Duty to bear what Providence allots, and not to fill our Minds with any imaginary Fears and Cares about future Events, which we are entirely ignorant of, and are abfolutely in the Divine Difpofal, and under his Government, whether they fhall be of a profperous or adverse Nature. The best of Chriftians are liable to have their Minds burthen'd with a Variety of anxious Cares. Cafting all your Care he addreffes to thofe who were excellent Chriftians, and had obtained precious Faith; and yet his Advice to them implies that they might have their Souls perplex'd with Cares of various Kinds; they might have Perfonal Cares, and Cares about their Families, and about the Church of God, about their Souls, and an approaching Eternity: And some good religious Perfons have been too apt to distract and disturb their Minds about God's Decrees, questioning whether they belong to the Elect of God or no: Others have often difturbed the Peace of their Minds, and been follicitously careful, how they should maintain their Ground in Religion, if they fhould ever be brought to fuch fiery Trials for Chrift and the Truth, which others have been; and tho' they read of the Fortitude and Conftancy of those Martyrs of Jefus, and are af fured by the Word of God, that a faithful God will not fuffer those who depend on

him

him to be tempted above what they are able, or what he will furnish them with Power, to bear, yet these Cares, and Doubts about their Perfeverance and Conftancy to the Death, have made fome of the Servants of God pafs their Time in great Fear and Anxiety, filling their Souls with vexatious tormenting. Cares about what may never befall them; or, if it should, not having a right Confideration of God's Power by which his Servants are kept, or of his Faithfulness in fulfilling his Promises, that they fhall have Strength answerable to their Circumftances; whereas they ought firmly to believe that God will never permit any more than ordinary Trials for his People trusting in him, but he will furnish them with new Powers to render them victorious. We are not to think that the Apostle, on the other hand, by exhorting them to caft all their Care on God, would discharge them from any Care of themselves, either for the Neceffaries of this Life, or for the Salvation and Welfare of their immortal Souls: For as there must be a proper Care, Endeavour, and Industry, in order to our fpiritual Improvement in Knowledge, Virtue, and Holiness, and whilft God works in us to will and to do, we are to be careful to maintain good Works, and be zealous in the Performance of them, and co-operate, by Divine Affiftance, in

working

working out our own Salvation, fo alfo with regard to Temporal Things, we are not to imagine that by thefe Words the Apostle, in an ordinary State of Things, would have Chriftians lay afide all Care for the obtaining them, for he that provideth not for his own, especially those of his own House or Family, bath denied the Faith, and is worfe than an Infidel. Neither, because the Apostle to the Philippians, Chap. iv. 6. gives this Advice, Be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by Prayer and Supplication, with Thankf giving, let your Request be made known to God, or because our Saviour fays, Take no thought for the Morrow, what ye shall eat, or what ye Shall drink, or wherewithal ye fhall be cloathed, are we to think that these Places of Scripture will warrant us to fpend away Life in Indolence and Idleness, which will certainly, as we may fee by many, bring to Beggary and Poverty All that can be meant by fuch Places is, to guard against a distracting and mistrustful Care. A prudent Care and Industry about Temporal Things is very commendable, and preferves from many Temptations. This is fo far from being finful, that 'tis enjoined in many Places. There is no need to infist on this any further, because the Generality are well enough fatisfied herein. The great Danger lies, on the other hand, of their being choaked, and fur

feited,

feited, as our Saviour fpeaks, with the Cares of this Life. If, then, a moderate Care about the Things of this World be lawful; if it be prudent and commendable to project and form Schemes for the acquiring Temporal Things; and to use suitable Endeavours; if this be the Chriftian's Duty, much more must it be his Duty, Intereft, and Wisdom, to exercise a becoming Care about his precious and immortal Soul. Tho' we are to commit the Care and Keeping of our Souls to God, yet it must be in well doing. Many act as though they were well enough fatisfied that 'tis their Duty to be careful about the Affairs of this Life, and herein they are apt to exceed due Bounds and Limits, but at the fame Time are careless and negligent of their Souls and Eternity; behaving herein as tho' they were refolved to confine the whole of their Care and Industry to the Concerns of this World, and in a literal Sense to caft the Care of their Souls wholly on God, and exercise no Care about this momentous Affair. So far are the Generality of Chriftians from being careless about Temporal Matters, that they are apt rather to exceed the proper Bounds: And because fome of God's Servants have perplexed their Minds about Spiritual Matters, I fhall, therefore, in the fecond Place,

II. I. Shew

1. Shew when the Chriftian's Care about the Things of this World is inordinate and criminal. 2. In Matters of Religion, when the Chriftian's Care may be faid to be unwarrantable.

1. When may the Care which any employ about Temporal Things be faid to be inordinate, immoderate, and criminal? To this I reply, In these Particulars following:

ift, When a Perfon's Care about this World, and the momentary Affairs thereof, is fo great, and employs fo much of his Thought and Time, that he is cold and indifferent in the Discharge of Religious Duties, if not wholly negligent of them. They who are fo deeply immerfed in Earthly Cares, that they leave no Time for the important Duties of Prayer, Meditation, and ftrict Examination of their Hearts and Ways, are certainly finfully careful about many Things, while they neglect the one Thing needful and neceffary, LUKE X.. 41. Thus

MARTHA'S Care was at that Time an inordinate Care. She had an Opportunity of receiving Inftructions from our Saviour; but she omits that, being encumber'd about other Matters. MARY's Choice of waving for that Time all Temporal Things and Bufinefs, and of applying her Mind wholly to Chrift's Inftructions,

R