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A00778 A profitable exposition of the Lords prayer, by way of questions and answers for most playnnes together with many fruitfull applications to the life and soule, aswell for the terror of the dull and dead, as for the sweet comfort of the tender harted. By Geruase Babington. With a table of the principall matters conteyned in this booke. Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610. 1588 (1588) STC 1090; ESTC S101499 244,374 582

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brokē from the tree which if it were it could not beare It is a meruaylous proofe to vs of this good and therefore marke it well The Apostle againe sayth There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Yea but who bee those See what followeth Which walke not after the flesh but after the spirite So then if I would know whether I bee in Christ Iesus or no I must looke how I walke that is still how I am sanctified And if I finde that the God of mercie by his perpetual spirit hath wrought in me a chaunge that whereas once I walked after the flesh that is was ruled guided and gouerned by my corrupt nature now it is not so but the holy Ghost leadeth me into a feruent loue of God and a true hatred of euill then is the conclusion inferred by the very spirit of truth himselfe I am in Christ Iesus and there is no condemnation to me nor for me So that Sanctification the lowest step leadeth mée surely to election the highest of the ladder Giue rather diligence sayth Saint Peter my brethren to make your calling and election sure Yea but how might they say shal we do it Peter telleth them If yee doo these things you shall neuer fall And what be those things Hee also sheweth them namely If you ioyne vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience with patience godlynesse with godlynesse brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnes loue c. Now what is al this but sanctification of life So that still our rule is proued that if wee woulde know whether we be elected to liue in heauen we must euer looke how we leade our liues in earth And if there the Lorde hath chaunged vs from carelesse to careful men and women to please him in holynesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life then is this Sanctification a note of Iustification Iustification of Vocation Vocation of Election and so heauen is ours But now take heed that in this search for holynesse of life we bee not carryed away with outward shewes For such holynesse holdeth not either in promisses or conclusion of our former argument The Lorde abhorreth approching lippes and reproching hearts And Except your righteousnesse sayth hee exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharesies you shall neuer enter into the kingdome of GOD. That is except you haue more thā a painted visard which they had most glorious and a counterfait hypocriticall shew of holynesse your reckoning of heauen will bee without your host and you will fayle of it Write sayth the Lord to the Angell of the Church of Sardis I knowe thy workes for thou hast a name that thou liuest but thou art dead It is not then a name only y t wil serue the turne Hauing a shew sayth Paule of godlynesse but haue denyed the power thereof As if hée should saie vaine thrice vaine is the shew without the power and truth when this search of our election is in hand O beloued consider then of this earnestly and think with your selues if there be no comfort to be had in our heartes that we are the Lordes appointed to life and blisse in the worlde to come but onely by a true espiall of sanctification of life in our selues how carefull should we bee by hearing of the worde by praying by reading and by all appoynted good meanes to haue this change wrought in vs that our light shining forth may not onely make others glorifie our heauenlie Father for his graces in vs but euen vnto our selues as Saint Peter sayth Make our election and future state in the glorious kingdome of God sure Truly there should be no cares greater than this neyther anie diligence as the Apostle speaketh more faythfull whilest we liue And see with your selues in your secrete meditations often this difference of holynesse and vnholynes of sanctification and prophanenesse the one proueth vnto me my euerlasting ioy with GOD when this course is ended and the other my assured woe with the deuill and his Angels in the blacknesse of darknesse for euer O what are the pleasures of sinne then for a season when swéet meate shall haue so soure a sauce Could the Lord with a more pearcing argument pricke vs forwarde to holy life or with a sharper knife cut in sunder the cords of vanitie iniquitie and sinne wherewith thousandes of vs are so fettered and tempered than to teach vs that the one assureth vs of lasting life and the other of lasting death in the world to come Truly he could not And therefore euerie one laie his hand vppon his soule betimes Beleeue the Lorde and we shall not be confounded Had I wist sayth the olde Prouerbe commeth euer too late Nowe liue like a Christian amongst men and euer liue like a Saint among the Angels of heauen For the Lord hath spoken it But now soake in sin with the bit in thy teeth vnrestrainable and then rot in the reward of it an euerlasting curse from God and all his ioyes for the Lorde hath also sayd it And if this sanctification beloued may not be in shew onely as hath bene said but in truth and veritie how desperate how woful how wretched and miserable is the estate of that man and woman that hath not so much as a shew If there bee no comfort gotte by a glistering outward appearaunce what comfort may be in the soule if the Lord awake to thinke of it where euen this also vtterly wanteth and the contrarie to wit all libertie loosenesse and sinne aboundeth meruailouslie Shall we forget the curse of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell vppon the figge trée that yet had goodly leaues fresh greene because also with y e leaues it had no fruit If so fearefull a curse light vpon that O curses of curses how many of them shalbe vpon those trees that haue not so much as leaues no not one greene leafe but are altogether withered twice dead and plucked vp by y e rootes Wherfore I pray you euen again as you loue your life w t god another day desire any assurāce of it to your soule in this worlde Giue your bodies dayly a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God And fashion not your selues like vnto this world but be you chaunged by the renuing of your minde that you may proue what that good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD is And Whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer thinges are honest whatsoeuer things are iust whatsoeuer things are pure whatsoeuer thinges are worthie loue whatsoeuer things are of good report if there be anie vertue or if there be any praise thinke of these things For as you haue hearde and seene trulie proued these thinges shall assure vs that we are the Lordes cared for here and chosen else where to be with him for euer and
spirit cōmended to vs in the world for euer to tell vs what ought to be See then euen at our beginning when we pray like Saincts and sonnes of God like duetifull children affected rightly to their father euen then when we fall before him with harts mindes nothing so carefull to gaine our owne good as to winne the glorie and honor of his name and the content of his holy blessed and most good will And therfore looke into our petitions earnestly how and which way they serue to that before we make them and then begge them specially for that end And euen then I say whē we do féele in the secret testimony of an inward cōscience such a flame of loue wrought by a gracious spirite beyond power of sinful nature to our God in vs as that if any preferment of ours benefite and good in the course of this world shoulde be found of vs to fight against his glory by by we find content nay not a content only but euen a restles posting hast and burning heat to renounce it to defie it and to spit at it yea were it such glory of vs in this world as euer Prince inioyed and not onely so againe but euen a most willing minde together with the want of that worldly glory or good whatsoeuer to wit also as hath beene shewed eternall glory and good in heauen so that our God and Father might thereby bee honoured But O where are we where are we in this affection Woe to our weakenes and alas our want Yet let vs see what shoulde bee let vs confesse what is not and God for his Christes sake graunt vs mercy Something is something and euer comfortable nothing is sinfull and euer damnable This loue to the Lorde and zeale to his glory it is his gift and where hee will hee giueth it Though we be weake hee is strong and there is no flesh but he can aide it neither anie heart but he can change it onely let vs see our want and seeke our good and certainly we shal finde y e same with him This world endeth and God knoweth how soone and euē this night before the next may my soule be taken from me and then all my care for the causes of this world where is it or whose is it it cannot goe with me it shall not followe after me but straungers perhappes shall enter vpon my labours and my cares shall make them mightie that will ioy in the lacke and losse of me If I haue followed then this and neglected the other woe is begun and it shall neuer end with me But if I haue cared but competently for this with the other and euer in the power of giuen grace more for the other thā for this be it vnto me an end when it pleaseth God his mercie shall driue my labours to the good of those that I heere loued and that my loue of him and zeale to his glory shall folow me remayne with me and weare the crowne of Gods mercy for euer more in heauen Thus is it a blessed thing to loue Gods glory and to seeke his kingdome with conscience of duetie and feeling of a future state and it is as cursed a thing only to seeke our selues and care for euer a kingdome in this world if it were we could get it much lesse for farre inferior preferments and so whereby with the loue of thē to be deuoured eaten vp as that all spéech and talke and thoughts of the other is very odious to vs and a mockery with vs. You see the world the daies and times and you knowe my meaning Remember the place of these three petitions before the other and remember God in Samuel They that honour me them wil I honor and they that despise me they shalbe despised I end with them Iesus Christ in the benefite of his bloud giue vs care and feeling The diuision then of them and number as also the order of these three before the other you thus obserue now for the matter and meaning of this first if you will Halowed be thy name This shall wee then vnderstande when wee knowe what is comprised and meant by the two wordes in it Name and Halowed And therefore concerning the first wee are to bee aduertised that although no one name wherewith the Lorde is called in the Scripture as Iehouah Eloim Shaddai or such like should either in mind bee conceyued and thought or in voyce with woordes expressed and spoken without most high reuerence as duetie is yet are none of those names in this place meant and much lesse any Iudaicall or Popish superstition in any of them confirmed The Iewes for their Iehouah this is no warraunt But the name of GOD signifieth here that maiestie of GOD power and infinite vertue that shyneth sheweth it selfe in euery thing so wonderfully Euen as it is vsually taken in the Scriptures and for the most parte signifieth In the Prophet when he saith From the rising of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name is great amongst the Gentiles and in euerie place incense shall bee offered vnto my name and a pure offering for my name is great among the Heathen saith the Lord of hosts And Father glorifie thy name And Baptize in the name of the Father the sonne and the holie Ghost Whereas I saie the worde signifieth not any letters or sillables in this tongue or that but that power and vertue of God that shineth in all things So againe in the name of Christe the Apostles cast forth diuells that is in the power and strength and vertue of Christ for so Saint Peter expoundeth in the Actes when he sayth it was not theyr power and godlynesse that had made the man go but it was the name of that holy one and iust whom they had betraied that is his power and godlynesse his strength and vertue not theirs So at the name of Iesus shall euery knee bowe that is not when the word is pronounced wee shall make a curtesie but we shall all and euery creature bée subiect to his power authoritie and dominion for by name there of Iesus is meant Dominatio potestas dominion and power genuflectionis vocabulo exprimitur subiectio by bowing there is expressed and meant subiection to that dominion and power But perhaps with more plainnes it may be noted that the name of God heere respecteth three things chiefly to wit Himselfe His workes His word If we consider the Lord himselfe then we see in him euer maiestie and holynesse And this is his name If we consider his workes we see iustice mercie and power in them And this is his name And if wee consider his word there is euer truth wisdome and goodnesse in it and this also his name So that we may conclude this place euen as he that sayd it Nomen Dei dicitur omne id quod de illo praedicatur By