Q. 9. O what manner of persons should we be, if all this were well believed! Is it possible that they should truly believe all this, who do not earnestly desire and seek it, and live in joyful, longing hope to be put into possession of it?

A. Whoever truly believeth it, will prefer it before all earthly treasure and pleasure, and make it the chief end, and motive, and comfort of his soul and life, and forsake all that stands against it, rather than forsake his hopes of this. But while our faith, hope, and love, are all imperfect, and we dwell in flesh, where present and sensible things are still diverting and affecting us, and we are so used to sight and sense that we look strangely towards that which is above them, and out of their reach, it is no wonder if we have imperfect desires and joy, abated by diversions, and by griefs and fears, and if in this darkness unseen things seem strange to us; and if a soul united to a body be loth to leave it, and be unclothed, and have somewhat dark thoughts of that state without it, which it never tried.

Q. 10. But when we cannot conceive how souls act out of the body, how can the thought of it be pleasant and satisfying to us? A. 1. We that can conceive what it is to live, and understand, and will, to love and rejoice in the body, may understand what these acts are in themselves, whether out of a body, or in a more glorious body: and we can know that nothing doth nothing, and therefore that the soul that doth these acts is a noble substance, and we find that it is invisible. But of this I spake in the beginning.

2. When we know in general all before mentioned, that we shall be in that described blessedness with Christ and the heavenly society, we must implicitly trust Christ with all the rest, who knoweth for us what we know not, and stay till possession give us that clear, distinct conception of the manner, and all the circumstances, which they that possess it not can no more have than we can conceive of the sweetness of a meat or drink which we never tasted of, and we should long the more for that possession which will give us that sweet experience.

Q. 11. Is not God the only glory and joy of the blessed? Why then do you tell us so much of angels and saints, and the city of God?

A. God is all in all things; of him, and through him, and to. him are all things, and the glory of all is to him for ever. But God made not any single creature to be happy in him alone, as separate from the rest, but an universe, which hath its union

and communion. I told you, as the eye and hand have no separated life or pleasure, but only in communion with the whole body, so neither shall we in heaven. God is infinitely above us, and if you think of him alone, without mediate objects for the ascent and access of your thoughts, you may as well think to climb up without a ladder. We are not the noblest creatures next to God, nor yet the most innocent: we have no access to him but by a Mediator, and that Mediator worketh and conveyeth his grace to us by other subordinate means. He is the Saviour of his body, which is the fulness of him that filleth all. If we think not of the heavenly Jerusalem, the glorious city of God, the heavenly society and joyful choir that praise Jehovah and the Lamb, and live together in perfect knowledge, love, and concord, in whose communion only we have all our joy; to whom in this unity God communicateth his glory; and if we think not of the glorious Head of the church, who will then be our Mediator of fruition, as he was of acquisition; nay, if we think not of those loving, blessed angels that rejoiced at our conversion, and were here the servants, and will be for ever the companions of our joy; and if we think not of all our old, dear friends and companions in the flesh, and of all the faithful who, since Adam's days, are gone before us; and if we think not of the attractive love, union, and joy of that society and state, we shall not have sufficient familiarity above, but make God as inaccessible to us. Delight and desire suppose attractive suitableness: inaccessible excellency draws not up the heart. I thank God for the pleasure that I have in thinking of the blessed society, which will shortly entertain me with joyful love.

Q. 12. But may not" everlasting" signify only a long time, as it oft doth in the Scripture, and so all may be in mutable revolutions, as the Stoics and some others thought?

A. 1. What reason have we to extort a forced sense against our own interest and comfort, without any warrant from God? 2. The nature of the soul being so far immortal as to have no inclination to its own death, why should we think it strange that its felicity should be also everlasting. 3. It can hardly be conceived how that soul can possibly revolt from God and perish, who is once confirmed with that sight of his glory, and the full fruition of his love. Whether nature be so bad as to allow such a revolt. If the devils had been as near God, and as much confirmed in the sight and sense of his love and glory, as the blessed shall be, I can hardly conceive how they could possibly have fallen.

Q. 13. How may I be sure that I shall enjoy this everlasting life?

A. I told you before, 1. If you so far believe the promise of it as made by God, and purchased by Christ's righteousness and intercession, as to take this glory for your chief felicity and hope, and to prefer it before all worldly vanity, pleasure, profit, honour, or life, to the flesh, and to make it your chief care and business to seek it, and rather let go all than lose it, and thus patiently wait and trust God's grace in Christ, and his Spirit, in the use of his appointed means unto the end, it shall undoubtedly be yours for ever.

CHAP. XXIII.

What is the true use of the Lord's Prayer.

Q. 1. WHAT is Prayer?

A. It is holy desires expressed, or actuated, to God, (with heart alone, or also with the tongue,) including our penitent confession of sin, and its deserts, and our thankful acknowledgment of his mercies, and our praising God's works and his perfections.

Q. 2. What is the use of prayer? Seeing God cannot be changed and moved by us, what good can it do to us, and how can it attain our ends?

A. You may as wisely ask, what good any thing will do towards our benefit or salvation, which we can do, seeing nothing changeth God. As God, who is one, maketh multitudes of creatures; so God, who is unchangeable, maketh changeable creatures; and the effect is wrought by changing us, and not by changing God. You must understand these great philosophical truths, that, 1. All things effect according to the capacity of the receiver. 2. Therefore, the various effects in the world proceed from the great variety of receptive capacities. The same sunbeams do cause a nettle, a thorn, a rose, a cedar, according to the seminal capacity of the various receivers. The same sun enlighteneth the eye, that doth not so by the hand or foot, or by a tree, or stone: and it shineth into the house whose windows are open, which doth not so when the windows are shut; and this without any change in itself. The boatman

Jayeth hold on the bank, and pulls as if he would draw it to the boat, when he doth but draw the boat to it. Two ways prayer procureth the blessing without making any change in God. First, by our performing the condition on which God promiseth his mercy. Secondly, by disposing our souls to receive it. He that doth not penitently confess his sin, is unmeet for pardon; and he that desireth not Christ and mercy, is unmeet to be partaker of them and he that is utterly unthankful for what he hath received, is unmeet for more.

Q. 3. Who made the Lord's Prayer?

A. The Lord Jesus Christ himself, as he made the gospel ; some of the matter being necessary yet before his incarnation. Q. 4. To whom and on what occasion did he make it?

A. To his disciples, (to whom also he first delivered his commands) upon their request that he would teach them to pray. Q. 5. To what use did Christ make it them?

A. First, to be a directory for the matter and method of their love, desires, hope, and voluntary choice and endeavours; and, secondly, to be used in the same words when their case required it.

As man hath three essential faculties, the intellect, will, and vital, executive power; so religion hath three essential parts, viz., to direct our understandings to believe, our will to desire, and our lives in practice.

Q. 6. What is the matter of the Lord's Prayer in general? A. It containeth, first, what we must desire as our end: And, secondly, what we must desire as the means; premising the necessary preface, and concluding with a suitable conclusion.

Q. 7. What is the method of the Lord's Prayer?

A. I. The preface speaks, 1. To God, as God. 2. As our reconciled Father in Christ, described in his attributes, by the words "which art in Heaven," which signify the perfection of his power, knowledge, and goodness; and the word "Father" signifieth that he is supreme Owner, Ruler, and Benefactor.

2. The word "our" implieth our common relation to him, as his creatures, his redeemed and sanctified ones, his own, his subjects, and his beneficiaries, or children.

II. The petitions are of two sorts (as the commandments have two tables): the first proceed according to the order of intention, beginning at the highest notion of the ultimate end, and descending to the lowest. The second part is according to

the order of execution and assecution, beginning at the lowest means, and ascending to the highest.

III. The conclusion enumerateth the parts of the ultimate end by way of praise, beginning at the lowest, and ascending to the highest. The method throughout is more perfect than any of the philosophers' writings.

Q. 8. Why do we not read that the apostles after used this prayer?

A. It is enough to read that Christ prescribed it them, and that they were obedient to him. We read not of all that the apostles did.

2. This is a comprehensive summary of all prayer, and therefore must needs be brief in the several parts: but the apostles had occasion sometimes for one branch, and sometimes for another, on which they particularly enlarged, and seldom put up the whole matter of prayer all at once.

3. They formed their desires according to the method of this prayer, though they expressed those desires as various occasions did require.

Q. 9. Is every Christian bound to say the words of the Lord's prayer?

A. The same answer may serve as to the last. Every Christian is bound to make it the rule of his desires and hopes, both for matter and order; but not to express them all in every prayer. But the words themselves are apt, and must have their due reverence, and are very fit to sum up our scattered, less ordered requests.

Q. 10. But few persons can understand what such generals comprehend?

A. 1. Generals are useful to those that cannot distinctly comprehend all the particulars in them. As the general knowledge, that we shall be happy in holy and heavenly joy with Christ, may comfort them that know not all in heaven that makes up that happiness, so a general desire may be effectual to our receiving many particulars. 2. And it is not so general as "God be merciful to me a sinner," an accepted prayer of the publican, by Christ's own testimony. There are six particular heads there plainly expressed.