The Power of Godliness, Book 6 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the Fourth Petition, shewing the signification of the Word Give. And what is meant by Bread, and Daily Bread. Why this Petition, for Temporal, is put before others, for Spiritual Things.
Question. WHat is the fourth Petition?
A. Give us this day our daily Bread.
Q. What doth this word Give signifie?
A. To Give signifies First,1. To appoint or ordain. Josh. 9.27. Rev. 1….3. 2. To teach or instruct; a… receive is to learn. Gen. 23.9, 13 Prov 9.9. Prov. 4 10. Psal 28.4. Numb 21.21. Psal. 6.10. Gen. 20.6. & 31.7. Psal. 55 22. & 66.9. Exo. 3.19. Deut. 16, 17. 2 Cor. 8.5. Gen. 28.20. Psal. 2.8. Ioh. 3.16. Gen. 31 9. Gen 32.10. 2 Cor. 9 9, 20. To sell for a full price or valuable consideration. For as much money as it is worth, he shall give it. Secondly, To recompense according to desert: Give them according to their deeds, give them after the work of their hands, render to them their desert. Thirdly, To permit or suffer. Thou wilt not give or suffer thy holy one to see corruption. Fourthly, To consecrate and offer willingly. Every man shall give according to the gift of his hand. These gave themselves to the Lord. Fifthly, To bestow freely and graciously. So Jacob vowed, If God will give me Bread to eat, and raiment to put on. God hath taken away the Cattell of your Father, and given them unto me And thus it is taken in this Petition: for God is not indebted to any man, but whatsoever we receive from him, is of free gift. The full sense of the word is, Give possession, give right, give continuance, give leave and ability to use and keep aright and holy; give a blessing to the right and holy use of daily Bread.
Q. What is meant by Bread?
A. 1. Christ is c…ed the true and living Bread that came down from Heaven.Ioh 6.32, 50, 5…, 55. Isa. 55.1, 2. …rov. 9.5. Heb 5 14. Jer. …5.16. Heb. 6 5, 6. Act. 20 7 1 Cor. 10.…6. 1 King. 13.9. Gen 14 18. & 45.23. Gen. 47.13. Psal. 1…4.15. Ruth 1.…. Lev. 3.11. & 2….6. Numb 28.2. Eccl 9 7. Gen. 3.19. & 18.5. Exo. 2.20. & 18.12. Isa. 58.7. Ezek. 18.7. Isa. 3.1 Deut. 8.3. Lev. 26.5, 26. Mat. 4.4. Prov. 27.27. Jer. 11.19. Psal. 147.9. 2 King. 6.22, 23. Gen. 31.54. Mar. 6.36. with Mat. 14, 15. Mat 15.2. Luk. 14.1. Prov. 31.14. Hag. 1.…. 2. The Word of God is compared to Milk, Water, strong Meat, Wine; and we are said to eat or feed upon it: though it be not expresly called Bread, unless it be once in the Proverbs. 3. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is called Bread. 4. Material Bread made of Corne to nourish this natural life, is signified by it; as when Bread and Water are distinctly named, or Bread and Wine, or Bread and Meat. 5. Bread is taken for the grain whereof it is made. 6. It is taken for all kindes of Meats, whereby the natural life is sustained and cherished. In the sweate of thy brows thou shalt eat thy Bread, that is, thou shalt get thee food. The Lord will take away the stay of Bread, and the stay of Water, that is, of Meat and Drink. Man liveth not by Bread onelyonly. Goates milk is called Bread; Honey, 1 Sam. 14 28. Flesh, Job 6.7. The fruit of Trees is called Bread. The food of Beasts is called Bread. To set Bread and Water before men, is to prepare great Provision. To buy Bread is interpreted to buy Victuals. To eat Bread with one, is to dine or banquet with him. And generally all food necessary for the maintenance of this life is signified by this word Bread.
Q. How must it be taken in this Petition?
A. 1. Some understand it of the spiritual Bread that cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world, even Christ himself the spiritual Manna, promised in Paradise, figured in the wilderness, fore-spoken by the Prophets, shadowed in the Law, manifested in the Gospel. The reasons they render of this exposition are; First, this prayer is a compendiary sum of all the holy Doctrine concerning God and our salvation in Christ, wherein it cannot be thought, that he himself and our incorporating in him (the root and basis of all good things we have from him) should be omitted, being that which he so presseth us to seek,Jo. 3.3. & 6.32. &c. and giveth the first place unto in all his doctrines. Secondly, the methode and order of the petitions were not so natural, to ask earthly benefits before heavenly bl…ssings. Thirdly, the Analogy and correspondence of these later petitions with the former three; for as they beginning with the great and glorious name of God, fall afterwads to his adjoynts of the Kingdom, and honour: so these begin with Christ and regeneration through him, the fruits whereof are justification and sanctification, which follow in their place: as the Apostle agreeably hereunto reduceth the benefits we have by Christ, to these three heads, and that in the same order: regeneration the root and mother of the rest: justification and sanctification,1 Jo. 5.8. the two twins, and noble pair that cometh from it. There he three that bear record in earth, to the soul and conscience of every true believer: The spirit or part regenerate: Water, whereby we are washed and cleansed from our sin,Heb. 9.14. 1 Jo. 1.7, 9. 1 Jo. 5.6. and blood purging and abolishing both the root and fruits of it; which is attributed to the blood of Christ. And that is so to be taken in this place, not for expiation, is gathered by that the Apostle said before, This is he that came by Water and Blood, that is to say, not our justifier onelyonly, which all men do willingly imbrace: but to sanctifie us also, which men will not easily be brought unto. Fourthly, Seeing it is plain, that by obtaining pardon for our sins, and righteousness in Christ (which is asked in the fifth petition) consequently we have all the blessedness that belongeth to it, one part whereof is this, to have all outward things, as additaments and appendances cast unto us, so far as God hath appointed them for our good;Mat. 6.33. and further then that, we have no warrant to desire them: It seemeth not so likely, that either our Saviour Christ would rent these things asunder, and transplant one from another, especially to set the fruit before the branch that beareth it, or in so short a sum admit of repetition, which must needs follow, if being else where included, we ask them here by name. And this also may serve to prove, that no defect or maime can justly be imputed to this absolute form of prayer, though outward things come not within compass of the fourth petition. Fifthly, the doubling of the Article, This our bread this daily, sheweth it to be no common Bread,Io. 6.32. but a Bread of some rare and singular qualityes; the very like doubling of the Article to that purpose, we find in the self same argument, the bread the true. And most aptly is Bread here taken up, to express our spiritual conjunction with Christ, beeing that which to the worlds end must represent him in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper. Sixthly, the word translated daily, which maketh all the doubt, being never read but in this prayer onelyonly, and therefore of an uncertain signification, is derived from foreign, not as it is expounded competent or sufficient for our nature, that is, for our sustenance and nourishment (for of that signification of the word, you shall hardly find any example, as H. Stephanus in his Greek Thesaurus noteth) but in that sense which the Scripture useth it (and never otherwise) as it signifieth wealth and substance:Luc. 14.12, 13. Tit. 2.14. from whence are derived two words of neer affinity, foreign here, and foreign, one noting that, which as the remain and overplus of our substance, we lay up in store and keep for a Jewel; the other, that which excelleth all wealth and substance,Rom. 9.5. Eph. 4.6. Ps. 119.14. which (among many other) is one signification of the preposition foreign) And so doth foreign aptly answer foreign. I rejoyce in the way of thy testimonies, as above all substance. And it seemeth that our Saviour Christ doth herein allude to that saying of Solomon, Cant. 8.11.If a man would give all the substance of his house, for this love, he would be utterly despised. Lastly, It is not probable that in so heavenly compendious prayer Christ hath taught us to ask any terrene or earthly thing. This exposition is confirmed by the consent of Fathers: but amongst the Papists themselves it is disallowed for these reasons.Cham. tom. 4. de Euch. 1. 9 cap. 11. § 26. Maldon. in Mat. 6.11. Mat. 6.34. Jo. 6.34. & 4.15. Luc. 11.3. Bell. tom 4. de oper. bon. in part. … cap 6 Gen. 28.20. P…o. 30.8. Mat. 14.20. Jam. 5.13. 1 Reg. 8 35. 1 Pet 5.7. Ph. 4.6. 1. We pray Give us this day, as though we were forbid to beg for the morrow, as it is explained in the verses following. But the spiritual bread we may ask not for a day onelyonly, but all the dayes of our life. 2 We ask this Bread as a thing necessary for us every day, as it is manifest by the words, Our daily bread: But it is not necessary to receive the Sacrament every day. 3. The examples of the Saints, the commandment of Christ teach that earthly blessings may lawfully be asked. If God will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, saith Jacob: Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me, saith Agur, Pray that your flight be not in the Winter, saith our Saviour, Is any man afflicted, let him pray? Is the heaven shut that it doth not rain, pray and the Lord will hear? We are exhorted to cast our care upon God, not for spiritual things onelyonly, but in all things, making our requests known unto him. But if earthly blessings must be desired, it is most agreeable to reason to refer them to this petition, the words themselves sounding so clearly for it. If the desire of temporal blessings may be referred to any other petition, it is indirectly, not as the proper object of that petition, and that to many as well as one. The reasons alledged to the contrary are easily answered, as will appear in the exposition of the words following. 2. The Papists generally, and some Protestants expound it of bread Sacramental and corporal both. Their reasons be,Bell. ubi sup. first the Lords prayer should be very imperfect and maimed, if the meat of the body should be craved so diligently, without any mention of spiritual meat. 2. In the same Chapter the Lord doth prohibite the care of corporal things,Rhem. annot in Mat. 6.11. therefore it is not probable he would teach us to ask corporal things onelyonly or principally in this petition. 3. The Bread that here we ask is superstantial, that is, the bread that passeth or excelleth all creatures. But this reason fighteth with their opinion, as it doth with the truth: For if the Bread we ask excelleth all creatures, how can we beg corporal sustenance under the name of Bread? Bellarmine maketh this objection, and returneth such an answer as directly overthroweth the Jesuites argument. The word foreign saith he,Bellar. ubi supra if we consider the sound, doth signifie supersubstantial: but if we consider the subject matter, it is no more but substantial or essential, that it may seem to be referred not so much to the excellency, as the necessity of Bread. For the Greek Fathers, who best knew the force of the Greek word, as Basil, Gregory Nyssen, In Qu. brev. q. 25…, orat. 4. de orat. Dom vise Iansen. har Evang. c 41. Catech. Trid. par. 4 c. 13. q. 5, 6. E…even copies of the old transl…ion in Mat. hath …aily bread. Francis. Luca. Burgensis. Maldonat. in. Math. 6.11.Chrysostom, Theophilact and Euthymius in their Commentaries upon Mathew the 6. do say, foreign to be substantial bread, that is, bread fit for the nourishment of my substance. Whereunto the ancient Interpreter had respect, who renders it Daily, that is, what bread we daily need. And whereas the vulgar edition in this place of Mathew, hath supersubstantial; He answereth, first there be many antient books of the vulgar edition who have not supersubstantial, but Daily. As it is manifest that Cyprian read it, and the whole Latin Church, which in the Lords prayer, which without doubt it took out of Mathew, hath alwayes prayed and prayeth, Our daily bread give us this day. Moreover as the Greeks read foreign, and yet having no regard of the preposition expound it substantial, why may not we Latines read it supersubstantial, that Word may answer to word, and yet without regard of the preposition expound it substantial? Add that when the vulgar Latin edition doth render the same word in Luke Daily, in Mathew supersubstantial, the word supersubstantial must so be expounded, that it may fitly agree with the word Daily. But it will most fitly consent, if by the word supersubstantial, we say that bread is signified which is daily necessary for the nourishing and conserving of our substance. Finally, supersubstantial may be the same that very substantial: as superabundare is valde abundare. In which signification supersubstantial bread, and daily bread is altogether the same. For therefore it is very necessary, because it is very substantial. Thus far Bellarmine directly contrary to the Annotation of the Jesuites. But not the reason of the Jesuites onelyonly, but that opinion of our adversaries is disallowed by Maldonate, for the reasons before laid down out of him against the first opinion. To them that object [as in the second reason above mentioned in defence of our adversaries opinion] it is not probable that in so heavenly a prayer Christ would teach us to ask any earthly thing onelyonly or principally: He answereth, that Christ intended not to command us to seek earthly things, to which we are prone by nature: but to instruct whence and how we ought to seek them. For he teacheth us to seek them,Vis. Iansen har. Evang. cap. 41. pag. 262. 263. not from earth, as bruite beasts, but of God, as men; not for all ages, but for the present time. But this is not an earthly, but an heavenly precept; and that so far, that very few obey it though Christ have taught. Thus this second opinion is sufficiently confuted by the adversaries themselves. Further their exposition may be disproved by these arguments. First our Saviour Chr st, who condemned vain repetition, and by a form of prayer provided a remedy against the same, is made here of the Jesui es to fault against his own rule: for that which is contained in the second petition, they teach to be asked in the fourth. Secondly, they lodge in one petition things of divers kinds, and far removed in nature, spiritual, and corporal, heavenly and earthly: yea (according to their dotage) the creature and the Creator, which if they were well herbinged should not have lyen so neer together. Thirdly, hereof it should …ollow, that he taught them expresly to ask that which he had neither institu…ed, nor instructed them of, and whereof his disciples were utterly ignorant. For the Sacrament of the Supper was not as yet instituted,Iansen. ubi supra. and the Sacraments of the old Law, they make but bare and naked figures or signes, severed from the spiritual food that they represent. Lastly. seeing it is also quotidian or daily bread as they confess it, it ought every day to be asked of the Lord, and consequently daily to be received, if it may be come by: unless men will mock the Lord, in asking that which they will not take, when it is offered. Whereby first, are condemned the elder Churches which used this great liberty: secondly, they bewray their own sacriledge, that make no shew of offer of it unto the people but once a year: whereupon they may better call it their yearly, then their daily bread. Thirdly, they bewray again the foolish superstition of the whole Clergy, to whom it is accounted for an hainous crime, if they consecrate the Fryday and Saturday before Easter. 3. The true and general received opinion is, that by bread in this petition is meant all corporal food, yea all things necessary to the maintenance of this life,Gen. 28.20. Mat 6.32. 1 Tim. 6.8. Act. 14.16. usually comprehended under these two heads, food and raiment. Also by bread are meant the causes and good effects of bread, as fruitful seasons, good temperature of air, health and chearfulness, as the Apostle saith, He filled our hearts with food and gladness. And because in this petition Christ would comprehend all corporal things which are necessarily required for the passing of this life:Gen 25.21. Mat. 8.6. 1 Tim. 2.2. 1 Reg. 8.36. therefore the word Bread in this place is rightly extended further, to all things which in policy, oeconomy, in the f…rtility of the earth, and such like are required to the necessary, honest, quiet passage o… this life.
Q If this petition concern temporal things, why is it put before the other for spiritual?
A. 1. In the ranking of these petitions our Saviour did not intend to note what is first or last in order.Calv. har. Evag. in Mat. 6.11. Es. 44.22. & 59.2. Lam. 3.44. Scult. deprecat. cap. 25. For seeing our sins are as a cloud that hinder the access of our requests into the presence of the Lord, and separate betwixt us and his mercy, it is necessary that we ask first the pardon of our sins. 2. If order must be respected in these petitions, we may say, that Christ did not will to follow the order of dignity, priority or excellency; as if the temporal estate of the body were more needful, more excellent, or more to be desired, than the eternal life of the soul: but of nature and infirmity, as the natural life is before the spiritual, and a man must have a being in nature, before he can have a being in grace; and a comfortable natural life is both the fitter subject for the life of grace, and fitter instrument by which grace worketh, and doth the will of God upon earth. Righteous life presupposeth life, and to live vertuously it is impossible except we live. The Apostle in exhorting men to contentment,1 Tim. 6.8. although they have in this world no more then very bare food and raiment, giveth us thereby to understand, that those are even the lowest of things necessary, that if we should be stripped of all those things without which we might possibly be, yet these must be left; that destitution in those is such an impediment, as till it be removed, suffereth not the mind of man to admit any other care. For this cause first God assigned Adam maintenance of life, and then appointed him a law to observe.Gen. 1.29. Gen. 2.17. Gen. 4.2. Gen. 4.26. For this cause after men began to grow to a number, the first thing we read they gave themselves unto, was the tilling of the earth, and feeding of cattel. Having by this mean whereon to live, the principal actions of their life afterward are noted by the exercise of their Religion. Therefore the petition wherein we are taught to desire corporal food, is set before them that concern the good of our soul. Of this order we may give these reasons further. 1. Request to have a comfortable natural life and being upon earth, doth follow immediately upon the request of doing Gods will on earth, because the dead cannot praise God. And if a man be not gathered into Christs Kingdom before death, there is no hope: For there is no work, nor device, Is. …8.18, 19. Eccl. 9.5.nor knowledge in the grave. Wherefore because no man can do the will of God on earth, except God give him a comfortable life upon earth, this petition followeth next the other in a most holy order. 2. It is usual in Scripture, that the thing which is least to be insisted upon, is placed first in order, before that which is sometimes more excellent that having finished the less worthy subject in few words, it might dwell more largely upon that subject which was more worthy. So our Saviour in one petition, and in few words doth express the desires of a natural life; but spendeth more words about the spiritual life, in the petitions following. 3. Gods indulgence and yeelding to mans weakness might cause this order; giving him leave to ask things more sensible, thereby raising him to ask spiritual.Jo. 4.53. Gen. 28.20. As our Saviour by curing mens bodies, did lead them on to know that he could and would cure their souls: letting it appear to them, he could as easily say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, as to say, Rise and walk. In like manner, men may by the experiment they have of Gods power and goodness to preserve the body, be led to seek unto him, with assurance that he both can and will save their souls. 4. In this petition Christ teacheth us not to seek bread or things necessary, to which by nature we are prone of our selves without any spur, but whence and in what sort we ought to seek them. For he lessoneth us to seek them, not from earth,Hac petitione cavet, ne peccata fiant, sequente, quomodo facta remittantur. Maldon. in 6.11. as bruite beasts, but from God, as Christians: not for all times, but for the present day. But this is an heavenly, not an earthly precept, and that so far, that few have learned it of Christ our Teacher. 5. It might be added, that when Christ teacheth us to ask bread, he hath not so much regard of the bodie, as of the soul. For he cutteth off the greatest and most vehement affection, from which the greater part of sins doth bud and spring.
Q What is meant by Daily Bread?
A. The Greek word foreign hath bred great difficulty, and not being used in any other place of Scripture, is differently interpreted of Divines. Some render it consubstantial,M…rius Victor. advers. Arri. Maldon. ubi supra. Drus. Epist 26. Piscat. in Math. 6.11. Act. 7.26 & 16.11. & 23.11. Lib 5. de Sacram Hierom. com. ad Ezek. 18 Aug. de verb. Dei. sec. 29. Deut. 32.29. 1 Par. 20.1. Prov. 27.1. Gorranus superadditum substantia ad sustentationem. Basil. inter reg. 252. Em. Sa. Ad substantiae nostrae conservationem necessarium. Luc. 11.4. Barradim: Panem ad substantialitatem. hoc est, panem nostrae substantia necessarium. This is the forc… of the preposition foreign, ut aliquid superadditum designet. Mat. 6.33. In quaest compend. exlicat. def. 242. Luc. 15.12. that is, bread of the same substance with us. Hierom writeth that he read in the Gospel of the Hebrews foreign crastinum, as though there should be some opposition between this day and to morrow, and we should beg for this Day, Bread for to morrow. And the opposition of the words doth well agree, but the sentence doth not agree: for Christ doth not teach, but forbid us to be careful for that morrow. Others translate it succedaneum, that is, which succeedeth to bread already spent, and that it succeed the nature of our body requireth, the word being derived of the participle foreign; of which we say, foreign, sc. foreign, that is, the day succeeding, Ambrose confesseth and Hierom doth not dissemble, that foreign doth signifie that which cometh or succeedeth. Xenophon speaketh thus, foreign, vertente seu presente anno. And foreign sequente hyeme. For those things are called foreign which are to come. And Demosthenes against Midias, calleth the assembly that was next to follow foreign. In the seventy it is found used for the time to come. And as Plutarch in Sertorio speaketh foreign, they went about all the houses in order, or they went about from house to house. So bread foreign may be adventans or adventitius, which it sufficeth not to have taken once, but which in this vicissitude of changing times, had need to come oft every day. And hereunto agree those compositions, that Hesiode calleth that victum foreign, which is sufficient and necessary for a year. Plutarch in Pericles calleth that foreign, which is required for every day. It is translated by some superveniens, that is, as Varinus interpreteth it foreign, that we attribute it not to our industry, but to the gift of Cod. Or, that bread is not the principal thing which is to be desired in this petition, but adventitium, adjectitium, accessorium. It is ordinarily expounded Bread fit for the nourishment of my substance, or agreeable to my condition. Thus Basil, Suydas, Theophilact, and Euthimius, and of later Writers, very many expound it. Two words be derived of foreign as it signifies substance or riches foreign that signifieth a peculiar select, notable treasure, and foreign that signifies vulgar, frugal, necessary, sufficient. And so this Petition doth excellently consent with that of Solomon: Prov. 38.8. Chemnit. har. Evan cap. 51. bez. annot. in Mat. 6.11. Mercer. in Prov. 30.8. Jansen. ubi supra.Feed me with food convenient for me. And may well be translated essential, substantial, elimentary Bread, not that which is delicate, not superfluous. There be some that think it most fitly rendered Daily, as may be understood by that which followeth, Give us this Day. For there is no antithesis of words, but a similitude and likeness of the sentence. And it signifies, that God doth give necessary food to his servants every day. Therefore we ask of God, that he would not suffer our Diary to be wanting to us this day. For we speak to God as Children, who going to school in the morning, in the first place do require the appointed Portion of Bread for that Day.Gen. 7.13. Lev. 23.14. And then it is an Hebraism: for as the substance of the Day is put for the Day it self: so the Portion of Bread which answereth to the present day, may well be called substantial. The Syriack Interpreter for daily Bread, readeth, Bread of our want or necessity; whose exposition may well agree with most before alleged.Jer. 22.15. Lev. 26.5. Eccl. 5.11. 1 Tim. 6.8. These are the several conjectures of Learned Divines touching the signification of this word, who yet agree in substance, that daily Bread fit for our condition is here begged of God. For the word Daily may serve for each Interpretation, as it is evident in ordinary use of speech; where daily is applied to what doth succeed, is vulgur, must be received daily.