An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 14
The sixt petition.
And leade vsus not into temptation, but deliuer vsus from euill.
Q. WHy is this the next and the last?
A. To teach vsus, that when wee hauehave done what we can, yet we must looke for temptations so long as wee liue in this world.
Q. What they that hauehave their sinnes forgiuen them subiect to temptations?
A. Yea, forgiuenes of sinnes and temptations vntounto sinne, be inseparable companions in this life.
Q. What the penitent sinner that is belou…d of God, is he troubled with temptations?
A. There is none in this world so beaten and buffeted with temptations as the penitent sinner, that …rieth most bitterly for the pardon of his sinnes.
Q. How proue you that?
A. By the words of our Sauiour Christ … Peter, Simon Simon, Sathan hath desired to sift you as wheate is sifted, Luk. 22. 31. to shewe, that if we were as good as Peter, Sathan will bee sifting of vsus, yea the better Christian, the greater desire hath Sathan to sift vsus.
Q. How els doe you proue it?
A. By the confession of the Apostle Paul, who was continually exercised with the buffetings of Sathan, 2. Cor. 1…. 7.
Q. What meaneth the Apostle by the buffetings of Sathan?
A. He meaneth that rebellion which he felt in the vnregenerate part against God.
Q. Why are Gods children thus troubled with temptations vntounto sinne?
A. For two causes:
1. To humble them, and keepe them vnderunder, least they forget themselues and waxe proude of those good things which GOD worketh in them, and by them, 2. Cor. 12. 7.
2. That Gods power may bee made manifest in their weakenes, and his grace may appeare in vpholding them that they fall not quite away from him, vers. 9.
Q. But …oth God louelove them that are so troubled?
A. Yea, it is a note of Gods fauour and grace: for if wee had no griefe for sinne, nor any buffetings, or striuings, it were a signe that wee were vnderunder the power of Sathan, and not vnderunder the louelove and fauour of God.
Q. But it is meruaile that the diuell will be so bolde with those whom God loueth.
A. No meruaile at all: for hee was as bolde with the Lord Iesus himselfe our head,Matth. 4. and he cannot chuse so long as he is a diuell, for he is by nature an aduersarie: And therefore whom God loueth, the diuell hateth, and where God worketh in louelove, the diuell worketh in malice.
Q. What are Gods children then to doe?
A. Hereupon we are taught (for feare of being ouercome) to pray continually vnt… the Lord that we may not be led into te…ptation, but may be deliuered from euill.
A second reason of the cohaerence.
Q. WHy els is this petition put to the rest?
A. To teach vsus, that as we must be carefull to pray for the pardon of sinnes past, so also we must be as carefull to preuent sinnes to come: we must take heede that we fall not into our old sinnes, nor bee ouer taken with new.
Q. Why? what neede wee pray against sinne to come? if we be forgiuen our sinnes past, we may take heed well enough of sinnes to come, may wee not?
A. How needfull it is to pray for Gods grace against sinne to come, may appeare if we consider these sixe things following:
1. Our owne corruption, and pronenes to euill, Iob. 15. 16.
2. The infinite allurements to pull vsus from God, Heb. 11. 25.
3. The deceitfulnes of sinne, Heb. 3. 13.
4. The power of the enemie, Eph. 6. 12.
5. The diligence of the aduersarie, 1. Pet. 5. 8.
6. The crueltie of Sathan if hee doth winne.
Temptation.
Q. What is ment here by temptation?
A. Temptation is the entisement of the soule, or heart, either
By the corruption of man… nature, or,
By the allure mē …s of
To any sin.
The world Or The diuel
Q. What is ment by leading into temptation?
A. To be led into temptation, is to be ouercome of the temptation, when it prenaileth, and getteth the victorie.
Q. What then is the meaning of this petition?
A. It is as much as if wee should say thus: When we are moued, and entised to sinne, O Lord, keepe vsus that we be not ouercome, and giuegive vsus a good issue with the temptation.
Q. Doth God leade men into temptation, or only suffer them to be led into temptation?
A. Indeed some reade i… so, s…ffer vsus not to … into temptation: but the text is plaine▪ … vsus not into temptation.
Q. But doth not God suffer men to be tempted?
A. Yes, and more then suffering▪ he is the worker of the temptation it selfe.
Q. How proue you that?
A. By the scripture which doth so speake of God, as in these places following is manifest:
Exod▪ 7. 3. God hardned Pharaoes heart.
2 Sam. 24. 1. God moued Dauid to number &c.
Esai. 19. 14. God mingled amongst them the spirit of error.
Esai. 42. 24. Who gaue Iacob for a spoyle? and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord?
Esai. 63. 17. Why hast thou made vsus to erre out of thy way▪ and …ardned our heart from thy feare▪
Rom. 1. 26. God gaue them vp to vil… affections.
2. Thess. 2. 11. God s…nt them strong delusions, &c.
In all these places is more then suffering … to God▪
Q. But if God doe leade men into temptation, is hee not the author of sinne?
A. No, for all this, God is not the author of sinne.
Q. How may God bee a worker in temptations, and yet free fro… sinne?
A. The Lord may be a worker in tēptations, and yet f…ee from sinne 5. wayes:
1. He tempteth by offering occasions, to trie whether a man will sinne or no: as a master will lay money in his seruants way to trie his faithfulnes, which money if he steale he sinneth, but his master in trying him, Sinneth not.
2. By withdrawing his graces, as he did from Sa…l, neither can this bee a sinne in God, because he is not bound to any.
3. As temptation is an action, God is a worker in it, and he is the author of the action, but not of the euill that is in the action. Act. 17. 28.
4. As temptations bee punishments of former sinnes, and so workes of iustice, God is the worker of them, and yet free from sinne.
5. In respect of the ende to which God trieth his children, God is a worker in temptations, and yet free from sinne: for God hath one end, and the diuel another.
Q. To what end doth the diuell tēpt a man?
A. OnelyOnly to bring him to destruction.
Q. To what end doth the Lord tempt his children?
A. God hath diuers endes and purposes in tempting and trying his children and seruants:
1. Sometime to humble them for their sinnes, and to trie how they will abide the crosse.
2. Sometime, to make his owne graces in them (as faith, louelove, patience, zeale, thankfulnesse, &c.) to shine foorth more clearly to his glorie, and their comfort.
3. Sometime to open their shame and naughtie corrupte nature, as namely their impatience, their vnthankefulnesse, their dulnesse, their distrustfulnesse, &c. which were in them and they not knowing so much.
Q. Why wil the Lord thus lay open their shame?
A. For three causes:
1. To let them see that they are not the men that they tooke themselues to be.
2. That they may liue afterward in greater warines, knowing their own weaknes.
3. That they may the more earnestly desire his helpe, knowing their owne wantes.
Q. It should séeme that these kinds of temptations which procéed from God, may be better called proofes and trials, then temptations, may they not?
A. Yea, it is very true, & so they ought to be esteemed and accounted.
Q. But seeing as GOD vseth these trials to the profite of his chosen, and his-owne glorie, why shoulde wée pray against them?
A. Wee ought for all that to pray that wee may not fall into them, because wee must abhorre to commit anything wherby our God is iustly offended.
Q. If God be offēded with our déedes, why doth he bring vsus into them?
A. With our deedes hee is offended, but with that which hee bringeth to passe by them (namely our humilitie, warines, &c.) he is delighted.
Q. What difference is there between Gods tempting of his children, and his tempting of the reprobate?
A. This tēptatiō into which God bringeth his elect, endureth but for a time: but the reprobate he bringeth into a perpetual tēptatiō, vtterly giuing thē vp to Sathan & hardening them in wickednes for euer.
Q. Is it not vniust, that God should leade some into temptation, and harden them in wickednes, & yet punish them for their sinnes?
A. No, for euen in this life wee may see good and iust causes, that God should harden the reprobate, and leade them into this wofull and eternall temptation.
Q. What cause can you alledge for y•?
A. They are worthy to be hardened, and therefore what vnrighteousnesse is it in God, to harden them that are worthy to be hardened?
Q. How can that be, when the scripture is plaine that God himselfe hath hardened their hartes?
A. When the scripture saith that God hardeneth men, the meaning is not that they were soft before, and that then God did harden them when they were soft before: but that God maketh them harder, and that is lustly done, for their former hardnes deserued to be made harder.
Q. Why doth not the Lorde so…ten all men?
A. If any man will say, it is Gods fault that he softneth not all men, let him shew that God first hardened all men, and not themselues.
Q. That is true indéede, b…t what of that?
A. If al men first hardened themselues, what shall constraine God to soften them againe?
If he will, he sheweth his mercy.
If he will not, he sheweth his iustice.
But who shall compell him to shew his merciemercy, where he may shew his iustice?
Q. I am satisfied for this poynt, but what vse may we make hereof?
A. By the knowledge of this poynt, the godly may learne to hauehave in reuerend admiration the exceeding great goodnes of God, when they shall consider that he vouchsafeth to take them into the number of those, whom of his mercy he would soften, whereas of his iustice hee might hauehave hardened them for euer.
Q. Do none tempt man but God?
A. Yes, man tempteth man, and Sathan tempteth man.
Q. How doth one man tempt another?
A. Two waies, sometime for good, sometime for hurt.
Q. When are they for good?
A. When wee try him whom wee doe suspect: as some that aske to borrow money, &c. before they neede.
Q. How doe men tempt men for the hurt one of another?
A. Two waies: sometimes by words, sometime by deedes, or both together.
Q. How by words?
A. By propounding captious & curious questions, as the Scribes & Pharisees did tempt Christ, Mat. 22. 16. Luk. 20. 20.
Q. What is that?
A. To entangle men in their wordes, to bring them within compasse of lawe, or to winne some aduantage against the trueth, by the weakenes and slendernes of mens answeres.
Q. How by déedes?
A. When by their owne example, or by vrging the examples of others they labour to draw men to euill.
Q. How are we to pray against these temptations?
A. Wee are to beseech the Lord: 1. To keepe vsus from trials aboue our power to satisfie. 2. That it would please him to giuegive vsus a mouth and vtterance to speake to his glorie, that the enemie may hauehave no iust aduantage against the cause which we maintaine.
Of Sathans tempting.
Q. HOwe proue you that Sathan tempteth any man to euill?
A. I proue it two waies:
1. By the testimonie of the worde of God, as in 1. Peter 5. 8. 1. Iohn 3. 8. Iohn 8. 44.
2. By his owne confession in Iob. 1. 7. 8. for when the Lorde asked him from whence he came, hee saide that he came from compassing the ear…h.
Q. What doth he meane by compassing the earth?
A. Hee meaneth that hee came from tempting the inhabitants of the earth.
Q. Why did not Sathan tell the Lord a lye, as Cain did, but tell the trueth so plainely?
A. Because hee knewe that it was in vaine for him to lie vntounto God, for he knew that God knewe well enough where hee had beene.
Q. Seeing Sathan told the Lord the trueth, why doth he teach men to lye?
A. By that wee may see that carnall men doe not know so much of God as the verie diuell doth.
Q. But why will the Diuell teach his schollers to doe worse then hee will doe himselfe?
A. That hee might bring them (if it were possible) into a worse plight then he is in himselfe.
Q. Where doth Sathan tempt men?
A. In all places.
Q. What in Temples, and Churches, and at holy exercises?
A. Yea, there hee is most busie, both at the exercises of prayer and preaching, and when they be done.
Q. What is his drift at the time of holy exercises?
A. His purpose is to compasse mens eyes with shewes, and their eares with soundes, and their sences with sleepe, and their thoughts with fancies, and all to hinder them from hearing.
Q. What if hee cannot preuaile that way? what doth he then?
A. Then, when wee are gone hee will compasse vsus with business, and cares, and pleasures, and quarrels, either to make vsus forget that we heard, or els to contemn it.
Q. Papists teach men that the diuell is afraid of holy water, and holy bread, and holy candles, and hallowed bels, & the name of Iesus, and the signe of the crosse, and that these things will driue him away, what thinke you of that?
A. The diuell inuented those weapons himselfe for the Papistes to fight withall, because hee knew that they could neuer hurt him with them, but themselues.
Q. No? is not the diuell afraide of the name of Iesus?
A. If the diuell were afraid of the name of Iesus, hee would not hauehave tempted the Lorde Iesus himselfe: and how little the diuell feared the name of Iesus appeareth more largely and fully in Act. 19. 13. 14. 15. 16. by those vagabonds which tooke vponupon them to vse his name without any lawfull calling.
Q. What say you to the signe of the crosse, or a crucifixe, is not the diuell afraide of that?
A. No, for hee did helpe to set vp the crosse, and to naile Christ vponupon the crosse.
Q. What say you to the holy water, and holy bels, &c.
A. They bee but childish toies, and strawes to fight withall instead of speares: for when the diuel depriued the Papists of true prayer, and the powerfull preaching of the worde, he gaue them those bables to play withall, and made them beleeue that he was afraid of them.
Q. Whom doth the diuell tempt?
A. All men in generall, both the elect and reprobate.
Q. But is hée not more busie with some, then with other some?
A. Yes, his chiefest desire is to sifte the godly, as his desire was to sifte Peter, and his greatest malice is against the best men in the world, Luk. 22. 31.
Q. Why doth he not desire aswell to sifte the wicked?
A. Hee needeth not, for hee hath them already at commandment.
Q. How can Sathan tēpt al the world to sinne, seeing they be so many?
A. There be armies and multitudes of diuels and wicked spirits in all places, and these doe all conspire together the destruction of mens soules.
Q. But how doe they know all men, and all mens affaires?
A. They are neuer at rest, but night and day doe labour, and one certifieth another most nimbly and liuely.
Q. But how can they knowe eueryevery mans nature?
A. By obseruing their maners, and their customes, & their complexions, and their companie, &c.
Q. Doth the diuel know the thoughts of the heart?
A. No, that is proper to GOD onelyonly,Ieve 17. who is called the searcher of the heart: but the diuell doth coniecture of mens thoughts by outward signes.
Q. Shew how that may be?
A. By his owne long experience of the worlde, he knoweth many thinges: for he is the oldest, and the greatest politique in the world.
2. By the words of a mans mouth, he can giuegive a gesse what is in mans heart, because he knoweth that it is written: Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Mat. 12.
3. He obserueth what eueryevery man doth most busie himselfe about, and by the outwarde fruite hee iudgeth of the inwarde roote which is in the heart, and when hee knoweth the heart, he infecteth it, that it may bring forth eu…llactions.
Q. Doth Sathan tempt al men alike?
A. No, not so, but hee marketh how eueryevery man is enclined, what hee loueth, what he hateth, what he feareth, and what wantes, and when hee hath found him then he fits him.
Q. How doth he fit them?
A. He prouideth for eueryevery one according to his humour. The tyrant shal not wāt flatterers, the wanton shal not want a mate, the Vsurer shall not want a broker, the theefe shall not want a receiuer, he is a factor betweene the merchant and mercer, hee is a makebate betweene the man and his wife: he is a talebearer betweene neighbour, and neighbour.
Q. Hath hee but one sute or shifte for one man.
A. Yes, the diuels riches is in baites, whereof he hath great varietie and store.
Q. As how, for example?
A. For eueryevery one that will sweare hee hath a packe full of othes: for eueryevery one that will deceiue, hee hath a packe full of lies: for eueryevery one that will dissemble, he hath a packe full of excuses.
Q. Hath hee but one may to compasse one and the same man?
A. Yes, he hath many waies & sleights to deceiue one man withall.
Q. Shew how hee dealeth with one and the same man.
A. If hee cannot compasse him with Idolatrie, nor adulterie, nor theft, nor any grosse sinne, then he will see if he can poison him with vaine glory, if not with carelesnes, then with distrust: if not with despaire, then with presumption: if he cannot keepe men in poperie, then hee will draw them to be Atheists, or libertines, or Neuters, or Protestantes at large, as the time serueth: if he see any desire reformation, he will labour to drawe them from the Church by schisme and separation, and he is alwayes in his extremities, either going too farre, or comming too short.
Q. Will the diuell be willing that any should embrace religion?
A. Yea that he is, for he hopeth thereby to giuegive them the greater fall (except God by his grace do mightily keep men) especially inconstant men hee will perswade to become religious, but he hopeth afterwarde by one meanes or other to make them Apostataes, and blacksliders from the truth.
Q. Dooth the diuell neuer cease from tempting one man?
A. Yes, sometime he will leaue a man, as it is said,Luk. 4. 13. hee left the Lord Iesus, that is, for a season.
Q. What? is his malice then at an …nde?
A. No, but he doth it onelyonly in policie, to bring the heart asleepe, and to make men secure, that hee may come vponupon them afterward with greater force when they mistrust nothing, as the children of Dan came vponupon the people of Laish, and destroyed them when they were quiet and mistrusted nothing, Iudg. 18. 27.
Q. How doth he set vponupon a man when he comes againe?
A. Where he seeth a man most careles, or most weake, there he makes the assault, like souldiers that inuade a castell.
Q. How may a man knowe that Sathan hath béen with him?
A. If God shoulde make vsus see our countrey naked, our temples desolate, our cities ruined, and our houses spoyled, we would say, the Spaniards hauehave been here: so when wee see our mindes corrupted, our hearts hardened, our willes peruerted, our charitie cooled, our rulers persecutors, our lawyers brablers, our patrons symonists, our pastours loyterers, and our people obstinate, wee may say the diuell hath been here, and so he hath indeed, for these be his foot steps, and surely, in eueryevery place where he comes (like a foggy mist) he leaueth an euill fauour behinde him.
Q. Why dooth Sathan séeke to bring men to a custome in sinne?
A. That he may the more easily drawe men to hardnes of heart, and so to impenitencie, Rom. 2. 4. 5.
Q. Dooth the diuell preuaile against all that he tempteth?
A. No, for although God suffereth Sathan to tempt, and to vexe, yea and oftentimes to torment his children, yet he doth not suffer him to destroy them.
Q. But would Sathan destroy vsus if he might be suffered?
A. Yea surely, that hee would, and not leaue one aliue.
Q. How proue you that?
A. By the scripture: 1. Pet. 5. 8. for which cause hee is also called by these names following, a lyar, a deceiuer, a tempter, an accuser, a deuourer, a murtherer, an aduersarie, a viper, a lyon, a dragon, a wolfe, a serpent, &c. by which names appeareth his vnspeakable malice against man.
Q. The diuell neuer called himselfe by any of these names, did he?
A. No: for hee which is euill it selfe doth shun the name of euill, because he would not be hated.
Q. Thats a trick of the diuell indéed, but I thinke no man will doe so but the diuell himselfe?
A. Yes, all the wicked and vngodly hauehave learned of their master the diuell, to call euill good, and would be counted honest, though they be neuer so lewd.
But deliuer vsus from euill.
Q. Why are these wordes added to the former?
A. To teach vsus how we are saued from the diuell.
Q. How is that?
A. Not by our selues, nor by any thing that wee can doe, but by our heauenly father who doth deliuer vsus, and set vsus free from his tyrannie and power.
Q. How doth the Lord deliuer vsus from the diuell?
A. By the meanes & merites of Christ his death and passion, who hath got…en the victorie for vsus, and to our vse, 1. Cor. 15.
Q. But why doth the Lord suffer vsus to come into his snares?
A. 1. That he might make his merciemercy & goodnes appeare in deliuering vsus out of his snares: for except we were taken prisoners, we could not be deliuered.
2. That wee might see in what a miserable and wofull case wee are in of our selues without, our Captaine and deliuerer, the Lord Iesus Chri…t.
Q. What néede we care then, séeing we ha…e such a deliuerer?
A. Indeede wee neede not feare any thing that Sathan can doe vntounto vsus, being so brideled as he is, but wee must be carefull to serue the Lord, that hath thus mercifully and mightily deliuered vsus. See Luk. 1. 74.
Q. How must we serue him?
A. On… principall part of the seruice which we owe to God, standeth in resisting the diuell.
Q. How must we resist the diuell?
A. In resisting such an aduersarie as the diuell is, two things must diligently bee obserued and regarded:
1. That wee vse such weapons onelyonly as our heauenly father h…th appoynted vsus.
2. That we vse them in that maner and order which he hath appoynted.
Q. What be those weapons?
A. They be not carnall but spirituall, such as S. Paul sought withall himself, and hee commendeth them to bee mightie through God, to cast down strong holds, and principalities, and powers, &c. 2. Cor. 10. 4. &c. and therefore also exhorteth all men to fight with the same: Eph. 6. 12. 13.
Q. What be the names of those weapons, that wee may both know we them, and prepare them in a readines?
A. The Apostle nameth a breast…plate, butl it is of righteousnes; and a girdle, but it is of trueth; a shield, but it is of …aith; & a helmet, but it is of hope; & a sword, but it is the sword of the spirit, th… word of God; and shooes for our fee…e, but they be shooes of preparation for the Gospell of peace: and vntounto all these hee ioyneth prayer, Ephes. 6. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. and all these together he calleth the armour of God▪
Q. These bee the weapons, in what manner must they be handled?
A. They must bee vsed continually, with circumspect walking, or liuing circumspectly, Ephes. 5. 15. with heedfull watching ouer our wayes, and Sathans sleigh…s, Mark. 13. 33. and with manly courage standing fast in the defence of our …elues, and of the quarrell of our Lord Iesus Christ.
Q. This is too precise and straight, is it not sufficient if we liue as our honest neighbours doe, and serue God as the time serueth, like Protestants at large?
A. Alas, no, the diuell likes that very well: for he knoweth that the careles man is easily taken and ouercome, yea if we be neuer so precise and strict in many things, and make no conscience of some one sin, it is enough for the diuell: for he wil catch a man to hell aswell by one baite as by a thousand.
Q. Yea? how proue you that?
A. By the scripture: for it is said of Herod that he reuerenced Iohn Baptist, and his ministrie, and heard him gladly, but yet for all that, could not abide to be tolde of hauing his brothers wife, and for that hee is condemned. And so it is with others.
Q. Then woe be to those that go not so farre as Herod did, except God giuegive them repentance. And blessed bée God our heauenly Father, for Iesus Christ by whom we bée deliuered from the diuell, and from all his temptations, and fieri… darts. Now come to the conclusion of the Lords prayer.
For thine is the Kingdome,Matth. 6. 13. the power, and the glory, for euer and euer. Amen.
Q. What is the effect of these words?
A. They are a conclusion of the whole prayer with praise and thankesgiuing vntounto God.
Q. What doe we learne thereby?
A. We learne thereby: 1. Not to craue any thing without giuing thankes: 2. Not to end our prayers without giuing of God due praise. 3. In all things, and at all times to returne the whole glorie and praise vntounto him.
Q. What is ment by saying, Thine is the kingdome, seeing as there be earthly Kings and Princes which hauehave kingdomes also besides the Lord?
A. Though earthly Kings hauehave kingdoms, yet they hauehave them not from themselues, but of the Lord, as the Lord sayth by Salomon:Prouer. 8. 15. By me Kings raigne.
Q. What is the meaning of these words, Thine is the kingdome?
A. They bee expounded in 1. Chron. 29. 11.
Q. Why is the kingdome sayd to be Gods?
A. For two causes:
1. Because he is absolute possessor and ow…er of all things.
2. Because he hath soueraigne rule ouer all at his will.
Q. Why doe we say, for thine is, &c.
A. Because it is a reason to induce vsus to prayer, because he hath absolute authoritie and interest in all things.
Q. Why is it sayd, the power is his?
A. Because he hath not only authoritie, but also abilitie in himself, and of himselfe; and all other powers are deriued from him.
Q. How doth this serue to stirre vsus vp to prayer?
A. We hauehave neede to pray the more vntounto God, because wee cannot doe any thing that we aske but by power frō him.
Q. Why is glorie ascribed to God?
A. For …wo causes:
1. Because the fulnes of glorie is in him.
2. Because the glorie of the creature is all of him, which is but a sparke of his glorie.
Q. How doth this moue us to praier?
A. Very much: for wee must inuocate his holy name, that in so doing wee may giuegive him that glorie that is due vntounto him.
Q. Why is it sayd, for euer?
A. For two causes:
1. To put a difference betweene the Lord and earthly Princes.
2. To shew the excellent and permanent estate of the happines of Gods children, for that kingdome and glorie, of which they are made par…kers, is such as indureth for euer.
Q. Why is this word added, Amen, or, So be it?
A. To teach vsus two things:
1. That wee must not (as many doe) craue that in words, which wee hauehave no desire vntounto in our heart, but that we must desire with all our heart whatsoeuer wee aske with our lips.
2. That in prayer wee must striue against doubting and vnbeleefe, and to beleeue that as wee hauehave craued, so God for Christ his sake will graunt it vntounto vsus in his good time.
Soli Deo gloria.
FINIS.