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imagine, that Christ, who knows that his people require these. things, should have given them no place in this directory. And as it is but short, we cannot suppose that he would have spoken of spiritual mercies in every petition. We find that the other petitions are full of them; and we may well believe, that he has appropriated the fourth solely to temporal mercies.

By bread, then, we are here to understand all the necessaries and conveniences of life. And bread may be particularly specified, because it is the most common support of life; because it is the most necessary; because it is called the staff of bread, -Isa. iii.; because by it both the rich and the poor are maintained; and because it is found to be that kind of provision, which of all others is least loathed by mankind in general.

This petition, "Give us this day our daily bread," naturally implies the following things:

1. That all mankind depend upon God for the support of life, and for all its comforts and conveniences. Were not this the case, there would be no propriety whatever in presenting to God this petition; for we do not generally ask any thing from those on whom we have no dependence, or who we think have nothing to bestow.

2. That it is a lawful request to pray for bread. And although the bread that perisheth may appear a trifle, when compared with that which endureth to everlasting life; yet, while we are in the body, it is a most necessary concern of ours, to which we ought to give due attention. Spiritual things claim our first and clrief attention; but temporal things ought not to be neglected; for without them we could neither glorify God, nor be of much advantage to our fellowcreatures. And hence we must deem this a lawful request.

3. That it is a lawful request to pray for bread, not only for ourselves, but also for others: "Give us bread." And seeing that we are allowed to extend our request for others, as well as to request for ourselves, we should not in this respect withhold more than is meet-we should not withhold our brother's due; but we should prove that we love our neighbour as ourselves, and that it is our desire that others, as well as ourselves, may be happy.

4. That, whatever we enjoy in this world to make life comfortable and happy, we should seek to have such a right to it as that it may be called ours. "Give us our bread."

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10. That we should obey and submit to the will of God as the angels do in heaven. Psal. ciii. 20.-"Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his Word."

EXPLANATION.

Obs. 361.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, “ Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know and obey his revealed will in all things.

The revealed or preceptive will of God is that which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; and it is comprehended in believing and obeying, or in faith and holiness; which is both the sum of his will, and the order in which it must be done.-John vi. 29; 1 Thess. iv. 3; Heb. xi. 6, and xii. 14; 1 John iii. 23. We may here observe, that it is chiefly the revealed will of God that we should pray may be done on earth; for the Lord himself will accomplish his secret will, or the things which he hath purposed.

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With respect to the revealed will of God, we must pray, "That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know and to obey it." And this we do, when we pray, that by his Spirit he would remove our natural blindness, and open our understanding, that we may understand the Scriptures; that he would incline us to keep up the practice of every commanded duty, in the strength of that grace which is secured in the promise, "I will cause you to walk in my sta tutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them,"-Ezek. xxxvi. 27; that obedience to the whole will of God may be .as extensive as the revelation of this will; that it may done where it is not done; and that the only boundaries may be the ends of the earth. And this implies the following things-1. That the will of God is not done on earth as it is done in heaven. 2. An acknowledgment of weakness, blindness, indisposedness, and perverseness of heart; all which unite to prevent the will of God from being done. Eph. i. 17, 18, and iii. 16; Matt. xxvi. 40, 41; Jer. xxxi. 18, &c. 3. An expression of grief of heart, that the will of God is not done on earth, either by ourselves or by others.Psal. cxix. 136. 4. An ardent desire, that God would remove out of the way every obstacle to the doing of his will on earth, as it is done in heaven.

We must pray that God would make us able and willing to know and obey his will, because we are naturally unable and unwilling to know and obey his revealed will.-1 Cor. ii. 14. All are prone to rebel against his will, although it is holy, and just, and good. And hence we must pray, that God would make us able and willing by his grace; for it is wholly of his free love and sovereign good pleasure, that he worketh in us both to will and to do. In vain does man think that he can know the will of God without the teaching of the Spirit, or that he can do it without that power which is promised from above.

Obs. 362.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to submit to his providential will in all things.

The providential or secret will of God, is the rule of his own procedure; and it is exercised over all men and all things, from the least to the greatest, in every possible circumstance in which they may be placed.-Matt. vi. 25-34.

With respect to this providential or secret will of God, or, as it is sometimes called, his will of purpose, we must pray, "That God would, by his grace, make us able and willing to submit to it." And this implies a full, and unqualified, and unreserved submission to the Divine procedure in all afflicting dispensations which may befall us in this world, seeing they all come from God, and are all ordered for our good; and likewise an improvement of merciful providences according to his word.

We must pray that God would make us able and willing, by his grace, to submit to and acquiesce in his secret will when made known to us, because we are naturally unable and unwilling to do so, and prone to quarrel with his providences towards us, although all just and good, and designed for our spiritual and eternal welfare.

Obs. 363.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer," Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

We must pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in heaven. This expression may be viewed either with reference to the visible heavens and the works of God