God be not taken from vs Mat. 21.43 that the kingdome of God may be within vs Luke 17.21 That Christ may remember vs in his kingdome Luke 23.42 And that this kingdome may continually be spread further abroad may also come to other nations and countryes and more men euer nowe and then may be gathered to that kingdome And to be short that we may earnestly say Blessed be the kingdome promised to Dauid which commeth in the name of the Lord Marke 11.10 that we may receiue that kingdome Luke 19.15 be made and remaine citizens with the Saints and of the houshould of God Ephe. 2.19 And concerning the kingdome of glory we pray that God would make vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Colos 1.12 that we may inherit and possesse that kingdome by the grace of adoption Math. 25.34 1. Cor. 15.50 that we may be mercifully kept and preserued from all things which may hinder vs from the entrance and possession thereof And that 2. Tim. 4.18 we may loue waite for and desire the comming of the kingdome of glory and make haste therevnto 2. Pet. 3.12 That we may be counted worthy the kingdome of God 2. Thes 1.5 who hath called vs into his kingdome and glory 1. Thes 2.13 that an entrance may be made vnto vs into the euerlasting kingdome of God 2. Pet. 1.11 and that we may be ready at the comming of that kingdome Luk 12.40 These things we must aske in generall for the whole body of the Church and priuately euery one for himselfe for those whome we knowe both friends and enimies Likewise we must apply the same to those foure chiefe heades before set down To wit what good things we are to pray for in this petition what euills we are to pray against for what benefits we are to giue thankes and what sinnes of ours we must humbly acknowledge and confesse in this petition Thy will be done The will of God is taken diuers waies and therefore from the distinction of gods will we shall most easily come to the meaning of this petition Auncient writers call one will of god the will of his good pleasure disposition or decree when as god himselfe willeth and appointeth to do any thing Now our wil is weake euen in it owne strength and is often hindred by some other thing whervpō we had need to pray that god would minister strength to that good thing that we purpose in our owne heart and remooue all impediments so that we may performe the same in action But we neede not to pray for that concerning this disposing will of god because he is almightie neither can it be well and in a godly manner prayed for For god doth whatsoeuer he will in heauen and in earth Psal 115.3 Who hath withstood his will Rom. 9.19 The will of god abideth for euer Isaie 14.27 The Lord hath decreed it who can disanull it his hand is stretched out who can turne it away Isay 4.6.11 My counsell shall stand and my whole will shall be done There is another reuealed or signified will called volunt as signi Wherby god commaunding or forbidding any thing in the law or in the Gospell sheweth and declareth what he will haue vs to doe and to leaue vndone Rom. 12.2 This is called the good will of god his well pleasing and perfect will So that in this petition we acknowledge and confesse that by our own strength we cannot doe and fulfill the will of god propounded vnto vs either in the lawe or in the gospell We pray therefore that god would giue vs the spirit of regeneration and sanctification which may create in vs a newe heart take away our stony heart subdue and abolish our carnall stubbernesse and impatience that we may thinke vpon desire wil and doe such things as please god that we may auoide and omitte the contrary lest we should doe any thing that is contrary to the will of god And if we find our selues not to regard not to approoue not to will not to doe those things which god willeth but such as god forbiddeth hateth and abhorreth we pray that those things may be amended in vs by his holy spirit in true repentance that our will may be turned from euill and made conformable to that which is good On the contrarie there is another will of the deuill of the world and of the flesh altogither vnlike and resisting the will of God Those therefore we renounce and reiect in this petition praying that the will of the world and of the deuill may be hindred and subdued and the suggestions of Satan may be broken of that we may not obey them nor conforme our selues like vnto the world and that the lusts and concupiscence of the flesh in vs may be crucyfied and mortified by the spirit that hauing the disobedience the impatience and the wicked lust of the flesh suppressed in vs our will may become so conformable to the will of God that we shall desire couer or do nothing but which that is well pleasing and approued of god That we may iudge reverently of the will of God and submitte our selues thereto and that the will of God may be done in vs. Which good will of god the scripture containeth in these three points I will that a sinner may be converted Ezek. 33.11 It is the will of God that we should beleeue in the sonne of God Ioh. 6.39 This is the will of God euen your sanctification that we should abstaine from sinne 1. Thes 4.3 And therefore doe we aske of god grace strength and aide that we may beginne and accomplish the same An other will of God they call his operatiue and permitting will For whatsoeuer is done in all the worlde and in the Church whatsoeuer befalleth vs sure it is it commeth not to passe without the will of god Math. 10.29 either working or permitting the same And because we doe either not approove this will of god in resoning or els complaine thereof through impatience murmuring and striuing against the same therefore we pray for patience that we may with reuerence and obedience submit or at least indeauour to submit our will to the will of god may striue against impatience not iudging malitiously of those things which happen vnto vs by the will and permission of god but saying as it pleaseth the lord so commeth it to passe And because we cannot doe this of our owne strength therefore we pray especially that god would giue vs patience subiection and obedience and strength and courage against impatience Those things also which we aske though they seeme very conuenient meete and profitable for vs yet we must alwaies submitte them to the will of god Not my will but thine is fulfilled Others also make an optatiue will of god wherein he sheweth by the very fact that he wisheth and desireth those things which are profitable and holesome for vs which notwithstanding we our selues do often
will may be done But Luthers exposition is more plaine safe to wit that we are not commaunded to busie our selues about the hidden foreknowledge of God or to search into his secret counsels but we must dispose our selues according to his will reuealed vnto vs in his word where he teacheth that by repentance and praier gods wrath is appeased many dangers and euills are avoided and many benefits obtained Ier. 18. v. 8. Ezek. 33. v. 11.1 King 8. v. 56. And therefore he hath straitly charged vs to pray yea he is angry when no man sets himselfe by praier betweene the Lord and the land lest it be destroied Ezek. 22. v. 30. Both these therefore do warne vs to pray first that god of his owne accord is readie to helpe and knoweth what we want what himselfe will doe Secondly that it is his will and commaundement we should pray Neither must we from the secret foreknowledge of god frame or admitte exceptions against those things which are plainely revealed and commaunded in the word If thou canst not reconcile them leaue vnto god the hidden reasons of his secret foreknowledge and doe thou those things which are commaunded and appointed to thee in the reuealed word to witte that thou maist pray and that continually These things I haue noted by occasion of that saying Your heauenly father knoweth whereof yee haue need euen before ye aske Math. 6. v. 8. Our Sauiour Christ before this prayer giues this commaundement After this manner pray ye whereby he would not bind those whome he teacheth to pray vnto this set number of wordes as vnto a worke done for that were to babble indeede And the Apostles themselues as we may read in their acts and epistles often prayed in other wordes after the deliuerie and receiuing of this forme of prayer from our Sauiour Christ And that which is the strongest proofe Mathew and Luke setting downe this Lords prayer doe not cuâ—iously obserue the selfe same wordes altogether But our Sauiour Christ in a short example would shew vnto his disciples the manner howe to pray according as his custome was to teach a generall doctrine by propounding some particular example where vnder the speciall we are to vnderstand the generall And therefore in this platforme of prayer his purpose is to shewe howe few and small a number of wordes we must vse in prayer contrary to the vaine babbling of the Pharises of the Heathen VVho is to be called vpon or to whome we must direct our praier with what confidence we must pray howe and for what causes what thinges we are to aske in what order by what meane and for what end And thus are all the principall points which are required in true prayer contained in this platforme So that it was both truely and finely saide of Austine in an Epistle to Proba we haue libertie in praying to vse other wordes so that we say the same things which this prayer containeth but we haue not libertie to say other diuers or contrarie things And this it is which Mathew saith cap. 6. v. 9. thus or after this manner pray ye And that saying of Christ recorded by S. Luke 11. v. 2. when ye pray say is all one with this But here Austine mooues this obiection if we must not vse many wordes in prayer for that our heauenly father knows our want by the same reason and for the same cause we should not vse fewe wordes no not those which are here appointed by our Sauiour Christ The answere is that in regard of God and for his cause we neede neither many nor few nor any wordes at all in prayer neither doth the forme of prayer consist in the repetition of wordes For to pray is to lift vp the minde vnto god What it is to pray to poure out the heart before God to aske something of him but no man doth truely aske any thing which desireth not the same and desire is an affection of the minde And therefore though he vtter with his mouth the best wordes that can be vnles there be also a lifting vp of the minde with attention and deuotion so as the heart may truely desire that which he asketh that man prayeth not indeed But he that lifteth vp his mind and with a deuoute inward affection of heart doth intirely aske any thing of God that man doth truly pray although he expresse not in wordes his desire One man cannot intreat another vnles he vse words or gesture but the inward and most secret corners of the mind and heart are plainely seene of God and therfore Dauid saith my growning is not hid from thee Psal 38. v. 10. Psal 10. v. 17. The Lord heareth the desire of the poore thine eare harkeneth to the preparation of their heart And Psal 38.10 My whole desire is before thee Rom. â— v. 26. When we knowe not what to aske the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed And it were a foolish thing therefore to vtter our praier in wordes as though god could not vnderstand the desire of our heart And yet the Saints of god in the old testament and the Apostles in the new are said to haue vsed wordes in praying Neither doth Christ without cause say thus in Luke when ye pray say but it was for our sakes and for our prayers Which is carefully to be considered that we may learne to vse vocal prayer wel and profitably for our minde doth not throughly coÌ„sider and regard those things which we want or are to aske especially if they be spirituall and pertaine to the glory of god And therefore the words which we vse in praying doe by a kind of advertisement lead vs to that consideration that so the desire of our heart may be rightly informed Now the heart in praier ought to be penitent and humble But because we doe for the most part rush vpon this exercise of praier without due coÌ„sideration of our sinnes and vnworthines therefore the rehearsing of words is profitable whereunto if the minde giue heede that we may pray with the Spirit and with the vnderstanding also 1. Cor. 1.15 then will the meditation thereof prepare the heart to serious repentance and to true humilitie The desires of our heart are commonly out of order so as oftentimes men neither think vpon the order nor on the ende of those things they are to require but the words which we vse in praier doe aduertise vs of those things we are to thinke vpon when we pray And doubtles the rehearsing and meditation of Gods promises doth stirre vp kindle and increase our faith We are often slow to praier and in praying cold and drowsie neither doe we come vnto God with the deuotion of minde we ought to doe But when as in praying we repeat the words by diligent meditation thereon and by due consideration of the promise and commandement our minde is mooued to lift vp it selfe vnto God our
deuotion is kindled and beeing once kindled is conunued and increased Also the diligent marking of those things we are to aske whereof we are put in minde by the words of our praier doth excite and kindle in our benummed and frozen heart a good affection vnto praier For those wordes because they are the words of Christ be the toole or instrument of the Spirit whereby the Spirit of praier will be powerfull and effectuall in vs. And therefore that which Christ here deliuereth When we pray SAY doth binde vs so farreforth as the rehearsall of words in praying is hereunto auaileable to excite and kindle to continue and increase our deuotion least it should waxe colde and benummed and be quenched altogether And hereunto sometime longer praiers serue best otherwise those which are shorter To this purpose Austin in his 121. epistle to Proba writeth many things substantially some whereof pertaining to this place I will here set downe He which forbiddeth much babbling in praier because he knoweth what is needefull for vs doth likewise command that we should alwaies pray and not faint not because he would haue our will made knowne to him whereof he cannot be ignorant but to exercise our desire whereby we may receiue that which we are about to giue For that which he would giue is very great but we are little and strait and can not receiue the same And therefore it is saide vnto vs open thy mouth for so much the more fully shall we receiue that which is exceeding great by how much we doe more faithfully beleeue it more firmely hope for it and more earnestly desire it Therfore we doe alwaies praie in faith hope and charitie with a continued desire but yet at certaine times we doe with words intreat the Lord that so we may admonish our selues how much we haue profited in this desire and likewise excite our selues to doe the same more chearefully That therefore which the Apostle saith pray continually is nothing els but this continually desire a blessed life And therefore at certaine houres we doe withdraw our minde from other cares and busines whereby this desire is cooled in some sort vnto this exercise of praier and by the words of the praier doe admonish our selues to giue heede to that which we desire least that which hath begunne to be warme doe waxe cold altogether and at length be wholly put out vnles it be more often kindled And therefore to continue in praier some long time is not as some thinke to vse much babbling for much speach is one thing and long continued affection is another thing It is saide of the Lord himselfe that he continued whole nights in praier and vsed to pray very lōg The brethren in Egypt are saide to pray very often but yet very briefly and in a manner to dispatch them quickly least that earnestnes which was carefully begū should by longer delay waxe dull and vanish away And by this also they doe sufficiently declare that this earnestnes as it is not to be forced when it will not continue so it is not speedily to be broken off if it will longer endure For in praier we must not vse many wordes and yet we must not want much desire if so be our zeale will perseuere To pray much is to knocke vnto him whome we pray vnto with a continuall and a godly lifting vp of the heart and for the most part this businesse is better performed in sighes and grones then with wordes and by weeping then by speaking For our groning is not hid from him who by his word made all things and desireth not the wordes of man But therefore must we vse words in praier that we may be put in minde to haue regard to that we aske not that we may thinke thereby to teach or mooue the Lord. These things doth Austin teach And for this ende doth S. Paul appoint the publike rehearsall of praier and psalmes in the Church Coloss 3.6 Teach and ad monish your own selues in psalmes hymnes and spirituall songs singing with grace in your hearts vnto the Lord that the words of Christ may dwell in you plenteously 1. Corinth 14.26 When ye come together hath any one a psalme let him pray vvith the Spirit and with the vnderstanding that all things may be done to edification And because it is sometime needefull that we should vse words in praier The excellency of the Lords praier there can be no praier more profitable then that which the Lord himselfe deliuered and appointed For first of all it doth briefly comprehende all those things which can be well and fittely asked of the Lord shewing of whome we must aske them in what manner and order and for what ende and purpose And Saint Austin saith If you shall peruse the wordes of the praiers of all the Saints of God which are extant in the whole scripture and cheifly in the Psalmes you shall finde nothing which is not briefly contained and concluded in this Lords praier Secondly as the Creede containes the rule of faith so this Lords prayer is the rule of all prayers For he that desires any thing in prayer saith Austine or speaketh any thing which cannot pertaine to this Evangelicall prayer his prayer is not spirituall but carnall and vnlawefull Thirdly for authority for the sonne of god himselfe who is our advocate that bringeth our praiers vnto the father who obteyneth for vs the spirit of praier who together with the father heareth vs he prescribed vnto vs this forme of prayer It is a friendly and familier praier saith Cyprian to intreat the father by the words of the sonne The father will acknowledge the wordes of the sonne when we make our prayer and then we haue Christ our advocate with the father for our sinnes Let vs propound the wordes of our aduocate when we miserable sinners intreat for our sinnes These thinges saith Cyprian How the Lords praier must be vsed And it were not onely rashnes but impietie to disdaine either the shortnesse or simplicity of the Lords prayer as though thou thy selfe couldst finde out and compose a better forme of praying And yet the rehearsing of the Lords prayer must be no vaine mumbling ouer as though the wordes vttered without vnderstanding had some magicall force but we must consider what the wordes do signifie and put vs in minde of how farre they reach and how many things they conteyne vnder them that we may pray with the spirit and with the vnderstanding 1. Cor. 14. v. 15. and may include our wants in those petitions For by this meanes as it hath bin said those words will stirre vp our deuotion Let vs therefore briefly consider euery point compare the description of S. Mathew with that which is set downe by Luke cap. 11. v. 2. c. For although according to S. Luke Christ repeated that form of prayer at another time and vpon other occasion then Matthew recordeth yet because the forme therof is
forgiuenes of our debts in this very thing we doe humbly confesse before God against Popish Satisfaction that we cannot make sufficient paiment or satisfaction for our sinnes but altogether haue neede of free pardon for our Mediatours sake And because our sinnes make a separation betvveene God and vs Isa 59.2 therefore we craue in this petition the fauour of God reconciliation and acceptance And whosoeuer seeketh for these things either by satisfactions or by merits otherwise then from the meere mercie of the father for the paiment satisfaction and merit of Christ alone doth not seeke them well neither shall euer attaine vnto them for we are commanded to aske the forgiuenes of our debts and the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 forgiue is opposed to our paiment to our recompence and satisfaction and signifieth a free gift For the Greekes translate the Hebrew worde Salach which signifieth to be sauourable and of mercie to pardon by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 9.9 Vnto God belong mercies and pardons Numb 14.19 Pardon the iniquitie of the people according to the multitude of thy mercies Hauing thus expounded these things we may easily obserue what we are to aske in this petition VVe pray therefore because our debts are innumerable infinite and vnmeasurable that God will not enter into iudgement with them that he wil not impure them vnto vs that he will not marke them or require them at our hands but for Christ his sake mercifully to pardon them to cast them behinde his backe euen into the bottome of the sea Isa 53.6 Mich. 7.19 And because the wages of sinne are the displeasure the wrath or anger of God the curse of God and condemnation with the punishments of this curse in bodie and soule in this life and in the life to come euen eternall death we therefore beseech the Lord to asswage his deserued wrath not to kindle it against vs or poure it out vpon vs to lay aside his indignation and embrace vs with fauour and mercie to become and to continue vnto vs a gratious and mercifull father and rewarde vs not according to our sinnes neither lay vpon vs the punishment of his curse nor cast vs into prison till we haue made satisfaction Math. 5.25 and 18.34 but pardoning both the fault and the punishment of our sinnes to set vs free from the bonde or obligation thereto that we may say with Paul Who shall accusevs vvho shall condemne vs It is God that iustifieth and forgiueth who shall condemne Rom. 8.33 And seeing they are not generally debts or sinnes but Our debts therefore euery one that is to pray must consider in each commaundement of the law what sinnes he hath runne into and committed he must distinctly obserue whether they be sinnes of presumption Psal 19.14 or sinnes of infirmitie and weaknes for so shall we rightly pray for pardon according to the difference of our sinnes And because sinne is neuer forgiuen vnles we doe repent Ier. 5.7 and we of our selues are carelesse according to our hard heart which can not repent we doe not weigh and consider and count our sinnes how many how great and how grieuous they be we doe not earnestly grieue for our sinnes nor from our heart detest and forsake them we doe not turne from them but delight in our sinnes and declare the same as Sodome Isa 3.9 we haue not the seare of God before our eyes neither be affected with the sense of Gods wrath therefore wheÌ„ we pray for the pardon of our sinnes we doe withall intreat that God by his spirit would cast out of vs all securitie that sinne may not sleepe or lie dead in vs but may be raised by the Law that he would take from vs our stonie and impenitent heart and giue vnto vs a fleshie and repentant heart which may acknowledge and detest it owne sinnes which may bewaile the same and feare in the sense acknowledgement of the wrath of God And likewise we doe also praie that he would lift vs vp againe by true faith and preserue vs from despaire for by saith we receiue the forgiuenes of our sinnes And because this petition of forgiuenes of sinnes is ioyned by a coniunctioÌ„ copulatiue vnto the fourth petition where we pray for daily bread for the day therefore we are commaunded to make this petition for the pardon of our sinnes euery day and withall we be admonished to take heede that we do not so heape our sinnes that we shall be found in the bookes of Gods iudgement Dan. 7.10 without forgiuenes but we must euery day pray that our daily sinnes may be blotted out that they be not written vvith a penne of yron and that we may not heape vp vnto our selues wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 And because God hath appointed and ordained certaine meanes whereby he will bestow and we must receiue the forgiuenes of sinnes therefore we doe likewise pray that God would giue vs such a minde whereby we may not contemne or neglect but daily exercise the vse of the kaies of heauen the hearing of the word the vse of the SacrameÌ„ts and other exercises of faith and praier that God vvould not giue vs vp to a reprobate sense voide of all griefe not regarding our sinnes or the wrath of god Rom. 1.28 Eph. 4.17 And lastly we pray that we may not be preuented by death before our sinnes be remitted and forgiuen and that before the ende of this life we may vse those meanes whereby the pardon of our sinnes may ordinarily be graunted vnto vs. These so many and so great blessings must we conceiue in our mind when we pray forgiue vs our sinnes whereby we may plainely see what deuotion and intention of minde is required in the very act of praier Now all these things we must aske for the whole bodie of the Church in generall priuately for our selues and namely for those whose necessitie we know for we say Our debts or trespasses And although the three latter petitions be deprecatorie that is such wherein we pray against euills yet they may be well applied to the foure generall heads set downe in the beginning and so ought to be For as we haue shewed that in the former petitorie d that is such petitions wherin we craue some blessings petitions were contained praiers against euills thanksgiuings and confessions of sinnes so there is the same reason in these deprecatorie they containe in them petitions for some blessings thaÌ„ksgiuings and confessions As we forgiue our debters Luke hath it thus καὶ Î³á½°Ï á¼€Ï…Ï„Î¿á½¶ for we also forgiue Now we must not take the similitude according to Matthew to be equall altogether as though God should forgiue with no more perfect measure of mercie then we forgiue others for the flesh fighteth against the spirit in vs euen then when we are reconciled to our neighbour And God himselfe sheweth inequalitie between them Ose 11.8 I should make thee as Adama and Zeboim but I will