Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 42
42. Q. What is the fourth Petition?
A. Give us this day our daily bread.
Here thou prayeſt for the beſt principall means for the hallowing of Gods name. What is prayed for in the 4th. Petition.Thou canſt not hallow Gods name without grace; therefore thou prayeſt, Thy Kingdome come. The plea of grace is but poor except there be practice; therefore thou prayeſt, Thy will be done. And, now, becauſe thou art unfit to ſeek Gods Kingdome, and to do his will, except thou haſt the ſupplies of this life: therefore thou calleſt for bread. Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, were diſtracted in famines. Iſrael did want bread and murmured. Many poor Chriſtians ſhine not as they ſhould for want of neceſſary proviſions: and ſo it may be with thee. Therefore that they, and thou mayſt hallow Gods name, by being in his kingdome, and doing of his will, therefore Chriſt learns thee next to pray for daily bread.
By Bread, thou muſt underſtand all worldly neceſſaries. Luk. 14.1.Bread in the Scripture doth ſometimes ſignifie a Feaſt, as when Chriſt went into the Phariſees houſe to eat bread, that is, to feaſt with him: Matth. 14.2ſometimes it ſignifies ordinary diet, as when it is ſaid of the Phariſees, they waſh not before they eate bread, that is, take their diet: ſometimes it ſignifies fruit, Jer. 11.19.as when the Prophet ſaith, deſtroy the tree with the bread, that is, the fruit of it: Prov. 31.14.and ſometimes it ſignifies proviſion of all ſorts, as when it is ſaid of the good houſewife, ſhe fetcheth her bread from afarre, Ezec. 4.16. Pſal. 104.15.that is, all proviſion from her family. All this is asked under the name of bread, both becauſe bread is the ſtaffe of life, and ſtrengthens man: and becauſe the very name of bread onelyonly might reſtraine from gluttony, and drunkenneſſe. Thou craveſt that t u mayſt obtaine bread by gift (Give us). Pſal. 105.15.Thou doeſt not ſay, let me enjoy what I have, or render my own bread unto me, or let me be my own carver; but Give us. God gives it by bleſſing the earth with plenty: Hoſ. 2.21. Pſal. 128. Pſal. 104.by making thee to eat the labour of thy hands: by bleſſing the creatures to ſtrengthen thee: and by giving an holy uſe of them. He gives it to wicked men and ſends leanneſſe withall into their ſoules: Matth. 4.but he makes his people live not by bread onelyonly, but by every word of God. Thus thou doeſt acknowledge God, the ſupreame Lord of all creatures, that thou mayſt be humbled under his hands for wants, and thankfull to him for enjoyments. Thou craveſt not onelyonly that bread thou haſt uſe of, but what thou haſt right unto, (Our bread). Though thou poſſeſſeſt it, Job 20.14.23.yet it will doe thee no good except God bleſſe it. Though God bleſſe it, it will doe thee no good except God keep it, Pſal. 127.1.and preſerve it for thee. Though God keep it for thee, it will doe thee no good except thou be enabled to make uſe of it: for when ſickneſſe comes, Pſal. 107.thy ſoule will abhorre all manner of food. Yea, though it be poſſeſſed, and bleſſed, and kept for uſe, yet will it doe thee no good if it be anothers bread, and not thine. There are that eate the bread of violence, Prov. 4.17. Prov. 20.17.and the bread of deceit; but thou wouldſt not, and therefore thou ſayſt, Give us our bread. Thou craveſt this bread not onelyonly for thy ſelfe, but for others, under this word, (us). Men are apt to think their throat cut with all fat morſels that goe beſides themſelves. But Chriſt learneth thee to pray for others, and for thy ſelfe for others uſes. Thou wouldſt have this bread given thee this day, or day by day. The foole ſaith, Luk. 12.19.Soule thou haſt ſtored up much for many yeares: but the wiſdome of God teacheth thee to crave but for the day. Not as if thou mayſt not provide as the Ant, and Joſeph for a raynie day; Joh. 6.for Chriſt will have thee to gather up the broken meat that nothing be loſt: but becauſe he would not have thee diſtruſt, or be diſcontent, or ſelf-confident. Laſtly, 1 Tim. 6.9, 10.thou craveſt this day our daily bread, that is, fit, and ſufficient to ſupport thy eſſence, and being in nature, and ſtate. Thou wouldſt have it fit to doe thee good: not a ſtone for bread, or a ſcorpion for a fiſh. Thou wouldſt have it bread of neceſſitie, not of wantonneſſe. And thou wouldſt have it food convenient for thy nature, and perſon. Prov. 30.8.Oh the wiſdome of Chriſt who teacheth thee in ſo few words to aske for ſo much? under bread thou prayeſt for meat, drink, and cloath, health, peace, liberty, fruitfull ſeaſons, and joy of heart, that thou mayſt be the better able to hallow Gods name. Under the word, Give, thou prayeſt God to diſpoſe to thee an honeſt courſe of life, and his bleſſing upon it. Under the word, Our, thou prayeſt God to ſanctifie thy right in things, and to apply them unto thee by honeſt labour, and prayers. Under the word, (us), wherein thou includeſt others, thou prayeſt for contentment, againſt repining at others, or engroſſing to thy ſelfe: and for willingneſſe that all men may have their ſhare. Under the word (this day), thou prayeſt for painfulneſſe, againſt idleneſſe; for frugalitie, againſt ryot; and for liberality, againſt covetouſneſſe. Under the word (Daily bread), thou prayeſt for ſupply in due ſeaſon, and for ſufficiency both for thy nature, and perſon.
Therefore (my childe) ſet thy heart aright for grounding thy prayers upon this Petition. Pray it for thy ſelf: for he that is wicked to himſelf cannot be good to any man. Pray it for thy family, when thou haſt one. 1 Tim. 5.8. Prov. 31.15 28.Thou muſt not pluck out feathers from thy wings, that thou canſt neither flye thy ſelf, nor ſhelter them. Pray it for the houſhold of faith, that they may not want bread that call upon the name of the Lord. Pray it for the Poor, Joh. 31.17, 18, 19, 20. Prov. 30.9. Rō. 12.20.that they may have bread to keep them from ſtealing, and ſo, taking Gods name in vain. Pray it for thy enemies alſo. It is ſtrange fire to offer thy prayers to the God of peace, with any revengefull anger in them. Do but think what diſhonourable ſhifts men may be put unto if they want bread, as to lye and flatter for a morſell of bread. This made David play the fool before Achis, and to beg his bread of churliſh Nabal. Think how few uſe the creatures aright, and what worlds of gluttonies, drunkenneſſes, thefts, oppreſſions, covetouſneſſes do flye for vengeance on all hands. Think how apt we are to bee without pietie, and charitie, in the uſe of creatures. And think how comfortable it will be to enjoy every thing from Gods gift and bleſſing, both in life and death. This will make thee zealouſly put up this Petition both for thy ſelf, and others, Give us this day our daily bread.