A Brief Exposition of the Lord's Prayer

p. 1A briefe EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAYER.

IN the Prayer are three things observable.

1. The Preface, Our Father.

2. The Prayer it selfe, divided into six petitions.

3. The conclusion of faith in the word Amen. The soule goes up to heaven, and follows the petition, hallowed be thy name, let it be Lord as thou mayst have glory. Looke as a man that darts an Arrow, hee puts the utmost of his strength unto it: So the word Amen speeds all the rest, speeds all and brings a good issue to the soule by all.

First, for the Preface, and there we must examin in generall two things, the sense, and meaning of the words.

Secondly, what ground of incouragement it affords us to seek God: And

p. 2First, observe the party sought, Father.

Secondly, the excellencie of him, which art in heaven.

Thirdly, the interest we have in him, he is Our Father.

Why, [Quest.] or in what sense is God called a Father?

First, [Resp.] He is the Father of Christ by eternall generation.

Secondly, he is the Father of men two wayes:

1. By creation, so the Scripture runnes, Job 1.9. the Angels are called the sonnes of God, [Job 1.9.] because they were created by God; so God is our Father by creation, and thus hee is a Father to the just and unjust, [Psal. 139.] Psal. 139. I am wonderfully made, saith the Text.

2. By adoption and grace in that he doth freely take us to be his sonnes in Christ; he puts us into the right of his children, as a man puts a stranger into the right of his sonne: And thus God is a Father to his chosen onely, that looke what Christ hath, [Rom. 8.17.] they have, Rom. 8.17. If sonnes then heires, we are heires, Gods chosen children; both these wayes God is our Father.

Doe we onely pray to the Father, [Quest.] in that wee say, Our Father?

No, [Resp.] we pray not to the Father only, but we pray to the holy Trinity, we make mention of the Father only, yet we must direct our prayers to one God in three persons in that Godhead; however we mention not all, yet we direct to all, all our petitions, the reason is this, because otherwise we should have made an Idoll of God; I say concerning but of one p. 3person we make an idoll of God, and call not upon him as he is.

p. 3How may we apprehend of God aright in prayer? [Quest.]

Thus: [Resp.] as God hath revealed himselfe in his Word, so we apprehend him, not putting any image at all upon him; as Instance thus; two wayes:

First, he that creates all, governs all, knowes all, sees all, by whom I live, move, and have my being; to that God I pray. The Scripture hath revealed God thus, and he fills heaven and earth, &c. To that God then that is thus infinite, to him I call; I goe now no further to the seeing of an image, but to an all-seeing God I come.

Secondly, instance thus, looke abroad into the creatures, and in all you shall see a power and a goodnesse: Now from whence came this power? The power of Beasts came not from the power of trees and the like, but there was a first power which gave all power to the creatures: The Creator is infinitely more powerfull then the creature.

There is goodnesse also in the creatures; all that came from the first goodnesse, that let out it selfe; now that which lets forth it selfe to the creature, is in the Creator infinitely above the creature; that is, the Lord. Thus you must quit your selves of an image; he that gives all, is above all; God gives all, therefore he is above all; and to that God I put up my petition.

Why doe we not mention the Sonne and the Holy Ghost as well as the Father? [Quest.]

p. 4Because the Father is the first person in the Trinity, [Resp.] and the Fountaine from whence all flowes; the Father workes of himselfe, the Sonne of him, the Holy Ghost from them both: therefore we mention him onely, though we may mention the other, yet we pray onely to the Father.

How doth this word Father help a man to call on God by Prayer? [Quest.]

When we conceive of God as a Father, [Resp.] it puts us in minde of his mercy, that he will pitty us as a Father. A man will be reconciled unto his sonne easily, and will spare his sonne, though he be a prodigall, yet a father will passe by and cover all. So I pray to a Father; did I pray to a Judge that will condemn me, or an enemy that would not be reconciled to me, little hope I had to speed because I have wronged him? yet I will arise and goe to my Father, and say, Father I have sinned: Psal. 103.13. As a father pitties his sonne, [Psal. 103. 13.] so God pittieth them that fear him: He is my child, saith God, though stubborne, and I must look to him. When a mans rebellions witnesse against him, and Satan vexeth him, and saith, What, dost thou think to have mercy, and art so vile? True, saith the soule, I am naught, but I goe to a father. If a child doe but ayme at a thing, the father accepts him; if he speak but halfe a sentence, the Father interprets it: So this is the great incouragement of the faithfull to goe to God, that notwithstanding so many failings, and though so dead and so barren, yet a father beares all. The Lord interprets all, though but broken speeches, he accepts all, and regards all. We have a Father to p. 5to goe to, that is willing to passe by many failings.

p. 5Secondly, we have a ground of pitty, if it be but a sigh, he receives it. So this may perswade us of the willingnesse of God to help us. If a man were to goe to him that is hard-hearted, little hope hee had to speed …