An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 8
The first Petition.
Hallowed be thy name.
Q. What is the effect of this petition?
A. This first petition craueth the aduauncing of GODS glorie: as the first commanundement of the morall lawe requireth the same, and doth also bind vsus to seeke the same.
Q. Why is this order obserued?
A. To shew that not onelyonly in our praiers, but also in our whole life, wee must first seeke the glorie of God.
Q. Why are wee taught to pray for the aduancing of Gods glory, before we pray for our dayly bread?
A. To shew that the glory of God must bee preferred before all the pleasures and profites of this life.
Q. Why must wée praye for that, before wée praye for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes, and the saluation of our …oules?
A. To shew that we must rather desire that his name may bee glorified, then our soules to be saued.
Q. Yea? must wee hauehave more care to winne him glorie, then to gaine our selues saluation? what if wee hauehave not that care?
A. If wee hauehave not, then doe wee not pray like dutiful children, rightly affected to our father.
Q. What if any preferment, or benefit or pleasure, or affection of ours shuld bee found to fight against the glory of our heauenly father?
A. We must not rest till our consciences do beare vsus witnes, through the power of Gods spirite, that wee hauehave renounced it.
Q. This is hard, but yet I confesse it ought to bee, but (for our encouragement) doe you reade of any that hauehave béene thus affected as you speake?
A. Yea, Dauid sayd: The zeale of thy house hath consumed me. Psalm 69. 9.Moses had that affection to Gods glorie before his owne saluation,Exod. 32. 32. when he said: If thou wilt pardon their sinne, thy merciemercy shall appeare, if not, I pray thee rase me out of thy booke, &c. The like zeale and affection was in Paul,Rom. 9. 2. When hee wished himselfe to bee separated from Christ, so that God might bee glorified in the saluation of his brethren the Iewes, which were his kinsmen after the flesh.
Q. These examples bée good encouragements, for by them I perceiue that (as hard as it is) yet it hath béen found, and therefore it may, and ought to bée found in the children of God?
A. Yea, and shall bee graunted, if wee pray hartely for it, for Christ hath promised, that if we aske, we shall obtaine.
Q. There are some, which (if their owne credite be touched neuer so little) chafe like Naman, when the Prophet refused to come at his sending for him, but if Gods glory be neuer so much defaced, they are not a whit moued, nor touched, what say you of them?
A. It is a great sinne indeede, and the best of vsus all are guiltie of it: but they and eueryevery one of vsus that deale so, should consider what we pray, when wee say: Hallowed be thy name, lest we bee found continuall mockers of our heauenly father.
Q. What is here meant by the name of God?What is ment by the name of God.
A. That wee shall knowe the better if we doe first consider how farre this word (Name) reacheth vntounto other things.
Q. Uery well. I pray you doe so.
A. This worde [name] is giuen vntounto men in two respects.
1 To distinguish one from another, as, what is his name? Iohn? or Thomas? or, &c.
2 It signifieth credite, or good report, as, what is a man but his good name?
Q. How is it giuē to other creatures?
A. Two waies.
1 To distinguish them from other kinds, or one kind from another.
2 To make the natures of them to be the better vnderstoode, euerie creature of euerie kinde hath his seuerall name.
Q. Is anie name giuen to GOD in such respects?
A. No, God hath no such name, for he is one, and but one, and hath no fellow, nor anie of the same kinde.
Q. What then is signified by the name of God?
A. His name signifieth two things.
1 That honor which is due vntounto him.
2 Al things wherby he is made knowne.
Q. By what thinges is hée made knowne to vsus?
A. By three things.
1 His works,Psal. 10. 1. for as mē are known by their names,Psal. 20. 1. 7. so is God by his works. See Psalm. 19. 1. Psal. 105. 10. Psal. 20. 1. 7. Mar. 16. 17.Psal. 105. 10.
2. His worde,Mark. 16. 17. which is also called the name of God, because it maketh his will, and nature more euidently knowne vntounto vsus,Leuit. 22. 31. 32. then his workes doe. See Leuit. 22. 31. 32. 1. Timoth. 6. 1.1. Timoth. 6. 1. Act. 9. 15.Act. 9. 15.
3 His Titles, which he himselfe declared to Moses, as in Exod. 34. 5. 6. where it is said, that The Lord descēded in the cloud,Exod. 34. 5. 6. and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. So that the Lord passed before his face, & cried, The Lord, the Lord, strong, mercifull, and gracious, slow to anger, and aboundant in goodnes and truth, &c.
Q. What is ment by hallowing or the name of God?Hallowed.
A. By this word is not ment anie adding of purity, or holines vntounto Gods name which it had not before, but the publishing, and professing of it.
Q. How proue you that?
A. By the like speech in another place of scripture:Luk. 7. 35▪ Wisdome is iustified of her children (sayth the Lorde Iesus) and yet wisdome is alwaies iust, and iustified. So God is hallowed of his children, and yet he is alwaies holy and pure: but then wee doe hallow his name, when wee thinke so of it as it is, and as we ought.
Q. How shew what we craue in this petition?
A. Generally in this petition we craue that the honour of GODS name may be aduanced.
More particularly: 1. That his iustice, merciemercy, wisdome, truth, goodnes, and all his properties may bee knowne to all. 2. That he may hauehave that reuerence which is due vntounto him. 3. That they which obseure his glory may be remoued.
Q. His name being taken for his titles, what doe we craue?
A. In this respecte wee craue three thinges.
1. That the names of all Idols, and fained. Gods, may bee taken away, because they obscure his glorie.
2. That those names whereby God is described, bee not abused and giuen to others in swearing, periury, or soothsaying, &c. And that whē we be called to sweare, we doe it in all reuerence.
3. That eueryevery man may make vse of them to himselfe, and call vponupon others to doe the like: as for example, he that is ouerwhelmed with miseries, may comfort himselfe with this, that GOD is almightie, wise, mercifull, the gouernor of all thinges, &c. He that is tempted to presumption may bridle himselfe with the consideration of Gods iustice, and seueritie, &c. He that is assaulted with despaire, may arme himselfe with this, that God is trueth, and his promises are sure, &c.
Q. As it signifieth his workes, what doe we aske?
A. The name of God being put for his workes, we craue three things.
1. That in his creatures all may see him, and extol him, & his name for them.
2. That we and all men may make vse of his workes, as by the workes of his iustice to become more duetifull, by his iudgements to become more humble, by his benefites the more thankefull, and by his keeping of promise, to become the more faithfull.
3. That his creatures may not be abused, as that wee vse not our meates and drinkes to surfeting, &c. but may vse all his creatures modestly, soberly, and reuerently in the feare of his name, with thankesgiuing for the same. Yea and aswell for taking as giuing as Iob did.Iob. 1. 21.
Q. As the name of GOD signifieth his worde, what doe we craue?
A. 1. That his word and Gospell may bee continually and faithfully preached, and also may bee beleeued, obeyed and reucrenced.
2. That men in preaching the worde of God, doe not seeke their owne praise and glorie, nor their owne reuenge which is worse.
3. That the doctrine of the worde of God bee not euill spoken of by the lewd and loose conuersation of them that professe the same, See 2. Sam. 12. 14.