The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1865-04-28
'Taking Thoughts for the Morrow"

| There are two sorts OF taking thought
for the morrow" one proper, and
necessary to success; the other useless,
sinful and ruinous to ones happiness
The first kind consists in a thoughtful
and serious concern for the wants and
contingencies of the future, leading to
earnest efforts to make provision for them
The second kind consists in painful mis-
giving, forebodings, and fears in respect
to the wants and contingencies of the fu-
ture, when it is wholly out Of our power
to make any provision for them. So long
as any practical good will result from
painful and serious thought as to how this
want shall be met, or that evil averted,
a man does well to be anxious as to what
he shall do in the future; but when it is
beyond ones power to meet the want, Or
avert the evil, or secure the good contem-
plated, when the most serious concern,
and active diligence, and untiring earnest
ness, can effect nothing, then anxiety be~
comes useless, sinful, and ruinous to hap
piness.
And yet how much Of just such f'tak-
ing thought there is, even among Chris
tians. What a besetting sin of many
persons it is to brood over the future, and,
with heart full of forebodings, and mind
burdened with anxious thoughts, wonder
"what they shall eat, and what they shall
drink, and wherewithal they shall be cloth
edP' How many lives, which would 9th
erwise be made miserable By habit Of
contemplating events with painful anxiety
that are yet in the future, and over which
they have no control!
Let, then, haraassing care have no place
in our minds. Firstly, because it is use
less. 1t can do no possible good. (Which
of you said our Lord, when trying to
guard His disciples from this very evil,
'by taking. thought, can add one cubit to
his stature ?'-can effect the slightest
change in the things about which he is
troubled? The strong inference from
our Lords question is, that no one ever
yet did himself any good by mere ankle
ty about things in the future, over which
he has now no control.
Secondly, we should not allow an uns
due care about the future to have place
in our minds, because we have no right
to put in one day what belongs to anoth-
er. "Give us this dag cur daily bread"
is the petition, and not, "Give us this
day bread for a week, Or month, or year"
The future has its own wants, and its own
provisions for them-so alas has the pres
ent-so has each particular day of our
lives and it is wrong for US to put into
one day what belongs to another. This
is true of all the wants and contingencies
of human life. The future will have its
own cares ard anxieties plenty Of them
likeIy-and they will be forthcoming in
due time; but they have no business
among the cares and anxieties of to day
Thirdly, we should not allow an undue
care abont the future to have place in
our minds, because God does not give US
grace and strength to-day to bear trials
that will not befalI US for years to come.
The grace and strength that we have to-
day are bestowed with an exclusive refer
ence to the painfulness or magnitude of
to-day's trials. The trials that God will
send upon US tomorrow, or next month,
or next year, if they are heavier Or sever
er than those Of to-day will be accompa-
MED by larger supplies of grace and
strength. GAS thy day is, thy strength
shall be-" So that, when VIC trouble our
selves about the events of the future, we
take upon ourselves burden for which
to-day's grace and strength are not ade-
quate-God not giving US, in advance,
assistance to bear troubles yet in future.
No wonder that in such circumstances
our hearts grow sad, and our faces pallid,
and our heads white, as we vainly attempt
to stagger along under burdens that are
too heavy for US, and are crushing US in
the dust.
Fourthly, we should not allow an un-
due care about the future to have place
in our minds, because it implies want of
confidence in God. The present is ours
the future is Gods. He has it all in His
own hands. He claims it as His preroga-
tive to dispose of its affairs. And when
we are anxious about what evil or good
shall befall us in the future, we in effect
doubt Gods wisdom, or power, or good
ness. We show want of confidence in
Him. We ought to consider that Gods
past faithfulness is the pledge of future
faithfulness. CATER so much mercy past,
will he let US sink at last?"