A Golden Chain, Part 11
GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread.]
1. The Goberence.
THus much of the three first petitions which concerne God: now follow the other three, which concerne our selues. In which order we learne to pray for those things which concerne God absolutely: and for those things which concerne our selues not absolutely, but so farre forth as they shall make for Gods glorie, the building of his kingdome, and the doing of his will.
But how depends this petition on the former? In the first we were taught to pray, that Gods name might be hallowed: which is done when God raignes in our hearts, & his wil is done. Now further, his will is obeied in three things: first, by depending on his prouidence for the things of this life: secondly, by depending on his merciemercy for the pardon of sinne… thirdly, by depending on his power and might, in resisting temptations. And thus Gods will is obeied,
2. The meaning.
BR…ad] By bread in this place many of the ancient fathers, as also the Papists at this day vnderstand the element of bread in the Sacrament, & the bodie of Christ which is the bread of life. But that cannot be: for S. Luke calls it bread for the day, that is, bread sufficient to preserue vsus for the present day; and by this he makes it manifest, that the words of this petition must be vnderstood not of spirituall, but of bodily foode: and the bread of life is more directly asked in the second or fourth petition. As for the opinion of Erasmus, who thinkes that in this so heauenly a prayer made to God the Father, there should be no mention made of bread, that is, of earthly things, which euen the Gentiles bestow on their children; it is vaine and friuolous. For it is Gods will, that we should not cast the care of heauenly things onelyonly, but all our care vponupon him. 1. Pet. 5. 7. And he hath elswhere commaunded that earthly things should be asked at his hand, 1. King 8.35. and the same hath beene asked in praier of Iacob, Gen. 28.10. and Salomon, Prou… 20.7. And wheras the Lords praier is a perfect platforme of praier, temporall blessing must hauehave some place there, vnlesse we will ascribe the hauing and inioying of them to our owne industrie, as though they were no gifts of God: which to thinke were great impietie.
By bread then we must vnderstand properly a kind of foode made of the floure of graine that is baked and eaten: and thus it must be taken in those places of scripture where bread is opposed to water or wine: & by a figure more generally it signifies all things whereby temporal life is preserued: in this sense goates milke is called bread, Prou. 27.27. and the fruit of trees, Ier. 11.19. and all things that passe to and fro in trafficke. Prou. 31. 14. And so likewise in this place by this one meanes of sustaining our bodies and temporall liues, all other meanes whatsoeuer must be vnderstood, as meate, drinke, clothing, health, libertie, peace, &c.
And whereas our Sauiour Christ vnderunder the name of bread, and not vnderunder the name of any other plentifull or daintie food, teacheth vsus to aske temporall blessings; he doth it for two causes. The first is, that we might hereby learne frugalitie and moderation in our …et, apparell, houses; and be content if we hauehave no more but bread, that is, things necessarie to preserue life, which Paul comprehends vnderunder food and clothing. For we are taught in this petition to aske no more. We must not with the I…raelites murmure because they had nothing but Manna.
Question. Must we then vse Gods creatures onelyonly for necessitie? Ans. We may vse them not onelyonly for necessitie, but also for honest delight and pleasure, Psal. 104. 15. God giues wine to make glad the heart of man: and oyle to make his face shine. And Iohn 12.3. our Sauiour Christ allowed of the fact of Marie, which tooke a pound of oyntment of Spikenard very costly, and annointed his very feete, so that all the house was filled with the smell; though Iudas did esteeme it wast. Yet if it so fall out that the Lord doe graunt vsus but bread, that is, so much as shall holde bodie and soule together, we must thankfully content our selues therewith. 1. Tim. 6. 8. Therefore when we hauehave foode and rayment, let vsus be therewith content. This contentation was practised of Iacobs Gen. 28.20.
A second cause is to teach vsus that there is a particular prouidence. All men willingly confesse the generall prouidence of GOD ouer all things: but beside that we must acknowledge another more speciall prouidence, euen in the least things that be: because eueryevery morsell of bread which we eate, would no more nourish vsus then a peece of earth, or a stone, vnlesse God giuegive his blessing vntounto it.
Daily] The word in the originall is thus much in effect, Bread vntounto our essence or substances: then the meaning is, giuegive vsus such bread from day to day, as may nourish our substances. Thus praieth Agur, Prou. 30. 8. Feede me with foode conuenient for me. Some there are which put an Angelical perfection in fasting: but we are taught in Scriptures; that as aboue all things we are to seeke for life eternall; so we must in this life hauehave care to sustaine and maintaine our naturall life, that we may hauehave conuenient space and time to repent, and prepare our selues to the kingdome of heauen. Fasting in it selfe as it is an abstinence from meate, is no part of Gods worship, but in it owne nature, a thing indifferent: and therefore it is to be vsed so farre forth as it shall further vsus in Gods seruice, and no further. And seeing we are taught to pray for such foode as shall preserue nature, and maintaine the vitall blood, we ought not to vse fasting to the hindrance or destruction of nature.
Our bread] 1. Quest. How is bread ours? Ans. Paul shewes how, 1. Corinth. ….22. Ye are Christs, and all things are yours: So then by meanes of Christ, bread is called our. For GOD hauing giuen Christ to vsus, doth in him and by him giuegive all things else to vsus. 2. Quest. How may I know that the things I enioy are mine by Christ, and that I doe not vsurpe them? Ans. 1. Tim. 4. 4. Paul saith that the creatures of God are good, and that the vse of them is sanctified to vsus by the word and prayer. Then if we hauehave the word of God to tell vsus that wee may enioy and vse them: and also if wee pray to God for the right and pure vse of them, we are no vsurpers, but indeede right owners of them, not onelyonly before men, but also before God. 3. Question. If the creatures must be made ours by Christ, how comes it to passe that the vngodly hauehave such abundance of them? Ans. We lost the title and interest of the creatures in Adam: yet God of his merciemercy bestowes temporarie blessings vponupon the vniust as well as vponupon the iust: but for all that, vnlesse they be in Christ, and hold the title of them by him, they shall in the ende turne to their greater condemnation.
And whereas we call it our bread, we learne that eueryevery man must liue of his owne calling, and his owne goods. Here also is condemned all oppression, stealing, lying, cogging, and other such deceitfull meanes which men vse to get wealth and goods. Many thinke it no sinne to prouide for their families in such order, but in saying this petition they pray against themselues. 2. Thess. 3. 10. He which laboureth not, let him not eate. Eph. 4.28. He which stole, let him steale… no more, but rather labour with his hands the thing that good is.
This day] We say not here this weeke, this monethmonth, this age, but this day; what meanes this? may we not prouide for the time to come? Ans. It is lawful, yea a man is bound in good manner to prouide for time to come. Act. 11.28. The Apostles prouided for the Church in Iudea against the time of dearth foretold by Agabus. And Ioseph in Egypt in the yeares of plentie stored vp against the yeares of famine. Wherefore in these words our Sauiour his meaning is onelyonly to condemne all distrustful care that distracts the minds of men, and to teach vsus to rest on his fatherly goodnes from day to day in eueryevery season: this is noted vntounto vsus, Numb. 11. where the Israelites were commanded to gather no more Manna then would serue for one day, and if they did, it putrified. Whereby God taught them to rest on his prouidence eueryevery particular day, and not on the meanes.
GiueGive v… ] Not me. This serues to teach vsus that a man must not onelyonly regard himselfe, but also be mindfull of others. For a man that hath wealth is made a steward to distribute his goods to the poore and the good of Gods Church. True louelove seekes not her owne things; the branches of the vine are loden with clusters of grapes, not for themselues, but for others: the candle spends it selfe to giuegive others light.
GiueGive] If bread be ours, wherefore are we to aske it? it may seeme needlesse. Answ. Not so: for hereby we are taught to waite on God, who is the fountaine and the giuer of all blessings. Men vsually driuen to any distresse, vse euill meanes, as robbing, deceiuing, consulting with wizzards, &c. 2. Againe here we learne, that though a man had all the wealth in the world, all is nothing without Gods blessing. Question. The rich neede not say, GiueGive vsus, &c. for they hauehave abundance already, and what neede they aske that which they hauehave? Answer. Let a man be neuer so rich, and want nothing that can be desired, yet if he want Gods blessing, in effect he wants all. Wherefore euen Kings, and the greatest personages that be, are as much bound to vse this petition as the poorest. Gods blessing is riches, saith Salomon, Prou. 10.22. Thou maist eate and not hauehave enough, be clothed and not warme, earne wages and put it in a broken bagge, Hag. 1. 6. if God doe not blesse thee. This blessing of God is called the staffe of bread, Esay. 3. 1. In bread there bee two things, the substance and the vertue thereof proceeding from gods blessing: this second, that is, the power of nourishing is the staffe of bread. For take away from an aged man his staffe, and he falls: and so take away Gods blessing from bread & the strength thereof, it becomes vnprofitable, and ceaseth to nourish. Lastly, here we see that all labour and toile taken in any kind of calling is nothing and auailes not, vnlesse God still giuegive his blessing. Psal. 127.1.
3. The wants which are to be bewailed.
SInnes which we are taught in this petition to bewaile are two especially. I. Couetousnesse, a vice which is naturally engrafted in eueryevery mans heart; it is when a man is not content with his present estate. This desire is vnsatiable, & men that hauehave enough would still hauehave more. Wherefore he which shall vse this petition must be grieued for this sinne, and pray with Dauid, Psal. 119. 36. Incline my heart to thy commandements, and not to couetousnes. And he must sorrowe, not so much for the act of this sinne, as for the corruption of nature in this behalfe. Couetous people will plead that they are free from this vice, but marke mens liues, and we shall see it is a common disease, as Dauid noted, Psal. 4.6. where he brings in the people, saying: who shall shew vsus any good? This then is a common sinne that we are taught to mourne for.
2. The second want is diffidence and distrustfulnes in Gods prouidence touching the things of this life. Men also will shift this off and say, they would be sorrie to distrust God. But if we doe but a little looke into the corruption of our nature, we shall see that we are deceiued. For beeing in prosperitie, wee are not troubled: but if once we be pressed with aduersitie, then we howle and weepe, and as Paul saith, 1. Tim. 6.10. Men peirce themselues through with many sorrowes. If a man shall loose a part of his goods, what then doth he? straight hee goes out to the wise man: is this to beleeue in God? No: it is to distrust God and beleeue the deuill.
4. Graces to be desired.
THe grace to be desired is a readines in all estates of life to rest on Gods prouidence, whatsoeuer fall out. Psal. 37.5. Commit thy way to the Lord, & trust in him, and he shall bring it to passe. Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vponupon the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be directed. Whereby we are admonished to take paines in our callings to get meate and drinke, &c. If the Lord blesse not our labour we must be content: if he doe, we must giuegive him thankes. Now for this cause we are further to pray to God that hee would open our eies, and by his spirit teach vsus in all his good creatures to see his prouidence, and when meanes faile and are contrarie, then also to beleeue in the same, and to followe Pauls example. Phil. 4.12.
5. Errours confuted.
PApists teach that men by workes of grace may merit life eternall, and increase of iustification in this life. But howe can this be? for here we see that eueryevery bit of bread which we eate, is the free gift of God without any merit of ours. Now, if we can not merit a peece of bread, what madnes is it to thinke that we can merit life euerlasting.
2. They also are deceiued who thinke; that any thing comes by meere chance or fortune, without Gods prouidence. Indeede in respect of men who know not the causes of things, many chances there are: but so, as that they are ordered and come to passe by Gods prouidence. Luk. 10.31. By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way.