And now if we reflect upon all that is comprehended in this most excellent Petition, no doubt we shall moft heartily joyn in the general Refponse, pare us good Lord; that as the Mercy is very great and very neceffary,it may be begged with an united force.It is Calvins note upon the place of Joel, that though God appointed the Priests to pray, pare, &c. yet no doubt he would not have the people omit to bear a part in the duty (p), and they do not deferve to share in the benefit,that will not joyn in the Petition. Whoever fits mute when both the Priest and his Brethren cry, Spare us,is either fo proud as to think he hath no fin, or fo careless as not to regard his own danger: but let every One, as they defire God to fpare them, feal the Petition put up by the Minister, by openly and humbly saying, Spare us good Lozd. (p) Sacerdotes vota nomine populi concipi ebant noluit tamen populum intered partes fuas negligere. Calv.in loc. S.IV.Kom all evil and mischief, from fia,from the crafts and affaults of the Devil, from thy wrath, and from everlasting Damnation. Good Lord Deliver us.] We are now come to those Petitions, which are most Properly to be called Deprecations, being no other but a larger Paraphrafe upon the last Claufe of the Lords Prayer, and for a perpetual memorial,that all these are but a Comment upon our Saviours Text. The first words, with the Refponse (which in the old Litanies are a petition by themselves) are no other, but the Inverfion of Deliver us from evil, for here we have it from all evil deliver us; now because all these Deprecations, which follow,are made for deliverance from the two general kinds of Evil,the Evil of Sin, and of Punishment and mischief: (9) Et hoc eft totum For it is evident, that by evil and mithief is meant Sin and Mifery (r): And fo these two firft words are the general Heads of all that follows: And that we may ask fo comprehenfive a requeft,with a fuitable Devotion, let us confider that we are compounded of Soul and Body, the one Iyable to Evil, the other to mifchief, fo that we are in perpetual danger of the one or both of thefe, if God in Mercy do not deliver us, but we muft befeech him earnestly to preferve us, and the hearty asking of this general request will facilitate the way to the more particular enumeration, which here follows. From Sin,Good Lo20, &c.fo David prays Pfal.xxxix.9. Deliver me from all mine Offences; Sin is the firft and the greatest Evil in the world, yea in firict fpeaking,there is no Evil but Sin, for nothing elfe can hurt us (s), and therefore this is to be firft and chiefly prayed a gainft: I confefs moft men (as Elibu fpeaks, Job xxxv.21.) choose iniquity rather than affliction, and if they were left to their own inclinations, would fooner, and more heartily pray againft Suffering than Sin: but the Church doth correct their Mistake, by putting Sin in the firft place: All other Evils,Poverty and Sickness, flander and oppreffion, and the like, T (5) Unum malum illi phef. though though they be troublefome are often beneficial, fin always makes us worfe men, afflictions maný times make us better; that makes us odious to God, thefe more aċceptable; that endangers our Salvation, these prepare us for it,and may be a means to bring us to it: Sin hardens the heart,embafeth the affections, and robs us of our innocence,our hope and our peace, and were it not for fin, there would have been no Evil in the World, why do mortal men complain, when they are punished for their fins? Lament. iii.39. or, why do we fo earneftly pray againft Lightning and Tempest, Pestilence and Famine,&c.? If there were no fin, thefe would not have fallen on us, and till fin be removed, thefe Judgments will not ceafe. We begin at the wrong end,if we fancy to be eafed of our Calamities firft, for the right Method is to begin with the Petition, from in Bood Lozd deliber us: Now there is a twofold deliverance from Sin; first, from the Commiffion of it; fecondly,from the guilt of it, and the Vengeance due to it, and to make this Petition compleat both are here men tioned. That we may not commit any more fin, we pray from the crafts and alfaults of the Devil, Good Lojd Deliber us: For it is the Employment of that evil Spirit to make men Partners with him in Sin, that they may be Companions with him in punishment, and therefore the old Latin Litanies fay in the next place, from the Snares of the Devil, &c.(t). But because there is a twofold Method ufed by Sathan to draw men into Sin, by Fraud,or by force,therefore our Church hath put in,both the Crafts and the faults of the Devil; for fometimes he exercifeth the fubtilty of the Serpent, fometimes the violence of a roaring Lyon, fometimes he would intice us by cunning, (1) Ab infidiis Diaboli libera nos, Brev. Sarisb. & Ebor. (u) Mentitur at fallat, blanditur ut noceat, bona promittit tam pellicetur ut perimat.Cypr: ad Pleb ep.40. ut malum tribuat, vio cunning, fometimes terrify us by fear, his Policy is too deep,and his force too great for us; therefore let us heartily call upon our heavenly Father, who can baffle his Craft by his infinite wisdom,and invalidate his Affaults by his Almighty Power, and keep us fafe from both: But if we be left to our felves, it is fure we fhall fall, for firft as to His Craft, how cunningly will he drefs up the Image of Wickedness to deceive us (u), representing it, as gainful or fweet, honourable or neceffary, and above all things defirable, he tells us it fhall never be discovered by Men, nor punished by God, that it is scarce to be called a Sin, but an infirmity,a youthful folly, and others have done worse, and we shall have time enough to repent,if need be: Thus the Devil invites and allures, extenuates and excufeth, till our deluded fouls yield up their refolutions, and lofe their purity, and run into the Embraces of an accurfed Evil, which defiles and difturbes us, and makes us go mourning to our graves,if we perceive the cheat, or if not (which is worse) it betrays into unexpected Torments. Secondly, as to his Alfaults,at other times, or to other perfons, he contrives all the Circumftances of iniquity, that when time and place, privacy and opportunity do all confpire to further and facilitate the fin, then he rusheth in as the Philistines upon Sampson, and preffeth men to do evil, giving them no time to pray or to confider, and in the hurry of fuch a temptation, he often proftrates pious and fober men, who would not have yielded if they could have deliberated: Again fometimes, He threatens us with Perfecution to make us deny our Faith, or employs the Power and Intereft of great men to threaten us to give up a good Confcience, and many D timerous Part. I. timerous Perfons fin for fear of evil,and run upon Gods wrath, while they think to avoid mans: Finally, whatfoever Sins we commit through defire of Pleasure, thefe we are induced to by the Crafts of the Debt!, whatever we commit by furprise, or for fear of fuffering, these are by his faults: But if we confider,how dangerous it is to yield to him upon either account, we fhall most ardently pray, that we may be delivered from both: Lord, let us never be deceived by the Crafts, nor overcome by the Affaults of the Devil; for alafs they bring us under thy wrath, and will lead us to everlafting Damnation, which is the next Part. (w) Tuum libenter prorfus appeterem cibum,nifi quod, qui illo vefcetur jugulandus <ft.Phædr.l. 5.85. From thy wrath, and from everlasting Damnation, Good Lord deliver us. When we look upon Sin by it felf, we are apt to dote upon it, but when we confider the fad confequents thereof, it may startle the boldest Sinner; the poor Afs (in the old Apologue) had fo much wit as to refuse the Barly, which was left by the Swine about to be butchered, faying, The Meat was pleafant, but the knife terrible (w),and if the pleasure of Sin did entice us, the black retinue of it may deter us. The old Litanies had but one of these neither, from everlasting Damnation, &c. but we have prefixed the wrath of God, because Sin betrays us unto the wrath of God at prefent, and to endless Condemnation hereafter: Now who can think of the Divine wrath without trembling? Or, who can dwell with everlasting Burning? We would all readily enough pray against thefe; but because God hath linked Sin and Damnation in infeparable bonds, fo that he who will have the one, shall have the other; therefore the Church hath united them in this Request, and placed them in fo admirable an order, that we must first pray to be de that |