in the prefent Pleasures that are before them.

These are the Sluggards that Solomon fo often fpeaks againft, that would spend their Days in a profound Eafe and Reft, without forecafting or defigning, without employing either their Heads to think, or their Hands to labour, but living from Hand to Mouth, and taking what Chance, or their provident Forefathers, without any Care of theirs, have given to them.

But this Precept we are upon, gives little Encouragement to Men to live at this rate. For tho the Propofition be fo worded as to feem to forbid all manner of Carefulness, yet it means nothing lefs.

Indeed it is impoffible to live without caring, at least to live happily: The Souls that God Almighty hath given us are in their own Nature infinitely active and vigorous, and their Powers must conftantly be exercised in pursuing fome Defign or other, doing fome Work or other; otherwife we fhall live the Lives of Plants, or brute Creatures, but not of Men: And what Defigns foever they purfue, their Natures will incline them to attend to, and lay out themselves vigorously upon. The Bleffednefs of Mankind doth not confift in fitting ftill, but in being conftantly bufy, conftantly in Action; only that Action and Business ought to be fuch as is fuitable to the Nature of our Spirits, that is to fay, fuch as is exercifed about the noblest

and best Objects, and is managed by the Rule of Reason and Virtue.

Careful then we must be. But what then doth St. Paul mean when he faith, Be careful for nothing? Why certainly he doth not exclude all Objects from our Care, but only those of one kind, that is to say, the things of this World, the things that concern our Bodies, and our outward Condition; fuch as Food or Raiment, Wealth or Reputation, the Succefs of our Designs, and the like. We are to be careful for none of these things, but to refer ourfelves wholly to God's Pleasure concerning them. But there is another fort of things which it concerns us all to be infinitely careful about, that is to fay, the Affairs of our Souls; to ferve God, to do good in our Generation, to get virtuous Habits, to live innocently, and piously, and usefully, and by that means to lay up a good Foundation against the time to come, that we may obtain Eternal Life. As to these things, we must not fay we will refer it to God to work them in us; he made our Souls, and we will trust them with him. No! (as one of the Antients expreffeth it) He that made us without ourselves, will not fave us without ourfelves. Our Care about these things cannot be too great: Nay, in truth, if we do not lay out the greatest Part of ourselves about them, we are in Danger of falling fhort of our Aims. For the

Gate

Gate that leadeth to Life is (as our Saviour tells us) a ftreight Gate, and whoever will enter into it must not only feek, but ftrive; that is, muft ufe the fame Diligence and Earneftnefs, and vigorous Application, that thofe do who ftrive for Mastery. We must prefs forward, as St. Paul teftifies of himself, towards the Mark, in order to our obtaining the Prize of our high Calling in Jefus Chrift, imitating thofe that run in a Race, who put out their whole Strength to be firft at the Goal. Lastly, if we will obtain Salvation, we must work it out with Fear and Trembling, as the fame Apostle hath told us; that is, our highest Care, Solicitude, and Watchfulness, will be little enough to effect it.

This therefore is the first thing to be obferved in the Explication of this Text, that it is the Care of worldly Things only that is here forbidden us. But what then is all Care for worldly Things forbidden us by our Religion? God forbid! For that would open a Door to Sloth and Lazinefs, and all the evil Confequences of it. No certainly (which is the fecond thing I defire to take notice of in the Explication of the Text); for all this Command of being careful for nothing, a juít Care even for worldly Things, is not only allowable to Chriftians, but incumbent as a Duty upon thein. We are fo to take care of Food and Raiment, as honeftly to labour for them; B 4 and

and he that will not work, ought not to eat, as this very Apoftle hath elsewhere told us. We are fo to take care of our Family, as by our Diligence and good Hufbandry to make competent Provifion for them, fuitable to their Degree and Quality; otherwise we are worfe than Infidels, as he tells us in the fame Place. What Wants, or Neceffities, or evil Circumftances foever we are under, or do fear may come upon us, we are to take fuch Care of ourselves, as to use all the Means we lawfully can to get out of them, or to avoid them. We are not to think we are fo to depend upon God for all outward Things, as to abandon the Ufe of Means; tho' we muft in all Conditions, and for all Things, make our Requefts known to God by Prayer and Supplication, yet we must never expect to obtain what we pray for, unless we ourfelves contribute our Endeavours towards it. It is Enthufiafm, even to Madness, to think that all we have to do in this World, is to give up ourselves wholly to Contemplation and Devotion; and as for the Things that are neceffary for our outward Being and Conveniency, only to look up to God for them; as if he was to find us with Meat from Heaven, or cure our Difeafes, without our making use of Phyfick. No! God's Bleffing and our Care always go together. If we do not ftir to help ourfelves, and vigorously put forth all those

Powers

Powers that he hath given us for that Purpofe, we do in vain look for Help from above, how earnest foever our Prayers and Supplications be.

Care therefore we muft, even for our worldly Concernments, if we would have any of them to profper: Nay so neceffary is this worldly Care I fpeak of, that it is questionable whether any Man can light into fuch Circumstances of Life, that he can be lawfully excufed from it.

All those that have Callings (as the greateft Part among us have) are certainly bound to follow them with a confcientious Care and Diligence: And as for those, whose Circumftances do not oblige them to follow any particular direct Calling or Profeffion, yet ought they to have Care too; idly and lothfully they must not live; fome Designs and Business they muft pitch upon, wherewith to employ themselves innocently and ufefully; otherwise they will not be able to give any tolerable Account of their Time or their Talents unto God. And no Defign can be purfued to any Purpofe, without Care and Application of Mind. But if it be thus, what kind of Care is here forbidden? or what are the Limits or the Measures within which we are to bind our Cares for earthly Things, and which if we tranfgrefs, we fin against the Precept that is here given us, of being careful for nothing? Why, in Anfwer to this, I fay, in the third Place, That

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