A Guide to Go to God, Petition 5 · Section 168 – Section 169
§. 168. Of that matter of Humiliation which the fifth Petition affordeth.
Q. VVHat are the things to be bewailed by reaſon of the fift Petition?
A. 1. Such as are againſt the Petition it ſelfe.
2. Such as are againſt the Condition.Eccl. 7. 29.
Againſt the Petition are ſuch as theſe.Infinitas rationes mali quibus implicatur homo, fateatur à ſe ipſo proficiſci, deploret, abdicet…, Trem. & lun. in hunc. loc.
1. Adams ſinne. Thereby did man firſt come to be endebted to the reuenging iuſtice of God. On this ground the wiſe man thus complaineth, Loe, this onelyonly hauehave I found, that God hath made man vpright: but they hauehave ſought out many inuentions.
2. The guilt of Adams ſinne. This iuſtly is imputed to vsus, becauſe he was a publicke perſon, and did beare in his loynes all that ſhall come from him to the end of the world. This therefore doth the Apoſtle complaine of, where he ſaith, By the offence of one, Rom. 5. 18, 19.iudgement came vponupon all men to condemnation. And, By one mans diſobedience many are made ſinners.
3. The many offences of our fore-fathers. By them are wee the more deepely endebted to God.Nehe. 9. 16, 17. Theſe therefore do the people of God bitterly bewaile.
4. Originall ſinne: euen that corruption of our nature wherein all are conceiued and borne. This containeth in it the ſeed and ſpawne of all ſinne. And ſo deſileth vsus throughout as in euerie power of ſoule and part of bodie we are made loathſome, odious, and abominable in Gods ſight. This therefore doth Dauid with much compunction of heart acknowledge.Pſal. 51. 5.
5. All our actuall ſinnes. Theſe are plaine, palpable debts: which the moſt ignorant that be cannot denie to be ſo. VnderUnder the burden of theſe the Saints in all ages hauehave much groaned. The more in number, or the more hainous they hauehave bene, the more grieued and perplexed the Saints hauehave bene for them. Marke Dauids bitter complaint in this kinde.Pſal. 38. 3, 4. There is no reſt in my bones becauſe of my ſinne. For mine iniquities are gone ouer my head: as an heauie burthen they are too heauie for me.
6. Our acceſſarineſſe to the ſinnes of others. Thus we adde to the heape of our owne debts, the debts of others, whereby the heape is made much greater.Pſal. 51. 14. The bloud, which Dauid with much griefe acknowledgeth, was that which at his appointment Ioab had cauſed to be ſhed.2. Sam. 2. 29, &c. By his direction he made himſelfe acceſſarie thereto.1. Sam. 3. 13. So Eli by his too great indulgencie and lenitie towards his wicked ſonnes, made himſelfe acceſſarie to their ſin, and liable to iudgement for the ſame.
7. Our diſabilitie to diſcharge our debt of obedience. God gaue vsus power at firſt to fulfill all righteouſneſſe. But now there is, while wee liue in this world,Rom. 8. 3. an impoſſibilitie thereto. Of this doth Saint Paul thus complaine,Rom. 7. 18. To performe that which is good I find not.
8. Ignorance of the Goſpell. By the Goſpell the onelyonly meanes of diſcharging our debt is reuealed. How then can they be diſcharged who know it not. In this reſpect doth the Apoſtle with great griefe thus ſet forth the doome of ſuch ignorant perſons: If our Goſpell be hid, 2. Cor. 4. 3.it is hid to them that are loſt, &c.
9. Hardneſſe of heart. This makes men ſenceleſſe both of the burther of ſinne: and alſo of Gods wrath and vengeance againſt ſinne: which maketh God to thinke of greater and greater vengeance. When Chriſt obſerued hardneſſe to poſſeſſe the hearts of the Iewes,Mar. 3. 5. he mourned for it.
10. Infidelitie. This makes all the meanes of pardon prepared and offered on Gods part, to be void on our part. In regard of this,Iſa. 53. 1. the Prophet thus complaineth, Who hath beleeued our report?
11. Euidences of Gods wrath vponupon vsus. Theſe are ſignes of the debt of ſinne lying on our accompt, as not diſcharged. This was the ground of the Prophet Ieremiahs Lamentation.Lam. 1. 1. &c.
12. Gods wrath on others: eſpecially for our ſinne. We that pray for the diſcharge of others ſinnes, hauehave cauſe to mourne when we ſee the wrath of God lying on them for ſinne: eſpecially if wee our ſelues hauehave bene any cauſe of procuring it. This humbled Dauid, 2. Sam. 24. 17.and made him ſay, Loe, I hauehave ſinned, and I hauehave done wickedly: but theſe ſheepe, what hauehave they done? Let thine hand be againſt me, &c.
Theſe are things to be bewailed by reaſon of the fift Petition.
Againſt the Condition vices to bee lamented are ſuch as theſe,
1. The teachineſſe of our nature: whereby it cometh to paſſe that paſſion is ſoone ſtirred vp: and eueryevery ſmall wrong maketh vsus thinke of reuenge.Gen. 37. 4, 18, 19. Small was the occaſion that Ioſephs brethren tooke to execute reuenge vponupon the youth.
2. The violence of our paſſion. If paſſion bee once moued (as ſoone it is moued) it is very readie to exceed and to grow into extremitie.2. Tim. 3. 3. foreign immites. Among other naturall corruptions of men the Apoſtle reckoneth this, that they are fierce. How fierce was Saul againſt Dauid?
3. Our Implacableneſſe. 1. Sam. 20. 30.After men are once prouoked, they are hardly pacified againe. This is another corruption of naturall men reckoned vp by the Apoſtle,Rom. 1. 31. that they are implacable. Though the Debter in the Parable fell downe at his Creditors feete,foreign qui nullas foreign admit tunt implacabiles, irreconciliabiles. and beſought him, ſaying, HaueHave patience with me, and I will pay thee all, Mat. 18. 28, 29, 30.yet he would not: But after he had laid hands on him, and taken him by the throate, he caſt him into priſon till hee ſhould pay the debt.
4. Our vnſatiableneſſe in taking reuenge. No reuenge ſeemeth ſufficient to a reuengefull ſpirit (ſuch are all our ſpirits by nature.) So much doth the Apoſtle imply in this deſcription of naturall men,Rom. 3. 13, 15, 16. Their throate is an open ſepuchre; the poyſon of Aſpes is vnderunder their lips; their feete are ſwift to ſhed bloud; deſtruction and miſerie are in their waies. Eſt. 3. 5, 6.Haman, onelyonly becauſe Mordecai refuſed to bow vntounto him, Thought it a light matter to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but thought to deſtroy all the Iewes throughout the whole kingdome.
To theſe vices,Eradicariaut extirpari à cordibu… noſtris omnino non poterit malitia donec in mundo fuerimu…. Bern. in Quadr. Serm. 6. Teachineſſe, Fierceneſſe, Implacableneſſe, Vnſatiableneſſe in reuenge, wee are all by nature exceeding prone. Few there be that, as occaſions are offered, doe not ſome way or other manifeſt as much. Very hardly, if it all, will all maliciouſneſſe be rooted out of vsus, while fleſh remaineth in vsus. Theſe vices therefore afford vsus much matter of griefe and humiliation, and that both in regard of our ſelues, and of others alſo.
Hitherto of the Fift Petition.
THE SIXTH PETITION.
§. 169. Of the Summe and ſeuerall parts of the ſixth Petition.
Q. VVHichWhich is the ſixt Petition?
A. And leade vsus not into temptation:Some diſtinguiſh theſe words, And leade vsus not into temptation: but deliuer vsus from euill, into two ſeuerall Petitions: making the ſubiect matter of the one to bee malum futurum, tuill to come, and of the other, malum praeſens, euill preſent, and alreadie fallen out. But this diſtinction in this place cannot hold. For the latter branch reſpecteth euill to come, as well as euill preſent. And the diſcretiue particle foreign, but, ſheweth that they are not, as the other, diſtinct Petitions; for then would the laſt clauſe hauehave bene diſtinguiſhed from the former, as the former is from the fift Petition, and the fift from the fourth, thus, AND deliuer vsus from euill, Many of the ancient Fathers (following the old Latine tranſlation) leaue out this laſt clauſe, and that becauſe they conceiue (as Saint Auguſtine expreſſeth their mind and meaning) it belongeth to the former concerning temptation: whereby they imply, that if both the clauſes were expreſſed, they would make but one Petition. Yet are they not to be taken as a repetition of one and the ſame point, but as two diſtinct parts and branches of the ſame generall matter: and ſo do moſt of the ancient Fathers and later iudicious and Orthodoxe Diuines take them. See §. 2. But deliuer vsus from euill.
Q. What is the Summe of this Petition?
A. Our Sanctification. For as the former did ſet out our Iuſtification, ſo doth this our Sanctification: vnderunder which two heads all our ſpirituall good to be expected in this world,Ideo quìppe ait, Sed libera, non ait, Et libera, tanquam vnam petitionem eſſe demonſtrans. Aug. in Enchir. cap. 16. is compriſed.
Q. Of how many parts doth this Petition conſiſt?
A. Of two. The firſt is in theſe words, And leade vsus not into temptation: which importeth a preuenting of euill feared. The other is in theſe words,Quod ille in vltimo poſuit, Sed libera nos à malo, iſte non poſuit, vt intelligeremus ad illud ſuperius quod de tentatione dictū eſt pertinere. Aug. ibid. But deliuer vsus from euill: which implyeth a Recouering from euill fallen out. So as our deſire in this Petition is, that God would be ſo farre from giuing vsus ouer, like a iuſt and ſeuere Iudge, into the power of the executioners of his wrath, as rather, like a pitifull and mercifull father, if at any time wee bee ouer-taken by them, he would reſcue and deliuer vsus.
Q. What points are to be conſidered in the firſt part?
A. 1. The Matter whereabout it is made, Temptation.
2. The Action which is prayed againſt, Leade not into.
3. The Perſon to whom the deprecation is directed.
4. The Parties on whoſe behalfe it is made. VsUs.