An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 1
Of Prayer in general.
Question. WHat is Prayer?
Answer. Prayer is a familiar,The definitions of Prayer. and friendly talke of miserable and mortall man, with the glorious and immortall God, wherein the heart being lifted vp, with sure faith and stedfast confidence in his promises, we doe either craue for such things as we want, or els giuegive thankes for benefits alreadie receiued.
Q. Now let me heare how you can prooue this definition of prayer by the Scriptures, and first, that it is a familiar talke of man with God?
A. That it is a familiar talke of man with God, it appeare…h by Abrahams maner of entreating and praying for Sodom, in Gen. 18. 27.Gen. 18. 27.
Q. How proue you that it is a friendly talke betwéene God and man?
A. It appeareth in that the Lord Iesus vouchsafeth to accompt of the faithfull as of his friends, and so to call them: in Ioh. 15. 14.Ioh. 15. 14.
Q. You say that prayer is a familiar and friendly talke of man with God, what may we learne by that?
A. We may learne two things:
1. That the louelove of God is vnspeakable, which will vouchsafe to talke with most miserable & sinful men, and not seldome, but when, where, and how we will.
2. That we ought to prepare our selues both with outward and inward worship, and reuerence, when we come in prayer before his Maiestie,Hest. 4. 16. like Hester, who fasted and prayed before she went in vntounto the King.
Q. You say in your definition of prayer, that prayer is made to GOD: ought we not to pray to Saints aswell as to God?
A. No. but to God onelyonly.To God onelyonly.
Q. How prooue you that?
A. I proue it by three speciall reasons,Proued by 3. reasons. or arguments drawen out of the word of God.
Q. What is your first reason?1. Reason.
A. In Matth. 4. 10. The Lord Iesus sayd vntounto the diuell, Thou shait worship the Lord thy God, and him onelyonly shalt thou serue.
To pray to God is to worship and serue him, therefore to him onelyonly must wee pray.
Q. What is your second reason?2. Reason.
A. We must pray only to him to whom we may say, Our father. But wee can say thus to none but to God only: and therefore wee must pray to none but to God onelyonly.
Q. What is your third reason?
A. In Rom. 10. 14. it is sayd:Rom. 10. 14. How shall we call on him on whom we hauehave not beleeued? vponupon which place I reason thus:
The obiect of our faith must be the subiect of our prayers:3. Reason. Christ only is the obiect of our faith, therefore Christ onelyonly must be the su…ect of our prayers.
Q. The Papists say we must beleeue in the Saints,Obiect. and therfore pray to the: duplicate page duplicate page and that they seeme to prooue by two places of Scripture: the one is, Philem. 4. 5. I thanke my God for thy louelove, and faith which thou hast towards the Lord Iesus, & all Saints: onelyonly by placing the words: How answer you this place?
A. There must bee an inuersion of the words, for louelove in the first place is giuen to the Saints, and faith in the second place is giuen to Christ.
Q. How prooue you that?
A. It appeareth plainly in the 7. verse, where the Apostle sayt…: We hauehave great ioy, and consolation in thy louelove, because by thee brother, the Saints hear…s are comforted.
Q. The other p…ace is in Exod. 14. las… verse,Exod. 14. …. They beleeued God, and his seruant Moses.
A. To beleeue one is to giuegive credite to his word, so did they: for they beleeued Moses, that is, they gaue credite to his words, but it is not sayd they beleeued in Moses: so wee may beleeue the words of Saints, when they speake the trueth: but to beleeue in Saints we may not, for that is proper to God onelyonly.
Q. We pray to Saints not as helpers, but mediatours.Obiect.
A. We stand in need of no mediatour, but onelyonly one, and that is Iesus Christ, as appeareth in 1. Tim. 2. 5.1. Tim. 2. 5. There is one God, and one mediatour betweene God and man, the man Iesus Christ.
Q. Why may not a Saint, or a holie man be a mediatour to God for vsus?
A. Because none can bee a mediatour between God and man, but he that is perfectly iust: but none is so but Christ, and therefore none can bee a mediatour but Christ.
Q. How prooue you that?
A. In Heb. 7. 25.Heb 7. 25 He is able to saue perfectly them that come to God by him, seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them: for such a high Priest it became vsus to hauehave, which is holy, harmeles, vndefiled, separate from sinners, and made hier then the heauens.
Q. It were great presumption for any man to steppe to Christ at the first,Object. considering our owne unworthines: therefore we must hauehave one more worthie then our selues, who being in greater fauour with him for his worthines, may boldly make intercession for vsus.
A. To this obiection I answer 3. waies:
1. If it be presumption to goe to Christ at the first,1. Answer. then were all the Primitiue Church very presumptuous, who concluded all their prayers not by Peter, nor Paul, nor the Virgin Mary, nor any Saint, but onelyonly by Iesus Christ.
2. The Saints of God hauing most occasion to cast downe themselues by reason of their sinnes,2. Answer. yet neuerthelesle had accesse by prayer to God himselfe.
Q. What examples hauehave you of any such?
A. There be diuers examples:
1. Dauid in consideration of his murther, and adulterie, was greatly humbled, yet when he was thus abased in his owne eyes, he went to God himselfe: as appeareth in Psal. 51.Psalm. 51.
2. The Publican was greatly humbled, when hee durst not looke vp to heauen, and yet he prayeth to GOD himselfe, saying, Lord be mercifull to me a sinner.Luk. 18. 13.
3. The prodigall sonne in his greatest extremitie vsed not the helpe of any his fathers seruants, which were in greatest credite with him, nor of his owne brother, but steppeth to his father himselfe.Luk. 15. 25.
4. The Centurion had no conceit of himselfe, when hee sayd to the Lord Iesus, I am not worthie thou shouldest come vnderunder my roofe: and yet hee went not to any of his Disciples, but to the Lorde himselfe, for his seruant that was sicke.Matth. 8. 5, 6
It is no presumption to be bold where wee are commaunded,The 3. answer. and warranted, but where wee hauehave no commandement, nor warrant, there it is presumption: the Papists hauehave no warrant to pray to Saints, therefore they are presumptuous.
We hauehave a warrant out of the scripture to goe vntounto Christ.
By Christ wee hauehave boldnes and entrance,Ephes. 3. 12. with confidence by faith in him.
Let vsus therefore goe boldly to the throne of grace,Heb. 4. 16. that wee may receiue merciemercy, and find grace in the time of neede.
If men may not presume to come to earthly princes at the first,Obiect. … but by the meanes of many mediatours they doe come vntounto them; much les may we presume to come to God, that is the prince of all Princes, without the mediation of manie.
To this obiection I answere,Answer. that the comparison holdeth not betweene God, & earthly Princes: for, 1. No king knoweth the want of al his subiects; and though he doe, yet he must hauehave some to put him in mind of them: butaGen. 19. 29. Psalm. 105 8. Psalm. 111. 5. God knoweth and remembreth all the wantes of all his children himselfe, and of himselfe.
2. It is not safe for all sortes of men to be admitted vntounto the Kings presence, because of treasons: but the LordbPsal. 2. 7. 3. 4. Prou. 21. 30. …eareth nothing that man can doe to him.
3. They for pride wil not, or for waightie affaires cannot attend to the sute of eueryevery man: But the LordescPsal 34. 15. Psal 139. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. eares are alwayes opē to heare the sutes of al his children in all the world at one instant.
But to graunt that the comparison holdeth: We say, that if the Prince should appoint ani… one, by whom, and by no other we should offer to him our supplications, then it were our part to offer our sutes to him only: and the Prince might iustly punish vsus, if we should goe to any other.
Euen so, seeing God hath appointed hisdMat. 3. 17. Ioh. 16. 23, 24. onelyonly Sonne to be the onelyonly meanes by whom we shall present our sutes vntounto his Maiestie, wee must goe onelyonly to him, and if we shall go to any other, the Lord may iustly punish vsus for the same.
Obiection. Obiect.The Saintes prayed for vsus, while they hued amongst vsus in this vale of miserie, much more therefore will they pray for vsus now being in perfect ioy and happines.
Answer. Answer.It followeth not: for,Iam. 5. 14.
1. We hauehave precepts commanding vsus to craue their prayers being aliue: but being dead there is no such matter.
2. We doe not so desire praiers of the Saints which be aliue, as they doe of them which bee dead: for they pray to them, that by force of their intercession, and by vertue of their merits they would obtaine that at Gods hand which they stand in need of: but we pray them to ioyne with vsus in humble prayer to God, or to commend vsus to God in their prayers.
3. Here in earth we may certifie them of our wants, and so they may pray with vsus for the supplie of our wants: but after death wee cannot tell them of our particular wants, neither doe they knowe our wants vponupon earth: as appeareth most plainly in the scripture.
Esai. 63. 16.Esai. 63. 1…. Doubtles thou art our father, though Abraham bee ignorant of vsus, and Israel know vsus not, yet thou O Lord art our father, and our redeemer, thy name is for euer.
Q. You say in your definition, that in prayer the heart must bee lifted vp to God: how proue you that?
A. I prooue it by the word of God, Psal. 25. 1.Psalm. 25. 1. VntoUnto thee O Lord, lift I vp my soule.
Psalm. 86. 4.Psalm. 86. 4. Reioyce the soule of thy seruant, for vntounto thee O Lord, doe I lift vp my soule.
Ephes. 6. 18.Ephes. 6. 13. Pray alwayes, in all manner of prayer and supplication, in the spirit. See more in Esai. 29. 13, 14.Esai. 29. 13. Hose. 7. 14.Hose. 7. 14.
2. The lifting vp of the hands, & eyes, &c. ought to put vsus in minde of the lifting vp of the heart: for the hand lifted vp to God without the heart, is but hypocrisie.
3. This lifting vp of the heart without the outward gestures of the bodie hath preuailing with God: See 1. Sam. 1. 12, 13.1. Sam. 1. 12. Exod. 14. 15.Exod. 14. 15.
Q. You say againe in your definition of prayer, that prayer must bee ioyned with faith in the promises of God: how proue you that?
A. Because faith is the very life of our praiers, yea, there is such affinitie between faith and prayer, that without faith there is no prayer.
2. Our prayers are answerable to our faith: much faith, much prayer, little faith, little prayer, weake faith, weake prayer, no faith, no prayer.
Iam. 1. 6.Iam. 1. 6. Let him aske in faith, and wauer not.
Psal. 71. 1.Psalm. 71. 1. In thee, O Lord, I trust, let me neuer be ashamed.
Psal. 116. 10.Psalm. 116. 10. I beleeued, therefore did I speake.
Q. If our faith be weake, h…w may it bée strengthened?
A. If our faith bee weake, it may bee strengthened two waies.
1. By remembring the sweete promises of God made to them that pray to him vnfainedly. See Esa. 65. 24. Psal. 50. 15.Psal. 50. 15. Psal. 91. 15. Esa 65. 24.
2. By looking to the performance of these promises, either to our selues, or to some other, as Dauid did, 1. Sam. 17. 37.1. Sam. 17. 37. and Iehosaphat. 2. Chron. 20. 7.2. Chron. 20. 7.
Q. Now it remaineth to be prooued, that in prayer we doe either craue such things as we want, or els giuegive thanks for benefites alreadie receiued: which is the last thing I obserue in your definition of prayer.
A. It is true: for eueryevery true prayer standeth vponupon petition, or thanksgiuing, if not both, vntounto which two, all kind of prayers may be referred.
Q. But are not these two, viz. petition, and thanksgiuing, to bée ioyned together in prayer?
A. Yes, they are often coupled together, as in 1. Timoth. 2. 1.1. Timoth. 2. 1. I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giuing of thanks be made for all men.
Col. 4. 2.Col. 4. 2. Continue in praer, and watch in the same, with thanksgiuing.
Philip. 4. 6.Philip. 4. 6. Be nothing carefull, but in all thinges let your requests bee shewed vntounto God, in prayer, and supplication, with giuing of thanks.
Q. What if one of these bée wanting?
A. It is no true praier which want one of these,
Q. The Papists hauehave added the salutation of Mary, In Luk. 1. 28.and the Creed, to fill vp the number, what say you to the salutation of Mary, is it not a prayer?
A. The salutation of Mary, is no prayer: for,
1. There is no petition, nor thanksgiuing in it.
2. If wee should grant it to be a prayer of the Angel,The salutation of Mary, no prayer. yet it is not to her, for Aue, is as much as if hee said, I pray God thou maiest reioyce.
3. It is a salutation and no prayer, as appeareth in verse 29. She thought what manner of salutation that should be.
Q. What say you of the Créed, is not that a prayer?
A. No: It is nothing els but a briefe rehearsall of our faith,The Creede no prayer. or a briefe summe, or abridgement of the chiefe heads of Christian religion: wherein wee doe not addresse our speech vntounto God, but make a publique confession of those thinges vntounto the congregation: Ergo, it is no prayer.
2. There is in it neither petition, nor thanksgiuing, that is, we do neither craue any benefite, nor giuegive thanks for any benefite in the Creede: therefore it can bee no prayer.
Q. When are petitions to be made?
A. When occasions bee offered,The necessitie of prayer. and that is at all times both in respect of outward and inward wants. If wee looke to our soules, they hauehave three wonderfull enemies, the world, the flesh, and the diuell: therefore wee ought continually to be exercised in petition, or prayer. Yea, it is so needfull, that without it there is no comfort to a troubled mind.
Q. HaueHave any vsed praier as a meanes to finde comfort, when their mindes hauehave béen troubled?
A. Yea, it is sayd of Anna,1. Sam. 1. 10. that she was troubled in her minde, and prayed to the Lord. It is also sayd of our Sauiour Christ,Luk. 22. 41. that he went aside from his Disciples, and kneeled downe, and prayed:43. and there appeared an Angell vntounto him from heauen comforting him:46. and afterward he bad his Disciples to rise, and pray, vsing this as a reason, lest ye enter into temptation: to shewe that prayer is a speciall meanes appoynted of God, both to preuent temptations, & to comfort in temptations.
Ob. God knoweth all our wants before wee pray, therefore it is a néedles thing to pray.
Ans. He hath commanded vsus to pray, therefore it is not needles, and he knoweth our wants before, and therefore wee ought to pray vntounto him: for if hee did not know our wants, wee ought not to pray vntounto him.
Q. Séeing as GOD knoweth our wants before wee aske, why doth hee commaund vsus to tell him of our wants in prayer, as though he knewe them not?
A. Not to be enformed at our hands of any thing which he knew not before: but,
1. To acknowledge him to be the author and giuer of all good things, and our helper in time of neede.
2. To exercise our faith and obedience: our faith, while wee waite patiently, and looke stedfastly for the performance of his promises: our obedience, while wee doe that which hee hath commaunded vsus.
Ob. Gods deer…e is vnchangeable, and therefore to pray is in vaine.
Answ. Nay therefore we are sure to be heard, because his counsell and purpose is immutable, for according to his promise hee will heare our praiers, alwaies prouided, that our prayers bee agreeable to his will: so that this serueth rather to make vsus more willing, and earnest in prayer, because wee hauehave Gods commaundement for our warrant, and his promise for our encouragement.
Q. When is thankesgiuing to bee made?
A. At all times, and in all our prayers, for wee hauehave occasion of it, wheresoeuer we looke, and seeing the Lord neuer ceaseth to doe good vntounto vsus, therefore wee must not cease to speake good of his name.