Townsend, Jonathan, 1721-1776. Sermon, October 22, 1752. bMS 735/1 (1), Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.

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Parts and a Regards to our own best Interests to our Life and Happiness should influence us to watch against the indulgence of a worldly care and anxiety wch. (as well as worldly Lusts) do war against the Soul. But if we are convinced They are not to be indulged. that The honour of God and Interests of our Souls forbids it, we may yet be desirous to Know what is to be done to Suppress them and obtain a free:dom from Such inordinate Care, and unbecoming Sollicitude. I Shall therefore now offer a few Di: -rections for our own Assistance in order here unto. and first

1 We must consider much of the In-differency of the things of this World When laid in the Balances with Eternity. A very great Reason why Men indulge So much care about the Things of this World is because they look up on it as their resting place, centre their satis:faction here and consider not the Relations they stand in unto a future State of Existence, thus we read of some who say their Houses shall last for ever and and their dwelling places to all genra :tions, They call their Land after their own Names; they ay to morrow shall be as this Day and much more abundant. So the Fool in the Gospel said to his Soul, Soul, Thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine Ease, eat drink and be merry he consider :ed not their uncertainity nor his Relation to ye concern he had in

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another state; But this is a ready Method to promote of Indulgence of worldly Cares, we should (if we would Suppress them) remem :ber that we are but Strangers and pilgrims upon Earth that we have here no continuing City nor abiding Place; that we are probationers for the Eternal State of Duration and that according to our present Conduct, we shall be forever happy or miserable an habitual persuasion of this would afford us a view of the Indifferency of all present Cares and Concerns; Thus in the near veiw and earnest Expectation of a Transition from this to the eternal State has caused many among men to admire at, to re :sent of and, blame themselves for their great attachment to and concern about Sublunary Things which gives us reason to think that had they familiarized Such Reflection upon that State for which they were probationers it might have corrected their Oly :mindedness, and better tempered and regulated their regard for Things of the present State. It may accord: :ingly be a goode Measure for us to take to Suppress inordinate Care, and Anxiety about ye World and if Things of its to lay them in the Ballance with Eternity ,and See what an infinite Difference there is in the Importance of them

We Should Consider the true End (2.) for which the Accomodations of the present State were granted us, and endea

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: vour to make them Subservient to that End. They were not given as our lasting portion but for our Comfort and Conveniency, for the better enabling us to work the Works of him that sent us into the World to work and to Serve God, and our Generation accord: :ing to the Will of God, and work out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling, we are not to eat to ourselves, or drink to ourselves, nor make Provision, for the flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof. but whether We eat, or drink or whatever we do we must do all, to the glory of God. Those who indulge Sensuality, and are drowned in earthly Cares, prevent The good Things of Life, from their proper Ends. They Set too great a Value upon Them, and bear them as being what they are not, whereas we are taught to Remember that the Time is Short. That it remain :eth that those that have wives be as though they had none, Those that weep as though they wept not those that rejoyce as tho' the rejoyced not, Those that buy as tho' they poses: :sed not, using the world as not abusing of it, considering the fashi: :ons of the World for the Infernal Sense of Things passeth away; We may lawfully pray for and labour for our daily bread: but it Should be to prepare, not for, and assist us to our daily Work, that Work which God in his Providence has assigned us in the various Relation

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we Sustain here, Such a View. & Such an Endeavour will pre: :vent many inordinate Cares, and teach us that having Food and Raiment we Should be therew.t content -- again -- Would we Suppose, or free ourselves (3.) for disquieting Cares with Regard to Things of This Life? We Should confider the Friendlessness of them All our Care, and Anxiety cannot Secure what we aim at and why Ha [text obscured by ink blot] unreasonable is it that we Should perplex and fatigue ourselves but to be vexed with Disappointment; This one Argu :ment our Saviour makes up of to dissuade from anxious Care This if the Caution Luke 12 22 Take no tho't of your Life. What ye Shall eat neither for the Body, what ye Shall put on, and An Argum.t is taken from ye Supiour Importance of ye Defends another from the continual Care of Gods Providence exercised over all his Creatures, even those of much less Importance than Mankind and the third Argument in that we are now urging even the Fruitlesness and Unprofitableness of Such Care 25 26 verse And which of you with taking Tho't can add to add to his Stature one cubit & if ye then be not able to do ye Thing which is least, why take ye Tho't for the rest – This is very absurd for ye to exercise an anxious Care as about our present Circumstances. When we are unequal to ye Effecting the least of our Wishes but under ye Conduct & by ye permission of Provi tence for Except the build ye house Saith ye Psalmist 127.1. The a labour

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in vain that builds it . except the Lords Keep the City., the Watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to Sit up late, to eat the Bread of the Sorrow

Innumerable have been the In :Stances of the Disappointment of the most deeply concerted Schemes and most Sanguine illegibleHope of Mankind; the wise have been taken in their own Crafti: :ness and their Counsel carried headlong, the devices of the people have been reordered of none Effect and the most raised Expectations of Men have proved abortive; and illegiblenone can assure themselves that this will not be the Result of all their Anxious Cares and Sollicitude if they lay themselves out to please a Company, to have an unexcep :tionable entertainment; they have but a Small Chance of pleasing eve :ry Taste and, of escaping Some Reflections; if they are over Sollicitous for any earthly Acquisition They are by no means Secure from disap :pointment. Think wisely of mere men as af :ter his most curious Experiment of all earthly Advantages! pronounce this all to be Vanity. Vanity of vanity All Vanity and Vexation of Spirit and that there is no profits under the Sun; let us then lay these Things toge :ther and Set down and count ye Cost And see if we shall be any gainest by our own immoderate cares; we are far from Sure of Success and if we succeed we may not be bettered upon the Whole, our Bodys no more health :ful and easy, our minds no more quiet and content and then we are