Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 11
GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread.
1 The Coherence.
THus much of the thre first petitions, which concerne God: now follow the other three, which concern our selues; In which order we learn to pray for those things, which concerne God absolutelie, and for those thinges, which concerne our selues, not absolutely; but so farre foorth as they shall make for God his glorie, the building of his kingdom, and the doing of his wil. But how dependes this petition on the former? In the first wee are taught to pray, that Gods name might bee hallowed: which is done, whē God raigns in our hearts, & his wil is done. Now further, his will is obeyed in three thinges: first, by depending on his prouidence for the thinges of this life: secondly, by depending on his mercy, for the pardon of sin: thirdly, by depending on his power and might, in resisting temptations. And thus Gods will is obeyed.
2 The meaning.
BRead] By this one means of sustayning our bodies, and temporarie liues, all other meanes are vnderstood: as meat, drinke, cloathing, helth, liberty, peace, &c. Gen 3. 19. Thou shalt eat thy bread, vz. get thy liuing, in the sweat of thy browes.
Out of this we learn 2. instructions; for why doth the Lord teache vsus to craue onelyonly bread, and not meate and other dainties? It is for 2. causes: the first is, that we might hereby learn frugalitie and moderation in our diet, apparel, houses, and be content if wee hauehave no more but bread, seeing wee desire no more. We must not with the Israelites murmur because they had nothing but Manna.
Quest. Must wee vse Gods creatures onelyonly for necessitie? Ans. we may vse them not onelyonly for necessitie, but also for honest delight & plesure. 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 Mary, which tooke a pounde of ointment 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. But yet if the Lord shall graunt but breade, that is, so much as shal but holde bodie and soule togither, wee must bee content therewith. 1. Tim. 6. ver. 8. Therefore, vvhen vvee hauue foode and raiment, let vsus be therewith content. This contentation was in Iacob. Gene. 28. 20.
A second cause is, to teache vsus that there is a particular prouidence. All men confesse that there is a generall prouidence of God ouer all thinges, but here wee must acknowledg an other more speciall, euen in the least thinges that be: because eueryevery morsell of bread which we eate, wold no more nourish vsus, then a peece of earth, or a stone, vnlesse God gaue his blessing vntounto it.
[Daily] The worde 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 nourishe our substances. Thus praieth Agur Prou. 30. 8. Feede me with food conuenient for me. Some there ar which put an Angelical perfection in fasting: But we are taught in Scriptures, that as aboue all thinges, we are to seeke for life eternall, so wee must in this life, sustaine and maintaine our naturall bodies, so long as we liue in this world. Fasting in it selfe, as it is abstinence, is no part of Gods worship; but in it own nature a thing indifferent: and therefore, it is to bee vsed so farre forth, as it shal further vsus in prayer, and no further. For seeing we ar taught to pray for such food as shall preserue nature, and maintaine the vitall blood, we must not vse fasting to the hindrance or destruction of nature.
[Our bread.] 1. Question. How is bread ours? 1. Corinth. 3. 22. Ye are Christes, and all things ar yours. So then, by meanes of Christe, bread is called ours. For God hauing giuen Christ to vsus, doeth in him and by him, giuegive all thinges els to vsus. 2. Question. Howe may I knowe that the thinges I enjoy, are mine by Christ, and that I doe not vsurpe them? Answere. 1. Tim. 4. 4. Paule saieth, 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 tel vsus that we may enjoy and vse them: and also, if we pray to God for the right and pure vse of them, wee are no vsurpers, but indeed right owners of them. 3. Question. If the creatures must be made ours by Christ, howe comes it to passe, that the vngodlie hauehave such abundance of them? Answer. We lost the title and interest of the creatures in Adam: yet God of his merciemercy bestowes temporarie blessings vponupon the vniust aswell as vponupon the iust: but for all that, vnlesse they be in Christ, and hold the title of them by him, they shal in the end, turn to their great condēnatiō
And whereas we cal it, our bread, wee 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 to get wealth and goods. Many think it no sinne to prouide for their familie in such order, but in saying this petition▪ they pray against themselues. 2. Thes. 3. 10. Hee vvhichwhich laboureth not, let him not eate. Ephes. 4. 28. He vvhichwhich stole let him steale no more, but rather labour vvith his hands the thing that good is.
[This day] We say not heere this weeke, this month, this age, but this day, what meanes this? may yee not prouide for the time to come? Answere. It is lawfull, yea, a man is bound in good maner to prouide for time to come. Act. 11. 28. The Apostles prouide for the Church in Iudaea, against the time of dearth, spoken of by Agabus. And Ioseph in Aegypt, in the years of plentie, stored vp against the yeares of famine. Wherefore, in these words, our Sauiour his meaning, is only to cōdemn al distrust full care, and to teach vsus to rest on his fatherlie goodnes from day to day, in euerie season: this is noted vntounto vsus, Numb. 11. where the Israelits wer commanded to gather no more Manna, than would serue for one day, & if they did, it putrified. Wherby God taught them, to rest on his prouidence eueryevery particular day, and not on the means.
[GiueGive vsus] Not me. This serues to teache vsus, that a man must not onelie regarde himselfe, but also be mindfull of others. For a man that hath welth, 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 loaded with clusters of grapes, not for themselues, but for others: the candle spends it self to giuegive others light.
[GiueGive] If bread be ours, wherefore are we to ask it? It may seeme needles. Answer. Not so, for hereby we are taught very worthie lessons. 1. First, those that are in pouertie, are taught to wait on God, who is the fountaine and giuer of al blessings▪ Men vsuallie driuen to this estate, vse euill meanes, as robbing, deceiuing, consulting with wisards, &c. 2. Againe, here we learne, that thogh a man had al the wealth in the world, all is nothing without Gods blessing.
Quest. The rich need not say, GiueGive …s, &c. for they hauehave aboundance 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 hee want Gods blessing, in effect he wants al. Wherfore, euen kings, and the greatest personages that be, are as much bounde to vse this petition, as the poorest. Gods blessing is riches, saith Salomon. Pro. 10 22. Thou maiest eat, and not hauehave inough, be clothed and not warm, earne wages, and put it in a brokē bagge. Hag. 1. 6. If God do not blesse thee. This blessing of God, is called the staffe of bread. Esay. 3. 1 In bread there be two thinges, the substance, and the vertue frō Gods blessing: this second, that is, the power of nourishing, is the staff of bread. For take away from an aged man his staffe, and he falls: & so take away Gods blessing from bread, it becomes vnprofitable, & ceaseth to nourish. Lastly, here wee see, that all labour and toyle taken in any kind of calling, is nothing, and auailes not, vnlesse God still giuegive his blessing. Psal. 127. 1.
3. The wants to be bewailed.
OVr corruptions against this petition, are two especially. I Couetousnesse, a vice which is naturally ingraffed in eueryevery mans heart; it is, when a man is not content with his present estate. This desire is vnsatiable, for men wold be euer hauing of more. Wherfore hee which shall vse this petition, must be grieued for this sinne, and pray with Dauid. Psalm. 119. 36. Incline my hearte to thy commaundements, and not to couetousnesse. And hee 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 mark mens liues, and wee shall see that this is a common disease, in the most, as it is noted. Psal. 4. 6. Who vvill shew vsus any good? This then is a common sin that we ar taught to mourne for.
2. The second want, is our diffidence and distrustfulnes, for the thinges of this life. Men also will shift this off, and say, they wold be sorie to distrust God. But if wee looke to our corrupt nature, man is wonderfull prone to this sinne, for being in prosperitie, we ar not troubled: but if once wee be pressed with aduersitie, then we houle and weep, and as Paul saith, 1. Tim. 6. 10. Men pearce themselues throgh vvith many sorrowes. If any shall lose a parte of his goodes, what then doth hee? 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 redinesse in all estates, to rest on Gods prouidence, whatsoeuer fall out. Psal. 37. 5. Commit thy vvay to the Lord, and trust in him, and hee shall bring it to passe. Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vponupon the Lord, and thie thoughts shal be directed: Whereby we ar admonished to take pains in our callings to gette meate and drink, &c. If the Lorde blesse not our labour, wee must be content: if he do, we must giuegive him thanks. Now for this cause, wee are further to pray to God, that hee would open our eies, & by his spirit, teach vsus in all his good creatures to see his prouidence, and when meanes faile and are contrary, then also to beleeue the same.
5. Errors confuted
1. PApistes teache, that men by workes of grace, may merit life eternall, and increase of justification 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 merite of ours. Now, if we cannot merite a peece of bred, what madnes is it to think, that wee can merite 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 knowe not the causes of thinges, many chances there are: but so, as they are ordered & come to passe by Gods prouidence. Luk. 10. 31. By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way.