A Golden Chain, Part 15 – Part 17
For thine is the kingdome, the power and glorie, for euer.
1. The meaning.
THese wordes containe a reason of all the former petitions: whereby wee are mooued to craue things needfull at Gods hand.
Thine is] Earthly kings hauehave kingdome, power, and glorie, Dan. 2.37. Yet not from themselues, but from God, whose vicegerents they are on earth. Therefore to make a difference betweene Gods kingdome, power, and glorie, and those of earthly kings, it is said, Thine is the kingdome, &c. that is, that God hath all these in himselfe, and from himselfe, and men from him.
The kingdome] These words, 1. Chro. 26.11. are fully expounded, Thine, O Lord, is greatnesse, power, and victorie, and praise: and all that is in heauen & earth is thine; thine is the kingdome, and thou excellest as head ouer all, &c. The kingdome is said to bee Gods, because hee is absolute professour and owner of all things that are; and also hath soueraigne rule ouer all things at his will. Nowe out of this first propertie of God we may gather a strong motiue to induce vsus to praie vntounto him alone. For seeing all things are his, both in heauen and earth whatsoeuer; therfore we must come to him for the graces and blessings which we desire.
The power] Oftentimes earthly princes hauehave kingdomes, yet want power: but God hath kingdome and power also: yea his power is infinite, and he can doe all that he will, and more then he will: as for those things which come of impotencie, he can not doe them; and if he could, he should not be omnipotent. And as he is omnipotent in himselfe, so all the power which any creature hath, is from him alone.
Question. How can this be, seeing the deuill hath power to sinne; which is not from God? Ans. To sinne is no power, but rather a want of power: otherwise all the strength and power Satan hath, is of God.
And frō this second propertie is taken another motiue to mooue vsus to pray vntounto God. Because all power beeing his, we can neuer doe any of the things which we aske, but by power receiued from him.
Thine is the glorie] This third propertie of God, ariseth from the two former, for seeing the title and interest in all things, and the power whereby they are disposed and gouerned, is of God: therefore it followes that all glory is his: yea in him is fulnesse of glorie, and the glorie of the creature is all of him. To sinnefull men belongs nothing but shame and confusion. Dan. 9.7.
This third propertie ministreth a third motiue to induce men to pray vntounto God alone. For seeing all glorie by right is his, therefore we must inuocate hi… holy name, that in so doing, we may giuegive him the glorie due vntounto him.
For euer] The words in the originall are, for ages. Now an age signifies the space of an hundred yeares: but here it is taken for eternitie: because eternitie is nothing but multiplication of ages. And as eternitie is here noted by ages, so on the contrarie we read, that eternitie is taken for a certaine and distinct time. Gen. 17.8. God promiseth Abraham to giuegive him the land of Canaan for an euerlasting possession: that is, for a long season. For els Abrahams seed should inherit the land vntill this time, which it doth not. Wherefore, as often the whole is put for the part, vz. eternitie for a certaine time: so here the part is put for the whole, ages for eternitie. This also makes a difference betweene earthly princes and the mightie Iehouah. They hauehave kingdome, power, and glorie for a short time, but he absolutely and for euer.
2. The vses.
1. HEre we learne in praier to abase our selues before God, and vtterly to denie all that is in vsus. Kingdome, power, and glorie is all his, not ours: we are no better then rebels and traitours to him: if we hauehave any good thing, it is from him, euen the grace whereby we pray. And he that in prayer will not confesse this, shall no more be heard, then the insolent begger that will not acknowledge his want.
2. Secondly, in prayer we learne, that we must be perswaded of two things, and build vponupon them; Gods power, and will: his power, in that he is able; his will, in that he is carefull to performe our requests, as it was noted in the preface: the first of these is signified by kingdome and power, the second is noted in that glorie is his. 2. Cor. 1.20. For all the promises of God in him, are yea, and Amen, vntounto the glorie of God.
3. Again, we gather that praier & thanksgiuing must go togither: for as in the sixe petitions we made request vntounto God; so in these words we praise him, & thereby giuegive him thankes. Phil. 4.6. But in all things let your requests be shewed to god in praier and supplication with thankesgiuing. There is none but in want will be readie to praie: but when we hauehave receiued, wee are slacke in giuing of thankes: but he which will praie aright, must ioyne them both togither. And the summe of all gods praise stands in these three points. 1. That he is an absolute King. 2. That he hath absolute power to rule all things. 3. That hauing power and a kingdome, he hath glorie also, which appeares in the holding of his kingdo…, and the shewing of his power in gouerning of it.
4. Whatsoeuer wee aske, we must referre it to Gods glorie: this is the first thing which we are taught to craue, and the last wee are to performe, because it is noted both in the beginning, and in the end of the praier.
Thus much of the vse of these wordes altogither: nowe let vsus make vse of them particularly. 1. Whereas we say, Thine is the kingdome. Magistrates & rulers must knowe, that all the authoritie and rule which they hauehave is from the Lord, & therefore they must remember to order themselues as Gods vicegerents, vsing their power to bring men in subiection to Gods lawes; and referring all their callings to his glorie.
2. Where we say, Thine is the power, wee are admonished, when wee are to performe any worke, as to doe seruice to God, to keep our selues in the compasse of our callings, and that we hauehave no power of our selues: & for this cause we must aske power at gods hands, that we may be inabled to walke vprightly before him, and doe our duties. 3. In saying, Thine is the glorie, we learne, that if we would hauehave a good report and praise among men, wee must aboue all things seeke Gods glorie, not regarding so much our owne. If hee giuegive thee praise among men, giuegive him thankes: if not, be content, because al glorie is his.
Amen.
1. The meaning.
VVEe hauehave heard the preface, and the petitions what they are: now followeth the third part, which is the assent or testification of faith required in praier in this word Amen. And it containes more then men at the first would imagine: It signifies, certainly, so be it, or it shall be so. 2. Cor. 1.20. It is often taken for a bare assent of the people, saying Amen to the minister: but in this place it containes more; for eueryevery point in this praier is not onelyonly a direction for publike praier, but for priuate also, and must be said as well of the minister as of the people. Now then, there being two principal things in praier: the first a desire of grace: the second faith, whereby wee beleeue that God will grant things desired. The first is expressed in the sixe petitions: the latter is set forth in this word Amen, carrying this sense in effect. As we hauehave craued these things at thy hands, O Lord: so we doe beleeue that for Christs …ake, in thy good time thou wilt grant them to vsus. Therefore this part is more excellent then the former, by how much our faith is more excellent thē our desire. For in this word is contained the testification of our faith, whereas the petitions are only testifications of our desires. And as it is in the end, so also it is the seale of our praiers to make them authenticall, and it is to be vsed (as men cō monly take it) not onelyonly for this end to answer the minister, praying in the cō gregation, but also to testifie our faith for the thing desired.
2. Graces to be desired.
HEreby we are taught, what grace we are to shewe in praier. Wee must labour to giuegive assent to Gods promises when wee pray, and striue against doubting and vnbeleefe. Mat 9.11. Lord, I beleeue, Lord help mine vnbeleefe. Psal. 42.11. Why art thou cast downe my soule? and why art thou disquieted in me? waite on God.
Many there are that will stand vponupon the strength of their faith, & plead for themselues that they neuer doubted, but they are farre wide; for true faith beeing imperfect, is alwaies accompanied with doubting more or lesse. Wherefore the heart that neuer felt doubting, is not filled with faith, but with presūption. As for them which are molested with doubtings, and complaine of thē, they hauehave lesse cause to feare: for as fire and water doeth neuer striue till they meete; no more doth doubting and faith, till faith be wrought in the heart.
To conclude, we see what an excellent worke praier is: in which two most excellent graces of a Christian man be shewed forth, hungring after merciemercy, & faith, wherby we beleeue the obtaining of it. This might mooue men to learn to praie, praier being the exercise of grace.
Of the vse of the Lords praier.
THe principall vse of the Lords praier, is to direct gods Church in making their praiers in all places, at all times, and vponupon all occasions, though their praiers should be innumerable: and vnlesse they be framed after this praier, they cannot be acceptable vntounto God. In the vsing of it for direction there bee three things required. 1. The first is the knowledge of the Lords praier, and al the parts therof. He that would pray by it, must vnderstand the meaning therof, the wants therein to be bewailed, & the graces to be desired, for which ende it hath beene expounded. 2. Knowing this, there is in the second place required thus much skill, that hee be able to referre eueryevery want and grace to one of the sixe petitions: for example, feeling in himselfe pride of heart, he must be able to say, this is a want in the first petition: and feeling a rebellion and slownes in doing Gods commandements, he must be able to say, this is a sinne to be praied against in the third petition. Thus eueryevery want he must refer to his proper head: againe, he must referre eueryevery grace to be desired to one of the sixe petitions: as strength in temptation to the sixt: affiance in Gods prouidence to the fourth: knowledge of God to the first, &c. and so in the rest. 3. In the third place, hee must before he pray, consider what bee his wants and imperfections which most trouble him, as also the graces which he would obtaine: then for the helping of his memorie, he must goe to the petitions, & hee must set those things first in his minde, which concerne the first petition: and those which concerne the second petition, must hauehave the second place in his mind, and so he must proceede in order as he shall hauehave occasion. Thus a man keeping in mind the order of the petitions as they stand, shall be able by referring eueryevery grace and want to his proper head, to make distinct praier: and to varie it as time, place, and other occasions shall mooue him.
Quest. Must we of necessitie follow all the petitions in conceiuing a praier? Ans. No, but onelyonly those which doe principally belong to the time, place, and occasion, as Paul maketh a praier, Coloss. 1.9,10. And all the points of it may be referred to the third and last petitions.
Againe, a Christian man may make an excellent confession of his sinnes by this praier: if he shall, keeping the order of the petitions, confesse and bewaile the sinnes which eueryevery petition requires vsus to pray against. And it serues to make a thankesgiuing to God, thus: let a man remember all the graces which he hath receiued from God, let him then referre them to the petitions, & giuegive thankes to God after the order of them, turning eueryevery petition into a thanksgiuing.