Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 4 – Part 6
Which art in heauen.
1. The meaning.
QVestion. Howe may God bee said to be in heuen, seeing he is infinite, and therefore must needes be eueryevery where? 1. King. 8. 27. The heauens of heauens are not able to containe him. Answer. 1. God is saide to be in heauen, because his majestie, that is, his power, wisedome, justice, mercy, is made manifest from thence vntounto vsus. Psalme 115. 3. Our God is in heauen and doth vvhatsoeuer he will. Psal. 2. 4. He that dwelleth in heauen shall laugh them to scorne, and the Lord shall hauehave them in derision. Esay saith, 66. 2. Thus saith the Lord: Heauen is my throne, and the earth is my footstoole. 2. After this life, hee wil manifest the fulnes of his glorie there, to his Angels and Saints.
2. The Vse
1. HEereby first we learn that Romish pilgrimages, wherby men went from place to place to worship God, are vain and foolish. The God to whome wee must pray is in heauen: Nowe let men trauell to what place or countrey they will, they shall not come the neerer to heauen or neerer to God by traueling; seeing the earth is in euerie part alike distāt from heuen
2. Secondly, this ouerthrowes popish Idolatrie, as woorshipping of Crosses, Crucifixes, Roods, &c. to put vsus in mind of God & Christ. Wee are taught to lift vp our eies to heuen; seeing God is there: and how can we do this, as long as our mindes and eies are poring vponupon an image made by mans arte?
5. Againe, wee are here admonished to vse the action of praier with as great reuerence as possible may be. Wel reasons Salomon: Eccle. 5. 1. Be not rash with thy mouth to speak a vvord before God. Why? he is in heaven, thou art in earth: therfore let thy vvords be few. This reuerence must appeare in holines of minde and affection and in al comlines of gesture. And for this cause, al wandering bythoughts and all vaine babling is to be auoided. But how goes the case with vsus, that on the times appointed come to the assē blies to pray? Many, by reason of their blindenes, pray without vnderstanding. Many, when they are present at praier, yet hauehave their hearts occupied about other matters, about their goods and worldly busines: such men hauehave no joye or gladnes in praying; it is a burdē to them. Many come to the assemblie for custom only, or for fear of punishment; if they might be left free, they could find in their harts not to pray at all. But let all suche mē know, that this maner of praiing is a very greenous sinne; nay, greater then mocking of father or mother, killing or stealing; for it is directly against God, the other against men. This sin, because it is against the first Table, and therfore, more hard to bee discerned, it is lightly esteemed, and it lesse troubles the consciences of ignorant men: yet as it is indeede, so it is to be esteemed as a disgrace & plaine mockerie of Gods majestie. Wherfore, seeing God is in heuen, away with al drowsie and dead praying, let vsus come with reuerence in our hearts before the Lord.
4. Againe wee are here to consider, that our harts in praier must mount vp into heauen, and there be present with the Lord. Psal. 25. 1. VntoUnto thee O Lord lift I vp my soule. The litle childe is neuer well, but when it is in the fathers lap, or vnderunder the fathers wing: and the children of God are neuer in better case, then when in affection & spirit, they can come into the presēce of their heauenly father, and by prayer, as it were, to creep into his bosome.
5. Lastly, this preface sheweth, that God is all sufficient, as in al other things, so in granting our requests: God is willing to hear our praiers, in that hee is our father, & able to performe them, because he is in heuen & therefore almightie.
Hallowed be thy name.
1. The coherence.
THus much of the preface: now follow the petitions. They be six in number: the three first, concerne God, and his glorie: the other three concern our selues. The three former petitions, are againe deuided into two partes: the firste concernes Gods glorie it selfe, the other two, the meanes, whereby Gods glory is manifested, and inlarged among men. For God his name is glorified among men, whē his kingdome doth come, and his will is done.
Question. Why is this petition, Hallowed be thy name, set in the first place? Answere. Because Gods glory must bee preferred before all thinges: because it is the end of all creatures, and of all the counsels of God. Prou. 16. 4. The Lord hath made all thinges for his owne sake; yea, euen the vvicked for the day of euill. And from the order of the petitions heere ariseth a worthy instruction; namely, that eueryevery one in all thinges they take in hande, are to propound to themselues, and to intend the glory of God. The reason is this. The end which God hath appointed to all our doings, we are to propound to our selues: but God hath appointed that the highest end of all our doings shuld be his glorie: therfore, our hearts must be set to seeke it first of all. That God will hauehave his name glorified by vsus, appeareth in this; that he punisheth those which of obstinacie, set themselues to dishonour him, or by negligence did not sanctifie him, when they should hauehave done so. Herod sitting in his royaltie, made such an oration that the people cried, the voice of a God and not of a man: and immediatly the Angel of the lord smote him, because he gaue not the glory to God. Act. 12. 23. And Moses because he did not sanctifie the Lord in the presence of the children of Israel, therefore, he came not into the land of promise; yet he did but faile in doing of it. Thus wee may see by these punishments, and also by the order of the petitions, that it is our duties to prefer the glory of God before all things else.
Quest. Whether are we to prefer the glory of God before the saluation of our soules? Answer. If the case stand thus, that Gods name must be dishonoured, or our soules condemned: we must account the glory of God more pretious than the saluation of our soules. This is manifest in the order of the petitions. The petition that concernes Gods glory is first, and the petitions that concerne directly our saluation are the fift and sixt. Where by we are taught, that before God should want any part of his glory, we are to let soule and all go, and let God hauehave all his glory. This affection had Moses. Exod. 32. 32. When he said, Either forgiue them, or if thou vvilt not, blot my name out of thy booke.
In this petition, as also in the rest, we must obserue three things; the first is; the mening of the words the second, the wants which men must learn to bewail, the third, the graces of god, that ar to be desired
2. The meaning.
VErie fewe among the people can giuegive the right meaning of the wordes of this praier. They pretend, that seeing God knowes their good meaning, it is sufficient for them to say the wordes and to meane well. But faith being one of the groundes of praier, & there being no faith without knowledg, neither can there bee praier without knowledge, and therefore, ignorant men are to learne the right meaning of the words.
Name.
Name in this place signifieth:
1. God himselfe. 1. Kings. 5. 5. He shal build an house to my name.
2. His attributes, as his iustice, mercy, &c.
3. His works creatures and iudgments.
4. His word.
For God is knowne to vsus by al these, as men are knowne by their names; and as all a mans praise & glorie lies in his name, so all the glorie of God is in these.