agrees another word of our Lord's which St Luke gives--And be ye not of
doubtful mind. Literally, Do not be up in the air--blown helpless hither
and thither, by every gust of wind, instead of keeping on the firm
ground, and walking straight on about your business, stoutly and
patiently, step after step. Have no vain fears or vain hopes about the
future; but do your duty here and now. That is our Lord's command, and
in it lies the secret of success in life.

For do we not find, do we not find, my friends, in practice, that our
Lord's words are true? Who are the people who get through most work in
their lives, with the least wear and tear, not merely to their bodily
health, but to their tempers and their characters? Are they the anxious
people? Those who imagine to themselves possible misfortunes, and ask
continually--What if this happened--or that? What would become of me
then? How should I be able to pull through such a trouble? Where shall
I find friends? How shall I make myself safe against the chances and
changes of life? Do we not know that those people are the very ones who
do little work, and often less than none, by thus distracting their
attention and their strength from their daily duty, daily business? That
while they are looking anxiously for future opportunities, they are
neglecting the opportunities which they have already. While they are
making interest with others to help them, they forget to help themselves.
That in proportion as they lose faith in God and His goodness, they lose
courage and lose cheerfulness; and have too often to find a false courage
and a false cheerfulness, by drowning their cares in drink, or in mean
cunning and plotting and planning, which usually ends in failure and in
shame?

Are those who do most work, either the plotting or intriguing people? I
do not mean base false people. Of them I do not speak here. But really