A little cabinet richly stored with all sorts of heavenly varieties, and soul-reviving influences.: Wherein there is a remedy for every malady, viz. milk for babes, and meat for strong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain assurance of salvation: being an abridgement of the sum and substance of the true Christian religion; wherein the cause of our salvation, the way, the guide, the rule, the evidence, the seals, &c. and the connection of these points together, and dependancy of them one upon another: this I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainness and clearness. / By Robert Purnell.

Of the Lords prayer and the several petitions therein contained.

THere are in the Lords prayer six petitions, the three first do concern Gods glory, and the three latter do concern our necessity; divided as it were into two tables; whereof three do concern God, as doth the first table of the Law; and three do concern our selves, and our neighbours, as doth the Second table; so that by the very order of the petitions we may learn this, that we ought to think upon Gods glory before any thing that belongs to us, John 12. 27, 28.

The six petitions are as followeth.

• 1. Hallowed be thy name, Mat. 6. 9. Luke 11. 12.
• 2. Thy kingdom come, Mat. 6. 0. Luke 11. 2.
• 3. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, Mat. 6. 10. Luke 11. 2.
• 4. Give us this day our daily bread, Mat. 6. 11. Luke 11. 3.
• 5. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive them that are debtors to us, Mat. 6. 12. Luke 11. 4.
• 6. And leads us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Mat. 6. 13. Luke 11. 4.

1. Of the first, Hallowed be thy name.

1. By the name of God, we are to understand God himself, 1 Kings 5. 5. Isa. 26. 8.

His titles, as Jehovah, Eloim, the Lord of Host, and such like; and then his attributes, and properties, as wisdom, power, love, goodness, justice, mercy, truth, Exod. 33. 18, 19. & 34. 5, 6.

We are said to hallow his name, when we acknow∣ledge it, and honour it, Psal. 96. 7, 8.

Thereby as it were setting the crown of holiness and honour upon the head of God.

2. In the next petition, Thy kingdom come.

In this petition we pray that God may reign in our hearts, that the kingdom of sin and Satan being more and more abolished, Act. 26. 18. Col. 1. 3 Christ may now reign in our hearts by grace, Col. 3. 15, 16. and we with him for ever in glory, 2 Tim. 2. 5. 12.

3. In the next petition, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Hereby we exclude all wills opposed to the will of God, as our own will, and all wills of evil men, or wicked Angels may be dissappointed; and so we desire grace, that we may obey his will, and not the lust of the flesh and the will of man.

4. In the next petition, we pray, Give us this day our daily bread.

In this petition, we beg that God would provide for us competent maintenance, or such a proportion of outward means, as he shall see meet for us, Prov. 30. 8. and that he would give us grace to rely upon his providence, for all the means of this temporal life, and to rest contented with that allowance which he shall think fit for us, Psal. 4. 11, 12.

Yea in this petition we beg health, wealth, food, sleep, rayment, house, &c: together with all the helps and means to attain them, and that he would give us care and conscience, to get those needfull things by lawfull means, that labouring with our hands the thing that is good, we may eat our bread, Eph. 4. 28. 2 Thes. 3. 12.

5. The fifth petition, And forgive us our debts, as even we forgive them that are debtors to us.

In this petition there is a frank and humble con∣fession that we have sinned, and stand guilty of ori∣ginal and actual transgressions, and that there is no power in us to make satisfaction sor our sins; for by the Law, as by an obligation, every man standeth bound to keep it holy, and continually, Deut. 27. 26. Gal. 3. 10. James 2. 10. So that the breach thereof even once, and in the least point, maketh us debtors presently (as having forfeited our obligati∣on) So that no man can make amends unto God for it, considering that whatsoever he doth after the breach, is both imperfectly done, and if it were per∣fect, yet it is due by obligation of the Law, and therefore cannot go for payment, no more then a man can pay one debt with another.

6. The sixt and last petition: And lead us not in∣to temptation but delievers from evil.

In this petition we pray, that not only our sin may be pardoned, but also that it may be mortified, Rom. 6. 1, 2. and that we may be either kept from temptation, or preserved by his grace from being hurt thereby, 1 Cor. 10. 13. 2 Cor. 12. 9. The effect of temptation, with∣out the special grace of God, is extreamly evil,

to wit sin and damnation, 1 Tim. 6. 9.

Now seeing we cannot be tempted without the will of God, Job 1. 10. nor resist without his power, 2 Cor. 12. 9. If it be his blessed will, that he would not let us fall into the one, unless he preserve us in the other, and that he would tie up Satan, and restrain his malice and power, or else make us wise to know and avoid his stratagems.