A Golden Chain, Part 3
Our Father.]
1. The meaning.
THus much of the argument of relation: now let vsus proceede… It is further said, Our father. And he is so tearmed, because he is the father of Christ by nature; and in him the father of eueryevery beleeuer: yea of the whole bodie of the Church.
Quest. Whether may it be lawfull for vsus in praier to say, not our father, but my father? Ans. A Christian may in priuate praier say, My father. This is warranted by the example of our Sauiour, Matth. 26.…9. O my father if it be possible, let this cup passe from me. And Math. 27.46. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And Thomas praied, My Lord, and my God. And Paul, I giuegive thanks to my God, &c. And Gods promise is, Ier. 3.19. Thou shalt call me my father. The meaning of Christ is not to binde vsus to these words, but to teach vsus that in our praiers we must not hauehave regard to our selues onelyonly, but also to our brethren, and therefore when we pray for them in our priuate praiers as for our selues, we put in practise the true meaning of these words.
2. The vses.
When we pray, wee must not make request onelyonly for our selues and our owne good, but for others also, as the church and people of God, perswading our selues that we also are partakers of their praiers: and for the better cleering of this point, let vsus search who they are for whome wee are to pray.
Of men there be two sorts, some liuing… some dead. Of these two kinds, the liuing are to be praied for, and there is no praying for the dead.
A man that is dead, knowes what shall bee his estate eternally: if he died a wicked person, that is, an vnrepentant sinner, his state shall bee according in eternall torment: if he died hauing repented of his sinnes, then hee shall rest with God in his kingdome. Apoc. 14.13. Blessed are they which die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their workes follow them. Gal. 6.10. While wee hauehave time let vsus doe good to all men. Where wee may note that there is a time, namely after death, when we cannot doe good to others.
Again, of the liuing, some are our enemies, & some our friends: Our friends are they which are of the same religion, affection, and disposition. Foes are either priuate or publike: Publike foes, are either enemies to our countrie, as tyrants, traitors, &c. or enemies to our religion, as Iewes, Turkes, Papists, Infidels, Atheists. Now towards all these, how ought a man to behaue himselfe in praier? Ans. He is to pray for them all. Matth. 5.44. Pray for them which hurt you, and persecute you. 1. Tim. 2.1. I exhort that praiers, intercessions, &c. be made for all men, for kings, &c. Yet whē Paul gaue this commandement, we read not that there were any Christian kings, but all Infidels. And the Iewes are commanded to pray for Babylon, where they were captiue, Ierem. 29.7. And seeke the prosperitie of the cittie, whither I hauehave caused you to be carried captiue, and pray vntounto the Lord for it.
Question. How and in what manner are wee to pray for our enemies? Ans. We are to praie against their …innes, counsels, enterprises, but not against their persons. Thus praied Dauid against Achitophel. 2. Sam. 15.31. Lord I pray thee bring the counsell of Achitophel to foolishnesse. And thus did the Apostles pray against their persecutors, Act. 4.29. O Lord behold their threatnings, and graunt vntounto thy seruants with all boldnesse to speake thy word.
Question. Dauid vseth imprecations against his enemies, in which he prayeth for their vtter confusion, as Psal. 59. & 109. &c. The like is done by Paul, Gal. 5.1. 2. Tim. 4.14. and Peter, Act. 8. 20. though afterwards he mitigates his execration. But how could they doe it? Ans. 1. They were indued with an extraordinarie measure of Gods spirit, and hereby they were inabled to discerne of their enemies and certainly to iudge that their wickednes and malice was incurable, and that they should neuer repent. And the like praiers did the Primitiue church cōceiue against Iulian the Apostata because they perceiued him to be a malitious & desperate enemie. 2. Secondly, they were indued with a pure zeale, and not carried with desire of reuenge against their enemies, intending nothing els but the glorie of God. Nowe for vsus it is good that wee should suspect our zeale, because sinister affections, as hatred, enuie, emulation, desire of reuenge, will easily mingle themselues therewith.
Question. How farre forth may we vse those Psalmes in which Dauid vseth imprecations against his enemies? Ans. They are to bee read and song with these caueats. I. We are to vse those imprecations indefinitely against the enemies of God and his Church: for we may perswade our selues that alwaies there be some such obstinate enemies: but we must not applie them particularly. 2. Secondly, we must vse them (as Augustine saith) as certaine propheticall sentences of the holy Ghost, pronouncing the last sentence of destruction vponupon final and impenitent sinners, which oppose themselues against Gods kingdome. 3. They may be vsed against our spirituall enemies, the flesh, the deuill, and his angels, and the world.
2. Furthermore, whereas we are taught to say, Our father, this serues to put vsus in minde, that in praying to God, we must bring louelove to men with vsus. We must all be the children of one father, louingly disposed one to another. For how should he call God his father, who will not take the child of God for his brother? Math. 5.2…. When thou art to offer thy gift vntounto God, if thou hauehave ought against thy brother: first be reconciled, and then come and offer thy gift. So also Esa. ….15. the Lord saith, that when they pray vntounto him he will not heare. Why? because their han…s are full of bloode. In these times many men can be content form…lly to pray, but yet they will not leaue b…ibing, oppression, deceit, vsurie, &c. The common song of the world is, EueryEvery man for himselfe, and God for vsus all: this is the common louelove and care that men hauehave each to other. The praiers of such are abominable, euen as the sacrifice of a dogge, as Esay saith. For how can they call God their father, that hauehave no louelove to their brethren?
3. Thirdly, hence we may learne that God is no accepter of persons. For this prayer is giuen to all men of what state or degree soeuer. All then, as well poore as rich, vnlearned as learned, subiects as rulers, may say, Our father. It is not with the Lord as it is with the world, but all are his children that doe beleeue. The poore man hath as good interest in Gods kingdome, and may call God father as well as the king. Therfore the weaker sort are to comfort themselues hereby, knowing that God is a father to them as well as to Abraham, Dauid, Peter. And such as are indued with more grace, must not therefore swell in pride, because they hauehave not God to be their father more then their inferiours hauehave.