The Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI. Rules Concerning Cares.
SEEK first the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, Mat. 6.35. That all things necessary may be Administred unto thee: Let thy main Care be for God's Glory and thy own Salvation; to acquire that one necessary thing, which on… gain'd, shall never be taken away or lost, Luke 10.42. Martha's many Incumbrances in this case, cannot avoid Subordination: This is Treasure in Heaven, neither in Danger of Thieves, or Moths. That same Hysteron Proteron, wherein Worldly desires appear like those unmannerly Imps in Elies discomposed time, claiming to be served before God himself, must needs come to nought; and it proves but lost labour to rise early, late take rest, and eat the bread of Carefulness, Psal. 127.2. That Manna which was kept all Night, except only for the Sabbath, was Corrupted, Exod. 16.20, 24. All our labour to lay up, except for Salvation (the eternal Sabbath) is but lost: Therefore Labour for the Meat which endureth to Eternal Life, John 6.27.
2. SET your affections on things above, Col. 3.2. And study a holy Contempt of this World: It is Affection creates us Care; and where that is, there our Cares and our Minds will be fixed. 'Tis the highest Prudence to lop off vain Cares, that our better placed Care may be more Fruitful, and to thrust out worldly thoughts: As Christ did the tumultuous Company at Jairus house, which otherwise like those Guests at Bethlehem, would afford him no room: As when the Superfluity of the Branches are pruned off, the Vine is recompenced in the Fruit: So it is in the cutting off vain Cares; the more thou diminishest from them, the more fruitfully shall thy Soul be augmented in Spiritual things: As when Elijah was taken up to Heaven, his Mantle fell off, 2 King. 2.13. So do the Cares of this World, when our Hearts are addicted to Heavenly things.
3. HOW properly may vain, childish things, like dead Leaves neer the fruitful Autumn, fall off our minds, when we subscribe our selves Men? And when that which we have in possession is perfect, how easily do our Worldly Cares wither and fall away; even like the Glow-worms fraudulent Lustre, which vanishes at the approach of the Morning Light? In whatsoever State thou art, learn therewith to be content: Discontent and avaritious Desires force the heart, upon the sharp Tenters of Care: If a Man be content with little, he will not care for much: Cares follow Riches, and augment with their Encreases, Mat. 13.22.
4. TRUST in the Lord, and commit thy ways to him, and he will bring it to pass, Psal. 37.5. Cast thy care upon him, for He careth for thee, 1 Pet. 5.7. and hath Promised, He will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, Heb. 13.5. And the Prophet declares this comfortable Report, Jer. 17.7, 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is; for he shall be as a tree planted by the Waters; and shall not be careful in the year of drought. Gods Providence is vigilant over his Servants, and it can neither err, nor be defeated: He that gave us Life, will not fail to give us Meat and Cloathing; he that feeds the Fowls of the Air, and adorns the fading Flowers, with such varieties of Beauty, will not forget to Feed and Cloath Man, whom he has appointed to be Lord over them.
5. HE knoweth our Necessities before we ask, and that all our Care cannot add one Cubit to our Stature: Riches and Honors, for which men take such indefatigable care, come neither from the East, nor from the West, nor yet from the South; but it is God which both giveth and taketh away. Some increase in Wealth, Sleeping, or Waking; others with unwearied industry wax poor: Labour to perform thy endeavour with Cheerfulness, and commit the Issue to God: By which means thou wilt avoid all Diffidence and Distracting Care.
6. BE vigilant over thy Soul; otherwise Cares will choak up the holy Seed of God's Word, whereby it will become unprofitable to thee: It will Eclipse the light of Heavenly Knowledge, it will clog the Heart, and creep on like an Ephialt, which having seized us, we groan under it, and can neither shake it off, nor awake to an holy Expectation of the coming of Christ. Frequently Recollect thy Mind of thy Mortality, Frailty of Life, and the Vanity of all Transitory things: What are Riches and Magnificence in this World? They are like Childrens Bubbles filled with Air, which vanishes in their breaking: Even such are we, like Dreams, or a Scene, wherein our parts once Acted, we must shrink into Natures Tyring-room, never to return.
7. IT is uncertain what hour may be our last; but it is certain one must come, and how nigh it may be at hand, is beyond our knowledge; perhaps this night the Sentence may come forth, and a Writ of Alienation on thy Store laid up for many years; and this harsh Summons may reach thy Ears; Thou Fool, this night shall thy Soul be required of thee; then whose shall all those things be? Luke 12.20. When the Hives in their Plenitude warn the Masters of their Republick, that they want a Deduction of their Colony, they Swarm and Flie: But if you cast a little Dust among them, they presently settle. So the only Expedient to settle our Swarm of Busie Cares, is the memento of our Original, That Dust thou art, and to Dust thou shalt return, Gen. 3.19. Lastly, to remember the Apostles Rule, Phil. 4.6. Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication, let your Requests be made known unto God: Those wants and cares are happy which chase us to him: Therefore let us depend and hope in him, and Invocate him by Prayer.
The Prayer.
O MOST Gracious and Merciful Lord God, who Feedest the young Ravens, Clothest the Lillies of the Fields, and fillest all things with thy Goodness: Thou Governest in Heaven, and in Earth, and givest to every Creature Subsistence and Preservation in its kind: O Lord I humbly acknowledge thy goodness towards me, even from the Womb unto this present moment: Thou hast preserved me, when I neither knew what human necessities were, nor which way to relieve them: When I reposed my self, thou preservedst me; when I did not foresee any evil approaching, thou dissipatedst it; when I was kept ignorant of my Necessities, thy infinite Mercies Prevented me with Blessings and Provisions; when I was lost, thou recoveredst me: And when I was dead in trespasses and sins, thou didst quicken me by thy Grace; when I understood nothing of the Way of Life, thou meekly didst inform me, and didst guide me in the way wherein I should walk: But above all, before ever I was, thou gavest thy Son Christ Jesus to be the Inestimable price of my Redemption.
2. AND now, O Lord, I who am less than the least of all thy Mercies, what shall I render thee? Nay, what can I, for all thy Transcendent Blessings? Thou hast not only once, like the good Samaritan, but many times, as a God of Infinite Mercy, bound up the wounds of my Soul, and taken care of me: O let thy Mercy still continue towards me, and create, O God, in me a clean and a contrite heart, and renew a right Spirit within me, that it may express my thankfulness aright to so great a Majesty as thou art: The Lyons want, the Mighty suffer hunger: Thou hast sent a Fire among, them that live at ease and carelesly, even unto the Proud and Rejoicing Cities; and what am I, O Lord, that thou pleasest to spare me, and dost not still feed me with the Bread of Anxiety and Affliction, and make me drink the Waters of Astonishment?
3. LORD, fix my Hopes on thy Providence, and give me Assurance thy Mercy shall never fail me: I humbly cast all my Cares upon thee, who art a Protector of thy Children: Prospér thou my Labours, whose Providence descendeth to the Preservation of the poorest and meanest of all thy Creatures: Feed me with Bread of my Stature, and let me never want that which thou knowest needful for me: O thou, who didst encrease the Sareptan's Oil and Meal, so that it failed not in all the Famine, Bless that portion which thy Providence hath measured out to me, and mine; let thy Blessing descend upon it, whether it be much or little, so that finding a sufficiency therein, I may in a Thankful, Holy, and Prudent Vse thereof, Glorifie thy Holy Name, and live Contentedly and Cheerfully before thee.
4. GIVE me in every estate, both in prosperity and adversity, a faithful dependance on thy Gracious Providence, which never faileth them that trust in thee: Thou best knowest, O Lord, my necessities before I ask; let no Cares of this World distract me from thy Service, neither make my Confidence in thee, incline to any distrust of thy Goodness, or fixing my heart on the love of this present World: Thou hast given thy Holy Son Jesus; assure me by his infallible Spirit, that with him thou wilt also give me all things.
5. GIVE me a heart to rest in thee, and to put all my trust and confidence in thy Mercy; instruct me, to seek thy Kingdom, and the Righteousness thereof, before all things which this World can give or take away: So that thou who providest for me, mayest in thy good pleasure administer to me all those things, which thou seest necessary for the relief of this Lifes present necessity; and let thy Blessing evermore attend it, untill having passed through this World of Cares, and Valley of Miseries, I may arrive to that Blessed Life, thy Kingdom of Glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and only Saviour,
Amen.