me then my poverty is not afflictive if I can be contented in such a condition That is the way not to stand and repine because I have not what others have no but I am poor and Christ was therefore poor that he might bless my poverty to me And so again Am I disgraced dishonoured is my good-name taken away why Jesus Christ he had dishonour put upon him he was called Beelzebub and a Samaritan and they said he had a Devil in him all the foul aspersions that could be were cast upon Jesus Christ and this was for me that I might have the disgrace that is cast upon me to be sanctified unto me whereas another man his heart is overwhelmed with dishonour and disgrace and he goes this way to work to get Conntetment perhaps if you be spoken ill of you have no other way to ease and right your selves but if they do rail upon you you will rail upon them again and thus you think to ease your selves Oh but a Christian hath another manner of way to ease himself others rail and speak ill of me but did they not rail upon Jesus Christ and speak ill of him and what am I in comparison of Christ And the subjection of Christ to such an evil it was for me that though such a thing should come upon me I might know that the curse of it is taken from me through Christs subjection to that evill thus a Christian can be contented when any body speaks ill of him now this is a mysterie to you to get Contentment after such a manner as this is So if men jeer and scoffe at you did they not do so to Jesus Christ they jeer'd and scoff't at him and that when he was in his greatest extremity upon the Crosse say they Here 's the King of the Jews and they bowed the knee and said hail King of the Jews and put a Reed into his hand and mocked him now I get Contentment in the midst of scorns and jeers by considering that Christ was scorned and by acting faith upon that which Christ did suffer for me So am I in great pain of my body Jesus Christ had as great pain upon his body as I have though it 's true he had not such kind of sicknesses as we have but yet he had as great pain and tortours in his body and that that was deadly to him as wel as any sicknesse is to us the exercising of faith upon what Christ did indure that 's the way to get Contentment in the midst of our pains one lies vexing and fretting and cannot bear his pain art thou a Christian hast thou ever tryed this way of getting contentment to act thy faith upon all the pains and sufferings that Jesus Christ did suffer this would be the way of Contentment and a Christian gets contentment under pains after this maner sometimes one that is very godly and gracious you shall have them lie under grievous pains and extremities very cheerfully and you wonder at it this is the way that he gets it he gets it by acting his faith upon what pains Jesus Christ did suffer thou art afraid of death the way to get Contentment it is by exercising thy faith upon the death of Jesus Christ yea it may be thou hast inward troubles in thy soule and God withdraws himselfe from thee but still thy faith is to be exercised upon the sufferings that Jesus Christ indured in his soul he poured forth his soul before God then when he sweat drops of water and blood he was in an Agony in his very Spirit and he found even God himself in a way to forsake him now the acting thy faith upon Jesus Christ thus brings Contentment and is not this a mysterie to carnal hearts a gracious heart finds Contentment in a way of a mystery no marvel though Saint Paul saith I am instructed in a Mystery to be contented in whatsoever condition I am in In the Eleventh place there is yet a further mystery for this I hope you will find a very useful point unto you and you will see what a plaine way there is before we have done for one that is skil'd in Religion to get Contentment though it 's hard for one that is carnal I say the Eleventh mystery in contentment is this A gracious heart hath contentment by fetching strength from Jesus Christ he is able to beare his burden by fetching strength from another now this is a riddle indeed and it would be a rediculous thing to be spoken of in the schools of Philosophers to say if there be a burden upon you you must fetch strength from another indeed to have another to come and stand under the burden that way they would know but that you shall be strengthened by anothers strength that is not neer you to your outward view that they would think rediculous but now a Christian finds satisfaction in every condition by getting strength from another by going out of it's self to Jesus Christ and by faith acting upon Christ and bringing the strength of Jesus Christ into it's own soul and thereby is inabled to bear whatsoever God laies upon him by the strength that he finds from Jesus Christ of his fulnesse do we receive grace for grace there is strength in Christ not only to sanctifie and save us but strength to support us under all our burdens and afflictions and Christ expects that when we are under any burden that we should act our faith upon him to draw vertue and strength from him the acting of faith that 's the great grace that is to be acted under afflictions it 's true other graces should be acted but the grace of faith it draws strength from Christ in looking upon him that hath the fulnesse of all strength to be convayed into the hearts of all beleevers Now if a man hath a burden upon him yet if he can have strength added to him if the burden be doubled yet if he can have his strength to be tribled the burden will not be heavier but lighter than it was before to our natural strength Indeed our afflictions may be heavy and we cry out oh we cannot bear them we cannot bear such an affliction Though thou canst not tell how to bear it with thine own strength yet what canst thou tell what thou shalt do with the strnegth of Jesus Christ Thou saiest thou canst not bear it why doest thou think that Christ could not bear it if Christ could bear it why mayest not thou come to bear it You will say Can I have the strength of Christ Yea that is made over to thee by faith so the Scripture saith That the Lord is our strength God himself is our strength and Christ is our strength divers Scriptures we have that way that Christs strength is thine made over to thee that so thou mayest be able to bear whatsoever lies upon thee and therefore we find such a strange kind of expression in the Epistle
apparantly their hearts are not humbled and broken when their spirits after daies of humiliation still should be froward and pettish as before But especially for the generallity of the Kingdom how far are we from being an humbled people we are not yet capable of what mercy God intendeth for us in this regard because we are not humbled Oh the exceding pettishness envie and pride and worse a great deal not only in many people of the Land but even in those that are godly and gracious how are the spirits of men of one brother opposite to another that because there is some difference in judgment in such and such a thing O they could be content many of them to have them rid out of the Land and if God did not prevent whereas the persecution by Bishops is now at an end who knows except God humble their hearts more whether many of Gods dear servants that do but differ in some point of judgement might not meet with a great deale of sufferings even from those that are godly and that is the worst suffering better a thousand times suffer from wicked men it is not so hard to the spirits of godly men to suffer from never so many Bishops and wicked men as to suffer from one godly man Oh! there wants that charity and tenderness of spirit one towards another that should be we are not yet humbled and brought upon our knees and therefore it is just with God to lay us upon our backs a while or that we should even be with our faces upon the ground confounded in our own thoughts before that great Salvation comes that God intendeth for us That 's the first reason 2. Reas God brings to straights because he takes much delight in the Exercise of faith My beloved Faith it is a most glorious grace it is one of the most glorious things that ever God enabled any creature to do and especially now when there is so much guilt upon them it is a more glorious work than Adam perform'd in Innocency For a poor creature to beleeve upon God for his good here and in the midst of all extremities to rely upon him it is a most glorious work and God is exceedingly delighted in it and therfore the Scripture calleth Faith Precious Faith in the beginning of the 2 Epistle of Peter now God loves the acting of precious things God loves to see the actings of all his creatures every creature active in his way but when God hath put such a precious grace as faith into the heart Oh! how God doth delight to see the acting of that precious Faith and therfore it hath been the way of God to go quite crosse after the Lord hath made a promise of mercy and salvation he goes seemingly crosse only to exercise Faith I think I have told you sometimes of that to Abraham that there were but two promises made to him first That the Country that God would give him should flow with milk and honey and secondly His seed should be as the stars of Heaven and mark what way God goes to bring this about assoon as ever he gets into Canaan he was ready to starve there is this the country that flows with milk and honey and then for the other His seed should be as the stars of Heaven he stayed twenty yeers before he had a child Isaac stayed forty yeers before he had a child and yet his seed should be great and Isaac must be killed too and then there was another thing exercised his faith he would give him the Land and yet notwithstanding during his life he must not possesse one foot of the Land but only a burying-place and what was the reason of all this It was to exercise his faith and the promise God makes to his Son Christ I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession yet Christ must not have a hole to hide his head in he hath not so much as the foxes and the birds have to hide his head in Thus the way of God is to seem to go quite contrary that he might draw forth that glorious work of faith he so much delights in and because this is the only time of exercising this precious grace and there shall be no such faith in Heaven exercised as this is and therefore God because he will have as much as may be of the excellency of this faith though he be in a way of salvation he brings his people into straights 3. Reas Because the Lord delights so much in the prayers of his people that he might draw out their prayers Oh! the voice is sweet the voice of prayer it is very melodious in the ears of God It 's true God delights in a praising voice too but here in this world rather in prayer why because God shall have a praising voice to all eternity Gods Saints shall be praising him to all eternity but they shall not be praying to him to all eternity now God delighting so much in the praying voice of his Saints and he knowing he shall have a great deal of praise from his people when they are delivered from great troubles no marvel he doth exercise his people that which pleases God more than Heaven and Earth is the exercise of the faith and the prayers of his people they are the most pleasing things to God in all the world and therefore he brings into straights 4. Reas Because God would discover wicked men Before he brings his great salvation he would discover those that are vile and wicked that they should not partake of that great salvation As in our times we know how God in every straight we have been in hath made some useful discovery to us it hath been a discovering time of many that we have known to be vile and naught that we did not know before Luke 2.35 you know the place A sword shall pierce thorow thy soul why that the thoughts of many may be discovered there shall be great afflictions and troubles and the end I aim at is to discover the thoughts of many How have mens thoughts been discovered by plots when God was bringing his people into Canaan he would not have a rebellious generation come in among them and all the trouble they had in the wildernesse it was by a mixture of a base and vile generation that you have plain in Num. 11. when they were in such a distressed condition and in a murmuring and a vexing way mark the 4. verse The mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting They disturbed all the host of God And certainly if men should not be discovered more than they are if God should come to set up a full reformation amongst us herein England to bring us to that Canaan we desire we should be so troubled with a mixt multitude the mixt multitude would so vex and trouble the Church of God that they should scarce ever have
of affliction God doth give leave to his people to be sensible of what they suffer Christ doth not say Do not count that a crosse which is a crosse but take up your crosse daily As it is in the body natural if the body takes physick and is not able to bear it but presently vomits it up or if it be not at all sensible if it stir not the body either of these waies the physick doth no good but argues the body much distempered and will hardly be cured So it is with the spirits of men under afflictions if either they cannot bear Gods potions but cast them up again or are not sensible of them and their souls are no more stir'd by them than the body is by a draught of smal beer it is a sad symptome that their souls are in a dangerous and almost incurable condition So that this inward quietnesse is not in opposition to the sense of affliction for indeed there were no true Contentment if you were not apprehensive and sensible of your afflictions when God is angry It is not opposed 2 To an orderly making our moan and complaint to God and to our friends Though a Christian ought to be quiet under Gods correcting hand yet he may without any breach of Christian contentment complain to God as one of the Ancients saith though not with a tumultuous clamour and skreeking out in a perplexed passion yet in a quit still submissive way he may unbosom his heart unto God And likewise communicate his sad condition to his gracious friends shewing them how God hath dealt with him and how heavy the affliction is upon him that they may speak a word in due season to his wearied soul It is not opposed 3 To all lawful seeking out for help into another condition or simply endeavouring to be delivered out of the present affliction by the use of lawfull means No I may lay in provision for my deliverance use Gods meanes waiting on him because I know not but that it may be his will to alter my condition and so far as he leads me I may follow his providence it is but my duty God is thus far mercifully indulgent to our weakness and he will not take it ill at our hands if by earnest and importunate prayer we seek unto him for deliverance till we know his good pleasure therein And certainly thus seeking for help with such a submission and holy resignation of spirit to be delivered when God will and as God will and how God will so that our wils are melted into the will of God this is no opposition to the quietness which God requires in a contented spirit Quest But then what is this quietnesse of spirit opposed unto Ans To murmuring and repining at the hand of God as the discontented Israelits often did which if we our selves cannot indure either in our children or servants much lesse can God bear it in us 2 To vexing and fretting which is a degree beyond murmuring It is a speech I remember of an Heathen A wise man may greive under but not be vexed with his afflictions There is a vast difference betwixt a kindly grieving and a distempered vexation 3 To tumultuousness of spirit When the thoughts run distractingly and work in a confused manner so that the affections are like the unruly multitude in the Acts who knew not for what end they were come together The Lord expects that you should be silent under his rod and as he said in Act. 19.36 You ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly 4 To unsetledness and unfixedness of spirit whereby the heart is taken off from the present duty that God requires in our several relations both towards God our selves and others We should prize duty at a higher rate than to be taken off by every trivial occasion a Christian indeed values every service of God so much that though some may be in the eye of the world and of natural reason a slight empty businesse beggerly rudiments foolishnesse yet seeing God cals for it the authority of the command doth so over awe his heart that he is willing to spend himself and to be spent in the discharge of it It is an expression of Luthers ordinary works that are done in faith and from faith are more precious than heaven and earth And if this be so and a Christian know it it is not a little matter that should divert him but he should answer every avocation and resist every tentation as Nehemiah did chap. 6.3 Sanballat Geshem and Tobiah when they would have hindred the building of the wall with this I am doing a great woâ—k saith he so that I cannot come down why should the work of the Lord cease 5 To distracting heart-eating cares and fears A gracious heart so estimates it's union with Christ and the work that God sets it about as it will not willingly suffer any thing to come in to choak it or dead it A Christian is desirous that the word of God should take such full possession as to divide between soul and spirit but he would not suffer the fear and noise of evil-tidings to take such impression in his soul as to make a division and strugling there like the twins in Rebeckah's womb A great man will permit common people to stand without his doors but he will not let them come in and make a noise in his closet or bed-chamber when he purposely retires himself from all worldly imployments So a well tempered spirit though it may inquire after things abroad without doors in the world and suffer some ordinary cares and fears to break in to the suburbs of the soul so as to have a light touch upon the thoughts Yet it will not upon any terms admit of an intrusion into the privy-chamber which should be wholly reserved for Jesus Christ as his inward Temple 6 To sinking discouragements When things fall not out according to expectation when the tyde of second causes runs so low that we see little left in the outward means to bear up our hopes and hearts That then the heart begins to reason as he in the Kings If the Lord should open the windows of heaven how should this be Never considering that God can open the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle he can work above beyond nay contrary to means he often makes the fairest flowers of mans indeavours to wither and brings improbable things to passe that the glory of interprizes may be given to himself Nay if his people stand in need of miracles to work their deliverance miracles fall as easily out of Gods hands as to give his people daily bread Gods blessing is many times secret upon his servants that they know not which way it comes as 2 Kings 3.17 Ye shall not see wind neither shall you see rain yet the valley shall be filled with water God would have us depend on him though we do not see means how the thing
then it would be sweet now if God should put a spoonful or two of sugar in it would be bitter still But the way to Contentment is to purge out thy lusts and bitter humours Jam. 4.1 From whence are wars and strifs are they not from your lusts that are within you they are not so much from things without but from within as sometimes I have said it is not all the storms that are abroad that can make an earthquake but the vapours that are got within and so if those lusts that are within in thy heart if they were got out thy condition would be a contented condition These are the mysterious waies of godlinesse that the men of the world never think of when didest thou ever think of such a way as this is for to go and purge out the distempers of thy heart that are within Here are Seaven particulars now named there were a great many more that I had thought of and now without the understanding of these things and the practice of them you will never come to a true Contentation in your way Oh you will be bunglers in this trade of Christianity but the right perceiving of these things will help you to be instructed in it as in a Mystery SERMON III. PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content THE Mystery of Contentment will appear yet further A gracious heart gets Contentment in a mysterious way a way that the world is not aquainted with Eightly He lives upon the dew of Gods blessing It 's the similitude of one Adrian Junius setting out a Contented man by a Grashopper leaping and skipping up and down that lives upon the dew and he hath this motto I am content with what I have and hope for better A grashopper doth not live upon the grass as other things do you cannot know what it feeds upon other things though as little as grashppers yet feed upon seeds or little flies and such things but the grashopper you know not what it feeds upon So a Christian can get food that the world knows not of in a secret way is a Christian fed by the dew of the blessing of God a poor man or woman that hath but a little which hath grace lives a more contented life than his rich neighbour that hath a great deal coming in we find it so ordinarily so that though they have but a little yet they have a secret blessing of God going in it that they are not able to expresse to any other man if you would come to them and say How comes it that you live so comfortably as you do they are not able to tell you what they have but they find there is a sweetnesse in what they do injoy and they know this by experience that they never had such sweetnesse in former times that though they had more plenty in former times than now they have yet they know they had not such sweetnesse but how this comes they cannot tell and we may shew some particulars even in that godly men do enjoy that make their condition to be sweet As now Take these four or five particulars that godly men finds Contentment in what he hath though it be never so little 1 Because in what he hath he hath the love of God he hath Gods love to him in what he hath If a King should send a piece of meat from his own table it is a great deal more comfortable to a Courrier than if he had twenty dishes at ordinary allowance if the King send but any little thing and say Go and carry this to such a man as a token of my love Oh how delightful is that unto him are your husbands at Sea and send you a token of their love it is more than forty times so much that you have in your houses already Every good thing the people of God do injoy they injoy it in Gods love as a token of Gods love and coming from Gods eternal love unto them and this must needs be very sweet unto them 2. What they have it is sanctified to them for good Other men have what they injoy in a way of common providence but the Saints in a special way Others have what they have and there is all they have meate and drink and houses and cloaths and money and that 's all But a gracious heart finds contentment in this I have it and I have a sanctified use of it too I find God going along with what I have to draw my heart neerer to him and sanctifie my heart to him If I find my heart drawn nearer to God by what I injoy it 's more a great deal than if I have it without any sanctifying my heart by it there 's a secret dew that goes along with it there 's the dew of Gods love in it and the dew of sanctification 3. A gracious heart what he hath he hath it upon free-cost he is not like to be called to pay for what he hath The difference between what a godly man hath and a wicked man is in this A godly man is as a child in an Inne an In-keeper hath his child in his house and the Father provides his dyet and lodging and what is fit for him Now there comes a stranger and the stranger hath dinner and supper provided and lodging but the stranger must pay for all it may be the childs fare is meaner than the fare of the stranger the stranger hath boyld and rost and baked but he must pay for it there must come a reckoning for it Just thus it is many of Gods people have but mean fare but God as a father provides it and it is on free-cost and they must not pay for what they have it is paid for before but the wicked in all their pomp and pride and bravery they have what they call for but there must come a reckoning for all they must pay for all in the conclusion and is it not better to have a little upon free cost than to come to have all to pay for Grace doth shew a man that what he hath he hath it on free cost from God as from a Father and therefore must needs be very sweet Fourthly A godly man may very well be content though he hath but little For what he hath he hath it by right of Jesus Christ by the purchase of Jesus Christ he hath a right to it another manner of right to what he hath than any wicked man can have to what he hath a wicked man hath these outward things I do not say they are usurpers of what they have but they have a right to it and that before God but how it is a right by meer donation that is God by his free bounty doth give it to them but the right that the Saints have it is a right of purchase it is paid for and it is their own and they may in a holy manner and holy
way challenge whatsoever they have need of We cannot express the right of a holy man the difference between his right and the right of the wicked more fully than by this similitude a Malefactor that is condemned to die yet he hath by favour granted to him his supper provided over night and you cannot say though the Malefactor hath forfeited all his right to all things to every bit of bread yet if he shall have a supper granted to him he doth not steal it though all his right is forfeited by his fault after he is once condemned he hath no right to any thing so it is with the wicked they have forfeited all their right to all comforts in this world they are condemned by God as Malefactors and are going to execution but if God will in his bounty give them something to preserve them here in the world they cannot be said to be thieves or robbers Now a man hath granted to him a supper over night before his execution but is that like the supper that he was wont to have in his own house when he eat his own bread and had his wife and children about him Oh a dish of green herbs at home would be a great deal better than any dainties in such a supper as that is but now a child of God hath not a right meerly by donation but what he hath it is his own through the purchase of Christ every bit of bread that thou eatest if thou beest a godly man or woman Jesus Christ hath bought it for thee thou goest to market and buyest thy meat and drink with thy money but know that before thou hast bought it or paid money Christ hath bought it at the hand of God the Father with his blood thou hast it at the hands of men for money but Christ hath bought it at the hand of his Father by his blood And certainly it is a great deal better and sweeter now though it be but a little Fifthly There 's another thing that shews the sweetness that there is in that little that the Saints have by which they come to have contentment whereas others cannot that is Every little that they have it is but as an earnest penny of all the glory that is reserved for them it is given them by God but as the Fore-runner of those eternal mercies that the Lord intends for them now if a man hath but twelve pence given to him as an earnest penny for some great possession that he must have is not that better than if he had forty pounds given unto him otherwise So every comfort that the Saints have in this world it is an earnest penny to them of those eternall mercies that the Lord hath provided for them as every affliction that the wicked have here it is but the beginning of sorrowes and fore-runner of those eternall sorrows that they are like to have hereafter in Hell so every comfort thou hast is a fore-runner of those eternal mercies thou shalt have with God in Heaven not only the consolations of Gods Spirit are the fore-runners of those eternal comforts thou shalt have in Heaven but when thou sittest at thy Table and rejoycest with thy wife and children and friends thou mayest look upon every one of those but as a fore-runner yea the very earnest-penny of eternal life unto thee Now then if this be so no marvel though a Christian be contented this is a mystery to the wicked I have what I have out of the love of God and I have it sanctified to me by God and I have it of free-cost from God by the purcase of the blood of Jesus Christ and I have it as a fore-runner of those eternal mercies that are reserved for me and in this my soul rejoyces There 's a secret dew of Gods goodness and blessing upon him in his estate that others have not and by all this you may see the meaning of that Scripture Prov. 16.8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right A man that hath but a little yet if he hath it with righteousness it is better than a great deale without right yea better than the great revenues of the wicked so you have it in another Scripture That 's the next Particular in Christian Contentment the mystery is in this That he lives upon the dew of Gods blessing in all the good things that he doth enjoy The Ninth thing wherein the mystery of Christian Contentment consists is this Not only the good things that he hath he hath the dew of Gods blessing in them and they are very sweet to him but all the afflictions all the evils that do befall him he can see love in them all And can enjoy the sweetness of love in his afflictions as well as in his mercies yea the truth is the afflictions of Gods people comes from the same Eternal love that Jesus Christ did come from And that speech of Hierom He is a happy man that is beaten when the stroke is a stroke of love All Gods strokes are strokes of love and mercy all Gods waies are mercy and truth to those that fear him and love him Psalm 25.10 The wayes of God the waies of affliction as well as the waies of prosperity are mercy and love to him Grace gives a man an eye a piercing ye to pierce into the Councels of God those Eternal Counsels of God for good unto him even in his afflictions to see the love of God in every affliction as well as in prosperity Now this is a mystery to a carnal heart they can see no such thing perhaps they think God loves them when he prospers them and makes them rich but they think God loves them not when he doth afflict them that 's a mystery but grace instructs men in that mystery grace inables men to see love in the very frowns of Gods face and so comes to receive contentment In the Tenth place A godly man hath Contentment in the way of a mystery because as he sees all his afflictions come from the same love that Jesus Christ did so he sees them all sanctified in Jesus Christ sanctified as a Mediator he sees I say all the sting and venom and poyson of them all to be taken out by the vertue of Jesus Christ the Mediator between God and Man As now for instance Thus a Christian when he would have Contentment fals a working what is my affliction Is it poverty that God strikes me withall Jesus Christ had not a house to hide his head in the Fowls of the air had nests and the Foxes had holes but the Son of Man not a hole to hide his head in now my poverty is sanctified by Christs poverty I can see by faith the curse and sting and venom of my poverty taken out by the poverty of Jesus Christ Christ Jesus he was poor in this world to deliver me from the curse of my poverty that it should not be cursed unto
the Mysterie of Contentment Now if you can but put these things together that we have spoken of you may see fully what an Art Christian Contentment is Paul had need learn it you see Contentment is not such a poor business as many make it to say you must be content c. But it is a great art and mysterie of godliness to be contented in the way of a Christian and it will appear yet further to be a mysterie when we come to the Third Head and that 's to shew what those lessons are that a gracious heart doth learn when it learns to be contented I have learn'd to be Contented Learn'd what lessons have you lern'd As now a Scholer that hath great learning and understanding in Arts and Sciences how did he begin it he began as we use to say his A B C and then afterwards he came to his Testament and Bible and Accidence and so to his Gramer and afterwards to his other books so he learn'd one thing after another So a Christian coming to Contentment is as a Scholer in Christs School and there are divers lessons to teach the soul to bring it to this learning every godly man or woman is a scholer it cannot be said of any Christian that he is illiterate but he is litterate a learned man a learned woman now the lessons that Christ teaches to bring us to Contentment are these The First great Lesson is The lesson of Self-denial and though it be a great lesson and hard as you know a child at first cries It 's hard It 's that that I remember Bradford the Martyr saith Whosoever hath not learned the lesson of the Cross hath not learned his A B C in Christianity Here Christ begins with his Scholers yea those in the lowest form must begin with this if you mean to be Christian at all you must buckle to this or you can never be Christians There is none can be a Scholler except he doth learn his A B C so thou must learn the lesson of self-denial or thou canst never come to be a Scholler in Christs School to be learned in this mystery of Contentment That 's the first lesson that Christ teaches any soul Oh self-denial that brings Contentment that brings down and softens a mans heart a thing you know that 's soft if you strike upon it it makes no noise but if you strike upon a hard thing it makes a noise so the hearts of men that are full of themselves and hardened with self-self-love if they have any stroak they make a noise but a self-denying Christian yeilds to Gods hand and makes no noise as when you strike upon a woolsack it makes no noise because it yeilds to the stroke So a self-denying heart yeilds to the stroke and thereby comes to this Contentment Now in this lesson of self-denial there are divers things I will not enter into the Doctrine of self-denial but only shew you how Christ teaches self-denial and how that brings Contentment First Such a one learns to know that he is nothing he comes to this to be able to say Well I see I am nothing in my self now that man or woman which indeed knows that he or she is nothing and hath learned it throughly will be able to bear any thing The way to be able to bear any thing it is to know our selves to be nothing in our selves Saith God to us Wilt thou set thine heart upon that which is nothing Pro. 23.5 speaking of riches Why blessed God dost not thou do so thou hast set thy heart upon us and yet we are nothing God would not have us set our hearts upon riches because they are nothing and yet God is pleased to set his heart upon us and yet we are nothing that 's Gods grace free grace and therefore it 's no great matter what I suffer for I am as nothing Secondly I deserve nothing I am nothing and I deserve nothing suppose I have not this and that that others have I am sure I deserve nothing except it be Hell you will answer any of your servants so that is not content I marvell what you deserve or your children Do you deserve it that you are so eager upon it you think to stop their mouthes thus so we may easily stop our own mouthes we deserve nothing and therefore why should we be impatient if we have not what we desire if we had deserved any thing we might have some trouble of spirit as a man that hath deserved well of the State or of his friends and he finds not an answerable incouragement it troubles him mightily but if he be conscious to himself that he hath deserved nothing he is content with a repulse Thirdly I can do nothing Without me you can do nothing saith Christ Joh. 15.5 why should I stand much upon it to be troubled and discontented if I have not this and that when the truth is I can do nothing If you should come to one that is angery because he hath not such dyet as he desires and is discontented with it you will answer him I mervail what you do what use you are of Shall one that will sit still and be of no use yet for all that he must have all the supply that possibly he can desire Do but consider of what use you are in the world if you consider what little need God hath of you and what little use you are of you will not be much discontented If you have learned this lesson of self-denials though God doth cut you short of such and such comforts yet since that I do but little why should I have much this very thought will bring down a mans spirit as much as any thing That 's the Third Fourthly So vile I am that I can receive no good neither of my self I am not only an empty vessel but a corrupt and unclean vessel that would spoil any thing that comes into it so are all our hearts every one of our hearts is not only empty of good but are like a mustie vessel that if any good licquor be powred into it it spoils it And that 's the Fourth thing Fifthly If God doth cleanse us in some measure and doth put into us some good licquor some grace of his Spirit yet in the fifth place We can make use of nothing neither when we have it if God doth but withdraw himself If God doth but leave us one moment after he hath bestowed upon us the greatest gifts and whatsoever abilities we can desire if God should say I wil give you them now go and trade now I have given you these and these abilities we cannot stir one foot further neither if God doth but leave us Doth God give us gifts and parts Then let us fear and tremble least God should leave us to our selves for then how foully should we abuse those gifts parts you think other men and women have memorie and gifts and parts and you
this Contentment it doth deliver us from abundance of temptations Oh the temptations that men of discontented spirits are subject to the Devil loves to fish in troubled waters That 's our proverb of men and women their disposition is to fish in troubled waters they say it is good fishing in troubled waters this is the maxime of the Devil he loves to fish in troubled waters where he sees the spirits men and women troubled and vext there the Devil comes saith he there 's good fishing for me when he sees men and women go discontented up and down and he can get them alone then he comes with his temptations saith he will you suffer such a thing take such a shifting indirect way do not you see how poor you are others are brave you know not what you shall do against winter to provide fewell and get bread for you and your children and so he tempts them to unlawful courses this is the special distemper that the Devil fastens upon when he brings men and women to give up their souls to him it is upon discontent That 's the ground of all those that have been witches and so have given up themselves to the Devil the rise of it hath been their discontent and therefore it is observable that those the Devil worketh upon to make them witches usually they are old and melancholy people and women especially and those that are of the poorer sort that are discontent at home their neighbours trouble them and vex them and their spirits are weak and they cannot bear it so upon that the Devil fastens his temptations and draws them to any thing if they be poor then he promises them money if they have revengefull spirits then he tels them that he will revenge them upon such and such persons now this quiets and contents them Oh! there 's matter of temptation for the Devil where he meets with a discontented spirit As Luther saith of God God doth not dwell in Babylon but in Salem Babylon signifies confusion and Salem signifies peace now God doth not dwell in spirits that are in a confusion but he dwels in peacable and quiet spirits Oh if you would free your selves from temptations labour for Contentment It is the peace of God that guards the heart from temptation I remember I have read of one Marius Curio that when he had bribes sent him to tempt him to be unfaithful to his Countrey he was sitting at home at dinner with a dish of turnips and they came and promised him rewards saith he That man that can be contented with this fare that I have will not be tempted with your rewards I thank God I am content with this fare and as for rewards let them be offered to those that cannot be content to dine with a dish of turnips So the truth is we see it apparently that the reason why many do betray their trust as in the Parliament service and Kingdom because they cannot be contented to be in a low condition Let a man be contented to be in a low condition and to go meanly cloathed if God sees it fit such a man is shot-free as I may so say from thousands of temptations of the Devil that do prevail against others to the damning of their souls Oh in such times as these are when men are in danger of the loss of their estates I say these men that have not got this grace are in a most lamentable condition they are in more danger for their souls then they are for their outward estates you think it is a sad thing to be in danger of your outward estates that you may loose all in an night but if you have not this contented spirit within you you are in more danger of the temptations of the Devil to be plundered that way of any good and to be led into sin Oh when men think thus they must live as brave as they were wont to do these men make themselves a prey to the Devil but for such as can say let God do with me what he pleases I am content to submit to his hand in it the Devil wil scarce meddle with such men It 's a notable speech of a Phylosopher that lived upon mean fare and as he was eating herbs and roots saith one to him If you would but please Dionisius you need not eat herbs and roots but he answered him thus If you would but be content with such mean fare you need not flatter Dionisius So temptations will no more prevail upon a contented man then a dart that is thrown against a brasen wal That 's the Fifth particular The Sixth excellency is The abundant comforts in a mans life that Contentment will bring Contentment will make a mans life exceeding sweet and comfortable nothing more than the grace of Contentment many waies I will shew how it brings in Comfort 1 As first What a man hath he hath it in a kind of Independent way not depending upon any Creature for his Comfort 2 A Contented man whose estate is low if God raises his estate he hath the love of God in it and then it 's abundantly more sweet than if he had it and his heart not contented for if he had not the love of God in it for it may be God grants to a discontented man his desire but he cannot say it is from love if a man hath quieted his spirit first and then God grant him his desire he may have more comfort in it and more assurance that he hath the love of God in it 3 This Contentment is a comfort to a mans spirit in this that it doth keep in his comforts and keep out whatsoever may damp his comforts or put out the light of them I may compare this Grace of Contentment to a Marriners Lanthorn a Marriner when he is at Sea let him have never so much provision in his ship yet if he be thousands of leagues from land or in a rode that he shall not meet with a ship in three or four moneths if he hath never a Lanthorn in his ship nor nothing whereby he can keep a Candle light in a storm he will be in a sad condition he would give a great deal to have a Lanthorn or some thing that may serve in stead of it When a storm comes in the night and he cannot have any light come above-board but is puft out presently his condition is very sad so many men can have the light of comfort when there is no storm but let there come but any affliction any storm upon them their light is puft out presently and what shall they do now When the heart is furnished with this Grace of Contentment this Grace is as it were the Lanthorn and it keeps comfort in the spirit of a man light in the midst of a storm and tempest When you have a Lanthorn in the midst of a storm you can carry a light every where up and down the ship to the top
evil of sin and the excellency of Jesus Christ there may be a seed of faith put into the soul but the soul must first know Christ and know sin and be made sensible of it Now how contrary is this sin of murmuring to any such work of God hath God made me see the dreadful evil of sin and made my soul to be sensible of the evil of sin as the greatest burden how can I then be so much troubled for every little affliction certainly if I saw what the evill of sin were that sight would swallow up all other evils and if I were burdened with the evil of sin it would swallow up all other burdens what am I now murmuring against Gods hand saith such a soul when as a while ago the Lord made me see my self to be a damned wretch and apprehend it as a wonder that I am not in Hell 2. Yea it 's mighty contrary to the sight of the infinit excellency and glory of Jesus Christ and of the things of the Gospel What am I that soul that the Lord hath discovered such infinit excellency of Jesus Christ to and yet shall I think such a little affliction to be so grievous to me when I have had the sight of such glory in Christ that is more worth than ten thousand worlds for so will a true convert say Oh! the Lord at such a time hath given me that fight of Christ that I would not be without for ten thousand thousand worlds but hath God given thee that and wilt thou be discontent for a trifle in comparison to that 3. A Third work when God brings the soul home to himself it is By taking the heart off from the Creature the disingaging the heart from all Creature-comforts that 's the Third work ordinarily that the soul may perceive of its selfe It 's true Gods work may be altogether in the seeds in him but in the several actings of the soul in turning to God it may perceive these things in it the disingagement of the heart from the Creature that 's the calling off the soul from the world Whom the Lord hath called he hath justified what 's the calling of the soul but this the soul that was before seeking for Contentment in the world and cleaving to the Creature now the Lord calls the soul out of the world and saith Oh soul thy happinesse is not here thy rest is not here thy happinesse is else-where and thy heart must be loosned from all these things that are here below in the world and this is the work of God in the soul to disingage the heart from the Creature and how contrary is a murmuring heart to such a thing a thing that is glued to another you cannot take off but you must rend it so it 's a sign thy heart is glued to the world that when God would take thee off thy heart rends if God by an affliction should come to take any thing in the world from thee if thou canst part from it with ease without rending it 's a sign then that thy heart is not glued to the world 4. A Fourth work of God in the converting of a sinner is this The casting of the soul upon Jesus Christ for all its good I see Jesus Christ in the Gospel the Fountain of all good and God out of free Grace tendering him to me for life and for salvation and now my soul casts its self rouls it self upon the infinit Grace of God in Christ for al good now hast thou done so hath God converted thee and drawn thee to his Son to cast thy soul upon him for all thy good and yet thou discontented for the want of some little matter in a creature-comfort art thou he that hath cast thy soul upon Jesus Christ for all good as he saith in another case Is this thy faith 5. The Soul is subdued to God and then it comes to receive Jesus Christ as a King to rule to order and dispose of him how he pleases and so the heart is subdued unto God Now how opposite is a murmuring discontented heart to a heart subdued to Jesus Christ as a King and receiving him as a Lord to rule and dispose of him as he pleases 6. There is in the work of thy turning to God the giving up of thy self to God in an everlasting Covenant as thou takest Christ the Head of the Covenant to be thine so thou givest up thy self to Christ In the work of Conversion there is the resignation of the Soul wholly to God in an everlasting Covenant to be his hast thou ever surrendred up thy self to God in an everlasting Covenant then certainly this thy fretting murmuring heart is mighty opposite to it certainly thou forgettest this Covenant of thine and the Resignation of thy self up to God it would be of marvellous help to you to humble your Souls when you are in a murmuring condition if you could but obtain so much liberty of your own spirits as to look back to see what the work of God was in converting you there is nothing would prevail more than to think of that I am now in a murmuring discontented way but how did I feel my soul working when God did turn my Soul to himself Oh how opposite is this to that work and how unseeming Oh what shame and confusion would come upon the spirits of men and women if they could but compare the work of corruption in their murmuring and discontent with the work of God that was upon their Souls in conversion now we should labour to keep the work of God upon our Souls that was at our Conversion for Conversion must not be only at one instant at first men are deceived in this if they think their Conversion is finished meerly at first thou must be in a way of conversion to God all the daies of thy life and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples except ye be converted and become as little children Ye be Converted why were they not converted before Yes they were converted but they were still to continue the work of Conversion all the daies of their lives and what work of God there is at the first Conversion it is to abide afterwards As thus alwaies there must abide some sight and sense of sin it may be not in the way which you had which was rather a preparation than any thing else but the sight and sense of sin it is to continue still that is you are still to be sensible of the burden of sin as it is against the Holinesse and Goodnesse and Mercy of God unto thee and the sight of the excellency of Jesus Christ is to continue and thy calling out of the Creature and thy casting of thy Soul upon Christ and thy receiving Christ as a King still receive him day by day and the subduing of thy heart and the surrendring of thy selfe up to God in a way of Covenant now if this were but daily continued there would
obedience to thee When God cals for thy estate or any comforts that thou hast God cals for it as a pledge of thy obedience to him A Twelfth Plea Another reasoning of a murmuring heart is this Oh but after I have taken a great deal of pains for such a comfort yet then I am crost in it after a great deal of labour and pains that I have taken now to be crost Oh this goes very hard First I answer The greater crosse the more obedience and submission Secondly When thou did'st take a great deal of pains was it not with submission to God Did'st thou take pains with resolution that thou must have such a thing when thou labourest for it Then know that thou labourest not as a Christian but if thou did'st labour and take pains was it not with resignation to God Lord I am taking pains in the way of my calling but with submission I depend wholly upon thee for successe and a blessing And what was it that thou did'st aime at in thy labour was it not that thou mightest walk with God in the place that God had set thee A Christian should do so in his outward calling I am diligent in my outward calling but it is that I might obey God in it it 's true I do it that I might provide for my family but the chief thing that I aime at is That I might yeild obedience to God in the way that God hath set me Now if God cals thee to another condition to obey him in though it be by suffering thou wilt do it if thy heart be right Thirdly There will be the more testimony of thy love to God if so be thou shalt now yeeld up thy self to God in that that cost thee dear shall I offer that to God saith David that cost me nothing thy outward comforts hath cost thee much and thou hast taken much pains to obtain them and now if thou canst submit to God in the want of them I say in this thy love is more shown that thou canst offer that to God that cost thee dear Now these are the principal reasonings of a discontented heart A Thirteenth Plea There 's one Plea more that may be nam'd and that is this saith some Though I confess my affliction is somwhat hard and I feel some trouble within me yet I thank God I break not out in discontented waies to the dishonour of God I keep in although I have much ado with my own heart Oh! do not satisfie your selves with that for the distempers of your hearts and their sinful workings are as words before God My soul be silent to God That we spake of in the begining of the opening of this Scripture it is not enough for thy tongue to be silent but thy soul must be silent there may be a sullen discontentednesse of heart as well as a discontentednesse manifested in words And if thou doest not mortifie that inward sullennesse if thou beest afflicted a little more it wil break forth at last And thus the Lord I hope hath met with the cheife reasonings and Pleas for our discontent in our conditions I beseech you in the Name of God consider these things and because they do concern your own hearts you may so much the better remember them I had thought to have made a little enterance into the next head and that is some way of helping you to this grace of Contentment It is a most excellent grace of admirable use as you have heard and the contrary is very sinful and vile SERMON XI PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content NOW we are coming to the close of this point of Contentment that Jesus Christ doth teach those that are in his School we have opened the point unto you and shewed you wherein the Art and Skill and Mystery of Christian Contentment lies and divers things in the way of application rebuking the want of this and the last day I finished that point of shewing the several Reasonings of a murmuring and discontented heart I shall now as being desirous to make an end leave what was said and proceed to what remains There are only these two things for the working of your hearts to this grace of Christian Contentment First The propounding of several Considerations for the contenting of the heart in any afflicted condition Secondly The propounding of Directions what should be done for the working of our hearts unto this The First Consideration We should consider in all our wants and inclinations to discontent The greatnesse of the mercies that we have and the meanesse of the things that we want The things we want if we be godly they are things of very small moment in comparison to the things we have and the things we have are things of very great moment for the most part that that people are discontent and murmur for the want of it is because they have not such things as reprobates have or may have why should'st thou be troubled so much for the want of that that a man or woman may have yet be a reprobate as that thy estate is not so great thy health not so perfect thy credit not so much thou mayest have all those things and yet be a reprobate now wilt thou be discontent for that that a reprobate may have I shall give you the example of a couple of godly men meeting together Anthony and Diddimus Diddimus was blind and yet a man of very excellent parts and graces Anthony askt him if he was not troubled at this his want of sight he confest he was but saith he shall you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have and not rather rejoyce be thankful that you have what Angels have God hath given you those good things that makes Angels glorious is not that enough to you though you want what thing a fly hath And so a Christian should reason the case with himself what am I discontented for I am discontented for want of that that a dog may have that a Devil may have that a reprobate may have shall I be discontent for not having that when as God hath given me that that makes Angels glorious Blessed be God saith the Apostle in Ephe. 1.3 that hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places It may be thou hast not so great blessings in earthly places as some others have but if the Lord hath blessed thee in heavenly places that should content thee there 's blessings in heaven and he hath set thee here for the present as it were in heaven in a heavenly place the consideration of the greatnesse of the mercies that we have and the littlenesse of the things that God hath denyed us is a very powerful consideration to work this grace of Contentment The Second Consideration The consideration that God is beforehand with us with his mercies should content us I spake to this as an
yet when I see this though you be a meer stranger to me I may without breach of charity conclude that your heart was immoderately set upon your child or husband or upon any other comfort that I see you greiving for when God hath taken it away If you hear ill tydings about your estates and your hearts are dejected immoderately and you are in a discontented way because of such and such a crosse certainly your hearts were immoderatly set upon the world and so likewise for your credit if you hear others report this or that ill of you and your hearts are dejected because you think you suffer in your name your hearts were inordinatly set upon your name and credit now therefore the way for you not to be immoderate in your sorrows for afflictions it is not to be immoderate in your love and delights when you have prosperity And these are the principal Directions for our help that we may live quiet and contented lives My brethren to conclude all for this point if I could tell you that I knew how to shew you a way never to be in want of any thing I make no question but then we should have much flocking to such a Sermon when a man should undertake to mannifest to people that they should never be in want any more but I have been now preaching unto you that that comes to as much that that countervails this that which is in effect all one Is it not almost all one never to be in want or never to be without Contentment that man or woman that is never without a contented spirit truly can never be said to want much Oh! the Word holds forth a way full of comfort and peace to the people of God even in this world you may live happy lives in the mid'st of all the storms and tempests in the world there is an Ark that you may come into and no men in the world may live such comfortable cheerful and contented lives as the Saints of God Oh that we had learn'd this lesson I have been many Sermons about this lesson of Contentment but I am affraid that you will be longer in learning of it than I have been preaching of it it is a harder thing to learn it than it is to speak or preach of it I remember I have read of one man reading of that place in the 39. Psalm I will take heed that I offend not with my tongue saith he I have been these 38. yeers a learning this lesson and have not learned it thorowly The truth is there are many I am affraid that have been professors neer eight and thirty yeers have hardly learn'd this lesson it were a good lesson for young professors to begin to learn this betimes But now this lesson of Christian Contentment it is as hard and perhaps you may be many yeers in learning it I am affraid there be some Christians that have not yet learned Not to offend grosly with their tongues The Scripture saith All a mans Religion is vain if he cannot bridle his tongue therefore those that make any profession of godliness one would think they should quickly learn this lesson such a lesson that except learned it makes all their Religion vain But for this lesson of Christian Contentment it may take up more time to learn and there 's many that are learning it all the daies of their lives and yet are not Proficients but God forbid that it should be said of any of us concerning this lesson as the Apostle saith of Widows in Timothy That they were ever learning and never came to the knowledge of the truth Oh let us not be ever learning this lesson of Contentment and yet never come to have skill in it You would think it much if you had used the Sea twenty years and yet to have attain'd to no skill in your art of navigation you will say I have used the Sea 20. or 30. yeers and I hope I may know by this time what belongs to Sea Oh that you would but say so in respect of the Art of Christianity When there is any thing that 's spoken concerning the duty of a Christian Oh that Christians could but say I have been a Christian thus long and I hope I am not to seek in such a thing that is so necessary for a Christian here is a necessary lesson for a Christian that Paul said He had learned in all estates therewith to be content Oh be not content with your selves till you have learned this lesson of Christian Contentment gotten some better skill in it than heretofore Now there is in the text another lesson which is a hard lesson I have learned to Abound that doth not so neerly concern us at this time because the times are afflictive times and there is now more than ordinary an uncertainty in all things in the world in such times as these are there is few that have such an abundance that they need to be much taught in that lesson FINIS THE SAINTS DVTY IN TIMES OF EXTREMITY WHAT the certainty of the cause of those fears that are upon the hearts of people is not yet apparant but that there are many distracted fears in their hearts that is apparant to the full and therefore though I prepared for that ordinary course as formerly yet for this time I desire that you would turn to that Scripture that I might speak a word in season in EXODUS 14. part of the 13. vers Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. THE begining of the verse is thus And Moses said unto the people Fear ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. In the former Chapter we have Pharaoh dismissing Israel out of Egypt In this Chapter we have him pursuing Israel with a new-heated fury against all common sense and reason his malice and rage besotted him because God intented to destroy him though Gods hand appeared gloriously for his People before yet Pharaoh will not see the Majestie of the Lord but he shall see it he gathers all the strength that possibly he can and seems too rash in his way he overtakes and overtakes them in a place of the greatest advantage that possibly could be for the Text saith that they were before Pi-hahiroth in the first verse between Migdol and the Sea over against Baal-zephon and that by Gods appointment too they were there when Pharaoh comes to find them there the Sea is before them all the strength of Egypt is behind them and they were at Pi-hahiroth Carverna rupibus inclusâ— so turn'd by some not the proper signification for Pi is the mouth and hahiroth that signifies fâ—ramen they were got into a hole as it were into the mouth of a hole that was compassed about with rocks one each side that had high rocks about it so the word imports and not only so but between Migdol over against Baal zephon Migdol signifies a tower so that in that place the
our friends and so are brought into such straights pray husband go back again and venture not your self thus and thus but it seems she was of a gracious spirit and quieted her self in God and was not afraid with amazement If you would approve your selv's the daughters of Sarah do ye so when God cals your husbands to any service though it be with some hazard do not you hang about their necks and wring your hands and say I beseech you husband consider what will become of me and my children will you leave me now Take heed you are not the daughters of Sarah at such a time if you hinder your husbands at such a time as this is 4. Doct. That the sight of salvation after straights will be a glorious thing If we be brought into straights that that is comming will pay for all there is enough to satisfie let us not be troubled at greater straights than yet we have Suppose blood should be shed beloved God hath such mercy for England that shall pay for all the blood of his Saints that shall be shed and the blood of his people is a precious thing Every drop of the blood of his people is very precious and the Adversary shal be accomptable for every drop God will value it and there shall be a valuable consideration given for every drop of blood and the more difficulties we have in obtaining that mercy God is about to give us the mercy shall be the greater Isa 54.11 O thou afflicted and tost with tempests thy foundations shal be laid with Saphires and with precious stones If we be afflicted and tossed with tempests and the blood of Gods people go for it comfort your selves with this The more precious blood that is shed in this business the greater mercy is to come for God will have a valuable consideration for all the blood of his Saints FINIS AN EXACT ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF ALL THE PRINCIPAL TRUTHS IN THE FORE-GOING TREATISE OF Contentment A Abundance ABundance of mercies enjoyed should make us content Page 189 Account Account of prosperity Page 89 Account of great men Page 90 Actions see Heart Adversity see Quiet Affections Men unsatisfied in their affections Page 10 See Wast Afflictions Faith to be acted in afflictions Page 47 Gods people to be ordinarily in afflictions Page 98 To be troubled for murmuring rather than afflictions Page 120 Afflictions How made worse Page 141 How to moderate grief in afflictions Page 152 Gods hand apparant in afflictions Page 162 Afflictions are not to be pored on too much Page 201 See Fear Love Christ Mercy Look Great Chuse Fit Service c. All in All God All in All to his Children Page 51 All-sufficiency All-sufficiency in the Saints how Page 3 Angels A Christian one with Angels Page 127 A Christian neerer the Divine nature than Angels Page 128 A Saints calling as high as Angels Page 177 Apparant see Afflictions Assurance see Covenant B Base A murmuring spirit a base spirit Page 130 Beams Creatures convey comforts but as beams Page 50 Being We enjoy creatures in reference to the first-being Page 80 Best God interprets what we do to the best Page 204 Better see Condition Soul Beauty Beauty of grace wherein seen Page 104 Blesse Sence of afflictions will make us blesse God for the mercies of others Page 165 See Dew Bread We are to pray but for daily bread Page 134 Broken A Broken heart brings Content Page 33 Burden Contentment by adding a new burden Page 31 Burden of sin makes affliction light Page 32 C Call Calling Calling of the soul what Page 124 A Christian general calling high Page 177 To be sure of a Call in every thing Page 196 Change To change affliction to another thing Page 34 All creatures go on in a way of change Page 189 Child A murmuring spirit like a weaning Child Page 130 Christ What the Saints have is purchased by Christ Page 42 Afflictions to the godly from the same hand that gave Christ Page 44 What hinders the sight of the excellency of Christ Page 123 In Conversion the soul cast on Christ Page 124 Christian see Murmuring Chuse We must not chuse our afflictions Page 174 Command The more solemn Gods command the greater the sin in breaking of it Page 163 Complacency A Christian takes complacency in Gode dispose Page 17 Complain We may complain to God in afflictions Page 5 Comfort Content brings comfort Page 110 Comfort how kept in the soul ibid Comfort of what we have How lost Page 138 See God Condition A Christian content in every condition Page 20 We should do the works of our present condition Page 35 How to know what saith our condition Page 83 Our condition better than our betters Page 191 Constraint Not to submit in affliction by constraint Page 16 Contentment Contentment what it signifies Page 2 Contentment to be skil'd in the mystery of it Page 3 Contentment what Page 4 Contentment whereof it is made Page 26 Contentment the bottom of it Page 30 Contentment the excellency of it Page 100 Contentment wherein it consists Page 112 To be humbled for want of Contentment Page 118 Contentment of former Christians Page 133 Considerations to move Contentment Page 187 Directions to Contentment Page 195 See Worship Soul Condition Comfort c. Conversion The work of God in Conversion Page 122 See Life Contrary God worketh by Contraries Page 99 Corruption Argument of corruption in the soul Page 119 Covenant Christians comfort from Gods Covenant 53.61 Gods Covenant his Assurance-Office Page 63 Particular promises part of the Covenant Page 64 In Conversion we give our selves to God in Covenant Page 124 See Works Creature To know the vanity of the Creature Page 73 To enjoy God in the Creature Page 80 In Conversion the heart taken from the Creature Page 123 Creatures suffer for us Page 189 Crowns God hath Crowns for all graces Page 174 Curse Curse of God upon murmuring Page 146 D Daily see Bread Danger Danger of prosperity Page 86 Dear A siggn of love to give him that that cost us dear Page 185 Deliverance Deliverance may be sought in afflictions Denial see Self Departed We think God is departed when we are afflicted Page 168 Though God were departed from us we should not from him Page 169 See Disquiet Dependance We should live in continual dependance upon God Page 179 Deserve We deserve nothing of God Page 69 Desires A Christian should take from his desires Page 29 Devil Devil his Rhetorick Page 136 Devil most discontented Page 147 Dew A Christian lives on the dew of Gods blessing Page 40 Dignity Dignity of a Christian Page 120 Discouragement Discouragement opposite to Contentment Page 7 Discontent Discontent the reason of it Page 73 Discontent a sin of idle men Page 76 Discontent the root of it Page 82 Discontent how aggravated Page 153 Discontent Pleas for it Page 165 See Grace Shift Foolish Mercies Devil Disgrace Disgrace how sanctified Page 45
natural reason may quiet the heart in some measure But now I say A gracious frame of spirit is not a meer stilnesse of body through a natural constitution and temper nor sturdinesse of resolution nor meerly through the strength of reason You will say wherein is this graciousness of Contentment distinguisht from all these More of this will be spoken to when we shew the mystery of it and the lessons that are learned but now we may speak a little by way of distinction here as now From the natural stilnesse of mens spirits many men and women have such a natural stilnesse of spirit and constitution of body that you shall find them seldom disquieted But now mark these kind of people that are so they likewise are very dull of a dull spirit in any good thing they have no quicknesse nor livelinesse of spirit in that which is good but now mark where contentment of heart is gracious the heart is very quick and lively in the service of God yea the more any gracious heart can bring its self to be in a contented disposition Oh the more fit it is for any service of God and is very active and lively in Gods service not dull in the service of God And as a Contented heart is very active and stirring in the work of God so he is very active and stirring in sanctifying Gods Name in the affliction that doth befall him The difference will appear very cleer thus One that is of a still disposition he is not disquieted indeed as others neither hath he any activenesse of spirit in sanctifying the Name of God in the affliction but now one that is content in a gracious way as he â—s not disquieted but keep his heartt quiet in respect of vexing and trouble so on the other side he is not dull nor heavy but is very active to sanctifie Gods Name in the affliction thas is upon him for it is not enough meerly not to murmur not to be discontented and troubled but you must be active in the sanctifying Gods Name in the affliction And indeed this will distinguish it from the other from a sturdy resolution I will not be troubled but though you have a sturdy resolution that you will not be troubled is there a conscionablenesse in you to sanctifie Gods Name in your affliction and doth it come from thence That is the main thing that brings the quiet of heart and helps against discontentednesse in a gracious heart I say the desire and care that thy soul hath to sanctifie Gods Name in an affliction it is that that quiets the soul which doth not in the other Neither when it is meerly from reason As Socrates it is said of him though he were but an heathen that what ever befel him he would never so much as change his countenance and he got this power over his spirit meerly by strength of reason and morallity but now this gracious contentment comes from principles beyond the strength of reason I cannot open that from whence it comes till we come to open the mystery of spiritual Contentment I will only give you this one note of difference between a man and a woman that is contented in a natural way and another that is contented in a spiritual way Those that are contented in a natural way they overcome themselves when outward afflictions doth befal them they are contented yea and they are contented as well when they commit sin against God either when they have outward crosses or when God is dishonoured it is all one either when themselves are crost or when God is crost but now a gracious heart that is contented with it's own affliction yet mightily rises when God is dishonoured The Fift is Freely freely submitting to and taking complacency in Gods dispose it is a free work of the spirit now there are four things to be opened in this freedom of spirit First that the heart is readily brought over that that one doth freely there is no great stir to bring them to it there are many men and women when their afflictions are grievous upon them with much adoe they are brought to be contented a great deal of stir there is to quiet their hearts when they are under affliction yet at last perhaps they are brought to it I but now this doth not come off freely if I desire a thing of another and I get it perhaps with much adoe and a great deal of stir there is but here 's no freedom of spirit but when a man is free in a thing do but mention it and presently he comes off to it So if you have learned this art of Contentment you will not only be contented after a great deal of do to quiet your hearts but readily as soon as ever you do come to think that it is the hand of God your heart presently closeth Secondly freely That is not by constraint not patience by force as we use to say As many will say that you must be content this is the hand of God and there is no help for it O this is too low an expression for Christians yet when Christians come to visit one another they say friend or neighbour you must be content this is to low an expression for a Christian Must be content no readily and freely I will be content It is sutable to my heart to yeild to God and to be content I find it is a thing that comes off of it self that my soul will be content Oh you should answer your friends so that come and tell you you must be content nay I am willing to yeild to God and I am freely content that 's the Second And then a free act it comes after a rational way that 's freedom that is it doth not come through ignorance because I know no better condition or that I know not what my affliction is I but it comes through a sanctified judgment for that is the reason that no creature can do an act of freedom but the rational creature the liberty of action is only in rational creatures and it comes from hence for that 's only freedom and out of liberty that 's wrought in a rational way as a natural freedom is when I by my judgment see what is to be done understand the thing and then there is a closing with what I do understand in my judgment that is freely done but now if a man doth a thing and understands not what he doth he cannot be said to do it freely So if men are contented but it is because they understand not what their affliction is or because they understand no better this is not freely as for instance Suppose a Child born in a prison and never in all his life went out the Child is contented why Because he never knew better but this is no free act of Contentation But now for men and women that do know better that know that the condition in which they are in it is
an afflicted condition and a sad condition and yet they can bring their hearts to a Contentation out of a sunctified judgment this is freedom Thirdly This freedom it is in opposition to stupidness for a man and woman may be contented meerly out of want of sence this is not free as a man in a dead palsie that doth not feel you nip his flesh he is not freely patient but if one should have their flesh nipt and feel it and yet for all that can be able to bridle themselves and do it freely that is another matter So it is here many are contented meerly out of stupidnesse they have a dead palsie upon them but now a gracious heart hath sence enough and yet is contented and therefore is free Sixthly Freely submitting to and taking complacency in Gods dispose Submitting to Gods dispose What is that The word Submit it signifies nothing else but to send under as thus One that is discontented the heart will be unruly and would even get above God so far as discontentment prevailes but now comes the grace of Contentment and sends it under to submit it is to send under a thing now when the soul comes to see the unrulinesse that there is in it here 's the hand of God that brings an affliction and my heart is troubled and discontented what saith the Soul Wilt thou be above God Is it not Gods hand and must thy will be regarded more than Gods O under under O thou soul get under keep under keep low keep under Gods feet thou art under Gods feet and keep under his feet keep under the Authority of God the Majesty of God the Soveraignity of God the Power that God hath over thee Keep under that is to submit then the Soul can submit to God when it can send it's self under the Power and Authority and Soveraignity and Dominion that God hath over it that is the Sixth Particular Yea but that is not enough yet you have not got to this Grace of Contentment except in the next place you take Seventhly Taking a complacency in Gods dispose That is thus I am well pleased in what God doth so far as I can see God in it though as I said I may be sensible of the affliction and may desire that God in his due time would take it off and use means to take it off yet I may be well pleased so far as Gods hand is in it To be well pleased with Gods hand that is a higher degree than the other and this comes from hence not only because I see that I should be content in this affliction but because I see that there is good in this affliction I find there is hony in this rock and so I do not only say I must or I will submit to Gods hand no but the hand of God is good it is good that I am afflicted That it is just that I am afflicted that may be in one that is not truly contented I may be convinced that God deals justly in this God is righteous and just and t is fit I should submit to what he hath done O the Lord hath done righteously in al his waies but that is not enough but thou must say Good is the hand of the Lord the expression of old Ely Good is the word of the Lord when it was a sore hard word that word that did threaten very grievous things to Ely and his house and yet Good is the word of the Lord saith Ely Perhaps some of you may say as David It is good that I was afflicted nay you must come to say thus It is good that I am afflicted Not good when you see the good fruit that it hath wrought but when you are afflicted to say It is good that I am afflicted Whatever the affliction be yet through the mercy of God my condition is a good condition it is the top indeed and the height of this art of Contentment to come to this pitch to be able to say Well my condition and afflictions are thus and thus and is very grievous and sore yet I am through Gods mercy in a good condition and the hand of God is good upon me notwithstanding Now I should have given you divers Scriptures about this I shall but give you one or two that are very remarkable you will think this is a hard lesson to come thus far not only to be quiet but to have a complacency in affliction Prov. 16.6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble Here 's a Scripture now that will shew that a gracious heart hath cause to say it is in a good condition what ever it be In the house of the Righteous is much Treasure his house what house it may be a poor Cottage perhaps he hath scarce a stool to sit on perhaps he is fain to sit upon a stump of wood a piece of a block instead of a stool or perhaps he hath scarce a bed to lie upon or a dish to eat in yet saith the Holy Ghost In the house of the righteous is much treasure Let the righteous man be the poorest man in the world It may be there are some that have come and taken all the goods out of his house for debt perhaps his house is plundered and all is gone yet still In the house of the righteous is much treasure the righteous man can never be brought to be so poor to have his house rifled and spoiled but there will remain much treasure within if he hath but a dish or a spoon or any thing in the world in his house there will be much treasure so long as he is there there is the presence of God and the blessing of God upon him and therein is much treasure but in the revenues of the wicked there is trouble There is more treasure in the poorest bodies house if he be godly than in the house of the greatest man in the world that hath his brave hangings and brave wrought beds and chairs and couches and cupbords of plate and the like what ever he hath he hath not so much treasure in it as in the house of the poorest righteous soul therefore in a verse or two after my text no mervail though Paul saith he was Content you shall see in Phil. 4.18 But I have all and abound I am full I have all Alas poor man what had Paul that could make him say he had all where was there ever man more afflicted than Paul was many times he had not tatters to hang about his body to cover his nakednesse he had not bread to eat he was often in nakednesse and put in the stocks and whipt and cruelly used yet I have all saith Paul for all that Yea you shall have it in 2. Cor. 6.10 he professes there That he did possess all things as sorrowful yet alwaies rejoycing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet