us do suppose him to be Elias though Christ himself hath told us he is come already And some other think him to be that beloved Disciple mentioned in the 21 Chapter of St. Johns Gospel where our Saviour presaging in what mode Peter should suffer and he then asking What that Disciple should do was thus answered If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee follow thou me Whereupon some inferred that Disciple he should not die though as was then averred in the words following Christ said not so nor as I believe intended it should be so understood yet that interpretation is retained by some to this day and now as I hear made use of to countenance the forementioned Rumour whereof I confess my self incredulous for the reasons afore expressed Doubtless when such an occasion was given to have it explained Christ would not have left that ambiguous which was misunderstood and so l believe of every mysterious expression which is necessary to be known by all men as pertinent to their Salvation unless it be to make us wary by what Spirit we interpret holy Scripture lest that which leads into all Truth may by our negligence or vain curiosity lead us into errors if misapprehended If there be any point mentioned in holy Scripture relating to the Kingdom to come which is topical or national let them look to it whom it concerns for I conceive not that it any otherwise concerns us then as it shall have an Universal Locality upon earth without respect to any Nation or Place in particular as appears to me by the words of our Saviour to the woman of Samaria John 4. 21 22 33. Woman said he believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain or in Jerusalem worship the Father Ye worship ye know not what c. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship in Spirit and Truth c. VVhence I collect that if Place were not essential to the true VVorship of God when Christ first came into the world it will be less essential thereunto at his second coming or to have it limited to a narrower extent then to the whole Earth and all Nations 15. I am not doubtful but that in the last times there will be some extraordinary and eminent transactions and some in the next year after this 1665. and during four or five and thirty years after 1666. in relation to the approaching Kingdom of Christ and to those who have been so many Ages reputed the Off-spring of the Patriarks scattered throughout the world and I believe God will in his own time fulfil all his Judgements threatned for their Apostacies and obstinacies as also his gratious promises made unto their Fore-fathers but when that will be accomplised that or in what manner will be done which is expected concerning the Jews I leave it to Gods good pleasure and unto them to search in what mode it will be who think it concerns them more then I do who am contented with those manifestations which I finde in the Word of God not repugnant to each other or above my understanding There will be such Signs VVonders and Miracles as have been fore-told as also extraordinary preparations by Divine Providence before Christs second Advent which the Elect shall have sufficient means to know and make such use of as most tends to Gods Glory and to preserve them faithful to the end Yet unsafe it may be and an occasion of multiplying needless fears and troubles upon our selves to make such Ideas of Christs Kingdom and Raign upon Earth or such signs of its approach as are not plainly warranted by the VVord of God whose hidden wayes are past our finding out and so much as is revealed will be obscure to them whose unsanctified hearts seek after it in curiosity onely or with more desire to finde them sutable to their own imaginations that they may have somewhat wherein to glory then to make their ways conformable to Gods VVe are much taken with Novelties especially when we our selves first bring them to light and very apt superstitiously to repute things holy or unholy which Have neither holiness or unholiness in them except by our abuse VVe esteem some unholy which are sanctified some other to be holy which have no holiness in them but rather that which is most contrary For Example That is said to be the Holy-land which hath been during many Ages the most accursed of all Lands That to be a holy War which was but a wicked-politick divertisement of Antichrist to prevent the Interruption of his growing Grandeur by the Kings and Princes whom by that Engine he fool'd into an employment far from home That is said to be a holy Nation which hath had a long time no more holiness in it them Judas who betrayed Christ They are invocated and hallow'd as Saints and holy Martyrs who were Traytors both to God and men and whilst they lived not reputed so holy as some of their Neighbours And that Cross whereon our blessed Saviour was crucified is not onely called holy but reputed worthy of Divine honor also and hath many costly buildings dedicated thereunto and the chips of it sold for precious Relicks at dear rates though in truth it is not so holy as the Gallowes at Tibourn because that was intended for the execution of Justice upon Malefactors only though perhaps innocents do suffer thereupon otherwhile while We have many Inventions of our own The Devil hath so many deceitful Wiles also whereby to make false shows that he is promoting Gods VVork with him in every Dispensation that I suspend my belief of new Apparitions until I am fully convinced by a better Light then mine own bearing witness thereunto and therefore have here thrust in such Caveats as came into my heart to be a memorandum both to my self and others believing that whensoever Gods Kingdom comes openly into the world or invisibly into my heart where I feel it to be in some degree it will always evidence it self without delusion For it is the Kingdom of our heavenly Father which we are taught to petition for in this Prayer and nothing like the Kingdoms of this world 16. This is that Kingdom whose coming the Saints have long expected and though I mis-judge not of their so doing who call it the Fifth-Monarchy I think that Title too mean an Appellative in regard it is an Eternal Kingdom having no relation to Earthly Monarchies in respect of their precedency or otherwise but an Absolute Kingdom depending on it self and on him onely who is the Supream King thereof And when it comes into the World it will be little available to those who shall not find it to be in some measure come or so coming into their hearts that they may be made one with it and with the King thereof by Faith and Love This is not a Kingdom like that of the Nations which the Israelites foolishly
Persons and things are distinguished each from other and whereby it may be ascertained who or what it is whereof we speak to which purpose though there is no Name pronounceable by Men or Angels which can define God as he is it hath pleased him to make himself in part known by several Names and Attributes some communicable and some incommunicable to any Creature as I could demonstrate by enumerating those Names of GOD which are mentioned in Holy Scripture But I will wave that and insert so much onely as I conceive tends to an intelligent use of this Prayer Our English-tongue as well as the Hebrew hath a Tetragrammaton whereby GOD may be Named to wit GOOD which seems by our Saviours words to be incommunicable to any other for said he There is none GOOD but GOD. He and his Name are one He is Goodness Wisdom Power and Love it self in the abstract with whatsoever is superlatively excellent and by his Name I understand his Eternal Essence and all his incommunicable Attributes to be meant as also that in them he is to be sanctified and honoured And whereas we are commanded Not to take his Name in Vain I conceive that intends as well affirmatively the hallowing of it according to this Prayer as negatively forbidding the prophanation thereof which consists not onely in calling him by Name as it were to witness the Truth of what we affirm or deny but also in praying unto him with due Reverence in Faith with an undoubted belief of his Promises with a true sence of that which we petition for and with heedfulness that we profess his Name in sincerity and not formally alone as many do who are called Christians without regard to conform to the Doctrine and Practice of his Evangelical Law which is the greatest prophanation of GODS Name and more dishonour thereto then all the revilings and Blasphemies of Jews Turks and Heathens 4. The word Hallowed or Sanctified is ambiguous having various significations and is derived from a Primitive Root used in so differing a sence that it is sometimes applyed to persons who are as much disaffected and contrary to each other as most differing things are to wit SAINTS and SEPARATISTS for to separate is to sanctifie and to sanctifie is to separate But herein is the difference between the Saint and the Separatist as the words are now used The first willingly separates himself from the mystery of Iniquity and as much as in him lyeth from all the Errrors Vanities and wickednesses of the world with an upright heart The other wilfully separates from the Truth and from the Societies of all the Faithful professors thereof for meer carnal ends with a perverse heart and as there are many Canonized and reputed Saints who are nothing less so there are many branded for Schismatical Separatists who are far from deserving it To be Hallowed or Sanctified according to our common acceptation of these words is to be separated from that which is called prophane or common to be used in the service of God or to some other end which is esteemed more honourable then that for which it was formerly employ'd though perhaps it is thereby sometimes more prophaned and dishonoured The Israelites now called Jews were separated or Hallowed as we term it from all other Nations to be a peculiar people to God and are still by some called the holy people though as we mean by Holy I know no Nation in the world less meriting that Title no not his Holiness of Rome But that which I understand by Hallowing or Sanctifying the Name of GOD and what we ought to contribute thereunto is to magnifie him to speak of his Excellency upon all occasions to separate it in our esteem and love of his Perfection so far from and above all other imaginable and real Objects whatsoever that they shall be rather despised and hated then admitted to any degree of estimation answerable thereto I have no means at this time of my recluse to take advice from the Dead or the Living from Books or men and therefore cannot inform my self how the School-men understand this Term or any other part of this Prayer and perhaps it would but make me the less diligent to harken what the Spirit of GOD speaketh to my heart By help of that Spirit it seemed unto me discovered that there is a Triple Holiness or separation considerable in relation to God touching which I may perhaps deliver that which many will not approve nevertheless I will freely declare my judgement as I usually do in such matters God seems unto me Sanctified and separated by way of superexcellency from all other who are called Lords or Gods from all created Essences from all intelligible Beings and from all the potentialities which were are or shall be in material and intelligible Essences united together and is one eternal Being Hallowed by three glorious Manifestations Holy Holy Holy Lord GOD the Father GOD the Son and GOD the Holy Ghost co-equal and co-eternal This I believe in order to the sanctification or hallowing of GODS Name and much more then I can express yet this peradventure is more then the capacity of many can apprehend 5. I will therefore endeavour to sute to the meanest Capacitie what I think petitioned for in this Clause and declare what I conceive is required from us toward sanctifying the Name of our heavenly Father both negatively and affirmatively We must not imagine this daily duty is required of us because Gods Name cannot otherwise be perfectly sanctified or that we merit ought from him by so praying For his Name shall be Hallowed whether we neglect or perform that duty and when we have thereunto contributed all that we can we are unprofitable servants This is mentioned in our daily Addresses to keep us mindeful of what we ought to desire and endeavour toward that which will be done whether we desire it or not and that those invaluable blessings which God of his free Grace hath promised for performances which in themselves are worth less then nothing may be conferred upon us by his Mercy without infringement of his Justice His Name is so pure in it self that no pollutions of ours can defile it because they revert always back upon our selves if we wilfully asperse it and all that we can do toward the hallowing of it is as I said before to speak well of his Name and to magnifie it above all other Names which when we so do his acceptance onely makes it valuable There is no other Name by which Men or Angels are saved or by which they can be preserved from relapse and therefore all knees in Heaven and Earth ought to bow thereunto with reverence I mean to the Essential Name not to the literal expression or vocal sound thereof which is an Idolatrous or at least a superstitious Fancy as is the ascribing of a Divine Holiness to any humane Medium intended to be but instrumental to bring us to him who is
and infirmities and therefore gratiously provided this Expedient for preventing such errors and the whole Catholick Church hath found just Cause to praise him for that Condescention being one special means to preserve the principal Worship of God from being totally adulterated or else quite buried under the rubbish of humane Inventions as it was when Heathenish Idolatries first crept in and as now it is where the mystery of Iniquity is almost at highest For though the spirituality and true life of Religion and Divine Worship consisteth not altogether in outward Formalities yet unless it hath some bodily existence and external Clothing whereby it may be made perceptible and apprehensive in some degree by our humane Faculties it could neither be known or long retained though there may be some intellectual glimmerings thereof in such as are supernaturally illuminated much less could it be communicated from man to man by those corporeal Organs which are the Mediums whereby the affections and inclinations of our souls are made known to our selves and other men upon which considerations I am perswaded that they who totally neglect and they who superstitiously affect his Form of Prayer are equally reproveable I acknowledge there is in many an excellent gift of extempore vocal Prayer pertinent to the stirring up of Devotion and Pious Affections in themselves and other men and with much reverence I comply therewithal and assent thereto when I am admitted to partake in their Devotions yea and without envying Gods dispensations to them by whom I see my self to be far excelled For he who dispenseth his Gifts as he pleaseth made Aaron who was inferiour to Moses in other Graces superiour to him in vocal expressions I ingenuously confess my self also to be sometimes ashamed to be silent where such duties are performed but my natural modesty and my want of memory or somewhat worse renders me fearful to speak before an Assembly Perhaps my secret pride tempts me to preserve by silence a better opinion in others of my ability in that kinde then I have But whatsoever occasions it in me I suspect that better men then I are otherwhile liable to the same temptation through the same defect and may have need of premeditated words To say the whole Truth my verbal Devotions are frequently so broken into dis-joynted parts and so dissatisfactory to my self that I cannot hope they will be plausible to my hearers unless I had time to put them into better order which when I have done in the best mode I can I think defective until I have perfited my Devotions with that Prayer whereupon I have grounded my ensuing Meditations and am perswaded that Form is not always added superstitiously to other Prayers and that their Devotions are acceptable who in sincerity and with a true desire to express their necessities or thankfulness to God offer up unto him their prayers or praises in words wanting Grammatical coherence and in such Language as they are able For if we are pleased to hear our little Children stammer out their wants and affections in such imperfect terms as they are capable of though it be nonsence much more doth our Heavenly Father who better knows our Infirmities and requires no more of any man then he hath given him take delight in their good endeavours who prosecute them as they are able though in much childish weakness which appears by his Sons care taken to prevent the despising and offending of such by their stronger brethren He knew also that the most perfect could not attain to that perfection without means of improvement and therefore left them this Form of Prayer which if right use be thereof made may be to the wisest of them great advantages many wayes 4. I know well that not a few who seem to have acquired most perfections and to be better qualified for performance of such Duties then many of their brethren are otherwhile fain to use set Forms of Prayer composed by their National Churches or by particular pious men and I suppose it to be a great weakness in them who for no other respect are offended thereat or with such as therein joyn For if it be allowable to joyn in a vocal extempore Prayer with him the scope of whose Petitions we cannot know until we hear them and whose Prayers are at that time a set Form to his Auditory if not to him who speaks them doubtless we may with less scruple pray with another whose words we know beforehand and wherein we finde nothing repugnant to this Patern left us by our Saviour In such Prayers or Praises whether publick on private Extempore or set Forms I can joyn with any person or Congretion professing Faith in Jesus Christ so they be not wittingly willingly malitiously and impenitently scandalous in Doctrine or manners though there may be some deficiency or superfluity in Words or Forms and in such conrformities I demean my self without giving cause of disturbance to their Devotions with whom I communicate yea and without uncharitably censuing them in my heart as to that which is contrary to my Judgement For I know the best men and the best humane Forms have their defects and that their duties and divine Mysteries are known to them but in part Therefore when in their Preachings or Divine Worshippings I hear and heed ought which to my understanding is not Orthodox or comely or expressions insisted upon or attributes given to persons or things of whose truth I am not certain then instead of absolute compliance therein I waving that lift up my heart in secret to God beseeching him to pardon what is misdone or missaid by others or misunderstood by me if I have misapprehended their pious meanings 5. The Forms of Prayer and Praises dictated by the Holy Ghost and recorded in the Psalmes or other Books of Holy Scripture I can use without scruple in the same words either in the Original or in any other Language that I undersand as occasions require but not without premeditating the distinct Mysteries in them contained whereby I may be conscientiously satisfied what particular Mystery is touched in the whole and in every particle lest as I said before I may sometimes blaspheam or curse instead of praying by misapplying that to one which is properly appliable to another And those Maledictions to my own Enemies which are intended onely to the Adversaries of Christ or left I take those Attributes to my self in my single Capacity which are properly due to none but to Jesus Christ and to me and others no otherwise then as we are Members of his Mystical Body This is not so much heeded by some as it ought to be who make frequent use of Davids Psalmes at adventure in their publick and private Devotions With much precaution therefore I endeavour as I am able to pray and praise GOD in those words of his own which I finde recorded in the Old Testament with respect to what was Legally and to what was evangelically to be
Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and hardneth whom he pleaseth and GOD is no such accepter of persons as they misconceive him to be who misapply that Text wherein it is said that GOD hated Esau and loved Jacob before either of them had done good or evil and think it implies Esua's Reprobation for though Jacob being the third Patriark who was separated or sanctified to be the Fore-father of Christ according to the flesh and Esau in that respect but a common or prophane person and worthily lost his Birth-right for selling it at so base a price yet that rejection as to the Election of being the person from whom the Messiah should descend warrants not me to aver that he was reprobated in respect to the Salvation of his Soul for those words 〈◊〉 mentioned were spoken perhaps with regard to Gods fore-knowledge of what he would do or rather as I believe with respect to the works of the flesh and of the Spirit onely Esau being a Type of the one and Jacob of the other as Sarah is said to be of the Gospel and Hagar of the Law they being Progenitors of differing Nations For the works of the Spirit are pleasing to God and always loved of him and the works of the flesh abominable and by him hated both before and after they are done 16. That Text is misunderstood also to the dishonour of God which mentioneth a Potters power over his Clay to make thereof a Vessel of honour or dishonour as he pleaseth For though God hath more power over his work then a Potter over his Clay yet to infer positively from thence that God had purposely made some to be Vessels of wrath is an unjustifiable inference from that allusion And that obscure place of St. Pauls Epistle to the Romans where the Potters freedome to make what Vessels he pleaseth out of one and the same Lump is misunderstood to imply what is aforesaid for if it be so expounded by the context and other places of holy Scripture that the whole and every part of Gods Word may agree in one Truth we shall never understand Pauls meaning as some do The holy Ghost alludes not our most wise Creator to a foolish Potter who because he might make what he would of his Clay did therefore make the greatest number of his Pots to be broken again to shew he had as well a power to break them as to make them or that onely to evidence his displeasure without cause he made them ugly and unserviceable Doubtless God so made all things that not one of his Creatures hath so much cause of dislike as to say Why hast thou made me thus He is resembled to a wise Potter who makes both Vessels of honour and dishonour out of the same Lump of Clay no Vessels of wrath came so made out of his hand but every one a vessel useful for his service without injury or grievance done thereunto A Chamber-pot made for that use or a Pipkin to serve always in the Fire are as well pleased to be serviceable in their kinds as drinking-cups and other Vessels employed at the Table though reputed more honourable then the former The Literal words of Scripture may be and in some places are vitiated by the heedlesness of Transcribers as we perceive by differing Copies yet the true Genuine sence will be always found intire and every part consonant to each other in the truth if read with submission to the dictates of that Spirit which always accompanies the same and so are the Texts aforementioned 17. I will add a few line more to declare why I believe as is aforesaid that God hath predestinated a far greater number to eternal Life then he hath left liable to final Reprobation by their own default and I beseech all my Readers to peruse it with patience and without Prejudice for no affectation to singularity but a conscientious Zeal to vindicate Gods honour by illustrating the infiniteness of his Mercy and Love to all Mankinde hath inclined me there unto In my understanding that which may be considered by contemplating Gods Word in the spirituality thereof he hath as it were distributed all mankinde into three Regiments which have been governed by the invisible and visible operations of the holy Trinity ever since the Creation and during most part of that time hitherto by the third Person who still governs it and shall until Christ comes personally again upon earth The first Regiment consists or all those who lived to be Members of the Visible Church made up both of the natural and spiritual Seed of Abraham as well under the Law of works as of Faith Jews and Gentiles Hypocrites and true Professors These in many preceding Generations were very few and so they yet are in respect of the rest of Mankinde and were obliged to work out their a Salvation by a respective conformity to those Laws and Dispensations which in their distinct times and seasons were vouchsafed in various modes they who lived before Christ came in the Flesh in one manner and they in another who were to come after that time but both one in Substance though differing in Types Ceremonies and other circumstances For we of the later time cannot be saved but by believing in Christ Jesus the Son of God conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Vigin Mary c. as it hath been revealed by the Apostles with those Attributes and circumstances contained in the Old and New Testament relating to Christs Evangelical Kingdom whereby both Jews and Gentiles now called Christians are equally priviledged and obliged The Jewish outward Duties before Christ consisted in observing and conforming to those Types and Ceremonies under which that was vailed which we profess They had the same Christ for the Object of their Faith and Worship though so little known to them according to the manifestations we have had that very few except their eminent Prophets understood the Mysteries of his Kingdom yet were saved by being obedient thereto according to the measure of their understanding These together make up the Brigade of those Souldiers in the Church-Militant who fight the Battles of the Lord against the enemies of his Kingdom some in pure Love to him and his Cause some as Hirelings onely for their Wages And they among them who become faithful continuing so to the end shall be Crowned with Victory and Glory above all other Saints because exposed to the greatest sufferings and dangers in this Life Now though these will be a very small number in respect of that great number which consists of them who have been either false Pretenders Traytors Apostates or unprofitable servants to their General yet they are said to be as numberless as the Stars in the Firmament these are Davids worthies and as it were the Life-guard of the Kingdom and a small Regiment compared unto the other two whereof I am next to speak Yea these are that part of GODS Elect to whom this saying hath