THE PATHWAY TO PRAYER AND PIETIE .

CONTAINING , 1 An Exposition of the Lords Prayer , with an Apologie for publicke , and priuate set Prayer . 2 A preparation to the Lords Supper , with Ma. ZANCHIVS Confession , concerning that Sacrament . 3 A Direction to a Christian life , both in our generall and particular callings . 4 An instruction to Die well , and a Consolation against all Crosses .

WITH DIVERS PRAYERS , And Thankesgiuings fit for this TREATISE . By ROBERT HILL , Doctor in Diuinitie .

This is the summe of this Booke .

LONDON Printed by W. S. for Edward Blunt , and William Barret . 1613.

RIght Honourable ; as it is the safetie of a Shippe to haue good Pilotes , the strength of a palace to haue sure Pillars , the securitie of the body to haue cleare eyes , and the safeguard of sheepe to haue vigilant shephards : So is it the safetie of a Countrie , and safegard of a Kingdome , to haue many wise and watchfull Counsellors . Is this ship tossed ? These Pilots will guide it . Is this palace shaken ? These Pillars will vphold it . Is this body in perill ? These eyes will ouersee it . Are these sheepe in danger ? These shepheards will defend them . And as , where there is no vision , the Church is naked : So , where no counsell is , there the State is naked .

Of all the miseries which befell the Israelites , this is recorded to bee one of the greatest , That either they had no King to rule them , or that their Kings were but children , who ruled them : yet as that ship is safer that hath but a bad Pilot , than no Pilot ; that palace stronger that hath but woodden Pillars , than no pillars ; that body securer , that hath but a squint eye , than no eye ; and those sheepe better , that haue any shepheard , than no shepheard : So is that nation in farre better case , which hath but bad gouernours , than none at all . Is it a blessing to bee commanded by the bad ? what a blessing then is it to bee gouerned by the good ? Haue we good Ministers ? they are the horsemen and chariots of a a 2. King . 13.14 . Israel . Haue we good Magistrates ? they are the light of our eyes , the breath of our nostrils , the anointed of the Lord ; and vnder their shadow we are preserued b b Lam. 4.20 . aliue .

Amongst many Right Honourable and truely honoured Senators , both Church , and Commonwealth blesse God for your Honour . You are blessed of the Church as an vncorrupt Patron ; you are blessed of the Common-wealth as an impartiall Iudge . In the one , you desire to plant pietie , in the other , you are readie to supplant iniquitie . In the one you are carefull , that one haue not all ; in the other , you are watchfull , that each may haue his owne . In the one you prouide for the preaching of veritie ; in the other you pronounce the sentence of equitie . Are you in the one to administer Iustice ? I may say with Basil ; Your arrow euer aimeth at the white : with Epictetus ; Your hand euer holdeth an equall ballance : and with Erasmus ; Your sunne shineth alike on the poore and rich . Are you to conferre Ecclesiasticall preferments ? You will not giue that Iaakob bleare-eyed Leah , who hath serued manie a yeare for faire Rachel . You wil not make him a shepheard of mens soules , who is rather to bee a shepheard of mens sheepe . What good you haue done to this Church of ours , let Church-men iudge : you loue our Nation : you haue prouided for vs many decaied Synagogues , and put many poore Preachers into the poole of Beth●sdah , who haue beene cured of their long disease of pouertie , without the descending of any one Angell .

Experience I haue had of your fauour to poore Ministers , in my first certaine maintenance that euer I had in our Church . For though I was afraide euen to looke vpon you , yet you were not forgetfull to prouide for mee ; and without any either suing or seeking of mine , it pleased you to annex vnto my Lecture at S. Martins , S. Margarets in Friday street . that small Benefice , which I now haue in London , and where I am carefull to Preach euery Sabbath , though I cannot liue there for want of an house .

In a thankfull remembrance of your loue to our Calling , and an hopefull acceptation of this enterprised seruice , I am bold to present againe this booke to your Honor. . It was penned at the first for the benefit of this Parish : and published by authoritie , for the good of the Church . This Parish of S. Martin mooued mee to penne it : Doctor Vaughan . and that late Reuerend Bishop of London allowed me to Print it .

In regard of both these , I doubt not but your Honor will afford it your patronage . You are to the one a most honorable benefactor , prouiding for the liuing , by your charitable almes ; and for the dead , by procuring a new , and most needfull Church-yard . You were to the other a most honorable friend : you loued him in his life , and did vnfainedly mourne for him at his death .

Of whome , I may say ( considering the encouragements I had from him in my ministerie ) as El●sha said , when his master Eliah was taken from his head , 2. King . 2.12 . My Father , my Father , the Horsemen of Israel , and the Chariots thereof .

S. Johns in Cambridg He was an honor to our Colledge , in which hee once liued a painefull student : and an ornament to our Church , in which he was ( as we haue many Reuerend Fathers now he is gone ) a preaching Bishop . For his admirable learning in our Vniuersity of Cambridge , he was long since created a Doctor in Diuinitie : and for his abilitie to rule , hee was after Consecrated Bishop of Bangor , and immediatly translated to the Diocesse of Chester , and after a while from thence to London . In these aduancements of his , how much hee was beholding to your Honour , I had rather be silent , then say little : but surely hee was worthie you should doe for him .

For the gifts of his Ministerie , he was a powerfull and skilfull Preacher : for the vse of his authoritie , he was a most watchfull and temperate Gouernour . Was hee to speake ? his wordes were sententious : was hee to aduise ? His counsell was religious : was hee to admonish ? his exhortations were gratious : and was hee to censure ? his sentence was iudicious . Did hee obserue any Minister painefull in his calling ? hee euer did encourage him to go on : did hee see any either negligent , or turbulent ? the one hee would aduise to greater labour ; the other bring on , to greater peace .

For his iudgement in Diuinitie , what it was , the Church can iudge : hee was a profound Preacher of the truth , a zealous enemie to all superstition , and a great exhorter to all pietie & godlinesse . He halted not betwixt two opinions : hee spake not with those Iewes , Nehe. 13.24 . partly the language of Ashdod , and partly the language of Canaan , but euery way shewed himselfe a Protestant indeed .

His learning was good , his life better ; and his death , for himselfe , best of all . His learning was without comparison , his life without exception , his death without suspition . By his learning hee instructed , by his life hee shined , and by his death hee yet smelleth as a sweet perfume . What his learning was , this Land knoweth ; what his life was , London knoweth ; and what his death was , those learned men knowe , who were about him in the time of his sicknesse .

Hee was Bishop of this Diocesse , not much aboue two yeares : in which time this Citie much reioyced in him ; and surely no maruaile . For hee was a Clemens to this Rome : a Polycarpus to this Smyrna : a Iustine to this Naples : a Dionysius to this Alexandria : a Cyprian to this Carthage : an Eusebius to this Caesarea . a Gregorie to this Nyssa : an Ambrose to this Mill●yne : a Chrysostome to this Constantinople : an Augustine to this Hippo : and a Ridley to this Diocesse .

And as Ambrose was wont to say of his people , so questionlesse he said often of his ; Non minùs vos diligo quos genui ex euangelio , quàm si suscepissem ex contugio : gratia quippe vehementior est ad diligendum quàm natura : I loue you no lesse , whom I haue begotten by the Gospell , then my owne children : For grace procures greater loue then nature . Nay it seemeth he loued them more : for hee impouerished the one , to enrich the other . But blessed bee that most reuerend Dauid , that will haue care of Ionathans children , now he is dead .

Dead hee is indeede , in regard of his presence ; but aliue for euer , in regard of his remembrance : for , the righteous shal be had in an euerlasting remembrance , when the name of the wicked shall rot . He died not rich in goods ; it was an argument of his goodnesse : he died rich in grace ; it was an argument of his godlinesse . With Bernard he did liue in terra auri , sine auro : In a Kingdome of gold , without gold : and seemed to thinke , as Lactantius did write , that Qui apud Deum diues est , pauper esse non potest : Hee that is rich in God , cannot be accounted a poore man .

Did Abner , saith Dauid , die as a foole dieth ? And did this Bishop of London die , as that Bishop of Rome , who said , Vixi dubius , anxius morior , nescio quò vado : I haue liued doubtfull , I die doubtting , I know not whither I shall goe ? no hee did not . But with Ambrose hee said , I haue not so lead my life , that I was ashamed to liue : neither feare I death , because I know I haue a good Lord . Hee said not with Nero , Me mortuo ruat mundus : I care not what befalle● after I am dead ; but , These were almost his last words . modo me moriente viuat & floreat ecclesia , fiat voluntas Domini : So that after my death the Church may flourish , the will of God be done .

Thus , a good life hath the yeares numbred , but a good name endureth for euer .

Not to be troublesome to your Honor : by his departure , his wife hath lost a louing husband , his children an indulgent father , the Church a worthie Prelate , and I ( a poore Preacher ) one of the most honourable friends that euer I had , hauing deserued so little of him .

Isa. 57.11 . Doe the righteous perish ? wee must regard it . Are mercifull men taken away ? we must consider it in our hearts . After Ambrose was dead , Italy was troubled : after Augustine was dead , Afrike was spoiled : After Luther was dead , Germanie was distracted . After Bucer was dead , heere religion was altered . And after the death of so many worthie men , as wee haue lost within these few yeeres , the Lord graunt that we be not plagued .

I am no Homer to commend this Achilles : no Chrysostome to commend this Babylas : no Augustine to commend this Cyprian : no Melancthon to commend this Luther : no Parker to commend this Bucer : onely in honor to him who honoured God in his life , I presume thus to write of him being dead . Your Honor well knoweth that I haue written the trueth : and the Lord knoweth I desire to write nothing but the truth .

Thus crauing pardon for my boldnesse , and once againe most humbly entreating your Honorable entertainment of these few sheetes of Paper , as they are now the fifth time enlarged , I humbly take my leaue ; beseeching God to continue you long a trustie Counsellor to our Gracious King , an vpright Iudge to our Christian people , and a good Patron to the despised Clergie . From your Parish of Saint Martin in ( or rather now by reason of many new buildings neere ) the Fields . Iune the 16. 1613.

Are wee in the morning to begin our worke ? this is the Key to open the day . Clauit diei . Are we at euening to shut our selues in ? this is the a a Sera noctis . locke to seale vp the night . If we would bind the Almightie b b Vinculum inuincibilis : Bern. to do vs none hurt , heere is the band by which he is tied c c Vis Deo grata . Chrysost. . And if we would vntie him to do vs good , heere is the porter of the gates of heauen . It is our Oedypus to dissolue our doubts , it is our commentarie to vnderstand Gods word d d Clauis Scriptura . Origen . It is a e e Deo sacrificium , diabolo flagellum , homini subsidium . August . The praise of praier . sacrifice to God , a scourge to the diuell , and an helpe to our selues in all our troubles . Wherefore , as the Apostle by examples , commended faith to the Hebrewes , so may I by examples commend prayer to you .

By it Abrahams seruant obtained a wife for Isaac , and by it Moses obtained a pardon for Israel . By this , the same Moses ouercame the Amalekites , and by this Abraham interceded for the Sodomites . By prayer Iacob was deliuered from Esau ; Iosuah from the men of Aie ; Dauid from Goliah ; The Prophet from Ieroboam ; Elizeus from the Samaritans ; Hezechiah from death ; Iehosophat from the Aramites ; Manasses from captiuitie ; Ieremiah from his aduersaries , and Daniel from the Lions : the d●seased from his leprosie , the Apostles from prison , & the Church from persecution . By prayer Hannah obtained a sonne , Dauid deliuerance , Salomon wisedome , Elias the restoring of a dead child , Elizeus the opening of his seruants eyes , Nehemiah the kings fauour , the Centurion his seruants health , Christ comfort in his agonie , the Apostles a successor to Iudas , Stephen pardon for Paul , and Monima the conuersion of her sonne S. Austin .

In Psal. 63 Thus true it is which that Austin saith , Great is the profit of pure prayer , and as a faithfull messenger , deliuers her arrand , and pierceth thither , whither flesh cannot come . And this it was which made Bernard to say ; Brethren let none of vs lightly esteeme his prayer : I tell you , that hee to whom wee pray doth not lightly esteeme it : after it is out of our mouth , he writes it in his Booke : and one of these two wee may doubtlesse expect , either that hee will grant our petition , or that which hee knoweth to be better for vs .

Call vpon me , and I will heare , saith God : aske ; and you shall haue , saith Christ . Before they crie I will heare them , saith Isaiah . The Lord is nigh to all that call vpon him , saith Dauid , but to such as call vpon him in truth . And if we may belieue the Apostle Iames , the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much .

Pray therefore , and we had need to pray . Why wee ought to Pray . Satan will deuoure thee : pray for deliuerance . The world will allure thee : pray for assistance . The flesh will betray thee : pray for defence . The wicked will seduce thee : pray for continuance . What , beloued ? If God had commaunded vs a great thing , ought wee not to doe it ? how much more when he saith , pray and preuaile , aske and haue , seeke and finde , knock and it shall bee opened vnto you ? aske Temporall things , and haue them , seeke for Spirituall things and find them , knocke for Eternall things , and the gates of heauen shall stand as open to you , as the gates of the prison did to the Apostle Peter .