help it; but a believer saith, my | God smote it, he grew froward, God hath done it, and I will sub- and because God had killed his mit to it. He who can call God gourd, kill me too, saith he, Johis, knows God loves him as he nah iv. 8. He who is a lover of loves Christ, and designs his sal- the world, can never pray this vation; therefore he will, with prayer heartily, "thy will be St. Paul, take pleasure in re- done;" his heart boils with anger proaches, 2 Cor. xii. 10. And in against God; and when the world every adverse providence yield to is gone, his patience is gone too. God, as the wax to the impres- Get mortified affections to these sion of the seal. sublunary things. forgiven my sin, I will bear any thing, I will not murmur but admire; I will not complain of the burden of affliction, but bless God for removing the burden of sin; the pardoned soul saith this prayer heartily, "Thy will be done." Lord, use thy pruning knife, so long as thou wilt not come with thy bloody axe to hew me down. 5th Means to submission to 7th Means for submission to God in affliction, get an humble God's will, get some good perspirit; a proud man will never suasion your sin is pardoned. stoop to God, he will rather break Feri, Domine, feri, quia peccata than bend; but when the heart mea condonata sunt, smite, is humble, the will is pliable. Lord, smite where thou wilt,' What a vast difference was there said Luther, because my sins between Pharaoh and Eli? Pha- are pardoned." Pardon of sin is raoh cries out, "Who is the a crowning blessing; hath God Lord, that I should obey his voice?" Exod. v. 2. But Eli saith, "It is the Lord, let him do what seems good in his sight," 1 Sam. iii. 18. See the difference between an heart that is swelled with pride, and that which is ballasted with humility; Pharaoh saith, "Who is the Lord?"-Eli, "It is the Lord." An humble soul hath a deep sense of sin,-he sees how he hath provoked God,-he wonders he is not in hell; therefore, whatever God inflicts, he knows it is less than his iniquities deserve; this makes him say, "Lord, thy will be done." O get into an humble posture, the will is never flexible till the heart be humble ! 8th Means. If we would have our wills submit to God, let us not look so much on the dark side of the cloud as the light side; that is, let us not look so much on the smart of affliction, as the good of affliction. "Tis bad to pore all on the smart, as 'tis bad for sore eyes to look too much on the fire; but we should look on the good 6th Means. Get your hearts of affliction; Samson did not loosened from things below; be only look on the lion's carcass, crucified to the world. Whence but on the honey-comb within is children's frowardness, but it, Judges xiv. 8., "He turned when you take away their play-to see the carcass of the lion, and things? When we love the behold, there was honey in the world, and God takes away these carcass.' Affliction is the frightthings from us, then we grow ful lion, but see what honey there froward and unsubmissive to is in it; affliction humbles, puriGod's will. Jonah was exceeding fies, fills us with the consolations glad of the gourd; and when of God; here is honey in the belly of the lion; could we but look and such hard thoughts of God upon the benefit of affliction, cause sullenness and stubbornstubbornness would be turned ness. O let us make a fair and into submissiveness, and we candid interpretation of provishould say, "Thy will be done." dence. Doth God afflict us? Say 9th Means. Pray to God that thus, perhaps he intends us merhe would calm our spirits, and cy in this; he will try us wheconquer our wills. It is no easy ther we will love him in afflicthing to submit to God in afflictions; he is about to mortify tion, there will be risings of the some sin, or exercise some grace; heart; therefore let us pray that he smites the body, that he may what God inflicts righteously, we save the soul. Could we put may bear patiently. Prayer is such a good meaning upon God's the best spell or charm against dealings, we should say, "Thy impatience; prayer doth to the will be done." "Let the righheart as Christ did to the sea when it was tempestuous, he rebuked the wind, and there was a great calm; so, when the passions are up, and the will is apt to mutiny against God, prayer makes a gracious calm in the soul; prayer doth to the heart as the spunge doth to the cannon when hot, it cools it. teous God smite me, and it shall be a kindness, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head," Ps. cxli. 5. 11th and ult. Means. If you would submit to God in affliction, believe that the present condition is best for you. We are not com petent judges; we fancy it is best to have ease and plenty, and have the rock pour out rivers of oil, but God sees affliction best; 10th Means. If we would submit to God's will in affliction, let us make a good interpretation he sees our souls thrive best upon of God's dealings, take all God the bare common; the fall of the doth in the best sense. We are leaf is the spring of our grace. apt to miscontrue God's dealings, Could we believe the present conand put a bad interpretation upon dition is best which God carves them, as Israel, Numb. xx. 4., out to us, the quarrel would soon "Ye have brought the congrega- be at an end, and we should sit tion of the Lord into this wilder- down satisfied with what God ness, that we should die there." doth, and say, "Thy will be = So God hath brought this afflic- done.' So much for this third tion upon us, because he hates petition. us, and intends to destroy us; OF THE FOURTH PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER. MAT. vi. 11., Give us this day our daily beead. In this petition there are two | bread." Hence we learn, that things observable 1st. The the glory of God ought to be preferred before our own personal concerns. order. 2d. The matter. I. The order. First we pray "Hallowed be thy name," before Give us this day our daily "Hallowed be First we pray, thy name, thy kingdom come, thy take place? Minus te amat qui will be done," before we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." God's glory ought to weigh down all before it ; it must be preferred before our dearest concerns. Christ preferred his ambulat cum vita. Credit is a Father's glory before his own jewel highly valued; like preglory, as he was a man, John viii. cious ointment, it casts a fragrant 49, 50., "I honour my Father, smell; but God's glory must be I seek not my own glory." God's dearer than credit or applause; glory is that which is most dear we must be willing to have our to him, it is the apple of his credit trampled upon, if God's eye,-all his riches lie here. As glory may be raised higher. Acts Micah said, Judges xviii. 24., v. 41., the apostles rejoiced "that "What have I more?" so I may they were counted worthy to sufsay of God's glory, what hath he fer shame for his name;" that more? God's glory is the most they were graced so far as to be orient pearl of his crown, which disgraced for Christ. 2d. Do we he will not part with, Isa. xlii. prefer God's glory before our re8., My glory will I not give to lations? Relations are dear, they another.' God's glory is more are of our own flesh and bones; worth than heaven, more worth but God's glory must be dearer, than the salvation of all men's Luke xiv. 26., "If any man souls; better kingdoms be de- come after me, and hate not famolished, better men and angels ther and mother, he cannot be be annihilated, than God lose any my disciple.” Here odium in part of his glory. First we pray suos, is pietas in Deum. "If my that God's name may be hallowed friends (saith Jerom) should perand glorified, before we pray, suade me to deny Christ,-if my "give us our daily bread." We wife should hang about my neck, are to prefer God's glory before if my mother should shew me our nearest concerns; before her breasts that gave me suck,there can be a preferring God's I would trample upon all, and glory before our private concerns, flee to Christ.' We must prefer there must be a new birth God's glory before estate; gold wrought; the natural man seeks is but shining dust, God's glory his own secular interest before must weigh heavier. If it come God's glory, John iii. 31., "He to this, I cannot keep my place is of the earth, earthly." Let of profit, but God's glory will be him have peace and trading, let the rock pour out rivers of oil, Job. xxix. 6., and let God's glory go which way it will, he minds it not. A worm cannot fly and sing as a lark: a natural man, whose heart creeps upon the earth, cannot admire God, or advance his glory, as a man elevated by grace doth. Use. Of trial. Do we prefer God's glory before our private concerns? Doth God's glory eclipsed,-here I must rather suffer in my estate, than God's glory should suffer, Heb. x. 34. 4th. We must prefer God's glory before our life, Rev. xii. 11., They loved not their own lives to the death." Ignatius called his fetters his spiritual jewels, he wore them as a chain of pearl. Gordius the martyr said, "It is to my loss, if you bate me any thing of my sufferings." This argues grace crescent, and elevat ed in an high degree. Who but bounty; we have nothing but a soul inflamed in love to God what God gives us out of his can set God highest on the store-house; we cannot have one throne, and prefer him above all bit of bread but from God. The private concerns? devil persuaded our first parents that, by disobeying God, they should be as gods," Gen. iii. 5.; but we may now see what goodly gods we are, that we have not a bit of bread to put in our mouths, unless God give it us; here is an humbling consideration. II. The second thing in the petition is the matter of it. "Give us this day our daily bread." The sum of this petition is, that God would give us such a competency in these outward things, as he sees most excellent for us. It is much like that prayer of Agur. Prov. xxx. 8., "Feed me with food convenient for me;" give me a viaticum, a bait by the way, enough to bear my charges till I come to heaven, and it sufficeth. Let me explain the words, "Give us this day our daily bread." (Give) Hence note, that the good things of this life are the gifts of God: he is the donor of all our blessings. "Give us :" not only faith, but food is the gift of God; not only daily grace is from God, but daily bread;" every good thing comes from God, James i. 17., Every good gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." Wisdom is the gift of God, Isa. xxviii. 26., "His God doth instruct him to discretion." Riches are the gift of God, 2 Chron. i. 12., "I will give thee riches." Peace is the gift of God, Ps. cxlvii. 14., " He maketh peace in thy borders." Health, which is the cream of life, is the gift of God, Jer. xxx. 17., "I will restore health to thee." Rain is the gift of God, Job v. 10., "Who giveth rain on the earth." All comes from God; he makes the corn to grow and the herbs to flourish. 2d. Is all a gift? Then we are to seek every mercy from God by prayer, "give us this day." The tree of mercy will not drop its fruit, unless shaken by the hand of prayer. Whatever we have, if it do not come in the way of prayer, it doth not come in the way of love; it is given, as Israel's quails, in anger. If every thing be a gift, we do not deserve it, we are not fit for it, unless we ask for this alms. And must we go to God for every mercy? How wicked are they who, instead of going to God for food when they want, they go to the devil; they make a compact with him; and if he will help them to a livelihood, they will give him their souls. Better starve than go to the devil for provender. I wish there be none in our age guilty of this, who, when they are in want, use indirect means for a livelihood: they consult with witches, who are the devil's oracles; the end of these will be fearful, as that of Saul was, whom the Lord is said to have killed, because he asked counsel at a familiar spirit. 3d. If all be a gift, then it is not a debt; we cannot say to God, Use 1st. See our own poverty as that creditor said, Mat. xviii. and indigence: we live all upon 28., "Pay me that thou owest." alms, and upon free-gifts, "give Who can make God a debtor, or us this day." All we have is do any act that is obliging and from the hand of God's royal meritorious? Whatever we re ceive from God is a gift; we can 66 keeps light for the meridian. The honey-comb of God's bounty is still dropping. (2.) God delights in giving, Micah vii. 18., "He delighteth in mercy." As the mother de lights to give the child the breast, God loves we should have the breast of mercy in our mouth. (3.) God gives to his very enemies. Who will send in provisions to his enemy? Men use to spread nets for their enemies, God spreads a table. The dew drops on the thistle as well as the rose; the dew of God's bounty drops upon the worst. Those who have their mouths opened against God, yet God puts bread in those mouths. O the royal bounty of God! Ps. lii. 1., “The godness of God endureth continually." Swinish sinners God puts jewels upon, and feeds them every day. 5th. If all be a gift, see then the odious ingratitude of men, who sin against their giver. God feeds them, and they fight against him; he gives them their bread, 4th. If all be a gift, "give us and they give him affronts. How this day," then take notice of unworthy is this? Would we God's goodness; there is nothing not cry shame of him who had a in us can deserve or requite God's friend always feeding him with kindness; yet such is the sweet-money, and he should betray and ness of his nature, he gives us injure that friend. Thus unrich provision, and feeds with the finest of the wheat. Pindar saith, it was an opinion of the people of Rhodes, that Jupiter rained down gold upon the city: God hath rained down golden mercies upon us; he is upon the giving hand. Observe three things in God's giving : gratefully do sinners deal with God, they do not only forget his mercies, but abuse them, Jer. v. 7., "When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adul tery." O how horrid is this, to sin against a bountiful God!-to strike as it were those hands that relieve us! This gives a dye (1.) He is not weary of giv- and tincture to men's sins, and ing; the springs of mercy are makes them crimson. How ever running. God did not only many make a dart of God's mer dispense blessings in former ages, cies, and shoot at him? He but he still gives gifts to us; as gives them wit, and they serve the sun not only enriches the the devil with it; he gives them world with its morning light, but | strength, and they waste it among |