THE LORD'S PRAYER.

SERMON XIII.

Give us this day our daily bread.

OUT of the words of our Saviour, in the sixth chapter of Mat. 6. 33. Matthew verse the thirty-third, we have elsewhere set down the order of these three petitions which concern ourselves, for the first is the petition of glory and of God's Kingdom which our Saviour willeth us to seek in the first place. The second is the petition of grace and of God's righteousness, wherein we pray that God's will may be done. The third petition tendeth to this end, that, as the Prophet speaks, God would [Ps. 84. not withhold any temporal blessing needful for this life, 11.] that He would give us all things that are necessary for us.

but

The things pertaining to glory, for which we pray in the first place, are eternal; those that concern grace are spiritual, and the blessings of this life which we desire may not be withheld from us are natural and temporal.

This is nature's prayer, for not only we but all creatures above and beneath make the same suit to God by the voice of nature. "The ravens" of the air call upon God, that He Ps. 147. 9. would feed them; "the lions" beneath, "roaring for their prey, Ps. 104. 21. do seek their meat at God;" and therefore no marvel that we, inasmuch as we are creatures, do seek to God Who is the God of nature to supply the defects of nature that we find in ourselves as other creatures. And yet there is a difference betwixt us and them, for they call upon God only for corporal food that their bellies may be filled; but the prayer that we make for outward things is not without respect to things

SERM. spiritual, and this petition followeth upon the other by good consequent and order; for, as the heathen man saith,

XIII.

[Juv. Sat.

3. 164, 5.]

Haud facile emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat

Res angusta domi,

so we shall be unfit to seck God's Kingdom, and to do His will, unless we have the helps of this life.

Therefore we desire that God will give us the things of this life, those things without which we cannot serve Him; that as we desire the glory of His Kingdom, and the grace of His Spirit whereby we may be enabled to do His will, so He will minister to us all things for the supply of our outward wants in this life, the want whereof hath been so great a disturbance to the saints of God in all times, that they could not go forward in godliness as they would.

Abraham, by reason of the great famine that was in Canaan, Gen.1210. was fain to "go down into Egypt." The same occasion moved Gen. 26.1. Isaac to go down to Abimelech at Gerar; and Jacob, to

relieve his family in the great dearth at this time, was fain to Gen. 42.2. send his sons, the patriarchs, into Egypt to buy corn. The Ex. 16. 2. children of Israel, when they wanted bread or water, "murNu. 20.2,3. mured" against God and His servants; the disciples of our

Saviour were so troubled in mind because they had forgotten to take bread with them, that they understood not their Master when He gave them warning to "beware of the leaven Mark 8.15. of the" Scribes and "Pharisees." So the want of outward things doth distract our minds, and make us unfit for God's service. Therefore, that we may in quietness of mind intend those things that go before in this prayer, our Saviour hath indited us a form of prayer to sue to God, as well for things temporal, as spiritual and eternal; for it is lawful for us to pray for them, so that we do it in order.

The first petition that the natural man makes is for his daily bread, but our care must be first for the Kingdom of God, next for the fulfilling of God's will and doing that righteousness which God requires at our hands; and after, we may in the third place pray for such things as we stand in need of during our life.

This blessing the Fathers observe out of the blessings which Isaac pronounced upon his sons; Jacob's blessing was first "the dew of heaven" and then "the fat of the earth," shewing that

the godly do prefer heavenly comforts before earthly. Esau's blessing was first "the fatness of the earth," and next "the dew Gen. 27. of heaven," to teach us that profane persons do make more reckoning of earthly commodities than of heavenly comforts.

25, 39.

Therefore in regard of the spiritual account we are to make of God's Kingdom, and the doing of His will, we are to wish them in the first place, and then David's Unum petii a Domino, "One thing I have required of the Lord." And that which Ps. 27. 4. Christ saith to Martha, Unum est necessarium, “One thing is Lu. 10. 42. needful," would bring us to Solomon's two things, "Give me Prov. 30. not poverty, nor riches, but feed me with food convenient for 9. me, lest being full I deny Thee and say, Who is the Lord? or being poor I steal, and take the name of my God in vain." And that is it which we are bold to do by Christ's own warrant, for He hath taught us first to pray for His Kingdom, then for the working of righteousness; or, for the doing of God's will, and lastly for daily bread.

If we do first pray for the two former, then we may be bold in the third place to sue to God for the latter, for He hath promised to "withhold no good thing from them that lead a Ps. 84. 11. godly life;" if the doing of God's will be our meat, then

requiem dedit timentibus Se, "IIe hath given rest to them that Ps. 111. 5. fear Him."

In the petition we are to observe, from six words, six several points: first, the thing that we desire, that is, "bread;" secondly, the attribute, "our bread;" thirdly, "daily bread;" fourthly, we desire that this "bread" may be "given” us; fifthly, not to me,' but nobis, "to us;" sixthly, hodie, and as long as we say, hodie, "to-day."

Heb. 3. 15.

To begin with giving. Hitherto the tenor of this prayer ran in the third person: now we are to pray in the second, saying, Da Tu, whereupon the Church hath grounded a double dialect of prayer, which comes all to one effect; for that which the Church prayeth for, "God be merciful unto us Ps. 67. 1. and bless us," is no less a prayer than if she should say in the second person, Miserere nostri, "O Lord, be merciful to us, and bless us;" and that which is added, "and lift up His countenance," is all one as if the Church speaking to God should say, "Lift up the light of Thy countenance."

This change, or alteration of person, proccedeth from the confidence which the saints are to gather to themselves in

XIII.

SERM. prayer; for having prayed for the sanctifying of God's name, for the accomplishment of His Kingdom, and for grace and ability to do His will, Christ assureth us that we may be bold to speak to God for our own wants.

Out of the word 'giving' we are to note three things: first, our own want, for if we had it of ourselves we would not crave it of God. This confession of our want and indigence is a great glory to God, that all the inhabitants of the earth usque Ps. 40. 17. ad Regem Davidem should profess and say, "I am poor and needy but the Lord careth for me;" they do profess themselves to be His beggars, not only by the voice of nature which they utter for outward things as other unreasonable creatures do, but by those prayers which they make for the supply of grace, whereby they may be enabled to do God's will, so that not only Regnum Tuum, "Thy Kingdom” is God's gift, but also panem nostrum, "our bread," we acknowledge to be His gift. It is from God from Whom we receive all things, Jas. 1. 17. as well the "good givings" as the "perfect gifts;" He is the author not only of blessings spiritual but of benefits temporal; He gives us not only grace to obey His will, but, as the P. 136. 25. Prophet speaketh, dat escam, "He giveth us meat."

The idolatrous people say of their idols, I will go after my lovers that give me my bread, and my water, my oil, and my Hos. 2. 8. wine; but God saith after, "It is I That gave her corn, and it 2 Cor. 9.10. is My wine, and My flax, and My oil." Ipse dat semen sementi, et panem manducanti, " He ministereth seed to the sower, and

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good bread for food." We are destitute of the meanest blessings that are, it is God only from Whom we receive all things; therefore to Him we pray, acknowledging our own want, Da nobis panem, "Give us bread."

Secondly, we must consider the word Da, as it is set in opposition to Veniat, or Habeam panem; it must not content us that we have bread, but we must labour that we may have Gen. 33. 9. it of God's gift. Esau said of things temporal which he enjoyed, "I have enough," not acknowledging from whom. Balaam cared not how he came by promotion so he had it, 2 Pet. 2. 15. and therefore he is said to have "loved the wages of unrighte

Joh. 19. 11.

ousness:" but we must labour not so much to have good things as to have them from God; and Pilate is to acknowledge that the power which he hath was "given him from above," and not to vaunt of any usurped power.

Ps. 78. 23.

It is said of God, Tu aperis manum Tuam, "Thou openest" Ps. 104.28. "the doors of heaven." So we are not so much to labour for temporal things by our own endeavour, as that we may have. them from God.

Thirdly, Da, opposed to rendering, teacheth us that it is not of our own endeavour, but it is of God's free bounty and liberality that we have bread and other things, which while we seek for of God's gift we confess that to be true which Solomon saith, Non est panis sapientis; be a man never so Eccl. 9.11. wise, yet he hath not always to supply his need. As he that is highest gets not always the goal, nor the strongest man the victory, so saith our Saviour, "Which of you by Mat. 6. 27. taking thought can add one cubit to his stature ?"

All our endeavours for the things of this life are unprofitable without God's blessing: "It is vain to rise up early, and Ps. 127. 2. to go to bed late."

And when He blesseth our labour, then He is said to give

us "bread;" and therefore we are to confess with David that whatsoever we have received, we have received it at His 1 Chron. hands.

29. 14.

Now the means of God's giving is of four sorts: first, God giveth bread when He blesseth the earth with plenty, when He gives force to the heaven; when the heaven Hos. 2. 21, heareth the earth, the earth heareth the corn, the wine, the

oil, and they hear man.

Secondly, He gives when He sets us in some honest trade

22.

of life, and vouchsafeth His blessing to our endeavours therein, that we may get our living and "eat the labour of Ps. 128. 2. our hands," without which the first giving will do us no good.

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Thirdly, He gives us bread not only in His blessing the earth with increase, and by blessing our honest pains in our vocation, but when He gives us baculum panis, “ the staff of bread;" for at His pleasure He useth to "break the staff of Levit. 26. bread," and to make it of no power to nourish us: then are [Ezek. 4. they but beggarly elements, "when we eat and have not 16.] enough." Therefore our prayer is, that He would cause the earth to yield us bread, so that to the bread He would infuse a force to "strengthen man's heart," for which end it is Ps 104. 15. ordained.

Fourthly, because Moses says, "Man lives not by bread

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Hag. 1. 6.