and immoderate cares which difquiet our minds, break our fleep, and gnaw even our very heart. I doubt not but thofe that have felt them, need not be told they are uneafy. But then methinks that uneafinefs fhould make us forward to embrace the means for the removing of them,and fo we fee it too often doth in unlawful ones; Men will cheat, and fteal, and lie, and do any thing to deliver themfelves from the fear of want. But alas, they commonly prove but deceitful remedies; they bring God's curfe on us, and so are more likely to betray us to want,than to keep us. from it. But if you defire a certain and unfailing cure for cares, take this of relying upon God. 59. For what fhould cause that man to fear want that knows he has one that cares for him, who is All- fufficient, and will not fuffer him to want what is fit for him? If a poor man had but a faithful promife from a wealthy person, that he would never fuffer him to want, it is fure he would be highly cheer'd with it, and would not then think fit to be as carking as he was before; and yet a man's promife may fail us, he may either grow poor and be not able, or he may prove falfe,and not be willing to make good his word. But we know God is fubject neither to impoverithing nor deceit. And therefore how vile an injury do we offer to him, if we dare not trust as much upon his promife, as we would that of a man? Yea, and how great mifchief do we do our felves by loading cur minds with a multitude of vexations and tormenting cares, when we may. fo fecurely caft our burden upon God? I conclude this in the words of the Apoftle, Phil. 4. 6. Be careful Careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. SUNDAY II. Of Humility; of Submiffion to God's Will, in respect of Obedience; Of Patience in all forts of Sufferings; and of Honour due to God in feveral ways, in his Houfe, Poffeffions, his Day, his Word, Sacraments, &c. Sect. I. A SIXTH Duty to God of our meanness and his excellency, as may work in us a lowly and unfeigned fubmiffion to him; this fubmiffion is twofold, firft, to his Will; fecondly, to his Wisdom. Submiffion to God's Will in refpect of obedience. 2. The fubmiffion to his will is alfo of two forts, the fubmiffion either of obedience or patience; that of obedience is our ready yielding our felves up to do his will, fo that when God hath, by his command made known to us what his pleasure is, chearfully and readily to fet about it. To enable us to this, Humility is exceeding neceflary; for a proud person is of all others the unapteft to obey; and we fee Men never pay an obedience, but where they acknowledge the person commanding to be fome way above them, and fo it is here. If we be not throughly perfuaded that God is infinitely above us, that we are vileness and nothing in comparison of him, we hall never pay our due obedience. The great distance between God and us. 3. Therefore if ever you mean to obey entirely (as you must if ever you mean to be faved) get • your hearts poffeft with the fenfe of that great unfpeakable diftance that is between God and you. Confider him as he is a God of infinite Majefty and Glory, and we poor Worms of the earth; He infinite in power, able to do all things, and we able to do nothing, not fo much as to make one hair white or black, as our Saviour fpeaks, Mat. 5. 36. He of infinite Purity and Holiness, and we polluted and defiled, wallowing in all kind of fins and uncleannefs; He unchangeable and conftant, and we fubject to change and alteration every minute of our Lives; He Eternal and Immortal, and we frail Mortals, that whenever he taketh away our breath we die, and are turned again to our duft, Pfal. 104.29. Confider all this, I lay, and you cannot but acknowledge a wide difference between God and Man,and therefore may well cry out with Job, after he had approached fo near to God as to difcern fomewhat of his exeellency, Fob 42. 56. Now mine eye feeth thee, wherefore I abbor my felf, and repent in dust and afbes. The unworthinefs of our best works. 4. And even when this Humility hath brought us to obedience, it is not then to be caft off, as if we had no farther ufe of it, for there is still great ufe, nay neceffity of it, to keep us from any high conceits of our performances, which if we once entertain,it will blaft the best of them,and make them utterly unacceptable to God; like the ftri&tnefs of the Pharifee.which when once he came to boaft of the Publican was preferr'd before him,Luk. 18. The beft of our works are fo full of infirmity and pollution, that if we compare them with that Perfection and Purity which is in God, we may truly fay with the Prophet, All our righteonfneffes are as filthy rags, Ifa. 64. 6. And therefore to pride our felves in them is the fame madness that it wou'd be in a Beggar to brag of his Apparel, when it is nothing but vile rags and tatters. Our Saviour's Precept in this matter must always be remembred, Luke 17. 10. When you have done all thofe things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants: If when we have done all we must give our felves no better a Title, what are we then to efteem our felves, that are fo far from doing any confiderable part of what we are commanded? Surely that worfer name of flothful and wicked Servants, Mat. 25. 26. we have no reafon to think too bad for us. 5. A fecond fort of fubmiffion to his Will, is that of Patience; this ftands in fuffering his will, as that of obedience did in acting it, and is nothing elfe, but a willing and C 5 Submifion in respect of Pari ence. quiet quiet yielding to whatever afflictions it pleafes God to lay upon us. That the forementioned humility will make eafy to us, for when our hearts are thoroughly poffeffed with that reve rence and efteem of God, it will be impoffible for us to grudge or murmur at whatever he does. We see an instance of it in old Eli, 1 Sam. 3. who after he had heard the fad threatnings of God against him, of the deftruction of his Family, the lofs of the Priesthood, the cutting off both his Sons in one day, which were all of them afAlictions of the heaviest kind, yet this one confideration,that it was the Lord, enabled him calmly and quietly to yield to them, faying, Let him do what feemeth him good, Verfe 18. The fame effect it had on David in his fuffering, Pfal. 39. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thon didft it. God's doing it filenced all murmurings and grumblings in him. And fo it must do in us in all our afflictions, if we will indeed approve our humility to God. 6. For furely you will not think that child hath due humility to his parent, or that fervant to his mafter, that when they are corrected,shall fly in the father's or mafter's face. But this do we whenever we grudge and repine at that which God lays upon us. But befides the want of humility in cur fo doing, there is also a great want of juftice in it; for God hath, as we are his creatures, a right to do with us what he will, and therefore for us to refift that right of his, is the highest injuftice that can be; nay, farther, it is alio the greatest folly in the world, for it is only our good that God aims at in afflicting us, that hea |