them to a wandering and uneafy Life in the Wilderness; because God did not carry them into the Land of Promife fo foon as they defir'd, they are refolv'd to wait the Leifure of his Providence no longer. Upon this, they fight the Amorites, tho' against his express Command; as if they could conquer not only without his Affiftance, but without his Leave*. Thus when Saul by his Difobedience had provok'd God to reject him, when he refus'd to give an immediate Answer to his Enquiry, either by Dreams, Prophets, or Urim; being very folicitous about the Event of the Battle, and poffibly expecting fome Directions how to order it; fince his Hopes were disappointed, and God was not pleas'd to give him any fupernatural and miraculous Direction; upon this he complains he was forfaken; and then ftrikes off from the Ark to the Witch of Endor. Impatience and anxious Solicitude is a very ftrong Temptation to Sinning. An un

Numb. xiv. 41.

eafy

eafy discontented Mind is willing to purchafe Relief almost upon any Terms. A Man that finds the Burthen prefs hard upon him, usually takes the first Opportunity to throw it off: he is too much perplex'd to weigh Juftice by the Grain, and attend to the nice Diftinctions of Good and Evil; and therefore he is refolv'd to close with the most effectual Remedy without any farther Enquiry about it. Since Virtue has prov'd fo unprofitable a Quality, he thinks it's Time to steer a new Courfe: fince his Confcience restrains him from the Liberty of providing for himself, and ties him up to a Pofture of Disadvantage; fince he has not better Fortune with it he is refolv'd to fhake off its Tyranny, and let it be his Master no longer. The fame ill Effects follow from strong and unreasonable Fears, which partake of the Nature of Anxiety, when Men believe they fhall be attack'd in their principal Concerns, and that there are formidable Preparations made against them. If they give themselves up to these Apprehenfions, and fuffer them to make any ftrong

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ftrong Impreffion; their Imaginations are often diforder'd to that Degree, as to be ready to hearken to any violent Counfels, and to engage in any unwarrantable Practices. The Senfe of Danger which they have fuffer'd to grow too faft upon them makes their Refolutions desperate; for though the Terror of the Profpect may be owing in a great measure to their own Melancholy, yet it affects them as much as if it was real; they are too much intent upon their own Prefervation to afford any Attention to the Confiderations of Right and Wrong. Sometimes their Understanding as well as their Confcience fuffers by the Fright, which makes them tranfgrefs not only the Laws of Duty, but Prudence too; and by their blind and precipitant Counfels plunge themselves in greater Evils than those they seek to avoid. Thefe are fome of the ill Confequences of a thoughtful and diffatisfy'd Mind, which is neither pleafed with its prefent Circumftances, nor dares truft Providence for the future. I fhould proceed to the Remainder, but of that afterwards. SER

SERMON V.

F

PHILIP. iv. 6.

Be careful for nothing.

ROM thefe Words I took Öc-
cafion to fhew, That we were
not to expect to be furnish'd

with the Conveniences of Life

in a miraculous Way: That a regular In dustry was not forbidden in the Text, and therefore it is in vain for us to expect to fucceed in our Affairs, except our Undertakings are fuited to our Abilities, except we proceed upon a reasonable Profpect, and purfue our Defigns with Diligence

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Diligence and Application; and therefore that the Apostle's Meaning was only to diffuade us from being folicitous about the Iffue of our Affairs, and from troubling ourfelves, because our Circumstances don't ftand in that posture we defire them.

From hence I proceeded to fhew the Unreasonablenefs and ill Confequences of fuch an anxious Temper :

1. Because it does not mend our Affairs, but rather tends to make them worse. And here I obferv'd, that our Profperity depends in a great measure upon Causes

that have neither Senfe nor Understanding in them. It depends upon the Temperature or Rigor of the Seasons, upon Wind and Weather, Fire and Water: pow thefe Things are too deaf and inflexible to be mov'd with our Complaints; our Fretting and Diffatisfaction, tho' it has a very fenfible Effect upon ourfelves, yet it is not strong enough to make an Impreffion upon the Body of Nature, or alter it into a Compliance with our Advantage. Befides, to be difcontented makes us lose the Efteem of our Friends,

and