for, and therefore is unfit to receive the mercy; God will make you know that his mercy is not contemptible, but worthy your most earnest prayers. ; Direct. xI. For the matter and order of your desires and prayers, take the Lord's prayer as your special rule and labour to understand it well m' For those that can make use of so brief an explication, I shall give a little help. A Brief Explication of the Method of the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's I. To whom the prayer II. Who Who are 1. Who he is: GOD: not Creatures, Saints, or Angels. 2. How related 1. Our Crea 1. By Creation: so all are: 2. By Redemption: as all 3. By Regeneration: and so 1. Depen- tous. 3. Sinners. Yet 1. Loving God, as 3. Loving others, All which is signified in the word OUR m of the method of the Lord's Prayer, see Ramus de Relig. Christ. lib. iii.cap. 3. and Ludolphus de vita Christi, Part i. cap. 37. and Perkins in orat. dom. and Dr. Boys on the Liturgy, pp. 5-7. II. The Prayer, or Petitions, in two parts: of which, I. The first Part is according to the order of estimation, intention, and desire; and is, II. The se cond Part is and is for the lowest, and ascend- 1. For the end simply, which is GOD; in the word 'THY' repeated in every petition. 2. For the end is in (1. The highest or ultimate, that is, the glo 3. For the lower ་ ry of God; HALLOWED BE THY II. The highest means of his glory, 'THY end, even the subject of these means; 2. For clearing us from the guilt of all sin past (repentance and faith being here presupposed); where is (1.) The Petition: AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS' (trespasses or sins). (2.) The motive from our qualification for forgiveness: AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.' Without which God will not forgive us. 2. beginning at 3. For future preservation: (1.) From the means,' LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION: that is, though thou mayst justly try us, yet pity our frailty, and neither cause or permit us so to be tried, as may tempt us to sin and ruin. (2.) From the end, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL:' that is, 1. The Evil One, Satan (and his instruments). 2. The evil thing: 1. Sin. Misery, which are Satan's end. He that would be saved from hell and misery, must be saved from sin; and he that would be saved from both, must be saved from satan and from temptation. Quest. But where are the requests for positive holiness, grace and heaven? Answ. 1. Repentance and faith are supposed in the petitioner. 2. What he wanteth is asked in the three petitions of the first Part, that we with others may sanctify God's name, and be the subjects of his kingdom, and do his will, &c. Christ and a state of grace, are finally in the first petition, formally in the second, and expressively in the third. III. The conclusion: the reason and termination of our desires, in their ulti mate end:( here praised: beginning at the lowest, and ascending to the highest: I. What we praise; or the matter; or interest of God: II. Whom we praise: III. The containing, duration : 1. His universal reign, FOR THINE IS THE KING DOM,' administered variously, agreeably to the subjects all owe this absolute obedience: who commandest and executest what thou wilt. 2. His own perfections, 'THE POWER:' both right and all-sufficiency: including his omniscience and goodness, as well as omnipotence. 3. His incomprehensible excellency and blessedness, as he 'FOR EVER AND EVER,' to eternity: and' AMEN' So that it is apparent that the method of the Lord's prayer is circular, partly analytical, and partly synthetical : beginning with God, and ending in God: beginning with such acknowledgments as are prerequisite to petition, and ending in those praises which petition and grace bestowed tend to beginning our petitions for God's interest and the public good, according to the order of estimation and intention, till we come to the mere means, and then beginning at the lowest, and ascending according to the order of execution. As the blood passing from the greater to the smaller numerous vessels, is there received by the like, and repasseth to its fountain; such a circular method hath mercy and duty, and consequently our desires. Tit. 2. Some Questions about Prayer answered. The rest of the general questions about prayer, I think will be best contrived into the resolving of these following doubts. Quest. 1. Is the Lord's prayer a directory only, or a form of words to be used by us in prayer?' Answ. 1. It is principally the rule to guide our inward desires, and outward expressions of them; both for the matter, what we must desire, and for the order, which we must desire first and most. 2. But this rule is given in a form of words, most apt to express the said matter and order. 3. And this form may fitly be used in due season by all, and more necessarily by some. 4. But it was never in. tended to be the only words which we must use, no more than the creed is the only words that we must use to express the doctrine of faith, or the decalogue the only words to express our duty by m Quest. 11. What need is there of any other form of prayer, if the Lord's prayer be perfect?' Answ. Because it is only a perfect summary, containing but the general heads: and it is needful to be more particular in our desires; for universals exist in particulars; and he that only nameth the general, and then another and another general, doth remember but few of the particulars. He that shall say, " I have sinned, and broken all thy commandments," doth generally confess every sin; but it is not true repentance, if it be not particular, for this, and that, and the other sin; at least as to the greater which may be remembered. He that shall say, "I believe all the Word of God, or I believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," may know little what is in the Word of God, or what these generals signify, and therefore our faith must be more particular. So must desires after grace be particular also: otherwise it were enough to ask for mercy in the general. If you say, that God knoweth what those general words signify, though we do not; I answer, this is the Papists' silly argument for Latin prayers, God knoweth our desires without any expressions or prayers at all, and he knoweth our wants without our desires. But it followeth not that prayers or desires are unnecessary. The exercise of our own repentance and desire doth make us persons fit to receive forgiveness, and the grace desired; when the impenitent and those that desire it not are unfit. And it is no true repentance, when you say, "I am sorry that I have sinned," but you know not, or remember not, wherein you have sinned, nor what your sin is; and so repent not indeed of any one sin at all. And so it is no true desire, that reacheth not to the particular, necessary graces, which we must desire; though I know some few very quick, comprehensive minds m Selden in Eutychii Alexandr. Orig. p. 42, 43. sheweth that before Ezra the Jews prayed without forms, and that Ezra and the elders with him, composed them a form which had eighteen benedictions and petitions, that is, the three first and the three last for the glorifying God, and the rest intermediate for personal and public benefits. And page 48. That they might omit none of these, but might add others. can in a moment think of many particulars, when they use but general words: and I know that some smaller, less necessary things, may be generally passed over; and greater matters in a time of haste, or when we, besides those generals, do also use particular requests. Quest. III. Is it lawful to pray in a set form of words? Answ. Nothing but very great ignorance can make you really doubt of it". Hath God any where forbid it? You will say, that it is enough that he hath not commanded it. I answer, That in general he hath commanded it to all whose edification it tendeth to, when he commandeth you, that all be done to edification; but he hath given no particular command, nor prohibition. No more he hath commanded you to pray in English, French, or Latin; nor to sing psalms in this tune or that; nor after this or that version or translation; nor to preach in this method particularly or that; nor always to preach upon a text; nor to use written notes; nor to compose a form of words, and learn them, and preach them after they are composed, with a hundred suchlike, which are undoubtedly lawful; yea, and needful to some, though not to others. If you make up all your prayer of Scripture sentences, this is to pray in a form of prescribed words, and yet as lawful and fit as any of your own. The psalms are most of them forms of prayer or praise, which the Spirit of God indited for the use of the church, and of particular persons. It would be easy to fill many pages with larger reasonings, and answers to all the fallacious objections that are brought against this; but I will not so far weary the reader and myself. Quest. rv. But are those forms lawful which are prescribed by others, and not by God?' Answ. Yea; or else it would be unlawful for a child or scholar to use a form prescribed by his parents or master. And to think that a thing lawful doth presently become unlawful, because a parent, master, pastor, or prince doth prescribe it or command it, is a conceit that I will not wrong my reader so far, as to suppose him guilty of. Indeed if an usurper, that hath no authority over us in such matters, " See Selden ubi supra, proving that the Jews had a form of prayer since Ezra's time; therefore it was in Christ's time. Yet he and his apostles joined with them, and never contradicted or blamed them for forms. |