diligently used lawful means for any thing) to take thought for success. For "who can by taking thought add any thing to his stature?" or "make one hair white or black?" Understand the same of all other things.

3. Every day bringeth its full employment with it, together with its crosses and griefs; so that you will have full work enough for your care, to endeavour to do the present day's work holily; and to bear each present day's affliction fruitfully and patiently; you have little reason therefore to perplex your heart with taking thought of future events, or of what shall be to-morrow.

4. It is altogether needless to take thought about the success of your actions, for success is cared for already by God. One whose care is of more use and consequence than yours can be. You are cared for by one, who loveth you better than you can love yourself, who is wise, and knoweth what is best for you, and what you most need, better than yourself; who is always present with you, and is both able and ready" to do exceeding abundantly for you, above all that you can ask or think;" even God, who careth for meaner creatures than you are, who also is your God, your heavenly Father, of whose care you have had happy experience, who in times past cared for you, when you could not care for yourself, who hath kept you in, and from your mother's belly; who, (if you are believers indeed) ordained you to salvation before you had a being; who in due time gave his only begotten Son for you, and to you, as appeareth in that now he hath given you faith and hope in him, and love to him. It is your God and Father who hath commanded, that for the present,

and for the future, you should cast your care and burden on him; having made many gracious promises, that he will care for you, that he will sustain you, and that he will bring your desire to pass. What wise man then will encumber himself with needless cares?

5. Carefulness or anxious thoughts about success, proceedeth from base and cursed causes, namely, ignorance of God, and unbelief and distrust of God, in whomsoever this sin reigneth; hence it was that the heathen abounded in this sin. And by how much this carefulness is indulged by any (though it reign not) by so much he may be said to be of little sound knowledge, and of little faith.

6. Carefulness, and doubtful suspense about success in your lawful endeavours, be it whether you or yours shall prosper, or whether you shall profit by the means of grace, or whether you shall be saved in the end, doth produce many dangerous and mischievous effects:→→→

1. It will cause you to neglect the proper use of the means of this life, or of that which is to come; according as you doubt of success in either, or if you neglect them not utterly, yet you will have no heart. to go about them. For as those that needlessly intermeddle with other person's business, usually neglect their own; so you will be apt to leave your own work undone, when you take God's work out of his hands; and who is he that will take pains about that which he feareth will be to no purpose, or labour lost?

2. You will be ready to use unlawful means for any thing, when you doubt of success from lawful.

3. Taking thought doth divide, distract, overload, and consume the heart and spirits: nothing

more.

any

4. You can never be thankful to God for thing whereof you fear that you shall have no good

success.

5. This anxious thought and distressing fear about success, will deprive you of the comfort of all those good things you have had, and which now you do enjoy.

6. Nothing will bring ill success upon you sooner than unbelieving and distrustful fears about futurity. For when any person shall, notwithstanding the experience he hath had, or might have had, of God's power, love, care, and truth of his promises, yet distrustfully care so far, as not to content himself with his own work, so far as prudent care leadeth him; but also will take God's work, and the burden of his work upon himself, caring about success, which only belongeth to God, and which God only can do, and bear; this folly and presumption doth so much provoke God, that it causeth him, out of his wise justice, to cease caring for such a one, leaving him to his own care, and to his wit, friends, or any other earthly help, to make him, by woful experience, see and feel, how little any, or all these, without God, can avail him. Nay, it causeth God not only to withdraw his own help, but the help of all things whereon such a man doth rely; and which is more, causeth them, instead of being for him, to be utterly against him. Is it not just with God, that whosoever will not be beholden to God to bear their burden, but will take it up and bear it them

selves, should be made to bear it alone, and to the distress and disquietment of their own hearts.

Wherefore, all these things considered, I return to the exhortation, or conclusion before proposed, namely, Commit thy ways unto the Lord, and trust in him. Cast all your care on God; be careful in nothing.

Oh! How happy are we Christians, if we did but know, or knowing would enjoy our happiness. We are cared for in every thing that we need, and that can be good for us; we may live without taking thought or care in any thing. Our work is only to study and endeavour to please God, walking before him in sincerity, and with a perfect heart; then we may cleave to him, and rest on him both for our bodies and souls, without fear or distraction. God is all-sufficient, and all in all to such; he is known by his name Jehovah to such; even to the being, and the accomplisher of his promises to them. If we shall wisely and diligently care to do our work, we, serving so good and so able a master, need not take thought about our wages. If we would make it our care to obey and please so good, and so rich, and bountiful a Father, we need not be careful for our maintenance here, in our minority and non-age; nor yet for our eternal inheritance, when we shall come to full age. We, in this holy security and freedom from carefulness, if we are not wanting to ourselves, might live in a heaven upon earth; and that not only when we have means, (for even then our security is in God, not in the means) but when to the eye of flesh we have no means: for God is above, and more than all means.

V. Means to attain quieting Confidence in God, and freedom from perplexing Cares.

That you may leave anxious caring, and be brought to cast all your care on God,

1. Deny yourself, and your own wisdom; be not wise in your own conceit, nor presumptuous of your wit, skill, or means.

you

2. Get sound knowledge, faith, hope, and confidence in God; live by faith, for the preservation both of body and soul. Get not only faith in his promise, but in his providence also. When you shall see no way or means of gaining the good you desire, or of keeping you from the evil which fear, or of delivering you from the evil you feel, then call to mind, not only the promises of God, viz. " I am with you I will not leave nor forsake you-All things work together for good;" and many such like; but believe also that God will provide means to bring to pass what he hath promised, though yet you see not how. When you can say, with faithful Abraham, "God will provide," it will cast out fear and doubt. But if, with Abraham, you believe God's promises in the main, but not God's providence in the means; you will then be tempted to seek out, and use unlawful means to obtain the thing promised, as he did; or faint in waiting, as many others have done. For we see the like in David, when he had faith in God's providence, he could say of Saul, "The Lord shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into the battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand