Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 15 – Part 16
For thine is the kingdome, the power, and glory for euer.
1. Meaning.
THese words containe a reason of all the former petitions: whereby we are mooued to craue thinges needfull at Gods hand.
[Thine is] Earthly kinges hauehave kingdome power, and glorie, Dan. 2. 37 Yet not from themselues, but frō God, whose vice-gerents they are on earth. Therfore, to make a difference betwene Gods kingdome, power, and glory; & those of earthly kings, it is said, thine is the kingdome, &c. that is, God hath all these in himself, and from himself, and they from him.
[The kingdome] These wordes. 1. Chron. 29. 11. at fully expounded. Thine, O Lord, is greatnesse, power, and victorie, and praise: for al that is in heauen & earth is thine: thine is the kingdome, & thou excellest as head ouer al, &c. The kingdome is said to bee Gods, because hee is absolute possessor, and owner of al things that are; and also hath soueraigne rule ouer all things at his will. Nowe out of this first propertie of God, we may gather a strong motiue, to induce vsus to pray vntounto him alone. For seeing all thinges are his, both in heauen and earth whatsoeuer; therefore, wee must come to him for the graces and blessings which wee desire.
[The power] Oftentimes, earthly princes hauehave kingdomes, yet want power: but God hath kingdom, & power also: yea, his power is infinite, and he can do al that he wil, & more then hee will: as for those things which come of impotencie; he cannot do thē, for if he c…ld, he should not be omnipotent. And as he is omnipotent in himselfe, so all the power which any creture hath, is from him alone. Question. Howe can this be, seeing the deuill hath power to sinne; which is not from God? Ans…er. To sinne is no power, but rather a want of power: otherwise, all the strength and power that Satan hath, is of God.
And from this second property, is taken another motiue, to moue vsus to pray vntounto God. Because all power being his, wee can neuer do any of the thinges which we aske, but by power receiued from him.
[Thine is the glory.] This thirde propertie of God ariseth from the two former, for seeing the title & interest in all things, and the power whereby they are disposed and gouerned, is of God: therefore it followes, that all glory is his: yea, in him is fulnes of glory, and the glory of the creature is all of him. To sinfull men belonges nothing, but shame and confusion. Dan. 9. verse 7.
This third propertie ministreth a thirde motiue to induce men to pray vntounto God alone. For seeing all glory by right is his: therefore wee must invocate his holy name; that in so doing, we may giuegive him the glory due vntounto him.
[For euer,] The words in the originall are, for ages. Nowe an age signifies the space of an hundred years: but here it is taken for eternitie; because eternitie is nothing but the multiplication of ages. And as eternitie is heere noted by ages: so on the contrary we reade, that eternitie is takē for a certaine and distinct time. Gen. 17. 8. God promiseth Abraham, to giuegive him the lande of Canaan, for an euerlasting possession: that is, for a long season. For els Abrahams seede shuld inherite the lande vntill this time, which it doth not. Wherfore, as often the whol is put for the part, vz. eternitie for a certaine time: so here the part is put for the whole, an age for eternitie. This also maketh a difference betweene earthly Princes, and the mightie Iehouah, They hauehave kingdome, power, and glory for a short time, but hee absolutely and for euer.
2. The vses.
1. HEre wee learne in praier, to abase our selues before God, and vtterly to deny all that is in vsus. Kingdome, power, & glory, is all his, not ours: wee are no better then rebels and traitors to him: if we hauehave any good thing, it is frō him, euen the grace whereby we pray. And hee that in praier will not confesse this, shal no more be heard, then the insolent begger that wil not acknowledg his want.
2. Secondly, againe in praier we learne, that we must be perswaded of two things, and build vponupon them, Gods power and will: his power, in that he is able, his wil, in that he is careful to performe our requests, as it was noted in the preface: the first of these, is set out in his kingdome, and power. The second is noted, in that glory is his, 2. Cor. 1. 20. For al the promises of God in him ar yea, & Amen, vntounto the glory of God.
3. And hence wee gather, that praier and thanks-giuing must go together; for as in the six petitions wee made request to GOD; so in these wordes, we giuegive him thanks and praise him. Phil. 4. 6. But in al thinges, let your requests be shevved to God in praier and supplication, vvith thanksgiuing. There is none, but in want he will be ready to pray: but when we hauehave receiued, we ar slack in giuing of thanks: but hee which wil pray aright, must join thē both together. And the sum of all Gods praise stands in these three points. 1. That he is an absolute King. 2. Secondly, that hee hath absolute power to rule al thinges. 3. That hauing power and a kingdome, he hath glory also, which appears in the holding of his kingdome, and the …hewing of his power in gouerning of it.
4. Whatsoeuer we ask, we must refer it to Gods glorie: this is the first thing, which wee were taught to craue, and the … we ar to performe, because it is noted both in the beginning & end of the praier
Thus muche of the vse of these words altogether. Now let vsus mak vse of thē particularly. First, where as we say, Thine is the kingdome. Magistrates and rulers must knowe, that all the authoritie and rule which they hauehave is from the Lord; & therefore they must remember to order themselues as gods Vicegerents, vsing their power to bring men in subjection to Gods lawes: and referring all their callings to his glorie.
2 Where we say▪ Thine is the power. Wee are admonished, when we are to performe anie worke, as to doe seruice to God, to walk in our callings, that we hauehave no power of our selues: and for this cause wee must ask power at Gods handes, that we may be enabled to walke vprightly before him, and doe our duties.
3 In saying, Thine is the glory, we learn, that if we wold hauehave a good report and praise among men: wee must aboue all things, seeke Gods glorie, not regarding so much our own. If he giuegive thee praise among men, giuegive him thankes: if not, be content, because al glorie is his.
Amen.
1. The meaning.
VVE hauehave heard the preface, and the petitions what they are: Now followeth the third part, which is the assent or testification of faith, required in prayer, in this word Amen. And it containes more than men at the first woulde imagine: It signifies Certainlie▪ so be it, or, it shal be so. 2. Cor. 1. 20. It is often taken for a bare assent of the people, saying Amen to the Minister: but in this place it containes more: for euerie point in this prayer, is not onlie a direction for publike prayer, but for priuate also, and must be saide as well of the Minister, as of the people. Nowe then, there being two principall thinges in prayer: the first a desire of grace: the secōd faith, whereby wee beleeue that God will grant things desired. The first is expressed in the sixe petitions: The latter is set forth in this worde Amen, carrying this sence in effect. As we hauehave craued these thinges at thy handes, O Lord, so we doe beleeue, that for Christ his sake, in good time thou wilt grant them to vsus. Therefore, this part is more excellent than the former, by howe much our faith is more excellent than our desire. For in this word is contained the testification of our faith, whereas the petitions are onlie testifications of our desires. And as it is in the end, so also it is the seale of our prayers, to make them authentical, and it is to be vsed (as I take it) not onlie for this end, to answer the Minister, but also to testifie our faith, for the things desired.
2 Grace to be desired.
HEreby wee are taught, what grace we ar to shew in praier. We must labour to giuegive assent to Gods promises, when we pray, & striue against doubting and vnbeleefe. Mar. 9. 11. Lord, I beleeue, Lord help my vnbeleefe. Psal. 42. 11. Why art thou cast down my soul? and why art thou … within me: wait on god.
Manie there are, that wil stande vponupon the strength of their faith, & plead for themselues, that they neuer doubted, but they ar far wide: for true faith, beeing imperfect, is alwaies accompanied with doubting▪ more or lesse: Wherefore, the heart which feeles no doubting, is not filled with faith, but with presumption. As for them, which are molested with doubtings, & complaine of them, they hauehave lesse cause to feare, for as fire and water do neuer striue til they meete, no more doth doubting and vnbeleefe, til faith come into a man.
To conclude, we see what an excellent worke prayer is, in which, two moste excellent graces of a Christian man bee shewed foorth: hungring after mercy & faith: this might moue men to learn to pray, praier being the exercise of grace.