A Guide to Go to God, Petition 6 · Section 240 – Section 241
§. 240. Of the things for which God is to be praiſed.
Q. VVHichWhich are the Principall grounds for which God is to be praiſed?
A. 1. His Excellencie in himſelfe.
2. His Soueraigntie aboue vsus.
3. His MercieMercy towards vsus.
All theſe ſhew that God is moſt worthy of all praiſe.
1. Excellencie in any thing is praiſe worthy: as excellencie of knowledge, excellencie of wiſedome, excellencie of power and ſtrength, excellencie of any vertue, yea excellencie of eloquence, excellencie of beautie and euerie other excellencie. It is ſaid of the woman whoſe excellencies were many,Pro. 31. 30, 31. Shee ſhall be praiſed: and Let her owne workes praiſe her: But*§. 218. we hauehave ſhewed that all excellencies are in God. Yea the excellencies which are in creatures are Gods, becauſe they come all from God. If therfore praiſe be due to any, much more to God. That very praiſe which in any reſpect may lawfully be giuen to any creature, is moſt properly due to him. Where Dauid bleſſeth A…igail for her wiſe aduiſe, he firſt bleſſeth God that ſent her, ſaying, Bleſſed be the Lord which ſent thee this day to meet me: 1. Sam. 25 32, 33.and bleſſed be thy aduiſe, Act. 12. 23.and bleſſed be thou, &c. But becauſe Herod gaue not God the glorie which was giuen to him he was eaten of wormes. Beſides there are ſuch infinitely ſurpaſſing excellencies in God, as no creature is capable of: as Selfe-exiſtencie, Etermitie, All-ſufficiency, Immutabilitie, Omnipotencie, Vbiquitie, &c. That praiſe therefore is due to God,Exod. 15. 11. which may be aſcribed to no other. For who is like vntounto thee, ô Lord, amongſt the Gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holineſſe, 1. Sam. 2. 2.fearefull in praiſes, &c. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beſide thee: neither is there any rocke like our God. Great is the Lord, 1. Chron. 16. 25.and greatly to be praiſed. Thus we ſee how Gods excellencie miniſtreth iuſt and great cauſe of praiſing God. If when we are about to praiſe God, our hearts were deepely fixed on a due meditation and ſerious conſideration of Gods excellencies, they would bee much quickened vntounto this heauenly dutie of praiſing God.
2. Soueraigntie maketh one to be much praiſed. Who more praiſed then Kings? They are praiſed for the things praiſe-worthy in their owne perſons, and praiſe-worthy in their ſubiects. If in a kingdome there be learned Deuines, faithfull Miniſters, iuſt Magiſtrates, wiſe Counſellers, valiant Souldiers, victorious Captaines, skilfull Artificers, induſtrious Husbandmen, obedient Subiects, the King is much praiſed for them all: and it is ſuppoſed that his wiſe and good gouernment is the cauſe of all. Beſides praiſe vſeth to be proportioned according to the dignitie wherein men are. The higher a mans place is, the more praiſe vſeth to be giuen to him. Kings therefore being the higheſt in their Dominions, greateſt praiſe vſeth to bee giuen to them. But God hath beenea§▪ 207. prooued to be the moſt ſupreme and abſolute Soueraigne ouer all, The King of Kings. On this ground we are thus incited to praiſe God, Sing praiſes to God, Pſal. 47. 6, 7.ſing praiſes, ſing praiſes to our KING, ſing praiſes: for God is the King of all the earth, &c. This reaſon is giuen of the heauenly Halelu-iah, Reu. 19. 6.For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. As God by his Soueraigntie is the higheſt of all, ſo by vertue of his prudent gouernment, all good things which are any way praiſe-worthy, are indeed done. They that hauehave knowledge hereof, and can in truth of heart acknowledge as much, will aſſuredly bee ready on all occaſions to praiſe God.
3. Kindneſſe, goodneſſe, and merciemercy are the things which do moſt of all enflame the heart to giuegive praiſe. They are the moſt principall obiect of praiſe, for which thankes vſeth to be giuen. I will praiſe thy Name, Pſal. 138. 2.ſaith the Pſalmiſt to God, for thy louing kindneſſe. Pſal. 117. 1, 2.And he exhorteth all nations to praiſe the Lord, on this ground, His mercifull kindneſſe is great towards vsus. After hee had thus ſet out the goodneſſe of God,Pſal. 145. 8, 9, 10 The Lord is gracious, and full of compaſſion: ſlow to anger, and of great merciemercy: the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are ouer all his workes, he maketh this inference, All thy workes ſhall praiſe thee, ô Lord: and thy Saints ſhall bleſſe thee. Gods mercies therefore, the maine matter of praiſe, are to be called to mind, and to be ſet in order, when we go about to praiſe God. Theſe are they, that are of greateſt power to rouſe vp our dull ſpirits, to put a ſpirituall life into vsus, and to prouoke vsus to praiſe the Lord. I hauehave diſtinctly laid downe theſe in The whole Armour of God, Treat. 3. Part. 2. §. 63.
Now in that the forenamed grounds of praiſe are onelyonly in God,Praiſe due onelyonly to God. praiſe is due to him alone. For
1.aPſal. 148. 13. His onelyonly is true excellencie, as was before prooued. §. 218.
2.bDan. 4, 25. His Soueraigntie onelyonly is abſolute. As before. §. 207. 208.
3.cMath. 19. 17. He onelyonly is good. AnddIam. 1. 17. eueryevery good thing commeth from him.
Idolaters, who giuegive praiſe to falſe gods (aseDan. 5 23. Belſhazzer did) and flatterers, who vnduly praiſe men (asfAct. 12. 22. Herods people did) depriue God of that glorie which is due to him. Let ſuch duely weigh the fearefull iſſue that befell both Belſhazzer and Herod.
How farre praiſe may be giuen to men, is declared in The whole Armour of God. Treat. 3. Part. 2. §. 61.
Hitherto of the Subſtance of the Lords Prayer. The Circumſtance following it remaineth to be handled.
§. 241. Of the meaning and vſe of AMEN being prefixed before a Speech.
Q. Meaning of AMEN.VVHat is the circumſtance following Prayer?
A. Amen in his Petitionibus ſignificat, indubitanter à Domiao conferri quod petitur. Aug. de Temp. Ser. 58.The ratification of all. This is expreſſed in this one word AMEN. That Amen importeth a confirmation of that which is ſaid, is euident by Benaiahs anſwere to Dauids direction concerning Salomons crowning. For Benaiah deſiring from his heart that Dauids ſaid direction might bee accompliſhed and ratified, hee anſwereth thereto Amen: 1. King. 1. 36.and to explaine his minde and meaning more fully,Amen. 1. firmum & ſtatum eſto à Deo. Tremel. & Iun. in ann…l. in hunc loc. foreign. Fiat. he addeth, The Lord God of my Lord the King ſay ſo too: that is, as other Tranſlators turne it, ratifie it. The Greeke Tranſlators thus turne it, Be it done. The root from whence the word commeth ſignifyeth as much, as is euident by this phraſe in Salomons Prayer, O God of Iſrael, let thy word, I pray thee, 1. King. 8. 26. foreignbe ratified, which thou ſpakeſt vntounto Dauid.
This Particle in Scripture is diuerſly vſed.
Sometimes it is prefixed before that which is vttered: and ſometimes it is inferred after it.
It is prefixed before Speeches,The vſe of Amen being ſet before a ſpeech. to ſhew both the certaintie and the neceſſiitie of that which is deliuered. When Chriſt inſtructed Nicodemus in the myſterie of regeneration, to declare vntounto him the neceſſitie thereof, hee thus expreſſeth it, Amen, Amen, Ioh. 3. 3.I ſay to thee, except a man bee borne againe hee can not ſee the Kingdome of God. And becauſe Nicodemus made queſtion thereof in the ſame manner hee doth againe repeat it (ſaying,Ioh. 3 5. Amen, Amen, I ſay to thee, Except a man bee borne of water and of the Spirit, hee can not enter into the Kingdome of God) to ſhew that it was a true, certaine, ſure, infallible point which fell not from his mouth vnawares, but ſuch an one as hee durſt ſtand to, yea and pawne his credit thereupon.
Q. What duties doth Amen import when it is prefixed before a Speech?
A. Two eſpecially. 1. Attention. 2. Beliefe.
1. Where the holy Ghoſt by any note or ſigne ſetteth out the Excellencie, Neceſſitie, Vtilitie or any other like commendation of a point, hee requireth vsus to giuegive more then ordinarie attention thereunto.Math. 24. 1, 2. When the Diſciples ſhewed Chriſt the glorious building of the Temple, that they might the better marke what hee foretold of the deſtruction thereof, thus hee expreſſeth it, AMEN I ſay vntounto you, there ſhall not bee left here one ſtone vponupon another, that ſhall not be throwne downe.
2. Where the Holy Ghoſt knoweth vsus to bee backward and hard to beleeue ſuch Principles as be of an infallible veritie, he vſeth aſſeuerations, & obteſtations to draw vsus on to giuegive the more credence thereunto. Anſwerably therefore we muſt mixe faith with our hearing of ſuch points. To this purpoſe when Chriſt obſerued vnbeliefe,Mat. 7. 20. and doubting in his Diſciples,Mar. 11. 2…, 23. hee vſed this his note of aſſeueration, Amen, to moue them the more ſtedfaſtly to beleeue what he ſaid.