be every way perfect perfect in the full Number of its Subjects and every Subject perfect in his entire and compleat Reward his Soul made for ever Blessed in the Beatifical Vision of God and his Body made unconceivably Glorious by the redundancy of that Glory that fills his Soul and both shall remain for ever with the Lord. And thus you see what the Kingdom of God is both universal and peculiar the Kingdom of his Power and the Kingdom of his Grace and that as it is Militant here on Earth both Visible and Invisible and as it is Triumphant in Heaven The next thing in order is to shew how this Kingdom of God is said to come This Word come implies that we pray for a Kingdom that is yet in its Progress and hath not yet attained the highest pitch of that perfection which is expected and desired for that which is yet to come is not as yet arrived to that State in which it is to be And therefore we do not so properly pray that the Vniversal Kingdom of God should come for his Dominion over the Creatures is actually the same and shall be so for ever But more especially we pray that the peculiar Kingdom of God should come and that as to both parts of it Militant and Triumphant Now this peculiar Kingdom is said to come in Three respects First In respect of the means of Grace and Salvation for where these are rightly dispensed I mean the Holy Word and Sacraments there is the Kingdom of God begun and erected and therefore we find it called the Word of the Kingdom Matth. 13.19 Secondly In respect of the Efficacy of those means when all ready and cordial Obedience is yielded to the Laws of God then doth this Kingdom come and the Glory of it is advanced and increased Thirdly In respect of Perfection and so it comes when the Graces of the Saints are strengthned and increased when the Souls of the Godly departing this Life are received into Heaven and when the whole Number of them shall have their perfect Consummation and Bliss in the Glorification both of Soul and Body after the General Re-surrection And thus we have seen how the Kingdom of God may come In the next place we must enquire what it is we pray for when we say Thy Kingdom come I Answer There are various Things lie couch'd under this Petition as First We pray that God would be pleased to Plant his Church where it is not according to his Promise giving all the Nations of the World to his Son for his Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for his Possession That the dark Places and Corners of the Earth that are yet the Habitations of Cruelty may be illustrated with the Glorious Light of the Gospel shining into them That God would reveal his Son to those poor wretched People that sit in Darkness and in the Region of the Shadow of Death and would rescue them from their Blind Superstitions and Idolatries and from the Power of the Devil who strongly works in the Children of Disobedience and would translate them into the Kingdom of his dear Son especially that he would remove the Veil from the Heart of the Jew upon whom a sad Judicial Hardness hath long lain that they at length may be brought into the Unity and Fulness of Christ's Body We pray that all the World both Jews and Gentiles may be gathered into one Sheep-fold under Christ Jesus the great Pastor and Shepherd of Souls so that as God is one so his Name and Service may be one throughout all the Earth And thus we pray that Christ's Kingdom may come in respect of the means of Grace and Salvation Secondly This Petition Thy Kingdom come intimates our earnest desire that the Church of Christ where they are planted may be increased in the Members of the Faithful That those who are as yet Enemies to the Name and Profession of Christ may be brought into the Visible Church and that those in it who are yet Strangers to a powerful Work of Grace may by the effectual Operation of the Holy Ghost be brought in to be Members of the Invisible Church And thus we pray that God's Kingdom may come in respect of the Efficacy of the means of Grace Thirdly We pray that all the Church of Christ throughout the World may be kept from ruine that they may not be over-run with Superstition or Idolatry That God would not in his Wrath remove his Candlestick from them as he hath in his Righteous Judgment done from other Churches which were once Glorious and Splendid We pray likewise that God would make up all Breaches and compose all Differences and silence all Controversies and cut off all those who trouble the Peace and rend the Unity of the Church breaking it into Factions and Schisms which are the most fatal Symptoms and Portenders of God's withdrawing himself and carrying away his Gospel and giving of it to another People who will better bring forth the Fruits of it which are Peace Meekness and Love And if in any thing Christians be diversly minded that God would be pleased to reveal it unto them and that whereunto they have attained they may walk by the same Rule and mind the same Things And thus we pray that Christ's Kingdom may come in respect of its perfection and entireness Fourthly It intimates our humble Requests to God that his Ordinances may be purely and powerfully dispensed Hence as I noted before the Word is called the Word of the Kingdom Matth. 13.19 that is the Word whereby we are brought into the Kingdom of Christ here on Earth and fitted for his Triumphant Kingdom in Heaven It is the means of our New Birth the Seed of our Spiritual Life And as a Kingdom cannot be well established or governed without good Laws so for the Government of his Kingdom Christ hath established Laws which are contained in the Records of the Holy Scriptures And as his Word is the Law so his Sacraments are the Seals of his Kingdom for so every believing Partaker God doth under his Seal confirm the grant of Heaven and Eternal Salvation And therefore in this Petition we pray also that God would give his Church able Ministers of the New Testament that may know how rightly to divide the Word of Truth and to give every one his Portion in due season And that he would be pleased to accompany the outward Administration of his Ordinances with the inward Operations of his Spirit which alone can make them effectual to turn Men from Darkness to Light and to bring them from the Power of Satan unto God That the whole Number of God's Elect may in his due time be brought in by the means which he hath appointed and sanctified for their Conversion and Salvation These are the chief and principal things that we beg of God for the Church Militant when we say Thy Kingdom come viz. that it may attain a perfection of Extent
What is the Vniversal Kingdom or Church of God A. It is a Company of true Believers who have Eternal and Invisible Communion with God by his Spirit and their Faith Q. What observe you of both A. Its Mixture and Imperfection for in the Visible Church there is a great Mixture of Persons the Bad with the Good in the Invisible there is a great Mixture in Persons of Evil with Good and Sin with Grace Q. You have formerly told us that the Church of Christ in its Progress is the Church Militant either Visible or Invisible and that the Church of Christ in its Consummation is the Church Triumphant What is this Church Triumphant A. The general Assembly of such glorious Angels as never fell and such glorified Saints as are raised from their Fall Q. What is that Kingdom which in this Petition we pray may come A. Not the Universal Kingdom of God which is the VVorld for his Dominion therein is always the same but onely the peculiar Kingdom which is his Church and more especially that part of it which is Militant on Earth Q. In what Respects may God's Kingdom be said to come A. In Three 1. First In respect of the Means of Grace and Salvation which are the VVord and Sacraments for where these are dispersed there God's Kingdom is erected 2. Secondly In respect of the Efficacy of this Means in the Conversion of Sinners whereby they are brought into the Invisible Kingdom of Christ 3. Thirdly In respect of the Perfection of this Kingdom for then God's Kingdom comes when the Saint's Graves are increased when their Souls are received into Heaven and when both Souls and Bodies are consummated in Glory Q. What do we pray for when we say Thy Kingdom come A. 1. First That God should plant his Church where it is not That all the Kingdoms of the Earth may become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ 2. Secondly That his Ordinances may be purely and powerfully administred his word truly preached which is the Law of his Kingdom and his Sacraments duely dispens'd which are the Seals of it 3. Thirdly That God would send into his Church able and faithfull Ministers to be faithfull Stewards of the Mysteries of the Gospel 4. Fourthly That the Ministery of the Word may be successfull to the Conversion of those that hear it 5. Fifthly That all the Churches of Christ may be kept from Errour Schism Superstition and Idolatry and that true Doctrine and due Discipline may be continued in them to the End of the World Q. But may we not pray also for the Church Triumphant in Heaven A. We may for the fulfilling of what is promised 1. First That the Number of them may be compleated 2. Secondly That their Persons may be compleated That the Bodies of those Saints which now sleep in the Dust may be raised united to their Souls and both made Eternally glorious in the Kingdom of Heaven Q. Is not this praying for the Dead so justly condemned of Popish Superstition A. No for we pray not for another State as the Papists do when they pray for Souls to be delivered out of Purgatory but we pray for the Perfection of the same State in which the Souls of the Faithful already are we pray not for their Release out of Torments but for a joyfull Resurrection which both they and we expect and whatsoever may be the Object of our Faith and Hope may well be the Subject of our Prayers Q. Which is the third Petition A. Thy VVill be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Q. How is the Will of God distinguisht A. Into the Will of his Purpose or the Will of his Precept or into his secret and revealed Will. Q. What is the Will of God's Purpose A. His Eternal Counsels and Decrees whereby he hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass Q. What is the Will of Gods Precept A. His holy Laws contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament wherein he hath revealed to us the Duties we ought to perform for the obtaining of Eternal Life Q. How do these two Wills differ A. 1. First In that there are many things which God wills by his VVill of Purpose that he hath not willed by his VVill of Precept For God commands nothing but what is Holy yet he purposeth to permit many things that are Evil. 2. Secondly In that we may effectually resist his Will of Precept so as to hinder the Accomplishment of it as we do whensoever we sin but we cannot resist the Will of God's Purpose though many times to endeavour it is our indispensible Duty Q. Ought not the Will of the Creature to be conformed to the Will of God in all things A. Yes to the Will of his Precept for that alone is the Rule of our Obedience But in all things to conform to the Will of his Purpose may involve us in the greatest Guilt Acts 2.23 Being delivered by the determinate Counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Q. Is there not then a manifest repugnance between God's Will of Purpose and of Precept A. No for the Object of God's VVill of Purpose is Event but of his VVill of Precept Duty and it is no contradiction for God to will or permit that to be which he hath willed or commanded us not to do Q. Which of these do we pray may be done A. VVe especially and absolutely pray that the VVill of God's Precept may be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Q. What considerations may excite us to be earnest in this Request A. First because there is a great reluctancy in our corrupt Nature against the holy VVill of God therefore we ought earnestly to pray that he by his Grace would subdue it Secondly because the Glory of God is deeply concern'd in doing his Will for by this we own his Sovereignty and our Subjection to his Laws and Kingdom Thirdly because our own Interest is deeply concern'd in it for it is onely by doing his Will we can inherit the Promises Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments Q. Ought we not absolutely to pray that God's Will of Purpose may be done A. No And that because many things are brought to pass by this Will which we ought to pray against as Temporal Evils and the Permission of Sin Q. How then do the Saints in Scripture pray for the Accomplishment of this Will of God as in 1 Sam. 3.18 And Samuel told him every whit and hid nothing from him and he said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 2 Sam. 15.26 But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Acts 21.14 And when he would not be perswaded we ceased saying The Will of the Lord be done And our Saviour Luke 22.42 Saying Father if thou be willing remove this Cup from me nevertheless
AN EXPOSITION ON THE Lord's Prayer WITH A Catechistical Explication Thereof by way of QVESTION and ANSWER For the Instructing of YOUTH To which is added some SERMONS On Providence and the Excellent Advantages of Reading and Studying the Holy Scriptures By EZEKIEL HOPKINS late Lord Bishop of London-Derry LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the Kings-Arms and Edward Mory at the Three Bibles in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1692. EZEKIEL HOPKINS EPISCOPUS DERENSIS Printed for Nathanael Ranew Imprimatur Guil. Lancaster R. P. D. Henrico Ep. Lond. Ã Sacris Domesticis April 7. 1692. THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader THe following Discourses upon that Excellent and Divine Prayer of our Blessed Saviour contain so much of Practical Divinity necessary to be known by all Christians and are so Solidly and Judiciously handled that they need no Epistle Recommendatory unto the World having the Stamp of the Divine Authority upon the Truths contained in them But if any shall curiously enquire whether this Reverend and Learned Prelate designed and finished them for the Press I may truly return the same Answer that is given in Print by the present Bishop of Cork and Ross to the same Question in his Epistle to the Reader before this Author's Exposition on the Ten Commandments namely That they were Transcribed by himself and by him deposited in the hands of a Minister whom he could intrust to be made Publick after his Decease whose Epistle should have been prefixed hereunto but that he is far distant in another Nation and the Press cannot tarry so long for it the Book being just finished And as a further Confirmation that his Lordship intended it should be made Publick appears by his so often quoting this his Discourse on the Lord's Prayer in his Treatise on the Commandments which could not be seen or read by others but by the Printing of it Vpon which many Persons have been very desirous and inquisitive after it Vnto this large and general Exposition on the Lord's Prayer there is added a brief and short Catechistical Explication thereof by way of Question and Answer made use of by his Lordship for the instructing of the younger and more ignorant Christians in the Knowledge and Vnderstanding of those Divine and Heavenly Truths contained in this most Excellent Prayer And for a Conclusion of all there are added several Sermons Preached by this Learned Prelate upon the Providence of God and on the Excellency and Usefulness of Reading and Studying the Holy Scriptures All which have been diligently and carefully perused by several Persons of the Author's Acquaintance both of the Clergy and others with very good Acceptance and Satisfaction and the whole is now with Approbation exposed unto publick view And that the present Publication of them may tend much to the promoting of the Honour and Glory of God and the Edification of many Souls in Grace and Holiness is the hearty Prayer of the Publisher Farewell The Vanity of the World with other Sermons in Octavo Discourses and Sermons on several Scriptures in Octavo An Exposition on the Ten Commandments with other Sermons in Quarto All Written by Ezekiel Hopkins late Lord Bishop of London-Derry and Sold by Nathanael Ranew A Practical EXPOSITION ON THE LORD'S PRAYER Matth. VI. 9 10. c. After this manner therefore Pray ye Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this Day our daily Bread And forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors And lead us not into Temptation But deliver us from Evil For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen HAving often seriously considered with my self of the great use that is made of this most excellent Form of Prayer composed by our Blessed Lord and Saviour himself as also of the great Benefit and Advantage that might accrue unto all those that with understanding make a due use of it in their daily Devotions I thought it might be very necessary for your Instruction and greatly conducible unto your Salvation to lay before your consideration as brief and succinct an Exposition thereof as the large extent and various copiousness of the matter contained therein will permit The Blessed Apostle St. Paul in 1 Cor. 14.15 tells us That he would pray with the Spirit and he would pray with Vnderstanding also And indeed when we pray to pray with Understanding what we pray is one great requisite to make our Prayers Spiritual and through the prevailing Intercession of Jesus Christ to become acceptable unto God the Father But to mutter over a road of Words only as the Papists are taught and as multitudes of many ignorant Persons among us do also without understanding what they signifie or being duly affected with those Wants and Necessities which we beg of God the Supplies of is not to offer up a Prayer unto the Almighty but only to make a Charm Now because there is no Form of Prayer that ever we have heard or read of that is deservedly so much in use as this of our Lord's is I shall endeavour in some Discourses thereupon to unfold to you those Voluminous Requests which we offer up unto God when we thus pray as our Saviour here teacheth us wherein as I doubt not but as I may greatly instruct the Ignorance of many so possibly I may bring very much to the remembrance of those who have attained to great understanding in Religion those things which may provoke their Zeal and excite their Affections and both these Undertakings through the Blessing of God upon it may be very usefully profitable to enable them to pray with Understanding and with the Spirit also when they approach the Throne of Grace to present their Petitions unto the Great God as by the Intercession so in the Words of his dear Son In this Chapter which contains in it a great part of our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount our Lord lays before his Hearers several Directions concerning two necessary Duties in a Christian's Practice and they are Alms-giving and Prayer the former a Duty relating more immediately unto Men the latter a Duty in a more especial manner respecting God himself in both which he not only cautions us against but strictly forbids all Ostentation and Vain-Glory Therefore says he when thou dost thine Alms do not sound a Trumpet before thee for this is the Practice of Hypocrites that they may have Glory of Men verse 2. And when thou prayest be not as the Hypocrites for they love to pray in the Synagogues and Corners of the Streets that they may be seen of Men verse 5. Thus must we not do in either of these Cases For as we must not give Alms that we may be seen of Men so neither must we pray that we may be heard and observed of Men For what can be more absurd and ridiculous as well as wicked and impious than to be begging Applause from some when we
and for a pretence made long Prayers Matth. 23.14 yet certain it is that it was not their long Prayers that he condemns but their Pretence and Hypocrisie Thus much I thought fit to observe from the Context Our Saviour having thus cautioned his Disciples against the Sins of the Pharisees and Heathens in their Prayers comes in the Words I have read to instruct them how to pray After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father c. Some taking advantage from these Words deny this to be used as a Prayer it self but only as a Model and Platform to direct us how to pray But if we consult not only the practice of the Church of Christ in all Ages but the Scripture it self we shall find it to be both the one and the other for it is our Saviour's express Injunction Luke 11.2 When ye pray say and what should they say but the Words immediately following Our Father which art in Heaven c One Evangelist says Pray after this manner the other saith When ye pray say from both which compared together it is easie to collect that it is both a Pattern for us to form our Prayers by and that it is a Prayer it self which our Saviour in condescention to our Infirmities hath framed for us putting Words into our Mouths to beg of God those Blessings which through his most prevalent Intercession shall not be denied us And indeed of all Prayers this is the most absolute and comprehensive containing in it not so many Words as Petitions for there is not any one thing that we can pray for according to the Will of God but it is summarily couch'd in this And yet this Comprehensiveness which is the admirable Excellency of this Prayer hath been the only Reason why some of late have scrupled and refused to use it because they cannot pierce through all that is signified by these substantial Expressions they think they should take God's Name in vain in uttering that before him which they do not understand the utmost extent of But if they did but consider their own Prayers the same doubts would still remain When they pray that God's Name may be glorified can they comprehend in that short time while they are uttering those Words the infinite Latitude of that Request Is it unlawful at the close of our Prayers to desire that God would give us all good things which we have not mentioned before him And yet who of us can conceive how large an extent that Request may have May we not say Amen and Seal up our Prayers with a So be it though while we are speaking it we cannot presently recollect all that hath been mentioned before God in Prayer And for any to say that the Lord's Prayer is a Morsel too big for their Mouths as some have done I have always accounted it a most unworthy and unsavory Speech Certainly Christ thought it not too big for his Disciples whose Capacities at that time were possibly none of the largest as appears in many instances particularly in the Nature of Christ's Kingdom which he taught them to pray that it might come which they thought to be Temporal and Earthly And those who refuse the use of the Lord's Prayer as too big for them would yet think themselves much wronged if we should but suspect them as ignorant in that and in many other points of Christian Doctrine as the Disciples were when our Saviour instructed them thus to pray It being therefore as I hope clear and evident that we may often pray in these Words and that we must always pray after this manner let us now proceed to consider the Prayer it self in which there are these Four parts First The Preface or Introduction to it Secondly The Petitions or Requests we present to God in which the greatest part of it consists Thirdly the Doxology or Praise-giving for Praise is a necessary part of Prayer Fourthly The Conclusion or Ratification of all in the Sealing Particle Amen I shall speak somewhat of these briefly in the general and then more particularly of each as my Text directs me First For the Introduction or Preface unto the Prayer and that is contained in these Words Our Father which art in Heaven This is used as a preparative to Prayer And what greater inducement can there be to dispose us into a holy awe and reverence of God than to set before us the Greatness and Glory of that Majesty before whom we prostrate our selves And therefore we find that the Saints in Scripture in all their approaches to the Throne of Grace were wont in the beginning of their Prayers to affect and over-awe their Hearts with the humble mention of God's Glorious Attributes Thus Solomon 1 Kings 8.23 O Lord God of Israel there is no God like unto thee in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath who keepest Covenant and Mercy with thy Servants Thus Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20.6 O Lord God of our Fathers art not thou God in Heaven and rulest not thou over all the Kingdoms of the Heathens and in thy Hand is there not Power and Might So Hezekiah 2 King 19.15 O Lord God of Israel who dwellest between the Cherubims thou art God even thou alone who hast made Heaven and Earth And so the Prophet Jerem. 32.17 Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the Heaven and the Earth by thy great Power and stretched-out Arm and there is nothing too hard for thee The great the mighty God the Lord of Hosts is his Name great in Counsel and mighty in Working And thus our Saviour himself Matth. 11.25 I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth And so the Apostle Acts 4.24 Lord thou art God that hast made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is And thus to consider seriously of and reverently to express the infinitely Glorious Attributes of God is an excellent means to compose us into a holy fear and awe of God such as becomes vile Dust and Ashes to be affected with when it stands in the presence of its great Lord and Creator Only here let us remember that we dwell not so long upon the Titles and Attributes of God nor run so much out into Preface as to forget our errand unto him Secondly Next after the Preface we have the Petitions following in their order Of these some reckon six others seven but which soever we take the matter is not great They may all be reduced under two General Heads First Such as respect God's Glory Secondly Such as respect our selves and others The Three first respect God's Glory and the Three or Four last our own Good and that either Temporal or Spiritual Temporal in begging at God's Hands our daily Bread Spiritual in desiring both the Pardon of and Deliverance from Sin And here again we may observe the admirable Order and Method of this Prayer in that our Saviour hath placed the Petition which refers to our Temporal Good as it were in the very midst
and be planted where it is not to a perfection of Number and may gain more Proselytes and Converts where it is planted to a perfection of Establishment that they may not be rooted out by the Violence of Men nor abandoned through the Judgment of God And to a perfection of Purity and Holiness by the powerful Dispensation of Gospel-Ordinances attended by the Efficacious Concurrence of the Holy Spirit But Secondly This Petition likewise respects the Church Triumphant in Heaven Nor is this praying for the Dead a thing justly condemned of Superstition and Folly for we pray not for them to alter their State which is impious and ridiculous and a Foppish Consequent upon the Figment of Purgatory But we pray for the Church Triumphant only in general that those things which are as yet defective in it may be supplied for certainly wheresoever there is any kind of imperfection we have ground to pray for the removal of it especially when God hath encouraged us to it by promise that he will remove it And therefore First We may well pray that the whole Body Mystical of Jesus Christ and every Member of it may be brought to the full Fruition of Heaven and Happiness that daily more may be admitted into the Heavenly Fellowship till their Numbers as well as their Joys be Consummate And Secondly We may pray that the Bodies of all the Saints that have slept in their Beds of Earth from the beginning of the World may be raised again out of the Dust and united to their Souls and for ever made Glorious in the Kingdom of Heaven for both these things are absolutely promised the one Rom. 8.29 30. that those whom God hath Called and Justified he will likewise Glorifie And the other is 1 Thessal 4.16 The Dead in Christ shall arise And certainly whatsoever may be the Object of our Faith Hope may be the Subject of our Prayers And this every true Christian longs and breaths after that these Days of Sin and Misery may be shortned that Christ would come in his Glory that his Mediatory Kingdom being fulfilled it might be delivered up unto the Father and that we all might be one as the Father is in him and he in the Father Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly And thus I have finished the Second Petition The Kingdom come The Third follows Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven This now follows upon the former in a most rational and admirable method for as before we pray that the Kingdom of God might come as the best adapted means to Hallow his Name so now we pray that his Will may be done by us as the clearest Declaration that we are the Subjects of his Kingdom Now here are considerable First The Petition it self Thy Will be done in Earth Secondly The Measure and Proportion of it as it is in Heaven I shall begin with the Petition in which every Word carries great Weight and Moment and therefore in the explication of it I shall shew you First What this Will of God is Secondly How his Will may be said to be done Thirdly What force this Particle thy thy Will carries in it and what it denotes Fourthly What is meant by God's Will being done in Earth And all these with all perspicuity and brevity First What this Will of God is Now the Will of God is commonly and very well distinguished into the Will of his Purpose and into the Will of his Precept his Decrees or his Commands The former respects what shall be done by him the latter what ought to be done by us Both these in Scripture are frequently called the Will of God First God's Purpose is his Will yea it is more properly his Will than his Precepts are for by this God doth absolutely determine what shall be and what shall not be and all things in the World take their Place and are ranged in their several Stations and the whole series of Causes and Effects are governed by the Ordination and Appointment of this his Sovereign Will And therefore it is said Eph. 1.11 that God worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own Will And Psal 135.6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and in all deep Places This is God's Will of Purpose whereby he guides and governs all Events whatsoever so that there is not the most inconsiderable Occurrence that happens not the least flight of a Sparrow nor the falling off of an Hair nor the motion of an Atome in the Air or a dust or a sand on the Earth but as it is effected by his Power and Providence so it was determined by his Will and Counsel Secondly The Precepts and Commands are likewise the Will of God but they are improperly so called because these concern not neither do they determine the Event of things but only our Duty not what shall be but what ought to be and it is called Rom. 12.2 The good and acceptable and perfect Will of God This is all contained in the Holy Scriptures which are a perfect Systeme of Precepts given us for the Government of our Lives here and for the attaining of Eternal Life hereafter and therefore it is likewise called his Revealed Will whereas the other namely the Will of Purpose is God's Secret Will until it be manifested unto us by the Events and Effects of it Now concerning this distinction of God's Will of Purpose and Precept we may note that though there be a great deal of difference yet there is no contrariety or opposition between them First They differ the one from the other not in respect of God for his Will is one infinitely pure and uncompounded Act but only in respect of the Object for there are many things which God wills by his Will of Purpose which he hath not willed by his Will of Precept His Precepts are all holy and command nothing but what is holy and acceptable This is the Will of God saith the Apostle even your Sanctification 1 Thessal 4.3 It is the highest degree of Blasphemy to impute unto God that he hath commanded us any thing but what is Holy Just and Good This were to make him the Author of Sin who hath declared himself the Punisher of it But his Will of Purpose is not restrained within bounds and Limits but extendeth it self to all Events whatsoever whether Good or Evil. And as Evils are of two sorts either the Evil of Punishment or the Evil of Sin so is God's Will of Purpose two-fold effective of the one and permissive of the other but in both most certain and infallible 1. God's Will of Purpose doth effect and bring to pass the Evil of Punishment Amos 3.6 Shall there be any Evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it For he doth both in Heaven and in Earth whatsoever pleaseth him Were it not the Will of God the World had never groaned under so many Miseries and Calamities
for ever The Kingdom is thine for ever The Power is thine for ever The Glory is thine for ever For so this Particle for ever is to be distributed unto each of the foregoing Attributes Now in ascribing unto God these Attributes we may consider the Eminency and the Propriety of them The Eminency of them in the Particle The The Kingdom The Power The Glory denoting to us the highest and the chiefest of all these For his Kingdom is that which ruleth over all His Power that which no Created Power can controul His Glory such as stains all other Excellencies and makes all their Light and Lustre to be only the Shadow of God The propriety of this Attribute in this Particle Thine though others may have Kingdoms and Power and Glory yet these in their Eminency belong only unto God they are thine and thine only Originally Infinitely and Unchangeably Now all these Attributes of God are annexed to the Petitions of this Prayer by the illative Particle For For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory And this carries in it the strength and force of a Reason both why we pray unto God and likewise why God should grant us those things that we pray for First We pray unto God for his is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and therefore he alone is able to relieve and supply us Secondly We plead for the obtaining of those good things which we ask of him therefore grant them unto us For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever This adds strong Consolation and Assurance to our Faith that we shall be heard in these requests that we present to God For First His is the Kingdom and we are his Subjects and therefore we may depend upon him as our King for help and protection Secondly His is the Power and therefore he is able to supply and help us and to do abundantly for us above what we can ask or think Thirdly His is the Glory and therefore since what we ask is for his Honour and Praise we may firmly believe our requests shall be granted unto us And Fourthly All these are his for ever and therefore we may rest assured that at no time our Prayers shall be in vain But as it is the same unchangable God who in former Ages hath done great things for and given great things unto his Servants who have called upon him so he still retains the same Power and the same Compassion his Ear is not heavy nor his Arm shortned nor his Bowels withered and therefore we may with assurance expect that he will supply our wants and grant our desires since the Treasures of his Mercy are for ever unexhausted Thus every word is a forcible Reason both to oblige us to Address our selves unto God and likewise to move him to bestow upon us those good things which we thus ask at his hands And from hence by the way we may observe two things First That in our Prayers we ought to plead with God by weighty and enforcing Reasons Secondly That the most forcible Reasons in Prayer are to be taken from the Attributes of God First That in our Prayers we ought to plead with God by weighty and enforcing Reasons Thus God bids us to Take unto our selves words and to turn unto him Hosea 14.2 And thus if we look into Scripture those Prayers of the Saints which are there Recorded we shall find them Disputes if I may so call them as well as Requests and so many Reasons urged in them as if by dint of Arguments they would constrain God to yield to their desires So in Moses's Prayer Exod. 32.11 Wherefore doth thy Wrath wax hot against thy People which thou hast brought forth out of the Land of Aegypt with great Power wherefore should the Aegyptians say for mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the Mountains and to consume them from the Face of the Earth Turn thee from thy fierce Wrath and repent of this Evil against thy People Remember Abraham Isaac and Jacob thy Servants to whom thou swarest by thine own self and saidst unto them I will multiply your Seed as the Stars of Heaven and all this Land that I have spoken of will I give unto your Seed and they shall inherit it for ever And so Joshua pleads with God Josh 7.8 O Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their Enemies for the Canaanites and all the Inhabitants of the Land shall hear of it and shall environ us round and cut off our Name from the Earth and what wilt thou do unto thy great Name And so Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.6 O Lord God of our Fathers art not thou God in Heaven and rulest thou not over all the Kingdoms of the Heathens and in thy Hand is there not Power and Might so that none is able to withstand thee And so in the following verses he pleads with God by such powerful Arguments as if he would extort Mercy and Deliverance from him Now although it be true that all the Arguments we can urge and all the Reasons that we can alledge cannot alter the purposes and determinations of God as to any Event that he hath ordained yet there is this two-fold use and necessity of pleading them First Because by considering the Reasons we have to pray for such Mercies our desires will be the more earnest and fervent for the obtaining of them It will put Spirits and Life into our Petitions when we can represent to God the necessity of our asking which to his Mercy will prove a strong motive for his granting Secondly Because Reasons in Prayer do mightily conduce to the strengthning of our Faith and gives us great encouragement to believe that we shall certainly obtain what we have so much reason to ask Now Faith and Assurance of obtaining our Request is a great Condition to the Acceptation of our Prayers And therefore the Apostle commands us to lift up Holy Hands as without Wrath so also without doubting 1 Tim. 2.8 and again Jam. 1.7 Let him ask in Faith nothing wavering for let not that Man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. Now when we can humbly represent unto God both the great necessity that we stand in of those Mercies that we beg and likewise the equity which ariseth either from his Promises past or his Name and Attributes proclaimed that we should receive them What abundant Strength and Confidence may this add to our Faith and make us come to God with an humble expectation that he would either Answer our Prayers or our Reasons And therefore if thou wouldst be sure to have thy Prayers answered pray chiefly for such things for which thou canst produce such Reasons as cannot be answered And therefore Secondly The most forcible Reasons and Arguments in Prayer are to be taken from the Attributes of God These must needs be powerful when they are himself And if
sinceall partake of the same common Nature much more as we partake of the same especial Grace To interest one another in our Prayers and thereby maintain the Communion of Saints Q. But since God is every where present why hath our Saviour taught us to direct our Prayers to our Father in Heaven A. First because Heaven is the most glorious Place of God's Residence and therefore God is represented to us in Heaven to affect us with his Glory and Majesty Secondly Because God no where hears our Prayers with acceptation but onely in Heaven For there onely are they represented by Christ's Intercession which he makes in both Natures Q. What learn ye from our being commanded to direct our Prayers to God in Heaven A. That we should so pray as to pierce Heaven which cannot be done by the strength and intention of our Voice but of our Zeal and Affection Q. Is the Voice necessary in Prayer A. It is onely upon three Accounts 1. As that which God requires should be imployed in his Service 2. VVhen in secret it may be an help to raise our Affections still keeping it within the Bounds of Decency and Secrecy 3. In our joyning with others it is an help likewise to raise and quicken their Affections Q What is the first Petition of the Lord's Prayer A. Hallowed be thy Name Q. What is here meant by the Name of God A. First God's Name is himself Psal 20.1 The Lord hear thee in the Day of Trouble the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee and many other Places Secondly The Name of God is any perfection ascribed unto him whereby he hath made himself known unto us Q. What are the Names of God A. His Titles and his Attributes Q. What are his Titles A. They are many as Jehovah which signifies Being and giving being Creator denoting his Infinite Power Lord and King denoting his Authority and Dominion Father signifying his Care and Goodness towards his Creatures Redeemer noting his Mercy and Grace in delivering them from Temporal Evils and especially from Eternal Death Q. What are the Attributes of God A. They are of two Sorts either Incommunicable or Communicable Q. Which are his incommunicable Attributes A. Such as are so proper to the Divine Essence that they cannot in any Measure or Resemblance be ascribed to the Creatures Such are the Eternity Immensity Simplicity and Immutability Q. What are his communicable Attributes A. They are such as may in some Analogy and Resemblance be found in the Creatures As Holiness Justice Mercy Truth VVisdom and Power Q. Since they are to be found in the Creatures how are they then the proper Names of God A. They are the proper Names of God when they are applied to him free from all those Imperfections that attend them in the Creatures Q. What are these Imperfections A. They are Three 1. First That all the Perfections of the Creatures are not Originally from themselves but derivatively from God 2. Secondly They are not infinite but limited 3. Thirdly They are not unchangeable but mutable Q. How then do these become the Names of God A. VVhen we ascribe them unto God as Originally from himself and infinitely and unchangeably in himself Q. What is it to hallow this Name of God A. It signifies to make his Name Holy Q. How can God or his Name be made Holy A. Neither by Dedication to Holy Uses nor by Infusion of Holy Habits both which are frequently in Scripture called Hallowing or Sanctifying but onely by Declaration of his Glory and Holiness Q. How do we hallow the Name of God by Declaration A. VVhen in our most reverend Thoughts we observe and admire the Expressions of his Attributes and indeavour to set them forth to others both in VVords and Actions Q. What pray you for in this Petition Hallowed be thy Name A. For three Things in the General 1. First VVe beg such Graces for our selves as may inable us to sanctifie the Name of God Q. What are they especially A. Knowledge and Understanding of his Nature VVill and VVorks Thankfulness for every Mercy Patience under every Affliction Faith in his VVord and Promises For to believe God's VVord gives Glory to his Name Rom. 4.20 He staggered not at the Promise of God through Vnbelief but was strong in Faith giving Glory to God An Holy and Exemplary Life whereby we especially glorified God and induce others to do so too Matt. 5.16 Let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven And lastly savoury and well ordered Speech that we may not prophane the Name of God by Oaths or Curses or vain using it but speak of him with all Holy Fear and Reverence Q. What else do we beg of God in this Petition A. VVe beg that others also may receive Grace to inable them to sanctifie his Name And Thirdly we beg that God would so over-rule all Things that his Glory may be promoted by them Q. What learn you from Christ's making this the first Petition of his Prayer A. 1. First That the Glory of God is to be preferred by us before all other Things whatsoever John 12.27 28. Now is my Soul troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this Hour But for this Cause came I unto this Hour Father glorifie thy Name Then came there a Voice from Heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again 2. Secondly That in the Beginning of our Prayers we ought to beg Assistance from God to present them that his Name may be hallowed Q. What is the second Petition of the Lord's Prayer A. Thy Kingdom come Q. How manifold is the Kingdom of God A. It is two fold either Universal or else his peculiar Kingdom Q. What is God's Vniversal Kingdom A. The whole VVorld both Heaven and Earth and Hell it self and all things in them Psal 103.19 The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all Q. How doth God exercise his Dominion over this Kingdom A. By the Power of his Providence disposing of all his Creatures and all their Actions according to his VVill. Q. But since wicked Men are Rebels against God how doth he maintain his Dominion over them A. Three ways 1. First In that they cannot sin without his Permission 2. Secondly In that he restrains them when he pleaseth 3. Thirdly In that he justly punisheth them for their Sins sometimes in this Life always in the next Q. What is God's peculiar Kingdom A. His Kingdom of Grace which is the Church and that either Militant here on Earth or else Triumphant in Heaven Q. How is the Church Militant to be considered A. As it is either Visible or Invisible Q. What is the Visible Church of God here on Earth A. It is a Company of People openly professing the Truths that are necessary to Salvation and celebrating the Ordinances appointed by Jesus Christ Q.
of our Selves Man that busies himself in knowing all things else is of nothing more ignorant than of himself the Eye that beholds other things cannot see its own shape and so the Soul of Man whereby he understands other objects is usually ignorant of its own Concernments Now as the Eye that cannot see it self directly may see it self reflexively in a Glass so God hath given us his Scripture which St. James compares to a Glass James 1.23 and holds this before the Soul wherein is represented our true State and Idea There is a four-fold state of Man that we could never have attained to know but by the Scriptures His state of Integrity His state of Apostacy His state of Restitution His state of Glory The Scripture alone can reveal to us what we were in our Primitive Constitution Naturally Holy bearing the Image and Similitude of God and enjoying his Love free from all inward perturbations or outward Miseries having all the Creatures subject to us and what is much more our selves What we were in our state of Apostacy or Destitution despoiled of all our Primitive Excellencies dispossess'd of all the Happiness we enjoy'd and of all hopes of any for the future lyable every Moment to the revenge of Justice and certain once to feel it What we are in our state of Restitution through Grace begotten again to a lively hope Adopted into the Family of Heaven Redeem'd by the Blood of Christ Sanctified and Sealed by the Holy Spirit restored to the Favour and Friendship of God recovering the initials of his Image upon our Souls here on Earth and expecting the perfection of it in Heaven What we shall be in our final State of Glory cloathed with Light Crowned with Stars inebriated with pure spiritual Joys We shall see God as he is know him as we are known by him love him ardently converse with him eternally yea a state it will be so infinitely happy that 't will leave us nothing to hope for This Four-fold state of Man the Scripture doth evidently express Now these are such things as could never have entred into our Hearts to have imagined had not the word of God described them to us and thereby instructed us in the knowledge of our selves as well as of God and Christ Now let us put these six particulars together The Scripture instructs us in the knowledge of such things as are intelligible only by divine Revelation it teacheth us the most sublime and lofty Truths 't is a most inexhaustible Fountain of Knowledge the more we draw the more still springs up it teaches that Knowledge that is necessary to Salvation It is of undoubted certainty and perpetual Truth And Lastly it informs us in the knowledge of our Selves and certainly if there be any thirst in you after Knowledge there needs no more be spoken to perswade you to the diligent study of the Scripture which is a rich Store and Treasury of all Wisdom and Knowledge Thus we have seen how the Scriptures inform the Judgment Let us now briefly see how they reform the Life and what practical influence they have upon the Souls of Men. Now here the word of God hath a mighty Operation and that in sundry particulars First This is that word that convinceth and humbles the stoutest and proudest Sinners There are two sorts of secure Sinners Those who vaunt it in the Confidence of their own Righteousness and those who are secure through an insensibility of their own Wickedness Both these the word when it is set home with Power convinceth humbles and brings to the Dust It despoils the Self-Justitiary of all that false Righteousness he once boasted of and trusted to I was alive once without the Law saith St. Paul but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed Rom. 7.9 It awakens and alarms the senseless seared Sinner How many have there been that have scorned God and despised Religion whom yet one curse or threat of this word hath made to tremble and fall down before the convincing Majesty and Authority of it Secondly This is that word that sweetly comforts and raiseth them after their Dejections All other Applications to a wounded Spirit are improper and impertinent 'T is only Scripture Consolation that can ease it The leaves of this Book are like the leaves of that Tree Rev. 22. which were for the healing of the Nations The same Weapon that wounds must here work the cure Thirdly This is that word that works the mighty change upon the heart in Renovation Take a Man that runs on in vile and desperate Courses that sells himself to do Iniquity and commits all manner of Wickedness with Greediness and makes use of all the Arguments that reason can suggest these seldom reclaim any from their Debaucheries Or if in some few they do reform the Life yet they can never change the heart But now that which no other means can effect the Word of God can Psal 19.7 The Law of God is perfect converting the Soul Fourthly This is that word that strengthens and arms the People of God to endure the greatest temporal Evils only in hope of that future reward which it punisheth Fifthly This is that word that contains in it such a Collection of Rules and Duties that whosoever observes and obeys shall in the end infallibly obtain everlasting life Though I can but just mention these Heads unto you yet there is enough in them to perswade you to be diligent in the Scriptures In them saith our Saviour ye think to have Eternal Life We are all of us guilty Malefactors but God hath been pleased to afford us the Mercy of the Book And what shall we not so much as read for our Lives This is that Book according to which we must either stand or fall be acquitted or condemned Eternally The unalterable Sentence of the last day will pass upon us as it is here recorded in this Scripture Here we may before-hand know our Doom and what will become of us to all Eternity He that believeth shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned 'T is said Rev. 20.12 That when the dead stood before God to be Judged the Books were opened That is the Book of Conscience and the Book of the Scripture Be perswaded to open this Book and to judge your selves out of it before the last day 'T is not a sealed Book to you you may there read what your present State is and foretell what your future will be If it be a State of Sin and Wrath search farther there are Directions how you may change this wretched State for a better If it be a State of Grace and Favour there are Rules how to preserve you in it 'T is a word suited to all Persons all Occasions all Exigencies It informs the Ignorant strengthens the Weak comforts the Disconsolate supports the Afflicted relieves the Tempted resolves the Doubtful directs all to those ways which lead to endless Happiness where as the Word of God hath dwelt richly in us so we shall dwell for ever gloriously with God FINIS
are giving Alms to others or whilst we are praying to the great God of Heaven and Earth to make frail mortal Men like our selves our Idols which we do whensoever we pray rather that we may be heard and admired by Men than that God should hear us and accept us In the next words our Saviour proceeds in laying down some other Directions concerning the Duty of Prayer and therein he forbids his Hearers to use vain Repetitions in Prayer verse 7. When you Pray use not vain Repetitions as the Heathens do Not that all Repetitions in Prayer are vain bablings in the sight of God for our Lord himself Prayed thrice using the same words for so we read Matth. 26. and 44. For doubtless as Copiousness and Variety of fluent Expressions in any usually flow from raised Affections so when those Affections are heightned and raised to an Ecstasy and Agony of Soul in our wrestlings with God in Prayer Ingeminations are then the most Proper and most Elegant way of expressing them doubling and redoubling the same Petitions again and again not allowing God if I may so speak with Holy Reverence so much time nor our selves so much leasure as to form in our minds much more with our Lips to offer up any new requests till by a Holy Violence in wrestling with God we have extorted out of his hands those Mercies and Blessings our Hearts are set upon the suing to him for Vain Repetitions therefore are such as are made use of by any without new and lively Stirrings and Motions of the Heart and Affections at the same time And that which makes a Prayer vain makes a Repetition in Prayer to be vain also Now that is a vain Prayer and we shall certainly find it so when the requests we offer up to God therein are heartless and lifeless For we must know God hath Commanded us to Pray not that he might be excited and moved by hearing the Voice of our Cries in Prayer to give unto us those Mercies and Blessings which he himself was not resolved before hand to bestow upon us but that we our selves might be fitted and prepared to receive from him what he is always ready and willing to confer upon us He requires Prayer from us not that he might be affected therewith for as the Apostle St. James tells us With him there is no variableness nor shadow of turning James 1.17 but that we our selves might have our Hearts raised and affected therewith And therefore the chiefest effect of Prayer being to affect our selves if Prayer it self be not vain neither are Repetitions in Prayer vain if whilst we are spreading the same requests before God we do it with new Affections and Desires No Prayer therefore ought to be accused of idle Babling and vain Repetitions but those that Pray may I fear too often be charged with it And here by the way I desire all those who are offended at or refuse to joyn with the Stated Forms of Prayer that the Church hath appointed to be made use of either in publick or private because the same requests do many times occur therein to keep a strict Eye upon their Hearts and Affections and then the Scruples and Objections that they make will presently be removed for it is much in their own Power to make them to be either vain Repetitions or the most fervent Ingeminations of their most affectionate Desires unto God and the most Spiritual and Forcible part of all their Prayers and Supplications they offer up unto him But then further as our Saviour forbids vain Repetitions in Prayer so he likewise forbids much speaking for they think says our Saviour St. Matth. 6.7 That they shall be heard for their much speaking Now as the former Prohibition doth not exclude all Repetitions in Prayer so neither doth this latter exclude as some Ignorant Persons perhaps who are soon wearied out with the Service of God may be apt to think long Prayers for this would be a flat contradiction to his own practice for it is said in St. Luke 6.12 That he went out into a Mountain to Pray and continued all night in Prayer unto God Some indeed take the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer to signifie the House of Prayer as if our Saviour continued only in such a Dedicated House or Chappel all night according as Juvenal useth the word in quâ te quaero prosencha Yet as it will be hard to prove that the Jews had any such Houses for Prayer besides their Synagogues which were not seated in Desolate whither our Saviour went then to Pray but in Populous Cities and frequented Places So it will be more hard to imagine that our Saviour would continue all night in the House of Prayer if he had not been taken up in the performance of the Duty of Prayer There is therefore a great deal of difference between much speaking in Prayer and speaking much in Prayer for certainly a Man may speak much to God in prayer when yet he may not be guilty of much speaking for there is a compendious way of speaking to speak much in a little and there is a babling way of speaking when by many tedious Ambages and long Impertinencies men pour out a Sea of Words and scarce one drop of Sence or Matter Now it is this last way of speaking unto God which our Saviour here condemns and condemns it justly for it shews either Folly or Irreverence Folly in that it is a sign we do not sufficiently consider what we ask Irreverence in that it is a sign we do not consider of whom we ask and such men are rather to be esteemed talkative than devout But when a man's Soul is full fraught with matter of which if he duly weighs either his Spiritual wants or his Temporal Sorrows and Afflictions he can never be unfurnished to pour out his Soul and with a torrent of Holy Rhetorick lay open his Case before God begging seasonable supplies in suitable expressions certainly he cannot fall under the reproof of much speaking although he may speak much and long for such an one hath much to say and whilst Matter and Affections last let his prayer be an hour long yea a day long yea an eternity long as our Praises shall be in Heaven he is not to be censured for a Babler but hath still spoken much in a little It is true the Wise Man hath Commanded That our words be few in our Addresses to God Eccles 5.2 and he gives a most forcible Reason For God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth His Infinite Majesty should therefore over-awe thee from using any rash and vain loquacity But yet this makes not against long prayers for many words may be but a few to express the sentiments of our Souls and none can be too many while the Heart keeps Pace with the Tongue and every Petition is filled with Matter and winged with Affections And whereas our Saviour condemns the Pharisees who devoured Widows Houses
and centre of it it being encompassed round about with Petitions for Heavenly and Spiritual Blessings And this may intimate to us that we are only to bait at the World in our Passage and Journey to Heaven that we ought to begin with Spirituals and end with Spirituals but only to take up and refresh our selves a little with our daily Bread in our way Thirdly In the Doxology or Praise there are Four things contained First God's Sovereignty Thine is the Kingdom Secondly God's Omnipotency And the Power Thirdly God's Excellency And the Glory Fourthly The Eternity and Unchangableness of them and of all God's other Attributes noted to us in that Expression For ever Fourthly and Lastly Here is the ratifying Particle Amen added as a Seal to the whole Prayer and it importeth a desire to have that confirmed or granted which we have prayed for And thus Benaiah when he had received Instructions from David concerning the establishing of Solomon in the Kingdom answereth thereto Amen and explains it 1 Kings 1.36 The Lord God of my Lord the King say so too So that when we add this Word Amen at the end and close of our Prayers it is as much as if we had said the Lord God say so too or the Lord grant these Requests For the proper signification of Amen is so be it or so it is or so it shall be the former notes our Desires the latter our confidence and assurance of being heard Now of all these Four parts of which this Prayer is composed I shall speak in their order First therefore Let us consider the Preface in these Words Our Father which art in Heaven And here God is described by two of his most eminent Attributes his Grace and Glory his Goodness and his Greatness by the one in that he is stiled Our Father by the other in that he is said to be in Heaven And both these are most sweetly tempered together to beget in us a Holy Mixture of Filial Boldness and aweful Reverence which are so necessary to the sanctifying of God's Name in all our Addresses to him We are commanded to come to the Throne of Grace with boldness Heb. 4.16 and yet to serve God acceptably with reverence and with fear Heb. 12.28 Yea and indeed the very calling of it a Throne of Grace intimates both these Affections at once It is a Throne and therefore requires Awe and Reverence but it is a Throne of Grace too and therefore permits holy Freedom and Confidence And so we find all along in the Prayers of the Saints how they mix the consideration of God's Mercy and his Majesty together in the very Prefaces and Preparations to their Prayers So Neh. 1.5 Lord God of Heaven the great and terrible God that keepeth Covenant and Mercy for them that love him So Dan. 9.4 O Lord the great and dreadful God keeping Covenant and Mercy for them that love him Now this excellent mixture of aweful and encouraging Attributes will keep us from both the Extreams of Despair on the one Hand and of Presumption on the other He is our Father and this may correct the despairing Fear which might otherwise seize us upon the consideration of his Majesty and Glory And he is likewise infinitely Glorious a God whose Throne is in the highest Heavens and the Earth his Foot-stool And this may correct the presumptuous irreverence which else the consideration of God as our Father might perhaps embolden us unto Now here I shall first speak of the Relation of God unto us as a Father and then of the Place of his Glory and Residence in Heaven and of both but briefly for I must not dwell upon every particular First To begin with the Relation of God to us as a Father Now God is a Father Three ways First God is a Father by Eternal Generation Secondly By Temporal Creation and Providence Thirdly By Spiritual Regeneration and Adoption First God is a Father by Eternal Generation having by an inconceivable and ineffable way begotten his Son God Co-equal Co-eternal with himself and therefore called The only begotten Son of God Joh. 3.16 Thus God is a Father only to our Lord Jesus Christ according to his Divine Nature And whensoever this Title Father is given to God with relation to the Eternal Sonship of our Lord Jesus Christ it denotes only the First Person in the ever Blessed Trinity who is therefore chiefly and especially called the Father Secondly God is a Father by Temporal Creation as he gives a Being and Existence to his Creatures creating those whom he made Rational after his own Image and Similitude And therefore God is said to be a Father of Spirits Heb. 12.9 And the Angels are called the Sons of God Job 1.6 There was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. And so Adam upon the account of his Creation is called the Son of God Luke 3.38 where the Evangelist runs up the Genealogy of Mankind till it terminates in God Who was the Son of Adam who was the Son of God Thirdly God is said to be a Father by Spiritual Regeneration and Adoption and so all true Believers are said to be the Sons of God and to be born of God John 1.12 13. To as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to as many as believed on his Name which were born not of the will of Man but of God So Rom. 8.17 we are said to receive the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father For the Spirit it self witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God Now in these two last Significations this Expression Our Father which art in Heaven is to be understood and so they denote not any one particular Person of the Blessed Trinity but it is a relative Attribute belonging equally to all the Three Persons God is the Father of all Men by Creation and Providence and he is especially the Father of the Faithful by Regeneration and Adoption Now as these Actions of Creation Regeneration and Adoption are common to the whole Trinity so likewise is the Title of Father God the first Person in the Blessed Trinity is indeed Eminently called the Father but not in respect of us but in respect of Christ his only begotten Son from all Eternity In respect of us the whole Trinity is our Father which is in Heaven both Father Son and Holy Ghost and in praying to our Father we pray to them all joyntly for Christ the Second Person in the Trinity is expresly called the Father Isa 9.6 Vnto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and his Name shall be called Wonderful Councellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father And we are said to be born of the Spirit John 3.5 Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit Now that God should be pleased to take this into his Glorious Style even to be called Our Father it may
him And therefore howsoever thou mayest be advanced in Wealth or Honour or parts above others yet still remember that they are thy Brethren as they partake of the same common Nature and much more if they partake of the same special Grace Yea Christ himself who is the Lord of all is not ashamed to call them Brethren Heb. 2.11 And shalt thou who art but an Adopted Son no otherwise than the meanest Saint be ashamed of the Relation especially considering there is no Eldership nor right of First-born in the Family for they are all First-born all Kings and Heirs with Christ Jesus himself Secondly If thou art mean and low in the World this should teach thee to be well content with thy present State and Condition for God is thy Father and a Father to thee equally with the greatest There is not the highest person upon Earth but if he belong to God prefers that Relation above all his other Titles If he can write Prince King or Emperour and can afterwards subjoin a Child of God all his other Titles stand but for a Cypher with him This O Christian how mean how despised soever thou art this is thy Priviledge and a Priviledge it is that equals thee with David with Solomon and with all the great ones of the Earth that ever laid down their Diadems and Scepters at the feet of God What says the Apostle Gal. 3.28 There is neither bond nor free but all are one in Christ Jesus Thirdly Since when we Pray we must say Our Father this teacheth us to interest one another in our Prayers Our Father would not have us selfish so much as in our Prayers but in the very entrance into them we are put in mind of the Communion of Saints to beg those Blessings for all that belong to God which we ask for our selves for as Christ hath made us all Kings so he hath made all Priests to God and his Father Now the Office of a Priest is Intercession And therefore when we go to God we should bear upon our Breasts the Name of our Brethren and present them before God through the Intercession and Mediation of Jesus Christ our Great High-Priest that both we and they may be accepted of God And this we ought to do both in publick and private It is true in our secret Prayers we may pray particularly for our selves and we have frequent instances for it in Scripture yet ought we in every Prayer that we make to God to be mindful of the State and Condition of our Brethren Yea and it is very Lawful and Commendable even in secret between God and our own Souls in those cases that are common to us with the rest of God's Saints and People to joyn them in our Prayers and although we are all alone yet to say Our Father For we find Daniel praying Dan. 9.17 O Our God when yet he was in secret O Our God hear the Prayer of thy Servant And this is to shew that near and entire Communion which ought to be between all the Saints praying with and praying for all the Members of the Body of Jesus Christ and esteeming their Interest as our own Fourthly This shews us likewise the high Priviledge of the Children of God that they have a Stock of Prayers going to Heaven for them from all their fellow Saints throughout the World yea from those whom they never knew whom they never heard of yet are they continually appearing before the Throne of Grace on their behalf And thou who wouldst think it a great Favour if thou wert interested in the Prayers of some who are mighty in Prayer and whom thou hast begged to recommend thy Condition to God mayest here have abundant Comfort in that thou art nearly concerned and interested in all the Prayers that are put up to God throughout the whole World by all those that are most prevalent at the Throne of Grace yea which is more thou hast an interest in all the Prayers that have ever been preferred to Heaven by all the Saints from the beginning of the World unto this very day for not only this present Church but the Church in all Ages is the Body of Christ and every Member of it imitates the Pattern of Christ's Intercession John 17.20 Neither Pray I for these alone but for all those that shall believe in me The difference is that Christ's Intercession was Authoritative theirs only Charitative And thus much shall suffice to be spoken concerning God's Goodness and Mercy expressed in those Words Our Father The next expression sets forth his Glory and Greatness Which art in Heaven But is not God every where present Doth he not fill Heaven and Earth and all things Yea is it not said that the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him How then are our Prayers to be directed to God in Heaven only since he is as well on Earth as in Heaven And were he only in Heaven and not every where present on Earth it would be in vain for us to pray because our Prayers could never reach his Ears nor arrive to his notice I Answer It is true God is every where present and all that we think we think in him and all that we speak we speak unto him he understands the silent motion of our Lips when we whisper a Prayer to him in our Closets yea the secret motions of our Hearts when we only think a Prayer Therefore when our Saviour bids us direct our Prayers to our Father in Heaven this doth not imply that God is no where present or that he no where hears Prayer but only in Heaven But this expression is used First Because Heaven is the most Glorious Place of God's residence where he hath more especially established his Throne of Grace and there sits upon it Now because it is a most Glorious and Majestical thing to hear the Suits and receive the Petitions that are tendred to him therefore the Scripture ascribes it to the most Glorious and Majestical Place and that is to Heaven And therefore we are commanded to pray to our Father which is in Heaven to keep alive a due sense of his Majesty upon our Hearts He would not have us think it a mean and trivial thing to have our Prayers heard and therefore he represents himself to us arayed in all his Glory and sitting upon his Throne in the highest Heavens willing to be thought a God never more Glorious than when he is a God hearing Prayer Secondly Our Prayers are directed to our Father in Heaven because though he hears them wheresoever they are uttered yet he no where hears them with acceptance but only in Heaven and the Reason is because our Prayers are acceptable only as they are presented before God through the Intercession of Christ Now Christ performs his Mediatory Office only in Heaven for he performs it in both Natures as he is God and Man and so he is only in Heaven And therefore we are still concerned to pray
to our Father in Heaven God indeed hears us upon Earth for there is not a Word in our Tongue but behold O Lord thou knowest it altogether but this will not avail us unless God hears our Prayers a second time as repeated over in the Intercession of Jesus Christ and perfumed with the much Incense which he offers up with the Prayers of all the Saints Since then we are directed to pray to our Father which is in Heaven This First May inform us that there is no circumstance of time or place that can hinder us from praying for Heaven is over thee and open to thee wheresoever thou art there is no Clime so remote which is not over-spread with that Pavillion and thou art in all places equally near to Heaven and God is in it sitting upon his Throne of Grace to receive and answer thy Requests wheresoever thou offerest them up unto him And therefore we find in the Scripture some praying in God's House of Prayer some making their Houses Houses of Prayer St. Peter pray'd on the House-top when he fell into his Trance Isaac in the open Fields our Saviour on a Mountain Jonas in a Whale's Belly Abraham's Servant in his Journey and Asa in the midst of a tumultuous and bloody Battel yea whatsoever thou art doing thou mayest pray so long as Heaven is over thee and God in it Whatsoever Company thou art in whatsoever Employment thou art about thou mayest still pray for thy Father that is in Heaven still hears thee He hears thy Thoughts and thy Desires when either they are too big or when it is not expedient to articulate them into Words Indeed the Voice in Prayer is not always necessary nay sometimes it is not convenient yea it is never necessary but only upon three Accounts First As that which God requires should be employed in his Service for this was a great end why it was given us that therewith we might Bless and Praise God With the Tongue saith the Apostle we bless God even the Father Jam. 3.9 Or Secondly When in Secret it may be a means to help to raise up our Affections keeping it still within the bounds of Decency and Privacy Or Thirdly In our joyning with others it helps likewise to raise and quicken their Affections otherwise were it not for these three Reasons the Voice is no more necessary to make our Wants and Desires known unto God than it is to make them known to our own Hearts For thy Father which is in Heaven is not certainly excluded from any part of the Earth he is with thee and lays his Ear to thy very Heart and hears the Voice of thy Thoughts when thy Tongue is silent And thou mayest whatsoever work or business thou art doing dart up a Prayer and a winged Desire unto him which shall be as acceptable and effectual as the more solemn performance of this Duty at stated times Secondly Is thy Father in Heaven thy Prayers then should be made so as to pierce the Heavens where God is But how can this be done since the distance between Heaven and us is so infinite This is not to be done by the intension of raising thy Voice but by the intension of raising thy Zeal and Spirit for Zeal and Affection is a strong Bow that will shoot a Petition through Heaven it self Let all thy Petitions therefore be ardent and carry Fire in them and this will cause them to ascend to the Element of pure Celestial Fire from whence thy Breast was at first inflamed It is a most remarkable place Exod. 14.15 when the Red Sea was before the Israelites and the Aegyptians pursuing them behind and unpassable Mountains on each side the People murmuring and Moses their Captain and Guide in an unextricable Streight we read not of any Vocal Prayer that Moses then put up and yet God calls to him Why cryest thou unto me a Prayer it was not so much as accented not so much as whispered and yet so strong and powerful that it pierced Heaven and was louder in the Ears of God than the Voice of Thunder And thus much shall suffice to be spoken concerning the Preface of this Prayer Our Father which art in Heaven Let us now proceed unto the Petitions themselves the first three of which relate unto God's Glory the other to our Temporal and Spiritual Good Of those which relate to God's Glory the First desireth the advancement of this Glory it self Hallowed be thy Name The Second The means of effecting it Thy Kingdom come The Third The manifestation of it Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven I begin with the First of these Hallowed be thy Name In the Explication of which we shall enquire First What is to be understood by the Name of God Secondly What it is to Hallow this Name of God Thirdly What is contained in this Petition and what we pray for when we say Hallowed be thy Name First What is meant by the Name of God To this I Answer That the Name of God is any perfection ascribed to him whereby he hath been pleased to make himself known to the Sons of Men For Names are given to this very intent that they might declare what the thing is to which that Name doth belong Thus when God had created Adam and made him Lord of this visible World he caused the Beasts of the Field and the Fowls of the Air to pass before him as it were to do Homage to their new Sovereign and to receive Names from him which according to the plenitude and perfection of his knowledge did then aptly serve to express their several Natures and were not only Names but Definitions too So when mention is made in Scripture of the Name of God it signifies some expression of his infinite Essence in which he is pleased graciously to condescend to the weakness of our capacity and to spell out himself to us sometimes by one perfection and sometimes by another since it is utterly impossible for us finite Creatures to have a full and comprehensive knowledge of that Being which is infinite for so God is only known to himself being as infinite to all others so finite to his own Knowledge and Understanding And therefore he hath displayed before us his Name to give us some help and advantage to conceive somewhat of him though his Nature and Essence are in themselves incomprehensible to us and shall be so for ever even in Heaven it self Now this Name of God may well be distinguished into two sorts his Titles and his Attributes First His Titles are his Name and so he is in Scripture frequently called Jehovah God Lord Creator and the like and most of these his Titles are relative respecting us so his Name of Creator denotes his infinite Power giving Being to all things Lord and King signifie his Dominion and Authority in disposing and governing all that he hath made Father signifies his Care and Goodness in providing for his
Kingdom and then shew you how this Kingdom comes And lastly what we pray for in presenting this Petition to God Thy Kingdom come First We must distinguish of God's Kingdom Now the Kingdom of God is Two-fold either Universal or more Particular and Peculiar The one is his Kingdom of Power the other is his Kingdom of Grace First His Vniversal Kingdom which extends over all things in Heaven and Earth yea and Hell it self And so he is the sole Monarh of the whole World and all the Princes and Potentates of the Earth are but his Vice-Roys and Vicegerents that Govern under and should Govern for him For he is that Blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords as the Apostle Styles him 1 Tim. 6.15 and his Kingdom ruleth over all Psal 103.19 It is true in this Vniversal Kingdom there are many Rebels that would not have him to Reign over them Many that daily rise up in Arms break his Laws defy his Justice and reject his Mercy Many that were their Power equal to their Malice would Dethrone and Depose him from his Sovereignty Whole Legions of Infernal Spirits are continually mustering up all their Forces and drawing wretched sinful Men into the Conspiracy and their quarrel is for no less than Dominion and Empire who shall be King God or Satan yet all their attempts are but vain and frustrate and in spite of all their impotent rage God's Kingdom shall stand and as it was from Everlasting so shall it be to Everlasting for thine is the Kingdom and Power for ever and ever And therefore the most wicked of all God's Creatures are still his Subjects not subject indeed to his Laws for so they break his Bonds asunder and cast away his Cords from them but they are subject to his Power and Providence and that in Three respects As it grants Permission As it imposeth Restraints And as it inflicts Punishments First All are God's Subjects in that they can do nothing without his Permission Neither the Devil that Arch-Creature nor the worst of his Instruments can so much as touch an hair of our Head unless leave be granted them Yea we find that a whole Legion of Devils after they were dispossessed of their usurped abode durst not so much as house themselves in a Herd of Swine without first craving leave of our Saviour Mark 5.12 And all the Villainies and Out-rages that have ever been committed in the World have had their pass from God's Permission without which the Lusts of Men as furious and eager as they are must needs have miscarrying Wombs and dry Breasts Nor is it any taint at all to the pure Holiness of God that he doth thus permit the wickedness of Men which if he pleased he might prevent For though we are obliged to keep others from sin when it lies in our power to do it yet no such Obligation lies upon God though he can keep the wickedst Wretch on Earth from ever sinning any more yet he permits Wisely for the greater advancement of his own Glory and the Exercise of his Peoples Graces and at the last he punishes Justly Secondly His Kingdom is over all in that he can bend in and restrain his Rebellious Subjects as he pleaseth Sometimes he doth it by cutting short their Power of doing mischief He chains up those Mad Men and takes from them those Swords Arrows and Fire-brands which otherwise they might hurl abroad both to their own and others hurt Sometimes he raiseth up an opposite Power against them that they cannot break through to the Commission of their sins so the Jews would often have taken Christ and put him to Death but they feared the People whom his Miracles and Cures had obliged unto him Sometimes Providence casts in some seasonable diversion and thus he over-ruled Joseph's Brethren restraining them from killing him by the Providential passing by of Merchants that way And sometimes by removing the Objects against which they intended to sin So Herod intended to put Peter to death but that very night God sent his Angel to work his escape and prevented that wickedness Many other ways there may be of his Exercising his Sovereignty and Dominion over his most Rebellious Creatures who though they are Slaves to their Lusts yet God holds their Chain in his own hand slacking it by his permission and sometimes straitning it by his Powerful restraints And therefore we find in Scripture that God hath a certain measure for Mens sins beyond which they shall not exceed Zach. 5. There is mention made of an Ephah of Wickedness And this signifies to us that though wicked Men break the bounds of his Laws yet they cannot break the bounds of his Providence God hath set them their measure which they can neither fill without his Permission nor exceed because of his restraint Thirdly God declares his Kingdom to be over all by inflicting deserved punishments on the most stubborn and rebellious Sinners though they transgress his Laws and provoke his Holiness yet they shall never out-brave his Justice but he will certainly humble them if not to Repentance yet to Hell and Perdition Luke 19.17 Those mine Enemies that would not that I should Reign over them bring them hither and slay them before me And therefore we see how God hath erected Trophies and Monuments to the Praise of his dread Power and Servere Justice out of the Ruins of the most Proud and Insolent Sinners Pharaoh who was both the great Type and Instrument of the Devil how did God break that stubborn Wretch with Plague upon Plague and one Misery after another For to this very purpose God set him up that he might shew his Signs and Wonders upon him And thus God deals with many others in this Life by some Signal and Remarkable Punishments making them Examples to deter others from the like Crimes But thus he deals with all his Rebels in Hell for even that is one and a large part of his Kingdom It is his Prison wherein he hath shut up all his Malefactors whom his grim Serjeant Death hath Arrested It is the great Slaughter-house of Souls and the Shop of Justice Devils are there his Executioners and Fire and Rack and Torments the due Guerdon of those impenitent Rebels who shaking off his Yoke and casting of his Cords from them are crush'd for ever under the insupportable load of his Wrath and bound in Chains of massy Darkness reserved for the Judgment of the Great Day Thus we see God's Vniversal Kingdom consists of Three great Provinces Heaven Earth and Hell In Heaven only Grace and Mercy Reigns on Earth both Mercy and Justice in the various dispensations of them towards the Sons of Men in Hell pure and unmixed Justice triumphs in the Eternal Damnation of his Apostate Creatures This is God's Vniversal Kingdom But Secondly Besides this God hath a peculiar Kingdom and that is his Kingdom of Grace which though it be not so large and extensive as the
former yet is it far more excellent and the Royalty of it is God's singular Delight Now this Kingdom of Grace is his Church and may be considered Two ways First In its Growth and Progress Secondly In its Perfection and Consummation In the former respect it is the Church Militant here upon Earth and in the latter it is the Church Triumphant in Heaven for both make up but one Kingdom under divers respects First Let us a little consider God's Kingdom here upon Earth or the Church Militant and that is Two-fold Visible and Invisible The Visible Kingdom of God upon Earth are a company of People openly professing the Fundamentals of Religion and those Truths necessary to Salvation which God hath made known unto the World and joyning together in the External Communion of Ordinances The Invisible Kingdom are a company of true Believers who have Internal and Invisible Communion with God by his Spirit and their Faith The Visible Church is of a much larger extent than the Invisible for it comprehends Hypocrites and Formalists and all those who have given up their Names to Christ and listed themselves under his Banner and make an outward profession of the Truth although by their Lives and Practices they contradict and deny what they own and profess with their Lips These belong to the Kingdom of God's Grace as to the External Dispensation and Regiment of it because they profess obedience to his Laws and live under the means of Grace by which many of them through the efficacious concurrence of the Spirit of God are translated into the Invisible Kingdom of his dear Son Now this Visible Kingdom of God upon Earth is but an imperfect State and Condition for though all that are Members of it are selected and taken out of the World yet there is a great deal of Mixture and Dross and many things that do offend For First There is in it a mixture of Wicked Persons with those that are really Holy Many are of this Kingdom only because their Consciences are convinced of the Truth of the Christian Religion although their Lives are not subject to the Power of it and these are taken out of the World only as they are brought into the Pale of the Church and profess the Name of Christ and his Religion as distinct from all other Religions in the World And therefore we find the Church or the Kingdom of Heaven in Scripture frequently compared to a Net cast into the Sea gathering every kind of Fish both good and bad Matth. 13.47 both sorts are embraced in the Bosom of this Net and no perfect Separation can be made until it be drawn to shore at the Day of Judgment and then the Good will be gathered into Vessels and the Bad cast away as it is there expressed Again it is compared to a Floor wherein is both Chaff and Wheat Luk. 3.17 and these will be mix'd together until the last discriminating Day and then shall the Wheat be gathered into the Garner and the Chaff burnt up with unquenchable Fire Again it is compared to a Field wherein there grows Tares as well as Corn Matth. 13.24 which must grow together until the Harvest and then shall the Tares be bound in Bundles to be burnt and the profitable Grain be gathered into the Barn This hath still been and will be the mix'd condition of God's Church on Earth wherein through Hypocrisie and gross Dissimilation many that are Enemies to the Cross of Christ will yet go under that Cognisance and keep up a Form of Godliness though they deny and hate the Power of it Secondly There is even in the Invisible Church here on Earth a great mixture too those who have a real and vital Union to Christ and maintain a Spiritual Communion with him yet even they have a sad mixture of Evil with all their Good of Sin with all their Grace and Holiness so that the Church is still imperfect not only from a mixture of Persons but from a mixture in Persons As we know but in part so we love but in part we fear we obey God but in part And with our Profession of Faith we had need also to prefer that humble Petition Mark 9.24 Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief Secondly The Kingdom of God may be considered in its Perfection and Consummation and so it is Triumphant in Heaven And this consists of such Glorious Angels as never Fell and of such Glorified Saints who are raised from their Fall and restored to a far better Condition than what they lost This is the most Glorious part of God's Kingdom here is his Throne especially established and here it is that he displays himself in the splendor of his Majesty being surrounded by innumerable Hosts of Holy Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect who continually Worship before him with a most prostrate Veneration and give Honour and Glory and Praise to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Now this Kingdom is altogether free from those former Imperfections and Mixtures There is no mixture of good and bad together neither is there any mixture of bad in the good but all are Holy and all as compleatly Holy as Creatures can be for into the New Jerusalem shall no unclean thing ever enter There are neither Temptations to try us nor Sins to defile us nor Sorrows to afflict us but perfect Joy and perfect Purity Where all Tears shall be wiped from our Eyes and all Sin the Cause of those Tears rooted out of our Hearts And yet if Heaven it self may be liable to any Defects or capable of any Additions there seems at present to be wanting in it these Two things First The Kingdom of Glory is not yet Full nor shall it be till the whole Number of the Elect shall be called and the whole Number of the Called Glorified Many as yet are conflicting here below and fitting themselves for their Eternal Reward many yet lie sleeping in their Causes unborn whom God hath Foreknown and Predestinated unto Eternal Life all of whom he will in his due time bring unto the Possession of his Heavenly Kingdom to compleat the Number of his Glorious Subjects And therefore it is said concerning the Saints that are already in Heaven that white Robes were given to every one of them and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season until their Fellow-Servants also and their Brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled Rev. 6.11 Secondly Those Glorified Saints that are now in Heaven though their Joys be perfect yet their Persons are not but one part of them their Bodies continue still under the arrest of Death and the Power of the Grave but yet they sleep in Hope and through that Mystical Vnion that there is between Jesus Christ and every scattered Dust of a Believer they shall obtain a Glorious and Joyful Resurrection and then shall this Heavenly Kingdom
tacitly condemn it and the Law-maker also of Injustice and thereby reflect a most intolerable disparagement upon God preferring the will of Satan and of our own Lusts before his most Holy and Righteous Will But when we endeavour to yield Obedience to his Commands and pray that we may be able to do it with more diligence and constancy this as it pleaseth so it glorifieth God for by so doing we acknowledge both his Sovereignty and his Equity his Sovereignty in that he may require of us what he pleaseth and his Equity in that he requireth of us nothing but what is most just and fit And therefore our Saviour tells us John 15.8 Herein is my Father Glorified that you bring forth much Fruit. Thirdly Our own Interest is deeply concerned in it For through Obedience and doing the Will of God it is that we come to Inherit the Promises Revel 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have a Right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the Gates into the City And therefore to pray that God's Will may be done by us is but to pray that we our selves may be fitted and prepared for Eternal Life and Glory unto which we can no otherwise attain but by Holiness and Obedience O think but to what an Excellency doth Grace advance the Soul even in this Life and makes Christians as much above other Men as other Men are above Beasts That when they are employed about the foul and nasty Offices of sin hurried by their vile Passions unto vile and base Actions raking in the Mire and Filth of all manner of uncleanness and defiling their Soul with those Sins which will hereafter Damn them Thy work should be all Spiritual consisting of the same pure Employments that the Holy Angels and Glorified Saints in Heaven spend their Eternity in Consider what an high Honour and Priviledge it is that you should be admitted to attend immediately upon the Service of the King of kings You are called to wait about his Throne his Throne of Grace to which you have always free access to converse and commune with God by maintaining Fellowship with him in the performance of Holy Duties which is a Dignity so high that Humane Nature is capable but of one preferment more and that is of being removed from one Throne to the other from attending on the Throne of Grace to attend on the Throne of Glory And then think O Soul if it be possible to think what neither Eye hath seen nor Ear hath heard neither hath it nor can it enter into the heart of Man to conceive Think how transcendently Blessed thy Estate shall be when the Will of thy God which was here thy Duty shall there be thy Nature When thy Obligation to do it shall be turned into a happy necessity of doing it When all thy Thoughts and Affections shall be center'd in God for ever and not the least motion of thy Soul shall so much as twinkle or waver from the Eternal Contemplation and Fruition of the Infinite Deity And therefore this our Eternal Happiness being wrapt up in doing the Will of God it highly concerns us to pray That it may be done and to endeavour to do it on Earth so as that at length we may attain to the perfection of doing it in Heaven And this is the First thing that in this Petition we especially and absolutely pray for viz. That God's Will of Precept may be done by us on Earth Secondly It is more doubtful whether we are simply to pray that God's Will of Purpose should be done And that First Because the Will of God's Purpose is secret and unknown and therefore cannot so immediately concern us in point of Duty For secret things belong to God but revealed things belong to us and to our Children Deut. 29.29 Secondly Because this Will of God shall within the periods set by his Eternal Decrees have its most perfect and full accomplishment For though his Revealed Will may be resisted and hindered yet neither Men nor Devils can hinder his secret Will and the Purposes of his Counsels these shall take place mauger all their spite and oppositions and therefore it seems not altogether so proper matter for our Prayers Again Thirdly Many things come to pass by the Will of God's Purpose which we ought not to pray for yea which we ought to pray against As not to instance in God's Will of permitting the sins and wickednesses of Men which beyond all exceptions we ought to deprecate Let us but consider common Charity obligeth us not to pray for any evil of Suffering to befal either our selves or others and yet we know that it is often-times the Will of God's Purpose to bring great and sore Judgments upon Kingdoms and upon Families and Persons And if we may indefinitely pray that this Will should be done this would be nothing else but to pray for the Death and Ruine of many thousands whom yet the Revealed Will of God commands us to pray for and to desire all Good and Prosperity to them But yet notwithstanding all this we may doubtless pray that the Will of God's Purpose may be done so far as it brings to pass those things which we are obliged to pray for by the Will of his Precept We may pray that God's Will may be fullfilled in giving Peace and Prosperity and good things both Temporal and Spiritual unto others and to our selves but simply and absolutely to pray That this Will should be done in whatsoever it respects would be as often a Curse as a Prayer Since as I told you before there is no evil comes to pass whether of sin or punishment but it is by God's Will permitting the one and effecting the other But you will say do we not find frequent Examples in Scripture of Holy Men who have Prayed that God's Will might be done even in the bringing to pass that which was evil Thus Ely when Samuel had denounced fearful Judgments both against himself and against his House It is the Lord says he let him do what seems good unto him 1 Sam 3.18 And so David when Persecuted by the unnatural Rebellion of his Son Absalom If he say thus Behold I have no delight in him let him do as seems good unto him 2 Sam. 15.26 And thus the Disciples when upon Agabus's Prophecy what Afflictions should happen unto St. Paul at Jerusalem they would have perswaded him from going thither but could not prevail conclude all with this The Will of the Lord be done Acts 21.14 And thus likewise our great Example the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he had prayed that the bitter Cup of his Passion might pass away from him he seems to correct himself and make another Prayer Not my Will but thine be done Luke 22.42 Although he knew this Will of God could not be done without his own most extreme Sufferings nor without the horrid sin and wickedness of his Murderers But
Operation nor Device in the Grave whither we are going And certainly if ever we would do the Will of God in Heaven we must accustom our selves to do it here on Earth Here we are as Apprentices that must learn the Trade of Holiness that when our time is out we may be fit to be made free Denizons of the New Jerusalem Here we are to tune our Voices to the Praises of God before we come to joyn with the Heavenly Choire Here we are to learn what we must there for ever practise And thus I have done with the Petition it self Thy Will be done in Earth The next thing observable is the proportion of it As it is in Heaven But you will say Is it not utterly impossible while we are here on Earth and clogg'd with Earthly Bodies and encompassed about with manifold Infirmities Is it not impossible ever to attain unto a Celestial and Heavenly Perfection in our Obedience I Answer True it is so but yet this Prayer is not in vain for it teacheth and engageth us to aim at and endeavour after the perfect Holiness of Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect We are commanded to be Holy as God is Holy and to be Perfect as our Heavenly Father is Perfect whose Perfection is impossible for us to equalize Yet these excessive commands have their use to raise up our endeavours to a higher strain and pitch than if we were commanded somewhat within our own power As he that aims at a Star is likely to shoot much higher than he that aims at a Turf Thus though it be a thing altogether impossible for us in this Life to attain to an Angelical perfection in our Obedience yet the command that obligeth us to it and our Prayers for it are not in vain because by our utmost endeavours after further measures and degrees of Holiness we may very much assimilate our Obedience to that Obedience that is yielded to God's Will in Heaven it self and therefore this Particle As is rather a note of similitude than of equality But though our Obedience on Earth cannot be equal to the Obedience that is yielded to God in Heaven yet we pray that it may bear as much similitude proportion and conformity unto it as is possible for us to attain unto while we are here in the Body And therefore that we may the more fully understand what it is we pray for when we present this Petition to God Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven we shall briefly enquire how the Holy Angels and Blessed Spirits do the Will of God in Heaven And First Their Obedience is absolutely perfect and that both with a perfection of Parts and Degrees They do all that God enjoyns them not failing in the least Tittle of Observance and therefore they are said To follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes Revel 14.14 Hence it is ascribed to them as their proper and peculiar Character Psal 103.20 Bless the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength that do his Commandments hearkning to the voice of his Word And again they do the whole Will of God with all their Might with all their Mind with the greatest Intention that is possible even to an Angelical Nature never are they remiss in their Service or slack in their Attendance but are continually Blessing and Praising of God standing ready to receive and execute his Commands and Commissions Now when we pray that we may do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven we pray for this Heavenly temper that we may bear an Universal respect unto all God's Commandments no more sticking or pausing at any thing that God requires of us than an Angel or a Glorified Saint would do But infolding all our Interest and Concerns in God's Glory might respect nor value nothing but what tends to the promotion of that This is to do God's Will as the Angels do it in Heaven Secondly Their Obedience is cheerful not extorted from them by violent constraints of Fear or of Suffering but it is their Eternal Delight and their Service is their Felicity And thus should we pray and endeavour to do the Will of God with Alacrity and Cheerfulness not being haled to it as our Task but esteeming the Commands of God to be as the Angels do our Glory and our great Reward But alas how infinitely short do we fall of our Pattern we think the Sabbath long and Ordinances long and tedious and are secretly glad when they are over And what should such as we are do in Heaven where there is a Sabbath as long as Eternity and nothing but Holiness there And therefore we had need pray earnestly that God would now sit and prepare us for the Work of Heaven while we are here on Earth for else Heaven will not be Heaven or a place of Happiness unto us Thirdly The Will of God is done in Heaven with zeal and ardency and therefore it is said Psal 104.4 That God maketh his Angels and Messengers a Flame of Fire And have not we abundance of need to pray for Conformity with them in this respect also We do the Will of God so coldly and indifferently that we our selves scarce take notice of what we are doing We often bring Sacrifices to God and either bring no Fire with us but are frozen and dull or else offer them up with strange Wild-fire and usually are heated more with Passion and irregular Affections than with Holy and pious Zeal And Fourthly The Will of God is done in Heaven with celerity and ready dispatch they are quick in executing the Commands of the great God and their Lord and therefore are said to have Wings and to fly Esai 6.2 And this expression of Wings and the flying of Cherubims and Angels is frequently mentioned in Scripture only to intimate to us the expedition they use in the Service of God But alas how dull and slow are we how long do we consult with Flesh and Blood and are disputing the Will of our Sovereign Lord when we should be obeying it When we are clearly convinced that such a Duty is necessary to be done how many delays and excuses and procrastinations do we make being willing to stay the leisure of every vile Lust and vain Impertinency thinking it then time enough to serve God when we have nothing else to do Certainly this is not to do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven where upon the first intimations of God's Will they take Wings and execute it speedily Fifthly The Will of God is done in Heaven with all possible Prostration Reverence and Humility And therefore it is said Rev. 4.10 that the four and twenty Elders fell down before him that sat upon the Throne and Worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their Crowns before the Throne Crowns are themselves Ensigns of Majesty but here they cast their very Crowns all their Dignity and Glory at the
Feet of God and make their chiefest excellency it self do Homage to him that is King of kings and Lord of lords And so should we in all our serving of God do it with reverence and godly fear preserving upon our Hearts an awful sense and regard of the dreadful Majesty before whom we appear Sixthly The Will of God is done in Heaven with constancy and perseverance They serve God Day and Night Rev. 7.15 and are never weary of his work no more than they are of their own Happiness for his Service is their Happiness and their Obedience their Glory And thus should we pray and endeavour that we might do the Will of God constantly and perseveringly for it is perseverance that crowns all other Graces and God hath promised to Crown our perseverance with Glory and Eternal Life And thus we see briefly in these Six Particulars how the Will of God is done in Heaven To conclude this Is there no other nor lower Pattern set us than the perfect Obedience of Angels and Glorified Spirits Let us not then content our selves with a comparative Obedience and by measuring our selves with those that are worse think highly of our own Perfections Let us not applaud our selves with the boasting Pharisee with a Lord I thank thee I am not as other Men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers What is this to the Pattern that God hath set us for our imitation Perhaps thou dost but all this while compare thy self with those that are in Hell and dost God's Will not much better than such have done if this be all that thou canst plead for thy self Whereas God hath set thee Examples for thy imitation in Heaven Dost thou endeavour to do his Will as Seraphims and Cherubims and the whole Host of Blessed Spirits Thou livest it may be not so like a Devil as others do but dost thou live like an Angel Dost thou serve God with the same proportionable Zeal Ardency Delight and Constancy as those Holy Spirits do who always stand in the presence of God ready press'd to do his Will if not neither endeavourest after so high a degree of Obedience and Purity know that thy imitation of any lower Example than that of Heaven can never suffice to bring thee to Heaven And thus I have finished the Three first Petitions of this excellent Prayer namely those that relate unto God for the Petitions contained herein as I said in the beginning were such as immediately concerned God's Glory or such as immediately concerned our good The First I have already considered I now come to treat of those Petitions which immediately concern our own Good and that is either our Temporal or our Spiritual Good Our Temporal Good in praying for our daily Bread Our Spiritual Good in the two last Petitions wherein we pray for the Forgiveness of our Sins past and for Deliverance from Sin for time to come I begin with the First of these our Requests or Petitions for Temporal Blessings contained in the Fourth Petition Give us this Day our daily Bread and here I shall consider First The Order and then the Petition it self First The Order and that is remarkable upon two Accounts First Whereas this Petition is placed in the midst and encompassed about with others that relate unto Spiritual Blessings so that after we have prayed for the Glory of God our Saviour teacheth us to make mention of our Temporal Wants and so to pass on again to beg Spiritual Mercies for our Souls This may instruct us in the Government of our Lives to use worldy Comforts as here we pray for them Spiritual and Heavenly things are our greatest Concernments and should be our greatest care with these we should begin and with these we should end only God allows us the World as an Inn we may call in at it and refresh our selves with the Comforts and Accommodations that we find but we must not dwell nor set up our rest there We are all Strangers and Pilgrims upon Earth Heaven is our Country and thither we are travelling only in our Journey we may call and bait at the World and take what we find provided for us with Sobriety and Thankfulness And therefore this Bread that we here pray for is elsewhere called the Staff of Bread Psal 105.16 He brake the Staff of Bread Ezek. 5.6 I will break your Staff of Bread And all this is to put us in Mind that we are to ask for and to use these Earthly Enjoyments only as Travellers that make use of a Staff for their help and support whilst they are in their passage home And we are hereby also taught to crave no more than will suffice for our convenient Supplies otherwise we make our Staff our Burden and our Support it self a Load and Pressure Secondly It is observable that though we are commanded to seek first the Kingdom of God and its Righteousness with a Promise that all other Earthly things shall be added to us yet here our Saviour places the Petition for Temporal Blessings before the Two Petitions we present to God for Spiritual Blessings and this Order hath seemed so strange and incongruous to some that hereupon alone they have been moved to affirm that this Bread which we here ask is not any Temporal good thing but the Bread of Life even Jesus Christ himself as shall be shown more by and by Now this Order doth not intimate to us that Earthly Blessings are better and more considerable than Heavenly or that they should have the preference in our esteem or desires I hope there are none of us so brutish nor so far degenerated into Beasts as to account the poor Enjoyments of this Life more valuable than the Pardon of Sin and those Spiritual Mercies that are in a tendency to Eternal Life and Happiness But First Our Saviour useth this method in his Prayer in conformity to the method of Divine Providence towards us which first gives us Life and the necessities of it and then Orders us Spiritual and Heavenly Blessings as an accession and happy addition to those Natural good things he bestows upon us Secondly Because we are usually more sensible of our Temporal than of our Spiritual wants our Saviour therefore doth by degrees raise up our Desires by the one to the other for seeing we are commanded to pray for the supply even of our Temporal necessities which are but trivial in regard of the necessities of our Souls we cannot but be convinced that we ought to be much more earnest and importunate with God for Spiritual Mercies than for Temporal by how much our Spiritual wants are more important and of vaster consequence than our Temporal When therefore thou comest to this Petition think with thy self O Christian if I must pray fervently and affectionately for my daily Bread which can only nourish my vile Carcase for a few short years a Carcase that must notwithstanding all these recruits shortly moulder into Dust and it self become meat for Worms How
much more importunate ought I to be for the Pardon of my Sins and those Spiritual Mercies and Blessings without which my precious and immortal Soul must eternally perish Since Christ hath commanded us not to labour and by consequence not to pray for that Meat which perisheth with any comparative industry and earnestness to our labouring and praying for that which endureth to Eternal Life And thus much concerning the Order of this Petition In the Petition it self we have First The matter of it or that which we pray for Give us Bread Secondly The Kind or Quality of it called here daily Bread Thirdly Our Right and Property in it Our Daily Bread Fourthly The limitation of it in respect of time Give it us this Day Of all these briefly First The matter of this Petition or that which we pray for and that is Bread Give us our Bread By Bread here is meant all Temporal and Earthly Blessings that contribute either to our being or to our well-being in this Life And because we have need of very many things for our present subsistence as Food Raiment Habitation and each of these comprehend many other necessaries in them all which would have been too long particularly to enumerate in this compendious Prayer therefore our Saviour hath summ'd them up in the word Bread figuratively denoting all kinds of Provisions necessary for this Natural Life whereof Bread is the most usual and the most useful And therefore as when God speaks of a Famine he calls it a Famine of Bread Amos 8.11 Not as if a scarcity of Bread were the only Dearth intended by it but that there should be likewise a want of all things requisite to the sustentation of Life So here when Christ teacheth us to pray for our Daily Bread this Phrase extendeth to all things conducible to maintain Health or to recover it to preserve Life or to prolong it Some indeed think this too mean and sordid a request to be preferred to God and would not have any of the low Conveniences of this present Life to have any place in a Prayer all whose other parts are so Spiritual and Heavenly and the whole so short and compendious where the Petitions are so few they will not believe any of them should be spent so trivially as to beg that which though they might not attain yet they might be eternally Blessed and Happy and therefore they interpret this Word Bread in a Spiritual sence and take it for the Food of the Soul whereby it is nourished unto Eternal Life and especially for our Lord Jesus Christ who is called the Bread of Life John 6.35 and Living Bread which came down from Heaven verse 51. But here seemeth no place for any such Mystical Interpretation the Word Bread being put without any addition or like circumstance that might refer it to Christ or to Spiritual things and therefore ought to be understood according to the Words literally and in their ordinary signification although indeed it be here used by way of Synechdoche one part of Temporal good things being put for the whole accession of them Now from this we are taught these three things First That Temporal Mercies and Blessings may lawfully be prayed for And although we ought not to be most earnest and importunate nor to enlarge and expatiate most upon these requests but more earnestly to covet the best Gifts yet neither is unworthy of a Christian whose Affections and Conversation is in Heaven to beg at God's Hands those Mercies that he knows needful for the support and comfort of this present Life yea we read of nothing more frequent than the Saints praying either for the removal of some Temporal Evil or Punishment or the receiving of some Temporal Blessing or Favour If I should quote the Scriptures I might transcribe a great part of the Bible nay so far were they from looking upon it as below them that we find Jacob putting it into his Indentures when he bound himself to God and made it as it were the Condition of his Obligation to God's Service Genes 28.20 Then Jacob vowed a Vow saying if God will be with me and keep me in this way that I go and will give me Bread to eat and Raiment to put on so that I come again to my Father's House in Peace then shall the Lord be my God And indeed there is a great deal of Reason and Ground to pray for these things for they are both needful for us and God hath promised to give them to us First They are needful for us as the means that God hath appointed for the preservation of our Temporal Life and Being in which we have so many opportunities to serve and glorifie him and so many advantages to secure Heaven and Glory to our Souls And therefore as we tender either the obtaining of Heaven or the additional degrees of Glory and Happiness there so we stand obliged to pray that God would afford us those necessaries that may conduce to the prolonging of our Natural Life till having finished our work we are made fit to receive our Wages and Reward Your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things says our Saviour Matth. 6.32 And therefore though Miracles be a kind of a Non-obstante to the Law of Nature and a suspension of the ordinary course of Providence yet we often find God working a Miracle to supply these wants of his People whereas it had been alike easie by another Miracle to have caused them not to want for it had been no more difficult for God to have kept Elijah from hungring than it was to make the Ravens his Purveyors or to make a Barrel of Meal become a whole Harvest or to open a Spring and Fountain in the Cruise of Oyl but he chooseth rather to supply these Wants than to cease them to keep us in a continual dependance upon him that the sense of our necessities might engage us to have continual recourse unto God for relief Secondly As Temporal good things are needful for us so God hath promised to give them to us Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the Day of Trouble and I will deliver thee And My God says the Apostle shall supply all your wants Phil. 4.19 The Lord will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.13 Thus we see Temporal good things may be pray'd for both because they are needful for us and because God hath promised them to us Yet Secondly They must be prayed for only conditionally for they are only conditionally promised And these conditions are two-fold If they be consistent with God's pleasure and if they be conducible to our good for without the observing the one we should not so much seem to Petition as to invade and without observing the other we should but beg a Curse instead of a Blessing Thirdly We may learn likewise that God is the Giver of every Temporal Mercy and
comes from the Grace of God therefore much less can we do any thing to merit it Far be it from us to affirm as the Papists do that Good Works proceeding from Grace are Meritorious of Pardon and Salvation Alas what are our Prayers our Sighs our Tears yea our very Blood should we spend it for Christ They are but poor imperfect things and are so far from having in them any infinite worth and value to counterbalance our sins that the defects of them add to the number of our other Transgressions They cannot all of them make one blot in the Book of God's Remembrance but may well make more Items there against us Had it been possible for Men to have quitted scores with Divine Justice by what they could do or suffer Heaven would not have been so needlessly lavish as to send Christ into the World to lead an afflicted Life and to die an accursed Death only for our Redemption and Salvation Secondly The Pardoning Grace of God is not free in respect of Christ but it cost him the price of Blood It is the Blood of the Lamb Slain from the Foundation of the World that crosseth the Debt-Book Without shedding of Blood there is no remission says the Apostle Heb. 9.22 And this is my Blood which was shed for the Remission of sins Matth. 26.28 And although possibly God might according to his absolute Sovereignty have freely remitted all the sins of all the World without any kind of Satisfaction only by a Free and Gracious Act of Mercy Yet considering that he had otherwise declared in his unalterable Word of Truth that there must be a recompence made him for all our offences it had been a wrong to his Veracity if not to his Justice to have granted the Pardon of any one sin without the intervention of a full price and satisfaction No satisfaction could be made correspondent to the wrong done to an infinite God but by an infinite Person who was God himself for had the Person been finite the Sufferings must have been Eternal otherwise they could not have been proportionable to the offence which requires an infinite Satisfaction But if the Sufferings had been Eternal Satisfaction could never have been made but would for ever have bene making unto the Justice of God and consequently our sins could never have been Pardoned And therefore God appointed to this Work of reconciling himself to fallen Man his only begotten Son God Co-equal and Co-eternal with himself and every way infinite as himself that he might be able to bear the whole Wrath of God at once and at one bitter draught drink off the whole Cup of Fury which we should have been draining by little drops to all Eternity So that Justice being satisfied in the Sufferings of Christ for the sins of those whose Persons and whose guilt he sustained upon the Cross Mercy hath now a way opened to Glorifie its Riches in their Pardon and Salvation Thus in these two Positions it appears that though the remitting of our sins be an Act of God's Free Grace and Mercy in respect of us yet it is the effect of Purchace in respect of Christ God Pardons sins to them who committed them upon their Faith and Repentance but he Pardon 's not those very sins to Christ to whom they were imputed but exacted Satisfaction from him to the very utmost rigour of Justice Hence it follows Thirdly That the Pardon of sin is not only an Act of meer free Grace and Mercy but according to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace it is also an Act of Justice in God Indeed both Mercy and Justice are concurrent in it for since by the Union of Faith we are made one Mystical Body with Christ it could not consist with the Equity of God to punish the sins of Believers in their own Persons for this would be no other than to punish them twice for the same Offence once in their surety and again in themselves Now what abundant cause of Comfort may this be to all true Believers that God's Justice as well as his Mercy shall acquit them That that Attribute of God at the Apprehension of which they were wont to tremble should interpose on their behalf and plead for them Yet through the All-sufficient Expiation and Atonement that Christ hath made for our sins this Mystery is effected and Justice it self brought over from being a formidable Adversary to be of our Party and to Plead for us Therefore the Apostle tells us 1 John 1.9 That God is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins And St. Paul 2 Thessal 1.6 7. It is a Righteous thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels Fourthly When God pardons he doth no longer account of us as sinners Indeed after Pardon we still retain sinful and corrupt Natures and there is that Original Pollution in us that can never be totally dislodged in this Life But yet when God pardons he looks not upon us as Sinners but as Just The Malefactor that is legally discharged either by satisfying the Law or by his Princes Grace and Favour towards him is no more reputed a Malefactor but as Just and Righteous as if he had never offended So is it with us we are both ways discharged of our guilt both by satisfying the penalty of the Law in Christ our Surety and by the Free Grace and Mercy of God who hath Sealed to us a Gracious Act of Pardon and therefore we are Just in the sight of God as if we had never sinned Fifthly Pardon of sin is one great part of our Justification Justification consists of these two parts Remission and Acceptance We have them both joyned together Ephes 1.6 7. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved in whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of sins Remission of sins takes away our liableness to Death Acceptation of our persons gives us a Title unto Life Now to be free from our obnoxiousness to Death and instated in a Right to Eternal Life these two Constitute a perfect Justification For to be accepted of God in Christ is no other than for God through the Righteousness and Obedience of Christ imputed to us to own and acknowledge us to have a Right to Heaven And therefore we have mention of Pardon and an Inheritance together in St. Paul's Commission to his Ministery Acts 26.18 That they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among them that are Sanctified It is not therefore O Soul a bare negative Righteousness that God intends thee in the Pardon of thy sins it is not meerly to remove the Curse and Wrath thy sins have deserved though that alone can never sufficiently be admired but the same hand that plucks thee out of Hell by Pardon lifts thee up to Heaven by what he gives thee together with
are Tempted so most of them are not only Temptations but Sins also Indeed there is a Temptation to Sin which is a Temptation only and no Sin for so Christ himself was Tempted Matth. 4.1 He was led into the Wilderness to be Tempted of the Devil And we read there with what horrid Temptations he was assaulted even to Worship the Devil to distrust God and to destroy himself And yet as black as these Temptations were they were only Temptations and no Sins for so the Apostle tells us Heb. 4.15 He was Tempted in all things like unto us Sin only excepted And such sometimes are the Temptations wherewith the Devil assaults the Children of God horrid and hellish Temptations even to deny the very Being of God the Truth of the Scriptures the Immortality of the Soul Heaven and Hell and such bublings of Blasphemies against the very Fundamentals and Ground-works of Religion and yet if we be watchful presently to abhor and reject these injections of Satan and to cast back into his Face these his fiery Darts which he shoots into our Souls they are not our Sins though they are our Troubles but they shall be charged upon Satan to whom of right they do belong we being but only Passive and Sufferers in them But truly the most of our Temptations are Sins themselves and therefore we have great Reason and need to pray against them for they are Sins unto Sins Sins as they are irregular and inordinate Motions of our Passions and Affections and unto Sin as they tend to the bringing forth of farther Evil. And such are all the Temptations of our inbred Lusts and Corruptions when our Desires and Affections strongly encline us to those Objects which God by his express Law hath forbidden us Were it not for these sinful Temptations the others which are immediately injected by the Devil would not have any great advantage to prevail over us for by reason of our Lusts and Corruptions our Hearts always stand open to let in the Devil and were it not that these have seized on the Soul the Devil must have stood without and though he had knock'd yet would he have knock'd in vain And therefore we see in his first Temptation he deals all without doors there was no Natural Lust in our First Parents to befriend him or to betray the Soul unto him He shuts up himself therefore in the Body of a Serpent questioning with Eve about God's Commands perswades her of the desirableness of the forbidden Fruit tells her that God's Threatning was rather to fright them than to hurt them But in all these Methods of Tempting Satan had no admission into the Soul because Lust as yet had taken no possession of it but ever since the Corruption of our Natures contracted by the commission of the first Offence the Devil doth not stand to Tempt us without doors but he enters boldly as into the House of his old Friend Concupiscence nay as into his own House for the Souls of wicked Men are so called Matth. 12.29 He is by Lust let into the very inmost recesses and retirements of the Heart and can now propound Objects immediately to our Fancies and by our Fancies darken our Understandings and Affections and incline our Wills Again our Natural Corruption as it admits so it entertains and cherisheth the Temptations of the Devil A spark of Fire if there were no fewel prepared for it to seize on would presently die and vanish And so truly would Satan's Temptations that are like so many sparks of Hell Fire struck by the Devil into our Souls were it not for the prepared fuel the catching Tinder of our Lusts and Corruptions these Temptations would soon go out and expire and be like a flash of Lightning that might possibly startle us but could not burn us And thus though our Saviour Christ was grievously tempted yet it is said Joh. 14.30 The Prince of this World cometh and hath nothing in me that is the Devil could find no Sin or Corruption in him and therefore could fasten none of his Temptations upon him Thus we see what abundant reason there is for us to pray earnestly against Temptations whether they proceed from Satan or from our own Corruptions the one sort being always Sins of themselves and both sorts inclining and enducing us unto Sin But since Satan and our own Hearts prove Tempters unto us some may possibly ask how shall we know when it is Satan that Tempts us and when the Temptation ariseth from our own Corruptions The Question is nice and difficult yet because it may tend to the satisfaction of some who are curious in observing the Workings of their own Souls I Answer First There is but one kind of Temptations to Sin which have not their rise and original usually from Lust and those are Temptations to sin against the Light and Law of Nature as to the denying those Truths that are clear and evident by Natural Reason and strong Impressions on the Minds of Men as the being of a God the Immortality of the Soul future Rewards and Punishments and the like or else the doing of those things which are repugnant to the Dictates of the Law of Nature as for a Man to be Tempted to offer Violence to himself and to destroy himself It is very probable that such Temptations have not their first rise and original from our Natural Corruptions but are immediately darted into the Soul by the Devil though indeed our Corruptions too often catch at them and brood upon them till they have from such horrid Temptations as these conceived some horrid and monstrous Sin in the Soul Such injections as these are Balls of Wild-Fire kindled in Hell and cast into the Soul by the Devil and are not our Sins any farther than they are entertained by us and consented unto Secondly As for those Temptations which have a greater compliance to the corrupt tendency and inclinations of our sinful Natures which are not to such unnatural Sins as the other it is very hard if not impossible to Judge whether they originally proceed from Satan or from our own inbred Corruptions usually they both joyn together if Satan first inject them usually our Lusts nurse and foster them or if our wicked Hearts be the first Parents of them usually Satan inforceth them and by additional recruits of Temptations makes them more prevalent and permanent and by fair and specious colours makes them more plausible and taking And certainly there being such an innumerable Company of Evil Spirits that notwithstanding the great Work and Employment they have to do in the World yet Hell could spare a whole Legion of them to Garrison in one possessed Man we may not doubt but that they are continually busie prying into every one of our Tempers And as long experience hath made them very sagacious in guessing at the first motions of our Hearts by the alterations they find in our Fancies or the Humours of our Bodies of which
a Discerner of the Thoughts and intents of the Heart doth strictly prohibit and condemn these callow unfledg'd motions of our Hearts to be Concupiscence the sad effects of Original sin and the fruitful cause of all actual And therefore if we would be delivered from evil we have very great cause first to pray that we be not led into Temptation For some Temptations do almost so inseparably follow one upon another that this will be our best security against those secret desires and wouldings and first smatterings and rudiments of wickedness which else the compliance of our corrupt hearts with Satan's Temptations will certainly betray us unto Hence it is that when God in Scripture frequently dehorts us from sin he extends the prohibition to all Temptations and Occasions of sinning Yea those things which in themselves considered may be lawfully and innocently done by us yet because they may prove Snares and Temptations to us we must as carefully refrain from them as we earnestly desire to keep our selves far from sin And therefore it sufficeth not the Wise Man to command If sinners entice consent thou not Prov. 1.10 but that thou mayest be sure not to consent thou must order thy Actions and Converse so as that thou mayest not be enticed by them in the 15. verse says he Walk not thou in the way with them refrain thy feet from their path And so we have the same Counsel given us by him in another Chapter that we may not be inveagled by the allurements of a strange Woman be sure to avoid all occasions thereof Prov. 5.8 Remove thy way far from her come not near the door of her House And again Prov. 4.14 15. Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil Men avoid it pass not by it turn from it pass away Here is earnestness even to a tautology as some may prophanely think but Sacred Writ can admit of no such thing But there are so many expressions heaped up signifying the same thing only to denote how great the necessity of avoiding Temptations and Occasions to evil is to those who desire to avoid the sin We have treacherous and deceitful hearts within us that have often betrayed us when we have trusted them And I beseech you call to mind when you have emboldned your selves to venture upon Temptations and sinful Occasions being confident and fully resolved not to yield to them Have you not often been surprized and led away Captive contrary to your Hopes contrary to your Intentions contrary to your Resolutions contrary to the vain Confidences with which you were before possess'd Methinks former experience should make you cautious never again to trust those hearts with such opportunities and advantages for wickedness since they have been so often already treacherous and deceitful to us Venture them not therefore upon Temptations for what security have you that a sinful heart will not sin yea and betray you to commit those great abominations which possibly you cannot now think of without horrour and shivering And thus much I thought fit to note to you from the connexion of this part of the Petition with the former Lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from Evil. In the words themselves we have two things chiefly considerable The thing that we pray against and the Person to whom we pray That which we pray against is Evil that we may be delivered from it The Person to whom we pray is God our Heavenly Father That which we pray against is Evil. Some limit this word Evil only unto Satan making the sence to be deliver us from the Evil one founding this Interpretation upon that Article that is joyned with the Original Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but this is not always descretive but sometimes indefinite as for instance Matth. 12.35 and many other places And therefore considering the Comprehensiveness of this Prayer we ought to allow the Word a large extent and to comprehend under it First Satan whose proper Style and Epithete it is to be called the Evil one and so we find this black Title given him in Scripture Matth. 13.19 The wicked one cometh and snatcheth away that which was sown And 1 John 2.13 19. You have overcome the wicked one He is the wicked one eminently and singularly He is the chief Author of Evil his Temptations are all unto Evil his delight is only in Evil he is the Father of all those that do Evil. And therefore this is the most proper and significant Character of the Devil But yet it is also ascribed unto Men according to their resemblance of him Secondly All other Evils are here meant whether they be of sin or sorrow whether they be Transgressions or Punishments and that either Temporal punishments in those Judgments which God inflicts upon sinners here or Eternal Judgments such as he hath threatned to inflict upon them hereafter From all these we pray to be delivered but the greatest of all these is Sin For First It is greatest in the Nature of it as being the only thing that is contrary to the greatest Good even God for in all other things else in the World there is something of Good even as much as derived and participated of God And so the very Devils themselves have a Metaphysical Goodness in them as they are Creatures and have received their Beings and Powers from God who is the Author of nothing that is Evil. But Sin hath not the least ray or footsteps of Goodness in it but is only defect and irregularity And that alone which as his Soul always hates so his Hands never made Secondly It is the greatest Evil in the Effects and Consequences of it It once turn'd Glorious Angels into hideous Devils and tumbled them down from Heaven to Hell filled the World with Woes and Plagues brought Death and Diseases and a vast and endless sum of Miseries into it it torments and terrifies the Conscience kindles Hell-flames exposes the Soul to the eternal and direful revenges of the great God and is so perfectly and only Evil that the worst of things here were they free from the Contagion of Sin would be excellent and amiable To pray therefore against the Evil of Sin is to pray against all other Evils whatsoever for the Devil the Evil One cannot hurt us but by Sin And no other Evil can befall us but for Sin God inflicting them as the due Guerdon and Reward of our Transgressions Sin therefore being the chief and Principal Evil and all others but retainers to it I shall at present speak only of God's delivering us from Sin Now as there are Two things in Sin which make it so exceeding Evil the Guilt of it whereby it Damns and the Filth of it whereby it Pollutes the Soul so God hath Two ways to deliver us from it First By removing the Guilt already contracted which he doth in justifying and pardoning the Sinner Secondly By preventing us from falling
thou canst but get an Attribute to take thy part when thou comest to the Throne of Grace and if thou canst but rightly use and fit it to thy requests thou may'st be sure of speeding for God will not nay he cannot deny himself In us there can be nothing found to move him nor any where out of himself and where we find as very often we do in Scripture that the Miseries and Afflictions of God's People are made use of as a Plea for Mercy yet this Plea it self which is usually most winning and most affecting can no otherwise prevail with God than as his Pity and Compassions engage him to relieve those that are in Misery And to speak properly they are not our Afflictions but the Glory of his Power and Mercy in delivering us from them that is a motive unto God Only it is the art of a Praying Christian aptly to represent himself as an Object for God's Attributes to be exercised about And if he can but interest any Name or Attribute of God in his behalf he may be confident of the success of his Prayer and that he shall not return ashamed These two Observations I gather from the illative Particle for For thine is the Kingdom c. Concerning the Kingdom of God I shall speak but very little now having already treated of it in explaining the Second Petition of this most excellent Prayer Thy Kingdom come Certain it is that God's Vniversal Kingdom is here understood as he is the High Creator and Supreme Lord of all things both in Heaven and in Earth yet not so as to exclude his peculiar Kingdom of the Church And this is an excellent Argument to confirm our Faith for the obtaining of those things which we pray for because the Kingdom is Gods and he is the absolute Sovereign over all and therefore all things are at his dispose As for Spiritual Blessings which we seek he hath the Power of bestowing of them for he is King of his Church and bestows the Gifts and Graces of his Spirit upon the Faithful Subjects of that his Kingdom And as for Temporal Blessings that we beg he likewise can readily bestow them upon us for he is the Universal Monarch of all the World a King to whom all other Kings are subject and all other Thrones are but the Footstool of his And therefore in the general whatsoever we want be it Protection or Provision our Faith in the Sovereignty of God may encourage us to ask it with an humble boldness and confidence for it is the Office of a King to give both unto his Subjects But let us more particularly consider how God's Kingdom may be accommodated to all the Petitions of this Prayer of our Lord as a strong Argument and Reason to prevail with God for the obtaining what we request in each of them First The Kingdom is God's therefore he will see that his Name be hallowed and glorified in it Kings are jealous of their Honour and it is a great Offence either to speak or do any thing that may redound to their discredit It is fit and decent for a King to have the highest Name and the greatest repute among his Subjects And therefore we may be sure God will maintain this in the World yea so jealous is God of having dishonour reflected upon him that he hath forbidden not only the profanation and trivial mention of his own Name but the profanation of that which doth but belong unto him Matth. 5.34 35. Swear not by Heaven for it is God's Throne neither by the Earth for it is his Foot-stool neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the Great King Heaven is the Throne of his Majesty the Theatre of his Power Jerusalem and the Temple the Seat of his Worship And therefore as Kings and Princes have respect shown to their presence Chamber So God because he is the Great King of Kings and Lord of Lords requires to be reverenced in all that doth appertain unto him and he will be sanctified in all that draw near unto him Those who will not actually hallow him by their Obedience on them God will be hallowed passively by their Punishment And because he is a King he will maintain the Honour of his Majesty and Royalty And therefore we may with Faith pray Hallowed be thy Name For thine is the Kingdom c. Secondly The Kingdom is God's and therefore this Kingdom shall come it shall be maintained it shall be established it shall be enlarged and increased Is it not the highest concern of a King to look that his Kingdom be not overthrown and himself deposed and outed of it So is it God's interest and concernment to preserve his Kingdom from the incursion of Enemies and the sad consequences of the Rents and Divisions of his Subjects He hath promised that the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it that he will enlarge the Borders of it and give all Nations unto Jesus Christ for his Inheritance and Possession And therefore when we pray Thy Kingdom come we may very well expect that our Requests should be granted for the Kingdom is God's and we do but pray that he would regard his own Interest and Concerns that he would look down from Heaven and visit this Vine which his own Right Hand hath planted that neither the Wild Boar out of the Forest may root it up nor the cunning Foxes pluck off its tender Grapes Thirdly The Kingdom is God's and therefore we may well pray That his Will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven For what is Sovereignty without Obedience to it but a mere Pageantry a mock-shew of idle Royalty It is but fit and rational to pray that his Will should be done whose the Kingdom is And whilst we thus pray we may be confident of being heard and accepted since the Reason we urge is so natural and pressing Fourthly The Kingdom is God's and therefore we may with great encouragement to our Faith pray for Our daily Bread and all those Temporal Accommodations that are needful and expedient for us For it is a Kingly Office to provide things necessary for their Subjects to protect and defend them to supply and relieve them and therefore Psal 72. where we have a perfect Character of a good King it is said verse 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass and as showers that Water the Earth That is he shall be to his People as soft Showers to the sprouting Grass kindly nourishing it and making it grow and flourish And certainly God who is the greatest and best of Kings will be so much more to his People and Subjects and since he hath assumed to himself the Style and Name of King he will provide abundantly for their Peace and Prosperity Fifthly The Kingdom is God's and therefore we may well make our applications to him for Pardon and beg of him the Forgiveness of our Offences since it is the Prerogative Royal of
promised not to do Thirdly The Glory is God's therefore his Will shall be done in Earth as it is in Heaven The greatest Glory that God can receive from us is by our Obedience John 15.8 Herein saith our Saviour is my Father Glorified that ye bear much Fruit God's chiefest Glory is his Holiness and therefore he is Styled Glorious in Holiness And we have no better way to Glorifie the Holiness of God than by endeavouring to be Holy as he is Holy For then do we declare it to be a thing which we value as most Excellent and Glorious when we strive to imitate it and would fain get as much of it as our frail Natures can receive And therefore we may well pray in Faith Thy Will be done for thine is the Glory because the greatest Glory we can give to God is by doing his Will Fourthly The Glory is God's and therefore will he provide for us our daily Bread and all things that are necessary for our good And therefore when God was Miraculously to provide Bread for his People in the Wilderness he tells them Exod. 16.7 In the morning then shall ye see the Glory of the Lord. And certainly it is not for the Glory of God that any of his should want things fitting and necessary for them Only let us leave it to him to Judge what is so For although he should reduce thee to a morsel of Bread and a cup of cold Water yet he gives thee all that is fit for thee and should he give thee more it would not be a boon but a curse Fifthly The Glory is God's Therefore he will forgive thy Debts and Trespasses The Wise Man hath told us Prov. 19.11 That it is the Glory of a Man to pass over a Transgression and shall it not much more be the Glory of God whose Mercies are infinitely more Glorious than our Charity can be Yea he tells us Prov. 25.2 That it is the Glory of God to conceal a thing that is to hide and cover our sins so that they shall not be found against us And expresly Ephes 1.6 7. That we have redemption even the forgiveness of sins to the praise and glory of his Grace And I have shewed you in opening of the Petition that it is a very high Honour and Superiority to forgive it is the Prerogative-Royal of a King and therefore we may well pray with Faith Forgive us our Trespasses for thine is the Glory Sixthly The Glory is God's Therefore he will deliver us from the Assaults and Incursions of our Enemies he will deliver us from Temptations or from the evil of Temptation He will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear but will with every Temptation make a way for us to escape hereby to demonstrate the Glory of his Wisdom and Power that it is above all the wiles and power of the Devil and our Spiritual Enemies And therefore we may well pray Lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from Evil for thine is the Glory because it is the Honour of God to defend his Servants from the incursions of his and their Enemies Thus we have treated on three of God's Attributes ascribed to him in this Doxology His Dominion his Power and his Glory It remains now to consider the Amplification of all these by that expression For ever which is to be referred and accommodated to the foregoing Titles The Kingdom is thine for ever The Power is thine for ever and the Glory thine for ever Now this application of it denotes to us the Eternity of God's Attributes and consequently his Nature Indeed this Particle For ever doth not always in Scripture signifie a strict and proper Eternity for it is often applied to things of various durations First Sometimes most improperly those things which have both beginning and end are said to be for ever So the Mosaical Paedagogy and those rites and observancies which were imposed upon the Jews by the Levitical Law are said to be everlasting although they were not to continue any longer than between Moses and Christ which space was not compleatly Fifteen Hundred Years Thus the Priesthood is said to be eternal Numb 25.13 where it is called The Covenant of an everlasting Priesthood So the sprinkling of the Blood of the Passover is to be commanded to be observed for ever Exod. 12.24 So Circumcision is called an everlasting Covenant Gen. 17 13. And many more such instances might be given Yea things of a far shorter duration than these such as are only to continue during life are yet said to be Eternal The servitude of him that refused freedom was to be for ever Exod. 21.6 that is during his natural life And so the Psalmist often resolves himself and exhorts others to Praise and Magnifie God for ever And indeed it is very ordinary in Scripture that those things are said to be for ever which were not to alter their State for some continuance of time nor to be difused till the date prefixed to them were expired Secondly Some things which had no beginning but shall have an end are yet said to be for ever And such as they respect their Objects are the Decrees or Foreknowledge of God which shall in their due time be fullfilled Thus Ephes 3.11 they are called The Eternal purpose of God and yet they cease under the notions of Decrees and Prescience when that which was from all Eternity Decreed and Foreknown takes its accomplishment Thirdly Those things which had a beginning but never shall have an end are said to be for ever And such are the Angels all of them Created in the beginning of time but their future continuance is without bound or period And the Saints after the Resurrection are said to be made equal to the Angels because they shall not die Luke 20.36 And Christ is said to be made a little lower than the Angels in that he tasted of Death Heb. 2.9 The good Angels live in Eternal Beatitude they always behold the Face of God Matth. 18.10 And the evil Angels live in Eternal torments and a never dying Death They are reserved in everlasting Chains under darkness Jude verse 6. And thus the Souls of Men are everlasting For being Spiritual substances and free from all principles of decay and corruption they shall for ever continue in that Estate and Condition for which their Actions in this life have prepared them And not the Soul alone but the Body also shall be eternally preserved in its being This mortal must put on immortality 1 Cor. 15.53 And then shall we for ever be with the Lord 1 Thess 4.17 And yet all these had once their beginning by the Creating Word of God but are Eternal à parte post and shall always retain those natures and beings Fourthly That is most strictly and properly said be Eternal and for ever which neither hath beginning nor end whose prospect both ways is infinite and boundless And thus God only is
makes to God ought to be ratified with an Amen sent from our very hearts which if we sincerely and affectionately perform we have abundant assurance that what is confirmed by so many suffrages on Earth shall likewise be confirmed by our Father which is in Heaven And how beautiful how becoming would this be when the whole Church shall thus conspire together in their Requests St. Jerome tells us It was the custom in his days to close up every Prayer with such an unanimous consent that their Amens rung and echoed in the Church and sounded like the fall of Waters or the noise of Thunder This would be a Testimony of our hearty consent to the things we Pray for And if any two that shall agree upon Earth touching any thing that they shall ask they shall have it granted them as our Saviour hath promised Matth. 18.19 then certainly the joynt Prayers of a whole multitude of Christians must needs have a kind of Omnipotency in them and be able to do any thing with God And thus I have with God's Assistance given you a brief Exposition of this most excellent Prayer of our Saviour The Lord Sanctifie it unto you and make it a means to help you to Pray with more understanding with stronger Faith and with greater Fervency The End of the Larger Exposition A Catechistical EXPOSITION OF THE Lord's Prayer By way of QUESTION and ANSWER By the Right Reverend Father in God EZEKIEL Lord Bishop of Derry by which he examined the Youth each Lord's-Day during the whole Time he preached upon the Lord's Prayer Quest IS the Lords Prayer a Form of Prayer or onely a Pattern for Prayer Answ It is both That it is to be used as a Form appears Luke 11.2 When ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven c. That it is a Pattern Matt. 6.9 After this Manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in Heaven c. Q. What are the Parts of this Prayer A. They are Four 1. The Preface or Introduction 2. The Petitions and Requests 3. The Doxology or Praise-giving 4. The Conclusion and Ratification Q. What is the Preface to this Prayer A. Our Father which art in Heaven Q. What observe you from it A. That in the Beginning of our Prayers we ought seriously to consider and reverently to express the glorious Attributes of God as an excellent Means to compose us into an Holy Fear of his Divine Majesty Q. How many are the Petitions contained in this Prayer A. Six Whereof the three first respect God's Glory and the three last our own Good Q. What learn you from this Order and Method A. That we ought first to seek God's Glory before any Interests and Concerns of our own Q. How are those Petitions divided which immediately concern the Glory of God A. In the first of them we pray that God may be glorified in the other two for the Means whereby he is glorified Q. How divide you those Petitions which concern our own good A. One relates to our Temporal the other two to our Spiritual good Q. What observe you from placing the Petition for our Temporal good in the Midst of this Prayer A. That we are onely to bait at the World in our Passage to Heaven and onely refresh our selves with our daily Bread in our Way and Journey thither Q. What are the Petitions which relate to our Spiritual good A. They are two One whereby we beg the Pardon of our Sins the other whereby we beg Deliverance from them Q. What ascribe you to God in the Doxology A. Four of his most glorious Attributes 1. First His Sovereignty Thine is the Kingdom 2. Secondly His Omnipotence And the Power 3. Thirdly His Excellency And the Glory 4. Fourthly The Eternity and Unchangeableness of all these They are Thine for ever Q. What signifies that Particle Amen at the End of this Prayer A. It signifies two Things So be it Which notes our Desire for the obtaining of what we ask So it shall be Which notes our Assurance of being heard Q. What is the Preface to the Lord's Prayer A. Our Father which art in Heaven Q. What doth this teach us A. That in our Entrance into Prayer we should seriously consider both the Mercy of God as he is our Father and likewise his Majesty as he is in Heaven That the one may beget in us Filial Boldness and the other awfull Reverence and by the mixture of both we may be kept from Despair and Presumption Q. In what Respects may God be stiled Father A. In three especially 1. First in respect of the Eternal Generation of his Son And so this Title is proper onely to the first Person of the Trinity 2. In respect of Creation and Providence and so he is the Father of all Mal. 2.10 Have we not all one Father Hath not one God created us 3. In respect of Regeneration and Adoption And so he is the onely Father of the Faithfull John 1.12.13 But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believed on his Name Which were born not of Blood nor of the VVill of Flesh nor of the VVill of Man but of God Rom. 8.15 16. For ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to Fear But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God Q. In what Respects do we call God Father in this Prayer A. In the two last As he hath created us and doth preserve us and as he hath regenerated and adopted us Q. When ye stile God the Father do ye mean onely God the Father the first Person of the Trinity A. No. For God the first Person is eminently called the Father not in respect of us but in respect of Christ In respect of us the whole Trinity both Father Son and Holy Ghost is our Father which is in Heaven Isaiah 9.6 For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his Shoulder and his Name shall be called Wonderfull Counsellour The Mighty God The Everlasting Father The Prince of Peace John 3.5 Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Q. What is implied in this Particle Our Our Father A. That God is the Father of all Men He is the Father of the VVicked by Creation and Providence but especially of the Godly by Regeneration and Adoption Q. Is it proper in our secret Prayers to say Our Father A. It is For so we find Dan. 9.17 Now therefore O our God hear the Prayer of thy Servant and his Supplications and cause thy Face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's Sake Q. What learn we by stiling God our Father A. First to esteem one another as Brethren
not my Will but thine be done A. These are not so much Prayers as Declarations of their Submission unto and Patience under the Hand of God Q. May we not pray at all that God's Will of Purpose may be done A. Yes it is for Temporal or Spiritual or Eternal Blessings on our selves or others Q. What force doth the Particle Thy carry in it when we pray Thy will be done A. It may be taken either emphatically or exclusively 1. First It signifies that God's Will ought to be preferred above and before all others Acts 4.19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye Both because it is most Soveraign and because it is most Holy and Perfect so that we act most like Men when we act most like Christians 2. Secondly It signifies exclusively that God's Will and not our own may be done For ours being carnal and corrupt we pray for the subduing it to his Q. What mean you by praying that God's Will be done in Earth A. First I pray that it may be done by my self and all others living on the Earth Psal 67.2 That thy way may be known upon Earth thy saving Health among all Nations Secondly We pray that we may improve the few Days of this Mortal Life in the Service of God for there is no Device nor Operation in the Grave Q. Having given this Account of the Petition in the Matter of it what is next observable A. The Proportion of it As it is in Heaven Q. But is it not impossible to do the Will of God in Earth as it is done in Heaven where the Holy Angels do perfectly perform it A. It is as to the Equality of Perfection but not as to the Similitude and Proportion of our Endeavours after it For we are commanded to be holy as God is holy and perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect Matt. 5.48 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Which Command we obey when we seriously endeavour it Q. How then is the Will of God done in Heaven A. First Thine Obedience is absolutely perfect both as to Parts and Degrees that is to say they obey all God's Will enjoined them and that with all their might and after this Perfection we ought to strive and in this Petition pray for a greater Measure of it Secondly Their Obedience is chearfull not extorted by Fears or Sufferings Thirdly They do the Will of God with Zeal and Ardency Psal 104.4 Who maketh his Angels spirits his Ministers a flaming Fire Fourthly They do it with Celerity and ready Dispatch and therefore the Angels are often in Scripture described to have Wings Fifthly The Will of God is done in Heaven with all possible Prostration and Reverence Rev. 4.10 The four and twenty Elders fall down before him that sat on the Throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their Crowns before the Throne saying Sixthly The Will of God is done in Heaven with Constancy and Perseverance Rev. 7.15 Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him Day and Night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them And thus we ought to pray and endeavour that we may do the Will of God on Earth Q. What learn you from this A. That we ought not to satisfie our selves in comparing our Obedience with other Mens as the boasting Pharisee did but to take the Examples for our Holiness from Heaven and to endeavour to imitate the Purity of Angels and the God of Angels For St. Paul himself when he prescribes his Life as an Example for Christians doth it onely as he followed the Pattern of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Q. We have already considered the three first Petitions which immediately related to God s Glory it remains now to treat of those which immediately concern our own Good Which is the first of them A. That wherein we beg the good things of this present Life in these words Give us this Day our daily Bread Q. What is here meant by Bread A. All Temporal and Earthly Blessings that contribute either to our being or well being For Bread being the most usual and usefull Support of Life it is often in Scripture put for all kind of Provision necessary for natural Life Gen. 3.19 In the Sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat Bread till thou return into the Ground for out of it wast thou taken for Dust thou art and unto Dust shalt thou return Q. What learn we hence A. That it is not below a Spiritual Christian to pray for Temporal Mercies both because they are needfull for us Matt. 6.32 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things And God hath promised to bestow them Phil. 4.19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus Q. How ought we to pray for them A. Onely conditionally if it may consist with God's good Pleasure to bestow them otherwise we do not pray but invade and if it may consist with our good to receive them otherwise we ask a Curse instead of a Blessing Q. What learn you from the word Give A. That God is the Giver of every Temporal Mercy Q. How is God said to give us our daily Bread A. First by producing it and bringing it to us for though the Chain of natural Causes be never so long yet God holds the first Link of it in his own hand Hosea 2.21 22. And it shall come to pass in that Day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the Heavens and they shall hear the Earth Vers 22. And the Earth shall hear the Corn and the Wine and the Oil and they shall hear Jezreel Secondly by blessing it to us without which our daily Bread can never nourish us Deut. 8.3 And he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with Manna which thou knowest not neither did thy Fathers know that he might make thee know that Man doth not live by Bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of the Lord doth Man live Q. What mean you when you pray for daily Bread A. By this we pray That God would bestow upon us daily those Mercies which are sufficient for the Day Q. What learn you hence A. That as in praying for Bread we pray for Conveniencies not for Superfluities or Delicacies So in our praying for daily Bread we pray for present supplies not Goods laid up for many Years Which teacheth us to moderate our Cares and Desires after Earthly Things and to rest satisfied in God's Providence and present Blessings Q. May we not then carefully provide for the Time to come and the Support of our Dependents A.
by our Prayers we shall receive in his Service and to his Praise Psal 50.15 And call upon me in the Day of Trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Q. What directions have we concerning the Seasons and Frequency of praying A. The Scripture commands us to pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing To pray always and not to faint Luke 18.1 And he spake a Parable to this end that Men ought always to pray and not to faint To pray always with all Prayer and Supplication Ephes 6.18 Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Q. Must we therefore be always so actually ingaged in this Duty as to do nothing but pray A. No For therefore we pray that we may obtain Grace from God to perform other Duties of Religion and a Christian Life neither ought the Duties of our particular Callings to be neglected by us for we justle out one Duty by another besides the sinfull Omission of what we should perform that which we do perform becomes unacceptable because unseasonable and so we commit two Sins in doing one Duty Q. What then is it to pray without ceasing A. Prayer may be said to be without ceasing four ways 1. When we observe a constant Course of a Prayer at fixt and appointed Times Thus Gen. 8. ult God promised that Winter and Summer Day and Night should not cease And so the daily Sacrifice is called a continual burnt-offering Exod. 29.42 And yet it was offered onely Morning and Evening 2. When we are frequent and importunate in our Prayers so Acts 12.5 The Church is said to make Prayers for Peter without ceasing And our Saviour spake the Parable of the importunate Widow to this end That men ought always to pray and not to faint Luke 18.1 3. When we frequently dart up short mental Prayers and Ejaculations unto God which we may and ought to do whatsoever else we are employed about Neh. 2.4 So I prayed to the God of Heaven 4. When we keep our hearts in a praying Frame and Temper so that they are on all Occasions fit and ready to pour out themselves before God in Prayer and thus we habitually pray always Q. What must we observe to maintain and cherish such a praying Spirit A. Two things especially 1. That we ingulf not our selves too deeply in the Businesses and Pleasures of this Life for these will dark and deaden the heart to Prayer 2. That we fall not into the Commission of any known and presumptuous Sin For guilt will fill us with slavish Fear and Shame and both will drive us from God Q. What are the kinds of Prayer A. Three 1. Publick As we are Members of the Church 2. Private As we stand engaged in Family Relation And 3. Secret As we are particular Christians Q. Who is to send up publick Prayers A. The Minister and all the Congregation joining with him And these Prayers though they must needs be more general yet with all are more effectual than any other Matt. 18.19 Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Q. Who is to make private or family Prayers A. Every Master and Governour of a Family And this he is not to do seldomer than every Morning and Evening In the Morning Prayer is the Key that opens the Treasury of God's Mercies In the Evening it is the Key that shuts us up under his Protection and Safe-guard TWO SERMONS Preached by the same AUTHOR A Discourse upon Providenec Matth. x. 29 30. Are not two Sparrows sold for a Farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father But the very Hairs of your Head are all numbred THe Mystery of God's Providence next to that of Man's Redemption is the most Sublime and Inscrutable 'T is easie in both to run our selves off our Reason For as Reason confesseth it self at a loss when it attempts a search into those Eternal decrees of electing Sinners to Salvation and designing Christ to save them so must it likewise when it attempts to trace out all those entangled Mazes and Labyrinths wherein the Divine Providence walks We may sooner tire reason in such a pursuit than satisfie it unless it be some kind of satisfaction when we have driven it to a Non-plus to relieve our selves with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the depth of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out This knowledge therefore being too wonderful for us I shall not presume to conduct you into that secret Place that pavillion of Clouds and surrounding Darkness where God sits holding the Rudder of the World and steering it through all the Floatings of Casualty and Contingency to his own foreordained ends where he grasps and turns the great Engine of Nature in his hands fastening one Pin and loosing another moving and removing the several Wheels of it and framing the whole according to the Eternal Idea of his own understanding Let us content us to consider so much of God's Providence as may affect us with comfort in reflecting on that particular care which he takes of us rather than with wonder and astonishment by too bold a prying into those hidden methods whereby he exerciseth it Our Saviour Christ in this Chapter giving Commission to his Apostles and sending them forth to preach the Gospel obviates an Objection they might make concerning the great danger that would certainly attend such an undertaking To send them upon such an hated employment would be no other than to thrust them upon the Rage and Malice of the World to send them forth as Sheep into the midst of Wolves who would doubtless worry and devour them sure we are to have our Message derided our Persons injured and that holy name of thine on which we summon them to believe Blasphemed and Reviled and tho our word may prove a word of life to some few of the Hearers yet to us who are the Preachers of it it will prove no other than Death A vile and wretched world the whilest when the Gospel of Peace and Reconciliation shall thus stir up Enmity and Persecution against the Embassadours who are appointed to Proclaim it Now to this our Saviour Answers First By shewing what the extent of their Adversaries power is how far it can reach and what mischief it can do when God permits it to rage to the very utmost And this he doth in the 28th Verse the verse immediately foregoing the Text Fear not them who kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul Or as St. Luke expresseth it Chap. 12.4 They can kill the Body but after that have no more they can do Alas are such Men to be feared who when they do their worst can only destroy your worst part which if they do not yet Accidents
being thus infinite he both knows himself and all other things in himself First God perfectly knows himself he knows the boundless extent of his own being and though he be infinite and incomprehensible to all others yet is he finite and comprehended to himself and hence it follows Secondly That he knows particularly all other things For if he knew himself perfectly he must needs know all things besides himself because none can perfectly know himself that doth not fully know all that his power and strength can reach unto But now there is nothing which the power of God cannot reach for by his power he Created all things And therefore knowing his own Essence which is the cause of all he knows every thing in the secundity of his Essence Thus we have demonstrated it from the principles of Reason that God necessarily knows all things But providence denotes more than knowledge And therefore Fifthly This knowledge that is in God is not like that which we acquire 't is not a knowledge that depends upon the objects known and forms Idea's from the contemplation of things already existing But it is like the knowledge of an Artificer which causeth and produceth the things it comprehends God knows them before they are and by knowing them brings them to pass God knows all things saith St. Austin de Trinitat 15. Not because they are but therefore they are because God knew them So that his eternal knowledge and understanding gives being to every thing in the World Sixthly It appertains to him who gives being to a thing to preserve and govern it in its being And therefore God giving being to all things he also doth maintain and provide for them 'T is the very Law of Nature that he hath imprinted upon all his Creatures to provide for their own Off-spring We see with what sollicitous affection and tenderness even brute and irrational Creatures do it We are all the Off-spring of God and he our common Parent And therefore certainly he who hath inspired such Parental care in all things else doth himself much more take care to give Education to all to which he hath given being Thus you see is proved that God's Providence reacheth unto all things It might likewise be demonstrated from God's omnipresence He is present every where with and in all his Creatures and certainly he is not with them as an idle and unconcerned spectator but as the director and governour of their Actions But I shall proceed to the second sort of Arguments to prove the Divine providence And those are taken from the consideration of the frame and Compages of the World the beauty and harmony which we see in Nature The World is a Book wherein we may clearly read the wonderful Wisdom of God There is no Creature that doth not proclaim aloud that God is the wise Creator and Governour of it Who hath Gilded the Globe of the Sun and put on his Rays Who hath set its bounds and measured out its race that it should without sailing without error or mistake know how to make its daily and Annual returns and divide out times and seasons to the World Who hath given a particular Motion to all the Voluminous Orbs of Heaven and beat out a path for every Star to walk in Who hath swathed in the great and proud Ocean with a Girdle of Sand and restrains the Waves thereof that though they be higher than the Land yet they shall not overflow it Who poiseth the oppositions and contrarieties that are in Nature in so even a balance that none of them shall ever prevail to a total Destruction of the other Who brings up the great Family of brute Beasts without tumult and disorder Do not all these great and wonderful works speak forth the watchful Providence of God who as he makes them by his word so still governs them by his Power Therefore whatsoever we receive beneficial from them whatsoever seems to provide for our necessities or conveniencies it is God that hath so dispensed the Government of the World as to make it serviceable If the Heavens turn and move for us if the Stars as so many burning Torches light us in the obscurity of the Night if the Angels protect and defend us let us acknowledge all this from the Providence of God only It is he that turns the Heavens round their Axis He lights up the Stars he commands the Angels to be Ministring Spirits Guards and Centinels about us If the Fire warm us the Air refresh us the Earth support us it is God that hath kindled the Fire that hath spread forth the Air stablish'd the Earth upon the Pillars of his own decree that it should not be shaken And let us know too that when we want these Creatures for our sustentation if the Heavens if the Angels if the Earth if the Sea if all things should fail us yea bandy and set themselves against us yet God who provides for us by them can also if he please provide for us without them Thus we have dispatch'd the two general inquiries and have described and demonstrated unto you the Divine Providence The third which remains is to answer some questions and doubts which may be made and have indeed been strongly urged against the Government of the World by Providence As First If the World be governed by Providence whence comes it that wicked and ungodly Men flourish and prosper that God shines upon their Tabernacles and drops fatness upon all their paths Whereas on the conrary the Godly are often exposed to Poverty Contempt Reproaches persecuted by Men afflicted by God Would it not be as agreeable to the Divine goodness to cast abroad the Wealth the Pomp and Glory of this World with an undeciding hand leaving Men to scramble for them as they can as that he should with a particular and studied care advance those who contemn him and crush those who humbly trust and depend upon him Can I think the World is governed by the Providence of a just God when usually unjust Men govern the World under him When swaggering Sinners who despise him have power likewise to controul others Is it Wisdom to put a Sword into that hand which will turn the point of it against the giver Or Justice to impower them to all those Acts of Rapine Violence and Oppression which they commit And shall we call that Providence which is neither wise nor just One hath an unexhausted store to supply his dissolute Luxury and Riot another scarce necessaries to maintain a poor Life spent in the commands of God Here a wicked Dives who worshipped no other God but his own Belly feasts deliciously every day whilest a Godly Lazarus starves at this glutton's Gate and entertains the Dogs with licking of his Sores And what doth God's particular care furnish the glutton's Table with dayly excess who will not give the remaining Scraps to God's Children If there be Divine Providence in this what is become of the
may persuade you to a diligent search and perusal of the Scriptures The Jews indeed were so exact or rather Superstitious in this that he was judged a despiser of those Sacred Oracles who did not readily know how often every Letter of the Alphabet occurred in them This preciseness God hath made use of to deliver down his word to us unvaried and uncorrupted It is not such a scrupulous search of the Scripture I now exhort you to but as God hath left it to us a rich Depositum a dear pledge of his Love and care so we should diligently attend to a rational and profitable study of it There are but two things in the general that commend any writing to us either that it discovers knowledge or directs practice that it informs the Judgment or reforms the Life Both of these are eminently the Characters of this Book of God And therefore David tells us Psal 19.7 The Law of God converts the Soul and makes wise the simple It is a light not only to our heads but it is a Lamp unto our Feet and a light unto our paths Psal 119.105 Let us consider it as to both First In point of knowledge as it perfects the understanding and so it will appear in sundry particulars how excellent a study it is For First The Scripture discovers unto us the knowledge of those truths that the most improved natural Reason could never sift out and are intelligible only by Divine Revelation God hath Composed two Books by the diligent study of which we may come to the knowledge of himself The Book of the Creatures and the Book of the Scriptures The Book of the Creatures is written in those great Letters of Heaven and Earth the Air and Sea and by these we may spell out somewhat of God He made them for our instruction as well as our service There is not a Creature that God hath breathed abroad upon the face of the Earth but it Reads us Lectures of his infinite Power and Wisdom So that it is no absurdity to say that they are all the Works of his mouth so they are all the works of his Hands The whole World is a speaking workmanship Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of God are clearly seen by the things that are made even his eternal Power and Godhead And indeed when we seriously consider how God hath poised the Earth in the midst of the Air and the whole World in the midst of a vast and boundless nothing how he hath hung out those glorious lights of Heaven the Sun the Moon and Stars and made paths in the Sky for their several courses how he hath laid the Sea on heaps and so girt it in that it may possibly overlook but not overflow the Land when we view the Variety Harmony and Law of the Creation our Reason must needs be very short if we cannot from these collect the infinite Wisdom Power and Goodness of the Creator So much of God as belong to these two great Attributes of Creator and Governour of the World the Book of Nature may plainly discover to us But then there are other more retired and reserved Notions of God other truths that nearly concern our selves and our eternal Salvation to know and believe which nature could never give the least glimpse to discover What Signature is there stampt upon any of the Creatures of a Trinity in Unity of the eternal Generation or temporal Carnation of the Son of God What Creature could inform us of our first fall and guilt contracted by it Where can we find the Copy of the Covenant of Works or of grace printed upon any of the Creatures All the great Sages of the World though they were Nature's Secretaries and ransack'd its abstrusest mysteries yet all their Learning and Knowledge could not discover the Sacred Mystery of a Crucified Saviour These are truths which Nature is so far from searching out that it can scarce receive them when revealed 1. Corinth 2.14 The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned The light that can reveal these must break immediately from Heaven it self And so it did upon the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles the Pen-men of the Holy Scriptures And if it were their singular Privilege that the Holy Ghost should descend into their breasts and so possess them with Divine inspirations that what they spake or wrote became Oracular how little less is ours since the Scriptures reveal to us the very same truths which the Spirit revealed to them God heretofore spake in them and now he speaks by them unto us Their Revelations are become ours the only difference is that what God taught them by extraordinary inspiration the very same truths he teacheth us in the Scripture by the ordinary illumination of his Spirit Here therefore whilest we diligently converse in the Book of God we enjoy the privilege of Prophets The same word of God which came unto them comes also unto us and that without those severe preparations and strong agonies which sometimes they underwent before God would inspire them with the knowledge of his Heavenly truth That is the first Motive and Argument Secondly The knowledge which the Scripture teacheth is for the matter of it the most sublime and losty in the World All other sciences are but poor and beggarly Elements if compared with this What doth the Naturalist but only busie himself in digging a little drossie knowledge out of the Entrails of the Earth The Astronomer who ascends highest mounts no higher than the Coelestial Bodies the Stars and Planets which are but the out-works of Heaven But the Scripture pierceth much farther and lets us into Heaven it self There it discovers the Majesty and Glory of God upon his Throne the Eternal Son of God sitting at his right hand making a prevailing and Authoritative intercession for us The glittering train of Cherubims and Seraphims an innumerable company of Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect So that indeed when you have this Book laid open before you you have Heaven it self and all the inconceivable glories of it laid open to your view What can be more sublime than the nature of God And yet here we have it so plainly described by all its most glorious Attributes and Perfections that the Scripture doth but beam forth light to an Eye of Faith whereby it may be inabled to see him who is invisible But if we consider those Gospel Mysteries the Scripture relates the Hypostatical Union of the Divine and Humane Nature in Christ's incarnation the Mystical Union of our persons to his by our believing that the Son of God should be Substituted in the stead of guilty Sinners that he who knew no sin should be made a Sacrifice for sin and the Justice of God become reconciled to Man through the blood of God these are Mysteries so infinitely profound as are enough to puzzle a whole College of
to all these instances I Answer That they are not so much Prayers as Declarations of a ready Submission and Obedience to the Will of God For by this expression The Will of the Lord be done we do not desire that those things should come to pass which will be grievous and afflicting to us but only testifie our ready subjection to the Sovereign Will of God and a patient resignation of our selves and of all our concerns unto his disposal When we pray we ought to beg of God that he would be pleased to avert from us those Plagues and Judgments which our sins justly expose us unto But if it shall seem good to him to inflict any of them upon us The Will of the Lord be done That is we desire with Patience to submit unto his Providence and contentedly to bear those burthens which he shall impose upon us The sum therefore of all is this When we pray Thy Will be done if it be the Will of God's Precept we pray absolutely that it may be done by us as being obliged thereunto by his express Word and Command And if it be the Will of God's Purpose intending any Temporal or Spiritual good unto us we pray that his Will may be done upon us But if it be the Will of his Purpose to inflict any evil then our saying Thy Will be done is not so much a Prayer as a Testimony of our submission to his Will without murmuring or repining at his Providence Thus have we seen what this Will of God is that we pray may be done in this Petition Thy Will be done Thirdly The next thing to be taken notice of is the Particle Thy Thy Will be done and this carries in it both an Emphasis and an Exclusion First Thy Will emphatically to signifie unto us That God's Will ought to be preferred above and before all others Not to regard the fancies and humours of Men when the Will of God is clear before us nor to be careful to please them but our Lord Christ and if they will quarrel with us upon any such account we know whither to Appeal for our Justification and for our Safety For our Justification to their Consciences Whether we ought to obey Men rather than God Judge ye Acts 4.19 And for our Protection and Safety to God's Power and Providence with those three Heroick Persons Dan. 3.16 17. We are not careful O King to answer thee in this matter If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning Fiery Furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand And there is great Reason for this preference of God's Will before all others First Because God's Will is most Sovereign He is the Supream Lord of the whole World the greatest of Men are but his Subjects and Vassals Now it is infinitely more Reason that we should conform our selves to the Will of him who is both our Lord and theirs than to the Will of our fellow-servants And that we should seek to please him who is able to destroy both our Souls and theirs than that we should please them who when their rage reacheth highest can destroy only this Body and vile Carcase Secondly Because God's Will is the most Holy and Perfect and there is nothing that he hath Commanded us to do but it hath a native Goodness and Excellency in it and therefore it is called The Good the Acceptable and Perfect Will of God Rom. 12.2 To be governed by our own or other Mens Wills is usually to be led by Passion and blind head-long affections but to give up our selves wholly to the Will of God is to be governed by the highest Reason in the World For his Will cannot but be good since it is the measure and rule of goodness it self for therefore things are said to be good because God wills them And whatsoever he requires of us is pure and equitable and most agreeable to the dictates of right and illuminated Reason So that we act most like Men when we act most like Christians and shew our selves most Rational when we shew our selves most Religious And therefore we have a great deal of Reason to say Thy Will be done Secondly As this Particle Thy may be taken emphatically Thy Will before all others so likewise it may be taken exclusively Thy Will and not our own be done To teach us that hard Lesson of Self-denial Indeed when we consider the Rebellions of our corrupt Appetites and Desires and all those tumults and uproars they raise in our Souls against the Holy and Perfect Will of God the perverse Disputings of our Reason against his Authority and those strong propensions that are in us towards that which is displeasing to him and destructive to our selves we shall find abundant need with our greatest fervency to pray Thy Will and not our own be done And thus I have finished the three First Enquiries what this Will of God is how it may be said to be done and what is imported in this Particle Thy. The Fourth and last thing to be enquired into is What is meant by God's Will being done on Earth And here briefly to resolve this That the Will of God should be done on Earth signifies That it be done by Men living on the Earth the place here being put for the persons in it And although there be several other Creatures besides Man who do all of them serve him and fullfill his Will according to the Rank and Station which they all hold And therefore we have it express'd Psal 148.8 Fire and Hail Snow and Vapour stormy Wind fullfilling his Word Yet this his Will and Word is only the Ordinance of their Creation And the Will of his Purpose to the effecting of which they are often employed as Instruments It is not the Will of God's Precept obliging them to Duty for this can be fullfilled by none but by rational and intelligent Creatures This Petition therefore especially if not only respects us Men whom God hath made Lords of this Earth putting all other Creatures in subjection under us Now here we pray First That all Men in the World renouncing the will of Satan and their own corrupt wills may readily subject themselves unto the Will of God For this Expression on Earth suffers us not to limit our prayers to this or that particular Place or Region but wheresoever God hath spread abroad all Nations upon the face of the Earth we are to desire of God for them Grace to enable them to do his Will Psal 67.2 Let thy ways be known upon Earth and thy saving Health unto all Nations Secondly We pray that we may employ and improve the few and short days of this Mortal Life to the best advantage For this is that day wherein we may work the Works of God and if we neglect to do the Will of God while we are here on Earth it will be too late for ever for there is no Work nor