us unhappy. And we pry into them by Conjecture, and dwell upon them by Imagination, that we may be unhappy whether he will or not.

This, you fee, is more than Folly: it is evidently Sin. He intended us to live here in Comfort and Peace and we are not at Liberty to fruftrate his Defign, by making ourselves uneafy and wretched. Both Nature and Scripture plainly forbid it. Nor have we the leaft Ground to hope, that the Fault will be deemed a Punishment

fevere enough for itself. Many others are accompanied with grievous Mifery, to which notwithstanding more hereafter is defervedly threatened. And the Guilt of inordinate Solicitude is greater, than we generally apprehend. It implies, not only Dif obedience to God, but Distrust in him. It unfits us for the Offices of Piety and of common Life. By dejecting the Spirits, and fouring the Temper, it renders us different, in many refpects, from what we should be, to all around us. It leads Perfons into ftrong Temptations, of raifing and cheering themselves under their Troubles by false and pernicious Supports, or of feeking Deliverance

1

from them by dishoneft Arts and Compli ances. It infects others, who fee it, with the fame Apprehensions: which may produce the fame or worse Effects on their Quiet, nay, their Innocence. And in proportion, as difcouraging Alarms become epidemical, the Calamity dreaded becomes likely to happen. Still, fo much of this wrong Turn, as is really conftitutional and unavoidable Weakness, will certainly not be imputed as criminal. And therefore we ought not to double our Uneafiness, by adding to involuntary Anxieties a rigid Condemnation of ourselves for them: but ftrive against them to the utmost of our Power; and then be fatisfied with the Consciousness, that we have done fo: only not deceiving our Hearts with a Notion, that we have refifted Fears, which in truth we have indulged.

But fome will say, "How can we refift " them? Must we not of neceffity be terri"fied at what we perceive is terrible: be "concerned about what we are fenfible is of

great Concern to us? Where is the Virtue "of pretending to blind ourselves, or even of doing it actually, if we could?" None at

all certainly. But the Rule prefcribed you is,

not

not to fhut, but open your Eyes, and contemplate the whole of your Cafe deliberately and impartially. For perhaps it is not fo bad, perhaps not near fo bad, as you conceive, though you were to look on it only in a worldly View. And yet were outward Appearances, and our own Strength, all that we had to look at, there would be no Wonder, if sometimes our Hearts fainted within us at the Profpect: for the ftouteft and the proudeft Hearts have fainted, before Us, on like Occafions. But the neverfailing Foundation of Comfort is this. A Being infinitely powerful, wife, and benevolent, fuperintends the Universe continually : these Attributes afford us large Ground of Hope; and, that our own Unworthiness may raise no Doubt, his exprefs Declarations give us full Affurance, that if we fly to him with humble Faith, he will not fuffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will, with the Temptation, alfo make a Way to escape *. The most usual Anxiety of Men is about the daily Neceffaries of Life. With refpect to these therefore he condefcends to argue with us particularly; and the Argument will hold as well concerning lefs common Exigencies; that fince

* 1. Cor. X. 13.

he fuftains the Vegetable Part of the Creation,
which can do nothing for itself, and the Ani-
mal, which cannot do near fo much as we :
certainly he will take of Us, on doing what
we ought, a Care proportionable to the Supe-
riority of our Nature. For in this lies the
Force of our Saviour's Reasoning. And when
he faith, Behold the Fowls of the Air; they fow
not; neither do they reap; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them: Are not ye much better
than they? He doth not mean, that they
take no Pains, and therefore we are to take
none. They take a great deal, in feeking
Food, and contriving Security against Dangers,
for themselves and for their Young, according
to the Extent of their Faculties. And we are
to take as much, in proportion to the Extent
of ours.
But then, as Providence furnishes
to Them, fo far as confifts with its wife Pur-
poses, whatever they need, and cannot acquire
by their own Power: the fame Providence
will certainly watch over Us with more pecu-
liar Tenderness, even in the present State;
befides that what we fuffer now fhall increase
our Happiness hereafter. And therefore, fince
They are easy in Their Condition, well may

*Matth. vi. 26.

We

We in Ours. For it would be ftrange indeed, if that Order of earthly Beings, which enjoys the greatest Favour beyond all Comparison, fhould be the only one difcontented. Reflect then where human Care ends, the Divine Care begins. The Duty of To-day is our Bufinefs; the Event of To-morrow is our heavenly Father's: and furely you do not wish to remove it out of his Hands into your own; or furmife, that you can poffibly be unfafe, while under the Protection of Him, with whom the very Hairs of your Head are all numbered. Here then we have a fecure Refuge against Inquietude. But let us remember: If, having it, we use it not; if, profeffing Faith in God, we allow ourselves to be as much difconcerted and perplexed on every Alarm, as they that have no Hope, and are without God in the World; we either think unworthily of him, or behave quite unfuitably to what we think; and our Guilt is greater, as our Temptation to it is lefs. When therefore, on being (troubled and caft down, we are inclined to lay the Blame on accidental or natural Lowness of Spirits, or whatever Excufe occurs; let us take heed, left there be in us an evil Heart of Unbe-, + Eph. ii. 12.

*Matth. x. 30.