A Treatise of Prayer, Treatise · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Q. 2.
Q. II. WEE come now to make enquiry into the ſecond Queſtion; Whether our Bleſſed Saviour gave his Diſciples this prayer, That they ſhould pray to His Father in thoſe very words?
The Affirmative is much pleaded for, but generally, and uſually, by thoſe, who are enemies to the Croſſe of Chriſt, adverſaries to all goodneſſe, and not acquainted at all what prayer in the Holy Ghoſt meaneth: Wee ſay it againe, becauſe wee would not be miſtaken, The Affirmative is generally and univerſally pleaded for by ſuch kinde of men, who cleave as faſt to their formes, as ſin cleaveth to them; or they to their ſin; And they beare themſelves out at this point from theſe words of our Bleſſed Saviour; when ye pray ſay. But indeed it is not much to be minded what ſuch manner of perſons ſay, who will catch at any thing, that may make for their preſent eaſe, and put the fleſh to no c…ſt. Yet it is to be regarded what any good man ſayth learned and godly. And thus, as wee have heard, worthy Hild: ſayes; Our Bleſſed Saviour praeſcribed to His Diſciples a forme of prayer, for them to ſay by, tying themſelves to the very words of it. Had he attempted the proofe of this aſſertion, perhaps he would have found it, a more difficult undertaking than barely to affirme it; ſo that excellent man ſpeakes upon a different account, whoſe words are ſo much in our hearts, that they muſt needs be much in our mouthes; we will tell our perſwaſion here, That a man ſhall not readily meet with ſuch like an expreſſion in any godly mans writings; and wee thought it our dutie to ſet it downe, that wee may wreſt it, what wee can, out of their hands, who are unlearned, and unſtable, and doe wreſt words, ſuch words as theſe, as they doe all other Scriptures, to their own deſtruction; ſo wee will now endeavour to evince the Negative; That our bleſſed Saviour did not give this prayer to His Diſciples, that they ſhould pray this prayer, tying themſelves to the very words … it: for indeed wee … worthy Hilds: words to be the outlaſhing of his pen, ſtarting aſide, as the ableſt pen may doe, from its very ſcope, and maine intendment. Which was to ſhew, That our bleſſed Saviour praeſcribed to His Diſciples a forme of prayer, which ſhould be to them and His whole Church a rule, and ſampler, according to which all our prayers ſhould be made: Which is the ſame with learned Beza's latine note; for it is not in the Engliſh, Perfecta Chriſtianae precationis formula, & … typus, a moſt perfect forme of Chriſtian prayers, and the very type and mould, wherein to caſt all our prayers; which words have no agreement with thoſe, that went before, not onelyonly to be; nor with thoſe that follow, tying themſelves to the very words of it, very croſſe, as wee ſayd, are theſe latter words, to the good mans ſcope, and intendment: as they are to excellent Perkins words; The Lords prayer is, as it were, a direction, and ſamplar to teach us how, and in what manner wee ought to pray: None is to imagine, wee are bound to uſe theſe words, and none other: For the meaning of Chriſt is not to bind us to the words, but to the matter and manner; and to the like affections in prayer.
Thus wee have heard what others ſay; now wee crave leave to caſt in our owne thoughts here, and to give our opinion; That our bleſſed Saviour preſcribing this prayer, did not intend, That any one of His Diſciples ſhould pray unto the Father in theſe very words.
SECT. I.
FOr firſt; The whole carriage of this prayer, from the Alpha to the Omega, from the beginning to the end, and cloſing words thereof, argueth it to be of generall concernment to the whole Church of God, more relating that way to the good of the Body, than to the peculiar good of any member thereof: though wee know this cannot be ſevered, the good of the whole, and of the part; for that, which is good for the Body, is good for the member too; and what is good for the member, is good for the whole Body; as what is good for the Bee-hive, is good for the Bee, and what is good for the Bee, is good for the Bee-hive; Yet wee conceive when a Diſciple comes before God, hee ſpreads before Him, his peculiar caſe, and ſaith, not our Father, but my Father; not others caſes, but his owne. This wee conceived relates to the Church in generall; but a Diſciples prayer relates to himſelfe in ſpeciall, and his owne concernments, though he can no more forget the Church of Chriſt, than he can to eat his bread, or his right hand forget its cunning.
SECT. II.
AGaine, our thoughts are, That the ſcope, and intendment, of this prayer, is mainly to be looked after, And tells the Diſciple what he is mainly to tend unto, and bend againſt, be his prayer long, or never ſo ſhort, Viz, The Hallowing the great and glorious Name of God, in the laying himſelfe out to the utmoſt for the advancement of the kingdome of Chriſt, in his owne heart, His intereſt there, and thorow the world; and the throwing downe the kingdome of ſin, and Satan there, and here and every where. This wee conceive was our Lords maine ſcope in preſcribing His Diſciples this prayer; And this muſt be the Diſciples ſcope in the moulding their petitions thereafter.
SECT. III.
WEE cannot conceive that this prayer ſhould be put into the Diſciples mouthes to ſay it in thoſe words; and yet they never ſayd it ſo farre as wee can heare, not one of the Apoſtles, nor Diſciples in thoſe dayes, yet wee meete with many of their prayers: nor any of the Bleſſed Martyrs that wee read of, and we have read ſome volumnes of them.
SECT. IV.
ANd laſtly, the height and depth, length and breadth of the Contents in this prayer, which wee thinke the underſtanding of an Angell cannot comprehend, makes us beleive; That the Lord intended not, That His Diſciples ſhould huddle it-up as he reads it; Nor can we think, That any true Diſciple in the world, that ſhall well ponder on the matter, and weigh the contents thereof with all his heart and ſoule (which every true Diſciple doth not doe) will ſay that Prayer after the manner; Sing ye praiſes with underſtanding: ſo, put-up your petitions with underſtanding. It is good to be full of affection, but it is beſt to worke in the full Aſſurance of underſtanding. Affections without underſtanding, are blind; underſtanding without affection is lame; the want of eyther run's us upon a thouſand inconveniences. But if any dutie, then that of prayer calls-up all our Affections; It calls for a worke of the underſtanding alſo. Now, we thinke, no godly man's underſtanding (though his onelyonly is opened, renewed and ſanctified) is able to goe along with this manner of ſaying it, as he reads it; he will make a pauſe ſure at the ontrance▪ My Father. We have told you our thoughts, as to this matter. OnelyOnly we entreat the Reader to obſerve what he met with in the firſt Chapter ſecond and third ſection, and in the ſecond Chapter, ſpecially the fourth paragraph there; together with the firſt paragraph in the Chapter following, which we thinke, refers much to that which precedeth, as to that which followes.