An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 5 – Part 7
Now of this word, Our.
Q. Why doth the Lord Iesus teach vsus to say, Our Father, rather then my father?
A. For diuers causes:
1. To teach vsus that true prayer is tied to Church of God onelyonly,1. Doctrine. and therefore requireth of necessitie vnitie with the same.
Q. What reason can you giuegive for this?
A. My reason is this: We cannot pray aright▪ except God be our father in Christ; if God be our father in Christ, then we be his children; if wee bee his children, then are we also brethren to his children; if we bee brethren to them; then hauehave wee true faith and louelove; if wee hauehave true faith and louelove, then are we knit to Christ, and one to another: if we bee so, then are wee of the true Church of Christ.
Q. What is wee were not of the Church?
A. They that are not of the Church, can not make this prayer.
Q. Why then belike of necessitie we ought to hauehave vnitie with the true Church, in faith, and doctrine, and substance of religion.
A. It is very true: for as wee hauehave our father adopting vsus, and making vsus his children, so here we professe that we hold our faith with all the members of Gods Church, and holde one and the selfe same true religion and worship of God with them: yea, and all that can say this prayer truely, are ioyned in vnitie of faith and religion, in respect of the substance.
Q. What think you then of Schismatiques, which doe separate themselues from the publique exercises of the Church?
A. It followeth therfore, that no Schismatiques can truely say, Our Father, because in their hellish pride they coumpt the children of GOD none of their brethren.
Q. What els doth this word [our] teach?
A. Secondly,2. Doctrine. it teacheth vsus that wee must hauehave Christian louelove vntounto all men, without the dishonor of God, and breach of a good conscience. See 1. Ioh. 5. 1.
Q. What els doth it teach vsus?
A. Thirdly,3. Doctrine. it putteth vsus in minde of that sympathie and fellow-feeling of our brethrens miseries, which may moue vsus to helpe them euen when we can, & hauehave fit occasion:Rom. 12. 15. for we are all as members of one and the same bodie by faith:Heb. 13. 3. therefore if one bee hurt, all must helpe;1. Pet. 4. 10. if one bee grieued,Iam. 5. 16. all must bee grieued; and if one reioyce, all must reioyce. See the places quoted.
Q. May we not say at any time, My father, but alwayes Our father?
A. Yes as in sicknesse, pouertie, &c. so that wee hauehave a care of others aswell as of our selues: for in prayer al pride and selfe-louelove must be quite shut out.
Q. What els may wée gather from this word, Our?
A. Fourthly,4. Doctrine. it banisheth all pride and disdaine of our brethren, and breedeth all humilitie, and lowlines, yea, and it teacheth vsus to hauehave a base conceit of our selues,Rom. 12. and a reuerend opinion of others, yea euen of the simplest, if they feare God, and hauehave the spirit of adoption (which God knoweth) for then are they the sonnes and daughters of the same father that wee hauehave, or professe to hauehave.
Q. What? must superiours, and men of authoritie, which hauehave great places & callings, so far humble themselues vntounto simple & poore Christians, as you say?
A. Yea, that they must, if they will call God their father, and (to deale plainly) no superiour can vse this prayer aright, before they so abase themselues, that they take the most simple, and meanest Christians that are for their brethren, and so likewise vse them.
Q. Some will not be called brethren, nor call others by that name: for they hold this name of brother or sister, (especially in Christ) to be a most odious name, & they vse it (if they do vse it at al) in scorne and reproch, accompting them Puritanes, &c. Which vse such kinde of spéeches: what say you of them?
A. Surely, I thinke that they doe much forget thēselues: for howsoeuer they will seeme to deny & defie y• name of brother & sister, out of prayer, …et in prayer (if they pray as they ough…) they doe confesse it: except they doe mocke and dissemble with God, (which is no small sinne) for God cannot be our father, except the rest of his children and true Christians, be our brethren.
Q. If superiours must so abase themselues,Obiect. as to take the simplest and meanest for their brethren, and so their equals, then you shall agrée with the Anabaptists, which would hauehave no distinction, nor difference to bee allowed betwéene the Prince and subiect, the Magistrate and people, betwéene one and another, but all must be as one.
A. No sir, that is not my meaning, farre be it from me, for there must bee degrees of persons, of callings, and of estates, and there must be a distinction between Magistrates and inferiours, for the auoyding of disorder, and confusion, and maintenance of peace, which is Gods ordinance, or els all should be head, or all should be foote, &c. which were as monsterous and absurd in the bodie politicall, as it would be in a bodie naturall.
Q. If that bee not your meaning, then what is your meaning?
A. This I meane, and affirme, that all those which hauehave any prerogatiue aboue others, should consider, that though they bee aboue others in things of this world, yet others may be aboue them in heauenly things, and equall with them in respect of their heauenly father, who hath called vsus all with a heauenly calling to a heauenly inheritance.
Q. How may this poynt bee confirmed?
A. By the testimonie of holy scripture. When S. Paul would perswade masters to deale well by thier seruants,Ephes. 6. 9. he vseth this as a reason: that they hauehave a master in heauen, with whom is no respect of persons. And this is the Apostles meaning, when he sayth: There is neither Iewe, Galath. 3. 28.nor Grecian, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Iesus: In the 26. verse hee sheweth the reason why, and how: For, …e are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus. And for this cause it is sayd:Deut. 17. 18. 19. 20. The King shall hauehave the booke of the law by him, that he exalt not himself aboue his brethrē.
For want of the true knowledge of this poynt, the Corinthiās despised the poore, and would not receiue the Lords Supper with them: and therefore the Apostle reproueth them,1. Cor. 11. 33. and willeth them to tarrie one for another.
Q. How can his equalitie and superioritie stand together, and be acknowledged on both sides at one time, and in one place, and in one action busines?
A. Very well: as they do in the publike assemblies and exercises of the Church, where: 1. That a distinction & difference of persons & degrees may appeare, (for auoiding of confusiō, &c.) eueryevery man hath his place appointed according to his worthines, in respect of office, or calling, or learning, or degree, or birth, or wealth, &c. then 2. That it may likewise appeare that we are all brethren, hauing one God, whom we call (Our father) in the merites of Christ, and because all by one faith beleeue one Sauiour, and look all by him for one kingdome, therefore there is also in token thereof a communitie & equalitie of diuers things, without any respect of persons.
Q. How doe you meane that?
A. Not as the Anabaptistes, which would hauehave all things common: but my meaning is this: There is not one place for the poore, & another for the rich, one Minister for the greater learned, and another for the lesse learned: one Sabboth for superiours, & another for inferiours: one water for the baptizing of great mens children, and another for poore mens children: one bread and wine for the veluet gowne, and another for the frize gowne: But on the contrarie in the reformed Churches of Christ, there is one place of meeting for all, one pastour to instruct all, one Sabboth to bee kept of all, one font, and one water for the baptizing of al, one time for the receiuing of all: and at the Lords Supper, all receiue together, all partake of the same bread, and wine, all drinke of the same cuppe, and all giuegive thankes by the same spirite, for the same benefites: and where it is not so, it should bee so.
Q. You hauehave satisfied mee for that poynt: but hauehave you any thing els to note vponupon this word (Our)?
A. Yea,5. Doctrine. it teacheth vsus further, that if we bee of the number of Gods children, then all the faithfull in al places doe commend vsus to God in their prayers, euen as themselues: and amongst those there are some Abrahams, some Moses, some Elias, some Iobes, &c. whose prayers are more effectuall then others.
Q. What? and is this such a benefite?
A. Yea, it is a great benefite: for if wee feele not that zeale, and power of faith, &c. in prayer, which we desire, yet we are not to bee discouraged, for that is euer in some of them which is wanting in vsus: and Christ hath so framed this prayer, that saying it, wee cannot chuse but pray as well for others, as for our selues.
Q. But will not this make men negligent in prayer?
A. No, this is not to make any negligēt in prayer, but to strengthen those that are diligent.
Q. If you hauehave any thing els to obserue from these wordes [Our father] note it briefly that wee may goe forward?
A. But one thing more I drawe out of them,6. Doctrine. and that is a confirmation of two maine poynts:
1. Concerning particular faith in applying Christs merites vntounto our felues.
2. The certaintie of our saluation.
For the first, when I say Our father, I am taught to call GOD, my father, and so Christ my redeemer, &c. for when I exclude my selfe, I cannot truely say, Our father.
For the second, I know that God being my father, he loueth me, and that I shall be partaker of saluation: for whom he loueth once he loueth for euer: therefore my saluation is certaine and sure.
VVhichWhich art in heauen.
Q. Why are these words added?
A. In the former words wee are taught what the Lord is concerning vsus, viz. a louing father.
In these words wee learne what he is in himselfe, viz. a God of all maiestie, power and dominion.
The 1. sheweth his willingnes to help vsus.
The 2. sheweth his abilitie to helpe vsus.
Q. Why doth the Lord Iesus speake of his willingnes and abilitie?
A. To shew that of those two we must be perswaded in prayer, or els we cannot pray aright. Some came to Christ doubting of his willingnes,Matth. 8. 2. as the leper, Master, if thou wilt thou canst make mee cleane. Some doubting of his power, as the man whose sonne had a dumbe spirit:Mark. 9. 22. If thou canst doe any thing for vsus, helpe vsus, &c. But here we are taught not to be like either of them.
Q. God is eueryevery where, why then is he sayd to be in heauen?
A. Because he is eueryevery where, therfore he must needes be in heauen.
Q. But why is hee sayd to hauehave his dwelling in heauen, rather then in any place of the world, or in all the world?
A. For two causes.
1. Because his glorie is most apparant there.
2. Because we see from thence most euident signes of his properties, and attributes, more then in other places, as of his omnipotencie, wisedome, goodnesse, iustice, merciemercy, &c.
Q. What vse may we make of these words?
A. Wee may make vse of them many wayes:
1. They teach vsus that God hath power ouer all, and can performe that which he promiseth.
Q. How doe you gather that?
A. I gather it thus: As the heauen is hier then the elementall world, so he that sits▪ in the heauen, must needes hauehave all things in subiection vnderunder him.Psalm. 2. 4. And as wee cannot see any thing aboue heauen,Psalm. 24. 3. so we are not to imagine any thing aboue him.Psalm. 113. 4. See Psal. 2. 4. Psal. 24. 3. Psal. 113. 4,
Q. What els may wee gather from them?
A. They teach vsus that God is no earthly father, but heauenly and immortall, therefore not subiect to alteration in nature, nor change in his purpose, as men be. And this makes much for the certaintie of the election of Gods children,1. Sam. 15. 2…. Rom. 3. 19.seeing it dependeth vponupon such a father.Iam. 1. 17. See the places quoted.Reuel. 3. 6.
Q. What els doe wee learne from them?
A. They serue to breede a reuerence in vsus when we pray,Doctrine. because wee bee but dust and ashes, and wee speake vntounto that God that (as the Psalmist sayth) hath deuouring fire going before him,Psalm. 50. and mightie tempests are stirred vp about him, &c.Psal. 60. 4. 8. 17
Q. Declare your meaning more fullie.
A. I meane that seeing in prayer wee speake vntounto the immortall king of heauen and earth, we should not clappe our selues downe so vnreuerently, (as vsually many doe) thinking of any thing rather then of the mightie Maiestie of him to whom wee pray: but with a reuerende trembling and affection of all our parts: and (to vse the very words of a reuerend father) leisurely, carefully, and heartely, considering the puissance, glorie, and imperiall Maiestie of him to whome wee speake.
Q. What els doe they affoord vsus?
A. Lastly, they teach vsus, That not onelyonly our mindes ought to be sequestred from other,Doctrine. but in all our conuersation to behaue our selues as becommeth the children of such a heauenly father.
Which art in heauen.
Q. These wordes [which art] are the wordes of one speaking vntounto another, and not of another, what may wée learne by that?
A. They shewe the Churches priuiledge, which is such, that eueryevery true child of God may hauehave free accesse vntounto God by Christ, and may not onelyonly speake of God, but vntounto God himselfe.
Q. What vse may wee make of this poynt?
A. The vse of this point is foure fold.
Two waies against the Papists.
Two waies for our selues.
Q. How may it serue against the Papistes?
A. 1. It teacheth vsus that (seeing as we talke with God himselfe,) therefore wee need no Images to put vsus in mind of him: for what neede one hauehave a picture to put him in mind of him with whome he is conuersant, and in conference?
2. It teacheth vsus that we need no other mediatours then Christ, to goe vntounto God for vsus, seeing as we speake in prayer vntounto God our selues.
Q. That is verie true: nowe what vse maye wée make of it for our selues?
A. 1. It is a comfort to the children of GOD, to remember that their prayers goe straight from their lippes into the eares of the Lorde, and are not spilt vponupon the ground.
2. This poynt must bee our instruction: and it serueth to breede in vsus reuerence, and a care what to speake, and in what manner to speake, or doe, because wee are alwaies in the Lordes hearing