2 State eastern phrase, all the time to come, SAN Hnt the very next day only, but according Watson evils of life, how we • them, ar whether as to the ill things, to all such as these) we may presume that our blessed Lord directs the precept of the text-take no thought for the morrow. It shall be my business to shew both the evil and the unreasonableness of such anxious thoughts, and how little they are to be justified, either in point of piety or prudence. I. First, the evil of them lies in these particulars : that they are opposite to several plain precepts of Holy Writ; that they often invade the peculiar province and prerogative of God, and are always built on a secret distrust of his providence. Several express commands there are in Scripture of the same import with that of the text: be careful for. nothing (says St. Paul), but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Phil. iv. 6. Cast all your care upon him, says St. Peter, for he careth for you. 1 Pet. v. 7. Commit thy way unto the Lord, says good David, trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Psal. xxxii. 5. Can a man transgress these commands, without guilt; or entertain any degree of anxiety, without transgressing them? Indeed, when we indulge ourselves too far in these melancholy presages, and pretend to see a great way off the evils that shall happen to us, we are guilty of impiety on another account; inasmuch as we proudly and arrogantly pretend to what doth not lie within the compass of our knowledge, and affect to partake with the Almighty in one of his great attributes. Secret things belong unto the Lord our God: Deut. xxix. 29. He alone who orders and disposes futurities, can foresee them at a distance: but man is a short-sighted and blind creature; and never more blind, than when he pretends to see furthest, and to set up for prophesying. It is the kind design of God, to wrap up things to come in clouds and darkness, lest we should arrive at the knowledge of that, which, when known, would certainly trouble us. row, is not meant the very next day only, but according to the import of the eastern phrase, all the time to come, any future event, at what distance soever. The design of the text therefore is, to prohibit all anxious and perplexing cares; whether as to the good things of life, the necessaries and first conveniencies of it, how we shall be furnished with them; or whether as to the ill things, the possible dangers, and distant evils of life, how we shall bear them a disease very incident to good and virtuous minds, when they happen to be a little tinctured with melancholy; and very apt, where it gets possession, to poison all the enjoyments of life, and even to make life itself sometimes a burthen to the owner. It has been known, when an excessive love of some earthly good [as perhaps of a near and dear relation or friend] has in tender tempers raised such a dread of losing that happiness, as hath been more than equal to the pleasure they took in enjoying it. And there have been instances of those who under all the affluence and plenty in the world, have fancied to themselves some accident, that might rob them at once of all they possessed; and have, by such an imaginary scene, made themselves as truly miserable, as if it were real. Nor is it an unusual thing for men to be influenced so far, by reflections on such possible accidents as these, as to shut up their hands and their bowels to the poor, and to think themselves excused from relieving other men's wants, lest they themselves should one day want what they are invited to bestow. However, should some of these be thought rare cases, yet nothing is more common, than to see men, who are at ease, disquieting themselves with remote prospects, and with the vain fear of future evils especially if they live in doubtful and distracted times, when the spirit of dissension reigns openly, and parties of men are loud and violent against each other: then they sink under the sad view of things, and are ever scaring themselves with the forethought of the very worst, that can befal themselves or others, particular families or cities, churches or kingdoms. To these (and to all such as these) we may presume that our blessed Lord directs the precept of the text-take no thought for the morrow. It shall be my business to shew both the evil and the unreasonableness of such anxious thoughts, and how little they are to be justified, either in point of piety or prudence. I. First, the evil of them lies in these particulars : that they are opposite to several plain precepts of Holy Writ; that they often invade the peculiar province and prerogative of God, and are always built on a secret distrust of his providence. Several express commands there are in Scripture of the same import with that of the text: be careful for nothing (says St. Paul), but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Phil. iv. 6. Cast all your care upon him, says St. Peter, for he careth for you. 1 Pet. v. 7. Commit thy way unto the Lord, says good David, trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Psal. xxxii. 5. Can a man transgress these commands, without guilt; or entertain any degree of anxiety, without transgressing them? Indeed, when we indulge ourselves too far in these melancholy presages, and pretend to see a great way off the evils that shall happen to us, we are guilty of impiety on another account; inasmuch as we proudly and arrogantly pretend to what doth not lie within the compass of our knowledge, and affect to partake with the Almighty in one of his great attributes. Secret things belong unto the Lord our God: Deut. xxxix. 29. He alone who orders and disposes futurities, can foresee them at a distance: but man is a short-sighted and blind creature; and never more blind, than when he pretends to see furthest, and to set up for prophesying. It is the kind design of God, to wrap up things to come in clouds and darkness, lest we should arrive at the knowledge of that, which, when known, would certainly trouble us. The scheme of successive angry providences, by which God must govern a wicked world, would be so terrible and amazing a sight, that, in pity to us, God has shortened and bounded our view. And what madness, what wickedness is it then, to pry curiously into those arcana of Providence, which we can never find out, and which were hidden from us on purpose that we might not find them out! Secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those that are revealed, belong unto us and to our children: and one of these revealed truths is, the wise aphorism of the text, take no thought for the morrow. That such anxiety is irreligious, will further appear, if we consider it as built always on a secret distrust of God's goodness towards, and perpetual watchfulness over us. It hath indeed somewhat of the nature of infidelity; and therefore our Saviour applies himself to those who give way to it, under this compellation: 0 ye of little faith! Did we repose an entire confidence in God; were we thoroughly persuaded, that he is as ready, as he is able, to do every thing that is needful for us, and that, without his permission and appointment, no snare can entrap us, no calamity can crush us, no evil can approach to hurt us; had we always upon our minds, I say, a deep and lively sense of these truths, it were impossible that a concern for future events should much disquiet us; we should certainly, according to the advice of St. Peter, cast our care upon God, if we in good earnest believed, that he cared for us. I do not say, that such a persuasion would render us indifferent to all events, and wholly unconcerned at the probable approach of impending dangers; but it would in good measure take off the edge and sting of our forebodings; it would compose and calm us into a patient resignation of ourselves to the divine will and appointment; it would make us hope the best that there is room to hope in every case, and expect the worst that could happen with tranquillity and evenness. By the light of nature we learn, God is infinitely wise |