of daies when I am first in my own thoughts I am the last in Gods Book Let me set my self and all my wants a while aside till God be served let his glory be my aime in prime the second place will serve all my needs In glorifying thee a glorious good redounds to me I will not clip thy coine of glory lest I go not for currant in thy kingdome of grace O that thou wouldest inlarge my heart to give thee praise lest the want of this Foreman cause the rest of the Jurore my petitions to be excepted against in the presence of thee the Judge of Heaven and Earth The second Petition THe second Petition now succeeds by name Thy Kingdome come I will God willing speak upon The Number The Nature of the words to be explained First for number here is but one word difficult to be understood two in the former one here Can we learn no lesson from Gods plaining his speech O it shewes us 1. The more we acquaint our selves with God Three Intracts more plainly he will speak to us 2. As we grow in devotion we shall grow in understanding 3. That Gods Word with modesty the more we dive into it the more knowledge God gives to hold up our heads from drowning in the gulf of false exposition I am resolved to hold out my Rosary The Avowry with the Collect. reinforce my genius to peruse the Scriptures and all to prevent misprision augment my talent and enucleate the Text. Here is only one word to be explained Kingdome This word may be taken four waies 1. For the Scripture thus Mat. 21.43 where said Auferetur a vobis regnum Dei The Kingdome of God shall be taken from you 2. For the visible Church thus Mat. 5.19 where said He that shall break one of the least of these Commandements and teach men so shall be call'd the least in the Kingdome of Heaven 3. It may be taken for the grace of God Luk. 17. where said The Kingdome of God is within you 4. For the Church triumphant Mat. 8.11 where said Many shall come from the East and the West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven Now all may be here meant though in prime but one 1. And then we pray in this Petition That Gods Word and its understanding may come among us 2. That upon earth there may be a fellowship of faithfull professors visible 3. That Gods grace sent by that sayne his Spirit in that Charriot the ministery of his Word may visit our hearts 4. That these daies of misery being perioded Gods Kingdome of glory we may be seated in it In one word we pray for four things 1. That the word of God and its sound may be heard in our land 2. That we may be Gods visible Church on earth 3. For Gods grace 4. And for heaven at our ending Of this last what hopes without that precedent A circumvolution of the four fold sense Again its presumption to brag of grace and live without the Church Lastly it we aime at all we must doe a somewhat more It you purpose to be members of the Church be inspired with the Spirit hereafter have heaven let the Word of God dwell plentifully in your hearts I am resolved for my own part to make much of Gods Word The Avowry with the Collect. a mean to make me a member of the Church aequire grace and gain heaven You may be bad ground and sown with this seed A review the Word where this seed Interpretation 1. the Word for so it s call'd Luk. 8. is not sown that most fertile soils manured with Ethicks and the humane arts brings out but figtree-like cursed fruit Hence it is we pray way may be made for the Word of God and it may come ut adveniat hoc regnum that the kingdome may come So the Latine signifies which makes us sensible of Two things Extracts two 1. Our Condition 2. That in Expectation 1. Of our Condition that we are dronish in our devotion and love our ease more than our gains apparent while we pray Thy Kingdome come to us we walk not on to it 2. This in the second place makes us sensible of what in expectation That since advenit verbum the Word is come into our towns oratories ears that now prayed for is that the Word may enter into our hearts I am resolved to take notice of my backwardnesse in devotion The Avowry and all to make me more eager now this * Messenger sayne Gods Word is come to open the door of my heart and give it harbour Now this word its hieroglyphick or resemblance is a Kingdome for whilest we pray Gods Kingdome may come we mean Gods Word the word of truth And in these particulars the resemblance holds 1. For Kingdome like Resembances Gods Word is of power to correct instruct and reprove 2. It 's of force sufficient to make all outlawes inlaw themselves to Gods Law 3. Hath strength enough to meet in the field and to oppose all opposers be they Schismaticks or Hereticks Schismaticall in Discipline or Hereticall in Doctrine 4. The Nerves of a Kingdome are meat and ammunition such is the Word we live by it Deut. 8.3 it is call'd the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6.17 hath in it to feed at home and defend abroad 5. The best of Kingdomes Canaan had its commendation for abounding with milk and honey such is this whole land the word and therefore call'd sincere milk 1 Pet. 2.2 And therefore aver'd when the Prophet Ezekiel had put in his mouth a morsell of this earth that it was in his mouth as honey for sweetness Ezek. 3 3. I have travel'd through the land of the Philistims and the wildernesse of Sin A Supplicat But now O Lord strengthen my resolution to set up my resting place of abode in this * he means the word Taught Kingdome That here we pray for is a visible Church Interpretation 2. thy Kingdome come that is Lord let us enjoy a Church visible This interpretation I next bring in for that unmeet to be a Church untill it have received Gods good word Here we have leave to pray as against an Elias his paucity and the 7000. inforc't concealment So for liberty to continue daily in the Temple and to finde the favour to preach and hear the Gospell Act. 2.46 47. We pray then in this petition and it 's allowed for God by this second Exposition 1. That God may adde daily unto the Church Extracts two such as shall be saved 2. For the flourishing estate of the Church to the outward eye of the world Divers can endure the Queens * Church Daughter to be all glorious within but not that her Raiment should be of pure gold They cry all for sincerity within will tolerate no honourable train without Others would have the Church in worse case
than Nebuchadnezzars Image an head of clay and arms of iron Supremacy they wish not well the Clergy they make no more count of than iron metall or S. Judes trees as if our silver Chalices brought in wooden priests nay rather our rich Tithes have brought in a Sect a sort of devillish damnable Church Robbers who mean to go to heaven another way than ever their deceased ancestors those went by building Churches these by robbing the Chruch of her Tithes I wonder that these should make such a shew of holinesse when so full of sacriledge they abhorre Idols and yet c. But come what is it here we pray for in this petition while heard saying Thy Kingdome come State of the Church That is Lord let there be a visible Church upon Earth yea let the Church seem when Seen 1. Like a Kingdome not like a carrion with nothing on but skin and bone We have a company of poor Vicars and Curats in our Countrey will swear she is almost as ill like 2. Not like a solitary Cottage with nought left and as few in it Nay as a Kingdome hath a superplus of inhabitants and habitations so all good Christians ought to pray may be the state of this our Church Kingdome like the professors innumerable Kingdome like the Churches profits proportionable To what purpose patter they over this prayer whose exorbitant lives are the death of those should be subjects of this Kingdome the Church the visible Church They prate they pray not who pray for the coming of this Kingdome that is the visibility of the Church But while they have an eye on the Steeple lay unlawfull hands on the Tithes and leave not this innocent * The Church Ewe till they have shorn off her fleece and left her as sore wounded as was the poor Traveller God she may once meet The Supplicat with an honest Samaritan may shew her some compassion That here we pray for Interp. 3. is the grace of God as a visible Church so invisible grace by means of the one we are able to manage our selves maugre all mutinous mankinde and by this other to support our spirituals against that unclean spirit with seven worse than himself spoke of Mat. 12.47 Now this exposition I set here after the other for that in ordinary we must first have a subject or in hopes of an adjunct a being in the Church or the least expectance of our well being I mean of our being true sanctified members of the Church That then which according to this Exposition we pray for while we say Thy Kingdome come is that God would beslow his grace upon us A magazine of Grace a magazine full of which you have laid up in Gal. 5.24 That I infer is since by Kingdome may be meant the grace of God 1. That grace is of great force Extracts two 2. He that is inricht with it may thank God for it The first deduction my Master Christ made good when he said to Paul My grace is sufficient of thee The latter that demand determins Quid habes quod non accepisti the question putting it out of question that God is the author of every good and perfect gift And new O Lord give me of thy grace The Supplicat and I will fight it out against the greatest Goliah that cometh down to upbraid the Israel of my God By this Kingdome Interp. 4. may be meant the Kingdome in heaven or Church the Kingdome in heaven or Church triumphant and this I place after the Kingdome of Grace Quod non possumus venire ad deum per gloriam nisi ipseprimo veniat ad nos per gratiam If thus we interpret this petition this is the meaning Lord we thy Church on earth desire a fight and seat in thy Church in heaven and that we of thy Church Militant may be made members of thy Church Triumphant Cujus erit possessio sine timore usus sine fastidio refectio sine cibo In which kingdome thou maist live without fear eat without surset be fed full fat and fair need not go down to Egypts barns to buy bread nay what being an indenized Citizen in the heavenly Kingdome canst thou want Desirest thou Beauty Three Extracts fulgebunt justi sicut Sol. 2. Or agility of Body eris sicut angeli 3. Or long life ibi erit aeterna sanitas there thou shalt live for ever O my soul obtain this boon Solilequium and in getting it thou gainest all I will ever pray for Heaven The Avowry since having I cannot want what is in most repute upon earth The third part of my method warns me to forrage these words and gather up of them the points of Doctrine which grow upon them To help us do this we must make use of the division of this petition into parts naturally it dissects it self into two parts In Objectum In Actum The Object of the petition is Gods Kingdome The next in sight is the Act let is come thy Kingdome come Or Lord let thy Kingdome come The object of our supplicat is O God thy Kingdome Take it by way of superexcellency as primarily meant of Gods Kingdome in Heaven to which the Word points the Church leads and their parts to prepare us for Gods heavenly Kingdome While the Word begets the. Church brings out and Grace trains up us mortals making us fit to be made immortall inhabitants of that everlasting Kingdome Gods Kingdome the Kingdome of Heaven which is here described By its Propriety By its Immensity By its Propriety Thy. By its Immensity Kingdome A word avouches Heaven carries the Bole and Bulk of a Commonveal 1. The propriety prayes us to take notice Doct. 1 Heaven is Gods own this Pronoun * Thy. possessive pleads Gods right to it and estates him in it This earth God hath bestowed on us Heaven he hath reserved for himself and to it he hath right Ratione Creationis Gods title to Heaven Ratione Possessionis 1. By right of Creation a Deo creatur God made Heaven Gen. 1. 2. By right of possession est Dei sedes it 's Gods Seat Isa 6.1 66.1 And to shew Gods absolute power over and owning Heaven you shall read in the Revelations how the Elders in heaven reverence him And in the second of Luke how a multitude of heavenly souldiers praise him singing and all to the honour of the great God A song of 3 parts in Alto. Basso Medio 1. In Alto Heavens prisksong Glory be to God on high 2. In Basso Peace upon earth 3. In Medis Good-will towards men To let passe his souldiers love his Elders reverence his long possession and from first creating make up a good plea and intitle God to the Kingdome of Heaven He that hath made thus much The Avowry and is owner of no lesse for my own part I am resolved upon it his right of inheriting not once to
of the Infidels 2. Again This flesh its originall is earth the minde of man a kin to an heavenly being which hath caused some to harbour this conceit that by Earth may be meant this flesh of ours or part unregenerate by Heaven the minde or part regenerate to which if we condescend we must thus then read this petition Thy will be done by the flesh as it is by the minde by the flesh which serves the Law of sin as by the minde which serves the law of God Here are two parties in this Isle of Man the one holds of God in Heaven the other of the Devill in Hell and as Israel was divided betwixt Rehoboam and Jeroboam so this Isle of man is made a divident All is not for God a corrupt part takes part with the Devill This is it shall make me petition God His Vote that as that part of my minde which is regenerate so more of me may subscribe to do Gods will 3. Some by Earth may understand the Church militant while by Heaven Christ the head of the Church triumphant and would have this the meaning of this petition Thy will be done by the Church in Earth as it is done by thy Son in Heaven Here we pray the Chuch on earth may take Christ in Heaven for a sampler and that we the members of this his Church would make his will our rule O God we of thy Church will study to do thee service yet confesse The Avowry we have every day cause to beg we may come nigher the sampler of true obedience Christ Jesus This distinguishing upon the three words which seemed difficult to be understood is the porter hath brought the sense of this petition to the sense of your hearing The genuine meaning is a collect of what said and now we have speld let us put together Prime loco here we beg of God he would inable us men on earth to do his will as do the Angels in heaven Which is Alacriter Joyfully Celeriter Readily Not by constraint as some come to the Church more for fear than love not latchingly as those who came into the vineyard at the eleventh hour meaning to have much for doing little when we go about Gods businesse we must be merry countenanced and nimble footed look blithely and dispatch speedily These two they crown the action and shewes the willingnesse of the whole man to serve his Maker such a suppliant though he cannot lay claim to ought by his own merit yet may presume of Gods mercy whereas a grumbling servant a delatory delayer when as he thinks he hath done Gods work may be payed in the Devils coyn As what we must do must be what God wils so all we do be dispatcht Angel-like with alacrity with celerity this is the choice sense of this petition And yet here is involved a boon for Infidels to do Gods will as do the faithfull for this flesh of ours to inlaw it self to the Lord as doth the minde regenerate Lastly that this Church of Gods upon earth may conforme it self to the will of God as did the Head Christ And now what we have said The Supplicat that it may be and really performed Dear Father grant us thy children this one boon that thy will may be done in Earth as it is in Heaven We are next to produce the Doctrines to finde them out we will be beholding to the division of this petition dissecting it self into two parts 1. The subject matter 2. The restrictive manner The subject matter prayed for is Thy will be done in Earth The restrictive manner as it is in Heaven What God wils we pray we may do yet not as we will but as the same is done in Heaven The first part of the petition petitions us to take these particulars into our considerations 1. Whose will it is we must beg ability to actuate it is gods not ours the Prououne * Thy possessive will depose this is true 2. The ubi or place where it is here in Earth this place must be no priviledged place Gods will must be done in Earth First we pray for ability to actuate Gods will here is no noise of ours but Gods as if ours unworthy or our selves self-wil'd and led more by foolish fancy than rectified reason Every begger affects his own brat how ever deformed for this cause here is expresse charge and from the Kings own son to sute God to give us grace to place his issue before our imp and that not the off-spring of us our wils But O Lord that thy will be prefer'd O it comes hardly off with us to doe what God wils Doct. apparent by this petition put up Christ prayed not My will but thy will be done And that he might sub-set his inferior or natural appetite to save life to Gods decreed will to lay down his life for us all Rom. â— What the law of nature without a taunt might plead for Christ prayes it may not stand against Gods determinate counsell It gives us just cause of surmise now nature is corrupt it is untoward And we forward enough to will what God would not The modest petition of my Messias without sin The Avowry shall make me sinfull man confesse my refractorinesse to do the will of the Lord. Let us now walk on to the ubi the place where Gods will is to be done in Earth This life time is no priviledged time for following our own wils and appetites Doct. we have here a being and here an abiding and for a better end none on earth have leave to live as they list and do what they like There is not a day exempt from Gods service to serve the Devill All our daies we must devote to God and live to him religion in the name of God claims a right in thy youth and age Till earth to earth that is all this life we must subscribe to what God hath willed we should do here while we stay hear what we must do Gods will in Earth as it is in Heaven But what continually to be in our devotion is this your meaning What I have said is no enemy to honest pastime nor yet to Christian imployment But as Schoole-boyes the most their time is set apart to ply and con A little time is licensed to recreate them in So God and the lessons he hath to teach us require the major part The minor part there is a connivence for pursuance of pleasure profit alwaies provided so it be in the Lord. I will minde what I am made for and while I have to do with the world The Avowry call to minde my life must be devoted unto the Lord. Now I come to the Doctrines deductible from the restrictive manner we must beg of God ability to do his will in Earth as it is in Heaven See you not Heaven is set to be Earths pattern Doct. and men on earth to learn of Angles in Heaven
to carry my self to God The Avowry like a son to his Father lest God our Father whilest he provides a portion for his other children disinherit me his son Object What is the inheritance Res A crown of immortall glory But demanded Object What may occasion God to disinherit me of it The case of disinheriting To this I answer If thou be a natural If the son be a naturall the father doth disinherit him it holds likewise in spiritualibus though thou canst prove that God 's thy Father and he confesse thou art his son yet thou shalt never heir one of his mansion-houses in heaven if thou be a Naturall 1. Two sorts of Fooles By this Naturall I understand either Davids fool who hath said in his heart there is no God Psa 14.1 Or 2. Pauls Naturall 1 Cor. 2.14 the naturall man who perceives not the things of God Here are two sorts of Fools The Atheistical Fool. The Carnall minded Fool. The childe which doth deny his father why should his father let him inherit here is Davids fool The sonne which heeds not his fathers instructions doth run the same fortune here is Pauls Naturall or the carnall minde fool Well that I may not befool my self The Collect and so become uncapable to be heir heir of God and joynt heir with Christ Jesus I will both confesse a God and acquaint my self with his most sacred word But inquiry must be made why we say not My but Our Our Father The reason is tripartite Propter pacis conservationem Propter superbiae expulsionem Propter mului auxilii subventionem And first Propter pacis conservationem to make us keep the K. peace Did not this We be brethren allay the quarrell betwixt Lot and Abraham The remembrance that we came from one The Product makes us all as one and live in unity Secondly Propter superbiae expulsionem to expell pride An acknowledgement we have all in common one common parent occasions whilest in the world promoted in the heart humility This paternall Tie The Product which links in alliance poor and rich swayes down aspiring hearts He means than the meanest whilest it forces this confession * We are no better Thirdly Propter mutui auxilii subventionem to procure us one anothers aid and assistance when we consider we have all one Father Lord The Product how it will work with us to relieve one another and do our best devoir to fetch him fair off who is left in a forlorne hope The Collect I will use this phrase * Our of speech in my prayer that for the time I pray I may be put in minde To doe good to all subject my thoughts and live in peace The Preface profest to tell us Two things What God was Where he was The first part of its promise it hath performed The second it is now about it that now the preface is going to do is to tell us where This father of ours is in heaven Apparent while said Our Father which art in Heaven That here I take notice of is 1. Mans parle with God 2. Gods place of abode Mans parle with God the word Art ensures it Gods place of abode we have here espied its Heaven Our Father thou art in Heaven For the first this word Art is vox loquentis the sound or voice of one speaking to another not of another but to another And now since the party speaking is man the party bespoken God since it 's man that prayes God that is prayed to since man goes not about to get to Gods speech by Angels or Saints but at first Gods self is spoke to which is apparent by this Art this shewes the priviledge of such as live within the pale of the Church Note We may all of us have free accesse to God himself Moses had he been alive would have deposed it The Angels stand before his face and we may call on the Lord and he will hear saies Dawid I cal'd on the name of the Lord and he heard me That I note is Note We may call on God and he will be within our call It 's a comfort Audience and Dispatch Of the first * Audience we are here insured which furthers dispatches businesse It shall be my greatest comfort in my greatest want that my prayers goe straight to God Thou art his childe how will he commiserate thee He is thy Father how will he tender thy cause No sooner hast thou spoke it but he hears it It was the misery of a great Emperor that three daies he lay at the Popes gate Penitentiall-wise and could have no audience My God and my Lord is more lowly who at first grants us accesse Now to the place of Gods abode or residence of which I will speak A Parte ante A Parte post A parte ante conjunctim A parte post divisim A parte ante conjunctim as Heaven glances back upon the foreword Father A parte post divisim in respect of the last word Heaven For the first the place of Gods abode it is Heaven God our Father thou art in Heaven That Gods our father it shewes his willingnesse to help us That he is in Heaven it shewes his ablenesse to help us I have viewed the Preface from Dan to Beersheba from one end to the other and it tells me he that would get good by prayer must be perswaded God is both willing and able to help him if he were willing not able alas his wishes could doe me no good if he were able and not willing all his might were not worth a mite to me Now that he is both willing and able I am sure he will do for me all he can and it 's enough If thou mean to be bettered by prayer come not despairing neither of Gods Will nor Can. I read of a couple the one doubting of Gods willingnesse the other of his ablenesse Mat. 8. 2. saith the Leper Master if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Mar. 9.22 The man whose son was possest said If thou canst do any thing for us help us He that makes such Ifs and And 's in his prayers God will give him such an Item it will not well please him Now will I speak of Gods place of abode a parte post divisim as led to it by the last word in this Preface Heaven Our Father it 's thou we pray to who art in Heaven I will make this my method give you 1. Severall acceptations 2. Tell you which is meant 3. Shew what it may put us in minde of 1. The word Heaven signifies the God of Heaven Luk. 15.21 where said Father I have sinned against Heaven 2. The seat of the blessed Mat. 5. 19. Where said Great is your reward in Heaven 3. The visible Church on earth Rev. 12.7 There was a great battle in Heaven 4. The Spheres and Orbs Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare 5. The
air next us Mat. 6.26 The birds of Heaven labour not 6. Heavenly creatures as inanimate so animate as Angels Job 15.15 The Heavens are not clear in his sight 7. A great height thus Deut. 1.28 The cities are walled up to Heaven 8. The bodies of the Saints here God is said to abide ut in Coelo 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. I finde only these 8 acceptations of Heaven in the holy Bible and though one be but meant I will give you two to make choice of far distant both significant the one * Above supra the other * Below infra the one the place of the Church triumphant the other the mysticall subject of the Church militant first then by Heaven may be meant the seat of the blessed that majesticall place of magnificence as I may so say Gods chief Mannor House in the Highlands Or if you minde not to look so high you have nigher at hand an Heaven the righteous Saints on earth they are the Temple of the living God yea and he dwels in them and walks in them here it is God dwels these are his Temples Gods house above is Heaven and his Heaven below the Saints The letter makes us subscribe to the first exposition the Spirit causes our acknowledgement of the second Dame Nature hath set her hand to the one it s the Lady Grace perswades us to confesse this other And ut potenter God is said to dwell above sic virtualiter here below his Highland House Heaven displayes his power This his * The Saints on earth house in these Netherlands his efficacious work in us Well while I acknowledge the sense litterall The Avowry I will not let passe the sense mysticall viz. that by Heaven may be meant the elect on earth Nor wants there some semblance betwixt the Saints and Heaven they shine sicut luminaria in mundo and as the Heavens lend us light so are the Saints will'd to let their light shine before men and ut sol in Coelo sic mundi in mundo as the Sun is the lightest part of Heaven so of these saies our Saviour Vos estis lux mundi Ye are the light of the world the Death of these is like the Suns Eclipse the Life of these that high noon or Sun at height which is a guide to all that are not blinde O ye Saints The radiant rayes of your good works have given me cause to conjecture how like you is that Heaven whither you are a going as also to presume I have not much miss't of Heaven while met with such so like it But come what may these two interpretations put us in minde of The first of something which concerns God The second of something which concerns our selves The first doth divulge what God himself is The second what we ought to be Our God his abode is in heaven The Extract which proclaims he is an immortall Majesty dwelling in light inaccessible By Heaven likewise may be meant us men in whom God dwels as in an house Extract O what ones then behoves it us to be The wicked are the Devils house to which he is return'd Mat. 12. Look at his house though a base beggerly one yet loe how it 's kept fine and neat swept and garnisht formality garnisht with the gilt of hypocrisie And yet to consider how we let this mansion house of Gods in the Isle Man lies full of Mamholes we may be ashamed of it in very deed we let all lie forlorne To please our friends against they come we make all trim Lord why should we not do as much to please the Lord And yet in every corner of that Hall Heart you may spie an ash-heap of evill imaginations Gen. 6. That back room Memory is fill'd with old ill done deeds That upper room Judgement with error and heresie Those out houses Ears are fil'd with rubbish of newes State newes what done in Court Countrey newes how rules price of Corn ribauldry newes obscene songs our Eyes are full of vanity our Tongues full of deceit and now while neither in-room nor out-room soul nor body is trim'd up nor cleansed how can the Lord take delight to dwell in us A fair caveat to go make fit to dresse our house yea all in this Isle of Man I am resolved against my Lord come The Avowry to make ready lest my Lord and Master take dislike with his own and in stead of taking it up for an house of prayer he leaving it it become a den of theeves Thus much for the Preface Now I purpose Deo juvante God enabling to speak upon that post-put and first of the Petitions and in brief to make this my method to take notice of 1 Their Division 2 Their Equality 3 Their Order 4 Their Precedency 5 Subject matter mued up in each Petition First for their Division they are of two severall sorts or kindes the first sort of them concern God Second our selves Secondly for Equality they are three and three three concern God and three man Thirdly for Order this order is observed Gods three precede mans mans three come behinde Gods ours are set after his his before ours Fourthly their Precedency prayes us to take a view of each particular Petition as set before one another Fiftly their matter makes us privie to what is begged of God in each of these petitions in speciall For the first these Petitions are divided into two sorts First sort or kinde are divine and cast a glance at Heaven The second sort are humane and cast a glance at earth first looks at God the other at us 1. Now this Division implies an union Three Extracts and that when we send out our supplications abroad we let them walk hand in hand Such a compound should be our Prayers Petitions sharing out requests meet for God and us joyntly 2. By this Division we are taught man was not made for himself he is to pray as well for Gods glory as his own good many remember themselves forget God in their prayers few remember God but themselves in their prayers A Sect here found fault with A platform which teaches them a better lesson yea this division of these Petitions into two sorts or kindes the one concerning God the other us tels us That who prayes aright must pray for Gods glory as well as for his own good 3. Thing this Division informes us of is that as discords make the sweetest harmony so prayers sound best in Gods ears which consist of sharps and flats risings and fallings which are now in alto as high as Heaven Anon in Basse as low as earth I mean prayers consisting of two parts Gods glory who lives above Mans good who dwels below he that would avoid the name of simple must make his prayer a compound of these two severall sorts of simples And thus while God and he meet in prayer it 's my hopes they shall do the like in
he shall then have his will Hence it is for it we first pray and it coming among us for by Gods Kingdome may be meant Gods Kingdome of Grace that is his Church consisting of a multitude of beleeving Christians till the King of Heaven have a Dominion of such subjects on earth there 's no need to hope for much lesse to pray for his will may be done Before a Prince come to sway the Scepter he may command and be withstood when his kingdome is come his will shall be done Thus authority must precede command and a power over be had or the precept be obeyed An occasion made Christ will we should pray first for Gods regality That his Kingdome may come or he would a word to be spoke of it That his will should be done And thus I come to the third Petition in the Lords Prayer 3. Petit. which is this Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven this third petition precedes that fourth in which we pray for all things necessary for this life now I say this third hath prehemency of place before that fourth and it is to certifie us he that would have granted all necessaries for this life must first with Christ saying pray and praying say Father not my will but thy will be done The Petition for begging ability to do Gods will is set before the petition for getting goods A good monitour which shall make me It s Extract to get what I want to doe what God wils By these petitions placing I am informed the performance of Gods will guides on to the attainment of whatsoever needfull for the life of man This I am taught while thus learnt to pray first Thy will be done Then Give us our daily Bread And thus I come to the fourth Petition for bodily sustenance 4. Petit. which is set before our petitioning God for the remission of sins nor can I for certain determine what should be Christs meaning in placing a petition for our bodily good before the petitions for the remission of the sins of our souls yet I verily imagine to shew he would have mans naturall life first supplyed with what needfull and then set down what he should crave to get a life God gave leave on its behalf first to petition Or else it may be Christ did it to detect what man most longed for goods more than forgivenesse we have a better appetite to Bread corporall than spiritual and love Meat more than Manna It s Extract This petition then had this place signed perchance covertly to discover man is more sensible of bodily want than of those sores the sins of his soul and that he hath a greedier desire to have this worldly goods than to discharge his old debts in which cast by the default of Adam and himself Well while I cast my eye upon the situation of this petition I will not forget what I am taught when I come to suit God most runneth in our mindes these bodies of ours and the begging bodily necessaries daily Bread for bodies sustenance But come while I have seen Christ by placing this petition picture out mans own minde which runs upon the world so by that which followes Christ tels me what man more needs whilest I in stead of this one petition for the body Christ causes two petitions to be put upon his poor souls behalf The first of which two but fift by descent 5. Petit. from the preface is this Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that c. I am as yet to look at nought save this petitions precedency it 's set down before And lead us not into temptation now the precedency of this petition to that following It s Extract foreshewes it 's neither the sin which hangs on nor hanging over but what past and commit we are first to aske God forgivenesse for what first perpetrated God must first be petitioned to passe it by The placing this petition before implies it's sin past most endamnifies us more than either the marching on towards us of temptations or the now leâ—gre of evill lusts O my God The Avowry whilest I cannot forget what I now do I will call to minde what long since I have committed And now the last petition hath none to precede 6. Petit. nor is it the least for that the last placed for in this last petition we beg a double boon deliverance from future and present evill Thus what may seem by undersetting to be set light for last this last comprises in it a double boon that so it may have a like renown or else perchance it possesses this place that ever in this upshot of our devotions we should bear in minde what is the upshot of this prayer a petition for preservation now the Lord preserve us and defend us Again perchance this petition is last set down which involves a duplicated request to teach us As at the beginning so even to the end of our prayers we must be very earnest with God in our suit And now to period all these passages all and every of these petitions comprehend more matter than my tongue can utter or the eye of reason can discern when I have seen all I can I may say as did the blinde Lord that I may receive my sight Moses upon Mount Nebo saw the good land but could not from it make a full discovery of all the good things in it no more though walkt up to the Mount of Meditation and I see this fertile soile am I able to judge of all the hidden Treasure buried in the bowels of these petitions what I see I have set down and in writing that so not my own only but other catechumenists may bear it in their remembrance This Lords prayer contains 6. petitions like 6. shires in which I spie a world of rarities come let us range among them As I enter into the frontiers of the first petition these words I finde written to the honour of the great God and our Father Hallowed be thy Name such a land such a language this little prayer is Gods little Isle the first words the inhabitants have on their tongue ends are these Hallowed be thy Name Thus they are learnt at first to speak and say Hallowed be thy Name a pretty speech as concise as the Laconians as significant as Caesars three words Here is magnum in parvo much prayed for in few words we pray to God for God sinfull man that Holinesse it self may be hallowed a petition whose subject matter my methodobliges me to unfold and to shew unto you what is meant by this said Hallowed be thy Name In speaking upon the subject matter of these six petitions this method through one through all I mean to observe 1. Explain the words 2. Give you the full meaning of every petition 3. Collect some naturall observations 4. Extract out some Cases of Conscience 5. Shew what grace waits
concern God and three men 34. Three Extracts ibid. The Petitions precedency or their going before one another pag. 38 The subject matter of the 6 petitions compar'd to 6. shires pag. 44 Two words to be explained pag. 46 The Sense of the petition pag. 49 The Collect of all said ibid. Two Doctrines in generall pag. 51 Doct. 1. We must be resolute for Gods honour pag. 53 Doct. 2. There 's a backwardnesse in the best of us to this duty ibid. Doct 3. Our care in Christ should be for Gods honour pag. 54 The cases of Conscience pag. 56 Three slight Gods word pag. 61 The graces two Sincerity Vigilancy pag. 66 The Contemplation The second Petition pag. 71 Kingdome taken four wayes pag. 76 Interp. 1. By Kingdome may be meant Word pag. 78 The word and kingdome alike in five things pag. 79 Interp. 2. By Kingdome may be meant the Church pag. 80 Interp. 3. By Kingdome may be meant Gods grace pag. 83 Interp. 4. By Kingdome may be meant Heaven pag. 84 The fourth Interpretation compendiously couched together pag. 86 Doct. 1. Heaven is Gods own pag. 86 Doct. 2. He that prayes for heaven prayes for no small thing pag. 88 Doct. 3. We have no heaven in hand pag. 89 1. Case of conscience whether any doubt there be such a thing as called Kingdome for heaven pag. 91 2. Case whether shall all living go to heaven pag. 92 3. Case who shall be admitted into this Kingdome of heaven pag. 95 The Contemplation The third Petition pag. 105 A twofold will of God pag. 108 Doct. 1. It comes hardly of with us to do Gods will pag. 119 Doct. 2. This life time is no priviledge time for following our own will and appetite ibid. Doct. 3. Heaven is set to the earths pattern pag. 121 Doct. 4. We have diverse School-masters pag. 122 The Contemplation The fourth Petition pag. 135 A paraphrase upon the fourth Petition pag. 140 Doct. 1. It is God can supplie all our wants pag. 147 Doct. 2. We have no right to ought till begg'd it pag. 149 Doct. 3. Our request for the world be limited otherwise will burst to be boundlesse pag. 151 Doct. 4. My state to my estate is not good till God confirme it pag. 153 Doct. 5. Our request for the world must be moderate pag. 154 1. Case of conscience How cometh it to passe that I who oft pray get so little pag. 156 2. Case How cometh it to passe that the wicked who pray not get much eartly meanes and much more then the Godly pag. 159 3. Case With what cautions may I pray for riches pag. 162 The contemplation The fift Petition pag. 174 The word Trespasse hath a double object God Man pag. 179 Doct. 1. It is God can forgive us our sins pag. 184 Doct. 2. Every sigular soul is a sinner pag. 285 Doct. 3. It s many sins of which we are conscious pag. 288 A simile taken from a Drunkard pag. 289 Doct. 4. Sin in allied in full bloud to Adams posterity pag. 190 Doct. 5. We shall be forgiven as we do forgive pag. 192 Doct. 6. God will forgive much for a little pag. 195 Doct. 7. Our Trespasses against God far exceed our neighbours Trespassing us ibid. The Contemplation The sixt Petition pag. 112 Temptation the bait pag. 215 Evill is the hook ibid. Doct. 1. In word to prayer pag. 231 Doct. 2. Loe a very wound we must have a care to keep far from pag. 232 Doct. 3. The Devill and sin our worst of enemies pag. 234 Doct. 4. Naught is more evill then the Devill and Sin pag. 236 The case of conscience after what manner doth lust intice us to sin and draw us on from serving God to become servants of sin pag. 237 The Character of Timidity pag. 254 The Character of Prespicacity pag. 255 The Parallell betwixt Presumption pag. 257 The Parallell betwixt Ignorance pag. 257 The Character of Presumption pag. 258 The Character of Ignorance pag. 259 The perpetuity of Gods Kindome Power Glory pag. 277 Read the Contemplations upon the three reasons Kingdome Power Glory pag. 280 A contemplation upon Ever the fourth part of our Lords Prayers pag. 285 The conclusion Amen Amen an Hebrew pag. 289 Two Contemplations pag. 290 Amen a native in every Nation pag. 291 The reasons why admitteds in every language ibid. A review of the three Reasons pag. 292 The Carnotensian Cannon ibid. Amens first sense pag. 293 The extract ibid. The taxation pag. 294 His supplicat ibid. Amens second sense ibid. St. Austins saying pag. 295 The ministers replication pag. 296 The hearers rejoynder pag. 297 His supplicat ibid. Amens third sense ibid. Pater noster Amen it s thereefold signification ibid. It 's taken pro juris jurandi nota pag. 298 The taxation ibid. His supplicat pag. 299 It signifies ipsam veritatem ibid. Three inferences pag. 300 The body of Moses and the name Jusus ibid. This Amen is sometime taken pro signo subseripri onis pag. 401 Three inferences ibid. A tripertite gain got by saying Amen pag. 303 The Avowry with the Collect ibid. A mans semblance pag. 304 The semblance between God and Amen pag. 305 It holds in five things ibid. Amen its three significations blush the three Persons ibid. Amens Character pag. 307 A divine fancie upon Amen pag. 311 Two twins or two meditations pag. 313 Four motives pag. 314 Meditation and what it is pag. 319 The meditation exemplified ibid. Three reasons to force on the meditation ibid. The fearfull haire pag. 320 Old Church prayer neither smels of Heresie nor Superstition pag. 322 A Contemplation upon Amen pag. 325 FINIS ERRATA PAg. 16. line 16. for of meritlesse read I mirit lesse p. 16. l. 14. s ther r. there p. 37. l. 11. f. sons r. wife p. 37. l. 12. f. this manner r. these manners p. 70 l. 6. f. whilest r. but p. 81. l. 4. f. God r. god p. 93. l. 6. f. beleevers r. misbeleevers p. 95 l. 20. f. by r. my p. 101. l. 14. f. secondly r. second p. 107. l. 20. f. and r. I p. 144. l. 26. f. a word r. p. 149. l. 19. r. of p. 161. l. 23. f. Hagar r. Agur p. 171. l. 17. f. under r. undoer p. 177. l. 12. f. Solomon r. Agur p. 195. l. 10. f. doer r. doth p. 211. l. 3. f. pursed r. perused p. 212. l. y. next 10 the word closed add to my neighbour p. 241. l. 2. p. 243. l. to put out of put must be added in the begimming of the line p. 310. l. 19. f. stomach r. stomach't
Heaven There go at least two things to make up whatsoever is Matter and Form and it 's not one but two joyn together to procreate this prayer Petions Divine Humane God and man must be in conjunction that as for matter so for form a right prayer may be brought out it must bear in its front the Image of God and us And therefore he that hath made a prayer and not praised God hath produced a body without life He that praises God never praies at all for himself gives a form to a nothing Single petitions for Gods glory only or for Mans good alone are no better then Zeuxis Berries they have a being but imaginary A right prayer is produced whose form is Gods praise whose matter is mans necessity Well I am resolved while I pray for my self to remember God in my prayers and while I beg God may be honoured to crave somewhat for my self He cannot wish anothers happinesse that wils not his own welfare nor is there hopes that man shall fare well at Gods hands who forgets to give God his honour A passage The Avowry which I protest shall cause me to poise my prayers in even scales and hang them even betwixt heaven and earth The second thing worth your consideration is the Equality of these two sorts or kindes of Petitions They are three and three three concerning God three concerning man as many for God and his glory as man and his good as many for man and his good as God and his glory here are petitions as even divided as Canaan was to Israel as the Israelites had their Manna none have too much none too little each alike alike pittance God and man the like measure number while three belong to God three to man Three Extracts 1. Heaven will not be behinde incourtesie but what respect we who are but earth offer God God gives leave of requitall unto us O Humanity worthy to be admired when Gods Son proffers as much kindnesse to us mortals as we mortals tender the immortall God 2. That secondly I surrender up to the use of your remembrance is Gods readinesse to repay for parity no ofter can we ingage our selves to honour God but God is as oft in readinesse to recompense and if we come with our request for the advancement of Gods glory he will allow us to put in another for our benefit A passage I professe shall make me give God more since I may get as much 3. This license or leave for our Petitions to equalize Gods avows Christ who pen'd this prayer had one eye looking about how to help us as the other how God should be honoured The even number proclaims Christs dear love he bore as the Creator so the creature O my God and my Christ A Soliloquium let me weigh thy affections beyond desert while my desert doth merit no parallell with thy Father I now come to the third thing nemarkable in these petitions and that is their order how these petitions are set down The three which concern God first our three are set down after Ride on O Lord with thy honour The first triumphant entrance it's Gods the Trumpetters blaze this are his three first petitions his precede ours follow what shall it teach us nought doubtlesse lessons worth our learning 1. This order for priority protests Two Extracts first thing God hath a care of is his honour himself saies My honour I will not give to another He is Lucifers brother would enthronize himself in Gods honour an Haman hanging is too good for him that thinks himself worthy the Kings honour we have a sort of proud Hamans would be jetting in Ahashuerohs his cloathes of state a company of saucy beggers would be served before their Master But as a begger before he begs bids God blesse Master and Mistresse and then asks his almes so this great Master God is first to be blest or poor man who comes naked into Gods Hall should dare to aske him any thing thus if he doe he is like to fare better thus if not God will not take it for well done 2. Again this order of setting down the three Petitions which concern Gods honour first learns us a mean how to obtain a Boon for our selves It s thus first by tendring God due reverence Zebedees sons had not learnt this manner and it may be mist therefore what they would have had A forethought for our seles fixt before the thought of Gods worship It is the cause while we look at much we catch little A worldling that will thrive hath himself first in his thoughts An heavenling that will get what he doth want God is first in his minde and on his tongue end A spirituall bankrupt then breaks when he doth aim to receive all before he doth disburse ought Well I will pray my God to accept of a talent of worship or I will dare to petition him for a fee-farm of eternity his praises I will place before they will make room in his presence for those needy ones my petitions A poor man who hath noblemen to be his spokesmen to his Prince is in hopes to be heard It 's we who are poor and needy and naked our noble spokesmen who move the King of Heaven in our behalf are petitions commendatory of his Majesty after they be come in who indeed are of a very nigh alliance to our Lord. Then our heavenly Prince will be pleased to give us audience to read our petitions and subsign them O that we would weigh this well For my own part The Avowry I will not forget first to do God reverence lest my neglect cause his after deniall of my suit Fourthly my method obliges me to speak of these petitions precedency as every one of these Petitions precede one another I mean go before one another we must begin with the first hold on to the Jast and see if we can spie why thus Christ set these petitions in their places In the first petition 1. Petit. we pray for the hallowing of Gods name In brief that the name of the great God may be among us in high esteem This is it is first taken care for and first prayed for to put us in minde His name its Honour It s Extract he doth more set by then all else he hath more than his Kingdome Truth is God weighs the honour of his name above a world of wealth and therefore in the first petition Gods name and its renown is first prayed for then his Kingdome but in the second place in the second petition which is this Thy Kingdome come This is it we are commanded next to intercede for 2. Petit. that Gods Kingdome may come and that before that Petition Thy will be done The cause It s Extract because here impossible the will of God should be done till his kingdome of faithful subjects first flourish Let God here first have his Church and