Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 3 – Part 4
The Pater Noster.
THis Praier excels all other inmBellarmin. de bonis op…ribus in particular. lib. 1. cap. 4. many respects, as being thenTertull, lib. de orat. cap. 1. Gospels Epitome, compiled by Wisdome it selfe, sooCyp…. ser. de orat. Dom. large for matter, so short for phrase, so sweet for order, as that it deserueth worthily to hauehave both the Best and the Most place in our Liturgie. ThepT…rtull. vbi supra. First, as guide to the rest: the Most, as a necessaryqHooker Eccles. polit. lib. 5. §. 35. complement to supply whatsoeuer is wanting in other: and therefore it is vsed at the end of the Letanie, at the end of the Communion, at the end o… Baptisme, at the end of other sacred actions: (asrDurandus rational▪ …iuin. …ffie. lib. 5. cap. … §. 17. one fitly) Tanquam sal omnium diuinorum officiorum.
It hath three parts:
1. A proeme; Our Father, &c.
2. A petition; Hallowed be thy name, &c.
3. A conclusion; For thine is kingdome, &c.
In the first note those three things required in an absolute agent:
1. Will, because hee is ours: for eueryevery one wisheth well vntounto his owne, and hee that doth not is worse then an Ins…del: 1. Tim. 5. 8
2. Skill, because a father. Your father knoweth whereof you stand in need: Matth. 6. 8.
3. Power, because in Heauen. Strength commeth from heaue… ▪ 1. Macchab. 3. 19.
So that if we aske, we shall hauehave; if seeke, we shall finde; if knocke, it shall be opened vntounto vsus: because God is a father, Our father, our father in heauen.
Our] Admonisheth vsus ofsCyp. vbi supra & Ambros. lib. 5. cap. 4. desacram…ntis. mutual louelove; for without louelove, there is no true faith, and without true faith, no true prayer: Rom. 14. 23. As the Serpent doth cast vp all his poyson before he drinke, so wee must degorge our malice before wee pray.
Father] Vsed heere rathert…r…inus Cat. tit. de precat. & Magdcburg. cent. 1. col. 139. essentially, then personally. So, God is a father in creation: Deut. 32. 6.
In education, Esai. 1. 2: foreign quasi Germanus Patriarc. Constant. exposit. oral. dom.foreign; happilie more fitly, foreign.
In instruction,
Inwardly by his Spirit: Rom. 8. 26.
Outwardlie by his Preachers: Matth. 10. 20.
In compassion: Psal. 103. 13.
In correction: Heb. 12. 6. xGlossa in loc.Quiexcipitur è numero flagellatorum, excipitur è numero filiorum.
In yeeres: Dan. 7. 9.
But a father in respect of his adoptionyCyp. August. Ambros. &c. more principally: Rom. 8. 15. 16.
In Heaue…
Mysticall: aszLib. …. de s…r. dom. in monte. tom. 4. fol. 81…. Augustine andavbi sup. coelum est ibi vbi cessat culpa. Ambrose construe it: in holy men of heauenly conuersation. Who are his properb1. Cor. 3. 16. temples andcHeb. 3. 6. houses in whom hee will dwell: Ioh. 14. 23.
Materiall: as other generally: for albeit hee be present euere where, yet hee doth manifest himselfe to blessed soules and Angels in heauen, and to vsus in glory from heauen especially: Psal. 19. 1. Gen. 19. 24. 1. Thess. 4. 16.
Petition.
THe petition in the iudgements ofdCaluin. Instit. lib. 3. cap. 20 §. 35. Maldonat & lansen. in loc. neotericall authors hath sixe branches: whereof three concerne our louelove, wherewith wee louelove God in himselfe, and three wherewith wee louelove our selues in God: ineCaictan. c…m. in 22ae. Thom. q. 83. art. 9. signe whereof the pronowne Thy, is affixed to the three first, thy name, thy kingdome, thy will: but the pronownes VsUs, and Ours, to the rest. Our bread, our trespasses, leade vsus not &c.
Or (asfAlbertus & Gorran. in Matth. 6. other diuide) the petition is,
Precatio bonorum.
Deprecatio malorū.
A request for good things, whereof the
First concernes Gods glorie, Hallowed be thy name.
Rest our good,gGorran. Guido manipul. curat. vel vt alij summum, medium, infimum. of
Glorie; Thy kingdome &c.
Grace; Thy will &c.
Nature; GiueGive vsus this day our dailie bread.
A deprecation of euill, which is ofhTertull. lib. 2. cont. Marcion. cap. 14. two sorts:
Malum culpae, an euill which is sin
Past, Forgiue vsus our trespasses &c.
To come; Leade vsus not into temptatiō.
Malum poena, an euill which is a punishment, for sinne, Deliuer vsus fromiAgreeable to the Churches exposition in the common Catechisme: & Melanct…on loc. com. tit. inuocat. euill
Internall, and hellish conscience.
Externall, bodilie dangers.
Eternall, euerlasting death.
In one word, from all that thou seest euill for vsuskBellarm. Cat. cap. 4., be it prosperitie, or aduersitie: so wee pray in the Letanie; Good Lord deliuer vsus in all time of our tribulation, in all time of our wealth, &c.lAugust. epist. 121. cap. 11. Nondum enim sumus in eo bono, vbinullum patiemur malum.
m… rational. diuin. lib. 4. cap. 47. §. 8.Other affirme that the first three petitions are concerning the life to come: the last three concerning the life present: that which is in the middle, GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread, concerning both.
These seuen (if wee make so many petitions) arenBeauxamis …ar. Euang. tom. 2. fol. 220. correspondent to the seuen gifts of the blessed spirit, Esai. 11. 2. and seuen beatitudes, Matth. 5.oDurandus vbi supra §. 9. against the seuen capitall sinnes:pDe religione Christian. lib. 3. cap. 3. Ramus hath obserued that this prayer answereth the Decalogue.
God is our father: Ergo, we must hauehave no other gods.
In heauen: Ergo, no grauen Image, &c.
Hallowed be thy name: Ergo, not take his name in vaine.
Thy kingdome come, thy will be done: Ergo, wee must sanctifie the Sabbath, and worship him according to his word.
GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread, that hauing sufficient, we may be rather helpfull, Honour thy father, &c. then hurtfull, by wronging our neighbour, in deed, Thou shalt not kill, not commit adultery, not steale: In word, Thou shalt not beare false witnesse, &c.
Leade vsus not into temptation: Ergo, not couet our neighbours house, nor his wife &c.
Forgiue vsus our trespasses: Ergo, bound to keepe the whole law: which occasionedqLoc. com. tit. de inuocat. Luther to say, Docet oratio dominica nos esse quotidianos peccatores, & totam vitam esse poenitentiam: all our life to be nothing else but arBernard. ser. 3. de Ieiunio quadrages. Lent to prepare our selues against the Sabbath of our death, and Easter of our resurrection.