second instruction is to shew us how great an errour it is to care for unlawfull things too much If it be so great a fault to care so much for things lawfull how great is it to care for things unlawfull This is the fault of many sinners that drinke iniquity as water that never have their bellies sull enough that draw sinne as with Cart-ropes that gallop in the wayes of rebellion and as Peter sayth think it strange that others also doe not runne with them in the same excesse of riot These are the instructions that wee may collect hence Vse 2. Reprehension to such as overcharge themselves with care The second use is a use of reprehension namely to all such as over-charge their hearts with care for this present life Such of you as perplex your spirits with care that lay so much care upon your soules that your hearts stoop under it such of you as take too much thought for the time to come as care so much for the things of this life that you give not God his due care nor your owne soules nor your families their due care such of you as care so much how to feed your bellies and to cloath your backs and to provide for your familie that you doe not use Gods meanes nor stay Gods times nor have no leisure to think of and prepare for those judgements that have been long threatned To you I speak you are sharply to be reproved It was Christs charge upon all his Disciples that they should take heed that at no time their hearts were overcharged with care your hearts are overcharged you demeane not your selves as the Disciples of Christ Mistake me not I blame not them that overcharge their hearts with caring for too much that are grosly covetous that belongs to another place but such as overcharge their hearts for things necessary convenient things that might bee cared for only they are not to be cared for too much You are the persons that I speak of you that overcharge your hearts for food and rayment and convenient things let me tell you this caring too much for things necessary is as truly covetousnesse as the care for other things Covetousnesse is not only a desire of too much but it is also covetousnesse when the â—eart too much desires any â—utward thing Not only he is covetous that cares for too much but he that too much cares for necessaries That his is so we see it plaine in Matth. 6.24,25 Mat. 6.24.25 No man can serve two masters hee cannot serve God and Mammon Will you not say hee is covetous that serves Mammon and not God hee that makes mammon his God Observe Christs inference in the next verse Therefore I say take no thought no overchargeing thought take not thought for your life what you shall eat and drink Doth not the connexion of the words imply that hee that takes thought for his life that is too much care that overchargeth himselfe with care though it bee but for his life and livelihood hee serves mammon and is covetous So in Luke 12.13.15 Luke 12.13.15 there a man breaks out and desires Christ to speak to his brother to divide the inheritance this was but a lawfull care a man may care for his inheritance and for the equall division of it and for peace between him and others that are joynt-heires of it the care is not unlawfull it is a thing necessary yet notwithstanding you shall finde that Christ upon this very mans action he exhorts against covetousnesse After hee had answered the man and checked him verse 14. in the fifteenth verse take heed of covetousnesse What was the occasion hee breaks off his Sermon and exhorts his Disciples and others from covetousnesse because this man speaks to Christ to divide the inheritance Teaching us that that mans caring too much for those things that in themseves were necessary and convenient was as truly covetousnesse as if he had cared for too much Consider this when people overcharge their hearts with câ—res it is as truly covetousnesse as they that care for too much That you may also gather from Heb. 13.5 Heb. 13.5 Let your conversation bee without Covetousnesse I but what is that be content with such things as you have for hee hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee The words seem to imply a double covetousnesse First desire not superfluities be content with what you have Secondly doe not too anxiously charge your hearts with necessaries for the Lord hath said I will never faile thee nor forsake thee This testimony that is brought answers the error in the heart the care for necessaryes rather than the other the care for superfluityes By this we may learne that it is coveteousnesse to overcharge the heart with care for necessaryes And indeed it must needs bee so for it is evident there is a love of mony if there were not a love of mony as mony thou wouldest never care more for that then for God and grace and the keeping of a good conscience If thy soule did prize God and grace above mony and above the necessaryes of this present world thou wouldest have enough so thou couldest enioy them and so thy desires and cares would be moderate to other things Therefore it is an evident signe when the soule cares too much though for necessaries that that soule is immoderate in its desires Observe wheresoever there is immoderate care there is immoderate desire Care is the fruit they that care too much desire too much Where there is immoderate desire there is a corrupt opinion where a man desires a thing too much hee hath too high an opinion of that thing Well thou that carest too much for necessaryes thou desirest them too much and thinkest too highly of them thy understanding is poysoned thy judgement corrupted carnall Principles keepe the sterne of thy soule and act it aswell as the soules of others If thou didst not think too highly of mony and of the necessaryes of this life thou wouldest never desire them too much or care too much for them It is an evident signe where any soule cares for the things and necessaryes of this world they thinke too highly of the God of the world Money If thou didst not think that money were a good thing thou wouldest never desire it too much If thou didst not think that a mans life consisted in these things thou wouldest neuer bee too carefull for these things If thou didst not care more for having the things than for using of the things of this world and giving account for the things of this world thou wouldest never desire or care for them too much In a word if thou wert not deeply guilty of Ignorance and unbeleife if thou wert not Ignorant of the alsufficiency of the faithfullnesse and providence of God or distrust in the all-sufficiency and faithfulnesse and providence of God thou wouldest never overcare thou wouldest never
necessaries and conveniences of this present life And why all this but because there is a strong a more than ordinary inclination and bent of spirit to this overcharging of the heart The devill it may be cannot draw many of us to covet too much to that pleonexy and superabundant desire of the things of this world but yet easily hee drawes us too much to covet those things that seeme necessary and convenient Especially beloved is this exhortation seasonable and usefull in this time wherein the Lord leads many of his children into straights and necessities and brings them as he did once his first-borne Israel to the wildernesse and exerciseth them with the want of those things that seeme necessary and convenient In these times and for such as are exercised with these straits this exhortation is seasonable and much to bee listned to that you take heed that your hearts bee not overcharged with care for the things of this life To overcharge the heart with care Overcharging care a punishment is to bring upon us a kinde of punishment to punish our selves We need not wish a greater punishment to an enimie then to be overcharged with care It is a perplexing disquieting thing therefore in Ezek 12.18,19 the Lord threatneth it as a judgement upon people Ezek. 12.18,19 They shall eat their bread with carefulnesse and drinke their drinke with astonishment It makes men murmure against God The heart being overcharged with care makes the spirit prone to commit that great sin of the Israelites in the wildernesse to repine and murmure against the Lord to tempt and limit the Holy One of Israel For what was the ground of their oft falling into that great sinne of murmuring against God and tempting him It was this they were over-carefull for the necescessaries of this present life they were over-carefull for bread and water and for flesh they so overcharged their hearts with care for those necessaries that their spirits failed and murmured against God they limited God and tempted the Holy One of Israel as the story records This inordinate too much care for the things of this life is a branch of that love of money that is the root of all evill It is the root of most sins It is the seed not of murmuring onely but even a wombe that is able to conceive and bring forth almost any sinne against the Lord. It hinders grace It is one of the greatest dampers coolers of grace and of holy and spirituall affection that is Water is not more contrary to fire than this over-caring heart for worldly things is to grace And the meanes of grace You shall see how it keeps men much from the ordinances and meanes of grace Luk. 14.16,18,19 Luke 14.16.18.19 Christ he cals them to the means of grace expressed under the parable of a man that made a great supper and bade many Christ invites people to the meanes of grace but the cares of this life when they care too much for the necessaries of this life keeps them that they come not they all with one consent began to make excuse What made them keep from comming The one said I have bought ground and I must needs goe see it Another said I have bought five yoke of oxen and I must goe prove them These were lawfull and necessary things that their care was about for a man to look to his ground to try his oxen but they over-cared for these things therefore they could not finde time and leasure to come to the means of grace And put the case people should come to the meanes of grace yet notwithstanding where the heart is overcharged with care the means of grace are unfruitfull and ineffectuall if not altogether yet so as that they bring nor forth fruit to perfection Luk 8.14 Luk. 8.14 The third ground brought not forth fruit to perfection why so It was choaked with the cares of this present life A heart overcharged with care is kept from preparing to heare the Word it cannot before premeditate and consider and ponder and pray and the like When it comes into the presence of the Lord where his word is preached it cannot be attent and intent for the heart is after covetousnes distracted with care and thought about this and that so it cals off the minde that it cannot lend that attention at least give that intention of minde to the Word as is needfull After it cannot so meditate on that Word it hath not that leasure and freedome to recall the Word to consider it to apply it Nay hardly can it beleeve the certainty the truth and promises of the Word Thus I say the heart overcharged with care if it keep not from comming to the meanes yet from receiving benefit by the meanes if not from all benefit yet from so much profit as is needfull to bring forth fruit to perfection It pierceth the heart In a word the overcharging the heart with cares is as it were a piercing the soule through with many darts as the Apostle Paul expresseth it 1 Tim. 6.10 1 Tim. 6.10 The love of money is the root of all evill which while some covet after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves thorow with many sorrowes Many darts goe into the soule of that man or woman that is overcharged with care And in this respect and the former our Saviour compares cares to thornes because they choak and prick and pierce the soule But I cannot better perswade you to this duty to take heed of being overcharged with care then in our Saviours words and arguments who preached a Sermon upon this very purpose Matth. 6.25 Mat. 6.25 to the end of the Chapter there is the exhortation laid downe that I now give Take no thought be not overcharged with care not for necessaries for life What you shall eat or drink or for the body What you shall put on And you shall finde divers arguments Arguments against too much care whereby Christ presseth this exhortation 1 God hath given better things without our care The first argument is in the end of vers 25. Is not life more than meat and the body than rayment As if he should say God without your care hath given you the better and doe you not think that without immoderate care he will give you the worse what care did you take for life yet God hath given it you What care did you take for a body before you had it yet God hath given it you If God hath given you the better without care life a body will not God give that which is of lesse worth with moderate care namely meanes to preserve the life and to cover the body There is the first argument 2 The Lord provides for meaner creatures The second argument is in vers 26. Behold the fowles of the ayre they sow not they reap not they gather not into barnes
the Kingdomes of Israel and Iudah and thy Masters houses and wives and if that had not been enough I would have given thee more Wheresoever God stayes his hand in the distribution of outward things it is because there is enough for that man or woman This is the second Principle 3 Outward things not to be cared for but expected The third Principle which we should possesse our minds with is that the outward necessities of this present life they are not properly to be cared for but to bee waited for they are not to be taken thought for but to be expected So Christ expresseth it Matth. 6.32,33 Mat. 6.32,33 Seek the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and other things shall be added I pray observe it Seek heavenly things expect outward things labour for the one look for the other This is the rule that God gives us concerning outward things we are not so much properly to care for them as to cast our care upon God for them for so you shall finde Psal 37.4 Psal 37.4 Roul thy selfe upon the Lord commit thy way to the Lord trust in him and he will bring it to passe We are to cast our care for outward things upon God and to expect and wait for the things from God and not strictly to care for them to toyle and drudge and labour for them Not beloved that wee must be idle he that doth not labour must not eat We must use the means that God hath appointed so as God hath appointed what means God hath appointed for the getting of these outward means we must use and no other means but use them so as God hath appointed without distracting cares without perplexing cares We must use lawfull means lawfully but not expect the things from the means or by the means but use the means in obedience to God And having used the means we must look for the things from God this is the rule of Christians this is the way whereby God would have us seek for the necessaries of this present life Psal 37.4 Rowle thy selfe on God trust in him having used the means because God hath appointed them Then trust to God for a blessing Thirdly pray to God for them Phil. 4. Being carefull in nothing but in all things make your requests known to God This is the third Principle wherewith we should possesse our minds outward things are rather to be expected than cared for wee must use the means and cast our care for them upon the Lord. 4 The hazard that comes by outward things Again a fourth Principle is this possesse your minds with this Principle that there is more hazard and trouble comes to us by enjoying these outward things than benefit the care about the right use of them about the improving of them about the account that is to to be given for them is more than the benefit that comes by them This in other things makes men not affect some kinde of offices A Steward in a house hath money enough he hath it in his own power to dispose but yet because he is a Steward and must give an account of every penny many wise men had rather be without the Stewards purse and place than have the trouble and the hazard of the account of it If you consider this you would not so much care for the things of this life If you did remember what hazard there is in the use and in the improvement and in the account that must be given of them 5 Christians are possessors of all things Lastly in the fifth place possesse your minds of this Principle if you be Christians you cannot but be rich you cannot but be possessors of all things 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours for yee are Christs So in Iam. 2.5 God hath chosen the poore of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdome And in 2 Cor. 5.10 As poore yet making many rich as having nothing yet possessing all things Thou art a Christian thou art the possessor of all things the Lord of all things thou canst not but be rich and in the best things in faith and toward God What needest thou charge thy heart with care Here is the first means to be used to keep the heart from being overcharged with care Study these Principles and work out the other Consider them digest them meditate on them that your soules may be acted by them This is the first means The second means to bee content with a present condition The second means is To be content with our present condition Whatsoever we have be content with it This is the means the Scripture prescribes Heb. 13.5 Let your conversation be without covetousnesse Covet not too much neither too much covet any thing But how shall this be attained in the next words Be content with such things as you have what your present condition is be contented with it Though you be in straits and necessities though you be worse than your neighbours be content with your present condition and then you will never overcharge your hearts too much For the overcharging the heart with too much care comes from overmuch desire and overmuch desire comes from want of contentment Therefore men desire much because they are not contented with that that they have Therefore labour to be content with your present condition whatsoever it be And to perswade this consider that all whatsoever we have or enjoy is freely given us of God there is nothing due nothing deserved And we are angry with those beggars that are not content with our allowance when we give them freely nay if we give them nothing at all Againe It is the will of God that thou shouldest be as thou art it is Gods doing it is Gods decree appointment it is his will we pray That the will of God may be done shall we not then be content when the will of God is known Whatsoever thy condition be that thou art thus and thus in never such straits by the effect of it it is plain it is the appointment of God from eternity that thou shouldest be so Now the will of God is known therefore be content seeing thou prayest it may be done This is the second means Exercise faith The third means is to exercise faith Mat. 5.23 Why take you thought oh ye of little faith It is want of faith or want of the use of faith or weaknesse of faith that causeth the heart to be overcharged with care labour therefore to get faith and labour to exercise faith They have it of faith and the use of faith is one of the most notable means to preserve the soule from being overcharged with care Faith in the providence and in the promises of God faith in the power of God faith in the wisdome of God the acting of faith in these things preserves the soul from being overcharged the reason is because faith quiets the
heart in the want of any thing by making it sure and making it present Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seene Thou wantest meat thou wantest drink thou wantest provision for thy family faith will make meat and drink and provision of necessaries evident to thee though they be not seene faith will make them present to thee Faith in Gods providence in Gods power and truth and goodnesse and the like these make present those things thou wantest and these will keepe thee from care Faith gives a man assurance of the things in due time and measure therefore in the mean time it makes the heart quiet and content and carelesse therefore I say labour for faith We must live by faith beloved not onely in regard of our soules but in regard of our bodies not onely in trading for the world to come but in the businesse of this present world In all things live by faith walk by faith doe every thing by faith or else it is impossible to keep the heart from being overcharged That is the third means 4 Turn care another way The fourth means of keeping the heart from being overcharged is to turn thy care another way It is the practise of some when men bleed too much at the nose to open a vein and draw the bloud to another current they turn the bloud and stop it and it is a notable means to keep the heart from care of the things of this life when we grow more in care for the things of another For therefore the heart is too carefull for this life because it is too carelesse for a better life The stream cannot run strongly two contrary wayes and the heart of a man or woman cannot run strongly to heaven and earth Seek thou strongly the things above and thou shalt never too strongly seek the things below Therefore in Psalm 119.36 Psal 119.36 Incline not my heart to covetousnesse how shall that be Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousnesse Be carefull of Gods testimonies and thou shalt not be overcarefull for the things of this life But thou O man of God flee these things 1 Tim. 6.11 1 Tim. 6.11 Flee covetousnesse how is it done follow after righteousnesse hunt after it pursue it grow eager after the things of God and of a better life and thou shalt be moderate to the things of this life therfore oft think of the betternesse of spirituall things above earthly and outward things The things of God are a great deale more necessary than the things of this present life Grace is more necessary than the possession of meat or means to get meat and drink and apparell Thou canst not be happy without grace thou maist be happy in the want of all these these are not necessary the other are these are not certain the other are these are not everlasting the other are these cannot bring grace grace will bring these Whatsoever Principles there are to enlarge thy desire and increase thy care for the things of God possesse thy soule of them and turn the streame strongly upward and it will be weak downward 5 Not to entangle our â—elves with outward things A fifth means is take heed of tangling our selves as little as may be in any thing in this world whatsoever it be in outward necessaries in outward conveniences tangle your selves as little as may be in any It is a strange thing to see what a secret power there is in any thing in this world to draw our hearts too much after them We cannot touch pitch but we shall be defiled we cannot meddle with any thing in this world but we are ready to be over shoos and over boots as the Proverb saith in it Therefore since there is such a bewitching in all the things of this woâ—ld keep from them as much as is possible Vpon this ground 1 Cor. 7.32 1 Cor. 7.32 the Apostle perswades them not to marry without simple necessity and his reason is given because I would have you with out carefulnesse that is without overchargeing care as if he should say it is impossible almost for the heart to meddle with any of the things of this life but we shall care to much therefore if it may be without greater inconvenience keep from marriage for however the cares of marriage be lawfull yet notwithstanding when you are in those things it is hard not to care too much so we may say of any thing else as much as we can let us keep our selves free They wrong their soules in worldly businesses and affaires that care not how deep they dive in those things it is impossible they should keep from being overcharged 6 To cast our care on God The last means whereby we may be kept from overcharging care is as soon as we perceive our hearts to be burdened with care that it growes a little too strong for us presently we begin to ease our backs of it Accustome not yourselves to carry the burden of care but as soon as by the former signes you find they begin to grow heavie cast them off turn your thoughts upon those things that may kill and cure this care Nay let us cast our care upon God that as a wise man as soon as he perceives a burden that he carries is too strong for him if there be another that is able to bear it he wil presently ease his own back and lay it upon his friend so as soon as thou findest thy heart begin to be burdened with care take it at the first ease thy selfe of it at the first God is ready and well pleased when thou castest thy care upon him it is the very command of God as wee see before that we should cast our care upon him God would have you without care therefore at the first before overcharging care have got to great a vent and hath had too long a custome upon thy soule at the first labour to cast it upon the Lord. As it is with the body when the humours have took to a head in one place and finde a vent there it is a hard thing to turn them so if thy soule be accustomed to beare the burden of care to be overcharged with care thou wilt find it a hard thing to turn them off thy back again it will grow to thy back It is not with this burden as it is with other burdens when a man carries a burden never so long it is as loose as at the first and no weightier but there is a double inconvenience in cares care if it lie long growes to the back for care is to the soule as weeds in the naturall soile wherein they grow rooted and the longer they stay the bigger they grow so care will grow to the soule and it will be impossible almost to remove it and the longer it lies on the more it increaseth the stronger it growes And therefore at the first as soon