A Golden Chain, Part 2
Father.]
1. The meaning.
IN the opening of this word, or title of God, two questions are to be opened.
1. Quest. Whether by thit title, Father, is signified the whole Trinitie or some one person thereof. Ans. Otherwhiles this name is attributed to all the persons in Trinitie, or any of them. Mal. 2. 10. HaueHave wee not all one father. &c. Luk. 3.38. Which was the sonne of Adam, which was the s…nne of God. And in Esai 36. Christ is called the Father of eternitie, because all that are truely knit to him, and borne anew by him, they are eternally made the sonnes of God. Againe, oftentimes it is giuen to the first person in Trinitie, as in those places where one person is conferred with another. And so in this place principally for some speciall respects, this title agrees to the first person. For first he is the father of Christ as he is the eternall word of the father, and that by nature, because he is of the same essence with him. Secondly, he is the father to Christ in respect of his manhood, not by nature or adoption, but by personall vnion, because the humane nature doth subsist in the person of the word. Thirdly, he is a father to all the faithfull by adoption in Christ.
2. Quest. Whether are we to praie to the sonne and the holy Ghost as to the Father? Ans. Inuocation belongs to al the three persons in Trinitie, & not only to the Father, Act. 7.59. Steuen praieth, Lord Iesus receiue my spirit. 1. Th…s. 3.2. Now God our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ guide our iourney vntounto you. 2. Cor. 13.13. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, the louelove of God, and the communion of the holy ghost be with you. And men are baptized in the name of the father, the sonne, and the holy Ghost, that is, by calling on the name of the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost.
Some may say, this praier is a perfect platforme of all praiers, & yet we are taught to direct our praiers to the Father, not to the Sonne, or holy spirit. I answere, the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, are three distinct persons, yet they are not to be seuered or deuided, because they all subsist in one and the same godhead or diuine nature. And further in all outward actions, as in the creation and preseruation of the world, and the saluation of the elect, they are not seuered or diuided: for they all worke togither, onelyonly they are distinguished in the manner of working. Nowe if they be not diuided in nature or operation, then they are not to be seuered in worship.
And in this place wee principally direct our praiers to the father, because he is the first in order: yet so, as then we implie the Sonne and holy Ghost. For we pray to the Father in the name of the Sonne by the assistance of the holy Ghost. And to what person soeuer the praier is directed, we must alwaies remember in minde and heart to include the rest.
2. The vse.
TThe vses of this point are manifold.
1. First, whereas we are taught to come to God as to a father, & therefore in the name of his Sonne our Sauiour Christ, we learne to lay the first ground of all our praiers, which is to hold and maintaine the vnion & the distinction of the three persons in Trinitie. This beeing the lowest and the first foundation of praier, it is requisite that all which would pray aright, should hauehave this knowledge, rightly to beleeue the Trinitie, and to know how the three persons agree, and how they are distinguished, and the order of them, how the Father is the first, the Sonne the second, the holy ghost the third: and therefore how the father is to be called vponupon in the name of the sonne by the holy Ghost. By this, the praiers of Gods Church, and the praiers of heathen men are distinguished, who inuocate God as creator out of the father, Sonne, & holy Ghost. And hence it is manifest, that ignorant and silly people which doe not so much as dreame of the vnion, distinction, and order of the persons in Trinitie, make but a cold and slender kind of praying.
2. Secondly, we may learne hereby that we are not in any wise to inuocate Saints and Angels, but onelyonly the true Iehoua. The reason standes thus: This praier is either a perfect platforme for all praiers, or not: to say it were not, were an iniurie to our Sauiour Christ: to say it is so, is also to graunt that it doth fully set downe to whome all praiers are to be made. Now, in these words there is set downe no inuocation but of God alone. For in praier to be tearmed, Our father is proper to God, Esai 64.16. Thou art our father: though Abraham be ignorant of vsus, and Israel know vsus not: yet thou, O Lord, art our father and redeemer. Papists therefore that are the great patrons of inuocation of Saints, in their reformed breuiaries & missals, deale very fondly: for first they pray to Marie, that shee would pray to Christ for them, and when they hauehave so done, like iuglers they come to Christ and pray vntounto him that he would accept Maries praier for them.
3. Thirdly, we learne that there can be no intercessour betweene God and vsus, but onelyonly Christ. For here we are taught to come to God not as to a iudge, but as to a kind and louing father. Now he is a father to vsus onelyonly by Christ: as for Angels and Saints and all creatures, they are not able to procure by any meanes, that God should become a father, no not so much as to one man.
4. Againe, if the God to whome we pray be a father, we must learne to acquaint our selues with the promises which he hath made in his word, to quicken our hearts in all our praiers vntounto him, and thereby to gather affiance to our selues and perswasion that he wil graunt our requests. For this word [Father] implies a readines and willingnes in God to heare and be mercifull to our praiers. And a father can not but must needes make promise of fauour to those that be his children, and therefore it can not be that he should call God his father truly, which hath not in his heart this assurance, that God will fulfill all his promises made vntounto him. Promises made to praier, as these and such like, are to be marked, as follow, 2. Chron. 7.14. If my people among whome my name is called vponupon, doe humble themselues, and pray, and seeke my presence, & turne from their wicked waies, then I will heare in heauen, and be mercifull vntounto their sinnes. 2. Chron. 15.2. The Lord is with you while ye be with him, and if ye seeke him, he will be found of you. Esai 65. 34. Before they call I will answer, and whiles they speake I will heare. Matth. 7.7. Aske and it shall be giuen you, seeke and ye shall finde, knocke and it shall be opened. Luke 11.13. If ye which are euill can giuegive good gifts vntounto your children, how much more shall your heauenly father giuegive the holy Ghost to them that desire him. Rom. 10. 12. He that is Lord ouer all, is rich vntounto all that call on him. Iam. 4.8. Draw neere vntounto God, and he will draw neere vntounto you.
5. If God be a father who is called vponupon, then praier is the note of Gods child. Saint Luke and S. Paul set out the faithfull seruants of God by this note, Act. 9.14. He hath authoritie to bind all that call on thy name. 1. Cor. 1.2. To them that are sanctified by Iesus Christ, Saints by calling, with all that call on the name of our Lord Iesus Christ. And contrariwise, Psal. 14.4. it is made one of the properties of an Atheist, Neuer to call on the name of God. And such persons as neither will nor can, or vse not heartily to pray to God, they may say that they are perswaded there is a God, but in their doings they beare themselues as if there were no God.
6. He which would pray aright, must be like the prodigall child, that is, he must not onelyonly confesse his sinne, saying, Father, I hauehave sinned against heauen, and against thee, &c. but also hauehave a full purpose neuer after to offend his father. For how can a child call him father, whome he cares not continually to displease through his lewd conditions? He can not doe it, neither can any father delight in such a child: therefore in praier we must call to minde our lewdnes and rebellions against our heauenly father, and with the Publicane in heauines of soule say, Lord be mercifull to be a sinner. He which can truly doe this, is a kinde childe. If we consider our selues as we are by nature, we are the children of the deuill: no child so like his father as we are like him, and in this estate we continually rebell against God: for the deuill hath all the heart, our whole ioy is to serue and please him. A man that is to pray must thinke on this, and be grieued thereat. And happie, yea a thousand times happie are they, who hauehave grace giuen them to see this their state and to bewaile it. And further, it is not sufficient to confesse our sinnes against our mercifull Father, but we must set downe with our selues neuer in such sort to offend him againe, & to lead a new life. This point is very profitable for these times. For many there be when any crosse or sicknesse comes on them, wil pray and promise repentance and all obedience to Gods word, if it shall please God to deliuer them: but this vsually is but in hypocrisie, they dissemble with God and men. For when their sicknes is past, like a dogge that hath bin in the water, they shake their eares and runne straight with all greedines to their former sinnes. Is this to call God Father? No, he that doth this shal not hauehave God to be his father: but the man that is wounded in his soule for his offences past, and carrieth a purpose in his heart neuer wittingly and willingly to offend God againe.
7. Lastly, here we are to obserue, that he which would pray, must be indued wi…h the spirit of adoption: the actions whereof in the matter of praier are twofold. The first to mooue the heart to crie and call on God as a father. It is no easie thing to pray: for to a man of himselfe it is as easie to mooue the whol earth with his hand: how then comes it that we pray? It is a blessed worke of the spirit. Rom. 8.15. We hauehave receiued the spirit of adoption, whereby we crie, Ab…a, that is… father. And Rom. 8.26. Likewise the spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what to pray as we ought: but the spirit it selfe maketh request. And Zach. 12.10. the holy Ghost is called the spirit of grace, and deprecatio…s or praiers. Well then, the man that would pray, must hauehave Gods spirit to be his schoole-master, to teach him to pray with grones and sighes of the heart: for the words make not the prayer, but the grones and desires of his heart: and a man praies for no more then he desires with the heart, and he which desires nothing praies not at all, but spends lip-labour. The second worke of the spirit, is to assure vsus in our consciences that we are in the state of grace reconciled to God. Rom. 8.16. The spirit of adoption beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God. And this inward certificate of the spirit in all exercises of inuocation is very necessarie: for he which wants this assurance, if he be secure and benummed in his sinnes, will not, and if he be touched in conscience for them, for his life dare not cal God father. Also this confutes the opinion of the Church of Rome, which teacheth, that man is to doubt whether he be adopted or no. For how can a man truly call God father, when he doubts whether he be the child of God, or no? It is a miserable kind of praying to cal God father, and withall to doubt whether he be a father. Indeede it is true that doubts will often arise, but it is our dutie to striue against them, and not to yeeld to them. Yea but (say they) to be certaine of Gods mercy is presumption. I answer, if it be presumption, it is an holy presumption, because God hath bidden vsus to call him father.