The Exposition. When thou prayest▪ To pray, properly is to entreat of God the gift of some good thing concerning our selves: and in this sense, it is only one part of that holy worship of God, which is called Invocation: for, 1. Tim. 2. 1. the Apostle maketh four kinds or parts1 of invocation: to wit, I. Supplication, when we entreat God to remove some evil from us. II. 'Prayer, whereby we beg at the hands of God the gift of some good thing unto us: and these two concern our selves. The III. is Intercession, when as we entreat the Lord to grant some good thing unto our brethren, or to remove some evil from them. The IV. is thanksgiving, whereby we give laud & thanks to God for blessings received, either by our selves, or by our brethren. Now in this place Prayer is not to be taken strictly for one part of invocation, but generally for the whole worship of God by invocation; as it is commonly taken of us, and often used in Scripture, one part being put for the whole. Be not as the hypocrites that is, do not as they do in prayer; by hypocrites he understandeth principally the Jewish teachers the Scribes and Pharisees, for at them he aimeth in this part of his Sermon. For they love to stand and pray in the Synagogues and in the streets. We must not here conceive, that Christ condemns altogether this gesture of standing in prayer as unlawful: for himself prayed standing, when che raised up Lazarus▪ and the primitive Church in their assemblies called dStations, prayed standing: but he reproveth here the abuse of this gesture in these Jewish teachers. For first, they used this gesture to a wrong end, namely, thereby to get the praise of men: because standing is the fittest gesture which a man can use in prayer to make him be seen of others. Secondly, these Scribes and Pharisees thought themselves more righteous then all other men, and therefore judged that they had no need to humble themselves so much either in soul or body, as the Publicans and sinners did. Again, Christ here condemneth not the action of prayer in these places, the Synagogues and ⟨p. 231⟩the streets: for no man was ever forbidden of God to pray in any place. The Patriarchs were not tied to any place:
The Exposition. When thou prayest▪ To pray, properly is to intreate of God the gift of some good thing concerning our selues: and in this sense, it is onely one part of that holy worship of God, which is called Invocation: for, 1. Tim. 2. 1. the Apostle maketh foure kinds or parts1 of invocation: to wit, I. Supplication, when we intreat God to remooue some euill from vs. II. 'Prayer, whereby we begge at the hands of God the gift of some good thing vnto vs: and these two concerne our selues. The III. is Intercession, when as we intreate the Lord to graunt some good thing vnto our brethren, or to remooue some euill from them. The IV. is thankesgiuing, whereby we giue laud & thanks to God for blessings receiued, either by our selues, or by our brethren. Now in this place Prayer is not to be taken strictly for one part of invocation, but generally for the whole worship of God by invocation; as it is commonly taken of vs, and often vsed in Scripture, one part beeing put for the whole. Be not as the hypocrites that is, doe not as they doe in prayer; by hypocrites he vnderstandeth principally the Iewish teachers the Scribes and Pharisies, for at them he aimeth in this part of his Sermon. For they loue to stand and pray in the Synagogues and in the streetes. We must not here conceiue, that Christ condemnes altogether this gesture of standing in prayer as vnlawfull: for himselfe praied standing, when che raised vp Lazarus▪ and the primitiue Church in their assemblies called dStations, praied standing: but he reprooueth here the abuse of this gesture in these Iewish teachers. For first, they vsed this gesture to a wrong ende, namely, thereby to get the praise of men: because standing is the fittest gesture which a man can vse in praier to make him be seene of others. Secondly, these Scribes and Pharisies thought themselues more righteous then all other men, and therefore iudged that they had no neede to humble themselues so much either in soule or bodie, as the Publicans and sinners did. Againe, Christ here condemneth not the action of praier in these places, the Synagogues and ⟨p. 231⟩the streets: for no man was euer forbidden of God to pray in any place. The Patriarks were not tied to any place:
- 1••••s of in vocation.
- cJoh. 11. 41.Ioh. 11. 41.
- dOrig hom. •. in ••umer.
