In the next place, this vifitation is certainly defigned as a wholesome remedy against the scandalous abufe of God's good creatures: as also, to punish those whose god is their belly, as the apostle speaks, who aim at nothing fo much as to please their appetites, and to fatisfy their lufts, without confidering the wants and neceffities of other people.

g

It is too often the cafe in times of plenty, as it was with the prodigal in the gospel, when God gives men their portion, they fquander it away in riotous living: and a mercy it is, when they are reduced to want, if they have the grace to fee and repent of their evil ways.

And indeed the very best of us fhould be admonished by this scarcity and dearth, how often we have misfpent the good gifts of God, which now would have been of bleffed use to help those who have hungry bellies.

But above all, the glutton and the drunkard fhould be ashamed and blufh, and bitterly repent, for having abused and wafted the good gifts of God, which are given for the fupport and comfort of man, not to make men into beafts.

But I must not forget my fubject: Give us this day our daily bread. How often have we faid this: how often repeated this petition, without confidering what a fad condition we should be in, if God fhould deny us our daily bread; what a miferable condition those many are in who now feel the want of it; and lastly, what

Phil. iii. 19.

what a much worfe condition they are in, who have enough and to spare, and will not help thofe that want their daily bread, but upon terms that ruin them.

Let me tell you a truth, which few know, and fewer will believe; that the rich owe more to the poor for their prayers, than the poor owe to the rich for the relief they give them.

This is a truth as certain as the gospel: I was an hungred, faith Chrift, and ye gave me meat; thirty, and ye gave me drink. Do but confider, when Jefus Chrift will fay this to those that shall have relieved his poor members. Why, even then when he is going to pass the fentence of everlasting life, or eternal death, upon mankind.

This fhews us, that the rich, as well as the poor, have reafon to beg of God to give them their daily bread; that they may have an opportunity of forwarding their own falvation, by fhewing their gratitude to God for his more especial favours to them.

If God gives any of us more than our daily bread, it is not because he loves us better than those that want it; but to try our faith, whether we will afcribe to him the bleffings we enjoy, or to ourselves, and our own endeavours and industry.

Men are but too apt to facrifice, as the fcripture fpeaks, to their own net; that is, to afcribe the bleffings they enjoy to their own industry, good fortune, care, or fkill; and yet

h Matth. xxv. 42.

all

all this will not do without the bleffing of God upon their labours. their labours. We fee and feel this now to our forrow; and that there is a neceffity, befides our own industry, of begging of God to give us our daily bread; or it will be with us as St. Peter told our Lord, We have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.

As often, therefore, as we use this petition, Give us this day our daily bread, we do acknowledge our whole dependance to be upon God, our heavenly Father, for all things neceffary for our fouls and bodies. And then to preserve in our minds a constant sense of this our dependance, we ask these bleffings for the present day, knowing, that if we pray for these bleffings to-morrow, God will then have the fame fatherly care of us, and fupply us with what is then neceffary and convenient for us.

And obferve, that we are directed to pray for bread only; that is, for the neceffaries of life; because, as we are finners, and in a state of trial and penance, it becomes us to ask no more than what is neceffary to carry us through a state of trial.

Laftly; we are obliged to pray every day for bread, that we may every day remember to whom we are indebted for life, and breath, and all the comforts of life and health.

Let us now confider, how this petition ought to be put in practice.

And firft; the return of every meal fhould oblige us to beg that we may receive God's

gifts

gifts with his bleffing. Man does not live by bread alone, but by food which God gives a bleffing to, to fit it for the nourishment of the body.

And then, forafmuch as this prayer is defigned for the use of all, poor and rich, high and low; when the rich pray for their daily bread, they are supposed to beg of God his grace, that they may not be corrupted by his gifts, if he has given them more than the plain neceffaries of life; and the poor, that they may not forfeit their right by their idleness or difcontent; but that God may give his blessing upon their honeft endeavours for a livelihood. And at the fame time that they pray for their daily bread, they ought to pray for grace to be content with what God thinks proper to give them; that they may neither murmur, nor envy thofe that have more than their daily bread, nor attempt to get more, and better their condition by unjuft ways.

In short; our prefent wants force us to fee, and to feel, our dependance upon God, and to apply to him for help. He is by these judg ments punishing the abuse of his former mercies. Our duty is to repent of those fins which have brought upon us this vifitation, and to refolve, by his grace, which we must also pray for, that whenever it shall please God to turn this fcarcity into plenty, (for he only can do it) that we do not forget what we now feel and fear, by falling again

1

into the fins of luxury, intemperance, and prodigality.

Let us remember, that frugality is every man's interest as well as duty, that the rich may have to give to him that needeth, and that the poor may not be tempted to get bread by ways which may ruin their fouls as well as bodies.

Rather let us all that fuffer in these hard times remember, that though afflictions of this kind are grievous to nature, yet, with regard to another life, they are of great advantage, when, through the grace of God, they are borne with patience and resignation to the divine will.

And may Almighty God fanctify all their bodily wants to the falvation of the fouls of all that now feel the want of bread; and may his bleffing be upon those who, having more than their daily bread, are ready to give and glad to diftribute, laying up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life, always remembering, that the measure of God's bounty and favour to them, ought to be the measure of their kindness to those that are in want.

Lastly; Let us never forget, whether poor or rich, that whenever we pray for our daily bread, we beg of God not to deny us the bread that nourisheth to eternal life, which God hath promised to give to them that ask him.