Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 5
Conclusion.
SOme cauill at our Seruice book for omitting this clause; yetsInstitut. lib. 3. cap. 20. §. 47. Caluin doth acknowledge that it is not extant in any Latine copies: of whichtAnnot. in locum. Erasmus anduIansen. & Maldonat. in loc. D. Fulke answere to Rhem. praefa. sect. 38. other Diuines hauehave sundrie coniectures. Howsoeuer, the Church is blamelesse, seeing ourxMatth. 6. 13. Bible, which is Iudex quo, receiueth it, and the Minister, which is Iudex qui, the speaking booke, doth vsually repeate it: and so saying it, in their opinion wee doe well: and not saying it, according to the paterne of all the Latine, and some of the Greeke Fathers, and of S. Luke himselfe, not ill.
It containes
A Reason of our prayer; for thine is kingdome, &c.
A testification of our assurance that God will heare our prayer, Amen.
Thine is] Earthlie Princes hauehave kingdome, power, and glorie from God, Dan. 2. 37. but God hath all these from, and in himselfe: 1. Chron. 29. 11. Seeing he hath interest in all things, it is our dutie to come vntounto him for eueryevery thing: and as he hath right to all, so power to dispose of all: and therefore we cannot doe any thing we desire, but by power receiued of him. And if his be power and kingdome, then it followeth necessarily, that his is all glorie. Therefore we must inuocate his holie name, that hereby wee may giuegive him his due. This one dutie is Alpha, and Omega, the first thing wee must beg, hallowed be thy name: and the last wee must performe, Thine is glorie: for euer]yGenebrardus in …lt. Psalm. It is a Rabbi…icall conceit that the last Psalme hath thirteene Halleluiahs answering thirteene properties in God, specified, Exod. 34. 6. 7. Now in that the Prophet doth begin and end with Halleluiah, stirring vsus vp in eueryevery verse of that Psalme, and in eueryevery sentence of eueryevery verse, to praise the Lord, hee doth insinuate that this one is our only seruice: for whereas after twelue Halleluiahs a thirteenth is added, it doth signifie, that when wee hauehave done all, wee must begin againe with Gods praise, that as his merciemercy is from euerlasting, to euerlasting, from euerlasting predestination, to euerlasting glorificati…n; so our praise for euer and euer: here we must begin the Psalme of glorie, but because God hath appointed in this short life, that wee should not sing in Longs, but (as Musitians speake) in briefes and semibriefes, it must be continued in the quier of heauen heereafter, or in this world for euer and euerz… intentionally, though not actually. For as the wickeda… comp…nd. lib. 7. cap. 21. if hee could liue for euer, would sinne for euer; so the good man, if God should suffer him to breathe on earth for euer and euer, hee would not cease to serue him euer and euer.
Amen.] The which word is thebHieron. in 6 Matth. seale of all our petitions, to make them authenticall: importingcChurch Cat. Musculus, Vrsinus, &c. both assent, and assurance that our requests shall be granted. And therefore (asdPerkins vponupon the Lo…ds praier. one notes aptly) this …men, is of more value then all the rest, by how much our faith is more excellent then our desire: for it is a testification of our faith, whereas all the petitions are only testifications of our desire.eDe vita Christi part. 1. cap. 37. Ludolphus hath comprised all in this short paraphrase.
PAter noster: Excelsus in creatione, suauis in a more, diues in haereditate; qui es in coelis: speculum aeternitatis, corona iucunditatis, the saurus felicitatis. Sanctificetur nomen tuum: vt nobis sit mel in ore, melos in aure, iubilum in corde. Adueniat regnum tuum: non illud modò potentiae, quod nunquam euertitur, sed istud gratiae, quod saepius auertitur: adueniat ergo iucundum sine permixtione, tranquillum sine perturbatione, securum sine amissione. Fiat voluntas, non nostra, sed tua, sicut in Coelis ab Angelis, sic etiam in terra ab hominibus: vt omnia quae non amas, odio habeamus; quae diligis, diligamus; quae tibi placent, impleamus. Panem, doctrinalem, sacramentalem, victualem, nostrum: sed ne putetur a nobis, dicimus da n…bis: quotidianum, qui sufficiat nobis. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra. Quae cunque contra te commi…mus, aut contra proximos, aut contra nosmet ipsos. Sicut & nos …ttimus debitoribus nostris, qui nos offende…unt, vel in verbis, vel in personis, vel in rebus. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem; mundi, carnis, Diaboli. Sed libera nos à malo, praesenti, praeterito, futuro. Haec potes, quia tuum est regnum & potentia; haec vis, quia tua gloria, nunc & in secula, Amen.