in use by doing good to all but especially to those of the houshold of faith And as we are to pray that we may be able to help others fo being able we must remember to distribute and to do good for with such sacrifices God is pleased What is meant by this day This day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Matthew or as Luke speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in diem for a day h. e. quantum huic diâ—…i sufficit so much as sufficeth for this day or as others expound according to the day that is Give unto us that which is fit and convenient for us in this our present estate For we need not the same things at all times the time of adversity requiring other blessings then the times of prosperity But the sense in Matthew and Luke is the same Give us that bread which is convenient for us this day or Give us that which is convenient and necessary for this day Now whereas our Saviour doth teach us thus to pray First he putteth us in mind of our frailty and mortality who have need day by day to be fed and susteined of the Lord. And secondly he putteth us in mind of our duty that as children we should come every day to our heavenly Father to crave those things that be needfull for us And thirdly he teacheth us not to be distrustfully carefull for the time to come but every day to depend upon Gods fatherly providence being assured that when he hath nourished us to day he will not be wanting to us to morrow Aâ—…d herein as in many things else the Israelites were a type unto us whom the Lord would have every day to gather manna for the day Exod. 16. 16. And fourthly he teacheth us to moderate our unsatiable appetite that we may learn to be content if we have provision for the day Whereas we pray for others to whom God giveth by us we are bound even to day without delay to supply their want and not bid them come to morrow or another time Prov. 3. 28. But here it may be demanded if it be not lawfull to provide for the time to come As we are to be content if we have provision for the day so if it please God to give more we are not to cast away his good gifts but reserve them nor suffer them to be lost John 6. 12. but to preserve them or else imploy them to good uses Yea if it please God to give means men are bound to provide for the time to come rather then by neglecting the means to tempt God 1. Tim. 5. 8. 2. Cor. 12. 14. the fathers are to lay up for their children And it is evident that in summer we are to provide against winter to which purpose the sluggard is put to school to the ant Prov. 6. 6. and in the time of plenty against the time of dearth Example Acts 11. 29. Gen. 41. 48. Lawfull therefore it is to provide for the time to come so that these conditions may be observed 1. That our desire and care in providing be not inordinate in labouring for the meat which perisheth more or as much as for that which endureth to everlasting life After which sort they offend who to gain the world do loose their soul as those do that stick not to sinne to obtein their worldly desire 2. That it be not immoderate or joyned with covetousnesse which is an insatiable desire of having more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. That it be not joyned either with distrust in Gods providence or trust in our store Luke 12. 20. 4. That we set not our hearts thereupon Psal. 62. 10. 5. That it be done neither with injury to our neighbour nor neglect of our poore brethren 6. That we lay up our goods to good ends that we may have not onely to supply our own wants and to provide for our family but also to relieve the necessities of others But Christ forbiddeth to care for to morrow Matth. 6. 34. He forbiddeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is carking and distrustfull care Christ biddeth us not to lay up treasures on the earth Matth. 6. 19. and forbiddeth us to labour for the meat which perisheth John 6. 27. I answer Those speeches are to be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in comparison of spirituall food and heavenly treasures c. And secondly that we should not affect or esteem any worldly thing as our treasure but rather the righteousnesse and merits of Christ in heaven and those spirituall and heavenly graces whereby everlasting life is obteined For where the treasure is there the heart will be also And thus have we the meaning of the words The duties to be performed in prayer 1. To ask temporall blessings of God 2. To ask them aright For the first Men are not to have this conceit that temporall blessings are not to be asked of God as being unworthy for him to grant or unnecessary for us to receive For the Lords providence stoopeth to the smallest things to the lighting of a sparrow upon the ground to the feeding of all brute beasts Matth. 6. 26. Psal. 104. 27. and 145. 15. and 147. 9. Luke 12. 24. And he affirmeth that all both prosperity and adversity proceed from him Hos. 2. 8. that in adversity we should pray unto him and in prosperity praise him and in both acknowledge his mercifull providence And as for us certain it is that neither any of us in particular nor the whole Churcâ—… in generall can continue our life in this world to the praise of God unlesse it please him to grant unto us a continuall supply of temporall blessings Therefore seeing God is the giver of them and we stand in need of them it behoveth us by prayer to acknowledge him the giver of them and to exercise our faith in asking them at his hands And that we are so to do it further appeareth by these reasons 1. Because Christ in this place commandeth us to ask them 2. Because we have a promise that we shall receive them 1. Tim. 4. 8. 3. The examples of the godly Jacob Gen. 28. 20. Solomon 1. Kings 8. 33 35 37. Agur Prov. 30. 8 c. who have prayed for them Secondly it is not sufficient to ask these things of God but we must also be carefull to ask them aright and according to the will of God which that we may do there are duties to be performed both peculiar to prayer for tempoâ—…all things and generall and common to all prayer The peculiar duties are these 1. That in asking temporall blessings we submit our selves to the will and good pleasure of God saying with our Saviour Not my will c. And therefore when we ask temporall things our Saviour teacheth us to deny our own wills and to desire that not our will but his will may be fulfilled 2. That we ask them not absolutely but so farre forth
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my laws in their hearts and in their minds I will write them and their sinnes and iniquities I will remember no more And the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham concerning the promised seed was this That he would give us that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies that is Ephes. 1. 7. Col. 1. 14. having by Christ remission of our sinnes and justification we should worship him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Luke 1. 73 74 75. And these are the benefits which should be preached in Christs name repentance and forgivenesse of sinnes Luke 24. 47. Seeing therefore the summe of all the benefits which in this life we receive by our blessed Saviour consisteth in these two we may be resolved that in these two the happinesse of a Christian in this life doth consist For whereas the Lord sware to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed Gen. 22. 18. Zachary being filled with the holy Ghost expoundeth that blessednesse to consist in these two Luke 1. 73. And indeed whereas there are two degrees of our happinesse the one begun in this life the other complete in the life to come that is to be esteemed our happinesse in this life whereby the perfect happinesse of the life to come is obteined Now whom God hath chosen and called to salvation them he justifieth and whom he justifieth c. Rom. 8. 30. And this appeareth to be true also in the particulars Psal 32. 1. Revel 20. 6. Seeing therefore the benefits which we have by Christ in this life and consequently our happinesse consisteth in those spirituall graces which our Saviour here teacheth us to crave of God it followeth necessarily that both in our affections we should desire and in our judgements esteem these spirituall graces farre above all earthly and temporall things esteeming all other things as drosse and dung yea as losse in comparison thereof Phil. 3. 8 9 10. For what will all temporall benefits avail us if God do not forgive our sinnes and stablish us by his free Spirit Surely no more then the good pasture profiteth the beast that is fatted for the slaughter And therefore as these blessings are absolutely necessary to our salvation and of farre greater value then all temporall benefits so are they absolutely to be craved of God and with greater fervencie and affection But let us consider the order and the coupling of this petition with that which went before and also that which followeth Our Saviour teacheth us in the former place to crave temporall benefits as the lesse that our faith having been exercised in the lesse might be confirmed in the greater that is that we having learned to depend upon Gods providence for our maintenance in this life might the more firmly relie upon him for our justification and salvation for if we have not learned to trust in him for the lesse it is not likely that we should believe in him for the greater The order in respect of that which followeth standeth thus We are taught to desire freedome from the guilt of our sinnes before deliverance from the corruption because our reconciliation with God in Christ and justification by faith in order of nature goeth before our sanctification howsoever in time the beginning of our sanctification concurreth with justification From whence ariseth both an instruction for carnall men and a consolation for the godly For if justification goeth before sanctification then it is certain that we cannot be sanctified unlesse first we be justified and reconciled unto God in Christ. And this order the holy Ghost teacheth us Luke 1. 74. That being redeemed c. For untill our reconciliation as we our selves are enemies so all our actions are hatefull unto God And therefore men had not need to please themselves in their naturall estate and by their security suffer as much as in them lieth the bloud of Christ to fall upon the ground but rather to be most forward carefull and desirous to be reconciled unto God in Christ and that his merits and righteousnesse may be imputed unto them considering that whatsoever they do before they be reconciled unto God and justified is no better but sin whereby they hoard up wrath against the day of wrath c. The consolation which ariseth from hence is most singular For if men cannot die unto sinne unlesse first they be justified then those that labour to forsake their sinnes and truly purpose amendment of life and endevour to please God in dying to sinne and living to righteousnesse may be assured that they are justified by faith and reconciled to God in Jesus Christ c. And so much of the order Let us now consider of the coupling of this petition both with that which went before and also that which followeth with the former Give us this day our daily bread And forgive c. Which teacheth us that we should not so wholly be addicted to the commodities of this life but that we should withall and most principally labour for spirituall graces perteining to a better life There be many saith the Pâ—…almist which say Who will shew us any good that is any worldly profit c. but as touching the forgivenesse of their sinnes and their reconciliation with God in Christ as touching the application of Christs death and resurrection not onely to their justification but also their sanctification of these things they have no care nor desire c. But howsoever the world saith Who will shew us any good yet we must say But Lord lift thou â—…p the light of thy countenance upon us Shew thou thy self favourable and mercifull in forgiving our sinnes for that will bring peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost far exceeding all worldly comforts We must therefore not onely labour for the meat which perisheth but much more for the meat which endureth to everlasting life John 6. 27. For what would it profit us if we could gain the whole world if our sinnes being not forgiven us we should be amerced with the losse of our souls Mark 8. 36. With the latter Forgive us our sinnes c. And lead us not into temptation c. Which teacheth us that we are to desire as to be freed from the guilt of our sinnes so also from the corruptions because they are things that are inseparably coupled together forgiving of sinnes in God and forsaking of sinnes in us Therefore those which sever these things as most do deceive themselves Luke 1. 73 74. 2. Cor. 5. 17. Gal. 5. 24. Our Saviour as he is our redemption and justification so also he is our sanctification and therefore that which he did for us in his flesh he worketh in us by his spirit viz. a dying unto sin and a rising again unto
omnem ex animo pellens humanam cogitationem that is If the bodie lying prostrate upon the ground and the mouth vainly trifling the mind wandreth throughout the whole house and market how can such a one say that he prayeth in Gods sight For he prayeth in the sight of God who recollecteth his whole soul that he may have nothing to do with the earth but may wholly raise himself into heaven and banish all humane cogitations out of his mind And to conclude let the absurditie of the fault it self and the grosse abusing of the majestie of God breed in us a lothing of this fault and a care to shun it For when at any time our minds have wandred in prayer let us endeavour to joyn into one speech the prayer of the mouth and the speech of the heart both which do sound in the eares of the Lord and then consider whether we would make such a speech I say not according to Malachi's rule to our Prince but to any man whom we regard which we are not abashed to offer unto the Lord. And thus have you heard the two faults opposed to praying in truth whereof the former is a note of hypocrites and impenitent sinners the latter though a foul fault and carefully to be avoided yet incident to the children of God For even in this sense the best of us may complain with David that our heart forsaketh us Psal. 40. 12. and as Augustine citeth out of Ambrose Ipso in tempore quo elevare mentem paramus insertis inanibus cogitationibus ad terrena plerunque dejicimur In the very time wherein we indeavour to lift up our minds vain thoughts being inserted we are for the most part cast down unto earthly things Wherein if we please our selves and are satisfied with such wandring prayers as though such wandring thoughts were not to be regarded as the Schoolmen teach we also play the hypocrites in our prayers and speak in vain in the aire without fruit or efficacie for such a prayer is dead and without life But if we come with upright hearts intending a religious service unto God though sometimes our devotions be hindred with wandring thoughts yet if we be grieved for them and pray and strive against them this infirmitie through Gods mercy and intercession of Christ shall not be imputed unto us CHAP. XVII Of knowledge which is required necessarily in prayer THus much of that which is generally required in the soul Now let us see what is more particularly required in the mind and in the heart In the mind two things are required Knowledge and Faith Knowledge 1. Of God to whom we pray and of his will according to which we are to pray 2. Of that which we in our invocation do utter in the presence of God First there is required knowledge and acknowledgement of the true God and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent otherwise we are subject to the censure of our Saviour given to the Samaritanes John 4. 22. You worship you know not what First we must know God before we can believe in him and we must believe in him or else we cannot call upon him Rom. 10. 14. Therefore David exhorteth his sonne Solomon 1. Chron. 28. 9. first to know then to worship the God of his fathers with a willing mind and an upright heart For all worship of God which is not guided by knowledge is mere will-worship and superstition Neither is that to be accounted religion or pietie which proceedeth from ignorance as the Papists hold ignorance to be the mother of devotion But that devotion is blind superstition Knowledge is as it were the stern which guideth us in the right way of serving God according to his word without which we wander into will-worship and superstitious inventions And therefore as of God there is knowledge required so also of his will revealed in his word For we can have no assurance that we shall be heard unlesse we pray according to his will 1. John 5. 14. Neither can we pray according to his will unlesse in some measure we do know it Col. 3. 16. Secondly there is required knowledge and understanding of that which we do pray otherwise we are subject to our Saviours reproof Matth. 20. 22. You ask you know not what Prayer not understood is the lifting up of the voice and not of the soul unto God and a pouring forth of our breath and speaking into the aire and not a pouring forth of our hearts and souls unto the Lord for as Augustine saith Seeing as it is Psal. 89. 16. Beatus populus qui intelligit jubilationem Curramus ergò saith he ad hanc beatitudinem intelligamus jubilationem non eam sine intellectu fundamus Quid opus est jubilare non intelligere jubilationem ut vox nostra sola jubilet cor non jubilet Sonus enim cordis intellectus est that is Blessed is the people which understandeth the joyfull sound Let us therefore haste saith he after this happinesse let us understand this joyfull sound and not vent it out without understanding What use is there of a joyfull sound and not to understand it that our voice onely should make this joyfull sound and not our heart For the sound of the heart is understanding Wherefore the Apostle Col. 3. 16. exhorteth us that the word of God dwell in us plenteously in all wisdome teaching and admonishing our selves in psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Where the Apostle as he doth in generall require in every Christian a plentifull knowledge of the word of God to direct him in his worship of God so he teacheth us the use of our Psalmes and songs which we sing unto the Lord to wit that we and those that heare us may be instructed and edified thereby which without understanding of that which is said cannot be done as the Apostle sheweth 1. Cor. 14. And to the same effect doth the Prophet David exhort us Psal. 47. 7 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words though diversly translated do in every sense require understanding in those that call upon God whether you read it Sing praises every one that hath understanding or sing praises understandingly or with understanding or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also signifieth as appeareth by the titles of divers psalmes sing a Psalme of instruction whereby you may according to the exhortation of the Apostle Col. 3. instruct and edifie your selves and others Here therefore two sorts of men are condemned the first of those who pray in an unknown tongue the second of them who praying in their own tongue do not understand their own prayer The former fault is commited in the Church of Rome both in publick and private prayers And first for publick the Church of Rome hath ordained that all the publick Divine service in the West-churches should be done in the Latine tongue And although
against God some against our neighbours and some against our selves In respect of all and every whereof we are every of us debtours unto God and therefore had need to pray that he would forgive us all and every of our debts Psal. 51. 9. which how many and great they are we may easily know if we will diligently look into our obligation and examine our lives by the law of God c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our In this word confession of sinne is included For it is in effect thus much O Lord we have sinned against thee have mercy therefore on us O Lord according to thy goodnesse and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away our offenses Wash us from our iniquities and cleanse us from our sinnes For we acknowledge our transgressions and our sinnes are alwayes before us Psal. 51. 2 3. Therefore with asking of pardon confession of sinne is conjoyned And this form of prayer is prescribed to be used of the perfectest men in this world as of the Apostles because there is no man that doth good vpon the earth and sinneth not Eccles 7. 20. If we say saith the holy Apostle John that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and there is no truth in us If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to 〈◊〉 us from all iniquity If we say that we have not 〈◊〉 we make him a lâ—…ar and his truth is not in us 1. John 1. 8 9 10. Here therefore both the Catharists which dream of perfection in this life and also the Pelagians and Papists which hold that a man may fully and perfectly keep the law of God in this life are confuted For such cannot make this petition except they will mock God as all those do that have a conceit of their own perfection Which conceit is in not onely the Catharists and Papists but also in the greatest part of ignorant and securâ—… men who affirm that they love God with all their heart and their neighbour as themselves they never did any man hurt they never doubted of their salvation For howsoever the Scripture speaketh of perfect men and such as walked in all the commandments of God yet certain â—…t is that thereby is meant the uprightnesse of their will and endeavour not the perfection of their obedience which uprightnesse notwithstanding the Scripture calleth perfection the Lord accepting the will for the deed so that upright men may indeed be said to be perfect but in affectu potiùs quà m effectu in their affections rather then their actions Forgive The Lord in forgiving sinnes as he is mercifull so is he just 1. John 1. 9. Neither doth he forgive any sinne for which his justice is not satisfied by the obedience and sufferings of Christ Rom. 3. 26. He is therefore said to forgive our sinnes when as he inputeth them not unto us but accepting of the obedience and sufferings of Christ as a full ransome and satisfaction for them washing away our sinnes in his bloud covering them with his righteousnesse imputing our sinnes to Christ and his obedience to us so that we howsoever sinfull in our selves appear righteous before him in Christ. When as therefore we do pray for the forgivenesse of our sinnes we do not so desire him to be mercifull as that we would have him forget his justice but we come unto him in the name and mediation of Christ in whom he is well pleased beseeching him to accept of his obedience sufferings as a full satisfaction for our sinnes For remission of sinnes as it is a free work of mercy in respect of us who neither can deserve pardon nor satisfie his justice so in respect of Christ who hath satisfied for us it is a work of justice Now whereas our Saviour Christ doth teach every one of us every day to ask forgivenesse with assurance to be heard we are put in mind both of our misery and Gods mercy Our misery who day by day commit sinne and therefore have need every day to crave remission of our sinnes Gods mercy and long suffering who though he be offended every day yet he is ready to forgive their sinnes who come unto him by hearty and earnest prayer confessing their sinnes and craving pardon of them But this mercy and long-suffering of God must not encourage us to presume but invite us unto repentance Rom. 2. 4. and 6. 1. Ecclus 5. 4 5 6. Psal. 130. 4. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Joel 2. 13. and encourage us to call upon him This long-suffering of God is to be imitated of us For if he be content to forgive us that sinne against him every day then ought we freely to forgive them that offend us c. though it be to seventy times seven times Again if every one of us be he never so righteous is bound to make this prayer that God would freely remit our sinnes then it followeth that none of us can discharge the debt or by any thing which we are able to perform satisfie for our sinnes but either they must be freely remitted for Christs sake or else we must suffer the punishment due for them Divine remission and humane satisfaction cannot stand together We must crave remission therefore we cannot satisfie Remission of sinnes and justification are free Rom. 3. 24. Ephes. 1. 7. Isai. 43. 25. but in satisfaction there is recompense Therefore those that trust to their own merits and use this prayer they mock God and condemn themselves They mock God because they desire him to forgive their sinnes which they do not desire should be forgiven them but trust to satisfie for them They condemn themselves because they confesse themselves to be debtours unto God unlesse he remit their debt and yet stand not to his remission but to their own satisfaction by which they appeal to his justice rather then implore his mercy And that no man can satisfie by any works of obedience the justice of God for his sinnes it may further appear by these reasons 1. Because our best obedience is unperfect and our righteousnesse like unto a polluted â—…lout and therefore if God should enter into judgement with us he might justly condemn us for our best actions as being not performed in that manner and measure which his law requireth and therefore every one had need to pray as Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into judgement c. Secondly because whatsoever obedience we can perform it is a debt and duty Luke 17. 10. When we have done all that is commanded we must say that we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 12. and 13. 8. Gal. 5. 3. Now certain it is that we cannot satisfie debt with debt but notwithstanding our latter obedience we shall be debtours in respect of the former debt unsatisfied Seeing therefore we are not able