all the unlawful Cares here forbidden may conveniently enough be reduced under thefe two Heads; Immoderate Care: And Solicitous Care: Of both these I shall speak, but of the first more largely, because it requires a little more explaining.

First then, in the Precept of being careful for nothing, is forbidden all immoderate Care for worldly Things; that is to fay, when the Degree of our Care exceeds the Worth of the Thing cared for; or, which comes all to one thing, when our Care for Temporal Things, which are of fmaller Concernment, is greater than for Spiritual, which are much more momentous: As when we take more care to be Rich, than we do to be Good: When we study more to get a Reputation amongst Men, than to approve ourselves to God: When we are more folicitous to get out of the prefent evil Circumstances, in which we perhaps are, than to avoid eternal Damnation. What is exceffive or immoderate Care, if this be not? And yet the greatest Part of Mankind, God knows, are guilty of it; but it is juft the fame Extravagance, as it is for a Man to be more concerned at a Prick of his Finger, than for a gaping Wound in his Side, thro' which his Soul is ready to depart. The greatest Intereft we have to fecure in this World, is the everlasting Happiness of our Souls, and in order to that the Fear and Service of God. This therefore we ought in Reason to place our first and chiefeft Care upon. This is to be our main Design, and all our other

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other Defigns are to be fubfervient to this, and to be managed wholly in Subordination to it, fo as they may beft promote it. If now we do indeed thus think with ourfelves and thus act, then is all our Care for the World, how great foever it be, lawful and commendable. If we first seek the Kingdom of God, and the Righteousness thereof, then, be we never fo bufy and careful of our fecular Affairs afterwards, we do not amifs; our Care is fanctified, it is not immoderate. But when we either ferve Mammon only, and God not at all, or would ferve both God and Mammon, divide ourfelves between Religion and the World, and not make Religion our main Business, to which the other is to yield (as it is most usual amongst Men); in this Cafe our Care for the World is immoderate, it is greater than it ought to be, and we are juftly to be reproved for it. And whatever we may at prefent think of ourselves, we fhall, it is to be feared, if we do not amend this Matter, prove at laft the thorny Ground in the Pa rable, where, the good Seed being sown, the Thorns fprung up and choaked it; that is, as our Saviour interprets the Parable, the Cares of this World, and the Deceitfulness of Riches, will render the Word of God, and all our good Purposes, unfruitful and ineffectual.

This Point is of fo great Importance to every one of us, that I cannot think it fufficient

fufficient to have given this general Account of it, unless I alfo caution you against fome particular Things, which, wherefoever they are found, are either Inftances, or Expreffions, or fhrewd Signs, of an immoderate Care for worldly Things; fuch a Care as cannot confift with the minding the better Part; the One thing neceffary.

And in the firft Place; one Inftance of this unlawful Care is the giving fo much of ourfelves to our worldly Bufinefs and Concernments, of what kind foever they be, that we do not allow ourfelves fufficient Time for the Exercise of Devotion and Acts of Religion properly fo called.

Far am I from thinking it neceffary, that Christians fhould fpend either all or the greatest Part of their Time in Prayer and Meditation; no! there is a great deal of other Work and Bufinefs very needful to be done, which our Callings, and the Way of Living God hath put us into, will exact from us, in which we fhall find enough, and fometimes too much Employment for ourfelves; and I cannot fay, but this worldly Bufinefs, tho' it be Drudgery and Toil, in Comparison of the Work of Religion, yet if it be managed confcientiously, and in the Fear of God, is as truly an Inftance of ferving God, and is as acceptable to him in its Seafon, as even the being at our religious Offices, and fometimes perhaps more. But then whofoever doth fo wholly attend upon this,

as

as to allow himself no Time for the immediate Service of God, or but little and feldom, it is impoffible that ever Religion fhould profper in such a Man's Hands.

As God, who gave us all our Time, ought, in Reason, to have fome Portion of it devoted to him, and accordingly hath so commanded; fo, if he had not, the very Nature and Temper of our Minds would have made it neceffary, if ever we meant to preferve them in a religious Frame.

We may talk what we will, but it is no more poffible to maintain the spiritual Divine Life within our Souls, without frequent and conftant Retirements, and taking Times for Reading, and Prayer, and Meditation, than it is to maintain the Life of our Bodies, without a conftant Supply of Meat and Drink.

I could heartily wish this was seriously taken notice of; for the not observing this Point hath, I am afraid, done Mischief to many Souls. Souls. Several there are that at fome times, thro' fome extraordinary Providence of God, and the Motions of his Holy Spirit, are awakened to a very lively Sense of their Duty, and very ftrong and vigorous Refolutions they make; and for fome while they live up to them, that is, fo long as that Senfe lafts, being very careful of their Actions, and having a very comfortable Relifh of God and Goodness upon their Spirits.

Why now might not thefe Men always live thus? Why certainly with due Care they might, and not only fo, but daily grow better and better; but, alas! we fee they often do not; for you fhall find many of these that began to live fo well, after fome time to lose all their Senfe of Piety, and to grow as carelefs and unconcerned for their Souls, as ever they were. I do not deny but there may be many concurrent Causes to produce this Alteration in them; but this I am very confident of, that a main one is that I am now speaking of; namely, the Neglect of frequent Recollections, the not taking conftant Times of Prayer and Reading, and renewing their holy Purposes, and fetching new Supplies of Strength and Vigour from the Throne of Grace, but fuffering worldly Bufinefs or Cares to steal away their Hearts infenfibly.

This therefore you must fix as a certain immoveable Principle in your Minds, that how urgent and preffing foever the Business of your Calling or of your Lives be, it must not put the Thoughts of Religion out of your Head for any long while together: There must be a Time and Leifure found for the minding the Work of that; nay so neceffary is this, if you mean to fave your Souls, that the allowing yourfelves Time for Eating and Sleeping is not more.

To define or prescribe the precife Portion of Time that every one is to give to God,

and