as well as in great there may be as much riches in a pearl as in a great deal of lumber but now this is a distinct thing Further a gracious heart as he lives upon Gods dew in a little that he hath so when that little that he hath shall be taken from him what shall he do then Then you will say If a man have nothing there can be nothing fetc ht out of nothing â—ut if the children of God have their little taken from them they can make up all their wants in God himself such a man is a poor man the plunderers came and took away all that he had what shall he do then when all is gone But when all is gone there is an art and skill that godlinesse teaches to make up all those losses in God many men that have their houses burnt go about gathering and so get up by many hands a little but a godly man knows whither to go to get up all even in God himself so as he shall injoy the quinresence of the same good and comfort as he had before for a godly man doth not live so much in himself as he lives in God This is now a Mysterie to a Carnal heart I say a gracious man doth not live so much in himself as he doth in God he lives in God continually if there be any thing cut off from the stream he knows how to go to the fountain makes up all there God is his all in all while he lives I say t is God that is his all in all Am not I to thee saith Elkanah to Hannah instead of ten Children so saith God to a gracious heart thou wantest this thy estate is plundered Why Am not I to thee instead of ten houses and ten shops I am to thee instead of All yet not only instead of All but come to me and thou shalt have all again in me This indeed is an excellent Art to be able to draw from God what it had before in the creature Christian how didest thou injoy comfort before was the creature any other to thee but a Cunduit a pipe that did convey Gods goodnesse to thee The pipe is cut off saith God come to me the fountain and drink immeadiately though the Beames be taken away yet the Sun remains the same in the firmament as ever it was What 's that that satisfies God himself but because he doth injoy all fulness in himself so he comes to have satisfâ—action in himself now if thou injoyest God to be thy portion if thy soul can say with the Church in Lamentations 3. 24. The Lord is my portion saith my soul why shouldest thou not be satisfied and contented as God God is contented he is in eternal Contentment in himself now if thou hast that God to be thy portion why shouldest not thou be contented with him alone God is contented with himself alone if thou hast him thou mayest be Contented with him alone and it may be that is the reason that thy outward comforts are taken from thee that God may be All in All to thee It may be whilst thou hadest these things here they did share with God in thy affection a great part of the stream of thy affection ran that way now God would have the full stream run to him As you know it is with a man that hath water come to his house and if there be severall pipes upon which he finde the water come but scantly into his wash-house he will rather stop the other pipes that he may have all the water come in where he would have it So here it may be God had some stream of thy affection that ran to him then when thou didest injoy these things Yea but a great deal was let out to the Creature a great deal of thy affections did run waste now the Lord would not have the affections of his Children to run wast hee doth not care for other mens affections but for thine they are precious and God would not have them to run waste therefore hath he cut off thy other pipes that thy heart might run wholly upon him As if you have Children because you have servants perhaps do feed them and give them things you perceive that your servants do steal away the hearts of your Children you would hardly be able to bear it you would be ready to turn away such a servant and when the servant is gone the Child is at a great losse it hath not the nurse but the father or mother intends by her putting away that the affections of the Child might run the more strongly towards himself or herself and what losse hath the Child that the affections that run in a rough chanell before towards the servant it runs now towards the mother So those affections that runs towards the creature God would have them run towards himself that so he may be All in All to thee here in this world And a gracious heart can indeed tell how to injoy God to be All in All to him that is the happinesse of heaven to have God to be All in All The Saints in heaven have not houses and lands and money and meat and drink and cloaths you will say they do not need them why do they not It is because God is All in All to them imediatly now while thou livest in this world thou mayest come to injoy much of God you may have much of heaven while we live in this life we may come to injoy much of the very life that there is in heaven and what is that but the injoyment of God to be All in All to us There is one text in the Revelations that speaks of the glorious condition of the Church that is like to be even here in this world Revel 21. 22. And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it and the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb it the light thereof they had no need of the Sun or Moon it speaks of such a glorious condition that the Church is like to be in here in this world this doth not speak of heaven and that appears plainly that this is not spoken of heaven but of a glorious estate that the Church shall be in here in this world for it follows presently in the 24. and 26. verse And they speaking of the Kings of the earth And the Kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it why the Kings of the earth shall not bring their glory and honour into heaven but this is such a time when the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour to the Church And in the 26. versâ— And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it therefore it must â—â—â—ds be meant here in this world and nor in heaven now if
by what he finds in himself 57 He fetcheth supply from the Covenant Page 61 1 In Generall ibid 2 From particular promises 64 14 He realliseth the things of Heaven 67 15 He letteth his heart out to God ibid Lessons whereby Christ teacheth Contentment 1 Self-deniall 68 Whereby a Christian knows 1 That he is nothing 69 2 That he deserves nothing ibid 3 That he can do nothing 70 4 That he can receive no good of himself ibid 5 If God withdraw himself he can make use of nothing ibid 6 That he is worse than nothing 71 7 That there is no loss of him if he perish ibid 8 That he comes to rejoyce in Gods waies 72 2 Lesson To know the vanity of the Creature 73 3 Lesson to know that one thing wherefore 74 SERMON V 4 Lesson To know his relation in this world 76 5 Lesson Wherein the good of the Creature is Page 79 6 Lesson The knowledge of his own heart 82 Which helps to Contentment 1 By discovering wherein discontent lies ibid 2 By knowing what is suitable to our condition 83 3 By this we know what we are able to mannage 84 7 Lesson To know the burden of a prosperous estate 85 Which is four fold 1 The burden of trouble ibid 2 The burden of danger 86 3 The burden of duty 89 4 The burden of account ibid 8 Lesson A great evill to be given up to our own hearts desire 91 SERMON VI 9 Lesson The right knowledge of Gods providence 94 Wherein four things 1 The universality of it ibid 2 The efficacy of it 95 3 The variety of it ibid 4 Gods particular dealing with his people 97 In three things 1 They are ordinarily in affliction 98 2 When he intends them greatest mercies he brings them lowesi ibid 3 He works by contraries Page 99 The excellency of Contentment 1 Excellency By it we give God his due worship 101 2 Excel In it there is much exercise of grace 103 1 There is much strength of grace ibid 2 There is much beuty of grace 104 3 Excel The soul is fitted to receive mercy 106 4 Excel It is fitted to do service 107 5 Excel Contententment delivers from temptation 108 6 Excel It brings abundance of comfort 110 7 Excel It fetcheth in that that we possess not 111 In 4 particulars 131 SERMON VII 8 Excel Contentment a great blessing of God upon the soule 115 9 Excel A contented man may expect reward 116 10 Excel By Contentment the soul comes neerest the Excellency of God himself 117 â—se 1 To be humbled for want of Contentment Page 118 The Evils in a murmuring spirit 1 It is an Argument of much corruption in the soul 119 2 It is a note of a wicked man 120 3 Murmuring is accounted Rebellion 121 4 It is exceeding contrary to grace in conversion 122 The works of God in conversion 1 To make us sensible of the evill in sin 123 2 A sight of the excellency of Christ ibid 3 Taking the heart from the creature ibid 4 Casting the soul on Christ for all good 124 5 Subduing the soul to Christ as King ibid 6 Giving up the soul to God in Covenant 125 5 Evill Murmuring below a Christian 126 1 Below his relation 1 To God as a Father ibid 2 To Christ as a spouse ibid 3 To Christ as a member 127 4 To Christ as a Co-heir ibid 5 To Gods Spirit as a temple ibid 6 To Angels as one with them ibid 7 To Saints as of the same body ibid 2 Below his dignity Every Christian a King Page 128 3 It is below the spirit of a Christian 129 4 Below the profession of a Christian 131 5 Below the grace of faith ibid SERMON VIII 6 Below the helps of a Christian 132 7 Below the expectation of a Christian ibid 8 Below what other Christians have done 133 6 Evill by murmuring we undoe our prayers ibid 7 Evill The effects of a muring heart 1 Loss of much time 134 2 Vnfitness for Duty ibid 3 Wickedrisings of heart 135 4 Vnthankfulness ibid 6 Shifting 138 8 Evill Discontent a foolish sinne ibid 1 It takes away the comfort of what we have ibid 2 We cannot help our selves by it 139 3 It causeth foolish carriage to God and man ibid 4 It takes out the sweetness of mercies before they come ibid 5 It makes Affliction worse 141 9 Evill It provokes the wrath of God ibid 10 Evill There is a curse upon it Page 146 11 Evill There is much of the spirit of Satan in it 147 12 Evill It brings an absolute necessity of disquiet ibid 13 Evill God may justly withdraw his protection from such ibid Agravations of the sin of murmuring 1 Agravation The greater the mercies the greater the sin of murmuring 150 SERMON IX 2 Agrav When we murmur for small things 157 3 Agrav When men of parts and abilities murmur 158 4 Agrav The freeness of Gods mercy ibid 5 Agrav Discontent for what we have 159 6 Agrav When men are raised frrom a low condition ibid 7 Agrav When men have bin great sinners 160 8 Agrav When those murmur that are of little use in the world 161 9 Agrav To murmur when God is about to humble us ibid 10 Agrav When Gods hand is apparâ—nt in an affliction Page 162 11 Agrav To murmur under long afflictions 163 Pleas of a discontented heart 1 Plea I am but sensible of my affliction 1 Sense of affliction takes not away sense of mercies 165 2 It hinders not Duty ibid 3 It will make us bloss God for the mercies of others ibid 2 Plea My trouble is for my sins 1 It is not if you were not troubled for sin before 166 2 When the greatest care is to remove affliction ibid 3 If after affliction is removed sin troubles not ibid 4 If there be not care to avoid sin after 167 5 There is the more cause to accept of the punnishment ibid 3 Plea God withdrawâ— himselfe 1 We think God is departed when he doth but afflict 168 2 Disquiet is a sign and cause of Gods departure ibid 3 If God depart from us we should not from him 169 4 Plea I am troubled for mens ill dealing 1 Men are Gods instruments 170 2 We should rather pittie them then murmur Page 171 3 We have righteous dealing with God ibid SERMON X 5 Plea It is an affliction I looked not for 1 It is folly not to look for afflictions ibid 2 We should be more carefull of our carriage in it 172 6 Plea The affliction is exceeding great 1 It is not so great as thy sins ibid 2 It might have bin greater 173 3 It is greater for thy murmuring ibid 7 Plea It is greater then others afflictions Answered in 4 things 173 8 Plea If any other affliction they could be Content Answered in 4 things 174 9 Plea My afflictions make me unservicable to God 1 Though thou art mean thou art a member of the
inâ—oyment of all the world and yet he is contented if he hath but a crust but bread and water that is if God disposes of him for the things of the world to have but bread and water for his present condition he can be satisfied with Gods dispose in that yet if God should give unto him Kingdomes and Empiers all the world to rule if he should give it him for his portion he would not be satisfied with that here 's the mystery of it though his heart be so inlarged as the injoyment of all the world and ten thousand worlds cannot satisfie him for his portion yet he hath a heart quieted under Gods dispose if he gives him but bread and water to joyn these two together this must needs be a great art and mystery Though he be contented with God in a little yet those things that would content other men will not content him The men of the world they seek after estates and think if they had thus much and thus much they would be content they aime at no great matters but if I had perhaps some man thinks but two or three hundred a year then I should be well enough If I had but a hundred a year or a thousand a year saith another then I should be satisfied but saith a gracious heart If he had ten hundred thousand times so much a year it would not satisfie him if he had the quintescence of all the excellencies of all the creatures in the world it could not satisfie him and yet this man can sing and be merry and joyfull when he hath but a crust of bread and a little water in the world Surely Religion is a great mystery Great is the mystery of godlinesse not only in the Doctrinal part of it but in the â—ractical part of it also Godlinesse teacheth us this mystery Not to be satisfied with all the world for our portion and yet to be content with the meanest condition in which we are As Luther when he had great gifts sent him from Dukes and Princes he refused it and saith he I did vehemently protest God should not put me off so t is not that which will content me A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage Marke here lyes the Mystery of it A little in the world will Content a CHRISTIAN for his passage but all the world and ten thousand times more will not content a Christian for his portion Now a carnal heart will be content with these things of the world for his portion and there is the difference between a Carnal heart and a gracious heart But saith a gracious heart Lord do with me what thou wilt for my passage through this world I will be content with that but I cannot be content with all the world for my portion so there is the mystery of true Contentation A contented man though he be most contented with the least things in the world yet he is the most unsatisfied man that lives in the world That Soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God though a gracious heart knowes that it is capable of God and was made for God Carnal hearts think of no reference to God but a gracious heart being inlarged to be capable of God and injoying somewhat of him nothing in the world can fill a gracious heart it must be only God himself and therefore you shall observe That let God give what he will to a gracious heart a heart that is godly except he gives himself it will not do A godly heart will not only have the mercy but the God of that mercy as well as its self and then a little matter is enough in the world so be it he hath the God of that mercy he doth injoy In Phil. 4. 7. 9. I shall need go no further to shew a notable Scripture for this Compare vers 7. with vers 9. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ The peace of God shall keep your hearts Then in vers 9. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with you The peace of God shall keep you and the God of peace shall be with you This is that that I would observe from this Text That the peace of God is not enough to a gracious heart except it may have the God of that peace A Carnal heart could be satisfied if he might but have outward peace though it be not the peace of God peace in the state and his trading would satisfie him But mark how a godly heart goes beyond a Carnal all outward peace is not enough but I must have the peace of God But suppose you have the peace of God Will not that quiet you No I must have the God of peace as the peace of God so the God of peace that is I must injoy that God that gives me the peace I must have the cause as well as the effect I must see from whence my peace comes and injoy the fountain of my peace as well as the stream of my peace and so in other mercies have I health from God I must have the God of my health to be my portion or else I am not satisfied It is not life but the God of my life it is not riches but the God of those riches that I must have the God of my preservation as well as my preservation a gracious heart is not satisfied without this To have the God of the mercy as well as the mercy In Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon the earth that I desiere besides thee It is nothing in heaven or earth can satisfie me but thy self if God give thee not only earth but heaven that thou shouldest rule over sun moon and stars have the rule over the highest of the sons of men it would not be enough to satisfie thee except thou hadest God himself There lies the first mystery of Contentment truly a contented man though he be the most contented man in the world yet he is the most unsatisfied man in the world that is Those things that will satisfie the world will not satisfie him Secondly There is this Mystery in Christian Contentation A Christian comes to Contentment not so much by way of addition as by way of substraction that is his way of Contentment and that is a way that the world hath no skil in I open it thus Not so much by the adding to what he would have or to what he hath not by adding more to his condition but rather by substracting of his desires and so to make his desires and condition to be even and equal A carnal heart knows no way to be Contented but this I have such and such an
lookest into the book of God and findest any promise there thou mayest make that thine own Just as an heir that rides over divers fields and meadows saith he this meadow is my heritage and this corne field is my heritage and then he sees a fair house and saith he this fair house is my heritage and he looks upon them with another maner of eye then a stranger that shall ride over those fields So a carnall heart reads the promises and reads them but meerly as stories not that they have any great intrest in them But a godly man every time he reads the Scriptures remember this note when you are reading the Scripture and there meeteth with a promise he ought to lay his hand upon it and say this is a part of my heritage it 's mine and I am to live upon it and this will make you to be Contented Here 's a mysterious way of Contentment So in Psal 34. 10. 37. 6. there 's divers other promises that brings Contentment In Isa 58. 10. And thus much for the Mysterie of Contentment by way of the Covenant There is two or three things more that shew how a godly man hath Contentment after another kind of way then any Carnall heart in the world hath it 's a mysterious way as thus He hath Contentment by realizing the glorious things of heaven to him he hath the kingdom of heaven as present and the glory that is to come by faith he makes it as present So the Martirs they had Contentment in their sufferings for said some of them though we have but a hard breakfast yet we shall have a good dinner we shall presently be in heaven do but shut your eyes saith one and you shall be in heaven presently 2 Cor. 4. 16. We faint not saith the Apostle Why Because these light afflictions that are but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory They see heaven before them and that contents them You marriners when you can see the haven before you though you were mightily troubled before you could see any land yet when you come nigh the shore and can see such a land-mark that contents you exceedingly a godly man in the middest of the waves and stormes that he meets withall he can see the glory of heaven before him and so contents himself one drop of the sweetnesse of heaven is enough to take away all the sower and bitter of all the afflictions in the world Indeed here we know that one drop of sower or one drop of gall will make bitter a great deal of honey put a spoonfull of sugar into a cup of gall or wormwood that will not sweeten it but if you put a spoonfull of gall into a cup of sugar it will imbitter that now it 's otherwise in heaven one drop of sweet will sweeten a great deal of sower affliction but a great deal of sower and gall will not imbitter a soul that sees the glory of heaven that is to come now a Carnall heart hath no Contentment but from what he sees before him in this world but a godly heart hath Contentment from that that he sees laid up for him in the highest heavens The last thing that I would name is this A godly man hath Contentment by opening and letting out of his heart to God other men or women they are discontented but how do they help themselves by rayling by ill language such a one crosses them and they have no way to help themselves but by railing and by bitter words and so they ease themselves that way when they are angry but a godly man when he is crost how doth he ease himself he is sensible of his crosse as well as you and he goes to God in prayer and there opens his heart to God and le ts out his sorrows and fears and then can come away with a joyfull countenance now do you find that you can come away from prayer and not look sad As it 's said in 1 Sam. 1. 18 of Hannah that when shee had been at prayer her countenance was no more sad there shee was comforted and this is the right way of Contentment Thus we have done with 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 businesse as many make it to say you must be content c. But it is a great Art and Mysterie of godlinesse 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 learned to be Contented Learned what lessons have you learned 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 Gramar 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-deniall 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 crosse hath not learned his A B C in Christianity here Christ begins with his scholers yea those in the lowest forme must begin with this if you mean to be Christians at all you must buckle to this or you can never be Christians There is none can be a Scholer except he doth learn his A B C so thou must learn the lesson of self-deniall or thou canst never come to be a Scholer in Christs School to be learned in this mystery of Contentment That 's the first lesson that Christ teaches any soul Oh self-deniall 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-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 yealds to the stroke So a self-denying
such a thing then I would have another and if I had that then I should have more and what if you had got all you desire then you would be content why you may be content how without them Certainly our contentment doth not consist in the getting of the thing we desire but in Gods fashioning our spirits to our conditions there 's some men that have not a foot of ground of their own yet will live better then other men that are heirs to a great deal of Land I have known it in the countrey sometimes that a man lives upon his own land and yet lives very poorly but you shall have another man that shall farm his Land and yet by his good husbandry and by his care shall live better sometimes then he that hath the Land of his own so a man by this art of Contentment may live better without an estate then another man can live of an estate oh it ads exceeding much to the comfort of a Christian and that I may shew it farther there is more comfort even in the Grace of Contentment then there is in any possessions whatsoever a man hath more comfort in being content without a thing then he can have in the thing that he in a discontened way doth desire You think if I had such a thing then I should be content I say there is more good in Contentment then there is in the thing that you would faln have to cure your discontent and that I shall open in divers particulars as thus 1 I would fain have such a thing and then I could be content but if I had it then it were but the Creature that did help to my Contentment but now it 's the Grace of God in my soul that makes me content and surely it is better to be Content with the Grace of God in my soul then with the enjoying of an outward comfort 2. If I had such a thing indeed my estate might be better but my soul would not be better but by Contentment my soul is better that would not be bettered by an estate or lands or friends but Contentment makes my selfe to be better and therefore Contentment is a better portion then the thing is that I would fain have to be my portion 3. If I get Content by having my desire satisfied that 's but selfe-love but when I am Contented with the hand of God and am willing to be at his dispose that comes from my love to God in having my desire satisfied there I am contented through selfe love but through the Grace of Contentment I come to be contented out of love to God and is it not better to be contented from a principle of love to God then from a principle of selfe-love 4. If I am contented because I have that that I have a desire to perhaps I am contented in that one particular but that one particular doth not furnish me with Contentment in another thing perhaps I may grow more dainty and nice and froward in other things if you give children what they would have in some things they grow so much the more coy and dainty and discontented if they have not other things that they would have but if I have once over-come my heart and am contented through the Grace of God in my heart then this doth not content me only in a particular but in generall whatsoever befals me I am discontented and would fain have such a thing and afterward I have it now doth this prepare me to be contented in other things no but when I have gotten this Grace of Contentment I am prepared to be contented in all conditions and thus you see that Contentment doth bring comfort to a mans life fils a mans life full of comfort in this world yea the truth is it is even a Heaven upon earth why what is Heaven but the rest and quiet of a mans spirit what 's the speciall thing that is in Heaven but rest and joy that makes the life of Heaven there 's rest and â—oy and satisfaction in God so it s here in a contented spirit there 's rest and joy and satisfaction in God In Heaven there 's singing prayses to God a contented heart is alwayes praysing and blessing God thou hast Heaven while thou art upon earth when thou hast a contented spirit yea in some regards it's better then Heaven How is that you will say there is some kind of honour that God hath in it and some excellency that he hath not in Heaven and that 's this In heaven there is no overcoming of temptations they are not put to any tryals by afflictions there in heaven they have exercise of grace but they have nothing but incouragement to it inded those that are there their grace is perfect and in that they doe excel us but there is nothing to crosse their grace they have no tryals at all to tempt them to doe contrary but now for a man or woman to be in the midst of afflictions temptations and troubles and yet to have grace exercised and yet to be satisfied in God and Christ and in the word and promises in the midest of all they suffer this may seeme to be an honour that God hath from us that he hath not from the Angels and Saints in Heaven Is it so much for one that is in heaven that hath nothing else but good from God hath nothing to try them no temptations is that so much for them to be praysing and blessing God as for the poore soule that is in the midest of tryals and temtations and afflictions and troubles For this soule to go on praysing and blessing and serving God I say it is an excellency that thou shall not have in heaven and God shal not have this kind of glory from thee in heaven and therefore be contented and prise this Contentment and be willing to live in this world as long as God shall please and doe not think Oh that I were delivered from all these afflictions and troubles here in this world if thou were then thou shouldest have more ease to thy selfe but here 's a way of honouring God and manifesting the excellency of Grace here when thou art in this conflict of temptation that God shall not have from thee in Heaven and therefore be satisfied and quiet be contented with thy Contentment I want such and such things that others have but blessed be God I have a contented heart that others have not then I say be content with thy Contentment for that 's a rich portion that the Lord hath granted unto them if the Lord should give unto thee thousands here in this world it would not be such a rich portion as this that he hath given thee a contented sqirit oh goe away and prayse the name of God and say why Lord it 's true these and these comforts that others have I should be glad if I had them but thou hast cut me short but though
marriage why art thou discontented and murmuring consider thy relation to Jesus Christ as thou art a spouse and married to him his person is thine and so all the riches of Jesus Christ is thine as the riches of a husband are the wives and though there are some husbands so vile as the wives may be forced to sue for maintainance certainly Jesus Christ will never deny maintainance to his spouse it 's a dishonour for a husband to have the wife go whining up and down what thou art macht with Christ art his spouse and wilt thou murmure now and be discontented in thy spirit You shall observe among those that are newly matched when there is discontent between the wife and the husband their friends will shake their heads and say they do not meet with that that they did expect ye see ever since they were married together how the man looks and the woman looks they are not so chearly as they were wont to be surely say they it is like to prove an ill match But it 's not so here it shall not be so between thee and Christ Oh Jesus Christ doth not love to see his spouse to have a lowring countenance no man loves to see discontentment in the face of his wife surely Christ doth not love to see discontentment in the face of his spouse 3 Thou standest in relation to Christ not only as a spouse but as a member Thou art bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and to have a member of Jesus Christ to be in such a condition it 's exceeding unworthy 4 He is thy elder brother likewise and so thou art a co-heir with him 5. The relation that thou standest in to the Spirit of God thou art the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost is thy Comforter it is he that is appointed to conveigh all comfort from the Father and the Son to the Souls of his people And art thou the Temple of the Holy Ghost and doth he dwell in thee and yet for all that thou murmure for every little matter 6. The relation that thou standest in to the Angels thou art made one body with them for so Christ hath joyned principalities and powers with his Church they are Ministring Spirits for good of his people to supply what they need and thou and they are joyned together and Christ is the head of you and Angels 7. The relation that you stand in to the Saints you are of the same body with them they and you make up but one mysticall body with Jesus Christ and if they be happy you must needs be happy Oh how beneath a Christian is a murmuring Spirit if he considers his relations in which he stands Secondly A Christian should consider That murmuring and discontentednesse is below the high dignities that God hath put upon him Doe but consider the high dignytie that God hath put upon thee the meanest Christian in the world is a lord of heaven and earth he hath made us Kings unto himselfe Kings unto God not Kings unto men to rule over them and yet I say every Christian is lord of heaven and earth yea of life and death That is as Christ he is Lord of all so he hath made those that are his members to be lords of all all are yours saith the Apostle even life and death every thing is yours it 's a very strange expression that death should be theirs death is yours that is you are as it were lords over it you have that that shall make death to be your servant your slave even death it 's self your greatest enemies are turned to be your slaves faith makes a Christian to be as lord over all to be lifted up in excellency above all creatures that ever God made except the Angels yea and in some respect above them I say the poorest Christian that lives is raised to an estate above all the creatures in the world except Angels yea and above them in divers respects too and yet discontented that thou who wert as a firebrand of hell and might have been scorching and yelling and roâ—ing there to all eternity yet that God should raise thee to have a higher excellency in thee then there is in all the works of creation that ever he made except Angels and other Christians that are in thy condition yea and thou art nearer the Divine nature then the Angels because thy nature is joyned in an hypostaticall union to the Divine nature and in that respect thy nature is more honoured then the nature of the Angels And the death of Christ is thine he dyed for thee and not for the Angels and therefore thou art like to be raised above the Angels in divers respects yea thou that art in such an estate as this is thou that art set apart to the end that God might manifest to all eternity what the infinite power of a Deity is able to raise a creature too for that 's the condition of a Saint a beleever his condition is such as he is set apart to the end that God might manifest to all eternity what his infinite power is able to do to make the creature happy art thou in such a condition Oh how low and beneath this condition is a murmuring and discontented heart for want of some outward comforts here in this world How unseemly is it that thou shouldest be a slave to every cross that every affliction shal be able to say to thy soul bow down to us We accounted that a great slavery when men would say to our souls bow down As the cruel Prelats were wont do do in imposing things upon mens consciences they did in effect say let your consciences your souls bow down to us that we may tread upon them that is the greatest slavery in the world that one man should say to another let your consciences your souls bow down that we may tread upon them but wilt thou suffer every affliction to say bow down that we may tread upon thee truly it 's so when thy heart is overcome with murmuring and discontent Know that those afflictions which have caused thee to murmur have said to thee bow down that we may tread upon thee Nay not afflictions but the very Devill doth prevail against you in this Oh! how beneath is this to the happy estate that God hath raised a Christian unto what The Son of a King shal he have every base fellow to come and bid him bow down that he may tread upon his neck Thus doest thou in every affliction The affliction the crosse and trouble that doth befall thee saith bow down that we may come and tread upon thee Thirdly Murmuring it's below the Spirit of a Christian Below his Spirit the Spirit of every Christian should be like the Spirit of his Father every father loves to see his spirit in his child loves to see his image not his image of his body onely to say here 's a child for all the