But, Thirdly, our Cares for this World are not only immoderate, when they put us upon the Practice of fuch Courses, as are apparently unlawful for the bringing about our Designs, but also in this other Inftance, when our Hearts are so set on the Bufinefs we are upon, as that we lofe all Sense of what is fit and decent with refpect to our felves, or others; when for the bringing about our worldly Ends, we matter not how we defaaud either our Bodies, or our Credit, or our Families, or our Neighbours, of what is their Due; tho' perhaps no body can say that by any one of these single Inftances we do any thing that is directly unlawful or forbidden, or if it is, at leaft it is not commonly thought so.

To explain my felf a little. To our Bodies we are unjuft, when we drudge and toil, and take more Pains in our worldly Concerns than our Strength or our Health will bear, or when out of Covetoufnefs we deny our felves the neceffary Refreshments and Supports of Life.

And fo likewife we are unjust to our Credit when we do not live like our elves; that is, fuitably to that Degree and Quality we are in, or to that Eftate and Fortune that God hath bleffed us with, but out of a fcraping penurious Humour live meanly and fordidly.

The fame thing makes us alfo defraud our Family of their Due, namely, when we do

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not make neceffary Provifion for them, fuch as befits our Condition, or when to fave Charges we do not give our Children that Education which their Birth and our Eftates entitle them to.

Laftly, Our Neighbour hath alfo a Due from us, which our Worldly-mindedness doth too often hinder us from paying, but which yet God will feverely require from us : As for Inftance, when it makes us churlish, or unkind, or inhofpitable, to those about us, when it fhuts up our Hearts and our Hands against the Poor, and those others that have need of our Charity.

All these are Inftances of inordinate Care, and in whomfoever we meet with them, we may too truly fay of that Man, that he is too much addicted to this World, his Heart is vitiously set upon it.

And thus much let it fuffice to have spoken of immoderate Care for worldly Things, together with the ufual Expreffions and Inftances of it, which is the first thing here forbidden: But this is not all.

In the Second Place, as our Care for worldly Things ought not to be immoderate, so neither ought it to be follicitous; that is another and indeed the main Thing that we are cautioned againft, both in this Text, and in fome other Paffages of the Scripture, that fpeak of Care in an ill Senfe. They mean fuch a Care as is accompanied with Fear and Anxiety, attended with Doubts C 2 and

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and Diftrufts; fuch a Care, as grates upon our Minds, and difturbs our Repofe; fuch a Care as is restlefs and impatient for Succefs, and difcontented at all Succefs that is not just according to its own Defires. Laftly; Such a Care' as will needs carve for it felf, and will not let God govern the World. This is that follicitous Care that is here fpoken of; Be careful for nothing, faith the Apoftle; Take no Thought for your Lives, faith our Saviour.

What no Care, no Thought? that I have already told you is idle and extravagant; but thus, let not your Concerns for the moft neceffary Things of this Life diftract your · Minds, or draw you off from an entire Dependance upon God, and Submiffion to his Will, but whatever Circumftances you are in, whatever Designs you are carrying on, endeavour to preferve your felves in an even, peaceful, compofed Temper, abfolutely refigned to the Will of God: Set not your Hearts fo much on any thing in this World, as to defire it with Paffion and Anxiety. Nor let any Difappointment tranfport you to Anger or Impatience. Take care to do your Parts towards the effecting your Designs by doing your honeft Endeavours, and ufing fuch Means as a prudent Man in fuch Cafes would do. And likewife take care to recommend your felves and your Concerns heartily to God by Prayer; but when you have done this, trouble not your selves about the

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Succefs,

Succefs, much lefs doubt of his Goodness or Providence, but leave the Event of all wholly to him. Let him do as he fees fit, and whatever it be that he fends, be the Iffue of Things anfwerable to your Expectation, or be it not, murmur not, repine not, but let your Heart reft fatisfied, and thank the Divine Goodness. You are perhaps in poor and low Circumftances in the World, you have just enough to live from Hand to Mouth, and that is all. Why, do not difquiet your felves for this, nor torment your Minds how you and your poor Children fhall be able to live in time to come, when Age or Sickness fhall feize upon you, leave that to God, do you for the prefent labour honeftly to get a Livelihood, and commit the reft to him! Thank God for the present, and be not follicitous for what is future; and thus in all other Cafes wherein you happen to be concerned; this, my Brethren, is that Spirit and Temper which all of us that call our felves Chriftians fhould labour after, for this was the Temper of our Lord Jesus, and this he hath most earneftly recommended to all his Followers.

I own, that to bring our felves to fuch an Indifference to the Things of this World, as this Temper fuppofeth, is a very high Attainment, and feems extreamly difficult to Flesh and Blood. But yet, methinks, to Flesh and Blood, affifted by the Omnipotent Spirit of Chrift, it should not be difficult; or if

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it be, I am fure we fhall furmount thofe Difficulties, if we could once prevail upon our felves seriously to fet about this Work.

Now for the engaging all of you fo to do, I fhall briefly lay before you fome of those Arguments and Reafonings, that are made ufe of in the New Teftament for the inforcing this Duty. Which is the second Head I proposed in speaking to this Point.

Many excellent Difcourfes upon this Subject are to be met with in the Gofpels, and the Writings of the Apostles, but none I think more strong, more moving, more perfuafive, than our Saviour's Difcourfe in the Ten laft Verses of the 6th of St. Matthew, where indeed the chief Arguments that can be offered against this Worldly Carefulness and Sollicitude that we have all this while been fpeaking of, are fummed up and brought together in one View.

These, therefore, I fhall just give an account of, and fo conclude. His first Argument why we fhould not be careful or follicitous for the Things of this World is, that the greatest Bleffings and Enjoyments which we have, come to us without our Care and Sollicitude, and therefore why should we trouble our felves much about the leaft? Thus (in the 25th Verfe, where he begins this Difcourfe,) I fay unto you, (faith he) Take no thought for your Life, what ye shall eat, and what ye fhall drink, nor yet for your Bodies,

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