| The Lord's Prayer containeth, | ||||||
| I. The address, or preface; in which are described or implied, | I. To whom the prayer is made. | 1. Who he is: God: not Creatures, Saints or Angels. | ||||
| 2. How related to us, he is OUR FATHER, which comprehendeth, fundamentally, that he is, | 1. Our Creator. | And there- fore | 1. Our Owner, or Absolute Lord. | |||
| 2. Our Redeemer. | 2. Our Ruler, or Supreme King. | |||||
| 3. Our Regenerator (to the regenerate). | 3. Our Benefactor and chief Good, and so our Felicity and our End. | |||||
| 3. What he is in his attributes: WHICH ART IN HEAVEN. Which signifieth that therefore he is, | 1. Almighty; and able to grant all that we ask, and to relieve and help us in every strait. | In this one word is not only implied all these attributes of God, but also our hearts are directed whither to look for their relief and direction now, and their felicity for ever; and called off from earthly dependences, and expectations of happiness and rest; and to look for all from heaven, and at last in heaven. | ||||
| 2. All-knowing: our hearts, and wants, and all things being open to his sight. | ||||||
| 3. Most good: from whom, and by whom, and to whom are all things; the Fountain, the Disposer, and the End of all, on whose bounty and influence all subsist. And the present tense "ART" doth intimate his eternity. | ||||||
| II. Who are the petitioners: | 1. Man: as to his Being. | |||||
| 2. By Relation, God's children, | 1. By Creation: so all are: and therefore all may thus far call him Father. | 1. His Own; | ||||
| 2. By Redemption: as all are as to the sufficient price and satisfaction. | 2. His Subjects; | |||||
| 3. By Regeneration: and so only the regenerate are children. | 3. His Beloved and Beneficiaries, that live upon Him, and to Him, as to their End. | |||||
| 3. By Quality. | 1. Dependent on God. | Yet | 1. Loving God, as their Father. | All which is signified in the word OUR— | ||
| 2. Necessitous. | 2. Loving themselves, as men. | |||||
| 3. Sinners. | 3. Loving others, as brethren. | |||||
| II. The Prayer, or Petitions, in two parts: of which, | I. The first part is according to the order of estimation, intention, and desire; and is, | 1. For the end simply, which is GOD; in the word "THY" repeated in every petition. | ||||
| 2. For the end respectively in the interest of God, and that is in | I. The highest or ultimate, that is, the glory of God; "HALLOWED BE THY NAME." | |||||
| II. The highest means of his glory, "THY KINGDOM COME;" that is, let the world be subject to thee their Creator and Redeemer; the universal King. | ||||||
| III. The next means, being the effect of this: "THY WILL BE DONE," that is, let thy laws be fulfilled, and thy disposals submitted to. | ||||||
| 3. For the lower end, even the subject of these means; which is the public good of mankind, the world and church: "IN EARTH," that is, let the world be subjected to thee, and the church obey thee; which will be the greatest blessing to them: ourselves being included in the world. And the measure and pattern is added, "AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," that is, let the earth be conformed as near as may be to the heavenly pattern. So that this part of the Lord's Prayer, proceeding in the order of excellency and intention, directeth us, I. To make God our ultimate, highest end; and to desire his interest first, and in this order, (1.) His glory, (2.) His kingdom, (3.) Obedience to his laws. II. To make the public good of the world and the church our next end, as being the noblest means. III. To include our own interest in and under this, as the least of all; professing first our own consent to that which we desire first for others. | ||||||
| II. The second part is according to the order of execution, and is for ourselves, beginning at the lowest, and ascending, till the end first intended, be last attained: and it is, | 1. For the support of our nature by necessary means: "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD:" this being God's first gift, presupposed both to grace and glory. "GIVE," signifieth our dependence on God for all. "US," our charity, that we desire relief for ourselves and others. "DAILY" (or substantial) "BREAD," our moderation; that we desire not unnecessaries or superfluities. "THIS DAY," the constancy of our dependence, and that we desire not, or care not too much for the future, and promise not ourselves long life. | |||||
| 2. For clearing us from the guilt of all sin past (repentance and faith being here presupposed); where is (1.) The Petition: "AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS: (trespasses or sins). (2.) The motive from our qualification for forgiveness: "AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS:" without which God will not forgive us. | ||||||
| 3. For future preservation: (1.) From the means, "LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION:" that is, though thou mayst justly try us, yet pity our frailty, and neither cause nor permit us so to be tried, as may tempt us to sin and ruin. (2.) From the end, "BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL:" that is, 1. The Evil One, Satan (and his instruments). 2. The evil thing: 1. Sin; 2. Misery; which are Satan's end. He that would be saved from hell and misery, must be saved from sin; and he that would be saved from both, must be saved from Satan and from temptation. Quest. But where are the requests for positive holiness, grace, and heaven? Answ. 1. Repentance and faith are supposed in the petitioner. 2. What he wanteth is asked in the three petitions of the first part, that we with others may sanctify God's name, and be the subjects of his kingdom, and do his will, &c. Christ and a state of grace, are finally in the first petition, formally in the second, and expressly in the third. | ||||||
| III. The conclusion: the reason and termination of our desires in their ultimate end; here praised: beginning at the lowest, and ascending to the highest: containing, | I. What we praise; or the matter; or interest of God, | 1. His universal reign, "FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM," administered variously, agreeably to the subjects: all owe this absolute obedience: who commandest and executest what thou wilt. | ||||
| 2. His own perfections, "THE POWER:" both right and all-sufficiency: including his omniscience and goodness, as well as omnipotence. | ||||||
| 3. His incomprehensible excellency and blessedness, as he is the ultimate end of us and all things; "AND THE GLORY," Rom. xi. 36; 1 Cor. x. 31. | ||||||
| II. Whom we praise: | GOD, in the word "THINE:" in him, the first efficient cause of all things, we begin: his help, as the dirigent cause, we seek: and in him, as the final cause, we terminate. | |||||
| III. The duration. | "FOR EVER AND EVER," to eternity: and "AMEN" is the expression of our consent. For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Him be glory for ever, Amen, Rom. ix. 36. | |||||
So that it is apparent that the method of the Lord's prayer is circular, partly analytical, and partly synthetical; beginning with God, and ending in God: beginning with such acknowledgments as are prerequisite to petition, and ending in those praises which petition and grace bestowed tend to: beginning our petitions for God's interest and the public good, according to the order of estimation and intention, till we come to the mere means, and then beginning at the lowest, and ascending according to the order of execution. As the blood passing from the greater to the smaller numerous vessels, is there received by the like, and repasseth to its fountain; such a circular method hath mercy and duty, and consequently our desires.
Tit. 2. Some Questions about Prayer answered.
The rest of the general directions about prayer, I think will be best contrived into the resolving of these following doubts.
Quest. I. Is the Lord's prayer a directory only, or a form of words to be used by us in prayer?
Answ. 1. It is principally the rule to guide our inward desires, and outward expressions of them; both for the matter, what we must desire, and for the order which we must desire first and most. 2. But this rule is given in a form of words, most apt to express the said matter and order. 3. And this form may fitly be used in due season by all, and more necessarily by some. 4. But it was never intended to be the only words which we must use, no more than the creed is the only words that we must use to express the doctrine of faith, or the decalogue the only words to express our duty by.[57]
Quest. II. What need is there of any other words of prayer, if the Lord's prayer be perfect?
Answ. Because it is only a perfect summary, containing but the general heads: and it is needful to be more particular in our desires; for universals exist in particulars; and he that only nameth the general, and then another and another general, doth remember but few of the particulars. He that shall say, "I have sinned, and broken all thy commandments," doth generally confess every sin; but it is not true repentance, if it be not particular, for this, and that, and the other sin; at least as to the greater which may be remembered. He that shall say, "I believe all the word of God, or I believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," may know little what is in the word of God, or what these generals signify, and therefore our faith must be more particular. So must desires after grace be particular also: otherwise it were enough to ask for mercy in the general. If you say, that God knoweth what those general words signify, though we do not; I answer, this is the papists' silly argument for Latin prayers, God knoweth our desires without any expressions or prayers at all, and he knoweth our wants without our desires. But it followeth not that prayers or desires are unnecessary. The exercise of our own repentance and desire doth make us persons fit to receive forgiveness, and the grace desired; when the impenitent, and those that desire it not, are unfit. And it is no true repentance, when you say, "I am sorry that I have sinned," but you know not, or remember not, wherein you have sinned, nor what your sin is; and so repent not indeed of any one sin at all. And so it is no true desire, that reacheth not to the particular, necessary graces, which we must desire; though I know some few very quick, comprehensive minds can in a moment think of many particulars, when they use but general words; and I know that some smaller, less necessary things, may be generally passed over; and greater matters in a time of haste, or when we, besides those generals, do also use particular requests.
Quest. III. Is it lawful to pray in a set form of words?
Answ. Nothing but very great ignorance can make you really doubt of it.[58] Hath God any where forbid it? You will say, that it is enough that he hath not commanded it. I answer, that in general he hath commanded it to all whose edification it tendeth to, when he commandeth you, that all be done to edification; but he hath given no particular command, nor prohibition. No more hath he commanded you to pray in English, French, or Latin; nor to sing psalms in this tune or that, nor after this or that version or translation; nor to preach in this method particularly or that; nor always to preach upon a text; nor to use written notes; nor to compose a form of words, and learn them, and preach them after they are composed, with a hundred such like, which are undoubtedly lawful; yea, and needful to some, though not to others. If you make up all your prayer of Scripture sentences, this is to pray in a form of prescribed words, and yet as lawful and fit as any of your own. The psalms are most of them forms of prayer or praise, which the Spirit of God indited for the use of the church, and of particular persons. It would be easy to fill many pages with larger reasonings, and answers to all the fallacious objections that are brought against this; but I will not so far weary the reader and myself.