Of the conclufion,
An Exposition of the Assembly's Catechism. promiſe ; 1 Cor. x. 13. ButGod isfaithful,whowill not ſuffer you tobe tempted above that ye are able. 2 Cor. xii. 9. And he ſaid unto me, My grace is ſufficient for thee ; for my ſtrength is made perfect inweakneſs.
Q. 9. What is the firſt inference ?
A. That fin is the worst of evils .
Q. 10. What is the fecond inference ?
A. That without God's grace we can never withſtand, but fhallbe overcome by every temptation ; 2 Cor. iii. 5.Not that we are ſufficientofourſelves, tothink any thing as ofourſelves ; butour fufficiency isofGod. John xv. 5. For without meye cando nothing.
Q11 . What is the third inference?
A. That wemust do all we cantokeep ourſelves from temptation, and to engagethe grace ofGodwith us in temptation, byprayer,bypleaſing theSpirit ofGod,by lookingto Jefus,&c.
Of the Conclufion.
Hat doth the concluſion ofthe Lord's prayQuest 107.WWHat ⚫er teach us ?
A. The conchufion ofthe Lord'sprayer, which is, [Forthine is thekingdom, and the power,and the glory, for ever and ever;
Amen.] teacheth us, to take our encouragement in prayer from God only; andin ourprayers to praise him ; afcribing kingdom, power, andglory to him ; andin testimony ofour defire, and affurance to be heard, wefay, Amen.
Q. 1. Why is the concluſionjoined tothe particle For ?
A. To teach us, that therein are included arguments, or reaſons to preſs God withal, andto prevail with him for audience.
Q. 2. But is it lawful to argue withGod,and to urge him with reaſons in prayer ?
A. It is notonlylawful, but expedient, yea, highly commendable ; as isſeen inthe faints prayers. In Mofes's, Numb. xiv. 13. And Moſes ſaid unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians ſhall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them.) Ver. 19. Pardon, I beſeech thee, the niquityof this people, according unto the greatneſs ofthy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt, evenuntil now.
In Joſhua's, chap. vii. 3. And Joshua ſaid, Alas !
O LordGod ; wherefore haftthou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to deſtroy us ? Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other fide Jordan. Ver. 9. For the Canaanites, and all
An Exposition of the Affembly's Catechism.
the inhabitants ofthe land ſhall hear of it, and ſhall environus round, and cut offour name from the earth : And what wilt thou do unto thy great name ? In Afa's, 2 Chron. xiv. 11 .
AndAfa cried unto the Lord his God, and faid, Lord, it is nothing withthee to help, whether with many, or with them that have nopower.
Help us, O Lord ourGod, for we reſt on thee; and in thy namewe go against this great multitude. O
Lord, thou art our God ; let no man prevail against thee.
In Jehofhaphat's, 2 Chron. xx. 6.
And faid, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thouGodin heaven ? And ruleſt not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen ? And in thine hand is there not power and might, ſo that none is able to withstand thee ? AndHezekiah's, 2Kings xix. 15. AndHezekiahprayedbefore the Lord, and ſaid, O Lord God of Ifrael, which dwelleſt between the cherubims ; thou art the God, even thou alone, ofallthekingdoms of the earth : Thou hast made heaven and earth. Ver. 19. Now, therefore, O Lord our God,
{ c.
Q.3. But towhatpurpoſe,canwethinktoprevailwithGod, byourarguments and importunities ?
A. They are not uſed, as thoughwe would putGod in remembrance ofany thing, or would prevail withGod to dothat for us, which he is unwilling togive.
Q. 4. Whythen ?
A. For our own profit, for the enlarging ofour own hearts, for the exciting ofour fervency, forthe exertingoffaith, hope, zeal, charity, &c. in prayer ; and ſo to prepare ourſelves for the mercy, thatwe may the more gratefully recei receive it, and the more fruitfully employ it.
Q. 5. Howmanyarguments are inthis conclufion ?
A. Three.
Q. 6. From whenceare they taken ?
A. FromGod'skingdom,fromhispower,andfrom hisglory.
Q. 7. What kingdom is here meant ?
A. God's univerſal,eſſential, andabſolute kingdom ; whereinmay be, and is involved, his ſpecial kingdom over the church.
Q. 8. What are the arguments from hence ?
A. Becauſe all that we can pray for in this prayer, is for the advancement and perfecting of this his kingdom, by the de ſtruction of all perfons and things that oppoſe it, and the completion of his dominion over all his fubjects; therefore he wouldgrant alltheſe requests.
* U2
An Exposition of the Affembly's Catechism.
Q.9. What is another ?
A. Becauſe he being fuch an abſolute Lord and ſovereign, hasanundeniable right,and unquestionable authority, togive and grantallwe ask, and to effectandbring topaſs allwe beg:
For allperſons andthings are hisown, and at hisdiſpoſal. Mat. xx. 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?
Q. 10. What is meantby power ?
A. God's eſſential, infinite, irreſiſtible power, whereby he can do what he pleaſes ; Pfalm cxxxv. 6. Whatſoever the Lordpleafed &c.
Q. 11. What is theargument fromhence ?
A. Thatwe afk nothing fromGod,but what he cando with infiniteeaſe, in deſpite of all the oppofition that hell, earth, andheartcan make to thecontrary; Philip. iii. ult. According to the working, &c. Eph . iii. 20. Now untohim that is able, c Q. 12. What is meantbyglory ?
A. Not his effential glory, which no man, or angel, can everapprehend.
Q. 13. What glory then ?
A. His declared and acknowledgedglory, even the accomplishment ofall his decrees by his providence ; and then the love, the adoration,and the praiſes, the ſelf-dedications of angels andſaints, returned tohim for the ſame.
Q. 14. What is the argument or motive from hence ?
A. That feeing the ſubſtance of every requeſt does directly tendto, and will perfectly end in, this glory of God, when they are fully anfwered ; therefore he would gradually anſwerthem while we are here, and perfectly at laft, to theadvancement of his glory now, and the completion of it then.
1 Chron . xxix. 11. "Thine, O Lord, is the greatneſs, and the power, and the glory, &c. Joſh. vii. 9. Andwhatwilt thoudo unto thy great name ? Ifa. xlii. 8. Iam the Lord, that is my name, &c.
Ifa. xlviii. 11. For myown fake, evenfor my own fake, will Ido it, &c.
Q. 15. Why is Amen added ?
A. Because it is the uſual concluſion ofprayers and praiſes ; Pfalm xli. 13. Bleffed be the LordGod of Ifrael, &c. Pfalm
Ixxii. 19. And bleffed be his glorious name for ever, &c.
12 Cor. xiii. ult. The grace ofthe Lord Jeſus, and the love of God, &c. Rom. xvi. 20. The grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt bewith you. Amen.
2. 16. Butwhat doth this wordhere fignify ?
An Expofition of the Affembly's Catechism.
A. It fignifies, (1.) The reality and ardencyof ourdefiresto begranted inwhat we pray for ; Rev. xxii. 20. He whichteſtifieth theſe things, faith, Surely I come quickly. Amen..
Even ſo come, Lord Jefus.
Q. 17. Andwhat befides ?
A. Our trust and firm confidence that we shall be heard and anſwered in all theſe our requeſts; Rev. i. 7. Even ſo, Amen.
Rev. vii. 12. Saying, Amen.
Bleſſing, and glory, andwifdom, &c.
Q. 18. What are the inferences from hence ?
A. That we ought to uſe in prayer all ſuch arguments, as maymoſt and beſt affect our hearts towards God, excite our graces, andfucceed withGod.
Q. 19. What is another ?
A. That allwepray for mustbe in aſubſerviency toGod's kingdom, andwith adefire ofhis glory.
Q. 20. What is the next ?
A. Thatwe must act according toour prayers ;do allwecan for the advancement ofGod's kingdom, and the exaltation of his glory, as fubjects and votaries thereto; Pfalm cxvi. 16.
1Cor. x. 31 .
Q. 21. What maymore be gatheredhence ?
A. That as we ought to begin, ſo to continue, andconclude our prayers, in lowest adorations of God, and acknowledgements of his glory and attributes.
Q. 22. What more doth this concluſion teach ?
A. That in prayer we must be fervent in our defires, and longing for what we pray, James v. 16.
Q. 23. Is there anything befides ?
A. That praying for things agreeable to God's will, we ought tobe confident that we shall fucceed in our requests, praying for the matter, and afterthe mannerof this prayer ;
James i. 6, 8. Matth. xxi. 22.