Therefore now I may say unto them which resist comfort and nourish grief, as the Prophet saith,1 Who hath required these things of you? GOD doth require no sorrow but the sorrow for sin, no fear but the fear to sin, no care but the care to please him, nay he hath forbidden all other care: and therefore Peter saith,2 Cast your care upon him. As though ⟨p. 856⟩God did not allow us to care, he sent his Apostle with this charge, Cast your care upon him, As we do cast our sins upon Christ so we must cast our cares upon him: for God hath commanded us to labour, but not to care, because care hindereth our labour, like the Samaritans, which seemed to help the Jews to build the Temple & hindered them to build the Temple:3 so care, and sorrow, & thought seem to help us in our labours, & our studies, & our prayers, and our strife, but indeed they hinder us, for they take all the time from that which we should do, & disable us to do it: and therefore, when care cometh to us, we shall answer it as Christ said unto Satan. Avoid Satan, avoid care for every care which is not of God,4 is of Satan, and we may not bear that which God commandeth us to cast upon him: shall I hang my joy, and my faith, and my hope, because I have sinned, as Judas hanged himself? The Scripture sayeth not, let him which hath stolen despair of mercy,5 but Let him which hath stolen steal no more, and it is enough. As we are taught to discern of spirits & of doctrines: 6so we must discern of cares and sorrows: for when Paul saith, There is a repentance not to be repented of: He showeth that there is a repentance to be repented of, that is, a repentance which is a sin like the tears ⟨p. 857⟩of Esau, which wept not for his sins, but for his patrimony.7 When we sorrow for any thing but sin,8 as Esau did, then our sorrow is murmuring: and when we sorrow more for sin then we should as some do: then our sorrow is distrust, which hurteth us more than the thing which we sorrow for:9 For, The sorrow of the heart (saith Solomon) is the consuming of the bones: not only the consuming of the soft flesh, but the consuming of the hard bones, that is, it will pull down the strongest man that is: and he which entertaineth it,10 shall quickly say with Naomi: Call me no more beautiful, but bitter. Call me no more strong, but weak, for it will change him like a sickness:
Therfore now I may say vnto them which resist comfort and nourish griefe, as the Prophet saith,1 Who hath required these things of you? GOD doth require no sorrowe but the sorrow for sin, no feare but the fear to sin, no care but the care to please him, nay hee hath forbidden al other care: and therefore Peter saith,2 Cast your care vppon him. As though ⟨p. 856⟩God did not allow vs to care, he sent his Apostle with this charge, Cast your care vppon him, As wee doo cast our sinnes vpon Christ so we must cast our cares vpon him: for God hath commaunded vs to labour, but not to care, because care hindereth our labour, like the Samaritanes, which seemed to helpe the Iewes to build the Temple & hindered them to build the Temple:3 so care, and sorrow, & thought seeme to helpe vs in our labours, & our studies, & our prayers, and our strife, but indeede they hinder vs, for they take al the time from that which we should do, & disable vs to do it: and therefore, when care commeth to vs, we shal answere it as Christ said vnto Sathan. Auoide Sathan, auoide care for euery care which is not of God,4 is of Sathan, and we may not beare that which God commaundeth vs to cast vppon him: shall I hang my ioy, and my faith, and my hope, because I haue sinned, as Iudas hanged himself? The Scripture saieth not, let him which hath stolne despaire of mercie,5 but Let him which hath stolne steale no more, and it is enough. As we are taught to discerne of spirites & of doctrines: 6so we must discerne of cares and sorrowes: for when Paul saith, There is a repentance not to be repented of: Hee sheweth that there is a repentance to be repented of, that is, a repentance which is a sin like the teares ⟨p. 857⟩of Esau, which wept not for his sins, but for his patrimony.7 When wee sorrowe for any thing but sinne,8
- 1Isa. 1. 12.
- 21. pet. 5. 7.
- 3Ezra. 9. 2.
- 4Mat. 4.
- 5John. 41.Iohn. 41.
- 62 Cor. 7. 10
- 7Gen. 25. 33
- 8Gen. 27. 34
- 9Pro. 17. 22.
- 10Ruth. 1. 10,
