this is really true in the great Accidents of the World: for a great eftate hath great croffes, and a mean fortune hath but small ones. It may be the poor Man lofes a Cow; or if his Child dies he is quit of his biggest Care: but fuch an Accident in a rich and fplendid Family doubles upon the fpirits of the Parents. Or it may be the poor man is troubled to pay his Rent, and that's his biggest trouble: but it is a bigger care to fecure a great Fortune in a troubled Eftate, or with equal greatnefs, or with the circumftances of honour, and the nicenefs of reputation to defend a Law-fuit; and that which will fecure a common Man's whole Estate, is not enough to defend a great Man's Honour.

And therefore it was not without mystery obfer

ved among the Ancients, that they who made God's of Gold and Silver, of Hope and Fear, Peace and Fortune, Garlick and Onions, Beafts and Serpents, and a quartan Ague, yet never deified Money: Mean ing that however Wealth was admired by common or abused understandings; yet, from riches, that is, from that proportion of good things which is beyond the neceffities of Nature, no moment could be added to a Man's real content or happiness. Corn from Sardinia, Herds of Calabria Cattle, Meadows through which pleasant Lyris glides, Silks from Tyrus, and golden Chalices to drown my Health in, are nothing but inftruments of vanity or fin, and suppose a disease in the foul of him that longs for them or admires them. Ch. 4. Sect. And this I have otherwhere reprefented more largely; to which I here add, that riches have very great dan gers to their fouls, not only to them who covet them but to all that have them. For if a great perfonage undertakes an action paffionately and upon great intereft, let him manage it indifcreetly, let the whole defign be unjust, let it be acted with all the malice and impotency in the world, he fhall have enough to flatter him, but not enough to reprove him. He had need be a bold man that fhall tell his Patron, he is going to

-Funefta Pecunia, Templo Nondum habitas, nullas nummorum ereximus aras Ut colitur pax atque fides

8. Title of Covetouf.

nels.

Hell;

Hell; and that Prince had need be a good man that fhall fuffer fuch a Monitor. And though it be a strange kind of civility, and an evil dutifulness in Friends and Relatives, to fuffer him to perith without reproof or medicine, rather than to feem unmannerly to a great finner; yet it is none of their leaft infelicities, that their wealth and greatness fhall put them into fin, and yet put them paft reproof. I need not inftance in the habitual intemperance of rich Tables, nor the evil accidents and effects of fulness, pride and luft, wantonnefs and foftnefs of difpofition, huge talking and an Imperious fpirit, defpite of Religion and contempt of poor Perfons. At the beft, It is a great Jam.2.s. 6. temptation for a man to have in his power what foever he can have in his fenfual defires: And therefore riches is a bleffing like to a Prefent made of a whole Vintage to a man in a hectick fever; he will be much tempted to drink of it, and if he does he is inflamed, and may chance to die with the kindnefs.

J.

Now, befides what hath been already noted in the ftate of Poverty, there is nothing to be accountted for but the fear of wanting neceffaries, of which, if a man could be fecured, that he might live free from care, all the other parts of it might be reckoned amongst the advantages of wife and fober perfons, rather than objections against that state of for

tune.

But concerning this I confider, that there muft needs be great fecurity to all Chriftians, fince Chrift not only made express promises that we fhould have fufficient for this life; but took great pains and ufed many arguments to create confidence in us; and fuch they were which by their own ftrength were fufficient, though you abate the authority of the Spea→ ker. The Son of God told us, his Father takes care of us: He that knew all his Father's counfels and his whole kindess towards mankind, told us fo. How great is that truth, how certain, how neceffary, which Chrift himself proved by arguments! The excellent words and moft comfortable fentences which are our Bills of Exchange, upon the credit of which we

K

lay

«

lay our cares down, and receive provisions for our Mat. 6. as. need are thefe: "Take no thought for your life, what ye fball eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your << body, what ye fall 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 feederb "them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his ftature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Confider the દ Lillies of the field how they grow: they toil not, neither "do they pin: and yet I fay unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Therefore if God fo cloath the grafs of the field, which « to day is, and to morrow is caft into the oven, fhall be « not much more cloath you, Oye of little faith? There fore take no thought, faying, what shall we eat? or what fall we drinks or wherewithall shall we be cloa "thed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles feeks), " for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need « of all these things. But feek ye first the Kingdom of "God and his righteousness, and all these things Thall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it felf; fufficient to the day is the evil there of." The fame difcourfe is repeated by S. Luke: and to verte 31: accordingly our duty is urged, and our confidence a betted by the Difciples of our Lord, in divers places Phil. 4. s. of holy Scripture. So St. Paul: Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 1 Tim. 9. 17 And again, Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to Heb. 13, s.enjoy. And yet again, Let your converfation be without covetousness, and be content with fuch things as ye have; for he hath faid, Iwill never leave thee, nor for fake thee: So that we may boldly fay, the Lord is my belper. And all this is by St. Peter fummed up in our duty thus: Caft all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Which words he seems to have bor rowed

Luke 12.22.

༄8 9

rowed out of the 55 Pfalm, ver. 25. where David faith the fame thing almoft in the fame words. To which I only add the obfervation made by him, and the argument of experience; I have been young and now am old, and yet faw I never the righteous forfaken, nor his feed begging their bread. And now after all this, a fearless confidence in God, and concerning a provision of neceffaries, is fo reasonable, that it is become a duty; and he is scarce a Chriftian whose faith is fo little as to be jealous of God, and fufpicious concerning meat and cloaths; that Man hath nothing in him of the nobleness or confidence of Charity.

Does not God provide for all the Birds and Beafts and Fishes? Do not the Sparrows fly from their bufh, and every morning find meat where they laid it not? Do not the young Ravens call to God, and he feeds them? And were it reasonable that the Sons of the Family fhould fear the Father would give meat to the Chickens and the Servants, his fheep and his Dogs, but give none to them? He were a very ill Father that fhould do fo; or he were a very foolish Son that should think fo of a good Father. But befides the reasonableness of this faith and this hope, we have infinite experience of it: How innocent, how careless, how fecure is infancy; and yet how certainly provided for? We have lived at God's charges all the days of our life, and have (as the Italian Proverb fays) fate down to meat at the found of a Bell; and hitherto he hath not failed us: we have no reafon to fufpect him for the future; we do not use to ferve men fo; and less time of trial creates great confidences in us towards them who for twenty years together never broke their word with us; and God hath fo ordered it; that a man fhall have had the experience of many years provifion, before he shall underftand how to doubt; that he may be provided for an answer against the temptation fhall come, and the mercies felt in his childhood may make him fearless when he is a man.

*Add to this, that God hath given us his holy Spirit;

Sect. 6. he hath promised Heaven to us; he hath given us his Son; and we are taught from Scripture to make this inference from hence, How should he not with him give us all things elfe?

The Charge of many Children.

We have a title to be provided for as we are God's Creatures, another title as we are his Children, another because God hath promifed; and every of our Children hath the fame title: and therefore it is a huge folly and infidelity to be troubled and full of care because we have many Children. Every Child we have to feed is a new revenue, a new title to God's care and Providence; fo that many Children are a great wealth; and if it be faid they are chargeable, it is no more than all wealth and great revenues are. For what difference is it? Titius keeps ten Plows, Cornelia hath ten Children. He hath land enough to employ, and to feed all his Hands: she bleffings, and promifes, and the provisions, and the truth of God to maintain all her Children. His Hands and Horfes eat up all his Corn, and her Children are fufficiently maintained with her little. They bring in, and eat up; and the indeed eats up, but they alfo bring in from the ftore-houses of Heaven, and the granaries of God: and my Children are not so much mine as they are God's, he feeds them in the womb by ways fecret and infenfible; and would not work a perpetual miracle to bring them forth, and hen to ftarve them.

Violent Neceffities.

But fome men are highly tempted, and are brought to a ftrait, that without a miracle they cannot be relieved; what thall they do? It may be their pride or vanity hath brought the neceffity upon them, and it is not a need of God's making: and if it be not, they muft cure it themselves by leffening their defires and moderating their appetites: and yet if it be innocent, though