first lesson that our Sauiour doeth giue his Disciples that they must denie themselues and follow him 2 The second thing is the knowledge of Gods will for otherwise how shal we do it How shall that seruant please his maister which cannot tell what hee would haue done of him Most men will haue bookes of statutes in their houses and if they be to deal in any great matter they will do nothing vntil they haue looked on the Statute In like maner men must haue the Bible that is the booke of Gods statutes in their houses the lawes of God must bee the men of our counsel Before euerie action wee are to searche what is the will of God and then to doe it Here thē wee are taught to vse the meanes and to pray for knowledge 3 Againe we are here taught to haue a desire in our hearts and an indeuour in our liues in all things to do obedience to Gods word 4 Lastlie we desire patience and strength when it shall please God at anie time to exercise vs with the crosse as Paul prayes for the Colossians that God would strengthē them by the power of his might vnto all patience and long suffering with ioy fulnesse 5. Errour confuted THe Church of Rome teacheth that men by nature haue free-will to good and that men being stirred vp by the holy ghost can of themselues will that which is good But if this were so why might we not pray Let my will bee done So far foorth as the will of man shall agree with Gods will but this cannot be as we see in the tenour of this petition In earth as it is in heauen 1 The meaning HAuing shewed the meaning of this petition thy vvill be done Now we are to speake of the condition which is in what maner we shuld doe it For the question may be how we should doe Gods will the answer is his wil must be done in earth as it is in heauen Heauen By heauē here is meant the soules of faithfull men departed and the elect Angels Psal. 103 20. Praise the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength that doe his commandements in obeying the voice of his vvord Earth By earth is vnderstood nothing but men on earth becaus all other creatures in their kind obey God only man he is rebellious and disobedient Then the meaning is Let thy will be done by vs men on earth as the Angels and saintes departed doe thy will in heauen Qu. Do we here desire to do the will of God in that perfection it is done by angels must we be as perfit as they Ans. the wordes here vsed in earth as it c. do not signifie an equalitie as though our obedience should in this life be in the same degre of perfection with with Angels but a similitude or the like maner of obeying it may be said in what maner do the Angels obey God Answer They doe the wil of God willingly speedily and faithfully and this is signified in that they are saide in the scriptures to bee winged and to stand continually beholding the face of our heauenly Father And this is the manner in which we desire to performe Gods will 2. The wants to be bewailed VVE are heere admonished to bee displeased with our selues for our imperfect obedience to God for our hypocrisie priuie pride presumptiō deadnes of spirit and many other wants which breake out when we are in doing Gods will There is no seruant of God but hath wants in his best works so we must vnderstand Paul Ro. 7. 18. he saith as much as if he culd begin a good thing but not perfect it go through stitch as we say Whē the godly do good works as heare speak Gods word pray praise God c. they perform things acceptable to God but in these actions they finde matter of mourning namely the imperfectiō of the work therfore Dauid praieth Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into iudgement vvith thy seruant and here we may see how far wide the Church of Rome is that holds good works to be any way meritorious that be euery way imperfect If the mē of that church had grace they might see that the corruptiōs of the flesh wer as gynes fetters about their legs that when they would faine runne the waies of Gods commādements they are constrained to halt downe right and to trail their loynes after them 3 Grace to be desired THE grace here to be desired is synceritie of heart in doing Gods will so as wee may keepe a good conscience before God and men Act. 24. 16. And for this cause I indeuoured alwaies to haue a clear conscience towards God and towards men This must we hunger after pray for seing it is not sufficient to abstaine from euill but also to doe good and in doing good striue to come to perfection Giue vs this day our daily bread 1 The Coherence THus much of the thre first petitions which concerne God now follow the other three which concern our selues In which order we learn to pray for those things which concerne God absolutelie and for those thinges which concerne our selues not absolutely but so farre foorth as they shall make for God his glorie the building of his kingdom and the doing of his wil. But how dependes this petition on the former In the first wee are taught to pray that Gods name might bee hallowed which is done whē God raigns in our hearts his wil is done Now further his will is obeyed in three thinges first by depending on his prouidence for the thinges of this life secondly by depending on his mercy for the pardon of sin thirdly by depending on his power and might in resisting temptations And thus Gods will is obeyed 2 The meaning BRead By this one means of sustayning our bodies and temporarie liues all other meanes are vnderstood as meat drinke cloathing helth liberty peace c. Gen 3. 19. Thou shalt eat thy bread vz. get thy liuing in the sweat of thy browes Out of this we learn 2. instructions for why doth the Lord teache vs to craue onely bread and not meate and other dainties It is for 2. causes the first is that we might hereby learn frugalitie and moderation in our diet apparel houses and be content if wee haue no more but bread seeing wee desire no more We must not with the Israelites murmur because they had nothing but Manna Quest. Must wee vse Gods creatures onely for necessitie Ans. we may vse them not onely for necessitie but also for honest delight plesure Psal. 104. 15. God giues wine to make glad the heart of man and oyle to make his face shine And Iohn 12. 3. Our Sauiour Christ allowed of the fact of Mary which tooke a pounde of ointment of spikenard very costly and annointed his very feete so that all the house was filled with the smell though Iudas did esteeme it wast But yet if the Lord shall graunt but
as litle gods though to the world we shew it not This hidden pride when other sinnes die it begins to get strength and to shewe it selfe and it appeares in vaine thoughts continuallie on euery occasion ascending in the minde As maye appeare in the Pharisie whose thoughts were these wheÌ„ he praied thus within himselfe O God I thank thee that I am not as other men extortioners vniust adulterers or euen as this Publican c. And as this was in him so it is in vs till God giue grace for so that men may haue praise glory in the world they care not for God his glorie though it be defaced Wee must therfore learn to discerne this hidden corruption and to mourn for it for it doeth poison hinder al good desires of glorifying God so long as it may preuaile in the hart 2 Secondly we are taught here to bewaile the hardnesse of our hearts whereby we are hindred from knowing God aright and from discerning the glorie of God in his creatures Mark 6. 52. The Disciples through the hardnesse of their hartes could not see Gods power in the miracle of feeding many thousands with a few loues though themselues were instrumentes of it and the food did increase in their hands Our redeÌ„ption what a wonderfull work is it but how few consider of it or regarde it If wee see a man haue more wit wealth or honour than we haue wee straight woonder at him but beholding Gods creatures we see nothing in them because we do not goe higher to acknowledge the loue power wisedome and iustice of the Creator And this is the cause why Gods name is so slenderly honoured among men 3 The third corruption is our great ingratitude for the Lorde hath made heauen and earth and all other creatures to serue mâ—n yet he is the most vnthankful of al creatures Bestow manie iewels or a kinges ransome on a dead man he wil neuer returne anie kindnes so men being dead in sinne deale with God Commonlie men are like the swine that run with their groines and eat vp the mast but neuer looke vp to the tree from whence it falleth But the godlie are with Dauid to feele this want in themselues and to beseech God to open and as it were to vnlocke their lippes that they may indeuour to be thankfull to God Psal. 51. 15. 4 The fourth is the vngodlines and the innumerable wantes that be in our liues and the sinnes committed in the world Psal. 119. 136 Mine eies saith Dauid gush out with riuers of waters because men keepe not thy lawes The reason is because he which liues in sin reproches Gods name euen as an euill child dishonors his father Now some wil say that this cannot be because our sinnes cannot hurt God Aâ— Yet they are a cause of slandring Gods name among men for as we honour him by our good workes so we dishonour him by our offences Mat. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen 4 Graces to be desired 1 The graces to be desired and to be prayed for at Gods hand are three The first is the knowledge of God that is that we might know him as he hath reueiled himself in his word works and creatures For how shal anie glorifie God before he know him Our knowledge in this life is imperfect Exo. 23. Moses may not see Gods face but his hinder partes 1. Cor. 13. 12. Wee may see God as men doe through spectacles in his word sacraments and creatures And therefore as Paule prayed for the Colossians Col. 1. 10. that they might increase in the knowledge of God so are wee taught to pray for our selues in this petion 2. A zeale for Gods glorie Psal. 69. 9. The zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp Psal. 45. 1. My heart shall vtter or cast vp a good matter I vvill speake in my workes of the king Here the Spirit of God borrowes a comparison froÌ„ men thus As he which hath somewhat lying heauie in his stomâ—cke is neuer at quiet till hee haue cast it vp euen so the care desire to glorifie Gods name must lie vpon a mans heart as an heauie burthen and he is not to bee at ease and quiet with himself till he be disburdened in sounding forth Gods praise Luther saith wel that this is sancta crapula that is an holy surfet and it is no hurt continuallie to haue our harts ouercharged thus 3 A desire to lead a godlie and syncere life as before Gods Majestie We see men that are in some great calling vnder honourable personages wil so order and behaue theÌ„selues as they may please and honour their maisters euen so must our liues bee well ordered and we are to labour to walk worthie of the Lord as Paul speaketh that we may honour our heauenly father Thy kingdome come 1 The Coherence THis petition dependes on the former most excellentlie For in it is laid downe the meanes to procure the first Gods name must be hallowed among men but how is it done by the erecting of Gods kingdome in the heartes of men We cannot glorifie God vntill he rule in our hearts by his word and Spirite 2 The meaning Thy This word doth put vs in mind that there is two kingdoms one Gods that is the kingdome of heauen the other the deuils called the kingdom of darknesse Col. 1. 13. For when all had sinned in Adam God laid this punishmeÌ„t on all that seeing they could not be content to obey their Creator they should be in bondage vnder Sathan So that by nature we are all the children of wrath and the deuill holds vp the scepter of his kingdome in the heartes of men This kingdome is spirituall and the pillers of it are ignorance errour impietie and all disobedience to God in which the deuill whollie delights which also are as it were the lawes of his kingdome Blind ignorant people can not abide this doctrine that the deuill should rule in their hearts they spit at the naming of him say that they defie him with all their heartes but whereas they liue in sinne and practise it as occasion is offered though they can not discerne of themselues yet they make plain proofe that they line in the kingdome of sinne and darknes and are stat vessels of Sathan shal so continew till Christ the strong man come and binde him and cast him out And this is the estate of all the children of Adam in themselues Wherfore our sauiour in this petition teacheth vs to consider our naturall estate and to pray that he would giue vs his Spirit to set vs at libertie in the kingdome of his owne Sonne Kingdome Gods kingdome in scriptures is taken two waies First generallie and so it signifieth that administration by which the Lord gouerneth all thinges yea euen the deuilles themselues of which kingdome mention is made in the end of
must putte on the person and the verie affection of a poore wretched begger and certainely not being grieued with the rufull condition in which we are in our selues it is not possible for vs to pray effectually Psalm 130. verse 1. Out of the deepes I called vpon thee O Lord that is when I was in my greatest miserie and as it were not far frō the gulfes of hell then I cried to God Isai. 26. 16. Lord in trouble haue they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was vpon them 1. Sam. 1. 15 I am a woman saith Anna of an hard spirite that is a troubled soule and haue powred out my soul before the lord Hence it appeareth that the ordinary praiers of most mē greuously displease God seing they ar made for fashion only without any sense and feeling of their miseries commonly men come with the Pharisie in ostentation of their integritie and they take greate paines with their lips but their harts wāder from the Lorde The second thing required in a contrite hart is a longing desire and hungring after Gods graces and benefites whereof we stand in need It is not sufficient for a man to buckle as it were and to go crooked vnder his sinnes and miseries but also hee must haue a desire to be eased of them to be enriched with graces needefull Thus Hezekias the king and the Prophet Isaiah the Sonne of Amos praied against Senacharib and cried vnto heauen 2. Chron. 32. 20. Where wee may see what a maruelous desire they had to obtaine their request So also Rom. 8. 26. The spirite maketh request with grones so greate that they cannot be vttered as they are felte Dauid Psalm 143. 6. saith that hee desireth after the Lorde as the thirstie land Now we know that the groūd partched with heat opens it selfe in rifts and cranies and gapes towards heauen as though it would deuoure the cloudes for want of moisture and thus must the hart bee disposed to Gods grace till it obtaine it The people of Israel being in grieuous affliction How do they pray They powre out their souls like vvater before the face of the Lord. Lam. 2. vers 19. The fift question is in whose name praier must be made Answer It must not be made in the name of any creature but onely in the name and mediatiō of Christ. Ioh. 14. ver 14. If yee ask any thing in my name I will do it A man is not to present his prayers to God in any worthines of his own merites For what is hee to make the best of himself what can he make of himselfe by nature he is no better thē the verie firebrand of hell and of all Gods creatures the most outragious rebell to God and therefore cannot be heard for his own sake As for Saints they can be no mediators seing euen they themselues in heauen are accepted of God not for themselues but only for the blessed merites of Christ. If any man sinne saith S. Iohn 1. Epistle chap. 2. verse 1. Wee haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ But how proues he this It followes then And hee is the reconciliation for our sinnes His reason stands thus he which must bee an aduocate must firste of all be a reconciliation for vs no Saintes can be a reconciliation for vs therefore no Saints can be Aduocates Therfore in this place is manifest an other faulte of ignoraunt people They cry often Lord help me Lorde haue mercy vpon me But in whose name pray they poore soules like blinde bayardes they rush vpon the Lord they know no mediatour in whose name they should present their praiers vnto him Little do they consider with themselues that God is as well a most terrible Iudge as a mercifull Father The sixt question is whether saith be requisit to prayer or not Answere Praier is to be made with faith whereby a man may haue a certaine assurance to be heard For he that praieth must stedfastly beleeue that God in Christ will grāt his petition This affiance being wanting it maketh praier to bee no praier For how can be pray for any thing effectually who doubteth whether he shall obtaine it or noe Wherefore it is an especiall pointe of prayer to be perswaded that God to whome praier is made not onely can but also will graunt his request Marke 11. 24. Whatsoeuer yee desire vvhen yee praye beleeue that yee shall haue it and it shall bee doone vnto you Here we see two thinges required in praier the first a desire of the good thinges which we want the second is faith wherby we beleue that God will grant the thinges desired The ground of this faith is reconciliation with God the assurance thereof For vnlesse a man be in conscience in some mesure perswaded that al his sinnes are pardoned and that hee stands reconciled to God in Christ hee cannot beleeue any other promises reuealed in the word nor that any of his praiers shall be heard Thus much of the definition of praier now let vs see what vse may be made of this commandement Pray yee thus Seeing our Sauiour commandeth his Disciples and so euen vs also to praie to God it is our dutie not only to present our praiers to God but also to doe it cheerefully and earnestlie Rom. 15. 30. Also brethren I besech you that yee woulde striue with me by praiers to God for me What is the cause why the Lord doeth oft defer his blessings after our praiers No cause but that hee might stirre vs vp to be more feruent more earnestly to crye vnto the Lord. Exod. 32. 10. When Moses praieth to God in the behalfe of the Israelites the lord answers Let me alone as though his praiers did bind the Lord and hinder him frō executing his iudgments Wherefore this is good aduise for all Christian men to continue and to be zealous in praier If thou be an ignorant man for shame learne to praie seeing it is Gods commandement make conscience of it We see that there is no man vnlesse he be desperatly wicked but wil mak some conscience of killing stealing and why is this because it is Gods commandment Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale Well then this also is Gods commandement to pray Let this consideration breed in thee a conscience of this dutie and although thy corrupt nature shall drawe thee away from it yet striue to the contrary and know it certainely that the breach of this command maketh thee as well guiltie of damnation before God as any other Furthermore this must be a motiue to prick thee forward to this dutie that as God commandes vs to pray so also he giues the spirite of praier whereby the commaundement is made easie vnto vs. If the Lord had commanded a thing impossible then there had bene some cause of discouragemēt but commanding a thing through the grace of his spirite verie easie and profitable howe much more are we bound