all our prayers and St. Luke will make out farther that it is a form of prayer to be constantly used by them who would be taken for Christ's disciples And no question but as it is the most ancient and best prayer which ever was in the Christian Church so 't was meant for constant use and rehearsal in the sacred offices of the Church This assertion proves Liturgy as lawfull as the prevention of blasphemy schism and non-sense make it convenient if not necessary which the opposers of set forms perceiving and fearing least the spirit as they term it should be bound if Christ's own form should pass free make bold not only to disuse but to abuse it too and cry it down as if his words could offend God whose very name doth so much prevail with him in prayer Wherefore they would have Luke be understood according to Matthew's expression which by their favour is not to be granted them for St. Matthew's way of speaking is often taken in St. Luke's meaning but on the contrary 't will be hard for them to find an instance of their arguing Nor will the variation of a word in the middle of it or the omission of a clause at the end of it stand them in much stead as we shall see anon This excellent form and pattern then of prayer is both for matter and form and order so full and compleat and comprehensive so well order'd and fitly suited and hansomly exprest that were the command for the use of it laid aside it seems to commend it self to a Christian's daily practice as a short yet full Liturgy This Prayer may be divided into three parts the Preface the Prayer it self and 〈◊〉 Conclusion The Preface is a compâ—â—tion of him whom the prayer is addressed to to wit God who is described partly by a title which shews his relation to us and our interest in him Our Father partly by the place wherein he dwels and shews forth his glory which art in Heaven The body of the Prayer it self contains in it a compleat sum and total of all holy desires and a perfect breviat of things pray'd for both spiritual and temporal and hath six or as some would have it by parting the last into two seaven Petitions The three former whereof concern God's glory the three later belong to us and our necessities both unto this life and that which is to come So that the glory of God and the Salvation of man which are the two pillars upon which the frame of providence and work of grace do stand are mainly here consider'd and run in each vein of this Prayer The sense of all may be briefly reduced into these two 〈◊〉 verses 1. Name 2. Kingdom 3. Will be done 4. Bread 5. Debts 6. Temptation The conclusion or indeed peroration hath in it a Doxologie or excellent form of confession and praise reflecting upon the three first petitions and carrying along with it a reason of the whole prayer thus Thy Kingdom come For thine is the Kingdom Thy will be done For thine is the power and Hallowed be thy Name For thine is the glory That God's glory is in our prayers as it ought to be in all our actings the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first and the last the beginning from which all things came at first and the end to which all things tend at last And the Petitions themselves have a mutual respect and seem to look to one another after this manner That we may hallow thy name and praise thee in the Land of the living preserve our life by supplying us with food That thy Kingdom may come into us and grace may rule in our hearts blot out our past iniquities and justify us by forgiving our sins That we may perform a due obedience to thy will remove every offence out of the way and suffer us not to fall into sin by giving us up to the power of temptation or leaving us to our selves This in general To come to the Prayer it self in the compellation wherein we call God Father we do not mean only the first person of the blessed Trinity excluding the other two persons the Son and the Spirit but take in all three the word Father here being not appropriated to one person as in relation to another to wit of the Father to the Son but applyed to God according to his essence i.e. to all three Persons for they all three are one and the self-same God in opposition to us who say the prayer The Father Son and Spirit being each of them one as well as the other a Father in respect of all created things and particularly of men it being usual with the Heathens so to term their Jupiter Father of Angels and of men FATHER God is the great Father of the universe the master of the world from whom and to whom are all things He made all things by the word of his power and of his â—eer goodness preserves all things wisely orders all events and deals with the whole world no otherwise then a â—ather doth with his child He is not only in himself an infinite being as his name Iehovah shews including in it all the differences of time Past Present and Future who was and is and is to come but the immens fountain of beings whence every thing that is had its originalâ— not that his very essence or substance was or could be communicated to any created thing as man begets man a Father the Son in his own likeness then every thing would be God which is the 〈◊〉 blasphemy to say No the nature of God is quite of another kind then that of the creatures and altogether incommunicable For how can we imagine that his infinite essence could have streamed forth it self into such a various and particular existence cloathed it self with those accidents and submitted it self to those lawes of change which all created things lye under 'T was his almighty Word which produced all things of nothing light out of darkness order out of confusion that was the womb that afforded the fruitful seed out of which all things grew He spoke and they were made and 't was well observ'd by the Heathen Critick that Moses used expressions suitable to the Majesty of a God when he writes God said let there be light and there was light ' T is true he hath imprinted upon every creature some character of himself that we may know by looking on the piece by the Image and superscription whose handy work it is And in this sense we may say every thing he has done is like him as we would of an absolute artist whose rare pieces will at first sight show what hand they came from Nor did he only make things and then leave them to themselves as some unnatural parents expose their children But takes care of and provides for every thing looks after them wears them in his thoughts
in his â—y supplyes their wants opens his hand and fils them with his goodness cherishes and maintains them And having built this goodly frame of heaven and earth doth with his everlasting armes what vain story sayes of Atlas support and uphold it or rather as his Vice-gerents are pictur'd with a Globe in one hand and a Scepter in the other grasps the whole world in his hand and dandles it in his lap as a tender hearted mother her playsom child Can he that implanted so tender an affection in all mothers dammes to their young ones himself be without large bowels of compassion full breasts of mercy and a tender bosom of love His goodness exceeds all comparison Though a mother should forget her child yet saith he I will not forget my people Providence is that great dug at which every creature hangs and draws its comfort by which all things are maintain'd whence are issued forth daily allowances and constant provisions dealt out For he commands blessing and deliverance Thou art my shepheard saith the Psalmist and I shall want nothing The Spirit of God saith the sacred Historian mov'd upon the face of the deep that Chaos and first matter out of which the several kinds of creatures were afterwards to be particularly produced A word proper to birds that sit upon their eggs brood them He flutter'd and sate upon it and kept it in a lively warmth and quicken'd that rude lump that he might out of that great confused ball wherein the seeds of things lay jumbled which therefore an ancient Philosopher call'd Natures Egg hatch a well order'd world And since God hath compar'd himself in one place to a broody eagle Christ in another himself to a hen the one teaching her young ones to fly and shift for themselves by carrying them on her back the other clucking her chickens with great pains scraping up their subsistence cherishing them under her wings and with all her might protecting them from rapine We may from these similitudes learn what a dear love and careful fear God hath for all his least they come to hurt God then may very well be styled a Father in this sense too that he hath not only as a Father given being to all things but as a Father of a family provides for al about him furnishing them with convenient accommodations and seasonable supplyes Nor is this all yet but he orders all things disposes chance overrules events to his own ends doing whatsoever he pleaseth both in heaven and earth even as Fathers order the affairs of their family or as magistrates who are the Fathers of their country manage the civil state making lawes and putting them in execution rewarding the obedient punishing the disobedient Indeed all government is naturally bottom'd upon this relation and grounded in a paternal authority the Father at first exercising all power even to life and death over those of his own family nor is a city or common-wealth any other then a more numerous family subject to the same ruler and govern'd by the same laws God then it is that gives order for every thing by whom and when and how it should be done Not a sparrow fals to the ground without his leave The whole series of second causes is but that golden chain the Poets fancied whose uppermost link is fasten'd to Iove's chair He is the Lord of Hoasts such as are the stars in their courses thunder lightning hail snow rain wind and storm fulfilling his word nay frogs and lice when he hath service for them will muster into armies and the locusts gather themselves into bands He knows best what will make for our good and his own glory and by his wise contrivance carry's things in that nature that they shall all work together for those ends He is in the world as a King in his Kingdom Where his word is there is power and who shall say to him what dost thou Angels are his attendants and menials the other creatures his utensils But men though they are term'd vessels too in his great house yet they are priviledg'd with a nearer relation to him They are his children for he is our Father OUR This word denotes a propriety and closer interest seeing he is not our Father alone in that general sense in that he made us not we our selves as he is styled the Father of rain and the Father of lights nor for the greater likeness we have to him more then our fellow creatures which is common to us with the Angels who are therefore call'd the Sons of God But by redemption also having purchas'd us by the Blood of his Son and made us a peculiar people to himself and having begotten us anew by the word and spirit and adopted us by grace that we who are by nature children of wrath might be made the children of God and to which of the Angels ever said he thus my Son Oh! what a condescension of love that God should suffer himself to be styled our Father who have corruption for our mother that Christ should become our brother whose sisters are the worms For if we be sons then are we heirs and if heirs then coheirs with Christ Oh infinite love and kindness unspeakable how dearly obliging an expression that our Saviour who is the only Son of God begotten of his substance should not permit but command us to call God our Father too my Father and your Father sayes he Now as Father is a word of authority and signifies love and care bespeaking from us a reciprocal love a filial reverence and obedience so Our is a note of indearment which should teach us charity which indeed the whole prayer breaths in all the parts of it Give us Forgive us and Deliver us bringing in all mankind to partake the benefit of our prayers And seeing it hath pleased God to own us for children and Christ to make us partners of his relation to become brethren it would very ill beseem the best of saints or greatest of men to disdain any of their fellow-brethren he they never so miserable never so wicked Since were there not a community of the same nature the sense of humanity the tyes of reason and religion and the laws of nations to bring us to some kind of unity and mutual affection God's love to us is an invincible argument why we should love one another WHICH ART And there is none beside thee For whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee Indeed the original doth not so express it making use of the article alone and leaving the verb to be understood which as 't is elliptical so 't is an emphatical kind of speaking He or The in Heaven which should note a superlative excellence above all others to whom the title of Father can belong the
take up the yoke and bear the burden quietly and cast it upon the Lord who will bring it to pass That we may not boldly pry into his decrees nor presume upon a rash confidence or despair in distrust of his love but adhere to the plain rule of his word and busy our selves in doing his will That we would tread carefully in the path of duty and mind the business of our general and particular calling and trust God with the success in the use of all lawfull means That we may not be discontented peevish and froward when our humours and interests are cross'd and when his providence answers not our desires but bless God when he takes away as well as when he gives and give him the glory whatever befalls us That we may resign all to his blessed will and rest fully satisfied with his determinations that in all cases we may say with our Saviour Not my will but thine be done That he would write his laws in our hearts and teach us his statutes and acquaint us with his will that we may doe it That he would assist us with his grace and strength from above for the performance of his commandements That he would mortifie our lusts and the corrupt desires of the flesh that we may not set up them in opposition to his Holy will but bring every proud imagination in obedience to him That we may be so acted by his spirit that we may be quickend in every good way and work and be carried on from strength to strength till we come to perfection That we may have a holy emulation for the blessed spirits above and endeavour to imitate them in yielding an obedience without delay without murmuring and without weariness That we may endeavour to the utmost to find out what that good that acceptable and perfect will of God is and to perform it and never think we can doe too much for him or suffer too much for his sake That we would lay aside all worldly cares and serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of our life and fit our selves for the business of eternity by having our conversation in heaven whilest we are here on earth Thus the three Petitions do immediately concern God and may also have particular reference to the three Persons of the Trinity That the name of the Father who is God blessed for ever may be exalted and glorified That the Kingdom of his Son and his glorious presence may be hastned That the spirit would frame our hearts to the obedience of his will And to the three offices of Christ By whose name as he is our Priest we are saved whose name is above every name holy and excellent who as King rules in our hearts and will come in triumphant manner at the last day to own his faithfull subjects and be avenged of his enemies And who lastly as Prophet hath declared unto us the will of the Father and came to do his will on earth as it is in Heaven with an exact unsinning obedience Nor is the word Thy idle but hath a great significance commending to us that great Gospel-duty of self-denial which is indeed the essential character of a right Christian who can be content to part with all so God may have his due For so the opposition is to be understood Thy name not our honour Thy Kingdom not our interest Thy will not our humour And thus the three petitions seem to be levell'd at the world's Trinity Honour Riches and Pleasure We ought not to study our own honour but to doe all for the glory of God we must not strive for deceivable riches but set the Crown upon Christ's head We should not follow our own pleasure and pursue our own satisfactions and contents but submit to God's will It is no wonder that this holy form of Prayer was so displeasing to the ambitious and factious spirits of these latter times a generation of self-seeekers who meant to advance their own names and get the power of the Kingdom into their own hand and pretended a divine authority for their own will as if they would have prayed rather Our will be done in heaven as it is on earth nor did they stick to say as much when they father'd all their mischiefs on providence and from their successes concluded God's approbation of their wickedness These last words On earth as it is in Heaven may seem to look back upon the three precedent Petitions after this manner on earth as in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done May we men on earth praise and glorify thy name adore thy power and Majesty perform thy commands and submit to thy holy will even as the Angels those ministring spirits and the blessed Saints doe in Heaven saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth Now follow the Petitions which concern us and our necessities which are either temporal supplyes of food and a comfortable subsistence and a dayly provision and sustenance or spiritual wants such as are the Pardoâ— of our sins and justification by the blood of the Son of God which was shed for the remission of sins and the strength of assisting grace whereby we may resist and overcome temptation sanctification wrought by the spirit of God dwelling in us and cleansing our hearts by faith So that these three also may have respect to the three persons seeing that they seem particularly directed to the Father for maintenance to the Son for pardon to the Spirit for grace BREAD What more natural for children to ask or for a father to give Bread is the staff of life the stay and support of nature the chief nourishment and that which alone will keep nature in repair and the body in health but is usually taken by a Synecdoche for all manner of food whatsoever even for flesh meat and drink whence to eat bread with one was a common form of speech meant for sitting down at table dining or supping and being entertain'd and indeed feasted with varieties And yet more largely sometimes as here it is for all the provisions and accommodations of life not only food but raiment habitation health strength money friends estate preferment vigour of mind soundness of body success in our undertakings a blessing upon our labours comfort from our relations with all other temporal concernments as seasonable weather the early and the later rain fruitfull fields plenty peace deliverance from dangers long life and a good old age with all those good things of mind of body and of fortune as we call them which may be the objects of a right order'd natural desire and all those additional advantages which the custome of countryes hath made convenient and agreeable to people according to their severall ranks and qualities which are all here comprehended under the name of Bread to teach us frugality and contentedness that if we have but bread we
want or distress and a returning of praise for blessings receiv'd or deliverances obtein'd Or indeed more generally and suitably to the nature of this holy exercise abstracting it from our occasions 't is a Meditation upon God his essence and his Attributes his Word and his Works and an acknowledgement of his power and wisdome and goodness whereby he orders all things to his own glory and our good It is indeed the special act of God's worship for Adoration is nothing else but a praying to him whom we adore Whereupon the heathen well observ'd that 't was not he that graves the idol but he that prayes to it which consecrates the Deity This is sure that his Religion may well be question'd who useth not to pray though 't is true too that prayer may be abus'd to wrong ends even to devour widow's houses nay to eat up God's own House Now the grounds of Prayer are laid in the nature of God and the relation which he hath to us who as he is our Creator and preserver challenges this homage whence the Psalmist frequently invites all our fellow creatures to this duty brings us altogether into one quire to praise the Lord. And the very instinct of nature hath taught ravenous beasts not so much to prey as to pray the young Lions and the young Ravens in their hunger cry to him and he feeds them and fills every thing living with his blessing Nor doth our relation so much as our want make prayer necessary for we depend upon him both as to the life of nature and of grace nor are we able to subsist or act without his constant help Therefore that praecept is no more then nature dictates to us Pray without ceasing or continually that is In every time In every place In every business The main thing in Prayer being to lift up the soul to carry God in our thoughts and have our conversation in Heaven as the man after Gods own heart saith of himself I have set the Lord alwayes before me And in the presence of so glorious a Majesty there cannot chuse but be an humble reverent fervent chearfull frame of spirit a mind well tuned and the affections so order'd the thoughts so compos'd as if one were alwayes in an actual devotion Now God's Nature makes it as convenient for us to go to him in prayer as our Interest makes it necessary for as he was pleased to call Abraham that had frequent intercourses with him in this kind his friend He hath all the qualities which should be taken notice of in the choice of a friend He wants neither will nor skill to do us all imaginable good He hath kindness to intend us good wisdome to contrive it and power to accomplish it Nor are the other Attributes idle in our behalf For 't is his Mercy to promise us help and his Iustice to perform his promise and the like may be said of the rest Then what a priviledge is it that a poor creature dust and ashes may freely speak to his maker That we who dwell in houses of clay may keep up a commerce with heaven that sinfull creatures as we are have access to the throne of Grace with boldness and may challenge a hearing in God's Court of Chancery Shall not the Iudge of all the earth saith he do right And any sinner may sue for his pardon with the same plea. Shall not justice acquit me since mercy hath accepted my surety Is it not enough that my debt hath been once pay'd Christ hath dyed for my sins and my soul shall live Nay let our case be what it will God himself hath afforded us such Arguments as he will not stand out Shall he that hath given me a life deny me food shall he that hath given me a body deny me raiment He that hath given me his Son will not he much more give me all things else Thus Prayer is not only like Iacob's wrestling with God upon earth but his scaling ladder too to reach heaven whilst Prayers ascend to fetch down blessings and blessings descend to fetch up praises Lastly let 's but look to the advantages that come by praying and me thinks no body should be so ill natur'd to himself as to neglect it What is 't but ask and have and will any one be so lazy as to refuse the pains of asking He deserves not bread to put in his mouth that will not open a proud mouth to ask it We have Gods word for 't in several places that his kindness he rates so cheap that it shall be had for asking Ask and it shall be given you And our Saviour passeth his word that whatsoever we shall ask in his name he will do it Can any thing be purchas'd at a lower rate then asking This is the buying without mony and without price Doth a man want wisdome counsel help Doth a sinner want grace pardon strength Doth a Saint want light comfort rest Let him but come and ask he shall find God readier to give then himself was to ask who sometimes answers prayers before they are made and counts it one of his greatest titles that he is a hearer of Prayer But some ask and have not Because as the Apostle saith they ask amiss Wherefore he that would pray aright so that he may obtein must come prepared furnisht with those Graces which may make him accepted Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight We must not rush into so great a presence for the foolish shall not stand before thee but consider the Majesty of God and our own vileness being deeply affected with the sense of his goodness and mans misery and premeditate before hand what we have to say and how and indeed pray before we go to pray that God will prepare our hearts for prayer For so the Psalmist resolves the success of Prayer Thou shalt prepare or direct their heart and shalt cause thy ear to hear And though all the graces like a bed of spices are upon this occasion to breath forth their sweet odours yet some have a more particular imployment such as are Reverence in our high thoughts of God Humility in our low thoughts of our selves Trust to rely upon his goodness and Patience to wait his time Knowledge that we may understand in some measure the nature of God and Obedience that we may sincerely perform his will Zeal which may inflame and raise our affections towards him and Constancy which may keep us in a daily practice of this Deity And to those which call upon him so God will be near and will either do that which they ask or something which may be better for them Who comes irreverently puts an affront upon God which an earthly Prince would not brook He that is possess'd with an aw of greatness will take heed how he demeans himself before it Reverence then
Be it more or less whatever it is it comes from the hand of a Father and is better then a rebellious child deserves We must neither envy those that have more given them nor scorn those that have less since it pleased God so to make the distribution Let not thy eye be evill because thy master is good nor censure any one from his outward fortune We are all children of the same Father and if he gives one child better cloaths and better fare then another he sees very good reason to diversifie his dispensations and 't is reason enough to quiet our thoughts that he hath so order'd it But if our curiosity do tempt us to look out upon the condition of others about us let us make this use of it and compare our selves with those above us to learn humility that we should not be proud for God's giving us so much since he has given to some others more and with those of lower degree to practise thankfulness that we may not grumble at God's providence who hath done better by us then by many our betters Let the rich be humble because he hath nothing but what he hath receiv'd and let the poor be thankfull for the little which he hath receiv'd and God if he see it fit for him will give him more One particular duty at our meals we may pick out here that we presume not to feed upon those meats which God hath prepared for us for so the Psalmist acknowledges Thou hast prepar'd a table for me and made my cup to run over till we have craved a blessing for them nor rise up without a thanksgiving our Saviours constant practice 'T is observ'd of the swine that he wants those nerves that should draw his eyes upward so that when he feeds on the mast and the acorns he ne're looks up to the tree whence they fall He that feeds himself thus without fear or looking upward for a blessing sacriâ—ices to his belly and makes it his God and with him sure as the belly is for meats and meats for the belly so God shall destroy both it and them THIS DAY Day by day from one day to another without any carking thought for the future for sufficient for the day is the evill thereof And who that sayes this prayer knows but this day may be his last we should at least live so as if it were to be Besides it puts us in mind of a constant dependence upon God He that hath provided for me to day will not let me want to morrow we have been cast upon his care from our mother's womb and have liv'd ever since we came into the world at his charges He will not therefore cast us of now no nor forsake us in our old age when our strength fails us We have had so many tryalls of God's goodness towards us as we have liv'd dayes and hours we may well trust him then for the time to come 'T is true all futurity to us is uncertain 't is not so to him to morrow is all one with him as to day and this is certain that he will never want power or love to help us nor will he fail the expectation of those who put their trust in him who is the same yesterday to day and for ever Let us content our selves then with present enjoyments and not care for to morrow for the morrow will care for it self While we have a mouth to ask God will not want a hand to give And this word makes the prayer as dayly as the bread it asks Wherefore be sure be thy condition what it will if thou sayest this Prayer every day thy dayly allowance will find thee out and be where thou wilt it shall be sent thee some way or other as the Ravens were caterers for Elias Christ's miracles of the loaves his turning water into wine may assure us that be our provision never so scant or mean yet if his blessing be in them they will be sufficient for our support and comfort DAYLY That which thou hast apportioned for us that which God's providence has set out in the particular distributions to be our part and portion This Petition alludes to the Manna Angels food that fell every morning among the Tents of the Israelites in the wilderness whereof he that gather'd much had nothing over and he that took up little had no lack but every one enough for his eating 'T is so ordinarily and 't is little less then miracle how so many thousand families as are in a great city in a nation live by one another and how they are provided for according to their severall rates proportions Thus the Syriac renders it The Bread of our sufficience or of our proportion He then that takes more then belongs to him and exceeds his allowance must look that the overplus shall stink and breed worms The Greek word is indeed doubtfull and admits of a double interpretation First as 't is deriv'd from a word which signifies the day a coming to morrow's or the next day's bread and thus it signifies an honest care to be aforehand in the world and not as we say to live from hand to mouth And such a care does not argue distrust but on the contrary a man's improvidence may seem to call God's providence in question For so the Apostle pronounces of him that he 's worse then an infidel that does not provide for his family And so before we were obliged to trust in God because 't is to be given and yet take care of our selves and use the means because we must make it ours before he give it Secondly as 't is compounded of a word that signifies substance and a particle of various use on over to beside in c. 't is render'd super substantial bread added to our substance belonging to our substance by which we are maintain'd or kept alive or of an excellent substance And so some apply it to Christ who was that bread that came down from heaven of which the Mannâ— was a type Whose holy Body is in the Sacrament of the Supper represented by the symbol of Bread And what so fit to beg of our heavenly Father as this heavenly Bread by which our souls are fed to life everlasting our nature repair'd and perfectly restor'd our hearts strengthened our spirits quickened and our graces kept alive The meaning of this Petition is that God would feed us with food convenient for us that he would supply all our necessities and fill up all our wants That he would as a faithfull creatour preserve us in the land of the living and give us all things that he knows convenient for us in this our pilgrimage That his blessing may every day fall round about our dwelling like the morning dew and as the Manna lift amongst the tents of the Israelites That he would provide for us all accommodations suitable
the head this in the heart Again Faith is divided into Historical Temporal and Saving Faith The first the Divels have who believ and tremble The second is of hypocrites who believe for a time and fall off The last doth properly belong to the elect who are therefore called Believers and the faithfull who hold out to the end live by their Faith Now Faith is a full perswasion of mind and a sure confidence by which we depend upon him in whom we believ IN GOD. We are said to believ a God when we acknowledge that there is a God and he that is such an one as he hath discovered himself in his word and works to believ God when we are perswaded that his word is the very truth and that whatsoever he hath promis'd or threatned in holy Scripture shall surely come to pass to believ in God when we place all our hope and trust in his power and goodness who both will help those that trust in him because he is a Father and can because he is Almighty God is of an infinite nature which exceeds all bounds of time or place much less can be comprehended by our shallow understanding we cannot know but we must believ and this very Faith doth as much exceed reason as reason doth sense in evidence and certainty The Holy Trinity by which three Persons are one God and the Incarnation of the Word by which two Natures meet into one Person are high and deep mysteries not to be reached by the eye not to be fathom'd by the plummet of our reason but Faith takes the heighth with a Iacob's staff and humble Hope fastens her Anchor in the bottom of this depth and diffusive Charity embraceth the whole compass of Divine truth THE FATHER The Deity is distinguished into three Persons the Father the Son and Holy Ghost and these Three are One and the same God the Father begets the Son the Son is begotten of the Father the Holy Ghost proceeds from both the Father and the Son God is the Father also of all things for of him and to him and through him are all things ALMIGHTY Who can doe all things and doth whatsoever he pleaseth both in Heaven and in Earth neither is there any thing too hard for him for who hath resisted his will Yet God cannot lye call back yesterday or make the same thing to be and not to be at the same time for these are marks of extream impotence not omnipotence and God would not be God if he could doe them MAKER God's power is not idle Even before he made he decreed to make and his thoughts were busy about the work of creation from eternity He made not as workmen doe of stuff lying before them for he made all things of nothing nor with pains and weariness for he spake and they were made He did not only make the world and then leave it to it's self as Masons doe houses they build but he preserves and governs too and disposes all events to his own glory OF HEAVEN AND EARTH That is of the whole world whereof heaven and earth are the principal parts He spred out the earth as a floor and built up the wals and laid the roof of heaven he stored the elements with several creatures the heaven with stars as lamps hung out the aire with birds the water with fishes the earth with beasts He made heaven earth and all things therein contained in the space of six dayes but the chief of all his works were Angels the citizens of heaven and Men the inhabitants of the earth made after his own likeness and indued with understanding and excellent gifts But some of the Angels with Lucifer by reason of pride left their station and turned Divels All mankind fell in Adam by disobedience from a state of innocence and happiness into a state of sin and misery so that by nature we are the children of wrath but by grace become the children of God and that by means of the Son of God who became the Son of Man that he might save the children of men The second Article Here begins the part of the Creed concerning Christ the second Person Now Christ is considered either in his Person or in his State which is two-fold the state of Humiliation and the state of Exaltation And in Iesus Christ his onely begotten Son our Lord. The Person of Christ consists of two natures Divine and Humane for as soul and body make up man so God and man are one Christ. He is described here by his names titles The names are Iesus and Christ by which are noted his offices The titles which are given him that he is the only Son of God and our Lord shew partly his essence partly his dignity AND. He who believes the Father must also believ the Son for he who denieth the Son hath not the Father IN. It must be the same saith by which we believ Father and Son since both Father and Son are the same God I and the Father are one saith he and therefore as Ye believ in the Father believ also in me JESUS That is Saviour for he came into the world to save sinners that he might reconcile God and man and recover fallen man out of the state of sin and misery into a state of grace and glory He saves from sin and from the punishment due to sin and freeth us as well from the power as guilt of sin CHRIST Messias in Hebrew and Christ in Greek is all one as in Latin anointed Now three kinds of men were wont to be anointed that is to be consecrated to their office by powring oyl upon their heads to wit King Priest and Prophet Christ was anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows that is extraordinarily furnisht with gifts of the holy Spirit Melchizedeck was King and Priest Samuel Priest and Prophet David Prophet and King Christ alone the thrice greatest King Priest and Prophet King by subduing our enemies the world the flesh and the Divel and ruling our hearts by his word and spirit Priest by offering up a perfect sacrifice for us satisfying divine justice for our sins and by blessing us by a perpetual intercession Prophet by revealing the will of the Father and discovering to us all things which belong to salvation HIS ONELY BEGOTTEN SON God hath many sons but Christ is the onely begotten God is stiled the Father of lights and the Father of spirits and the Angels are called the sons of God Magistrates children of the most High because they resemble him in power and dignity and all Godly men are by grace made the children of God Now there is a vast difference betwixt Christ and these All creatures by creation blessed spirits by imitation Princes and Rulers by institution Believers by adoption become God's children But Christ alone is his Son by eternall generation of
that in the old Law there was no attonement for sin without blood for in the blood lay the life the life of the sinner was to answer for his sin wherefore 't was not so much the flesh of the sacrifice which was partly burnt into ashes partly eaten by the Priest or congregation that appeas'd God's wrath as the blood which was sprinkled round the Altar Nor did the eating of the Passeover which was the type of this Supper secure the Israelites from the destroying Angel but the blood which was struck upon the lintell of the door Nor can the Papists plead the no necessity of administring the Cup because the children of Israel in the celebration of their Passeover and the Priests and people in their sacrifices onely eat of the flesh of the lamb or bullock and not drank the blood but either spilt it or sprinkled it up down For first we have here Christ's express command Drink ye all of it whereas they were bid to the contrary And then which is the main thing Christ's merit as was said before lay most in his blood so that to give our selves an interest in his sufferings we must partake of his blood as well as of his body But why is the Symbol of his precious Blood call'd a Cup whereas that by which his holy Body is represented is plainly termed Bread now bread and cup are not direct opposites nor answer one another but bread and wine This by the Papists own confession must be allowed to be a figure call'd Metonymie of the vessel containing for the liquor contained the Cup for the wine in the cup. Now therefore if the Cup be not really turn'd into the blood of Christ neither is the bread changed into flesh For just as it 's said of the bread This is my Body so he sayes of the Cup This is my Blood And if there be a figure in one place why not in both or can we suppose that our Saviour in a thing of so great concernment would not have spoke properly here too as he did before But the truth on 't is we should on all hands run our selves into a world of absurdities should we take words strictly as they sound and not allow them a fair meaning according to popular use and custom of speaking For by this means we should have cities with wals up to heaven Christ would be turn'd into one rock Peter into another Herod would be Metamorphosed into a fox and Ovid's fables would hardly seem more strange then Scripture But Rhetorick teacheth us the convenience and vulgar custom the necessity of using figures no question but our Saviour made use of the liberty in this sacred Institution Now the ground of this figure whereby the Cup is put for the wine whereas the other part of the Sacrament is properly express'd by the name of bread may be this because bread being of a solid substance is of it self easily laid hold on and taken up with the hands but wine is of a fluid liquid nature so that it cannot be meddled with to any use unless it be first put into some vessel as a cup c. Likewise also These two particles imply partly that Christ did as well appoint the use of wine as of bread to make this holy Supper an entire Sacrament in so much that if either should be taken away the mystery would be maimed and imperfect partly that he did in like manner and after the self same fashion consecrate the Symbol of his precious Blood as he did that of his holy Body using the same actions and almost words for as he took the bread and gave thanks and gave it to his Disciples bidding them eat and telling them that is was his Body which was broken for them and charging them to doe it in remembrance of him Iust so he took the Cup too and gave thanks and gave it amongst them and bid them drink and told them withal that it was his Blood which was shed for them and charged them to do it in remembrance of him Some little difference we may meet with both in the actions and in the words either by adding or leaving out First here is added a more special note of the time when the cup was appointed to wit after Supper which is but generally expressed in the other part to be the night in which he was betrayed And a more punctual command when he sayes Drink ye all of it contenting himself of the bread to have said onely Eat it with a particular declaration of the nature of this Sacrament where he tells them 't was the Blood of the New Testament which he sayes not of his Body and of the use and end for which it was appointed for the remission of sins i.e. for sealing that pardon which he purchased by his blood Besides a precept at least an advice of frequent receiving implyed in those words As oft as ye drink it Then here is left out the action of powring out of the wine which answers the breaking of bread for he broke the breaa but it is not said that he powred out the wine So that it may be supposed the cup was full of wine when he took it Yet the words of consecration doe make out this action also for as he said This is my Body which is broken for you so he saith This is my Blood which is shed for you And lastly he sayes of the bread Take eat but of the wine onely Drink which yet they could not do without taking it Now herein perhaps lay the difference that of the bread being broken into small pieces every one could at once take his part and all partake together at the same time but the cup being not capable of such a partition they handed it to one another the second staying till the first had drunk and so on to the last The Cup to wit being full of wine for so himself sayes afterward that he would drink no more of the fruit of the vine till he drank it new with them in the kingdom of his Father Now wine was the fittest to express the nature and use of the Blood of Christ it being the noblest liquour that which most refreshes the heart of man Give wine as the Proverb saith to the sad in heart that they may forget their misery Wine was used also in the curing of wounds as 't is said of the good Samaritan that taking the man â—hat had lighted amongst thieves into his care he powred wine and oyl into his wounds the wine to search and cleanse as well as the oyl to heal and skin them Christ's Blood hath the same virtue and efficacy to quench the spiritual thirst of a sinner who being scorch'd with his guilt longs for Christ's righteousness as the hart panteth after the water-brooks to cheer the spirits which lye drooping under the sense of sin to supply new strength to a Christian believer that he shall rejoyce