6. Our prefent Comfort depends upon it, 2 Cor. i. 12. 7. As does also our future Happiness, Hebr. xii. 14. USE. Hence we may fee, how great the Folly, and heinous the Crime is, of thefe who 1. Never offer up this Petition, nor pray that God's Will may be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven. 2. And of thofe, who, tho' they do pray for this, yet never labour or endeavour to do His Will S. MATT. 1. S. MATT. vi. 11. Give us this Day our daily Bread. W HAT does the Word Bread import ia this Petition? 1. All Things needful for this Life, Deut. viii. 8. 2. And for that to come, 1 Tim. iv. 8. II. What are we to understand by daily Bread ? 1. For every Day of our remaining Life. 2. Sufficient. Επιέσι ἄΘ ὁ τῇ ἑκάσῃ ἐσίᾳ ἡμῶν aguilar. Phavorin. 1. Sufficient for our Subfiftence, Jer. xlv. 5. III. What do we mean, when we pray God to Give us our daily Bread? This fhews, 1. Our conftant Dependence upon God, A&t. xvii. 28. Fob vi. 9. 2. That we receive all Things from Him, Pfal. civ. 27, 28, 29. 3. That all Things are His Free Gift, S. Luk. xvii, 10. Gen. xxxii. 1o. S. Jam. i. 17. IV. Why are we to pray God to Give, &c. when we have it already in Poffeffion? 1. Tho' 1. Tho' we have it in Poffeffion, yet the Property is in God; fo we cannot use it without asking Him Leave, Deut. X. 14. 2. What we have, He can hinder us from ufing. 1. By taking it from us, S. Luk. xii. 20. 3. Tho' we do use it, it can do us no Good without His Bleffing, Hag. i. 6. Dan. i. 13, 14, 15. Prov. x. 22. Pfal. Ixxviii. 30, 31. V. How must we pray or offer up this Pe tition? 1. So pray as to use the Means appointed for the obtaining of it, 2 Theff. iii. 8, 9, 10, 12. 2. In a full Truft in God, that He will blefs thofe Means, Pfal. cxxviii. 1, 2. 3. With Submiffion to the Wisdom of God for Proportioning outward Mercies, S. Matt. viii. 2. S. Fam. iv. 15. 4. That we may apply them to the true and proper End, which God defign'd thefe outward Mercies for, S. James iv. 3. 5. Daily. 6. For others, as well as ourselves. VI. What are the Principal Things, then, we pray for here? 1. That He would continue our Life here, fo long as it is for His Glory and our Good. 2. That He would fupply us with Neceffaries thereto, Prov. xxx. 8. 3. That He would direct us to the proper Means for obtaining them. 4. And give His Bleffing to thofe Means, Dan. j. 132 14. Pfal. cxxvii. 1, 2. 5. That 5. That He would fanctify what we have to us, 1 Tim. iv. 5. 6. That we may truft on Him only, Phil. iv. 6. Pfal. xxxvii. 5. 7. And depend on Him in Plenty, as well as Poverty. 8. That we may be content with, and thankful for, our prefent State and Condition, whatever it be, Phil. iv. 11, 12. 1 Tim. vi. 8. 9. That He would give us spiritual as well as temporal Food. 10. That we may improve all for His Glary. 1 S. MATT. S. MATT. vi. 12. And forgive us our Debts, as we for give our Debtors. 1. W HAT are we to understand here by Sins: Which are ordinarily call'd fo in Syriac. There are two Things, therefore, in Sin, to be confider'd; 1. Its Contrariety to the Law, this we do not owe, 1 S. Joh. iii. 4. I 2. Its Obligation, or Binding the Offender to 2. And for Default of that, eternal Punish- II. What is Forgiveness of Sins? 1. Remiffion. "Aqegis áμagtiwv, Alt. xxvi. 18. .Jer. xxxi אסלח לעונם,,as,סלח -Ifa. lxi. I. Knet לקרא לשבוים דרור 34. ninio mix, Nehemiah ix. 17. Eau aixμaxútons 20ɛow, S. Luk. iv. 18. 3. Giving us freely our Debts or Sins, donans. |