Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

fear, or to the mitigating or shortening of it, as to God's infinite wisdom and goodness fhall feem beft: To this we are directed by St. Peter, when he exhorts us to caft all our care upon God, who careth for us; according to what he had been taught by our Saviour Christ, who in his divine fermon on the mount says: Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye fhall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? behold the Fowls of the air: for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?, Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his ftature? and why take ye thought for raiment : Confider the lillies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they fpin. And yet I fay unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe. Wherefore, if God fo clothe the grafs of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is caft into the oven, fhall be not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? therefore take no thought, faying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal fhall we be clothed; (for after all these things do the Gentiles feek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye bave need of all these things. But feek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things fhall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow fhall take thought for the things of itself: fufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt. vi. 25, &c.

How we

in Ged.

That is to fay, not that we are to live at random, fecure and careless of whatever may befal us; not that must trust we are to look into the confequences of our own or ether men's actions, and not, to endeavour any ways to foresee, and prevent approaching dangers; not that we are to make no manner of provifion for future events, to lay up nothing, and concern ourselves about nothing, but what is prefent, and immediately before us: doubtlefs, fagacity in difcerning, and a prudent forecaft towards declining evils, are not only allowable, but commendable qualities: frugality and diligence are certainly virtues: but our Saviour's meaning plainly is to forbid fuch a care and concern for future accidents, as is attended with uneafinefs, diftruft,

and

and defpondency; fuch a degree of thoughtfulness, as takes up, and dejects, and diftracts the mind. We are not too cu-⚫ riously to pry into the remote iffues of things, nor to perplex and afflict ourselves with the forethought of imagined dangers we are not to guard againft want by an eager anxious pursuit of wealth, nor be fo careful in providing fupplies for the neceffities of this life, as to forget that we are defigned for another: 'tis very unreasonable to difquiet ourselves about distant evils; it often happening, that the prefence of the things themselves fuggefts better expedients, wifer and quicker counfels to us, than all our wisdom and forethought at a distance can do. The morrow (fays our Lord) fhall tairs thought for the things of itself; that is, it fhall bring along with it a power and strength of mind answerable to its neceffities; a frame of spirit every way suited to our circumftances and occafions.

He that terrifies himself with the apprehenfion of future evils, déclares in effect, that he doth not abfolutely rely upon God for his ordering and difpofing them. And he, who doth not abfolutely truft God with all his concerns, has no right to his protection and defence; no reason to expect his fupport and affiftance; but is left to work out every thing as well as he can, by the dint of fecond caufes, by his own parts, policy, and prudence. And how wretched is his case, who has brought his affairs to that pass, as to be deprived of his best and faithfulleft counsellor, his moft kind and potent friend, and to live, as it were, without God in the world? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And furely, next to that, it is a fearful thing to take ourselves out of his hands, and to exempt ourselves from his care; which he is juftly fuppofed to do, who fets himself with any degree of folicitude to take thought for the morrow. Therefore,

Let us not by our rafhnefs and folly provoke trouble and danger, and bring them upon ourselves. Let us, according to our Saviour's counfel, be wife as ferpents, and innocent as ⚫ doves. Let us ufe that care and prudence, which is confiftent with innocence and a good confcience; and, when we have done that, let us be no farther folicitous, but refign up our

[blocks in formation]

felves, and all our cares, to the good pleasure of God, and to the difpofal of his wife providence; and leave it to him, who made the world, to govern it: for no doubt he understands it much better than we.

The finful

ness of fortune-telling, &c.

Here it can't be improper to remark, that the vain defire of knowing before-hand things to come is fuch a defire of the knowledge of fecret things, as is not confiftent with our trust in God; nor is it permitted us by the present circumstances and condition of our nature. And it is very obfervable that thofe always, who have leaft knowledge of God, and least trust in his promises, and least understanding, have the greatest confidence in groundless pretences, and unwarrantable methods of pursuing knowledge; for to pretend to know things by the ftars introduces fatality, and deftroys religion; and is a diftruft of the Almighty: and witchcraft, fortune-telling, and all unlawful arts, either real or pretended, whenever they have any reality in them, are evidently diabolical; and when they have no reality, they are cheats and lying impoftures: the works of him, who was a lyar from the beginning. And therefore let me exhort you in the words of St. Paul: Be careful for nothing: but in every thing, by prayer and fupplication with thanksgivings, let your requests be made known unto God. Phil. iv. 6.

to God in

refpe to obedience.

VII. A fixth duty to God is HUMILITY, or that lowliHumility or nefs of mind, which is an intire refignation to the Jubmion will of God, and a dependence upon him in all dangers that relate either to our bodies or fouls; confifting in the true knowledge of ourselves, and the underfanding our own weak and finful condition; taking to ourselves the fhame and confufion due to our follies, and giving God the glory of all the good we receive, pr are inabled to do. For he who defires to be truly humble, and clothed with humility, muft do nothing on purpose to draw the eyes and good opinion of men, but purely to please God; and he muft receive from the hands of God all afflictions and trials without murmuring against his justice; fo that the fubmiffion of a chriftian confifts in a firm perfuafion of mind, that nothing happens to us but by the will and permiffion of God,

2

God, and that we never presume too much upon the best of our works (for all our righteounfefs is as filthy The unwar» rags; fo that, when we have done all thofe things thiness of our which are commanded, we are no better than un- best works.. profitable servants; *) and again, in being perfuaded that hé loves us better than we do ourselves, and knows the best me thods of making us happy. Such a fubmiflion as Submiflion this will make us eafy under the greatest afflictions: in respect of and tho' God fhould vifit us with the moft intole- patience., rable difappointments and loffes in this world, it will either ftop our mouths against providence; because it is the work of God: Or, it will inable us with courage to receive them with the refignation of good old Eli, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth to him good.

Therefore, whenever he ftrikes with the rod of correction,

rections.

we must not only bear it, as it were, because we Thankful can't avoid it, but to our patience let us add our nefs for thanks: forafmuch as we, having highly provoked God's corhis goodness, are not by his juftice given over to our own hearts lufts, but are still preserved under the wings of his mercy. And this fhould be fo far from cau- Fruitfulfing us to repine against God, that it should raise ness under in us an immediate reformation, repentance, con- them. feffion, contrition, and full purposes of amendment with satisfaction. For fome of the greatest afflictions and calamities of life are not always real and pofitive inflictions of judgments from the hand of God, but merely the original differences of men's ftate and circumstances, the variety of God's creation, the different talents committed to men's charge, the different stations God has placed men in, for their various trials, and in order to the exercife of a diverfity of duties. The like may be faid of want of honour and power, want of children to fuc ceed in our eftates and families, weakness of body, shortnefs of life, and the like; nay, and even of fpiritual difadvantages themselves; likewife want of capacity and good understanding, want of knowledge and inftruction, want of many op portunities and means of improvement which others enjoy. None

·D 2

See this Doctrine explained on Page vi in the Preface to this Book, by the 1th, 12th, and 13th Articles of Religion.

1

None of all which are any just ground of complaint against God, or any reafon why we fhould not with all Submifion to his wif- fatisfaction acquiefce in his divine good pleasure ; dom in his fince all these things are only different diftributions commands. of fuch free gifts, as he, not being obliged to beftow on any man, may therefore without controverfy divide to every man in what meafure and proportion he himself thinks fit: only this we may depend upon, that in fuch meafure only will he exact our duty, as he inables us to perform it; and that to whom little is given, of him shall not be much required. And this brings all the feeming inequalities in the world to a real equality at laft.

the

In all circumstances of life therefore, we are not to be unIn his dif- eafy that God has made us inferior to others; or, bofals. that he has fet before us greater hardships and difficulties to go through; or that he has given us lefs abilities, and fewer opportunities, than others: but we are to apply ourfelves wholly, with all refignation, to the proper duties of that station, or of thofe circumstances, wherein God has been pleafed to place us. Even poverty is not an argument to envy rich; but a strong obligation to study the duties of humility, contentment and refignation: neither is ignorance and want of capacity, meanness of parts and want of inftruction, a reafon to murmur that God has not intrufted us with more talents; but an admonition to take care that we make a right improvement of those few that are given us. Weakness of body is not a juft occafion to repine against God, for not giving us the ftrength and health wherewith he has bleffed fome others; but a continual argument to us to exercise and improve fuch virtues as are more peculiar to the mind. Laftly, the confideration of the uncertainty and shortness of life itself ought not to make us fpend our time in fruitless complaints of the vanity and meanness of our ftate; but to caufe us perpetually to confider that it is not of fo great importance how long we live, as how well: and it ought to be a fufficient fatisfaction to truly pious and religious perfons, that God has referved for them their portion in another life. Therefore we fhould be content in every state and condition of life, let whatever befal us, how contrary foever to our own inclinations,

and

« AnteriorContinuar »