(q)- Ut cog terram fine fole poffe nofcerent omnesfœcundam effe-bonus quidem Sol, fed ministerio non impe

Earth, He giveth us fruitful seasons,faith St. Paul, A&s xiv.17. He bringeth forth grafs,&c. and maketh food to grow out of the Earth, faith David,Pfal. civ.13,14, 15. He prepareth our Corn, and fo provideth for the Earth, Pfal.lxv.9, 10. He filleth us with the flower of Wheat, Pfal. cxlvii. 14. The Sun doth warm and cherish, the Rain doth moiften and nourish, but both of these cannot of themselves produce one Pile of Grafs, one ear of Corn, or one fingle fruit. To which purpose it is wifely obferved by the Antients,That all the fruits of the earth were produced in the third day of the Creation, Gen.i.11. the Sun and Moon not until the fourth Day, ver. 14. that men might not think, the Influence of thefe Celestial Bodies to be the Cause of the growing of thefe Productions, but the power and Providence of God (q): By his Word they were first created,before there were any fecond causes, and though he do ufually make these the Inftruments to produce the earth's bleffings, yet he can reftrain their efficacy when he pleaseth. Wherefore He is the Giver of Herbs and Grafs, of Corn and Grain, of Fruits, and all that the neceffity of Man requires. Him therefore we muft acknowledg in his Prayer. The Jews were ordered by God to offer up to him the first handful of all the fruits of the Earth,and they were not to tafte of the reft till they had owned his Providence by this Oblation, Levit. xxiii.10. Deut.xxvi.2. The Gentiles made a like Prefent of their firft Fruits to Ceres, and we learn out of St.Ireneus, that the primitive Chriftians presented all their first fruits at the Altar, and did thereby agnize God, the Giver of them all in a moft folemn manner; which Custom is yet preferved in the Greek Church,

N 2

rio.Ambrof.hex.1.4. cap. 1. è Philone περὶ κοσμοπο

wher

where upon the Oblation of the firft fruits we find this Prayer. We bless thee O Lord God, and offer the firft of thofe Fruits, which thou hast given us to enjoy, thou hast made them fpring by thy Word, and thou commandeft all forts of fruits for delight or neceffity to grow out of the Earth for the use of man,and every Creature. We praife thee O God for all the bleffings,thou hast bestowed upon us,

) Euchol.p.655 () Sacramentar.

P.242.

&c. (r). And there is in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory (s), a Form very like this upon the fame occafion: All which I do the more largely remark, that we may see how all the World hath agreed to own the Almighty to be the Giver of all good things, that fo we may pray moft heartily to him to create the fruits of the Earth for us, and give them to us; that we may not attribute the Original of them to our own Endeavours alone, or to fecond Causes, but to his bleffing,and then we shall feek unto him for them, and be fearful to offend him, who can eafily withold from us the neceffary fupports of our Lives. But

II. It is He also, who is the Preferver of them: As he makes them fpring, fo he brings them to perfection, fo that we may enjoy them in due time, he defends them from all Cafualties and mischiefs, to which they are incident, both in the field and in the Barn. The Heathens worshipped Ceres and Pan, Robigo, and other ridiculous Deities to prevent these Evils,as St. Augustine and others inform us, de Civ. Dei l.4.cap. 21. But we have one Lord who makes and keeps them all: He it is, who prevents them from being scorcht and pined with draught, putrified and overwhelmed with Inundation, corrupted with blafting and Mildew, devoured by Caterpillars, or other noxious Creatures; any of thefe may spoyl our fruits, even after a hopeful Spring had raised our Expectations. So that it is an excellent Mercy, that the

(1) Η γεωργία τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν μntàs » Topós° Xenoph. Oecon.

fruits of the Earth ripen kindly at any time, and are ready in their Seafon. The Countryman is obliged to a great and a conftant Piety, because he continually needs fo many bleffings, and his fubfiftance intirely depends upon Gods daily Providence, for his labour is all loft, unless God preserve it, and bring it through many dangers to it's full maturity; yet we must not think the Husbandman alone concerned to be pious and devout in this requeft; for Husbandry is the Foundation of a Kingdom, the Mother and the Nurse of all other Arts (t), yea the King himfelf is ferved by the field (u); for which Cause the Tillers of ground were fpared in time of War, as being general Benefactors. We are all therefore concerned to pray for a Bleffing on their labours, becaufe we all have need of these fruits: They who have them of their own, and they who are to buy them of others, are all obliged to defire the Lord to give them and serve them; for seasonable weather,and a plentiful harveft is a Universal bleffing,and all the people muft most affectionately conclude this Petition with their We befeech thee,&c.

(4) Τις περὶ τα γεωργίαν ὄντας, ἐνσιν ἀβλαβῆς, ὡς κοινὸς ὄντας ἀπάνω των ευεργέτας Diod.Sicul.l.2.

pre

S.XXIII.That it may please thee to give us true Repentance, to fozgive us all oar Sins, negligences and ignożances, to endue as with the grace of the Holy Spirit,to amend our Lives acco20ing to thy Holy H020:] We beseech thee,&c.

As the former Petition is grounded upon, Give us this day our daily Bread; fo this upon the next part of the Lords Prayer, forgive us our Trefpaffes; upon which it is

ταῖς

(w) Tá nanay συμφέροντα Luzais nuwv Lit.S. Chry.& Bafil.

an excellent Paraphrase, containing all that is neceffary in order to a Pardon. The former was a requeft for the body, this for the Soul, comprehending all that is neceffary to eternal life, as the other did all that is requifite to the temporal, being the particulars of that general Petition in the Greek Offces (m): Give us all things that are good and profitable to our Souls. In the beginning of these Interceffions, we did acknowledg our felves Sinners, faying We Sinners do befeech thee,&c. And therefore 'ere we conclude, it is fit we should do as becomes humble Sinners, Pray for Repentance, pardon and amendment of Life: Which as it is a very proper request for us always, fo it is most of all proper in the Conclufion of our Prayers. For we have now made fo many excellent, Petitions, that we may jufily fear, left our manifold Sins fhould make fo great and fo elaborate a Part of our Devotions be in vain, wherefore we make way for our Prayers by feeking to remove our Sins, to which purpose we are fuited with Expreffions fo full and agreeable, that nothing is omitted which a Penitent can delire; Repentance to prepare us for a pardon, a pardon to engage us to amendment, and Grace to enable us to amend, for the

(*) Τὸ ὑπόλοι τον χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς SE METAἡμῶν έν μετα νοίᾳ ἐκτελέσει παρ τα τι κυρίς αιτητών pissa Refp.ПagásXMÚSIE Lit. S. Chryf. & S.Bafil.

confirmation of our Pardon, when we have obtained it. The Parts are in many Liturgies, but take this Petition altogether,and it can scarce find a Paralel. I. The firft particular is, That the Lord would pleate to give us true Repentance, which is one of the Requests in the Litanick part of the Greek Liturgies (x),and while we fin daily it ought

to

to be a part of our daily Prayers. And here it ftands very fitly before we defire forgiveness, to mind us that Repentance must ever go before Pardon; the greateft Hypocrite,and the worst of Sinners, do really defire forgiveness, but they would have it without the trouble of Repentance; if a wifh, or a figh, or Lord have mercy,at laft would procure it, they could defire a Pardon: But the fincere Christian knows, that God neither can, nor will, forgive without Repentance, Luke xiii.3.wherefore he feeks not, in vain to separate what God hath joyned, nor wishes to escape, what Sin hath made juft and neceffary: He knows that he hath deserved to tafte the bitter as well as the sweet, and when he hath been fo foolish as to fin, will not be fo unworthy as to decline fo juft a forrow as that of Repentance is, yea, he begs it as an excellent favour from God to give him a truly penitent heart, because unless we see the folly and bafeness of our evil ways, and be really grieved thereat, we are never like to forfake them, nor to get a Pardon for them. And happy is he who fincerely makes this Requeft, for he begins to repent already; and bleffed is he, that can obtain it, for it doth infallibly precede a Pardon; if it be true Repentance, a certain Remiffion will follow it: Pharoah indeed repented while Gods plagues were on him, and Ahab counterfeited the outward part, Judas repented,but without hope of Mercy; none of these were true Repentance, which is neither forced in the beginning, nor feigned in the going on, nor defperate in the end thereof; but it is the voluntary and kindly relenting of a tender heart, without any artifice or fantaftick Aidos,really grieved for it's own bafenefs and condemning it's own acts with that generous indignation,that it refolves never to do the like again(y),

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(y) Vera fiquidem pænitentia eft-fic plangere commiffa,

ut non commitantur

plangenda,Bern.med.

c.4.

and