ty. It is only by their Hands that God gives to the poor and neceffitous Man his daily Bread. This we are to remember, that we recognize God's Continual Gift of our Portion of Worldly Comforts, by praying him ftill to give them; and that therefore we cannot with any Modesty offer up this Petition, if we are not careful to use them to his Honour, and according to his Will and Pleasure.

5. This Petition, with all Prayers of the like fort, doth plainly convince us of great Unreasonableness, if we are given to careful and anxious Thoughts about our Subfiftence in the World. For thefe Requests imply, that we depend upon God to be faved from Want, a great deal more than upon Wealth, and furely him we may well truft; and a moft happy thing it is to put our Truft in him, for this will furely clear the Mind of all Unquietness and Doubt con cerning the Future. Whereas we fee by feveral Inftances that great Advantages of Wealth are not able to do it. How many are they, that being vaftly rich, are yet as much afraid of Poverty, of living to want, as we use to say, as if they and their Wealth together were in a befieg'd Town, just ready to be taken by the Enemy? We are apt to think fuch People mad, and cannot forbear faying fo; to be fure they are very worldly and irreligious Perfons, they pur

0 4

their

1

their Truft in their Wealth, and not in God. But fo doing, I do not fee why they fhould not be very jealous and fearful of coming to want, they have fet their Hearts upon this World, and they do wifely confider the many Uncertainties that Riches are liable to, and cannot trust them as they would, and they have not Understanding or Grace enough to reft upon God; and I cannot fee but they must be under continual Diftractions. Indeed they feem to do like crazy People in one refpect, that they debar themfelves oftentimes of the common Comforts of Life at prefent, to lay up the greater Store againft what may happen, as if a Vaft Wealth were not liable to Contingencies as well as a Moderate Proportion. If I did not believe a Divine Providence, my living in prefent Plenty could give me no comfortable Grounds of Alurance, that I fhould do well enough for the future; but however I think I fhould not ftarve my felf now for fear of being ftarv'd Three Years hence, nor want reasonable Comforts at prefent for fear of wanting them hereafter, God knows when; this feems to be the Madness of fome People; but 'tis their great Impiety, and every Man's who is thus guilty, to be fo unreafonably concern'd and vex'd about the Future, the hort Time they are to live in this World. And how can we with good Senfe defire of God our

daily Bread, if we want this reasonable Confidence, that doing what lies upon us. to do, that is, ufing the proper Means, and doing God's Will, we fhall not fail of having what we pray for?

6thly, and lastly, Our asking of God our daily Bread inftructs us that we owe him Thanks even for the Neceffaries of Life, and that both when we have nothing but a Competency, and when we have more too, in which laft Cafe we are moft apt to forget the Acknowledgment of our daily Food, and the common Conveniencies of Life. When God heapeth upon us many, and large, Bleffings of this World, he often lofeth the Thanks that are due for the lefs, and the more frequent, as Men that are us'd to Rare and Uncommon Favours, are apt to defpife an Ordinary Gift. Few that live in gaudy Houses, and fare fumptuously and deliciously every Day, have that Understanding and Goodness to thank God that they are not ready to ftarve with Hunger and Cold, and to confider that they depend no lefs upon his Providence, even in the midst of their Plenty, than the poor Man, who lives from Hand to Mouth. But this is a Petition to be put up to God by the Rich as well as by the Poor. And what can be the Sense of it in a Rich Man's Mouth,if it doth not imply, that it is not a Man's Wealth and Greatnefs, his Power and Affluence, to which

hę

he owes his Subfiftence, and the neceffary Comforts of Life, fo much as to that Divine Providence that giveth to all their Meat in due Seafon? And therefore for all the common Comforts of Life, and the neceffary Means of it, we fhould give Thanks to God, remembring that they are Things we every Day ask of him, tho' we feem to be never fo plentifully provided and fecured againft Want. In a word, Wealth and Power are no better Reasons for throwing off our Dependance upon God, and our Gratitude to him for every good Thing that we enjoy, than they are of Pride, and Infolence, and Contempt of other Men, fince the most ordinary Bleffings we enjoy are the Gifts of God equally with theirs who enjoy

more.

These then are the Inftructions contain'd in this Petition: We do herein acknowledge to God that we cannot fubfift but by his Bounty and Providence: We own, that as for Riches we defire them not, but from Poverty we would be delivered: We defire whatsoever good Things we ftand in need of, as Bleffings from him, and therefore that we will not procure them to our felves by any way of Wickednefs; and we pray that he would therefore blefs our honeft Labour and juft Endeavours to provide for our felves, and for thofe that depend upon us, ever remembring that it is he who doth

་

feed

feed and cloath us, fuftain and provide for us, tho' we have never fuch Means and Advantages in outward appearance to provide for our felves. And we fhould learn hence to poffefs Abundance (if we have it) with Sobriety and Temperance, with Humility and Charity, and Beneficence and Thankfulness, remembring that all is God's Gift, and without Anxiety and Diftruft, as being affured that our heavenly Father will take care of us while we depend upon him, in Well-doing.

SER