the creatures or abusing them to bâ—… the instruments of sinne Duties in our lives 1. Holy meditation and mentioning of the works of God to his glory and our spirituall good To his glory for so must we meditate and speak of the creatures as that the wisdome goodnesse and power of God shining in them be acknowledged that we knowing him by his works may glorifie him as God To our good by meditating in such things as are to be followed or eschewed in them 2. The pure and holy use of the creature sâ—…nctified by the word and prayer c. Otherwise if we knowing God by â—…is works shall not glorifie him Rom. 1. 21. if we shall play the Momes in detrâ—…cting from the works of God or mocking the same if we shall abuse his creatures to superstitious wicked and profâ—…ne uses and please our selves in so doing we are to take heed lest in making this prayer we be found mockers of God Now follow the works of administration which are his blessings or judgements towards our selves or others His blessings on our selves are sanctified 1. in our hearts when we are truly thankfull for them 2. in our tongues when we give thanks Psal. 124. 6. and shew forth his benefits Psal. 66. 16. and 71. 8 18. 3. in our deeds when we referre the good things received to his glory and the good of others and when by them we are brought to repentance Rom. 2. 4. The blessings of God on others are sanctified when we rejoyce with them 1. Cor. 12. 26. and glorifie God in them Psal. 35. 27. Gal. 1. 24. The judgements of God on our selves are sanctified when they have the like effect in us that they had in Job that is First when we are humbled under the hand of God and brought to repentance Job 1. 20. and 42. 6. Secondly when we bear them patiently Job 1. 21. Thirdly when we blesse God in them and for them v. 21. The judgements of God on others are sanctified when by consideration thereof we fear to sinne when we shew forth the justice of God in the punishment of the wicked Psal. 58. 11 12. when we condole with the just Wants to be lamented First unthankfulnesse in that neither in our hearts we have the chearfull sense of Gods goodnesse in his benefits nor in our tongues return praise to him nor in our deeds bring forth the fruits nor yet by them are brought to repentance Secondly our not acknowledging Gods graces in others or depraving or lessening them or envying their good Thirdly our senselesnesse in affliction Jer. 5. 3. Fourthly impatiencâ—… Isai. 22. 12 13. Fifthly murmuring Sixthly not to be terrified by the example of others but rather pleasing our selves Luke 13. 1. Seventhly not condoling but rather rejoycing in other mens evils as laughing at fools Duties in our lives To be thankfull to God for his benefits To expresse our thankfulnesse by thanksgiving by referring them to the glory of God by repentance To rejoyce with others To glorifie God in them To make right use of his chastisements on our selves and others Otherwise if we shall be proud of those good things which we have as though we had not received them not giving God the glory nor referring them to his glory and the good of others but contrariwise abusing them to the dishonour of God and the hurt of others as many do their learning wit riches strength c. If we shall deprave Gods mercies in others or envie them If in the judgements of God upon our selves we shall harden our hearts with Pharaoh If we shall impatiently bear them and murmure against the severity of God If with Belteshazzar we shall not be moved with the example of others Dâ—…n 5. 22. If we shall make a sport of 〈◊〉 mens calamities we are farre from that desire of sanctifying Gods name which in this prayer we pretend Secondly in these words we pray that the Lord would sanctifie his name The which petition we are the rather to make because his glory is so little regarded amongst men And in this sense our prayer is the same with that of our Saviour John 12. 28. Father glorifie thy name or with that of David Psal. 57. 6 11. Be thou exalted Lord above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth or that Psal. 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us c. The Lord doth sanctifie his name I. When he doth shew forth and manifest the excellencie and glory of his name that is of his attributes and perfections as wisdome power c. but especially by making manifest the glory of his mercy and justice Of mercy by preserving his Church and multiplying his blessings upon the faithfull Ezech. 36. 21. For the glory of his own name he preserved his Church amongst the heathen and promised to reduce them into their own countrey not for their sakes but his holy names sake v. 22. and then v. 23. I will sanctifie my great name which was polluted amongst the heathen namely because of the affliction of his people v. 20. and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes c. So 2. Thess. 1. 12. Of his justice and power in executing his judgements on transgressours and on the wicked and overthrowing the enemies of his Church When Nadab and Abihu had offered strange fire contrary to the commandment of God and were destroyed by fire from heaven he said I will be sanctified in them that come near me that is By executing judgement even against those that are near to me I will make manifest the glory of my justice and before all the people will I be glorified Levit. 10. 3. Isai. 5. 15 16. By the judgements of God executed upon the wicked it is said that man shall be humbled and brought low but the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgement and the holy God shall be sanctified in justice Ezech. 28. 22. Thus saith the Lord God Behold I come against thee Sidon and I will be glorified in the midst of thee and they shall know that I am the Lorâ—… when I shall have executed judgements in her and shall be sanctified in her For I will send into her pesâ—…ilence c. And chap. 38. 22 23. he threatneth to rain fire and brimstone upon Gog and Magog that is both the open and secret enemies of the Church c. Thus saith he will I be magnified and sanctified and known in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord. II. God doth sanctifie and glorifie his name when he doth removâ—… the impediments of his glory as idolatry worshipping of false gods superstition ignorance and giveth a free passage to his Gospel when he taketh away the wicked Psal. 104. 35. III. By freeing it from the abuses pollutions of men and mainteining his own glory When Moses and Aaron at
chearfully to the slaughter yet there can be no greater judgement inflicted upon a man in this life then to be given over to his own lusts or to the allurements of the world or tentations of the devil Now this giving over men in tentation is that which our Saviour calleth leading into tentation Of which we are now to speak Lead us not into or rather bring or carrie us not into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where first we must note the persoâ—… to whom we speak secondly the thing against which we pray The person Do not thou lead us Which when some have considered they have chosen rather to read thus And do not thou permit or suffer us to be led into tentation But we must not teach our Saviour to speak but rather with humilitie learn the true meaning of his speech Yea but say they this prayer is superfluous For God temptâ—…th no man as James saith chap. 1. 13. It is one thing to tempt and another thing to lead into tentation as it is one thing to execute punishment on an evil-doer and another to deliver him over to an executioner the one is the act of the judge the other of the hangman Yea but we must understand this of permission onely or else we shall make God the authour of sinne God doth not onely permit men to be tempâ—…ed but also leadeth into tentation The like phrases are usuall in the Scriptures Exod. 7. 3. Induravit cor Pharaonis he hardened Pharaohs heart Isai. 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us erre from thy wayes and hardened our heart from thy fear Rom. 1. 24 26 28. 2. Thess. 2. 11. God shall send them strong delusion All which words do signifie not onely a permission but also a work of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet notwithstanding he is not the authour of sinne In every tentation even unto evil God hath an hand And the same tentation which proceedeth from Satan or our own corruption may also be said to come from God But in the same tentation we are to distinguish the work of God which is good from the work of the flesh or of the devil which is evil As it cometh from God it is either a triali or a chastisement which are works of mercy or a punishment which is a work of justice But as it cometh from Satan or the flesh it is a provocation unto evil and therefore a sinne Such is the wisdome and goodnesse of the Lord that he knoweth by evil instruments to effect his own good work The tentation of Job proceeded from God and from Satan God by that means tried his patience the devil provoked him to impatience and despair When David numbred the people it is said that God moved him so to do 2. Sam. 24. 1. and Satan provoked him to number the people 1. Chron. 21. 1. Gods work was a chastisement of David and punishment of the people Satans work an incitation to sinne When Pharaoh deteined the people of Israel it is said that God hardned his heart and that Pharaoh hardned his heart Exod. 8. 15 32. and 9. 34. As it came from God it was a punishment as from himself a fruit of his own flesh and so a sinne Again we must further distinguish betwixt the tentation of God and of the flesh and the devil The flesh when it tempteth sendeth forth evil concupiscences which allure men to evil and withdraw from God Jam. 1. 14. The devil when he tempteth casteth into mens minds either by himself or by means ill motions and suggestions God doth not instill into mens minds ill motions as the devil and the flesh do But he is said to tempt in these respects 1. By offering the occasion or the object of sinne for our triall howsoever we through our own corruption or instigation of Satan take occasion by the triall of sinning 2. By withholding and withdrawing his grace which he is not bound to vouchsafe unto any but in justice might deny to all 3. By giving them over either to their own lusts or to the tentations of the devil who is his executioner as a just punishment of their former sinnes And in this sense God is said to harden mens hearts not that he maketh them of soft hard but being hard already giveth them over to their own corruptions and the tentations of Satan further to be hardned which hardnesse they further gather to themselves willingly committing sinne with greedinesse Now this the Lord may do most justly For when men have hardned themselves what should bind God to soften them He hath mercy on whom he will by softning them and whom he will not have mercy on them in justice he hardneth And who shall constrain him to shew mercy in softning where in justice he may harden This must teach us 1. not to dispute with God but to justifie him in all his judgements which in justice he might exercise upon all howsoever in mercy he spareth some and 2. to be thankfull unto him for vouchsafing us to be in the number of those whom in mercy he so softeneth when in justice he might have hardned us Thus we see in what sense the Lord is said to lead men into tentation not that he suffereth them onâ—…ly to be led but also that he giveth them over to be tempted and in the tentation to take the foil 2. Whereas our Saviour teacheth us thus to pray That the Lord would not lead us into tentation we gather this consolation That howsoever we are assaulted continually by the flesh the world and the devil yet we shall not be overcome except the Lord himself lead us into tentation Satan goeth about continually like a roring lion seeking whom he may devoure but he cannot tempt except it please God to bring us upon the stage as he did Job nor in tempting overcome us unlesse the Lord give us over into his hands For he that is in us is greater then he that is in the world 1. John 4. 4. And if we be born of God the evil one shall not touch us to hurt us 1. John 5. 18. The devil desireth to sift and to winnow us as wheat but our Saviour hath prayed for those that believe in him that our faith may not fail Luke 22. 32. The devils could not enter into the herd of swine without speciall leave Neither could Satan touch the cattel of Job untill he had commission from God and further then his tedder he cannot go Seeing therefore in all tentations the Lord ruleth the action and overruleth the tempter our duty is in all tentations to flee unto him praying that he will not lead us into tentation So much of the person to whom we make this request Let us now consider the thing against which we pray That we be not led into tentation Our Saviour doth not teach us to pray that we be not tempted at all For it is not an evil
Pro. 21. 13. Whereas contrariwise those that be mercifull shall find mercy with God Matth. 5. 7. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he will say Here I am Isa. 58. 9. If we love not in word and tongue alone but in deed and truth hereby we may have confidence before God 1. John 3. 18 19. Secondly to Want of love in forgiving offenses and contrariwise Mark 11. 25. When ye stand praying forgive if ye have ought against any that your Father also which is in heavâ—…n may forgive you your trespasses But if â—…e do not forgive 〈◊〉 will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses Thirdly to the Not-hearing or hearkening to the word of God For as we heare so we shall be heâ—…rd Prov. 28. 9. He that turneth 〈◊〉 his care from 〈◊〉 the law his prayer shall be abominable For as we speak unto the Lord in prayer so the Lord speaketh unto us in the preaching of the word and therefore good reason it is that if we will not heare the Lord when he speaketh unto us he should not heare us when we speak unto him as the Prophet Zacharie saith chap. 7. 13. It is come to passe that as he cried and they would not heare so they cryed and I would not heare saith the Lord. On the other side If the word of Christ abide in us we may ask what we will and it shall be granted us John 15. 7. If men harden their hearts against the word of God the wisdome of God hath threatned not to heare them Prov. 1. 24. He covereth himself with a cloud that our prayer should not passe through Lam. 3. 44. But if men humble themselves before God and tremble at his word being of humble and contrite hearts the Lord hath promised to heare Psal. 66. 2. and 34. 18. and 51. 17. The prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds Ecclus 35. 17. If men choose not the fear of the Lord the Lord will not heare them Prov. 1. 28 29. on the other side He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him he will also heare their cry anâ—… will save them Psal. 145. 19. Neither doth the Lord refuse to heare those alone who are open and notorious sinners but those also which making outward profession of pietie do play the hypocrites Job 27. 9. Will God heare the cry of the hypâ—…crite when trouble cometh upon him To which purpose there is a notable saying of David Psal. 66. 18. If I regard wickednesse in my heart saith he the Lord will not heâ—…re mâ—… Whereas contrariwise if men would walk uprightly before God he would deniâ—… uâ—…to them nothing that is good Psal. 84. 11. Wherefore it behoveth every one that nameth the name of Christ to depart from iniquitie 2. Tim. 2. 19. and to purge his hands from sinne Jam 4. 8. and to wash them in innocencie Psal. 26. that so he may without doubting lift up holy hands unto the Lord 1. Tim. 2. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 2. 22. Heb. 10. 22. with true hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience Mala conscientia januam nobis claudit An evil conscience shutteth the gate against us Calv. Institut 3. 20. 7. § But against this doctrine it may be objected That the Lord many times heareth the wicked when they call upon him and therefore that the promises made to prayer are not peculiar to the godly but common to them with the wicked For answer hereunto we are to remember That prayers are made unto God either for spirituall blessings belonging to a better life or for temporall blessings apperteining to this corporall life The former are peculiar to the children of God as belonging to their inheritance and are never bestowed on the wicked who never have so much grace as truly to desire them and therefore if they do at any time ask them they do pray in hypocrisie asking with their lips that which they do not desire with their hearts nor labour for in their lives As for temporall benefits I cannot deny but that the Lord many times in respect of them doth grant unto the wicked their hearts desire But yet even in these also there is great difference betwixt the Lord his hearing of the godly and the wicked For in temporall matters the Lord heareth men either as a gracious and loving Father or as a mercifull Creatour or as a severe Judge 1. In speciall favour as a gracious Father in Christ he heareth his faithfull children ever subordinating their good to his own glory not alwayes satisfying their carnall or worldly desires but alwayes granting their requests as shall be most for his glory and their spirituall and everlasting good under which conditions our prayers for temporall blessings ought alwayes to be framed and being so conceived they are ever granted 2. As a mercifull Creatour the Lord heareth men crying unto him in their extremity And thus he heareth all sorts of men but especially the godly for he is the saviour that is the preserver of all men but chiefly of the faithfull 1. Tim. 4. 10. The godly have a promise of deliverance when they call upon God Psal. 50. 14 15. and 145. 19. and 91. 15. and 34. 17 19. So have not the wicked Psal. 51. 16. and 18. 41. Yea in many places as ye have heard he threatneth that when they cry unto him in their trouble he will not heare them The affliction and deliverance of the godly do both turn to their singular good Rom. 8. 28. and being delivered they glorifie God consulting with themselves what to render unto the Lord for his benefits and tâ—…king the cup of salvation that is of thanksgiving for their salvation and deliverance Psal. 116. 12 13. The wicked not being bettered by their affliction are many times delivered according to their desire the Lord giving them over as incorrigible Isa. 1. 5. Jer. 2. 30. and when they are delivered they seek not to glorifie God nor repent of their sinnes but return to their vomit making shew of repentance no longer then the hand of God is upon them And so both their affliction and deliverance through their own default turneth to their ruine Notwithstanding deliverance out of affliction when men cry unto God is a common benefit the Lord hearing and delivering men of all sorts as a mercifull Creatour and Preserver as is testified Psal. 107. where it is often repeated that divers sorts of men when thâ—…y cry unto the Lord in their trouble he doth deliver them out of their distresse But because many are unthankfull the holy Ghost doth as oft repeat this exclamation O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders which he doth for the sonnes of men For though the Lord doth hate the wicked in respect of their sinnes and therefore many times doth refuse to heare and to deliver them yet he loveth them as his creatures and
for our sinne past and to promise and purpose unfeignedly amendment for the time to come And both these duties of charity and repentance are likewise to be practiced in our lives after we have craved forgivenesse at the hands of God For as touching the dutie of charity in forgiving others If after we have desired forgivenesse and in our conceit have obteined pardon if we deal unmercifully with our brother whom we will not forgive it will be an evidence against us that our sinnes indeed were not pardoned Matth. 18. 23 to 35. And for the other duty of repentance A man cannot have assurance of the forgivenesse of his sinne which he doth continue in For God doth not remit the sinnes which we our selves retein He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall have mercy Prov. 28. 13. And as we are to pray for the forgivenesse of sinne or taking away of the guilt so we must also pray that we may be delivered from the corruptions and preserved against tentations alluring unto sinne for the time to come And as we are to pray against corruptions and tentations so must we in our lives strive and fight against our corruptions and resist tentations avoyding also occasions of evil otherwise how can we ask that of the Lord which we our selves will not yield unto in our practice So much of prayer against malum culpae the evil of sinne There is also prayer against malum poenae the evil of punishment both spirituall and temporall and also eternall The spirituall is when God doth punish sinne with sinne blinding the eyes of men and hardening their hearts and giving them over to a reprobate sense The temporall when God doth either for chastisement or triall or punishment afflict men with the afflictions and calamities of this life against which sort this kind of deprecation is most usuall Psalmus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nè perdas Psal. 57 58 59 75. But in this kind of prayer especially we must wholly submit and resigne our selves unto the good will and pleasure of God who knoweth what is good for us better then our selves with pâ—…tience and comfort to bear what it shall please God to lay upon us after the example of David 2. Sam. 15. 26. and of our Saviour Matth. 26. 39 42. For herein especially that is verified Rom. 8. that we know not what to ask For to be afflicted is not simply evil but contrariwise worketh for the good of them that are afflicted Rom. 8. 28. Insomuch that David professeth that it had been good for him that he had been afflicted Psal. 119. 71. and Jeremy Lam. 3. 27. yea David pronounceth the man blessed whom the Lord doth chastise and nurture in his law Psal. 94. 12. Deprecation of calamities is often joyned with Lamentations particularly bewayling their state and Expostulations Example of the former in the Lamentations of Jeremie Expostulations are vehement interrogations of the afflicted expressed from their grief whereby they expostulate with God concerning the greatnesse or continuance of their afflictions Psal. 22. 1. But here we must take heed that our expostulation be a lively fruit of a strong faith lest perhaps it do degenerate into open murmuring and repining against God David Psal. 22. 1. and our Saviour Christ being assured that the Lord is his God and therefore calling him My God my God expostulateth with him why bâ—…ing hâ—…s God he had forsaken him So much of Petition or Prayer CHAP. XXXV Of Thanksgiving THanksgiving is that invocation whereby we do render due thanks and prayse unto God for his benefits As touching the name This duty is by divers names expressed in the Scriptures Psal. 100. 4. Isai. 12. Psal. 145. 2. As To prayse God Gen. 29. 35. To blesse him Psal. 103. 1 2. and 104. 1. 1. Chron. 29. 13. Jam. 3. 9. To confesse unto him Matth. 11. 25. Hâ—…b 13. 15. To give him thanks Psal. 105. 1. 1. Chron. 16. 8. 1. Thess. 5. 8. Rom. 1. 21. Eph. 5. 20. To magnifie the Lord Luke 1. 46. Act. 10. 46. and 19. 17. To extoll him Psal. 145. 1. To exalt his name Psal. 34. 3. To glorifie him Matth. 9. 8. and 15. 31. Luke 2. 20. To make his name glorious Psal. 66. 1 2. To offer viz. a voluntary oblation â—…hanksgiving and prayse Psal. 50. 14 23. To offer the sacrifice of prayse unto God that is the fruit of our lips confessing to his name Heb. 13. 15. as Hosea speaketh chap. 14. 2. To render the calves of our lips To sacrifice unto God with the voice of thanksgiving Jon. 2. 9. Psal. 116. 17. To sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving The duties required in thanksgiving are either common to it with prayer or proper and peculiar unto it For when I say that thanksgiving is a kind of invocation you are to understand that all those things which were spoken of in the generall treatise are particularly to be applied to thanksgiving The which I will the rather do because commonly those things are delivered not as generall points but as particular to prayer Thanksgiving therefore as well as prayer is a religious speech of the faithfull unto God in the name of Christ made according to the will of God by the help of the holy Ghost concerning good things apperteining to Gods glory and our own good I call it a religious speech because it is a principall part of that religious worship which we ow unto God whereby it is also distinguished from the civill thanksgiving to men and is therefore religiously to be performed In the rest of the definition I noted six things which are essentiall to all invocation and without which it cannot be acceptable unto God First That the party which doth invocate must be faithfull for God heareth not sinners And thanksgiving being a sacrifice the holy Ghost telleth us that the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord Prov. 15. 8. The proper subject of Gods prayse is the Church Eph. 3. 21. To him be prayse in the Church Psal. 65. 1. Praise waiteth for God in Sion The Lord Psal. 50. 14 15. exhorteth his saints and his peculiar people to offer unto him thanksgiving and to call upon him in the day of trouble But v. 16. unto the wicked saith God What hast thou to do to declare my statutes and to take my covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and castest my worâ—…s behind thee Sacrifices are to be offered by none but priests and all the faithfull and they onely are a royall priestâ—…ood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1. Pet. 2. 5 9. Revel 1. 6. This duty is necessarily required of all and cannot without sinne be omitted by any but cannot be acceptably performed but by the faithfull And therefore the faithfull are in a speciall manner exhorted to this duty Psal. 30. 4 and 145. 10. and 149. 5 6. And this sheweth the
sonnes and the application thereof Matth. 21. 28 29 30. Neither may we think that we shall obtein our prayers unlesse we be desirous to perform Gods will For if we will not do his will why should we think that he will do ours Prov. 28. 9. John 9. 31. We know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth If we ask any thing saith S. John 1. Epist. 3. 22. we receive it from him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are acceptable in his sight If therefore we be desirous and carefull to obey Gods will we need not doubt having these testimonies of a true faith but that both we and our prayers are acceptable unto God For our selves our Saviour affirmeth that those be his brothers and sisters that do the will of his Father that is in heaven Matth. 12. 50. And the holy Ghost giveth this testimony unto David that he was a man according to Gods own heart who would do all his will Acts 13. 22. And elsewhere the Scriptures ascribe blessednesse to those that do the will of God Luke 11. 28. For our prayers John 15. 7. Psal. 34. 15 17. And as we are to do the will of God in generall so more especially those branches of his will which after a more speciall manner are called his will His will is if we would be saved we should come to the knowledge of his truth and not live in ignorance 1. Tim. 2. 4. that we should turn unto him and not go on in our sinnes Ezek. 33. 11. that we should believe in Christ 1. John 3. 23. that we should be sanctified dying unto sinne and living unto righteousnesse 1. Thess. 4. 3. Mich 6. 8. 1. Pet. 2. 15. that we should be patient in troubles and thankfull unto him in all things 1. Thess. 5. 18. And as we are to do the will of God so must we deny our own wills and renounce the desires of the world Duties respecting the manner And as touching the manner We are not to rest in opere operato in the deed done but as we pray that we may do the will of God on earth as the angels do it in heaven so must we endevour to imitate their manner of obedience And albeit we cannot attein to that full perfection which is in them yet we are to strive towards it and therefore we are not to content our selves with that smal measure whereunto we have atteined but still we are to labour that we may grow up in grace seeing whilest we live here we are in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and growing age But let us come unto particulars 1. The Angels do the will of God in knowledge and so must we or else all our worship of God is but will-worship and all our religion but superstition Knowledge is the stern without which we rove and wander like a ship wanting a stern it is the light without which we walk in darknesse not knowing whither we go Without knowledge we have no faith and without faith it is impossible to please God And therefore miserable is our estate if we please our selves in ignorance 2. The Angels do the will of God sincerely uprightly labouring alwayes to approve their obedience to the Lord so must we obey the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not with eye-service as men-pleasers but from our soul and heart Ephes. 6. 6. Rom. 6. 17. in singlenesse and uprightnesse of heart labouring to approve not onely our outward actions but also our inward affections and cogitations to the Lord knowing that he looketh not as man looketh but he especially respecteth the heart and according to the disposition of the heart esteemeth of men Without this uprightnesse all our obedience is but hypocrisie and all the graces which we seem to have but glorious sinnes c. 3. The Angels do the will of God willingly and chearfully their whole delight being to do Gods will so must we worship the Lord with upright hearts and willing minds 1. Chron. 28. 9. knowing that forced obedience proceeding onely from servile fear as it is violent so it is but momentany and therefore but counterfeit But we must worship the Lord in faith love and hope and consequently with chearfulnesse willingnesse and delight for when the love of God is shed abroad in mens hearts by the holy Ghost men have assurance that their obedience and service is acceptable unto God and so they are encouraged in all chearfulnesse to offer their obedience as a free-will-offering to the Lord. First To whom much is forgiven they love much Luke 7. 47. and secondly those that have true love to them the commandments of God are not grievous 1. John 5. 3. the yoke of Christ is light Nihil difficile amanti Nothing is hard to a lover To Jacob his seven yeares troublesome service seemed to be short and pleasant Gen. 29. 20. If therefore we truly love God we will take delight to do his will And thirdly if we have assured hope of salvation by Christ and live in expectation of happinesse we shall contemne all the difficulties of this life as not worthy the glory that shall be revealed and joyfully proceed in our way to life because of the joy that is sâ—…t before us Let us therefore hold fast by this anchor for if we leave this hold we shall eftsoon fall away into worldlinesse whither the surges of worldly desires carry us And in this behalf as we are to imitate the example of the Angels so also of Jesus Christ whose meat it was to do his Fathers will John 4. 34. and therein also was his delight Psal. 40. 8. Facere voluntatem tuam Deus mi delector O my God I delight to do thy will Psal. 122. 1. Isai. 54. 13. 4. The holy Angels do the will of God readily speedily so ought we without delay put in execution the coÌ„mandments of God behaving our selves towards our heavenly Master as the Centurions servants to their master Matth. 8. 9. Doth the Lord call thee thou must answer with David the type of Christ Ecce venio Behold I come Psal. 40. 7. Doth the Lord bid thee seek his face answer with that heavenly echo of the Psalmist Psal. 27. 8. Thy face Lord will I seek It is the will of God that thou shouldst turn unto him break off without delay the course of thy sinne and turn unto the Lord. Knock at the doore of thy heart Open thine immortall gate that the King of glory may come in Doth he call thee to repentance to day If yee will heare his voyce harden not your hearts Deferre not repentance but to day before to morrow repent Seek the Lord whilest he may be found and call upon him whilest he is near Isai. 55. 6. Doth he call us to triall and affliction let us take up our crosse and
To avoid tentations and occasions of evil To shake off slothfulnesse and diligently to employ our selves either in good exercises or in the works of our callings 2. To resist tentations and to withstand them 3. To be vigilant and watchfull Mark 13. 33. 1. Pet. 5. 8. Ephes. 5. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk circumspectly to shake off security to keep a watch over our senses To make a covenant with our eyes Job 31. 1. To desire the Lord to turn away our eyes from beholding vanities Psal. 119. 37. 4. To get unto us the whole armour of God as the shield of faith c. Ephes. 6. 12 13 18. 1. Thess. 5. 8. II. More particular 1. To deny our selves to crucifie the flâ—…sh and not to satisfie the lusts thereof to abstein from fleshly lusts 1. Pet. 2. 11. 2. To renounce the world and the desires thereof 1. John 2. 15 16. 3. To resist the devil not to yield to his motions but rather practice the contrary not to believe his perswasions 1. Pet. 5. 9. Jam. 4. 7. 4. To hate all sinne as we desire to be delivered from all To retein no one sinne with Herod To think no sinne small To abstein also from all shew of evil 1. Thess. 5. 22. To desire full deliverance Phil. 1. 23. Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved Rom. 7. 24. Quis me liberabit Who shall deliver me Hypocrisie discovered Here then is discovered the hypocrisie of those 1. Who pray that God would not lead them into tentation and themselves runne into tentation as those that go to playes and give themselves to idlenesse 2. Who by security and idlenesse make preparation for the unclean spirit Matt. 12. 44. 3. Who take thought for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. 4. Who are addicted to the world and the desires thereof as pleasures profits 1. Tim. 6. 9. Those that will be rich fall into tentation c. and preferments 5. Who have made a covenant with hell Isai. 28. 15. who pray to be delivered from sin and yet will not forsake their sinne as their drunkennesse whoredome usury c. but harden their hearts and therefore shall fall into evil Prov. 28. 14. who are so farre from desiring full deliverance from evil by their dissolution and translation out of this life that rather they have placed their paradise here upon earth The Conclusion HItherto we have spoken of the petitions Now followeth the Conclusion of the Lords prayer in these words For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie for ever and ever Amen For howsoever this clause is omitted of the Latine interpreters and is rejected by Erasmus yet was it added by our Saviour and registred by Matthew For first the Greek copies have it secondly the Syriack Paraphrast translateth it thirdly the Greek writers expound it as Chrysostome and Theophylact and fourthly it is not onely consonant with the rest of the Scriptures but also in this prayer hath a necessary use For we have heard that praise is to be joyned with prayer and in prayer two things required fervencie and faith Now as the petitions especially conteined a specification of our desires so this conclusion conteineth partly a confirmation of our faith joyned with praysing God in these words For thine is the kingdome and the power and the glorie for ever and ever and partly a testification both of our faith and of the truth of our desires in all the former petitions in the word Amen Our Saviour teacheth us to confirm our faith by three reasons For that they be reasons the word For signifieth And reasons they are not so much to perswade God that he would grant our requests as to perswade and assure our selves that we shall obtein The reasons are taken neither froÌ„ our own worthinesse nor from the dignitie of our prayers for if our faith were to be grounded thereon we should neither dare to pray nor hope to be heard but from the nature attributes of God that we might know that the obteining our requests dependeth not upon our own worth but on the power and goodnesse of God The reasons I say are drawn from three attributes of God viz. his eternall Kingdome eternall Power eternall Glorie His is the kingdome therefore he hath right to give us whatsoever we desire His is the power and might therefore he is able to grant our requests His is the glory both of giving all good things and also of all good things given and thereunto our requests do tend and therefore he is ready and willing to grant our requests for the manifestation of his own glorie And this we shall the easier believe if we consider to whom we ascribe these things namely to our heavenly Father whose sâ—…at is in heaven and his kingdome ruleth over all Psal. 103. 19. who is in heaven and doth what he will Psal. 115. 3. who sitteth on the heavens as his throne full of majestie and glory and rideth on the heavens for our help Neither doth the right power and glory of giving benefits temporall and concerning this life alone belong unto God but also of everlasting blessings in heavenly things after this life is ended For his is the eternall kingdome eternall power and eternall glorie signified in those words for ever and ever which are to be referred to all the three attributes What kingdome here signifieth But first of his kingdome Which here signifieth 1. generally the universall kingdome of God which some call the kingdome of his power whereby he ruleth and governeth all things Psal. 103. 19. 2. Chron. 20. 6. and in regard whereof the right of all things belongeth to him Deut. 10. 14. Psal. 24. 1. This then teacheth us two things 1. That our heavenly Father is the absolute Lord and owner of all his creatures who as he is the Creatour so is he also the possessour of heaven and earth in whose hand all good things are to bestow as it pleaseth him This therefore must encourage us with assurance of faith to make our requests to ouâ—… heavenly Father of whom we cannot ask any good thing whether spirituall or temporall which is not his to bestow And therefore it is well said of Seneca Audacter Deum roga nihil eum de alieno rogaturus Ask boldly of God seeing thou canst ask nothing of him which belongeth to another 2. That our heavenly Father is the sovereigne King and absolute Lord and Governour over all his creatures ruling the good and overruling the evil to whose commandment all the good creatures obey and at whose beck they are ready to do us good And as for the wicked either men or angels they are so overruled by the almighty providence of God that when they seek to annoy us they are against their purpose made the instruments of God to do us good And whereas our Saviour teacheth us to say Thine is the kingdome we are to observe that the