A godly and learned treatise of prayer which both conteineth in it the doctrine of prayer, and also sheweth the practice of it in the exposition of the Lords prayer: by that faithfull and painfull servant of God George Downame, Doctr of Divinity, and late L. Bishop of Dery in the realm of Ireland.

Duties respecting the manner.

And as touching the manner; We are not to rest in opere operato, in the deed done: but as we pray that we may do the will of God on earth as the angels do it in heaven, so must we endeavour to imitate their manner of obedience. And albeit we cannot attein to that full perfection which is in them, yet we are to strive towards it: and therefore we are not to content our selves with that smal measure where∣unto we have atteined, but still we are to labour that we may grow up in grace, seeing whilest we live here we are in our 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and growing age.

But let us come unto particulars. 1. The Angels

do the will of God in knowledge; and so must we, or else all our worship of God is but will-worship, and all our religion but superstition. Knowledge is the stern, without which we rove and wander like a ship wanting a stern: it is the light, without which we walk in darknesse not knowing whither we go. Without knowledge we have no faith; and with∣out faith it is impossible to please God. And therefore miserable is our estate if we please our selves in ignorance.

2. The Angels do the will of God sincerely, up∣rightly, labouring alwayes to approve their obedi∣ence to the Lord: so must we obey the Lord 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but from our soul and heart, Ephes. 6. 6. Rom. 6. 17. in singlenesse and up∣rightnesse of heart labouring to approve not onely our outward actions but also our inward affections and cogitations to the Lord, knowing that he look∣eth not as man looketh, but he especially respecteth the heart, and according to the disposition of the heart esteemeth of men. Without this uprightnesse all our obedience is but hypocrisie; and all the gra∣ces which we seem to have, but glorious sinnes, &c.

3. The Angels do the will of God willingly and chearfully; their whole delight being to do Gods will: so must we worship the Lord with upright hearts and willing minds, 1. Chron. 28. 9. knowing that forced obedience proceeding onely from ser∣vile fear, as it is violent, so it is but momentany, and therefore but counterfeit. But we must worship the Lord in faith, love, and hope, and consequently

chearfulnesse, willingnesse, and delight: for when the love of God is shed abroad in mens hearts by the holy Ghost, men have assurance that their obe∣dience and service is acceptable unto God, and so they are encouraged in all chearfulnesse to offer their obedience as a free-will-offering to the Lord. First, To whom much is forgiven they love much, Luke 7. 47. and secondly, those that have true love, to them the commandments of God are not grievous, 1. John 5. 3. the yoke of Christ is light. Nihil difficile 〈◊〉〈◊〉 anti, Nothing is hard to a lover. To Jacob his seven yeares troublesome service seemed to be short and pleasant, Gen. 29. 20. If therefore we truly love God, we will take delight to do his will. And thirdly, if we have assured hope of salvation by Christ, and live in expectation of happinesse, we shall contemne all the difficulties of this life as not worthy the glory that shall be revealed, and joyfully pro∣ceed in our way to life, because of the joy that is set before us. Let us therefore hold fast by this anchor: for if we leave this hold, we shall eftsoon fall away into worldlinesse, whither the surges of worldly desires carry us. And in this behalf as we are to imitate the example of the Angels, so also of Jesus Christ, whose meat it was to do his Fathers will, John 4. 34. and therein also was his delight, Psal. 40. 8. Facere voluntatem tuam, Deus mi, delector, O my God, I delight to do thy will: Psal. 122. 1. Isai. 54. 13.

4. The holy Angels do the will of God readily & speedily: so ought we without delay put in execu∣tion the cōmandments of God, behaving our selves towards our heavenly Master as the Centurions ser∣vants

to their master, Matth. 8. 9. Doth the Lord call thee? thou must answer with David the type of Christ, Ecce venio, Behold I come, Psal. 40. 7. Doth the Lord bid thee seek his face? answer with that heavenly echo of the Psalmist, Psal. 27. 8. Thy face, Lord, will I seek. It is the will of God that thou shouldst turn unto him: break off without delay the course of thy sinne, and turn unto the Lord. Knock at the doore of thy heart; Open thine immortall gate, that the King of glory may come in. Doth he call thee to repentance to day, If yee will heare his voyce, hard∣en not your hearts? Deferre not repentance; but to day, before to morrow, repent. Seek the Lord whilest he may be found, and call upon him whilest he is near, Isai. 55. 6. Doth he call us to triall and affliction? let us take up our crosse and follow him, submitting our selves willingly to his will, 1. Sam. 3. 18. Acts 21: 14. 2. Sam. 15. 26.

5. The Angels do the will of God fully, accom∣plishing whatsoever the Lord commandeth; so ought we to do it fully and not by halves: otherwise he will say to us as to them of Sardis, Revel. 3. 2. I have not found thy works 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, complete, before God. Remember the example of Herod, Mark 6. 20. who albeit hearing John Baptist he did many things, and heard him gladly, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, yet because h•…•… continued in that sinne of incest, his partiall obedi∣ence did nothing avail him. He that keepeth all the law, and faileth in some one commandment, is guilty of all, Jam. 2. 10. And he that truly repenteth of any one sinne, repenteth of all. Where there is upright obedience, there is intire obedience: but where there

is halving, there is halting between God and Mam∣mon, between Christ and Antichrist. The cove∣tous man thinketh well of himself, because he is not a whoremaster or a drunkard: the riotous person thinketh well of himself, that he is not covetous, no extortioner, &c. the Pharisee because he is no Publicane, Luke 18, &c. Many separate justice and holinesse, &c. But herein we are as much as we are able to follow the example of Christ, who did 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fulfill all righteousnesse, Matth. 3. 15. For if we will be men according to Gods own heart, we must desire and endevoúr to do all his will, Acts 13. 22.

6. The Angels of the Lord do his will constant∣ly, never giving over untill they have accomplished the will of the Lord: so must we be constant, per∣severing in obedience, being not weary of weldoing, knowing that we are redeemed of the Lord to wor∣ship him &c. all the dayes of our lives, Luke 1. 74. Our obedience must not be like the morning mist. Re∣member that religion is a way to the end, whereto we cannot come untill the end of our lives; and therefore if we set down our staff before we come to the end, and will go no further, what will all our former pains avail us? If we run in this race, and faint before we come to the goal, how shall we hope to obtein the garland? Be faithfull unto death (saith our Saviour) and I will give thee the crown of life, Re∣vel. 2. 10. and Matth. 24. 13. He that continueth to the end he shall be saved.

7. Lastly, the holy Angels do the will of God faithfully, and in all their doings seek the glory of

God that sendeth them, not assuming unto them∣selves any part of the praise: So must we, 1. Cor. 10. 31. For if therein we shall seek our own praise or other sinister respects, we have our reward.

Thus must we truly in our lives desire and ende∣vour to do the will of God on earth as the Angels do it in heaven; otherwise when we make this pray∣er we do ask with our mouthes that which we de∣sire not with our hearts. Here therefore is discover∣ed the hypocrisie of many men, who pray that they may do the will of God, which they will not do. God would have thee to turn unto him; thou pray∣est that thou mayest do the will of God: and yet wilt not turn to him, &c. What is this then, but to mock God, when thou askest that of him which thou hast neither desire nor purpose to do? But here especially appeareth the hypocrisie of obsti∣nate and stiff-necked sinners, who will seem so for∣ward as to desire that they may do the will of God even as the Angels do it in heaven, and yet in very truth obey the will of God no otherwise on earth, then the devils in hell: who although they oppose themselves against the revealed will of God, yet willingly, though unwittingly, perform his secret will, which no creature is able to disannull. If there∣fore we would be thought to pray in truth, let us de∣sire and endeavour to do that in our lives which in prayer we ask and desire. So having imitated the obedience of the Angels on earth, we shall be made 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, like the Angels, and fellow-citizens with the Saints and Angels in heaven, &c.

Notes

• We must do Gods will as the Angels,
• 1. In know∣ledge.
• Heb. 11. 6.
• 2. In since∣rity.
• 3. Willingly
• Rom. 8. 18.
• 4. Readily and speedily
• 5. Fully and totally.
• 6. Constant∣ly.
• 7. Faithfully
• The hypocri∣sie of many discovered.