none knowes but the Spirit of God and as it is not made known so we have nothing to doe with it in this place What is the revealed will of God Quest It is the purpose of God that hee hath made known to us by his Word Answ and revealed to us in his workes whatever is done in heaven or earth is the will of God I did not know God would destroy Bohemia and the Palatinate before I saw it this is the will here meant I did not know of such a friends death before he dyed and then we must say Thy will be done What ever God hath made known either by workes or words that we pray to have done What is this doing of the will of God Quest It consists in Answ and implyes two things First that whatever God makes known to be his will to bring upon us we should willingly submit and yeeld unto it If God would have me poore when it is done we should approve of the accomplishment of Gods will It is the breach of many commandements that when God thwarts our desire we are unwilling it should be done The wife is unwilling her husband should dye and the husband that the wife should dye never lost a man such a wife as I this is professedly against this petition We must imitate that of the good Prophet David Psal 39. I held my tongue and said nothing Will the Lord have it not a word more then his spirit yeelds presently takes the stroke doth not thwart the good will of the Lord this is the practice of David Eli Hezekiah It is the Lord let him doe what he will Nay our blessed Saviour himselfe saith Not my will but thy will be done But this is the folly of our hearts we take up Armes against Gods will God would have us to be poore and we will be rich This is not to doe the will of God Though God force us to doe it yet that is no thankes to us Thus we sinne desperately Secondly the heart is not only content with what God will have us suffer whether losse of life friends liberty and the like but there is another will must be done by us what God reveales to be a duty must be discharged by us If there be a truth to be made known to us we must acquaint our selves with the will of the Lord and then with all diligence practice it Make my heart one with thine that I may ever feare thy Name Let thy will be mine Oh saith the soule that I might ever feare thy Name this is to do the will of God We doe not say let it be spoken of and considered of by me but let it be done let it be accomplished by me Wee must not lift at it and give God good words and talke and leave it undone but labour to doe it It is not enough for the childe to say I know what my father commands but I must doe what I list Such hearts cannot pray to expect any thing at the hand of the Lord now and then to look at a duty c. and to say I would it were so will not serve the turne Away with that sluggishnesse to wish the will of God were done and yet you will have your own wills To this precept belongs that we should set on others to doe Gods pleasure In vaine doe we wish it to be done and yet doe not provoke on others to doe it Paul when Agrippa and he was grapling together saith Agrippa thou hast perswaded me almost to be a Christian not almost saith Paul but I would have thee altogether as I am except these bonds I would not have thee fettered as I am but inlarged in heart to doe Gods will So that of Joshua I and my house will serve the Lord he that not onely neglects Gods will himselfe but hinders others that man doth not pray this petition aright he that saith Thy will be done and in the mean time withdrawes others by his secret allurements and saith what should I be such a foole to be at other mens bow and beck to sit howling in a corner as thou dost No no well be it known to thee thou that wilt not do Gods will here the Lord will have his will done on thee one day to thy cost He that will not doe Gods will here God will send him packing to Hell and there he will execute his will upon him whether he will or no How must we doe the will of God we doe now and then stumble at a duty and now and then take up a service Quest and we are neither whores nor theeves but yet we are now and then peevish and wayward c. is not this enough No Answ no you must doe it in earth as it is in Heaven not now to be something and then to be nothing now a Saint and then a Devill but you must doe the will of God as it is in Heaven But can a man doe the will of God on earth as the blessed Angels doe it in Heaven Quest A man cannot doe it in that measure the Angels doe it Answ but we may doe it as they doe and performe equall obedience with them though not in quantity yet in quality A childe followes the father though it cannot run so fast as the father A Scholler may imitate the copie and write after it though not write so fast and well So the servants of the Lord cannot doe the will of God here so in that measure that the Angels doe it in Heaven but in quality like them Let their obedience be our pattern not in the measure but in the manner of it In what things must it be done Quest and how can wee expresse any action like theirs This resemblance is in foure particulars Answ First they doe it readily they are prest and ready at hand to doe the good will of the Lord upon all occasions they doe not withdraw themselves but presently upon every occasion doe what the Lord requires We read Job 1. that the sonnes of God appeared before him they are ever in his sight to give attendance upon him as the handmaid is ever at the hand of her Mistris So that of Isaiah the Text saith they cover their faces before the Mercy Seat they cover their faces in token of awfulnesse and reverence and cry Holy Holy They are ever before him as a dutifull servant is ever at his Masters beck They are at hand in this readines of theirs to doe the will of the Lord we should imitate them to be ever prepared and at hand to doe the will of God not to have our affections stragling but with Ananias we must say Here Lord with Abraham Behold thy servant is at hand Thus it should be with the soule the Lord saith you must not have this sinne and that corruption we must reply Thy will be done LORD we must not say as Moses when
a heart to crave and this is got by prayer As water put into a Pumpe will bring forth much waters so pray that you may pray If your earthly father knowes what to give to you how much more can your heavenly Father give you a heart nothing shall be wanting to them that go to God as a father God bowes his care to the prayer of his people he condescends to our weaknesse buckles himselfe to heare us Thirdly we are here to take notice of Gods fatherly providence to provide what may be sutable to our occasions God hath all in store All the beasts of the field are mine he is the God of all comfort herefore he is provident He that provides for the Ravens and causeth the Lillies of the field to grow if God care for these how much more for you Matth. 6. hath the Lord a care for Oxen He that feedeth the Ravens Matth. 6. and clotheth the Lillies he will much more provide for him that calls on him Who then would not have God to his Father As the Father provides for the sonne so God is a provident Father let us walk in his wayes and commit our selves to his providence and care Fourthly this must teach us an awfulnesse to come before him What awe should be in our hearts to come before an heavenly Father Our Father FIrst observe that it is the tearme of relation and it is in two things 1. Consider the sense of the words 2. The Motives For the sense of the words three things are implyed First a proprietie an interest we have to challenge in speciall not as one friend to another or one neighbour to another or the like but he is our Father as we say it is our Land so when we say Our Eather we imply a speciall claime to God all that compassion and mercy in God is mine as Nabal said It is my meat Deut. 32. The word my implyes a possession Deut. 32. Our God is not like the gods of the Heathens and as Job saith My Redeemer liveth Secondly this laying claime to God implyes a communitie to all the houshold of God as the Sun is every mans so God is every mans that is faithfull Thirdly it notes a bond of society between the faithfull children of the same Father This is the meaning of the word Our as the members agtee with the head so they are helpfull so God is helpfull to all his faithfull ones Now the Motives whereby the soule may be furnished to call on God are three First a cheerfull readines to repair unto the Lord 1. Motive why we have an interest in him he is our Father The interest a childe hath in his father stirs him to come readily to his Father he craves not of a stranger as when the childe cryed they did carry him to his mother If any thing befalls the childe he saith I will tell my father and complaine to my mother and the like So aske the childe who will provide for him he saith My father So it is here with our God There is a fresh and living way that is marvellous easie and open Whosoever seeks shall finde whosoever knocks it shall be opened unto him therefore whatever our injuries be we should not complain to the world No poure forth your prayers to your Father and he will be sure to hear you Secondly as there should be a chearie readinesse to come to the Lord 2. Motive so there should be a spirituall boldnes to challenge what may be needfull Among strangers we are strange but amongst friends we are bold we have a right and title to these things and we may be bold with our own Thus David challengeth God As thou art faithful deliver me I am thy servant c. If a servant wants food or raiment he goes to his master So saith David I am thy servant therefore give me understanding that I may live When they bragged of Paul and Apollo saith he All is yours This should comfort our hearts let us claime our portions God is our Father and he will give it therefore be humbled in regard of your weaknesse and unworthinesse and confident in regard of his mercy and walk comfortably in regard of the Lord. If I should see the childe doubt in regard of my readinesse I should wonder Care not saith he it is your owne and he is our Father Marth 6. 32. 3 Motive and all that is in him is ours Matth. 6.32 Thirdly this stirs up our hearts to have a fellow-feeling of our brethrens misery in our prayers therefore God cuts off all in-seekings of our own Our as if he should say Is there never a Joseph in prison never a Daniel in the Lions den remember and pray for them If one suffer all suffers we are all members of one body we should mourne with those that mourne and weep with them that weep Isa Isai 58. 58. Pus up a Prayer for the remnant Oh that our hearts would have a fellow-feeling of their trouble Ephes 6. Paul begs for prayers as for a peny Eph. 6. for me also nay he intreats the Romans to wrastle for him in prayer Which art in Heaven c. FIrst we are to open the sence of the word Heaven secondly the motives to move the heart thereto Whether is God more in Heaven then in any other place Quest No Resp God in regard of his essence is in all places alike he is wholly every where The Godhead is altogether indivisible things of quantity fill a roome but God is indivisible as he is unchangeable so he is a simple being therefore all of God is in the whole compasse of Heaven and Earth Psal 139. If I goe to hell thou art there c. God is in the same manner every where Psal 139. you must conceive no parts in God if God be immense then all of him is every where and altogether in every place All creatures have their being from God he is in them and beyond them he is excluded out of no place included in no place If all of God be in every place Quest why then is he said to be in Heaven onely First Resp because God would manifest the glory of his power more in Heaven then in Earth because we see him not here Acts 17. we grope after him Acts 17. but we know the royalty of a King appears more in Court or Parliament so the excellency of God appears most in Heaven Secondly there are three Heavens the Heaven where the birds are the Heaven where the starres are and the highest Heaven now the third Heaven is meant here for God hath reserved this place as his chair of state the Heavens saith David are the Lords no uncleane thing can come there The Angels sinned and all the visible Heavens are defiled by man the sunne is abased the aire polluted all these creatures that serve man are by man defiled but the
highest Heaven was never defiled because it is the chamber of God God leaseth out these things to man but he reserves this Heaven for his own habitation This is the speciall reason why God is said to be in Heaven What motives have we to prepare our hearts to prayer Quest which is the scope of the Preface They are specially three First Resp it teacheth us to take notice of the purity of God what ought to be the frame of our spirits when we appeare before him he cannot abide sluggish prayers from an impure heart heavenly dispositions best suits with Gods holinesse the sanctity of our affections ought to answer Gods purity Kings we know as they will be entertained so their entertainment must be that which suits to their greatnesse God is in Heaven beyond all corruption therefore if we approach neere to God we should answer to his purity with hearts purged that our hearts may be in Heaven because he is in Heaven to whom we pray Mal. 1. 14. Cursed be the deceiven that hath a male in his flock and offers a female c. our sacrifice is our service and prayer is one of the chiefe The God of Heaven is a pure God then cursed be the man that hath strong love desires and other affections and offers the wealtest to God and serveth God with rubbish cursed be that man the pure God of Heaven will not looke on such service and impure prayers God is pure therefore the service ought to be so When men are to sit before Princes they are to fit themselves accordingly so it is here Let us then think it an indignity to God to appeare with rubbish dispositions before him He that will performe a solemne duty to a Prince will lay aside all other occasions so as hee said in another case well lay by all world let me now have heavenly joy for I come before a heavenly Father Secondly it is a ground of comfort that our spirits may be cheared since God is in Heaven he is able to effect whatever our hearts desire To be in Heaven it argueth Majestie now we doe nor prays to an earthly parent who is liable to corruption but to an heavenly Father we pray who can doe what we will He that is in a high place hath the advantage so our heavenly Father hath the advantage of all other things therefore what we crave is done alreadie he can doe it and our God is in Heaven he will doe what he will A vilenesse ever accompanies earthly things but our Father is in Heaven therefore Nehemiah made his prayer to the God of Heaven There are dunghill duties in the world but our Father is in Heaven The King could not help the woman but our Father is not an earthly father but we pray to the God of Heaven We have but earthly opposition here but our Father is in Heaven who can over-power all wrongs done to his children and rewards them Thirdly this shews we should with trembling approach his presence The God of Heaven is powerfull we are creeping worms and dare we come carelesly to such a Father A father implies a readinesse and Heaven an awfulnesse when the mountains move and the devills shake at the presence of God and the blessed Angels tremble before him how dare we approach his presence unseemly lest we have no answer or to turn the eye one way and the head another We are not able to beare it in a childe Doe not suffer your mindes to wander dare we presse in headily into the presence of God when as the Angels cover themselves before him Let the feare of the Almighty fall on us since God is in Heaven let our hearts be reverently affected Acts 17. 28. for in him we live move and have our being Thus much for the Preface Hallowed be thy Name NOw we come to the Petitions which are six the Lord condescended to our weaknesse and feeblenesse and therefore contrives them into a narrow scantling three concerning Gods Name Kingdom and Will three concerning our selves things of this life things of grace and they in respect both of justification and sanctification In all observe First the meaning of the Petition Secondly the carriage of the heart in pressing of it Hallowed be thy Name In it observe two things First what is here meant by Name Secondly what it is to hallow this Name What is here meant by Name Quest or what is the Name of God I answer by Name is meant whatever God is made known to us by Resp this is his Name as a man is known by his name so the Lord reveales himselfe to us by his Name Now this consists in two things First all the glorious Atributes of God as Holy Pure Wise Infinite c. these are the Names of God Secondly all the Ordinances of God and the graces of Gods Saints and the providence of God in the creature and it is not the thing it selfe but there is a declaration of God in these that is his Name The creature is not the Name of God but God working there grace is not so much as the appearance of God in that grace What doe you meane by Hallowed Quest can you make God holier then he is or adde any thing to God No Resp we cannot adde any thing unto him that gave all to us How then doe we hallow Gods Name Quest When we make Gods Name to be discovered as a holy thing Resp the expressure of this is that we would hallow How shall we doe that Quest There was a consultation in Heaven how that the God-head might be manifested Resp might be observed else were here none to apprehend it from eternity Nay if there had beene any they could not apprehend it I will saith God have my Attributes expressed therefore God would have a Word wherein his goodnesse should be discovered Exod. 33.23 Exod. 32. 23. Thou shalt not see my face but my back-parts thou shalt see As it is with a torch carry it from one place to another and it will leave a glimpse behinde it So it is in the surpassing beauty of God he leaves some beams behinde him that we may say Justice and Mercy c. have beene heere Now we are said then to hallow his Names when as we make this appear when we deale with Gods Name as with a holy thing and that appears in three particulars First when we acknowledge the excellency of him we ought to take notice of the beauty and glory of God Men of place thinke themselves abused if we passe by them and doe not reverence them so when we come to deale with Gods Ordinances doe you know what you doe Gods Name is there therefore observe it Secondly as we should acknowledge the worth of it so we should labour to preserve it Upon things of great weight and worth what a price doe we set upon them and how tenderly doe
any thing unlesse thou dost worke in us what thou requirest of us For thine is the Kingdome It is not in our power to doe what wee should or what thou requirest of us but the Kingdome is thine all comes from thee O Lord and let all the glory of all be returned to thee again Doe we hallow thy name and pray for thy Kingdome to come and thy will be done why it is thou Lord that must give the power we beg all from thee and this is included in the word power For as that we should say we have no power to do any thing do thou all Lord and take thou the glory of all so that is the ground why we beg all of him and returne all to him What is here meant by Kingdome Quest First the word Kingdom doth discover the right and authority of God to give all things we want Answ thou Lord hast the disposing of all things we have no authority nor no property that is in us thine is the Kingdome thou hast all power to do what thou wilt The Master doth what he will in his family and the King rules in his Realme so doth the Lord rule in the heart of his Secondly the Lord hath not only authority to do what he will but full and abundant sufficiency to dispose of all according to his will and pleasure Kings may want power to do what they would and the sons of Zeruiah may be too strong for David but as the Lord hath title to all so his arme is long enough his ability sufficient enough to do all there is much infirmity in us but none at all in thee And the glory THe glory of a thing we know appeares in two things First the excellency of it Secondly in the beauty and splendor of its excellency this sets forth the glory of a thing as who should say if any beauty excellency or glory be in the creature it is thine oh Lord for thine is the Kingdome power and the glory Thine What doth this word thine imply Quest It implies three particulars Answ First that all authority sufficiency and excellency is firstly in God all is his by possession and propriety Any thing that we have or enjoy it is but what we have of him it is but a glimpse and reflexion of that glory in God and it is all firstly in God and he leases it out it is my God and my portion God is the roote of all we are or have all power and sufficiency is in him firstly Secondly so all comes from him whatever is in the creature comes from him all are but tenants and leasures of that they have from the Lord who is the great possessour of Heaven and Earth Thirdly it implies that we should acknowledge all belonging to him give every man his due whose is this honour and power the Lords let him have it then and this is to put off all ability and sufficiencie from our selves and to acknowledge all to come from him As thongh the soule should say Is there any thing in me Lord it is because thou givest it Thou givest unto us all our abilities and hearts to pray and it is thou that hearest us when we pray It is all free mercie all abilities are from thee therefore Lord take all for all is thine Thus the soule disclaimes all selfe For ever and ever c. THat is everlasting power is in thee which differs from all other power all mans power is from GOD but the Kingdom of GOD his power and his glory it is for ever and ever We cannot pray alwayes our abilities faile and our hearts faint but thy power endures for ever the good things of this life meat drink cloth c. some times are gone but yet thy power endures for ever to succour us When our abilities faile yet power is for ever and ever in thee to renew them Amen THe word Amen implyes three things First the terme of asseveration and it discovers the truth of a thing Secondly a wish Oh saith the soule that it might be Thirdly the voyce of a confident faith It is so it is done Lord all these three are implyed but this last mainly here intended These things wee have prayed for that according to thy will they are verily done As also there is a secret looking after the Petition when it is put up the soule followes the Petition Now saith the soule they speed the LDRD grants these petitions as a man that shoots an Arrow he looks after it So the soule saith Oh that the Lord would speed it So when the Petitions are sent to heaven the heart followes the blow and looks after them it sends his Amen oh that it might be so and then faith saith it is done undoubtedly As true as the Lord is faithfull so these must needs be done The word Amen strikes the match thorow The soule wisheth Oh that it might bee done saith saith it is done already Prayer is as the key when a man wants provision hee goes to the Treasurie and fetcheth it So prayer fetcheth comfort peace and assurance c. and Amen turns the key it is mine saith the Soule Prayer is as a Golden Key FINIS
A briefe EXPOSITION OF THE Lords Prayer Wherein the meaning of the words is laid open to the understanding of weake Christians and what the carriage of their hearts ought to be in preferring each Petition By Mr. THO. HOOKER Preacher of Gods Word LONDON Printed by Moses Bell for Benjamine Allen and are to be sold at his shop in Popes head Alley at the signe of the Crown 1645. A briefe EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAYER IN the Prayer are three things observable 1. The Preface Our Father 2. The Prayer it selfe divided into six petitions 3. The conclusion of faith in the word Amen The soule goes up to heaven and follows the petition hallowed be thy name let it be Lord as thou mayst have glory Looke as a man that darts an Arrow hee puts the utmost of his strength unto it So the word Amen speeds all the rest speeds all and brings a good issue to the soule by all First for the Preface and there we must examin in generall two things the sense and meaning of the words Secondly what ground of incouragement it affords us to seek God And First observe the party sought Father Secondly the excellencie of him which art in heaven Thirdly the interest we have in him he is Our Father Why Quest or in what sense is God called a Father First Resp He is the Father of Christ by eternall generation Secondly he is the Father of men two wayes 1. By creation so the Scripture runnes Job 1.9 the Angels are called the sonnes of God Job 1.9 because they were created by God so God is our Father by creation and thus hee is a Father to the just and unjust Psal 139. Psal 139. I am wonderfully made saith the Text. 2. By adoption and grace in that he doth freely take us to be his sonnes in Christ he puts us into the right of his children as a man puts a stranger into the right of his sonne And thus God is a Father to his chosen onely that looke what Christ hath Rom. 8.17 they have Rom. 8.17 If sonnes then heires we are heires Gods chosen children both these wayes God is our Father Doe we onely pray to the Father Quest in that wee say Our Father No Resp we pray not to the Father only but we pray to the holy Trinity we make mention of the Father only yet we must direct our prayers to one God in three persons in that Godhead however we mention not all yet we direct to all all our petitions the reason is this because otherwise we should have made an Idoll of God I say concerning but of one person we make an idoll of God and call not upon him as he is How may we apprehend of God aright in prayer Quest Thus Resp as God hath revealed himselfe in his Word so we apprehend him not putting any image at all upon him as Instance thus two wayes First he that creates all governs all knowes all sees all by whom I live move and have my being to that God I pray The Scripture hath revealed God thus and he fills heaven and earth c. To that God then that is thus infinite to him I call I goe now no further to the seeing of an image but to an all-seeing God I come Secondly instance thus looke abroad into the creatures and in all you shall see a power and a goodnesse Now from whence came this power The power of Beasts came not from the power of trees and the like but there was a first power which gave all power to the creatures The Creator is infinitely more powerfull then the creature There is goodnesse also in the creatures all that came from the first goodnesse that let out it selfe now that which lets forth it selfe to the creature is in the Creator infinitely above the creature that is the Lord. Thus you must quit your selves of an image he that gives all is above all God gives all therefore he is above all and to that God I put up my petition Why doe we not mention the Sonne and the Holy Ghost as well as the Father Quest Because the Father is the first person in the Trinity Resp and the Fountaine from whence all flowes the Father workes of himselfe the Sonne of him the Holy Ghost from them both therefore we mention him onely though we may mention the other yet we pray onely to the Father How doth this word Father help a man to call on God by Prayer Quest When we conceive of God as a Father Resp it puts us in minde of his mercy that he will pitty us as a Father A man will be reconciled unto his sonne easily and will spare his sonne though he be a prodigall yet a father will passe by and cover all So I pray to a Father did I pray to a Judge that will condemn me or an enemy that would not be reconciled to me little hope I had to speed because I have wronged him yet I will arise and goe to my Father and say Father I have sinned Psal 103.13 As a father pitties his sonne Psal 103. 13. so God pittieth them that fear him He is my child saith God though stubborne and I must look to him When a mans rebellions witnesse against him and Satan vexeth him and saith What dost thou think to have mercy and art so vile True saith the soule I am naught but I goe to a father If a child doe but ayme at a thing the father accepts him if he speak but halfe a sentence the Father interprets it So this is the great incouragement of the faithfull to goe to God that notwithstanding so many failings and though so dead and so barren yet a father beares all The Lord interprets all though but broken speeches he accepts all and regards all We have a Father to to goe to that is willing to passe by many failings Secondly we have a ground of pitty if it be but a sigh he receives it So this may perswade us of the willingnesse of God to help us If a man were to goe to him that is hard-hearted little hope hee had to speed we say he is a cruell man we had as good pull water out of a flint c. A child will not beg of a stranger but will goe to his father so we pray to our Father that is more willing to heare and grant then we are to aske Luke 15. I will goe to my Father saith the Prodigall as who should say I am unworthy yet I goe to a Father Nay the Lord heares before we call he prepares the heart to call and answers what it craves when they aske The father puts into the childs mouth what it shall say and then hee will give it what it craves so God would have us seek for abundance of mercy open thy mouth c. God would faine give but none will crave it is God that must give
the Lord commanded him to goe to Pharaoh saith he Who am I Lord send another 1 Sam. 3. No it should not be thus with us wee should be ready at hand Here Lord speake Lord for thy servant heareth Acts 9. Goe to Paul saith the Lord to Ananias and he went though he had been a persecutor Contrariwise Jonah will goe to Tarshish rather then to Nineve We should not doe thus but as the Angels and as Cornelius when he sent for Peter Acts 10. saith he we are all here before thee to take notice of whatsoever it shall please God to reveale to us by thee Let our Lamps be light and prepared that whether the Bridegroome come at midnight or at any other time all may be in readinesse at a push that we may goe when the Lord calls when the Lord saith here is a sinne to be sorrowed for here Lord saith the soule We must not let God stay for us nor bee haled as a Beare to the stake in any duty No but we must attend the will of God neither must we stout it out I will be wicked and I will walk in my owne way c. so you may and perish and so you may and be damned and go to Hell too when you have done It is nothing what a man hales out whether he will or no that is nothing This is not to doe the will of God as it is in Heaven but wee must alwayes be fitted and ready to doe what God requires The Angels came before God and the Text saith the Devill by force full sore against his will came also So wicked men dare not but leave some sinnes but it is perforce they are either constrain'd to it by the Lawes of men or by the horrour of conscience and the like not with ready cheerfulnesse and willingnesse But we should have our Lamps light Secondly the Angels doe the will of the LORD speedily they are not delaying but are willing and prest in the performances of Gods will If the Lord doe but beck they are gone Isa 6. The Angels are said to have divers wings some to cover their face in token of humility some to cover their feet to shew their prestnesse and readinesse to doe the will of God and with all speed and haste to doe what God at any time shall enjoyn and command Thus we should do it as they doe wee must shake off all lingring and stiffenesse of spirit when we see Gods will should be done and that God requires it But naturally we are marvelously lazie in our christian course When a man comes as a Beare to the stake is that to doe the will of our heavenly Father as the Angels doe doe they thus No nor wee should not if we doe it aright We must imitate that of David he will praise the Lord with his best abilities and run the wayes of Gods Commandments thus should we doe make haste and delay not Psal 119. 32. As when the Prophet Elisha sent his servant post-haste to the womans sonne he bade him salute no man make no stay by the way This marvellous care should be in us we should pray for our lives and run on in a Christian course for our lives not trifle but go with all speed till we come to our journeys end not sluggishly as if a man cared not whether he did it or no but a man should pray for his life If profit or pleasure would be tampering with us salute them not we should take up our resolutions to reject them If honour or profit would be hanging about us fling them off let us not regard them but ride post-haste When our Saviour sent his Disciples to preach he bade them carry neither scrip nor staffe to hinder them in their course When Paul was converted the Text saith he never consulted with flesh and bloud he advised not with carnall reasonings but what God commands hee did So when God calls for duty we should not reason with profit pleasures and honours to pull off our caps and aske them leave to take up this duty and these performances If the holy Apostle had done this it would have hindered him but he consulted not with flesh and bloud So we should do what ever God commands It matters not what men would have of us but let us have an eye to Gods command Thirdly the Angels in Heaven doe the will of God faithfully and their faithfulnesse is in this that they performe the whole will of God They faile not but doe it to a haires breadth He is a faithfull servant that doth his Masters will and command fully so should a Saint doe Now faithfulnesse appeares in two things First we must doe it all as they doe Secondly we must do it in the right manner not only the thing but in the right manner God requires it This is faithfulnesse The Angels doe not accomplish what message they will but God sets it down and his good pleasure takes place Psal 104. They fulfill the good pleasure of the LORD they start not at any service no crossenesse they stand at God commands they doe it and because he commands it So it ought to be with the hearts of the people of the LORD we must not pick and chuse and do it in an aguish fit when we list It is said of David he did all the will of God a man after GODS own heart It was the charge Mary gave whatever he bids do it It is sufficient GOD commands though it be tedious the Angels care not though all the Divels in hell rage so the Saints of GOD should do be it tedious that skils not our care must be that we may finish our course with comfort A Saint doth not pick chuse but fears every sin takes up every duty if all the Divels in hell oppose yet the people of GOD will do his will The Text saith that Caleb and Joshua followed God fully in the day of Maceba and Miriba in times of trouble there is an Angel-like Spirit to go thorow-stitch with the work though father and mother were against them yet they would go on The contrary was the sin of Sardis which GOD reproves sharply I have not found thy worke fall T is not enough to do some of GODS will but we must do it all or else the LORD regards not The Divell will do well somtimes for his own ends if he be pleased but that is nothing thou must do GODS will pleased or not pleased or else thou hast a satanicall spirit we must not say the daies are troublesome c. but go thorow-stitch with it as the Angels do Thirdly as we must do the will of God so we must do it after the right manner as God requires thus Abraham did when he was commanded to go offer his Son Isaac he went early in the morning as God required If he had been to offer an Oxe it had been nothing but Abraham must offer his only
tenure of them that we may claime them in Christ that we may not answer for them but that they may be ours Secondly they may be ours in way of policie between man and man that we may not have them by violence not to have another mans riches and honour but that we may have a politick right this a wicked man may have by a politick right to have it by the sweat of our browes now this we crave also Now the difference between the politicke right of a naturall man and spirituall man is this the Lord doth onely Lease out by his politick right these things to the wicked but they sit at a rack-rent But they are not so to the godly they have them for their fee-simple by a politick right between man and man Both these wayes we beg that they may be ours that they may be ours in Christ and that we may have our owne not others to pluck it from others but that it may be ours by our labour meanes patrimony c. What is meant by daily Quest The word in the Originall signifies supersubstantiall bread that is Answ we crave all these things and the right and title to them And for the measure not barely so much food and clothes as wil keep the life and soule together and no more but that we may have to our lawfull delight and as one spoke so much as will keep even at the yeers end and a knot at the end to our lawfull society Why this day Quest It implyes three things Answ First it implyes a daily need of succour that wee have from the Lord we doe not say give us this mouth or this quarter but give us this day as who should say wee stand in need of a daily succour from the Lord. The Lord would not have a Christian have too much Luk. 12.19 that he might be secure as the rich man in the Gospell Soule take thine ease c. But the Lord would have us come for our break-fast dinner supper and all from him Secondly it shewes a man must be content with his allowance his desire should not be catching after future things we beg not for our monthly and quarterly bread but daily bread enough for the present time Thirdly it implies that wee must pray for this daily bread every day A man must be daily begging of the Lord. This is the meaning of this day Gather then up all and the summe returnes to thus much we in this Petition beseech the Lord that all good things that concern life good name or food may be supplyed to us and that we may have a spirituall right to them in Christ and a politicke right to them between man and man that we may have more then barely enough not to wring from others to be content with the least pittance and daily and continually to beg for these things we want and stand in need of Quest What is the frame of the heart Answ in putting up this Petition It appeares in three particulars First a mans carefull painfulnesse in his course and calling God calls him to and sets him in Secondly an humble dependance on GOD. Thirdly a quiet contentednesse with what God allowes For the first he must be painfull no man can say Give me this day my daily bread unlesse he be painfull in his place if we expect any thing otherwise it is a mocking of God We must be faithfull and painfull in our places if wee expect any thing honour goods good name and labour not for it we doe not pray aright it was the command God gave Gen. 3. In the sweat of thy browes shalt thou eate thy bread all the dayes of thy life There is no allowance for idlenesse and carelesnesse the LORD sets Adam to till the ground so that if we will have any thing necessary for us we must labour for it for saith the Apostle He that will not labour shall not eate The diligent hand maketh rich but God makes rich you will say It is true yet it is by a diligent hand A Scholler must labour if he will have learning c. Look as it is with a man that hath promised a man so much and so much at such a time and at such a time at such a place if he will come for it now if the man comes not for it he loseth it Even so it is here the LORD promiseth successe to our labour the Lord will give the Plough-man by his Plough the Tradesman by his Trade the Scholler in his study and except we be painfull in our places we can expect nothing The Lord gives us our daily bread while we walke with him So that a man hinders himselfe more by idlenesle then he profits himselfe by prayer without diligence Secondly the soule must have dependance upon God when it hath done what it can It must look for a breathing on them A man should be so painfull in the use of the meanes as though they could doe all and yet so depend upon God above all meanes as though all outward meanes could not doe any good without the Lord. Wee must not catch it out of Gods hands but look to God in the way he hath chalked out before us and then expect of him what we want It is the Lord that gives a man substance In vain it is to rise early in the morning and goe to bed late and eate the bread of carefulnesse Psal 127. 1 2. except the Lord blesse all all is in vaine Let us look therefore to him for all we stand in need of It is the phrase of the Wise man The blessing of the Lord maketh rich It is not policie and craft and outward meanes that make rich but the blessing of the Lord from that expect all though the Plow-man plow though the Gardiner manure and cut and prune yet nothing thrives unlesse the dew of Heaven falls So it is here in our course all our labour paines meanes and cost though it be much and great yet it will not thrive unlesse the Lord blesse The Spirit of the Lord moved on the waters Let us therefore look to his blessings upon all A Scholler may labour and take much paines and yet shall never attaine his end either he shall not have it at all or if he doe if shall be as Vriahs Letter choake him at the last So that except wee depend on God all labour and paines is nothing Thirdly there must be a quiet contentednes to be content with what God bestowes and we receive else we crosse our selves we crave for bread and will have what we list We doe not pray for dainties and costlinesse of apparell but for bread that pittance the Lord shall be pleased to bestow upon us Now if nothing but dainties and curiosities will serve us it is more then the Lord allowes and we can expect to be bestowed upon us If we have meat and cloath