undefiled and so visibly made known to be such that none shall be distrustful of each others Integrity An universal Love shall cement together inseparably every precious Stone of that building Yea a Love excluding all the Fear Jealousie and Envie which might imbitter their Injoyments and Affections into whom that Kingdom is come For though there will be a differing Glory as among the Stars which excel one another the least shall be as fully and as highly contented with his measure of Joy and his degree of exaltation as he that is greatest and every one take as much pleasure in the Glorification of others as in his own Much more might be said to this purpose and to give some hints whereby it may be known of what Nature this Kingdom is and when it is come into us But this and that which the Spirit of God will further dictate as need shall require will be sufficient to raise an apprehension to make us confident that when his Kingdom comes upon Earth his will shall be here done as it is in Heaven 17. Nevertheless it seems impossible to some that the Will of God should be fulfilled in Earth as it is in Heaven and so it would be unless it shall he more gloriously manifested then either now or heretofore and we should not have been taught so to pray if it were not to be expected in another mode Our Father had the same Kingdom upon Earth from the first Creation thereof and the Reign of his Anoynted Son was more visible when he first came in the flesh then in preceding Ages But it is said to be a Kingdom yet to come in regard of that more evident manifestation which it shall still have from time to time and especially after the six Mystical Dayes of a thousand years a piece are finished During that space the Devil called the Prince of this world and his Vicegerents are to exercise a power by Divine permission that the evil whereof our first Parents desired Knowledg might be as far forth made known to their whole Posterity as might be permitted with preservation of the humane Nature from being utterly destroyed And that when the great Sabbath of Years came the Beauty and Perfection of GOODNESS might be thereby the more Illustrated as the Day is by the darkness of the Night and as well known to Mankind as evil hath been and shall be experimentally manifested before the Mystical week is compleated For though the Devil lied when he tempted the Son of God with an offer of all the Kingdoms of the Earth in saying all those were given unto him Yet some appearance of Truth may seem to have been therein if we consider what Arbitrary power his Vicegerents have Arrogated and Exercised by their being accomptable to none in this life for their Mis-governments For many of them have been the most wicked men in the world chief Actors in bringing the knowledg of evil to perfection by making it as well felt as intelligibly known and They and the Nations under their Governments have mutually so corrupted each other that the greatest benefit we have now hope of by their Counsels Reasons of State and Arbitrary Actings is this their Wickedness ere long will be so fully Ripe that it will bring hither that King and Kingdom whereby we shall perfectly know and enjoy that GOODNESS which will root all wickedness out of the Earth and perhaps be an occasion of cutting that time of their Tyrannie somewhat shorter then it might else have been according to that Scripture where it is said that the dayes of Antichrists last cruelty should be shortned for the sake of his Elect. 18. The Kingdom we pray for now is and hath been in some proportion both visibly and invisibly upon the Earth in all Ages and his will there done according to the similitude expressed in this Prayer and in the Children thereof so far forth as they were and are capable And whereas it is said When Christ cometh shall he finde faith upon Earth as it may also be questioned whether when he cometh he shall find in any man an absolute Resignation of his will to GODS It implies not in my understanding either an universal Nagative or Affirmative but that he shall then finde both Faith and Self-denial in some For as there is an Old Will and an Old Earth by Nature in man which he had from Adam so there is also a New Earth and a New Heaven or will in man partly come and more perfectly to come into us and into the world by Christ between whom there is and shall be a continual warfare until Christs personal coming They in whom the first natural Earthlyness and will are predominant shall have no such faith or willingness found in them when Christ comes But he shall then find both such a Faith and such a Will as is expected in all those into whom that new Earth and that new Heaven is come which is predicted in the Revelations to St. John for that is a mystical Expression of that Kingdom which shall descend both into our Microcosme or little World and appear gloriously in this great World Into this Kingdom there shall enter no imperfect or unclean thing the Glory and Honour of all Nations shall be brought into it The fearful whose cowardise makes them Apostatize in persecution Unbelievers Murtherers Whoremongers Sorcerers Idolaters and Liers shall be shut out of it for this Kingdom shall not need as do the Kingdoms of this world to be supported by publishing Lies by depressing Truths by Dissemblings false Accusations Plottings Perjuries Oppressions and such like The City and Royal Palace thereof shall be more strongly fortified and more gloriously beautified then we are able to imagine or conceive by all those excellent Metaphorical Allusions to the most precious Earthly things whereby St. John as is before hinted hath endeavoured to raise us up to some apprehension by Faith which cannot be made known so excellent as it is by any VVords or natural Demonstrations Our Father the King of Righteousness even the Lord GOD Almighty is sole King thereof to whom we may with that perfect Joy and Love which casteth out Fear say Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven which short Petition comprehends all that is contained in this brief Prayer relating either to God or our selves as this Prayer contains implicitely all that is absolutely to be prayed for by the most exact Publike Liturgies and by all the Prayers of every Congregation and Individual person upon Earth Nevertheless remember this that though this is so Universal a Prayer as aforesaid and though God knows what we want before we ask it yet our insisting upon particulars is necessary to keep us mindful of our duties to God heedful of those wants which we have in our selves and diligent upon all occasions to seek and ask supply from him only in VVords and Musings regulated by this Prayer believing that we have attained
MEDITATIONS UPON The Lords Prayer WITH A PREPARATORY PREAMBLE To the Right Understanding and True Use of this PATTERN Contemplated by the Author during the time wherein his House was visited by the Pestilence 1665. and is dedicated to them by whose Charity God preserved him and his Family from perishing in their late troubles That which we have we are oblig'd to give In recompence of that which we receive And with some this will relish though it be Fruit gather'd from an aged Wither'd Tree Many particulars pertinent to these last times are hereby offered to consideration by the said Authour Geo. Witheâ—… Legite perlegite Read all lest wrong by prejudice ensue Either unto this Author or to you For since all cannot be exprest together One place must often help expound another LONDON Printed in the Year 1665. To the Authors Christians Friends by whose Charity GOD hath hitherto preserved him in manifold troubles and sufferings Grace and Peace in our Lord Jesus Christ THe repute of a POET which I have had among some hath caused many Pious well-meaning persons to suspect that Meditations upon a Subject of this Nature are neither proper to me nor like to produce any considerable Esteem or Effect yâ—t I have better hopes for Poesie is a good Gift vouchsafed for a prâ—paratory to Prophecy and oft hath been improved to the honour of God by those who abused it not to serve the World the Fâ—â—sh and the Devil In some degrees it hath also been so sanctified unto me by Gods Grace that many who had a sinister Opinion of that Faculty have acknowledged themselves profited thâ—reby in Dutiâ—s relating both to GOD and Man which makes me hopâ—ful these Musings will not be Fruitless I have rcceived seasonable Refreshments from many of you whose Persons or Names I yet know not nor am likely to know whilst I live therefore I must commit your Reward to him who knows you and will remember your kindnesses when we have quite forgotten each other I know that you who are living expect nothing from me toward a Recompence and the greatest number of my known Friends in this City have their Reward already for I believe they are with God Yet to discharge my Conscience that the like Charity may not seem cast away upon those who may as much need it and better deserve it I endeavoured to leave behind me a grateful Testimony which might be some evidence that I consumed not the remainder of my life preserved by your Mercy either in idleness or in living wholly to my self and among other such-like endeavourings partly published and partly reserved in private hands composed the ensuing Meditations during my solitariness in the late Pestilence as also that I might have been found well-doing if God should have then called me This being finished by his Gracious assistance I now offer it up for a Thank-oblation to him and bequeath it also as a token of my gratitude to you who are yet living hoping it will be acceptable to both being the Fruit of his Mercy and yours without more of mine then the putting that into words which God put into my heart when I had no Book but his nor so much in memory wâ—itten by any humane Author upon this Subject as may be comprehended in one line and being carried upon the wings of my single Contemplation to various Objects like an Eagle flying every way to seek food for her self and her Eaglets you will here finde some things perhaps which will be offensive to weak stomacks But I know it is wholesome and am confident that if it be tasted without prejudice it will at last be pleasing to their Appetites who at first disgust it However I have well intended it and Gods will be done VVe may in Judgement differ in some Cases As innocently as we do in Faces But in our Failings if preserve we shall The Bond of Love it makes amends for all Until therefore convinc'd by Truth Divine Enjoy your Conscience and leave me to mine He that so doth not though he Truth profess Shall else retain it in unrighteousness And he whom Loving Caution doth offend VVill that while be nor mine nor his own Friend Savoy Decemb. 30. 1665. I am your Faithful and humble Servant GEO. WITHER THE PREAMBLE IF all that which is comprehended and may be pertinently apprehended by every Contemplative Soul seriously meditating the Words and Actions of our blessed Redeemer whilst he continued upon earth it would unquestionly be believed that St. John the Evangelist did not Hyperbolize when in the verse concluding his Gospel he affirmed that besides what he had therein expressed Jeses did many other things which if they should be all written he supposed that even the world it self could not contain the Books that should be written Therefore it cannot be justly expected that all which is contained in that brief Form of Prayer recommended to his Disciples then living can possibly be made forth explicitely in every Essential and Circumstantial pertinency thereof by the single Faculty of any one contemplative Believer how large soever his Intellectual Capacity may be much less can it be expected from me who by what I have endeavoured to raise up my Soul thereby to entertain the true Spirit of Prayer can reach to but a part of those Notions which may be extracted from that Body of Devotion whereby the powerful and true performance of our duty in Prayer is evidenced and preserved yet for as much as it hath been much stifled in this last Generation by meer Formalites and by multiplying such vain words as our Saviour terms Babling and in regard some also in other respects good and Pious men have totally neglected that wholesome Form of Words and othersome superstitiously repeated them for fashionsake onely without any sence of what is thereby petitioned for either toward the advance of Gods Glory or of their own well-being I have added my Mite to rectifie that which I think ought to be reformed 2. It cannot be denyed but that many have made an Idolatrous and superstitious use of Gods written Word and particularly of this superlative Form of Prayer as if the bare repetition thereof even in an unknown Tongue were a Charm effectual to such ends as they fancy though they neither understand the meaning of the Words nor if they do endeavour so to conform their devotion and affections thereto that it may be made acceptable according to his intention who prescribed it For he gave it to be used either literally or in the sence of his Original words indifferently as also to be a standing Patern whereby all verbal and mental Prayers should be regulated lest we sometimes blaspheam God or curse our selves instead of praying for Blessings or lest we err by that vain babling which our Saviour reprehended in the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees Christ Jesus very well knew both by his Divine Wisdom and experimentally by assuming our humane Nature all our defects
whole and in every part thereof For though that illustrates GODS being in his whole Creation as the soul thereof and as truely as any similitude can it nevertheless cometh far short of expressing it to our understandings who are so ignorant of our own Beings that most are doubtful whether the soul be in the body or the body in the soul In my private Judgement I think the soul contains the body and was partly thereto induced by this accidental experience A Gentlewoman of my Acquaintance had her Leg cut off close below the Knee who many years after that Leg was buried seemed to be so sensible of motion in her Feet and Toes and of itchings in the Leg and Foot that sometimes before she was aware what she did she would suddenly reach down her hand to scratch the place as if her Leg had still been there and then laugh at her mistake From whence I collect that her soul still extended an animating Faculty to the whole dimension of her body when a part thereof had been long cut off is rather the container of the body then contained therein because though that part had no being wherein that operation might be actually exercised as in a part of the body the soul was as intire as before This digression I leave to be considered by others as their Judgement shall incline them and perhaps it may be of some use 8. Indeed our Almighty Fathers residence in heaven and his universal Presence is unexpressable therefore we must like weaned Children in this and in all other such like Mysteries meekly submit to such illustrations as God hath vouchsafed and makes us capable of without admitting impertinent curiosities contenting our selves with those dispensations which will then be rendred sufficient for us and make that acceptable to him which we shall believe and do upon that account And if we be but as wary as we may be of what he hath revealed to preserve us from worshipping him according to our own Fancies we shall not be guilty of such gross Idolatries or Superstitions as they are who make to themselves graven Images or such spiritual Ideas as may derogate from the Majesty of God and obscure the knowledge of him revealed in his Word to their own confusion and cause others to the hazzard of their Souls and Bodies to sin against their own Consciences by compelling or alluring them to disobey God rather then men which mischieves cannot be avoyded by those who are not at all times careful to examine and try all spirits by the true Standard not onely their own Light and the Lights which are set up by humane Authorities but those Revelations also that seem to be Angelically inspired what Infallibility soever shall be to them ascribed For the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light and these later times are so full of Delusions and Impostures that none shall escape them but they who unfeignedly and diligently endeavour thus to do therewith imploring Gods promised assistance and trusting thereupon To these are due the promises both of this life and of that which is to come and they shall obtain their desire at full in due time upon earth or have what is here wanting supplied with a superabundance upon their souls hereafter Other speculative Notions I might express by contemplating Heaven the place of Gods Residence and such as are warrantable by his Word and Spirit but they cannot be yet born and I fear I have already or may in what follows express so much more then some will be pleased withal that I shall loose more Friends then I gain by it but I will discharge my Conscience and Gods Will be done Let other men do so without any sinister self-ends and I shall take no offence thereat This is part of that which I express or implicitely contemplate when I repeat the preface to the Lords Prayer Now I proceed to the Petitions The first Petition Hallowed be thy Name 1. THis Prayer consists of six Petitions The first three do principally relate to the Glory of God Not that he needs our Prayers for the advancement thereof for he being Eternally and all-sufficiently glorified in and by himself these Petitions have the first place in our Devotions for our Avail and for the better preparing way to obtain that which is pertinent to our selves and which cannot in equity be granted until we are in some degree qualified by conforming our wills and affections 〈◊〉 the Minde of God lest the granting of our Natural desires in temporary things before they are sanctified by the obtaining of some spiritual gifts to the abating of that Antipathy which is in us to the purity of Gods Divine Nature might totally obstruct the obtaining what we pray for and be more mischievous then the denyal thereof as questionless all temporal blessings would be if conferred upon us before we shall somewhat sympathize with our Heavenly Father and shew it forth by affecting and seeking the accomplishing of that which he willeth and worketh which Medium if well considered will appear to be both willed and prosecuted by him for our advantage in the composure of this Prayer though the sanctifying of his Name the Advent of his Kingdom and the compleating of his Will seems in terminis to be the whole scope of the first three Petitions For the glorifying the Name of our Father will be an honor to us who are his Children The coming of his Kindom will bring us deliverance from those Tyrants by whom we are oppressed and the fulfilling of Gods Will here on earth as it is in heaven will both free us from their Impostures who impose upon us an obedience to their Arbitrary wills in the place of his and inlarge us from that slavish bondage of sin whereinto we are brought by seeking the accomplishment of our own carnal will Thus all things being done according to Gods VVill Heaven will begin to appear upon Earth where mans wickedness and wilfulness hath begun to make Hell This exceeding Love of God to mankinde in requiring no performances at our hands for the glorifyâ—â—g of himself but what may conduce to our happiness also should move us by his exemplary Love so unfeignedly to love him and one another for his sake that it may be accepted of as a fulfilling of his whole Law For the same Philanthrophy which is evidenced by his vouchsafing this Form of Prayer was manifest also in the Law of the Ten Commandments the first Table whereof relating primarily to himself is as pertinent to that which tends to the preservation and happiness of the humane Nature as that which is contained in the second Table if not more as I have made it evident by my Meditations upon the Decalogue 2. Hallowed be thy Name This is the first Petition and for the better understanding of what is therein prayed for the meaning of these two words HALLOWED and NAME must be explained and made known A Name is that whereby
and infirmities and therefore gratiously provided this Expedient for preventing such errors and the whole Catholick Church hath found just Cause to praise him for that Condescention being one special means to preserve the principal Worship of God from being totally adulterated or else quite buried under the rubbish of humane Inventions as it was when Heathenish Idolatries first crept in and as now it is where the mystery of Iniquity is almost at highest For though the spirituality and true life of Religion and Divine Worship consisteth not altogether in outward Formalities yet unless it hath some bodily existence and external Clothing whereby it may be made perceptible and apprehensive in some degree by our humane Faculties it could neither be known or long retained though there may be some intellectual glimmerings thereof in such as are supernaturally illuminated much less could it be communicated from man to man by those corporeal Organs which are the Mediums whereby the affections and inclinations of our souls are made known to our selves and other men upon which considerations I am perswaded that they who totally neglect and they who superstitiously affect his Form of Prayer are equally reproveable I acknowledge there is in many an excellent gift of extempore vocal Prayer pertinent to the stirring up of Devotion and Pious Affections in themselves and other men and with much reverence I comply therewithal and assent thereto when I am admitted to partake in their Devotions yea and without envying Gods dispensations to them by whom I see my self to be far excelled For he who dispenseth his Gifts as he pleaseth made Aaron who was inferiour to Moses in other Graces superiour to him in vocal expressions I ingenuously confess my self also to be sometimes ashamed to be silent where such duties are performed but my natural modesty and my want of memory or somewhat worse renders me fearful to speak before an Assembly Perhaps my secret pride tempts me to preserve by silence a better opinion in others of my ability in that kinde then I have But whatsoever occasions it in me I suspect that better men then I are otherwhile liable to the same temptation through the same defect and may have need of premeditated words To say the whole Truth my verbal Devotions are frequently so broken into dis-joynted parts and so dissatisfactory to my self that I cannot hope they will be plausible to my hearers unless I had time to put them into better order which when I have done in the best mode I can I think defective until I have perfited my Devotions with that Prayer whereupon I have grounded my ensuing Meditations and am perswaded that Form is not always added superstitiously to other Prayers and that their Devotions are acceptable who in sincerity and with a true desire to express their necessities or thankfulness to God offer up unto him their prayers or praises in words wanting Grammatical coherence and in such Language as they are able For if we are pleased to hear our little Children stammer out their wants and affections in such imperfect terms as they are capable of though it be nonsence much more doth our Heavenly Father who better knows our Infirmities and requires no more of any man then he hath given him take delight in their good endeavours who prosecute them as they are able though in much childish weakness which appears by his Sons care taken to prevent the despising and offending of such by their stronger brethren He knew also that the most perfect could not attain to that perfection without means of improvement and therefore left them this Form of Prayer which if right use be thereof made may be to the wisest of them great advantages many wayes 4. I know well that not a few who seem to have acquired most perfections and to be better qualified for performance of such Duties then many of their brethren are otherwhile fain to use set Forms of Prayer composed by their National Churches or by particular pious men and I suppose it to be a great weakness in them who for no other respect are offended thereat or with such as therein joyn For if it be allowable to joyn in a vocal extempore Prayer with him the scope of whose Petitions we cannot know until we hear them and whose Prayers are at that time a set Form to his Auditory if not to him who speaks them doubtless we may with less scruple pray with another whose words we know beforehand and wherein we finde nothing repugnant to this Patern left us by our Saviour In such Prayers or Praises whether publick on private Extempore or set Forms I can joyn with any person or Congretion professing Faith in Jesus Christ so they be not wittingly willingly malitiously and impenitently scandalous in Doctrine or manners though there may be some deficiency or superfluity in Words or Forms and in such conrformities I demean my self without giving cause of disturbance to their Devotions with whom I communicate yea and without uncharitably censuing them in my heart as to that which is contrary to my Judgement For I know the best men and the best humane Forms have their defects and that their duties and divine Mysteries are known to them but in part Therefore when in their Preachings or Divine Worshippings I hear and heed ought which to my understanding is not Orthodox or comely or expressions insisted upon or attributes given to persons or things of whose truth I am not certain then instead of absolute compliance therein I waving that lift up my heart in secret to God beseeching him to pardon what is misdone or missaid by others or misunderstood by me if I have misapprehended their pious meanings 5. The Forms of Prayer and Praises dictated by the Holy Ghost and recorded in the Psalmes or other Books of Holy Scripture I can use without scruple in the same words either in the Original or in any other Language that I undersand as occasions require but not without premeditating the distinct Mysteries in them contained whereby I may be conscientiously satisfied what particular Mystery is touched in the whole and in every particle lest as I said before I may sometimes blaspheam or curse instead of praying by misapplying that to one which is properly appliable to another And those Maledictions to my own Enemies which are intended onely to the Adversaries of Christ or left I take those Attributes to my self in my single Capacity which are properly due to none but to Jesus Christ and to me and others no otherwise then as we are Members of his Mystical Body This is not so much heeded by some as it ought to be who make frequent use of Davids Psalmes at adventure in their publick and private Devotions With much precaution therefore I endeavour as I am able to pray and praise GOD in those words of his own which I finde recorded in the Old Testament with respect to what was Legally and to what was evangelically to be