in the Word and Sacraments and releasings of the Church in a far more consolatory way then can be attained of worshipping of Saints or going on Pilgrimages c. As appeared in Gentleman of this same Age who being vexed with the Palâ—ie and entering his Ladies Chamber heard a young Child reading to her Mother by providence these words in the Gospel And Iesus said to the sick of the Palsie Son be of good chear thy sins be forgiven these which furnished the soul of the diseased with abundance of consolation and blessed God who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ordained praise to himself in this particular of forgiving all sin 2. Consider his singularity besides him no God It is a note of authority to give and of subjection to receive names and the first act of Fathers power is in giving his Son a name but had not God named himself we had yet been ignorant both of his Name and of his Sons His Name is God because he is one the sooner therefore may he be hallowed the multiplicity of Saints and Spirits not only cusing irksomnesse but creating fear left in pleasing seven we might offend the eight for ommitting him and my intense prayers to Peter or Paul might cause my guardian Angel to take snuff when more remiss in his service or office Praise him therefore and only pray to him he being Lord above with Nehemiah and as to Hezekiah he will let thee know he inclines his ear to hear and opens his eyes to see all those that afflict thy soul and ask thy self consult Scripture and experience 1. Doth he not bring down all that are high Where are the Worthies of this world Achitophels policy or Cesars sorce Let men talk no more exceeding proudly for like Oreb and Zeeb like Pharaoh and Senacherib they perish before him Vain boasters who have spoke great words how suddenly have they been dejected and cast down How in a movement have they been removed and in a groan confessed that the glory of man was nothing It is recorded that after Senacheribs Army was destroyed by an Angel he had these words engraven upon his standing Picture Let him that looketh upon me learn to fear God Iulian Uncle to the Apostate after many oâ—trages committed against the Church was in horrible anguish advised by his Wife to praise and proclaim Christ his Saviour who had shown himself powerful in plaguing him and had done it in mercy to bring him to repentance which pious advice had some influence upon him before he died and how he hath cast abroad the rage of his wrath and beheld every one that was proud to abase him every sinner shall at last and most sick persons do and condemned Malefactors bring in plentiful evidences 2. Doth he not exalt all that are low Is Moses cast out by the law of Pharaoh though we read of none that was drowned yet he singularly was preserved by Pharaohs Daughter David appointed by his Father to keep sheep as fit neither for Court nor Camp is designed to be King of Israel no soundness is in Iobs flesh yet a sacrifice shall redintegrat both his health and fortune Ruth accounting her self not like one of Boaz hand-maids as born without the Covenant got a full reward of the God of Iocab yea a royal one in becoming Grand-mother to king David and in the Magnificat is it not said My soul doth magnifie the Lord for he hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maid Humble your selves therefore and say to the King and Queen humble your selves and all shall be exalted in due time and those who are qualified with this vertue of prasing God though here they have no house they shall have a heaven and though weak they shall have strength and though no honour it shall be reported that they pleased God When Cyrus prospered he became the more holy and more frequently caused sing praises and offered sacrifice to the gods so ought we to the God of heaven For 3. Doth he not defy all that are supposed He calls in derision of all reputed gods to whom will ye liken me and puts two things unto them to try his excellency 1. Prediction to know what is to come 2. Execution of either good or evil Which if they cannot do it follows that they are not gods and he alone is to be feard because he can creat peace and make war and knoweth all that is past what is present and what shall be hereafter To glorifie the Name of God it but to publish the miracles with a thankfull heart which he hath performed for his Church upon his enemies Which Thulis an Egyptian King knew who swelling in the pride of his own magnified greatness would needs inquire at the gods whether any King were greater or richer then himself and had this response from a Priest of Serapis The greatest is God next is the Word the Spirit with them being one in nature and eternal in power But thou O mortal haste thee out of this place and seek where to shut up thy life Immediatly after which he was slain by his own servants and so shall all the enemies of our Father perish that men may know he whose Name is Iehovah is the most high over all earth 3. Consider his infinite glory and there is none to be reputed God but he Solomon was in all his glory inferiour to a Lilly the glory of that flower being in it self and from it self yet as his was so the Lillies beauty is but a ray of his ineffable splendour and all comes from him Herod's silver doublet which is recorded to have been that which the Scripture calls his royal apparel was but poor armour though glittering in the Sun against the assault of base and contemptible worms It was as we read told him by Aâ—gurs he should see an Owl five dayes before he died which appearing as the people were admiring his eloquence and shouting he was a god he cryed Behold your god dieth It is said after his death that the Word of God grew and multiplied and until the false imagination of deluded souls be indeed slaughtered by the sword of the Spirit or detected by the light of the Word of God which is his Name his Name doth not multiply by the accession of believers to a belief of the truth For though there be many that profess his Name yet it is to be fearred there be few hath chosen it the most falling upon it by chance having found it in their native Countrey which also causeth it to be by chance but honoured their chief design being either the advancement of them selves or their faction Yet there are a few unto whom God is doing as he hath alwayes done viz. making known the unity that is the glory of his Name in the Doctrine of his Son and as they repute none
c. Davids acquitting God that he might be justified when he spake was but an acknowledgment of his unthankfulness for his gifts received in sining against his Law and unmindfull of all the good things he possessed Yea Daniel denyeth not but confesseth that to us that is to all belongeth shame and confusion of face because we have sinned bringing the sins of the people to himself because he was one of them aggrageing the guilt The acknowledging of our sin is so indispensible that he who confesseth not is never said to forsake them and he who trusts to pardon without this shall see his sin spread before him by the hand of God in blacker colours then his tongue eye or heart can behold or conceive and therefore spread them before the Lord in thy closet or else he will discover them in the face of the Sun It is a sad story which we read as but lately done of a dying man being Bedrid and hungry cryed for meat but at sight thereof so loathed it that he was earnest for its removal out of his fight his hunger growing loathed it as before it was removed and called for a third time and again removed at last he opened his mouth and confessed Gods justice in this dealing having never craved a blessing upon his meat when he sat down nor gave God thanks when he rose up Let them heed this that rising from meat thinks of â—othing but of sleep or it may be worse viz chambering and waâ—tonness 4. Praise him in bearing and exercising patience under evils imposed Troubles are touch-stones to try the mettal of a Christian and let hypocrisie keep never so closs it shall in some act or other be discovered They tryed a Iob and found him good gold they tryed a David and found him gold likewise but something dusted now and then he was tripping they searched a Daniel and made him more servent in prayer to put a soul under crosses is Dei mos Gods custome Virtutum flos the blossome of goodness Fidei cos the whet-stone of faith Coeli dos Heavens dowry whoso weds himself to Christ must look on crosses as a part of his portion and must not only glorifie in prosperity the Name of God but in adversity also declareing ourselves still to be under the regiment of his providence It is an argument of Gods love an argument of thy faith a medicament against thy sin and an incitement of thee unto thy prayers which ought to enforce thee to restrain thy passion in the most calamitous estate who in the tryal of thy patience in thankfulness supplants thy corruptions and provides for the future strengthning of thy gifts as a winters storm doth the young Ash Beech Elme or Oak tree I see not said the moralist boldly a more pleasant sight for God to behold upon earth if he would turn his eye toward it then to behold a Cato standing upright that is not dejected with our publick calamities sure I am to see a Iob upon the Dung-hill or a Solomon worshipping upon the Throne or Daniel depending in the Den gives far more exceeding satisfaction Inarius an old Bishop of Chalcedon becoming blind through age was mocked by Iulian and bid pray to the Galilean meaning Christ for the restoring of his eyes smartly answered gratias ago Deo I bless my Lord God for depriving me of sight that I might not see thy ungodly face extracting from his own infirmity matter of glory and praise to the eternal God in the face of a blasphemer 5. Praise him for that illumination thy soul hath obtained Reads thou upon his Sons cross Come unto me hears thou in the Sacrament this is the cup of the remission of thy sin knows thou in thy journeys his Angels have a charge over thee finds thou his Spirit saying thy sins are forgiven thee And shall there be no Halelujah of praise no Hosanna to him that cometh in the Name of the Lord Knoweth thou not thy self to be a sinful man a child of wrath a denyer of Jesus then call that the voice of the cock may awake thee and that tears as Peter may wash thee The cock hath crowed in the Scriptures and our Jesus hath already wept for us and Peter hath sent us two Epistles to strengthen us he himself being converted that we be not led away with the errour of the wicked but grow in grace and knowledge Have we abilities to pray be thankful for by that we journey unto God Have we instruction by the Gospel or behold we the edification of the Church the members thereof bearing much fruit Herein is your Father glorified rejoice and if you live in peace or keep a pure soul if you speak the truth in your heart and keep guile from your tongue become not tepid in Religion be not starters from the faith nor workers of iniquity nor captivated by errour for men beholding these things shall glorifie your Father which is in Heaven It is a good observe that this word Hallow is used because holiness is the highest title of honour and glory that can belong to any though to the most high God for the Seraphims being to give God the greatest mark of renown cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts It was the honour of Ierusalem to be a holy city the glory of the third heaven to be a holy place and when Christ Jesus shall present his Church unto himself he will present it holy As we pray so we ought to practise and the holiness that God giveth unto us is that we be not deceived or become fornicators or idolaters or adulterers or effeminat or thieves or covetous or drunkards or extortioners but be washed and sanctified which we daily ought to pray for in the Name of our Lord Jesus that holy thing that holy child whose Name we pray may be glorified in you and ye in him for in this we differ from bruits and for this we have a spirit and a tongue viz. even to acknowledge the Lord for all his gifts according to the grace of God and his holy Govenant and the Lord Jesus Christ So shall he in the Hebrew be hallowed that is Halal be praised and the old English word healed secured protected or restored iniquity making God as it were sick and distempered in himself and damnified by others in his renown and glory And so much for this first Petition CHAP. III. Thy Kingdom come THE Holy Ghost in Scripture makes mention of a threesold Kingdom 1. That of God 2. Of Christ. 3. Of Heaven and all here may be truly understood it not being taught us as if God reigned not but that his reigning and domination might be manifested to all and hastned to us which is properly our inheritance being by the former Petition made holy and in the Preface adopted sons of glory There is mention
we are thankful It is ours when sanctified unto us by the Word of God and Prayer and not only our bread but our board our bed are not ours untill they be blessed in the Name of the Lord as Boaz did his Reapers in the Harvest Field Hence may be defended that pious practice of blessing the table before and after meat a duty among many others thrust from the houses of some impiously a practice put to attend too base services in the Chambers and Halls of others ridiculously yet used Apostolically is a soveraign sawce to help concoction and prevent crudities in the Conscience and belchings arising from an oppressed soul. To leave such whose hateful acts in this kind denominant them either Swine arising from sleep and eats and from eating goes to sleep again or which is more troublesome Rats their whole time being consumed in running up and down the world making a hideous noise tearing cloaths and eating victuals I say to leave them condemned by the old Jews our blessed Saviour our Religious primitive Predecessors let others do it with the sign of the Crosse let us blesse our meat as did our Saviour with lifted up eyes and a Father we thank thee remembring that it is his bread by gift and ours only by acceptance and only then received when we are blessed 1. By owning him the giver of all our bread 2. In receiving it soberly not as wanton children crumbling it down for it is bread 3. In dividing it charitably for there are at thy door who want bread 4. In admiring his wisdom in fitting thee with bread As meat it is nomen officii and imports similitude to the eater otherwise it is not meat hence it is said that mans bread is a Hawks poyson 5. In not binding our affections to earthly bread Of all Petitions relating unto man this is first and immediately before that for remitting sin shewing saith one it is the first sinners care fâ—â— yet following all those which relates to Heaven it being the least that Saints regard It is said of a holy man that he saw four sorts of men glorified in Heaven one was the obedient man another was the self-denied man and the fourth was the thankful whether this sight was seen or not I dispute not but this from the Scriptures may be seen that the thankful man shall be glorified An Hosaunah in the Hall or Temple for the bread sent us a moderat use and eating of the bread before us it being just to say of it as the Apostle orders of wine a little for we are to eat for our infirmity and not for our lust and walking to the glory of God in and by the strength of our bread and sending a portion to the hungry of the bread left us in regard our Lord Iesus Christ must not be put away without a quantum for if we be not nigards our Lord will not be far from us yea so near us that we shall know him in the naked in the blind in the hungry or in the crying man and of their sadness thou art bound to say as did Socrates of Aristarchus melancholy What aileth thee make this trouble known to us thy friends it may be we can relieve thee All this being thus done maketh all thy other enjoyments as well as thy bread thy OWN Yet further and for caution Our bread it must be not anothers our Prayer being limited to our own portion as well in our affection as in the Petition Take heed and beware of covetousnesse by expounding our bread to be that upon our Table when by oppression stealth or plunder it hath been taken by force or fraud from another Knowing that good men with Socrates hold him the richest who is most contented with his own just gotten goods and purchased bread though sruall which is implied in the word bread in which he is rich in the judgment of the same Philosopher who hath a competency for himself and a modicum left for others implied in the word our bread another mans bread being one of those many things whereby this world this life is accounted miserable comfortlesse despicable and angust Liberius being banished under Constantius from his Episcopal Chair of Rome when offered money for supplying his necessaries by Eusebius the Eunuch Tu Ecclesias orbis terrae expilasti c. thou lives by robbing of the Churches of Christ and dost thou think I though condemned shall prove thy Beadsman Say the like to thine own soul when rape becometh thy husbandry and work to eat thy own bread Give us this day our daily bread THis day denoting the time wherein this Petition is offered and the term unto which it is limited is this hour cum Deo to be opened and for our entry know that though day and night be set opposite in Genesis yet not in Matthew day in the Hebrew hath its name from stirr and business or motion and flying in the Greek from its light and shining and in it we must labour for our bread that we may have food for our bellies the English Saxon expressing it Dag as is thought from Dego to live as if in nights darkness our spirits being lock'd vitality may be questioned this is clear that meat for our bellies cloaths for our backs bed for our bodies drink for our throats whether day or night are even pleasant to think upon and in the light as the light delectable to behold Let us see the import of the word day and its influence on Prayer as it respects the rule so pray ye In the light of DAY we by this Sun of Righteousnesse can clearly read these four following particulars 1. Contentednesse with our enjoyments though little we ask not store for years months or weeks neither are our bellies as insatiable as the grave but satisfied if we have for it this day that is in the Proverbs Language from hand to mouth so that at first dash that improbitatis metropolin that elementa malorum that fountain of wickednesse that ground-stone of all evil covetousnesse either in desiring more then enough or retaining what is left of enough is here dam'd up and removed We may be cold hungry and sick yet we are still to be content with the cloaths meat or portion God gives he best knowing what when or how much is best for us and most for our good Here are saith one six words eying the Roman tongue all speaking in grosse content Let us be more particular then he and shew how in the English here are seven words including that vertue particularly GIVE by this we shew our content to be begging VS by this we shew our content to be sharing THIS DAY by this we shew content with our living and if he please with our removing OVR by this we shew content to be working DAYLY by this we shew content upon his providence to be depending
pray here for security against those formidable forces we apprehend shall attaque us in the hour of tryal in the day of temptation Let us enquire what it is to be led into temptation and why God will lead any In general we are led into temptation when we are suffered to commit the sin we are tempted unto as David was when he did not design but actually did adulterat Vriah's wife his leading being a not liberating from the evil thereof but a suffering us to fall and to be hurt in the falling The house builded on the sand was overthrown by the rains and floods which are no other then temptations and ordinarily they are expressed by waters and the metaphor serveth to explain the sense of this Petition he that is led into temptation is upon the brink of some jeopardy he who is led in temptation is in the water but in no danger of drowning he that is led into temptation is the deep but he who is led out of temptation was in but yet drawn out of the water He who saith Lead us not into temptation saith quod amissum est exquire Lord seek what is lost and strengthen what is weak but the Energy of the words are and they reach unto Lead us from temptation Keep us far off from the waters quam ferre non possumus for we are not able to resist their violence But to be more particular then are men led 1. When God relinquisheth them and leaveth them to themselves suffering them to combat with Satan as Saul did David and Goliah he being only a beholder Ioab drew back from Vriah and he died God left Hezekiah to himself and he was wounded exposing that is suffering the tinder of mans corrupted rotten and black heart to be open for and under the flint and steel of Satan and Temptation without interposing of his power to allay or command to cause Satan avoid for no otherwise doth he lead then to leave men in it by withdrawing the assistance of his grace suffering them to be led or fall for causes best known unto himself When he stands beholding mans natural inclination inducing to sin is in Scripture a giving men up to their own lusts a hardning of their heart the wind of temptation blowing away the very leaves of formality or withering them by the heat and strength thereof thus he gave up Iudas to his covetous mind Cain to his envious heart which had been so long beaten upon by temptation that like an Anvil it made wholsome admonitions for amendment to recoyl He brought Auxiliary grace to Paul under Satans buffettings and though he was tempted yet was he not led into temptation Ioseph was brought in mind of Gods severity against sin and preserved his chastity so was not David and sell with the Wise of Vriah God suffering him to be led into yet suffered him not to perish but drew him by his love through the waters of temptation God suffering sometimes the best of his Saints to be tempted hurt and wounded And the Prophet secing Ioshua and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him palpably discovers from the circumstance of place that the accusation was both true in it self and vehemently urged Ioshua having at that time filthy thy garments all having sinned God takes glory to bring his own to himself in suffering that Accuser to be accusing that they by conviction may see mercy that Lion to be scratching that they dreading may cry for help that Serpent to be stinging that they smarting may learn to avoid sin for that wicked one toucheth them not that is tactu qualitativo non corrumpit eum the poyson doth notso invenome the heart as to kill it nor diffuse it self so far into the soul as to destroy God applying proper antidots against the malignity thereof in them leaving others to their own skill so that Lead us not into temptation is Let not temptation overcome us neither Lord suffer us to be taken in its snares 2. When he delivers them up to the enemy or commissionats their adversary with power against them As a Judge delivers his obstinat Malefactor to the hands of the Jaylor or Eâ—ecutioner so will God commissionat his Hellish Officers to dispose of refractory delinquents in such or such a way thus he authorized a lying spirit to seduce an Ahab that he might fall and by him was led in and into temptation perishing in the floods as did Saul of sin and ungodlinesse as did they who receiving not the truth were delivered up to strong delusions to believe lies that they might be damned being overwhelmed in temptation All which causeth application to God it being only his property and prerogative to deliver quid potest educere de tentatione not only because he can but because others cannot deliver me nay not the Saints but the Father only he being in all places filling all places knowing all straits which without the defending of Vbiquity to every glorified Saint is argument sufficiently valid to convince any infected with Romes Doctrine touching prayer to Saints for when I am tempted and prays for my deliverance both the Virgin and Peter and Paul and Gabriel may be out of my hearing but God never If it be demanded why our Father will suffer the workmanship of his own hands to be led into temptation that is to fall or be hurt in it or by it It is I trust no paradox to affirm that strictly we are not to search into the nature that is causes of his doings of which as one said of his nature we are not worthy so much as to think yet to satisfie the truly doubtful we offer these considerations It is done 1. For the discovery of Gods power He led a Iob in and into and through a temptation that by inextricable providences the procedure of sad and issue of hard harsh and almost despairing difficulties might cause Satan being baffled to be ashamed and the believer being upheld as by the chin to glorifie God so much the more ardently as he was delivered the more miraculously What a beautiful exit had Iosephs selling yea Davids Adultery how did it occasion his Harp the more melodiously to twang and gave life to seven that is to many holy songs 2. For honouring of Gods servants No General but will try a stout Officer and will give or occasion to produce something worthy of that valour he knows to be in him The Lord boasted of a Iob and because Satan would not credit the report all that Iob had was put into his hand and though for a while he was in the dust and under contempt yet what would his friends his mockers his wife yea his enemy the Devil say and how would he be lookt upon by all for holding fast his integrity at the time of his restauration whereby Iob was not only more confirmed in