[Our hearts are naturally set on earthly things. Our Lord tells us, that the Gentiles think of little except what they shall eat, and drink, and vvear^. And it is precisely thus with the great mass of those who bear the Christian name. The heathen themselves do not exceed us in an eager pursuit after the good things of this life. Nor is perfect contentment known even among those who possess the largest fortunes : there is always something beyond their present attainments, which they are aspiring after, and anxious to possess. But it should not, nor indeed can it, be thus with any true Christian. The man who sees the worth and excellence of heavenly things can no longer pant after the worthless things of time and sense : he is like a man, who, having looked at the sun, sees a dark spot upon every earthly object. From that moment, Agur's wish is his^: in his addresses to his heavenly Father, he can ask for nothing more than food and raiment^: possessing that, he is content' : or even if he do not possess it, he " knows how to suffer need as well as to abound*^ ;" and, when " having nothing, feels that he possesses all things'."
Let this lesson then be learned by us : and let every one of us apply to himself that solemn caution, " Seekest thou great things unto thyself? Seek them not™."]
2. That we should depend on God's providence for
the supply of them —
[God is the true source of temporal, no less than of spi- ritual blessings. It is he who causeth the earth to bring forth ", and instructs men how to cultivate it to advantage" : and, with- out his blessing, all our labours would terminate in disappoint- ment p. The whole creation subsists upon his kind and bounteous provisional. Now because we have so long been habituated to receive the productions of the earth, either spon- taneously presenting themselves to us, or rewarding the labours of our hands, we are very apt to overlook the Donor, and to forget our dependence upon God. But we are in fact as de- pendent on him as " the fowls of the air, which neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns :" and we should in the habit of our minds live upon his providence, precisely as the Israelites did in the wilderness ; and receive " our daily bread " at his hands, as much as if it were daily given to us from the clouds. We are indeed to labour for the things which are necessary for the body, as well as for those which pertain to the soul. The prohibition which our Lord gave respecting this, is not absolute,
*" ver. 32. s Prov. xxx. 8, 9- *> Gen. xxviii. 20.
'■ 1 Tim. vi. 8. k Phil, iv. ri, 12. • 2 Cor. vi. 10.
"^ Jer. xlv. .'S. " Ps. civ. 14, 15. " Deut. viii. 17, 18.
P Hagg. i. (). q Ps. civ 27, 28,
1315.] THE lord's prayer. 193
but only comparative''. If we will not labour for ourselves, we have no claim for assistance either from God or man^ Never- theless, when we have laboured with ever so much skill and diligence, we must bear in mind, that " our daily bread is as truly the gift " of God, as if we had not laboured for it at all : and our hope for the future must be in him alone, as much as if we were, like Elijah, subsisting daily on provision brought to us by ravens.]
3. That, whatever be the portion which God sees fit to give us, we should be therewith content —
[A person who should form his judgment by outward appearances, would think that there is an exceeding great difference between the comforts of the rich and of the poor. But there is really far less difference than we are apt to ima- gine. The richest man has no security for his possessions : experience proves, that kings may be hurled from their thrones, and nobles be reduced to subsist on charity. Moreover, whilst men possess their wealth, they may, by disease of body or per- turbation of mind, be deprived of all comfort, and be made to envy the poorest man who is in the enjoyment of health and peace. But the pious poor have necessaries secured to them on the most inviolable of all tenures, the promise of a faithful God*. Besides, the rich have very little conception of the happiness that is derived from seeing the hand of God in their daily provision. This happiness is reserved for the poor. They are constrained to feel their dependence on God : and, when they receive their supplies, they often behold such pecu- liar circumstances attending them, as mark in the strongest manner the interposition of the Deity in their behalf. Can any one doubt whether provision sent in such a way be en- joyed with a greater zest than that which is supplied out of our own store ? Surely the thoughts which arise in the mind of a poor man on such occasions, which fill his eyes with tears of gratitude, and his mouth with songs of praise, are an infinitely richer feast than all the luxuries which even royal wealth could procure. Let not any then be discontented with their lot : " the rich and the poor meet together" far more nearly than is generally supposed*^: " A man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesseth," but in the blessing which he enjoys along with it : " The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich ; and he addeth no sorrow with it''." Our blessed Lord, who often wanted bread to eat, and "a place where to lay his head," has sanctified a state of want, and shewn that