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BX 9184 .A5 W3 1806 v. 2
Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
A body of practical divinity
J
V
•i
"^••'"V
■\
BODY
OF
PRACTICAL DIVINITY,
CONSISTING OF ABOVE
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SIX-SERMONS
ON THE
SHORTER CATECHISM,
COMPOSED BY
THE REVEREND ASSEMBLT OF DIVINES AT WESTMINSTER,
WITH
A SUPPLEMENT OF SOME SERMONS
ON SEFERJL TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE; TOGETHER WITH
THE ART OF DIVIXE CONTENTMENT.
TO WHICH IS tADDED,
CHRISrs VARIOUS FULNESS.
iiit*^
> I II 1149^1111 iiij
By THOMAS ^WATSON,
rOR^MERLY MINISTER AT ST. STEPHEN'S, WALBROOK, LONDON.
^sm
Recommended to Masters of Families, and Others^ bij Several Ministers.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
HE BEING DEAD, YET SPEAKETH, Hkb. xil. 4.
PRINTED BY AND FOR W. GRACIE ; ALSO, FOR J. RENNISON, BOOKSELLER, BERWICi^
iS06.
JDISCOimSESj ^c. OF BAPTISM.
Matth. xxviii. 19.
Go ye therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoji : Teaching them.-
WE are ftill upon that queflion in the catechifm, " What are the outward means whereby Chrift com- *' municatelh to us the benefits of redemption ?
*• Anf. They are his ordinances, efpecialiy the word facra- ** ments, and prayer."
1 have fpoken to the firfl, ' The word read and preached :* 1 now proceed to the fecond. ,
11. The way whereby Chrifl communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, is, in the life of the facrameiits .
Qu. 1. What are facraments in general?
Anf. They are viiible iigns of invifible grace.
Qu. 2. Is not the word of Godfufflcient tofalvation ? What need then is there of facraments f
Anf. We muft not be wife above what is written : this may fatisfy, it is God's will, that his church fliould have lacranionty; and it is God's goodnefs, thus by facraments to condefcend to our w'eak capacities, John iv. 48. * Except ye fee iigns, ye will not believe.' God to firengthen our faith, confirms the covenant of grace, not only by proinifes, but by facramental iigns.
Qu. 3. What are the facraments of the New Tejiament ?
Anf. Two : baptifm, and the Lord's fupper.
Qu. 4. But are there no more ? the papifts tell off ve more, \\z» confrmation, penance, matrimony, orders, and the extreme unciion*
Anf. 1. There were but two facraments under the law, there- fore there are no more now, 1 Cor. x. 2, 3, 4.
2, Thefe two facraments are fufificient : the one fignifying our entrance into Chrift, and the other our growth and perfe- verance in him.
(I.) 1 begin with the firfl; facrament, Baptifm. * Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
A 2
4 OF BAPTISM.
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoftk teaching them—' Go teach all nations :' the Greek word is *' Make dif- ciples of all ualions." If it be afl<ed, how fhould v\\ make theai dilciples? It follows, Baptizing them and teaching them. In a heathen nation, Fird teach them, and then baptize them ; but in a Chrillian Church, Firll baptize them, and then te^ch them.
Qu. 5. What is bap t if m? .
Anf. In general, it is a matriculation, or vifible admiffion of children into the congregation of Chrift's flock: more parti- cularly, ' Baptifm is a iltcrameiit, wherein the wafhing, or IprMikliug with water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoil, dolh fignify and feal our ingrafting into Chrift, and par- taking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engage- ment to be the Lord's.*
Qu. (5. What is the meaning of the parent in prefenting his child lo be baptized '^
Anf. The parent, in prefenting his child to be baptized, doth, (1.) Make a public acknowledgment of original fin ; that the foul of his child is polluted, therefore needs walhing away of lin by Chriii's blood and fpirit ; both which wafiiingsare fignified by the fprinkling of water in baptifm. (^.) The parent by bringing his child to be baptized, doth folemnly devote his child to the Lord, and enrol him in God's family ; and truly this may- be a great iatibfaCtion to a religious parent, that he hath given up his child to the Lord in baptifm. How can a parent look viith comfort on that child, who was never yet dedicated to God ?
Qu. 7. What then is the benefit ofbapitfm?
Anf. The party baptized hath, (1.) An entrance into the vihble body of the church. {^.) The party baptized hath a right fealed to the ordinances, which is a privilege full of gloiy, Rom. ix. 4. (3.) The child baptized is under a more fpecial providential care of Chrift, who appoints the tutelage of angels to be the infant's Uie-guard.
Qu. 8. Is this all the benefit?
Anf. No : to fuch as belong to the eledion, baptifm is a * feal of the righteoulhefs of faith,' Rom. iv. 11. a laver of regenera- tion, and a badge of adoption.
Qu. y. blow doth it appear that children have a right of hap- tij'm ?
Anf. Children are parties of the covenant of grace. Tlie covenant was made with them. Gen. xvii. 7. * I vvill eftablifli my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee for an everlalling covenant, to be a God unto thee, and thy feed after thee.' And Acts ii. 39. * The promife is to you and to your children.' The covenant of grace may be coufidered
OF nAi?TISM.
cither, (!.) More ftriftly, as an abfolute promife to give {living grace ; and fo none but the elect are in covenant willi God. Or, (9.) More largely as a covenant containing in it many outward glorious privileges, in whicii re (pedis the children of believers do belong to the covenant of grace : the promife is to you and to your feed. The infant iced of believers may as well lay a claim to the covenant of grace as their parents ; and having a right to the covenant, they cantlot Jufily be denied baptifm, which is the leal. 1 would alk this queftion of them who deny infant baptifm, It is certain the children of believers were once vifibly in covenant with God, and did receive the feal of their admiifion into the church ; now, where do we find this cove- nant-inter eft, or church-memberihipof infants was ever repealed or made void ? Certainly Jel'us Chrili did not come to put be- lievers and their children into a worfe condition than they were in before. If tl*e children of believers (hould not be baptized, and they are in a worfe condition now, than they were in before Chrift's coming. Before I come to prove the baptizing of infants 1 fliall anfvver the obje6tions made againit it.
Obj. 1- The J'criptiire is Jileyit herein, and doth not mention inj'ant-baptijin.
Anf. Though there is not the word infant baptifm in fcrip- ture, yet there is the thing ; there is not mention made in fcrip- ture of women's receiving the facrament ; but who doubts but the command, * Take eat, this is my body,' concerns them ? doth not their faith need ftrengtheuing as well as others? So the word Trinity is not to be found in fcripture, but there is that which is equivalent, 1 John v. 7. * There are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghod ; and thefe Three are One.' So, tho' the word infant-baplifm is not mentioned in fcriptin-e, yet the practice of baptizing infants, may be drawn out of fcripture by undeniable confequence.
Qu. How is that proved ?
Anf. The fcripture mentions whole families baptized* as the houfeholdof Lydia, Crifpus, and the jailor, Ads-xvi. 34. ' He was baptized, he and all his houfe.' Wherein we mult rational- ly imagine that there were fome little children. If it be faid, there is no mention there made of children : I anfvver, neither are fervants iiiimed : yet it cannot be fuppofed but that, in fo great a family there were fome fervants.
Obj. 2. But infants are not capable of the end of bap t if ni; for baptifm Jlgnifies the icafiiing aica ij of Jin bij tiie blood ofChriJi. Now infants cannot underftand this ; therefore what benefit can baptifm be to them ?
Anf Whereas it is faid infants cannot underftand the myftery of baptifm, neither could the child that was to be circumcifed underftand circumcifion ; yet the ordinance of circumcilion was
6
OF BAPTISM.
not to be omitted or deferred. An infant, though it underftand not the meaning of baptifm, yet it may partake of the bleffing of baptifm. The little children that Chrift took in his arms, underllood not Chrifi's meaning, but they had Chrift's blefling, Mark X. 16. ' He put his hands upon them and bleUed them.'
Qu . But what benefit can the Qh'ild have of baptifm if it under" Jiand not the nature of baptifm ?
Anf. It may have a right to the promife fealed up, which it ihall have an a6lual interell in when it comes to have faith. A legacy may be of ufe to the child in the cradle ; though it now underftand not the legacy, yet when it is grown up to years, it is fully potlefied of it. But it may be further objeded ;
Obj. 1. Tlie party to be baptized is to be engaged to God ; hut how can the child engage ?
^nf. The parents can engage for it, which God is pleafed to accept as equivalent to the child's perlonal engaging. -j
Obj. 2. If Baptifm comes in the room of circumcijion , only the males loere circumcifed, Gen. xvii. 30. Then, lohat warrant is there for baptizing females f
Anf. The females were included, and were virtually circum- cifed in the males. What is done to the head is done to the body ; the man therefore being the head of the woman, 1 Cor. xi. 3. What was done to the male fex was interpretatively done ' to the female. Having anfwer'd thefe objedtions, I come now to prove by argument infant-baptifm.
yi. Argument. If children during their infancy are capable of grace, then they arecapable of baptifm : but children in their infancy are capable of grace, therefore they are capable of bap- tifm. I prove the minor, that they are capable of grace, thus ; if children in their infancy may be faved, then they are capable of grace ; but children in their infancy may be faved ; which is proved thus: if the kingdom of heaven may belong to them, then they may be faved, but the kingdom of heaven may belong to thenr, as it is clear from Mark x. 14. • Of fuch is the king- dom of God.' Who then can forbid that the feal of baptifm fliould be applied to ihem.^
2</, Arg. if infants may be among the number of God's fervants, then there is no reafon why they (hould be fhut out of God's family ; but infants may be in the number of God's fer- vants, that is evident, becaule God calls them his fervants, L,ev. xxv. 4. * He fhall depart from thee, and hischildren with him, for they are my fervants.' Therefore children in their in- fancy being God's fervants, why fhould they not have baptifm, which is the tej/era, the mark or feal which God lets upon his fervants ?
od, Arg. Is from 1 Cor. vii. 14. * But now are your children lioly,' Children are not called lioly, as if they were free from
OF BAPflSM. 7
ongUial fin; but in the judgment of Charity they arc to be efteemed holy and true members of the church of God, becaufe their parents are believers. Hence that excellent divine Mr. Helderfam faith, *' that the children of the faithful, as foon as they are born, have a covenant- hoi inefs, and fo a right and title to baptifm, which is the token of the covenant."
4th, Arg. From the opinion of the fathers and the practice of the church. (1.) The ancient fathers were llrong alferters of infant-baptifm, Irenaeus, Bafil, La6lantius, Cyprian and Au- llin. (2.) It was the practice of the Greek church to baptize her infants. Erafmus faith, that infant baptilm hath been ufed in the church of God, for above fourteen hundred yeari^. And St. Auftin, in his book againft Pelagius, affirms, that it hath been the cuftom of the church in all ages to baptize infants. Yea, it was an apoftolical practice ; St. Paul affirms, that he baptized the whole houi'e of Stephanus, I Cor. i. 16.
And as you havefeen fcripture-argumentsfor infant-baptifm, fo let us confider whether the pra6lice of thofe who delay the
baptizing of children till riper years, be warrantable. For my
part, I cannot gather it from fcripture : For though we read of perfons adult and grown up to years of difcretion, in the apol^ ties' times, baptized, yet thoie were fuch as were converted from heathenifh idolatry to the true oxthodox faith : but that in a Chriftian church the children of believers ffiould be kept un- baptized feveral years, I know neither precept nor example for it in fcripture, but it is wholly apocryphal. The baptizing of perfons grown up to maturity, we may argue againfl ab effeclu, from the ill confequence of it : they dip the peribns they baptize over head and cars in cold water, and naked ; which as it is indecent, fo it is dangerous, and hath been often- times the occafion of chronical dileales, yea, death itfelf; and fo it is a plain breach of the fixth commandment. And how far God hath given up many perfons, who are for the deferring of bap- tifm, to other vile opinions and vicious practices, is evident, if we confult with hiftory : efpecially if we read over the a6ling of the anabaptifts in Germany.
Ufe. 1. See the riches of God's goodnefs, who will not only be the God of believers, but takes their feed into covenant. Gen. xvii. 7. * 1 will eftabliffi my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, to be a God unto thee and thy feed.' A father counts it a great privilege, not only to have his own name, but his child's name put in a will.
Ufe 2. It blames thofe parents who forbid little children to be brought to Chrift : they withhold the ordinance. By deny- ing their infants baptifm, they exclude them from having a memberfhip in the vifible church, and fo their infants are fuck- ing pagans. Such ag deny their children baptifm, make God's
5 ' OF BAPTISM.
ihflitiitions under the law more full of kindiicfs and grace to children, than they are now under the gofpel ; svhich, how itrange a paradox it is, I leave you to judge.
Uj'e 3. Of exhortation. Branch 1. We that are baptized, let us labour to find the blefled fruits of baptifm in our own. Ibuls : let us labour not only to have the fign of the covenant, but the grace of the covenant. Many glory in this, that they are baptized. The Jews gloried in their circumcifion, bccaufe of their royal privileges ; to them belonged the adoption, and the glory, and the covenant, Rom. ix. 4. But many of them were a fliame and reproach to their circumcifion, Rom. ii. 24. • For the name of God is blafphemed among the Gentiles iho* God is blafjjhemed among the Gentiles through you.* The i'candalous Jews (tho' circumcifed) were, in God's account, as heathens, Amos ix. 7- ' Are ye not as children of the Ethi- opians to me ? faith the Lord.' Alas ! what is it to have the name of Chrift, and want his image ? what is bapfifm of water, without the baptifm of the Spirit ? many baptized Chriftiansare no belter than heattiens. O labour to find the fruits of bap- tifm, that Chrill is formed in us. Gal. iv. 19. that our nature is changed, we are made holy and heavenly : this is to be bap- tized into Jefus, Rom. vi. 3. Such as live unfuitable to their baptifm, may go with baptifmal water on their faces, and facra- inental bread in their mouths, to hell.
Branch 2. Let us labour to make a right ufe of our baptifm.
Firji life of baptifm. Let us ufe it as a (hield againft temp- tations. Satan, 1 have given up myfelf to God by a facred vow in baptifm ; 1 am not my own, I am Chrift's : therefore I can- not yield to thy temptations, but I break my oath of allegiance which I made to God in baptifm. Luther tells us of a pious woman, who when the devil tempted her to fin, fhe anfvvered, Satan, BoptizataJ'um, " I am baptized :" and lb beat back the tempter.
Second vfe of baptifm. Let us ufe it as a fpur to holinefs. By remembering our baptifm, let us be ilirred up to make good our bapiilmal engagements: renoimcing the world, flelh, and devil, let us devote ourfelves to God and his fervice. To be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, implies a Iblemn dedication of ourfelves to the fervice of all the three Perfons in the Trinity. It is not enough that our parents dedicate us to God in baptifm, but we mull dedicate ourfelves to liim : this is called a ' living to the Lord,' Rom. xiv, 8. Our life fhould be fpent in worihipping God, in loving God, in exalting God : we (hould walk as becomes the gofpel, Phil, i, 27. Shine as (lars in the world, and live as earthly angels.
Third uji of baptifm. Let us ufe it as an argument to cou- rage. We Ihould be ready to confefs that holy Trinity, into
OF THE lord's SUPPER. ^
whofe name we were baptifed. With the converfion of the heart, mull go the cont'eflion of the tongue, Luke xii. 8. * Whofoever (hall confels me before men, him n);ili the Son of man alio confels before the angels of God :' Peter openly con- felTed Chrift crucified, Ads iv. 10. Cyprian, a man of a brave fpirit was like a rock, whom no waves could (hake ; like an adamant, whom 1)0 iword could cut: he confelfed Chrift be- fore the procoiiful, and fuffcred hind'elf to be prol'cribed ; yea, chule death, rather than he would betray the truths of Chrift. He that dares not confefs the holy Trinity, fhames his baptifm, aud God will be afhamed to own him at I he day of judgment.
U/t. life. Seethe fearfulnef^ of the fin of apoftacy ! 'Tisa re- nouncing of our baptifm, 'Tis damnable perjury to go away from God after a folemn vow, 2 Tim. iv. 10. ' Demas hath for- faken rae.' He turned renegado, and afterwards became a prieft in an idol-temple, faith Dorolheus. Julian the apoftate iGregory Nazianzen ohferves) bathed himfelf in the blood of beafts otfered in lacrifice to heathen-gods ; and fo, as much as in him lay, wafhed oft" his former baptifm. The cafe offuch as fall away after baptifm, is dreadful, Heb. x. 38. ' If any man draw back.' The Greek word, to draw back, alludes to a fbldier that fteals away from his colours ; fo, if any man fteal away from Chrift, and run over to the devil's fide, * my foul ihall have no pleafure in him ;' that is, 1 will be feverely aveng- ed on him ; I will make my arrows drunk with his blood. If all the plagues in the Bible can make that man miferable, he Ihall be fo.
II. Thefecond facrament wherein Jefus Chrift communicates to us the benefits of redemption, is the Lord's fupper.
OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.
Mark xiv. 22. And as they did eaty Jefits took Bread, &c,
II. Having fpoken to the Hicrament of baptifin, I come now to the facrament of the Lord's fupper. The Lord's fup- per is the moftfpiritual and fweet ordinance that ever was infti- luted : here we have to do more immediately with the perfon of Chrift. In prayer, we draw nigh to God ; in the facrament we become one with him. In prayer we look up to Chrift ; ia the facrament, by faith, we touch him. In the word preached, we hear Chrift's voice : in the facrament we feed on him.
Qu. 1. What 7iames and titles in fcripture are given to the fiicrament ?
Vol.. ir. No. 12, B
10 OF THE lord's SUPPER.
Jnf, 1. It is called, (1.) Men/a Domini, * The Lord's fa* ble,' I Cor. X. 21. The papills call it an altar, not a table. The reafon is, becaufe they turn the facrament into a facrince, and pretend to otler up Chrilt corporally in the mats. It being the Lord's table, fliews with what reverence and folemn devo- tion we fliould approach to thefe holy niyileries : the Lord takes notice of tlie hame ofom* hearts when we come to his table, Matth. xxii. 11. * the king came in t'o fee the guefts.* We diels ourlelves when we come to the table of fome great monarch ; we fliould think with ourlelves, we are going to the table of the Lord, therefore ftiould drefsourfelves by holy medi- tation and heart-conlideration. Many think it is enough to come to the facraments, but mind not whether they come in * due order,' i Chron. xv. 13. Perhaps they had fcarce a ferious thought before, whether they were going: all their dreflT- ing was by the glafs, not by the Bible. Chryfoftom calls it, *' The dreadful table of the Lord :" fo it is to fuch as come unworthily. (2.) The lacrament is called, Ccejia Domini, the Lord's fupper, 1 Cor. xi. 20. to import it is a ipiritual feaft. It is indeed a royal feaft; God is in this cfjeer : Chriil, in both natures, God and man, is the matter of this fupper. (3.) The facraraent is called a * communion,' 1 Cor. x. 16. * The bread which we break, is it not: the communion of the body of Chrifl ?' The facrament being called a communion, ftiews,
yi. That this ordinance is only for believers, becaufe none elfe can have coinmunvon wnth Chrilt in thefe holy mylleries.
Coiiniuinio fundatnr in iinione : faith only gives us union
with Cluift, and by virtue ofthis we have communion with him in his body and blood. None but the fpoufe communicates with her hulband ; a Granger may drink of his cup, but (he only hath his heart, and communicates with him in a conjugal manner ; fo ftrangers may have the lign, drink of the cup, but only believers drink of Chrift's blood, and have communion with him in his privileges.
2c////, The facrament being a communion, fliews, that it is fymhohim amoris, a bond of that unity and charity which Ihould be among Chrillians, I Cor. x. 17. * VVe being many are one body.' As mai:iy grains make one bread, lb many Chrillians are 'one body. A facratrient is a love-feall. .The primitive Chrillians (as Jidlin Martyr notes) had their holy falutations at the blelied fupper, in token of that dearnels of atl'edtion which they did bear to each other. It is a communion, therefore there mult be love and union. The Ifraelites did eat the paflbver with bitter herbs ; fo muft we eat the facrament with bitter herbs of repentance, but not with bitter hearts of wrath and malice. The hearts of the conin»unicants l])ould be knit toge- ther with the bond of love. '* Thou braggeft of tliy faith (faith
OP THE lord's supper. 11
AuRin) but (hew me thy faith by thy love to the faints." For, as in the fun, light and heat are inlep-drable ; fo faith and love are twilled together infeparably. Where there are divifions, the Lord's fupper is not properly a communion, but a difunion. Qu. '2. What is the Lord' s fupper ? , ^ ,
Anf. It is a vifible lermon, whereui Chrift crucified is fet be- fore us ; or, it is a facrament of the New Teltament, wherein, by receiving the holy elements of bread and wine, our commu- nion with Chrift is fignihed and (ealed up to us. Or thus, it is a facrament divinely inftituted ; wherein by giving and receiv- ing bread 5nd wine, Chrilt's death is Ihewed forth, and the worthy receivers are, by faith made partakers of his body and blood, and all the benefits flowing from thence.
For the further explaining of the nature pf the Lord's fup- per, I (hall look back to the inftitulion.
1. * jefus] took bread.' Here is the mafter of the feaft, or the inftituter of the facrament. The Lord Jefus he took bread. He only is fit to inllitute a facrament, who is able to give vir- tue and blefluig to it. ^ . . ,
2. * He took bread.'] Chrift's taking of the bread was one part of his confecration of the elements, and fetting them apart for an holy ufe. And as Chrift did confecrate the elements, fo we muft labour to have our hearts confecrated before we receive thefe holy myfteries in the Lord's fupper. How unfeemly a. fight is it to fee any come to thefe holy elements, having hearts leavened with pride, covetoul'nefs, envy ! Thefe do, with Ja- das, receive the devi4 in the fop, and are no better than cruci- fiers of the Lord of glory.
3. 'And bleifed it.'] This is another part of the confecra- tion of the element, Chrift bleifed it ; he bleifeth, and it (hall be bleffed, viz. he looked up to heaven for a benedidion upon this ordinance newly founded.
4. • And brake it.'] The bread broken, and the wine pour- ed out, was to fignify to us the agony and ignominy of Chrift's futferings, the rending of Chrift's body on the crofs, and that efltufion of blood which was diftilled from his bleifed fides.
5. * And gave it] to them.' Chrift's giving the bread, de- notes Chrift's givingof himfelf and all his benefits to us freely. Tho' Chrift was ibid, yet given : Judas did fell Chrift, but Chrift gave himitlf to ut.
6. * He gave it to them.'] viz. The difciples. This is the children's bread ; Chriitdoth not caft thefe pearls before fwine. Whether Judas was prefent at the fupper, is controverted : I rather incline to think he was not ; for Chrift faid to the difci- ples, ' This is my blood, which is (hed for you,' Luke xxii. 20. Chrift knew his blood was never (hed etfe6tually and in- tentioivdlly for Judas. In eating the palfover, Chrift gave Ju-
B 2
1^ or THE LORT)*S SUFPER.
das a fop, vcliich was a bit of unleavened bread dipt in a fauce made with bitter herbs ; Judas l)aving received the fop, went imnieHiaftly out, John xiii. But, fuppofe Judas were there, though he received the elements, yet not the blelTing.
7. * Take, eat.'] Thi.sexpreffinn of eating denotes lour things : (1.) The near niyilical union between Chrill and his faints. As the meat which is eaten incorporates with the body, and be- comes one with it : fo, by eating Chrift's tlefh, and drinking his blood Cpiritually, we partake of his merits and graces, and are myftically * One with him,' John xvii. 2o. * 1 in them.* (2.) ' Take, eat.' Eating (Lews the infinite delight the believ- ing foul hath in Chrift. Eating is greatful and pleafing to the palate : fo feeding on Chriit by a lively faith is delicious, Nul' las animce jmvioT cibi/s, Lc>nctaniius. No fuch fweet feeding as on Chriit crucified. This is a ' feaftof fat things, and wines on the lees well refined.' (3.) ' Take, eat.* Eating denotes nou- riflunent. Meat, as it is delicious to the palate, fo it is nou- rifhing to the body: fo eating Chrif^'b* flefh, and driukmghia blood, is nutritive to the foul. The new creature is nourillied atthe lableof the Lord, toeverlaflinglife, John vi. 54. * Whofo eateih my fiefh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.* (4.) * Take, eat,' fliews the wildom of God, who reftores us by the fame means by which we fell. We fell by taking and eat- ing the forbidden fruit, and we are recovered again by taking and eating of ChrifVs flefh : we died by eating the tree of knowledge, and we live by eating the tree of life.
S. * This is my body.' '] Thefe words, Hoc eji corpus meian, have been much controverted between us and the papifis. * This is my body :' that is, by a metonomy : it is afignand figure of my body. The papifts hold traniiibllantiation, that the bread is, after confecration, turned into the very fubflance of Chrill's body. We lay, we receive Chrill's body fpiritually : they fay, they receive Chrill's body carnally ; w-hich is contrary to fcrip- ture. The fcnpture affirms, that the * heavens mufl receive Chrifl's body, mail the times of the reflitution of all things,* A(ils iii. 21. Chrill's body cannot be at the fame time in hea- ven and in the holl. Aqumas faith, *' It is not poffible by any miracle, that a body fhould be locally in two places at once." Belldes, it is abl'urd to in.agine, that the bread in the lacrament fliouid be turned into Chrifl's flefh, and that his body, which was hung before, fhould be made again of bread. So that, • This is my body,' is, as if Chrift had faid. This is a figii and ycprefentation of my body.
i^. * And he took the cup.'] The cup is put by metonomy of the fubjr^l for the adjunct, for the wine in the cup ; it fignifies the blood of Chriit fhed for our fins. The taking of the cup de- notes the redundancy of merit in Chrifl, and the fulnefs of our redemption by hhu. He not only took the bread, but the cup.
OF THE LOfeD*8 SUPPER. 1 J
10, * And when he had given thanks.'] Chrift gave thanks that God had given thefe elements ot bread and wine to be figns and feals of man's redemption by Chriil:. Chriii's giving of thanks, ihevvs his philanthrophy, or love to mankind, who did lb rtjoice and biels God, that loll man was now in a way of recoveiy, and that he fhould be railed higher in Chrill than ever he was in innocency.
11. • He gave the cup to them.'] Why then dare any with- hold thecnp ? this is to pollute and curtail the ordinance, and alter it from its primitive inllitution. Chrill; and his apoRles adminillred the lacrament in both kinds, the bread and the cup, 1 Cor. xi. 24, 55. And the cup was received in the ancient church for the fpace of 1400 years, as isconfelTed by two popilh councils. Chrill faith exprefsly, * Drink ye all of this.' He doth not fay, eat ye all of this ; but, * Drink ye all ;* as fore- feeing the i'acrilegious impiety of the church of Rome in keep- ing back the cup from the people. The popilli counfel of Con- fiance ipeaks plainly hut impudently, ** That although Chrill inftituted and adminillred the lacrament in both kinds, the bread and the wine ; yet the authority of tlie holy canons, and the cuftom of the mother-church, think good to deny the cup to the laity.'* Thus, as the popilh priefts make Chrill but half a Saviour, fo they adminifter to the people but half a lacrament. The facrament is Chrilt's laft-will and tellament : in the text * This is my blood of the new teflament.' Now to alter or take away any thing from a man's will and teftament, is a great impiety : What is it to alter and mangle Chriii's lall will and teltament ? Sure it is an high affront to Chrift.
Qu. 3. What are the ends of the Lord' sj upper ?
Anf. It is an ordinance appointed to confirm our faith, Joha iv. 48. ' Except ye fee figns ye will not believe.' Chrill lets the elements before us, that by thefe figns our faith may be ftrengthened. As faith Cometh by hearing, fo it is confirmed by feeing Chrill crucified. The facrament is not only a fign to reprefent Chrill, but a feal to confirm our interell in him.
Qu. But it is the Sprit conjirms faith, therefore not thefacra- ment.
Anf. I. This is not good logic. The Spirit confirms faith, therefore not the facrament, is, as if one Ihould fay, God feeds our bodies, therefore bread doth not feed us ; whereas God feeds us by bread ; lb the Spirit confirms our faith by the ufe of the facrament.
2. The end of the facrament is, to keep up the, * memory of Chriii's death.' 1 Cor. xi. 25. ' This do ye in remembrance of me.* If a friend give us a ring at his death, we wear it to keep up the memory of our friend ; much more then ought we
14 or THE lord's SUPPER.
to keep Up the memorial of <'hrift's death in the facrament : Chrill's death lays a toundatioii for all the magnificent bledings which we receive fi on) Chrift. The covenant of grace was agreed on in heaven, but lealed upon the crofs. Chrift. hath lealed all the arncles of peace in his blood. Remiftion of fin Hows from Chrill's death, Matth. xxvi. 28. ' This is my blood of 'he new teliainent (hed for njany, for the remiffion of fins.*' Conl' criition or making us holy, m the fruit of Chrift's death, Heb. ix. 14. * How nnicti more fhall the blood of Chrift, purge your confcience !' Chrill's interceftion is made available to us by virtue of his death ; Chrift could not have been admitted an advocate, if he had not been firll a facrifice. Our entering into heaven is the fruit of Chrift's blood, Heb. X. IJ). Chrift could not have prepared manfions for us, if he had not firft purchaled tliem by his death : fo that we have a great deal of caufe to commemorate Chrift's death in the facra- Kient.
Qu. hi what manner are we to remember the Lord's death in the facrament ?
Anj'. It is not only an hiftorical remembrance of Chrift's death and paftion ; thus Judas remembers Chrift's death, and how he betrayed him ; and Pilate remembers Chrift's death, and how he crucified him : but our remembring Chrift's death hi the facrament muft be,
(1,) A mournful remembrance. We muft not be able to look on Chrift crucified with dry eyes, Zech. xii. 10. * They fliall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn over him.' O Chriftian, when thou lookeft on Chrill in the facra- ment, remember how oft thou haft crucified him ! The Jews did it but once, thou often. Every oath is a nail with which thou pierceft his hands : every unjult, linful a6lion is a fpear with which thou woundeil his heart. O remember Chrift with for- row, to think thou ihouldeft make his wounds bleed afrelh !
Mark xiv. 22, 23, 24. Jefus took Bread.
(2.) It rnuft be a ' joyful remembrance,* John viii. 55. • Abraham faw my day, and rejoiced.' When a Chriftian fees a facran)ent-day a|)proach, he Ihould rejoice. This ordinance of the lupper is an earneft of heaven ; 'tis the glals, in which we fee him whom onr fouls love ; it is the chariot by which we are carried up to Chrift : ' When Jacob faw the waggons and the chariots which were to carry hmi to his Ion Joleph, his (Spirit revived,' Gen. xlv. 27. Cod hath appointed the facra- taent, on purpoi'e to cheer and revive a lad heart. When we
or THE lord's supper. 15
look on our fins, we have caiiTe to mourn ; but when we fee Chrift's blood flied for our fins, this nriay make us rejoice. In the facrameiit our wants are lupplied, our ltren<:th is renewed : here we meet with Chrill, and doUi not this call i'orjoy ? A woman that hath been long debarred from the Ibciety of her hufband, how glad is flie of his prefence ! At the facrament the believing fpoufe meets with Chrill; he faith to her, All I liave is thine ; my love is thine to pity thee ; my mercy is thine, to fave thee. How can we think in the facrament on Chrili's blood fhed, and not rejoice ; Sanguis Chrijil ciaois paradi^ ; Chrift's blood is the key which opens heaven, elfe we had been all (hut out.
3. End of the facrament is, to work in us an endeared love to Chrifl. When Chrift bleeds over us, well may we lay, Behold how he loved us ! Who cm\ fee Chrill die, and not be ♦ fickof love?* This is an heart of Hone, whom Chrift's love will not melt.
4. End of the facrament, the mortifying of corruption. To fee Chrill crucified for us, is a means to crucify fin in us. Chrift's death (like the water of jealouly) makes the * thigh of (in to rot,' Numb. v. 27- How can a wife endure to fee that fpear which killed her hnfband ? how can we endure thole fins which made Chrift veil his glory, and lofe his blood ? When the peo- ple of RomefawCaefar's bloody robe, they wereincenled againll them that (lew him. Sin hath rent the white robe of Chrift's flelh, and dy'd it of a crimfon colour : the thoughts of this will make usTeek to be avenged on our fins.
5. End, the auj^mentation and increafe of all the graces, hope, zeal, patience. The word preached begets grace, the Lord'^s (upper nouri(heth it : the body by feeding increaleth (irength ; lb doth the foul by feeding on Chrill facramentally. Cum clefe- cerit virtus mea calicem faltarem accipiam, Bern. " When my fpiritual ftrength begins to fail, I know a remedy (faith Bernard) I will go to the table of the Lord ; there will 1 drink and re- cover my decayed ftrength." There isdift'erence between dead Hones and living plants. The wicked, who are (tones, receive no fpiritual increafe ; but the godly, who are |)Iants of righte- oulnefs, being watered with Chrift's blood, grow more fruitful m grace.
Qu. 4. Why are ice to receive this holy /upper?
Anf. Becaule it is a duty incumbent. * Take, Eat.' And obferve, it is a command of love. If Chrift had commanded us fome great matter would not we have done it V 2 Kings v. 13. * If the prophet had bid thee do fome great thing wouldft thou not have done it ?' If Chrift had enjoined us to have given him thoulands of rams, or to have parted with the fruit of our bodies, Vvould we not have done it } Much more when he only faith.
16 or THE lord's EI?PPERa
* Take,* and * Eat :' Let my broken body feed yon, let my blocd poured out, fave you. * Take and Eat.' This is a com* mand of love, and fliall we not readily obey ?
2. We are to celebrate the Lord's (upper, becaufe it is a pro- voking of Clirift, to ftay away, Prov. ix. 9. * Wifdom hath fur- nifhed her table.' So Chrift hath furnifhed his table, fet bread and wine (reprefenting his body and blood) before his guefts, and when ihey wilfully turn their backs upon the ordinance, Chrift looks upon it as a flighting of his love, and that makes the fury rife up in hij^ face, Luke xiv. 24. * For I fay unto you, that none of thof'e that were bidden fiiall tafte of ihy fupper.' I will fliut Ihem out of my kingdom, I will provide them a black banquet, where weeping lliall be the firll courfe, and gnalhing of teeth the fecond.
Qu. 5. Whether the Lord' s fupper he oft to he adminijired f
Anf. Fes : 1 Cor. xi. 2(). * As oft as ye eat of this bread.* The ordinance is not to be celebrated once in a year, or once in our hves, but often. A Chriftian's own neceflities may make him come often hither. His corruptions are ftrong, therefore he had need come often hither for an antidote to expel the poi- fonoffin; and his graces are v.'eak. Grace is like a lamp. Rev. iii. 2. if it be not often fed with oil, it is apt to go out. How therefore do they fin againil God, who come but very fel- dom to this ordinance ! Can they thrive, who for a long time forbear their food : and others there are who do wholly for- bear : this is a great contempt offered to ChriIVs ordinance. Men do as it were tacitly faid, let Chrift keep his feaft to him- lelf. What a crofs-grained "piece is man ! he will eat when he fliould not, and he will not eat when he ftiould. When God faid, * Eat not of this forbidden fruit ;' then he will be fure to cat: when God faith, * Eat of this bread, and drink of this cup ;' then he reful'eih to eat.
Qu. 6. Are all to come promfcuouflij to this holy ordinance?
Anf. No; that were to make the Lord's table an ordinary. Chrift forbids to ' caft pearls before fwine,* Mat. vii. (5. The lacramental bread is children's bread, and it is not to be caft to the profane. As, at the giving of the law, God fet bounds about the mount that none might touch it, Exod. ;Jix. 12. So God's table (hould be guarded, that the profane fhould not come near. In the primitive times, after fermon done, and they were going to celebrate the Loid's fupper, an officer ftood up and cried, " Holy things for holy men ;" and then feveral of the congregation were to depart. " I would havt my hand cut ofJ' (faith Chry(oftom) rather than 1 would givt Chrill's body and blood to the profine." The wicked do not eai ChriJi's flefn, but tear it; they do not drink hit> blood, but fpill it. Thefe boly myfteries iu the lacrameuts are iremenda myfieria, royfteries
OF THE LdRD*S SUPPER. 17
that the foul is to tremble at. Sinners defile the holy things of God, they poifon the facramentdl cup : We read that the wicked are to be fet at Chrift's feet, Pf. ex. not at his table.
Qu. 7. Hoto may ice receive the flipper of the Lord worthily, that Jo it may become effectual to us ?
Anf. That we may receive it worthily, and it may become efficacious.
{\.) We mud foleninly prepare ourfelves before we come : We mufl not rulh upon the ordinance rudely and irreverently, but come in due order. There was a great deal of preparation to the paflbver, SChron. xxx. IS, 19. and the facraraent comes in the room of it.
Qu. Wherein doth this folemn preparing for the ordinance con-
Anf. (l.) In examining ourfelves. (9.) In dreffing our foyls before we come, which is by wafhing in the water of re- pentance. (3.) By exciting the habit of grace into exercife. (4.) In begging a blelVmg upon the ordinance.
(1.) Sofemn preparing for the facrament confifts in felf- examining, I Cor. xi. 28. * But let a man examine himfelf, and fo let him eat.* It is not only a counfel, but a charge : * Let him examine himfelf.' As if a king fliould fay, '* Let it be enacted." Jefus Chrift having by his inilitution confecrated thefe elements in the fupper to an high myftery, they reprelent his • body and blood :' therefore there mud be preparation ; and if preparation, then there muflbetirft examining ourfelves, >vithout which there can be no preparation. Let us be ferious in this examining ourfelves, our I'alvation depends upon it. We are curious in examining other things; we will not take gold, till we examine it by the touch ftone ; we will not take land, but we will examine the title : and (hall not we be as exacl and curious in examining the (late of our fouls ?
Qu. 1. What is required to this f elf -pxamining ?
Anf, There muft be a (blemn retiring of the foul. We muft Jet ourfelves apart, and retire for foiue time from all fecular em- ployment, that we may be more (erious in this work. There is no cafting up of accounts in a crowd ; nor can we examine ourfelves when we are in a crowd of worldly bufinefs. We read, a man that was in a 'journey might not come to the palfover,' Numb. ix. 13. becaufe his mind was full of fecular cares, and his thoughts were taken up about his journey. When we are upon felf-examining work, we had not need to be in hurry, or have any diftratting thoughts, but to retire and lock;, ourfelves up in our clofet, that we may be more intent in the work.
Qu. 2. What is f elf -examination ?
Anf. It is a fettmg up a court of confcisnce, and keeping si
Vol. XL No. 12. C
18 OF THE lord's SUPPER*
regifter there, that by a ftri6t fcrtitiny a man may fee how mat- ters (land between God and his ioul. Self-examination is a fpiritual inquilkion, an heart-anatomy, whereby a man takes his heart as a watch, all in pieces, and fees what is defe6live there. It is a dialogue with one's felf, Pf. Ixxvii. 7- ' I com- mune with my own heart.' David called himlelf to account, and put interrogatories to his own heart. Self-examining is a critical delcant or fearch : as the woman in the parable did light a candle, and ' fearch for her loft groat,' Luke xv. S. lb coiilcience is the candle of the Lorn ; fearch with this candle what thou Cruift find wrought by the Spirit in thee.
Qu. 3 fVhat is the rule hy id hie h ire are to examine oiirfelves?
Anf. The rule or rneafure we mull examine ourlelves by, is, the holy fcripture. We muft not make fancy, or the good opi- nion which others have of us, the rule of vvbich we judge of ourlelves. But as the i=roldfmilh brinsfs his nold to the touch-
O O
itone, fo muft we bring our hearts to a Icripture touch-ftone ; * To the law, to the tellimony,' Ifa. viii. '20. What faith the word? Are we divorced from fin? are we renewed by the Spirit? Let the word decide whether we are fit communicants or not. We judge of colours by the fun, fo we muft judge of the ftate of our Ibuls by the (un light of fcripture.
Qn. 4. What are the cogent reafons ivhy we mnft examine our- f elves before ice approach to the Lord's /upper ?
A)if. 1. It is a duty impofed ; Met him examine himfelf.* The paflbver was not to be eaten raw, Exod. xii. 19. To come to fuch an ordinance fligiitly, without examination, is to come in an undue manner, and is like eating the paflbver raw.
9. We nuift examine ourlelves before we come, becaufe it is not only a duty impofed, but oppofed. There is nothing the heart naturally is more averfe from, than felf-examination : we may know that duty is good which the heart' oppofeth. But why doth the heart fo oppofe it? Becaufe it doth crofs the tide of corrupt nature; 'tis contrary to flelli and blood. The heart is guilty ; and doth a guilty perfon love to be examined ? The heart oppofeth it, therefore the rather fet upon it: that duty is good which tlie heart oppofeth.
3. Becaule felf-examining is fo needful a work ; as appears, (I.) Without felf-exan)ination, a m.an can never tell how it is with him, whether he hath grace or not; and this muft needs be very uncomfortable. He knows not if he Ihould die prefent- iy, what will become of him, or to whatcoaft he (hall fail, whe- ther to hell or heaven ; as Socrates faid, " I am about to die, and the gods know whether I fhall be happy or miferable." How needful therefore is felf-examination, that a man by (earch may come to know the t^ue ftate of his foul, and may guefs how it will go with him to eternity ?
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^S.) Self-examination is needful, in refpedlof the excellency of the facrament. Let him ea.t de illo patie ^ ' of that bread,' 1 Cor. xi. <^S. that excellent bread, that confecrated bread, that bread which is not only the bread of the Lord, but the bread the Lord. Let him drink de illo poculo, ' of that cup ;' that precious cup which is perfumed and ipiced with Chrill's love; that cup which holds the blood of God facramentally. Cleopatra put a jewel in a cup, which contained the price of a kingdom : this facred cup we are to drinli of, enriched with the blood of God, is above the price of a kingdom ; it is more worth than heaven : Therefore coming to I'uch a royal feaft, having whole Chrift, his divine and human nature to feed on, how ihould we examine ourfelves before hand, that we may be fit guefts for fuch a magnificent banquet.
(3.) Self-examining is needful, becaufe God will examine us. That was a fad queilion, Matth. xxii. 12. ''Friend, how camefl; thou in hither, not having a wedding-garment ?' Men are lothe to afk themfelves the queilion, " O Jiiy foul, are thou a fit gueft for the Lord's table ? are there not fome fins thou hall; to bewail ? are there not lome evidences for heaven that thou haft to get?" Now, when peribns will not afk themielves the quel- tion, then God will bring luch a queftion as this to them, how came ye in hither to my table not prepared ? how came ye in hither with an unbelieving or profane heart? It fhall be fuch a queftion as will caufe an heart-trembling. God will examine a man as the chief captain did Paul, with fcourging, Acls xxii. 25. 'Tis true, the belt faint, if God (hould weigh him in the balance, would be found defe6live : but, when a Chrillian hath made an impartial fearch, and hath laboured to deal uprightly between God and his own foul, Chrift's merits will caft in Ibme grains, of allowance into the fcales. '
(4.) Self-examining is needful, becaufe of that fecret (Corrup- tion in the heart, which will not be found out without fearchinsf. ■There are in the heart plangendce tenebrae, Aug- hidden pol- lutions. It is with a Chriftian, as with Joieph's brethren, when the fteward accufed them of having the cup, they were ready to fwear they had not the cup in their fack, but upon fearch it was found there ; little doth a Chrillian think what pride, athe- ifm, uncleannefs is in his heart till he learcheth. Therefore, if there be fuch hiddeii wickednefs, like a fpring that runs under ground, we had need examine ourfelves, that finding out our lecret fin, we may be humbled and repent. Hidden fins, if not fearched out, defile the foul. If corn lie^long in the chatf, the chaff defiles the corn ; hidden fins lain long in, defile our duties. Needful therefore it is, before we come to the holy fupper, to fearch out thefe hidden fins, as llVael fearched for leaven before they cume to the palibver.
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(5.) S.elf-examining is needful, becaufe without it we may eafily have a cheat put upon us, Jer. xvii. y. * The heart ia deceitful above all things.' Many a man's heart will tell him, he is fit for the Lord's table. As when Chritl afked the Ions of Zebedee, Mat. xx. 22. * Are ye able to drink of the cu|j I Oiall drink of?' can ye drink ilich a bloody cup of luff'ering? * they fay unto him, we are able.' So the heart will luggelt to a man, he is fit to drink of the facramental cup, he hath on the wedding-garment. Grande prof undum ejl homo y h.Mg. "The heart is a grand impofter." It is like a cheating tradefman, which will put one off' with bad wares ; the heart will put a man off with feeming grace, inflead of faving. A tear or two fhed is repentance, a few lazy defires is faith : blue and red jflowers that grow among the corn, look like good flowers, but they are but beautiful weeds. The foolifh virgins' lamps looked as if they had had oil in them, but they had none. Therefore, to prevent a cheat, that we may not take falfe grace inltead of true, we had need make a thorough difquifition and fearch of our hearts before we come to the Lord's table.
{(5. ) Self-examiaing is needful, becaufe of thofe falfe fears the godly are apt to nourifli in their hearts, which make them go fad to the facrament. As they who have no grace, for want of ex- amining, prel'ame; fothey who have grace, for want of examin- ing, are ready to defpair. Many of God's children look upon themfelves through the black fpeclacles of fear : they fear Chriil is not formed in tliem, they fear they have no right to the pro- iBife ; and thefe fears in the heart caufe tears in the eye : whereas, would they but fearch and examine, they might find they had grace. Are not their hearts humbled for fin ? and what is this but the bruited reed ? do they not weep after the Lord } an4 what are thefe tears but feeds of faith ? do they not thiril after Chrift in an ordinance ; what is this but the new creature crying for the bread? Here are, you fee, feeds of grace; and, would Chrillians examine their hearts, they might fee there is Ibme- thing of God in them, and fo their falfe fears would be prevent- ed, and they might approach with comfort to thefe holy myf- teries in the eucharilt.
Mark xiv. 22. Jefus took Bread, &c.
(7.) Self-examining is needful, in refpeft of the dan- ger in coming unworthily M'ithout examination, 1 Cor. xi. 27. * He fhall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.' Par facit qufi/i Chrijliun trucidaret, Grotius.— /. e. * God reckons with hi^i as with a crucifier of the Lord Jefus.' He doth not
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drink Chrift's blood, but flieds it ; and fo brings fliat curfe upon him, as the Jews, * his blood be upon us and our children.* The virtue of Chrift's blood, nothing more comfortable, the guilt of it nothing more formidable.
4. We mult examine ourfelves before the facrament, in refpe6t of the difficulty of fell-examining work. Dilficulty raifeth a noble fpirit. Self-examining is difticult, (I.) Becaufe it is an inward work, it lies moll with the heart. External a6ls of devotion are ealy ; to lift up the eye, to bow the knee, to read over a few prayers ; this is as eafy, as for the papifts to tell over a few beads : but to examine a man's felf, to take the heart as a watch all in pieces, to nnake a fcripture-trial of our fitnefs for the Lord's fupper, this is not eafy. Reflexive a6ls are hardeft : the eye cannot fee ilfelf but by a glafs ; we mull have the glals of the word and confcience to fee our own hearts : it is eafy to fpy the faults of others, but it is hard to find out our own. (2.) Self-examination is difficult, in regard of felf-love. As ignorance blinds, fo fell- love flatters : what Solomon faith of love, Prov. X. 12. * Love coveveth all fins,' is moll true of felf-love : a man looking upon himfelf in the glafs of felf-love (that flattering^ glafs) his virtues appear greater than they are, and his fins lelfer. Self-love makes a man rather excufe himfelf, than examine himfelf; felf-love makes one think the bell of himlelf ; and he who hath a good opinion of himfelf, doth not fufpe6t himfelf; and not fufpe6ling himfelf, he is not forward to examine him- felf. The work therefore of felf-examination being fo difficult, it requires the more impartiality and induftry ; difficulty fliould be a fpur to diligence.
(5.) We mull examine ourfelves before we come, becaufe of the beneficialnefs of felf examination. The benefit is great, which way foever things turn ; if, upon examination, we find that we have no grace in truth, then the miftake is difcovered, and the danger prevented ; if we find that we have grace, we may take the comfort of it. He who, upon fearch, finds that he hath the ininimum quod Jit, the leaft degree of grace, he is like one that hath found his box of evidences, he is an happy man, he is a fit guell at the Lord's table, he is heir to all the promiles, he is as lure to go to heaven, as if he were in heaven already. Thefe are the reafons why we muft examine ourfelves before we approach to the Lord's table.
Qu. 6. What miiji we examine 9
^7\f. (I.) Our fins. (2.) Our graces.
Firji^ our fins. Search if any dead fly might fpoil this fweet ointment. When we come to the facrament, we fliould do as the Jews did before the palTover ; they fearched for leaven, and having found it did burn it. 1. Let us learch for the leaven of pride ; this fowers our holy things : we are born with a fpi ritual
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tympany. Will an humble Chrift be received into a proud heart? Pride keeps Chrilt out — Intus exijieiis prohibit alienum. -^Pride t'vvells the heart ; and Ciirill cannot come into the heart if it be full already. To a proud man Chril't's blood hath no virtue : 'tis hke drfcorfimm put into a dead man's mouth, which loCeth its virtue. L^t usfeatch for this leaven of pride, and call it away. 2. Let us fearch for the leaven of avarice. The Lord's iupper is a f'piritual mydery, it reprefents Chrift's body aijd blood; what (houid an earthly heart do here? The earth puts out the fire; earthlinefs quencheth the fire of holy love. The eahh is elementum gravijjimnm, it cannot afcend. A Ibul belimed with earth cannot alcend to heavenly cogitation. Col. iii. 5. ' Covetouinels which is idolatry.* Will Chriil come into that heart where there is an idol ? Search for this leaven before you come to this ordinance. How can an earthly heart converle with that God which is a fpirit ? can a clod of earth kifs the fun? 3. Search for the leaven of hypocrify, Luke xii. 1. ' Beware of the leaven of the Pharifees which is hypocrify.' Aquinas defcribes it y?wM/af/o u/rfi/fw ; hypocrify is a counter- feiting of virtue. The hypocrite is a living pageant, he only makes a fliew of religion : he gives God his knee, but no heart; and God gives him bread and wine in the facramen»t but no Chrilt. Oh let us fearch for this leaven of hyprocrify, and burn it?
Secondly, We muft examine our graces. I fliall inftance only in one, our knowledge.
1. Whether we have knowledge.
2. Whether it be rightly qualified.
(1.) We are to examine whether we have knowledge, elPe we cannot give God a reafonablefervice, Rom. xii. 1. Know- ledge is a necefiary requifite in a communicant : without know- ledge there can be no fitnefs for the facrament : a perfon can- not be fit to come to the Lord's table who hath no goodnefs, but without knowledge tlie mind is not good, Prov. xix. 2. borne lay they have good hearts though they want knowledge; as if one fiiould fay, his eye is good, but it wants fight. Under the law when the plague of leproly was in a man's head, the pried was to pronounce him unclean. The ignorant perlbn hath the plague in his head, he is unclean: ignorance. is the womb of lult, 1 Pet. i. 14. Therefore it is requifite, before vje come, to examine ourlelves what knowledge we have in the main fundamentals of religion. Let it not be laid of us, that * to this day the vail is upon our hearts,' 2 Cor. iii. 15. But fure in this intelligent age, we cannot but have fome infight into the mylteries of the gofpel. I rather fear, we are like Rachel, who was fair and vveU-fighted, but barren : there- fore.
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(2.) Let us examine whether our knowledge be rightly qualified. 1. Is it intluential? doth our knowledge warm our heart: Claritas intclledu parity ardorem in effeSlu. Saving knowledge doth not only direct, but quicken : 'tis the light of life, John viii. 1*2. 2. Is our knowledge practical? We hear much ; do we love the truths we know ? 'I'hat is the right knowledge which doth not only adorn the mind, but retbnii the life.
Secondhj, This folemn preparing for the facrament, as it con- fills in examining ourfelves, fo in drelTing our fouls before we come. And this foul-drefs is in two things ;
I. Walhing in the laver of repenting tears; to come to this ordinance wilh the guilt of any fin unrepented of, makes way for the further hardening of our heart, and giving Satan fuller pofieflion of us, Zech. xii. 10. ' They (hall look on him whom they have pierced and fhall mourn for him.' The cloud of Ibr- row mull drop into tears. We mull grieve as for the pollution, lb for the unkindnefs in every fin. To fin againft Chrift's love \yho died for us. When Peter thought of Chrift's love, who called him out of his unregeneracy, made him an apoltle, and carried him up to the mount of transfiguration, where he faw the glory of heaven in a vifion ; and then, to think of his deny- ing Chrifl, it broke his heart, • he wept bitterly,' Mat. x'kvi. 73.. To think, before we come to a facrament, of the fins againfl; the bowel-mercies of God the Father, the bleeding wounds of God the Son, the bleffed infpirations of God the Holy Ghofl; it is enough to l)roach our eyes with tears, and put us into an holy agony of grief and compunction. And we muft be fo dift.refied for fin, as to be divorced from fin. The ferpent, before he drinks, cafts up his poifon : in this, we muft be wife as ferpents; before we drluk of the facramental cup, we muft call up the poilbn of fin by repentance. /// vere plan" git comjnijja, qui non conimittit plangenda. Aug. — He dotli truly bewail the fins he hath committed, who doih not commit the fins he hath bewailed. And this is the drelfing our fouls before we come, wafhing in the waters of true^epentance.
'2. The foul-drefs is the exciting and flirring up the habit of gTace into a lively exercife, 2 'I'im. i. (5- ' 1 put thee in remem- brance, that thou flir up the gift of God which is in ttiee,* i. e. the gifts and graces of the Spirit. The Greek word to ilir up fignifies to blow up grace into a flame. Grace is oft like fire in the embers, which needs blowing up ; it is polfiblc that evea a good man may not come fo well difpofed to this ordinance, becaufe he hath not before taken pains vvUh his heart to come in due order, he hath not ftirred up grace into its vigorous ex- ercife ; and fo, though he dolh not eat and drink damoation.
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yet he doth not receive confolation in the tacrament. Thus you fee what thisdreffing of our fouls is^ before we come.
Thirdly. This folemn preparing for the facrament is, in beg- ging a blefling upon the ordinance. The facrament is not Hke pliyfic, which hath an inherent operative virtue : no, but the efficacy of the facrament depends upon the co-operation of the Spirit, and a word of blefling, in the inftitution, Chrill blefled the elements; * Jefus took bread and blefied it,' in the text. The facrament will no further do us good, than as it is bleffed to us. We ought then, before we come, to pray for a blefling on the ordinance, that the facrament may be not only a fign to repreCent, but a leal to conform, and an inltrument to convey Chrill and all his benefits to us. We are to pray, that this great ordinance may be poifon to our fins, and food to our graces. That, as it was with Jonathan, when he had tailed the honey- comb, his ' eyes were enlightened,' 1 Sam. xiv. 27- fo that by our receiving this holy eucharifl;, our eyes may be fo enlight- ened, as to 'difcern the Lord's body.' Thusfhould we implore a blefling upon the ordinance, before we come. The iiicra- ment is like a tree hung full of fruit ; but none of this fruit will fall, uniefs fliaken by the hand of prayer.
{2.) That the facrament may be effectual to us, as there mud be a due preparing for it, fo a right partaking of it : which right participation of the facrament is in three things.
1. When we draw nigh to God's table in an humble fenfe of our unworthinef^i. We do not deferve one crumb of the bread of life ; we are poor indigent creatures, who have loft our glo- ry and are like a velfel that is fhip-wrecked ; we fmite on our breails, as the publican, * God be merciful tousfinners.' This is a right partaking of the ordinance : 'tis part of our worthi- nefs to fee our unworthinef?.
2. We rightly partake of the facrament, when at the Lord's table we are filled with anhelations of foul, and enflamed de- fires after Chrilt, and nothing can quench our thiril but his blood, Matlh. v. 6. • Blefied are they that thirfl:.' They are blefled not only when they are filled, but while they are third- ing.
3. A right participation of the fupper is, when we receive in faith. Without faith we get no good : what is laid of the word preached, * It profiteth not, not beingmixed with faith,' Heb. iv. 2. is as true of the facrament. Chrill turned ftones into bread ; unbelief turns the bread into tlones, that it doth not nourifli. Then we partake aright when we come in faith : faith hath a two-fold &6i, an adhering, and an applying : by the firil a(5l we go over to Cln-ill, by tlie fecond ad we bring Chrift over to us, Gai. ii. 20. This is the great grace we mull let a-work, A(5tj» x. 43. Phiio calls it, y/t/e* occnlata : faiih i*
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the eagle-eye that difcerns the Lord's body ; faith caufeth a virtual conta6t, it toucheth Chrill. Clirift faid to] Mary,
* Touch me not,' &c. John xv. 17. She was not to touch him with the hands of her body ; but he laith to us, ' Touch me,* touch me with the hand of your faith- Faith makes Chrill pre- fent to the foul ; the believer hath a real prefence in the facra- ment. The body of the fun is in the firmament, but the light of the fun is in the eye : Chrilt's elfence is in heaven, but he is in a believer's heart by his light and influence, Eph, iii. 17.
* That Chrift may dwell in your heart by faith.' Faith is the palate which taites Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 3. Failh makes a concoc- tion ; it caufeth the bread of life to nourilh. Crcde et mandu-* cajia, Aug. Faith caufeth a coalition, it makes us one with Chrift, Eph. i. 23. Other graces make us like Chrift, taith makes us members of Chrift.
Fourthli/, Then we partake aright of the facrament, whea we receive in love.
(I.) Love to Chrift. Who can fee Chrift pierced with a crown of thorns, fvveating in his agony, bleeding on the crols, but his heart muft needs be endeared in love to him ? ** How- can we but love him who hath given his life a ranfomfor us ?'* Love is the fpiced wine and juice of the pomegranate which we muft give Chrift, Cant. viii. 2. Our love to this fuperior and bleiied Jefus muft exceed our love to other things ; as the oil runs above the water. Tho' we cannot with Mary bring our eoftly ointment to anoint Chrift's body, yet we do more than this, when we bring him our love, which is fweeter to him thaa all ointments and perfumes.
(2.) Love to the laints. This is a love-feaft : though we muft eat this fupper with the bitter herbs of repentance yet not with the bitter-herbs of malice. Were it not fad, if all the meat one eats ftiould turn to bad humours ? He who comes in malice tothe Lord's table, all he eats is to his hart: ' He eats and drinks damnation to himlelf,' 1 Cor. xi. S9--* Come in love/ It is with love as it is with hre ; you keep fire all the day upon the hearth, but upon fpecial occalionsyou draw out the lire lar- ger ; fo, though we tnuft h:ive love to all, yet to the iaiurs, who are our fellow-members, here we muft draw out the fire of our love larger : and we muft ftiow the largenels of our af* fedlions to them, by prizing their perfons, by chufiiig their com- pany, by doing all ollices of love to them, eounlelhug tht-m in their doubts, comforting them in their fears, fupplying them in their wants. Thus one Chriilian may he an Ebenezer to ano- ther, and as an anirel of God to him : the facrament cannot be efte6tual to him who doth not receive in love. If a man drinks poifon, and then takes a cordial, the cordial will do him little good ; he who hath the poifon of malice in his foul, the cordial of
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Chrift's blooci will do him no good ; come therefore in love and charity. And thus we fee how we may receive the fupper of the Lord, that it may be efre6tual to our falvation.
Ufe 1. From the whole doctrine of the facrament, learn, how precious fhould a facrament be to us. It is a fealed deed to make over the bleffings of the new covenant to us, [juftifica- tion, ian6lif]caiion, giory.] A fmall piece of wax put to a parchment is made the inltrument to confirm a rich conveyance or lordlhip to another ; I'o thefe elements in the facrament of bread and wine, though in themfelve,^ of no great value, yet be- ing conlecrated to be feals to confirm the covenant of grace to us, fo they are of more value than all the riches of the Indies.
Ufe 2. The ficrament being fuch an holy myllery, let us come to this holy myftery with holy hearts. There is no re- ceiving a crucified Chrift, but into aconfecrated heart : Chrill, in his conception, lay in a pure virgin's womb, and, at his death, his body was wrapped m clean linen, and put into anew virgin-tomb, never yet defiled with rottennefs. If Chrift would not lie in an unclean grave, fure he will not be received into an unclean heart, Ifa. Hi. 11. * Be ye clean that bear .the veflelsof the Lord.* If they who did carry the veflels of the Lord were to be holy, then they who are to be the veflels of the Lord, and are to hold Chrift's body and blood, ought to be holy.
Ufe o. Confolation. Chrift's body and blood in the facra- rnent is a moft fovereign elixir, or, comfort to a diftreflTed foul. Chrift having poured out his blood, now God's juftice is fully Satisfied. There is in the death of Chrift enough to anfwer all doubts. What if fin is the poifon, here is the flefh of Chrift an antidote againft it,? what if fin be red as fcarlet, is not Chrift's blood of a deeper colour, and can wa(h away fin ? If Satan ftrikes us with his darts of temptation, here is a precious balm comes out of Chrift's wounds to heal us, Ifa. hii. 5. What though we feed upon the bread of afflidtion, as long as in the facrament we feed upon the bread of life } So that Chrift re- ceived aright facramentally, is an univerfal medicine for the healing, and an univerfal cordial for the cheering of our diftref- fed fouls.
III. The benefits of our redemption are applied to us by prayer.
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OF PRAYER.
Psalm cix. 4. But I give my/elf to prayer.
I SHALL not expatiate upon prayer at large, being to fpeak more fully to it in the Lord's prayer. But to the words, * I give myfelf to prayer.' It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer : he who prays frequently, is laid to be given to prayer ; as he who often dillributes alms, is laid to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the foul's trading with heaven : God conies down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer.
Qu. 1. What is prayer ? ]
Anf. *' It is an offering up of our defires to God, for things *' agreeable to his will, in the name of Chrilt."
1. *' Prayer i? an oflering up of our defires."] Therefore it is called a making known of our requefts, Phil. iv. 6. In prayer we come as humble petitioners, begging to have our I'uit granted.
II. 'Tis ** offering up our defires to God."] Prayer is not to be made to any but God. The papifts pray to faints and an- gels, but they know not our grievances, Ila. Ixiii. 16. * Abra:- ham is ignorant of us.' And all angel-worthip is forbidden. Col. ii. 18, U). We mufl; not pray to any but whom we may believe in, Rom. x. 14. ' How Iball they call upon him in whom they have not believed ?' But we cannot believe in an angel, therefore we muft not pray to l^im.
Qu. Why muji prayer be made only to God ?
Anf. 1. Becaule he only hears prayer, Pf. Ixv. 2, * O thou thathearert prayer.' Hereby God is known to be the true God, in that he hears prayer, 1 Kings xviii. 37- ' Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God.'
2. BecAufe God only can help. We may look to fecond caules, and cry, as the woman did, 2 Kings vi. 2(5. * Help, my Lord, O king. And lie faid if the Lord doth not help thee, whence fhall I help thee?' If we are in outward diftrefs, God muft fend from heaven and fave ; if we are in inward agonies, he only can pour in the oil ofjoy^ therefore prayer is to be made to him only.
HI. •' For things agreeable to his will."] When we pray for outward things, for riches or children, perhaps God lees ihefe things are not good for us ; our prayers mull com port with God's will. We may pray abfoiutely for grace ; * for this is' the will of God, our fandtification,' 1 Thelf. iv. 4. There might
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be no ft range incenfe offered, Exod. xxx. 9. When we pray for things which are not agreeable to God's will, it is offering ftrange incenfe.
IV. "In the name of Chrift."] To pray in the name of Chrift, is not only to mention Chrift's name in prayer, but to pray in the hope and confidence of Chrill's merits, 1 Sam. vii. y. • Samuel took a fucking lamb and offered it,' &c. We muff carry the lamb Chrifl in the arms of our faith, and fo we pre- vail in prayer. When Uzziah would offer incenfe without a prieft, God was angry, and ftruck him with leprofy, 2 Chron. xxvi. 10. When we do not pray in Chrill's name, in the hope of his mediation, we offer up incenfe, without a prieft ; and what can we expe6l but to meet with rebukes, and to have God anfwer us by terrible things ?
Qu. What are the parts of prayer ?
Anf. 1. There is the confeifory part, which is the acknow- ledgement of fin. f . The fupplicatory part, when we either deprecate and pray againft fome evil, or requell the obtaining of fome good. 3. The gratulatory part, when we give thanks for mercies received, which is the motl excellent part of prayer. In petition we a6l like men, in giving of thanks, we ad like angels.
Qu. 3. What are the feveral forts of prayer?
Anf. I. There is mental prayer, in the mind, 1 Sam. i. 13. 2f//»/, Vocal, Pf. Ixxvii. 1. ^dly, Ejaculatory, which is a fudden and (hort elevation of the heart to God, Neh. ii. 4. * So I prayed to the God of heaven.' 4thly, Conceived prayer ; when we pray for thofe things which God puts into our heart, Rom. vii. S(5. ' The Spirit helps us with fighs and groans.* Both the expreffions of the tongue, fo far as they are right, and the im- preffions of the heart, are from the Spirit. 5th/y, Prefcribed prayer : our Saviour hath fet us a pattern of prayer. God pre- fcribed a fet form of bleffing for the priefis. Numb. vi. 23. 6th!y, Public prayer ; when we pray in the audience of others. Prayer is more powerful, when many join and unite their forces. Vis unita furtior, Matth. xviii. 19. Ilthly, Private prayer; when we pray by ourfelves, Matth. vi. y. ' Enter into thy clolet.'
Qu. 4. What is that prayer which is moft like to prevail icith God?
Anf. VVhen prayer is rightly qualified. That is a good me- dicine which hath the right ingredients ; that prayer is good, and is moft like to prevail with God, which hath thefe leven ingredients in it :
(I.) Prayer muff be mixed with faith, James i. 6". * But let him }>ray iu faith.' Believe God hears, and will in his due time grunt ; believe God's love and truth. Believe that he ia
OF PRAYER. 29
lore, therefore will not deny you ; believe tliat he is truth, therefore will not deny him(elf. • Faith lets prayer a work.' "Faith is to prayer, as the feather is to the arrow, faith feathers the arrow of prayer, and makes it fly fwifter, and pierce the throne of grace. Prayer that is faithlefs is fruitlefs.
C-i.) A melting prayer, Pf. li. 17- * The facrifices of God are a broken heart.' The incenfe was to be beaten, to typify the breaking of the heart in prayer. O, faith a Chriftian, I cannot pray with fuch gifts and elocution as others ; as Mofes laid, * I am not eloquent :' but canft thou weep ? Doth thy heart melt in prayer ? Weeping prayer prevails. Tears drop as pearls from the eye. * Jacob wept and made fupplication ; and had power over the angel,' Holea xii. 4.
(3.) Prayer muft be fired with zeal and fervency, James v. 16. ' Efle6lual fervent prayer prevails much.* Cold prayers, Hke cold fuitors, never fpeed. Prayer, without fervency, is like a facrifice without fire. Prayer is called a * pouring out of the Ibul,' 1 Sam. i. 15. to fignify vehemency. Formality itarves prayer. Prayer is compared to incenfe, Pf. cxli. 2. ' Let my prayer be fet forth as incenfe.' Hot coals were to be put to the incenfe, to make it odoriferous and fragrant : fervency of atfedion is like coals put to the incenfe ; it makes prayer af- cend as a fweet perfume. Chrilt prayed with ftrong cries. Heb. V. 7. Clamor i/ie penetrat nabes, Luther. Fervent prayer, like a petard fet againft heaven's gates, makes them fly open. To caufe holy fervour and ardour of ibul in prayer, conlider, 1. Prayer without fervency, is no prayer ; it is fpeaking not praying : lifelefs prayer is no more prayer, than the picture of a man is a man. One may fay, as Pharaoh, Gen. xli. * I have dreamed a dream :' It is dreaming, not praying. Life and fer- vency baptizeth a duty, and gives it a name. 2. Conlider in what need we fland of thofe things which we afk in prayer. We come to alk the favour of God ; and if we have not hit* love, all we enjoy is curfed to us. VVe pray that our fouls may be wafhed in Chrifl's blood ; and if he wafli uh not we have ' no part in him,' John xiii. 8. When will we be in earnefl:, if not when we are praying for the life of our fouls ? 3. It is only fervent prayer hath the promife of mercy affixed to it, Jer. xxix. 14. ' Then fhall ye find me, when ye fearch for me with all your heart.' Ic is dead praying without a promife ; and the promife is made only to ardency. The Aediles among the Romans, had their doors always Itanding open, that all who bad petitions might have free accefs to them : God's heart is ever open to fervent prayer.
(4.) Prayer mutl be fincere. Sincerity is the filver thread which mult run through the whole duties of religion. Sincerity in prayer is, when we have gracious holy ends in prayer; our
30 OF PRAYER.
prayer is not fo much for temporal mercies as fpiritual. We fend out our prayer, as a mercliant fends out his (hip, that we may have large returns of fpiritual blelfings ; our aim in prayer is, that our heart may be more holy, that we may have more communion with God ; our deligu is, that by prayer we may increafe the (lock of grace. Prayer which wants a good aim, wants a good ilfue.
(5.) Prayer that will prevail with God, muft have a fixation of mind. Pi". Ivii. 7. * O God, my heart is fixed.* Since the fall, the mind is like quick-filver, which will not fix, it hath principnimmotus, but nun qnietes : the thoughts will be roving and dancing up and down in prayer, juft as if a man that is tra- velling to fuch a place, fliould run out of the road, and wander he knows not whither. In prayer, we are travelling to the throne of grace, but how often do we by vain cogitations, turn out of the road ? Which is rather wandering than praying.
Qu. But how Jhall ice cure thefe vain impertinent thoughts, jchich doj'o dijiracl us in prayer, and, we may fear, hinder the acceptance ?
Anf. 1. Be very apprehenfive in prayer of the infirmities of God's majelty and purity, God's eye is upon us in prayer, and we may lay, as David, PC. Ivi. S. * Thou telleft my wan- derings.' The thoughts of this world make us hog agere, mind the duty we are about. If a man were to deliver a petition to an earthly prince, would he at that time be playing with a fea- ther? Set yourfelves, when you pray as in God's prefence ; could you but look through the key hole of heaven, and feehovy devout and intent the angels are in their worihipping of God, fure you would he ready to blu(h at your vain thoughts and vile impertinences in prayer.
2. If you would keep your mind fixed in prayer, keep your eye fixed, Pf cxxiii. 1. ' Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwelled in the heavens.' Much vanity comes in at the eye. When the eye wanders in prayer, the heart wanders. 'I'o think to keep the heart fixed in prayer, and yet let the eye gaze, is as if one (hould think to keep his houfe Cafe, yet let the windows be open.
3. If you would have your thoughts fixed in prayer, get more love to God. Love is a great fixer of the thoughts. He who is in love, cannot keep his thoughts otf the obje6l. He who loves the world, his thoughts run undillurbedly upon the world. Did we love God more, our minds would be more intent upon him in prayer. Were there more delight in duty there would be lefs dillra6tion.
4. Implore the help of God's fpirit to fix our mind«, and make them intent and ferious ii1 prayer. The (hip without a pilot rather floats than fails ; that our thoughts do not float up
OF PRAYER. 31
and down in prayer, we need the blcfied Spirit to be our pilot to fteer us : only God's fpirit can bound the thoughts. A (bak- ing hand may as well write a line (leadily, as we can keep our hearts fixed in prayer without the Spirit of God.
5. Make holy thoughts familiar to you in your ordinary courfe of life. David was oft mufing on God, Pf. cxxxix. 18. ' When I am awake, I am ftill with thee.' He who gives himfelf liberty to have vain thoughts out of prayer, will Icarce have other thoughts in prayer.
6. If you would keep your mind fixed on God, watch your hearts ; not only watch them after prayer, but in prayer. The heart will be apt to give you the flip and have a tliouiand vaga- ries in prayer. We read of angels afcending and delcending on Jacob's ladder: fo, in prayer you fliall find your hearts afcend- ing to heaven, and in a moment delcending upon earthly ob- je6ts. O Chridians, watch your hearts in prayer. What a ihame is it to think, that when we are fpeuking to God in prayer, our hearts Ihould be in the fields, or in our counting- houfe, or one way or other, running upon the devil's errand ?
7. Labour for more degrees of grace. The more ballalt the fliip hath, the better it fails ; fo the more the heart is ballafted with grace the fl;eadier it will fail to heaven in prayer.
(6.) Prayer that is likely to prevail with God mult be argu- mentative : God loves to have us plead with him, and ufe argu- ments in prayer. See how many arguments Jacob uled in prayer. Gen. xxxii. 11. * Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother.' The arguments he ufed, are 1. From God's command, ver. Q. ' Thou faidfi; to me return to thy country;' as if he had faid, I did not take this journey of my own head, but by thy direction ; therefore thou canll not but in honour protedl me. And he ufeth another argument, ver. 1':^. • Thou faidfi:, 1 will furely do thee good.' Lord, wilt thou go back from thy own promile? Thus he was argunjentative in prayer ; and he got not only a new blelfing, but a new name, ver. 2S. ' Thy name fhall no more be called Jacob, but Ifrael : for as a prince haft thou had power with God, and prevailed.* God loves to be overcome with fi:rength of argument. Thus, when we come to God in prayer for grace, be argumentative; Lord, thou calleft: thyfelf the God of all grace; and whither would we go with our veflel, but to the fountain; Lord, thy grace may be imparted, yet not impaired : hath not Chrill pur- chafed grace for poor indigent creatures? Every drachm of grace coll a drop ot" blood. Shall Chrill die to purchafe grace for us, and Ihall not we have the fruit olhis purchafe ? Lord, It is thy delight to milk out the brealt of mercy and grace, and wilt thou abridge thyfelf of thy own delight ? 'Phou hall promiled to give
39 OF PRAYER.
thy Spirit to implant grace ; can truth lie? can faithfulnefs fle- ceive ? God loves thus to be overconrie with arguments in prayer.
(7.) Prayer that would prevail with God, niuft bejoined with reformation. Job xi. 13. * If thou ftretch out thy hands to- wards him ? if iniquity be in thy hand, put it faraway from thee.* Sin, lived in, makes the heart hard, and God's ear deaf. *Tis foolifh to pray againfl fin, and then fin againft prayer, fin fly blows our prayers, Plal. Ixvi. 18. * If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.' The loadllone loleth its virtue when beCpread with garlic ; fo doth prayer when pollut- ed with fin. The incenie of prayer muft be oifered upon the altar of an holy heart.
Thus you lee what is that prayer which is rnofl likely to pre- vail with God,
• Uje I. It reproves, 1. Such as pray not at all : 'Tis made the note of a reprobate, he calls not upon God, Pfal. cxliv. Doth he think to have an alms, who never afks it ? do they think to have mercy from God, who never feek it? Then God Ihould befriend them more than he did his own Son, Heb. v. 7. Chrift offered up prayers with ftrong cries. None of God's children are born dumb. Gal. iv. 6.
(2.) It reproves I'uch as have left off prayer, a fign they never felt the fruit and comfort of it. He that leaves off prayer, a fign he leaves off to fear God, Job xv. 4. * Thou calteft off fear, and reftraineft prayer, before God.' A man that hath left off prayer is fit for any wickedneis. When Saul had given over enquiring after God then he went to the witch of Endor.
Ufe 9. Of exhortation. Be perfons given to prayer. * I give myfelf (faith David) to prayer.' Pray for pardon and pu- rity ; prayer is the golden key that opens heaven. The tree of the promife will not drop its fruit, unlefs fhaken by the hand of prayer. All the benefits of Chrift's redemption are handed over to us by prayer.
Obj. But I have prayed a long time for mercy ^ and have no anficer, Pf. Ixix. 3. ' I am weary of crying.'
Anf. I. God may hear us, when we do not hear from him : as foon as prayer is made, God hears it, though he doth not prefently anfwer. A friend may receive our letter, though he doth not prefently fend us an anfwer of it. 2. God may delay prayer, yet not deny.
Qu. But why doth God delay an anfwer of prayer 9
Anf. 1. Becaufe he loves to hear the voice of prayer, Prov. XV. t5. * The prayer of the upright is his delight.' You let the muficiun play a great while ere you throw him down mo- ney, becaule you love to hear his mufic. Cant. ii. 14.
2. God may delay prayer when he will not deny, that he may humble us ; perhaps God hath fpoke to us a long time in
or THE PREFACE, &c. S3
his word to leave fuch fins, but we would not hear him : there- fore he lets U6 fpeak to him in prayer and Teems not to hear us.
3. God may delay prayer when he will not deny, becauCe he fees we are not yet (it for the mercy ; perhaps we pray for de- liverance, we are not fit for it; our fcum is not yet boiled away ; we would have God fwift to deliver, and we are How to repent.
4. God ' may delay prayer, when he will not deny, that the niercy we pray for may be the more prized, and may befweet- er when it comes. The longer the merchant's fliips flay abroad, the more he rejoiceth when they come home laden with fpices and jewels; therefore be not difcouraged, but follow God with prayer: though God may delay, he will not deny. Fmyer v/ncitinvmcibilem, it overcomes the Omnipotent, Hof. xii. 4. The Tymans tied fall their god Hercules with a golden chain, that he fhould not remove : the Lord was held by Mofes* prayer, as with a golden chain, Exod. xxxii. 10. ' Let me alone;' why, what did Mofes ; he only prayed. Prayer ufhers in mercy. Be thy cafe never fo fad, if thou canft but pray, thou needed not fear, Pfal. x. 17- Therefore give thyfelf lo prayer.
OF THE PREFACE TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Oiir FATHER which art in heaven.
Having (through the good providence of God) gone over the chief grounds and fundamenlals of religion, and en- larged upon the decalogue or ten commandments, I {liall now, at the clofe, fpeak fomething upon the Lord's prayer.
Matih. vi. 9. ' After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed,' &c.
In this fcripture are two things obfervable,
1. The introduction to the prayer.
2. The prayer itfelf which con fills of three parts. (I.) A preface. (9.) Petitions. (3.) The conclufion.
L The introduction to the Lord's prayer, * After this man- ner pray ye.' Our Lord Jefus, in thei'e words, prefcribed lo ]iis difciples and us a directory for prayer. The ten command- tnents are the rule of our life, the creed is the fum of our faith, and the Lord'sprayer is the pattern of our prayer. As God did prefcribe Mofes a pattern of the tabernacle, Exod. xxv. 9. fb Chrift hath here prefcribed ii«a pattern of prayer. * Alter this manner pray ye,' &c. The meaning is, let ihis be the rule and model accordioe to which you frame your prayers. Ad hanc
Vol. H. No^. 13. £
3^4 OF THE PREFACE
regulam preces nojiras exigere necejj'e ejl, Calvin. Not that we are tied to the words of the Lord's prayer : Chrid faith not, * After thefe words, pray ye;' but ' After this manner ;' that is, le't all our petitions agree and fymbolize with the things con- tained in the Lord's prayer: and indeed, well may we make all ©ur prayers confonant and agreeable to this prayer, it being a mod exa6l prayer. Tertullian calls it, Breviarium totias evangelii, a breviary an compendium of the go (pel : it is like an heap of mafly gold. The exaftnefs of this prayer appears, 1. In the dignity of the Author: a piece of work hath com- jnendation from the artificer, and this prayer hath commenda- tion from the Author; it is the Lord's prayer. As the law moral was written with the finger of God, fo this prayer was dropt from the lips of the Son of God. Non vox hominem Jonat, eft Dens. 2. Theexadtnefs of this prayer appears in the excellency of the matter. I may fay of this prayer, it ' is as filver tried in the furnace, purified feven times,' Pfal. xii. ii. Never was there prayer fo admirably and curiouily compofed as this. As Solomon's fong, for its excellency, ib^ called, ' The. fong of ibngs;' fo may this well be called the " prayer of prayers." The matter of it is admirable, 1. For its fuccin6t- iiefs, 'tis fhort and pithy, multum in parvo, a great deal faid in a few words. It requires mofi: art to draw the two globes curi- oully in a little map. This Ihort prayer is a fyftem or body of divinity. 2. Its clearneis. This prayer is plain and intelligible to every capacity. Clearnefs is the grace of fpeech. 3. Its compleatneis. This prayer contains in it the chief things that we have to aflv, or God hath to bellow.
Ufe. Let us have a great efieem of the Lord's prayer: let it be the modern pattern of all our prayers. Thtre is a double benefit arifeth from framing our petitions fuitably to the Lord's prayer. 1.- Hereby error in prayer is prevented : 'tis not ealy to write wrong after this copy : we cannot eafily err, having our pattern before us. 2. Hereby mercies requefted are obtained : for the apoftle aflures us, God will hear us, when we pray,
* according to his will,' 1 John v. 14. And fure we pray ac- cording to his will, when we pray according to his pattern^ he
^ hath let us. So much for the introdu6tion to the Lord's prayer,
* After this manner pray ye.'
^ II. The prayer itfelf, which confifts of three parts. (I.) A preface. (2.) Petitions. (3.) The conclufion. .. F/r/i, The pi"eface to the prayer: (I.) ' Our Father.' (2,)
* Which art in heaven,^ To begin with the firft words of the preface.
* Our Father.' Father is fometimes taken perfonally, John xiv. 28. * My Father is greater than I :' but Father in the text is taken eiientially for the whole Deity. This title, Father,
TO THE lord's PRAYfiR. S5
teacheth us to whom we muft addrefs ourfelves in prayer ; to God alone. Here is no fuch thing in the Lord's prayer, as, O ye faints or angels that are in heaven, hear us ; but, * Our Fa- ther which art in heaven.^
Qu. In what order muft ice dire6i our prayers to God? Here is only the Father named : may not we direct our prayers to the Son, and Holy Ghojif
Anf. Though the Father only benanied in the Lord's prayer, vet the other two Perfons are not hereby excluded : the Father is mentioned becaufe he is firft in order ; but the Son and Holy Gholt are included, becaule they are the lame in eifence. As all the three Peribns fubfitlinoue God-head ; fo, in our prayers, -tho' we name but one Perlbn, we mult pray to all. To come 4hen more clolely to the tirlt words of the preface, * Our Fa- ther.' Princes on earth gt-e themfelves titles expreffing their grealnefs, as " High and Mighty :" God might have done fo, and exprefled himielf thus, " Our king of glory, our Judge :" but he gives himfelf another title, • Our Father,' an expretfion of love and condefcenfion. God, that he might encourage us to pray to him, reprefents himfelf under this fweet notion of a Father, * Our Father.' Dulce nomen Fatris. The name Jehovah carries majefty in it, the name Father, carries mercy in it.
Qu. 1. In what fenfe is God a Father ?
Anf. 1. By creation ; it is he that hath made us, A6ls xvii. 28. * We are his offspring,' Mai. ii. 10. ' Have we not all one Father ?' Hath not one God created us ? but there is little com- fort in this : for fo God is Father to the devils by creation ; but he that made them will not fave them.
2. God is a Father by election, having chofen a certain num- ber to be his children, whom he will entail heaven upon, Eph. i. 4. * He hath chofen us in him.*
3. God is a Father by fpecial grace ; he confecrates the ele6t by his Spirit, and infufeth a fupernatural principle of holinefs, therefore they are laid to be born of God, 1 John iii. 9. Such only as are fan6li(ied can fay. * Our Father which art in hea- ven.'
Qu. I. What is the difference between God being the Father of Chriji, and the Father of the eleSl ?
Anf. God is the Father of Chrift in a more glorious tranf- cendant manner. Chrift hath the primogeniture ; he is the eldeft Son, a Son by eternal generation, Prov. viii. 23. * I was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.' ltd. hii. 8. ' Who (hall declare his generation ?' Chrift is a Son to the Father ; yet fo as he is of the fame nature with the Father, having all the communicable properties of the God- head belonging to him : but we are fons of God by adoption and
E2
35 or THE preface
grace, Gal. iv. 6. * That we might receive the adoption of Ions.'
Qu. 3. What is that which makes God our Father 9
Ai}j'. Faiti) : Gal. iii. Sd. * V e are all the children of God by faith in Chrill Jefus.* An unbeliever may call God his Crea- tor, and his Judge, but not his Father. Faith doth legitimate us, and make us of the blood-royal of heaven: ' Ye are the diiidren of God by faith.' Baptil'm makes us church-members, but faith makes us children : without faith the devil can (hew as good a coat of arms as we.
Qu. 4. How doth faith make God to he our Father?
Ai^f. As faith is an uniting grace; by faith we have coalition and union wifli Clnilt and lb the kindied comes in ; being united to Chrilt, the natural Son, we become adopted Ions: God is tlie Father of Chrdl; faith «iakes us Chrift's brethren, Heb. ii. II. and fo God comes to be our Father.
Qu. 6. IV herein doth it appear that God is the beji Father?
An/'. 1. In that he is moll ancient, Dan, vii. y. * Tlie an- cient of days did lit.* A figurative repreientalion of God who was before all time, (his may caufe veneration.
9. God is the bell Father, becaufe he is perfe6t, IMat. v. 48. * Your Father which is in heaven is perfect;' he is perfe6lly good. Earthly fathers are fubjedt to infirmities : Elias (though a prophet) * was a man of like palfions,' Jam. v. 1?. but God is perfectly good. All the perfection we can arrive at in this life is lincerity : we may a little refentble God, but not equal hitn ; he is infinitely perfe6l.
3. God is the belt Father, in refpe6l of wifdom, 1 Tim. i. 17- ' The only wife God.' He hath a perfect idea of wifdom in himfelf : he knows the fittell nieans to bring about his own defigns ; the angels light at his lamp. In particular, this is one branch of his wifdom, that lie knows what is bell for us. An earthly parent knows not, in Ibnie intricate cafes, how to ^dvife his child, or what may be bell for him to do ; but God is a molt wile father, he knows what is bell for us, he knows what comfort is bell for us ; he keeps his cordials for fainting, 2 Cor. vii. 6. * God who comforteth them that are call down :' he knows when affliction is bell for us, and when it is fit to give a bitter potion, 1 Pet. i. (5. ' If need be, ye are in heavinefs.' He is the only wife God ; he knows how to make evil things work for good to his children, Rom. viii. 28. He can make a Ibvereign treacle of poifon ; thus he is the bell Fa- ther for wifdom.
4. He is the bell Father, becaufe the mod loving, I John iv. 16. • God is love.' He who caufeth bowels of alfcclion in others, mull needs have more bowels himlelf : quod e(ficit tale ; the afieClions in parents are but marble and adamant, in coni-
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 87
parifon of God's love to his children : he gives them the cream of his love, ele6ting love, laving love, Zeph. iii. 17- ' He will r^yoice over thee with joy, he will relt in his love, he will joy over ihee with Tinging :' no father like God for love ; if tiiou art his child, thou c-anll not love thy own Ibul ib entirely as lie k)ves thee.
5. God is the bed Father, for riches : God hath land enongh to give all his ciiildren, he hath unfearchable riches, Eph. iii. 8. He gives the hidden manna, the tree of life, rivers of joy, God hith treafures that cannot be completed, gates of pearl: who ever law gates of pearl ? pleafures that cannot be ended. Earthly fathers, if they fliould be ever giving, they would have nothing left to give : God is ever giving to his children, yet hath not the If is : his riches are imparted not impaired : like the fun that Hill fliines, yet hath not the lefs light. He cannot be poor who is infinite. Thus God is the bell Father ; he Skives more to his children, than any father or prince can beftow.
6. God is the bell Father, becaufe he can reform his chd- dren. A father, when his fon takes bad courfes, knows not how to make him bet4;er ; but God knows how to make the children of the election better ; he can change their hearts. When Paul was breathing out perfecution againll the faints, God loon altered his courle, and let him a praying, A6lsix. 11* * Behold, he prayeth.' None of thofe who belong to the elec-^ tion are fo rough-call and unhewn, but God can polilh them with his grace, and make them lit for the inheritance.
7. God is the bed Father, becaufe he never dies, 1 Tim. vi. 16. * Who only hath immortality.' Earthly fathers die, and their children are expofed to many injuries, but God lives for ever, Rev. i. 8. '1 am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.' God's crown hath no fucceflfors.
Qu. 6. Wherein lies the dignity offuch as have God for their Father ?
Alt/. I. They have greater honour than is conferred on the princes of the earth ; they are precious in God's elleem, lia. xliii. 4. * Since thou wait precious in my eyes, thou hall been honourable ;' the wicked are drofs, PI", cxix. \IU. and chatV, Pf. i. 4. but God numbers his children, among his jewels, Mai. iii. 17. He writes all his children's names in the book of life, Phil. iv. y, ' Whofe names are in the book of life.* Among the Romans the names of their lenators were written down in a book, patres conlcripti: God enrolls the names of his children, and will not blot their names out of the regilier. Rev. iii. 5. ' I will not blot his name out of the book of life.* God will not be alhamed of his children. Heb. xi. l(j. ' God is not aihamed to be called your God.' One might think it were fomething below God, and he might dilUaiu to father
33 OF THE PREFACE.
fuch children as are duft and fin mingled : but he is tiotafham- ed to be called our God ; and that we may fee he is not alham- ed of his children, he writes his own name upon them, Rev. iii. l'-^. ' 1 will write upon him the name of my God ;* that is, I will openly acknowledge him before all theangelsto be my child : I will write my name upon him, as the Ton bears his fa- ther's name ; what an honour and dignity is this ?
2. God confers honourable titles upon his children : he calls them the excellent of the earth, Pf. xvi. 2. or the magnifi- cent, as Jiinias renders it. They muft needs be excellent, who are e ref^iojatigume nati, o^ the blood-royal of heaven ; they are the fpiritual phoenixes of the world, the glory of the crea- tion. God calls his children his glory, lia. xlvi. 13. * Ilrael my glory.' God honours his children with the title of kings. Rev. i. 6. * And hath made us kings.' All God's children are kings ; though they have not earthly kingdoms, yet, 1. They carry a kingdom about with them, Luke xvii. 21. ' The kingdom of God is within you ;' grace is a kingdom fet up in the hearts of God's children ; they are kings to rule over their fins, to bind thofe kings in chains, Pf. cxlix. 8. 2. They are like kings ; they have their injignia regalia^ their enfigns of royalty and majefty. 1, They have their crown ; in this life they are kings in a difguife ; they are not known, therefore they are expofed to poverty and reproach ; they are kings in a difguife ; I John iii. 9. * Now we are the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we (hall be.' Why, what (hall we be .> Every fon of God (l)all have his crown of glory, I Pet. V. 4. and white robes, Rev. vi. 11. Robes fignify dignity, and white fignifies fan6tity.
3. This is their honour who have God for their Father they are all heirs : the youngefl fon is an heir. 1. God's children are heirs to the things of this life : God being their Father, they have the beft title to earthly things, they have a fan6lified right to them ; though they have often the leall (hare, yet they have the beft right ; and they have a blelTing with what they have, i. e. God's love and favour. Others may have more of the venifon, but God's children have more of the blefling : thus they are heirs to the things of this life. 2. They are heirs to the other world ; 'heirs of falvation,* Heb, i. 14. * Joint heirs with Chrift,' Rom. viii. 17. They are co-(har€rs withi Clirid in glory. Among men commonly the eldcll fon carries away all, but God's children are all joint-heirs wi'h Chrift, they have a co-partnerfliip with him in his riches. Hath Chrift a place in the celeitial manfions ? fo have the faints, John xiv. 2. ' In my Father's houfe are many manfions, I go to prepare a place for you.' Hath he his Father's love ? fo have they, Pf. cxlvi. 8. John xvii. 20'. * That the love wherewith thou halt
TO ¥HE LORD*S PRAYER. Sd
loved me, may be in them.* Doth Chiifl fit upon a throne ? fo do God's children. Rev. iii. 21. What an higli honour is this ?
4. God makes his children equal in honour to the angels, Luke XX. 36\ They are equal to the angels : nay thofe faints, who have God for their father, are in fome fenfe fuperior to the angels ; for Jel'us Chrift having taken our nature, naturam iwj' tram nobilitavit, Aug. hath ennobled and honoured it above the angelical, Heb. ii. 16. God hath made his children, by adoption, nearer to himfelf than the angels. The angels are the friends of Chrift, believers are the members of Chrift, and this honour have all the faints. Thus you fee the dignity of fuch as have God for their Father. What a comfort is this to God's children, who are here defpifed, and loaded with calum- nies and inve^ives? 1 Cor. iv. 14. * We are made as the filih of the world,' &c. But God will put honour upon his children at the laft day, and crown them with immortal bills, to the envy of their adverfaries.
Qu. 7. Hoio may ice know that God is our Father ? All cannot fay, * Our Father :' the Jews buajted that God was their Father^ John viii. 5(3. ' JVe have one Father^ even God.' Chriji tells them their pedigree, ver. 44. * Ye are of your father the devil.* They who are offatanicalfpirits, and make ufe of their power to heat doicn the power of Godlinefs, cannot fay, God is tlieir Fa- ther, they may fay. Our father ichich art in hell. Well then how may ice know that Gud is our Father?
/inf. (1.) By having a filial difpofition : this is feen in four things, 1. To melt in tears for fin : a child weeps for otfending his father. When Chrift looked on Peter, and he remembered his fin in denying Chrift, he fell a weeping. Clen)ens Alex- andrinus reports of Peter, he never heard a cock crow, but he wept. This is a fign that God is our Father ; when the heart of (lone is taken away, and there is a graciou.* thaw in the heart ; it melts in tears for i\n ; and he who hath a child-like heart, mourns for fin in a fpititual manner, as it is fin ; he grieves for it, I. As it is an a6l of pollution. Sin deflowers the virgin- foul ; it defaceth God's image ; it turns beauty into deformity ; 'tis called the ' plague of the heart,' I Kings viii. 3S. It is the fpirits of evil diftilled. A child of God mourns for the defile- ment of fin ; fin hath a blacker afpe(5t than hell. •2. He who hath a child-like heart, grieves for fin, as it is an a(5t of enmity. Sin is diametrically oppofite to God. It is called a walking con- trary to God, Lev.xxvi.40. ' Iftheyfhall confefs their iniquity and that they have walked contrary to me.' Sin doth all it caa to fpight God ; if God be of one mind, fin will be of another ; fin would not only unthrone God, but it ftrikes at his very be- ing:. if fin could help it. God iLould be no longer God. A
40 OF THE PIIEFACE
child- like heart grieves for this ; O, fiiith he, that I fhould have lb much enmity in me, that my will (hould be no more fubdued to the will of my heavenly Father! This fprings a leak of godly forrow. 3. A child-like heart weeps for tin, as it is an act of ingratitude ; fin is an abufe of God's love ; it is taking the jewels of God's mercies, and making ufe of them to (in : God hath done more for his children than others ; he hath planted his grace, and given them fome intimations of his favour ; and to Cm againd kindnefs, dyes a fin in grain, and makes it crini- fon : like Abfalom, who, as foon as his Father kilfed him, and took him into favour, plotted trealbn againll him : nothing Co melts a child- like heart in tears, as fins of unkindnefs : O that I (liould fin againft the blood of a Saviour, and the bowels of a Father ! I condemn ingratitude in ray child, yet I am guilty of ingratitude againlt my heavenly Father : this opens a vein of godly forrow, and makes the heart bleed afre(h : certainly this evidenceth God to be our Father, when he hath given us this child-like frame of heart, to weep for fin as it is fin, an a(5l of pollution, enmity, ingratitude: a wicked man may mourn for the bitter fruit of fin, but only a child of God can grieve for the odious nature of fin. (I.) A filial (or child-like) diCpofirioii is to be full of iympathy : we lay to heart the dillionours reflected upon our heavenly Father, when we fee God's worlhip adulte- rated, his truth niingled with the poifon of error, it is as a fword in our bones, to fee God's glory futftr, Pf. cxix. ^258. * I beheld the tranfgreiibrs and was grieved: Homer defcribing Agamem- non's grief when he was forced to facrifice his daughter Iphi- ^enia, brings in all his friends weeping and condoling with him ; ib, when God is diflionoured we fympathize, and are as it were clad in mouining. A child that hath any good nature, is cut to the heart to hear his father reproached : an heir of heaven takes a dillionour done to God more heinous than adifgrace done to himltlf.
(3.) A filial difpofition, is to love our heavenly father; he is unviatural that doth not love his father* God who is crowned with excellency, is the proper object of delight : and every true child of God faith, as Peter, ' Lord, thou kuowell that 1 love thee.' But who will not fay he loves God ? if ours be a true genuine love to our lieavenly Father, it may be known, \Ji, By the effe6ts : 1. Then we have an holy fear; there is a fear U'hich arifeth from love to God, that is, we fear the lofs of the vilible tokens of God's profence, 1 Sam. iv. 13. ' Eli's heart trembled for the ark.' It is not iaid his heart trembled for his two Ions Hophni and Phineas ; but his heart trembled for the ark, becaule the ark was the fpecial fign of God's preience ; and if that were taken, the glory was departed. He who loves his heavenly Father, fears led tlie tokens of his prefence fliould b«
TO THE lord's prayer. 4^
removed, loft profanenefs nionld break in like a flood, left po- pery (hould get head, and God flioyld go from a people : the prel'ence of God in his ordinanfe.s is the ii,\oTy and llrength of a nation. The Trojans had the image of Pallas, and they had an opinion that as long as that image was-prelerved among them, they fliould never be conquered : To long as God's prelence is with a people, fo long they are £ife ; every trne child of God fears left God (hould go, and the glory depart. Try by this, whether we have a filial difpofition : do we love God, and dotli this love caufe fear and jealoufy ? are we afraid left we Ihould lofe God's prefence, left the Sun of righleoufnefs remove out of our horizon ? Many are afraid left they ftiould lofe Tome of their worldly profits, but not left they lofe the prefence ot God ; if they may have peace and trading, they care not what become of the ark of God. A true child of God fears nothing lb mucli as the lofs of his father's prefence, Hof. ix. 12. ' Wo to them when I depart from them.' 2. Love to our heavenly Father is leen by loving his day, Ifa. Iviii. 13. * If thou call the fabbatli a delight.' The ancients called this reginn dieruoi, the qneeii of days. If we love our Father in heaven, we fpend this day in devotion, in reading, hearing, meditating; on this. day manna falls double. God fand-lilied the labbath ; he made ail the other days in the week, but he haih lanCtified this day ; this day he hath crowned with a blefiing. 3. Love to our heavenly Father is leen by loving his children, 1 John v. l. ' Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him alio that is begotten of him.' If we love God, the more we fee of God in any the more we love them ; we love them though they are poor : a child love^ to fee his father's pi6lure, though hung in a mean frame j we love the children of our father, though they are perfecuted, I Tim. i. IG. ' Onefiphorus was not aftianied of my chain.* Conftantine did kifs the hole of Paphnuiius' eye, becaufe he fulFered the lofs of his eye for Chrift : it aopears they iiave no love to God, who have no love to his children ; they care not for their company : they have a fecret difguii; and aniipaihy againft them : hypocrites pretend great reverenge to the faints departed, they canonize dead laints but perfecute living; I may lay of thefe, as the apollle, Heb, xii. 8. ' They are baftards not Ions.' 4th Etfe6l of love, if we love our heavenly Father, then we will be advocates for him, and ftand up in the defence of his truth ; he who loves his father will plead for him wlien he is traduced and wronged ; he hath no child-like heart, no love to God, who can hear God's name dilhonoured, and be lilent. Doth Chrift appear for him on earth ? Such as dare not own God and religion in times ot d inger, God will be alhamed to be called their God ; it would be u reproach to hirn to have fuch children as will uot own him. SJ/y, A chikl-li'vfi Vol. II. No. 13. F
At OF THE PREFACa
love to God is known, as by the efFe6ts, fo by the degree ; it is a fuperior love. We love our Father in heaven above all other things ; above ellate, or relations, as oil runs above the water, Pf. Ixxiii. 25. A child of God I'eeinga fupereminency ofgood- nefs, and a conftellation of all beauties in God, he is carried out in love to him in thehigheft nieafure : as God gives his children fuch a love as he doth not beftow upon the wicked, ele6ling love ; fo God's children give fuch a love as they beftow upon none elfe, adoring love ; they give him the flower and fpirits of their love; they love him with a love joined with worfhip, this fpiced wine they keep only for their Father to drink of. Cant, viii. 2. (4.) A child-like difpofition is feen in honouring our heavenly Father, Mai. \. 6. 'A Ion honoureth his father.' Qu. Hoio do we flieio our honour to our Father in heaven f Anf. 1. By having a reverential awe of God upon us, Lev. XXV. 17. * Thou flialt fear thy God.' This reverential fear of God, is when we dare do nothing that he hath forbidden in his word, Gen. xxxix. 6. ' How can 1 do this great wickednefs, and fin againfl God ?' It is the part of the honour a fon gives to a father, he fears to difpleal'e him. (2.) We lliew our honour to our heavenly Father, by doing all we can to exalt God, and make his excellencies fliine forth ; though we cannot lift uf God higher in heaven, yet we may lift him higher in our hearts, and in the efteem of others. When we fpeak well of God^ fet forth his renown, difplay the trophies of his goodnefs ; when we afcribe the glory of all we do to God, when we are the trum- peters of God's praife ; this is an honouring our Father in hea- ven, and a certain fign of a child- like heart, Pfal. 1. 23. ' Whofo otfereth praife, glorifieth me.' ,
2. We may know God is our Father, by our refembling of him : the child is his father's pi6lure, Jud. viii. IS. ' Each one refembled the children of a king :' every child of God re- fembles the king of heaven. Herein God's adopting children and man's ditfer : a man adopts one for his fon and heir, that doth not at all refemble him ; but whofoever God adopts for his child, is like him ; he not only bears his heavenly Father's name, but image, Col. iii. 10. ' And have put on the new man, which is renewed after the image of him that created him.* He who haih God for his Father, refembles God in hohnefs : holi-* nefs is the glory of the God-head, Exod. xv. 11. The holinefs of God is the intriniic purity of his elfence. He who hath God for his Father, partakes of the divine nature ; though not of the divme effence, yet of the divine likenefs : as the feal fels its print and likenels upon the wax, lb he who hath God for his Father, hath the print and effigies of his holinefs ilamped upon him, Pf. cvi. l(j. • Aaron the faint of the Lord.' Wicked men delire to be like God hereafter in glory, but do not af}'e6t to be
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 43
like h\tfi here in grace ; they give it <Sut t6" the world that Goet is their Father yet have nothing of God to be feen in them, tliey are unclean : they not only want his image, but hate it.
3. We may know God is uur Father, by having his Spirit in us : 1. By having the interceflion of the i'pirit ; 'tis a fpirit of prayer, Gal. iv. 6. * Becaufe ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crymg, Abba, Father.' Prayer is the foul's breathing itfelf into the bofom of its heaven- ly Father: none of God's children are born dumb; hnplet Spiaitus Sancius organumfaum, ^ tanquam pila chordarum tan- git Spiaitus, Dei cordafandionini, Profper. A6ls xi. 11. * Be- hold lie prayeth :' but it is not every prayer evidenceth God's Spirit in us. Such as have no grace may excel in gifts, and af- fect the hearts of others in prayer, when their own hearts are not aQei5ted ; as the lute makes a Iweet found in the ears of others, but itfelf is not fenfible : how therefore (hall we know our prayers are indited by God's Spirit, and (b he is our Father. . Ref. I. When they are not only vocal, but mental ; when there are not only gifts but groans, Rom. viii. 26. The bell inuficis in confort ; the beft prayer is when the heart and tongue join together in confort.
2. When they are zealous and fervent, Jam. v. 16. * The eflfeftual fervent prayer of a righteous manavaileth much.* The eyes melt in prayer, the heart burns. Fervency is to prayer, as fire to the incenfe ; it makes it afcend to heaven as a iWeet perfume.
3. When prayer hath faith fprinkled in it ; prayer is the key of heaven, aud faith is the hand that turns it, Rom. viii. 15. * We cry, Abba, Father.' * We cry,' there is fervency in prayer ; * Abba, Father,' there is faith. Thole prayers fuffer ihipwreck, which dafh upon the rock of unbelief. Thus we may know God is our Father, by having his Spirit praying in us ; as Chrill interceeds above, lb the Spirit interceeds within. 1. By having the renewing of the Spirit, which is nothing elfe but regeneration, which is called a being born of the Spirit, John iii. 5. This regeneration work of the Spirit is a transfor- mation, or change of nature, Rom. xii. 2. * Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.' He who is born of God, hath a new heart : new, not for fubftance but for qualities. The Itrings of a viol may be the fame, but the tune is altered. Be- fore this regeneration, there are fpiritual pangs, much heart- breaking for (in. Regeneration is called a circumcilion of the heart, Col. ii. 11. In circumcilion there was a pain in the flelh ; fo in this Ipiritual circumcilion there is a pain in the heart, there is much forrow ariling from the fenfe of guilt and wrath. The jailor's trembling, A6ls xvi. 30. was a pang in the new birth. God's fplrit is a fpirit of bondage, before it be a
F 2
44 OF THE PREFACE
fpiiit br'acToption. This blelTed work of regeneration' fpreads over the whole foui ; it irradiates the mind, it conlecrates the heart, and reforms the life: tho' regeneration be but in part, yet it is in ever}' part, I TheiT". v. 13. regeneration is the figna- ture and engraving of the Holy Ghoft upon the foul ; the iiew horn Chrillian is befpangled with the jewels of the graces, which are the angels' glory. Regeneration is the fpring of all true joy : at our fii-ft birtlj we come weeping into the world , but at cur new birth there is caufe of rejoicing : for now, God is our Falher, and we are begotten to a lively hope of glory, 1 Pet. i. 3. We may trj- by this our relation to God. Hath a regene- rating work of God's Spirit palfed upon our fouls ? are we made of another fpirit, humble and heavenly ? this is a good fign of fonfliip, and we may f^.y, ' Our father which art in heaven.'
3. By having the condu6l of the Spirit ; we are led by the Spirit, Rom. viii. 14. * As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God.' God's Spirit doth not only quicken us in our regeneration, but leads us on till we come to the end of our faith, falvation. It is not enough the child have life, but he muft be led every ftep by the nurfe, Hof. xi. 3. * I taught Ephraim to go, taking them by their arms.' Their arms, as the liraelites bad the cloud and pillar of fire to go be- fore them, and be a guide to them ; fo God's Spirit is a guide to go before us, and lead us into all truth, and counfel us in all our doubts, and influence us in all our actions, Pf. Ixxiii. 24. * Thou fhalt guide me by thy counfels.' None can call God Father, but fuch as have the- conduct of the Spirit. Try then ■what fpirit you are led by : fuch as are led by a fpirit of envy, kift, avarice, thefe are not led by the Spirit of God ; it were blafphemy for them to call God Father : thefe are led by the fpirit of Satan and may fay, " Our Father which art in hell."
4. By having the witnefs of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 16. ' The Spirit itfelf beareth witnefs with our fpirit, that we are the chil- dren of God.' This witnefs of the Spirit, fu^gefling that God is our Father, is not a vocjl witnefs, or voice from heaven : ' the Spirit in the word witnefleth :' the Spirit, in the word faith, he who is fo qualified who is a hater of fin, and a lover of holinefs, is a child of God, and God is his Father : If I can find luch qualifications wrought, here is the Spirit witnefling with my Ipirit, that I am a chiid of God. Befides, we may carry it higher; the Spirit of God witnelTeth to our fpirit, by making more than ordinary imprefiions upon our hearts, and giving fonie lecret hints and whifpers, that God hath pnrpofes of love to us ; here is a concurrent witnefs of the Spirit with confcience, that we are heirs of heaven, and God is our Father^* this witnefs is better felt than exprefl^ed : this witnefs Icatters doubis and fears, filericeth temptations. But what fhall one do that hath
TO THE LORD 5 PUjLTEB. 45
r\oi this xvitnefs of the Spirit? if «re want the witnefe of the Spirit, let us labour to find the work of the Spirit : if we have not the Spirit teliifymg, latwar to have it faDCtifying, and that will be a lupport to us.
4, If God be our Father, we are of peaceable fpirits, Matth. V. y. ♦ Bieiied are the peace-makers, they (hail be called the children of God.' Grace iufufeih a fv%eet, amicable difpofition ; it iiles otf ilie ruggedneiV of men's fpirits : it turns the lioo-like fiercenefs into a lamb-like gentlenefs, lid. si. 7- TTiey who have God to be their Father, foitow peace eis well as hoiinef*. God the Father is called the 'God of peace,' Heb. xiii. 90. God the Son, the * prince of peace,' Ila. is. d. God the Holy Ghoft is a ' Spirit of peace;' it is called * the unity of the Spirit in the bead of peace,' Eph. iv. 3. The more peaceable, the more like God. It is a bad figa God is not their Father, Ifi, Wiio are fierce and cruel, as if, with Romulus, they had ii'cked the milk of an wolf, Rom. iii. 17- * The way of peace iiAve they not known,' they fport in mifchief; thefe are they who are of a perfecuting fpirit as Maximmus, Dioclefiao, An- tiochus, who (as Eulebius) took more tediousjourneys, and raa more hazards in ve.King and perfecuting the Jews, than anr 01 tiis predeceirors had done in getting c> victories. Thefe furies cannot call God Father; if they do, they will have as little comfort in faying Father, as Dives had in hell, when he laid,
• Father Abraham,' Luke xvj. -24. 2d:y, VTho are makers of diviiio.isr Rom. xvi. 17 ' Mark them which caufe divitioos, and avoid them.' Such as are born of God, are makers of peace : what Ihall we think of fuch as are makers of divifions ? will God lather th-le r ' ' 11 made the nrii divifion ia hea- ven ; they may cali tiie ^^ . .. .ether ; they mav srive the clovea foot in their coat of arms ; their fweetefc mufic is ia difcord ; they unite to divide. Samfon's fox tails were tied together, only to fel the Philidines com on fire. Judges xv. 5. Papifis unite, oiily to fet the church's : ?? :^ ''- . Satan's ':-:-"'-m
grovs up uy diviiK»ns. St. C: rrveaoft;.^ ^.h
oi Cariuth, when many converts were brought in, Satan knetr no better way to damn up the current of religion, ihau to throvr in j.:x apple of t'.rife. and • ': them into parties ; one was-tbr Paul, ami anouier for .t.^ .;, but few for Chf.ii. Would not Chri.t have his coat rent, and can he endure to have his body rent.' Suie God will never father ihem who are not (bns of pe:ice : of a'.! • C ' • - , he is named for one,
* w(ioi>d ij.\ci .- _ „. -a,' Prov. vi. IJ).
5. If God be our Father ; then we love to be near God, and have coaverfe with him. An ingciiious cfaiid delights to ap- pro.! ' - liiher, ar ' _ - ce. D " :^- vieu ...^ ,.^^; -^-C ihev bu..v ...... ^^..c .^ ..^..r Goj ; ^..^.s.
46 or THE PREFACE
when he was debarred his Father's houfe, Pfal. Ixxxiv. 3. True faints love to get as near to God as they can : in the word they draw near to his holy oracle, in the facrament they draw near to his table; a child of God delights to be in his Father's prefence ; he cannot ftay away long from God : he fees a fab- bath day approaching, and rejoiceth : his heart hath been often melted and quickened in an ordinance; he hath tafted the Lord is good, therefore he loves to be in his Father's prefence; he cannot keep away long from God. Such as care not for ordi- rances cannot fay, • Our Father which art in heaven.' Is God their Father, who cannot endure to be in his prefence ?
life. I. Of inftru6tion. See the amazing goodnefs of God, that is pleafed to enter into this fweet relation of a Father. God needed not to adopt us, he did not want a Son but we wanted a Father. God (hewed power in being our Maker, but merry in being our Father : when we were enemies, and our heans ftood out as garrifons againft God, that he fliould con- quer our flubbornnefs, and of enemies make us children, and write his name, and put his image upon us, and beftovv a king- dom of glory ; what a miracle of mercy is this ! Every adopted child may fay, * Even fo, Father, for fo it leemed good in thy fight,' Mat. xi. 26.
2d, Branch, or Inference. If God be a Father, then hence I infer, Whatever he doth to his children, is love.
1. If he fmiles upon them in profperity, it is love: they have the world not only with God's leave, but with his love. God faith to every child of his, as Naaman to Gehazi, 2 Kings V. 23. • Be content, take two talents.' So faitli God to his child, • I am thy Father, take two talents.' Take health, and take my love with it : take an eftate and take my love with it : take two talents: God's love is a fweetening ingredient into every mercy.
Qu. Hoio doth it appear that a child of God hath worldly things in love f
Anf. I. Becaufe he hath a good title to them. God is his Father, therefore he hatli a good title. A wicked man hath a civil title (o the creature, but no more ; he hath it not from the hand of a father : he is like one that takes up cloth at the dra- per's, and it is not paid for ; but a believer hath a good title to every foot of land he hath ; his Father hath fettled it uponi him.
2. A child of God hath worldly things in love, becaufe they are fandified to him, (I.) They make hin:^ better, and are' loadilones to draw him nearer to God. (2.) He hath his Fa- ther's blelTing with them. A little bleft is fweet, Exod. xxiii. 25. ' tie Ihail blefs thy bread and thy water.' Efau had the veuifoii, but Jacob got the blelUng. While the wicked have
TO THE lord's PRATER. 47
their meat faiiced with God's wrath, Pfal. Ixxvii. SO, 31. be- lievers have their comforts fealbned with a blertinw. It was a Ifecret blelfing from God made Daniel's pulfe nourifh him more, and made him look fairer than they that ate of the king's meat, Dan. i. 15.
3. A child of God hath worldly things in love, becaufe what- ever he hath is an earned of more : every bit of bread is a pledge and eanieft of glory.
(2.) God being a Father, if he frown, if he dip his pen in ffall, and write bitter things ; if he corre6t, 'tis in love : a father loves his child as well when he dothchaftife and difcipline him, as when he fettles his land on him, Rev. iii. 19. * As manv as I love, I rebuke.' Affli6lions are fharp arrows (faith Gregory Nazianzen) but they are fiiot from the hand of a loving Father. Conefjiio eji uirtutes gymnajium ; God afBi6ts with the fame love he gives Chrilt ; he doth it to humble and purify : gentle cor- rection is as neceffary as daily bread ; nay, as needful as ordi- nances, as word and Atcraments. There is love in all, God fnutes, that he may fave.
(3.) God being a Father, if he defert and hide his face from his child, it is in love. Defertion is fad in itfelf, a fliort hell. Job vi. 9. AVhen the light is withdrawn, dew falls. Yet we may fee a rainbow in the cloud, the love of a Father in all this. yiy God hereby quickens grace. Perhaps grace lay dormant. Cant. V. 2. It was as fire in the embers ; and God withdraws comfort, to invigorate and exercife grace : faith is a liar Ibme- times fhines brightell in the dark night of defertion, Jonah ii. 4. <2rf///, When God hides his face from his child, yet ftill he is a Father, and hisheart is towards hischild : as Jofeph, when he fpake roughly to his brethren, and made them believe he would take them for ("pies; ilill his heart was full of love, and he was fain to go afideand weep : fo God's bowels yearn to his children, when he feemsto look ilrango, Ifa. liv. S. ' In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, but with everlalling kindneis will I have mercy on thee.* Though God may have the look of an enemy, yet Hill he hath the heart of a father.
3rf, Branch, or Inference. Learn hence the fad cafe of the wicked : they cannot fay ' Our Father in heaven ;' they may fay. Our Judge, but not, ' Our Father;' they fetch their pedigree from hell, John viii. 44. • Ye are of your father the Devil.' Such asar'2 unclean and profane, are the fpurious brood of the old ferpent, and it were blafphen)y for them to call God Father. The cafg of the wicked is deplorable : if they are in mifery, they have none to make their moan to ; God is not their Father, he difclaims all kindred with them, Mat. vii. S3. * I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity :* the wicked, dying in their (in, can expect no mercy from God
48 OF THE PREFACE
as a Father : many fay, He that made them will fave them ; but, 11a. xxvii. ll. ' It is a people of no underftanding, there- fore lie that made them, will not have mercy on them.' Tho* God was their Father by creation, yet becaufe they were not his children by adoption, * therefore he that made them would not fave them.'
Ufe II, Of exhortation. To perfuade all who are yet Grangers to God, to labour to come into this heavenly kindred ; never leave till you can fay, * Our Father which art in hea- ven.'
Qu. But unll God be a Father to me, who have profaned his name, and been a great /inner 9
Anf. If thou wilt now at laft feek to God by prayer, and break off thy fins, God hath the bowels of a Father for thee, and will in no wife call thee out. When the prodigal did arife and go to his father, * his father had compaltion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kiffed him,' Luke xv. 10. Though thou hafl been a prodigal, and almoll fpent all upon thy lulls, yet, if thou wilt give a bill of divorce to thy fins, and flee to God by repentance, know that he hath the bowels of a father ; he will embrace thee in the arms of his mercy, and feal thy pardon with a kifs. What tho' thy fins have been heinous ? the wound is not io broad as the plaifter of Chrift's blood. The fea covers great rocks : the fea of God's compafTion can drown thy great lins; therefore be not difcouraged, go to God, refolve to call thyfelf upon his fatherly bowels; God maj^ be entreated of thee, as he was of him, Manaffah, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13.
Ufe III. Of comfort. To fuch as can upon good grounds call God Father. There's more Iweetnefs in this word Father, than if we had ten thoufand worlds. David thought it a great matter to be fon-in-law to a king, 1 Sam. xviii. 18. * What is my father's family, that I fhould be fon-in-law to the king?* But what is it to be born of God, and have God for our Fa- ther ?
Qn. Wherein lies the happinefs of having God for our Fa- ther 7
Anf. 1. If God be our Father, then he will teach us. What father will refufe to counfel his fon ? doth God command pa- rents to inflruci their children, Deut. iv. 10. and will not he infl:ru6l his? Ifa. xlviii. 17- * I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit.' Pfal. Ixxi. 17. * O Gcd, thou hafl taught me from my youth.' If God be our Father, he will give us the teachings of his Spirit ; ' The natural man receives not the things of God, neither can he know them,' 1 Cor. i'l. 14. The natural man may have excellent notions in divinity, but God muft teach us to know the mylleries of the gofpel after
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 49
ATpintual manner. A man may fee the figures upon a dial, but he caniiol tell how the day goes, unlefs the fun Ihine : we may read many truths in the Bible, but we cannot know them favingly, till God, by his Spirit, fhine upon our foul. God teacheth not only our ear, but our heart : he not only informs pur mind, but inclines our will; we never learn till God teach us. If God be our Father, he will teach us how to order our affairs with dilcretion, Pf. cxii. 5. How to carry ourfelves wifely, 1 Sam. xviii. 5. * David behaved himCelf wifely.' He will teach us what to anfwer when we are brought before gover- nors ; he will put words into our mouths, Matth. x. 18, 19. ■ 20. • Ye (hall be brought before governors and kings for my fake : but take no thought how or what ye (hall fpeak : for it is not ye that fpeak, but the Spirit of your Father which fpeak- elh in you.*
2. If God be our Father, then he hath bowels of afle6tion to- vi'crds us. If it be fo unnatural for a father but to love his child, can we think God can be defedlive in his love ? x'^il the atledions of parents come from God, yet are but a fpark from his flame. He is the Father of mercies, 2 Cor. i. 3. He be- gets all the mercies and bowels in the creature ; his love to his children, is a love which palfeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 19. It exceeds all dimenfions ; it is higher than heaven, it is broader than the fea. That you may fee God's fatherly love to his children ; I. Confider God makes a precious valuation of them, lia. xliii. 4. * Since thou wall precious in my light.' A fa- ther prizelh his child above his jewels ; their names are preci- ous, for they have God's own name written upon them, Rev. iii. 12. * I will write upon him the name of my God.* Their prayers are a precious perfume ; their tears God's bottles, Pf. Ivi. 8. God efteems his children as a crown of glory in his hands, Ifa. Ixv. 3. (2.) God loves the places they were bora in the better for their fakes, Pf. Ixxxvii. 6. ' Of Zion it (hall be faid. This man was born there ;' this and that believer was born there : God loves the ground his children tread upon ; hence Judea, the featof God's children and chofen, God calls a delighlfome land, Mai. iii. 12. It was not only plealiint for fituation and fruitfulnefs, but becaufe God's children, wiio were his Hephjibah, or delight, lived there. (3.) He chargeth the great ones of the world not to prejudice his children : their per- fons are facred, Pf. cv. 14. ' He futfered no man to (Jo them wrong : yea, he reproved kings for their fakes, faying. Touch not mine anointed.' By anomted, is meant the children of the higii God, who have the uuclion of the Spirit, and are let apart for God. (4.) God delights in iheir company, he loves to fee their countenance, and hear their voice. Cant. ii. 14. He cannot refrain long fron:i their company ; let but two or
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three of his children meet and pray together, he willbe fure to be among them. Mat. xviii. 20. ' Where two or three are met together in my name, lam in the midll of them.' (5.) God bears his children in his bofom, as a nurfing-father doth the fucking-child, Numb. xi. 12- Ifa. xlvi. 4. To be carried in God's bofom, (hews how near his children lie to his heart. (6.) God is full of folicitous care for them, 1 Pet. v. 7. * He careth for you.' His eye is ftili upon them, they are never out of his thoughts. A father cannot always take care for his child, he fometimes is alleep ; but God is a Father that never lleeps, Pf. cxxi. 4. • He neither llumbereth nor fleepeth.* (7.) He thinks nothing too good to part with to his children ; he gives them the kidneys of the wheat, and honey out of the rock, and * Wine on the lees well refined,' Ifa. xxv. 0. He gives them three jewels more worth than heaven, the blood of his Son, the grace of his Spirit, the light of his countenance. Never was there fuch an indulgent, aifedionate Father. (S.) If God hath one love better than another, he beftows it upon them : they have the cream and quinteffence of his love ; ' He will rejoice over thee, he will reft in his love,' Zeph. iii. 17. God loves his children with fuch a love as he loves Chriffc, John xvii. 26. It is the fame love, for the unchangeablenefs of it ; God will no more ceafe to love his adopted fons, than he will to love his natural Son.
3. If God be our Father, he will be full of fympathy, Pf. ciii. 13. ' As a father pitieth his children, lb the Lord pitieth them that fear him.' Jer. xxxi. 20. ' Is Ephraim my dear fon ? my bowels are troubled for him.* God pities his chil- dren in two cafes ; (1.) In cafes of infirmities, (2.) Injuries.
(1.) In cafe of infirmities. If the child be deformed or hath any bodily diftemper, the father pities it : If God be our Fa- ther, he pities our weaknefl'es ; and he fo pities them as to heal them, Ifa. Ivii. 18. * I have feen his ways, and will heal him.' As God hath bowels to pity, fo he hath balfam to heal*
(2.) In cafe of injuries. Every blow of the child goes to the father's heart ; when the faints fuffer, God doth fympathize, Ifa. Ixiii, y. ' In all their aftli6tions he was affli6led.' He did, as it were, bleed in their wounds. * Saul, Saul, why perfecut- eft thou me ?' When the foot was trod on, the head cried out. Judges X. 19. ' God's (bul was grieved for the children of Is- rael,' As when one llring in a lute is touched, all the red of the ftrings found ; when God's children arellricken, his bowels found, Zech. ii. 8. ' He that touchelh you, toucheth the ap- ple of my eye.'
4. If God be our Father, he will take notice of the leaft good he fees in us : if there be but a figh for fin, God hears it, Pf. xxxviii. 9. • My groaning is not hid from thee/ If there be
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 51
but a penitential tear comes out of our eye, God fees it, Ifa. xxxviii. 5. • I have feen thy tears.' It there be but a good intention, God takes notice, 1 Kings viii. 18. * Whereas it was in thy heart to build an houfe to my name, thou didfl. well that it was in thine heart.' God punifheth intentional wicked- nels, and crowns intentional goodneCs, ' Thou didft well that it was in thine heart.' God takes notice of the \ezk\\ Jcintilla, the leaft fpark of grace in his children, 1 Pet. iii. 6. * Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord :' the Holy Gholl doth not mention Sarah's unbelief or laughing at the promil'e ; he puts a finger upon the fear, winks at her failing, and only takes no-^ tice of the good that was in her, her obedience to her hulband ;
• flie obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.' Nay, that good which the faints fcarce take notice of in themlelves, God in a fpecial manner oblerves, Matth. xxv. 35. ' I was an hungred. and ye gave me meat, J was thirdy and ye gave me drink.'
• Then fliall the righteous fay, Lord, when law we thee an hungred and fed thee ?' They did as it were overlook and dif- claim their own works of charity, yet Chrift doth take notice,
• I was an hungred and ye fed me.* What comfort is this ! God fpies the leall good in his children ; he can fee a grain of corn hid under chaif, grace hid under corruption.
5. If God be our Father, he will take all we do in good part. Thofe duties we ourfelves cenfure, God will crown. When a child of God looks over his beft duties, he fees fo much fin cleav- ing to them, that he is even confounded ; Lord, faith he, there is more fulphur than incenfe in my prayers. But for your com- fort, if God be our Father, he will crown thole duties which you yourfelves cenfure; God fees there is fincerity in the hearts of his children, and this gold, (though light) Ihall have grains of allowance : though there may be defe6ts in the lervces of God's children, yet God will not call away their offering, 2 Chron. xxx. 20. ' The Lord healed the people.' The tribes of Ifrael being firaitened in time, wanted fome legal puri- fications ; yet, becaufe their hearts were right God healed them ; he pardoned them. God accepts of the good will, S Cor. viii. 12. A father takes a letter from his fon kindly, though there are blots or bad Englifh in it. What blottings are there in our heavenly things ; Yet our Father in heaven ac- cepts ; faith God, it is my child and he will do better ; 1 will look upon him, through Chrilt, with a merciful eye.
6. If God be our Father, then he will corre6l us in meafure, Jer. xxx. 11. * I will correct thee in meafure ;' And thattwo ways ; IJiy It fhall be in meafure, for the kind ; God will not lay upon us more than we are able to bear, 1 Cor. x. 13. He knows our frame, Pf. ciii. 14. He knows we are not fteel or marble, therefore will deal gently, he will not over-afflid : as
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the phyfician that knows the temper of the body, will not give! phytic too ftrong for the body : nor will he give one drachm or fcruple too much. God hath not only the title of a father, but the bowels of a father ; he will not lay too heavy burdens on his children, left their fpirits fail before him. '-^dhj. He will correct in meafure for the duration ; he will not let the afflic- tion lie on too long, Pf. cxxv. 3. ' The rod of the wicked, fhall not rell upon the lot of the righteous.' It may be there, and not reft, Ifa. Ivii. 16. * I will not contend for ever.* Our heavenly Father will love for ever, but he will not contend for ever. The torments of the damned are for ever, Rev. xiv. 11. * The fmoke of their torment alcendeth up for ever and ever.* The wicked (hall drink a Tea of wrath, but God's children only tafte of the cup of affliction, and their heavenly Father will fay, tmnj'eat calix, ' let this cup pafs away from them,' Ifa. xxxv. 10. A fling a wing.
7. If God be our Father, he will intermix mercy with all our affli(5tions: if he gives us wormwood to drink, he will mix it with honey. In the ark, the rod was laid up, and manna ; with our Father's rod there is always fome manna.' * Aflier's fhoes were iron and brafs, but his foot was dipt in oil,' Gen. xxxiii. 24. Affli6tion is the fhoe of brafs that pincheth ; but there is niercy in the affli6tion, there is the foot dipt in oil. When God affli6ts the body, he gives peace of confcience ; there is mercy in the afflidtion. An affli6tion comes to prevent falling into fin ; there is mercy in an affliction. Jacob had his thigh hurt in wreftling ; there was the afiiiftion : but when he faw God's face, and received a bleffing from the angel. Gen. xxxii. 30. There was mercy in the afflidlion. In every cloud a child of God may fee a rainbow of mercy fhining. As the limner mixeth dark fhadows and bright colours together ; fo our hea- venly Father mingles the dark and bright together, croifes and blefflngs ; and is not this a great happinefs, for God thus to chequer his providences, and mingle goodnefs with feverity ?
8. If God be our Father, the evil one Qiall not prevail againft us. Satan is called the evil one, emphatically : he is the grand enemy of the faints : and that both in a military fenfe, as he fights againfl them with his temptations ; and in a forenfical or law fenle, as he is an acculer, and pleads againft; them ; yet neither way ftiall he prevail againft God's children. As for his fhooting his fiery darts, God will bruife Satan fliorily under the faint's feet, Rom. xvi. yo. As for his accufing, Chrift is advo- cate for the faints, and anfwers all bills of indidment brought in againft them. God will make all Satan's temptations pro- mote the good of his children, IJI, As they fet them more a- praying, 2 Cor. xii. 8. Temptation is a medicine for fecurity. SaVjz, As they are a means to humble them, 2 Cor. xii. 7. ' Ltit
TO THE lord's PRAYER. - 53
I fliould be exalted above meafure, there was given me a thorn ia the flelh.' The thorn in the fle(h was a temptation ; this thorn was to prick the bladder ot" pride. 3dh/, As they eilabhfh them more in grace : a tree (haUen by the wind is more letlled and rooted : the blowing of a temptation doth but fettle a child of God more in grace. Thus the evil one, Satan, Ihall not prevail apainll the children of God.
y. If God be our Father, no real evil (hall befal us, Pf. xci. 10. ' There fliall no evil befal thee.' It is not laid, no trou- ble : but, no evil : God's children are privileged perlbns ; they are privileged from the hurt of every thing, Luke x. ly. * No- thing ilia II by any means hurt you.' The hurt and malignity of the ailli6lion is taken away : affli6lion to a wicked man hath evil in it; it makes him worle, Rev. xvi. 9. ' Men werefcorch- e^i with great heat, and blafphemed the name of God.' But no evil belals a child of God, he is bettered by affliction, Heb. xii. 10. * That ye may be made partakers of his holinefs.* What hurt doth the furnace to the gold ? It only makes it pur- er: What hurt doth uffli6lions to grace ? Only refine and purify it. What a great privilege is this, to be freed, though not from the flroke of affliction, yet from the (ling 1 No evil fhall touch a faint: when the dragon hath poifoned the water, they fay, the unicorn with his horn doth draw out the poilbn : Chritl hath drawn out the poifon of every affliction, that it cannot prejudice a child of God. Again, no evil befals a child of God, becaufe no condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. * No condemnation to them in Chrill Jefus.' God doth not condemn them, nor confcience doth not condemn them. Both jury and judge acquit them; then no evil befals them, for nothing is really an evil but that which damns.
10. If God be our Father, this may make us go with cheerful- nefs to the throne of grace : were a man to petition his enemy, there were little hope : but when a child petitions his father, he may work with confidence to fpeed. The word father works upon God, it toucheth his very bowels. What can a father deny his child ? ' If a fon aflc bread will he give him a ftone?* IVIatth. vii. j). I'his may embolden us to go to God for pardon of fin, and further degrees of fan6tity. We pray to a Father of mercy, fitting upon a throne of grace, Luke xi. 13. ' If ye then being evil know to give good gifts to your children, how much more fhall your heavenly Father give his Spirit to them that afk him ?' This did quicken the church, and ad<l wings to prayer, lla. Ixiii. 15. ' Look down from heaven.' ver. Id. • Doubtlelij thou art our Father.* Who doth God keep his mercies for, but his children ? Th.ree things may caufe bold- nefs in prayer : we have a Father to pray to, and the Spirit to help us to pray, and an Advocate to prdent our prayers. God's
54 OF THE PREFACE
children fhoiiM in all their troubles, run to their heavenly Fa- ther, as that Tick child, 2 Kings iv. 19. * He faid unto his fa- ther, my head my head.' So pour out thy complaint to God in prayer, " Father, my heart my" heart : my dead heart, quicken it ; my hard heart, foften it in Chrift's blood. Father, my heart, my heart." Sure God, that hears the cry of the ravens, will hear the cry of his children.
11. If God be our Father, he will Hand between us and dan- ger ; a father will keep off danger from his child. God calls himfelf Scutuin, a (hieid ; a (hield defends the head, guards the vitals ; God IhieldsotF danger from his children. Acts xviii. 10.
* I am with thee, and none fliall feton thee to hurt thee.* God is an hiding-place, Pf. xxvii. 5. God preferved Athanafius ftrangely ; he put it into his mind to depart out of the houfe he was ill, the night before the enemy came to fearch for him. As God hath a breall to feed, fo he hath wings to cover his chil- dren, Pf. xci. 4. * He (hall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings flialt thou truft.' God appoints his holy an- gels to be a life-guard about his children,' Heb. i. 14. Never was any prince lb well guarded as a believer. The angels, IJi, Are a numerous guard, 2 Kings vi. 17. * The mountain was full of horfes of fire round about Eliflia.' The horfes and cha- riots of fire were the angels of God, to defend the prophet Eliftia. ^dly, A ftrong guard ; one angel, in a night, flew an hundred and fourfcore and five thoufand," 2 Kings xix, 32. If one an- gel flew fo many, what would an army of angels have done? Sdly, The angels area fwift guard ; they are ready in an infiant to helpGod'schildren : therefore they are defcribed with wings, to fliew their fwiftnefs ; they fly to our help, Dan. ix. 21, 23.
* At the beginning of thy fupplication the commandment came forth, and I am come to thee .?' Here was a fwift motion for the angel to come from heaven to earth between the beginning and ending of Daniel's prayer. Athly, The angels are a watchful guard ; not like Saul's guard, afleep when their lord was in dan- ger, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12. The angels are a vigilant guard, they watch over God's children to defend them, Pfal. xxxiv. 7.
* The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.' There is an invifible guardianftiip of angels about God's children.
12. If God be our Father, we fliall not want any thing that he fees is good for us, Pfal. xxxiv. 10. * They that feek the Lord fhall not want any good thing,' God is pleafed fome- times to keep his children to hard commons, but it is good for them: ftieep thrive belt on fliort pafture ; God fees too much may not be good : plenty breeds furfeit. Luxuriant anhni rebus fecundis. God fees it good Ibmetimes to diet his children, and
keep them fliort, that they raky run the heavenly race the bet-
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 55
ter : it was good for Jacob there was a famine in the land : it was a means to bring him to his Ton Jofeph : fo it is that God's children lometimes fee the world's emptinefs, that they may ac- quaint themfelves more with Chrift's fulnefs. If God fee it be good for them to have more of the world they (hall have it : God will not let them want any good thing.
13. If God be our Father, all the promifes of the Bible belong to us: God's children are called * heirs of the promife,' Heb. vi. 17. A wicked man can lay claim to nothing in the Bible but the curfes ; he hath no more to do abfolutely with the pro- mifes, than a plowman hath to do with the city charter : the promifes are children's bread : the promifes are muUtraUa Evan" gelii, the breads of the goipel milking out confolations ; and who are to fuck of thefe breafts but God's children } The promife of pardon is for them, Jer. xxiii. 8. * I will pardon all their iniquity, whereby they have finned againft me.' The promife of healing is for them, Ifa. Ivii. IS. The promife of falvation, Jer. xxiii. Q. 'The promifes are fupports of faith: they are God's fealed deed ; they are a Chriftian's cordial. O the hea- venly comforts which are diflilled from the limbec of the pro- mifes! St, Chryfollom compares the Icriptures to agarden, the promifes are the fruit trees that grow in this garden : a child of God may go to any promife in the Bible, and pluck comfort from it : he is an heir of the promife.
14. God makes all his children conquerors : 1. They conquer themfelves ; fortior eji quife quam qui forti[Jima vincit maenia. The faints conquer their own lulls ; * they bind thefe princes in fetters of iron,' Pf cxlix, 8. Though the children of God may fometimes be foiled, and lofe a fingle battle, yet not the victory. 9. They conquer the world : The world holds forth her two breafts of profitand pleafure, and many are overcome by it ; but the children of God have a worid-conquering faith, i John v. 4.
* This is the victory over the world, even your faith.* 3. They conquer their enemies ; how can that be, when they oft take away their lives? 1. They conquer, by not complying with them : the three children would not fall down to the golden image, Dan. iii. 18. They would rather burn than bow ; here they were conquerors. He who complies with another's luti, is a captive ; he who refuleth to comply is a conqueror.
(9. ) God's children conquer their enemies by heroic patience. A patient Chrillian, like the anvil, -bears all ftiokes invincibly : thus the martyrs overcame their enemies by patience. Nay,
* God's children are more than conquerors.' Rom. viii. 37.
* We are more than conquerors.' How are God's children more than conquerors ? Becaufe they conquer without lofs, and be-» caufe they are crovvned after death which other conquerors are not.
56 Ot" THE PREFACE
i
15. If God be our Father he will now and then fend us feme tokens of his love. God's children live far from home, and meet fometimes with coarfe ufage from the unkind world ; therefore,, God, to encourage his children, fends them fometimes tokens . and pledges of his love : What are thefe ? He gives them a re- turn of prayer, there is a token of love ; he quickens and enlarg- eth their hearts in duty, there is a token of love ; he gives them thefirft fruits of his Spirit which are love tokens, Rom. viii. «3. As .God gives the wicked the firft fruits of hell, horror of con- fcience and defpair : fo he gives his children the fird fruits of his Spirit, joy and peace, which are foretalles of glory; (bme of God's children having received thefe tokens of love from their heavenly Father, have been fo tranfported, that they have died for joy, as the glafs oft breaks with the ftrength of the wine put into it.
16. If God be our Father, he will indulge and fpare us, Mai. iii. 17. * I will fpare them, as a man fpareth his own fon that . ferveth him.' God's fparing his children, imports this, his cle- mency towards them ; he doth not punilh them as he might, Pf. ciii. 10. ' He hath not dealt with us according to our fins.' We olt do that which merits wrath, grieve God's Spirit, lelapfe into (in ; God paileth by much, and fpares us ; God did not fpare his natural Son, Rom^ viii. 32. Yet he will fpare his adopted fons ; God threatened l^phraim, to make hinj as the chatf driven with the whirlwind, but he foon repented, Hof. xiii. 4. ' Yet I am the Lord thy God,' ver. 10. * I will be thy king.' Here God fpared him, as a father fpares his fon. Ifrael oft provoked God with their complaints, but God ufed clemency toward them, he oftanfwered their murmurings with mercies; here he fpared them as a father fpares his fon.
17. If God be our Father, he will put honour and renown upon us at the lad day. 1. He will clear the innocency of his children. God's children in this life are ilrangely mifreprefent- ed to the world ? They are loaded with invectives, they are called fadious, ('editions : Elijah, the troubler of Ifrael : Luther was called the trumpet of rebellion ; Athanalius was accufed to the emperor Conliantine, to be the raifer of tutnults; the primitive Chrillians were accufed to be infanticidn mcejine re?', killers of their children, guilty of inceft ; as TertuUian, report- ed St. Paul to be a pellilent perfon. Ads xxiv. 4. Famous WicklitT, called the idol of the heretics, and that he died drunk. If Satan cannot defile God's children, he will difgrace them ; if he cannot Itrike his fiery darts into their confcience, he will put a dead fly into their name : but God will one day clear his chil- dren's innocency, he will roll away their reproach; as God will make a reiiirredion of bodies, lb of names, Ifa. xxv. 8. ' The JLord God will wipe away tears from otl all faces, and the re-
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 57
buke of his people (hall he take away.' God will be the faints' compurgator, Pi", xxxvii. 6. ' He fhall bring forth thy righ- teoufnel's as the light.' The nii.ht cafts ils dark mantle upon the ntofl beautiful flowers ; but the light comes in the morning and difpels the darkneis, and every flower appears in its orient brightnefs. So the wicked may by inilreports darken the ho- nour and repute of the faints : but God will difpel this darknefs, and caule their names to fhine forth : * He (hall bring forth thy righteoulhefs as the light.' As God did ftand up for the ho- nour of Mofes, when Aaron and Miriam went about to ecliple his fame, Numb. xii. 8. * Wherefore then were ye not afraid to fpeak againft my fervant Mofes ?' So will God (ay one day to the wicked, wherefore were ye not afraid to dffame and tra- duce my children .^ They having my image upon them, how durft ye abufe my pi6ture ? At latl God's children (liall come forth out of all their calumnies, as a * dove covered with filver, and her feathers with yellow gold,' Pf. Ixviii. 13. 2. God will make an open and honourable recital of all their good deeds : as the fins of the wicked fhall be openly mentioned, to their eternal infamy and confufion ; (ball the good deeds of the faints Ihall be openly mentioned, * and then Ihall every man have praife of God, I Cor. iv. 5. Every prayer made with meliiiig eyes, every good (ervice, every work of charity, (hall be openly declared before men and angels, Matih. xxv. 35. ' I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat ; thirlty, and ye gave me drink ; naked, and ye clothed me.' Thus God will let a trophy of honour upon all his children at the iaft day ; ' then (hail the righteous fhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their father,' Matth. xiii. 43.
18. If God be our Father, he will fettle good land of inherit- ance upon us, 1 Pet. i. 4. * Blefled be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus, who hath begotten us again to a lively hope, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.* A father may be fallen to decay, and have nothing to leave his Ion but his ble(f- ing; but God will fettle an- inheritance on his children, and an inheritance no lefs than a kingdom, Luke xii. 32. ' It is your Father's good pleafure to give you a kingdom.* This kingdom is more glorious and magnificent than any earthly kingdom; it is fet out by pearls and precious Hones, tlie rich- cftjewels. Rev. xii. U). Wh<\t are all the rarities of the world to this kingdom ? the coafts of pearl, the ilLaids of fpices, the rocks of diamonds? In this heaveidy kingdom is that which is fatisfying, unparalleled beauty, rivers of pleafure, and this fof ever, Pll xvi. 11. ' At thy ri;^ht-hand are pleafures for ever- more.' Heaven's eminency is it.s permanency ; and this king- dom God's children Ihall enter into immediately after death : there is a fudden iranfition and paiiUge from death to glory,
Vol. n. No, IS, H
5S OF THE PREFACE
2 Cor. V. o. * Abfent from the body, prefent with tTie Lord.* God's children fliall not liay loner for their inheritance ; it is but winking, and tli.ey fhall fee God. How may this comfort God's children, who perhaps are low in the world? Your Fa- ther in heaven, will lettle a kingdom upon you at death, fuch a kingdom as eye hath not feen ; he will give you a crown not of gold, but glory : he will give you white robes lined with im- mortality. * It is your Father's good pleafure, to give you a kingdom.'
10. If God be our Father, it is comfort, 1. In cafe of lofs of relations : hati thou loll a father r Yet, if thou art a believer, thou art no orphan, thou halt an heavenly Father, a father that never dies, 1 Tim. vi. 16. ' \Yho only hath immortality.' '-2. It is comfort, in cafe of death ; God is thy Father, and at death thou art going to thy Father : well might Paul fay ' death is youi-s,' 1 Cor. iii. 2. It is your friend, that will carry you home to your father. How glad are children when they are going home ? This was Chrilt's comfort at death, he wat going to his Father, John xvi. 28. * I leave the world, and go to the Fa- ther.' And, John xx. 17. ' I afcend to my Father.' If God be our Father, we may with comfort at the day of death, refigu our fouls into his hand : to did Chrili, Luke sxiii. 40. ' Fa- ther, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.' If a child hath any jewel, he will, in time of danger, put it into his father's hands, where he thinks it will be kept moil fafe : our foul i? our richelt jewel ; we may at death rtlign our fouls into God's hands, where they will be fafer than in our own keeping ; ' F"a- ther into thy hands I commend my Spirit.' AVhat a comfort is this, death carries a believer to his Father's houfe, * where are delights unfpeakable and full of glory '.' How glad was old Jacob, when he law the waggons and chanots to ciury him to his fon Jofeph? The text faith, ' His fpirit revived,' Gen. xlr. i;7- Death is a triumphant chariot, to carry every child of God to his father's manfion-houfe.
20. If God be our Father, he will not difmherit his children ; God may for a tin)e defert them, but not diiinherit them. The fons of kings have Ibmetimes been difinherited by the cruelty of ufurpers; as, Alexander the Great, his fon was put by hisjuft right, by the violence and ambition of his father's captains : -but what power on earth ihail hinder the heirs of the promiie from their inheritance ; men cannot, and God will not cut otY the en- tail. The Arminians hold falling away from grace, arul lb a cliild of God may be defeated of hij inheritance ; but I Ihall fhew that God's children can never be degraded nor difinherit- ed, their heavenly Father will not caft them olffrom being chil- dren. 1. It is evident God's children cannot be finally difin- herited, by virtue of the eternal decree of heaven. God's de-
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 5D
cree is the very pillar and bafison which the faints' perfeverance depend ; God's decree ties the knot of adoption to fall that nei- ther (in, death nor hell, can break it aliinder, Rom. viii. 30. • Whom lie dj«j predeftiiiate, them he alfo called,' »Scc. Pre- deltination is nothing eUe but God's decreeinfr a certain number to be heirs of glory, on whom he will fettle the crown ; whom he predeliinates, he glorifies. What (hall hinder God's electing love, or make his decree null and void ? 2. Befides God's de- cree, he hath en2:aged himfelf by promil'e, that the heirs of hea- ven fhall never be put by their inheritance. God's promifes are not like blanks in a lottery, but as a fealed deed which can- uot be reverfed : the promiles are the faints' royal charier ; and this is one promife, that their heavenly Father will not difinhcrit them, Jer. xxxii. 40. ' I will make an everlafting covenant with them, that 1 will not turn away from them ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fliall not depart from me.' God's fidelity, which is the richell pearl of his crown, is engaged in this promife for his children's perfeverance; * I will not turn away from them.' A child of God cannot fall away, while he is held fafi in ihefe two arms of God, his love, and his faithfal- nefe. 3. Jefus Chrilt undertakes, that all God's children by adoption Ihall be preferved, in a (late of grace, till they inherit glory : as the heathens feigned of Atlas, that he did bear up the heavens from falling ; Jefus Chrilt is that blell'ed Atlas, that bears up the faints from falling away.
Qu. How doth Chriji pre ferve the faints' graces, till they come to heaven ?
Avf. I. Lnfluxu Spiritus. Chrift carries on grace in the fouls of the elect, by the influence and co-operation of his Spirit: Chrift doth, Spiritii, continually excite and quicken grace in the godly : his Spirit doth blow up the fparks of -grace into a holy flame ; Spiritus eji vicarius Chrift i ; the Spirit is Chrift's vicar on earth, his proxy, his executor, to fee that all that Ciirill hath purchafed for -the laints be made good : Chrilt hath ob- tained an inheritance incorruptible for them, 1 Pet. i. 4. and the Spirit of Chrill is his executor, to liee that this inheritance be fettled upon them. 5. Chrilt carries on perfeveringly in the fouls of the elect, vi oratiouis, by the prevalency of his inter- celfion, Heb. vii. 25. * He ever iiveth to make intercellion for them.' Chrift prays that eveiy faint may hold out in grace till he comes to heaven ; can the children of fuch prayers perifli? If the heirs of heaven fhould be difinherited, and fall ihort of glory, then God's decree mull be reverfed, his promife broken, Chrift's prayer frullrated, which were blafphemy to imagine. 4. That God's children cannot be difinherited, or put by their right to the crown of heaven, is evident from their niyfiical union with Chrilt. Believer^ are incorporated into
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Chrift, they are knit to Chrift, as the members fo the head, by the nerves and ligaments of faith, fo that they cannot be broken (AT, Eph. i. 22. 23. * The church which is his body.' What was once faid of Chrift's natural body, is as true of his myftical, • A bone of it (hall not be broken.' As it is impoflible to fever the leaven and the dough when they are once mingled and kneaded together; fo it is impoflible, when Chrift and believers are once united, that they thould never, by the power of death or hell, be feparated. Chrift and his fpiritual members make one Chrift : now, is it poflible that any part of Chrift fiiould perifh ? How can Chrift want any member of his body myftical, and be perfe6t ? Every member is an ornament to the body, and adds to the honour of it: how can Chrift part with any myftical member, and riot part with fome of his glory too ? So that by all this it is evident, that God's children muft needs perfevere in grace, and cannot be difinherited. . If they could be difinherited, then the fcriptue could not be fulfilled, which tells us of glorious rewards for the heirs of promife, Pfal. Iviii. 11. ' Doui)tlefs there is a reward for the righteous.' Now, if God's adopted children fliould fall away finally from grace, and mils of heaven, what reward were there for the righteous? and Mofes did indifcreetly tolook for the recompenceof the reward, and fo there would be a door opened to defpair.
Obj. This doctrine of God's children perfevering, and having the heavenly inheritance fettled on theniy may cauje carnal fe- curity, and make them lej's circumfpect in their talking.
Anf. Corrupt nature may, as the fpider, fuck poifon from this flower ; but a fober Chriftian, who hath felt the efficacy of grace upon his heart, dares not abufe this do6trine : he knows perfeverance is attained in the ufe of means, therefore he walks liolily , that fo in the ufe of means he may arrive at perfeverance. St. Pdul knew that he fhould not be difinherited, and that no- thing could (Separate him from the love of Chrift : but who more holy and watchful than he ? I Cor. ix. 27« * I keep under my body;* and, Phil. iii. J4. * I prefs towards the mark.' God's children have that holy fear in them, which keeps them from fecurity and wantonneis ; they believe the promife, therefore they rejoice in hope ; they fear their hearts, therefore they watch and pray. Thus you fee what ftrong confolation there is for all the heirs of the promife. Such as have God for their Father are the happieft perfons on earth ; they are in fuch a condition that nothing can hurt them ; they have their Father's blefiing, all things confpire for their good ; they have a kingdom fettled on theni, and the entail can never be cut oft". How may God's . children be comforted in all conditions, let the times be what they will ? their Father is in heaven, he rules all : if troubles arife, they (hall but carry God's children fo much the fooner to
TO THE lord's PRAYER* 61
their Father. The more violently the wind beats againft the i'ails of a (hip, the fooner the (hip is brought to the haven ; and the more iiercely God's children are aliauited, the fooner they come to their Father's houfe, 1 Thelf. iv. 18. * Wherefore comfort one another with thefe words.'
Uj'e 4. Of exhortation. Let «s behave and carry ourfelves as the children of fuch a Father, in feveral particulars.
1. Let us depend upon our heavenly Father in all our flraits and exigencies : let us believe that he will provide for us. Chil- dren rely upon their parents for the fupply of wants ': if we trult God for fiilvation, fhall we not trult him for a livel-ihood ! There is a lawful provident care to be itfed, but beware of a dillruitful care, Luke xii. 24. ' Confider the ravens, they neither low nor reap, and God feedeth them.' Doth God feed the birds of the 3ir, and will he not feed his children? Ver. 27. * Confider the Jilies how they grow; they f pin not: yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe.' Doth God clothe the lilies, and will he not clothe his lambs? Even the wicked talle of God's bounty, Pfal. Ixxiv. 7. • Their eyes (land out with fatnefs.* Doth God feed his flaves, and will not he feed his family? God's children may not have fo liberal a fliare in the thlng.s of this life, but little meal in the barrel ; they may be drawn low, but not drawn dry ; they (hall have fo much as God fees is good for them, Pfal. xxxiv. 10. * They that feek the Lord (hall not want any good thing.' If God gives them not ad voluntatem, he will ad fanitatem ; if he gives them not always what they crave, he will give them what they need ; if he gives them not a fead, he will give them sl viaticum, a bnit by the way : let God's children therefore depend upon God's fatherly providence; give not way to diilruliful thoughts, di(lra6ting cares, or indire6t means ; God can provide for you without your (ins, 1 Pet. V. 7. * Cafi;i ng all your care upon him, for he careth for you.* An earthly parent may have affection for his child, and would provide for him, but fbmetimes he is not able ; but God can create a fupply for his children ; yea, be hath promifed a fup] iy, Pfalm xxxvii. 3. * Verily thou flialt be fed.' Will God give his children heaven, and will he not give them enough to bear their charges thither ? Will be give them a kingdom, and deny them daily bre^d ? O depend upon your heavenly Father ; he hath faid, * He will never leave you, nor forfake you,' Heb. xiii. 5.
2. If God be our Father, let us imitate him : the child doth not only bear his father's image, but doth imitate him in his fpeech, gefture, behaviour : if God be our Father, let us imitate him, Eph. v. 4. * Be ye followers- of God as dear children.* 1. Imitate God in forgiving injuries, Ifj. xliv. 23. ' I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy trangrellions.' As the fun feat-
59 ©F THE PREFACE
ters not only thin mifts, but thick clouds, fo God pardons great offences ; imitate God in this, Eph. iv. 32. * Forgiving one another.' — Cranmer was a man of a forgiving fpirit, he did bury injuries, and requite good for evil ; he who hath God for his Father, hath God for his pattern. 2. Imitate God in works of mercy ; He loofeth the prilbners, Pfal. cxlvi. 7- ' He open- eth his hand, and fatistieth the defire of every living thing,* Pfal. cxlv. 16. He drops his fweet dew as well upon the thif- tle as the rofe ; Imitate God in works of mercy ; relieve the wants of others, be rich in Good works, Luke vi. 36. * Be merciful as your Father alfo is merciful.' Be not fo hard- hearted, as to fliut the poor out of the lines of communication. Dives denied Lazarus a crumb of bread, and Dives was denied a drop of water.
3. If God be our Father, let us fubmit patiently to his will : ifhejjiy his (Irokes on us, they are the corredlions of a Father, not the punifhmentsofajudge; this made Chrift fo patient, John xviii. 11. ' Shall I not drink the cup which my Father hath given me ?*, He fees we need afflidibn, I Pet. i. t). heap- points it as a diet-drink to purge and fantVify us, Ifa. xxvii . 9, therefore difpute not but fubmit, Heb. xii. [)• ' We had fathers of the flefli which corre6led us, and we gave them reverence ;* they might corre6t out of an humour but God doth it for our profit, Heb. xii. 10. Therefore fay, as Eli, 1 Sam. iii. 18. * It is the Lord, let him do what feemelh good.' What gets the child by ilruggling, but more blows } What got Ifrael by their murmuring and rebellion, but a longer and more tedious march, and at laft their carcafesfell in the wilderneis.
4. If God be our Father, let this caufe in us a child-like re- verence, Mai. 1. (5. * If I be a Father, where is my honour ?' This is a part of the honour we give to God, when we rever- ence and adore him : if you have not always a child-like con- fidence, yet always prefeive a child-like reverence. And how ready are we to run into extremes, either to defpond or grow wanton } Becaufe God is a Father, therefore do not think you may be fecure and take liberty to fin ; if you do, God may car- ry it fo as if he were no Father ; he may throw hell into your confcience. When David prefumed upon God's paternal affec- tion, and began to wax wanton under mercy, God made liim pay dear for it, he withdrew the fenfe of his love ; and though he had the heart of a Father, yet he had the look of an enemy. David prayed, ' Caule me to hear the voice of joy.' Pfal. li. S. He lay leveral months in defertion, and it is thought he never recovered his full joy to the day of his death. Oh keep ahve holy fear ; with a child-like confidence, prelervean hum-
■ ble reverence : the Lord is a Father, therefore love to fferve him ; he is the mighty God, therefore fear to offend him.
TO THE LORD S PRAYER. Q$
5. If God be our Father, let us walk obedientially, 1 Pet. i. 14. 'As obedient children.* When God bids you be hum- ble and felf-denying, deny youi-s, part with yourbofoni-fin : be fober in your attire, favoury in your fpeeches, ^rave in your de- portment, obey your Father's voice ; open to God, as the flow- er opens to the fun : as you expe6t your Father's bleffing, obey him in whatever he commands, firlt and fecond table du- ties. A lutanift, that he may make fweet mufic, toucheth upon every ftring of the lute ; "the ten commandments are like u ten-(lringed inllrument, touch upon every ftring, obey every commandment, or you cannot make fweet melody in religion. Obey your heavenly Father, though he commands things con- trary to fleOi and blood. 1. When he commands to mortify fin, that fin which hath been dear to you : pluck out this right eye| that you may fee the better to go to heaven. 2. When be' commands you to fufl'er for him, be ready to obey, Ads xxi. 13. Every good Chriflian hath afpirit of martyrdom in him, and is ready rather to fuffer for the truth, than the truth fliould fufler. Luther faid, he had rather be a martyr, than a mo- narch, Peter was crucified with his head downwards, as Eu- febius. Ignatius called his chains, his fpiritual pearls, and did wear his fetters as a bracelet of diamonds. This is to carry it as God's children, when we obey his voice, and count not our Jives dear, fo that we may fhew our love to our heavenly Father, llev. xii. 1 1. * They loved not their lives to the death.'
0. If God be your Father, fiiew it by your cheerful looks that you are the children of fuch a Father. Too much drooping and defpondency difparageth the relation you ftand in to God! VVhat though you meet with hard ufage in the world ? You are now in a ftrange land, far from home ; it will be fhortly bet- ter with you, when yoii are in your own country, and your Fa- ther hath you in his arms. Doth not the heir rejoice in hope ? ihall the fonsof a king walk dejeded ? 2 Sam. xiii. 4. « Why art thou, being the king's fon, lean?' is God an unkind Father ? are his commands grievous ? hath he no land to give to his heirs ? W hy then do God's children walk fo fad > Never had children tuch privileges as they who are of the feed- royal of hea- ven, and have God tor their Father ; they fhould rejoice there- tore, who are within a few hours to be crowned with glory.
7. If God be our Father, let us honour him bv walking very Iiolily, I Pet. i. Id. ' Be ye holy, for I am holy.' A young pnnce aJking a philofopher how he fiiould behave himfelf, the philofopher (liid. Memento teji/lumejk re^w^— Remember thou art a king's fon : do nothing but what becomes the (on of a King : lb remember you are the adopted fons and daughters of the high God, do noihiog unworthy of fuch a relation. A de- bauched child is the dilgrace of his father. Is this thy ihns
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coat ? fald they to Jacob, when they brought it home dipped ill blood. Gen. xxxviii. 32. lb when we lee a perfon defiled with malice, palfion, drunkeunefs, we may fay, is this the coat of God's adopted fon ? doth lie look as an heir of glory ? It is a blafpheming the name of God, to call him Father, yet live in fin. Such as prolefs God is their Father, yet live unholily, they ■will flander and defraud ; thefe are as bad to God as heathens, Amos ix. 7. • * Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians to me, O children of I frae I, faith the Lord .?' The Ethiopians were uncircumcifed, a bafe, ill-bred people ; when Ifrael grew wick- ed, they were no better to God than Ethiopians. Loofe ican- dalous livers under the gofpel are no better in God's efteem than Pagans and Americans ; nay, they (hall have an hotter place in hell. O let all who profefs God to be their Father, honour hiin by their unfpotted lives. Scipio abhorred the embraces of an harlot, becaufe he was the general of an army: abftain from all lin, becaufe you are born of God, and have God for your Father, 1 Theff. v. 21. * Abftain from all appearance of evil.' It was a faying of Auguftus, an emperor (hould not only be free from crimes, but from the fufpicion of them. By an holy life you would bring glory to your heavenly Father, and caufe others to become his children : EJi pa/lax virtutis odor. Cauiinus in his hieroglyphics fpeaks of a dove, whofe wings being perfumed with Tweet ointments, did draw the other doves after her; the holy lives of God's children is a fweet perfume to draw others to religion, and make them to be of the family of God. Juftin Martyr iaith, " 'J'hat which converted him to Chriftianity, was the beholding the blamelefs lives of the Chril^ians."
8. If God be our Father, let us love all that are his children, Pf. cxxxiii. 1. ' How pleaCant is it for brethren to dwell to- gether in unity?' it is compared to ointment, ver. 2. for the iweet fragrancy of it, 1 Pet. ii. 17. * Love the brotherhood.' Idem eji motiis anmae in imag'mem et rem. The faints are the walking pictures of God -. if God be our Father, we love to fee his picture of holinefs in believers ; we pity them for their in- firmities, but love them for their graces ? we prize their com- pany above others, Pf. cxix. (55. It mayjutily be fufpe6led that God is not their Father, who love not God's children ; though they retain the * communion of faints' in their creed, yet they banilh the communion of faints out of their company.
9. If God be our Father, let us fhew heavenly mindednefs : they who are born of God, do fet their alfedions on things that are above. Col. iii. 2. O ye children of the high God ! cio not difgrace your high birth by fordid covetoufnefs. What, a ion of God, and a flave to the world ! what fprung from heaven, and buried in the earth ! For a Chriftian, who pretends to de-
TO THE lord's PRAYER. 65
riVe his pedigree from heaven, yet wholly to m?ncl earthly things, is to debafe himfelf : as if a king fhould leave his throne to follow the plocgh, Jer. xliv. 5. * Seeked thou great things for thyfelf ?' As if the Lord had faid, * What thou Barak, thou who art born of God, a-kin to angels, and by thy office a Le- vite, dofl. thou debafe thyfelf, and fpot the filver wings of thy grace, by beiiining them with earth? Seekeft thou great things? Seek them not.' The earth chokes the fire : earthlinefs chokes the fire of good atre6lions. •
10. nit. If God be our Father, let us own our heavenly Fa- tlier in the vvorll times ; ftand up in hiscaufe, defend his truths. Alhanafius owned God, when moftof the world turned Arians. If fufJeringscome, do not deny God : he is a bad fon, who denies his father. Such as are afliamed of God in times of danger, God will be afliamed to own them for his children, Mark viii. 38. * Whofoever therefore (hallbeafliamed of meand my words in this adulterous generation, of him alfo (hall the Son of man be adiauied, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels.' So I have done with the firft part of the preface,
* Our Father.'
11. The (econd part of the preface (which I fhall briefly touch on) is, ' Which art in heaven.* God is laid to be in heaven^ not tha-t he is fo included there, that he is no where elfe ; for the ' heaven of heavens cannot contain him,* 1 Kings viii, 97. But, the meaning is, God is chiefly refident in the empyrean heaven, which the apoftle calls ' the third heaven,' 2 Cor. xli. 2. there God doth mod give forth glory to his faints and angels.
Qu. What may ice learn from this, that God is in heaven?
Anf. 1. Hence we learn that we are to raife our minds in prayer above the earth. God is no where to be Ipoken with, but in heaven. God never denied that foul his fuit, who went as far as heaven to afk it.
2. We learn from God's being in heaven, hisfovereign power. I]oc vocahulo intcUigitur omnia JubeJJ'e ejus imperio, Calvin. Pliil. cxv. 3. ' Our God is in the heavens, he hath done what- ever he pleafed.' God being in heaven governs the univerfe, and orders all occurrences here below for the good of his chil- dren : when the laints are in ftraitsand dangers, and fee no way of relief, he can fend from heaven, and help them, Pf. Ivii. 3.
* He fhall fend from heaven, and fave me.'
3. We learn God's glory and niajefly : he is in heaven ; therefore ' he is covered with light,' Pial. civ. 2. ' Clothed with honour,' Pfal. civ. I, and is as far above all worldly princes, as heaven is above earth.
4. We learn, from God's being in heaven, his omnifciency ;
* All things are naked, and unmafked in his eye,* Heb, iv. 13.
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Men plot and contrive againft the church ; but God is in hea- ven, and they do nothing but vvliat our Father fees. If a man were on tlie top of a tower or theatre, he might thence fee all the people below: God is in heaven, as in an high tower or theatre, and he fees all the tranfa6tions of men. The wicked make wounds in the backs of the righteous, and then pour in vinegar; God writes down their cruelty, Exod. iii. 7. ' I have feen the affli6tions of my people.' God is in heaven, and he can thunder out of heaven tjpon his enemies, Pfal. xviii. 13. * The Lord thundered in the heavens ; yea, he fent out arrows, and fcattered them, andhelhot outlightenings, and difcomfited them.'
5. We learn, from God's being in heaven, comfort for the children of God ; when they pray to their Father, the way to heaven cannot be blocked up. One may have a father living in foreign parts, but the Avay, both by fea and by land, may be fo blocked up, that there is no coming to him : but thou faint of God, when thou prayell to thy Father, he is in heaven ; and though thou art never fo confined, thou mayeft have accefs to him. A prifon cannot keep thee from thy God : the way to heaven can never be blocked up.
So I have done with the word Father : I (hall next fpeak of the pronoun, * Our Father.* In the firft there is an appella- tion, Father; in the fecond-, an appropriation, * Our Father.' Chrift, by this word (Our), would teach us thus much ; * That in all our prayers to God, we Ihould a6t faith/ Our Father; Father, denotes reverence ; Our Father, denotes faith. In all our prayers to God, vi^e fhould exercife faith, * Our Father.* Faith is that which baptifeth prayer, and gives it a name ; it is called the * prayer of faith,' James v. 15. Without faith it is fpeaking, not praying. Faith is the breath of prayer ; prayer is dead, unlefs faith breathe in it. Faith is a necefiary requifite in prayer. The oil of the fan6tuary was made up of feveral fweet fpices, ' pure myrrh, caflia, cinnamon,' Exod. xxx. 23. Faith is the chief fpice, or ingredient into prayer, which makes it go up to the Lord, as fweet incenfe. Jam. i. 6. * Let him aflv in faith,' Mat. xxi. 22. * Whatfoeverye Qiallaflv in prayer, believing, ye fliall receive.' Invoco te, Domine, quayiquam languida et imhedlla fide , tamen fide ; " Lord, (faid St. Cru- ciger) I pray, though with a weak faith, yet with faith.'* Prayer is the gun we flioot with, fervency is the fire that dil^ chargeth it, and faith is the bullet which pierceth the throne of grace : prayer is the key of heaven, faith is the hand that turns it ; * pray in faith,* * Our Father.* Faith muil take prayer by the hand, or there is no coming nigh to God ; prayer without faith is unfuccelsful. If a poor handy-craftfman, that lives by his labour, hath fpoiled his tools, that he cannot work, how
TO THE lord's PRAYER, QJ
Ihall he fubfift? Prayer is the tool we work with, which pro. cures all good for us : but unbelief Ipoils and blunts our prayers, and then we can get no bleffing from God: a prayer tliat is faithlels is fruitiefs. As Jofeph faid, ' You fhall not fee my lace, uniefs you bring your brother Benjamin with you,' Gen. xlii. 3. So prayer cannot fee God's face, uniefs it bring its bro- ther faith with it. What is faid of Ifrael, ' They could not en- ter in becaufe of unbelief,' Heb. iii. I9. is as true of prayer, it cannot enter into heaven becaufe' of unbelief. This makes prayer often fuffer Oiipwreck, becaufe it dalheth upon the rock of unbelief. O Iprinkle faith in prayer. We mull fay, ' Our Father.'
Qu. 1 . What doth praying in faith imply ? Anf. Praying in faith implies the having of faith ; the aft implies the habit. To walk implies a principle of life; lb to pray in faith implies an habit of grace. None can pray in failh but believers.
Qu. 2. What is it to pray in faith ?
Anf.^ 1. To pray in faith, is to pray for that which God hath promifed ; where there is no promife, we cannot pray in faith. 2. To pray in faith, is to pray in Chrill's meritorious name, John xiv. 13. ' Whatfoever ye Oiall afk in ray name, that will I do.' To pray in Chrill's name, is to pray in the hope ofconhdence of Chrill's merit. When we prefent Chrift to God in prayer ; when we carry the Lamb llain in our arms ; when we fay " Lord, we are (inners, but here is our furety .* for Chrill's lake be propitious :" this is coming to God in Chrill's name ; and this is to pray in faith.
3. To pray in failh is, in prayer to fix our faith on God's faithfulnels, believing that he doth hear, and will help ; this is a taking hold of God, Ila. Ixiv. 7. By prayer we draw nigh to God, by faith we take hold ofhim, SChron. xiii. I4. ♦ The children of Judah cried unto the Lord ;* and this was the cry- ing of faith, ver. IS. ' They prevailed, becaufe they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.' Making fupplication to God, and Haying the Ibul on God, is praying in faith. To pray* and not rely on him for the granting our petitions, irrejio Dei eji, faith Pelican; " it is to abule and put a fcorn onGod." By praying, we feem to honour God, by not believing we alTront him. in prayer we lay, Almighty, merciful Father ; by not believing, we blot out all his titles again.
Qu. 3. How may we know that we do trulij pray in faith ? We may fay, ' Our Father; and think ice pray in faith, when it is jn prefiimption ; how there fji-e may we know that we do indeed pray in faith 9
Anf I When our faith in prayer is humble : a prelum ptuous perfon hopes to be heard in prc.yer, for fome inherent worthi-
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nefs in himfelf; he is fo qualified, and hath done God good lervice, therefore he is confident God will hear his prayer; fee an inltance, Luke xviii. 11, 12. ' The Pharifee Hood and ()ray- ed thus, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjuft : I fall twice in the week ; I give tythes of all I poilefs.' This was a prefumptuous prayer; but a fincere heart doth ax well a6t hunjility in prayer as faith, Luke xviii. 13. ' The publican (landing afar off would not lift upio much as his eyes to lieaven, but fniote upon his bread, faying, God be merciful to me a finner.' • God be merciful,' there was faith ;
* to me a finner,' there was humility and a fenfe of unworthi- nefs.
2. We may know we pf-ay in faith, when though we have rrot the prefent thing we pray for, yet we believe God will grant, therefore we will ftay his leifure. A Chriftian having a command to pray, and a promife, he is relblved to follow God with prayer, and not give over: as Peter, he knocked, yet the door was not opened ; but he contined knocking, and at laft it was opened, A6ls xii. 16. So a Chriflian prays and prays, but hath no anfwer ; but he will continue knocking at heaven's door, knowing an anfwer will come, Pfal. Ixxxvi. 7- ' Thou wilt anfwer me.' Here is one that prays in faith. Chrill faith, ' Pray and faint not,* Luke xviii. 1. A believer, at Chrift's word, lets down the net of prayer, and though he catch nothing, he will cafl the net of prayer again, believing that mercy will come. Patience in prayer is nothing but faith fpun out.
Ufe 1. It reproves them that pray in formality, not in faith ; they queftion whether God hears or will grant, James iv. 3.
* Ye afk and receive not, becaufe ye afk amifs.' He doth not fay, ye afk that which is unlawful ; but, ye afk amifs, and there- fore they receive not. Unbelief clips the wiqgs of prayer, that it will not fly to the throne of grace ; the rubbifii of unbelief flops the current of prayer.
Ufe IL Of exhortation. Let us fet faith a- work in prayer, [Our Father.] The hufliandman fows in hope : prayer is the feed we fow ; when the hand of faith* Icatters thisfeed, it brings forth a fruitful crop of blefling, prayer is the fhip we fend out to heaven ; when faith makes an adventure in this (hip, it brings home large returns of mercy. O pray in faith, fay, * Our Fa- ther.' And that we may a6f faith in prayer, confider,
(1.) God's readinel's to hear prayer. Deus paratits ad vota exandienda, Calvin. Did God forbid all addreifes to him, it would put a damp upon the trade of prayer; but God's ear is open to prayer. It is one of the names by which God is known, Pfal. xlv. 2. ' O thou that beared p'rayer.' The Aediles among the Romans had their doors always danding open, that all who had petitions might have free accefs to them, God is
TO THE lord's PRAYER. QQ
both ready to hear, and grant prayer: this may encourage faith in prayer, And, whereas feme may fay, they have prayed, but have had no anfvver. 1. God may hear prayer, though he do not prelently anl'wer ; we write a letter to a friend, he may have received it, though we have yet had no anfwer of it. Perhaps thou praye[l for the light of God's face ; God may lend thee an ear, though he doth not (hew thee his face : 2. God may give an anfwer to prayer, when we do not perceive it. His giving an heart to pray, and inflaming the alfedlions in prayer, is an anfwer of prayer, Plal. cxxxviii. 3. * In the day that I cried, thou aniweredil me and llrengtheuedfl; me with ilrength in my foul.' David's inward Ibengih was an anfwer of prayer, therefore let God's readiuefs to hear prayer encourage faith in prayer.
2. That we may a6l faith in prayer, confider, we do not pray alone ; Chrili prays over our prayers again ; Chrid's prayer is the ground why our prayer is heard. Chrift takes the drofs out of our prayer, and prefeuts nothing to his Father but pure gold. Chrili mingles his fweet odours with the prayers of the faints. Rev. v. 8. Think of the dignity of his perfon, he is God ; and the fweetnefs of his relation, he is a ion. O what encouragement is here, to pray in faith ? Our prayers are put into the hand of a Mediator. Chrifl's prayer is mighty and powerful.
3. We pray to God for nothing but what is pleafing to him, and he hath a mind to grant : if a fon afk nothing but what his father is willing to bellow, this may make him go to him with contidence. When we pray to God for holy hearts, there is nothing more pleafing to him. 1 Theff. iv. 3. ' This is the will of God, even your fanclification,* We pray that God would give us an heart to love him, and there is nothing he more defires than our love. How may this make us pray in faith, when we pray for nothing but what is acceptable to God, and which he delights to beftow !
4. 1 o encourage failh in prayer, confider the many fweet promiles that God hath made to prayer. The cork keeps the net from fiuking ; the promiles are the cork to keep faith from finking in prayer. God hath bound himl'elf to us by his pro- miles : the Bible is befpangled with promiles made to prayer, Ifa. XXX. 19. ' He will be very graciou^to thee at the voice of thy cry. The Lord is rich unto all that call upon him.* Rom. X. 12. Jer. xxix. 13. ' Then Ihall he find me when ye fearcli for me with all your heart,' Plal. xlv. 14. * He will fulfil the defire of them that fear him.' The Tyrians tied their god Her- cules with a golden chain that he Ihould not remove : God hath tied liimfelf fall to us by his promiles : How Ihould thefe ani-
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mate and fpirit faith in prayer ? Faith gets ftrength in prayer, by fucking from the beall of a promife.
5. That we may a6t faith in prayer, confider, Jefus Chrift hath purchafed that which we pray for; we may think the things we alk for in prayer too great for us to obtain, but they are not too great for Chrift to purchafe ; we pray for pardon, Chrift hath purchafed it in his blood ; we pray for the Spirit to animate and infpire us, the fending down of the Holy Ghoft into our hearts is the fruit of Chrift's death, John xvi. This may put life into our prayers, and make us pray in faith ; be- caufe the things we alii in prayer, though they are more than vi'e deferve, yet not more than Chrift hath purchaled for us.
6. To make us pray in faith, conlider there is fuch a bounti- fulnefs in God, that he often exceeds the prayers of his people ; he gives them more than they aflc ! as Hannah afked a fon, and God gave her not only a fon, but a prophet. Solomon all<ed ■wil'dom, and God gave him not only wifdom, but riches and honour befides ; Jacob prayed that God would but give him food