one of him that hath the other for indeed they be Relatiues and S. Iames saith faith that is without workes is dead Yea our sauiour saith not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Therefore whosoeuer is truely iustified is in some good measure sanctified and indeede faith can no more be without good workes then fire can be without heate The vse FIrst we learne to aske nothing in our prayers which is not agreeable to Gods word Secondly we learne to take all crosses patiently that with Christ we may say not my will but thine ô father be fulfilled Lastly we are here taught to striue towardes perfection for Gods children haue an earnest desire to doe his will And with Dauid to say it is written O Lord in the volume of thy booke that I shall doe thy will O God and loe I come Application SVch therefore as despise knowledge and set light by the word of God their prayers will God despise for saith the Prophet Zachary Zach. 7. 13. as God cried to them and they would not here so when they cry he will not here them But where the worde of the Lord is imbrased there the Lord is nigh to vs in all that wee call vppon him for Yea they that Deut. 4. 7. keepe Gods commaundements receiue whatsoeuer they aske but as for such as haue no care to doe 1. Ioh. 3 22. Gods will the Lord is farre from them Therfore ô man if thou wouldest that God should here thy praier Pro. 15. 29. when thou callest vpon him heare thou the Lorde and amend thy wayes when by his good spirit he calleth vnto thee els thy prayer is vaine babling Pro. 35. 13. The second part of this petition As in heauen so also in earth THis saith one is no otherwise but as the Angels serue thee in heauen euen so should we serue thee in earth with all alacritie and willingnesse in all humility and faithfulnesse And howsoeuer no Christian can performe such obedience in this life yet this petition teacheth that we ought to haue a desire so to do From the consideration of these things we learne three profitable lessons First that God ought to raigne here in our hartes on earth as well as hee doth in heauen but seeing it is not so how ought we to bee humbled and cast downe in our selues when we consider how disobedient we haue beene to the will of our heauenly father Secondly it ought to mooue vs to all possible thankfulnesse for our redemption when wee consider this example of the Angels who were but once created but we miserable sinners put God to a new worke to redeeme vs by the bloud of his owne sonne Lastly it teacheth vs that we ought to loue God more then the Angels in as much as wee haue put him to a greater busines and haue receiued greater mercies then they and they which haue much forgiuen them ought to Luke 7. loue much Application BEhold thy duty ô man consider but the Angels the scriptures describe them to haue six winges two to couer their face by which they signifie to vs that they are not able to looke into the depth of Gods counsailes they haue two also to couer their feete shewing their owne insufficiencie and vnworthynesse to serue so glorious a God yet haue they two wings also about their hart to signifie vnto vs that with hearty obedience they do the will of God Therefore ô sinfull man looke to the heauens and beholde the Angels looke into the firmament behold the Sunne the Moone the starres yea in the earth also behold times and seasons all these obay Gods will Therefore ô mankinde for whose sake these were created and for whose sake God equall to the father thought it no scorne to take vnto him our nature and to be our brother according to the flesh that hee might condempne sinne in the flesh let vs not therefore walke after the flesh but let our conuersation be in heauen whether our eldest brother is gone before vs that in his time we may be with our head Christ Iesus Amen The 4. petition Giue vs this day our dayly or continuall Bread O praise the Lord of Lords for his mercie endureth for euer which giueth foode to all flesh for his mercie endureth for euer Psal 136. 2. 25. Bread ×œ×—× THis word Bread is tooke in diuers sences in the Scriptures whereof there are fiue principall 1. First it is taken for bread properly as Gen. 14. 18. Exod. 25. 30. Prou. 28. 19. 2. Secondly for bread corne as Gen. 47. 15. Iob. 28. 5. 3. Thirdly it is neither tooke for bread nor corne but for Manna Exo. 16. 15. Behold I will raine to you bread froÌ„ heauen Also Psal 105. 40. he satisfied them with bread from heauen which Manna was a figure of Christ who is the true bread of heauen and many of the ancient fathers vnderstand by Bread in this petitioÌ„ Christ who is the true bread of life whom we are to desire and pray for before all other things 4. Fourthly it is tooke for sacrifices Leuit. 3. 11. Mal. 1. 7. What is meant by bread in this petition 5. Lastly it is taken generally for all things necessary for this life as Gen 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eate thy bread That is thou shalt get thy liuing Also in Psal 38. 25. Which giueth food to all flesh Also Pro. 30. 8. * So doth Tremelius vnderstand it in his Hebrew catechisme Feed me with food conuenient for me So likewise in this petition we vnderstand saith Bucer Victum quibuscunque Bucer in Mat. 6. pag. 62. vita praesens opus habet all things that be necessary for this life from which word wee may consider the bountifull liberallitie of God towards all his creatures but more especially towards man for whom he both careth and prouideth And therefore the Apostle in the 1. Tim. 6. saith Trust not invncertaine riches but in God that giueth to all aboundantly Secondly this word Our bread doth not import that it is ours by * Riches are not ours properly but lent vs and wee are stewards of them must giue account for them desert but being got with a good conscience not by defrauding of our brother any way that so we may eate our owne bread The which cannot be except we liue in a lawfull calling Oh thou that hast no calling or an vnlawfull calling how canst thou say this petition Let gamesters and such as haue no lawfull calling consider in what state they stand in and let them saith the Apostle rather labour with their hands for he that will not labour let him not eate Our continuall or dayly Bread BY this word continuall or daylye Bread I gather these lessons 1. First that none must aske riches or any other thing to satisfie the
God for he is the king of glory Yea and he onely is Psal 24. 8. to haue glory for he will not giue his glory to another And for this end are Isai 48. 11. we saued euen to the praise of the glory of his grace wherewith he hath made vs accepted in his beloued son by whom we haue redemption through his Ephes 1. 6. 7. bloud euen the forgiuenes of our sinnes through his rich grace The last reason of the conclusion why we must pray to God For euer and euer THat is thou must not pray so this yeare that for thy Gods name is IEHOVAH that is the eternall and his time cannot be diminished Isai 50. Therefore is he called the auncient of dayes and Dauid saith the heauens wax olde but thou art the same for euer for his power is not diminished nor his hand shortned Therefore continue thy prayers onely to him and rob him not of his glory doe thy duty betimes and God will rewarde thee in his time Eccle. 51. 30. saith the Wiseman for the Lord is neare to all them that call vpon him to all that call vpon him in truth he will fulfill the desires of them that feare him he will heare their cry and Psa 145 18. 19. will saue them Amen OVr Christ is Amen the faithfull and true witnesse who hath The seale of faith commaunded vs to begin and end our prayers in faith And he tolde his Apostles and in them vs that whatsoeuer we aske beleeue we shall receiue it and we shall receiue it Thus Amen is diuersly taken in the scriptures and many profitable significations arise from the roote in the holy Hebrew I will but onely name some of them leauing them to thy consideration and so I commit thee to God First it signifieth trueth secondly faith thirdly stedfastnesse and perseueraunce and surely most profitable lessons may we learne from these First to come before God in truth without any hypocriticall shew for he is the God of truth hath assumed the name of Amen to himselfe Secondly it teacheth vs faith to beleeue God in his promises for all the promises of God in Christ are yea and Amen Thirdly that we must not bee vnconstant in our prayers for then Iam. 1. S. Iames telleth vs that we shall receiue Luk. 18. 4. nothing Fourthly it teacheth vs perseueraunce to continue in prayer Fiftly Amen is truely which is a kind of oath shewing that we must not deliuer vp our prayers coldly but in vehemency of spirit Also Pagnine saith it is Constitutum a matter throughly determined that so our prayers be not a sacrifice of Fooles And lastly in this place it is an earnest wishing that that we haue prayed for may come so to passe so is it vsed at the end of all prayers through the Bible in this sence so be it As Deut. 27. 1. Kin. 1. Nom. 5. Ier. 28. Psal 95. Reuel 1. Here followeth a table shewing the agreement betweene the Lords prayer and the ten commandements of Almighty God The Preface to the Reader NOw I remember the saying of the Greeke Father Theophilact that if the Lawe and the Gospell were compared together there is Christ reuealed in the midst of both And surely at the mouth of two or three witnesses is euery word established Seeing therfore Christ hath taught vs a praier agreeing to the commandements let vs not thinke the sonne of God came to giue liberty to sin but indeed to deliuer vs from sinne yea Zachary saith in Luke though we serue him with Luke 1. out feare yet it is in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Therfore said a godly father vpon Luk. 9. where it is said that Moses Elias were with Christ when he praied in the Mount this sheweth saith he that he was no aduersary nor contrary either to the lawe or Prophets And that this may more plainly appeare behold the table I haue here set down for thy further instruction chiefly for their instruction who talke so much of Christian libertie that their life is nothing but licencialitie Now followeth the Table Psalme 119. verse 130. The entrance into thy words sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple The Preface of the Lawe I Am IEHOVAH thy God which brought thee out of the land of Aegipt and out of the house of bondage com 1 Thou shalt haue none other Gods before my face com 2 Thou shalt make thee no grauen image neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue neither that are in the earth beneath nor that are in the waters vnder the earth Thou shalt not howe to them neither serue them for I am Iehouah thy God a iealous God visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children vpon the third generation and vpon the fourth of them that hate me and shewing mercy vnto thousands to thē that loue me keepe my commandements The Preface of the Lordes prayer Our Father which art in heauen THis preface of the Lords prayer very aptlye agreeth with these two first commandements For it teacheth vs that our Father is Iehouah Elohim the blessed Trinitie as that reuerend Father Bishop Babington hath well obserued on this place The word Father teacheth vs that we are sonnes of God that is by grace and adoption in Christ and telleth our conscience that he hath deliuered vs from Egipt that is from the power of Satan and from the cursed Pope And therefore the godly in the Reuelation are bid to come out of Egipt of bondmen he hath made vs free and therefore him we ought to serue and none else yea alone to pray to him to honor obay and serue him and feruently to loue him as a childe doth his father Neither ought we to pray to saint or picture of any but to him that is almightie The worde Heauen sheweth he onely ought to be feared and that he alone is holy to whome belongeth all holy worship neither must any be worshiped but he least the all seeing God looke downe from heauen and punish vs. Thou shalt not take the name of Iehouah com 3 thy God in vaine for Iehouah will not holde him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine com 4 Remember the Sabboth day to keepe it holy Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy worke but the seauenth day is the Sabboth of Iehouah thy God in it thou shalt not doe any worke thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man seruant nor thy maide nor thy beast nor thy stranger that is within thy gates for in six dayes Iehouah made the heauens and the earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seauenth day Therefore Iehouah blessed the Sabboth day halowed it Halowed be thy name answereth petitiō 1 fitly to the third commandement Thy kingdome come petitiō 2 Thy will be done as in heauen petitiō 3 so also in the earth agreeth with
and Israel be ignorant of vs yet thou art our father and our redeemer thy name is for euer Obiection CHrist calleth God father is he therefore his father as he is ours Answere NO For he is our father by his creating and adopting vs in Christ But he is Christes father Nota. ☞ by eternall generation he the naturall sonne of God but wee by grace Therefore well did he euer make this distinction I thanke thee ô my father for so hee is in the most peculier manner Also where he saith I go to my father your father my God and your God What doth he teach but that God is his father by eternall generation and ours by adoption Now from this word Father let vs learne fiue lessons First let vs learne to pray in faith For saith Theophilact faith is the very foundation of prayer and he 1. Of stedfastnes in his promises goeth further and saith Nisi enim crediderit homo quòd hoc quòd petet accepturus est in suam vtilitatem vanaest oratio quam facit Except a 2. Of our loue man beleeue he shall receaue that 3. Of our honoring him which hee shall aske for his profit that prayer which hee dooth make is vaine The very worde in 4. Of feare to his maiestie the originall which is * The word Father putteth vs in mind AB of ABAH to will it sheweth that God willeth our good And what will a father deny his sonne 5. Of obedience dutie Mat. 7. 7 that is for his good saith our Sauiour yea saith the Lorde can a woman forget her childe and not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe though it could be yet will I not forget thee saith the Eternall Secondly it teacheth vs to haue a louing affection when we come to appeare before a mercifull Father and not as a seuere Iudge therefore saith Dauid and with him let vs say My soule thirsteth Psa 42. after the liuing God when shall I come to appeare before the presence of God Thirdly the name Father teacheth vs honor If I be your Father Mal. 1. saith God where is my honor Fourthly Feare If yee call him 1. Pet. 1 13. Father which without respect of persons iudgeth euery man according to his workes passe the time of your dwelling in feare Fiftly obedience As obedient children fashion not your selues to the 1. Pet. 1. 4. former lustes of ignorance Lastly this word Father telleth our consciences that God is apeased for our sinnes and that Christ hath fully satisfied his fathers wrath for vs so we are not only friendes but also coheires with Christ therefore the spirit boldneth vs to call God ABBA father herein is the great loue of our mercifull father maruelously set forth euen in this that when we were Rom. 5. 8. 9. yet sinners he sent his sonne to die for vs. How much more being iustified by his bloud we shall be saued and seeing he hath giuen vs Christ how shall he not giue vs all things O Christian remember thy duty Applica ∣ tion ☞ God hath beene twise a father to thee but thou not once worthy the name of a sonne Thus much of the first worde Father now for the AFFIX our I haue shewed before how God is our Father both by creation and adoption It followeth to set downe what lessons wee may learne from this worde our which are in number foure First it teacheth vs charity for The vse 1 loue seeketh not her owne but we must seeke to edifie one another to be like minded one towards another to pray one for another Therefore dooth Christ teach vs to pray one for another saying Our Father not my Father Secondly it doth teach vs to agree in saith and doctrine with our brethren Thirdly it teacheth vs humility to say with Peter there is no respect of persons with God And with Paul there is neither Iewe nor Graecian bond nor free male nor female but wee are all one in Christ Therefore said Iob If I contemned the iudgement of my seruant Iob. 31. 13. when he contended with me what then shall I do when God standeth vp and visiteth me what then shall I answere Lastly it teacheth vs to beware of Sectes and Scismatickes which haue indeed the spirite of Babell saying I am holyer then thee stand from me or with the proud Pharisie I thanke thee Lord I am not like this Publican The third part of the Preface Which art FOr the first word Which SHE an abstract of ASHER the relatiue of the roote of the verbe ASHAR of which commeth also ASHRE Blessed or blessings giuing vs to vnderstand thus much that God is the fountaine whence all blessings come And if we be blessed it is by receiuing it from God for when God and wee are relatiues I meane when we are his sonnes in Christ then doth he impart of his blessings vnto vs as ASHRE NES VI Psal 32. 1. PESHANG Blessed is he whose sinne is forgiuen Art THis word Art is not in the originall but is necessarily יהוה vnderstood and this adiunct of Future י Preterp ה Present ו time in the Present-tense yea in all tenses agreeth to God euermore as the learned well know The letters in the name * Theo. Beza in Apoc. 1. Iehouah doe Reuel 1. 14. note to vs as much as S. Iohn in the Apocalips Which is which was and which is to come The Present Preter-perfect and the Future tense The consideration of this eternitie Doctrin of God strengtheneth vs in faith if we obserue the Apostles words all the promises of God in Christ are Yea and Amen With God there is no shadowe nor variance of change for whome he loueth he loueth to the end Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same is for euer The vse of this is that we should not wauer in faith nor be inconstant Vse in religion but faithfull in all our promises then haue we a blessing for Christ saith be faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee the crowne of life In Heauen AS in the first word of this preface we are taught that God is our father therefore willing to heare vs. So in this last word heauen we are put in minde of his might that he is able to helpe vs. Psal 99. 2. Dauid saith the Lord is great in Sion he is high aboue all people Christ saith My father is greater Ioh. 10. then I and none is able to take my sheepe out of his hands therfore feare not Satans subtiltie nor his childrens tirranie Secondly we must not admit any base or earthly conceit of our father in heauen for the Prophet Isaijah saith Gods thoughts are not our thoughts neither are his wayes our wayes But as the heauens are higher then the earth so are his wayes higher then our wayes Thirdly the place heauen must teach vs that when we come to speake to
God by prayer our mindes must not be drawne away with earthly matters or worldly affaires for we must consider that we are in the presence of one that is so infinit in maiesty that he filleth both heauen and earth yea this glorious God maketh the thunder to be at his command and his voice breaketh the Ceders of Libanus Therefore with Moses let vs Exo. 34. 8. Psal 95. Kneeling seemly in prayer bow downe to the earth when we worship also with Dauid bow downe and kneele and with great reuerence to God let vs say with the Publican I am not worthy to looke vp to heauen With Dauid let vs cry I will lift vp my soule vnto thee Whereas it is said Which art in heauen that doth not contradict the other place of scripture where God saith the heauen of heauens cannot containe me how then will yee build a house for mee to dwell in for Gods omnipotencie is euery where so saith Dauid Psa 139 whether shall I go from thy presence if I take the winges of the morning and fly to the vttermost part of the world yea in the deepe and in hell also there art thou But as the soule is said to be in the head and heart so Gods seate is in heauen and that is as it were his †Austin temple saith an auncient father yet is he resident in all places euen as the soule is in all the parts of mans body but hath chiefest seate in the head and hart so God is in all places but hath his temple and doth most manifest his glory in heauen Lastlye it comforteth the children Vse of God to thinke of heauen seeing God hath promised The last consideration of the word heauen that they shall be inheritours of so glorious a place which Christ hath purchased for them This made all the fathers to behaue themselues like strangers here it made Paule Heb. 11 say he had fought a good fight though bitter to the flesh because saith he is layd vp for me a crowne of glory Also in another place he saith I suppose that all the afflictions of this life are not worthy the ioyes that shall be reuealed Now follow the petitions Hallowed be thy name VVHich Petition hath two Peti ∣ tion 1 parts principally to be considered as First what is meant by the name of God in this place Secondly what it is to halow the same For the first the glorious name of God who can fully expresse What is his name or what is his sonnes name saith Agur the sonne Pro. 30. 4. of Iakeh But it hath pleased the Holy and Highest to condiscend to our weake capacities and in mercy to call himselfe by such meanes as either note to vs his essence as 1. Iehouah 2. Ehieh 3. Iah or his presence and power as 4. El 5. Eloah 6. Elohim Iehouah denoteth vnto vs the יהוה essence of God euen that one deuine Essence which hath beene from all Eternitie is and shall be without any change for euer and for euer the vse of this is handled before in the worde Art Ehieh is of the same roote that ××”×™×” Iehouah is it signifieth I will be The sonne of God being Iehouah equall to the father appearing to Exod. 3. 14. Moses saide vnto him thou shalt go and tell the children of Israell I will be hath sent me vnto you Signifying indeed * Saith Doctor Forster that he it was that was to be come man who was promised to Adam and their father Abraham euen God stronger then all the sonnes of Adam who should breake the head of the serpent and destroy him of his might This true IEHOVAH called himselfe EHIEH to Moses but when he had taken our nature vnto him and was constituted in the ministry worke of our redemption then he that before said to the children of Israell I will be sayd I am Ihon 8. 17. Before Abraham Iohn 8. 17. was I am Yea as soone as hee had sayde to Iudas and his company I am he They fell backward Iohn 8. 58. Therefore let me conclude this with this exhortation of our sauiour Ioh. 18. 5. to his Apostles beleeue yee in GOD beleeue also in Iesus Ioh. 14. 1. 2. Christ The third name which declareth the essence of God is ×™×” IAH an abstract of IEHOVAH signyfying Christ humbled and abased in the flesh And as Eâ— sheweth the presence of God in his might and gouernement with ELOAH So doth IAH denote to vs the essence of God as well as IEHOVAH As you may reade in the 146. Psal In which the office of Christ is very plainelye set foorth to bee the Creator of the worlde and faithfull in his promises who feedeth the hungrye releaseth prisoners giueth sight to the blinde raiseth the crooked loueth the righteous keepeth them that are destitute of worldly succour releeues fatherlesse and widdows and ouerthroweth the way of the wicked For he came to destroy sinne and therefore Dauid in this place saith further blessed is he that hath the God of Iacob for his helpe and shutteth vp this Psalme with HALLELV-IAH And that this is spoken of Christ will more plainely appeare when the new testament is compared with this Psalme Euen the workes of Christ which he did amongst the Iewes as he himselfe said if ye will not beleeue mee because the Prophets beare witnesse of me yet beleeue for the very workes sake Also he saith if I had not done workes amongst them that no man could doe then had they not sinne but now are they without excuse Therefore when Iohn Baptist sent his disciples to Christ for the instructing of them in the faith of the true Messiah Our sauiour had recourse to this 146. psal and said go tell Iohn the blind see the lame are made whole the dead are raised vp the deafe heare the poore Luk. 7. 22. receiue the gospell and blessed is he that is not offended in mee And the children of God which were deliuered from the bondage * For he was Satans instrument to afflict the church of sinne the tyrannye of Sathan †and the Pope by Christ sing HALLELV-IAH which is in English prayse yee the eternall Let vs therefore in our prayers The vse and in all our songes of reioycing also praise God for our deliueraunce from the slauery of sinne and Satan And for our happye deliueraunce from Romish Babell God giuing vs free liberty to prayse him in the congregation yea to pay the praises of God with the Prophet Dauid in psalme 56. 12. יהוה ××”×™×” ×™×” Because hee hath deliuered our life from death and our feete from falling praysed be IAH Amen ab ×”×™×” esse The three names of God that put vs in minde of his presence and power be these EL ELOAH and ELOHIM which are all of one signification declaring to vs that our God is strong against whome there is no resistance *