Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Title page – Dedication
AN EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAIER, IN the way of Catechisme.
By William Perkins.
EDINBVRGH▪ PRINTED BY ROBERT Walde-graue Printer to the Kings … 1593.
TO THE RIGHT honourable, Edward, Lord Russell, Earl of Bedford, grace and peace be multiplied.
RIGHT honourable, if you consider what is one of the cheife ornaments of this noble state, vntounto which God hath aduanced you: It will appeare, that there is none more excellent, then the spirit of grace and praier. For what doth your heart affect? would you speake the languages? Behold, by praier you may speake the most heauenly toung that euer was, euen the language of Canaan. Would you hauehave the valor of knighthood? By praier you may stand in the place where Gods hand hath made a breach, and do as much as all the Chariots & horsmen in a kingdome. Would you enjoy Gods blessings which you want? By praier, you may (as it were) put your hād into the cofers of Gods treasures, and inriche your selfe. Do you desire the fauour of Monarks and Princes? By praier you may come in presence, and hauehave speeche with Iehoua the King of heauen and earth▪ Lastly, would you knowe, whether now liuing, you be dead, that being dead you may liue for euer? By praier a man may knowe, whether he be dead to sinne, dead to the world, liue to God, liue to Christ, and liue eternally.
Praier then, being so excellent a point of Religion: I am imboldened to commend this small treatise your honour: not so much for itselfe, as because it doth set out the matter and true maner of inuocation of Gods holy name. And I hope for your fauour in accepting of it: the rather, because I doubt not but your desire is to be answerable to your most honourable, and for Religion, most worthie ancestors, in the care of maintaining and countenancing any good thing, that may any whit serue for the furthering of the gospell of Christ.
Now Iesus Christ our Lorde, and God euen the Father which hath loued vsus and giuen vsus euerlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, stablish your Honor in euerie good word and worke to the end.
Your H. to command William Perkins.
AN EXPOSITION of the Lords prayer, in the way of Catechisme.
By M. Perkins.
Matth. 6. ver. 9.
After this maner therefore pray yee, Our Father, &c.
THe occasion, and so also the coherence of these wordes with the former is this. The Evangelist Matthew, setting downe the Sermons and sayings of our Sauiour Christ, keeps not this course, to propounde eueryevery thing as it was done or spoken: but sometime he settes down that first, which was done last, and that last which was done before: according as the spirit of God directed him. Which thing is verified in these wordes; where the praier is mentioned, yet the occasion wherfore our Sauiour Christ taught his disciples to pray, is not here specified. But in Saint Luke. 11. verse 1. the occasion of these wordes is euident. For there it is said, that the disciples of our Sauior, knowing that Iohn taught his disciples to pray, made request to their master that he would do the same to them likewise.
These few words, set before the praier are a commandement; and it prescribes vntounto vsus two duties; the first, to praie, the second, to pray after the manner following: Touching the first point, considering verie fewe among the people know how to pray aright, we must learne what it is to pray.
To make praier, is to put vp request to god, acording to his word from a contrite hart in the name of Christ, with assurance to bee hard.
For the better opening of these words, we are to consider six questions. The first is, to whome wee are to pray. The answer is to God alone: Rom. 10. 14. Howe shal they cal on him in whome they hauehave not beleeued, &c. Marke how inuocation and faith are linked together; And Paules reson may be framed thus. In whome we put our affiance or beleif, to him alone must we pray; but we beleue only in God: therefore wee must onelyonly praie to him. As for Saints or Angels, they are in no wise to be called vponupon: because not the least title of Gods worde prescribes vsus so to doe: because they cannot heare our praiers, and discerne what are the thoughts and desires of our harts: and because invocation is a parte of diuine worship, and therefore peculiar to God alone.
The second question is, what kinde of action prayer is? Answer: it is no lip-labour, it is the putting vp of a sute vntounto God, and this action is peculiar to the verie hart of a man. Rom. 8. 26. The spirite makes request for vsus: But how? with grones in the hart. Exod. 14. 15. The Lord said to Moses, Why criest thou? Yet there is no mentiō made that Moses spake any word at all: the Lorde no doubt, accepted the inward mourning and desire of his hart for a crie.
The third question is, what is the forme or rule, according vntounto which we are to pray. Answer. It is the reueiled wil and word of God. A man in humbling his soule before God, is not to pray as his affections carrie him, and for what he list▪ but all is to be done according to the expresse worde. So as those things which God hath cō manded vsus to ask, wee are to aske, and those thinges which hee hath not commanded vsus to ask, we are in no wise to pray for. 1. Iohn. 5. 14. This is the assurance vvhichwhich vvee hauehave of him, that if wee aske any thing according to his will hee heareth vsus. This then is a speciall clause to be marked, that men must praye in knowledge, not in ignorance. Here weigh the case of poore ignorant people: they talke muche of praying for themselues & others, they imagine that they pray verie deuoutlie to God, but alas, they doe nothing les: because they knowe not what to ask acording to Gods will. They therefore must learne Gods worde, and pray according to the same; else it will prooue in the end, that all their praying was nothing but as mocking and flat dishonoring of God.
The fourth question is, with what affection a man must pray. Answer. Prayer must proceed from a broken and contrite hart. This is the sacrifice which God accepteth. Psalm. 51. verse. 17. When Ahab abased himselfe, though he did it in hypocrisie, yet God had some respect vntounto it. 1. King. 21. verse 29. Saith the Lorde to Eliah, seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me? This contrition of heart stands in two thinges. The first of them is a liuely feeling of our own sinne, miserie and wretched estate; howe that we are compassed about with inumerable enemies, euen with the Deuill and all his Angels, & within a bound, even with huge seas of wants and rebellious corruptiōs, whereby we most grieuouslie displease God, & are vile in our own eies. Being therefore thus beset on euerie side, wee are to be touched with the sense of this our gret miserie. And he that wil pray aright, must putte on the person, and the verie affection of a poore wretched begger: and certainely not being grieued with the rufull condition in which we are in our selues, it is not possible for vsus to pray effectually. Psalm. 130. verse 1. Out of the deepes I called vponupon thee, O Lord: that is, when I was in my greatest miserie, and as it were, not far frō the gulfes of hell, then I cried to God. Isai. 26. 16. Lord, in trouble hauehave they visited thee: they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was vponupon them. 1. Sam. 1. 15 I am a woman (saith Anna) of an hard spirite: that is, a troubled soule, and hauehave powred out my soul before the lord Hence it appeareth, that the ordinary praiers of most mē greuously displease God, seing they ar made for fashion only, without any sense and feeling of their miseries: commonly men come with the Pharisie, in ostentation of their integritie, and they take greate paines with their lips, but their harts wā der from the Lorde. The second thing required in a contrite hart, is a longing desire and hungring after Gods graces and benefites, whereof we stand in need. It is not sufficient for a man to buckle as it were, and to go crooked vnderunder his sinnes and miseries; but also, hee must hauehave a desire to be eased of them, & to be enriched with graces needefull. Thus Hezekias the king, and the Prophet Isaiah the Sonne of Amos praied against Senacharib, and cried vntounto heauen, 2. Chron. 32. 20. Where wee may see what a maruelous desire they had to obtaine their request. So also Rom. 8. 26. The spirite maketh request with grones▪ so greate, that they cannot be vttered, as they are felte. Dauid, Psalm. 143. 6. saith, that hee desireth after the Lorde, as the thirstie land. Now we know that the groūd partched with heat, opens it selfe in rifts and cranies, and gapes towards heauen, as though it would deuoure the cloudes for want of moisture, and thus must the hart bee disposed to Gods grace till it obtaine it. The people of Israel being in grieuous affliction▪ How do they pray? They powre out their souls like vvater before the face of the Lord. Lam. 2. vers. 19.
The fift question is, in whose name praier must be made. Answer It must not be made in the name of any creature, but onelyonly in the name and mediatiō of Christ. Ioh. 14. ver. 14. If yee ask any thing in my name, I will do it. A man is not to present his prayers to God, in any worthines of his own merites. For what is hee? to make the best of himself, what can he make of himselfe? by nature he is no better thē the verie firebrand of hell, and of all Gods creatures the most outragious rebell to God, and therefore cannot be heard for his own sake. As for Saints, they can be no mediators, seing euen they themselues in heauen, are accepted of God not for themselues, but only for the blessed merites of Christ. If any man sinne (saith S. Iohn. 1. Epistle. chap. 2. verse 1.) Wee hauehave an Aduocate with the Father, Iesus Christ: But how proues he this? It followes then, And hee is the reconciliation for our sinnes. His reason stands thus: he which must bee an aduocate, must firste of all be a reconciliation for vsus: no Saintes can be a reconciliation for vsus: therefore no Saints can be Aduocates. Therfore, in this place is manifest an other faulte of ignoraunt people. They cry often, Lord help me, Lorde hauehave mercy vponupon me. But in whose name pray they? poore soules like blinde bayardes, they rush vponupon the Lord; they know no mediatour, in whose name they should present their praiers vntounto him. Little do they consider with themselues, that God is as well a most terrible Iudge, as a mercifull Father.
The sixt question is, whether saith be requisit to prayer or not. Answere. Praier is to be made with faith, whereby a man may hauehave a certaine assurance to be heard. For he that praieth, must stedfastly beleeue that God in Christ will grāt his petition. This affiance being wanting, it maketh praier to bee no praier. For how can be pray for any thing effectually, who doubteth whether he shall obtaine it or noe. Wherefore, it is an especiall pointe of prayer, to be perswaded, that God to whome praier is made, not onelyonly can, but also will graunt his request. Marke 11. 24. Whatsoeuer yee desire vvhen yee praye, beleeue that yee shall hauehave it, and it shall bee doone vntounto you. Here we see two thinges required in praier; the first, a desire of the good thinges which we want, the second is faith, wherby we beleue that God will grant the thinges desired. The ground of this faith, is reconciliation with God, & the assurance thereof. For vnlesse a man be in conscience, in some mesure perswaded, that al his sinnes are pardoned, and that hee stands reconciled to God in Christ, hee cannot beleeue any other promises reuealed in the word, nor that any of his praiers shall be heard.
Thus much of the definition of praier; now let vsus see what vse may be made of this commandement, Pray yee thus. Seeing our Sauiour commandeth his Disciples, and so euen vsus also to praie to God; it is our dutie, not only to present our praiers to God, but also to doe it cheerefully and earnestlie. Rom. 15. 30. Also, brethren I besech you that yee woulde striue with me by praiers to God for me. What is the cause, why the Lord doeth oft defer his blessings after our praiers? No cause, but that hee might stirre vsus vp to be more feruent, & more earnestly to crye vntounto the Lord. Exod. 32. 10. When Moses praieth to God in the behalfe of the Israelites, the lord answers, Let me alone, as though his praiers did bind the Lord, and hinder him frō executing his iudgments. Wherefore this is good aduise, for all Christian men to continue and to be zealous in praier. If thou be an ignorant man, for shame learne to praie; seeing it is Gods commandement, make conscience of it. We see that there is no man vnlesse he be desperatly wicked, but wil mak some conscience of killing & stealing: and why is this? because it is Gods commandment; Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steale. Well then; this also is Gods commandement to pray. Let this consideration breed in thee a conscience of this dutie: and although thy corrupt nature shall drawe thee away from it, yet striue to the contrary, and know it certainely, that the breach of this command, maketh thee as well guiltie of damnation before God as any other. Furthermore, this must be a motiue to prick thee forward to this dutie, that as God commandes vsus to pray, so also he giues the spirite of praier, whereby the commaundement is made easie vntounto vsus. If the Lord had commanded a thing impossible, then there had bene some cause of discouragemēt, but commanding a thing through the grace of his spirite, verie easie and profitable: howe much more are we bound to the obedience of the same? Againe, praier is the key whereby wee open the treasures of God, and pull downe his mercies vponupon vsus. For as the preaching of the word, serues to declare and to conuey vntounto vsus Gods graces: so in praier we come to hauehave a liue lie feeling of the same in our harts. And further, this must moue vsus to praier, seeing in praier we hauehave familiaritie with Gods Maiestie. It is an high fauour for a man to bee familiar with a Prince; howe much more then, to be familiar with the King of Kings, the mightie Iehouah? This then can bee no burthen or trouble vntounto vsus, being one of the many prerogatiues that God bestowes on his Church. For in the preaching of the worde, it pleaseth God to talke to vsus; and in praier, God doth vouchsafe vsus this honour, to speake, and as it were, familiarly to talk with him, not as to a fearful Iudge, but as to a louing and mercifull God. Consider also, that praier is a worthie means of defence, not onelyonly to vsus, but also to the Church, and them that are absent. By it Moses stood in the breache, which Gods wrath had made into the pepill of Israell, and staied the same, Psalm. 106. ver. 23 by this Christian men fight, as valiant champions, against their own corruptions and all other spirituall enemies. Ephes. 6. vers. 18. Infinite were it to shewe, howe many blessings the Lord hath bestowed on his seruaunts by prayer. In a worde, Luther, whome it pleased God to vse as a worthie instrumēt for the restoring of the Gospell, testifieth of himselfe, that hauing this grace giuen him; to call vponupon the name of the lord, he had more reuealed vntounto him of Gods trueth by praier, then by reding & study.
The second point of the cōmandement, is to pray after the maner following in the Lordes prayer. Where it is to bee noted, that the Lords prayer is a direction, and as it were, a sampler to teach vsus, how and in what maner wee ought to praie. None is to imagine that we are bound to vse these words only and none other. For the meaning of Christ is not to binde vsus to the words, but to the matter and maner, and to the like affections in praying. If this were not so, the praiers of Gods seruants set down in the bookes of the old and newe Testament, should be al faultie, because they ar not according to the wordes of the Lords praier. Also, by reason of this, diuers in our church, ignorantly perswade them selues that it is vnlawfull to vse the wordes as they are set downe for a praier. First (say they) it is Scripture, and therefore not to be vsed as a prayer. I answer, that the same thing may be the scripture of god, and also the praier of man; else the praiers of Moses, Dauid and Paul, being set downe in the scriptures, cease to be praiers. Againe (they say) that in praier we are to expres our wantes in particular, and the graces which wee desire: nowe in these wordes all things to be praied for, are onelyonly in generall propounded. I answer, that the maine wants that are in any man, and the principall graces of God to be destred, are set downe in the petitions of this praier, in particular. Thirdly, they pleade that the pattern to make al praiers by, should not be vsed as a praier. I answere, that therefore the rather it may be vsed a… a praier; and sure it is, th… ancient and worthie diuines hauehave reuerēced it as a praier; chosing rather to vse these words then any other, as Cyprianus sermone de orat. Dominic. And Tertullian lib. de fuga in persequutione. And Augustine sermone 126. de tēpore. Wherfore, the opinion is ful of ignorāce & error.
Well, whereas our Sauiour first giues a commaundement to pray, and then after giueth a direction for the keeping of it, this he doeth to stiree vp our dulnes, and to allure vsus by all meanes to this heauenly exercise of praier: Wherfore still I say, imploy your selues in praier feruently, and continually; and if you cannot do it, learne to praye. Thus much of the commandement of our Sauior Christ: nowe followe the wordes of the praier.