that makes a man now and then break out into unlawfull meanes is not lawfull And so for the time when men so care to provide nenessaries for this life that they cannot stay Gods time but they must have it presently within such a time or else they will waite no longer In 2. King 6. 2. King 6. That King when there was a great famine he did so care for supply of necessarie and convenient food that because the prophet bid him waite a while and made him stay longer then he would have done he breaks out It is of the Lord why should I waite any longer He would take his owne course and use his owne meanes he would no longer be dependant upon God This man over-charged his heart with necessaries he cared too much because he would not stay patiently till Gods time was to give him answere 5 When it hinders thought of judgement Fiftly the last signe and evidence of a heart overcharged with care for necessaries is when the heart so cares for the things of this present life that it cannot take in the thought of judgements and calamities that have beene threatned to the place where he lives in the word and by the ministers when the heart is so solicitous about meate and drinke and providing for himselfe and his family that it thinks not at all of judgements threatned by the misters Or else doth not think of them as they should to prepare themselves and expect calamities comming This especially is Christs meaning in the text Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with cares How shall I know that If that day come upon me unawares then it is an overcharging thought for necessaries When the judgements you are told of are out of your mindes or so little regarded that you prepare not but suddenly unawares judgement comes upon you This is that overcharging care that is charged upon the old world and upon Sodome Luke 17.26.30 Luke 17.26.30 they are charged that they did eate and drink and were over charged with pleasures They builded and planted there was overcharging with Care Care is lawfull in it selfe but they cared too much for these lawfull things And it appeared by this they so minded providing of necessaries and getting of conveniencies for themselves and others that they utterly forgate or never fitted themselves for the judgements they were forewarned of Then in the last place you may know whether your hearts be overcharged with care or no. If you finde you are so carefull and take such thought what you shall eat and what you shall drinke and how you shall be cloathed how you shall provide for your families and children as that you either thinke not of judgements threatned or are not so mindfull of them or not carefull to prepare for them By these five symptomes you may know whether your hearts be overcharged with care or no. Now then the summe of the Doctrine comes to thus much how ever care and diligence be very lawfull for things necessary and convenient so that it be without distraction and oppression of our spirits Either with distrustfull care for the event or perplexity of heart with feare of want for the time to come Or so that it be not careing for to morrow as well as to day sinfully for the time to come as well as the time present And so that there be not so much care for necessaries that wee cannot give other things their due care and so that there be not so much care that we use unlawfull means that we cannot wait Gods time or think of judgements threatned though a care that hath not these flawes in it be lawfull and comendable and the more diligent and painfull and the more carefull the more commendable Yet for people so to care for the things of this life solicitously as to be perplexed c. This is to overcharge the heart and they that would not have judgement to come unprepared they must be carefull that they doe not over charge their hearts thus Thus the doctrine is opened For the proofe of it it lies in the text Matt 6. Matth. 6. Take no thought for too morrow And Peter directly expresseth it to us 1. Pet. 4.7 1. Pet. 4.7 The end of all things is at hand be therefore sober As if he should say if you desire to be prepared for the end that is come then be sober sober in pleasures not overcharged with surfitting and drunkennesse sober in Care even of necessaries be not overcharged with the cares of this life Neither is it enough for people to be carefull that they be not overcharged sometimes but they must be carefull that at no time their hearts be overcharged with any of these cares The reason is playne because the time of judgement may come at aâ—y time at the morning at evening at noone-day or at midnight and it is vncertaine when the time of judgement shall be And it is certaine that Christ shall then come to judgement when people least of all expect him Considering all these things who ever would not have judgemnt to take them unawares must take heed that their hearts bee not over charged with the cares of this life To come to application Vse 1. instruction First This doctrine serves for instruction to teach us two lessons 1 Their errour that take care for abundance Frist How exceedingly they erre that ouercharge themselues with care for abundance with care for superfluitie If it be so great an errour to ouercharge the heart with care for necessaries how great an errour is it to charge the heart with care for superfluities If it be a great errour to care too much for necessaries how great an errour is it to care too much for too much Yet notwithstanding this is the errour of these times and of this City Men never content themselves they never have enough It may be said of a great many people that are yet professors of the Gospell as Habakkuk speakes of the King of Babylon he transgresseth by wine there is overcharging of the heart with pleasures he is a proud man he keepes not at home he inlargeth his desire as hell and as death he cannot be satisfied He gathers to him all nations and heapeth to him all people You have a generation in this Citie they are never satisfied but as so many horse-leeches they cry give give they gather to them all the trade and custome they would if they could gather together all the wealth of the City and of the Kingdome Those that Solomon speaks of Pro. 1.10 Pro. 1.10 That are glaâ—… of gaine So 〈◊〉 Pro. 28.22 They make haste to be rich and not only care for necessaries but for too much for abundance This must needs be an intolerable errour when it is so great a fault for a man too much to care for that which is necessary and convenient 2 Those that take care for unlawfull things The
overcharge thy soule with the cares of this present life Therefore you shall finde that Christ in Mat. 6.30 Mat. 6.30 If God so cloath the grasse of the feild shall he not much more you O yee of little faith they that care too much for food and rayment are of little faith if of any Therefore apply it to your selves such as are guilty in this of caring too much and overcharging your harts with caring for the necessaryes of this life know your fault and errour you are guilty of coveteousnes that very sin that the scripture so much condemnes Thou art guilty of that sin that the Apostle calls Idolatry Coll. 3. Col. 3. Coveteosnesse which is Idolatry A coveteous man makes an Idoll of his mony hee makes it his God why so hee sets his heart upon it his hope and confidence his trust his love and desire and joy is upon his mony Therefore coveteousnesse is Idolatry In a measure thou art guilty of this thou puttest too much hope and confidence and desire and joy upon outward provision of necessaries or else thou wouldest never care too much for them thou wouldest never over-charge thy heart with care if thy heart did not pitch too much upon these outward things Covetousnesse is that sin that the Apostle would have Christians to separate from All such as professing Christianity yet notwithstanding are covetous 1 Cor. 5.11 1 Cor. 5.11 If any that is called a brother be covetous Eat not with such a one Covetousnes is such a sin as habitually reigning in the soule and a man dying in that estate it shuts him out of heaven 1 Cor. 6. 1 Cor. 6. This is the danger of covetousnesse and this thy soule is tainted with that art overcharged with the cares of this present life And beloved if you bee Gods people I put this supposition because it is possible that the children of God may be tainted this way to overcharge their soules with the cares of this life if thou bee one of Gods and art overcharged with care thy sin is not the lesse but the greater It is a drunkennesse a surffetting thy soule is a glutton a drunkard that is overcharged with cares Now what a shame is it for thee to be drunke to be overcharged with cares that art not of the night and of the darknesse but art a childe of the day How doth S. Paul reason 1 Thess 5. 1 Thes 5. They that are drunk are drunk in the night though now drunkards be shamelesse yet in those times men that were drunke would be drunke in the night that they might not be seene that their shame might not be commonly knowne that was the fashion of these times there was more modesty and shame then than in our times But saith the Apostle You that are of the light and of the day c. that is as it is a great deale more shame to be drunk in the day than in the night because more eyes see a man and look on him there are more that take notice of his folly so it is more shame for a Christian to be overcharged with cares than for worldlings they are children of the night and of the darknesse there is none minds them or looks for other things at their hands But Christians are in the light nay they are lights Cities set on a hil and if a Christian be drunk with cares every one sees his shame his reeling his drunkennesse and reproach all the world takes notice of him Therefore if you be the people of God and hope you are and yet finde your hearts overcharged the more is your shame considering that you are of the day Nay the more is your shame because you have eares to heare and you have often heard the Lord hath warned you of the day of judgement which for ought we know should have come upon us long ere now if not nationall judgement yet God might have summoned thee by any of that that is past to the great day of judgement and thou hast been told that the day of judgement shall come ere thou art aware and yet thou that hast had eares to heare these instructions shouldest thou bee unprepared and unfitted for the day of judgement so long as thy heart is overcharged with cares thou art unprepared for the day of judgement If that judgement should come then thou wouldest be tooke napping thou wouldest be unfitted This serves for the sharp reproofe of those that overcharge their hearts with cares So much for the second use Vse 3. Exhortation not to bee overcharged with cares The third use now remaines that is a use of exhortation that is that you looke to your selves lest at any time you be overcharged with cares lest this evill of covetousnesse prevaile upon you Covetousnesse is that that we are all prone to Ier. 6.13 We are all prone to it Ier. 6.13 From the greatest to the least they are all given to covetousnesse Great men they are prone to covet too much and poore men are prone too much to covet things necessary One way or other we are generally addicted to covetousnes all sorts all kinds of us Even Gods own people are prone to this errour therfore David prays against it Psal 119.36 Psal 119.36 Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousnesse Would David have prayed against the bending of his heart to covetousnesse if he had not found himselfe inclined that way Therefore wee see our Saviour Christ here exhorts his Disciples to take heed of being overcharged with cares this he would never have done if they had not been prone to have beene overcharged as well as others So Timothy a man that was more than ordinarily moderate yet 1 Tim. 3.10,11 1 Tim. 3.10,11 Thou O man of God flee these things What things The love of money and the coveting of that evill covetousnesse do thou looke to thy selfe to flee these things We are inclined to it As we are all prone to this errour to have our hearts overcharged and so tainted with this evill covetousnesse so we are strongly inclined to it It is not a moderate or ordinary bent of spirit in us all this way but more than an ordinary strong bent of spirit Thereupon you shall finde our Saviour Luk. 12.15 Luk. 12.15 Take heed and beware of covetousnesse He addes a double caution take heed and beware of it see to it watch and ward the words imply both every way with heart and hand look to your selves that your hearts be not overcharged with this evill of covetousnesse Therefore in Matth 6.25 Mat. 6.25 to the end of the Chapter Christ three times in those few verses doth repeat one and the same exhortation which is that I now give you that you take no thought what you shall eat or drinke or wherewith you shall be cloathed Three times our Saviour exhorts his Disciples to take heed of being overcharged with cares for the