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A29452
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A brief exposition of our Lords Prayer shewing that through ignorance and the wickedness of their own hearts, those that use it most, doth abuse and prophane it most, and pray against themselves that instead of a blessing, they draw down a curse upon themselves.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing B4592A; ESTC R214138
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15,072
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16
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to serve him what is there the mind of any who sincerely desire to serve God can be more inquisitive after or desire to be satisâ—ied in then the rules wch God himself hath given for his own service because it is so easie a matter for men to mistake in the ways they chuse to serve him in page 188. 189. for the Gospel doth teach to love all men and God above all to believe in Christ and to obey his commands and page 193. and speaking of the Scriptures he saith that they who understand Greek and Latine there is ten times more fear of them then of the common people he meaned by falsly applying it to serve their own ends and interests fâ—t all men see that none are so capable of doing mischeif there by as men of greatest wit and learning and that have the fairest appearance of piety to the world page 194. 195. thus we desire and it is the duty of every one to worship and serve God according to Gods holy rules and institutions in the New Testament for to worship God by a tedious Ceremonious way of external devotion it is he saith as dull and as cold as the earth it self page 284. Now as the second Commandment is transgressed in making an Image either of the true God or of a feigned God to worship God by it Deut. 4.15.16 c. So also it is transgressed by changing the worship of God in whole or in part Deut. 12.32 and by worshipping God in a formal way with lip service and in praying without knowledge of the meaning of the prayer or to worship God in any other manner then he hath prescribed in his word especially the New Testament or with any other Church Officers then Christ hath appointed for all others are but Images of true worship or true prayer or true Officers they all come within the compass of worshipping God by an Image or representation of Gods true Gospel worship and service and he breaks the fifth Commandement that obeys men rather then God by yeilding to mens precepts more then Gods Acts 4.19 He also breaks the first Commandement saith Mr. Perkins that scaâ—s God by the precepts and traditions of men Isa 29.13 But deliver us from evil That is that God would free us from the power of the flesh the world and the Devil for it is a hard and difficult thing to be delivered from these snares therefore we have great need to pray against them and that we may be delivered from them for the Apostle saith that the whole world lyeth in wickedness 1 John 5.19 But when a man is delivered from evil he is not led into temptation the cause being taken away the effect ceaseth For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever These words are a reason of all the former six petitions that seeing all power and glory is Gods therefore we are incouraged to ask all things needful and lawful to be asked of God who hath all power to give us what we ask according to his will 1 John 5.14 And it is for his glory that God do give what he hath promised to those that ask in Faith and by Faith depend upon him for the same for all earthly Kings and men on earth whatsoever good thing they have it is the gift of God for all things are his in Heaven and in Earth and every man must give an account of his stewardship for what God intrusteth him with for all is Gods as in 1 Chron. 29.11 Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty and all that is in Heaven and Earth is thine thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted as head over all and thou raignest over all therefore neither Pope nor Prelate should raign by their precepts as Lord over Gods heritage 1 Pet. 5.3 For all glory is due to God and all invocation and prayer ought to be made to God according to his will and word And the stability of all Kingdomes stands in yeilding obedience to the Gospel of Christ according to Christs rules and institutions and not according to mens traditions and Ceremonies Solomon saith Take away the wicked from before the King and his throne shall be established in Righteousness Prov. 25.5 But a man shall not be established by wickedness but the root of the Righteous shall not be moved Prov. 12.3 For Gods Kingdom is most sure and stable and when the Gospel is obeyed in its purity in any Kingdom that Kingdom is as it were founded in the Kingdom of God and what Paul sets down of the use of meat and drink that they are sanctified by the word of God and prayer must be extended to all the Ordinances of God the word of God must be our rule and square both as to the worship of God and as to our Christian Conversation among men and not the precepts nor traditions of Popes nor Prelates Amen This word Amen is not only a bare assent to what the Minister or any other do pray for but it is also a testification of our faith whereby we believe that which we have prayed for shall be granted as our Saviour said if two of you shall agree on Earth touching any thing that ye shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Mat. 18.19 Well seeing it is thus as you have heard then who can imagine what woe is due unto them who persecute hate and despise such as would willingly worship God according to his holy institutions in his word and not according to mens devises in Ceremonies and Traditions the like and upon this account they that descent in judgement and practice from others for which they think we trespass against them the which we are bound to do rather then to trespass against God and the light of our Consciences whatsoever we suffer but those who persecute and hate us for this and yet dare pray this prayer so often as they pray to be forgiven but as they forgive them that trespass against them so often they pray against themselves that the same mischief may fall upon themselves which they desire may befall others for God knows the dissimulation of their hearts and their own Consciences knows that they do not forgive therefore if they will not forgive those that trespass against them it were better for them to give over praying least thereby they increase their own damnation therefore if thou bring thy gifs to the alter and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the altar and be first reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift saith our Saviour Christ to whom be glory and praise for ever and ever Amen Mat. 5.23 24.
4 the power of the Church is nothing but a Ministry or Service whereby they publish and pronounce according to Gods word what Christ bindeth and looseth and not what they can bind and loose by their pretended usurpation for Ecclesiastical Laws and Traditions as they are called doth not stand in the authority and pleasure of men no nor of councels No Law is of force to bind conscience but as is is agreeable to the word of God but in the consent and agreement which they have with the Scripture and all such as have rule or Government in Church State or Family they must not rule according to their will and pleasure but in the Lord and for the Lord according to the word of God doing hom gâ—and â—eildiâ—g obedience to their Head and King Christ Jesus and every onâ— indeâ—vour to rule as a King over his own thoughts will and â—ffâ—ctions by Gods word and spirit Rev. 1.6 and â—hos to live unto God in meâ—s several places is to have Gods Kingdom to comâ— and to be erect d and set up among men when Christ alone is exalted accorâ—ing as we pray For this Kingdom is nor meant of Gods absolute Kingly power whereby he immediately of himself ruleth all things in Heaven and Earth but as is said before it is meant of the setting up of his Laws and O dinances in the Church the Kingdom of Grace here on Earth in the hearts of man the outward means thereof as the preaching of the word the administration of the Sacraments The Devil and evil instruments hinder the setting up of Christs Kingdom which is may be hindred from exercising of them in their purity according to Christs institutions by the Devil the Pope and other Prelates who will not suffer Christs ministers to minister his Ordinances according to the word of God except they mingle mens devised Ceremoniâ—â— and Traditions with the Laws and institutions of Christ and thus at this time the coming or setting up of Gods Kingdom in the hearts of men is hindred as much as they can though they Hiâ—orriâ—ically pray that his Kingdom may come he advanced and therefore it behoves all that are of Gods Kingdom the true Church to pray to God without ceasing to remove all blocks and impediments out of the way that his Kingdom may come and his Will may be dome The third Petition Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven In the former petition we pray that God-Kingdom may come that he may Reign Rule in our hearts by faith if he must Reign thâ—â— we must be his Subjects and obey his Laws and do his Will and his Will must be done by denying our selves and our own carnal wisdom and all humain inventions in a devised outward formâ—lity of will-worship for all is will-worship that is not according to the perfect and acceptable will of God VVill worship forbidden it is utterly condemned Rom. 12.1.2 Yea even all the Commâ—ndements and Doctrines of men though they have never so great a shew of holiness and humility in their wilâ— worship it must perish and will not avail the worshippers os Col 2.22.23 Here in these two Texts all voluntary Religion is condemned therefore nothing may go under the name of Gods worship but that which he hath prescribed in his word Deu. 12.31.32 For the rule of divine worship is not the will of him that worshippeth but the will of him that is worshipped therefore to worship after the precepts of mâ—n is detestable and vain for Gods a Spirit and they that worship God most worship him in Spirit and in truth for our father to whom we pray seeketh such to worship him John 4 23.24 For mans in â—nâ—â—â—n doth not make Gods worship but Gods will revealed in his word for â—â—aal in Israel was some time worshipped as the true God if we respect the intention of men The intention of men doth no make the VVorship of God therefore mens intentions in worshipping by Ceremonies and Traditions of there own devising is no part of the worship of God and therefore we pray thy will be done in Earth by us men as thy Saints and Angels do thy will in Heaven and they do Gods will willingly chearfully and readily and his will only and not the wiles nor Ceremonies of men neither should we but the will of God only for so we pray that we may do the will of God in Earth as the Saints and Angels do it in Heaven now to pray that we may have grace given us to worship God with that integrity and willingness that Saints and Angels do and after so praying to worship him after the precepts of men it is meer Hipocrisie and praying against our selves and a mocking of God openly declaring that we will not have Christ to Reign over us nor take him for to be King and Governour of his Church nor submit to his Laws like Johanan and the rest of Captains and people that sent the Prophet Jeremias to inquire of the Lord for them but they resolved before that whatsoever the Lord said by the Prophet they would do after their own devices Jer. 42. and like the Idolaters who said to Jeremias as for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not heark in unto thee here Mr. Perkins on the negative part of the second Commandment he saith that will worship is to worship God with a naked and bare good intention as in Col. â—â— 22.23 and so Sauls burnt-offering was a will worship for which Samuel told him he had done foolishly in not keeping the Commandment of the Lord wherefore the Kingdom should not continue with him 1 Sam. 13.9 to 14. he also faith that holy days and some sorts of apparrel gestures Ceremonies altars temporary prayers Consort in Church Musick in divine Service feeding the ear The Negativâ— part of the second commudâ—â—â— and not edifying the mind giving God a painted shew of worship without the sincerity of the heart to seek the pomp and glory of the world to be more forward to observe Traditions then the Law of God to corrupt Gods worship ordained for his Church by detracting or adding any thing to Christs Institutions as Ceremonies or Traditions all these and the like he saith are forbidden in the second Commandement for they are but Images to worship God by them for we may not obtrude any thing in Gods worship which Christ himself hath not ordained and appointed as a part of his worship for after the publishing of the Gospel the Ceremonies of the Jews Church though formerly commanded yet now became unlawful and so shall continue to the end of the world There is no new institution of Ceremonies in the Gospel and there is no new institution since neither of any of them nor any other Traditions or Ceremonies in the New Testament of Jesus Christ nor no command of God that Popes or