A godly and learned treatise of prayer which both conteineth in it the doctrine of prayer, and also sheweth the practice of it in the exposition of the Lords prayer: by that faithfull and painfull servant of God George Downame, Doctr of Divinity, and late L. Bishop of Dery in the realm of Ireland.

Give.

God is said to be the giver of these things 1. be∣cause either he giveth them without our means, or else blesseth our means unto us for the obteining of them. 2. because he granteth us the use & fruition of them. 3. because he blesseth the use of them un∣to us, giving them vertue and strength to nourish and cherish us. 4. And again, that is said to be given which is freely and gratiously bestowed.

Here therefore we are taught I. to ascribe those temporall blessings and good things which we have neither to fortune nor chance, nor to our own la∣bour and industry, nor to our own merit and de∣sert; but to the goodnesse of God freely bestowing them upon us. Now if we cannot deserve a piece of bread of God, but must acknowledge the good∣nesse of God therein and our own unworthinesse, Gen. 32. 10. much lesse can we challenge eternall life as our own desert, but must with the Apostle Rom. 6. 23. acknowledge it to be the free gift of God. And as we are to acknowledge God the gi∣ver of these things, so II. we are when we want them to beg them of him, and when we have them to return thanks unto him for them: For which cause we are taught to receive the good creatures of God with prayer and thanksgiving. III. If we are to desire temporall blessings as the gifts of God, we are to be carefull to get them by good means. For then we are to esteem them as the gifts of God and

pledges of his love and favour towards us when we obtein them by good means and have care to im∣ploy them to Gods glory. But contrariwise, when we get them by wicked means, by deceit, oppres∣sion, usury, &c. they are to be esteemed rather the gifts of the devil and earnest-penies of destruction. 4. We are not to trust in the means be they never so good, but in the use of the means we are to crave the blessing of God, and to depend thereon, without which they are nothing worth. Psal. 127. 1, 2. Except the Lord build the house &c. True it is indeed, that we must use good means, (for other∣wise we tempt God;) but we must not trust in the means, but depend upon the blessing of God, which, as Solomon saith, maketh rich, Prov. 10. 22. Let us thèrefore remember that exhortation of Moses, as belonging to us, Deut. 8. 17, 18. Beware lest thou say in thine heart, My power hath gotten me this abundance, &c. Hab. 1. 16. 5. We are here taught, not onely to ask these temporall things which we want but also that he would give unto us those things which we have: And that in two re∣spects: 1. That he would give us the use and fruiti∣on of them: which we have need to pray for, not onely because men oftentimes are deprived of those things which they have before they have use there∣of, as the Lord threatneth Mich. 6. 15. Thou shalt sow, but not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not anoint thee with the oyl; and make sweet wine, but not drink it: So Hagg. 1. 6. Ye have sown much, and bring in little: But also because many men deprive them∣selves of that which they have, as the Preacher

saith Eccles 6. 1, 2. There is an evil which I have seen, &c. And elsewhere he affirmeth, that when men with comfort enjoy their goods, it is the gift of God, Eccles 5. 18.

Secondly, that God would blesse the use of his gifts unto us, giving them vertue and strength to nourish and cherish us. For without the blessing of God neither will food nourish, nor apparel che∣rish, nor medicines cure, nor any thing else be effe∣ctuall for our good. Hagg. 1. 6. Ye eat, but ye are not satisfied; ye drink, but ye are not filled; ye clothe you, but ye be not warm: and he that earneth wages, putteth it into a broken bag. Mich. 6. 14. The vertue of food in nourishing, as some think, is called the staff of bread; which staff if God shall break, •…•…s he often threatneth in the Scriptures, we shall eat bread and not be nourished therewith, Ezek. 5. 16. Where∣fore as those which are in want are to use this pray∣er, that God would grant unto them such tempo∣rall blessings as are convenient for them, and would blesse those good means which they use to that end; so they that have abundance, be it never so great, had need to use this prayer, that God would grant unto them the use of those things which they have, and blesse the use thereof unto them: For without his blessing the greatest provision of all things will not help us, and with his blessing the meanest means are sufficient: for man liveth not by bread alone, but &c. Deut. 8. 3. as appeareth by Daniel and his fellows, Dan. 1. 12. And experience telleth us that the chil∣dren of the poore, which seldome have a good meals meat, many times are in better plight then

the children of the rich, which are both daintily and plentifully fed.

Notes

• In what re∣spect God is said to give.
• God giveth onely the us•…•… of all.
• God onely blesseth us in the use.