An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Title page – Preface
AN EXPOSITION OF THE Divine Standard of Prayer, STYL'D THE Lord's Prayer.
Of the Preface, Concluſion, and of Every Petition of it; As of the PRAYER of the KINGDOM of Meſſiah, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
By T. BEVERLEY.
LUKE XI. 1.
Lord, [Meſſiah] Teach us to Pray, as John [the Forerunner] Taught his Diſciples.
LONDON: Printed for John Salusbury, at the Riſing Sun in Cornhil. 1692.
The PREFACE to the Expoſition upon the Prayer, Jeſus Christ hath Taught us in the Goſpel, as the Prayer of the Kingdom.
THIS Prayer, Taught by our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which is of due Right, the Admiration and Veneration of all Serious and Underſtanding Chriſtians; hath yet been very little underſtood in the Excellency of its Spirit, and High Intention.
I confeſs my ſelf to have been much in the Dark concerning it, till ihis very Earneſt Application of my Thoughts to it, and much diſtracted in my Judgment about it: But I am now ſatisfied, even to Humble Aſtoniſhment at the Divine VViſdom of it, underſtanding it as the Prayer of the Kingdom; which hath given me Reſolution in great Doubts concerning it, as I ſhall now hriefly preſent, and more fully Treat in the following Diſcourſe.
1. It ſeem'd very perplexing to me, whether this prayer was intendeded as a Form of Prayer, or as a Pattern of Prayer; of this I have given a full Reſolution in the following Diſcourſe, That it is a Prayer comprehending All Prayer, that is according to the word of God; It is a Treaſury, or Sea of Prayer, from which all Flows, and into which all Returnes, if duly Expounded according to the whole word of God; and the word of God, as it directs in Prayer, is referr'd to it. And becauſe, The Kingdom of Chriſt is in all things the Central Point, where all the Lines of Prayer meet That Kingdom muſt needs be alſo the Center of this Prayer and the higheſt Intention of it, and of all contained in it; Thus, as to the Matter of this Prayer; And then, as to the Form of it, It is a Pattern, or Exemplar of that Plain, Spiritual, Continued, Ʋnaffected manner of Praying; And No Other ought to be preſcribed. But as a meer Form, there appears no obligation to it; either by precept, or Scripture Example, as is to be ſhown: And further, It being ſo Brief, and ſo Full of Senſe, what Thoughts can take in that ſenſe, keeping Time with the Repetition of it; And yet an excited underſtanding, and Enflamed Affections are no more barred from it, than from other expreſſions of Scripture; But They had need be both much exalted, when we uſe this Prayer in the whole Form, that we may not take it in vain: It being never intended for a Refuge of Cold or Ignorant Formalities.
2. It ſeemed very Strange to me to find this Prayer to have ſo many Petitions, Taken from the Jewiſh Formules, or little Forms of Petition ſo generally Allowed by All Converſant to their Writings, to have been in uſe among them. This Enclined me to Think, It was a Prayer, given only for the Time then being, to the Apoſtles, till the Deſcent of the Holy Spirit upon them. But Obſerving it to be the Prayer of the Kingdom, given by the Meſſiah; I Find it very agreeable to the Sublimation of what was Found among the Jews; as of their Baptiſmal waſhings into the Inſtitution of Baptiſm, and the Cup of Bleſſing into that of the Lords Supper; So the Prayer uſual among them for the Kingdom of Meſſiah, and the Bleſſed Priviledges of that State, are exalted by Chriſt into this Prayer; To ſhew the Intereſt the Jews had in this Great Kingdom, and the Ancient Promiſes of it all along the Propheſies; and ſo moſt Fittly is a Prayer Compoſed out of their Petitions for this Kingdom.
3. I could not, but be under much ſcruple, and trouble, to Find, that the Prayer of our Great Mediator ſhould not bear his Name; in which we are to Pray to the Father; nor carry any Expreſs Mention of His Redemption, nor of the Spirit, the Giving of which was the Great, and Blrſſed Conſequence of His Aſſencion: But by conſidering, as I have done in the following Diſcourſe, I find nothing more Effectuall to Moove Chrſtians off from Reſting in and even Idolizing this Prayer as a Form, or to carry them to Pray according to it in ſo Holy and Admirable manner, but to ſearch the whole Goſpel to find the Divine Senſes of this Prayer, and not with out underſtanding it to be Satisfied in the ſo often Repetitions of it, ſo cotrary to the very End of its Inſtitution.
The Doubts being thus Remoov'd; I find a very Glorious and Admirable Harmony in the Petitions, with that Kingdom of Chriſt, as it ſhall Appear in its Full Dimenſions of Happineſs, and Bleſſedneſs; And therefore, altho, all the Preſent Holy, and proper Senſes of each Petition are no way wav'd or diſparag'd hy this Diſcourſs, but earneſtly Recommended; Yet it is Proved, that ſtill the Higheſt Elevation of this Prayer, and of every Petition in it is the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt; and therein we are to Pray in the Holy Spirit for that Kingdom, without which we can never Pray this Prayer aright, nor Read it; as our Saviour Commands us; or declare of His Servants, that they do ſo, viz. Expound it, when they Pray Aright out of the Word of God
For it is all along in this Diſcourſe, Endeavored to be Maniffeſted, thus we never Pray Aright according to the word of God, but we Pray as from the Springs flowing out of this Ocean of Prayer; and our Prayer Fals into it; So that we ought, and are Commanded to Read out of It, when we Pray. And it is Pronounced in our behalf, that we do ſo Pray, out of it and into it, when ſoever we ſo Pray, according to the Word of God; tho we do not at all Repeat the Words, and the Interceſſion of our Great Mediator, and the Vertue of His Mediatory Prayer is allways Falling upon His Servants in ſo Praying. I Therefore Magnify this Prayer, in this Expoſition, and moſt Humbly, and Earneſtly Recommend it with All Prayer, and Suppication, for the Right underſtandihg and Holy Ʋſe of it.