A TRACT OF PRAYER By He. Clapham AT LONDON Printed by W. White dwelling in Cow-lane 1602. ⧠To the Right Woo. M ris Grissell Sheffeild all true happinesse here and in the worlde to come RIght Woo. as I am much to prayse God for your vn-uariable Christian fauours from the very entraunce of my seruice vouchsafed still vnto me So I haue neuer since lacked Will though destitute of Meanes whereby to testifie my summisse duetie But hauing experienced the fruites of that diuine spirit which from Infancie is reported to haue held his succession in you I haue aduentured to offer some signe of gratitude Homely is the Forme but heauenly is the Subiect whereon my Pen runneth What is lacking in the Manner is countenanced in the Matter And so this 2. of December 1602. I ende remayning Your Woo. wherein he shal be able Henoch Clapham A TRACT OF PRAYER An Introduction PRayer is nothing else but a powring foorth of the soules-sense according to the instinct and motion of GOD his holy Spirit And herevpon it is that Moses is sayd to cry Exod. 14. 15. though he vttered no worde and Hannah to pray 1. Sam. 1. 12. though she spake onely in her hart And this is called Prayer Mentall as that which is by mouthes vtterance is called Prayer Vocall That I say this speach of the Soule must be according to the motion of God his Spirit it is because no vtteraunce mentall or vocall is true Prayer otherwise then it is vttered by the Holy Ghostes direction For his office it is to teach vs what to pray And herevpon it is that the Apostle teacheth not onely that God sendes foorth his Sonnes spirit into our hartes vpon the very first action of our Adoption Gal. 4. 6. 9. for teaching vs to Cry that is earnestly to Pray but also to deny that the most learned is able to pray without the direction of that Spirit For thus he sayth The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed Rom. 8. 26. And least any should obiect Alas we speake imperfectly or sigh confusedly he addeth But he that searcheth the hartes knoweth what is the meaning of that Spirit for he maketh request for the Sainctes according to the will of God So that no wordes or sighinges are heere reputed Prayer otherwise then they receiue their character of Christes Spirit Which obserued it conuineeth the Papist and Brownist two extreames of extreame ignoraunce The Papist thinkes if so he say ouer some certaine forme of wordes prescribed in his Iesus or Ladyes Psalter or her etofore drawen by Pope Sixtus or some other idolatrous Woorthie he hath done very well though God knowes he is so farre from following the instinct of Christes Spirit therein as ordinarily he Apishly imitateth some brutish inuention and if it be Latine his owne Spirit he being a common Papist ignorant what his lippes vttereth For the Brownist hee thinkes on the other hand that if he haue vttered a number of words not according to any written forme but of the abundance of his owne hart then he hath performed a worthie worke for no wordes borrowed from else where he holdes can be deliuered for Prayer And herevpon it is that he denyeth to vtter the words in Mat. 6. 9. c. for Prayes as if the same wordes could not bee vsed for Doctrine and Prayer Thus condemning all the Worlde for ignoraunce in Prayer he shewes himselfe to be ignoraunt what is Prayer Prayer as before receiues not his Beeing from Wordes for one can pray truely that is dombe with Zacharie but be they words or sighes or Soules breathinges they be then true Prayer when God his Spirit is one with our Spirit in the vse thereof And therefore to impute any thing to Wordes in that manner as they do is flat Merit-mongry And because in vocall Prayer the selfe same words may againe be vsed in the same and like case our Sauiour who had more varietie of wordes then any Brownist hee repeated the same wordes againe Marke 14. 39. And the Apostle againe and againe in the entraunce of his Epistles Rom. 1. 7. 1. Cor. 1. 3. 2. Cor. 1. 2. Galat. 1. 3. Ephess 1. 2. Philip. 1. 2. Coloss. 1. 2. 1. Thess. 1. 2. 2. Thess. 1. 2. 1. Tim. 1. 2. 2. Tim. 1. 2. Philem. 3. Thus farre was S. Paul from acquaintaunce with Brownisme And yet I could prooue vnto them that some of themselues both publiquely and priuatly haue vsually vsed a flat Forme of Prayer cond by hart But who will easily dispute with Spirits of priuate interpretation Prayer consisting in Sighes new or accustomed in wordes olde or new Etiamsi nihil dictum quod non dictum prius prouided the same be formed by the Holy spirit Some ignorauntly it may be will inferre Then the vnsanctified with Iudas Iscariot pray not truely seeing the Holy Ghost is not giuen them I answeare the vnsanctified person praying with and for others may as did Iudas Iscariot pray truely and may haue glorious effectes following the same as followed Iscariots ministerie so well as the others Mark 6. 13. and Luk. 9. 10. and this because he prayeth according to the motion of the Holy spirit though he enioy not the same Spirit For great is the difference betweene being Acted by him as Balaam was in his ministerie and hauing the Spirit dwelling in one as he doth in the sanctified Rom. 8. 9. This remembred I will as God shall enable in the next place delyuer vnto you an Exposition of the Lordes Prayer and that also in forme of prayer AN EXPLICATION OF THE Lords Prayer OUr Father Father by creation as we were set out of thine hands in our fore-parents Adam and Heuah but more speciallie a Father through the worke of Redemption who as we voluntarily were cast away of the first man hast recouered vs to thy selfe againe by the second Man Christ Iesus his glorious obedience Twise a Father by Nature and Grace but we vtterly vnworthy once of the name of Children so great hath been our transgression both against Nature and Grace As thou teachest mee not to cry My Father as minding either my owne particuler onely or heretically iudging better of my selfe then any others but hast commaunded mee to cry Our Father as a feeling member of that Catholique Church sparsed ouer the earth to whom Christ Iesus is onely Head so hereby thou callest me to ioyne with Fayth Loue that so my Fayth in thy promises may declare it selfe to be true Fayth by the workes that issue therefrom as in other thinges so in the action of Prayer For thou wouldst haue vs to know that all Fayth is but dead which worketh not by Loue First towards the head of our Head Christ Iesus Secondly towardes our fellow members which is the corporation of true beleeuers Our
Father Which art in Heauen and because in Heauen therefore Almightie and Al-sufficient for thy children Beeing a Father thou art willing and being in Heauen thou art able to effect whatsoeuer thou willest and thou willest onely that which shal be good for thy children This we belieue Lord helpe our vnbeliefe And as thou specially declarest thy glory in the Heauens for otherwise thy Essence Beeing is beyond all place because there are the Spirits Angelicall who are more capable of thy glorie so vouchsafe ô heauenly Father for the sake of thy Sonne through whom thou art become our Father to inrich our harts nowe and for euer with diuine thoughtes beseeming the presenting our selues before such a heauenly Father That so by thy grace we may pray in Fayth euen in that Fayth which worketh by Loue the bond of Peace the fulfilling of thy Law the externall badge of thy Sonnes disciples Heauenly Father thy name in proprietie is thine owne selfe and so thou art IEHOVAH the beeing of all beeings deryuing thine owne beeing from none in which respect it is easier to say what thou art not then what thou art for being Infinite thou so canst not in proprietie fall within the compasse of Definition But as thou first assumedst the name Creator in respect of the Creature so therewithall thou after a sort didst make thy selfe Comprehensible who otherwise art Incomprehensible which thou secretly taughtest Moses when for that he was in conceipt finite thou declardst thy self vnto him by thy Back-parts for none can behold thy Face and liue And herevpon it is that thou declarest thy selfe first in the common Creature for the Heauens declare thy glorie the Firmament shewes thy handie worke and the visible creature makes seene thy inuisibles as thine eternall power and Godhead Secondly thou doost make thy selfe knowen by thy Written Worde and Sacramentes In thy Word declaring thy selfe by that name of names Father of our Lord Christ Iesus sealing vp the same in the blessed Sacraments of Baptisme and our Lordes Supper Be it thy name essentiall or relatiue declaring thy Beeing or the Diuine properties in thy Beeing vouchsafe the Grace vnto vs of hallowing the same for though earthly Powers wincke at it thou wilt not holde him guiltlesse that takes thy name in vaine We were first Created into thy name and secondly haue been Baptised into the same But we lost thy Image in the first and haue recouered in the second by thy Grace a new stampe thereof Heauenly Father infuse thy sanctifying grace into the hartes of all thy Children that of the abundance of such a sanctifyed hart the mouth may speake holyly to the prayse of thy name and the edification of many And so shall the pure sacrifice of Prayer and Prayse be offred vp vnto thee in all places That thy Name may be so hallowed Let Thy Kingdome come Thy Kingdome is of another nature then the worlds Kingdomes be They be as Nebuchadnetsars Image made of Gold Siluer Brasse Iron and Clay all which the Corner-stone of our Saluation Christ Iesus dasheth to powder melting before his Kingdome as Waxe before the Sunne Thy Kingdome is Spirituall and specially inward and therefore to the world inuisible This Kingdome of thine thou dost stablish in the Body of thy Church thy Holy Spirit taking vp the Conscience for his Throne there gouerning the Hart of Man by the Scepter of thy Worde Thence thou neuer departest making whatsoeuer is at enmitie with thee thy footestoole casting downe the haughtie imaginations of men and whatsoeuer is within exalted against thee Lord let this Kingdome come this Kingdome of Light for chasing away the powre of darknesse this Kingdome of Grace for dryuing euery vile Canaanite foorth of our Land Let the strong man Sinne be taken and bounde by Him that is stronger and so take vs vp wholly for thine owne Glorie Vnto which good purpose vouchsafe ô heauenly Father to blesse thine owne Ordinaunces Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall The Ciuill thou hast giuen specially for keeping the Body and Flesh of Man-kinde in due order The Ecclesiasticke specially for subduing the Soule and Spirit In the first thou hast these fourtie foure yeeres vpward â—endred our good in the happie and blessed regiment of our dread Soueraigne Elizabeth deputed ouer vs in all causes Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall our supreame Gouernesse In the second thou hast for all the time of her gracious regiment sought our saluation comming vnto vs early and late by the ministrie of thy Prophets For all which thy name be euer blessed Heauenly Father vouchsafe accordingly to continue the same mercie by Ciuill Ecclesiasticke gouernment not only to vs but also to our posteritie Dash the Image of Romes Nebuchadnetsar a peeces Let his vnion with Spayne prooue but as a mixture of Iron and Clay and his mixt Idolatrous gouernment let it quickly be consumed Thou who in thy Worde hast promised to stirre vp all these Kings against that Bomish Harlot who first subiected Crowne and dignitie therto Lord hasten the perfecting of that promise Through thy blessing it hath come so to passe with vs and some other our neighbours Lord hasten the conuersion of other Kinges and namely of the King of Spaine that with a right royall resolution they may arise and like true Christian Princes labour to consume that harlotry Synagogue which before hath consumed them and their Kingdomes Destroy the Turkish tyrannie Let the Kingdome of thy Sonne in his Dominious more and more florish Remoue the ceremoniall Vayle of Moses from before the eyes of thy naturall Israel Gather into subiection all of Iewes and Gentiles that appartaine vnto thy Kingdome That so thy Sonne Christ Iesus may come vnto Iudgment he may so deliuer the Kingdome into thine handes and so GOD may be all in all In the meane time Thy Will bee done in the Earth and that in such sort as it is done in the Heauens The Angelicall Spirits in the Heauens are faythfull and flightie in theyr Obedience whereas they were created but once retayning still their first state And wee besides our naturall creation haue put thee to a second busines to the re-creating of vs againe by thy Spirit and Worde by so much the more we owe vnto thee a greater obedience Giue vs the grace therefore togither with the knowledge of thy Wil to be Doers thereof that others so seeing our good workes they may thereby take occasion to glorifie thee our Father which art in heauen But when by thy Grace we shal haue done any part of thy Will let vs not be destitute of that Grace which is declared in thy Angels by couering their Face and Feete Let vs be humble in our owne eyes acknowledging our insufficiencie for contemplating thy glory the insufficiencie of our affections for doing thy Will Let vs neuer be left to our selues that so we shold forget the darknes of our Senses the lamenes of our Affections With which
consideratioÌ„ giue vs not only therefore not to be idle but also wynged speedie executors of thy gracious Will reuealed to vs from thine owne Word And besides the common duties of Christianitie vouchsafe the grace vnto vs duely to consider our particuler place calling that so the Maiestrate may haue grace to gouerne rightly with his Sword the Minister may be faithful in ruling by the Word the Artificer and Trades-man may shew himselfe a true Christian in the very particulars of their vocation that Fathers and Maisters to children and seruants seruants children and subiectes to their superiors may all be carefull in these very places to be faythfull doers of thy Will as the heauenly powers in their roomes are euer prest to act thy diuine pleasure Heauenly Father vouchsafe vs the grace alwayes to make such holy vse of the Angels their glorious example that so in word and deed we may euer glorifie thy name put vpon vs first in Creation secondly in Baptisme lastly in our Profession Vnto the Father it is best knowen what is necessarie for the Day to thee therefore we crie Giue vnto vs this day our dayly-bread If thou giue it it shal be good for vs be it more or lesse for it is not in the quantitie but in thy blessing with litle thou wouldest haue vs contented in teaching vs to craue only Bread Nor can it be so little as the best of vs deserue for we merit not the Crummes that fall from thy Table ô how large then is thy mercie who besides Bread hast affoorded many other Creatures often for our Tables with variety of Rayment for our Bodyes Yea how great is thy mercie seeing we may say particulerly with Dauid Thou hast prepar'd a table before mee in the sight of mine aduersaries thou hast annoynted mine Head with Oyle my Cup running ouer For oft the aduersaries of Godlynes haue laboured so much as in them was to depriue vs of Natures sustentation but in mercie thou hast annulled their deuises giuing vs in their very sight to the griefe of their hartes not onely Food but also soueraigne delightes of Nature and that with inundation Thou in mercie hauing giuen it thou so in Christ Iesus hast sealed it vp for our owne Whereby hath falne out that in our much and little we haue a true peace-able conscience Otherwyse O Lord if we eate drinke and cloath'd our selues in iudgment what better were we though we gayned the world thereby And the prouidence ô heauenly Father which watcheth ouer our bodyes nouriture by this Bread vouchsafe it may watch ouer our soules by administring the Bread of eternall lyfe which is the Merits of thy Sonne offred in thy Worde and sealed vp in the Sacramentes That being so fedde in body and soule we may both in body and soule cheerefully prayse thee We haue trespassed against thee ô heauenly Father first in not hauing Beliefe in thy Promises who notwithstanding hast declared thy selfe to be not only a Father but also an Heauenly al-sufficient Father We haue secondly sinned against thee in not declaring the truth of our Fayth by the wotkes of Loue towards our fellow members We haue thirdly trespassed against thee in taking thy name in vaine We haue trespassed fourthly against thee in setting our selues against the thinges of thy Kingdome We haue transgressed fifthly against thee in not dooing thy will when once it hath been reuealed vnto vs. We haue sinned against thee also in the abuse of Bread and all other externall necessaries Our trespasses against thee are innumerable neither are we able to answere for one sinne amongst a thousande Good Lord therefore be mercifull vnto vs in the remission of all our sinnes which remission proceedeth of thine owne free Grace sealed vp in Christ Iesus whereto man is not able to adde one farthing by way of satisfaction Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. To whom thou sealest by the testimonie of thy Spirit the forgiuenes of sinne to them thou giuest a true guift though not absolute of willingnes to pardon the trespasses of their brethren So that by our readinesse to remit the offences of others thou wouldst haue vs to take knowledge of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes which thou hast remitted vnto vs. And seeing thou in the first place hast been willing to passe by our Offences compared vnto Talents What are wee in the second place that we should take our brother by the throate for a few Pence trifles vnto vs in regarde of our debtes to thy infinite Maiestie and so call vpon him for satisfaction to the vttermost farthing No ô heauenly Father doe rather vouchsafe vnto vs a gentle meeke humble and louing hart by the which we may be ready to loose much of our externall right for Peace sake rather then by seeking our owne to kindle contention by the which we may be willing to deale mercifully with others euen as we would be glad to receiue mercie at thy handes Finally we beseech thee not to lead vs into tentation but deliuer vs froÌ„ euill It shal be necessarie ô Lord that sometimes wee bee tempted inwardly as were thy seruants Dauid Ieremie and others but in such time of tentation sweete Father delyuer vs from euill Giue vs as thou didst to thy seruant Paul a happie isâ—ue out of that tentation Sometimes it shal be necessare that thou tempts vs outwardly as thou didst AbrahaÌ„ in offring his only beloued Sonne Isaac as thou didst Iob in the losse of his Substaunce Children and bodyes health Yet Heauenly Father wee beseech thee in such Tentation to be mercifull vnto vs to ridde vs from the power of the Tentation to delyuer vs from Euill These our Petitions we offer vp onely to thee because Thine is the kingdome Scepter Gouernment Regiment are all thine As in the Churche where euery soule willingly bowes before thee as their fatherly King so in swaying of euery creature euen reprobate Men and Angels causing them will they nill they to execute thy diuine pleasure In the first for the declaration of thy mercy in the second for the manifestation of thy exact iustice Nor is it any maruell seeing thine is The Power All Power in Heauen and Earth is thine Power of Deuils and their instrumentes is nothing else but a sparckle of thy Power borrowed of thee what time thou meanest to correct thy Children or else to iudge transgression in the reprobate Till thou graunted such Power Satan could not touch Iob either in his substaunce children or person no nor beeing discharged could he enter somuch as into a Swine Thou onely hast the Power to helpe vs to thee therefore we direct our Prayers And this the rather because Thine is the Glorie Part thy Glorie with any other thou ô God wilt not And this is a great part of thy Glory to haue Prayer offered vp vnto thee as beeing HE