A86523:161
A brief exposition of the Lords PrayerA briefe exposition of the Lords Prayer
A brief exposition of the Lords Prayer: wherein the meaning of the word is laid open to the understanding of weak Christians, and what the carriage of their hearts ought to be in preferring each petition. / By Mr. Tho. Hooker preacher of Gods word.A briefe exposition of the Lords Prayer: wherein the meaning of the word is laid open to the understanding of weake Christians, and what the carriage of their hearts ought to be in preferring each petition. / By Mr. Tho. Hooker preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Moses Bell for Benjamin Allen, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, the soul ought to be forward to know the will of God, and to labour to do it it self, and this appears in four particulars.
First, the soul ought to be forward to know the will of God, and to labour to do it it self, and this appears in foure particulars.
First, the heart is willing to do the will of God in laying down its own will, so far as it may be a hinderance from doing Gods will, for oftentimes our will and the will of God are contrary: there is naturally a sturdy toughness that lifts up it self above the LORD, this must be removed, Not my will, (saith our Saviour) but thy will be done. If our will and Gods will cannot stand, we must lay down ours; but sometimes we say desperately, (as they did) We will walk in our own ways &c. and we will have a King as other Nations, we will have our base lusts to sway and rule us. But so long as this is in us we cannot do the will of the LORD, we cannot serve two masters: I came not (saith our Saviour) to do ⟨p. 38⟩my own will, but my fathers that sent me. It is often times with our will, and the will of GOD, as with two buckets; the letting down of one is the lifting up of the other; and the lifting up of the other is the letting down of that; so when we let down our own wills, we lift up Gods; but the lifting up of our own wills, is the letting down of the good will of the Lord. Now the cause why we stick in service, and cannot come off, is because we would have our pleasures, we would be this and that; so that the will of God is jostled against the wall, and shut out of doors; but let this distemper be crushed, and then the will of God will take place. When we have done this, then we must repair to the Lord to know what his pleasure is, take his Warrant before we set upon the work; conscionable attendance of Gods will should be the root and spring of all our actions, not to go without it, but to have our spirits carried by it. This is as a Master-comptroller that sways the balance, and bears all before him. Tell me not, I cannot do it for my liberties sake, &c. But, I have no Warrant of Gods will; unless the good will of the Lord go before me, I dare do nothing,