Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 6 · Verse 13 – Verse 15
Verse 13. And lead us not into temptation.]
Here we beg sanctification, as in the former petition, …: and are taught after … of sins, to look for temptations, and to pray … them. Temptations are either of … (and so God tempts men) or of perdition, and so the devil. Both … great temptations began with one strain, foreign, Get thee …, Gen. 12. 1. Gen. 22. 2. Here God led Abraham into temptation, but he delivered him from evil: yea, he tempted him and proved him, to doe him good in his later end. His usuall way is, to bring … …. 8.to heaven by hell-gates, to draw light cut of darknesse, … of evil: As the skilfull Apothecary maketh of a poisonfull viper, … triacle; as the cunning Artificer with a crooked unsightly tool, frameth a straight and beautifull piece of work: … the AEgyptian birds are said to pick wholsome food out of the Serpents eggs: or as the Athenian Magistrates by giving to … hemlock (a poisonous herb) preserved the Commonwealth. The devil tempts either by way of seducement, …. 1. 15. or grievance, 2 …. 127. In the former he excites our …, rubs the fire-brand, and makes it send forth … sparkles, carries us away by some pleasing object, as the fish by the bait. Yet hath he only a perswading sleight, not an enforcing might: our own … carrieth the greatest stroke. In the later (those … of buffeting or grievance, horrid and hideous thoughts of Atheisme, Idolatry, blasphemy, …, &c.) himself, for most part, is the sole doer, to trouble us in our Christian course, and make us run heavily toward heaven. The Russians are so malicious one toward another, that you shall have a … hide some of his own goods in his house whom he hateth,… Geog. pag 243. and … accuse him for the stealth of them. Such is the devils dealing oft times with Gods dearest children: He darts into their … his … injections, and then would perswade them, that they are accessary to the act. Here our victory is, not to give place to the devil, but to resist stedfast in the faith. Which that we may, pray we alwaies with all prayer and supplication, Ephes 6. 18. pray as … Saviour did, Father keep them from the evil, or from wickednesse, Joh. 17. 15. Pray as our Saviour bids, Lead us not, &c. that is, either keep us from occasions of sinne, or carry us over them. Either preserve us from … into sinne, or help us to rise out of sinne by …: grant us to be either innocent or penitent. Deliver us from those devoratory evils (as Tertullian calleth them,) such sinnes as might frustrate perseverance, 2 Thes. 3. 3. And from that evil or wicked one, that he touch us not, … … 5. 18. that is, … (as … expounds it) with a deadly touch, so as … altar us from our gracious disposition. Howbeit, sin and temptation come both under one name in this …, to warn us and teach us, that we can no further shun sinne, then we doe temptation thereunto.
For … is the Kingdom]
That is, all soveraignty is originally and … invested in thee. Other Kings are but thy servants and …, by thee they raign, Prov. 8. 15. and of thee they … their power, Rom. 13. 1. Where then will they appear, that say to the the King Apostata, Job. 34. 18. that send messagesLuk. …. 14. after him, saying, We will not have this man to raign over us: thatExod. 2. 14. bespeak …, as that Hebrew did Moses, Who made thee a Prince and a Judge amongst us? should they not rather send a Lamb toIsa. 16. 1. this … of the earth? and bring a present to Fear? should theyPsal. 76. 11. not … to his scepter, and confesse his soveraignty?
And the power.]
Some have Kingdoms, that yet want power to help their subjects: as that King of Israel that answered her,2 King. 6. 17. that had … her childe, in that sharp famine of Samaria; where an Asses head was worth four pounds: If the Lord doe not help, whence shall I help? But the King of heaven is never at such a Non-plus, He can doe … he will; and he will doe whatsoever is meet to be done, for the good of his servants and suppliants. Peter wanted power to deliver Christ, … wanted…. will, but God wants neither: what a comfort's that? Let us rest…. …. on his mighty arm, and cast the labouring Church into his everlasting arms. He is able to doe more then we can ask or think, and will not fail to keep that which we have committed unto him against that …, 2 Tim. 1. 14.
And the glory]
To wit of granting our requests. Praises will follow upon prayers obtained, Psal. 50. 15. what a man winnes by prayer, he will wear with thankfullnesse. Now who so offereth ….…, he glorifieth me, saith God: And the Gentiles did not … God, neither were thankefull, Rom. 1. 21, 28. But the 24 Elders ascribe unto him glory and honour. And this is a most powerfull…. 4. …. argument in prayer, as are also the two former. And it pleaseth God well, to hear his children reason it out with him …,…. 9, 10, 11, 12 as Iacob did, and the woman of Canaan. Because by shewing…. 15. …, …. such reasons of their requests, as our Saviour here directs us, they shew proof of their knowledge, faith, confidence, &c. And befides they doe much confirm their own faith, and stir up good affections in prayer.
Amen.]
This Hebrew word, … remaineth untranslated in…. most languages, is either prefixed or proposed to a sentence, and … it is a note of certain and earnest asseveration; or else it is affixed, and opposed, and so it is a note either of assent or assurance. Of assent; and that either of the understanding to the truth of that that is uttered, as in the end of the Creed and four Gospels; or of the will and affections, for the obtaining of our petitions, 1 Cor. 14. 16. how shall he say Amen at thy giving of thanks? Of assurance next, as in this place, and many others. It is the voice of one that beleeveth and expecteth that he shall have his prayers granted. It is as much as so be …, yea, so it shall be.
Verse 14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses]
Our Saviour resumeth, and inculcateth the fifth petition with a repetition; because upon charity (which is chiefly seen in giving and forgiving) hangeth, after a sort, the restfull successe of all our …, 2 Tim. 2. 8. Malice is a leaven that swels the heart, and … the sacrifice, 1 Cor. 5. 7, 8. Out with it therefore, that we … keep the feast or holy day; that we may (as we ought to doe)foreign keep a constant jubilee, nexus solvendo, & noxas remittende. … foreignThis, … and bloud will not easily yeeld to. But we are not debters to the flesh, we owe it nothing, but the blew eye that S. Paul gave it. When Peter heard that he might not recompense to any … for evil, but must studiously seek his conversion and salvation. Lord, saith he, how oft shall my brother sinne against me, and I forgive him? till seven times, this he thought a mighty deal; a very high pitch of perfection. Our Saviour tells him, till seventy times seven times, that is, infinitly, and without stint: yet hē alludes to Peters seven, and, as it were, alludes it, and his rashnesse in setting bounds to this duty, and prescribing, how oft, to him that was the wiledom of the Father.
This is when my brother returneth, and saith, It repents me: ….But what if he doe not?
In forgiving an offendour, say Divines, there are three things.Sol. 1. The letting fall all wrath and desire of revenge. 2. A solemnDikes Worthy Communicant. p. 3. …. profession of forgivenesse. 3. Reacceptance into former familiarity. The first must be done however. For the second, If he say, I repent; I must say; I remit, Luk. 18. To the third, a man is not bound till satisfaction be given.
Your heavenly father will also forgive you.]
Yet is not our forgiving men, the cause of his forgiving us, but a necessary antecedent. The cause is only the free mercy of God in Christ. He puts away our iniquities for his own sake, Isa. 43. 25. Neverthelesse, forasmuch as he hath … us this promise here, our forgiving othersAnnot in Luk. 11. 4. (saith learned Beza) seemeth to have the nature of an intervenient …, a cause, sine qua non, of his forgiving us.
Verse 15. But if ye will not, &c.]
This is a matter much to be observed, therefore so often inculcated. Iudgement without mercy, Jam. 2. 13.shall be to them that shew no mercy. There's but a hairs bredth betwixt him and hell, that hath not his sins pardoned in heaven. Such is the case of every one that doth not from his heart forgive his offending brother, Mat. 18. 35. or that saith, I will forgive the fault, but not forget the matter, or affect the person. Men must forbear one another, and forgive one another, as Christ forgave them; and that if any man have a quarrel against any, Col. 3. 13. forforeign. else what thanks is it? The glory of a man is to passe by ….Prov. 19. 11. It is more comfortable to love a friend, but more honourable to love an enemy. If thou reserve in thy minde any peece of the wrong, thou provokest and daily prayest God to reserve for thee a peece of his wrath; which burneth as low as the nethermost Deut. 32. ….hell. Neither will it help any, to do as Latimer reporteth of some in his daies, who being not Willing to forgive their enemies, would not say their Pater-noster at all: but insteed thereof, … our Ladies. Psalter in hand; because they were perswaded, that…. Serm by that, they might obtain forgivenesse of their fins of favour, without putting in of so hard a condition as the forgivenes of their enemies into the bargain.
Neither will your Father forgive your tresp …]
And if … doe not, who can give pardon or peace, saith he in Iob? The Rhemists talke much of one that could remove mountains, God only can remove those mountains of guilt that lye upon the soul. … may forgive the trespasse, God only the transgression. Against …, thee only have I sinned, saith David: And, to the Lord … …. 51. 4.God belongeth mercies and forgivenesses, saith Daniel. Ministers…. 9. 9. remit … ministerially as Nathan did; God only …, and by his own power. If the Son set us free, we are free indeed, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods pardoned ones? It is God that justifieth. Or as S. Austin readeth the words interrogatively, shall God that justifieth? No verily: that were to dot and undoe: he keepeth no back-reckonings. Fear not therefore, though the Devil or his imps, or our own misgiving … condemn us: as the prisoner careth not though tha goaler or his fellow-prisoners condemn him, so long as the Judge acquitteth him.