on the Lord's Prayer. pr>y that .God's Will may be done by us, is bur to pray that we our felves may be fined and prepared for Eternal Life and Glory, unto whtch we can no otherwife at· rain but by Ro!inefs and Obedien_ce. 0 think but to :nhat an Excellency doth Grace advance the Soul even in this Ltfe, and make Chrifttans as much above orher Men, as orher Men are above Beafts? That when they are employed about the Foul and Nafly Offices of Sin, hurried by their Vile Paffions into Vile and Bafe Aaions, raking in the Mire and Filth of all Mann<I of Uncleannefs, and defibng therr Souls· With thofe Sins which will hereafter damn them, thy Work lhould be all Spiritual, confifting of the fame Pure Employments that the Holy Angels and Glorifi<d Sain_rs. in Heaven fpend their Eternity in. Confider yvhat an Hrgh Honour a.nd Prtvtledge. '.t ts that.J.OU ihould be admitted to attend immedtately upon the Service of rhe Kzng of Krngs. You are called to wait about his Throne, his Throne of Grace, to which you have always free Accefs to Converfe and commune wirh God, by f!~ainraining Fellowfhip with him in the Performance of Holy Duties; which is a Dignity fo high, that Hu; mane Namre is capable but of one Preferment more, and that is of being removed fi-om one Throne to the other, from attending on the Throne of Grace, to attend on the Throne of Glory. And then think, 0 Soul, _if it be poffible to think what neither Eye btJtb fun, nor Ear barb beard, netlher bath tt,'nor can zr, enter mto the Heart of Man to conceive? Think how tranfcendently Bleifc:d thy Eitate !hall be when the Will of thy God, which wasbere thy Duty, fhall there be thy Nature; when thy Obligation ro do it fball be turned into a Happy Necefiiry of doing ir; when a'llrhy Thougbts and AA:eaions !hall be center'd in God for ever, and not the leaft Motion of thy Soul fball fo much as twinkle or waver from the Eternal Contemplarion and Fruition of the Infinite Deity. And therefore this our Ererna!Happinefs being wrapp'd up in doing rbe Will of God, it highly concerns us ro pray that ' it may be done, and ro endeavour w do ic on Earth, fo as that at length we may attain to the Perff:£tion of doing it in Heaven. And this is the Firfl Thing that in this Petition we: efpc:cially and abfolurely pray for, vh:. that God's Will of Preetpt may be done by us on Earth. Secondly, It is more doubtful whether we are fimply to pray that God's Will of Purpoje !hould be done. And that, Fitft, Becaufe rhe Will of God's Purpofe is fecret and unknown, and therefore cannot fo immediately concern us in Point of Duty, Fer Secret Things belong to God, bur Revealed Things belong to us, and to our Children, Deur. 29. 29. Secondly, Becaufe ·this Will of God !hall, within the Periods fer by his Eternal Decrees, have irs moft Petfe£1 and Full Accomplifhment; for though his Revealed TVi!l may be refifted and hind<::red, yet neither Men nor Devils can hinder his Secret Will, and the Purpofes of his Counfels; thefe !hall rake Place, mauger all their Spire and Oppofirions; and therefore it feems not altogether fo Proper Matter for our PrJyers. Again, Thirdly, Many Things cotne to pafs by the Will of God's Purpofe which we ought not to pray for, yea, which we ought to pray againft; as not to inftance in God's Will of permitting the Sins and Wickednelfes of Men, which beyond all Ex· ceprions we ought to deprecate. Let us but confider, Common Chariry obligeth us not to pray for any Evil of Suffering to befJ.l either our Selves or others~ and yet we know rhar it is ot1emirnes the Will of God's Purpofe to bring great and fore Judgments upon Kingdoms, and upon Families and Perfons: And if we may indefinitely vray that this Will !hould be done, this would be nothing elle but to pray for the Death and Ruin of many Thoufands, whom yet the Revealed Will of God commands us to pray for, and to defire all Good and Profperiry to them. But yer notwirhfland. ing all this we may doubtlefs pray that the Will of God's Purpofe may be done fo far as it brings to pafs thofe Things which we are oblig'd to pray for by the Will ofhis Precept. We may pray that God's Will may be fulfilled in giving Peace, and Profpe. my, and Good Things, both Temporal and Spiritual, unto others, and to our felves; bur fimply and abfolutely to pray that this Willlhould be done in whatfoever it refpe£ls, would be as often a Curie as a Prayer, fince (as I told you before) there is no Evil comes to pafs, whether of Sin or Punifhmenr, but ic is by God's Will permitting the one, and efteHing the other. · . ~ But you will fay, do we nor find frequent Examples in Scripture of Holy Men who have prayed that God's Will might be done even in the bringing to pafs t~at wh1.ch ''"~s E\'il? Thus Eli, when Samuel had den0unced Fearful Judgments l>oth agarnlt hmtft!f, and a~air.ll his Houfe, It is the Lord, fays he, let him do what Je:ms
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