Therefore take no thought, saying, What Shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal Shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles feek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

T

Nature.

VOL. X.

I.

HE Duty of Contentment and SER M.
Refignation to the Will of God,
is a Duty whose obligation is
evident even from the Law of
For fince we at firft received

I.

SER M. Our very Being from God, and owe our Prefervation to him every moment, and every thing we enjoy is his free Gift; 'tis plain, that All Thanks are due to him for whatever good we receive; and no man has any juft reafon to repine against Providence, for the want of fuch good things as he has no right to demand. As to the Calamities and Troubles incident to humane Life; with regard to Thefe alfo, Sinful Creatures have no just cause of murmuring: For wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the Punishment of his Sins? Lam. iii. 39. Under the Revelation of the Gospel, the Grounds and Motives of Contentment are become yet much stronger, fince the concerns of this present World, fhort and uncertain and transitory in Themfelves, appear ftill more transitory, when compared with that Life and Immortality which is now brought to Light; and the Afflictions of this prefent time, are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed hereafter. Proportionable to the real Value of Things, ought to be mens Care and Concern about them: And therefore with the greatest

3.

reason,

reason, our Saviour, in exhorting his Dif- SER M ciples to take care of their eternal Intereft, bids them, comparatively fpeaking, to take No thought what they should eat, or what they should drink, or wherewithal they Should be clothed; For after all these things (fays he) do the Gentiles feek; For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Literally understood, the Precept, to the greateft part of Chriftians, is manifeftly impracticable: For the Neceffaries of Life muft needs be taken care for ; and without the Support of the prefent life, there can be no room for the practice of those Virtues, by which we are to be prepared for that which is to come. There must therefore be fome Diftinctions made, in our understanding This and the like Precepts: For want of attending to which, Many may be apt to fay, This is a hard faying, and who can bear it? And yet in reality, the distinctions upon which the right understanding of this Precept depends, are as plain and obvious, in the nature of the Thing, and in the construction and connexion of the Words themselves, as other the most B 2

ufual

I.

SER M.ufual figures and comparative ways of expreffion in common Speech, which no man ever mistakes. To fet this matter therefore in a clear and distinct Light, I obferve

I. First; THAT there was a particular time, and there were particular perfons, when and to whom, and when and to whom only, this Precept was given in its literal and strict sense. Our Saviour fent forth his Apoftles to preach the Gospel from City to City, in fuch a manner as was altogether inconfiftent with their attending to Any worldly affairs. Accordingly he invested them with miraculous Powers, and promised to afford them a miraculous Support. And fuitable to the Circumstances of fuch a Miffion, were the Precepts he gave them to obferve therein. Luk xii. Sell that ye have, and give alms. Freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor filver nor brafs in your purses; Nor Scrip for your journey; neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet ftaves; for the workman is worthy of his meat. At another time, and in other circumstances, his directions to them were very different:

33.

Matt. x. 8.

Luk.

I.

Luk. xxii. 36; Now he that hath a purfe, SER M. let him take it, and likewife his fcrip; and ke that hath no fword, let him fell his garment and buy one. In like manner the words of the Text, confidered as spoken to the Apostles, during their preaching from one City to another, may well be understood literally: Take no thought, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. Ver. 34; Take no thought, no, not fo much as for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

BUT when the words are confidered as a general direction, to all Chriftians, at all times and in all circumftances; then 'tis manifeft they must be understood to be a caution against juch Worldly Cares, as are inconsistent with Our Duty; in like manner as to the Apoftles, they were at that particular Time a prohibition of All Worldly Cares, as being inconfistent with Their Duty. The Profeffors of Chrift's religion, must at no time, and in no circumftances, be fo follicitous; they must in no case be so anxious, about the affairs of the prefent Life, as to neglect the greater

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