Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
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A51845
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A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer by ... Thomas Manton.
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Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing M532; ESTC R30512
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305,803
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534
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implicitely Amen Lord that it were so and surely Lord it shall be so we believe it and we desire it with all our Hearts 2. Explicitely Even so Lord Iesus Come quickly From this latter Clause I might observe many things 1. The sweet and blessed Harmony that â—is between Christ and the Church Christ's Voice and the Churches Voice are Unisons Christ saith I come and the Church like a quick Eccho takes the Word out of Christ's Mouth Even so come There is the same Spirit in Christ and in the Church for it is his Spirit that resides with us Christ he speaks in a way proper to him by way of Promise I come and the Church in a way proper to her by way of Prayer Even so come 2. I might observe That in the Close of the World we should most earnestly desire Christ's Coming We have the Advantage of former Times to us Christ saith I come quickly Now the set time almost is come therefore our Pulses should beat more strongly in putting up this Request to Christ. Tertullian shews that the Primitive Christians did pray prâ— mora finis that the End might not come too soon Christ having â—s yet but a small Interest in the World they expecting Enlargement upon Earth but we have more cause to look for the Accomplishment of his Kingdom in Heaven Thâ—ey expected the Revelation of Antichrist and we expect the Destruction of Antichrist They that God might be known in the World we that he might be no longer dishonoured in the World When great Promises are near their Accomplishment there is a more lively Spirit stirring in the Hearts of the Saints Dan. 9. 2 3. I understood by Books the Number of the Years whereof the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet that he would accomcomplish seventy Years in the Desolations of Jerusalem And I set my Face to the Lord God to seek by Prayer and Supplication But quitting these Notes I shall mainly insist upon this Point Viz. Doct. That the Church and all the faithful Members of it do really and heartily desire Christ's second Coming They look for it they long for it they wait for it They look for it Phil. 3. 20. Our Conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ. They reckon upon it as Rebekah espied Isaac afar off He is gone within the Vail he is appearing before God but he will come out again When they see the Clouds upon these one day will our Saviour come Then they long for it It is their Description 2 Tim. 4. 8. They love his Appearing Wicked Men and guilty Sinners hate and abhor it he being to come to them as a terrible Judg. Malefactors do not long for the Assizes But now the Saints who are absolv'd and washed in the Blood of Christ it doth them good to the Heart to think of it that one day Christ will appear in all his Glory And then they wait for it 1 Thess. 1. 10. They wait for his Son from Heaven even Iesus who hath delivered us from Wrath to come It is Wrath to come something behind the Coming of Christ which makes it so terrible Hell makes the Day of Judgment terrible The Devil could not endure to hear of Christ's coming Mat. 8. 29. Art thou come to torment us c. So wicked Men have the Spirit of the Devil it is a Torment and Bondage to them to think of the Judges Coming But those which have their Discharge they wait for it it supports and bears up their Hearts in the midst of their present Afflictions and they go on chearfully in their Work notwithstanding Lets and Troubles To give some Reasons why the faithful Members of Christ so really and heartily desire Christ's second Coming They are of three Sorts 1. Some in respect of the Person who is to come 2. Some in respect of the Persons which desire his Coming 3. Some in respect of the Coming it self I. In respect of him who is to come 1. His Person that we may see him The Children of God have delighted to look upon him through a Vail and have had a king of Heaven upon Earth from beholding his Face in the Glass of an Ordinance Looking upon him in the Vail of Ordinances hath been a mighty Comfort and Refreshing to them now they would desire to see his Person face to face They know by Hear-say this great Redeemer and Saviour of theirs he wooeth them by Proxy As Eleazar Abraham's Servant was to go abroad and seek for a Match for his Master's Son So the great Business of the Ministers of God is to set forth our Master's Son Now the Saints would fain see him Nay they have not only heard of him but believed in him and received him into their Hearts nay not only believed in him but they have loved him greatly 1 Pet. 1. 8. Whom having not seen ye love in whom tho now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoice with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory It hath been a ravishing thought to them to think of Christ. And they have tasted 1 Pet. 2. 3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious And they have felt him in the drawings of the Spirit they live by his Life they have found a Virtue going out from him Now all that they desire is that they may see this great Person who hath been their Redeemer and Saviour 2. Consider him as in his Person so in his Relations to them Here are two Titles Even so Lord Iesus He is Lord and he is Iesus He is Lord as a Master and Husband as Sarah called Abraham Lord. As a Master Good Servants will look for their Master 's coming Mat. 24. 46. And surely such a Master should be longed for and looked for for when he comes he will not come empty-handed Behold I come quickly and my Reward is with me Rev. 22. 12. Here Christ's Servants have their Vales but not their Wages Here they have present Maintenance that is all they have now but then they shall have their Reward and Wages here they have their Earnest but then they shall have the full Sum. Under the Law Masters were charged severely not to defraud their Servants of their Hire why He hath lift up his Soul to him that is in the middle of his hard Labours this was his Comfort when the Work of the Day was over he should have his Wages and his Hire at Night So you have lift up your Souls to him the great Pay-Day will come and this hath born you up in all your Labours and Travel of your Soul Therefore as he is our Lord so we should look for him And then as our Husband this is a sweeter Relation The Bride saith Come Rev. 22. 17. We are here contracted and betrothed to Christ I will betroth thee to me Hos. 2. 19. But the Day of solemn Espousals is hereafter Here we are betrothed to Christ in
Obligations to Duty on our part Many will give God good Words and fair Titles but there is no care had of complying with his Will Nay your owning that Relation will aggravate your Sin and be a Witness against you You owned me your Father and have not done my Will So Matth. 12. 50. Whosoever shall do the Will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother These may be sure of a comfortable Relation to God and that God will own them in that Claim when they make it their Business to do his Will otherwise you reproach God rather than worship him When you do your own Will and call God Father you lay the Devil's Brats at his Door you pretend to God and take his Name upon you therefore those that say Our Father must also say Thy Will be done 3. Those that would have respect to God's Glory must do his Will This is the Honour of God when you are at his Command God gloried in Abraham rather Cyrus than Abraham is there meant as the Context shews see Isa. 46. 11. Isa. 41. 2. The Man from the East whom I have called to my Foot When you are at his beck ready to go step by step with God as God leads you you are ready to follow It was the Honour of the Centurion that had his Souldiers at such a Command that when he said to one Go he went and to another Come and he came Matth. 8. So it is God's Honour when he can bid you do nothing but you are ready to obey though with the greatest hazard and loss of all 4. Our Subjection to his Kingdom God stands upon his Authority What 's a King without Obedience Christ is never received as King but where his Will is obeyed otherwise we mock â—im with an empty Title The High-Priest's Servants said Hail King of the Iews in mockage thus it is to own him as King when we will not yield Obedience Then do we desire that his Kingdom may come indeed and in power when we resolve to do his Will to love as God will have us and hate fear and hope as God will Psal. 143. 10. Thou art my God teach me to do thy Will If you own God as Soveraign you must be in subjection to his Will Thus this Prayer will yield us Arguments as we own him as a Father as we profess respect to his Glory and Kingdom Secondly I shall bring other Arguments to perswade this to make Conscience of God's Will 1. The Example of Christ Jesus who wholly yielded up himself to the Will of God and wilt thou stand upon thy terms Io. 5. 30. I seek not mine own Will but the Will of him that sent me Christ did not seek to please his human his own natural Will but the Will of his Father This is true Religion to be like him whom we worship Now we are never like Christ until we make doing of God's Will to be the great business of our Lives Wherefore doth he come into the World He tells you to do his Father's Will Luke 2. 49. Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business This was his sole Employment so it should be ours if we have the same Mind which Christ had 2. Consider God's Right We are not at our own dispose but at the Lord's use God hath a right in us as he created us The Perfection of every thing lieth in fulfilling the Creator's Will for that 's the end wherefore they were made The Creatures are all thy Servants and continue this day according to thine Ordinances Psal. 119. 91. We owe our Being and all we have from him We see among Men Dependance begets Observance a Man that lives upon another will be careful to please him Thou holdest all by the Indulgence and Bounty of God therefore it should be thy study to do his Will Jesus Christ hath bought thee 1 Cor. 6. 20. Glorify the Lord in your Souls and Bodies which are Gods That is God's which he hath bought A Servant that was bought when Men were sold for Slaves he was his Master's Money so his Strength Time Service belonged to his Master We are God's because he hath bought us therefore we cannot live as we will for this is the property of a Servant that he cannot live as he will Again as God hath begotten us anew regenerated us what 's the aim of his Grace That we should no longer live in the Flesh to the Lust of Men but to the VVill of God 1 Pet. 4. 2. It is the aim of Grace to cure the Disorders of the Will and to bring us to a stricter bond of Duty and Service to God And indeed if Grace hath had its Fruit and Power upon you you will give up your selves to God Cant. 7. 10. I am my Beloved's You are your Beloved's to be used by him as he pleaseth So that unless you will retract your Vows you will make Conscience of doing the Will of God for he hath a manifest right in you 3. Consider our own Incapacity There is great Reason why our Wills should be given up to the Will of God because we are not able to manage them our selves By the Law of Nations Fools and mad Men must have a Guardian they have lost the Dominion and Power over themselves they are to be ruled by another they are Slaves by Nature that must be guided by another Tit. 3. 3. We are all by Nature Fools and it is the greatest Mischief that can be to be left to our own Wills and therefore when God requireth the Resignation of our Wills it is but as the taking of a Sword out of a mad Man's hand which will be the cause of his own Mischief and Ruine Nemo laeditur nisi a seipso no Man is hurt by any but by himself tho he may be troubled by others Now since we cannot manage our own Will it is fit we should have a Guardian and who is more wise than God to govern us A Merchant tho he owns the Ship and hath stor'd it with Goods yet because he hath no Skill in the Art of Navigation he suffereth the Pilot to guide it Certainly we shall but Shipwrack our selves unless we give up our selves to be guided by the Spirit of God according to his Will 4. The benefit that accrueth to us by doing his Will we shall have his Favour here and his Glory hereafter His Favour here which is that which endeareth us to God Acts 13. 22. I have found a Man after mine own Heart which shall fulfil all my Will These are Men after God's own Heart that do his Will And tho we have great Infirmities yet because we are bent to do his Will they will be passed over as David had hâ—s Infirmities yet because it was in his Heart to do the Will of God therefore this is a Man after my own Heart And you shall have the Glory of God