A Praf1ical Expojition Firfl:, By produci ng them, and bringing them to us. He is the Great Lord and Propriet_or b~th of Heaven and. Earth. The E~rtb~s the Lord's, and tbe Fulnefstber~of, and be gtves It to whom be will; he maketh lt brmg; fonh abunda ntly all its Stores for the ~fe an~ Service of a Man; for be the Chain ot Second Ciufes never fo long yet the Fu~ Lmk ot t~em IS held m h1s ~and: And therefore we have it exprefs,d, Hoj., ,21 , 22• I wzll bear, faztb the L ord, I wdl bear the Heavens , and tbty jha/1 bear the b'artb and tbe Earth ]hall bear.the Corn, and the T·Vine,and the Oil, and tbey fhall bear JezreeJ. Secondly, God g>ves them by Bleffing them to us, without which Bleiling our Daily Bread would no more nourifh us than fo much Chaff; for had we all the Abundance that the Earth could yield, and the Bleffing of God withheld trom it, the very Air wo~ld ftifie us, a.nd our very Food would f-amHh us ; for it is not fo much by thefe Thu:gs that we live; not fo much by our Dmly Bread, as by every Word that is by everyWord ofBiefling upon them whichproceederhout of the llloutb of God Deut.S. 3: And-concerning thofe to whom he denies Lhis his BleHing he tells us, J ob ~o. 22. Ih the Fulnefs of thez?· Su.fficien•y they foal/ be in Srreights. And therefore whenwe pray that God would g1vc us out Dazly Breatl, we pray no~ only that God would give us the Poff'effion and Enjoyment of Earthly Comforts, but that he would put Vertue and Efficacy inro them) by his Bleffing upon them, to be fubfervient to our Relief and Support, without which the StafF of Bread would break under us, and theSuy of Water roulaway from us. And thus much for the Firfi Thing, Give us Bread. Secondly, Let us confider the Specificadon of this Bleffing, or the Kind and ~ality of it, our DailyBt·ead. This Word llp-rov is varioufly r efl d~o.r'd; 1 fhali not trouble you with the Particular Notions ofit; let ir fufficerba t ht;l t: by the Word Bread is meant our Ordinary and UfUal Bread, or whatfO~vcr is Necdfary for our Subfiftence in the World from Day to Day; and it is the fame with what is expreffed in that Excellent Prayer of Jlgur, Prov. 30. 8. Give me neitbu Pvverty nor Ricbu, feed me with Food con· venient for tRe: So do we·pray here that he would beftow upon us daily that which is fufficient~for the Day; and by this we are taught to moderate our Defires, and to beg of God no more than is needfUl for us; we beg not Delicacies> we beg Daily Bread; not Superfluiries, nor Goods laid up for man~ Years. . Bm now becaufe the Meafures of Neceffities are divers, and that may be but Daily Brrad to one which to another is Superfluity, it will be requifite to ihew you by what Neceffities our PrW'ers are to be hounded. . I anfwer, Firll, We may pray for rhe Supply of all our Natural Necefliries; and ro .this the Sovereign Principle of Self:prefervation ftrongly obligeth us: And be rhat prays nor, nor endeavours, for this is a Self-murderer in withholding from himfel{ what is fimply and abfolurely nece!fary for the Mainrainance of his Life. Secondly, BefidesThings that are naturally neceifary, there are Things th!lt ate civilly neteffary, which are nor {0 ahfolurely imperious as the other, yet thefe alfo oblige us to pray for Supplies and Relief. I account rhofe Things civilly necelfary, which rho' they are not limply necelfary ro the Prefervation of our Life, yet are necelfary to the State and Condition In which Divine Providence harh fet us: As for Men ofHigb Birrh, of Publick Note, or Publick Employment, more is neceff'ary for them than for others, whom God bath placed to take up a Narrower Room in the World; for Cedars re· quire more Sap than Shrubs: And for fuch as thefe to pray againftPoverty, is pofii· bly to pray for much more than would make Private Perfons.Rich. We are allo':"ed to pray for fuch a Competent Meafure of Earthly Bleffings as IS fuJtable to our Station, and corilmenfurate to ouli Charge and Burthens, and according to the Judgment of Chriftian Prudence, apparently needful for thofe whom we are bou~d to provide for, that they may live honeftly and decently.. All thefe are Neceffimes that we are to pray for in this Petition Give ut our Dady Bread. Btlrwernuft ta\l;e heed that neither CovetoufnefS nor Ambition impofe upon us, and make us meafiaeNeceffiries by our InordinateDefires, rather than by Our Real Wants. f'or wharfoever ismore than enough for oar Prefent State and Comfortable Suhfiftence is not our Daily Bread, hut the Bread of the Poor, out .of whofe Mouths we fnatc~ It. And whatfbever we lay up with great Defigns ofenlargmg our felves, or our Pofierny, beyond our Lawful Meafure, are but Treafures of Wickednefs, whofe Ru!l will wirnels againft us at the laft Day. And rhus much for the Second Obfervable. . · T/Jirdly, In rhe Words of this Petition are defigned our Right andPcopriery to tbrs Daily Bread, Give us our Daily Bread. Now
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=