Ierusalem the spirit of supplications poureth also the spirit of grace to sanctifie the supplications So it is called in Zech. the Spirit of grace and supplications And Dauid can say If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me Obserue it in Saint Iames his directions Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh to you clense your hands yee sinners and purifie your hearts you double minded When God appeard to Moses in the bush and Moses was approaching to him he heard a voyce saying to him Put off thy shoes from thy feete for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground There is no Comming then to God without holinesse without which we may seeke but we shall neuer see the face of God 5 This mention of the heauens here doth put vs in minde of the wisedome of God who of nothing raised vp that glorious frame of those celestiall habitations that high Sanctuary for his owne dwelling for in wisedome he hath made them all Which teacheth vs to beware how we appeare before God in our praiers and holy deuotions not as fooles but as wise Take heed to thy foote when thou entrest into the house of God and be more neare to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles They that pray not in wisdome doe offer to God the sacrifice of fooles And Salomon saith God hath no pleasure in fooles There is no folly like to the folly that is vsed in prayer and deuotion when the God of wisedome hath vs in his eye and the iealous God who is tender of his worship discerneth that he is slighted That is one of the sinnes of our time a foolish worship without consideration care or reuerence which turneth our praiers into sinne Hath God any pleasure in the set words of a solemne seruice Did he not blame his owne people Populus hic honorat me labijs suis Dauid admonisheth to sing praises to God with vnderstanding It asketh a great deale of spirituall wisedome to addresse our suites to the Court of heauen where the highest King of glory doth wisely consider all the sonnes of men and beholds with what descretion and wisedome they come before him Take heed therefore that thou forget not our Father to be in heauen Heauen is mentioned for the height of Gods sanctuarie for God is in excelsis which teacheth vs in praier to sublime our soules from the earth and earthly things to an holy eleuation thereto agree those outward formes of lifting vp the eyes in prayer I lifted vp mine eyes to the hills from whence my help commeth Our helpe is in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth And let the lifting vp of mine hands be an euening sacrifice Sursum corda It is the voice of the Church Our Conuersation is in heauen and it is the Apostles counsaile If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things which are aboue and not the things which are below where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God O that I had the winges of a Doue the wings of an Eagle rather to fly high there is the Carcase and thither the Eagles resort Our earthly Parents giue good things to vs but they haue them from hence the bread the fish the necessaries of life Sometimes earthly Parents proue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but our heauenly father is one whose compassion falles not when my father and mother forsaketh me the Lord taketh me vp Doubtlesse thou art our father though Abraham knowes not though Israel be ignorant of vs. Earthly Parents see vs sicke and in prison and in disgrace and in want they can sit downe and droppe their teares and viz their groanes with ours but there is no helpe in them they may be parted from vs by death but our heauenly father shall endure for euer his yeares change not he looked down from the height of his sanctuarie From heauen did the Lord behold the earth to heare the groaning of the prisoners to loose those that are appointed to death 7 The mention of heauen added to the title of our Father doth put vs in minde of his goodnesse for hee dwelleth in that place from which euery good giuing and euery perfect gift doth proceed From whence also we are directed in our Prayers not to aske of this Father that is nothing but good and perfect gifts In temporall benefits we must still haue an eye to the true vse of them to make them serue for spirituall and heauenly vses One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Let our eye be vpon the inheritance and the birth-right and for things temporal so far as they may be adjumenta or oramenta to vs to aduance this final desire of the kingdome of God so farre let vs desire and seeke and vse them Who will petition a King for beades and babies and such trifling things feare nto little flock it is your fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome Let our wisedome seeke it where it is to be found in heauen where Iesus Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father and maketh intercession for vs. Why should we aske stones where we may haue bread for asking bread of the finest wheat flower Manna Angels bread 8 The name of our father in the heauens doth put vs in minde of the country which we seeke for we are but Pilgrimes and strangers and we haue no abiding City here we are but soiourners as all our fathers were But we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolued wee haue a building not made with hands but eternall in the heauens For in this we groane earnestly desiring to be cloathed vpon with our house which is from heauen that mortalitie might be swallowed vp of life for Whilest we art at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident and willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. We sit here weeping by the riuers of Babel If I forget thee O Ierusalem c. Returne to thy rest O my soule Studie those heauens search and finde out the way to them there is one that is gone before to prepare a place there for vs in the many Mansions of his Fathers house and as the Church sweetely Hymneth He hath opened the Kingdome of heauen to all beleeuers by a new and liuing way which hee hath Consecrated for vs through the vaile that is to say his flesh Conducting vs to Mount Sion the City of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable companie of Angels To the generall assembly and Church of the first borne which are written in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirits of
high authority of their Master who by this direction may establish the same as a perpetuall law to his Church to be alwayes in force and may endeare to vs the direction as proceeding from one who not only had wisdome to instruct but authority also to establish his holy instruction in the Church for all ages thereof 2 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sheweth that they desire to bee learners of the art of prayer of him for who better knoweth what may be obtained of God then he who is in the bosome of his father and who better knoweth that we haue need to demand by prayer then hee who hauing taken to him the similitude of sinfull flesh though without sinne hath with it taken vpon him all our infirmities and was in all things like vnto vs sin only excepted For Such an high Priest it became vs to haue who could haue in himselfe the sense and experience of our infirmities and necessities seeing none but such could well instruct vs in these things Againe seeing all our petitions to the father are deliuered vp to him in his name as he is the great Master of the requests to the great King of glory so it was fit that he should approue our petitions which can by no better meanes be performed then by his direction of them and giuing vs instruction what to request of God Their request is to bee taught by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to pray teach vs the art of prayer for to teach them words to be sayed and repeated is not to teach them to pray but to say prayers They need not goe to so great a Master to learne to say prayers any that can teach to speake or to read may teach that Their request entendeth to the very skill and wisdome of praier They consider that prayer is an addresse of their deuotions to God and therefore it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pray to that is to inuocate the Lord to pray to the father Our lesson then is to make choice of this Doctor of the Church this chiefe Doctor of the chaire more then Seraphicall or illuminate the very light of the world and to borrow our light from this Sol justitiae in all dutyes of piety and charity Indeed his Discite à me fils his schoole with all such disciples as are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all reall parts of Gods worship we are to admit no other direction but his they who direct by his warrant And in that sense he saith Be ye not called Rabbi or teachers for on is your teacher euen Christ one by authority all the rest by deputation The name therefore of teacher is proper only in fulnesse of sense to Christ who in our ministery is the teacher of his Church And though some affecting new formes of speech haue of late called the Ministers of the word Teachers and their sermons teaching in a nice nouelty to auoyd the titles vsed by the Church yet let mee tell them that the names of Preachers and preaching are a great deale more modest and expresse our office better and fuller for Christ is the proper teacher and wee as his curates doe but preach his teachings to his Church And if they accompt it a bold ascription to vs to call vs pardoners though Christ saith whosoeuers sinnes ye remit they are remitted They may as well thinke it too much to call vs teachers and our sermons teaching to whom Christ also said Ite docete Though I professe distaste of vpstart nouelties yet I admonish you that the title of teacher is peculiar to Christ and if any be so in loue with that forme of nuncupation as to preferre it before the Church-receiued titles I giue them warning of robbing Christ of his due honour let our teachers and teaching bee vnderstood no otherwise but as the Apostle saith nos legatione fungimur and so are in steed of Christ from whose instructions we must not varie And therefore the wise men of Berea did will to examine the preachings of S. Paul by the Scriptures to see by what warrant he instructed them and to enquire who sent them and put their word into their mouth for if Christ be not the teacher wee must not be Disciples 3 The instance as Iohn also taught his Disciples vide diuis pag. 3. Wherein we haue to consider 1 Who Iohn was 2 That he had Disciples whom he taught 3 He taught them to pray 1 Who Iohn was He was the sonne of Zecharie and Elizabeth borne to them in their old age and sanctified in the wombe to the office of a forerunner to prepare the way for Christ as S. Luke at large reports the storie of his natiuitie Christ saith of him Non surrexit maior amongst all that were borne of women then Iohn meaning in respect of his office for whereas all that went before him preached Christ to come and promised he pointed at Christ then appearing and performed to the Church saying This is he Ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi Yet he that is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he by the kingdome of heauen is meant the cleare preaching of the full Gospell of Iesus Christ and the least of those Preachers who could preach Christ crucified dead and buried raised vp to life and ascended to the Father is greater in the office of ministration of the Gospell then Iohn This Iohn was called the Baptist for that he was the first Minister of that Sacrament and which was to the honour both of the Minister and the Sacrament he baptized Christ himselfe in Iordane at which time both the holy Ghost descended in the forme of a Doue and rested vpon Christ and hee that sent him proclaimed him from heauen his welbeloued Sonne in whom he was well pleased He liued a most holy life seuere and retired saue when he came abroad to teach and baptize he was generally much honoured of the people though some maligned him and in the end he dyed a Martyr for preaching to Herod that it was vnlawfull for him to breake the commandement of God by incestuous commistion with his brother Philips wife By whose suggestion Herodias her daughter begged his head of Herod at a feast vpon aduantage taken of the Kings ouerliberall oath and so he was beheaded in prison thus much the Euangelists doe report of him Whereas Malachie prophecieth of the comming of Eliah the Prophet Behold I will send you Eliah the Prophet before the comming of the great and dreadfull day of the Lord. Which many vnderstanding literally haue made themselues beleeue that the same Eliah who was taken vp in a fiery Chariot should come downe againe into the earth before the day of iudgement our Sauiour Christ hath cleared that prophecie folly saying of Iohn This is he of whom it is written I will send my messenger
them And to him alone wee direct our praiers not vnto them for they know vs not so saith the praier of the true Church Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham bee ignorant of vs and Israel acknowledge vs not thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy name is from euerlasting If Abraham the father of the faithfull and the friend of God be ignorant of vs I know not how hee should heare or know our praiers 6 They alleadge Luke 15.10 Where Christ saith there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God ouer one sinner that repenteth a grosse non sequitur so Saints may be praied to 7 They alleadge Luk. 16.9 Make to your selues friends of the Mammon of vnrighteousnesse that when ye faile they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations How this may make to their purpose their owne Stella saith Nihil aliud Christus hisce verbis innuere voluit nisi vt bona nostra pauperibus impartiamur vt in aternis habitaculis recipiamur And there is nothing that soundeth at all to the iustification of inuocation of Saints But these are the false shewes that the Papists make to blinde the eyes of the ignorant and to benight the cleare light of the Gospell If they could but diuert vs from God that wee might seeke for helpe any where but from him they had their will of vs but our helpe is in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth and we say with the holy Church O Lord our God other Lords beside thee haue had dominion ouer vs but by thee onely will we make mention of thy name They alleadge that they doe not pray to them as to the giuers of good things but as to Mediators to pray to God for these things for vs. And so they rob not God of his due worship but giue due honour to Angels and Saints So the Spalatine changeling doth excuse it in his Manifesto But we answere 1 That they teach so but practise the contrary as all their Missalls and Breuiaries and Rosaries doe demonstrate Their inuocation of Saint Roch. Tu qui Deo es tam charus Et in luce valde clarus Sana tuos famulos Et a peste nos defende Opem nobis ac impende Contra morbi stimulos It is their owne saying deum Rocho per angelum promisisse vt qui ipsum inuocarent a peste liberarentur You see they inuocate him not as the Procter a father whom wee doe solicite by our prayers for Christ saith Fathers doe know to giue good gifts vnto their children and it is good praying where there is good to be gotten by it The wicked and vngodly of the earth doe not beleeue any such supreame goodnesse in diuine prouidence You heare what they say in Zephan The Lord will doe no good neither will he doe euill A most vnhappy condition of men who cannot looke beyond and aboue earth for good things naturall light doth reueale this truth to men without the Church for the Apostle saith God left not himselfe without witnesse in that he did good and gaue vs raine from heauen and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse This is the worke of a father thus to prouide good things for his children and so we goe not beyond the Gentiles in this who are not yet come into the communion of the Church The booke of nature the great volume of Gods workes is written within and without with this name of a Father so that if the Councell of hell like the Councell of Trent would deuise an Index expurgatorius to put out the testimonie of Gods fatherhood the darkenesse of hell would not be darke enough to benight this light But wee who are the Disciples of Christ that learne Rea. 2 of him to call God Father doe plead a nearer interest in his loue then those that are without can pretend for he that is our warrant to call him by that name doth thereby inuite vs to pray and to call vpon him in all our necessities God hath many great and glorious titles which would rather discourage then inuite inuocation the terrour of his Maiestie is such that the Angels are said to couer their faces when they appeare before him If we heare him called the God strong and mightie how dare we the poore wormes and grashoppers of the earth approach him If we call him the holy one of Israel how dare we that are conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquity whose life is polluted with a daily infection of actuall transgressions draw neere to him If we call him Lord of heauen and earth how dare wee that haue not giuen him the honour due to his name that haue not obeyed his holy and iust commandements solicite him If we call him King of Kings how dare we that haue said nolumus hunc regnare super nos come in his sight rebels to his will vassailes to his enemie There is no name so fit for inuocation as the name of a Father that is a name of such louing coniunction that when we haue wasted our whole portion and dishonoured our parentage are come to the lowest ebbe of all worthinesse to the fullest sea of all indignity yet there is hope in that name of a Father as there is of the end of the root of a tree cut downe and whose very root is rotten in the earth for there is a scent of water that will keepe life in vs and giue vs vegetation from the iuyce of that name 1 A King offended with a Subiect may banish him his dominions for euer 2 An husband iustly prouoked by his false and disloyall wife may separate from her by diuorcement 3 A Master may reuenge the trespasses of his vnprofitable seruant by turning him out of his seruice and forbidding him his house 4 Fratrum quoque gratia rara the quarrels of brethren hardly reconciled like a Castle barricadoed 5 Friends may forget the louing interest that they haue exchanged one with another But the name of a Father is a name of such tendernesse as will carry a plea when all these doe faile Can a Father forget can a Mother forget as putting it for a kinde of impossibilitie Dauid cannot forget Absolon hee did him two the most incompatible iniuries that could be offered to iealousie in his wiues he defiled them in the sight of the sunne and of the people in his kingdome for hee attempted the dethroning of him and sought the Crowne in the bloud of his father yet Dauid forgat not that he was his father hee pardoned him liuing he deplored him dead would God I had dyed for thee c. So that one commeth to God touched with a conscionable remorse of all his sinnes saying Etsi ego amisi ingenuitatem filij tu non amisisti pietatem patris So that the name of Father here giuen to God doth denote these two gratious properties of complete loue where first
complaine of the great want of this zeale euen in his Church amongst those that make confession of his name For the common swearing by the name of God and the ordinary idle naming that holy name vnholily with long custome of euill doing is growne to such an habite of sinne that few of vs doe lay it to heart as we ought We do neither refraine from this iniurie to the name of our God our selues nor seeke to reforme it in others But where the zeale of Gods glory is truly kindled it both consumeth all this euill in our selues and it flasheth out to the combustion of it in others For that wee pray in this petition that the name of God may be hallowed not onely by our owne sanctification of it but by the preparation of others for it the prouocation of others to it and the reformation of others as much as in vs lieth who offend against it This zeale then of the name of God doth require of vs both a conscionable care of the glorie of Gods name within our selues expressed in thought word and deed but with it a charitable care of our brethren that we admonish them and reproue them if you heare them at any time speake vnreuerently of the name of God Remember the word of Gods Commandement Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour that thou beare not sinne for him Obserue that place well and therein note 1. That if a brother that is any man or woman with whom we doe conuerse doth doe any thing to the dishonour of Gods name we must not presently hate him for it as Gods enemie Therefore he is called our brother to endeare him to vs. 2 That we must seuerely rebuke him which is exprest in the Hebrew phrase in rebuking thou shalt rebuke him 3 This must be done as to a brother in loue of thy neighbour shewing him the right and conuincing of euill 4 Note the danger least thou beare sinne for him that is least thou make his sinne thine by thy silence Reproofe is Oleum Sanctorum let the righteous smite me and reproue me saith the Psalmist it is balsamum amicitiae it sheweth true loue and therefore must be performed very discreetly the Hebrew Doctors say Leniter molli Lingua let vs take heed of putting our brother to shame till it come to Dic Ecclesiae and thou spare him not that he may be ashamed and repent him of his sinne 3 The next duty is to sanctifie God in thy life that is confesse him with thy mouth to be holy beleeue him to be so in thy heart teach others that he is so and let thy godly conuersation testifie of thee that thou seruest him so that the name of God be not euill spoken of for thy sake For they be Gods enemies that take his name in vaine the Psalmist saith It is to no purpose to pray daily that the name of God may be hallowed if our life and carriage our words and workes doe dishonour God Therefore let this petition of ours to God remember vs of Gods command to vs Sancti estote the very Idols of the Heathen had that honour done them that the Law went for them Deos caste adeunto And if seruants must Count their Masters worthy of all honour that the name of God be not euill spoken of much more must we esteeme our heauenly father worthy of honour least he be violated in his name This Sanctifying of God in our life extendeth to the vse of his good creatures our food and raiment our dwellings and such like riches of Gods mercy when we doe 1 Preserue them from abuse 2 Employ them to the end for which they are ordained of God and bestowed on vs. 3 When we receiue them with thankesgiuing praising the name of God for them 4 When we suffer the want of them with patience learning as wel how to want as to abound I conclude this point Consider how the name of God suffereth without the Church by Turkes and infidels that worship a God without a Trinitie by Iewes that deny Iesus Christ come in the flesh by all the barbarous nations of the world who haue their seuerall Gods by Papists who rob God of his glory giuing it to images By Anabaptists Schismatikes that serue God in separation by the prophane of the world There are but few left to hallow his name let them doe it well 2 Petition Thy Kingdome come When we haue prouided for the honour of the name of our heauenly father that that may be beleeued and confessed to be holy and that due reuerence may be giuen by vs to it our next request is for the aduancement of the kingdome of God vpon earth This is another addition to the glory of God our father when we desire that he may reigne sole Soueraigne Lord of heauen and earth and that none may rise vp against him For our better vnderstanding of this petition we must consider 1 What is meant by the kingdome of God 2 How we would haue this kingdome come 3 What duties we are taught here 1 What is meant by this kingdome The Kingdome of God is three fold 1 Regnum potentiae 2 Regnum gratiae 3 Regnum gloriae 1 Regnum potentiae In the first we consider God as the Almighty Creator maker of heauen and earth and the high possessor of all that is in them contained as the mighty gouernour and protector of his creatures applying them al to his seruice and to the good of each other So he is called King of kings and Lord of all Lords of this the Psal The Lord hath prepared his throne in heauen his kingdome ruleth ouer all A voyce from heauen told proud Nebuchadnezar that his kingdome was departed from him that he must be humbled with great iudgements Vntill thou know that the most high ruleth in the kingdome of men and giueth it to whom soeuer he will This proues him a lyar who told Christ shewing him the kingdomes of the world All this power will I giue thee for it is deliuered vnto me and to whom soeuer I will I giue it For indeed the Lord is king and he doth whatsoeuer he will in heauen and in earth and in all deepe places Vnder this vniuersall dominion hee hath subiect to him all Creatures Angels and Men and Diuels heauen and earth and hell nothing is in being that is not in subiection to this vniuersall Monarchy 2 Regnum gratiae This is Gods speciall power and goodnesse in the gouernment of his elect people the throne of this kingdome is his Church Iudah is his Sanctuary and Israel his dominion The subiects of this kingdome are the faithfull people of God to whom he speaketh by his Prophet The meeke of the earth which haue wrought his iudgement who seeke righteousnesse and seeke meekenesse all those that feare the Lord and thinke vpon
his name The Lawes of this kingdome are the holy Scriptures and these are called often the kingdome of heauen in their Ministerie for by them the glory and power of Gods kingdome is declared on earth and they are The rod of his mouth The arme of God by which he directeth and aweth all his subiects Therefore the Scepter of this Kingdome is called Sceptrum iustitiae This Kingdome of God is 1 Outward in the visible profession of the same faith and coniunction in one body of a Church and so all that ioyne together in the one worship of the same God professing to be ruled and gouerned by his holy Lawes are the visible kingdome 2 Inward in the hearts of all the elect people of God And so Christ saith Behold the kingdome of God is within you For God reigneth in the hearts and consciences of all his chosen by their faith and obedience and loue and this kingdome is not meate or drinke but it is Righteousnesse Peace and ioy in the holy Ghost 1. Righteousnesse that is the iustification of his subiect by faith whereby Christ is made to vs of God righteousnesse because the righteousnesse of Christ is imputed to vs. 2 Peace for the Gospell of the kingdome is called the Gospell of peace because it filleth vs with peace of conscience in the assurance of the pardon of all our sinnes and it giueth vs a loue of outward peace in the Church knitting vs so together with the bonds of loue that as much as in vs lieth we desire to haue peace with all men 3 Ioy in the holy Ghost for where righteousnesse and peace dwell there is all spirituall ioy The voyce of ioy is in the Tabernacles of the righteous for hauing once tasted how sweete the Lord is then the soule delighteth in the Lord. Then the Statutes of God taste sweeter then hony or the hony combe they are more pretious then all manner of riches they are the very ioy of our hearts Then the feete of them that bring vs glad tydings of peace are beautifull Then the house of Gods worship is the place of our delight we will begge of God that we may dwell there where his honour dwelleth Then we shall loue the holy assemblies and be glad when it is sayd to vs we will goe vp to the house of the Lord our feete shall then stand in the gates of Gods house And the assembly of his armies will seeme to vs to be in perfect beauty Then we shall call the Sabbath of the Lord our delight and we shall make conscience of doing our owne will vpon Gods holy day Then shall we be weaned from the immoderate loue of the world and contentednesse shall meete with godlinesse Then shall we find and tast sweetnesse in afflictons and perciue it good for vs that wee haue beene afflicted and shal reioyce in our sufferings for Iesus Christ so then the kingdome of grace is two fold 1 Generall in the whole body of the Church where Christ reigneth King beeing head of his Church to guide it with his wisedome to saue and defend it by his power to Sanctifie it by his Spirit 2 Particular in euery elect member of the Church where Christ reigneth in the conscience and hid man of the heart gouerning and protecting and teaching and sanctifying the same to himselfe 3. Regnum gloriae 1 Nostrae 2 Dei This is that heauenly inheritance of the Church which Christ hath purchased for all the faithfull of which our Sauiour saith Feare not little flocke for it is your fathers pleasure to giue you the kingdome And of this is said Come yee blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Of this Dauid saith I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse and before In thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand pleasures for euermore This is a place of glory 1 In respect of the holinesse of the subiects of it for no vncleane thing can enter into it it is called Ciuitas sancta He that is left in Ierusalem and he that remaineth in Sion shall be called holy euen euery one that is written among the liuing in Ierusalem When the Lord shall haue washed away the filth of the daughters of Sion and shall haue purged the bloud of Ierusalem from the middest thereof by the spirit of iudgement and by the spirit of burning 2 It is a kingdome of glorie because all the subiects of it are stripped out of all their infirmities and made like to the glorious Angels of God Yea the Scripture telleth vs more that we shall be like to Christ because we shall see him as he is More it saith that our vile bodies shall be like his glorious bodie Eternall health eternall ioy perfect and full knowledge blessednesse which shall neuer be taken away from vs and a full and finall abolition of all our wantes Here is that Crowne of righteousnesse and the reward of faith and the purchase of our Mediatour Here we are subiects and Kings our subiection is a royaltie for we reigne with Christ and the adoption of children is so complete in heauen and in glory that like the Elder sonne in the parable of the prodigall all that our father hath is ours The kingdome of grace is the way to the kingdome of glory it is the suburbs of this abiding city The kingdome of grace is that kingdome which Christ exerciseth in his Church here and which he deliuereth vp to God his father when the kingdome of glory cometh of which the Apostle saith Then cometh the end when he shall haue deliuered vp the kingdome to God euen the Father when he shall haue put downe all rule and all authority and power For he must reigne till hee haue put downe all his enemies vnder his feete Then shall the sonne also himselfe be subiect to him that put all things vnder him that God may be all in all Where the Apostle sheweth the vtter cessation of the kingdome of grace swallowed vp of this kingdome of glory This place of the Apostle is notable and containeth points of deepe consideration 1 Concerning Christs deliuering vp of the kingdome we must know that Christ is King as God and man so is the head of his Church and this kingdome hee holdeth by vertue of his office as hee is Mediatour between God and man and when that worke is accomplished in the fulnesse of his glory of the elect then that kingdome must cease and be giuen vp into the hands of the Father who gaue him the administration thereof for the gathering together of the Saints and for the bringing of all the elect to him 2 When he saith that Christ shall deliuer vp this kingdome to his Father let no man conceiue that the Father was all this while out of his kingdome and is now by the Sonne restored at
of the name of God God withdrew his kingdome from them and cast them off This shewes how earnestly we had neede to fixe our hearts on the hallowing of Gods name that we may be bold to aske of him and may beleeue to obtaine of him the desired comming of his kingdome Concerning the enemies that we haue to hinder our settingforth and progression to this kingdom of glory they be all the same which would hinder the comming of the kingdome of grace for the way of grace leadeth vs to glorie Sathan by tempting vs here and by accusing vs to God The world partly by fascination of vs leading vs into an ouer-loue of things temporal partly by persecuting of vs with many afflictions and vexations of life Our owne bodie of sinne being like tinder ready to take fire from the least sparke of carnall suggestion all these lay themselues in our way to hinder our passage to this heauenly kingdome Against which we pray Adueniat regnum tuum that is O Lord let none of our enemies preuaile so farre against vs as to hinder the saluation of our soules 2 It is needfull to pray this in respect of the necessary graces of God which we doe naturally want by which wee are made members of that holy commonwealth which is subiect to the Kingdome of Gods grace and made capable of the kingdome of Gods glory These graces of God are partly outward partly inward and Spirituall 1 Of the outward 1 These are the libertie of the Gospell that wee may freely professe Christ and openly avow his holy worship and keepe his Sabbaths and holy daies and our publike meetings in the house of God there was a time when Dauid was forced to fly from the angry face of Saul and escape for his life then hee bewaileth this as his most heauy oppression that hee was banished from the Tabernacle and might not come to the meetings of the holy congregations hee hath a psalme of purpose for that complement Therefore we are much bound to God for this holy liberty of his house and seruice which wee enioy vnder the pious gouernment of our King and in this petition wee pray that this libertie may bee maintained and enlarged to vs and euermore continued that the free vse of the ministrie of the word holy Sacraments may be established in our Church and that the Lord of the haruest would furnish his work with worthy able labourers in this haruest for the perfiting of his Saints And consequently that God would remoue all hinderances to this light either arising from the opposition of such as are profest enemies to it or the wickednesse or vnsufficiency of such as by their weakenesse and vnworthinesse or by their idlenesse and vnprofitablenesse or their vngodlinesse and iniquity may hinder the free course of the Gospell or bring a scandall vpon the Church of God amongst vs. Further we pray for the efficacy of our Ministery in all those that are partakers thereof that God would thereby enlighten the vnderstandings of all our congregations that his name and seruice may be knowne to them and that they may not liue in darkenesse in the sunneshine of this glorious light of truth That when wisdome preacheth they may not walke as fooles when truth preacheth they may not belieue lies when faith preacheth they may not liue in infidelity when holinesse preacheth they may not liue in all sensuall vncleanesse walking in the way of their corrupt lusts in all abomination to the prouoking of God to anger against them The inward meanes for the aduancing of this kingdome of God here desired is the holy Ghost creating in vs new hearts and regenerating vs to a godly life and establishing vs in the same Christ promised to send this Spirit into his Church to abide with it for him foreuer to instruct it to be a remembrancer to it of all things that he had said to it To strengthen it against errours in doctrine to sanctifie it against corruptions of lusts fortifie it against the principalities and powers that oppose it to comfort it in spirituall and temporall grieuances So Adueniat regnum tuum is asmuch as reueale to vs that spirit which thou hast promised to supply thy roome in the perpetuall regiment of thy Church and let the holy Ghost gouerne vs This then is the suite Adueniat regnum gloriae nostrae We pray for the coming of the kingdome of Gods glory which is the consummation of our happinesse as if we would answer Christ he saith It is your fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome We cry Lord let it come Where our desire of the coming of it doth expresse our expectation of his coming to giue it to vs our loue of his coming and our longing desire of it The reasons why we desire this coming of it are 1 Because God hath reuealed to vs so great a mercy layed vp for vs and reserued in the decree of his good pleasure and wee may bouldly aske it of him for his commandement is Aske and receiue 2 Because God hath promised vs the gift of it and we may boldly claime all the precious promises of God in our praier promise is our warant 3 Because God hath reuealed to vs that he wil shorten 〈◊〉 dayes of the troubles of his Church for the elect sake We pray therefore for the hastening of that time according to his good pleasure 4 Because we haue great examples of this prayer both in earth and in heauen 1 Of the whole creature which groaneth and trauaileth in paine together with vs. Where insteed of praying for this aduent of Christs kingdome there is The earnest expectation of the creature waiting for the manifestation of the Sonne of God For the whole creature hath a promise to be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God 2 Of the elect of God here for that followes And not onely they but our selues also which haue the first fruits of the spirit euen wee our selues groane within our selues wayting for our adoption to wit the redemption of our body 3 We haue helpe in these our groanes from the spirit teaching vs as we ought to pray for this Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh intercession for vs with groanings which cannot bee vttered 2 In heauen The soules vnder the altar of them that were slaine for the word of God and for the testimony which they held They cry with a loud voyce saying how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth and they haue their petition answered That when the number of these Saints is fulfilled then this kingdome shall come 4 Regnum gloriae dei The comming of this kingdome is the full consummation of Gods glory both in his gratious mercy to saue
his glory to giue it them by adoration and inuocation as the Romanists doe and teach but imitation The best examples are most safely imitated not sicut in terra for euen the Saints of God on earth had their infirmities and aberrations and though it would doe well if we did follow them yet their lame and imperfect example is dangerous lest we should fasten vpon some of their errours being naturally apt thereto but their example in heauen is without any danger there they are as the Angels of God and we haue no such way to make an heauen vpon earth as to maintaine the obedience of this holy will of God for it is not the place but the seruice that makes that to be heauen that is a glorious and happy place If Adam had preserued his innocencie and integrity in obedience earth had beene the temple of Gods holinesse and the sanctuarie of his presence and the paradise of mans happinesse still The way to heauen now is the way of obedience that is via pacis and there is no hope of the comming of Gods kingdome but to such as liue in the holy and humble obedience of Gods will And therefore to reedifie this obedience let mee admonish you to take heed of sinne 1 In the antecedents and occasions of it for he that maketh conscience of doing the will of God must remoue all the occasions and inuitations to the will of flesh as Iacob to preuent the Idolatry of his family tooke away all their strange gods and their eare-rings and burned them vnder the oake which was by Sichem When Paul preached at Ephesus many were conuerted and it is especially recorded there that Many of them which vsed curious art brought their bookes together and burnt them before all men Ioseph to preuent the euill which he feared from the temptation of his Mistresse hee both refused her offer and auoided her company 2 In the consequents of sinne for sinne doth leaue behind it some kinde of delectation especially sinnes that accord with our corrupt will as the wanton can hardly so be conuerted to the will of God in sanctification and keeping his vessell cleane but hee will remember the delight of his vncleanenesse with some titillation The rich man that hath mended his heape or enlarged his walke by sinne can hardly recouer so by repentance but that he shall sometimes thinke how deare it costeth him to recouer the fauour of God The auenger of his owne wrongs cannot so put off that sinne but that the sweetnesse of his reuenge will leaue some relish behind it And he cannot preuaile so perfectly against his angry passion but that if there be not vltio a full reuenge yet there may remaine retentio Both these precedents and subsequents of sinne doe hinder the course of the due doing of the will of God and therefore are to be warily declined as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen as much as in vs lyeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and and grace be asked of God for it 4 There is also required a patient submitting of our selues to the will of God when it is reuealed to vs that is fiat voluntas tua super nos which is well paraphrased by the Apostle in whom you haue these three duties put in order according as I haue taught them For this cause we also doe not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye may be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding That is the first dutie of them that pray this petition to know and informe themselues rightly of the will of God to which we haue added a Retention of the same in the remembrance helped by meditation cōference It followeth That ye might walke worthy of the Lord vnto all pleasing being fruitfull in euery good worke that is the dutie of obedience in labouring to fulfill the will of God doing that which he commandeth and declining that which he forbiddeth To this he addeth strengthened with all might according to his glorious power vnto all patience and long-suffering with ioyfulnesse And this being one branch of our petition that God would strengthen vs with his might to beare his will with patience doth teach vs that the duty required of vs is 1 Patience to beare the hand of God 2 Long-suffering to beare it out 3 Ioyfulnesse to beare it with comfort and contentment in it without reluctation or murmuring against it resting in the will of God as the full and finall answer to all obiections that may arise against our patience of it Saint Iames his precept is Let patience haue her perfect worke that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing And this is the way to perfect the worke of patience which S. Paul doth teach the Colossians It is an hard lesson but they which will goe in the narrow way and enter in at the strait gate that leadeth to life must looke for no easier lessons in the schoole of the Crosse Flesh and bloud doth deprecate all euill therefore to be put to suffer which is the doctrine of patience seemeth harsh and distastfull And because all affliction for the time is grieuous and painefull therefore when we are in paine we pray thrice to God that this euil may depart from vs as Saint Paul did But to be put to suffer long and to continue vnder the crosse which is the doctrine of long-suffering in calamities that goeth more against the heart all this is against vs. But to reioyce in afflictions to take them for medicines to swallow them for health and to beleeue them to be the fauours of God Flesh and bloud hath neuer an eare to heare of this paradoxall diuinity yet patience hath not her worke perfect and wanting nothing till all these meete in the worke thereof Patience is not perfect except it beare all that God inflicteth on vs. It is not entire except it beare so long as God shall thinke it meete to visit It is not wanting nothing yea it is wanting al things if it want ioyfulnesse which through the bitternesse of the physicke doth tast the sweetnesse of health and through the darke cloud of calamities behold the cleare light of Gods countenance There is nothing wherein the faith of the Church is more tryed then in suffering the hand of God vpon vs when hee smiteth vs and in bearing the Crosse of Christ Saint Iames saith that the Trying of our faith worketh patience Saint Paul seemeth to inuert the proposition for hee saith that patience worketh experience or tryall they are thus reconciled Saint Iames speaketh of tryall actiuely as it is the worke of God by afflictions trying our faith and so whilest wee are vnder the rod of God God maketh proofe tryall of our patience how we can beare what he inflicteth Saint Paul speaketh of this tryall passiuely as it is the experience which we haue of our selues and
one God but know not this way to him by Iesus Christ may aske but they shall neuer receiue they may seeke but shall neuer finde they may knocke but it shall neuer be opened to them Christ saith I am the way no man commeth to the Father but by me The Papists doe forsake this way in their multiplicitie of Mediatours for though they beare the world in hand that they acknowledge but one Mediatour of satisfaction that is Christ many Mediatours of intercession that is Angels and Saints the prayers that their Liturgies doe vent declare against them that they inuocate the Father in the mediation of Saints by way of satisfaction forasmuch as they plead with God the merits of Saints and ascribe as much efficacie to the milke of the Virgin Mother of our Lord as to the bloud of her Sonne This in a Booke allowed by authority which concludeth with this blasphemous peremptory prayer to God O Lord thou must pardon mee I cry aloud it is not bloud will serue my turne I long for milke But concerning intercession Christ himselfe hath reuealed no other way but quicquid petierit is patrem in nomine meo and in that we rest 8 We must pray in fit forme of words It is not euery mans abilitie to expresse the desires of the heart in a good composition of fit words wee must neither be ouernice as if we conceiued that God would bee taken with the oratorie and rhetorique of words and sentences with the musicke of fine and choice phrases figuratiue and affected flourishes of humane eloquence neither must we be ouer homely and rude and vnmannerly to sollicite God in such language as wee dare not tender to men sad and serious graue and gratious must our prayers be that they may declare an holy reuerent zeale with true and sanctified iudgement For neither courting with elegancies of wit and speech nor slighting with vnkempt and homely rusticity which with some doth passe for plainenesse doth please our God there is an art of praying as well as of speaking and the Disciples would learne the Grammer thereof We teach children how to aske our blessing how to call for such things as they shall need and we can minister vnto them and no mans owne iudgement without good information can direct him in the great duty of holy prayer which is our inuocation of God our asking him blessing and forgiuenesse our praising of his name 9 We must pray in methode for seeing God is our principall delight wee must first seeke the honour of God and seeing our selues are next to vs wee must let our charity beginne at home and so passe to our neighbours and seeing the soule is more excellent then the body wee must first desire spirituall then temporall gifts as Christ seeke ye first the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof You see that the mysterie of godlinesse in prayer is great and deepe and that we had need to be well directed to doe it aright Many turne this great part of Gods holy worship into sinne by being vntaught or not hauing well learned the doctrine of prayer it will be worth our consideration to take a short notice of the common faults committed in prayer 1 Prayer is of no validitie with God if it come from sinners God heareth not sinners If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me therefore wee must purge our conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Vnderstand this comfortably that it is meant of knowne sinnes vnrepented such as know themselues faulty and doe not vse the best meanes to reforme themselues and to forsake sinnes cannot pray to bee heard In this case are all they that liue in the continuall practise or by the daily gaine of a sinne 2 Prayer is vnacceptable si timida if wee come to God as seruants not as sonnes there is an holy feare that maketh vs come reuerently that is a great ingredient in our preparation to prayer there is a seruile feare which breedeth in vs despaire we pray but haue no hope of successe 3 Si tumida Proud beggars shall bee said nay the Pharisee came proudly to God to giue him an inuentory of his virtues as one saith as if a wounded man should come to a surgeon and shew him all his sound parts and conceale his wound They that demand heauen of God as wages due to the merit of their works pray proudly and they shall haue what they deserue to their shame and smart 4 Si anxia God loues not that wee should come to him in distraction full of the cares of the world for they hinder deuotion the heart that sendeth forth welcome prayers preuailing with God must be established with grace This holy ballast doth make vs steddy our own vanities put vs to the tosse of euery waue 5 Si multiloqua for God loues not babling the iuyce of grace is not prest out with the weight of words it was one of the follies of the heathen by our Sauiour reproued Thou art on the earth he to whom thou prayest is in heauen Sint verba pauca 6 Si nimium festina It was a good old counsell festina lentè nimis properè minùs prosperè Wee must be content to awaite the good leisure of God for the holy one will not be limited I wayted patiently vpon the Lord and he enclined his eare to me and heard me Qui credit non festinat Idoneus promissor est fidelis redditor tu tantum esto pius exactor 7 Si intempestiva There is a season for all things the foolish virgins lost it and they knockt too late And Peter was too soone faciamus hic tria tabernacula Seeke the Lord whilest he may be found 8 Si carnalis If we haue care to the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof As they that being in the chase of some high preferment doe pray God for the successe they desire and their thoughts are fastned on the good meat they will eate the good cloathes they will weare the great traine that they will keep whom they will aduance whom they will oppresse You speed not saith S. Iames because you aske amisse to spend it vpon your lusts if such speed in their suites it is a gift giuen to the owner of it for his hurt And now I thinke you will confesse that it is a great wisdome to be taught how to pray and if you loue your bodies or soules God or your neighbour you will not leaue till you haue learned how to pray 3 They come to Christ to teach them Therein the whole Christian Church was beholding to them for by this meanes we come to an absolute direction for prayer that will hold out and keepe in fashion till time be no more Donec cesset oratio And the word vsed in compellation which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeceptor but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth fit well to expresse the
it sufficiently if more be added to his instructions 2 Wee must in praier begge nothing but good and perfect gifts which I thinke none will deny And it is folly to begge those of any one or more who are not able to giue them therefore S. Iames doth direct vs to God because Euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the father of lights in spinis non quaeris vnas 3 Praier is a principall part of Gods worship and therefore onely proper to God according to his law Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue 4 Inuocation and faith are ioyned together we may not pray but to him in whom we must beleeue so the Apostle How shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued Where the Apostles argument is plainely vrged that people did not beleeue in God therefore they did not pray Which consequence sheweth that where there is no beleeuing there is no praier for faith must goe before praier so Saint Iames let him aske in faith And I hope no good Christian will hold it lawfull to beleeue in any but God therefore Our father which art in heauen which begins our praier answereth to I beleeue in God the Father Almighty which beginnes our Creed Whom haue I in heauen but thee and there is none vpon earth that I desire besides thee God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer 5 Praier is not lawfully directed to any but to him who knoweth what we stand in need of And this none but Almighty God knoweth therefore he onely is to be called vpon I take this argument from our Sauiour your heauenly father knoweth what things yee haue need of before yee aske him Therefore babble not in long praiers hee onely knoweth whether our praiers be for such things as wee haue need of for no other things may be desired of him in our praier but what we need this none of our fellow creatures can perfectly know yea our selues want many things and are not alwayes sensible of our wants and sometimes we doe falsely flatter our selues that wee haue those things which we want as the Church of Laodicea thought her selfe rich and happy being poore and miserable 6 It is fit that we direct our prayers to such a one who is able to releeue vs against all opposition this no creature can doe for Sathan and all the euill angels which continually pursue vs to annoy vs and to hinder our good will certainly preuaile against vs if wee haue no strength but our owne and the assistance of our fellow-creatures to aide vs. But our God is the rock and fortresse of his Church which is impregnable he opens his hand and all the kingdome of Sathan cannot shut it hee stretcheth out his hand and the powers of darknesse can neither shrinke vp nor shorten it for who hath resisted his right hand None can hinder the dispensation of his bounties none can stoppe the decourse of them to vs none but himselfe can take them from vs. 7 Prayers must be directed to him only who alone heareth the prayers of all them that pray all the world ouer It were a lamentable state of man if his danger be at hand and his remedy farre off if hee feele his misery and his mercy be to seeke no Dauid saith O thou that hearest prayers vnto thee shall all flesh come To what creature can we ascribe this vbiquity this omniscience this omnipotence that we should pray to him and all things but God are creatures therefore none but God to be prayed to I will vrge the argument of Moses the man of God concerning all other inuocations of any but this liuing God Aske now of the dayes that are past which were before thee since the day that God created man vpon the earth and aske from the one side of heauen to the other Search the liuing booke of Gods truth the canon of faith and manners from the first in principio to the last amen and see if there be either precept or example of any other inuocation then that which Christ here teacheth of God only Examples and instructions are frequent for this inuocation none against it therefore no other inuocation but this pleadable I deny not but the Church of Rome hath both doctrine and practise against this truth of the word of God and it is no newes for their kingdome is of this world and it were much out of their way that all the world should beleeue that the way to God is open in the only mediation of Christ Iesus for all that wee would haue either giuen or forgiuen vs therefore they maintaine prayer to Angels and to Saints Which they haue long laboured to defend but their pretended proofes haue beene euer so learnedly and fully reproued by the patrons of the truth that any indifferent minded man might see the light euen through the mists which they cast vpon it and poore shifts haue they made to put off the shame of their foyle I will giue you instance In the controuersie betweene Bishop Iewell and Harding The Bishop doth presse him with this their blasphemous prayer to the Virgin Mary Salva omnes quae te glorificant Hard. Our meaning is pray for vs to God that we may be saued Were not words taught vs to expresse our meaning doe these words import any such thing as their glosse putteth vpon them But because wee liue now in the times wherein the Papists make more bold then euer they durst these 60. yeares and more and because his Maiestie hath left their doctrines open to our confutation though for some reason of State their persons are priuiledged from the iustice of the lawes of the state Seeing praier is a chiefe part of our holy seruice of God and it belongeth to vs to teach the doctrine of praier it is fit that we be setled in iudgement in this first point to whom we must pray Wherein because there is a difference betweene the Papists and vs let vs set that to rights first In a late pocket Pamphlet which smels yet of the Presse dispersed to corrupt the religion of such as are either vngrounded or giddie it is vndertaken to bee proued out of the Kings Bible in English 1 That Angels may be praied to 2 That Saints may be inuocated 1 For inuocation of Angels 1 It is alleadged that Iacob blessing the sonnes of Ioseph vsed these words The Angell which redeemed mee from all euill blesse the lads What is this but a calling vpon the Angell and as much is it a praier as the former wherein hee inuocateth the name of God who fed him all his life long The state of this question lyeth in the search and finding out what Angell Iacob meaneth in that benediction His words are plaine the Angell that redeemed him from all euill and will it not fall out to be the
did first by his apostolique authority bring the Gospell into this kingdome And inferreth that he being his successor and equall in name and dignity though inferiour to him in sanctity and vertue should follow his footsteps in restoring the gospell to this land againe But the assertion of Gregories first plantation of the Gospell in England is most false for Parsons in his Booke of the three conuersions of England to the Gospell doth make that of Gregory the third and not the first conuersion But were it true the argument followeth not that hee who now carrieth his name but is inferiour to him in holinesse and vertue should haue the same power or hope to worke the same effect that hee did for the instruments of God in the conuersion of soules doe not worke by name and dignity but by sanctitie and vertue And euen herein this Gregory that then vsurped the Church Monarchie is inferiour to Gregory the great in holinesse and vertue because Gregory the great did not onely abstaine from the name of vniuersall Bishop and the common Father of the Church but he wrote most inuectiuely against it For he wrote an angry reprehension to Eulogius Patriarch of Alexandria for stiling himselfe vniuersall Biship And when Iohn Patriarch of Constantinople vsurped that vndue title he wrote to him to rebuke it hee called it nefandum stultum superbum vocabulum he saith that the Councell of Chalcedon offered his predecessours at Rome that title sed tameÌ„ nullus sibi hoc temerariuÌ„ nomen arripuit But now Bellarmine hath charged the late Kings Maiestie with denyall of the faith because he supposeth that in the oath of alleageance he denyeth the Pope the title of supreame Father of the Church I had not diuerted thus farre to the Popes vsurpation of this honour of Our Father but that the times grow sicke of a surfer of light and truth and beginne to incline and propend to apostacie that the God of mercies grows impatient thereof and by admirable iudgeiudgement declareth his indignation against it Therefore restoring this title of Our Father to God to whom onely it belongs and taking it away from the Pope who blasphemously vsurpeth it we say Our is vox charitatis and calleth all the faithfull sonnes of God brethren all the world ouer Christ Iesus our elder brother being the author maintainer of this brotherhood It is the said Kings Maiesties learned obseruation vpon this word that it sheweth the communion which is among the Saints and that euery one is a member of a body of a Church that is compacted of many members contrary to those vpstart Amsterdam sects where two or three make a Church Who as S. Cyprian saith doe sibi extra Ecclesiam contra Ecclesiam constituere sibi conuenticula perditae factionis And yet nothing is more vsuall with them then to giue the name of the Brethren to their irregular societies and schismaticall complices But this common interest of the faithfull in God vniteth them in one holy society and they that diuide this into factions are schismatiques they that breake forth into new opinions against the truth of God are heretiques onely they are brethren truely who encrease the truth of God in vnity and these doe pray to God omnes pro omnibus singulis singuli pro omnibus singulis 4 There is no pride in them they are not ashamed to call one another brethren King Dauid cals his subiects Brethren and Companions for my Brethren and Companions sake c. One is your Master euen Christ and all ye are Brethren one is your Father which is in heauen This Father is no accepter of persons he is as much father to the poore as to the rich and though here on earth the difference of ranke and degree doth much aduance some and deiect others in this court of supreme audience Princes haue no more right to the fatherhood of God then their meanest vassals their wants are no sooner seene their miseries no sooner pitied and releiued their petitions no sooner receiued and answered then of those that lye in the dust and they that wander vp and downe in Sheepe skins and Goat skins derided despised persecuted are as gratiously inuited and with as much welcome receiued with our Father as those that haue their pathes annointed with butter and whose portion is the fattest It is a certaine rule that the proud man who despiseth his brethren cannot pray hee that will not owne his brethren our Father will not owne him The common duty of Christians is as the Apostle admonisheth in giuing honours goe one before another This very compellation calling God Our Father doth honour all the faithfull seruants of God with the honour that is due to them according to the precept of the Apostle Honour all men And we not knowing who belong to the kingdome of God and not daring to iudge are therefore to esteeme all men our brethren and to honour them with the name of brethren I beseech you let prayers and supplications be made for all men for seeing Christ hath prayed not onely for his twelue but for all those that shall beleeue through their word we doe charitably conceiue that all men are either in present profession or in Gods gratious expectation our brethren Let vs not boast our selues either against them who are not yet come into the Church or against them that are gone out for such pride God resisteth and let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall Let nothing be done in strife vain glory but in lowlinesse of minde let each esteeme others better then himself Looke not euery man on his owne things but euery man also on the things of others This is called the same mind that was in Iesus Christ and they that pray to God in Christs words and not with his minde loose labour They be flatterers that ouerdoe in giuing honour belying men to their faces with false and vndue ascriptions They be slanderers that put vniust aspertions vpon their brethren they be proud or worse that ouerlooke them as vnworthy of their regard humility findeth an equality in the hoâ—shold of God and they say with the sonnes of Iacob we are brethren the sonnes of one God our Father which is in heauen we are all one mans sonnes in the land of Canaan There is no malice in them that say aright Our Father they pray one for another and wish the welfare of one another They remember that they were all at first in the loynes of the first Adam and that now they are in the loue and fauour of the second Adam and this reuiueth that principle of nature facâ—â—lijs fieri quod cupis ipse tibi It is not lawfull for vs to begge any thing of God for others that we would not wish to our selues Why should we striue saith Abraham to Lot seeing we are brethren and therefore he that biddeth vs to
1 I obserue how quickly vpon the forbearance of the law the Papists doe take aduantage to congregate themselues into assemblies and to make open profession of their opposition to vs. 2. How readie the treacherous Priests who haue fallen from vs by Apostasie are to confirme the Apostasie of such as are gone from vs to tempt others not established 3. Another speciall obseruation in that conuenticle was the time when this suddaine destruction came vpon Papists it was by their new computation of the yeare in the Gregorian Calender on their fift day of Nouember So that God would haue them tast of his iustice with a touch and remembrance of that dismall day which their religion had dessigned to our ruine now they haue their fift of Nouember as well as we but with so mercifull a difference on our part so iust a difference on their part that when they shall thinke of our fift of Nouember they may see their owne hand plotting mischiefe Gods hand detecting and defeating it and their fift of Nouember will acknowledge no hand but of Almighty God in the whole worke of their destruction Their intendment forged in hell was to haue wrought vpward to blow vp all this execution from the hand of God wrought downeward in the fall On our fift of Nouember the great assembly of the State which maintaine true Religions was aimed at On their fift of Nouember a priuate Conuenticle hereticall changelings and such as haue denied the faith of Christ here rightly and sincerely taught were hit And as their day intended the sodaine death of some of their owne friends to make those whom they hated more sure So it is to be feared that some of our owne Protestants somewhat too curious to pry somewhit too daring to aduenture into the tents of the enemie did pay deare for their ouer curious diligence in ioyning themselues with vnlawfull assemblies The vse of those fearefull examples of Gods iustice vpon those that forsake the true Church of God is not to reioyce in their destruction But secondly to remember the threatning Word of our Sauiour Except yee repent yee shall all likewise perish For God wanteth not matter of iust quarrell against the best of vs all to punish vs also and to make vs examples of his iust vengeance if he were not our Father louing and indulgent toward vs for Christs sake in whom he loueth and spareth and forbeareth vs and we haue no other way to keepe him a father but by our true repentance of our sinnes and obedience to his holy Word 2. It is a warning to vs seeing he that we pray to is our father in a speciall reference to all the sincere professours of the holy truth of God without schisme heresie or superstition that therefore we keepe our selues in the vnity of the Church not forsaking the assemblies of our brethren whom either faction or superstition hath separated from vs. These sinners against their owne soules are a dangerous societie let vs haue nothing to doe with them in their hereticall seperations the very eye vpon them may bee dangerous for these are the windowes of the body Mors intrat per fenestras Dauids Prayer is Auerie oculos meos ne videant vanitatem And let not vs say aperiam oculos meos vt videam If we take hurt by looking on we may too late complaine with him in the Poet Cur aliquid vidi Cur noxia lumina feci Is it not safer to avoyd poyson then to drinke it in vpon confidence of our antidote 3. Let the name of our Father moue a compassion in vs towards our brethren staggering in Religion to confirme them fallen from vs to reduce them to the vnity of our Church this partly by our earnest prayers to God for them partly by our wholesome and good counsailes giuen to them partly by the example of our good life directing them when they shall be witnesses of our conformity in life with the doctrine of our faith may be happily performed with much more ioy then we can take in the ruine and destruction of them though they be a generation that doth not set their hearts aright and in whose sight our liues are nothing pretious Till God do declare them his enemies let vs hope and iudge the best of them but the time shall come when God will come himselfe to purge his floore and to diuide betweene the Chaffe and the Wheat betweene the good graine the tares then those whom God shall cast off as his enemies the communion of Saints shall know them and they shall haue warrant to reioyce in their eternall destruction and they shall haue commandement from the iudge of quicke and dead to triumph ouer them Reioyce ouer her thou heauen and yee holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath auenged you on her And in the next Chapter there is an Halleluiah sung in heauen and God is praised for the destruction of Babylon that is the kingdome of Antichrist Let vs with praier striue with God so long as we liue to encrease the number of his faithfull ones to dilate the boundes of his Church and to adde to it dayly such as may be saued with vs. And let vs with patience awaite the iustice of God which in the last day will be reuealed when the sheepe and goats shall be parted and when God shall declare both with whom we shall reioyce in the communion of his Saints and ouer whom we shall triumph in the Synagogue of Sathan then shall the glorie of God both wayes delight vs and we shall haue our desire vpon all Gods enemies Which art in heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who art in the heauens The name of heauen in Scripture is giuen at large to all that space that is aboue the earth so that the ayre where the fowles doe flye is called heauen and they volatilia coeli the planets and the fixed starres are heauenly bodies and there is an heauen farre aboue all heauens to which Christ is said to be exalted We comprehend all in this word for God is dwelling in them all Yet we must take heed that we confine not our God to any certaine place for he is infinite and incomprehensible himselfe telleth vs so Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord doe not I fill heauen and earth saith the Lord Salomon confesseth when he had built God an house at Ierusalem Behold the heauen and heauen of heauens cannot containe thee how much lesse this house that I haue builded Else what comfort had we to pray or hope to bee heard if we did not beleeue the omnipresence of God Eliphaz in Iob doth dispute this point Is not God in the height of heauen and behold the height of the starres how high they are And thou saist how doth God know can hee iudge through the darke cloudes Thicke cloudes are a courening to him that he
seeth not and he walketh in the Circuite of heauen These are grosse and carnall opinions of God that his high habitation in heauen doth make him a stranger to vs and our wayes or maketh our prayers imperssions to him Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God farre of This title of Gods being in the heauens doth not clip the winges of his presence spread and dilated ouer all the world Whither shall I goe from thy spirit or whither shall I fly from thy presence If I ascend vp into heauen thou art there If I make my bed in hell thou art there c. We must therefore search the reasons why God whose presence filleth all places is here called vpon as dwelling in the heauens He is said to be in the heauens in respect of his Maiestie and glory for as the throne of an earthly Prince is his highest place of greatnesse and glory so we can best conceiue God in his glory when wee cast our selues downe before him sitting vpon his throne so Christ saith Heauen is Gods throne and the earth is his footstoole So Dauid The Lords throne is in Heauen his eyes will consider his eye-liddes will try the children of men This teacheth vs to come before God in our praiers with all humble reuerence feare as before a Prince of highest glory sitting in the thron where he iudgeth right They forget this who come before him and present him with their rude and vndigested extemporall euaporations of their desires daring to petition the highest Maiestie with their vnstudied vnpremeditated supplications Salomon presseth this consideration thus Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hastie to vtter any thing before God for God is in heauen and thou vpon earth therefore let thy words be few If the Maiestie of earthly Princes do make thee study thy petitions and take counsaile what thou shalt desire and in what wordes and that thou weighest euery word in it that thou maiest giue no offence doe not make too bold with God who though he be thy father yet is he an heauenly glorious God whose seat is aboue all The sweet and gracious name of a father may peraduenture make vs too bold and therefore this addition of Maiestie is put to it to temper and moderate our presumption and to awe vs. 2. This mention of heauen in Gods title is a remonstrance of Gods omni-videncie for hee is aboue as in speculo in a watch tower from whence hee discerneth all that is done all the world ouer So Dauid Out of heauen did the Lord behold the earth his eye is ouer all the world Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened vnto the eyes of him with whom we haue to doe The Lord is in his holy temple He seeth all mens hearts and discerneth from what affectiōs their praiers are breathed forth into his hearing He seeth who come to him who neglect him he discerneth what it is that bringes to him whether our necessities and wants only or our loue to him he discerneth what vse we intend to make of his gifts if we preuaile with him how we will take it if we speed not in our suites for he knoweth all our thoughts long before So that we are hereby stirred vp to a further conscience of reuerence holy deuotion in our praiers for that we appeare in his presence whose searching doth so narrowly suruey vs from the height of his Sanctuary 3. This mention of the heauens in his title doth expresse the high power of God for what doth more expresse him to vs in fulnesse of omnipotency then this high throne of his greatnesse established in heauen The Heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy-worke This addes yet more to our feare for that power is not to be dallied with The Lord killeth and maketh aliue hee bringeth downe to the graue and bringeth vp By strength no man shall preuaile Here is no contesting with this power and no resisting his right hand our father which art in the heauens Take heed that the presumption on the name of Father doe not dash thee against the rocke of his power for There is no rocke like our God Dauid hath secretly directed vs herein But there is forgiuenesse with thee that thou maist be feared This is the best composition of the heart that prayeth to God to loue and hope and beleeue and approach and sue and all with feare for feare will keepe vs within boundes that we offend not Now that we haue both these considerations in sight together in this compellation of our father in heauen we haue also matter of faith as well as feare There be two doubtes which may be cast in prayer which are both remoued in this title and our faith established against them 1. That of the Leper Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane He confest him a Lord he belieued of his power but his doubt was of his will But seeing he is our father there can be no cause of that doubt 2. That of Israel Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse here is doubt of the power of God and this is cleared when we confesse that our father is in heauen For his being in heauen which we here confesse is not a bare habitation there for so the Angels of God are in heauen but it acknowledgeth his Creation of the heauens his possession of them his dominion ouer them the heauens are his imperiall chamber wherein he sitteth as supreme Monarch in most absolute and independent omnipotenc y As Dauid He hath done whatsoeuer he would in heauen and in earth and in all deepe places There be two great hinderances to the preuailance of our praiers 1. Nimia trepidatio when we are too much cast down with the terrour of Diuine Maiestie that is healed in Our father 2. Nimia oscitatio when we beare our selues too bouldly vpon the confidence of his fauour and that is quash tif we consider him in the heauens the place of his high glorie 4 This mention of heauens doth call vs to the consideration of the holinesse of God for that is called the Lords Sanctuarie the Sanctum sanctorum and into that shall enter nothing that is vncleane Therefore in the law so many washings and clensings were in vse so many preparations for any speciall resort to God the people called vpon to sanctifie themselues for God that openeth his hand and filleth our empty vessels as the pottes at the marriage in Cana to the brimme will not powre his pure graces into vncleane vessels And hee that is pure and holy will not receiue the praiers that come from an vncleane and pudled spring of flesh and bloud hee that poureth on the house of Dauid and the inhabitants of
iust men made perfect And to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Couenant and to the bloud of sprinckling that speaketh better things then the bloud of Abel 2. The Petitions These are of two sorts for some doe concerne the glorie of God and our spirituall and eternall good the rest haue reference to this life and the good thereof It is necessary that we be directed by our Sauiour both in the matter what we may aske and in the order where and at what we must begin there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If we put that out of the proper place wee may disorder our praiers and speed the worse Therefore our first petition here is Hallowed be thy name Which wholly is directed to Gods glory for that is first to be desired and sought of vs. In the handling of which words 1 We must search what is here meant by the name of God 2 What it is to Hallow this name 3 Who must doe this 4 Why we doe aske this of God 5 Why we make this our first petition 6 What dueties depend vpon this 1. What is meant by the Name of God Names were giuen to Persons to Creatures and things of old for distinction sake to distinguish one from another and that application by which euery thing is called is the name thereof Therefore God appointed the Creatures which he had put vnder the Dominion of Adam to take their names from him And whatsoeuer Adam called euery Creature that was the name thereof But God hauing none greater then himselfe gaue himselfe his names by which he made himselfe known to the sonnes of men and therefore Moses desirous to know the name of God demanded it of himselfe And God called himselfe I am that I am and bad him say I AM hath sent thee Which great name of Iehovah doth expresse him 1 Eternall in his owne selfe-being altogether independent Yesterday that is from euerlasting to day that is for the present and the same for euer that is both so long as time is and eternally after time is no more Which was which is and which is to come 2 It sheweth the omnipotent production and denuation of all existences from him as the Apostle saith Of him and in him and by him are all things 3 It sheweth his wise and powerfull prouidence in the gubernation and preseruation of all things for seeing the omnipotent hand of creation hath extracted all things out of nothing how easily could they be againe resolued into nothing if the faithfull Creator were not the wise and potent supporter of this creation Sometimes he is called El the strong God Sometimes Elohim Godds in the plurall to expresse the Trinity of persons And so the Preacher vseth the plurall Remember thy Creators in the daies of thy youth first the Father Sonne and holy Ghost Adonai is a proper name to God in respect of his Dominion and absolute Soueraignty ouer all the works of his hands I cannot blame the tendernesse of the Iewes whom the zeale of this glorious name of God restrained from taking it in their mouthes or pronouncing it but vpon great occasion for they were afraid of the terrour of that Commandement which saith The Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine And superstition in that kinde doth come nearer the virtue then profanenesse doth But neither that law nor this praier doth prouide for the honour either of so many letters written or such a word sounded by the tongue But as we vse to say that man hath a good name who hath a good estimation of whom report speaketh well So by the name of God in this place I vnderstand the estimation and good opinion and regard and honour of God And so I vnderstand our Sauiours praier to the Father Father glorifie thy name To whom the Father answered I haue both glorified it and will glorifie it againe His desire is that God would reueale his glory so to men that his name may be great and glorious in the world God is very carefull of this for the spreading of his name in the world for he told Moses and bad him say In very deed for this cause haue I raised thee vp to shew in thee my power that my name may be declared throughout all the earth To this end God doth exact obedience to his law That thou maiest feare this glorious and fearefull name The Lord thy God David O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth who hast set thy glory aboue the Heauens The name of God is also taken for the holy attributes of God his wisedome and power and holinesse and goodnesse and eternity or whatsoeuer may honour him euen as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And for this God hath that glorious name and is so farre aduanced aboue all things insomuch as our Helpe standeth in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth And so it is said by way of benediction The name of the God of Iacob defend thee And it is vsed in our praiers by way of Mediation Helpe vs O God of our saluation for the glory of thy name and deliuer vs and purge away our sinnes for thy names sake You see cause from hence that care be taken of the name of the Lord you heare what his name is not only his titles by which he is known but his glory in all his due attributes 2. What is it to Hallow this name It is nomen sanctum already So Dauid Holy and reuerent is his name and our praier is that it may be Sanctificatum that is so declared and reuealed and so accepted and confest Holinesse to the Lord it is his due Any thing is then sayd to be sanctified when it is vindicate and seperate from common vse to a speciall and reuerend regard the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quisi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate from all earthinesse and carnalitie 1 From obliuion the name of God must neuer be forgotten of vs as the Church protesteth The desire of our soule is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee 2 From Contempt When the name of God is remembred to be honoured and confest and praised and sworne by vpon iust occasion the temple at Ierusalem was built to the name of God and God put his name there and thither the Tribes went vp to giue thankes to the name of the Lord. 3 From prophanation either by Blasphemy which is the highest degree of abuse of the name of God or by any other pollution of that holy name Blasphemie is either as Aug. in lingua in vita 1. In lingua 1 When any thing is vnworthily attributed to God that becommeth not his holinesse or wisedome or power or goodnesse c. 2 When any thing is wholly derogated from God which belongeth to any of
His name is in the house of his worship our meetings are in his name the prayers of the Church addressed to his name the word which wee heare is reuelatio nominis ejus the Sacraments we receiue is recordatio nominis ejus the Psalmes we sing to his name 2 In respect of our owne good for our helpe standeth in the name of God his name is a strong fortresse to them that trust in him and so long as we haue that name to friend we haue a strong cittie of refuge to fly to in all our vexations an hiding place in a storme therefore the foundation of our safety and the beginning our felicitie driueth it selfe from the name of the God of our health and saluation We must therefore seeke the sanctification thereof first 3 In respect of all the following petitions for except the name of God haue the due honour there can be no hope either of his kingdome that that may come or of his will that it may be performed of vs c. This is Caput votorum and whatsouer we begge of God in all our other petitions if it all aime not at the hallowing of the name our prayers bee turned into sinne It is enough in the second table of the Law to loue our neighbours as our selues but this is angusta dilectio and will not straine to the extent of the first Commandement for we must loue God more then our selues wee must lay down all naturall morall humane respectes and stoope them to this first care of the sanctification of Gods name Rather then that should suffer Moses cryes dele me delibro quem scripsisti So Saint Paul I could wish my selfe accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh Both of these holy men saw how much the name of God suffered in the Apstoasie of their brethren from God and for the repaire of Gods glory in them and the hallowing of Gods they could haue beene content to haue parted with their glory and saluation in pietie to God in charity to their brethren And surely if the name of God might be glorified in our perdition wee should rather desire the glory of that name then the eternall saluation of our soules for better all the world the whole creature perished then that the glorious name of God should be vnhallowed And this desire in vs cannot hinder our saluation rather it aduanceth it for it is impossible that the soule which hath those holy desires should perish 6. What duties depend vpon this petition 2 We are admonished hereby to seeke the true knowledge of God for wee cannot honour him before we know him and the more we know him the more will his holy name be deare to vs. As Dauid saith They that know thy name will put their trust in thee We are borne with a small glimpse of this knowledge naturally which we haue from the light of the law of God written in our hearts but these be so obscure notions that if we haue not farther helpe to put God more in our sight we may faile of that life eternall which is in the knowledge of him For though the light of nature doth reueale to vs one one God yet it is not cleare enough to shew vs that God in three distinct persons it serueth not to reueale to vs the Mediatour betweene God and man Iesus Christ Therfore to accomplish our knowledge of this God whose name must be hallowed by vs wee must vse the meanes appointed by God which are of two sorts 1. Outward 2. Inward 1 For the outward meanes God hath opened to vs two bookes 1. The booke of his creatures 2 The written booke of his VVord And they that studie both these shal see the name of God so texted in them that he that runneth may read For the booke of Gods creatures that we are stirred vp to study in the Psalme for the Sabbath there is no such delight as that studie for Dauid saith For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy worke I will triumph in the operation of thy hands O Lord how great are thy workes c. These workes of God declare his name to vs when Dauid entred into cōsideration of them he saith O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth who hast set thy glory aboue the heauens When I consider the heauens the worke of thy fingers the Moone and the Starres which thou hast ordained Then he descendeth to the Creation of man and the dominion that God gaue him ouer his other workes And applieth it all to the glory of the Creatour so that the consideration of the Creature doth reueale to vs the glory of the Creatour 2 They declare the wisedome of their maker O Lord how manifold are thy workes in wisedome hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches So is this great and wide Sea He hath declared his greatnes in the cōpleate perfection of his worke for so Moses saith Because I will publish the name of the Lord ascribe ye greatnesse vnto our God Hee is the rocke his worke is perfect Dauid is full in this point concerning the declaration of Gods name in his Creatures for when hee had brought in his prouisions for the building of the Temple which was to be performed by Salomon his sonne he deuoted them to that vse in the presence of all the people and there he blessed the Lord before all the congregation saying Blessed be thou Lord God of Israel our father for euer and euer Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and glory and the victory and the Maiestie for all that is in the heauen and earth is thine thine is the kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head aboue all Now therefore O God we thanke thee and praise thy glorious name Here is the very close and conclusion of the Lords prayer Quia tuum est regnum potentia gloria 5 When we consider where God hath bestowed all this riches of his fauour holy loue euen vpō man this addeth to the honour of his name for what is man that thou art so mindful of him the Prophets word is Patheticall and maketh the fauour more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that signifieth what is sorrowfull and miserable man The same word he vseth in another place Put them in feare O Lord that the nations may know themselues to be but Aenosh that is sorry men incurably sicke It is a sweete entertainment of our lonely priuatnesse when either we sit at home or ly in our beds or walke abroad it will keepe vs from many loose and euill thoughts and it will honour the name of God to thinke on his workes and to meditate on these thinges We may thanke God for it that let the Church of Rome doe her worst she cannot shut vp nor forbid the reading of this Bible
deepe in the blood of Gods Saints he careth not to destroy Christs kingdome to aduance his owne vsurping that power in the world in the name of Christ which himselfe did not assume who said My kingdome is not of this world The Turke the Iew and all the Barbarous nations of the world who liue in the darke to whom the pretious light of the Gospel hath not appeared all professe hostilitie to this Gospell of the kingdom that we may say of it as the Iewes sayd to Paul As concerning this sect we know that euery where it is spoken against But these profest enemies of the kingdome of Iesus Christ are in open hostility against the Church and proclaime warres to it they are the forces of that great king who came against that litle city in the booke of the preacher and besieged it and built bulwarkes against it we can expect no better from them then force and fury There be secret enemies Wolues in sheepes cloathing whose close malice doth put vs into more danger and feare these hide themselues within the Church and carry a semblance of brethren and they are 1 Heretikes that corrode and fret the holy truth of the Gospell with their false doctrines and blasphemous and impious assertions of vntruthes to mis-lead the ignorant into errour and to corrupt their iudgements 2 Schismatikes that disquiet the peace of the Church disturbe the order rankes of Gods wel ordered armies and disfigure the beautie of holinesse setting vs together by the eares fermēting the masse of Christian charity with their gall of bitternesse which they maliciously infuse into the body of that city that is compact together 3 Hypocrites which put on Religion as they do fine garments for shew onely and personate pietie to make the world of opinion that they are holy whereas all their Religion and holinesse is in the eye those are but the outsides of professors and their workes denie and blaspheme the faith of which their mouthes tongues doe make formall profession Against all these we pray that the Kingdome of Iesus Christ may come to vs to reueale to vs the light of Gods truth to establish peace and concord amongst brethren and to declare the true and vnfeined Religion which consisteth in the sincere seruice of our God for where this kingdome is throughly established there truth and peace and sincerity doe shew their faces and lift vp their heads and are exalted by all the subiects of that Kingdome 3 Our naturall corruptions are enemies to this kingdome the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the law of our members resisteth the law of God there is ventus ab oriente which bringeth into vs whole armies of Grashoppers and Catterpillars that is a corruption from our birth which spanneth in our vnderstandings with multiplicity of phantasticall opinions various distraction of our thoughts and filleth the inferiour part of the soule with many vnlawfull desires vnquiet longings for things forbidden wherby our affections are troubled and corrupted with vniust appetite of things forbidden Against these also we pray in the comming of this kingdome that God would rule in our vnderstandings to instruct vs and that God would rule in our thoughts to limit them and keepe them from all wandring distraction and that he would rule in our affections to bridle restraine their loosenesse to correct their rebellion to the spirit of God to awe them to the obedience of God and to sanctifie vs wholly both in our bodies soules and spirits that neither in thought word nor deed we may grieue the holy Spirit of God by whom we are sealed vp to the day of our redemption So that in this petition we pray against the dominion of sinne in our mortall bodies against the pollution of sinne in our immortall soules against all spirituall and carnall wickednesse that the brightnesse of Christs kingdome may driue away the darkenesse of Sathans kingdom in vs that he would enter into vs by his grace and bind the strong man Sathan who possesseth vs by his power and cast him out in his iustice and abide in vs by his mercie For so shall no iniquity haue dominion ouer vs. What need we haue to pray for this as Christ praied with strong cries we may easily discerne for when wee looke about vs and behold what horrible sins are afoot in the world euen all the workes of the flesh Adultery lasciuiousnesse Idolatry Contentions seditions heresies enuie murther drunkennesse and such like all which are the pretious stones in the Diademe of Sathan When wee see how much those are despised that walke conscionably and feare the prophanation of Gods Sabbath by doing their owne workes on Gods holy day and feare the blasphemie of Gods holy name by an oath would faine put off the very garment that is spotted with the flesh When we see the proud esteemed happy and them that worke wickednesse set vp yea them that tempt God deliuered When wee behold corruption in courtes of iustice oppressions of the mighty persecutions of the poore and weake Simony bribery extort on trades of liuing swearing gluttony drunkennesse filthy speaking sins in fashion There is no hope to helpe all this but by the comming of the kingdom of grace to pardon these trāsgressions to conuert these transgressors for this great King is able to set vp a light in our vnderstandings to informe vs in the truth and to shed his loue in our affections to knit vs together both to himselfe and to one another of vs. 3 Saint Cyprian hath a good caution vpon this petition Continua oratione opus est ne excidamus a regno Coelesti this doth bring in the Kingdome of glory into this petition This is our maine ambition to be heires of this heauenly Kingdome and S. Cyprian saith Cauendum ne excidamus a regno Coelesti sicut Iudaei For it is an heauy saying of Christ And I say vnto you many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen But the children of the kingdome shall be cast out into vtter darkenesse c. By the children of the kingdome here hee meaneth the Iewes the seed of Abraham to whom the promises of this kingdome came and to whom all the meanes for attaining this kingdome were tendered so that being then the visible Church of God on earth they were in a kinde of possession of the kingdome of heauen but lost it by their disobedience and so left a way open for many to come from the East and West that is for the Church of the Gentiles to come in euen in their place and now till Plenitudo gentium be come in there is no promise of the restitution of the Iewes ad viam regni It is a good note of Saint Cyprian quando cessauit in eis no men paternum cessauit et regnum When they gaue ouer hallowing
his Church and his vpright iustice in the finall confusion of all his enemies Then shall our glory be full when God is all in all and raigneth absolute soueraigne without any eclipse of glory by the interposure of opposition These are the full contents of this petition 3 What duties we learne from hence The proper duties arising from hence doe concerne vs 1 In our reference to our God 2 In the regard of our selues 3 In regard of our neighbours 1 In our reference to God 1 That wee seeke and labour to aduance the kingdome of God by all meanes that God may exercise his power and grace and mercy and glory freely and fully and that neither our ignorance nor infirmity nor iniquity may obscure his glory or resist his gouernment knowing for what wee were made that wee might bee temples of the holy Ghost that Christ might rule in our hearts by faith that wee might glorifie God in our bodies and in our soules because in our creation he gaue vs a perfect being and in our redemption hee accomplisht a full and perfect restitution of vs to his fauour and to all those full benefits which follow the same namely that Christ is made to vs of God wisedome iustification sanctification and finall redemption from all sinne and punishment For this what shall we render to the Lord is not this a debt that we owe to him to seeke the aduancement of his glory all that we can and to set forth his praise 2 In regard of our selues 1 It is our dutie to liue like subiects of this kingdome that is humbled vnder the mighty hand of God to the obedience of his will and stooped vnder the correcting hand with patience to beare his chastenings though for the present they seeme grieuous Contented with the state of life and the proportion of Gods allowance to vs for we resist his gouernment and repine at his administration of the world if wee bee not content with that which he bestoweth on vs resting vpon his holy prouidence in the vse of lawfull meanes for godlinesse and contentednesse must be ioyned in vs and our hearts must not fasten vpon things temporall but wee must looke before vs to the full reward which God hath laid vp for vs. 2 Seeing we liue vnder the kingdome of Gods grace in which we haue the liberty of that holy meanes by which we may grow vp to be perfect men in Christ Iesus We must not turne this grace of God into wantonnesse by abusing it to our owne perdition but like thriftie Merchants make the vttermost of these holy commodities that is Of the free liberty of the Word and Sacraments and of the house of God and his Saints of the ministerie of the Word and the holy writings of learned and pious men set forth for our further building vp to be an house for the Lord. Not in surfetting and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse not in strife and enuying this is not the way to heauen New creatures 3 Seeing wee liue in expectation of the kingdome of Gods glory our duty is to obserue and remember our latter end and to consider that our whole life is our way to this kingdome let vs therefore hasten toward it to meete it comming towards vs this was Iobs holy Meditation All the daies of my appointed time will I waite till my changing shall come And when death shall come let vs know and beleeue that it is no more but a translation from death to life and Transitus ad Regnum 4 Seeing wee pray for the comming of Gods glory that he may raigne ouer all let vs while we are here begin an heauen vpon earth by praising and magnifying the name of the Lord and practise the new song of the Church here that being admitted into the Quire of the iust we may not cease night and day to glorifie him in heauen where we shall be able to doe it more fully and perfectly 5 Let vs consider that there is no such way to make happy our temporall life as to liue thus in the humble subiection to this kingdome for who shall harme you if you doe that which is good godlinesse hath the promises of both liues and all things turne to the best to them that loue God 3 In regard of our neighbours We must seeke to draw one another to Gods kingdome like those in the Prophet They helped euery one his neighbour and euery one said to his brother be of good courage So the Lord Repent and turne others from their transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine And many shall goe and say come ye and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his waies and wee shall walke in his pathes O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of the Lord this kingdome doth not breed iealousie here is enough for all LVC. 11.2 Thy will be done as in heauen so earth OBserue the coherence of these petitions which are martialed with such excellent wisedome that the first of them is the end which we aime at that God may be hallowed in vs in his holy name and so haue from vs the honour due to him And that this may bee effected in vs wee pray in the second petition for the aduancement establishment and enlargement of Gods kingdome both of power grace and glory And now in this third Petition wee pray that this kingdome of God being erected amongst vs we may by his grace liue in due subiection to it that the Church militant in earth may honour him euen so as the Church triumphant doth in heauen In the handling whereof 1 We must vnderstand what is meant by the will of God 2 Quid hoc est facere 3 How this will is desired to be done as in heauen so in earth 4 What duties are taught herein 1 What is this will of God The will of God is vnderstood two waies 1 As it is in it selfe by which hee intendeth createth gouerneth and disposeth all things according to the good pleasure of his will and so the will of God is both absolute necessitating all euents which hee hath foreseene and determined and of that the Apostle speaketh saying who hath resisted his will and of that Christ saith fiat voluntas tua and of that those holy seruants of God spake who when they could not disswade Pauls going to Ierusalem they ceased saying The will of the Lord be done 2 The will of God is vnderstood to bee that manifestation of his seruice and our dutie which directeth vs what to doe and what to eschew what to beleeue and what to aske according to his will and this is written and reuealed to vs in holy Scripture I dare not with our many English Writers vpon this Petition quite exclude the absolute will of God and limit the Petition onely to
words and therefore some haue conceiued that these words haue their seuerall reference to each of the three petitions and are not a proper appendix to this alone but to the rest Hallowed be thy name in earth as it is in heauen so in the two following I approue the necessary implication of it in them all but I take it where I find it and it is a full Sicut a compleat example For in heauen are the Angels of God and Dauid saith of them faciunt voluntatem ejus there are the soules of iust men made perfect and now euer since his ascensiō there sitteth at the right hand of God he that taught vs to pray this prayer Who came into the world of purpose to do the wil of his father that sent him he continueth the office yet in heauen A mediator making intercession to the Father for his Church a mighty protector sending his Angels as ministering spirits for the good of them whom he hath called of purpose So that the example is full Iesus Christ the Angels in what difference so euer of ranke or degree the soules of the iust who are also tanquam angeli dei all these obey and fulfill the will of God in perfect obedience to the vttermost of what is exacted of them We pray fiat sicut That is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grudgingly but as Saint Paul saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the Lord who knowes when he hath seruice that is due to him 1 They do the will of God willingly that is their meat and drinke as Christ said of himselfe here they haue no body of sinne to resist them they haue no flesh to oppresse and burthen them no temptation can fasten vpon them they alwaies behold the face of God attending vpon him to be commanded by him 2 They are exprest to vs as hauing winges wherein the holy Ghost doth declare to our apprehension the quicke readinesse of their expedition in the seruice of God So let Gods will bee done on earth speedily So Dauid I made hast and delaied not to keepe thy Commandements 3 They doe the will of God first for indeed they haue nothing else to doe here on earth wee haue many occasions for the necessities of the body to entertaine time and endeauour and God is so tender of our necessities as to dispense with his law in compassionate support of them But the Angels and heauenly spirits haue no other busines in heauen but to attend the will of God and to doe it at first their nature is so perfectly diuine that they are onely gouerned by the will of God there is nothing concerning themselues to be desired but the aduancement of Gods kingdome ouer all 4 They doe the whole will of God in full obedience For Dauid saith They doe Gods Commandements by obeying the voyce of his Word That is the right way of obedience to be directed by the voyce of the Word of God and to doe so as hee commandeth all that he biddeth Here note that this Sicut doth not imply aequalitatem that we should performe it in the same fulnesse of perfect complete obedience as they do which is impossible for them that dwell in houses of clay and who carrie about them Corpus peccati but qualitatem similitudinem so farre as in holy imitation wee can follow them as Iulus followed Aeneas Sequiturque patrem non passibus aequis This is the heroicall spirit of the elect of God they are therby carried towards perfection what they faile either in act of obedience or in endeuour of seruice that they supply with feruencie of holy desire God heareth the desires of the poore This is further holpen by our griefe of heart and holy sorrow for our weakenesse and holy indignation against our iniquities that hinder this obedience and holy carefulnesse to amend it and holy prayers to God to assist our endeuour herein It is obserued of Lot when hee laboured the conuersion of the Sodomites that his righteous soule was vexed from day to day with their vnlawfull deedes This also pleaseth God that our hatred of sinne in our selues and others do declare that wee seeke for the fulnesse of obedience that the will of God may be fulfilled according to the great example of heauenly seruice 4 What dueties are taught here 1 We must labour for the knowledge of the will of God so saith the Apostle That yee may prooue what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God That is first concerning the secret will of God wee must know that it is absolute not to be changed by God not to be resisted by man but implicitly to be yeelded vnto although we know it not we beleeue it doth decree all things out of wisedome and Counsaile with iustice and goodnesse and all for the best and when God shall by euents declare it to vs wee must know that God is to be praised and thanked for it How therefore we must remember in our deuotions to referre our petitions to this absolute will of God so that our petitions must be with reseruation of that will saluo semper decreto diuino For so Christ prayed his father to take the cup of his passion from him he hath warrant from the following petition to pray against all euill and against Sathan the suggester of it Libera nos a male But because it pleaseth God for some iust motiues in himselfe to determine the exercise of the patience of his Church in afflictions or for some other reason alwayes iust though often secret to let that euill come vpon vs against which we pray therfore our will in this stoopeth to the absolute will of God with that exception of our Sauiour Father if thou be willing remoue this cup from me neuerthelesse not mine but thy will be done Seeing this secret and absolute will of God is within himselfe the Saints of God by a generall warrant for prayer for all things needfull doe goe to God often for such things as in that free and absolute will he hath decreed not to grant and this may be done without sinne in the faithfull and without preuarication of this vnreuealed will of God So we pray for the peace of Ierusalem that is the Church of God when yet God may finde it fit in his wisedome to send the sword amongst them as we see in the Churches of Bohemia both the Palatinates and the French Protestants God hath declared his will to vs in that which they haue suffered and in that which as yet they endure vnder the Popish tyranny of those Iesuited Princes by whom the religion and truth of God is opprest Yet we pray still for their deliuerance from the hand of their enemies but neither disliking the effects nor doubting the wisedome nor quarrelling the counsell of God in this decree but submitting to it So we pray often for the recouerie of our
the way of our obedience God onely giueth increase to the field to bring forth corne for the vse of man and when it is come vp vpon the ground hee ripeneth it and when it is come to an haruest he disposeth it to the vse of man therefore Da nobis None of all the gods of the heathen could doe this he onely crowneth the yeare with plenty A fruitfull land he maketh barren abundance is from his full hand and famine or dearth of victuals are his rods The heathens worshipped them for gods that were the first ingenuous deuisers of any profitable inuention for the vse of man Ceres that taught the husbanding of grounds for Corne and Bacchus for Vines Vulcan or rather Tubalcaine that was the father of them that wrought in Iron Had they knowne the authour of euery good and perfect gift and who it is that giueth bread they would haue gone no further but Da nobis panem and haue sought their bread from this father which is in heauen 2 We aske da nobis not mihi this is communio charitatis The extent of this nobis is great for as vnder the name of bread all the necessaries of life are contained The King obserueth it well that we doe esteeme our yeares deare or cheape according to the price of corne so vnder this personall note nobis we comprehend all men all creatures that are supported with food First I say all men euen the wicked and reprobate for though they be neuer so vngodly yet during life on earth they must eate and if their owne meanes and labours be not sufficient to sustaine them our charity must supply what is wanting wee must not hide our selues from our owne flesh we haue all one Our father in heauen the common father of our nature therefore Da nobis wee pray to God to feed them also this is proximum tuum vt teipsum though he be but natura not relgiione proximus I adde that nobis doth also include our beasts and cattel that are created for our vse and seruice by the feeding whereof we are relieued who haue the seruice of their labour and the flesh of their bodies to ease and feed vs they must not be left out in this nobis for these are appurtenances to vs. In the King of Niniuehs edict for a generall fast their beasts were forbidden to eate or drinke for the sinne of man they suffered to augment their masters sorrow and to adde comfort to their owners they must also feede with them therefore da nobis doth include them as a part of our selues belonging to vs. The wise man saith that A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast we cannot shew our care of those helpefull creatures to vs better then in praying to him for them who as Dauid saith saueth both man and beast And euen amongst these beasts which are made for the vse and seruice of man though some of them bee noxious and offensiue now to man rebelling against his domination to punish his rebellion against God yet there is also a good vse to be made of them for man and to that they must be preserued they must be nourished in life that may be helpfull to man in their death Thus farre doe I thinke nobis in this petition extended Giue vs food all things necessary for our own persons for our children that are ex nobis for our brethren that are pars nostri for our neighbours circa nos for our enemies that are contra nos for our cattell pro nobis 3 Our bread 1 This bread wee are taught to call ours and wee learne it of God himselfe for in the very words of that curse which he put vpon man for his disobedience he calleth it so for if we sweate for it and then eate of it nothing doth more assure it ours in the vse of it And that is a legall right that we haue to it by our labour in our vocation The Apostle thinking it iust that he which will not labour should not eate doth include it both fic and lawfull that hee should eate that will labour 2 It is called our bread because it is necessarie for supportation of life for though man doe not liue by bread onely yet not without bread that is without fit food and so all things that we haue are called ours in respect of their vse for our seruice 3 It is called our bread by right of donation for when it is giuen it is ours the giuing of it to vs doth make it so to be So Saint Gregorie Ecce nostrum dicimus tamen dari petimus noster enim est qui accipitur tamen dei est cum ab illo datur for we haue no right to it but by the gift of God whose hand we open by this petition that he may fill vs with his plenty 4 That which we haue in gift of God and in present possession yet is not ours till the blessing of God bee vpon it for the possession without the vse doth not make it ours therefore the miserable wretched man that hath possession of much and starueth himselfe with denying the same to his owne vse cannot call his bread his owne 5 They that haue and possesse bread that is all things necessary for life haue no hold thereof that they may call it theirs except God keepe it and preserue it for them it is subiect to fire and water to theeues and robbers except God make it ours we may sit to eate and haue the bread taken from our table euen the morsells taken and pluckt out of our mouthes therefore da nostrum we pray to God that it may bee ours lest it be taken away from vs. 6 We call it ours because though wee haue it and keepe it and it abide by vs yet we may be smitten with sicknesse and disabled to take vse of it or it may be receiued euen into our bodies and we not nourished by it for that iudgment God also hath in his treasures They shall eate and not be satisfied 7 We call it our bread by a speciall right that only the faithfull haue to this and all things that belong to vs. Ye are Christs and all things are yours saith the Apostle They that hold things temporall by this right haue them in the best tenure for they haue them with the fulnesse of Gods blessing the Lord is their shepherd they shall want nothing 8 We call it our bread that we pray for to exclude panem alienum for we beg not away our brothers bread from him we desire not the bread of fraud or oppression or the bread of idlenesse but desire of God that the sustentation of our life may be with our owne bread without the preiudice of any other and that we may be able to liue without the hurt of our neighbour who dwelleth in peace by vs. 4 Daily bread Here the word vsed in the originall hath bred a question
and euery perfect gift is from aboue from the father of lights If thou goe to the earth and say to it giue me bread it will answer thee as Iacob answered Rahel when shee said giue me children Am I in Gods stead If thou goe to the King and say da mihi panem will he not answere thee as the King of Israel answered the poore petitioner in the famine of Samaria If the Lord doe not helpe thee whence shall I helpe thee There is no fruit of our praying and crying till our petition come to this giuer I will heare saith the Lord I will heare the heauens and they shal heare the earth the earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Israel There is no giuer but he and all those who on earth doe giue are but his stewards and giue in his name and for his sake When the heathen went to Iupiter for raine to Aeolus for windes to Neptune for safety and good passage at sea to Ceres for corne to Bacchus for wine c. What did they worse I may say they did not so ill as the Church of Rome now in the inuocation of Saints for the heathen had not the way to the father by Iesus Christ reuealed to them his name is now knowne to vs and the Church of Rome pretendeth to know and confesse and honour it they confesse vnum est Orco poena polo gloria vita solo Yet hauing the knowledge and of God in the face of Iesus Christ in some measure they seeke out other benefactors to whom they say da nobis What difference is there betweene the heathen women in child-bearing crying out Casta faue Lucina and the Popish women calling vpon the Virgin Mary to helpe them in their throwes and pangs as the supreme Midwife of the Church So they inuocate Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch in pestilence Raphael in dolore oculorum Apollonia in dolore dentium Michael in warre c. Is not this to turne God out of his place and to giue his power of giuing all good things away from him to creatures Indeed they haue no reason to goe to God for any thing or to say to him da nobis because they giue not him the honour due to his holy and vndoubted rights But Christ our Sauiour doth direct vs to whom wee shall goe for our bread and we haue none in heauen to repaire to but to him and none in earth that we esteeme with him and to him onely we say da nobis 3 This prayer to God to giue doth teach vs to confesse and to depend vpon the prouidence of God not onely his generall prouidence by which hee regardeth the whole creature but his particular prouidence by which euery particular creature is conserued and supported it is he that cloatheth euery Lily it is hee that feedeth euery sparrow it is hee that numbreth all the haires of our head And though we must labour and sweat for our bread though wee haue rich reuenues and plentifull meanes for our reliefe yet there is no trust to be giuen to these outward helpes our helpe is in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth This prouidence of God hath an eye to behold our wants hath a store of all sorts of blessings to furnish him with fit gifts to bestow where he thinketh fit hath bowels of compassion to pittie our wants and hath an open hand to distribute his fauours amongst the sonnes of men This prouidence of God is the Barne and Wine-presse of the faithfull to feed them it is their harbenger to lodge them it is their Physitian to heale all their diseases 4 This Da doth teach vs to loue the goodnesse of God to vs of whom our bread is to bee had of gift what a stirre had he in the Gospell to get vp his neighbour at night to lend him some bread to entertaine a stranger withall but we may come at all times to God and to pray him to giue Euen they that will giue nothing themselues nor part with a bit of their great loafe to their hungry brother but like Naâ—al grudge to part with any thing from themselues yet they cry vpon God to haue their bread giuen to them by him They that sell and make prize of all offers in Church and Common-wealth and will not open their mouthes in a charitable or iust mediation for their neighbour but in Iudas his tune quid mihi dabis yet they come to God for their bread of gift this is the cheapest and frankest vtterer of his fauours that euer was to whom we pray it is he that saith Ho euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price Wherefore doe you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently vnto me and eate yee that which is good and let your soule delight in fatnesse How are we said to buy and yet to haue all these things freely giuen but because wee doe giue vp our prayers for our bread and we buy them with our petitions as Christ petite pulsate quaerite This is more then the holy father of Rome will say for his indulgencies and pardons praying will not carry them they that will haue them must pay for them and many hard shifts his agents are put to to vent his spirituall treasures and to force them vpon the poore people that had rather want them then come to their price But God who is rich in mercy and needeth nothing of our goods God who is good and doth good standeth not vpon such termes with vs his sonne who is in his bosome and best knoweth both his meanes and his minde bids vs call for our bread of gift This should moue vs to a reuerent regard of our duty of obedience to him to worship and serue him onely to haue no other God but him to defie idolatry to honour his name to sanctifie his Sabboth He hath not less himselfe without witnesses in that he doth good and giues vs raine from heauen and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse 5 Da teacheth vs the necessitie of prayer wee must aske of God Christ in our flesh would lose nothing for want of asking who in the daies of his flesh offered vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death And his father that loued him as twice from heauen he proclaimed yet saith to him Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of me and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance c. When he meant Salomon a good turne the freest and greatest offer that was euer made to man yet he put him to it aske what I shall giue thee When
faithfull repose of our trust in him for they who seeke to ingrosse things temporall for feare of want and had rather trust their own prouidence then God shew great weakenesse of faith and distrust in God If we obserue it well the greatest part of men vpon earth haue small certainty of their maintenance certaine charges yet liuing in lawfull callings though not sure of their employments not alwaies sure of the wages they earne of the vent of the commodities in which they trade yet still God supplyeth them from day to day and supporteth them in their wants which sheweth that there is no such thrift and good husbandry as to trust to the prouidence of God for our maintenance in the vse of honest and lawfull meanes he is Diespiter and euery day he looketh vpon the sonnes of men and surueyeth their wants and he that will not let the fowles of the ayre nor the beasts of the field want bread will not suffer his owne deare children to want the necessaries of life if they seeke them from him Men might make their liues much more happy to themselues much more quiet to their neighbours if they did wisely informe themselues in the doctrine of this daily prouidence of God for hee that knowes his duty to be labour in an honest vocation and prayer to God for his blessing vpon his labour needs doe nothing more but cast all the rest of his care vpon God who careth for him But partly the feare of wants and partly the desire of riches doe so transport vs that we can neither be good children to God in deuotion nor good neighbours to our brethren in charity because we doe not depend vpon this daily prouidence of our God If a man sit downe and cast vp the charges of his family and compare it with the short reckonings of his commings in he may say I and my family shall want bread but if religiously he compare it with the rich reuenue of Gods holy prouidence hee will finde a store there so furnished with plenty and an hand so open to giue it away to them that aske it that hee will resolue with the Prophet No good thing will God with hold from them that walke vprightly I conclude this point put thy selfe into an honest calling doe thy indeuour in it conscionably pray to God for his blessing vpon it and trust him with the rest If in this way I want bread I will be bold to tell my God as the holy Prophet did if I be deceiued thou Lord hast deceiued me But that imputation cannot fall on him They that haue put him to it haue found him full and faithfull in his promises and performances Our fathers trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou didst deliuer them They trusted in thee and were not confounded But you demand Is therefore all prouidence for the time to come vnlawfull and must our thoughts and desires bee onely confined to the present all for to day and nothing for to morrow We answer that our desires must be limited to the present but our endeuours must not be so let vs labour honestly for the blessings of God with contentment in his gifts for to day but if our endeuours so bestowed extend to a further proportion of gettings thrift is allowed where it is not ioyned with distrustfull carefulnesse Ioseph may lay vp in the seauen yeares of plenty for the famine of seauen yeares to succeed when God reuealeth a dearth comming on and warranteth the prouision The good man may haue a treasure wherein is old and new so this treasure be filled for vses of piety and charity Goe to the Ant thou sluggard consider her waies and be wise She prouideth her meate in summer and gathereth her food in the haruest He that gathereth in summer is a wise sonne but hee that sleepeth in haruest is a sonne that causeth shame The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold therefore shall he begge in haruest and haue nothing and the Apostle saith That Parents ought to lay vp for their children Religion doth not make men ill husbands and the possession of good things must not hinder our daily prayer to God for his blessing vpon them LVC. 11.4 And forgiue vs our sinnes for we also forgiue euery one that is indebted to vs In Saint Matthew we reade thus And forgiue vs our debts as we forgiue our debters But we commonly say and forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. IT is a consideration worthy to be continued to obserue the order and composition of this prayer the foundation of it is laied in the loue and power of God in the preface to it For when wee call him our Father we plead a speciall interest in his loue and when we call him our father in heauen we acknowledge him of power to performe whatsoeuer his loue intends to vs. Then in the first petition we declare our selues the loyall and louing sonnes to this father in seeking the exaltation of his glorious name first which we doe 1 For his sake whose name onely is glorious 2 For our sakes for it is not onely to vs Turris fortissima but it is oleum effusum Then in the second petition we pray for the aduancement stabilitie and propagation of his kingdome that he may onely rule ouer vs onely he may rule in vs. In the third petition we desire a conformity with that part of the Church that is with God in heauen by our obedience to the will of God And hauing made three petitions for the aduancement of the knowledge and worship of God we come in the fourth petition to begge for our selues the necessaries of life that we may liue to serue our God by his giuing and blessing our bread to our vse Now in that which remaineth we pray against all impediments of this holy worship and seruice That which hindereth this seruice of God is our sinne past present and to come therefore here we pray against sinne and we desire 1 The gratious pardon of past and present sinnes 2 The free and full preuention of sinnes to come This petition hath regard to the present guilt for sinnes past and present Saint Cyprian doth say well Post subsidium cibi sequitur venia delicti vt qui à Deo pascitur in Deo viuat nec tantum praesenti corporali vitae consulat sed aeternae ad quam venire potest si peccata donantur For our better vnderstanding of this petition 1 We must know what it is that we pray against 2 What we request 3 Of whom 4 For whom 5 The condition of our request or the manner of it 6 The duties depending vpon all this 1 Against what we pray Saint Matthew calleth them debts figuratiuely Saint Luke here calleth them sinnes literally and wee commonly call them trespasses because by euery sinne we trespasse our God and giue him
the rest is resumed and more prest then the rest both in the affirmatiue and in the negatiue 1 In the affirmatiue for if ye forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you 2 In the negatiue But if ye forgiue not men their trespasses neither will your father forgiue you your trespasses The reason is because this pardoning of wrongs done to vs is a supernaturall grace and doth testifie of vs that we haue the image of God in vs for naturally we returne euill for euill eye for eye tooth for tooth one euill word one euill worke for another Therefore to fixe this holy duty in vs our Sauiour bindes vs to it by this petition to looke for no more mercy in heauen then we doe shew to our brethren here on earth with whom we liue The parable of our Sauiour doth make this reasonable our debt to God is 10000. Talents our neighbours debt to vs 100. pence the oddes is great if wee would be forgiuen this great summe should not we forgiue that small debt We are apt to aggrauate the wrongs we suffer one from another and to extenuate the offence that wee doe to God But be it that from our neighbour we suffer in our good name let vs consider how much the glorious name doth suffer from vs in our swearing and blaspheming in our euill conuersation which causeth the name of God to bee euill spoken of amongst those that are without yet we would make God beleeue that nothing is so deare to vs as his holy name because we make it our first petition Hallowed be thy name Be it that our neighbour offend vs in our goods by taking vniustly from vs that which belongs to vs let vs consider that we haue nothing but from the hand of God and all that we possesse is his and wee can call no more ours then what hee giueth and we vse to his glory and the maintenance of our life in sobernesse and honesty In all that we spend from these vses wee our selues are not owners but vsurpers of all that we so misemploy and for 100. pence that we lose of our right by the iniury of men we mis-spend of Gods treasure 10000. Talents lewdly and dishonourably to him offensiuely to our owne soules and iniuriously to our brethren Compare all that pride and gluttony and drunkennesse and vanity and wantonnesse and contention spendeth prodigally all that couetousnesse congesteth and hideth from the vse of thy brother wretchedly with that which either thine owne necessities or thy christian charity doe demand of thee thou shalt finde that the wrong thou dost doth more exceed the wrong thou sufferest in thy goods then 10000. talents doe exceede 100. pence Be it that thy brother wrong thee in thy friends by seeking to distast them to thee dost not thou by euill conuersation corrupt the affections of thy brother to alienate his heart from the holy seruice of thy God If thy brother seeke thy life dost not thou in thy rebellion against God offend thy God in a more high degree vngodding of him and taking away his honour which is his life and destroying in thy selfe and in thy brother the image of God Therefore consider thy selfe maior parcas insane minori The God to whom thou prayest is the God of peace the Gospell which thou professest is the Gospell of peace the kingdome that thou seekest is the kingdome of peace the way to it is via pacis It was a good obseruation of King Henry 7. that the proclamation of Christ comming into the world was peace vpon earth and the legacie of Christs going out of the world was pacem meam do vobis and thence he concluded that the life of a Christian man should be a prosecution of peace The Apostle doth presse it earnestly If it be possible as much as lyeth in you liue peaceably with all men The soule of man doth not animate and quicken the members that are cut off from the body neither doth the holy Ghost quicken the members of the Church that are not vnited to the Church Therefore peace-makers are called the sonnes of God for so doth God loue peace that hee gaue his onely Sonne By him to reconcile all things vnto himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the things on earth and the things in heauen The Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is one of the hardest lessons that is taught in the schoole of Christ to forgiue our enemies and most contrary it is to flesh and bloud Saint Peter thought hee had offered faire when hee asked Christ quoties how often he should doe it and then added vsque ad septies but Christ made nothing of it non dico vsque ad septies Therefore as when we haue a worke to doe that requireth force wee put our whole strength to it so the Apostle biddeth as much as in vs lyeth to striue for peace Our Sauiour by this petition doth tell vs plainely that his care in this precept is not all for our neighbour that he may be forgiuen his trespasse It concernes vs our selues so neare as the forgiuing of our owne sinnes doth import for if we cannot plead our actiue pardon we cannot desire this passiue pardon we must be pardoners if we will be pardoned It is true that in the parable the Master pardoned his seruant his debt to him first but when after he heard complaint that his seruant would not forgiue his fellow his small debt he reuoked the pardon and redemanded the debt Therefore our Sauiour would haue vs worke sure first to forgiue trespasses done to vs then to pray for forgiuenesse of our trespasses 2 Where we say forgiue vs as we forgiue wee doe make profession of our forgiuenesse of our debtors that is of such as haue trespassed vs. Which admonisheth vs to be sincere in our forgiuenesse as Christ saith if ye from your heart forgiue for we pray to him who is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seer who seeth our hearts and knoweth whether we deale faithfully and sincerely with him or not therefore let vs consider how we would be forgiuen of God that we may so forgiue 1 We would be forgiuen presently 2 We would be forgiuen heartily 3 We would be forgiuen totally 4 We would be forgiuen so as there should remaine no roote of bitternesse in stocke to make a new quarrell which we call forgiuing and forgetting it is not forgiuenesse if all that meete not so 1 Some delay the pardon of their brethren and so liue in prosecution of reuenge and in retribution of euill for euill and when they haue either failed of their reuenge or effected it then they forgiue When God sent Nathan to reproue Dauid for his double sinne Dauid charged with this debt confessed it at the first voyce of reprehension and Nathan replyed to him The Lord also hath
Arias Montanus giues this note vpon these words in Saint Matthew Animaduerte lector hanc clausulam non esse de textu he addeth also that in the Greeke Church the congregation doth neuer repeate this clause but when they haue with the Minister said libera nos a malo The Priest onely pronounceth these words quia tuum est regnum c. And learned Erasmus thinkes that these words might be added to the Lords prayer by the vse of the Church as at the end of the Psalmes we added that holy acclamation of Gloria patri filio spiritui sancto yet neither of these Apocryphicall or without diuine authority for Dauid is said to blesse the Lord before all the congregation saying Thine O Lord is the greatnesse power and glory and the maiesty and the victory for all that is in the heauen and earth is thine Thine is the kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head aboue all Therefore approuing the vse of this conclusion of the Lords prayer we proceed in it 1 And call it by the name which is giuen to it by the holy Ghost our Blessing of God after prayer this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 We will consider it as a motiue to God to grant vs the requests made in the seuen petitions 3 As it is a strengthening of our faith to aske all these things at the hands of God 1 This is a blessing of God We are said to blesse God when we doe praise him and giue him the honour due to his name So Saint Paul meant it Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort And it agreeth well with our duty that we petitioning this father in this prayer for all mercies and all comfort and wrastling with him in our prayer as Iacob did for his blessing vpon vs should also blesse him and praise his name Rea. 1 And for our direction herein we haue our Sicut in coelo in terra for Iohn heard euery creature which is in heauen and in earth and vnder the earth and such as are in the sea saying Blessing honour glory and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the lambe for euer and euer Rea. 2 Let vs consider what Dauid saith Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised We pray in our first petition Hallowed be thy name for the name of God is great and Dauid saith According to thy name O God so is thy praise vnto the ends of the earth thy hand is full of righteousnesse We labour to open that hand by our prayers that we may partake of his righteousnesse therefore to him belongeth praise for his names sake We are created to this end to glorifie God in our bodies Rea. 3 and in our soules and this is the way to honour him ipse dixit Who so offereth praise glorifieth me Dauid often calleth it Sacrificium laudis And he calleth these kinde of sacrifices the sacrifices of righteousnesse These be called vituli labiorum in Hose they are called fructus labiorum confitentium nomini eius by the author to the Hebrewes The Saints of God haue vsed to cast themselues downe at his feete that in their humiliation he may bee exalted when we kneele or prostrate our selues to one that standeth by vs we make him shew high ouer vs therefore when the Lords faithfull seruants come to him to worship they fall low on their knees before him They euacuate themselues and put off all honour and estimation from themselues to giue it all to him this is blessing of God So doe we in this prayer all petition then confession 2 Consider this as a motiue to God to grant the petitions herein contained 1 Wherein obserue that we haue no arguments to induce God to goodnesse towards vs but such onely as are drawne from himselfe and his owne holy and great attributes Therefore Daniel renounceth all respects drawne from himselfe as vnpleadable Wee doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnesse but for thy great mercies therefore he prayeth O Lord heare O Lord forgiue O Lord hearken and doe deferre not for thine owne sake O my God So Nehemiah in his prayer doth make a contrite confession of his sinnes to God and the sinnes of all the people and his plea for mercy and forgiuenesse and for further grace and fauour of God is the promise of God Remember the word that thou commandedst by thy seruant Moses So we pray remember thine owne kingdome thy power and thy glory when we aske of thee these petitions for we haue nothing of our own worth the remembring for whose sake thou shouldest grant our requests 2 Let vs consider how these may be motiues to perswade our God to heare our prayers we doe herein acknowledge and ascribe to God 1 Kingdome as Dauid saith The Lord is King the earth may be glad thereof he is no tyrant but a King to whom belongeth the procuration of the good of his Subiects Hee is our King of old saith Dauid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is therefore the breath of our nostrils he is the common father of vs all ruling vs with authority and loue And because thou art our King we pray thee to glorifie thine owne name in thy Church to let thy kingdome come to it To aduance thy will in it To sustaine vs thy subiects with all the necessaries and conueniences of life To seale thy pardon of all our sinnes To keepe vs from the infection of new sinnes from relapses into our old ones To defend vs from the power of the deuill and to saue vs from any thing that may offend and hurt vs. 2 Power is ascribed to God Wherein we appeale to the omnipotency of our Father we acknowledge him able to doe whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and earth So Nehemiah beginneth his prayer O Lord God of heauen the great and terrible God So began Daniel O Lord the great and dreadfull God This confession of Gods power doth incline the greatnesse and might of God to stoope it selfe to vs for power takes no ioy in aduancing it self against weaknes Amongst men there be of those barbarous and inhumane natures which abuse power to vnmercifull tyranny and oppression but when we confesse the power of God we submit to it and thereby moue the God of power to declare the same to our good He hath power in spirituall graces to bestow them on vs that we may serue him in the hallowing of his name his power can extend his kingdome ouer all his power onely can make vs able to doe his will this power commandeth heauen and earth to minister to our necessities He hath power to pardon all sinnes and to preserue vs from temptation and euill Therefore the consideration of our confession of his power moueth him to grant our requests in all