An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Title page – Dedication
An EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAYER, made in diuers Lectures, and now drawne into Questions and Answers for the greater benefite of the simpler sort: Whereunto is prefixed a briefe treatise of prayer for all men.
Published at the request of diuers godly and well disposed: By W. B. Minister of the Word at Reading in Barkshire.
AT LONDON, Printed by the Widdow Orwin for Thomas Man, dwelling in Pater-noster row at the signe of the Talbot. 1594.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, AND HIS SINgular good Lord, Robert Earle of Essex and Ewe, Vicount Hereford, and Bourghchier, Lord Ferrers and Chartly, Lord Bourchier, and Louaine, Knight of the noble Order of the Garter, Master of her Maiesties Horse, and one of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell: W. B. wisheth encrease of al true honor in this life, and eternall felicitie in the life to come.
SOme are desirous (right Honorable) to store vp those things to their further benefite, which before they hauehave heard to their present comfort, like the good men of Athens which sayd to Paul, We will heare thee againe of this matter, Act. 17. At the request of such men I hauehave yeelded to the publishing of those Lectures which I made vponupon the Lords Prayer: notwithstanding the labours of other reuerend & excellent men, which hauehave both trauailed farre, and waded deepe in this argument. And if any man looke for any new matter at my hand, he doth but loose his labour: for I must confesse that I hauehave walked by their lights, & trode their steps for the greatest part of my iourney: neither hauehave I taken vponupon me to performe any thing by my self more then others hauehave done, but to ioyne with others in the building of the spirituall temple, wherevnto I hauehave brought such as I had. And for my owne part, I thinke my selfe most highly bound to praise his heauēly Maiestie, that hath vouchsafed me (the most vnprofitable of al) a place amongst his builders, though I bring but lime & morter to the building, and a place amongst his souldiers, though I doe but now & then strike a stroke, or carrie their armour after them, and a place amongst his skilful Archers, though my selfe doe but giuegive aime at the marke as it were in respect of them that hauehave pearced it, and gotten the victorie: they are gone before with the vintage, I come after with the gleanings, which may bee as acceptable to some as the haruest is to others. And seeing as the Lord blesseth whom he will, and by whom he will, I knowe no cause of discontētednes to remaine vntounto any, seeing it is lawfull for eueryevery one to doe what good he can, both by speaking and writing, especially in these dayes wherein Sathan beareth such sway, and by his seruants laboureth by all meanes possible to hinder the growth & thriuing of Gods church, to destroy the faith of Gods childrē, to hold al men in miserable blindnes & ignorance: yea, and if it were possible, to bring to passe that God shuld hauehave no true worship, yea no worship at all done vntounto him amongst the sonnes of men. I am bolde my good Lord to offer this small treatise vntounto your Honor, both in respect of my bounden duetie, as also for the worthines of the matter handled therein, which sheweth both the matter of prayer, and also the right order and maner of calling vponupon the name of God, amongst all estates, at all times, in al places, & for al wants, which is such a poynt of Gods worship, as who so hath attained vntounto the true knowledge, & right practise of the same, hath obtained a great matter, if not the greatest of al in this life. For such a one may hauehave free accesse to the throne of grace, and stand in the presence of the almightie, when another shall flie from his presence: such a one may batter and beate downe the walles, the cities, and the holdes of mightie enemies, when other shall not dare to come neere them: he shall breake the prison doores, and make yron gates to open of their owne accord, when others shall lye by it: he shall doe as much with one man, as others shall doe with a hundred, and more too: for he shall be able not onelyonly to preuaile against men, yea though they bee many, and mightie, and craftie, but he shall preuaile with God himselfe like Iacob, vntill he hath preuailed against Sathan, and all the power of hell, and gotten the masterie ouer himselfe, euen to the deniall of himselfe, for the trueths sake, which is the greatest victorie that can bee gotten: he shall hauehave power & skill to tame his owne affections, which is more then the taming of wilde beasts: he shall finde patience in aduersitie, and thankfulnes in prosperitie, and contentation in eueryevery triall: he shall see the mountaines couered with heauenly souldiers for the defence of Gods people, as Elisha did: he shall raise …he dead, and water the earth with aboundance of raine, as Elias did: he shal stop the mouthes of the hungrie lions without any violence, as Daniel did, and quench the flames of fire without any water, as Shedrach and his fellowes did. In a word, the effects of prayer are wonderfull and infinite: for what may not he hauehave and effect, that shall but aske and hauehave?
Who were euer more honoured of men, then they that hauehave giuen most honour vntounto God? And who doe more honor the Lord, then they that doe truely call vponupon his name by prayer? who more renowned, and beloued then the godly, and zealous in true religion? And what godlines or religon can there be without the true knowledge and right practise of prayer? who were euer more valiant in warre, more milde in peace, more cherefull in prison, more sober in libertie, more painefull in health, more comfortable in sicknes, more godly in their life, or more happie in their death, then the faithfull? And who were euer faithfull without prayer, which is the chiefest fruite of faith, & borne with faith, both borne together like twinnes? To whome doth the Lord giuegive his grace and fauour, but to the humble and lowly? And who were euer truly humbled, but those which by prayer vntounto God in the bitter feeling of sinne, hauehave most confessed, and acknowledged their wantes, their weaknesses, their imperfections, and al their iniquities?
Where did euer the manifolde graces of God meete and dwell, but in the soule of the faithfull, which hauehave still beene conuersant in calling vponupon the name of Iehouah? For hee that hath the spirite of prayer, hath a speedie messenger continually in a readines, at all needes, to trauell for him betweene heauen and earth, and sometime bringeth with him liuely faith, and true repentance, sometime ioy in the holy Ghost, sometime patience in affliction, sometime assurance of Gods eternall fauour, sometime deliuerāce out of danger, sometime wisdome and discretion, sometime zeale of Gods glory, and louelove to the brethren, sometime one grace, and sometime another, & sometime it causeth all these graces of God to meete together in one man, where they doe reioyce one in another, and one embrace another, like friendes mette at a feast, but the partie that doth entertain them is euer the greatest gainer. The heauenly art of prayer (if I may so call it) is an arte of all artes. He is counted the best Orator that can best perswade, & most moue the affections of men, but hee that hath learned to praye well, shall perswade not men perhaps, but GOD himselfe, and moue him that is the mouer and perswader of all mens heartes and affections. Philosophie searcheth out much by argumentes and demonstrations, but all grounded vponupon naturall reason: but prayer seekes out those thinges that reason doubteth, yea and despaireth of, because it is grounded not vponupon reason but vponupon faith, which is farre aboue all naturall reason, and is then most busie, & liuely in working whē natural reasō is at her wits end. Grammar teacheth to speake well, but not the language of Canaan, that is, the holy language of God, as prayer doth. Arithmeticke helpeth a man to number many thinges: but by the arte of prayer we may learne to number our dayes as Dauid desired, which is to apply our heartes to true wisedome, and that is the best numbring. The best Arithmetician cannot number that which is infinite, not by all his wit and skil compasse all to himselfe that hee hath alwaies numbred: but he that hath learned the arte of prayer may comprehend by faith (which doth accompany his prayer) the infinite mercies of God, and appropriat… thē to himselfe. Geometrie measureth out landes and Lordshippes, countries, and kingdomes, and the whole earth: but what is that to prayer? which measureth out heauen and earth and the land of the liuing, but yet no more then faith perswadeth her to bee her owne. Astronomie looketh aloft, and yet no hyer then the starres, measuring out the causes and effects of thinges by the course of nature: but the faithfull which hauehave the spirite of true prayer, looke vp to God himselfe which is exalted farre aboue the starres, and iudgeth not of thinges by the course of nature, but by the grace, and gracious promises of God, which doe ouer rule all nature. As for Musick, though it bee excellent, and delighteth the mind, yet is it not to bee compared with the hea… arte of praying, which helpe… … faithfull soule to true comfort in … middest of the greatest distresses and agonies that can bee. The studie of the scriptures and the knowledge of God, and of al other heauenly thinges, of all knowledge is the most excellent (I speake of illumi…ation, which is without sanctification) for that it causeth the minde to mount vp aboue the earth vntounto the contemplation of diuine thinges, which other artes and sciences do not, whose matter and subiect is altogether of the earth, and earthly, and leadeth but to the earth: but he that hath the true knowledge, and the right practise of prayer (ioyned with the former) shall enioy God, & in him all true happines, which is more then to knowe it, or to see it. In a worde, a man may bee a good Grammarian and speake wel, a good Philosopher and dispute wel, a good Rhetorician and perswade well, a good Arithmetician & number wel, a good Astronomer and coniecture well, a good Musitian and play well, a good Politician and liue well, a good Linguist and interprete well, and a good Diuine and preach well, and in all these excell, and yet goe to hell when all is done: but they that hauehave these, and the spirit of sanctification and grace to teach them the right practise of prayer, are most happie: for they hauehave the key that openeth the doore of Gods liberalitie, which will bring them to the full possession of happines. Therfore my good Lord, sith prayer is an exercise of the soule, so princely, so honorable, so heauenly, so mightie, & eueryevery way so excellent, and renowned as it is, what could I commend vntounto your Honour that might better testifie a discharge of dutie in me, or better fit your Honors religious disposition, whose heart the Lord hath sanctified to the zealous embracing of his sacred worde and Gospell, and the aduancement of his glorie, in furthering the building vp of his Church. And nowe (hoping for your Honors fauorable acceptance hereof) I commend your Honour vntounto the most gracious blessing and protection of the Almightie.
Your Honors most humbly to be commanded, William Burton.
A BRIEF TREATISE OF PRAYER: WHEREIN IS declared how farre it is lawfull to pray for all men: and whether it be lawfull to pray for the saluation of a reprobate or no:
By W. B. for the satisfying of his congregation, and cleering of himselfe.