be the power then are we both to fear him and to trust in him If his be the glorie then of him must we beg all good things and to his glory must all be referred If his power kingdome and glorie be everlasting then are we taught whom to fear whom to serve whom to trust in namely him that is able not onely in this life to blesse us but also after to crown us with immortall glorie in his eternall kingdome If we serve the flesh the devil the world we shall have the momentanie fruition of sin and after this life is ended eternall torments God liveth for ever as to crown eternally the godly so to punish the wicked eternally He then will exclude them out of his kingdome and will be of power to destroy both body and soul in hell and he will glorifie his justice in their endlesse confusion Hypocrifie discovered But here the hypocrisie of men is to be discovered who ascribe kingdome to God and yet obey him not power and fear him not glory and glorifie him not and they adde all these reasons to their petitions as if they should say Thou Lord wilt grant our requests for thine is the kingdome power and glory for ever and yet do not believe that the Lord will grant their requests Amen And so much of the confirmation of our faith Now followeth the testification both of our faith and of the truth of our defire in the word Amen For it importeth the assent of the heart to the words of our mouth and it signifieth truly or even so or as the Grecians sometimes translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So be it The meaning of it is thus much as if we should say As I have made thâ—…se requests unto thee O Lord so do I both unfeignedly desire the performance of them Let them O Lord be granted 1. Kings 1. 36. and also truly believe that thou in thy good time wilt grant my desires so farre forth as they stand with thy glory and my good and in this perswasion I rest attending thy good pleasure And as I have ascribed unto thee kingdome power and glorie so I do both unfeignedly acknowlcdge that thine alone is the kingdome c. and also heartily desire that I and all others may truly and effectually ascribe unto thee everlasting kingdome power and glorie For being annexed unto prayer it signifieth both the truth and earnestnesse of our desire and also the assent of faith laying hold on the promises of God made in Christ to our prayers And being added to thanksgiving it signifieth both the truth of our assertion in ascribing praise to God and also a true desire and zeal of Gods glory Hence therefore we may learn again those duties which heretofore have been taught 1. That we call upon the Lord with unfeigned lips and upright hearts truly desiring those things with our hearts which we ask with our mouthes and being truly thankfull for those things for which we give thanks 2. We must strive against our infidelitie and doubting Psal. 42. 12. and must truly believe that the Lord will grant our requests so farre forth as they stand with his glorie and our good otherwise we cannot say Amen 3. We are to rest in the good pleasure of God with assurance expecting his
THE DOCTRINE OF Practicall Praying TOGETHER With a Learned Exposition ON THE LORDS PRAYER By the Right Reverend Father in God George Downam late L d Bishop of Derry in Ireland Pray without ceasing c. 1 Thes. 5. 17. After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father c. Mat. 69. LONDON Printed by W. H. for Nicolas Bourne at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange 1656. To the Christian Reader THere is no duty more excellent in it self or profitable to us then that of Prayer Wherein we have sweet communion with God and free accesse to the throne of grace laying open to a gracious Father all our wants and grievances in hope and confidence to have our suits granted our sinnes pardoned our necessities supplyed and our griefs removed and relieved It is that hand and key which helpeth to unlock and open the treasury of all Gods graces for the enriching of our souls with all his blessings the horsmen and chariots of the Israel of God whereby they get victorie over all their enemies yea they prevail with God whē he seemeth to oppose against them as an enemie and to wrestle with them that he may foil and overthrow them as he did with Jacob. In all which and innumerable other respects as it is to be esteemed the chiefest exercise of a godly and Christian life which can never be too much practiced as the Apostle implyeth where he injoyneth us to pray continually and in all things to give thanks so can it never be sufficiently insisted upon in the doctrine of it whereby we are pressed perswaded to the frequent exercise of it and taught to perform it in a right and acceptable manner In which regard though much already hath been excellently spoken and written upon this subject yet let no man think it superfluous to have more published of this argument seeing that can never be too much taught which is never sufficiently learned and loved The ensuing Treatises were the labours of that learned judicious and godly Divine D. Downame late Bishop of Dery in the Realm of Ireland my most dear brother which were penned with his own hand for his private use but for the publick service of that part of Gods Church over which he was a painfull and faithfull Pastour conteining the summe of many of his sermons which he preached on this argument The which if he had been pleased to have polished and perfected with his own learned hand no doubt much would have been added to their lustre and beautie Yet seeing this was not done according to his better abilities I thought it a dammage to Gods people that they should lose the substance for the want of some circumstance and have no use of a well-compacted bodie fit to do God and his Church good service because it was not decked with gay ornaments And therefore I have presented it to the view of the world and indeavoured to perform the dutie of a brother to him that is deceased though not to raise this spirituall seed to him for it was of his own begetting and composing yet to give unto it birth and being in the world without which it would have proved abortive and so have been buried in perpetuall oblivion The which service I have the more willingly undertaken for the benefit of all that will take pains to peruse this work because I am now disabled by age and many infirmities to produce any further labours of mine own in this kind wherein I have not been wanting in my more able and mature times according to the proportion of my small talent which my great Lord and Master hath entrusted me with Herein imitating the example of the weaker sex who after they have been fruitfull in bearing children themselves and now being come to older age are disabled to have any more conceptions do some of them become midwives who are helpfull to those who are young and fruitfull for the bringing of their children into the world The Lord whose onely blessing maketh all our indeavours profitable by giving efficacie unto them by the inward operation of his holy Spirit blesse these and all other labours of his servants that they may bring forth plentifull fruits for the advancement of his glory and the benefit of all his children who are willing to make use of them to these ends Thine in the Lord Jesus to do thee any Christian service JOHN DOVVNAME ¶ The contents of the Chapters of the first part of this Treatise viz. The Doctrine of Prayer together with the chief points therein handled Chap. 1. OF the definition of Prayer and of the persons who are to pray Pag. 1 Of the name of Invocation and Prayer 2 Of the generall nature of prayer 3 Of the proper nature of prayer 4 What is required in invocation acceptable to God 5 Who ought to pray 6 7 c. 2. Reasons moving to the dutie of prayer 8 9 c. 3. Other motives to the dutie of prayer 11 4. Three questions cleared 14 Whether prayer be efficacious to obtein our desires 15 That prayer is necessary notwithstanding Gods decree 16 17 c. 5. Of the great and wonderfull efficacy of prayer 21 6. Whether by prayer we alwayes obtein our desires 26 7. Of the profit of prayer 29 8. A threefold necessity of prayer 32 9. Who are to perform the duty of prayer 33 10. None but the faithfull can pray effectually and acceptably 37 That the impenitent cannot pray acceptably 39 In what respect God heareth the wicked 47 11. That God alone is to be called upon 51 12. That we ought not to invocate any creature 58 That Angels and Saints are not to be invocated 59 That Saints departed are not to be invocated 61 Chap. 13 That we must conceive of God in prayer as he hath revealed himself in his word 64 Whether Christ as Mediatour is to be invocated 66 14. That Christ alone is the Mediatour of intercession as well as of redemption 68 15. That we must pray onely in the name of Christ 77 16. Of the manner how we are to call upon God 80 That we must pray with upright hearts 82 c. That we must not pray with feigned lips and wandring thoughts 83 84 c. 17. Of knowledge required necessarily in prayer 89 That prayer ought to be made in a known tongue 92 18. Of Faith which is required in prayer 101 19. Of Humilitie required in prayer 106 Faith and Humility must be joyned in prayer 110 20. Of Reverence required in prayer and Heartinesse 113 21. Of the Gesture to be used in prayer 116 22. Of the Voyce to be used in prayer 125 Of Battologie in prayer 129 Of the quantitie and qualitie of our prayers 133 23. Whether a set form of prayer may be used 135 What we are to think of extempor all prayer 137 Of conceived prayers and set forms 139 24. Of things required out of the action of prayer 141 Of Preparation unto prayer 142 Of duties
to be performed after prayer 144 25. Of the Subject matter of our prayers and what is required thereunto namely that it be good and according to Gods will 146 That being unable to pray we are assisted by the Spirit 147 Chap. 26 Of the circumstances of prayer 150 Of Publick prayer 151 Of Private prayer in the family and alone 154 27. Of the time of prayer 156 The Euchetae confuted 157 28. Concerning the Place of prayer 161 The vanity of Pilgrimages 163 29. Of Prayer or Petition and what is required unto it 164 Prayer and thanksgiving must be joyned 165 What things are required in prayer 167 We must pray in sight and sense of our wants 169 We must pray with fervency of deâ—…ire 172 30. Of Faith which is chiefly required in prayer 173 We must pray in faith and submission to Gods will 176 31. Of duties to be performed after prayer 178 32. Distinctions of prayer in regard of the object 181 For whom we must pray 184 Of prayer against others 188 Of Imprecations 189 33. Of the reall object of prayer or the things to be prayed for 191 We must pray for temporall blessings 193 34. Of Deprecation 195 Of Confession of our sinnes 196 How this Confession is to be made 197 35. Of Thanksgiving 201 What is required in Thanksgiving 202 36. Speciall duties required in Thanksgiving 206 37. Of the outward expressing inward thankfulnesse by praysing God 212 38. Duties to be performed before after thanksgiving 216 ¶ The chief things handled in the second part of this Treatise viz. The exposition of the Lords Prayer THe generals of Invocation applyed to the Lords Prayer 226 The Preface 231 How God is called Father ibid. Of the name Father and what duties it teacheth us 234 What is meant by the word Our 237 The meaning of these words Which art in heaven 244 The division of the Petitions 251 The meaning of the first Petition 252 How Gods name is sanctified by us 255 How Gods name signifying his Glory is sanctified by us 257 How it is sanctified signifying his Titles 259 How it is sanctified signifying his Word 263 How it is sanctified signifying the Doctrine of religion 264 How it is sanctified signifying his Works 265 How God himself sanctifieth his name 269 The second Petition handled 271 What Gods kingdome is 272 What it is for Gods kingdome to come 275 Christs kingdome cometh by means 279 The impediments of Gods kingdome to be prayed against 282 Uses concerning the coming of Gods kingdome 289 Of the coming of the kingdome of glory 293 We must expect and pray for the second coming of Christ 294 How we must expect the second coming of Christ 298 The third Petition explained 301 Of the will of God and things which he willeth 303 How Gods will is done on earth 307 How Gods will is done on earth as in heaven 310 The matter and manner of our obedience 314 315 Wherein our obedience resembleth that of the Angels 319 The exposition of the fourth Petition 324 Why we ask temporall blessings before spirituall 325 What is meant by Bread 327 What is meant by daily bread 330 How God is said to give us daily bread 333 c. Duties to be performed by them that ask daily bread 339 340 c. The fifth Petition expounded 350 We must be justified before we can be sanctified 352 That our sinnes are debts 355 What is meant by forgiving our trespasses 359 By this petition we are put in mind of our misery and Gods mercy 361 No man can satisfie Gods justice for his sinnes 362 Severall duties arising out of the fifth petition 368 369 Our forgiving no cause of Gods forgiving us 376 How we can be said to forgive 379 Reasons moving us to forgive 385 c. The sixth petition expounded 390 Those whom God pardoneth the devil tempteth 391 The necessity of this prayer Not to be lead into temptation 392 Of probations and trialls 1. by prosperity 2. by afflictions 394 395 Of divers sorts of temptations 396 1. Of the flesh ibid. 2. Of the world 397 3. Of the devil 400 Of the divers sorts of the devils temptations 401 c. How God may be said to tempt 406 Satan can neither tempt or overcome without Gods permission 409 That temptations are good for Gods children 410 How we must pray against the temptations of the flesh the world and the devil 413 414 415 c. The Conclusion of the Lords Prayer both authenticall and necessary 419 Our faith confirmed by this Conclusion 420 What is meant by thine is the kingdome 422 423 What is meant by the power and the glory 424 425 Everlasting kingdome power and glory belongeth to God 427 What the word Amen signifieth 429 CHAP. I. Of the definition of prayer and of the persons who are to pray AMong all the duties of Christianitie as there is not any more honourable in it self more glorious to God more profitable and necessary for us then the exercise of prayer and invocation so is there none wherein we do more need direction and instruction and consequently nothing wherein my labour in speaking and yours in hearing may better be imployed For as Chrysostome saith Pulcherrima est scientia veréque Christiano homine digna quae docet rectè precari That is the most excellent knowledge and truly worthy a Christian man which teacheth rightly to pray In treating whereof I purpose by the help of God to observe this order First I will set down the doctrine of invocation and then explain that absolute form or pattern of prayer prescribed by our Saviour Christ wherein the practice of the doctrine is conteined The doctrine must first be generall and common to both the sorts of invocation viz. prayer and thanksgiving and then speciall and peculiar to either The generall doctrine consisteth of such points as are either more substantiall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or accidentall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The substantiall points are all of them comprised in this definition Invocation or prayer is a religious speech of the faithfull directed unto God in the name of Christ framed according to the will of God by the help of the holy Ghost concerning good things apperteining to his glory and our good The phrase of invocating or calling upon the name of God sometimes signifieth the profession of the true religion whereby we take the name of God upon us and are called after his name as Gen. 48. 16. and 4. 16. Isa. 63. 10. Acts 9. 14. 1. Cor. 1. 2. And first as touching the name This part of Gods worship is usually in the Scriptures expressed by the phrase of calling upon the name of God and therefore is fitly called invocation that is calling upon God whether it be by way of praying or praysing In which generall sense the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tephillat is sometimes used 1. Sam. 2. 1. Psal. 86. 1. Isa. 56. 7. Domus orationis
oratio and invocatio in Latine and by a Synecdoche prayer in the English tongue though properly it signifieth that species or kind of invocation whereby we crave any thing at the hands of God By a Metonymie of the signe it is sometimes called the lifting up of the hands Psal. 141. 2. and 44. 20. sometimes the lifting up of the eyes Psal. 123. 1. more properly a lifting up of the heart unto God Psal. 25. 1. whereof the other are but signâ—…s Which must teach us when we pray to lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens as Jeremie speaketh Lam. 3. 41. So much of the name In the definition the nature of Invocation is set forth both the generall which Logicians call the genus and proper in that which is called the difference The generall in that I call it a religious speech For of religious speech there are two speciall sorts the one of man unto man in the name of God and in the stead of Christ which is preaching the other of man unto God in the name and mediation of Christ which is prayer or invocation And both of them somewhere in the Scriptures are expressed by one and the same name of prophesying which for Preaching is used 1. Cor. 14. 3 4. and elsewhere for Invocation both in the sense of praying 1. Kings 18. 29. with 26. and of praysing 1. Chron. 25. 1 2 3. First I say it is a speech And because the religious speech is the chief speech which we can use therefore as preaching is called Sermo so prayer is of the Latines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called Oratio But where I say prayer is a speech you are to understand that whereas there is a twofold speech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 outward and inward the inward being also called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speech conceived in the mind the outward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speech uttered with the voice prayer is not the outward speech chiefly or onely but the inward of the soul either alone when in prayer the voice is not used as Gen. 24. 45. Exod. 14. 15. 1. Sam. 1. 13. and is called oratio mentalis which is usuaîl in meditation and is sometimes so called or chiâ—…fly when the voice is used as most commonly it is Whereupon some define prayer to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the speech or communication of the soul with God others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ascending of the mind unto God In which respect the holy Ghost calleth it the lifting up of the heart unto God Psal. 25. 1. and the pouring forth of the soul before the Lord Psal. 62. 8. 1. Sam. 1. 15. As for that prayer which is onely the outward speech of the mouth without the inward of the heart it is not a prayer in truth but a meer lip-labour For to call upon God in truth is to pray with our souls and to call upon him with our hearts to lift up our hearts and to poure forth our souls before the Lord as I shall shew more fully hereafter But I adde that it is a religious speech to note that prayer is a part and indeed a principall part of that religious adoration and worship which we ow unto God and consequently to teach us that it is a dutie to be performed religiously and devoutly as intending thereby an holy and acceptable service unto God So that true prayer is not a bare reading or recitall of any form of prayer without understanding without affection without devotion without faith but a religious service devoutly offered unto God out of an upright and pure heart 2. Tim. 2. 22. Psal. 119. 7. The proper nature of Invocation is described in the rest of the definition conteining six substantiall points necessarily required in all prayer viz. Quis Quem Cujus nomine Quomodo Cujus ope De quibus that is Who must pray Whom we must pray unto In whose name In what manner By whose help and For what For in all invocation that shall be acceptable unto God there is required 1. That the person which prayeth be faithfull 2. That the partie to whom we pray be the onely true God 3. That the prayer be made in the name of Christ For sinne having made a separation between God and us there is no accesse for us unto God in our own name 4. For the manner that it be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to God Rom. 8. 27. or as S. John speaketh more fully 1. Epist. 5. 14. according to the will of God that is that in our invocation or prayer we perform those things which God hath willed and required in his word to be performed in prayer 5. Because we are not able of our selves to perform any of those things which God hath required I adde that we are to call upon God by the help of the holy Ghost 6. And lastly I shew that the object of our invocation that is the things concerning which we do speak unto God in prayer are good things apperteining to his glorie and our good as namely and especially the benefits and blessings of God for which we do either pray unto him or praise him Of these six in order And first for the partie which is to pray When I say that prayer is a speech of the faithfull you are to understand 1. That we speak of prayer as it is officium viaâ—…orum a duty injoyned unto men living here upon earth as pilgrimes in the Church militant unto whom alone the doctrine of Invocation doth appertein and not as it is exercitium spirituum beatorum the exercise of the Saints and Angels in the Church triumphant in heaven to whom neither the commandments injoyning this duty nor the promises made to prayer nor the directions which teach how to pray are directed For although the word of God hath revealed that they are conversant in the one part of invocation that is in praising glorifying God wherein we are to imitate them that we may do this will of God 1. Thess. 5. 18. as the Saints and Angels do it in heaven yet as touching the other part which is prayer or petition for what or for whom they pray in particular the Spirit of God in the Scriptures hath not revealed and it is but foolish curiositie to seek to be wise above that which is written For herein especially is that verified Quâ—… supra nos nihil ad nos that is Things above us belong not unto us much lesse ought we with the superstitious Papists upon an erroneous conceit of theirs I mean the Saints and Angels in particular that is such Saints and Angels praying for us in particular ground an idolatrous practice of our praying unto them But of this also more hereafter 2. Seeing we consider it as the dutie of the living Isa. 38. 19. we are more particularly to consider both who in this world
of God and submitted themselves to his fatherly providence when they are such as have set down with themselves that they will be rich 1. Tim. 6. and will come to great matters whether God give them good means or not and will frame their own fortune They beg for a day as if they would depend upon God for tomorrow yet distrustfully hoard up for many yeares They desire temporall things to be given them of God and yet seek them by wicked and unlawfull means They desire God to remit their sinnes as if they repented of them which they still retein as if they did in mockery desire the Lord to forgive the sinnes which they will not forgo Yea they desire the Lord in hypocrisie so to forgive them their trespasses as they forgive those that trespasse against them when as they nourish hatred and a desire and purpose of revenge so in stead of obteining mercy and forgivenesse at Gods hands they call for the fierce wrath and vengeance of God to be executed upon them They desire that God will not lead them into tentations and yet themselves run into tentations and seek occasions of evil They desire that they may be delivered from evil and yet wilfully go on in evil and will not be reclaimed as though they had made a covenant with hell They ascribe kingdome to the Lord and yet will not obey him as his subjects power and yet neither fear nor trust in him glory yet do not glorifie him They subscribe to their prayers and say Amen as though they unfeignedly desired and assuredly believed that their requests should be granted when as they neither desire that which in hypocrisie they ask nor believe the granting of that which without faith they have begged And finally in all these requests they draw neare to the Lord with their mouth and with their lips do honour him but they remove their hearts farre from him Isa. 29. 13. It is evident therefore that as the prayer of the righteous is acceptable to God as the evening sacrifice Psal. 141. 2. so the prayer of the wicked is detestable unto him Which may further be proved by expresse testimonies of the holy Scriptures The sacâ—…ifice of the wicked saith Solomon is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable unto him Prov. 13. 9. and again v. 29. The Lord is farre from the wicked but he heareth the prayers of the righteous The same doth David testifie Psal. 34. 15 16. The eyes of the Lorâ—… are upon the righteous and his eares are open to their erie but the face and angry countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth The man which had been blind John 9. 31. delivereth this as a received truth in the Church of the Jews This we know saith he that God heareth not sinners that is impenitent sinners but if a man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will him he heareth Wherefore it is manifest that the promises made to them that call upon God are restrained and as it were appropriated to the godly And therefore whosoever desireth to pray unto God with hope to be heard must turn unto the Lord by repentance and lay hold upon Christ by faith unfeignedly purposing amendment of life For the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth unto it and is exalted or set in safetie Prov. 18. 10. But it will be objected That the promises are generall and therefore belonging to all they are not to be restrained to some I answer That they and all other promises of the Gospel are to be understood with the condition of faith and repentance which many times are expressed and where they are not they are alwayes to be understood as restraining the promises to the faithfull For whereas Joel saith chap. 2. 30. that whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved our Saviour restraineth it to the righteous Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord that is which calleth upon me shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven and the Apostle Rom. 10. 13 14 to the fâ—…ithfull But how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed And whereas our Saviour saith That whatsoever ye shall ask in my name the Father will grant it John 16. 23. that also is restrained in the 1. epistle of John 3. 22. to the righteous Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight And so our Saviour John 17. 7. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you As for the wicked the Lord denieth to heare them though they cry loud in his eares and make many prayers unto him Isa. 1. 15. When ye spread forth your hands saith the Lord to the impenitent Jews I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not heare whom not withstanding upon their repentance he promiseth to heare and to receive into favour v. 16 17 18. So in Ezek. 8. 18. Though they cry in mine eares with a loud voice yet will I not heare them Psal. 18. 41. Micah 3. 4. They shall cry unto the Lord but he will not heare them he will even hide his face from them for their wickednesse Jer. 14. 12. When they fast I will not heare their cry Neither doth he onely refuse to heare them but the godly also praying for them 1. Sam. 16. 1. Jer. 15. 1. Ezek. 14. 14 20. and therefore forbiddeth many times the godly to pray in their behalf Jer. 14. 11. or if they do he protesteth that he will not heare them Jer. 7. 16. and 11. 14. When as therefore impenitent sinners do call upon God and are not heard let them not think that the Lord is not able to heare or help them Behold saith the Prophet Isaiah chap. 59. 1. the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor his eare heâ—…vy that he cannot heare but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare And then he descendeth to particulars For this mercy of hearing our prayers is not onely denied unto ungodlinesse in generall but also to particular sinnes as contrariwise it is promised to particular graces which being linked together in a golden chain are each of them severall evidences of a true faith As first to Cruelty Oppression Isa. 1. 15. Though ye make many prayers I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud And not to cruelty onely but also to Unmercifulnes Want of pitie towards the poore For he that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore shall cry himself and not be heard
Pro. 21. 13. Whereas contrariwise those that be mercifull shall find mercy with God Matth. 5. 7. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he will say Here I am Isa. 58. 9. If we love not in word and tongue alone but in deed and truth hereby we may have confidence before God 1. John 3. 18 19. Secondly to Want of love in forgiving offenses and contrariwise Mark 11. 25. When ye stand praying forgive if ye have ought against any that your Father also which is in heavâ—…n may forgive you your trespasses But if â—…e do not forgive 〈◊〉 will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses Thirdly to the Not-hearing or hearkening to the word of God For as we heare so we shall be heâ—…rd Prov. 28. 9. He that turneth 〈◊〉 his care from 〈◊〉 the law his prayer shall be abominable For as we speak unto the Lord in prayer so the Lord speaketh unto us in the preaching of the word and therefore good reason it is that if we will not heare the Lord when he speaketh unto us he should not heare us when we speak unto him as the Prophet Zacharie saith chap. 7. 13. It is come to passe that as he cried and they would not heare so they cryed and I would not heare saith the Lord. On the other side If the word of Christ abide in us we may ask what we will and it shall be granted us John 15. 7. If men harden their hearts against the word of God the wisdome of God hath threatned not to heare them Prov. 1. 24. He covereth himself with a cloud that our prayer should not passe through Lam. 3. 44. But if men humble themselves before God and tremble at his word being of humble and contrite hearts the Lord hath promised to heare Psal. 66. 2. and 34. 18. and 51. 17. The prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds Ecclus 35. 17. If men choose not the fear of the Lord the Lord will not heare them Prov. 1. 28 29. on the other side He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him he will also heare their cry anâ—… will save them Psal. 145. 19. Neither doth the Lord refuse to heare those alone who are open and notorious sinners but those also which making outward profession of pietie do play the hypocrites Job 27. 9. Will God heare the cry of the hypâ—…crite when trouble cometh upon him To which purpose there is a notable saying of David Psal. 66. 18. If I regard wickednesse in my heart saith he the Lord will not heâ—…re mâ—… Whereas contrariwise if men would walk uprightly before God he would deniâ—… uâ—…to them nothing that is good Psal. 84. 11. Wherefore it behoveth every one that nameth the name of Christ to depart from iniquitie 2. Tim. 2. 19. and to purge his hands from sinne Jam 4. 8. and to wash them in innocencie Psal. 26. that so he may without doubting lift up holy hands unto the Lord 1. Tim. 2. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 2. 22. Heb. 10. 22. with true hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Mala conscientia januam nobis claudit An evil conscience shutteth the gate against us Calv. Institut 3. 20. 7. § But against this doctrine it may be objected That the Lord many times heareth the wicked when they call upon him and therefore that the promises made to prayer are not peculiar to the godly but common to them with the wicked For answer hereunto we are to remember That prayers are made unto God either for spirituall blessings belonging to a better life or for temporall blessings apperteining to this corporall life The former are peculiar to the children of God as belonging to their inheritance and are never bestowed on the wicked who never have so much grace as truly to desire them and therefore if they do at any time ask them they do pray in hypocrisie asking with their lips that which they do not desire with their hearts nor labour for in their lives As for temporall benefits I cannot deny but that the Lord many times in respect of them doth grant unto the wicked their hearts desire But yet even in these also there is great difference betwixt the Lord his hearing of the godly and the wicked For in temporall matters the Lord heareth men either as a gracious and loving Father or as a mercifull Creatour or as a severe Judge 1. In speciall favour as a gracious Father in Christ he heareth his faithfull children ever subordinating their good to his own glory not alwayes satisfying their carnall or worldly desires but alwayes granting their requests as shall be most for his glory and their spirituall and everlasting good under which conditions our prayers for temporall blessings ought alwayes to be framed and being so conceived they are ever granted 2. As a mercifull Creatour the Lord heareth men crying unto him in their extremity And thus he heareth all sorts of men but especially the godly for he is the saviour that is the preserver of all men but chiefly of the faithfull 1. Tim. 4. 10. The godly have a promise of deliverance when they call upon God Psal. 50. 14 15. and 145. 19. and 91. 15. and 34. 17 19. So have not the wicked Psal. 51. 16. and 18. 41. Yea in many places as ye have heard he threatneth that when they cry unto him in their trouble he will not heare them The affliction and deliverance of the godly do both turn to their singular good Rom. 8. 28. and being delivered they glorifie God consulting with themselves what to render unto the Lord for his benefits and tâ—…king the cup of salvation that is of thanksgiving for their salvation and deliverance Psal. 116. 12 13. The wicked not being bettered by their affliction are many times delivered according to their desire the Lord giving them over as incorrigible Isa. 1. 5. Jer. 2. 30. and when they are delivered they seek not to glorifie God nor repent of their sinnes but return to their vomit making shew of repentance no longer then the hand of God is upon them And so both their affliction and deliverance through their own default turneth to their ruine Notwithstanding deliverance out of affliction when men cry unto God is a common benefit the Lord hearing and delivering men of all sorts as a mercifull Creatour and Preserver as is testified Psal. 107. where it is often repeated that divers sorts of men when thâ—…y cry unto the Lord in their trouble he doth deliver them out of their distresse But because many are unthankfull the holy Ghost doth as oft repeat this exclamation O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders which he doth for the sonnes of men For though the Lord doth hate the wicked in respect of their sinnes and therefore many times doth refuse to heare and to deliver them yet he loveth them as his creatures and
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both is Service But that service which is due to men according to which the Apostle commandeth servants to be subject to their masters in the Greek it is used to be called by another name to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that service which belongeth to the worship of God is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But when under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they would cloke religious service performed to creatures they are intolerable For between religious service and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no difference and both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are alike in the Scriptures ascribed to God both of them used as the translation of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. 23. 33. SI SERVIERIS DIIS EORUM Hîc Graecus saith S. Augustine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habet non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unde intelligitur quia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 debetur Deo tanquam Domino 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verò non nisi Deo tanquam Deo IF THOU SERVEST THEIR GODS Here the Greek hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence it is understood that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is due to God as unto our Lord but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to none but God as God Lodovicus Vives in August De civit Dei lib. 10. cap. 1. saith Valla docet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idem esse utrumque significare Servitutem Suidas ait 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 servitus mercenaria Lev. 23. 7. opus servile dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 18. 21. Desemine tuo non dabis servire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juxta Septuaginta Valla saith â—…e teacheth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the same and that both do signifie Service And Suidas saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is service for a reward or mercenarie service Lev. 23. 7. a servile work is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and chap. 18. 21. Thou shalâ—… not give any of thy seed to serve the prince or the idole Molech which service the Septuagint expresseth by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 8. 3. But if a difference between these words is to be urged it will be found that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the greater and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lesse the former being derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a bond slave the latter of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which siâ—…nifieth an hired 〈◊〉 For Suidas telleth us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is service for a reward And so by this distinction they shall gain thus much That they give the greater to the creatures and reserve the lesse for God Neither can this distinction be applyed to either of these places alledged 1. Sam. 7. 3. Matth. 4. 10. in both which the vulgar Latine hath servire in the former eique soli servite and serve ye him alone where the Greek also hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the latter eique soli servies and thou shalt serve him alone Secondly he that is to be called upon is to be believed in Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed God alone and none but God is to be believed in Psal. 73. 25. whom have I in heaven but thee According to the Creed the object of our faith is God and the Church but with this difference that we believe in God but as touching the Church we do not say that we believe in it for the Church is not God but domus Dei as Augustine hath observed but onely that we believe the holy catholick Church Now if we are not to believe in the Church much lesse in the members thereof whether they be of the Church militant or triumphant Thirdly no part of Gods glory is to be communicated to any thing else Isa. 42. 8. My glorie will I not give to another To be a hearer and granter of our requests is a great part of Gods glory Psal. 65. 3. O thou that hearest the prayer to thee shall all flesh come and in the conclusion of the Lords prayer thine is the glory namely of hearing and granting our prayers And therefore this glory is not to be communicated to any other and consequently no other is to be called upon Fourthly the commandment of Christ is broken if in prayer we call upon any to whom we may not say Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdome come c. For thine is the kingdome c. When ye pray say Our Father Luke 11. 2. But without horrible blasphemie we cannot use this form of words to any but onely to God therefore if we call upon any other we break the commandment of Christ. If the Papists alledge that in their prayers they usually do say their Pater noster I confesse they do but in so doing they commit blasphemous idolatry saying this prayer to the Rood or to the Crosse which they worship cultu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saying with the old idolaters to a piece of wood Pater meus Thou art my father and before the images not onely of men but also of women departed Fifthly all acceptable prayers are made in faith that they are accepted and in hope that they shall be granted For without faith it is impossible to please God and what is not of faith is sinne and prayer which is made without hope is in vain But those prayers that are made to God and they onely are made in faith and hope In faith because God hath commanded us to call upon him and hath promised to heare us In hope because God to whom we pray is omnipresent and therefore is acquainted with our wants and secret desires Psal. 38. he is omnipotent and therefore able to do for us exceedingly above all that we can ask or think Ephes. 3. 20. and for his bounty and goodnesse more ready to heare and to grant then we are to ask Isa. 65. 24. On the other side prayers made to creatures are made neither in faith For there is no warrant in the Scripture for such a prayer no doctrine which teacheth it no precept that injoyneth it no promise to confirm it no example to commend it And this is confessed by Eckius viz. That neither it is warranted or taught in the Old Testament because the people were prone to idolatry and the fathers deceased were in Limbo nor in the New lest the Gentiles should return to their old idolatry and lest the Apostles should seem to direct Christians to invocate them after their decease And therefore by their own confession no testimonie of Scripture can be alledged to this purpose Neither can such prayer be made in hope because none but God is either omniscient or omnipresent to know the wants or
either expressed or understood Gen. 24. 12 c. Psal. 102. 2. Now as I said we do by prayer effectually crave that which we do well that is lawfully and profitably desire at the hands of God Lawfully when we desire that which is good and to a good end For if it be not good which we desire then is our desire unlawfull and we sinne in going about to make God the authour of sinne God hath promised to give good things to them that ask Matth. 7. 11. But if they be not good they are not within the compasse of Gods promise nor ought to come within the compasse of our desire If not to a good end our desire is not lawfull nor our prayer acceptable Jam. 4. 3. Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amisse that ye may consume it upon your lusts But as the thing must be good in it self so also it must be good unto us that is expedient and profitable for God as a most wise Father doth not alwayes grant his children their desires for many times they ask that which would be hurâ—…full for we know not what to ask as we ought Rom. 8. 26. But he heareth them alwayes though not ad voluntatem to their will yet ad utilitatem to their profit And therefore when he seemeth not to satisfie our particular desire he graciously heareth our prayer if it be rightly conceived Foâ—… we ought all to be of that mind which some of the heathen expressed in their prayer mentioned in Plato and in the Greek Epigramme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good things great Jove pray or pray not impart To us but bad though crav'd from us avert CHAP. XXIX Of duties to be performed after prayer ANd these are the duties to be performed in the action of prayer Out of the action before is required preparation wherein we are to meditate of such things as may help and further us for the exercise of such duties as are required in the action which I have already noted in the particulars After our prayer is ended we must quietly rest in the good will and pleasure of God not doubting but the Lord as he hath heard our prayers so in his good time will grant the same as shall be most for his glory and our good And this is the meaning of the word Amen where with our Saviour hath taught us as it were to seal up our prayers for thereby as we signifie the consent of our desire so also the assent of faith This was Davids disposition Psal. 3. 4 5. I did call unto the Lord with my voice there is his prayer and he heard me out of his mountain there is his assurance that he was heard I laid me down and slept there is his quiet and secure resting in the good will and protection of God who did sustein him So Psal. 4. 6 7 8. Psal. 5. 3. In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee speculabor and I will look and wait untill thou shalt grant my desire And such also was the disposition of Hannah after she had prayed 1. Sam. 1. 18. Secondly as we crave good things at the hands of God so we our selves must endeavour to attein unto them by all good means possible For otherwise our prayer is a tempting of God as if we would have our desire granted as it were by miracle and a fruit of no faith or unfeigned desire of the thing asked For if we did truly believe and unfeignedly desire the thing which we ask we would leave no good means unattempted for the obteining thereof As for example when I pray for faith or any other spirituall grace I must besides my prayer use all the good means carefully which the Lord hath ordained for the begetting and increasing of those graces in us as the hearing of the word preached receiving the Sacrament reading and meditating in the word c. To this purpose there are many worthy sayings of the heathen as of Aeschylus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God delighteth to be present with him that laboureth and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When as any man useth his indeavour God also putteth to his hand and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Manum admoventi invocanda sunt Numina Divine powers are to be invocated by him that putteth to his own hand To which purpose is that proverb of Varro Dii facientes adjuvant God assisteth labourers Adag 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thirdly if having prayed and used other means we do not obtein our desires let us before we go any further labour to find out the cause If the fault be in our prayer because we did ask amisse Jam. 4. 3. as that we did not pray in faith or in fervency c. we must endeavour by the assistance of Gods spiriâ—… which we are to crave to amend that fault If the fault be in our selves as that we lie in some sinne not repented of we must by repentance wash our selves and then renew our prayers unto God Isai. 1. 16 18. It may be we neither so greatly desire the thing which we ask while we want it neither would so highly esteem it when we have it as it deserveth and therefore the Lord deferreth the granting of our suit that our desire being deferred might be more fervent and the thing so hardly obteined might both the more highly be esteemed and the more carefully kept So Augustine Deus differt nostra postulata ut discamus grandia grandâ—…ter desider are God deferreth to grant our requests that we may learn to desire greatly great things Fourthly having used the means and endeavoured to remove the impediments we are to persist and persevere in prayer without fainting To which purpose our Saviour propounded the parable of the widow and the judge Luke 18. 1. giving us to understand that those things which we do not obtein at the first by reason of our perseverance and importunitie shall be granted To which purpose also serveth the parable of the two friends Luke 11. 8. To this perseverance we are often stirred up both by precept Rom. 12. 12. and practice as of Hannah 1. Sam. 1. 12. of David Psal. 109. 4. who gave himself to prayer of Daniel when he was forbidden under pain of death to call upon God Dan. 6. of Bartimeus the blind man who calling upon Christ and being therefore rebuked of the people did so much the more cry after him Mark 10. 46 48. of the woman of Syrophenicia who having received divers repulses yet by her importunity obteined her desire Matth. 15. 22. of the Primitive Church Acts 2. 42. and 12. 5. of Cornelius Acts 10. of Paul who prayed without ceasing Fifthly as we are to persist with a kind of importunitie in our prayers so are we with patience to expect the Lords leisure Psal. 40. 1. and 130 5 7. and not to be hasty according to that Isai. 28. 16. Qui crediderit nè festinet Let not him that
of God in the Scriptures have denounced against the wicked wishing the ruine and destruction of their persons we are to hold that howsoever they were warrantable in them yet not imitable of us They by the spirit of God were inlightened certainly to know discern those against whom they make such imprecations to have been the desperate enemies of God appointed to destruction Secondly they were moved not with private hatred but with a pure zeal of Gods glory to which the love of our neighbour must give place desiring that God might be glorified in the confusion of his obstinate enemies But as for us who neither have the like certainty of knowledge nor the like purity of zeal our safest course is altogether to abstein from imprecations directed against the persons of men knowing that when curses do proceed from private hatred and malice they are most horrible profanations of the name of God whereby malicious men go about to make God the executioner of their malice and therefore we are charged not to curse but to blesse 1. Pet. 3. 9. even those that curse or persecute us Rom. 12. 14. Matth. 5. 44. Cursed therefore are they which use cursing Psal. 109. 17. especially if they curse any of the heirs of the promise to whom God hath made this promise Blessed be he that blesseth thee and cursed be he that curseth thee Gen. 12. 3. and 27. 29. CHAP. XXXIII Of the reall object of prayer or the things to be prayed for THe object reall or the thing which we do ask is either undetermined and not particularly expressed or else it is determined and expressed in particular The former when in generall or in indefinite terms we desire the Lord to heare us Psal. 4. 1. Heare me when I call have mercy upon me and heare my prayer Psal. 5. 1 2. and 28. 1 2. and 54. 2. and 55. 1 2. and 61. 1. and 86. 1. and 88. 2. and 102. 1 2. and 130. 1 2. and 141. 1 2. and 143. 1. The object determined is either the glory of God or our own good The advancement of Gods glory is to be asked both absolutely and first Absolutely I say without any condition or respect of our own good which we must subordinate to the glory of God and not the glory of God to it If therefore the glory of God and our own good come in comparison or in question whether should give place we ought to preferre the glory of God before our own salvation Example Exod. 32. 32. Rom. 9. 3. For the glory of God is the chief end and our good is no otherwise to be desired then it is referred thereunto But as we are to ask it absolutely so also first First both in order as our Saviour hath taught us this being the first petition of the Lords prayer and first in degree that is chiefly because the end is alwayes better and more excâ—…llent then those things which are referred to the end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The things which we crave for our selves under which word I comprehend all men is either the bestowing continuing and increasing of some good or else deliverance or preservation from evil In which regard prayer is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precatio boni prayer for good or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deprecatio mali deprecation of evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is the desiring of good concerning holy things made unto God saith Basil. Phil. 4. 6. 1. Tim. 2. 1. It was said before that the matter or object of our prayer must be good how then can prayer admit a distinction in respect of good and evil The avoiding or taking away of evil is good Amotio mali habet rationem boni Removing of evil hath the reason of good And as the Oratour saith Bellum est cavere malum It is a good thing to shun evil And hereupon the benefits of God are distinguished into positive which are reall benefits and privative which is deliverance or preservation from evil The good things which we crave for our selves belong either to the obteining of a better life or for the mainteining of this life the former are commonly called spirituall blessings and the latter temporall The spirituall blessings I mean so many as are necessary to salvation we are to ask absolutely because such spirituall blessings are absolutely subordinated to Gods glory and mans salvation And secondly among those things which we crave for our selves they are first to be desired and sought Matth. 6. 33. And that order our Saviour observeth in the Lords prayer teaching us after the glory of God in the next place to seek our own chiefest good For by the kingdome of God we are to understand both the kingdome of glory and the kingdome of grace The kingdome of glory cometh to us in our glorification the kingdome of grace in our vocation whereby we are brought out of the kingdome of Satan into Gods kingdome and secondly in our justification whereby we are both indued with the priviledges of his kingdome which are the righteousnesse of God imputed peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. and also intituled unto the kingdome of heaven And by doing the will of God on earth as it is done in heaven is meant the righteousnes of God so farre as it is by us to be performed or the righteousnesse of sanctification which is both the cognizance of all true subjects of the kingdome of grace and the proper note of all the heirs of the kingdome of glory Acts 26. 18. and 20. 32. As touching temporall benefits Some have denied that they are to be asked of God as the Marcionites and Manichees others have doubted concerning the same as Chrysostome and Basil as being unworthy either for us to seek and ask of God or for him to give unto us But our Saviour when he biddeth us first seek the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse implyeth that temporall things are to be sought also in a secondary respect For as Lyra saith Primum relativè dicitur ad secundum Cùm ergò dicit Primò quaerendum significavit quòd hoc posteriùs quaerendum non tempore sed dignitate id est secundariâ quâdam ratione illud tanquam bonum nostrum hoc tanquam necessarium nostrum necessarium autem propter illud bonum FIRST is relatively spoken with reference to a latter And therefore when he saith that we must seek it first he implyeth that this is to be sought afterwards not in respect of time but dignity that is in a secondary respect that as our good this as necessary For whereas it may be objected that temporall benefits are not quaerenda sed adjicienda quaesitis not to be sought but to be added to things sought I answer That God hath promised to adde these things but not to those that tempt God in neglect of prayer and other means but to such as seek them in
Wherein first we are to stirre up our selves to the performance of this duty Psal. 103. 1 2. and 104. 1. Secondly we are to meditate of Gods undeserved bounty towards us our own unworthines Thirdly because of our selves we are unable we are to crave the assistance of Gods Spirit that he opening our lips we may shew forth his praise Psal. 51. 17. After we are to testifie our thankfulnesse First by referring the benefits and gifts received to the glory of God the giver in the good of his Church Secondly in seeking to glorifie God who hath been so gracious unto us by bringing forth the fruits of a godly life John 15. 8. by shunning sinne John 5. 14. and walking in new obedience Thirdly by honouring the Lord with our substance Prov. 3. 9. and acknowledging him to be the chief Lord from whom we do hold all good things by giving unto him the tithes which are his Levit. 27. Debentur Deo c. They are due unto God by vertue of his universall dominion over all and by him assigned before the Law to the first-born which were his Priests as to Melchisedec under the Law to the Leviticall priests under the Gospel to the ministers preachers thereof 1. Cor. 9. 13 14. In which respect he is the portion of Priests Neither are they due to the ceremoniall law onely For the tribe of Levi unto which the ceremoniall law doth tie them in Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec Unthankfull therefore are they to God who is the portion of the Priests who deny to give to God his part The Apostle seemeth to call it a mocking of God Gal. 6. the Prophet Malachi chap. 3. a spoyling of God that is sacriledge Now it remaineth that we should speak of the object and the time 1. Thess. 5. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In all things give thanks c. Ephes. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giving thanks alwayes for all things The object 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all things Ephes. 5. 20. that is to say for all good things For as we are to pray unto God onely for good things Matth. 7. 11. so are we to praise him for good things onely Otherwise we shall by our praying and praysing go about to make God the authour of evil And it is manifest that officium gratias agendi the duty of giving thanks doth presuppose beneficium a benefit for which we are to give thanks It is true indeed that all things as they proceed from God are good and are by him ordered and directed to his glory and the good of his chosen and therefore in all things he is to be praysed God is to be praysed for his attributes and for his works absolutely considered but we are to give him thanks because he is good unto us who are his Church and causeth all things to work for our good We are therefore upon all occasions to give thanks unto God for his benefits either bestowed or promised either common or private either old or new spirituall or temporal either positive or privative positive when he bestoweth a real blessing or good thing upon us privative when he preserveth or delivereth us from any evil or danger whereunto either our own sinhath made us subject or the malice of ourenemies whether spirituall or corporall doth expose us The time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every opportune time 1. Thess. 5. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continually But against this divers things may be objected 1. If we must give thanks alwayes then we must do nothing else Negative commandments do bind semper ad semper alwayes and at all times but the affirmative though they bind us alwayes yet they do not bind us to perform them alwayes That which is forbidden is never to be done that which is commanded is to be done not alwayes but when occasion is offered as every duty hath his time and when there is a concurrence of circumstances requisite The perpetuity therfore that is required in performing duties injoyned in affirmative commandments is to be understood of the whole course of our lives and not of every moment of time that is We are alwayes bound whilest we live to perform the duties at all times when just occasion is offered which being many and divers must have their divers seasons neither can they all be done at once Negative commandments are to be obeyed all at once but affirmative in their duâ—… seasons as just occasion is offered In this sense David saith Psal. 46. 2. While I live I will prayse the Lord I will sing prayses to my God while I have any being Psal. 104. 33. and 145. 1 2. I will extoll thee my God O King and I will blesse thy name for ever and ever that is for ever whilest I live or have a being I will be ready upon all occasions both ordinarily and extraordinarily to prayse thee For the distinction of invocation that it is stata stinted or vaga unstinted is to be applied to this kind We must both set our selves certain times wherein to call upon God praying unto him and praysing him after the example of Daniel chap. 6. 10. and also extraordinarily be ready upon all occasions to return thanks and prayse unto God acknowledging with David that when God bestoweth any new blessing upon us he hath put a new song of thanksgiving into our mouthes and think no time wherein God doth blesse unseasonable to give him thanks And for as much as Gods mercies are renewed upon us every morning Lam. 3. 23. and multiplyed upon us every day Psal. 68. 19. and every night therefore we are with David to prayse him every night and every day Psal. 92. 2. and 145. 2. yea seven times a day Psal. 119. 164. Neither must we think midnight it selfe unseasonable for this purpose Psal. 119. 62. Acts 16. 25. Every morning we are to prayse God for his blessing upon us that night and every night we are to prayse him for his blessing upon us that day Every meal is to begin with prayses and be concluded with thanksgiving every attempt and businesse of importance is to begin with prayer and be ended with thanks Col. 3. 17. Thanks is to be given with joy but we are many times in distresse and consequently in grief The Apostle as he exhorteth us to give thanks alwayes 1. Thess. 5. 18. so also to rejoyce alwayes v. 16. But you must understand this as spoken to the faithfull who rejoyce in God being perswaded of his love towards them For those who have not tasted how good the Lord is nor are perswaded of Gods love towards them they have no peace and much lesse joy Paulus non omnes ad hoc juge gaudium sed tantum sui similes invitare videtur Paul doth not seem to invite all to continuall joy but onely those
May the things which we desire be referred to these petitions then may we boldly ask them Can they not be referred then do we not pray according to Gods will and therefore can have no assurance that we shall be heard Secondly whereas Christ teacheth his disciples to pray herein he giveth an example to be imitated of Ministers sc. that as they teach other things so also to pray John Baptist Luke 11. 1. taught his disciples to pray whereupon Christs disciples desire him in like manner to teach them Wherein also they are to be an example to be imitated of all learners As the Father in the family or the Pastour in the Church ought to teach so the child in the house the hearer in the Church ought to be desirous to learn how to pray Thirdly it sneweth that of our selves we know not how to pray For if we should be left to our own affections and desires we should ask many times those things which would tend to Gods dishonour and our own hurt As appeareth by Socrates who wanting this direction of our Saviour Christ knew not what to ask but groping in darknesse desired in generall terms that those things which are good he would give them whether they asked them or no and would deliver them from evil things although they should ask them Plato in Alcib 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Jupiter King give unto us good things whether we ask or ask them not but put away from us evil things though we pray for them And therefore our Saviour Christ thought it necessary to teach us how to pray Again hence ariseth great comfort to Gods children For whereas the word of God assureth us whatsoever we shall ask according to his will it shall be given us 1. John 5. 14. we may assure our selves that we so pray when we follow Christs direction Neither need we doubt but the Lord acknowledging the voice of his own Sonne as Cyprian saith our prayers shall be acceptable unto him Lastly seeing our Saviour Christ hath commanded us to pray and taught us how we are unexcusable if we neglect this duty One thing further is to be considered in the words as they are set down by Luke When ye pray say Whether speech in prayer be alwayes necessary There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either inward or outward speech and prayer is either vocall or mentall And the Lord heareth the cry of the heart and our secret grones are not hid from him Psal. 38. 10. Howbeit the voyce is to be used so oft as it may conveniently both for the attention of the mind and intension of the affections c. NOw let us come to the Lords Prayer it self In which is lively though summarily set down unto us the practice of that doctrine which heretofore we have learned concerning prayer For as we have been taught that Prayer and Thanksgiving are to be joyned together so here with the Petitions is joyned a Thanksgiving wherein we are taught to ascribe unto the Lord eternall kingdome power and glory which words almost David useth in his solemn thanksgiving 1. Chron. 29. 11. Again whereas we have been taught that unto prayer are required duties before we pray and also in prayer it self both here are prescribed Before we are to use preparation wherein we are to meditate of such things as are fit to stirre up those graces in us which in prayer are to be expressed In prayer two things are to be expressed an hungring and thirsting desire of grace and the speciall assent of faith For the stirring up of both which it is fit to meditate upon the fatherly love and almighty power of God which our Saviour hath taught us to prefix before the prayer it self In prayer two things especially are to be expressed 1. An hungring and thirsting desire of the grace and blessing of God 2. A speciall assent of faith that our request shall be granted Therefore the prayer it self is divided into Petitions and Conclusion the desire being especially expressed in the Petitions the Conclusion conteining 1. a confirmation 2. a testification of our faith in the word Amen Of the Lords prayer therefore there be two parts the Preface and the Prayer it self consisting of Petitions and the Conclusion conteining a Confirmation of our faith joyned with the praysing of God and also a Testification both of our faith and the truth of our desire in the word Amen In expounding the Lords Prayer we will observe this order First we will expound the words and shew the true meaning of thē then we will inferre the uses of Doctrine Confutation Instruction in the duties of prayer and of our lives and lastly of Reproof whereby shall be detected the hypocrisie of worldly men who using these words do not pray in truth Whereas our Saviour doth not abruptly propound the Petitions but prefixeth a solemn Preface we are taught before we call upon God to use some preparation The preface conteineth a description of God to whō we pray taken 1. from his relation to us that he is Our Father 2. from the place wherein his majesty doth especially appear that he is in heaven the former signifying especially his love the other his power Of which two if in our preparation we do duly meditate our desire will be kindled and our faith confirmed considering that he to whom we pray is both able and willing to grant our requests Our Father SOme do expound these words as though they were a rhetoricall proeme which we use to win Gods favour But we use words in our prayer not that God but that we may be moved and affected First we call him Father whereof we are first to seek the meaning and then the use By the name of Father God alone is understood For as our Saviour saith Matth. 23. 9. we must call no man father because we have but one Father who is in heaven Joh. 8. 41. We have one Father which is God A good profession if it had bene uttered with a good conscience Now God is said to be a Father two wayes by Creation and Adoption By creation as Isai. 64. 8. So Adam is said to be the sonne of God Luke 3. 38. and the Angels Job 1. By adoption in Christ Fphes 1. 5. So every believer is born of God 1. John 5. 1. For to so many as believe in Christ God hath given this priviledge to be the sonnes of God John 1. 12. And in this sense is every faithfull man to call God Father But here it may be demanded Whether the whole Trinitie is called upon in the name of Father or the first Person alone The word Father is attributed unto God two wayes either essentially or personally Essentially when he is so called in respect of the creatures 1. Cor. 8. 6. Personally when it hath relation to the other Persons the Sonne and the holy Ghost In this place it hath
no sense of their own misery c. 3. Those that seek not the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse but set themselves to seek their own carnall and worldly desires 4. Those magistrates ministers people that seek not the advancement of Christs kingdome in themselves contemning the word quenching the spirit nor yet in others As for those Magistrates who in stead of cherishing the Church do persecute it in stead of advancing Gods kingdome do deface it erecting superstition and idolatry suppressing vertue advancing vice or those Ministers that deprive the people of the food of their souls and like dry nurses hunger-starve them or those men whosoever that labour to withdraw men from allegeance unto God all those oppose themselves to the kingdome of grace and therefore being enemies in making this prayer do ask their own confusion For our Saviour Christ sheweth himself to be a King as well in subduing his enemies as in preserving his subjects Psal. 110. 1. Psal. 2. 6. 5. Those that follow the temptations of the devil the desires of the world and lusts of the flesh and please themselves in so doing they are not guided by the Spirit of Christ but are enemies to his crosse Phil. 3. 19. and souldiers in Satans camp As therefore we desire the kingdome of grace so let us seek it c. Of the coming of the kingdome of glory which we here desire Thirdly we desire that the kingdome of glory may come that is that the number of the elect being accomplished and all Gods enemies subdued Christ would hasten his coming to judgement to our full redemption and glorification that God may be all in all Here therefore we pray 1. That God would hasten the coming of Christ unto judgement and to that end would accomplish the number of the elect and subdue all his enemies under his feet 2. That this kingdome may come unto us and that it may be possessed of us and to that end would make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light and would free and keep us from all evil unto his own everlasting kingdome 2. Tim. 4. 18. and would by his power through faith preserve us unto everlasting life 1. Pet. 1. 5. Vses 1. Dutie in our lives We must earnestly desire the coming of Christ and believe that it shall come and that to our salvation 2. Wants to be bewailed First the want of faith by reason of the conscience of our manifold sinnes which make a separation between God and us and make the remembrance of the judgement terrible unto us so that we cannot desire the coming of Christ to judgement as we ought Secondly the worldlinesse of our minds in that we are all more or lesse overtaken of the desires thereof and not so wained from the world as becometh pilgrimes on earth so that many of us are so farre from desiring another life that they could be content to live here for ever Thirdly our sinnes must be as an heavie burden unto us that being weary we may earnestly desire to be dissolved and so disburdened of them Rom. 7. 23 24. Phil. 1. 23. Fourthly we must bewail and be weary of the sinnes of the world whereby Gods name is dishonoured his kingdome hindred his will neglected that so we may truly desire that an end may be put to these evil dayes and may say How long Lord holy and true Revel 6. 10. We must believe 1. That Christ will come to judgement and that there will be a kingdome of glory after this life for these two articles of our faith are here presupposed For if we be in the number of those mockers of whom Peter foretold 2. Epistle 3. 4. that believe not this second coming of Christ c. we shall but mock God if we make this petition 2. That Christ will come to our salvation and that we shall be inheritours of that kingdome for we cannot else truly desire his coming c. Duties in our lives I. We must give all diligence to make our calling and election sure For by this means an entring shall be ministred unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of the Lord c. 2. Pet. 1. 10 11. II. If we pray in faith that our request may be granted we must expect Christs second coming And we must expect it with faith fervency patience and vigilancie With faith that is with perswasion assurance that Christ will come to our full redemption For wheÌ„ a man can truly say by faith that our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conversation is in heaven he will also adde with the Apostle from whence we look for a Sâ—…viour Phil. 3. 20. and consequently expect it with chearfulnesse and not with unhappy Felix tremble at the mention of judgement For howsoever it shall be a day of unspeakable terrour to the wicked yet to the godly it shall be a day of singular comfort For then the Lord shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Revel 7. 17. For which cause it is called the time of refreshing Acts 3. 19. And therefore our Saviour Christ Luke 21. 28. biddeth the faithfull to lift up their heads c. because the day of their full redemption both body and soul draweth near Secondly we must expect with earnest desire 1. eternall life 2. the coming of Christ Tit. 2. 13. For how can a man faithfully expect and certainly look for happinesse who doth not also earnestly desire it therefore the Apostle saith that we who have the first-fruits of the Spirit do sigh within our selves expecting the adoption that is the heavenly inheritance whereunto we are adopted and the redemption of our body at the second coming of Christ Rom. 8. 23. Secondly we are with desire to expect the second coming of Christ looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God 2. Pet. 3. 12. But there are many who with Balaam desire salvation but how few that desire the second coming of Christ Yet this is made a note of a true Christian to love and desire it 2. Tim. 4. 8. For as Th. Aquinas saith Qui diligit amicum cum desiderio exspectat eum He that loveth his friend expecteth him with longing desire And also they who believe that Christ is their Saviour they will also desire his coming And as the creature earnestly waiteth for that time which Acts 3. 21. is called the time of the restitution of all things which now are subject to vanity Rom. 8. 20. for then the heaven earth shall be renewed 2. Pet. 3. 13. so we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit sigh within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our bodies Rom. 8. 23. Then is the time of Christs marriage with his Church and of our conformation with him in glory 1. John 3. 2. For when he shall appear we shall be like unto him If then the second coming of Christ shall be a day of refreshing of
venite ad judicium Arise ye dead and come unto judgement VI. We must live as having our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conversation in heaven from whence we look for a Saviour minding heavenly things and not being addicted to the world or the desires thereof but living as pilgrimes on the earth c. The hypocrisie of men is here detected who either 1. make this prayer having not this desire or 2. live as if they were out of hope as all those do that go on in their sinnes without remorse for how can he truly hope for the end that â—…areth not for the means Doth not the holy Ghost say That without holinesse we shall never see God Heb. 12. 14. That without regeneration we shall never enter into the kingdome of heaven John 3. 3 5. Therefore we cannot hope that Christ his coming will be to our everlasting salvation if we continue in our sinnes neither can we truly and earnestly desire his coming except we have that hope neither can we truly make this prayer except we have this unfeigned desire 3. Those that are wedded to the world and are so farre from desiring the hastening of Christs coming that they do not onely desire to live here alwayes but also so behave themselves as if they meant alwayes to abide here placing their paradise upon the earth and not caring for the kingdome of heaven The third Petition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The order THis petition is a consequent of the former For then doth God reigne in the hearts of men when they subject and submit themselves to his will Therefore as in the former petition we desired that the Lord would reigne in us so here we pray that we may shew our selves to be his subjects by performâ—…g his will For these two are relatives if he our 〈◊〉 then we his subjects And therefore hereby we 〈◊〉 discern whether the Lord doth reigne in us if we havâ—… a true desire and endeavour to do his will And theâ—…fore our Saviour Christ Matth. 6. 33. as he doth â—…id us to seek first and principally the kingdome of God so also his righteousnessâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will signifieth three things either 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which willeth or 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the willing or 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing willed 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which willeth in the creatures is the faculty of the mind whereby it willeth But in God whose nature is most simple and in whom there is nothing which is not himself it is his essence In this sense Voluntas Dei est essentia Dei volens the will of God is the essence of God willing 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the willing in the creatures is the act or function of willing proceeding from the faâ—…ulty But in the Lord both the act of willing and the faculty whereby he willeth is his essence Therefore as his essence is one and eternall so his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his willing is one and eternall and without succession And therefore whatsoever God hath willed doth or shall will that he willeth with one and the same everlasting act of willing For as uno actu intelligendi unóque intuitu omnia intelligit so also uno actu volendi omnia vult quae vult for as with one act of understanding and one view he understandeth all things so with one act of willing he willeth all that he willeth Out of which appeareth the unchangeablenesse of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his willing For whereas in ours there is a change when either we will that which before we did not or leave to will that which before we desired God by one eternall act of willing willeth all things and therefore neither beginneth to will that which before he did not nor leaveth to will that which once he willed The consideration whereof ought to be 1. A stay and comfort to Gods children in any distresse seeing there doth nothing happen unto them which the Lord hath not willed from everlasting and that for his glory and their good 2. An argument of thanksgiving unto the Lord who before we were willed so well unto us 3. A confirmation of faith in his promises because whom he loveth he loveth to the end neither is he as man that he should repent For howsoever repentance be sometime ascribed unto him yet this and the like passions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are spoken after the manner of men but must be understood according to the majesty of God And as sometimes repentance is affirmed of God so also many times it is denied Where it is denied it is to be ascribed to the immutability of his will where it is affirmed efficaciae actionis to the efficacy of his action 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing willed which oftentimes in the Scripture is called his will John 6. 39 40. 1. Thess. 4. 3. And in this sense the testament is called the will of the testatour The thing that God willeth properly and per se is good howsoever unproperly by accident he willeth that which is evil non quidem facere sed fieri not to do it but to permit it to be done as it is referred to good ends viz. his glory and our good Bonum est esse malum It is good there should be evil that both the glory of Gods mercy in saving us and of his justice in punishing our sinnes in Christ might appear But properly the Lord willeth not it but the end as when a man is content that some part of his body should be seared he doth not properly desire the searing of the part but the health of his body The things willed are either God himself and those things which pertein to himself as his glory c. or the creatures and such things as belong unto them Himself he willeth most properly for if bonum cognitum known good be the proper object of will then primum supremum bonum the first and supreme good which is himself is most properly the object thereof His creatures he willeth and such things as concern them as means referred to this end Rom. 11. 36. Prov. 16. 4. Himself he willeth by absolute necessity not indeed of constraint but of nature for most willingly he willeth His creatures he willeth most freely having liberty either to will them or to nill them Howbeit things willed come to passe by necessity not absolute but ex hypothesi voluntatis Divinae on the condition of Gods will Now God willeth the means not thereby to perfect the end which is himself or to purchase any good to himself for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most perfect and doth not stand in need of any of his creatures Psal. 16. 2. but he willeth them propter se communicandum that they by the communication of himself unto them may be perfected Omnia ordinantur in finem ut à sine
halves 7. Constantly till the Lord bid them cease 8. Faithfully doing all to Gods glory assuming no glory to themselves Revel 19. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As here signifieth not equality but similitude as 1. John 3. 3. For if we should understand it of equality we should pray for an impossibility Eccles 7. 20. No man on the earth doth good and sinneth not True it is indeed that we should contend and aspire towards angelicall perfection although whilest we are on the earth we cannot attein thereunto In this petition therefore we pray that we may perform the will of God on earth after an heavenly and angelicall manner Of this obedience there are two degrees the matter and manner First we will speak of the obedience it self and then of the manner Of the matter of obedience As touching the former Whereas our Saviour teacheth us thus to pray it is evident that of our selves we are not able to do his will and therefore the doctrine of Freewill is here refuted Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both to will and to do of his good pleasure Vt voluntatem Dei faciamus facit hoc ipse Deus in nobis God himself doeth this in us that we do the will of God Wants to be bewailed The defects therefore which we are to bewail are these 1. Our inability through our own default to perform obedience to the will of God 2. Our pronenesse to sinne and to transgresse the will of God being stirred thereunto by every occasion By our corrupt nature we are as apt to sinne as a bird to flie 3. The frowardnesse of our wills rebelling against the will of God Rom. 7. 23. and our preposterous affections the law in the members 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The carnall mind is enmitie against God Rom. 8. 7. 4. The disobedience also of others must wring tears from us Psal. 119. 136. 5. Our impatience in troubles 2. In respect of the matter wants to be bewailed In respect of the matter we are to bewail our imperfect obedience our righteousnesse being like a polluted cloth Velle praestò est sed perficere bonum non invenio To will is present but I find not how to perform that which is good Rom. 7. 18. Our best actions if God should enter into judgement with us are not justifiable The Graces which we ask We ask 1. in respect of obedience it self That the Lord would vouchsafe us this grace to deny our selves our own wills and affections which are opposite to his will Matth. 16. 24. 2. That we may labour in all things to perform simple obedience to the Lord Heb. 13. 21. more especially That he would convert us and we shall be converted Ezek. 33. 11. 3. That he would bring us to the knowledge of his truth 1. Tim. 2. 4. 4. That he would give us faith which is the gift of God 1. John 3. 23. 5. That he would make us thankfull 1. Thess. 5. 18. 6. That he would sanctifie us 1. Thess. 4. 3. 7. That he would arm us with patience that in all aâ—…lictions we may say with Christ Not my will O Father but thine be done Matth. 26. 39 42. 8. That we may not be in subjection to sinne and Satan and carried away captive to the obedience of his will 2. Tim. 2 26. but that he would renew stablish and gâ—…ide us by his free spirit that we may will and do those things which are acceptable in his sight 9. That we may not be carried away with the world or conformed thereunto but transformed by the renewing of our minds and that we may prove what is the good will of God acceptable and perfect And â—…o That we may give up our selves a lively holy and acceptable sacrifice unto God that is our reasonable service of him Rom. 12. 1 2. 2. Of the manner of our obedience As touching the manner We are here taught that we are not to rest in opere operato in the deed done but that we are to be carefull as of the matter so also of the manner It is not sufficient that we do the will of God unlesse we do it after a spirituall manner 2. Chron. 25. 2. Many think if they heare it is sufficient and care not how but Christ saith Luke 8. 18. Take heed how ye heare Therefore we must pray That we may do the will of God as the angels do it in heaven with knowledge faithfulnesse sincerity uprightnesse with willingnesse alacrity chearfulnesse readily speedily fully constantly doing all to the glory of God And whereas he hath appointed us to salvation that we may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like the angels Matth. 22. 30. that it may please him to begin our conformity with the angels in this life These wants then we are to bewail and these graces we are to crave in this petition Duties in prayer Further we are in these words taught to perform these duties in prayer 1. That we pray according to Gods will 1. John 5. 14. asking such things onely as he hath promised to grant Otherwise in this petition we pray against our own desires namely that not our will but the will of God may be performed 2. That in our prayers especially for temporall matters we do humbly and willingly submit our selves to his will and wholly resigne over our selves to his good pleasure saying with our Saviour Christ Not my will c. because we ought to be assured that as for his wisdome he knoweth what is best for us so also for his fatherly love he is most ready to grant good things unto us Matth. 7. 11. Rom. 8. 32. and therefore if he deny our requests that the deniall is better then the grant And we are to remember that here we pray not that God would alter his will according to ours but contrariwise that our will may be conformable unto his Duties in our lives As we pray that we may do Gods will on earth as the angels do it in heaven so must we have a true desire an unfeigned care and an upright endeavour in our selves to perform holy obedience to Gods will Otherwise how can we perswade our selves that we pray in truth being not willing to obtein that which we our selves do ask Duties respecting the matter And therefore as it is the duty of every one to make this prayer so none of us ought to think our selves exempted from doing the will of God Neither may we think it sufficient in words to professe God and in prayer to crave good things of him unlesse we be carefull in our lives to do his will Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. Matth. 7. 21. yea those that make a profession of religion and obedience as though they would perform obedience to Gods will and yet do it not are many times further from salvation then open sinners as appeareth by the parable of the two
sonnes and the application thereof Matth. 21. 28 29 30. Neither may we think that we shall obtein our prayers unlesse we be desirous to perform Gods will For if we will not do his will why should we think that he will do ours Prov. 28. 9. John 9. 31. We know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth If we ask any thing saith S. John 1. Epist. 3. 22. we receive it from him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are acceptable in his sight If therefore we be desirous and carefull to obey Gods will we need not doubt having these testimonies of a true faith but that both we and our prayers are acceptable unto God For our selves our Saviour affirmeth that those be his brothers and sisters that do the will of his Father that is in heaven Matth. 12. 50. And the holy Ghost giveth this testimony unto David that he was a man according to Gods own heart who would do all his will Acts 13. 22. And elsewhere the Scriptures ascribe blessednesse to those that do the will of God Luke 11. 28. For our prayers John 15. 7. Psal. 34. 15 17. And as we are to do the will of God in generall so more especially those branches of his will which after a more speciall manner are called his will His will is if we would be saved we should come to the knowledge of his truth and not live in ignorance 1. Tim. 2. 4. that we should turn unto him and not go on in our sinnes Ezek. 33. 11. that we should believe in Christ 1. John 3. 23. that we should be sanctified dying unto sinne and living unto righteousnesse 1. Thess. 4. 3. Mich 6. 8. 1. Pet. 2. 15. that we should be patient in troubles and thankfull unto him in all things 1. Thess. 5. 18. And as we are to do the will of God so must we deny our own wills and renounce the desires of the world Duties respecting the manner And as touching the manner We are not to rest in opere operato in the deed done but as we pray that we may do the will of God on earth as the angels do it in heaven so must we endevour to imitate their manner of obedience And albeit we cannot attein to that full perfection which is in them yet we are to strive towards it and therefore we are not to content our selves with that smal measure whereunto we have atteined but still we are to labour that we may grow up in grace seeing whilest we live here we are in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and growing age But let us come unto particulars 1. The Angels do the will of God in knowledge and so must we or else all our worship of God is but will-worship and all our religion but superstition Knowledge is the stern without which we rove and wander like a ship wanting a stern it is the light without which we walk in darknesse not knowing whither we go Without knowledge we have no faith and without faith it is impossible to please God And therefore miserable is our estate if we please our selves in ignorance 2. The Angels do the will of God sincerely uprightly labouring alwayes to approve their obedience to the Lord so must we obey the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not with eye-service as men-pleasers but from our soul and heart Ephes. 6. 6. Rom. 6. 17. in singlenesse and uprightnesse of heart labouring to approve not onely our outward actions but also our inward affections and cogitations to the Lord knowing that he looketh not as man looketh but he especially respecteth the heart and according to the disposition of the heart esteemeth of men Without this uprightnesse all our obedience is but hypocrisie and all the graces which we seem to have but glorious sinnes c. 3. The Angels do the will of God willingly and chearfully their whole delight being to do Gods will so must we worship the Lord with upright hearts and willing minds 1. Chron. 28. 9. knowing that forced obedience proceeding onely from servile fear as it is violent so it is but momentany and therefore but counterfeit But we must worship the Lord in faith love and hope and consequently with chearfulnesse willingnesse and delight for when the love of God is shed abroad in mens hearts by the holy Ghost men have assurance that their obedience and service is acceptable unto God and so they are encouraged in all chearfulnesse to offer their obedience as a free-will-offering to the Lord. First To whom much is forgiven they love much Luke 7. 47. and secondly those that have true love to them the commandments of God are not grievous 1. John 5. 3. the yoke of Christ is light Nihil difficile amanti Nothing is hard to a lover To Jacob his seven yeares troublesome service seemed to be short and pleasant Gen. 29. 20. If therefore we truly love God we will take delight to do his will And thirdly if we have assured hope of salvation by Christ and live in expectation of happinesse we shall contemne all the difficulties of this life as not worthy the glory that shall be revealed and joyfully proceed in our way to life because of the joy that is sâ—…t before us Let us therefore hold fast by this anchor for if we leave this hold we shall eftsoon fall away into worldlinesse whither the surges of worldly desires carry us And in this behalf as we are to imitate the example of the Angels so also of Jesus Christ whose meat it was to do his Fathers will John 4. 34. and therein also was his delight Psal. 40. 8. Facere voluntatem tuam Deus mi delector O my God I delight to do thy will Psal. 122. 1. Isai. 54. 13. 4. The holy Angels do the will of God readily speedily so ought we without delay put in execution the coÌ„mandments of God behaving our selves towards our heavenly Master as the Centurions servants to their master Matth. 8. 9. Doth the Lord call thee thou must answer with David the type of Christ Ecce venio Behold I come Psal. 40. 7. Doth the Lord bid thee seek his face answer with that heavenly echo of the Psalmist Psal. 27. 8. Thy face Lord will I seek It is the will of God that thou shouldst turn unto him break off without delay the course of thy sinne and turn unto the Lord. Knock at the doore of thy heart Open thine immortall gate that the King of glory may come in Doth he call thee to repentance to day If yee will heare his voyce harden not your hearts Deferre not repentance but to day before to morrow repent Seek the Lord whilest he may be found and call upon him whilest he is near Isai. 55. 6. Doth he call us to triall and affliction let us take up our crosse and
unto others as occasion shall be offered These wants we are taught to bewail and in the sense of them we are taught fervently to ask in this petition those gifts and graces The second common duty is That we ask these blessings in faith And this faith is twofold 1. generall whereby we are to be perswaded that these blessings do not happen by chance nor are purchased by mens industry and means but that they are the gifts of God and that he both can and will bestow these blessings upon his children as is most expedient for them Heb. 11. 6. 2. But especially there is a speciall faith required whereby we are in particular to be perswaded and assured that the Lord will grant unto us our particular request yea and in that form which we make it if we make it as we ought viz. That God would grant outward and temporall blessings so far forth as they stand with Gods glory and our good And this condition If it may stand with thy glory O Lord and our eternall good is in all petitions for temporall blessings either to be expressed or to be understood and according to it doth the Lord heare our prayers granting either that which we do desire or that which is better c. Duties to be performed in our lives Duties to be performed in our lives if we would make this prayer uprightly and in truth are I. To have a true desire and care to get our goods by good and lawfull means because we ask our bread and that to be given us of God and therefore that every man walk dâ—…ligently in a lawfull calling that he may eat the labour of his own hands and working with quietnesse that which is good may â—…t his own bread 2. Thess. 3. 10 12. Ephes. 4. 28. II. And to this end every one of us must endevour to be indued with these vertues which are the inward duties of the eighth commandment The 1. is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the not setting our hearts and affections upon the things of this life so that neither inordinately nor immoderately we desire or seek more then is expâ—…dient and necessary for us This our Saviour teacheth us when he directeth us to ask for bread that bread which is necessary for us Whereas contrariwise if once we set our hearts upon riches c. thereupon wiâ—… follow an immoderate desire of having more that will not be satisfied with abundance which if we be once attainted withall we cannot make this prayer in truth 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contentation which is a consequent of the former Heb. 13. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be contented with your present estate For we ask but that bread which is necessary and convenient for us Therefore if we make this prayer in truth we will be well contented if the Lord heare our prayer and grant unto us no more but that which is necessary And therefore we ought not to covet other mens goods or that which is unnecessary knowing that our lot is befallen us by the most just and wise providence of God who if he saw it expedient for thee would grant unto thee greater abundance but if not thou must say with David Here I am let him do with me as â—…eemeth good in his eyes 2. Sam. 15. 25 26. And withall consider that if thou art such an one as fearest the Lord thou wouldst not change thine estate with some of them that have the world at will For as Solomon saith Prov. 15. 16. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith and as his father before him Psal. 37. 16. A small thing which the righteous hath is better then the great riches of the ungodly 1. Tim. 6. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Godlinesse with content is great gain 3. A moderate desire of that which is fit and convenient for us and therefore not to affect voluntary poverty which the Spirit of God Prov. 30. 8. and in this place doth teach us to pray against 4. A moderate care to provide that which is convenient that we may not be burdensome but rather helpfull unto others And therefore we are to avoid two extremities first to have no care of that which we here desire 1. Tim. 5. 8. secondly with carking care to hoard up that for many years which we ask but for a day III. In the use either of those means which we use for the obteining of our desire or of the thing obteined we are to crave the blessing of God and thereupon to depend Therefore the temporall blessings of God must be received with prayer and thanksgiving And in this behalf not onely the poore and needy but also the rich and wealthy are to make this prayer who cannot in truth make this prayer to God if either they rely upon their own means or trust in their own store IV. We must cast our care upon the Lord Psal. 37. 3 5. and 55. 22. and in all our need flie unto him for supply V. As we are taught to pray not onely for our selves but also for others so must we be desirous and carefull of other mens good and be ready to communicate those good things which we have to the supply of others need and that without delay Here therefore the hypocrisie of worldly and carnall men is discovered 1. Who ask bread as though a little would content them and yet are not satisfied with abundance 2. They ask their bread and yet cover yea take and retein other mens goods yea some the goods of the Church which they cannot call theirs 3. They ask 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daily bread that is as Agur speaketh neither poverty nor riches but that which is convenient and necessary and yet some as phantasticall Papists do affect poverty and others as all worldlings desire abundance 4. They desire thâ—…t it may be given them of God and yet either get it by unlawfull means or relying upon the means or trusting in their abundance find no need of the blessing of God 5. They ask for us which they desire for themselves alone which when they have got they keep to themselves 6. They ask but for a day and with distrust they hoard up for many years The fifth petition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive them that trespasse against us IN the former petition we were taught to ask temporall blessings for the maintenance of this present life Now in this petition and in the last our Saviour teacheth us to ask spirituall blessings for the obteining of a better life Of spirituall blessings in this life there be two chief heads whereunto all the rest may be referred viz. our jâ—…stification and sanctification For in these two the covenant of grace and the benefits which in this life we receive by Christ do consist Heb. 10. 16 17.
To avoid tentations and occasions of evil To shake off slothfulnesse and diligently to employ our selves either in good exercises or in the works of our callings 2. To resist tentations and to withstand them 3. To be vigilant and watchfull Mark 13. 33. 1. Pet. 5. 8. Ephes. 5. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk circumspectly to shake off security to keep a watch over our senses To make a covenant with our eyes Job 31. 1. To desire the Lord to turn away our eyes from beholding vanities Psal. 119. 37. 4. To get unto us the whole armour of God as the shield of faith c. Ephes. 6. 12 13 18. 1. Thess. 5. 8. II. More particular 1. To deny our selves to crucifie the flâ—…sh and not to satisfie the lusts thereof to abstein from fleshly lusts 1. Pet. 2. 11. 2. To renounce the world and the desires thereof 1. John 2. 15 16. 3. To resist the devil not to yield to his motions but rather practice the contrary not to believe his perswasions 1. Pet. 5. 9. Jam. 4. 7. 4. To hate all sinne as we desire to be delivered from all To retein no one sinne with Herod To think no sinne small To abstein also from all shew of evil 1. Thess. 5. 22. To desire full deliverance Phil. 1. 23. Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved Rom. 7. 24. Quis me liberabit Who shall deliver me Hypocrisie discovered Here then is discovered the hypocrisie of those 1. Who pray that God would not lead them into tentation and themselves runne into tentation as those that go to playes and give themselves to idlenesse 2. Who by security and idlenesse make preparation for the unclean spirit Matt. 12. 44. 3. Who take thought for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. 4. Who are addicted to the world and the desires thereof as pleasures profits 1. Tim. 6. 9. Those that will be rich fall into tentation c. and preferments 5. Who have made a covenant with hell Isai. 28. 15. who pray to be delivered from sin and yet will not forsake their sinne as their drunkennesse whoredome usury c. but harden their hearts and therefore shall fall into evil Prov. 28. 14. who are so farre from desiring full deliverance from evil by their dissolution and translation out of this life that rather they have placed their paradise here upon earth The Conclusion HItherto we have spoken of the petitions Now followeth the Conclusion of the Lords prayer in these words For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie for ever and ever Amen For howsoever this clause is omitted of the Latine interpreters and is rejected by Erasmus yet was it added by our Saviour and registred by Matthew For first the Greek copies have it secondly the Syriack Paraphrast translateth it thirdly the Greek writers expound it as Chrysostome and Theophylact and fourthly it is not onely consonant with the rest of the Scriptures but also in this prayer hath a necessary use For we have heard that praise is to be joyned with prayer and in prayer two things required fervencie and faith Now as the petitions especially conteined a specification of our desires so this conclusion conteineth partly a confirmation of our faith joyned with praysing God in these words For thine is the kingdome and the power and the glorie for ever and ever and partly a testification both of our faith and of the truth of our desires in all the former petitions in the word Amen Our Saviour teacheth us to confirm our faith by three reasons For that they be reasons the word For signifieth And reasons they are not so much to perswade God that he would grant our requests as to perswade and assure our selves that we shall obtein The reasons are taken neither froÌ„ our own worthinesse nor from the dignitie of our prayers for if our faith were to be grounded thereon we should neither dare to pray nor hope to be heard but from the nature attributes of God that we might know that the obteining our requests dependeth not upon our own worth but on the power and goodnesse of God The reasons I say are drawn from three attributes of God viz. his eternall Kingdome eternall Power eternall Glorie His is the kingdome therefore he hath right to give us whatsoever we desire His is the power and might therefore he is able to grant our requests His is the glory both of giving all good things and also of all good things given and thereunto our requests do tend and therefore he is ready and willing to grant our requests for the manifestation of his own glorie And this we shall the easier believe if we consider to whom we ascribe these things namely to our heavenly Father whose sâ—…at is in heaven and his kingdome ruleth over all Psal. 103. 19. who is in heaven and doth what he will Psal. 115. 3. who sitteth on the heavens as his throne full of majestie and glory and rideth on the heavens for our help Neither doth the right power and glory of giving benefits temporall and concerning this life alone belong unto God but also of everlasting blessings in heavenly things after this life is ended For his is the eternall kingdome eternall power and eternall glorie signified in those words for ever and ever which are to be referred to all the three attributes What kingdome here signifieth But first of his kingdome Which here signifieth 1. generally the universall kingdome of God which some call the kingdome of his power whereby he ruleth and governeth all things Psal. 103. 19. 2. Chron. 20. 6. and in regard whereof the right of all things belongeth to him Deut. 10. 14. Psal. 24. 1. This then teacheth us two things 1. That our heavenly Father is the absolute Lord and owner of all his creatures who as he is the Creatour so is he also the possessour of heaven and earth in whose hand all good things are to bestow as it pleaseth him This therefore must encourage us with assurance of faith to make our requests to ouâ—… heavenly Father of whom we cannot ask any good thing whether spirituall or temporall which is not his to bestow And therefore it is well said of Seneca Audacter Deum roga nihil eum de alieno rogaturus Ask boldly of God seeing thou canst ask nothing of him which belongeth to another 2. That our heavenly Father is the sovereigne King and absolute Lord and Governour over all his creatures ruling the good and overruling the evil to whose commandment all the good creatures obey and at whose beck they are ready to do us good And as for the wicked either men or angels they are so overruled by the almighty providence of God that when they seek to annoy us they are against their purpose made the instruments of God to do us good And whereas our Saviour teacheth us to say Thine is the kingdome we are to observe that the
grace and help Psal. 123. 2. and 3. 4 5. and 4. 9. And thus our Saviour hath taught us with this word to seal up our prayer Which therefore is not unworthily of some called Signaculum orationis Dominicae the seal of the Lords prayer For he that truly believeth that the Lord doth heare him and goeth away resting in his goodnesse putting his Amen to Christs Amen John 16. 23. he hath set to his seal that God is true in his promises and that to the Lord belongeth kingdome power and glory for ever But here see the hypocrisie of men who say Amen but pray not from their hearts nor truly desire that which with words they ask nor are thankfull for that for which they would seem to give thanks neither do they believe that God will grant their requests and therefore though they say Amen yet therein they lie unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS The method observed in this tractate Of prayer The definition of Prayâ—…r Of the name of Invocation Prayer Of the generall nature of Prayer Psal. 5. 1. Daâ—…asc Oâ—…thodoxa â—…ide lib. 3. cap. 24. 〈◊〉 propâ—…r nature oâ—… Inâ—…ocation What is required in all invocation acceptable to God De 〈◊〉 Deo lâ—…b 1. cap. 1. Isa. 64. 7. 1. Reason takâ—…n from the law of nâ—…ture 2. Because it is the end of our creation and redemption 3. Because it is injoyned in the morall law Object Answ. Esth. 4. Special commandments injoyning prayer 1 From the excellency of it Lib. De 〈◊〉 p. 120. 2 From thâ—… profit of it August Chrysost. 〈◊〉 De Psal. 6â—… 1. Whether prayer be efficacious to obtein our desires Object 1. Answ. Epiâ—…t 121. ad Probam Object 2. Hunnius De Providentia Answ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Th. 〈◊〉 2. 2. 〈◊〉 83. 2. c. Jam. 5 16. Rom. 10. 12. Jer. 2â—… 11 12 Bellarm. De bonis operib in particul lib. 1. cap. 3. Of the efficacy of prayer in respect 1. of the elements * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. of the heavens and heavenly bodies 3. of men 2. Kings 6. Châ—…ysost De oâ—…at lib. 2. cap. 1. 4. of sicknesse death â—…nd devils 5. of God prayer is of greatest efficacie The uses A threeâ—…old limitation of Gods promiâ—…e to heare 1. God heareth not the impenitent sinners 2. That we must pray according to Gods will Object Answ. What in particular is required to effectuall prayer The third limitation in respect of the things prayed for Two benefits accrewing by prayer Rom. â—… 26. The Papists confuted who hold that prayer is satisfactorie and meritorious That the 〈◊〉 onely 〈◊〉 admitted to pray Thâ—…e is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Legall Evangelical what it is Hâ—…v 2. 4. Iâ—… 59 1 2. John 9. 31. That the impenitenâ—… is not able truly to uttâ—… any petition in the Lorâ—…s Prayer Thâ—…t all promises are limited with the condition of fâ—…ith and repâ—…ntance Object Answ. God heareth not the wicked for spirituall blessings Thâ—…t God often heareth the wicâ—…ed for tâ—…mporall 〈◊〉 and how God heareâ—…h the wicked as a 〈◊〉 Judge August ad Pâ—…bam Epiâ—…t 121. 1. Reasâ—…n An obâ—…ction of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discussed De civit Dei lib. 10 â—…p 1. Aâ—… 20. 10. 1. Thess. 1. 9. Rom. 7. 6. and 12. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. lib. 2. 94. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reasâ—…n Jer. 2. 27. Thom. part 3. quâ—…t 25. 〈◊〉 4. â—… Reason 〈◊〉 11. 6. 〈◊〉 14. 23. That Angels ought not to be worshipped 1. Reason â—…ide Amâ—… in Rom. 1. pag. 177. 2. Reason Object Answ. That Saints departed ought not to be invocated 1. Reason 1. Exception of the Papists The glasse of the Trinity forged A second 〈◊〉 of the Papists 〈◊〉 A third pâ—…etense avoided 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason Object Answ. 1. Object Answ. In Apoleg Rom 1. 23. Psal. 106 20. Whether it be lawfull to direct our prayers unto any one person in the Trinitie Whether Christ as Mediatour 〈◊〉 to be invocated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worship Christ in his whole person and not in his manhood alone Ad Theoduâ—… De rect fide â—… 〈◊〉 â—… Thâ—… Pâ—…pists make two sorts of medâ—…atours Object Answ. How the Saints in heaven may be said to pray and for what 〈◊〉 Epist. 〈◊〉 lib. 2. cap. 8. The holy Ghost joyneth intercession and redemption both in one Contâ—…a Parmen lib 2. Epist. cap. 8. The high Priâ—…st a type of Christ. 1. In respect of the soul in tâ—…uth and uprightnesse â—…f heart That our prayer must be the speech of the soul. Psal. 62. 8. The necessity of praying in truth provâ—…d by â—…ivers reasons Ephes. 6. 6. Praying witâ—… feigned lips to be avoided and what it is 2. We must not pray with wâ—…ndring tâ—…oughts Serâ—… de Orat Domini Inter Ortâ—…doxogr 1399. Tom. 4. Homil 79. 641 B. in F. â—…entra Julian lib. 2. ex Ambros. De suga seculi First we must know God 2. We must know Gods will and pray accorâ—…ing unto it In Psal. 99. The doctrine and practice of the church of Rome confuted who prâ—…sse prayer in an unknown tongue Concil Trid. sess 22. can 9 The Papists shifts avoided which they use to clude the Apostles words 1. Cor. 14. Object Answ. vers 14. Object Answ. Lib. De Maâ—… cap. 1. That the people ought to understand publick prayers Basil. in desbreb 278. De Genes ad literam lib. 12. cap. 8. In 1. Cor. 14. De 〈◊〉 lib. 5. cleg 11. Contra Celsum lib. 8. Chemnit Exam par 2. 172. a. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Of private prayers in an unknown tongue and the evils thereof In Psal. 18. Expos. 2. Prayer unprofitable in our mother-tongue if we pray not with understanding Psal. 5. â—… A double faith required in invocation 1. Thess. 5. 17 18. Tâ—…at we must pray in faâ—…th proveâ—… 1. By tâ—…timonies 2. By reasons Ephes. 3. 12. Object Answ. Tem 3. 632. The necessitie and profit of humility proved by 〈◊〉 and â—…xamples Examples of the humility of the godly Luke 18. 13. Faith and humility must be joyned together Object Answ. Bernard De triplici modo orationis seâ—…m 5. â—…ol 22. D. August Epist 56. Meditations to stirre up reverence Of heartinesse ferven cie and devotion râ—…quired in prayer The signes of worship ought outwardly to be expressed with our bodies and the reasons why 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason Of the geâ—…ures which ought to be used in prayer Ad Simplician lib. 2. qu. 4. Toâ—… 4. Vide Damas. De oâ—…thod fide lib. 4. cap. 13. 1. Praying towards the 〈◊〉 2. Standing 3. Kneeling Conâ—…erre 1. Kings 8. 22. with v. 54. and 2 Chron. 6. 12 13. Damasc. De haeres 4. Prostration 5. Sitting Ad Simplic lib. 2. quaest 4. 6. Lying in bed 7. Walking riding c. Of the gesture of the severall parts 1. The uncovering of the head in men 2. Of the
meant John 6. 4â—… Cyprian Gal. 6. 10. We must pray according to Gods â—…ll We must do Gods will as the Angels 1. In knowledge Heb. 11. 6. 2. In sincerity 3. Willingly Rom. 8. 18. 4. Readily and speedily 5. Fully and totally 6. Constantly 7. Faithfully The hypocrisie of many discovered How things apperteining to our own good are to be asked The order Why we ask temporall blâ—…ssings before spirituall Vlpian Why all commodities are comprehended under the name of bread Bernard What onâ—… bread signifieth What is mâ—…ant by daily bread Piscat The â—…vils that accompany richâ—…s The evils that accompany poverty The same measure is not convenient for all men In what respect God is said to give God giveth onelv the use of all God onely blesseth us in the use 1. Cor. 13. Quest. Answ. That it is lawfull to provide for the time to come Cautions Object 1. Answ. Object 2. Answ. We ought to ask temporall blessings of God 2. We musâ—… ask them aright 〈◊〉 dutiâ—…s Gâ—…nerall 〈◊〉 Joâ—… 1. 21. The sâ—…cond common duty â—…s Faith 1. â—…enerall 2. speciall Hypocrisie of worldlings discovered Two main benefits required in the two last petitions Justification and Sanctification The order We must be justified before we can be sanctified The connexion with the former petition Psal. 4. 6. The connexion with the latter petition Parts That our sinnes are debts The reason why sinnes are called dâ—…ts The Papiâ—…s confuted who hold that God forgiving the fault reteineth the punishment Their practâ—…ce foolish who dâ—…ferre their râ—…pentance What is meant by ouâ—… trespasses What is meant by this word foâ—…give By this petition we are put in mind of our misery and Godâ—… mercy No man can satâ—…sfie Gods justice for his sinnes proved Reason 1. 2. 3. 4. Object Answ. 1. Duties are 1. more peculiar 2. more common Meditations to increase our sorrow for sinne The graces which we desire The necessity 1. of the remission of â—…ur sinnes 2. of faith 1. We must be adâ—…rned with humility 2. We must believe in Christ. 3. We must repent of our sinnes 4. We must fear by sinne to offend God 5. We must use means to increase 〈◊〉 faith 6. We must labour to please God 7. We must forgive our neighbours Hypocrisie discovered The reason conâ—…rming our faith in the assurance of remission 2. Reason why these words are added Our forgiving no cause of Gods forgiving us What is meant by 〈◊〉 Object Answ. Quest. Answ. Object How we caâ—… be said to forgive Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Object 2. Answ. That it is lawfull to to seek help from the Magistrate with these cautions observed 1. 2. 3. What is meant by As we Not equality but likenesse here to be understood That our forgiving should be sincere and not feigned A threefold use of these words Uses for instruction 1. He that hath offended must seek for reconciliation 2. How we are to behave our selves towards those who have offended us Duty 1. Means â—…o moderate our anger Duty 2. Reasons moving us to forgive 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason Pretenses of those who will not forgive taken away 4. Reason Duty 3. 4. We must labour to win him An use of consolation An use of reproof The coherence and order â—…eing freed from sinne we must become the servants of righteousnes Those whom God pardoneth the devil tempâ—…eth The necessity of this prayer Not to be lead into temptatiâ—…n The latter part of the petition expoundeth the former Of probations and trials Of Gods trialls 1. by prosperity 2. by afflictions Of tentations for and unto evil 1. Of the 〈◊〉 II. of the world 1. By words 2. By example 3. By the desires thereof By evils and crosses III. of the devil 1. Tentations of errours and heresies Of doubtiâ—…g Of presumption Tentations touching obedience 1. in hearing the word 2. in pâ—…ayer 3. in the sacrament Tentations drawing men unto evil Object Answ. Object Answ. How God may be sâ—…id to tempt A consolation Satan can neither tempt nor overcome without Gods permission That it is not evil to be tempted but good to Godâ—… children In Psal. 60. What is meant by Deliver us from evil How we are to pray against taentations How weâ—… must pray against tentations of the flesh How we must pray against the tentations of the world How we must pray against the tentations of the devil That we must pray for these graces in assurance of faith This conclusion authenticall and necessarie Our faith confirmed by this conclusion by three reasons drawn from three of Gods attributes What is meant by â—…hine is the kingdome The kingdome of grace and glory Psal. 24. 1. The 〈◊〉 between the power of God and the creatures Everlasting kingdome power and glory belongeth to God These wordâ—… are a form of praising God What Amen importeth and signifieth Duties to be pâ—…rformed Hieâ—…on Hypocrisie discovered
the cause as namely sinne And howsoever sin is evil yet it is good that sinne should be for the manifestation of the glory both of the mercy of God and also of his justice and therefore though the Lord doth not velle peccatum per se will sinne properly by it self yet he doth will it per accidens by accident as it is referred to good ends Again sinne may be considered as it is malum culpae or malum poenae an evil of fault or evil of punishment Sinne as it is a punishment is a work of justice in him that punisheth for it is just that he that doth commit malum culpae the evil of fault should suffer malum poenae the evil of punishment as it is therefore a punishment i. a work of justice and not sin it is willed of God the authour of all good In sin as it is malum culpae the evil of fault three things do concurre actus macula reatus the act stain guilt The action is materiale peccati the matter of sin the corruption is formale peccati the form of sin reatus est obligatio ad poenam the guilt is the obligation to punishment the which is just as the punishment it self The action as it is an action severed from the corruption is good Omne ens quatenus ens est bonum Every being as it is a being is good and God is the authour of it for in him we live and move and have our being Acts 17. 28. But of the corruption wherewith the action is stained God is not the cause For unto every action concurreth the first cause and some secondary cause depending from him as being the instrument of the first The which instrument being bad as many times it is there is a double work in the action one of the first cause good the other of the instrument evil God then is the cause of the action but not of the corruption but yet useth ordereth disposeth the corruption of the instrument for the execution of his own good work When the Lord gave his Sonne to death he used Judas as his instrument The action is the delivering of Christ which as it came from God was a most glorious work John 3. 16. Rom. 8. 32. But quem Deus tradidit Judas prodidit whom God delivered Judas betrayed When God will chastise his servant he useth some wicked man as his instrument to afflict him This affliction as it cometh from God is castigatio a chastisement but as from the instrument persecutio rapina c. persecution rapine c. A man that rideth on a lame horse is the cause why he goeth but not why he halteth Again Deus non est autor ejus â—…ujus est ultor God is not the authour of that of which he is the punisher and revenger Thus we see that howsoever God doth voluntarily permit sinne and also useth ordereth and disposeth the same to good ends for such is his wisdome that he knoweth how to use that well which is evil yet he cannot be said properly to will sinne which he hateth or to be the authour of it which he revengeth For this priviledge Gods will hath Whatsoever it willeth it is therefore good but sinne as it is sinne cannot be good But to return to my purpose That this absolute will of God be performed we need not to pray â—…nlesse it be to shew our affâ—…ction to Gods glory and conformity submission to his will As in the time of affliction The will of the Lord be done Neither indeed doth our Saviour speak of it as appeareth by the clause following in earth as it is in heaven Secondly therefore the will of God which he requireth to be done of his creatures quatenus praecipit vel prohibet so farre forth as he commandeth or forbiddeth which is therefore called voluntas Revelata Conditionalis Signi Antecedens Inefficax non quatenus promittit vel minatur absque conditione est decreti revelatio the Revealed will Conditionall of the Signe Antecedent Inefficacious not as he promiseth or threatneth and without condition is the revelation of the decree Now the word of God is called voluntas signi the will of the signe because it signifieth what our duty is and what is acceptable unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and conditionall because it doth not shew simply what God will have done but upon condition Si vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata Si vis servari crede If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments If thou wilt be saved believe and inefficax uneffectuall because it is not alwayes performed Fit voluntas Dei de omnibus non ab omnibus The will of God is done concerning all though not of all To do the will of God is in respect of the matter to perform that which he commandeth after the same manner to the same end that he appointeth but if you look into our weakenesse this doing of Gods will by us is especially to be understood of the will and endeavour which the Lord in his children accepteth as the deed Prâ—…camur optamus ut non tantùm faciat Deus quod vult sed nos facere possimus quod vult We pray and wish not onely that God do what he will but that we may be able to do what he will Whereas therefore this will of God is contemned of men oppugned by the flesh the world the devil and yet must of necessity be obeyed of us if either we would be subjects of the kingdome of grace or inheritours of the kingdome of glory great cause there is why we should instantly make this prayer c. In earth that is by us men on earth and consequently as Paul speaketh Tit. 2. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this present world So as Oecumenius saith on that place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this life susteineth the sight but the life to come shall receive the reward In this life eternall life is either won or lost In this life we must do the will of God or else we shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven Matth. 7. 22. According to that which every man doth in the flesh shall he be judged 2. Cor. 5. 10. And therefore whilest we have time let us do good remembring that the Lord hath placed us here on the earth for a short time to do his will which time if we let passe without repentance and turning to God and doing his will afterwards it will be too late As it is in heaven that is as the Angels in heaven do perform it And they perform Gods will Psal. 103. 20 21. 1. Scienter knowingly 2. Sincerely and uprightly 3. Willingly and chearfully 4. Readily expecting the beck of the Lord Matth. 18. For which cause they are said to stand before the Lord Dan. 7. 10. Revel 5. 11. 5. Speedily without delay For which cause wings are attributed unto them 6. Fully and not by