Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	ghost_n	holy_a	trinity_n	3,214	5	9.7060	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09410	An exposition of the Lords praier in the way of catechisme By William Perkins; Perkins upon the Lords praier	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1593 (1593)	STC 19701; ESTC S113660	46,459	156

preface it selfe Our Father vvhich art in heuen It contains a descriptiō of the true Iehoua to whom we pray and that by two arguments the first is drawen from a relation Our Father the second is taken frō the subiect or place Which art in heuen Father 1. The meaning IN the opening of this word or title of God two questions are to be opened 1. Quest. Whether by this title Father is signified the whol Trinitie or some one person thereof Ans. Otherwhiles this name is attributed to all the persons in Trinitie or any of them Malac. 2. 10. Haue we not all one Father c. Luk. 3. 38. Which was the sonne of Adam which was the sonne of God And in Isai. 9. 6 christ is called the father of eternitie because al that ar truly knit to him and born a new by him they are eternally made the sons of God Again oftentimes it is giuen to the first persō in trinitie as in those places where one person is conferred with another And so in this place principally for some speciall respects this title agrees to the first person For first he is the father of Christ as he is the eternall worde of the father and that by nature because hee is of the same essence with him Secondly he is father to Christ in respect of his manhood not by nature or adoption but by personall vnion because the humane nature doeth subsist in the person of the word Thirdly hee is a father to all the faithfull by adoption in Christ. 2. Question Whether we are to pray to the Sonne and holy Ghost as to the Father Ans. Inuocation belonges to all the three persons in Trinitie and not only to the father Act. 7. 59. Steuen praieth Lord Iesus receiue my spirit 1. Thes. 3. 2. Now God our father and our Lord Iesus Christ guide our iourney vnto you 2. Cor. 13. 13. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the loue of God the communion of the holy Ghost be vvith you Some say this praier is a perfect platforme of all praiers and in it wee are taught to direct our praiers to the Father not to the Son or holy spirit I answer the Father Sonne and holy Ghost are three distinct persons yet they are not to be seuered or diuided because they al subsist in one and the same Godhead or diuine nature And further in all outward actions as in the creation and preseruation of the world and the saluation of the elect they are not seuered or deuided for they al work together onely they are distinguished in the maner of working Now if they be not deuided in nature or operation then they are not to be seuered in worship And in this place we direct our praiers to the father because he is the first in order yet so as then we imploy the Son and holy Ghost For we pray to the father in the name of the Sonne by the assistance of the holy Ghost And to what persone soeuer the praier is directed we must alwaies remember in minde and heart to include the rest 2. The Vse THe vses of this point are manifolde 1. First whereas we are taught to com to God as to a father and therefore in the name of his Son our Sauiour Christ wee learne to lay the first ground of all our praiers in the holding maintaining of the vnion and distinction of the three persons in Trinitie This being the lowest and the first foundation of praier it is requisite that al which woulde pray aright should haue this knowledge rightly to beleeue of the Trinitie to know how the three persons agree and how they are distinguished the order of them how the Father is the first the Sonne the second the holy Ghost the third and therefore how the father is to be called vpon in the name of the Sonne by the holy Ghost Hence it is manifest that ignorant and sillie people which do not so much as dreame of the vnion distinction and order of the persons in Trinitie mak but cold and slender kind of praying 2. Secondly we may learn hereby that we are not in any wise to inuocate Saintes and Angels but onely the true Iehoua The reason stands thus This praier is either a perfect platform for all praiers or not to say it were not were an injurie to our Sauiour Christ to say it is so is also to grant that it doth fully set downe to whome al praiers are to be made Papistes that are the great patrons of invocation of Saints in their reformed breuiaries and missales deal very fōdly for first they pray to Mary that she would pray to Christ for them and when they haue so done like Iuglers they come to Christ and pray vnto him that hee would accept Maries praier for them 3. Thirdly we learne that there can be no intercessour betweene God and vs but onely Christ. For here we ar taught to come to God not as to a Iudge but as to a kind and louing Father Now he is a father to vs onely by Christ as for Angels and Saints al creatures they are not able to procure by any meanes that God shoulde become a father no not so much as to one man 4. Againe if the God to whom we pray be a father we must learn to acquaint our selues with the promises which hee hath made in his word to quicken our hearts in praier vnto him For this word Father implies redines and willingnes in God to heare and be mercifull to our praiers And a father cannot but must needs mak some promises of fauour to those that be his children and therefore it cannot be that he should call God truly his father which hath not in his heart this assurance that God will fulfill his promises vnto him Promises made to praier these and such like are to bee marked as follow 2. Chron. 7. 14. If my people among vvhome my name is called vpon do humble themselues and pray seek my presence and turne from their wicked waies then I will heave in heuen be mercifull to their sinnes 2. Chron. 15. 2. The Lord is with you while you be with him and if ye seeke him he will be found of you Isai. 65. 24. Before they call I wil answere and whiles they speak I vvill heare Mat. 7. 7. Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and ye shal find knock and it shall be opened Luk. 11. 13 If ye vvhich are euil can giue good gifts vnto your children how much more shal your heauenly father giue the holy ghost to them that desire him Rom. 10. 12. Hee that is Lord ouer all is rich vnto all that call on him Iam. 4. 8. Drawe neere vnto God and he will draw neere vnto you 5. If God be a father who is called vpon then praier is the note of Gods Child S. Luke and S. Paul set out the faithfull seruants of God by this note Act. 9 14. He hath

a common disease in the most as it is noted Psal. 4. 6. Who vvill shew vs any good This then is a common sin that we ar taught to mourne for 2. The second want is our diffidence and distrustfulnes for the thinges of this life Men also will shift this off and say they wold be sorie to distrust God But if wee looke to our corrupt nature man is wonderfull prone to this sinne for being in prosperitie we ar not troubled but if once wee be pressed with aduersitie then we houle and weep and as Paul saith 1. Tim. 6. 10. Men pearce themselues throgh vvith many sorrowes If any shall lose a parte of his goodes what then doth hee straight hee goes out to the wise man is this to beleeue in God No it is to distrust God and beleeue the deuill 4. Graces to be desired THe grace to be desired is a redinesse in all estates to rest on Gods prouidence whatsoeuer fall out Psal. 37. 5. Commit thy vvay to the Lord and trust in him and hee shall bring it to passe Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vpon the Lord and thie thoughts shal be directed Whereby we ar admonished to take pains in our callings to gette meate and drink c. If the Lorde blesse not our labour wee must be content if he do we must giue him thanks Now for this cause wee are further to pray to God that hee would open our eies by his spirit teach vs in all his good creatures to see his prouidence and when meanes faile and are contrary then also to beleeue the same 5. Errors confuted 1. PApistes teache that men by workes of grace may merit life eternall and increase of justification in this life But howe can this be for here we see that euery bit of bread which we eate is the free gift of God without any merite of ours Now if we cannot merite a peece of bred what madnes is it to think that wee can merite life euerlasting 2. They also are deceiued who thinke that any thing comes by meere chance or fortune without Gods prouidence Indeede in respect of men who knowe not the causes of thinges many chances there are but so as they are ordered come to passe by Gods prouidence Luk. 10. 31. By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way Forgiue vs our debts 1. Coherence THis is the fift petition the second of those which concerne our selues in the former we craued temporall blessings in this and the next which followeth we craue spirituall blessings Where we may note that seeing there be two petitions which concerne spirituall thinges but one for temporall that the care for our soules must be double to the care for our bodies In the world men care for their bodies their hearts are sette for wealth and promotion they can be content to heare the worde on the Sabboth yet neither then nor in the weeke day do they lay it vp in their heartes and practise it which argues that they haue litle or no care for their soules Question What is the cause that first we craue things for the body in the second place those which concerne the soule Ans. The order of the holy Ghost in these petitions is wonderfull for the Lorde considers the dulnes and backewardnes of mens natures therefore he trains them vp and draws them on by litle euen as a schoolmaister doth his young schollers propounding vnto them some elements and principles and so carrying them to higher pointes 〈◊〉 the former petition is a steppe or degree to these two following He that will rest on Gods 〈◊〉 so the pardon of his 〈…〉 of al rest on Gods providence 〈◊〉 this life and hee that cannot put his affiance in God for the prouision of meat and drink how shall he trust in Gods mercie for the saluation of his soule Here wee may see the faith of worldings they say that God is mercifull and that they beleeue in Christ which how can it be true Seeing in les●er matters as meate and drinke they distrust God as appears by their couetousnes 2. The meaning DEbts By debts sins ar meant so it is in Luke 11. 4. and they are so called because of the resemblance betwene them For euen as a debt doth bind a man either to make satisfaction or else to goe to prison so our sinnes bind vs either to satisfie Gods iustice or els to suffer eternall damnation Forgiue To forgiue sinne is to couer it or not to impute it Psal. 32. 1. And this is done when God is content of his mercie to accept the death and passion of Christ as a sufficient paiment and ransome for mans sinnes and so to esteeme them as no sinnes And here vnder this one benefit all the rest of the same kind are vnderstood as iustification sanctification redemption glorification c. 3. The vses of the vvords 1. HEre we may learn many lessons the first is that seeing we must pray thus Lord forgiue c. We must hold that there is no satisfaction to Gods iustice for sinne by our workes no not in temporary punishments but that the doing away of our sinnes is of Gods meere fauour for to forgiue and to satisfie be contrary wherefore the doctrine of humain satisfactions taught in the Church of Rome is vile and diuelish 2. Secondly we are taught thus to pray continually from day to day where we note the great patience and long suffering of God in that we offending daily yet he suffers and forbears still and doeth not powre out his confusion vpon vs. This teacheth vs like patience towards our brethren we cannot put vp the least iniury and forbear but one day yet we desire that god wold forgiue vs all our liues long 3. Againe we may obserue that there is no perfect sanctification in this life seeing we must euery day to the end craue the pardō of our sinnes Therefore wicked is the opinion of the Catharists or puritans which hold that men may be without sinne in this life 4. And when we say forgiue not me but vs we are put in minde to pray not onely for the pardone of our owne sinnes but likewise for our brethren and enemies Iam. 5. 17. Confesse one to another and pray one for another for the praier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent And as so●ne think the praier of Steuen was a meanes of the conuersion of Saule 5. Also we note that before praier for pardon of sinne must go a confession of sinne for whereas we say forgiue our debts we confes before God that we ar stat banckrouts and not able to discharge the least of our sinnes this appears 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If vve confesse our sinnes he is faithful to forgiue vs And it was practised by Dauid Psalm 51. and 32. 5. The maner of making confession is this knowen sinnes and those which troble the conscience are to be confessed particularlie but vnknown