An Exposition Upon the Lords Prayer, Postscript
A POSTSCRIPT. To all that wiſh to be heard in prayer.
An Advertiſement of the Lords Prayer, wounded from the Popes Tranſlation: againſt Gods Greeke, the onelyonly Anchor of our Hope.
TWO things we are to uſe for Religion: if we will be voide of wavering: and we ſhould be vigilant for them: for we hauehave been greatly deceived: and hurte by negligence & ignorance herein.
Firſt this, we muſt hold: that we hauehave a pure Bible to every letter, when coppies are wiſely examined: though particular coppies jarre; yet alwayes ſome hold that, which reaſon telleth the Author wrote.
The other is, that we be able to ſhewe for all that wee hold, to be the Bible againſt all adverſaries: that the words beare the wiſdom of God: and that no man could ſpeake to ſuch wiſe purpoſe, as all ſage will ſtill confirme by ſure conſent.
Againſt both theſe we treſpas in the communion book, for the Lords Prayer, of which we ſhould eſteeme more then of all the Iewels in the world: we leaue out from the Lords Prayer in S. Matthew, as the Popes Latin Teſtament doth, this ſaying, Thine is the kingdome, the powre and glorie for ever and ever: being in the Greeke Originall, which only is properly the New Teſtament: and being taken by our Lord from Dan. 7. where his kingdome lightneth al the world: more then the Chalcedon of Iudah gaue light in the choſen or right Care in Aharons breaſt.…. The greatnes of our error in both, muſt be weighed in Goldſmiths ballances: if we care to avoyd the wrath of him, which peyſeth the mountains in weight.…
Firſt we betray our ground of fayth, & make our ſelues aſcoffe, to the Iewes, and Turkes: the Iewes hold it to be impoſſible for God to be a giver of the New Teſtament, & not a preſerver: all creatures God preſerveth in their kind, and to the Iewes the old Teſtament, that no one letter can be loſt, by a worke of many a thouſand eyes and hands, as a dictionarie for this purpoſe. And if we cannot defend, that we hauehave a pure New Teſtament: for everie word in ſome coppie, they will, and wel may thinke, that we hauehave but quickſands, for the ſtay of our Religion: ſo the Iewes would damne us. And as Arias Montanus recordeth, the Turkes make this their ground, that the Scripture is corrupt, and Machumed an author of uncorrupt wiſdome, gaue them Conqneſt by his ſkill.
But the Pope preſſeth nearer, for thus he reaſoneth.
If the Scripture be corrupt, the Church muſt judge:
But the Scripture is corrupt:
Therefore the Church muſt judge.
For the proof of his aſſumtion, euen the Lords prayer is brought: a Text dayly in uſe, ever ſince the Apoſtles tymes: and if he can perſwade corruption to be therein, he may better doe for other places, leſſe in uſe. In his Latin Tranſlation this ſentence is left out: and in his Arabik, powre, and glorie, for ever, Amen. And we follow him & his Latin coppie ſtill, in our Common Prayer Book, made from his Latin Tranſlation, and not from the Greeke Original: to make this ſure againſt our ſelues, That the Church, not the word ſhould judge: that ſo often as we ſay the Lords Prayer, ſo often we ſhould help the Pope, for the Churches authoritie againſt the Kingdome, Powre and Glorie of Christ and his Word.
Hence Gregorie Martin the Popes Factor, doth triumph againſt that ſentence: and doth call it by Eraſmus teſtimonie, a trifling Addition: and well might he be bold: againſt us; ſeing we joyne with him againſt our ſelues. And if we had once uſed the ſentence, as S. Matthew doth, & in repetition left it out, as S. Luke doth: & all abridgers in Scripture alter ſomewhat in ſpeach, according as their argument, and preſent ſcope requireth: then we had neyther holpen the Pope, nor hurt our ſelues.
In S. Matth. chapt. 5. 6. 7. our Lord his ſermon handleth the Talmudique Common place, for the kingdome of MESSIAS:… upon this Law: You ſhall make you a King over you of your Brethren: he ſheweth that his kingdom is of the poore in ſpirit, for the meeke, for the mourners, for the hungrie after justice, for the perſequuted, and ſuch: And in the Prayer lappeth the Kingdome, from Dan. 7. where the poore Iewes are defended againſt the four Beaſts, that come out of the Seas, and periſhed before our Lord his comming in the fleſh. So to this ſenſe, the ſentence was moſt glorious: but to bare prayer, as the Apoſtles required a forme, it was not eaſie to conſider it, without further diſcourſe,Marc. 10. Act. 1. for men that looked for glorie on the earth: and ſo S. Luke omitted it: becauſe it was ynough to be ſpoken once: if we had followed now the one, and now the other, we had honoured both: But now we joyne with the Popes Latine Tranſlation of mans wit and ſlight mayming of the Bible, and that which hath no authoritie againſt the holy Greeke Original, which hath the powre of him,Iob 26. that framed all the World, and bewtified the heauens by his ſpirit.
Profeſſed Scholars, that cannot ſee how they following the Pope, betray their forts and holds to the enimie; may wel be holden Batts and Mouldwarts.
The Greeke Teſtaments, all the printed, euen among Papiſts damne the Latine: as that of Theophilact printed at Rome: and the Ethiopian, or Chaldean printed there: and the Syriaque printed at Vienna and Antwerp: ſo the ſtrength of trueth is invincible: but that wee betray out ſelues to our enemie: and all the glorie of Chriſt his word. And thus much for the purenes of the Text, tryed againſt the Popes greateſt hope.
Now for the other poynt of judgment, to diſcerne what is more then mans witte could breede. Here wee hauehave occaſion to marke how this ſaying, Thyne is the kingdome, the powre, and glorie for ever, telleth that God not man ſpake it▪ and that it is no trifling Addition, but a moſt heauenly Concluſion of him, that in the Creation had nothing idle,…. 1. nor imperfect.
And here we may conſider two moſt profitable matters: the one, the light this ſaying giveth to the Prophets: the other, how it perfecte…h the fitting of prayer to the Decalogue.
All men ſhould marke in the New Teſtament where the like ſaying were in the old: that will bring ſweet meditation. The Phariſies ſay,Luke. 20. 14. This is the heire: come, let us kill him: ſo ſayd the Patriarks of Ioſeph, leaſt he ſhould rule,Geneſ. 37, 20 Come, let us kill him: we ſee the end: God turned both the evils to ſalvation.
Elias is termed of bad Achab (like his Father Omri) Diastrephon, a Deſtroyer: ſo of the Scribes our Lord is called Diastrephon, Luke 23. 2…a Deſtroyer: yet Elias was taken up in a fierie Chariot: and our Lords Aſcention ſent fierie tongues, and a fire on the earth: and we know the ende of Achab and the Iewes: & may remember a ſweet harmonie in Gods judgments, old and new alike.
So S. Paul in his terme, of better Reſurrection, in the Machabean Martyrs,Hebr. 11. taking his phraſe from the 12. of Daniell, teacheth plainly, how that chapter ſpeaketh of Antiochus Epihanes, and not of the ende of the world: and in one word doth, being marked, ridde us from errors matching the Lybian ſands. We had never dreamed of the Romans, to be a fourth Monarch there, if we had well marked S. Paul. But as Antiochus the vile was there ſpoken of, in the end of wrath, as in the litle horne, chap. 8. ſo he not a Roman ſhould hauehave beene holden the litle horne, chap. 7. and the laſt mightie Tyrant of the fourth Beaſt: by ſuch light, we may judge God the author of ſuch words. Bur that is moſt manifeſt in this kingly ſaying, Thyne is the Kingdome, the Power, and Glorie for ever and ever. In Dan. chap. 7. when the fourth Beaſt is caſt into the fire, one like a SONNE of MAN commeth with the cloudes of heauen, and againe aſcendeth to the everlasting, and is brought before him, and to him was giuen kingdome, power, and glorie, that all nations ſhould ſerue him.
The verie Iewes to this day Iarchi and Sadaias upon that place confeſſe MESSIAS,He ſpeaketh as S. Luke recor…eth, the Angels …. Luk 2 13. to be there, The ſonne of Man. And Sadaias noteth that by, with clouds of heauen, the Angels are meant who ſhould attend MESSIAS coming into the world: and the Iewes might know thence, that when the Grecians were overthrowne, MESSIAS ſhould be borne: and we ſee in the Goſpel, that the wicked euen then talked as the godly for the tyme, being inſtructed by Daniel. Now Dan. chapt. 9. it is plainely ſpoken, that Meſſias ſhall be ſtaine: and not for himſelf, but to *…o ſ…ale …eſpaſſe.finiſh ſinne, to wake expiation for iniquitie, as being the most holy, in whom the Prince of this world could finde nothing, and who was a Sacrificer for our ſinnes. And to this day the Iewes confeſſe, that MESSIAS: NACID, or Prince, or Leader, is the Redeemer, called Nagid, or Leader, or Commander of Nations: Eſai. 55. A Commenter that of late wrote upon Dan. 9. confeſſeth that: But the Incarnation and Reſurrection paſſeth fleſh and blood; Roman. 10.which ſayth, Who can goe up to heauen to bring Chriſt downe? Or who can goe into the deepe, to bring Chriſt from the dead.
Aben Ezra, the Iew, who 500 yeeres agoe, in the Iſle Rhodes commented upon Daniel, confeſſeth that Gabriels 490 yeeres began at Daniels prayer, & ended when MESSIAS was ſlayn: and Rambam confeſſeth, (as Galatin us citeth his words) that the holy of holy is MESSIAS the ſanctified from the ſonnes of David. Such helps to ſalvation breaking out Iewes confeſſion, as yron breaketh our fire from flint ſtones, by the Viſions of Daniel, chapt. 7. and chapt. 9. for the ſonne of MAN.
Now the Concluſion of the Lords prayer doth call us directly to Dan. 7. and thence to chapt. 9. therefore it calleth into minde. all that thoſe Viſions hauehave: ſo the end of the fourth Kingdome is ſeen to be a litle before our Lord his Incarnation: ſo his moſt glorious incarnation celebrated by Angels, ſo his Aſcention attended by the ſame: ſo the name MESSIAS, and death of the Iuſt for the unjuſt; and Covenant for manie in the Lords ſupper, and yeere of death and Iubilie, and ending of Moſes Ceremonies; all be called into minde by this ſentence: Thyne is the Kingdome power and glorie, for ever and ever. And as the morning ſpreadeth over the Mountaines, and light flitteth from Eaſt to Weſt; ſo this ſentence ſpreadeth over all the Doctrine of the Kingdome:Matt. 5. & 7. that the ſubjects of MESSIAS are poor, and in the Sea, but builded upon the ROCK.
And thus much for the Divine light, by which this ſentence may be knowne,2. Tim. 3. 15. to be no trifling addition, but breathed from God, and a moſt heauenly parcel of the New Teſtament; which the Popes barbarous Latine Tranſlation would diſannull; & others allowance of it would make to be no part of the New Teſtament.
Now for the ſecond poynt, how it abſolveth the harmonie of the Prayer and Decalogue, the meditation will hauehave profitable matter: but all muſt be conſidered together.
God ſayth: I am the Eternall thy God: Thou ſhalt hauehave no other Elohim (God and judge) but me.
We pray, O our Father: to thee onelyonly we pray and flye.
God ſayth: Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelf any grauen Image, nor the likenes of any thing, &c.
We ſay: Iſai. 40. …Thou art in Heauen; in light that none can come to, nor thinke to what thou canst be likened.
God ſayth: Thou ſhalt not take the Name of the Eternall, thy God in vayne.
We pray: Sanctified be thy Name.
God ſayth: Ezech. 20, 20Remember that thou keep holy the Saboth day: as Gods kingdomes badge.
We pray: Thy Kingdome come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heauen.
God ſayth: Honour thy Father and Mother, that it may be well with thee.
We pray: GiueGive us; all estates, our competent nouriſhment.
God ſayth: Thou ſhalt not kill. Thou ſhalt not committe adulterie. Thou ſhalt not ſteale. Thou ſhalt not beare falſe witneſſe against thy neighbour; Thou ſhalt not covet.
We pray: Forgiue us our treſpaſſes, as me forgiue them that treſpaſſe against us: and lead us not into hard tryals, but deliver us from evill.
Now the Proem of the Decalogue, and end of the Prayer are to be viewed.Thyne is the Kingdome, the power & the glorie for ever. God ſayth: I am the Eternall thy God; that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt: that was with great glorie: and with the blood of the Lambe▪ and overthrow of Pharaoh and his Hoſt in the Redde Sea; and terror of Nations: and plague of Amalek, (that would fight againſt his Couſins in Izhak) and ſhaking of the earth, and flight of the Sea.
Ieremie telleth, that the Deliverie from Babel, ſhould be more glorious: and what perſwaded 49000 Iewes to leaue Babel, but the hope of him, which ſhould come with the Cloudes of Heauen, and hauehave Kingdome, power and glorie for ever.
In the firſt yeere of Bel-eſh-zar they ſaw, that Bel, and Idols bred but fire and ſorrow, and eternall Reſt was in the kingdome of Chriſt: and they knew when the kingdome ſhould fall, and Cyrus deliver them, and all Nations heare of their demanding of the way to Sion, upon the hope of the Sonne of Man comming to ſhew the Kingdome of heauen to all Nations: and to ſhake euen the heauen of Moſes pollicie: ſo that hope turned to the worlds ſalvation by Christ: wherefore that ſpeach was worthy to be in the Lords prayer, to light our hearts in Chriſt; without whom we hauehave no right at all to ſay, Abba Father.
Wherefore they that denie this glorious ſentence to be part of the New Teſtament, or countenance the denyers, are in moſt haynous blame: and ſhould amend all that is amiſſe. Everie blemiſh wherewith wee ſtaine Scripture, wil grieue the ſage: eſpecially the mayming of the prayer, which firſt the Holy Ghost gaue for the verie ſyllables, to be a perpetuall forme in the Church. If our ſacrifice be herein blemiſhed, God will not ſo willingly heare us.