68 A profitable Expofition 3. Petition. not, therforc for all their knowledge they perifhed : a man may fptake' with the tongues of men and Angels,. and yet not perifh : a man may haue the gift of Pro - phefie,and know all fecrets andall knowledge, and yet be no body in Gods eies. I.Cor.i2.1,2. Spiritus eftgui fecundatanimos. Itis the Spirit ofthe.Lord, that ma- keth our mindes fruitfull. Yea that makcth our hearts good earth to receiúe the goon feede oftha word to our comfort, that bleffethourknowledge tovs, to cru- cihe vs to the world and finne, and to renew vs to the Lord in daily obedience more and more. The Spirit alto infpireth our mindes to will, and after giueth the philip,r.t ;, effett and execution of that infpircd will. Deur miss i lleeffguiinnobisoperatur vet- le & perficere, progratuitafua beneuolentia,The Lord is hoe that worIZeth in vs both the will and the deed, ( to wit by his holy fpirit ) euen of his goof plealure. flndit istheGod ofpeáce, faith the Apofile, that brought againe from the dead, our Lord lefits the great fhepheardoftbefheepe, throughthe bloodof the euerlaflingcouenant, that makethmenper- Hebr,r febtinall good workes to doe his will, working in them that which ispleaiantinhisfight through lefueChrl. Whereunto agreeth that ofCyprian. Vt fiat anobee des volantaa opus efldeivoluntate,guia?limo Jule viribuspotens eft. That is to doe the will ofGod, we haue neede of the will ofGod ( to wit his alliaance and ftrength ) for by his ownepower no man is able. KaowledoeoE Wherefore lisce knowledge to vnderfrand Gods will out ofhis word, and the Goes will and grace of his fpirit to bide that knowledge to vs, are meanes to make vs able -to ahhlelii "g fan petforme petition and to doe his will, therefore we pray alto herein for thefe meanes, . fttcstienare and the wordes are with the Lord , asifwefhould euen inplainetearmes heete piaycd fly :.0 Lord give vs the knowledge frill daily more and more of thy will out of thy lei as meases. word, and glue vs the grace of thy holy Spirit to that knowledge,that we inabled by thefe meaties,may worke thy will in this life as we ought. what el,Ie doe weasbein at? . Again, as we pray for all thefe thinges, fo doe wee as I told you before and The contra. muff frill tell you in euery petition,pray againfr their contraries. For if the one be ties praide confirmed,the other molt beouerthrowne.Now the cótraries of thefe things may oamft. be laid to be.oftwoforts,to wit,either fisch as do vtterly and wholly,& suer refifi his holy wii,or luchas are but certaine impediin ts,wherby wee doe it not fo rea. dily as cyther we ought or happily would doe, if they were not. Ofthe firfr fort,is Satan, Sinne, and theeffeeks of finne whatfoeuer, the flefhor the olde man and his Maih,b.z4 concupifence, the world and fuch like. For roman can prise two matters,efpecially coioiic,38,to contrarie maifters, fuch as God and Saran are, the Spirite ofGod and the fiefb, the new and the old man. Of the fecond fort arc ouermuch care for worldly mat- ters,feare of men, and a number of things that like weightes orburdens upon our backes preffe vs, or like fetters about our feet hinder vs that we goe not on alto- gether fo readily and fo fully in this way of doing the will ófGód as we in deede ought and would, ifchele lets were not. Whatfoeuer they bethen, and ofwhe- eher fort fo euer they be, for afmuch as they are againfr that Obedience that we pray for in this petition, therefore we defire of the Lord that they may beremein- bred, and that no let or leafr impediment maybe to hinder that in vs which both in refpebf of his goodnelfe to vs, and our duties to him, ought with all perfeetion both ofwill and worke be performed. And thus might we end this petition, lay - ing that (cane profitable colle&ions ofobferuations may be made of the words as they are-laid dossneheere by ourSauiour. I prayyoti then adde chafe alp; Hawwe fa, Thefirle maybe this. We may obferue and fee heere both the beginning of and now mya mans mifeey,as alto the way to drawe neere againe to that old and former inno- rife, coney, Mans mifery fprang by difobedience'to the will of God, as we all know, and the way to returne to that good efrate againe wherein we were, is obedience to that will, as heerewe learne when we are taught to pray, Thy will be done. For we pray for therefrirution of thofe graces infommemeafure, which in our finui parents were
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