Lord and thou art exalted as head above all 1 Chron. 29.10.11 David calleth upon his soule and all that is within him to praise his holy Name Ps 103.1.2 The Apostle requireth that in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we should make our requests knowne unto God Philip. 4.6 Also he saith Let us by Christ offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thankes unto his Name Heb. 10.13 Reas 1 Praise and thankes are 〈◊〉 unto God for hee himselfe do most excellent being infinite in all holinesse of wisedome power mercy and all the rest of his divine attributes If there be any excellency in any creatures the praise belongeth unto God because hee made it excellent and if any good thing be bestowed upon any man whatsoever was the secondary meanes God was the first cause and 〈◊〉 the true giver thereof Of him are all things therefore to him be glory for ever Rom. 11.36 Reas 2 It is good pleasant and comely to praise the Lord Psal 147.1 It is good because it is the will of God being a part of his worship It is the best meanes to continue and make good unto us the good things we have 1 Tim. 4.4 It is the best meanes to procure those good things which wee yet have not It is well pleasing unto God for he saith He that offereth praise glorifieth mee Psal 50.23 It doth become the upright to bee thankfull Psal 33.1 for it doth shew their humility and dependance on God acknowledgment that they in all things are beholding unto God This reproveth all those who Vse 1 notwithstanding they have the great booke of the creation and frame of the world to looke upon and the booke of the Scriptures to looke into both which doe set forth the unspeakeable excellencies of God yet never admire him nor speake of him to his praise whereas if a mortall man shall doe some curious piece of worke shewing therein some rare skill and invention his worke shall be gazed on and admired and the workman praised of every one and hee shall be halfe deified And if a friend shall save their lives or deliver them out of prison or doe any other such speciall kindnesse unto them they thanke him and acknowledge themselves beholding unto him as long as they live whereas God which gave power and will to the same friend to doe thee good and doth give them all other good things who would also deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan aâ—â— from eternall death he is forgotten and is never thanked by them yea many of those who in their distresse doe seeke unto him and are holpen even they like the nine Lepers never returne to give thanks Luk 17.17 It is ten to one as we say if any give glory to God Most men ascribe the praise of all good things which they have unto nature fortune lucke or chance unto their wit or to their hands or to their friends to any person or thing rather then unto God without whom they could have had nothing These men are wilfully blinde if they doe not see that Gods hand doth all things But if they see that all things are of God and yet will not give him the praise and thankes they doe much wrong God in depriving him of his honour and doe manifest themselves to be utterly unworthy of all good There is no sinne can bee more hatefull then ingratitude There is no sinne can bee more hurtfull to the committer of it for it doth provoke God and cause him in wisedome and justice to take away from them those good gifts which once hee gave unto them As he did with his daughter Israel of whom he saith Hos 2.8.9 Because she did not know that I did give her corne c. Therfore will I returne and take away my corne in the time thereof And for this cause God giveth men over unto reprobate mindes because they having meanes to know God and cause to be thankeful Yet they doe not glorifie God neither are thankefull Rom. 1.21.28 Vse 2 Let all that professe the name of God learne hereby to bee alwaies as readie to speake of God and to God in praises and thanksgiving as to aske and receive any thing from him by petition For which cause we must consider the workes and word of God for they testifie of him Gods infinite wisedome power mercy and goodnesse and all other his excellencies are seene in the creation preservation and redemption of man and are all clearely revealed in his word In so much that when David did consider the heavens and the worke of his fingers hee breaketh forth into an holy admiration of God saying O Lord our Lord Psal 8.1.9 how excellent is thy name in all the earth And the Apostle could not speake of the worke of redemption by Christ but he saith concerning God To whom be glory for ever Amen Gal. 1.5 Eph. 3.21 If wee would but consider how little good and how much evill wee deserve at Gods hands how that it is his mercy wee are not consumed and if wee would consider how little evill Lam. how much good wee receive every day of his meere goodnesse we could not chuse but be thankefull Wherefore wee must bewaile our barrennesse of heart and with David call upon our soules and all that is within us to blesse and praise his holy name Psal 103.1 We must call his benefits to remembrance and tell our soules what great things the LORD hath done for us recounting one benefit after another untill we have convinced our hearts of our dutie and have enforced our selves unto thankfulnesse But our thanks must not be verball onely like that of the proud Pharisie saying Lord I thanke thee Luk. 18.11 they must be heartie and reall which is then then wee shew that wee do indeed acknowledge our selves bound and beholding to God for those things for which we say we give him thanks namely when we use his gifts as he hath appointed to his glory and when we give our selves both in soule and body to his service thus let us give thanks it is good it is pleasant it will become us Then this nothing more pleasing unto God nothing more profitable unto us for everie heartie thanks is a reall effectuall begging of continuance and blessing upon what we have and of new supplies unto what wee have not such shall never want good gifts because God knoweth he shall never want hearty thanks Thine is kingdome He saith not thou hast a kingdome but which is more thine is kingdome that is all kingdome and soveraigntie is thine in originall right and is not a derived soveraigntie as all other governments are Whence we learne Absolutenesse of authoritie Doct. 3 and Soveraigntie is properly and onely in God The Lord made that great Monarch and earthly king of kings Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge and proclaime
thus divided Summum bonum the first expresseth the desire of the chiefe good scil the glory of Gods name in the first petition Hallowed be thy Name the means whereby his Name is hallowed and glorified are the matter of all the rest delivered in a most heavenly order Gods Name cannot bee hallowed if hee doe not make his holy Name known by erecting his kingdome therefore the comming of his kingdome is the matter of the second petition And because his kingdome is not made manifest and his Name is not acknowledged to be holy and glory is not given unto him untill his will bee unfainedly obeyed therefore thy will be done is the matter of the third petition Now because no man can do the will of God upon earth except God sustain him on earth therefore daily support from God is prayed for and is the matter of the fourth petition And when a man hath all comfortable supplies for this naturall life yet if he bee not in Gods favour and be reconciled unto God he neither hath will nor power to glorifie God nor can bee accepted in any thing he doth therefore forgivenesse of sinnes and justification before God is the matter of the fift petition Lastly though a man have his sinnes past pardoned and he be justified he cannot do Gods will nor declare that the kingdome of God is come to him nor any way hallow his Name if he have not grace and power against sinne therefore the sanctification of the whole man is prayed for which is the matter of the last petition This is the holy order and subordination of the petitions Fourthly the different manner of propounding the petitions cause a different acception of them some are petitions properly so called when the good things asked are expressed and the evill prayed against is understood as in the foure first petitions some are deprecations when the evill prayed against is expressed and the good prayed for is understood as in the two last petitions The first petition is Hallowed be thy Name here it must bee considered what is meant by Name the object of hallowing then what hallow signifieth Name hath reference to God and it signifieth God himselfe scil the person named Also all such names and titles of God his attibutes actions ordinances and all things which have any speciall print of Gods holinesse stamped upon them are Gods name because by them he is knowne as men are by their names The word thy appropriateth the hallowing of the name unto him who is before named and described in the invocation opposing and preferring Gods name to the name of man or Angell or of any other creature To hallow is either to make a thing holy which was common or prophane or to declare and acknowledge and use holily some thing which is holy already Hallow must not bee taken in the first sense scil to make a thing holy for God and his Name alwayes was is and for ever shall be of it selfe most holy But to hallow Isa 29.23 here signifieth thus much to conceive and acknowledge with the heart and to declare with the tongue and life that God and his Name is holy and to bee respected and used as most holy in like sense as Wisdome is said to bee justified of her children Mat. 11.19 that is declared and respected as wisdome ought to bee respected For to hallow a thing is to respect and use it according to the holinesse thereof Prophaning Gods name is contrary to the hallowing of it The aime of our Saviour is that God may bee set up in mens hearts and may bee glorified and acknowledged in the world For this cause hee maketh choice of the most apt word that could be invented for hallowing leadeth vs to a consideration of Gods holinesse which is the glory of all other his attributes and includeth the cause why he should be glorified and therefore is a word of larger extent than magnified or glorified for the one doth but point out the glory of his greatnesse the other doth not expresse the cause why hee should bee glorified both which hallowed doth For holinesse is that rectitude in God and freedome from all impurenesse and from all shadow of imperfection or sinne which is the excellency and perfection of all other things that are in God and to speake with holy reverence of his Majesty the other attributes of God could not be commendable in God if they were not all infinitely holy His soveraignty would be tyranny his justice would bee cruelty his mercy would be foolish pity his wisdome would bee craft and subtilty if his greatnesse justice mercy and wisdome were not infinitely holy The like may be said of his other attributes For we see in creatures as in the Deuill and sinfull men the more strength and wisdome and skill they have the more mischievous they be because they want holinesse to use these gifts aright Wherefore in saying Hallowed be thy Name we desire that the excellency of his Godhead may be acknowledged as there is due cause according as they sing in the Song of the Lambe Rev. 15.4 Who shall not feare hee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou onely art holy Isa 64.2 This word Hallowed is set downe impersonally in such a forme of signification as includeth all persons or things which are capable of setting forth and acknowledging his holinesse As Let thy Name be hallowed by Thee so saith Christ Father glorifie thy Name Ioh. 12.28 and make Me to hallow thy Name in acknowledging thy holinesse and let all others acknowledge thee to be holy and to be the onely true God 1 King 18 36. Thus Elias prayed Let it be knowne this day that thou art God in Israel And God saith when hee will magnifie and sanctifie himselfe Ezech 38.23 I will be knowne in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord. The petition being thus opened we may expresse it in these or the like words Holy Father whose Name is holy to thee therefore all glory doth belong Lord glorifie thy selfe make it knowne that thou onely art God deserving all praises make me and all men to acknowledge thee onely to be God and our God and that of perfect excellencie according as thy Name in thy titles word and workes doe set thee forth And let thy Name Psal 111.9 which is holy and reverend be so honoured that so farre as any person or thing hath upon it any print of thy holinesse it be honoured and respected accordingly And farre be it from me or any man to deny thee in whole or in part or give any of that glory which is due to thee to any person or thing whatsoever or to prophane any thing whereupon any footsteps of thy holinesse is imprinted Hallowed be thy Name If it be observed that to desire that Gods Name should be glorified is the subject of this petition and that Christ hath set
this in the first place wee may learne Doct. 1 The glory of Gods holy Name must be the chiefe of every Christian mans desire and indeavour Psal 96.7.8 It must be every mans first and chiefe care that Gods Name be hallowed and glorified and that his glory be not given to any other Isa â—2 â— Whatsoever ye doe saith the Apostle doe all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 13.31 It was our Saviours prayer and practice he saith Father glorifie thy Name Ioh. 12.28 he saith likewise I honour my Father And I seek not mine owne glory Ioh. 8.49.50 And I have glorified thee on earth Ioh. 17.4 Reason 1 It is due to him that is holy and who onely is holy that hee should be sanctified and his Name hallowed * Isa 5.16 God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousnesse saith the Prophet Therefore the Seraphims cry one to another Holy holy Isa 6.3 holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory The foure and twenty Elders say Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour Rev. 4.11 and power c. And Give unto the Lord O ye kindreds of the people give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto the Lord the glory due to his Name Psal 967.8 saith the Psalm The name of God of Christ Iesus is a name above all names Of him through him are all things saith the Apostle therefore addeth Rom. 11.36 To whom be glory for ever Amen Gods glory is the chiefest good mans life yea mans salvation is to be set behinde it which made Moses to wish rather to have his name blotted out of Gods booke Exod. 3â— 12.32 than that God should be dishonoured by the Egyptians who would say if God destroyed the Israelites in the wildernesse that for mischiefe he did bring them out to slay them Reason 2 God himselfe proposeth his owne glory to himselfe for the end of all his actions Eph. 1.5.6 He predestinated us to the praise of the glory of his grace Prou. 16.4 Hee made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill Therefore man should make the glory of God the end of all that he doth Reason 3 It was the end why Christ redeemed man that he might hallow Gods name that both in body and soule he should glorifie him 1 Cor. 6.20 Vse 1 If therefore any man seeke not to glorifie God he is guilty of a most hainous sinne than which no sinne is more common For man since Adams fall is most prone to fall into it ascribing too little to God whom he doth not see setting up and magnifying the creature too much which he doth see That this sinne may the better appeare to the conscience it must be considered when and how God is dishonoured Gods Name is dishonoured when he is professedly denyed to be God this is professed Atheisme or when hee is acknowledged to be God yet is not esteemed and glorified as God Rom. 1.21 which disesteeme is then shewed when that respect which is due unto his person and Name is not given unto him His person is dishonoured when what is due to him is not given to him or is given to another Honour is denied him three wayes in heart word deed and conversation Man dishonoureth God in heart first when he is ignorant and doth not know him Secondly when he hath a meane opinion of him or hath erronious conceits of him questioning his providence power wisedome or any of his attributes Thirdly when he is forgetfull of him Fourthly when he doth not beleeve him thus Moses and Aaron dishonoured God Num. 20.12 Fiftly when he doth not love him Sixtly when he doth not feare him Seventhly when he doth not trust in him Eightly when he is not zealous for him Man dishonoureth God in word First when he speaketh not of him to his praise in confessing him Secondly when he speaketh not for him when hee is dishonored by others Thirdly when he never or seldome speaketh to him in thankesgiving Fourthly when he speaketh against him Man dishonoureth GOD in deed when though he professe God in word yet doth deny him by his evill deeds as they did Rom. 2.23 of whom it is said they dishonoured God and as those in Titus 1.16 which though they professed the knowledge of God yet denied him in their workes Thus God is dishonoured by not giving due honour unto him Gods honour is given to others when men give divine worship to any person or thing but God as to worship Saints or images also when men enter into too neer a league with idolaters Mal. 2.11 as to marry with the daughters of a strange god or when men take divine worship as Herod did the peoples applause saying Act. 12 22. The voyce of God and not of man this glory of divine worship God wil not have given to any other This taking to ones selfe or giving to another the honour due to God proceedeth from these evill causes pride selfe-love too high admiration of the creature from ignorance and want of admiration of the Creator Lastly God is dishonoured when due respect is not given to his Name as to his titles attributes or to his word and holy ordinances Malach. 1.12 or to his Saints and children For all these have a speciall print of his holinesse stamped on them so that if all these or any of these be either set at naught or lightly esteemed hee taketh himselfe in them to be dishonoured And to shut up all in a word all misconceit or irreverent conceit of God or irreverent carriage whether by word or deed either towards God Mal 1.12 Ezek. 22.26 Lev 19.12 Amos 2.7 Mal. 2.10.11 or towards any thing that is holy all abusing or taking of Gods name in vaine all acts of unholinesse and disobedience are a prophaning of the holy Name of God Thus the conscience of every offender may take notice how he hath prophaned the holinesse of the Lord and hath dishallowed his Name whereas hee ought to haue hallowed it But know it is not safe for any to dishonour God for his owne children when they have failed in this point of giving honour unto God have received dishonour and disgrace from him He saith to Moses and Aaron Because ye beleeved mee not to sanctifie mee in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore yee shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them Numb 20.12 Deut. 32.51 1 Sam. 2.17 The high Priesthood was removed from the house of Eli because he did not honour God in restraining his sons which caused through their prophanenesse the offerings of God to bee abhorred therefore did God judge his house saying They that despise me shall bee lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 2.30 If God spared not his owne best children will he not then much more poure out shame everlasting contempt upon
those which never make the glory of God the end of their lives and actions but through selfe-love and pride of heart make their owne pleasures profits and glory to bee the principall and utmost aime of all their thoughts words or deeds who if they attain their owne ends they sacrifice to their owne nets applauding their owne strength wit industrie c. or if they looke out of themselves they give the praise to men and secondarie causes or to blinde Fortune and lucke as they call it but give not glory to the Lord. Pharaoh saith Exod. 5.2 Who is the Lord that I should obey his voyce I know not the Lord. But did not the Lord honour himselfe upon Pharaoh and his land by his wonderfull plagues which he sent amongst them till he made Pharaoh himselfe the Egyptians to know that he was the Lord Exod. 14 4. Iob saith of those wealthy proud contemners of God and of his worship which said What is the Almightie Iob 21.15.19.20 that wee should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray unto him God layeth up their iniquitie for their children and they shall drinke of the wrath of the Almighty Did not the Lord make Senacherib an example to all that should reproach the holy One of Israel when for his arrogating too much to himselfe and for despising the true God the Lord sent his Angell which smote one hundred fourescore and five thousand of his host Isa 37.23.36 so that hee himselfe was constrained to return with shame into his owne country and there while hee was worshipping his God received his death by the hands of his owne sonnes How did God disgrace proud Nabuchadnezzar when vaine-gloriously hee vaunted saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my majestie Here was no acknowledgement of Gods power nor any thing done for the honour of Gods Majestie therefore while the word was in the kings mouth there fell a voice from heaven saying O king Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4.30.31 to thee it is spoken the kingdome is departed from thee Which was fulfilled accordingly for hee was sent to graze with beasts of the field seven yeares untill he was made to know that the most high God ruleth in the kingdome of men Dan. 4.32 But when God restored him to himselfe and to his kingdome then he could give God the glorie of all power and majestie saying in the last verse Those that walke in pride he is able to abase For the same sinne was Belshazzar weighed in the ballance and found wanting and his kingdome given to the Medes and Persians who because he prophaned the vessels of the house of God and praised false gods Dan. 5 23. but the God in whose hands was his breath and whose were all his wayes him did he not glorifie Therefore was the hand-writing sent and that very night was Belshazzar slaine and his kingdome conquered Those two and fortie children who were torne with Beares payd deare for their despising God in that aged Prophet Elisha deriding at once his age his office and his holines crying 2. King 2. Ascend thou bald head ascend thou bald head Lastly not to wearie you with examples of Gods judgements upon those which did either derogate from God or arrogate to themselves any part of that praise which was due to him observe Gods immediate hand upon Herod who because he gave not glory unto God when the people applauded his eloquent oration saying The voice of God Act. 12.22.23 and not of man immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him and he was eaten of wormes and gave up the ghost These severe judgements of God executed upon men because they tooke glorie from God or gave it not to him doth plainly shew that he is very jealous of his name and of his glory and that he will not endure that his glory should be given to another Isai 42 8. For of all things Gods Name and honour is most deare unto him nothing will exasperate him so soone or so much as to be touched in his Name Let all men therefore take heed how they prophane it by any means But it is not enough not to prophane it but if it be prophaned by others if they do not contend for the sanctifying of it they commit a great sin If men be but touched in their owne name and reputation they grow so impatient as by no meanes they will bee perswaded to passe it by without revenge when yet the same persons can see and heare Gods Name dishonoured by oaths blasphemies by idolatrie contempt of religion and of Gods children and their hearts never rise at it and have not a word to speake for God These do not hallow Gods Name I desire that all that reade or heare this would examine themselves by what hath beene said by which they may trie whether they hallow Gods Name or dishallow it And if thou say this petition Hallowed be thy Name and yet by taking his honour to thy self or giving it to another or if by not standing for his glory or not giving it to him in heart word and conversation thou dishonourest God then know thou doest mock God and playest the hypocrite and if repentance and a care to glorifie God do not prevent it thou must with hypocrites one day be the subject of the glory of his justice and wrath because in thy life thou wouldest not be an instrument of glorifying his holy Name he will be glorified in thee because hee was not glorified by thee Thus it appeareth who offend against this point by which wee may see what evils are to be bewayled and prayed against in this petition Vse 2 In applying the Doctrines concerning prayer let this be a received truth that what we pray for that we must endeavour and use all good meanes to attaine according to that in the Psalm 27.4 One thing have I desired that will I seek for All men therefore which professe the Name of God must both pray and seeke by all meanes that the true God be onely set up to be worshipped and that his holy Name may be sanctified which is done when men shew true respect unto him and unto al such things as beare upon them some speciall note of his holinesse First he is to be known and professed to be the onely true God Father Sonne and holy Ghost then to be honoured and glorified as God God is honoured and his name sanctified many wayes as 1 First by knowing and acknowledging him to be such a one as he hath revealed himself to be 2 By admiring him and his works oft times resounding that speech of David Psal 8.1 O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth 3 By beleeving in him whereby Abraham is said to have given glory to God Rom. 4 20 Ioh. 3.33 For
by beleeving a man doth set to his seale that God is true 4 By fearing him So saith the Prophet 1. Pet. 3 1â— Sanctifie the Lord of hasts himselfe let him be your feare and let him be your dread Isaiah 8.13 5 Also by loving him trusting in him and zeale for him for there is the same reason that all the affections of the heart should be for him as well as any one Iob 1.21 6 By confessing with the mouth that he is just in all his judgements so doth Daniel saying Dan. 9.14 The Lord our God is righteous in all the workes that he doth for we obeyed not his voyce Iosh 7.19 Thus Achan is bid to give glory unto the Lord. 7 Also by acknowledging his mercie goodnesse power Rom. 15.6 Rev. 19.7 c. in praises and thanksgiving He that offereth praise glorifieth me saith God Psal 50.23 8 By contending for God and his truth Isa 59.4 9 By ordering the conversation aright both in doing and suffering Herein Ioh. 1â— 8 saith our Saviour is my Father glorified that ye beare much fruit Therefore he exhorteth his disciples unto good works that as lights they may shine before men and glorifie their Father which is in heaven Mat. 5 16. Philip. 1. And Paul was assured Christ should bee magnified in his bodie whether by life or by death And Peter was foretold by what death he should glorifie God Ioh. 20.19 10 Lastly by regarding his holinesse in his titles word and holy ordinances in his holy day the Sabbath and in his children whom he hath made to be an holy people In all these our estimation and speech of them our carriage towards them and use of them must be with speciall respect to God whose holinesse they carrie upon them alwayes putting difference betweene these things and all other which have not the like respect of holinesse Though we cannot in all these hallow Gods name as wee would yet wee must endeavour it that we may be able with the Church to say The desire of our soule is to thy name Now we know the particulars let us give God glory every way and let us make it the end of our life Motivâ—s to hallow Gods Name to know and acknowledge him to be holy It is Gods right as you have heard we were created and redeemed to that end and wee have examples of the best David saith he would speake the praises of the Lord and saith Let all flesh blesse his holy Name for ever and ever Psal 145.21 Christ Iesus hath gone before us in seeking his Fathers honour and not his owne It was Ioabs praise so to order the battell 2 Sam. 12.28 that his Lord and king might have the glorie of the day and not himselfe Ought not all Gods subjects to respect their God more than he did or could respect his king Excellently spake Ioseph that the honour of interpreting dreames might not be given to him It is not in me Gen. 41.16 God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace In like manner Daniel would not assume to himself the power of revealing secrets but saith Dan 2.26.28 There is a God which yeâ—â—alleth secrets The Apostle Iohn when he was in the Spirit heard everie creature which is in heaven and on the earth and such as are in the sea saying Blessing honour glory Rev. 5.13 and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever These examples are for our learning so that we must alwayes say with the Psalmist Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glorie If God be glorified by us Ioh 13.32 he also will glorifie us Them that honour me I will honour 1. Sam. 2.30 saith God Thus it may be learned what are the desires and endeavours to which the first petition doth leade us Before I passe to the second one thing must be observed from Christs choice of the word hallowed rather than any other Hallowed When Christ would signifie that God was to be esteemed acknowledged with the absolutest honour that could be he saith hallowed that is let thy Name be known and acknowledged to bee holy Whence we may inferre that Doct. 2 Holinesse is the highest title of honour and glory that can belong to any person yea to the most high God As any person or thing is more holy so is it more honourable When the Seraphins would give God the greatest honour and glory they crie Holy holy Isa 6.3 holy is the Lord of hosts The foure living creatures say Holy holy holy Rev. 4.8 Lord God almighty It was the honour of Ierusalem to be an holy Citie It is the glorie of the third heaven to be the high and holy place Isa 57.15 As men were more holy Psal 16.3 so did David count them more excellent For such whom hee calleth Saints he also calleth excellent And when Christ Iesus will present his Church unto himself a glorious Church he will sanctifie it Eph 5.26.27 Reason and present it holy and without blemish Because holinesse in God is the rectitude and perfection of his power mercie justice and all other his attributes which if they were not all holy could not be good much lesse goodnesse neither could he be God if he were not holy yea holinesse it selfe And as for other things the more they partake of holinesse the more like they are to God and are therfore the more glorious Man at the first was therefore most glorious of all creatures here below because hee was made according to Gods image most holy Vse 1 If holinesse be the highest most honourable title that can bee given then most blasphemous are the Pope and Papists the one for taking to himselfe the other for giving to him a prophane beast and impure Antichrist the title of holinesse in the abstract For the title of holinesse cannot simply be given to any but to God without blasphemie Vse 2 Hereby wee may learne whom to esteeme most honourable most excellent and most worthy our love and goodnes not the most witty most wealthie most beautifull or most noble by birth but as any man is more holy so is he to be held and regarded as most truly honourable Which being so the proud sinfull world erreth foulely in counting themselves the onely men of worth and esteeming the holy ones of God to be base and of no reckoning If to be holy be so honourable and glorious this must perswade Vse 3 men to follow after holinesse Heb. 12.14 Honour is the sharpest spurre to pricke men forward unto any action let it force us upon this of seeking to bee renewed after God in righteousnesse and true holines Be holy Lev. 19.2 saith God for I the Lord your God am holy No honour like this of being an holy man a chosen generation an holy nation
1. Pet. 2.9 It is the glory and happinesse of a man to bee holy like unto God Holinesse is an infallible and peculiar marke of a childe of God Therefore Gods people are called the people of his holinesse Isa 63.18 Ier. 2.3 And Israel was holinesse to the Lord. Let us purge our selves therefore from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God then shall wee approve our selves to be worthy persons even the sonnes and daughters of the Lord almightie Moreover if the fruit of our Christian profession be holinesse Rom 6.22 the end wil be eternall life Vse 4 If God bestow holinesse upon any man though hee have neither personablenesse nor wealth nor wit nor worldly honour besides let him not be impatient for what he waÌ„teth but let him rejoyce and give thanks for what he hath for he hath that which maketh him to bee esteemed in the judgement of wise men and of the wise God a worthy and excellent person And if we consider the worth of holinesse it will move us to beare the afflicting hand of God with patience and cheerefulnesse For the end of his chastening is saith the Apostle that we might be partakers of his holinesse Heb. 12 10 than which nothing is more profitable nothing more honourable The second Petition Thy kingdome come In the first petition prayer is made that God onely may be set up to be knowne and acknowledged to be as he is most holy most glorious to whom all things as to their proper end are to bee referred This is the chiefe desire of a Christian out of which all other petitions issue forth into which they doe all emptie themselves Gods Name cannot be knowne and thereby hallowed except God make himselfe knowne to bee that High and holy one that onely Potentate King of Kings Lord of Lords to whom holinesse and glory doth belong Wherefore petition is made that hee would please to advance his kingdome as a meanes to shew his excellencie and glory that men may yeeld it unto him The comming of this kingdom is the subject of this petition Kingdome in the largest sense signifieth the governance and rule of a people under one head or King But here it is limited by particular reference to God saying Thy kingdome which importeth that administration of governement which God doth exercise either immediately by himselfe or mediately by Christ in preserving and ordering all things so as may set forth his soveraignty to the glory of his holinesse in perfectioÌ„ of goodnes power wisedome mercy justice c. This kingdome of God is Vniversall over all creatures called the kingdome of power or providence Psal 103.19 is Speciall respecting the Church in this life called the kingdome of grace in the life to come called the kingdome of glory In this petition kingdome signifieth Gods kingdome of power grace and glory each one serving unto or following upon the other and all three doe set forth his holy Name the hallowing whereof was in the first petition prayed for Kingdome of his providence is desired because it doth both set forth Gods excellencie and doth minister matter means for the better erecting of the kingdome of grace The kingdome of grace is desired because GOD therein doth most admirably shew himselfe and it maketh way to the kingdome of glory being the beginning and entrance thereinto The kingdome of glory is desired because it is the perfection of the kingdome of grace and when all enemies shall be vanquished and all subjects gathered and advanced to the highest honour 1 Cor. 15. â—8 then God shall be all in all and shall be knowne and acknowledged to be all in all and then his Name shall be perfectly hallowed and glorified Kingdome here is called Gods kingdome as it is a government different from and a government over the kingdome of men but especially as it is opposed unto the kingdome and dominion of sinne and Sathan For the throwing downe of Satan is according as Saint Iohn heard by a voyce from heaven the comming of salvation Rev. 12.10 and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ As his kingdome goeth downe Gods kingdome is set up This kingdome of God is either essentiall and inseparable eternally equally belonging to the Father Sonne and holy Ghost or it is Deputative and separable according as by the dispensation of the blessed Trinity it was conferred upon the second person in Trinity as he iâ— the Mediatour betweene God and his creature The administration of this kingdome is either immediate namely when the Father from himselfe by the Sonne but not as Mediatour doth through the holy Ghost communicate himselfe to the creature and doth governe all things or else it is mediate namely when the Father from himselfe by the Son as Mediatour betweene him and his creature doth communicate himselfe to his creature and doth governe all things God did immediately governe all things in the world untill that by Adams transgression sin entred into the world and in like immediate manner shall hee governe when sinne shall cease to be in the world namely after that Christ shall have put downe all rule and authority and power and hath delivered up the kingdome to God even the Father at the end of this world But ever since sinne hath beene in the world and since it hath pleased God to enter into a new covenant with man namely into the covenant of grace which hee established in Christ the whole governement as well that which is vniversall which concerneth the powerfull conservation and wise disposing of all things for the manifestation of the glory of God and for the use of man as also that speciall government which concerneth the Church was conferred upon the second Person and hath beene administred and is yet to be administred by him as Mediatour untill the time of the redelivery of it unto his Father We may conceive the reason why God did governe the world after mans fall not immediately as before out by his Sonne deputed to be a Mediatour betweene him and man to be this because hee in his holy wisedome held it not befitting the purity and holinesse of his nature to communicate himselfe to his creature defiled with sinne otherwise than by a Mediatour This government Christ Iesus tooke upon him and administred as he was first by designation and afterwards actually by hypostaticall union God and man Not as God onely for in that respect the kingdome was as naturall and essentiall to him as it was to the Father and holy Ghost nor yet as man onely for the humanity alone was not capable of such an universall absolute and spirituall dominion invested with power from himselfe to send forth the spirit and to subdue principalities powers and spirituall wickednesse so as to trample all enemies under his feete This government of Gods kingdome by Christ the Mediatour was first made knowne to the Church
and glory of that former government is due unto him for ever Moreover it must be considered that as he is head of his Church hee must needs have more glory and joy when that all the members of his body shall be perfectly glorified 1 Cor. 12.26.27 than he could have when in state of his Mediatour-ship onely some of his members were glorified and they also then glorified but in part A King 's onely sonne being imployed by vertue of a commission as his Viceroy to subdue and regaine to 〈…〉 a rebellious kingdome when he hath fully effected it he is to deliver up that kingdome with his commission which when he hath done it pleaseth his father to ease him of further care and to cause him all his life time to live in triumph seating him next to himselfe in his kingdome This latter condition is no lesse honourable and glorious but is much more happy and joyous than the former Like to this is the state of Christ as man after the delivering up of his kingdome in the state of glorious subjection That which is desired concerning Gods kingdome is that it may come To come properly is an action of such creatures which have power of moving whereby they being absent or farre off doe approach and become present Here it is taken metaphorically importing first a desire of continuance and establishment of so much of the kingdome as is come already Secondly the comming and being of his kingdome where it is not yet erected Thirdly the growth towards perfection of those things which are come in truth but not in perfection of degrees Fourthly the consummation and perfect comming of all things that belong to the glory of Gods kingdome The last is when as things concerning this kingdome are come in their being they may so farre as may bee profitable to us come to our knowledge Iob 26.14 for without this comming also wee cannot so well glorifie God in hallowing his Name Therefore it is that every speciall manifestation of Christs glory when it appeareth to men may bee called a comming of his kingdome Thus Christ's revealing some glimpse of his glory is called the comming of the kingdome of God with power Mat. 9.12 These senses of this word come are so subordinate and agreeing one to another that it comprehendeth them all So that when we say Thy kingdome come it is as if we said O Lord who art the onely Potentate and King of kings declare make thy Name knowne to be holy by shewing thy selfe to bee the absolute Soveraigne over all by sustaining preseruing and disposing of all things in the world so as both thy glory may appeare and as it may make for the kingdome of grace And grant that all thine ordinances and meanes of gathering establishing thine Elect may be set up in their puritie and power to the effectuall calling ordering and perfecting of thy people untill thou have glorified thy selfe in bringing them all to eternall glory Be pleased likewise to remove and beate downe whatsoever power doth let and doth exalt it selfe against thee and thy kingdome untill thou hast glorified thy selfe in the eternall shame and destruction of thine enemies Thy kingdome come The petition being thus interpreted we may from the whole scope of it conclude Doct. All Christians should unfainedly desire that God would shew himselfe to be the absolute soveraigne Lord God both in the administration of his kingdome of power over all creatures and in setting up and establishing his kingdome of grace to the utter overthrow of his enemies and bringing of his Elect in Christ to the kingdome of glory What David doth praise God for that all must pray for that as hee saith Psal 145.11 They may speake of the glory of his kingdome and talke of his power He saith elsewhere O God shew thy selfe Psal 94.1 1 King 18.36.37.38.39 Elijah prayeth Let it be knowne this day that thou art God in Israel and that thou art the Lord God and hast turned their heart back againe Which request he granted by sending fire which consumed the offering whereat the people cryed saying The Lord he is God the Lord hee is God Expresse charge is given by the Prophet saying Ye that are the Lords remembrancers keepe not silence and give him no rest till hee establish â—sa 6â— 6.7 and till he make Ierusalem a praise in the earth Doe good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem Psal 51.18 saith David The Apostle exhorteth the Thessalonians to pray for the Ministers that the word of the Lord might have free course and be glorified and that they might be delivered from unreasonable men 2 Thes 3.1.2 The soules staine for the word of God say How long Rev. 6.9.10 O Lord holy and true c. Lastly as Christ saith I come quickly so Iohn and all which love his appearing say Amen Come Lord Iesus Rev. 22.20 The generall reason why the comming of the kingdome of power grace and glory is desired is because they are involved one in another and neither of them is fully come and the comming of them doe admirably set forth the glory of God The reasons why each is particularly to be desired follow Reason 1 The continuance of Gods governement and wise disposing of all things is to be desired because first thereby hee doth shew forth his eternall power and Godhead in such great letters Rom 1.19.20 that men may learne to glorifie him for his infinite wisedome power and goodnesse Psal 19 1â— For the heavens declare the glory of God The varietie order and use of the creatures doe shew that in wisedome hee hath made them all Psal 104.24.25 These workes of God in giving all things meate in due season and preserving of the creation doe shew to the sonnes of men the glorious majestie of his kingdome and doe witnesse that the Lord onely is the living and true God Act. 14.15.17 Secondly the powerfull and Reason 2 wise providence of God in sustaining and governing the world doth afford both matter and meanes for the kingdome of grace For the propagation increase of mankind is Gods nurserie in which grow many stockes though crab-stockes whereof hee will ingraft whom he pleaseth into his Sonne Christ Iesus make them trees of righteousnesse This generall government also is as it were God's schoole wherein he doth educate and traine up men to civilitie to trades and arts which are excellent mediate helps to sustain the materials and to build up the frame of the Church of God For these causes Gods generall and common providence is to be prayed for Reason 3 Thirdly if the Lord doe not beare up the pillars of the earth Psal 75.3 the whole frame thereof will be dissolved if hee doe not order and dispose of all things in the world and if he doe not renew the face of the earth there will be nothing
so well conceited of his Poperie as he looketh to winne heaven by it Ioh 16.2 The persecutour thinketh he doth God good service in molesting such as feare him The swearer thinketh his speech doth not sound well and is without all grace if it be not filled up with oathes The covetous the voluptuous the vaine-glorious all of them applaude themselves in their wayes as if they were good though as Solomon saith the issue there of is the way of death Pro. 14.12 It standeth sin upon that the devill and wicked men should transforme themselves and transforme sin and put some goodly painting upon it to make it seeme good else no reasonable man could be brought to commit it for the will of man doth by vertue of its meere nature so perfectly abhorre evill it being the proper object of detestation that it would alwayes shunne it therefore there is put an appearance of good upon it wherby it may deceive But woe be unto them that call evill good and good evill that put darknesse for light and light for darknesse Isa 5 2â— Vse 2 Doth Christ call sinne evill then let us beleeve him and not our owne lying hearts nor yet the father of lyes who would beare us in hand that sinne is not evil But let us alwayes conceive of every sinfull act as 〈◊〉 evil naughtie hurtfull act and let it be our greatest care to avoid sinne Oh if we could represent the acts of sinne under the name of an evill act unto our apprehensions our will would at the first motion loathe and detest it more then it doth a toad and a serpent and would either kill it or runne from it Whensoever therefore wee are tempted unto sinne let us see it as it is a most evill thing let us account of it as it is a most evill thing And whatsoever colours be set upon it or whatsoever good meanes it is called by if the thing so called be a transgression of Gods law let us call it a most evill and most abhominable thing Yea we must conceive of every sinfull action and must account it a greater evill then the eternall torments of hell For the least evill of sinne is greater then the greatest evill of punishment for the greatest punishment is an effect of Gods righteous hand but the least sin is contrary to God it is very enmitie unto his holinesse If sinne might appeare to everie reasonable soule to be as it is such an evill as hath beene said it would worke griefe and repentance of sinnes past and hatred and departing from sinne for ever afterward Vse 3 Lastly how thankfull should all Gods children be to him because he doth preserve and deliver us out of sinne out of the great evill every day and wee have his word that he will continue this grace untill we shall be presented to himselfe without any spot of this evill in the day of the Lord He doth not only pardon us and free us from the guilt and punishment of our sinnes but which is no lesse mercy he doth deliver us from the power of sin he delivereth us from evil We must therefore magnifie the Lord and say Who is a God like thee Mica 7.19 who doest not onely pardon but wilt subdue our iniquitie And with David let us call upon our soules to praise God because as he forgiveth all our iniquities so also he healeth all our diseases that is Psal 103.3 he doth sanctifie us delivering us from all evill For thine is the kingdome and the power and the glorie for ever These words containe the reason of all the petitions it is delivered in an exact forme of thanksgiving so that it doth excellently serve both to confirme the faith of him that prayeth and to give glory unto him that is prayed unto The Evangelist Saint Luke doth not mention this clause It is probable that when our Saviour did teach his disciples in private at the request of one of his disciples he did onely teach them how to make petitions but when hee taught them in publicke he did adde this clause to teach them as well how to praise him and give him thanks as to pray unto him and make requests It is sufficient for our learning that any one Evangelist hath recorded it In this clause wee have the note that sheweth that these words are a reason of the former requests in the word for Then wee have the arguments or grounds of the reason which are taken from certaine respeâ—â— in God which do minister matter of faith assuring them that they had cause to aske and expect of God all the former petitions and do also minister matter of praise shewing what cause there is why all glorie should be given unto him These respects of God are three Soveraigntie Power Glory which are set forth by the appropriating particle thine whereby these three Kingdome Power and Glory are ascribed as proper to God Thine is kingdome c. and also with the copulative and conjoyning the two latter respects or priviledges in God with the former and the power and the glory All which three are illustrated by their continuance for ever Kingdome signifieth Gods absolute soveraigntie over all things to whom onely it appertaineth of right to forgive and to give at his pleasure therefore they make their suite unto him Power signifieth that all-sufficiencie in God whereby he is able to do all things according to the good pleasure of his will Many have kingdome so that it pertaineth to them to help their subjects but want power as it was with the King of Israel who said in the famine 2 Kin. 2.27 If the Lord do not helpe whence shall I helpe But as it belongeth unto God to heare the petitions of his subjects so he hath power to grant whatsoever they shall have need of hence the petitioner gathereth assurance that he shall have his petitions granted Glory is that high estimation honour and praise which is due to any person for their worth and goodnesse this is originally in God as well as soveraigntie and power and in that respect is appropriated to him Wherefore when it is said Thine is the glory thus much is implied that as all glorie and praise is due to him so they do now give it to him And if he shall grant their requests it will be for his glory therefore they are bold to make these petitions and hope to speed in their suites whereas though it appertaineth unto God and he were able yet if the things asked were not for his honour and glory he would never grant them For ever is to be applied unto kingdome power and glorie namely it doth now and shall alwayes belong to his prerogative royall because kingdome is his to heare the petitions of his people He is now and shall for ever be able to helpe them he now hath and shall for evermore have glorie and praise ascribed unto him for granting their requests
therefore they pray unto him The meaning of these words may bee thus expressed O Lord God which art King of kings and rulest over all we have none either in heaven or in earth to whom we may make our requests but thee for thine is the kingdome it belongeth to thy place of soveraigntie to provide for thy name and honour by advancing thy kingdome by causing thy will to bee done and by preserving and receiving into favour and by giving grace to thy people Thou Lord art able to fulfill all this that we have asked and we do yeeld thee as is most due the glory of thy soveraigntie and power and if thou shalt please to grant these our requests as thou shalt therein deserve so we shall bee readie to give unto thee all glory everlasting wherefore wee are bold to aske and to expect the granting of them For thine c. In the entrance into prayer Christ taught his disciples to represent God to their thoughts under such titles and names whereby they might confirme their faith in prayer and here in the close and end of prayer he doth wish them to presse and urge God from consideration of his soveraigntie power and glory from whence they may encourage themselves by good reasons both to aske and looke for what they have asked whereby we learne The Lord would have his children Doct. 1 have good ground and reason for the petitions they aske of him and would have them uttered unto him in their prayers Thus did Jacob when he prayed to bee delivered out of the hands of his brother Esau saying Gen 32.9.10.11.12 O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isack the Lord which saidst unto mee Returne into thy country and to thy kindred and J will deale well with thee I am not worthy of the least of al the mercies which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Deliuer me I pray thee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau for I feare him lest hee will come and smite me and the mother with the children And thou saidst I will surely doe thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea In this prayer Iacob gathereth reasons from the covenant between God and his fathers from Gods commandement and his obedience therto from his acknowledgement of Gods mercie and his owne unworthinesse from the relation he had to God being his servant from the condition of his adversary he being his inraged brother Esau from the extream danger hee and his wives and children were in lastly from a promise that God had made to him in respect of his posterity which could not be fulfilled if Esau should have destroyed Jacob and all his children Vpon all these reasons hee doth ground that petition Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau In like manner Salomon confirmeth his faith in the beginning of his prayer 1 King 8.23.24.25.26 And it is ordinary with David throughout the Psalmes Reas 1 Though God need no reasons either to informe him of their need or to move him to supply their need for he knoweth every mans case better then himselfe and is more readily inclined of himselfe to helpe then any man can be ready to aske yet he doth delight that his children should yeeld reasons of their requests because therein they shew proof of their knowledge faith confidence and other graces which is much pleasing to their Father Reasons in prayer doth much Reas 2 confirme faith in us and stir up good affection in prayer For when a man can assure himselfe he hath good warrant to aske and to hope to obtaine hee can breake through all the discouragements which the divell or a mans owne heart can cast in to hinder him Hereby all praying without Vse 1 understanding be the intention of the heart never so good must be judged to be faultie for hee that knoweth not what hee asketh can never give reasons why he asketh Vse 2 This reproveth all rash and inconsiderate entrances and proceedings in prayers which is when men are led therein onely by custome or present sense of necessities but never exercise their faith in uttering any reasons of their requests Hence it is that they are so weake in faith and so cold in devotion and heartlesse in their prayers because they doe not establish their faith and put life to their affections by uttering of apt reasons of their present petitions Vse 3 Whosoever therfore would make a prayer in faith and fervencie must follow our Saviours direction the examples of godly in Scripture who have gone before us in giving reasons of their requests For it doth please God to heare his children reason it out with him Wherefore hee doth sometimes of set purpose seeme not to heare but rather seemeth to deny his children that pray unto him because hee would have them answer all doubts and resist all impediments and be more importunate with him in giving reasons why they should be heard Thus the Lord dealt with the woman of Canaan first he seemed not to heare her then when he heard he seemed to deny her suite and yeelded a reason of his deniall Mat. 15.25 28. yet all this was but to make triall of her faith which when she shewed by her importunate continuance of her suit and wise answering of Christs objection saying Truth Lord yet the dogs do eate of the crums which fall from their masters table shee thereupon received of him a commendation of her faith saying O woman great is thy faith and withall obtained her request even to the full for he said Be it unto thee even as thou wilt Reasons of our petitions may be taken from Gods nature from his promise from our capablenesse to have our prayers granted either because wee are in Christ and are his servants and doe pray in his name or they may bee taken from our need of helpe or from that experience wee have had of helpe in time past or from the thanks and glory that we doe give and will give if it shall please the Lord to grant our requests If from these such like grounds out of Scripture we shall wisely make choise of reasons befitting our present occasions and shall use them understandingly not so much to informe or perswade God what hee should give as to inform and perswade our selves how to aske we shall be much holpen in our praying and God will bee well pleased with our prayers The reason of the asking the aforesaid petitions is set downe in a forme of praise and thanksgiving from which wee may observe Christians must in their prayers Doct. 2 as well offer praise unto God as make requests Wee must as well giue him glory and thanks as pray to him to give us grace or any other good thing Thus saith David Thine O Lord is greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the majestie Thine is the kingdome O
A KEY OF HEAVEN THE LORDS PRAYER opened and so applied that a Christian may learne how to pray and to procure all things which may make for the glorie of God and the good of himselfe and of his neighbour Containing likewise such Doctrines of faith and godlines as may be very usefull to all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus The second Edition enlarged by the Author MATTH 7.7 Aske and it shall be given yeu seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened unto you Oratio justi clavis coeli LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper for Benâ—â—â— in Fisher and are to be sold at the signe oâ— the Talbot in Aldersgate-street 1633. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIP-FVLL Sir THOMAS CREVV and to all his hopefull children all grace and peace in this life all joy and glory in that which is to come be multiplied RIGHT Worshipfull custome doth claim by prescription that such bookes as come under the Presse to bee made publick should be ushered forth with an Epistle Dedicatory which if it want it calleth into suspition that either the Author hath no friends of worth or that the worke is not worthy patronage Wherefore having suffered this Tract on the Lords Prayer to come forth I tread the common path The profit of him to whom dedication is made or testification of respect and thankfulnesse of him that dedicateth or credit and countenance to the booke dedicated is the marke that is aymed at in dedications All these respects have moved mee to make choyce of your selfe For though you be already furnished and fully established in the truths therein delivered yet it shall bee profitable unto you that with some variety you bee put in remembrance of the same things your children likewise who may reape some good hereby will bee induced to read and make use of this booke the rather because it commeth through the hands and under the patronage of their so loving and beloved father These are likewise to acknowledge that dept of thankes due to you for the many kindnesses you have shewed mee for which I do and shall for ever stand beholding unto you also to signifie my well wishing to your children and that for the well deservings of those which are come to age and for the sake of their mother your deerely beloved wife now with the Lod to whom my selfe and mine stood much indebted whom I could not but admire and affect while she lived whose remembrance I shall alwayes honour and whose name I desire to keepe alive for to quicken others now she is dead For to speake within compasse without hyperbole amongst the many gracious women that I have knowne a more compleate Christian to whom the Lord had bestowed such a sweet concurrence of gifts of grace and nature have I 〈◊〉 knowne Nam gau deant bene nati modò renati Gratier est ouâ—châ—o veniens è corpore virâ—us And though birth beautie wit a large heart and good elocution all which were eminent in her without grace are vanitie yet when these are accompanied with love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfained all which abounded in her each doth make other admirable I would say more were it not that I shold renew your griefe in remembrance of your losse but I am assured you have learned to bee thankfull for the enjoyment of so rare an helper so long rather then to over-grieve or bee impatient that you could enioy her no longer If you shall please to suffer these my first fruits in this kinde to passe into the world through your hand they will be the better accepted of the good and defended from those that are bad and I shall remaine much bound to you All that I can say why I publish this booke is I desire by all meanes according to my abilitie to do good in the Church of God I acknowledge many have written worthily upon this subiect whose helps I have used yet none that I know in this manner and I finde that variety in this kinde doth much good Now the God of heaven whose glory I intend in this worke give it favour in the sight of his Church to the edifying thereof to whom be praise and glory for ever Amen Thus commending you and yours to the protection and blessing of the Almightie I humbly take my leave this 26. of May. Yours to be commanded in all Christian duties HENRY SCUDDER To the Reader TO bee much in perswading those that be favorites of some great person to use that interest for their best advantage were an indeavour somewhat needlesse considering naturall selfe-love inclineth men in such cases to be sensible enough of their owne good Yet so dull is our apprehension of matters that are of an higher nature that though wee have the eare of God alwayes open unto us and free accesse to the throne of grace through Christ who appeareth in heaven for us carrying our names in his breast yet wee need stirring up to improve this blessed liberty though the whole world be not worth this one prerogative that wee can boldly call God Father This disproportion of our carriage ariseth in part from Satans malice who laboureth to keepe us in darknesse that we beleeve not or minde not our best priviledges which if wee did how glorious would our lives appeare how comfortably and fruitfully should we walke what honour should God have by us what sweet sacrifice from us how should wee overlooke all opposite power But now by reason wee are prone to beleeve Satan and the lyes of our owne heart and ready to call truth it selfe into question as if these things were too good to be true no marvell if we passe our dayes so deadly For what use of an hidden and lockt up treasure if we use not this key of prayer to fetch from thence for al our need What benefit of all the precious promises made in Christ unto us unlesse wee alledge them unto God and with a reverent boldnesse binde him with his owne word which he can no more denie then ceasse to be God If we tooke these things to heart God should heare oftener from us we would be more in heaven than we are seeing wee should bring as much grace and comfort from God as we could bring faith to graspe and carry away Besides this fore-mentioned mindlesnesse of our priviledges since the fall the soule naturally loveth to spend and scatter it selfe about these present sensible things and cannot without some strife gather it selfe together and fixe upon heavenly things Now this talking with God requireth an actuall bent of the minde and carryeth up the whole soule into heaven and exerciseth as all the parts so all the graces of the soule faith especially prayer being nothing else but the flame of faith And Satan knowing that when we send up our desires to God it is to fetch supply against him troubleth the soule weake of it selfe with a world of
knowledge and care of them above the knowledge and care that Abraham could have of them saying Isa 63.15.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham bee ignorant of us c. Thou ô Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is frō everlasting The Apostle calleth him King eternal 1. Tim. 1.17 immortall invisible only wise God And he doth call Christ who is one with the Father Blessed and onely Potentate the King of kings Lord of lords 1. Tim 6.15.16 who onely hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto that is in heaven to whom be glory and power everlasting These places shew plainly that Gods being in heaven doth set out his purenesse of being his soveraigntie his infinite power goodnesse omniscience truth mercie justice and all other his infinite excellencies His dwelling in heaven Reason and declaration of his power from thence both by his word and works of creation preservation and redemption of man do prove that he is God and in these works his majesty power and all other excellencies of God are written in such great letters that any one may runne and reade them How can any thinke of this Vse 1 God and not be ravisht in his soule with a most high admiration of his glorious and most excellent heavenly majestie Likewise it should cause al men to reverence feare love and obey this Almighty this infinitely good and glorious God whose throne is in heaven who is our heavenly Father Also it should cause us to the utmost of our power whensoever we draw neare to him in any of his ordinances to come in sort beseeming his holy and heavenly majestie putting off all earthly mindednesse and putting on of heavenlinesse lifting up our hearts to God in the highest heavens How doth this discover the Vse 2 sinfulnesse of those that call Gods omniscience providence and power or any other his attributes into question as they in the Psalme saying Psal 94.7 The Lord shall not see c. And as those that said Psal 78.19 Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse c. Can he give bread Can he provide flesh for his people The Psalmist calleth these brutish men and foolish and the Lord did shew that he could send them bread and flesh Psa 105.15 Num. 11.33 and withall leannesse into their soules so that they were not better but worse by it And he could furnish a table and also while the meat was in their mouthes he could in his wrath smite the fattest of them Psal 78.31 Make no question therefore what God can do for he can do any thing but this one to deny himselfe and ceasse to be infinite this he cannot do Vse 3 How terrible should the apprehension of Gods heavenly majestie be to all that live in any knowne sinne willingly For they live in the hatred and displeasure of him who shall send his Sonne in the glory of his majestie Mat. 16.27 who shall come in flaming fire to execute vengeance upon all those that know not God 2. Thes 1.8 and obey not the Gospell Mat. 10.28 who is able to destroy both body and soule in hell fire Vse 4 The consideration of the heavenly majestie omnipotencie and all the other most excellent attributes of God as also the consideration of heaven the place of his speciall habitation doth teach us many lessons concerning prayer First that we should not be rash with our mouthes or our hearts hastie to utter any thing before God Eccles 5.2 For God is in heaven we upon earth saith Solomon A man therefore must be considerate and well prepared before he speake unto him according as I have shewed at large page 30. Secondly this invisibility and incomprehensiblenesse of God our heavenly Father doth teach us that he is not imaginable so as to be likened to any visible thing Wherefore he that prayeth must not represent God not so much as in his thought and phantasie much lesse to his eye in the likenesse of a man or of any other creature The Orthodoxe Christians in all times have beene opposite to the making of any image of God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost either severally or of the Trinitie joyntly but especially to the setting up of any image of God in any place where God was to be worshipped knowing that the beholding of the image doth readily and unavoidably beget a false and carnall conceit of God misleading the imagination turning God into an idoll Rom. 1.23 changing the glory of the incomprehensible and incorruptible God into the image of a finite and corruptible man For indeed by reason of mans pronenesse to idolatry and of Satans deceiveable cunning suggestions and instigations as also for that an image cannot possibly set forth the incomprehensible Being and glory of God but yet leaveth a strong impression that God is present in the image and that he is like unto it therefore it is impossible for any man to represent God to himselfe by an image though it be but to put him in remembrance of God but that he shall quickly become an idolater According to the doctrine of our Church namely Idolatry is to images Hom. Tom. 2. pag. 4◠especially in Churches an inseparable accident God saith that the children of Israel saw no manner of similitude on the day that he spake to them in Horeb Deut. 4.15 16. c. out of the midst of the fire Isa 40.18 And to whom will you liken God or what likenesse will you compare unto him saith the Spirit by the Prophet Isaiah Wherefore when we pray we must not conceive of him in the likenesse of any thing but as an incomprehensible Spirit Father Sonne and holy Ghost from whom by whō through whom and to whom are all things God blessed for ever one alwayes to be admired and adored but not possible to bee delineated or comprehended by any imagination of man What though God did sometimes manifest his presence by things visible as to Moses in the burning bush Exod. 3.2 Exod. 24.15.16.17 and to the children of Israel in the cloud and in the likenesse of devouring fire Gen. 3.8 1. Sam. 3.4 1 Kin. 19.12 as also he did to Adam to Samuel and to Eliah by the sound of a voice And what though in a mentall vision God appeare as a majesticke * 1. King 22.19 judge sitting upon a throne in such appearances as might set forth to Micaiah Dan. 7.9 to Daniel and to Iohn Rev. 4.2 3 the soveraigntie eternity puritie severitie and all-sufficiencie of God And what though the holy Ghost descended upon Christ like a * Mat. 3.16 Act. 2.3 dove and upon the disciples in cloven tongues like fire These were onely acts of particular dispensation usefull for the present occasiōs but not to be patterns to set forth God thereby for our imitation For notwithstanding that God appeared in divers
can heare the one as well as the other How farre forth then is a man to use a voyce in prayer Quest Voyce is not of the essence of prayer Answ The case of using a voyce or no voyce in prayer therefore it is not alwayes needfull to be used as in short ejaculations and when a man is speechlesse or when he cannot bee so private that he may conveniently do it or when a man findeth that hee can keepe his minde alike earnestly attentive and rightly affected in prayer without voyce But a voyce is needfull both in publicke and private when a man is the mouth of others that joyne with him in prayer And when a man prayeth alone it is also fit and usefull For God hath made the tongue an apt instrument to expresse the meaning of the heart and with it also we ought to serve and glorifie God And voyce is a good helpe in prayer For a mans owne voyce is heard of himselfe and is reciprocall upon a mans selfe and serveth both to keepe the heart and thoughts from scattering keeping the heart more close to the present businesse and causing him the sooner to take himselfe in the manner and to checke himselfe when his thoughts do stragle As also the voyce serveth to stirre up to continue and to inflame the spirit and affections of him that prayeth But use speech in private prayer with these cautions Cautions touching using of voice in private prayer First you must not thinke that God heareth prayers the sooner or the rather because of speech Secondly that you do it not to be heard of men that it might bee knowne that you pray in private as well as in publicke Thirdly you are not to speak aloud in private prayer to the offence of those who are so neare that they cannot but heare you yet cannot joyne with you in your prayer This Doctrine yeeldeth also Vse 5 unto beleevers plenty of al heavenly comforts Our Father is in heaven therefore hee can heare in every place we need not tyre our selves in going on pilgrimage to any place to seek him for if we can but enter into our hearts lift them up to heaven we shall finde him He also knoweth all things which we need Mat. 6.32 1. Sam. 14. It is not hard for him to helpe with little or no earthly power He is wisedome and knoweth perfectly what is best and when it is best to helpe his children Many parents would do their children good but either want wisedome know not how or want power and are not able But God is both able and knoweth how and he will do his children good for his love to them is more than naturall it is an heavenly therefore an infinite and everlasting love He hath promised never to leave us now his truth is an heavenly perfect truth it cannot be falsified It is not hardnesse of our hearts nor multitude or greatnesse of our sinnes can hinder our happinesse if we will not wilfully reject his grace through our unbeleefe if we will repaire to him and repose our trust in him For as the Apostle saith Rom. 11.23 He is able to graft in againe the hard hearted Iews he can pardon ten thousand talents as wel as one peny and can as easily say Mat. 9.2.5 All sinnes are forgiven as to say Rise and walke Mic. 7.18.19 We can say Our Father is an heavenly Father and who is a God like our God that pardoneth iniquity transgression and sinne that subdueth all our iniquities and will cast all our sinnes into the depth of the sea It is not with God as with man man cannot helpe all his children at once God can be they never so many and never so farre distant Earthly parents may be drawn drie when they have given portions and inheritances to many they have none for the rest as Isaac when he had blessed Iacob Gen. 27.36.38 he had no such blessing for Esau so that hee cryed Hast thou but one blessing O my father God hath mansions and a kingdome for every one of his Ioh. 14.2 his custome is not that one sonne or that sonnes onely should inherit his kingdome but both sonnes and daughters do all of them inherit for our Father is an heavenly Father Also this consideration of the heavenly majestie and power of God added to the consideration of his fatherhood doth give us assurance of hope that we shall have all the petitions which we aske according to his will For as he is almightie hee can do whatsoever he is willing to do as he is a Father Lastly is our Father an heavenly Father then wee can assure our selves that hereafter we shall in our measure partake of his heaven and of his holines and of his glory For after death when we awake we shall bee received into heaven where we shall ever be with the Lord and be filled with his likenesse Psal 17.15 and hee who now by his heavenly wisedome doth guide us with his counsell shall receive us into glorie where we shall see him as he is and ever remaine in his presence where are pleasures for evermore For as we have borne the image of the earthy 1. Cor. 15.49 wee shall also beare the image of the heavenly Of this we need not doubt for our Father is heavenly therefore the children must needs be heavenly Thus much of the Invocation and calling upon him to whom onely prayer may bee made The petitions follow The petitions do contain the matter of all lawfull requests They may be divided differently according unto such different respects as may be conceived of them First if wee respect the number there are sixe distinct petitions and no more I confesse Divines of good antiquity have reckoned seven making two of the last others of no lesse authority have not regarded the number at all Some of the ancient and most of the orthodox later Writers have reckoned but six and as I thinke upon good ground All agree in the five first all the question is about the sixth whether it bee one or two Now because the subject of both sentences in that petition is all one scil sanctification and the conjunction but knitteth Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evill together into one sentence it is more than probable that is but one petition But whether there be six or seven it is no matter of our faith and doth not deserve any heat of disputation to decide the controversie Secondly if we respect the different persons whom the matter of the petitions concern they are thus divided the three first concerne God only for we say Thy Name thy kingdome thy will c. The three last concern man for wee say Our bread our sinnes lead us not deliver us Thirdly if wee respect that which ought to bee the chiefe end of every mans desire and the meanes to compasse the said end they have this order and are
by that first promise made to Adam that the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent Gen 3.15 from that time it hath beene by Christ administred For though he were not actually incarnate and made man much lesse did he dye and rise againe Gal. 4 4. untill the fulnesse of time in the latter end of the world in the severall times appointed thereunto yet in Gods purpose and appointment as also in Gods promises and to the faith of Adam Abel Enock Noah Abraham and of the rest of the Patriarkes and beleevers the incarnation death resurrection and dominion of Christ had a being and was as effectuall to them that then beleeved in the Messias to be incarnate c. as they now are to any that beleeve in him now after that he is indeed incarnate c. For as the holy Ghost saith Rev 13.8 Christ was a Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world so he may be said to have taken flesh and to have risen againe c. from the foundation of the world Therefore hee saith Ioh. 8.58 Ioh. 8.56 Before Abraham was I am and Abraham was glad to see my day and hee saw it that is he saw him in the promise by the eye of his faith made man Heb. 11.13 dead and risen againe and sitting upon his throne as King governing all things So did David when he said Psal 110.1 The Lord that is God the Father said unto my Lord that is to God the Sonne who was to bee made man Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Heb. 13 8. For Christ Iesus is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Thus our Saviour Christ was then Act. 10.36 and is now King Lord of all raigning by his power and working effectually by his spirit in the first times in the ministery of the Patriarches Prophets and Priests as he now in the latter times hath done doth in the ministery of the Apostles and ordinary Ministers both for the gathering and saving of his Church as also for the restraint and destruction of his enemies That the manhood of Christ should in the fulnesse of time Psal 2.6.7 Isa 9 6.7 Psal 110.1 be taken into the partnership of this government designed to the second Person as Mediatour the Prophets before Christ came in the flesh did clearely foretell our Saviour himselfe before his death told the Iewes that the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Sonne Ioh. 5.22 and hath given him authority to execute judgement because hee is the sonne of man that is by an excellency that sonne of man Ioh 5.27 who was ordained to be Immanuell God with us This sonne of man our Saviour who is God blessed for ever had his more solemne investitute and inauguration into this his absolute governement given him of God preseÌ„tly after that he had for the glory of his Father in the redemption of mankinde humbled himselfe unto the cursed death of the Crosse bearing his Fathers indignation to the full satisfying of his justice for the sinnes of all in whose stead he stood who should beleeve in him which was after that by his death he rising from the dead had destroyed him that had the power of death Hâ—b 2.14.15 that is the divell Of this more evident manifestation of Christs Kingship it is that hee himselfe spake to his Disciples when he said All power is given me in heaven and in earth Mat. 28.18 And of this exaltation it is of which the Apostle speaketh saying Phil. 2.9.10.11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name that in the name of Iesus that is that to the power and soveraignty of Iesus Christ Isa 45.23 now manifested to be Lord all should bee subject for to him every knee should bow Rom 14.11 of things in heaven in earth and under the earth and every tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father He is therefore said to have on his vesture and on his thigh a name written Rev. 19.16 KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS By vertue of this exaltation and dominion it is that triumphing over his enemies he ascended up on high Col 2.15 Eph. 4.8.11 12 13. and led captivity captive and gave gifts to men that is to those his officers which under him should erect and perfect his kingdome of grace here upon earth namely He gave some Apostles and some Evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministrie for the edifying of the bodie of Christ till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Christ Iesus being thus advanced it belongeth unto him to reigne as king untill he have perfected the salvation of all the elect and untill he have put all his enemies under his feet and have delivered up this kingdome to God even the Father This kingdome of Christ differs from all other kingdomes for though it be in the world and above all the kingdomes of the world yet it is not of the world Ioh. 18.36 it is a spirituall and heavenly kingdome bearing rule in and over the soules and consciences of men It is directly opposite to the kingdome of darknesse and of the devill the prince of this world for by his agents through his ordinances by the power of his Spirit 2. Cor 10.4.5.6 he pulleth downe strong holds casting downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivitie everie thought to the obedience of Christ having in a readinesse to avenge all disobedience when the obedience of his own subjects shall be fulfilled This kingdome of Christ is an everlasting kingdome Isa 9.7 Dan. 7.27 never to have end whether wee respect the subjects or king for at the last day all that were subject unto him in this world in the kingdome of grace shall in an holy and glorious subjection unto God reigne with him in the world to come in the kingdome of glory for evermore But this present administration and government of this kingdome by Christ as Mediatour is not everlasting for in the end of the world 1. Cor. 25.24 25. Christ shall deliver up the kingdome to God even the Father then the Sonne himselfe shall be subject to him that put all things under him 1. Cor. 15.28 that God may be all in all This giving up the kingdome is not a cessation of it but a delivering of it up to God to his immediate governing of it in a state more glorious than ever It causeth onely a cessation of that forme of government by Christ which was to
Gods childe and Christs brother Mark 3.35 Hee that doth the will of God the same is my brother sister and mother saith Christ Sixtly God will heare their prayers Ioh 9.31 If any man will doe his will him he heareth And seventhly to such belongeth the salvation of God Psalm 50.23 Be ye intreated therefore by the mercies of God to give your selves both in bodies and soules to GOD. Prove what is that good Rom. 11.1.2 that acceptable and perfect will of God Thinke thus with thy selfe It is sufficient nay too much that I have spent the time past of my life according to the will of men and of the flesh in all manner of wickednesse but now that I am quickned and professe better things now that I am redeemed from my former conversation I will therefore strive and pray that I may live according to the holy will of him that hath redeemed me Thinke thus God will have his will fulfilled by me in obedience or hee will have it fulfilled upon mee in his just vengeance Let every man therfore use all meanes to know and doe the will of God And as much as in us lyeth we must cause others to know and to doe it We have Christs example who also speaking of mans duty saith Ioh. 13.17 If yee know these things happy are yee if yee doe them Now that wee may doe the will of God Meanes inabling men to do Gods will wee must first be ingrafted into Christ and must abide in him drawing grace and vertue from him by the exercise of our faith as the branch doth from the Vine Ioh. 15.5 then wee shall doe Gods will bringing forth much fruit in him Secondly we must deny our owne wisedome and our own will Pro. 3.5 Pro. 23.4 and we must not consult with flesh and bloud but with the word of God and the inward man in which dwelleth the Spirit of God Gen. 22.3 Thus Abraham became able to doe as hard a piece of service as any man can be put unto in offering his onely sonne Isaack the sonne of his hope Rom. 4.19.20.21 who as he beleeved in God in a thing impossible to reason without reasoning against it so did hee performe a commandement of killing his sonne in naturall reason seeming unnaturall unreasonable and impious this he did by resting onely upo the word of God to which he was obedient Heb. 11.19 Thirdly wee must doe our utmost that we may know the will of God else how can wee doe it to this end wee must heare reade and meditate on the holy Scriptures which have the power of God working with them to inlighten the minde with knowledge and to incline the will to obedience Fourthly pray unto God who onely can and will informe the understanding Phil. 2 13. and give both to will and to doe at his good pleasure Thus Paul prayed that the Colossians might be filled with the knowledge of his will Col. 1.9 and that they might walk worthy of the Lord in all well-pleasing David likewise prayed saying Ps 119 8â— Quicken me after thy loving kindenesse so shall I keepe the testimony of thy mouth And the Church saith Cant 1.4 Draw mee and we will runne after thee If we will pray and seeke with all our might as we would for hid treasure Pro. 3.4 â— then shall we understand the feare of the Lord and then shall wee know Hol. 6.3 if we follow on to know the Lord. Then shall we also be able to doe the will of God Phil. 2.13 For he will worke all our workes for us and we shall be blessed in our deed Iames 1.25 As in heaven Observe here that the patterne of perfect obedience is taken from heaven whence we may collect Doct. 2 In heaven is all perfect obedience there is no failing there no not in the least circumstance 1 Cor. 13.12 Now I know but in part saith the Apostle but then that is when hee should come to heaven I shall know as I am knowne Peter speaking of the new heavens saith that therein dwelleth righteousnesse 2 Pet. 3.13 Reas 1 1 Cor. 6.9 For heauen is the holy place into which no unrighteous person can enter for when there were disobedient persons in heaven namely the divell and his Angels which kept not their first estate heaven did vomit them forth never to be burdened with them or the like againe In heaven there are no tempters Reas 2 for there are none but God Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 therefore also no temptations unto sinne The thoughts of this will moderate griefe for those our Vse 1 friends which die in the Lord. For the place whitherto death hath made a passage for them is the heaven spoken of in the Doctrine which doth secure us that they are there where they are made perfect where they shal neither offend nor be offended Doth not the meditation Vse 2 hereof worke in Gods children not onely contentment but a longing to lay downe this tabernacle to be translated hence when the Lord shall please sith the exchange will be so happy It is but a parting with a sinfull miserable earth for this heaven wherein dwelleth perfect righteousnesse It is leaving mortality for life sinne for grace and misery for glory in that place where they shall neither bee actors nor beholders of sinne where there is no sinne either to infect or vexe them Vse 3 When we are wearied and almost fainting in our combat against sinne and this wicked world if we would but consider that ere long if we do hold out manfully a while this sinne and flesh shall annoy us no more For when death commeth it is the portall to this heaven spoken of in the text which death doth as certainely separate sinne from soule and body for ever as if doth the soule from the body for a while For our place is this heaven where are the Angels the patternes of our obedience and when we come there we shall be as the Angels Luke 20.36 and shall ever be with the Lord. As in heaven Here Christ doth send us to the best and perfect examples whence note In proposing examples for imitation Doct. 3 men must propose the best such as are perfect and heavenly The examples of Angels and those that be perfect must bee imitated of men on earth Therfore when Paul would have the Corinthians follow him it was with this condition as hee followed Christ or because he followed Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 In the following such examples Reas 1 men shall alwaies have cause to proceed on and grow better and better and shall still be going forward towards perfection for such examples are perfect Reas 2 When men looke upon these perfect copies the sight of how much they come short of what they should doe taketh downe pride which else would arise from the sense of what they haue done
duty to pray for Reas 1 the dead as well as the living there would have beene some precept or it would have beene commended in some example in Scripture Wherefore wee may conclude in such a case as this from the silence of Scripture that onely the living not the dead are to be prayed for It is vaine and bootlesse to Reas 2 pray for the dead for either they be carried by the Angels into heaven where they need not our prayers Luk. 16. or else they are throwne into hell the Scripture knoweth no third place out of which our prayers cannot fetch them Eccles 9.10 And there is no repentance or forgivenesse in the grave Vse We are therefore to abhorre and avoid that point of Popery which teacheth praying for the dead yet as absurd and vain as it is that old Poperie which was bred in the bone will not out of the flesh of many Protestants For many will never speake of any departed but with this addition God be with him or Lord have mercie on his soule If ye tell them of this fault they say Better say so than worse and if we do them no good by our prayers wee are sure we do them no harme I answer what necessity is there of praying better or worse for them And grant that your prayers do them no harme I am sure they do them no good But in praying for them you do your selves harme in committing a sinne against God by making a prayer which cannot be a prayer of faith Now he is unwise that will do himselfe harme in any thing wherein he neither pleaseth God nor doth good to his neighbour Our implyeth a plaine acknowledgement and confession of sinne without hiding excusing or extenuating of sinnes Whence this is observable In asking pardon of sinne there Doct. 8 must alwayes be an heartie acknowledgement and confession of sinne When David gave over hiding his iniquitie and said I will confesse my transgressions to the Lord then saith he Thou forgavest the iniquitie of my sin Psal 32.5 We have a large example of his confession of sin originall and actuall Psal 51.3 4 5. Daniel saith We have sinned against thee Dan. 9.8 Heartie confession of sinne Reas 1 giveth glory to God for thereby it is acknowledged that God should have been obeyed this giveth him the glory of his authoritie and soveraigntie Also thereby is acknowledged that Gods Law which is broken is equall holy and good else the act of sinne could not be acknowledged to be a fault Reas 2 A free confession sheweth that a man is ashamed of his sinne and that he is humble and sorie for it and he is hereby capable of forgivenesse whereas when a man hath committed a sinne if he will not confesse it it doth then stand God upon to seek out his proofes and bring him to his triall Reas 3 An unfained confession of sinne argueth a true desire of pardon yea it doth put an edge to desire for when the bed role of many damnable sinnes is laid open to the view of a man it will make him earnest with God as it did Daniel who after his confession is most fervent in prayer saying O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do deferre not for thine own sake O my God Dan. 9.19 God hath promised to forgive Reas 4 those that confesse their sinne If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.9 It is therefore a great fault Vse 1 not to confesse but to go about to hide sinne from God and a mans owne conscience this doth greatly aggravate sinne This sinne is one of the first sins and one of the commonest sinnes that are amongst the sonnes of men When the devill had drawne Adam and Eve into sinne he knew the best way to keepe them from forgivenesse was to teach them to excuse and extenuate their sinne the man layeth the fault on the woman yea upon God himself Gen. 3. the woman layeth it on the serpent neither of them will take it upon themselves Even so it is with all the children of Adam untill God endue them with a great measure of his grace either they will denie or excuse or extenuate or shift it off imputing their sinne either to their naturall disposition therefore they cannot chuse they must bee borne with or they impute their sinnes to the wickednesse of the times or to their companie or to the deuil when all this while the evill heart which is most in fault is not charged at all with any faultinesse whereas in touch whatsoever was the occasion or whosoever was the entise if the heart yeeld to commit sinnes the sinne is a mans own and must be called as it is in the petition Our debt or my dâ— It is the extreamest folly 〈◊〉 can be to go about to hide siâ— for it cannot be hidde from his eyes which seeth all things who will one day when all secrets shall bee made manifest fully discover it It is a fault to commit sinne but it is aggravated when it is not confessed If I covered my transgression as Adam or after the manner of man saith Iob Iob 31.33 and 2. By hiding my sinne in my bosome Then what portion of God is there and what inheritance of the Almightie from on high verse 2. For this is the generall evill which is to be applyed to all the particular sinnes mentioned in that Chapter The hiding of sinne therefore is dangerous according to that saying He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper Prou. 28.13 Would any man have his Vse 2 sinnes forgiven then let him uncover his sins and lay them open before God in confession that so God may hide and cover them in Christ who is the covering and true propitiation of all our sinnes that through him he may put them out of his remembrance as if they were cast into the bottome of the sea In confession it shall be needfull to observe these rules 1 Confession must be heartie not verball for this is meere hypocrisie 2 It must be voluntarie not constrained and forced as wâ— that of Pharoahs when Gods terrible judgement being upon him hee said I have sinned against the Lord c. Exod 1â— 16 3 It must bee mixed with faith and hope of pardon 〈◊〉 was that of Daniel Dan 9.9 saying 〈◊〉 the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against thee It must not be a desperate comâ—sion like that of Judas Mat. 27 4. sayiâ— I have sinned in betraying innâ—cent bloud 4 It must be with holy affections of griefe godly shame for sinne with contrition and brokennesse of heart with a lothing and detestation of the sinnes confessed and with true humiliation of heart Thus did Ezra confesse saying O God Ezra 9. I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads Thus did the
Thes 3.5 J sent to know your faith lest by some meanes the tempter have tempted you But to say that God doth thus tempt any man is blasphemy for Saint Iames saith Iam. 1.13 God tempteth no man because he cannot be tempted to evill But to leade into temptation taken in the good sense as it proceedeth from God is onely such an act or acts of Gods soveraignty and wise providence concerning man whereby it so commeth to passe that a man is exposed to the temptations either of Sathan of other men or of a mans owne euill lusts who are the proper and onely actors of temptation unto sinne In this act of leading into temptation allusion may in part be made unto the acts of a Generall of an Army who may according to his discretion lead which band he pleaseth and set them in the Forlorne hope the place of greatest danger and may keepe which band he pleaseth in the Reserve or in some Fort the place of greatest safety It may likewise be somewhat resembled by an act of the Moderator of the games of combats where none might enter the lists and play their prize but according to the permission and appointment of the overseer and moderator of those exercises The Lord God hee is the great Lord of hosts and is the over-seer and over-ruler of the great Theater of the world who doth at his pleasure moderate and order all actions therin in perfection of wisedome to his owne glory Evill is either evil of punishment which is temporall prayed against in the fourth petitioÌ„ eternall prayed against in the fift petition Or evill of sinne which is referred either to persons or actions When this word evill noteth out a person in Scripture it signifieth the divell who because he is of himselfe so exceeding evill and doth make it his worke to infect all men with evill he is called the evill or the evill one So he that Math. 13.19 is called the evill one in the Greeke is v. 39. called the divell Some would restraine this word evill that it should meane the divell as if hee onely were prayed against in this petition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that because this word evill in the Greeke hath his article joyned with it which giveth an emphasis to evill pointing at some speciall evill one which is the divell I doe grant that sometimes these articles do give a speciall force unto the words to which they are annexed yet for the most part the Greekes use to adde them rather for a grace and ornament of speech and are so used seven or eight times at least in the Lords prayer So that seeing there is no necessitie in respect of the word evill to understand the divell onely and because evill of sinne is most opposite to sanctification I thinke that it is not Christs meaning to restraine the word evill unto him Evill hath respect to actions and then by evill is meant any irregularitie or swarving in any action contrary to the will of God to which will of God evil of sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly standeth in opposition in which sense it must be taken in this petition and if wee put any emphasis in the article it may as wel denote evill of sinne in generall as any particular evill yet here I doe not exclude the divell as if hee were not meant at all to be praied against but doe include both him and evill men and the evill world the euill heart and all other things so farre as they are movers and inticers unto evill In this very sense are the same words used by Christ saying Father Ioh 17.15 keepe them from the evill or from wickednesse So 1 Ioh. 5.19 The world lyeth in euill or wickednesse And that of the Apostle Rom. 12.9 is without all exception Abhor 〈◊〉 that which is evill cleave to that which is good Evill is here taken indifferently for all manner of evill of sinne and whatsoever doth conduce unto it Deliver implyeth two things First preservation from falling into sin Secondly helpe of God to rise out of sin by repentance both these deliverances are here meant Keeping from evill in Christs prayer Ioh. 17.15 and deliver from evill in this prayer have one meaning When Paul saith Rom 7.24 Who shall deliver he meaneth who shall give mee power against this body of sinne And that Gods giving of repentance is deliverance from evill that saying of the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.25.26 maketh it manifest where Gods giving men repentance verse 25. is all one with recovering themselves out of the snare of the divell which evil is without our question prayed against in â—hose words Deliver us from evill Vs in both clauses leade us and deliver us noteth out the same persons mentioned in the fourth petition scil our selves all our brethren that live upon the earth That we may understand the meaning of this Petition more fully more cleâ—ly it is to be considered what grace of God it is which is heâ— prayed for by vertue whereof a man may be delivered from the evill here deprecated First wee pray that God by an act of his gracious providence would free us if it might be from the very temptation unto sinne namely that wee may be delivered and kept from seducers corrupters that they may not tempt us unto evill according as Saint Paul prayed that Satans buffeting 2 Cor. 11.7.8 the prickâ— in the flesh might depart froâ— him Wee may pray that God would please not to leade us unto temptation Moreover sith GOD hath thought it meete that his owne children should bee exercised with manifold tentations and the flesh the world and the divell conspire to assault us with temptations it cannot be but we shall daily bee tempted Wherefore prayer also is to bee made unto God that he would not leade us into temptation that is hee would bee pleased to uphold us and that hee would so effectually worke in us by the grace of his spirit that we may not be insnared by it and held under the power of it so as to be overcome made to yeeld to commit that sinne to which we are tempted This speciall and effectuall grace is it which is requisite both that we may resist temptations and that wee may have both will and ability to live holily righteously in the whole course of our life By this effectuall grace I understand not onely such a work of the holy spirit of God that inlighteneth the minde and which cureth the will by an immediate influence so farre as onely to raise the will from its naturall propensitie to evill to a meere indifferency to resist a temptation to evill if a man will and to imbrace a motion to good if he will But it is such a powerfull worke of the Spirit that it causeth the will so to decline evill that it will resist the temptation if he can and
adversaries that presume upon their owne strength shall faint but they that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strength Asa did confirme himselfe against an hoast of more than a thousand thousand enemies by this point in hand saying to the Lord 2. Chron. 14.11 It is nothing with thee to helpe whether with many or with them that have no power And whereas Gods children are many of them little and weak and their adversaries mightie and strong yet if they lay hold on the power of Gods might they shall stand in the evill day and bee sure to overcome Thus John encourageth all Gods children saying Ye are of God 1. Ioh. 4.4 little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world Paul comforteth himselfe in this when persecutours went about to take away his life 2. Tim. 2.12 saying I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I have committed unto him And hereby we know that our vile body shall be made like Christs glorious body Philip. 3.21 because of that mighty working whereby Christ is able to subdue all things to himselfe And we are assured of that inheritance incorruptible in the heavens because both it is reserved for us and we are kept for it by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1. Pet. 1.4.5 And thine is glory In that glory is appropriated unto God we learne All glory and praise primarily Doct. 5 and properly belongeth unto God Therefore the foure and twenty Elders ascribe glory and honour unto him Revel 4.11 Likewise all creatures in heaven and in earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them are brought in giving glorie and honour to him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever Revel 5.13 This is Reason because God onely is of himselfe excellent and glorious If any other persons or things have any excellencie or goodnesse they have it of God for of him Rom. 11.36 through him and to him are all things saith the Apostle to whom bee glory for ever Amen Who so would be further confirmed and would see what use he should make of this Doctrine let him look back into the first Doctrine of the first Petition For ever Here it must be observed that Doct. 5 All divine prerogatives and properties that are in God are everlasting His soveraigntie power and glorie and all his attributes had no beginning and shall have no ending Moses in the Psalme saith From everlasting to everlasting thou art God Psalm 90.2 The Apostle saith To the King eternall immortall c. be honour and glory for ever 1. Tim. 1.17 who also speaking of God in another place saith Who onely hath immortality c. to whom bee honour and power everlasting 1. Tim. 6.16 The nature of God is perfect and absolute without mixture Reason or composition of things contrary or divers so that there cannot be in him any internall cause of corruption and ending Also God is independant and above all other things that there can be no externall cause and therefore no cause that can cause any alteration in him or can put an end to his being therefore God must needs be the same yesterday to day and for ever Is God everlasting in everie Vse 1 one of his properties then let the wicked feare and tremble for the truth of all Gods threatnings in his word is everlasting heaven and earth shall passe but no jot of the truth of his Word shall be unfulfilled Hereby they must assure themselves that the intolerable torments of hell that are appointed for them are everlasting If there might be an end of Gods justice power and glorie there might be an end of torment but so long as God whose breath as a streame of brimstone Isa 30.33 doth kindle hell-fire is everlasting Mark 9. the gnawing worme and scorching fire made to torment every sinner must needs be everlasting Ah how can they endure this everlasting burning Isa 33.14 The thoughts of the eternitie Vse 2 of Gods properties are exceeding joyous and comfortable unto all that have made their peace with God through faith in Christ for his truth his grace and love and his power to save them 1. Thes 4.17 Psal 16.11 is everlasting By this we may assure our selves that after the day of judgement we shall both in body and soule ever be with the Lord in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore because he that hath promised and purchased and which hath prepared and reserved an eternall inheritance in the heavens for us 1. Pet. 1.4 ever liveth to fulfill and continue it to us Sith all Gods excellencies are Vse 3 everlasting we must daily and constantly for ever ascribe unto him glory everlasting Amen This is the second part of the Lords Prayer whereby is expressed the right disposition of the minde and heart of a man when he prayeth which is indeed the very life of prayer This Hebrew word Amen remaineth for the most part untranslated in Greeke Latin English and in all other languages It is used either in the beginning or ending of a speech In the beginning of a speech it importeth an earnest asseveration whereunto our saying verily or indeed or in very truth doth answer in this sense it is often used by Christ in the Gospell When it is in the latter end of a speech as here and in divers other places it signifieth two things either a wish of the heart to obtaine what is proposed or else a perswasion of the heart that it shall obtaine that which was proposed Oft times it signifieth both That Amen is a wish and desire of what was before spoken of it appeareth by Benaiah's answer to David when he had appointed Solomon to be ruler over Israel and over Iudah saying Amen which he doth explane by these words The Lord God of my Lord the king say so too 1. King 1.36 That Amen sheweth a perswasion of faith touching the thing before spoken of see Rom. 9.5 where when Paul had said of Christ that he was over all God blessed for ever he addeth Amen that is he was assuredly perswaded that it was so Amen in this place signifieth both the assent and wish of the heart as also assurance of faith and expectation of the petitions before mentioned These different acts of the soule scil a heartie wish and expectation of what is wished are not so different but that they may in one instant be acted at once in the heart and therefore may fitly be expressed in one word so long as the word Amen doth signifie both those acts of the soule As it expresseth the assent and desire of the heart it implieth knowledge truth of heart and fervor in asking As it expresseth faith of the heart it implieth an assured expectation to obtaine