SERMON XII.

MATT. VI. 11.

Give us this Day our daily Bread.

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The Sixth Sermon on this Text.

AVING confidered the three firft Petitions of the Lord's Prayer, which relate chiefly to Almighty God, we proceed now to the three laft, which relate more particularly to our felves and our Neighbours. The firft of thefe is a Petition for the Neceffaries of this Life, for which we are from time to time to depend on God, and to request a Supply from him; for this is the Meaning of this Petition in my Text, Give us this Day our daily Bread. For Explication of this Petition, there are these three Propofitions contain'd in it, which will require a more particular Confideration.

I. That we are allowed to pray for Neceffaries; for this, in the Scripture Style, is to be understood by Bread.

II. That we ought to be contented to depend on God from time to time for thefe Neceffaries, and are not to expect to have them laid in all at once; for this we are to understand by the Word daily, or day by day.

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[SERM. III. That we are not to reft in our own Acquifitions or Endeavours for what we ftand in need of, of the good Things of this Life; but are to look up to God for his Bleffing on our lawful Endeavours, faying unto him, Give us this Day our daily Bread.

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I. The first Thing I obferve, as contained in this Petition, is, that we are allowed to pray for Neceffaries. This is understood by the Word Bread; it is a common Metonymie in the Holy Scripture, and in our vulgar Phrafe, by Bread, to understand all the Neceffaries of Life. we fay of any one, he has not Bread, the Meaning is, he is extreme Poor. So though Abraham faid only, Gen. xviii. 5. I will fetch a Morfel of Bread, and comfort your Hearts: The Treat which he made them, went indeed by the Name of a Morfel of Bread, but we have an account of Milk, and Butter, and a Calf, that was kill'd and drefs'd. So Jofeph, when he was about to treat his Brethren, Gen. xliii. 31. commanded his Servants to Jet on Bread. But though Bread fignifies all Neceffaries, it is not fo easy a Matter to define how much is meant by thefe Neceffaries; only in general we may affert, 1. That it is not meant thereby that we fhould limit our Prayers, or Endeavours, to what will barely keep Body and Soul together, though with a great deal of Vexation and Trouble. It is certain that God doth not debar us from praying and endeavouring for a comfortable and decent Subfiftence, that we may mind his Service without Distraction. Nay further, it is certain that we are encouraged to endeavour after, not only the Supply of our own Wants, but that we may have wherewithal

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to fupply the Wants of others. Now to both thefe, our decent Subfiftence, and the helping of others, we are exhorted by St Paul, 1 Thef. 4. II, 12. where he recommends a Diligence in our Calling to that very End, that we may walk decently toward them that are without, and may have Lack of nothing. And Eph. iv. 28. the fame Apostle advises to honeft Labour, that we may have to give to him that needeth. And if these are recommended as Duties and Bleffings, certainly we may pray for them. 2. This Subfiftence is not in all Men alike, but differs according to the different Stations of Men, and according to the greater or leffer Charge of Children, and other Domesticks, and Relatives they have to provide for. For what would be a good Competency for a fingle Person in a private Station, would fall much short for a Man with a great Family, or in a publick Station. There is fo great a Variety in this daily Bread, I mean in the feveral Competencies and Subfiftences of Men, according to the feveral Stations which God approves in the World, that provided they keep within the Limits of what is not finful, there is great Latitude to be allowed. But that we may know what Bounds God has fet to this Matter, I fhall fum it up in a few Words.

I. We are to take care that our Hearts be not principally fet on the World, or on our worldly Subfiftence; but we are to feek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, and all other Things as Acceffaries; that is, with a much inferiour Degree of Care.

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2. We are to use no unlawful, indirect, unjuft, cheating Ways of purchafing or gathering this Competency.

3. We are to limit our Defires to real, not to extend them to imaginaty Wants.

4. We are not to be ftingy or penurious, in the Ufe of our Eftates, either for our own Occafions, or the Occafions of those who belong to us, or for the Relief of the Poor.

If we keep within these Bounds, all the rest of our worldly Wants and Occasions, will easily fall under this Compellation of Bread or Subfiftence.

Now this Bread, (which I have fhewed you will comprehend a comfortable Subfiftence) we may lawfully pray for. There is none but will grant that it is lawful to pray for Neceffaries; all the Question then, can be only as to the comfortable Subfiftence; but there is a great deal of Reason why that may likewife be prayed for. 1. It tends to deliver the Mind more from anxious Cares and Fears, than ftraitned Circumftances. 2. It enlarges the Heart more in Thanksgiving to Almighty God. 3. It puts us in a Capacity to do more good in Works of Piety and Charity. 4. It helps better to carry on the publick Good, which often fuffers egregiously for want of having wherewithal, and for want of a publick Spirit, which Want is occafioned by pinching Circumftances. If then this comfortable Subfiftence is a thing good in itself, and has fo good Tendency, both as to this Life prefent, and that which is to come, why may we not both feek it of God in Prayer, and by all lawful Means endeavour after it? But it may be objected perhaps, that under

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the Notion or Pretence of this comfortable Subfiftence, worldly minded Men will enlarge their covetous Defires and Endeavours, and still pretend that they want whatever they have a mind to. But having already limited thofe Defires to real, not imaginary Wants, and fubjected them to the Rules of Christianity, we must exclude from this Petition all fuperfluous Defires of the Things of this World. But how then, may we not pray for Riches? is not that a Bleffing of God, which may be made good Ufe of, and therefore may be wifhed, and defired, and prayed for? I anfwer, that Riches being not to be reckoned amongst the Neceffaries, but Superfluities of Life, we are not allowed, neither by this Petition of my Text, nor by any other Precept of holy Scripture, abfolutely to pray for them. And the Reason is, we are only allowed to pray for good Things; but Riches are to be reckoned among the Things indifferent, which are fometimes good, fometimes bad, and therefore must be wifhed and prayed for only conditionally, in fo far as God knows they will prove good for us.

II. So much for the first Thing I observed in the Words, that we are allowed to pray for Neceffaries. The fecond Thing I obferved, was, That we ought to be content to depend on God from time to time, for these Neceffaries, and are not to expect to have them laid in all at once. In my Text it is faid, Give us this Day our daily Bread; and in St Luke, Day by Day our daily Bread; and in the End of this Chapter, Take no Thought for the Morrow. In this Part of the Prayer, our Saviour guards us against a common Vice, or rather a common Pretext of Covetoufnefs; For granting,

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