XLVII. But is it credible that the very acknowledgment of our own unworthiness to obtain, and in that respect our professed fearfulness to ask any thing otherwise than only for his sake to whom God can deny nothing, that this should be noted for a popish error, that this should be termed baseness, abjection of mind, or “servility,” is it credible? That which we for our unworthiness are afraid to crave, our prayer is that God for the worthiness of his Son would notwithstanding vouchsafe to grant. May it please them to shew us which of these words it is that “carrieth the note of popish and servile fear1?”
In reference to other creatures of this inferior world man’s worth and excellency is admired. Compared with God, the truest inscription wherewith we can circle so base a coin is that of David, Universa vanitas est omnis homo2: “Whosoever hath the name of a mortal man, there is in him whatsoever the name of vanity doth comprehend.” And therefore what we say of our own “unworthiness” there is no doubt but truth will ratify. Alleged in prayer it both becometh and behoveth saints. For as humility is in suitors a decent virtue, so the testification thereof by such effectual acknowledgments, not only argueth a sound apprehension of his supereminent glory and majesty before whom we stand3, but putteth also into his hands a kind of pledge or bond for security against our unthankfulness, the very natural root whereof is always either ignorance, dissimulation, or pride: ignorance, when we know not the author from whom our good cometh; dissimulation, when our hands are more open than our eyes upon that we receive; pride, when we think ourselves worthy of that which mere grace and undeserved mercy bestoweth. In prayer therefore to abate so vain imaginations with the true conceit of unworthiness, is rather to prevent than commit a fault.
It being no error thus to think, no fault thus to speak of ourselves when we pray, is it a fault that the consideration of our unworthiness maketh us fearful to open our mouths by way of suit? While Job had prosperity and lived in honour, men feared him for his authority’s sake, and in token of their fear when they saw him they “hid themselves4.” Between Elihu and the rest of Job’s familiars the greatest disparity was but in years. And he, though riper than they in judgment, doing them reverence in regard of age, stood long “doubtful,” and very loth to adventure upon speech in his elders’ hearing5. If so small inequality between man and man make their modesty a commendable virtue, who respecting superiors as superiors, can neither speak nor stand before them without fear: that the publican approacheth not more boldly to God; that when Christ in mercy draweth near to Peter, he in humility and fear craveth distance; that being to stand, to speak, to sue in the presence of so great majesty, we are afraid, let no man blame us.
In 6which consideration notwithstanding, because to fly altogether from God, to despair that creatures unworthy shall be able to obtain any thing at his hands, and under that pretence to surcease from prayers as bootless or fruitless offices, were to him no less injurious than pernicious to our own souls; even that which we tremble to do we do, we ask those things which we dare not ask. The knowledge of our own unworthiness is not without belief in the merits of Christ. With that true fear which the one causeth there is coupled true boldness, and encouragement drawn from the other. The very silence which our unworthiness putteth us unto, doth itself make request for us, and that in the confidence of his grace7. Looking inward we are stricken dumb, looking upward we speak and prevail. O happy mixture, wherein things contrary do so qualify and correct the one the danger of the other’s excess, that neither boldness can make us presume as long as we are kept under with the sense of our own wretchedness; nor, while we trust in the mercy of God through Christ Jesus, fear be able to tyrannize over us! As therefore our fear excludeth not that boldness which becometh saints8; so if their familiarity9 with God do not savour of this fear, it draweth too near that irreverent confidence wherewith true humility can never stand.
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Footnotes
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T. C. lib. i. p. 136. [107.] “This request carrieth with it still the note of the popish servile fear, and savoureth not of that confidence and reverent familiarity that the children of God have through Christ with their heavenly Father.” [“For as we dare not without our Saviour Christ ask so much as a crumb of bread, so there is nothing which in his name we dare not ask, being needful for us; and if it be not needful why should we ask it?” Comp. Whitg. Def. 493; T. C. iii. 202-4. There are two collects against which this charge is brought by Cartwright; the first that for the 12th Sunday after Trinity, which before the last review ended as follows: “giving unto us that, that our prayer dare not presume to ask: through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Ut dimittas quæ conscientia metuit, et adjicias quæ oratio non præsumit.” Miss. Sar. fol. cvii. ap. Palmer, Orig. Liturg. i. 349. The other collect (“one of those which are to be said after the Offertory, as it is termed, is done.” … T. C. ubi sup.) remains unaltered. Mr. Palmer (ii. 162.) was unable to trace it “in any very ancient formularies.” N. ap. Sarav. Art. 4. “Quod Dominica xiima post Trinit. in collecta dicitur, Deum ea nobis dare, quæ petere ab eo preces nostræ non ausint præsumere: interpretor ex eodem loco Deum vota nostra et prævenire et superare. Sed verbis illis si quis inhæreat, papisticam diffidentiam stabilire videantur, contra infinita Scripturæ loca.” Resp. “Quis tu? quæ tua est auctoritas? quæ eruditio? ut sine ulla ex verbo Dei demonstratione audeas damnare tam sanctam, tam humilem, tam piam orationem? … . Annon multa sunt in Dei arcanis, quæ fidelibus suis Deus dare decrevit, qui tamen illa petere non auderent?” He instances in Solomon, Joseph, Mordecai.] ↩
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Psalm xxxix. 5. ↩
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Phil. de Sacrif. Abel. et Cain. [p. 138 C.] Μεμνημένος γὰρ τη̑ς ἰδίας παρὰ πάντα οὐδενείας μεμνήσῃ καὶ τη̑ς του̑ Θεου̑ παρὰ πάντα ὑπερβολῃ̑ς. ↩
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Job xxix. 8. Amongst the parts of honour Aristotle reckoneth προσκυνήσεις and ἐκστάσεις. Rhet. lib. i. c. 5. ↩
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Job xxxii. 6. ↩
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T. C. lib. iii. p. 203. “The publican did indeed not lift up his eyes: so that if by his example we should say we dare ask nothing, we ought also to ask nothing: otherwise instead of teaching true humility, we open a school to hypocrisy, which the Lord detesteth.” ↩
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[Whitg. Def. 494. “This kind of prayer doth not savour of mistrust, but rather of great confidence in the mercy of God, at whose hands we crave those things which we are of ourselves unworthy to ask or receive.”] ↩
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Rom. v. 2; viii. 15; Heb. x. 19. ↩
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[T. C. iii. 204. “Our Saviour Christ will have set before us most amiable names” (of a Father and a Friend) “when we come to prayer: to engender in us a reverent familiarity with him. And the boldness that the children of God ought to have so much passeth that which we use to any of our most dearest friends, as we are more assured of his love than of theirs.”] ↩