all, if he had had the fame Temptations to neglect the reft. 3. They that do not take care to grow better, and to improve in Religion and Virtue, cannot be faid to use this Petition fincerely. For he that defires to do God's Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven, does thereby defire, if he understands what he fays, to make greater Proficiency in the Way of his Duty than he has done, that by degrees he might perfect Holiness in the Fear of God. But how can he be faid to defire this, who does but keep at a Stay at the beft, and thinks his Condition good enough, and troubles not himself to make any Improvement in Virtue and Holiness? We would fain find out what God has not told us, what the Limits are that divide between the Sincere and the Hypocrite, what those Degrees of Goodness are which are just neceffary to Salvation, and lefs than which cannot fave; and the reafon of this is plain, because then we fhould have been very apt to ftop there; and when we had once come fo far, it would have been a very difficult thing to perfuade us to go any farther. And this had been a very great Defect and Imperfection in the Inftitution of the Chriftian Religion, which pretends to lead Men to the Highest Degrees of Goodness that we can attain to in this Life. Wherefore inftead of fuch a particular Distinction be N 2 tween tween the Bounds of a State of Grace and a State of Damnation, the Gofpel calls upon us to grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ, to prefs forward towards the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Fefus, to forget thofe Things that are bebind, and to reach forth to thofe Things which are before,i. e. thofe Attainments that we are yet to make; and to this purpose our Lord has taught us to pray that we may do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven, plainly implying thereby, that we are to grow better and better, and to make our Obedience more perfect; of which altho' we cannot be fenfible within the Compass of a fhort Time, as we cannot difcern how natural Bodies grow, yet in larger Periods of Time it may be eafily difcern'd whether we improve or not, whether we have subdued our Paffions, and are lefs under the Power of Temptations, whether we can more easily refift them, whether we take more Pleasure in doing Good, and are more framed to it, than we have been fome Years ago. In fhort, because Holiness cannot be perfected all at once, and we yet pray that we may do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven, it plainly follows that we muft aim at Perfection by continual Improvement. And if we make not this one Part Part of our Business, I do not see how we can fincerely use this Petition. For in all our Prayers to God, wherein we defire of him fuch Things as we contribute to by our own Endeavours, if our own Endeavours be wanting, our Prayers cannot be fincere. Now in this Petition we pray that we and all others may live in the Observance of all God's Commandments, that we may readily and chearfully do every thing that God requires of us, and patiently bear all Afflictions he fends us, that we may love him with all our Hearts, and ferve him in Lowlinefs and Humility, with Perfeverance and Improvement unto the End. And fuch Prayer indeed fuppofes God's Grace to be neceffary for all this, but withal it fuppofes our Diligence to be as neceffa ry. And let us always remember that we oblige our felves to do what we can when we beg the Divine Grace to help us. And when we are once fortified with Refolution fo to do, we are thoroughly prepared to put up this excellent Petition to God, Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, SERMON. VII. The Fifth Sermon on the LORD's PRAYER. T MATTH. VI. xi. Give us this Day our daily Bread. Hofe Petitions in the Lord's Prayer, of which we have already difcourfed, relpect our Duty to God, being external Expreffions of our Reverence to his Majefty, of our Love to his Goodness, and of our Obedience to his Authority. The three remaining Petitions do more immediately respect our own Welfare, and are the proper Expreffions of our Dependence upon God; the first of them being this, Give us this Day our daily Bread. Of which I fhall difcourfe under thefe Two Heads. Firft, Of the Meaning of this Petition. And, Secondly, Of the Inftruction it affords, that is, how we are to understand it, and what we are to learn by it. As to the former, I. By 'Bread we are to understand all Things neceffary for the Support and Comfort of our Lives. For this being of moft neceffary and univerfal Ufe, has obtain'd not only in Scripture, but in common Difcourfe all over the World, to be put very often for all the Neceffaries of Life. Thus Poverty is expreffed by want of Bread, and Profperity by Fulness of Bread. And thus in Agur's Prayer we meet with an Expreffion not unlike, Give me neither Poverty nor Riches, feed me with Food convenient for me. For Food convenient being the Medium between Poverty and Riches, fuppofes a Competency of all other Goods, the Abundance whereof is Riches, and the Scarcity whereof is Poverty. There is no Difficulty at all in this. It is obvious enough that Bread is put here to include Food, and Rayment, and Dwelling, with all the other common and neceffary Comforts of Life, as Health, Peace, and Liberty. But, II. What is meant by giving us this Day, and by daily Bread? E, the Greek Word, hath been diverfly rendred, and yet as to the main the Senfe is agreed on, viz. that which we mean by daily, or fo much as is fufficient for a Day. But I think the N 4 exa& |