Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 6 · Verse 34
Verse 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow]
The Lord Christ, well knowing which way our heart hangs, and pulse …, beats much upon this string, drives this nail home to the head. When things are over and over again repeated and inculcated, it imports. 1. The difficulty. 2. The necessity of the duty. 3. Our utter …, or at least, dulnesse to the doing of it. How hardly we come off with God in this most necessary, … much neglected duty, who knowes not, feels not, bewails …. The world is a most subtle, sly enemy: and by reason of her … neighbourhood, easily and insensibly insinuates into us, and … the best hearts. Our Saviour saw cause to warne his Disciples of the cares of life: and where was Thomas, when … appeared to the rest of the …, the doors being shut, … either lurking for fear of the Jews, (in probability) or packing up, and providing for one, now that his Master was …, and taken from him? What ever the cause was, the effect was wofull, Joh. 20. 24, 25. And albeit in both Testaments (as … observeth)… in …. the Saints of God have been noted to be subject to divers infirmities, yet none tainted with this enormity of …. Yet St John saw cause to say to those that were Fathers also: Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. And…. David praies heartily, Incline my heart to thy Testimonies, and not …. 119 36.to covetuousnesse. Satan will be busy with the best this way, as he was with our Saviour himself: he knew it a most prevailing bait. And when this would not work, he fleeth from him, as despairing of victory. Be sober therefore (in the pursuit and use of these earthly things) and watch, for your adversary the devil watcheth… you a shrewd turne by them. They are so neer and so naturall to us, that, through Satans pollicy and malice, when we think upon them (that we may the better learn to flee, and slight them) they stick to our fingers, when we should throw them away: they catch us when we should flee from them: they come over us with fained words usually; 2 Pet. 2. 3. To hide our faults from the view of others, or subtle thoughts and evasions, to blindefold the conscience, with colour of Christ, necessary care, &c. Whence it is called, cloked and coloured covetuousnesse, 1 Thes. 2. 5. A Christian-hath ever God for his chief end, and will not, deliberately, forgoe him upon any tearms: He erres in the way, thinking he may minde earthly things, and keep God too: so being insnared with these worldly lime-twigs: (like the silly bird) before he is aware, the more he struggleth, the more he is intangled and disabled. All this, and more then this, our Saviour well …: and therefore reiterates his exhortation, and sets it on with so many Arguments. Care not for the morrow, &c.In a letter to M. Philpot. I will be carelesse according to my name, said that Martyr John Carelesse: for now my soul is turned to her old rest again, andAct. and Mon. fol. …. hath taken a sweet nap in Christs lap. I have cast my care upon the Lord, who careth for me, &c. And Bishop Hooper in a letter to certain good people taken praying in Bow-Church-yard, and now in trouble, writeth thus. Reade the second Chapter of Luke: there the shepheards, that watched upon their sheep all night, … as they heard Christ was borne at Bethlehem, by and by they went to seek him. They did not reason, nor debate with…. …. themselves, who should keep the woolf from the sheep in the mean-time: but did as they were commanded, and committed their sheep to him, whose … they obeyed: so let us doe, now we be called, commit all other things to him that calleth us. He will take heed that all things shall be well: he will help the husband, comfort the wife, guide the servants, keep the house, preserve the goods: yea, rather then it shall be undone, he will wash the dishes, and rock the cradle. Cast therefore all your care upon God, &c. Judaea (as one hath well observed,) lay utterly waste for 70 years. Insomuch that after the slaughter ofPemble, on …. 7. 14. …, when all, man woman and childe, fled into Egypt, there was not a Iew … in the Countrey. Neither finde we any colonyes sent thither, or any displaced to make room at their …. A wonderfull providence, that so pleasant a Countrey, left destitute of inhabitants, and compassed about with such warlike Nations, was not invaded, nor replanted for 70. years …: but the Land kept her Sabbaths, resting from tillage, &c. and God kept the room empty, till the returne of the naturalls. Ieremy, immediately after he had foretold the captivity, and the Caldeans were now besieging the City, was bidden to buy a field of his uncles sonne; Which also he did, weighing him the mony, and … the evidences: for although it might seem an ill time to make a purchase, yet he took no further care, then to trust God who had said, Houses, and fields, and vineyards, shall be possest again … this Land. Now Gods promises, he knew, were the … freehold: Ier. 32. 15. So in every seventh years rest, the people were taught to depend on Gods providence, by …. For though the owner of the field might gather, even on that year, for the maintenance of himself and family, …. 25. 6. yet he was neither to so we his field, thereby to greaten his harvest, nor to hedge his field, or lock up his vineyard.
For the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self]
That is: the providence that brings the day, shall also … new … to comfort us over all the evils of the day. First, no man is sure of life till to morrow, thou knowest not what this great-bellyed ….day may bring forth. Petrarch tells of a good old man, that being invited to a feast the next day, answered: If you would have any thing with me now, here I am: what's to be done to morrow, think on't you that have time afore …, Ego enim, a multis annis, … non habui: For I have not had, for these many years, … …. …. 3. …. …. …. ….morrow to dispose of. Young men, he knew, may die, old men must die. … mors in junuis, adolescentibus in insidijs, saith Bernard. Old men may say as Iob 17. 1. My breath is corrupt, my daies extinct, the graves are ready for me. The young man, as Iob 16. 22. When a few years (perhaps a few houres) are come, I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne. Secondly, grant a man had a lease of his life, as Hezekiah had, yet who seeth it not to be extream folly, to anticipate … cares and combers before they come, yea even those of the next day: seeing they will come time enough to our sorrow, though we send not for them by our … fore. thoughts, and so redoubles our vexation? It is possibe we may never feel the evils we fear. God may repent upon our repentance, and … better to us then our …. And therefore what a … is it, to undergoe certain trouble and care about …? Or if they shall happen, we may have … to foresee them, but no power to prevent them: and therefore to vex … selves before they come, is to be miserable before the time. It is excellent …, …, that Salomon … us in this case: … the … of God: for who can make … that he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyfull, make the best of thy present comfort, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set one against the other, to the end that Eccles. 7. 14.man should finde nothing after him, to wit, of those things that may come upon him in the course of his life, and after-times. He cannot, by wit foresee, or by pollicy prevent ensuing changes. Therefore it is a great part of his wisdom, to let certain, and inevitable evils sleep, and keep in their … till the time appointed; and not to make himself a thousand times miserable by one … misery. Let us mannage the affairs, and master the … of the present day; and not, by too much fore-thoughtfulnesse, and painfull preconceit, suffer fained or future evils before … seize upon us. I grant that a …, Christian, provident care and forecast, is both convenient and commanded, both for provision of …, and prevention of dangers. See 1 Tim. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 12. 14. we reade Revel. 6. 6. A measure of wheat foreign.… a penny &c. The word signifieth properly, such a measure of …, as was usually allowed for a day to servants. Hence that speech of Phithagoras, Super Chaenice non sedendum. Rest not in the provision that sufficeth for the day; but take care for the …. But this lawfull care of necessaries, both for our selves and ours after us, Prov. 13. 22. (such as was that of Iacob for his own house, Gen. 30. 30. And that of the good huswife, Prov. 31. 15, 21.) is not distresse-full, but …, … by. God, who sendeth us to the pismire, to learn this care of hereafter, Prov. 6. 6.
Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof]
The strongest minde andforeign, idest foreign. labor improb …. best composed, is weak enough to … the brunt and encounter of every daies …. whereof he is sure to have his back-burden. Troubles without, and terrours within, are the Saints … here. And what day shines so fair over them, wherein they meet not with a sharp shower ere night? Sith therefore every day brings forth sufficient sorrow, and the heartiest man shall have his hands full, what a base and unworthy weaknesse is it (saith a reverend Divine) to unfit and disable our already too weak mindes, … a comfortable dispatch, and digesting of daily uncomfortable …, by such needlesse, fruitlesse, … M. ….distractions, … of vanity, and Utopian peregrinations, &c.