suit is not only for good thoughts, and heavenly desires, but also for ability of grace: but this grace is either active or passive.

The passive grace is that which proceeds from God towards us, which standeth in offering grace, as God is said to do, or 1 Pet. 1. 13. when He causeth His 66 grace to appear to all men;" and that is Tit. 2. 11. not enough unless we be made capable of it, as it is in vain that light doth shine unless we have eyes to see it; and therefore as He offers grace, so He must give us grace and enable us to draw grace from Him. That He would pour Prov. 12.2. grace into us, that He would sow in our hearts good thoughts, Zech. 12. change our affections, and make them conformable to Ilis will; and so though the thoughts of His heart seem hard to flesh and blood, may for all that please us.

10.

And last, our desire is, ut induamur virtute ex alto, and He Lu. 24. 49. doth offer His grace, and doth pour it into us.

Then we must have that active grace, by which the will of God may be done in us, of which the Prophet saith, Omnia opera nostra operatus es in nobis, "Thou, Lord, hast wrought all Isa. 26. 12. our works in us." God must not only sanare cogitationem et mutare affectum, 'heal the thought and change our affection,' but perducere ad actum, that is, 'He must bring to pass,' that as He gives us ability to do His will, so His will may be done

by us; we must say with the Prophet, "Thou art my help, P. 27. 9. forsake me not, O God of my salvation."

As He prevents us with His grace by giving us both a will and a power, so He must still follow us with His grace that we may go forward in doing of His will, for our case is compared to the state of the Israelites which in their fight with Amalek did prevail as long as "Moses held up his hand," but "when he let it down" they were put to the worse. We may Ex. 17. 11. see it in the case of St. Peter who was able to walk upon the Mat. 14. water while Christ held him up, but when he was left to him- 29, &c. self he sunk; therefore we must have not only a preventing but also an accomplishing grace that may still follow us in our works, ne cessent in effectum, 'that they fail not in the upshot,' whereof the Evangelist makes mention, that from Him Who is full of grace "we must receive grace for grace."

It was not the grace of God only that wrought in St. Paul, stirring him up to holiness, but also gratia Dei oùv poi, "the

Joh. 1. 16.

XI.

SERM. grace of God with me." And when the Angels say evdoxía èv aveρáros, "toward men good will," they do not only wish that God will show good will towards men, but that He would accomplish it in them by infusing grace into their hearts.

1 Cor. 15. 10.

Lu. 2. 14.

Our desire therefore is, that the will of God may be done and fulfilled in us, but yet by His grace and the assistance both of His preventing and following grace. And as for sanctifying of God's name our desire was that it may be sanctified of us, but if not yet that it may be by others, so here though the will of God be not done in us, yet ut fiat quovis modo, that it be done howsoever, that it may be done in others; but especially in our own behalf, that when we are either unwilling or unable to do His revealed will it may please Him to give us the knowledge of it, and to put into us the obedience of it, that being assured in our consciences that we have done the will of God we may have that peace and joy of the Holy Ghost wherein the Kingdom of grace standeth, which may be to us a pledge of the Kingdom of glory whereunto we shall be exalted after this life, if we be careful both to submit ourwills to God's secret will, and to frame our wills and the actions of our life to that declared and open will of God which for our direction He hath revealed in His word.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

SERMON XII.

In Earth as it is in Heaven.

WHICH words are an appendix to the three first petitions; for though it be added to the third which concerneth the doing of His will, yet the ancient Fathers refer it also to the two former; so that we are to pray no less that God's name may be sanctified in earth as it is in heaven, and that His kingdom may be consummate in earth as it is in heaven, than that His will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.

Wherefore we may observe by this complement of the three first petitions, that God respects not only the doing of that which He requireth but chiefly the manner of it; for it sufficeth not simply to do God's will as others do on earth, but we must do it as it is done in heaven; for adverbs please God better than verbs, and He respecteth more in the doing of His will the manner of the doing of it than our doing itself.

The Greeks distinguish the will of God by both the words of θέλημα and εὐδοκία. When we do God's will without any regard how, so it be done, that is His éλnua, but when God's will is done with a sicut, and in such sort as He requireth, that is His good pleasure, and evdokia.

God's will was done of the people when they sacrificed any beast whatsoever, but if they chose out the fittest then the sacrifice was the more acceptable; so in this prayer we do not only desire to do God's will utcunque, without regard

SERM. how, whether with willingness and cheerfulness or against XII. our wills, but we desire to do it in the best manner "as it is done in heaven;" wherein we offer that sacrifice or service to God which is as the fat of rams, for the sanctifying of His Name.

Phil. 2.10.

Ps.110.2.3.

Ps. 135. 6.

The Apostle saith, that "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, both of things in heaven, in earth, and things under the earth." But our desire is so to reverence the name of Jesus as the things in heaven reverence it.

Of God's Kingdom it is said, that Christ is "ruler both in the midst of IIis enemies," and also that "in the day of His power the people shall as friends offer free-will offerings with a holy worship." But we pray that God's Kingdom may come among us not as among IIis enemies, but that we may willingly submit ourselves to His will and government.

Lastly, for the doing of His will the Prophet said, “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, in earth, and in the sea."

We desire that His will may be performed in us, not as in the deep places but as in heaven, for this prayer contains two sicuts: the one pertains to God, teaching us how to love Him; the other concerns our neighbour, where we pray so to be forgiven as we forgive our debtors; so that, as heretofore we have noted, lege operandi lex statuitur supplicandi, though there were no law to require the love of God and our neighbour, yet this form of prayer doth teach us how to love God, and what perfect love we owe to our neighbour.

In the thing itself we are to observe three points: first, a qualification; secondly, an elevation of the soul; thirdly, an application.

In the qualification we are to enquire what is meant by heaven and earth, either tanquam continentia, or else we may understand them as things contained therein; then, how God's will is done therein.

Howsoever our tongue or dialect speaks of heaven singularly, yet both Greek and Latin imply a plurality of heavens, for there are three heavens: first, the air, where the birds Mat. 6. 26. fly, whence they are called volucres coli; secondly, the heaven of heavens, where the sun, moon, and stars, are set to give light; thirdly, that which the Apostle calls "the third

heaven," whereunto he was taken up, which is the place of 2 Cor. 12. 2. blessedness, where God's majesty is especially resident.

In all these heavens which contain other bodies, in them

we shall find that God's will is done.

Of the lower heaven the Prophet saith that it is obedient

to God's will, and fulfils His word by sending down snow Ps. 148. 8. and fire and wind.

8. 27.

In the second heaven, which Solomon calls the "heaven 1 Kings of heavens," God's will is done, for there at God's commandment "the sun and moon stood still," contrary to their usual Josh.10.13. course, "till the people of God avenged themselves of their enemies.'

Thirdly, the earth itself, and things contained in it, do yield obedience to heaven; for if the heaven be favourable in sending down "rain and fruitful seasons," the earth answerably Acts 14.17. "will bring forth her increase" for the good of man; but if Deu.28.23. the "heaven be brass, the earth also will be iron."

Lastly, as the powers of the heavens are such as that they

Ps. 67. 6.

can draw up clouds from the earth, which do distil rain Ps. 65. 10. upon the earth, to "water the furrows thereof," so we desire that the spiritual heaven may transform us into a heavenly nature, not setting our minds on earthly things but on things above.

For the things contained in heaven, as they are heavenly,

so we desire that we living on earth may have "our conversa- [Phil. 3. 20.] tion in heaven," that earthly man to whom God said, Terra es, Gen. 3. 19. may by this means be made heavenly.

In the third heaven is contained, in respect of His humanity, first Christ Himself, Who is both in heaven and earth; for as He is called "the Head of His Church" He is in heaven, but Eph. 1. 22. in respect of His body Which is called Christ He is on earth. 1 Cor. 12. Therefore we pray that Christ on earth, that is, the Church, 27. may do God's will, even as Christ the Head Who is in heaven hath done it; that as Christ our Head came not "to do His Joh. 6, 38 own will, but the will of Him That sent Him," so the whole body of Christ may labour to fulfil the same.

Secondly, in heaven thus are Angels, "which fulfil His Ps. 103. 20. commandment, and hearken to the voice of His word." So our prayer is, that men to whom God hath made the promise. that they shall be loáyyeλo, may labour to be "like the Angels" Lu. 20. 36.