A Golden Chain, Part 9 – Part 10
Thy will be done.]
1. The Coherence.
IN the second petition, we desired that God would let his kingdome come, vz. That he would rule in our hearts. If he then must raigne, we must be his subiects: and therefore here we craue, that beeing his subiects wee may obey him, and doe his will. Mal. 1.6. If I be a father where is my honour? If I be a master, where is my feare?
2. The meaning.
VVIll] Here it signfieth Gods word written in the olde and new Testament: For in his word his will is reauealed. Of the whole will of God there be three speciall points, which are in this place meant. 1. To beleeue in Christ, Ioh. 6.40. This is the will of him that sent me, that eueryevery one which seeth the Sonne, and beleeueth in him, should hauehave euerlasting life. 2. Sanctification of body & soule. 1. Thess. 4.3. This is the will of God, euen your sanctification, &c. 3. The bearing of affliction in this life. Rom. vers. 29. Those which he knew before, he did predestinate to be made like to the image of his owne sonne. Phil. 3.10. That I might knowe him and the vertue of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his afflictions, and be made conformable to his death.
Thy will] Not mine: for mans owne will is wicked and corrupt, yea it is flat enmitie to God. Rom. 8. v. 5.
Done] That is, obeyed and accomplished of men. Then the effect of the prayer is this: O Lord, seeing thou art our King, giuegive vsus grace to shewe our selues good subiects in obeying thy will.
3. The wants to be praied against.
1. HEre first we are to bewaile this, that our hearts are so prone to rebelliō and disobedience of Gods commandements. Put a match to a heape of gun-powder, on a sudden it will be all on a flame; and as long as we adde matter to the fire, it burnes: so by nature we are most readie to sinne, so soone as the least occasion is giuen. Dauid had experience of this when hee praied, Knit my heart to thee, O Lord, &c. Psal. 86. 11. and incline my heart to thy commandements. Psal. 119.37. Those which finde not this want in themselues, and the like affection to bewaile it, are in a miserable and dangerous case: euen as a man that hath a great disease vponupon him, and knowes not of it.
2. Againe, wee must here bewaile the sinne of the worlde, as ignorance, schismes, hipocrisie, pride, ambition, contempt of Gods word couetousnes, oppression, want of louelove of God and his word, &c. 2. Peter 2.7. Lot was vexed, and his righteous heart was vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the Sodomites from day to day: so ought our soules to bee vexed and grieued continually at the wickednesse of our time: and we are to send vp our praiers to God for vnbeleeuing & vnrepentant sinners, that they may be brought to the obedience of Gods will. Ezech. 9.4. In a common iudgement vponupon Ierusalem, They are marked in the forhead, that mourne and crie for all the abominations that be done in the middest of it.
3. Here also we must humble our selues for our vnquietnesse of mind, & impatience, whē god laies any crosse on vsus. It is Gods wil that we should suffer affliction, and withall humble our selues vnderunder his mightie hand. Our Sauiour praied that the cup might be taken away, but with submission to his Fathers will Luk. 22.42. And this Dauid had learned when he said, But if he thus say, behold I hauehave no delight in thee, behold here I am, let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies. 2. Sam. 15.26.
4. Graces to be desired.
1. THe first thing which we are here to desire is, that we may hauehave grace to denie our selues, wils, and affections: because herein wee are vnlike to God, and like the deuill. This is the first lesson that our Sauiour doth giuegive his disciples, that they must denie themselues and follow him.
2. The second thing is the knowledge of Gods will: for otherwise howe shall we doe it? How can that seruant please his master, which cannot tel what he would hauehave done of him? Most men will hauehave bookes of statutes in their houses, and if they be to deale in any great matter, they will doe nothing before they hauehave looked on the statute. In like manner men should hauehave the bible, that is, the booke of Gods statutes in their houses: the lawes of God must be the men of our counsell: before eueryevery action we are to search what is the will of God, and then to doe it. Here then we are taught to vse the meanes, and to pray for knowledge.
3. Againe, wee are here taught to hauehave a desire in our hearts, and an indeauour in our liues, in all things to performe obedience to Gods worde in our liues and conuersations, and in our particular callings.
4. Lastly, we desire patience and strength, when it shall please God at any time to exercise vsus with the crosse, as Paul praies for the Colossians, That God would strengthen them by the power of his might, vntounto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse. Coloss. 1.12.
5. Error confuted:
THE Church of Rome teacheth, that men by nature hauehave free will to doe good: and that men being stirred vp by the holy ghost, can of themselues will that which is good. But if this were so, why might wee not pray, Let my will be done? So farre forth as the will of man shall agree with Gods will: but this cannot be, as wee see in the tenour of this petition.
In earth as it is in heauen.
1. The meaning.
HAuing shewed the meaning of this petition, Thy will be done: nowe we are to speake of the condition, which shewes in what manner we should doe it. For the question might be howe we would doe Gods will: and the answer is, that his will must be done in earth as it is in heauen.
Heauen] By heauen here is meant the soules of faithfull men departed, and the elect Angels, Psal. 103.20. Praise the Lord ye his angels, that excel in strēgth, that doe his commandements in obeying the voice of his word.
Earth] By earth is vnderstood nothing but men on earth, because all other creatures in their kind obey God: onelyonly man he is rebellious and disobedient. Then the meaning is, Let thy will be done by vsus men on earth, as the Angels and Saints departed doe thy will in heauen.
Question. Doe wee here desire to doe the will of God in that perfection it is done by Angels? must we be as perfect as they? Ans. The words here vsed in earth as it, &c. doe not signifie an equalitie (as though our obedience could in this life bee in the same degree of perfection with Angels) but a similitude standing in the like manner of obedience. Now it may be asked in what manner do the angels obey God? Ans. They do the will of God willingly, speedily, and faithfully: and this is signified in that they are said in the scriptures to be winged, and to stand continually beholding the face of our heauenly father. And this is the manner in which wee desire to performe Gods will.
2. The wants to be bewailed.
VVE are here admonished to bee displeased with our selues, for our slacke and imperfect obedience to God, & for our hypocrisie, priuie prid, presumption, deadnes of spirit, and many other wants which breake out when we are in doing Gods will. There is no seruant of God, but hath wants in his best workes, so we must vnderstand Paul, when he saith, To will is present with me, but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good. Rom. 7.18. Where he signifies thus much in effect, that hee could beginne good things, but not perfect them, and goe through-stitch, as we say. When the godly doe good workes, as heare, speake gods word, pray, praise God, &c. they perform things acceptable to God: but in these actions they finde matter of mourning: namely, the imperfection of the worke: therefore Dauid praieth, Psal. 143.2. Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant. And here we may see how farre wide the Church of Rome is, that holdeth good works to be any way meritorious, that be eueryevery way imperfect. If the men of that church had grace, they might see that the corruptions of the flesh were as gyues and fetters about their legges, that when they would faine runne the waies of Gods commandements, they are constrained to halt downe right, and to traile their loynes after them.
3. Grace to be desired.
THe grace here to be desired, is sinceritie of heart, or a readie and constant purpose and indeauour not to sinne in any thing, but to doe Gods wil, so as we may keepe a good conscience before God & men. Act. 24. 16. And for this cause I endeuour alwaies to hauehave a cleare conscience towards God, and towards men. This must we hunger after, and pray for: seeing it is not sufficient to abstaine from euill, but also to doe good, and in doing good, striue to come to perfection. A conformitie with Angels in this dutie is to be sought for and to be begun in this life, that in the life to come we may be like them in glorie.