humble themselves before God, when they are only by his favour and affistance made pleafing in his fight.

The pride of mankind (the effect of corrupt Nature) indisposes them to that mortifying truth, which fhews them their infufficiency and dependence, and requires them to think humbly of themfelves, and reverently and thankfully of God in this point. Though there be less comfort, yet there is more praise (and that with fome is temptation enough) in believing all their attainments to be truly their own, and attributing the fuggeftions of the Holy Spirit which caus'd them, to the natural and ordinary motions of human minds. But in this they both mistake the efficacy, and defeat the purposes of God's Mercy : they are infenfible how much happier they are in being fupported by the enlightning and directing Spirit of God, than in being left to their own fingle conduct; and they want the comfort (and a great one it is) of being perfuaded, that greater is he that is in us, than be that is in the World.

All our feveral improvements should be accounted, as they are, the effects of God's Grace; and every step we advance forward in goodness, fhould be thought a fresh argument of his kindness, and a new call for

thank

thankfulness on our part. Our humility and modefty (fo ill-grounded is the confidence of the most shining attainments) should keep pace with our growth; and, as in all other fuccefs, fo more especially in that of doing God's Will, we should justly and thankfully give not our felves, but him the Glory. We fhould believe (and it is both agreeable to Truth, and useful to Religion to do fo) that our heavenly Father rewards in us his own work; that he guides us by his counfels, and for following them receives us into Glory.

To conclude, this humble thought, that the power of doing God's Will is in great measure from himself, fhould be the effect of habitually using this petition; and it should be the more fo, because that difpofition is the best pledge of fuccefs in asking; it gives the fureft profpect of obtaining and enjoying that Spirit, that refifteth the proud, but giveth Grace to the humble.

SERMON

SERMON V.

MATT. VI. II.

Give us this Day our daily Bread.

HIS is the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, wherein we pray parti cularly for our private neceffities. The three foregoing articles express those wishes which are immediately directed to God's intereft, being made for the honour of his Name, the establishment of his Church, and the univerfal performance of his Will. When we pray that God's Name may be hallowed, his Kingdom come, and his Will be done, however we, who fo pray, may share in the fuccefs and confequence of fuch petitions, yet our Father in Heaven is the firft in our intentions.

We

We are hence taught (and an excellent leffon it is) to fet our gratitude before our intereft; and to let the zeal for God's Name precede our private concern for our felves. From hence it is obvious to obferve, that Christianity is founded in a true greatnefs of mind; and that this Prayer, which contains the model of it, requires thofe heights of gratitude and generofity, which are fo much talk'd of, and fo little practis'd in common life. That difinterested love of God, which we express by these wishes for his fervice, tho' it be the ordinary character of a Chriftian, yet is the greatest perfection in human Nature.

But now we go on to ask the Giver of all good things the supply of all our wants, both fpiritual and temporal. We in the remaining petitions fupplicate his Bounty to our necef fities, his Mercy and Forgiveness to our trefpaffes, and his preventing Grace under infirmities and temptations.

a

The petition for daily Bread is the first of these. In which three things are to be confider'd.

a The variations of St. Matthew, and St. Luke, are worthy of obfervation. St. Matthew reads, täglov män TINGION δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον. St. Luke, ἢ ἄρτον ἡμῶν ἢ ἐπιάσιον δίδω ἡμῖν

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First, What is the sense of the Words.
Secondly, What is particularly ask'd for in

them.

Thirdly, What those practical uses are, that arife from thus praying.

b

Firft, The fenfe of the Words.

There have been two very different interpretations of these Words among the Antients. The African Fathers have chose the mystical sense, and have explain'd this daily Bread of Chrift's Body. They obferve, that as he was the living Bread that came down from Heaven, fo this living Bread is here pray'd for; and therefore suppos'd, that the spiritu al food and nourishment, receiv'd in the holy Sacrament, were the fubject of this petition. This interpretation feems partly owing to the primitive custom of receiving the Communion

Tò xaľnμécav. Where the Latin renders it, Panem noftrum quotidianum da nobis hodiè. Two things are from hence probable; the one, that ἐπιάσι© being joynd to τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν cannot fignify daily, without allowing a great tautology. The other, that ixigo was not read in St. Luke when it was translated into Latin; for quotidianum expreffeth rò xať nμér. And befides, it is hard to conceive why St. Jerom should translate it, in St. Matthew, fuperfubftantialem, and declare for that fenfe in his Comment; and yet in St. Luke read quotidianum.

b Tertull. de Oratione. Cypr. de Oratione. Aug. in Lucam. Athanafius de incarnatione.