man the burden will be upon him again but it thou wouldest have thy burden light if thou canst get alone and examine thy heart for thy sin and charge thy soul with thy sin if thy burden be in thy estate for the abuse of it or if it be a burden upon thy body for the abuse of thy health and strength and the abuse of any mercies that now the Lord hath taken away from thee thou hast not honoured God with those mercies that thou hast had but thou hast walked wantonly and carelesly and so fall a beâ—oning thy sin before the Lord and thou shalt quickly find the burden of thy affliction to be lighter then it was before do but try this peece of skill and art to get your souls contented with any low condition that God puts you into many times in a family when any affliction befals them Oh what a deal of discontentment is there between man and wife if crost in their estates at land or ill news from Sea or they that they trusted are broak and the like and perhaps somwhat in the family fals crosse between man and wife or in reference to the children or servants and there is nothing but brabling and discontent among them now they many times are burdened with their own discontent and perhaps will say one to another this life is very uncomfortable for us to live thus discontented so as we do but have you ever tried this way the husband and the wife have you ever got alone and said come Oh let us go and humble our souls before God together let us go into our chamber and humble our souls before God for our sin whereby we have abused those mercies that God hath taken away from us and we have provokt God against us Oh let us charge our selves with our sin and be humbled before the Lord together have you tried such a way as this is Oh you would find the cloud would be taken away and the sun would shine in upon you and you would have a great deal more Contentment then ever yet you had If a mans estate be broken either by blunderers or any other way now how shall this man have Contentment how By the breaking of his heart God hath broken thy estate Oh seek to him for the breaking of thy heart likewise Indeed a broken estate and a whole heart a hard heart will not joyn together there will be no Contentment but a broken estate and a broken heart will so sute together as there will be more Contentment then there was before adde therefore to the breaking of thy estate the breaking of thy heart what thou canst and that is the way to be Contented in a Christian manner which is the Third Mystery in Christian Contentation The fourth thing is this it is not so much the removing of the affliction that is upon us as the changing of the affliction the Metamorphosing of the affliction when it is quite turned and changed into another thing I meane in regard of the use of it though for the matter the affliction abide stil The way of contentment to a carnall heart it 's only the removing of the affliction O that it may be gone no but saith a gracious heart God hath taught me a way for contentment though the affliction shall continue still for the matter of it but there is a vertue of grace to turn this affliction into good it takes away but only the sting and poyson of it As now Suppose poverty A mans estate is lost well is there no way to be contented till your estate be made up again Till your poverty be removed yes certainly christianity would teach contentment though poverty continues yet it will teach you how to turn your poverty to spirtual riches that you shall be pore still for your outward estate but this shall be altered whereas before it was once a naturall evill to you it comes now to be turned to a spirituall benefit to you And so you come to be content it is a speech of Ambrose Even poverty its selfe it is riches unto holy men godly men do make their poverty turn to be riches they get more riches out of thir poverty then ever they get out of their revenues out of all their trading in this world they never had such incomes as they have had out of their poverty this a carnall heart will thinke strange that a man shall make pouerty to be the most gainfull trade that ever he had in the world I am perswaded that many christians have found it so that they have got more good by their poverty then ever they got by all their riches you find it in scripture therefore thinke not this starnge that I am speaking of you doe not find any one Godly man that came out of an affliction worse then when he came into it though for a while he was shaken yet at last he was better for an affliction but a great many Godly men you find have been worse for their prosperity scarce one Godly man that you read in scripture of but was worse for prosperity except Daniell and Nehemiah I doe not read of any hurt they got by their prosperity that they had scarce I thinke is any one example of any Godly man but was rather worse for his prosperitie then better so that you see it 's no such strange thing neither to one that is gracious that they shall get good by their affliction Luther hath such an expression in his comment upon the 5 Chap. of the Galatians in the 17 verse in his comment upon that place saith he A christian becometh a mighty worker and a wonderfull creator that is saith he to create out of heavinesse joy out of terrour comfort out of sin righteousnesse and out of death life and brings light out of darkenesse It was Gods prerogative and great power his creating power to comand the light to shine out of darkenesse now a Chriâ—â—ian is partaker of the divine nature so the scripture saith grace it is part of the divine nature and being part of the divine nature it hath an impression of Gods Omnipotent power that is to create light out of darkensse to bring good out of evill now by this way a Christian comes to be content God hath given a Christian such avertue as can turn affliction into mercyes can turn darkenesse into light if a man had the power that Christ had when the water pots were fill'd he could by a word turn the water into wine if you that have nothing but water to drinke yet if you had a power to turn it into wine then you may be contented Certainly a Christian hath received this power from God to worke thus miraculously It is the nature of grace to turn water into wine that is to turn the water of your affliction into the wine of heavenly consolation If you understand this in a carnall way I know it will be rediculous for a
I want these yet thou hast given me that that is as good and better thou hast given me a quiet contented heart to be wiling to be at thy dispose SERMON VII PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content WEE proceed now there are some two or three things more of the excellency of Contentment and then we are to proceed to applycation of the point The eight excellency is Contentment is a great blessing of God upon the Soul there is Gods blessing upon those that are content the blessing of God is upon them and their estates and upon all that they have We read in Teut. of the blessing of Judah the principle Tribe this is the blessing of Judah And he said â—â—â—â— Lord the voice of Judah and bring him unto his people let hiâ— hands 〈…〉 〈…〉 for him and hâ— thou an help to him from his 〈…〉 bâ—â— his hand be sufficient for him that is bring in a sufficiency of all good unto him that he may have of his own that 's the blessing of Judah So when God gives thee a sufficiency of thine owne as every contented man hath there is the blessing of God upon thee the blessing of the principle tribe of Judah is upon thee It is the Lord that gives us all things to enjoy we may have the thing and yet not injoy it except God comes in with his blessing now whatsoever thou hast thou do'st injoy it Many men have estates and do nor injoy them it s the blessing of God that gives us all things to enjoy it is God that through his blessing hath fashioned thy heart and made it sutable to thy condition The Ninth Excellency Those that are content they may expect reward from God that God shall give unto them the good of all those things that they are contented to be without and this brings in abundance of good to a 〈…〉 spirit There is 〈…〉 and such a mercy that thou thinkest would be verie comfortable â—nto thee if thou had'st it but câ—nst thou bring thy heart to submit to God in it thou shalt have the blessing of the mercy one way or other if thou hast not the thing it selfe in re thou shalt have it made up one way or other thou shalt have a bill of exchange to receive somewhat in liâ—â— of it there is no comfort that any soul is content to be without but the Lord will give either the comfort on somewhat in stead of iâ— Thou shalt have a reward to thy soul for what ever good thing thou arâ— content to be without You know what the Scripture saith of active obedience and the Lord doth accept oâ— his 〈…〉 their 〈…〉 for the deed though we do not doe a good thing yet iâ— our hearts be 〈…〉 to will to dâ—â— it we shall have the blessing though we do not doe the thing You that complain of weaknesse you cannot do as others do you cannot do as much service as otherâ— doâ— if your hearte be upright with God and 〈…〉 〈…〉 doâ— the same service that you sâ—â— others doe you would account it a great blessing of God upon you the greatesâ— blessing in the world if you were able to doe as others dâ—â— now you may comfort your selves with this haâ—iâ—g to deale with God in the way of the 〈…〉 of Grace you shall have 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 of â—ll 〈…〉 dâ—â— â—â— a â—â—cked 〈…〉 shall have the punishment for all the sin he would commit so thou shalt have the reward for all the good thou wouldest doe Now may not we draw an argument from active obedience to passive there is as good reason why thou shouldest expect that God will reward thee for all that thou art willing to suffer as well as for all that thou art willing to doe now if thou beest willing to be without such a comfort and mercy when God sees it fit thou shalt be no looser certainly God will reward thee either with the comfort or with that that shall be as good to thee as the comfort therefore consider how many things have I that others want and can I bring my heart into a quiet contented frame to want what others have I have the blessing of all that they have and I shall either possesse such things as others have or else God will make it up one way or other either here or hereafter in eternity to me Oh what riches are here with Contentment thou hast all kind of riches Tenthly and lastly by contentation the soule comes to an exâ—… is neare to God himselfe yâ—â— the nearest that may be for this word that is translated Content it is a word that signifies â— Selfe-sufficienâ—iâ— as I toâ—ld you in the opening of the words A contented man is a selfe-sufficient man what is the great glory of God but to be happy and self-sufficient in himself indeed he is said to be â—ll sufficient but that'â— but a further addition of the word all rather then of any matter for to be sufficient iâ— All-sufficient now is this the glory of God to be Sufficient to have sufficienciâ— in himselfe El-shaddai to be God having sufficiencie in himself now thou comest neere to this thou partakest of the Divine nature as by grace in generall so in a more 〈…〉 manner by this grace of Christian-Contentment what 's the excellencie and glory of God but this Suppose there were no 〈…〉 in the world and that all the creatures in the world were an â—hilated God would remaine the same blessed God that he is now he would not be in a worse condition if all creatures were gone neither would a contented heart if God should take away all creatures from him a contented heart hath enough in the waâ—â— of all creatures â—â— would not be more miserable then now he is Suppose that God should continue thee here ' and all creatures that are here in this world were takâ—â— away yet thou still having God to be thy portion wouldest be as happy as now thou art and therefore contentation hath a great deal of excellency in it Thus we have shewed in many particulars the excellency of this grace labouring to present the beauty of it before your souls that you may be in love with it Now â—y brethren what remains but the practice of this for this Art of Contentment it's noâ— a Speculative thing only for contemplation but it is an art of divinity and therfore practicall ye are now to labour to work upon your hearts that there may be this grace in you that you may honour God and honour your profession with this grace of Contentment for there is none doth more honour God and honour their profession then those that have this grace of Contentment Now that we may fall upon the practice there is required First That we should be humbled in our hearts for the want of this that we have had so little of this grace in us for there is no
not only bin contented with little crosses but they have Triumphed under great afflictions they have suffered the spoiling of their goods with joy reade but the later part of the 11. of the Hebrews and you shall find what great things God hath had from his people and therfore not to be content with smaler crosses this must needs be a great evill The Sixth evill that there is in a murmuring spirit is this By murmuring you undoe your prayers for it is exceeding contrary to the prayers that you make unto God When you come to prayer to God you acknowledge his Soveraignity over you you come there to professe your selves to be at Gods dispose what doe you pray for except you acknowledge that you are at his dispose except you wil stand as it were at his dispose never come to petition to him if you will come to petition him and yet will be your own carver you go crosse to your prayers to come as if you would beg your bread at your Fathers gates every day and yet you must do what you list this is the undoing of the prayers of a Christian I remember I have read of Lattimer that speaking concerning Peter that denyed his master saith he Peter forgot his Pater-noster for that was hallowed be thy name and thy kingdome come so we may say when you have murmuring and discontented hearts you forget your prayers you forget what you have prayed for for you must make the Lords prayr to be as a pattern for your prayrs though you say not alwaies the same words what do you pray but give us this day our dayly bread for that 's Christs intention that we should have that as a patterne and is a directory as it were how to make our prayers now God doth not teach any of you to pray Lord give me so much a year or let me have such kind of cloath and so many dishes at my table Christ doth not teach you to pray so but he teaches us to pray Lord give us our bread shewing that you should be content with a little what have you not bread to eate I hope there 's none of you here but have that Obj. Put I do not know if I should die what should become of my children Or if I have bread now I know not where I shall have it the next week or where I shall have provision for the winter Answ Where did Christ teach us to pray Lord give us provision for so long a time no but if we have bread for this day Christ would have us content Therefore when we murmure because we have not so much variety as others have we do as it were forget our Pater-nâ—ster It 's against our prayers we do not in our lives hold forth the acknowledgement of the Soveraignity of God over us as we seem to acknowledg in our prayrs therefore when at any time you find your hearts murmuring then do but reflect upon your selves and think thus is this according to my prayers wherein I held forth the Soveraigne power and Authority that God had over me The seventh thing that I adde for the evill of discontentment is the wofull effects that comes to a discontented heart from murmuring I le name you five there are five evill effects that comes from a murmuring spirit 1. By murmuring and discontent in your hearts you come to loose a great deale of time how many times doe men and women when they are discontended let their thoughts run and are musing and contriving through their present discontendednesse then let their discontended thoughts be working in them for some hours together and they spend their time in vain When you are alone you should spend your time in holy meditation but you are spending your time in discontented thoughts you who complain that you cannot meditate you cannot thinke on good things but if you begin to think of them a little presently your thoughts are off from them but if you be discontented with any thing then you can go alone and muse and roul things up and down in your thoughts to feed a discontented humour Oh labour to see this evill effect of murmuring the losing of your time 2. It doth unfit you for duty a man or woman that is in a contented frame you may turn such a one to any thing at any time he is fit for to go to God at any time but when one is in a discontented condition then a man or woman is exceeding unfit for the service of God And it causes many distractions in duty it unfits for duty and when you come to performe duties oh the distractions that are in your duties when your spirits are discontented when you hear of any ill news from Sea and cannot bear it or of any il from a friend or any losse or crosse oh what distractions doe they cause in the performance of holy duties When you should be in injoying communion with God you are distracted in your thoughts about the crosse that hath befallen you whereas had you but a quiet spirit though there should great crosses befall you yet they would never hinder you in the performance of any dutie 3. Consider What wicked risings of heart resolutions of spirit there are many times in a discontented fit In some discontented fits the heart rises against God and against others and sometimes hath even desperate resolutions what to do to help themselves If the Lord should have suffered you to have done sometimes in a discontented fit what you had thought to doe what wonderfull misery had you brought upon your selves oh it was a mercy of God that did stop you had not God stopt you but let you go on when you thought to helpe your selves this way and the other way oh it had been ill with you doe you but remember those risings of heart and wicked resolutions that sometimes you have had in a discontented mood and learn to be humbled upon that 4. Vnthankefulnesse that 's an evill and a wicked effect that comes from discontent Vnthankfulnesse the Scripture doth ranke among very great sins For men and women that are discontent though they enjoy many mercies from God yet they are thankfull for none of them for this is the vile nature of discontentment to lessen every mercy of God to make those mercies they have from God to be as nothing to them because they have not what they would have Sometimes it 's so even in spirituall things if they have not all they would have the comforts that they would have then what they have is nothing to them doe you think that God will take this well If you should give a friend a kinsman a pursse of money to go and trade withall and he should come and say what doe you give me they are but a few counters they will doe me no good you cannot bear this at his hand if he should doe so because he hath not as much money as he would
enough they cry for more and if you doe not presently give them more they will throw away that they have and though you account that folly in your children yet you deal thus with God God gives you many mercies but you see others have more mercies then you and therefore you cry for more I but God gives you not what you would have and upon that you throw away what you have is not this folly in your hearts It is unthankfullnesse 2. There 's a great deal of folly in discontentment for by all your discontent you cannot helpe your selves you cannot get any thing by it Who can by taking any carking care adde one cubit to his stature or make one hair that is white to be black You may vex and trouble your selves but you can get nothing by it Doe you think that the Lord will come in a way of mercy ever a whit the sooner because of the murmuring of your spirits Oh no but mercy will be rather deferred the longer for it though the Lord were before in a way of mercy yet this distemper of your hearts were enough to put him out of his course of mercy and though he had thoughts that you should have the thing before yet now you shall not have it If you had a mind to give such a thing to your child yet if you see him in a discontented freting way you will not give it him and this is the very reason why there are so many mercyes denied to you because of your discontentment you are discontented for want of them and therefore you have them not you doe deprive your selves of the injoyment of your own desires because of the discontentment of your hearts because you have not your desires and is not this a foolish thing 3 There 's a great deal of folly in this there are many foolish carriages commonly that a discontented heart is guilty of They carry themselves foolishly towards God and towards men there are such expressions and such kind of behaviour comes from them as makes their friends to be ashamed of them many times their carriages are so unseemly they are a shame to themselves their friends 4. There is a great deal of folly in discontent and murmuring for it doth eate out the good and sweetnesse of a mercie before it comes if God should give a mercie that we are discontented for the want of yet the blessing of the mercie is as it were eaten out before we come to have it Discontent is like a worm that eates the meat out of the nut and then when the meat is eaten out of it then you shall have the shell If a child should crie for a nut that hath the meat eaten out or all worm-eaten what good would the child have by having the nut so such an outward comfort you would faine have and you are troubled for the want of it but the very trouble of your spirits is the worm that eates out the blessing of the mercy and then perhaps God gives it you but gives you it with a curse mixed with it that you were better not have it then have it That man or woman that is discontented for want of some good thing if God doth give that good thing to them before they be humbled for their discontent that did proceed from them such a man or woman can have no comfort of the mercy but it will be rather an evil then a good to them And therefore for my part if I should have a friend or brother or one that was as dear to me as my own soul that I should see discontented for the want of such a comfort I should rather pray Lord keep this thing from them tel thou wilt be pleased to humble their hearts for their discontent let not them have the mercy till they come to be humbled for their discontent for the want of it for if they have it before that time they will have it without any blessing And therefore it should be your care when you find your hearts discontented for want of any thing to be humbled for it thinking thus with your selves Lord if that that I do so immoderatly desire should come to me before I be humbled for my discontent for want of it I am certain I can have no comfort of it but I shall rather have it as an affliction to me Many things which you desire as your lives and think that you should be happy if you had them yet when they doâ— come you find not such happinesse in them but they prove to be the greatest crosses and afflictions to you that ever you had and upon this ground because your hearts were immoderatly set upon them before you had them As it was with Rachel she must have children or else she dyed well saith God seeing you must you shal have them but though she had a child she dyed according to what she said Give me children or else I die So in regard of any other outward comforts people may have the thing but often times they have it so as it proves the heaviest croâ—â—e to them that ever they had in all their lives such a child as you were discontent for the want of it it may be it was sick and your hearts were out of temper for fear that you should loose it and God restores it but he restores it so as he makes it a crosse to your heart all the daies of your lives One observes concerning Manna when the people were contented with their allowance that God allowed them then it was verie good but when they would not be content with Gods allowance but would gather more then God would have them then saith the text there was worms in it So when we are content with our conditions and that that God disposes of us to be in there 's a blessing in it then it is sweet to us but if we must needs have more and keep it longer then God would have us to have it then there will be wormes in it and no good at all 5 Ther 's a great deal of folly in discontentedness for it makes our affliction a great deal worse then otherwise it would be It no way removes our affliction nay while they do continue they are a great deal the worse heavier for a discoÌ„tented heart is a proud heart and a proud heart will not pull downe his sails when there comes a tempest and storme If a marriner when a tempest and storme comes should be froward and would not pull down his sails but is discontented with the storm is his condition the better because he is discontented and will not pull down his sails Will this help him Just so is it for all the world with a discontented heart a discontented heart is a proud heart and he out of his pride is troubled with his affliction and is not contented with Gods dispose and so hee will not pull down his spirit at all and
this To murmure when we enjoy abundance of mercy the greater and the more abundant the mercy is that we enjoy the greater and the â—iler is the sinne of murmuring as here now when God had newly delivered them out of the house of bondage for them now to murmure because they want some few particulars that they desire oh to sinne against God after a great mercy this is a great aggravation and a most abominable thing Now my Brethren the Lord hath granted us very great merces I le but speak a word of what God hath done of late what mercies hath the Lord granted to us this summer heaped mercies upon us one mercie upon another what a condition were we in at the begining of this summer and what a different condition are we in now Oh what a mercie is it that the Lord hath not taken advantages against us that he hath not made those Scriptures before mentioned good upon us for all our murmuring the Lord hath gone on with one mercie after another we hear of mercie in Bristoll and mercy to our Brethren in Scotland But still if after this we should have any thing befall us that is but crosse to us that we should be ready to murmur again presently Oh let us not so requite God for those mercies of his Oh let 's take heed of giving God any ill requitall for his mercies Oh give God praise according to his excellent greatnesse to his excellent goodnesse and grace And now hath God given to you the contentment of your hearts take you heed of being the cause of any griefe to your brethren think not that because God hath been gracious to you that therefore he hath given you liberty for to bring them into bondage Oh let not there be such an il effect of Gods mercie to you as for you for to exclude by petitioning or any other way your brethren that the Lord hath been pleased to make instruments of your peace let not that be the fruit of it nor to desire any thing that your selves do not yet understand God is very jealous of the glory of his mercy if there should be any ill use made of the mercy of God after we injoy it Oh it would go to the heart of God nothing is more greivious to the heart of God then the abuse of mercie As now if any way that is hard and rigid should be taken towards our Brethren and those especially that God hath made such speciall instruments of good to us that have been willing to venture their lives and all for us now when we have our turns served let God and his people and servants that have been a means to save us shift for themselves as well as they can Oh this is a great aggravation of your sin to sin against the mercies of God But for this aggravation and specially in this particular we shall speak to God willing the next day SERMON IX PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content NOw because it is very hard to work upon â— murmuring spirit there are divers aggravations I told you we are to consider of for the further setting out of the greatnesse of this sin I mentioned but only one the last day now wâ— shall proceed in that The first aggravation of the sin of discontent murmuring is this For men women to be discontent in the midâ—st of mercies in injoyment of abundance of mercies To be discontent in any afflicted condition is sinfull and evill but to be discontent when we are in the middest of Gods mercies when we are not able to count the mercies of God yet after to be discontent because we have not all we would have this is a greater evill I only mentioned this the last day that I might shew to you what a great sin it is at such a time as this The Lord this sommer hath multiplyed mercies one upon another the Lord hath made this summer to be a continued miracle of mercie never did a Kingdom injoy in so little space of time such mercies one upon another Now the publicke mercies of God should quiet our hearts and keep us from discontent and the sin of discontent for private afflictions is exceedingly aggravated by the consideration of publique mercies to the Land when the Lord hath bin so merciful to the Land wilt thou be fretting and murmuring because thou hast not in thy family all the Comforts that thou wouldest have As it is a great agravation of a mans evill for him to rejoyce immoderately in his owne privat comforts when the Church is in affliction when the publick suffers grievous and hard troubles if any man shall then rejoyce and give liberty to himself at that time to satisfie his fâ—esh to the uttermost in all outward comforts this is a great Agravation of his sin So on the contrary for any man to be immoderately troubled for any private afflictions when it goes well with the publick with the Churches this is a great Agravation of his sin It may be when the Church of God was lowest it went worst in other parts yet thou didst abate nothing of the comforts of thy flesh but gavest full liberty to satisfie thy flesh as formerly know this was thy great sin so on the other side when we have received such mercies in publick we should have all our private afflictions swallowed up in the publick mercies And we should think with our selves though we be afflicted for our particular yet blessed be God it goes well with the Church and with the publick the consideration of that should mightily quiet our hearts in all our privat discontents and if it doth not so know that our sin is much increased by the mercies of God that are abroad Now shall Gods mercies aggravate our sins This is a sad thing this is to turne the mercies of God to be our misery Didst not thou pray to God for these mercies that God hath sent of late to the publique these great victories that God hath given didest not thou pray for them now thou hast them is not there enough in them to quiet thy heart for some privat trouble thou meetest withall in thy family Is not there goodnesse enough there to cure thy discontentment certainly they were not such mercies so worthy to be prayed for except they have so much excellency in them as to countervail some private afflictions publick mercies are the aggravation of privat discontent As so of publick discontent too if we receive so many publick mercies yet if every thing goes not in the publick according as we desire if we be discontent at that it will exceedingly aggravate our sin God may say what shall I bestow such mercies upon a people and yet if they have not every thing they would have they will be discontent Oh it is exceeding evill So in particular the mercies that concernes thy selfe thy family if thou wouldest
wise man may greive under but not be vexed with his afflictions There is a vast difference betwixt a kindly greiving 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 unseâ—ledness 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 then 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 calls for it the authority of the comand 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 Nebemiah did Chap. 6. 3. Sanballat Geshem and Tobiah when they would have hindred the building of the wal with this I am doing a great work 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 estimats its 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 Rebeckaes womb A great man will permit common people to stand without his doors but he will not let them come in make a noise in his closet or bedchamber 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 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 â—e 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 enterprizes may be given to himself Nay if his people stand in need of mirracles 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 fâ—lled with water God would have us depend on him though we do not see means how the thing should be brought to passe else we do not shew a quiet spirit though an affliction be upon thee let not thy heart sink under it So far as thy heart sinks and thou art discouraged under thy affliction so much thou wantest of this lesson of Contentment 7 To sinfull shiftings and shirkings out for ease and help As we see in Saul running to the witch of Endor and in his offering sacrifice before Samuel came Nay the good King Jehoshaphat joynes himself with Ahaziah 2 Chron. 20. Vlt. And Asa goes to â—enhadad King of Assyria for help not relying upon the Lord 2 Chr. 16. 7 8. Though the Lord had delivered the Ethiopian Army into his hands consisting of a thousand thousand 2 Chron. 14 11. And good Jacob joyned in a lye with his mother to Isaac he was not content to stay Gods time and use Gods means but made too great haste and stept out of his way to procure the blessing which God intended for him as many do through the corruption of their hearts and weaknesse of their faith because they are not able to trust God and follow him fully in all things and alwaies and for this cause the Lord often follows the Saints with many sore temperal crosses as we see in Jacob though they obtain the mercy It may be thy wretched carnal heart thinks I care not how I be delivered so I may but get free from it Is it not so many times in some of your hearts when any crosse or affliction befals you Have not you such kind of workings of spirit as this Oh that I could but be delivered out of this affliction any way I would not care your hearts are far from being quiet And this sinful shifting is the next thing in opposition to this quietnesse which God requires in a contented spirit The Eighth and last thing that this quietnesse of Spirit is opposite to is desparate risings of heart against God in a way of rebellion That is most abominable I hope many of you have learned so far to be content as to keep down your hearts from such distempers and yet the truth is not only wicked men but sometimes the very Saints of God find the beginnings of this when an affliction lies long and is very sore and heavy upon them indeed and strikes them as it were in the master vein they find somewhat of this in their hearts a rising against God their thoughts begin to bubble and their affections begin to stir in rising against God himself especially such as together with their corruptions have much melancholy and the Devil working both upon the corruptions of their hearts and the melancholy distemper of their bodies though there may lie much grace at the bottom yet there may be some risings against God himself under affliction Now Christian quietnes is opposite to all these things that is When afflictions come be it what affliction it will be yet you do not murmur though you be sensible though you make your moan though you desire to be delivered and
distempered but he continues in the free exercise of the use of his reason and understanding every one may understand that this man hath a very strong braine that such things shall not distemper him whereas other people that have a weak braine if they do not disgest but one meals meat the fumes that do arise from their stomaks doth distemper their brain makes them unfit for every thing whereas you shall have others that have strong heads and strong brains though their stomacks be ill that they do not disgest meat yet still they have the free use of their brain this argues strength So it is in a mans spirit you shall have many that have weak spirits and if they have any ill fumes if accidents do befall them you shall presently have them out of temper but you shall have other men that though things do fume up yet still they keep in a steady way and have the use of reason and of their graces and possess their Souls with patience As I remember it 's reported of the Eagle it 's not like other fouls other fouls when they are hungrie make an noise but the Eagle is never heard to make an noise though it wants food and it is from the magnitude of his spirit that it will not make such complaints as other fowls will do when they want food it is because it is above hunger and above thirst So it is an argument of a gracious magnitude of spirit that whatsoever befals it yet it is not allwaies whining and complaining so as others are but goes on still in it's way and course and blesses God and keeps in a constant tenour whatsoever thing befals it such things as causes others to be dejected and fretted and vexed and takes away all the comfort of their lives it makes no alteration at all in the spirits of these men and women I say this is a sign of a great deal of strength of Grace 3. It 's also an argument of a great deale of beauty of Grace It 's a speech that Seneca a Heathen once had saith hee when you go abroad into groves and woods and there you see the talnesse of the trees and their shadows it strikes a kind of awful fear of a deitie in you and when you see the vast rivers and fountains and deep waters that strikes a kind of fear of a God in you but saith hee do you see a man that is quiet in tempests and that lives happily in the midest of adversities why do not you worship that man the doth thinke him a man even to be so honoured that shal be quiet live a happy life though in the middest of adversities The glory of God appears here more then in any of his works there is no works that God hath made the Sun moon and starrs all the world wherin so much of the glory of God doth appear as in a man that lives quietly in the middest of adversity That was that that convinc'd the King when he saw the three Children could walk in the midest of the firey furnace not be toucht the King was mightily convinc'd by this that surely their God was the great God indeed that they were highly beloved of their God that could walk in the mid'st of the furnace not be toucht whereas the others that came but to the mouth of the furnace were devoured so when a Christian can walk in the mid'st of firey trials and not his garments findged but have comfort and joy in the midist of al as Paul in the stocks can sing that wrought upon the jaylour so it will convince men when they see the power of grace in the middest of afflictions such afflictions as would make others to rore under them yet they can behave themselves in a gracious and holy manner Oh it 's the glory of a Christian It is that that is said to be the glory of Christ for so by Interpreters it is thought to be meant of Christ In Micah 5 5. And this man the text faith shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land and when he shall tread in our pallaces This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land for one to be in peace when there is no enemies it 's no great matter but saith the text when the Assyrian shal come into our land then this man shall be the peace that is when all shal be in an hubbub and uprore yet then this man shal be peace That 's the tryall of grace when you find Jesus Christ in your hearts to be peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land You may think you find peace in Christ when you have no outward troubles but is Christ your peace when the Assyrian comes into the land when the enemy comes Suppose you should hear the enemy come marching to the City â—â— had taken the workes and were plundering what would be your peace Jesus Christ would be peace to the soul when the enemie come into the City and into your houses If there be any of you that hath bin where the enemie hath come what hath bin the peace of your soules That that 's said of Christ may be applyed to this grace of Contentment when the Assyrian the plunderers the enemies when any affliction trouble distresse doth befall such a heart then this grace of Contentment brings peace to the soul at that time brings peace to the soul when the Assyrian comes into the land The grace of Contentment it 's an excellent grace there 's much beautie much strength in it there is a great deal of worth in this grace and therefore be in love with it The Third thing in the excellency of Contentment is this By Contentment the soul is fitted to receive mercy and to do service I le put those two together Contentment makes the â—oul fit to receive mercy and to do service no man or woman in the world is so fit for to receive the Grace of God and to do the work of God as those that have contented spirits 1 Thâ—se are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord that are contented As now if you would have aâ— vessell to take in any liquor you must hold the vessel stil if the vessel stir and shake up and down you cannot powre in any thing but you will bid hold still that you may powre it in and not loose any so if we would be the vessels to receive Gods mercy and would have the Lord powre in his mercy to us we must have quiet still hearts we must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble discontent and vexing but we must have still and quiet hearts if we would receive mercy from the Lord If a child throws and flings up and down for a thing you will not give in him then when he cries so but first you will have the child quiet though perhaps you do intend the child shall
have the thing he cries for but you will not give it him till he is quiet and comes and stands still before you and is contented without it and then you will give it him and truly so doth the Lord deal with us for our dealings with him are just as your froward childrens are with you as soon as you would have a thing from God if you have it not you are disquieted presently and all in an upprore as it were in your spirits God intends mercy to you but saith God you shall not have it yet I will see you quiet first and then in the quietnesse of your hearts come to mee and see what I will do with you I appeal to you you that are any way acquainted with the waies of God have you not found this to be the way of God towards you when you have been troubled for want perhaps of some spirituall comfort and your hearts were vext at it you get nothing from God all that while but now if you have got your heart into a quiet frame and can say well it 's fit the Lord should do with his poor creatures what he will I am under his feet am resolv'd to do what I can to honour him and let him do with me what he will I will seek him as long as I live I will be content with what God gives and whether he gives or no I will be content yea are you in this frame saith God now you shall have comfort now I will give you the mercy A prisoner must not think to get off his fetters by pulling and tearing he may gall his flesh and rend it to the very bone certainly he will be unfettered never the sooner but if he would have his fetters taken off he must quietly give up himself to some man to take them off If a begger after be hath knockt once or twice at the door and you come not and thereupon he is vext and troubled and thinks much that you let him stand a little while without any thing you think that this begger is not fit to receive an almes but if you hear two or three beggers at your door if you hear them out of your window say let us be content to stay perhaps they are busie it s â—iâ— that we should stay it 's well if we have any thing at last we deserve nothing at all and therefore we may well wait a while you would then quickly send them an almes so God deals with the heart when it 's in a disquiet way then God doth not give but when the heart lies down quietly under Gods hand then is the heart in a fit frame to receive mercy Your strength shall be to sit still saith God you shall not be delivered from Babylon but by your sitting still 2. As fit to receive mercy So fiâ— to do service Oh the quiet fruits of righteousnessâ— the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse they indeed do prospâ—r and multiply most when they come to be peaceable fruits of righteousnesse As the Philosophers say of every thing that moves nothing that moves but it moves upon something that is immoveable as a thing that moves upon the earth if the earth were not â—ill it could not move Object The ships move upon the Sea and that is not still Answ But the Seas they move upon that which is still and immoveable there is nothing moves but it hath something immoveable that doth uphold it The wheels in a Coach they move up and down but the â—xâ—lâ—ree that moves not up and down so it is with the heart of a mâ—n As they say of the Heaven it moves up and down upon a pole that is immoveable so it is in the heart of a man if he will move to do service to God he must have a steady heart within him that must help him to move in the service of God those that have unsteady disquier spirits that have no stead fastnesse at all in them they are not sit to do service for God but such as have stead fatnesse in their spirits they are men and women fit to do any service and that 's the reason that when the Lord hath any great work for any servants of his to do usually he doth first quiet their spirits â—e doth bring their spirits into a quiet sweeâ— frame to be contented with any thing and then he â—â—â—s them about imployment The first excellencie is this Coâ—tenimont it doth deliver us from a bundance of temptations Oh the temptations that men of discontented spirits are subject to the devill loves to fish in troubled waters That 's our proverb of men and women their dispositon is to fish in troubled waters they say it is good fishing in troubled waters this is the maxime of the devill he loves to fish in troubled waters where he sees the spirits of men and women troubled and 〈…〉 there the devill comes saith he there 's good fishing for me when he sees men and women go discontenâ—ed up and downe 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 you not see how poor you are others are brave you know not what you shall doe against 〈…〉 to provide sowell and get broad for you and your 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 tempts them to unlawful courses this is 〈…〉 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 Devill the rise of it hath been their discontent and therefore it is observable that those the Devill worketh upon to make them witches usually they are old and melancholie 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 Devill 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 peaceable and quiet spires 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 unfaithfull to his Country 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
so for you to be ready to say all that God hath given me is nothing worth will doe me no good they are but counters though they are the precious graces of Gods Spirit that are more worth then thousands of worlds yet for you to say they are nothing they are but comon gifts and all is but in hypocrisie all counterfeit Oh what an unthankful thing is this the graces of Gods Spirit are nothing to a discontented heart that hath not all that it would have and so for outward blessings though God hath given you health of body and strength and hath given you some competency for your family some way of lively-hood yet because you are disappointed in somwhat that you would have therefore all is nothing unto you Oh what unthankfullnesse is here God expects that every day you should spend some time in blessing his name for what mercy he hath granted to you there 's not any one of you who are in the lowest condition but you have abundance of mercies to blesse God for but discontentednesse makes them nothing It 's an excellent speech that I remember Luther hath saith he this is the Rhetorick of the Spirit of God it 's a very fine speech of his to extenuate evill things and to amplyfie good things if there falls out a crosse to make the crosse to be but little but if there be a mercy to make the mercy to be great as thus if there be a crosse if the Spirit of God prevails in the heart such a man or woman will wonder that it is no greater and will blesse God that though there be such a crosse yet that it is no more that 's the worke of the Spirit of God and if there be a mercy wonders at Gods goodnesse that God granted so great a mercy The Spirit of God extenuats evils and crosses and doth magnyfie and amplyfie all mercies and makes all mercies seem to be great and all afflictions seem to be little But saith he the Devill goes quit contrary the rhetorick of the devill is quit otherwise he doth lessen Gods mercies and amplyfy evill things as thus a godly man wonders at his crosse that it is no more a wicked man wonders his crosse is so much Oh saith he none was ever so afflicted as I am If there be a crosse the Devill puts the soul upon musing on it and making it greater then it is and so it brings discontent And then on the other side if there be a mercy then it 's the Rhetorick of the Devill to lessen the mercy I indeed saith he the thing is a good thing but what is it it is no great matter and for all this I may be miserable Thus the Rhetorick of Satan doth lessen Gods mercies and doth increase afflictions And for this I 'le give you a notable example that we have in Scripture it is the example of Korah Dathan Abiram In Numb 16. 12 13. And Moses sent to call Dathan Abiram the sons of Eliab which said we will not come up Is it a smal thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land that floweth with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness except thou make thy selfe altogether a Prince over us Mark they slighted the land that they were going unto the Land of Canaan that was the Land that God promised them that should flow with milk and honey But mark here their discontentednesse because they met with some troubles in the wildernesse oh it was to slay them they make their affliction in the wildernesse to be greater then it was Oh it was to kill them though it were indeed to carry them to the Land of Canaan But now their deliverance from Egypt though it was a great mercy they made that mercy to be nothing for say they you have brought us out of a land that floweth with mith milk and honey what land was that It was the land of Egypt the land of their bondage but they call it a land that flowed with milk and honey though it were the land of their most cruell and unsupportable bondage whereas they should have blessed God as long as they had liv'd for Gods delivering them out of the land of Egypt yet meeting with some crosse they make their deliverance from Egypt no mercy no it was rather a misery to them Oh say they Egypt was a land that flowed with milk and honey Oh what basenesse is there in a discontented spirit a discontented spirit out of envy to Gods grace will make mercies that are great to be little yea to be none at all Would one ever have thought that such a word should have come from the mouth of an Israelite that had bin under bondage and cried under it and yet when they meet with a little crosse in their may to say you have brought us out of the land that floweth with milk and honey to say they were better before then now and yet before they could not be contented neither this is the usuall unthankfull expression of a discontented heart And it is so with us now when we meet with any crosse in our estates any taxations and trouble especially if any among you have bin where the enemy hath prevailed you are ready to say we had plenty before and we are now brought to a condition of hardship we were better before when we had the Prelats and others to domineere and so we in danger our selves to be brought into that bondage again oh let us take heed of this of a discontented heart there is this wofull cursed fruit of discontent to make men and women unthankfull for all the mercies God hath granted to them and this is a sore and greivious evil And lastly There 's this evil effect in murmuring it causes shifttings of spirit they that murmur and are discontent are lyable to temptations to shift for them selves in sinfull and ungodly waies discontent is the ground of shifting courses and unlawful waies How many of you may have your consciences condemne you of this that you in the time of your afflictions have sought to shift for your selves by waies that have been sinfull against God and your discontent was the bottom and ground of it If you would avoid shiftings for your selves by wicked waies labour to mortifie this sin of discontent to mortifie it at the root The eight evill that there is in murmuring and discontent is this There is a great deal of folly extream folly in a discontented heart it 's a foolish sin I shall open the folly of it in many particulars 1. It takes away the present comfort of what you have because you have not somwhat that you would have What a foolish thing is this that because I have not what I would have I will not injoy the comfort of what I have Doe not you account this folly in your children you give them some victuals and they are not contented perhaps they say it 's not
make it to bow to God in this condition in which God hath brought him now is his condition the better because he will not pull down his spirit no certainly abundantly worse a thousand to one but the tempest and storm overwhelms his soul and thus you see what a great deale of folly there is in the sinne of discontentment The ninth evill of murmuring and discontentment is this There 's a mighty deal of danger in the sin of discontentment for it exceedingly provoketh the wrath of God it is a sin that doth much provoke God against his creature we find most sad expressions in Scripture and examples too how God hath bin provoked against many for their discontent In Numb 14. you have a notable text and one would think that that was enough for ever to make you fear murmuring in the â—6 verse it is said The Lord speak unto Moses and unto Aaron saying what did he say how long shall I bear with this evill congregation which murmure against me how long shall I bear with them saith God This evil Congregation Oh it 's an evil congregation that murmur against me And how long shall I bear with them they do murmur and they have murmured as those that have murmuring spirits and murmuring dispositions they will murmur again again How long shall I bear with this evill congregation that murmur against me how justly may God speak this of many of you that are this morning before the Lord how long shall I bear with this wicked man or woman that doth murmur against me and hath usually in the course of their lives murmured against me when any thing falls out otherwise then they would have it And mark what follows after I have heard the murmurings of the Children of Israel you murmur it may be others hear you not nay it may be you speak not at all or but half-words yet God hears the language of your murmuring hearts and those muttering speeches and those halfe words that comes from you And observe further in this vers how the Lord repeats this sin of murmuring How long shall I bear with this evill congregation which murmur against me Secondly I have heard their murmuring Thirdly which they murmure against me murmur murmur murmur Three times in one verse he repeats it and this is to shew his indignation against the thing When you expresse indignation against a thing you will repeat it over again and again now the Lord because he would expresse his indignation against this sin he repeats it over again and again and it follows in the 28. verse Say unto them as truly as I live saith the Lord as ye have spoken in mine eares so will I do to you mark God swears against a murmurer sometimes in your discontent you will be ready to swear it may be do you swear in your discontent So doth God swear against you for your discontent And what was it that God would doe unto them vers 29 30. Doubtless your carkeises shall fall in the wilderness and you shall not come into the land concerning which I swear to make you dwel therein as if God should say if I have any life in me your lives shall go for it as I live it shall cost you your lives A discontented murmuring fit of yours may cost you your lives You see how it provokes God there is more evill in it then you were aware of it may cost you your lives and therefore look to your selves and learn to he humbled at the verie beginings of such distempers in the heart So in Psal 106. 24 25. Yea they despised the pleasant Land they beleeved not his word But murmured in their tents and harkened not unto the voice of the Lord therefore he lifted up his hand gainst them to overthrow them in the wildernesse Here are divers things observable in this Scripture First that which we spoke to before how a murmuring heart doth slight Gods mercies so it is here They despised the pleasant land and that a murmuring heart is contrary to faith they beleeved not his word but saith the text they murmured in their tents and harkned not to the voice of the Lord many men and women will hearken to the voice of their own base murmuring hearts that will not hearken to the voice of the Lord if you would harken to the voice of the Lord there would not be such murmuring as there is But mark what follows upon it you may not think to please your selves in your murmuring discontentednesse and think that no evill shall come of it Therefore he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them you that are discontented you lift up your hearts against God and you cause God to lift up his hand against you perhaps God layes his finger upon you softly in some afflictions that are upon you in your families or else where and you cannot bear the hand of God that lies upon you as tenderly as a tender-hearted nurse that lays her hand upon the child you cannot bear the tender hand of God that is upon you in a lesser affliction it were â—ust with God to lift up his hand against you in another manner of affliction Oh a murmuring spirit provokes God exceedingly There is another place in 16. of Num. compare the 41. verse and the 46. ver together But on the morrow all the Congregation of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying ye have killed the people of the Lord and mark in the 46. verse And Moses said unto Aaron take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on Incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an attonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun mark how Gods wraâ—h is kindled in the 41 verse the congregation had murmured and they murmured but against Moses and Aaron perhaps you murmur more directly against God and that was against God in murmuring against Gods Ministers it was against God but not so directly but it may be the murmuring of your hearts is more directly against Gods dealings with you if you murmur against those that God makes instruments because you have not every thing that you would have as against the Parliament or such and such that are publique instruments it 's against God it was but against Moses and Aaron that the Israelites murmured and they said that Moses and Aaron had killed the people of the Lord though it was the hand of God that was upon them for their former wickednesse in murmuring It is usuall for wicked vile hearts to deal thus with God that when Gods hand is a little upon them for to murmur again and again and so to bring upon themselves even infinite kind of evills but now the anger of God was quickly kindled Oh saith Moses go take the Censer quickly for wrath is gone out from Jehovah the plague is begun so while you are
consider thou hast a great many more mercies then thou hadest afflictions I dare boldly aver it concerning any one in this congregation suppose thy afflictions to be what they will there is never a one of you but that have more mecies then afflictions Object You will say I but you doe not know what our afflictions are our afflictions are so as you doe not conceive of them because you feel them not Answ Though I cannot know what your afflictions are yet I know what your mercies are and I know they are so great as I am sure there can be no afflictions in this world so great as the mercies you have If it were but this mercie that you have this day of grace and salvation continued to you it 's a greater mercy then any affliction set any affliction by this mercy and see which would weigh heaviest this is certainly greater then any affliction that you have the day of grace and salvation that you are not now in hell this is a greater mercy That you have the sound of the Gospel yet in your ears that you have the use of your reason this is a greater mercy then your afflictions that you have the use of your limbs yout sences that you have the health of your bodies health of body is a greater mercy then poverty is an affliction there is no man that is rich but if he be wise if he hath a sickly body he would part with al his riches that he might have his health therefore thy mercies are more then thy afflictions We find in Scripture how the Holy Ghost doth agravate the sin of discontent from the consideration of mercies you have a notable Scripture for it in the 16. of Numb 8. verse c. It 's a speech of Mâ—ses to Korah and his company when they murmured And Moses said unto Korah hear I pray you yee sâ—ns of Levi there 's somewhat that you are sons of Levi Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them Korah and his company were murmuring but marke how Moses agravates this Seemeth it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord c. You see 't is a great honour that God puts upon a man a great mercy that he doth bestow upon any man to separate him from others for himselfe to come neer to him to imploy him in the service of the Tabernacle to minister to the Congregation in holy things this is a great mercy and indeed it 's such a mercy as one would think there should be none that God bestows such a mercy upon that should have a murmuring heart for any affliction It 's true many Ministers of God they meet with hard things that might discourage them and trouble and grieve their spirits but now this consideration that God is pleased to imploy them in such a service neer to himselfe that though they cannot doe good to themselves yet they may do good to others this should quiet them And yet in the 10. verse And he hath brought thee neer to him and all thy Brethren the Sons of Levi with thee and seeke yee the Priest-hood also have not you enough already but still you are discontented with what you have and must have more seek ye yet more Seek ye the Priest-hood also for which cause both thou and all thy Company are gathered together against the Lord And what is Aaron that yee murmure against him what hath God given you such things and yet will you be murmuring because you cannot have more me thinks that this place should keep Ministers from murmuring though they should meet with never such afflictions and crosses and unkind dealings from men yet still they should go on with hearts quieted and comforted in the work that God hath set them about and labour to countervaile all their Afflictions by being more abundant in the work of the Lord that is the first text of Scripture that shewes how the mercies we enjoy are Agravations to the sin of murmuring And then a second Scripture is in the 2. of Job 10. ver A speech of Job to his wife what saith Iob when his wife would have had him cursse God and die that was a degree beyond murmuring why saith he thou speakest as one of the foolish women shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evill you see Iob did help himselfe against all murmuring thoughts against the ways of God with this consideration that he had received so much good from the Lord what though we receive evill yet doe not we receive good as well as evill let us set one against the other that 's the way we should go In the 7. of Ecclesiastes the 14. vers you have a notable Scripture there whereby you may see what course is to be taken when the heart rises in murmuring In the day of prosperity be joyfull but in the day of Adversity consider what should they consider mark what follows God also hath set the one over against the other to the end that man should find nothing after him God also hath set the one over against the other that 's thus when thou art in prosperity then indeed every man can be joyfull but what if Afflictions befals him what then then consider consider what That God hath set one over against the other thou hast a great deal of Affliction and thou hast had a great deal of prosperity thou hast many troubles and thou hast had many mercies make one column of mercies and one colume of afflictions and write one against the other and see if God hath not fill'd one colume as full as the other you look altogether upon your afflictions but look upon your mercies also for instance It may be God hath afflicted you in one child but he hath been mercifull to you in another child set one against the other God afflicted David in Absolom but he was mercifull to David in Solomon and therefore when David cryed out oh Absolom my Son my Son if David had thought upon Solomon and cryed oh Solomon my son my son it would have quieted him And it may be God hath been mercifull to thee in a wife or in thy husband set that against thy affliction it may be God crosses thee in thy estate but it may be he doth imploy thee in his service it may be thou art afflicted in some of thy friends but thou hast other friends that are great mercies to thee and therefore you should set one against the other and it doth concerne you so to doe for those mercies will be agravations of your sins and you had better make Gods
was to prepare thee for afflictions we should look at all our outward prosperity as a preparation to afflictions if thou hadst done so then it would not have bin so difficult for thee to have indured afflictions now when thou hadst a great estate yet if thou hadst made use of this mercy of God to prepare thee for thy afflicted estate then the change of thy estate would not be so greivious That every Christian should do have I an estate now I should prepare for poverty have I health now I should prepare for sicknesse have I liberty let me prepare my self for imprisonment what know I what God may call me to have I comfort and peace now in my conscience doth God shine upon me while I have this let me prepare for Gods withdrawing from me am I delivered from temptations let me prepare now for the time of temptations If thou wouldst do so the change of thy condition would not be so greivious to thee Marriners that are in a calme will prepare for stormes would they say if we never had calmes we could bear storms but now we have had calmes so many years or weeks together this is greivious In thy calme thou art to prepare for stormes and the storme would be lesse thou shouldest reason quite contrary and say Now I am in an afflicted condition Oh but blessed be God I was in a comfortable condition and blessed be God that he was a forehand with me in the waies of his mercy this one consideration may help murmuring hearts Dost thou murmur because once thou wert better know God was before hand with thee in the waies of mercy thou shouldest rather think thus I have lived for these many years forty years perhaps or more in a comfortable condition I have liv'd in health and peace and plenty what though the remaining part of my time have some sorrow and affliction The Lord hath granted to me a comfortable sunshine all the day long till towards evening and what if at seven or eight a clock at night it begins to rain let me thank God I have had so fair weather all day You that are going a voyage if you have a comfortable wind and very fair for many months together what if you have a little storme when you are within sight of land will you murmur and repine Oh no but rather blesse God that you have had such a comfortable voyage so long Oh this consideration would help us all If it were so that now God should say well you shal never see comfortable day more for outward things in this world Oh then you have cause to fall down and blesse Gods name that you have had so many comfortable dayes Now you reason quite contrary whereas you should blesse God that you have had so much comfort you make what you have had before to be an agravation of your afflictions now and so murmur and are discontented That which God gave you before upon what termes did you hold it did you hold it so as you have in your writings To have and to hold for ever God gives no such thing God gives to no man I say any thing but grace to run upon that tenour there 's no such thing in all Gods writings for any outward comforts To have and to hold for you and your heyrs indeed for grace be doth give it to your selves to have and to hold for ever though not for every one that comes out of your loines to have and to hold for ever God doth not give any outward thing so upon no such tenour as that is if God gives me an understanding of himself and faith and humility and love and patience and such graces of his Spirit he gives them me for ever If he gives me himself and his Christ and his promise his covenant he gives me them for ever what am I therefore that the Sun should alwaies shine upon me that I must have fair weather all my daies that which God gives to me he gave it to me as a pledge of his love let me returne it to him as a pledge of my obedience there 's all the reason in the world for it all that a godly man receives from God he receives it as a pledge of Gods love to him therefore when he comes into an afflicted condition saith God returne to me as a pledge of your obedience that that you had from me as a pledge of my love wee should chearfully come in to God and blesse God that we have any thing to render unto him as a pledge of our obedience and say Oh it is thy love O Lord that hath given us any thing that doth inable us to render a pledge of our obedience to thee When God calls for thy estate or any comforts that thou hast God calls 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 deale of pains for such a comfort yet then I am erost 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 didest take a great deal of paine was it not with submission to God Didest thou take pains with resolutions that thou must have such a thing when thou labourest for it Then know that thou labourest not as a Christian but if thou didest 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 wholy upon thee for-successe and a blessing And what was it that thou didest aime at in thy labour was it not that thou mightest walke with God in the place that God had set thee A Christian should doe 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 doe it that I might provide for my family but the cheif thing that I aime at is that I might yeeld obedience to God in the way that God hath set me Now if God calls thee to another condition to obey him in though it be by suffring thou wilt doe it if thy heart be right Thirdly there will be the more testimony of thy love to God if so be thou shalt now yeild up thy selfe 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 the more showne that thou canst offer that to God that cost thee dear Now these are the principall reasonings of a discontented heart A Thirteeneth Plea There 's one Plea more that may be nam'd and that is this Saith some though I confess
my affliction is somewhat 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 adoe with my own heart Oh do not satisfie your selves with that for the distempers of your hearts and their sinfull workings are as words before God My soulle 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 fullennesse 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 of these things and because they do concerne 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 sinfull 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 applycation 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 severall 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 wee 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 shoul'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 himselfe what am I discontented for I am discontented for want of that that a dog may have that a devill 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 im 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 worke 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 agravation of our discontent but now I shall use it as a consideration to help us to Contentment Thou wantest many comforts now but hath not God bin beforehand with thee heretofore Oh thou hast had mercy enough already to make thee spend all the strength thou hast and time thou shalt live to bless God for what thou hast had already I remember I have read of a good man that had liv'd to fifty years of age and enjoyed his health for eight and forty yeares exceeding well and liv'd in prosperity and the two last years his body was evceedingly diseased he had the strangury and was in great pain but he reasoned the case with himselfe thus Oh Lord thou mightest have made all my life to have been a life of torment and pain but thou hast let me have eight forty years in health I will praise thy mercies for what I have had and will praise thy justice for what now I feel Oh it 's a good consideration for us to think that God is a forehand with us in the way of mercy Suppose God should now take away your estates from some of you that have lived comfortably a great while you will say that agravates our misery that wee have had estates but it is through thy unthankfulnesse that it doth so we should blesse God for what we have had and not think that we are worse because we have had thus and thus we might have been alwaies miserable and certainly that mans condition is not very miserable that hath no other great agravation of his misery but because once he was happy If there be nothing else to make you miserable that is no such agravation but that thou may est bear it for there is much mercy in that that thou hadst once and therefore let that content thee A Third Consideration The consideration of the abundance of mercies that God bestows we injoy It is a speech of Luther saith he the Sea of Gods mercies should swallow up all our particular afflictions name any affliction that is upon thee there 's a Sea of mercy to swallow it up If you powre a paileful of water on the flour of your house it makes a great shew but if you throw it into the
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
body 176 2 Thy generall calling is high 177 3 Thou art equall with Angels ibid 4 God highly esteems the actions of mean Christians 178 5 Faithfulness in a mean calling shall he rewarded ibid 10 Plea My condition is unsettled 1 Every man in his settled estate is vanity Page 179 2 God will have us live in dependance ibid 3 Thy spirituall condition may be settled 181 11 Plea I have been in a better condition 1 Thy eye should not be evill because the eye of God hath been good 182 2 Prosperity was to prepare thee for affliction ibid 12 Plea I am crost after much pains 1 The greater the cross the more the obedience 184 2 Thy pains should be with submission to God 185 3 Contentment in such a condition is a Testimony of more love to God ibid 13 Plea I break not out in my trouble Distempers of heart acconnted as words before God ibid SERMON XI Considerations to work the heart to Contentment 1 Consid The greatness of the mercies we have 187 2 God is before hand with us with mercies 188 3 The abundance of mercies we enjoy Page 189 4 All Creatures in a visicitude ibid 5 The Creature suffer for us ibid 6 We have little time in the world 190 7 It hath bin the condition of our betters 191 8 We were once content with the world without grace and should now with grace without the world 193 9 When we had Contentment we gave not God the glory ibid 10 Experience of Gods doing us good in afflictions ibid Directions to Contentment 1 There must be grace to make the soul steady 195 2 Not to gripe too much of the world ibid 3 Have a 〈…〉 evâ—ry bâ—siness 196 4 Walk by rule ibid 5 Exercise much faith 197 6 Labour to be spiritually minded 198 7 Promise not your selves great things 200 8 Get mortified hearts to the world ibid 9 Pore not too much on afflictions 201 10 Make a good construction of Gods waies to us 202 11 Regard not others fancies but what we feele Page 205 12 Be not inordinatly taken with the comforts of the world Page 206 FINIS THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN Contentment PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content HERE is a very seasonable Cordial to revive the drooping Spirits of the Saints in these sad and sinking times For the hour of temptation is already come upon all the world to try the Inhabitants of the earth and in special this is the day of Jacobs troubles in our owne bowels Our great Apostle experimentally holds forth in this Gospel-Text the very life and soul of all practical Divinity wherein we may plainly read his own proficiency in Christs School and what lesson every Christian that would evidence the power and growth of godlinesse in his own soul must necessarily learn from him These words are brought in by Paul as a plain argument to perswade the Philippians that he did not seek after great things in the world and that he sought not theirs but them He did not passe for a great estate he had better things to take up his heart withal I do not speak saith he in respect of want For whether I have or have not my heart is fully satisfied I have enough I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I have learned Contentment in every condition is a great art a spiritual mystery It is to be learned and so to be learned as a mystery And therefore vers 1â— he affirms I know how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I un instructed The word * which is translated Instructed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived from that word * which signifies Mystery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is as much as if he had said I have learned the mystery of this businesse Contentment is to be learned as a great mystery and those that are throughly trained up in that art have learned a deep Mystery The which is as Sampsons riddle to a natural man I have learned it It is not now to learn neither had I it at first I have attained it though with much adoe and now by the grace of God I am become master of this art In whatsoever state I am The word State is not in the Original but * In what I am that is in whatsoever concerns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or befals me whether I have little or nothing at all Therewith to be content The word * which we render Content 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here hath in the Original much elegancy and fulnesse of signification in it In strictnesse of phrase it is only attributed unto God who hath stiled himself God alsufficiant as resting wholly satisfied in and with himself alone but he is pleased freely to coÌ„municate of his fulnesse to the creature so that from God in Christ the Saints receive grace for grace Joh. 1. 16. in so much that there is in them an answerablenesse of the same grace in their proportion that is in Christ And in this sense Paul saith I have a Self-sufficiency as the word notes But hath Paul a self-sufficiency you will say How are we sufficient of our selves Our Apostle affirms in another case Tbat we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 2. Cor. 3. 5. His meaning therefore must be I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart through the grace of Christ that is in me though I have not outward comforts and worldly accommodations to supply my necessities yet I enjoy portion enough betwixt Christ and my own soul abundantly to satisfie me in every condition And this interpretation is sutable to that place Pro. 14 14. A good man is satisfied from himself and agreeable to what he verifies of himself in another place that though he had nothing yet he possessed all things because he had right to the covenant and promise which virtually containes all and an interest in Christ the fountain and good of all and having that no marvell he saith that in whatsoever state he was in he was content Thus you have the genuine interpretation of the text I shall not make any division of the words because I take them only to prosecute that one duty most necessary viz. The quieting and comforting the hearts of Gods people under the troubles and changes they meet withall in these heart-shaking times And the doctrinal conclusion is in brief this Doct. That to be well skilled in the mystery of Christian Contentment is the Duty Glory and Excellency of a Christian This Evangelical truth is held forth sufficiently in this Scripture yet take one or two paralel places more for the confirmation of it 1 Tim. 6. 6. 8. you have both the duty exprest and the glory thereof Having food and raiment saith he vers 8. let us be therewith content there is
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
Minister to speake thus before you and many carnal people are ready to make such expressions as these to be rediculous understanding them in a carnall way Just as Nicodemus in the third of John what can a man be borne when he is old can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be borne so when we speake of grace that it can turn water into wine and turn poverty into riches and make poverty a gainefull trade saith a carnall heart let them have that trade if they will and let them have water to drinke and see if they can turn it into wine Oh take heed thou speakest not in a scornefull way of the wayes of God grace hath the power to turn afflictions into mercyes Two men shall have one affliction and to one man it shall be as gall and wormewood and it shall be wine and honey and delightfullnesse and joy and advantage and riches to another This is the mystery of contentment not so much by removing the evill as by Metamorphosing the evill by changing the evill into good The Fifth thing is this A Christian comes to this Contentment by making up the wants of his condition by the performance of the work of his condition This is the way of Contentment There is such a condition that I am in many wants I want this and the other comfort well how shall I come to be satisfied and content A carnall heart thinks this I must have my wants made up or else it is impossible that I should be content No but saith a gracious heart What is the duty of the condition God hath put me into Indeed my condition is changed I was not long since in a prosperous condition but God hath changed my condition the Lord hath called me no more Naomi but Marah Now what am I to do what can I think now are those duties that God requires of me in the condition that he hath now put me into And let me put forth my strength in the performance of the duties of my present condition Others they spend their thoughts in those things that shall disturbe and disquiet them and so they grow more and more discontented yea but let me spend my thoughts in thinking what my duty is what is the duty of my present condition which I am in O saith a man whose condition is changed and he hath lost his estate Had I but my estate as I had heretofore how would I use it to his glory But God hath made me to see that I did not honour him with my estate as I ought to have done O had I it again I would do better then ever I did but this may be but a temptation therefore you should rather think What doth God require of me in the condition I am now brought into And thou shouldest labour to bring thy heart to quiet and Contentment by setting thy soul on work about the duties of thy present condition And the truth is I know nothing more available for the quieting of a Christian Soul and getting Contentment then this The setting thy heart on work about the duties of the very present condition that now thou art in and take heed of thy thoughts about other conditions as a meer temptation I cannot compare the folly of men and women that think to get Contentment with their musing about other conditions better then to the way of Children perhaps they are gotten upon a hill and they look a good way off and see another hill and they think if they were on the top of that then they were able to touch the clouds with their fingers but when they are on the top of that hill alas then they are as far from the clouds as they were before So it is with many that think If they were in such a Condition then I should have Contentment and perhaps they get into that condition then they are as far from Contentment as before But then they think if they were in another condition they would be contented and then when they have got into that condition they are still as far from contentment as before No no let me consider what is the duty of my present condition and content my heart with this and say Well though I am in a low condition yet I am serving the counsels of God in that condition wherein I am it is the counsell of God that hath brought me into this condition that I am in and I desire to serve the counsell of God in that condition There is a notable Scripture concerning David it is said of him That he served his Generation after David had served his Generation according to the will of God then he slept It is a Speech of Paul concerning him in Act. 13. 36. So it is in your books After he had served his generation according to the will of God But now the word that is translated will it is the councell of God and so it may be translated as well That after David in his generation had served Gods councel then he fell asleep We ordinarily take the words thus That David served his generation that is He did the work of his generation that is to serve a mans generation But it is more plain if you read it thus After David in his generation had served the Counsell of God then David fell asleep O that should be the care of a Christian to serve out Gods Counsels What is the Councell of God The conditiō that I am in God doth put me into it by his own Counsell the Councell of his own will Now I must serve Gods Councell in my generation look what is the Councell of God in my condition I must look to serve that and so I shall have my heart quieted for the present and shall live and dye peaceably and comfortably if I be carefull to serve Gods Councell A Sixt thing in the mystery of contentment is this A gracious heart is conteted by the melting of his will and desires into Gods will and desires by this meanes he gets contentment and this is a mystery to a carnall heart It is not by having his owne desires satisfied as before but by melting his will and desires into Gods will So that he comes to have in one sense his desires satisfied though he hath not the thing that before he did desire yet he comes to be satisfied in this because he makes his will to be all one with Gods will This is a little higher degree then submitting to the will of God You all say you should submit to Gods will but a Christian hath gotten beyond this that is he can make Gods will and his to be the same So it is said of beleevers that they are joyned to the Lord and are one spirit that is look what Gods will is I do not only see reason to submit to it but Gods will is my will When the soul can make over as it were its will to God
it must needs then have Contentment Others would fain get the thing they do desire O but saith a gracious heart that that God would have I would have too I will not only yeild to it but I would have it too a gracious heart hath learned this art not only to make the commanding will of God to be its own will that is what God commands me to do I will do it but to make the providential will of God and the operative will of God to be his will too God commands this thing which perhaps you that are Christians may have some skill in but whatsoever God works you must will as well as what God commands you must make Gods providential will and his opperative will as well your will as Gods will and so you must come to Contentment here a Christian makes over his will to God and in making over his will to God he hath no other will but only Gods as suppose a man makes over his debt to another man if that man that I owe the debt too be satisfied and contented I am satisfied because I have made it over to him and I need not be discontented and say my debt is not paid and I am not satisfied yes you are satisfied for he that you made over your debt too he is satisfied Just thus it is for all the world between God and a Christian a Christian heart makes over his will to God now then if Gods will be satisfied then I am satisfied for I have then no will of mine own it is melted into the will of God for so that is the excellency of grace grace doth not only subject the will to God but it doth melt the will into Gods will so that they are now but one will what a sweet satisfaction must the soul have then in this condition when all is made over to God You will say this is hard I will express it a little more A gracious heart must needs have satisfaction this way because godlinesse doth teach him this to see that his good is more in God then in himself the good of my life and comforts and my hapinesse and my glory and my riches is more in God then it is in my self that perhaps we may speak too further when we come to the lessons that are to be learned but upon this it is that a gracious heart hath Contentment he doth melt his will into Gods for saith he if God have glory I have glory Gods glory is my glory and therefore Gods will is mine if God have riches then I have riches if God be magnified then I am magnified if God be satisfied then I am satisfied Gods wisdom and holinesse is mine and therefore his will must needs be mine and my will must needs be his here is the art of a Christians Contentment he melts his will into the will of God and makes over his will to God Oh Lord thou shalt choose our inheritance for us Psal 73. The Seventh thing In the Art of Contentment is this The Mystery consists not so much by bringing any thing without to make my condition more comfortable as to purge out somthing that is within The men of the world now when they would have Contentment and want any thing Oh they must have somwhat from without to content them but saith a godly man let me get somthing out that is in already and then I shall come to Contentment As suppose a man hath an aguish humour that makes his drink taste bitter now saith he You must put some sugar into my drink and his wife puts in some and yet the drink tastes bitter Why Because the bitternesse comes from a bitter cholerick humour within but let the Physitian come and give him a bitter potion to purge out the bitternesse that is within and then he can taste his drink well enough Just thus it is with the men of the world Oh such a condition is bitter and if I could have such and such a mercy added to this mercy 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 they lusts and bitter humours Ja. 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 somtimes 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 particulers 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 is 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 doe you cannot know what it seeds upon other things though as little as grashoppers yet feed upon seeds or little flies and suchthings 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 then his rich neighbour that hath agreat 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 doe 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 then now they have yet they
every comfort thou hast is a fore-runner of those eternall mercies thou shalt have with God in Heaven not only the consolations of Gods spirit are the fore-runners of those eternall 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 eternall life unto thee Now then if this be so no marvail though a Christian be contented this is a mysterie 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 purchase of the blood of Iesus Christ and I have it as a fore-runner of those eternall mercies that are reserved for me and in this my soul rejoyces There 's a secret dew of Gods goodnesse 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 righteousnesse then great revenues without right a man that hath but a little yet if he hath it with righteousnesse it is better then a great deale without right yea better then the great revenues of the wicked so you have it in another Scripture that 's the next particular in Christian Contentment the mysterie 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 mysterie of Christian Contentment consist 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 doe 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 Eternall love that Jesus Christ did come from And that speach of Ierom 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 wayes are mercy and truth to those that feare him and love him Psa 25. 10. The wayes of God the wayes of affliction as well as the wayes of prosperity are mercy and love to him Grace gives a man an eye a peircing eye to peirce into the counsells of God those Eternall counsells 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 carnall heart they can see no such thing perhaps they thinke God loves them when he prospers them and makes them rich but they thinke 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 frownes 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 in 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 ayr 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 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 blesse 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 Devill 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 dishonours and disgrace and he goes this way to work to get contentment perhaps if you be spoken ill of you have no otherway to ease and right your selves but if they doe rail upon you you will rail upon them again and thus you thinke to ease your selves Oh but a Christian hath another manner of way to ease himselfe others rail and speak ill of mee 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 evill 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 Iesus Christ they jeer'd and scoft 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 Iews 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 Iesus Christ had as great pain upon his body as I have though its true hee had not such kind of sicknesses as we have but yet he had as great pain and torturs 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 bare 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
there be such a time here in this world that God shall be All in All that in comparison there shall be no such need of creatures as now there is then the saints should labour to live as neer that life â—e possibly they can that is to make up All in God Oh that you would but mind this Mysterie that it may be a reality to the hearts of the Saints in such times as these are they would find this priviledge that they get by grace to be worth thousands of worlds hence is that of Jacob that I mentioned in another â—ase it is remarkable and comes in fully here In Genâ— 33. that notable speech of Jacob when his brother Esau did meet him ye find in one place that Esau he refused Jacobs present In the 8. verse when Jacob gave his present to him he refused it and â—ould Jacob that he had enoughâ— What meanest thâ—â— by all this drove which I meet And he said these are â—o find grace in thy sight And Esau said I have enough now in the 11. verse there Jacob urgos it still and saith Jacob I beseech thee take it for I have enough now in your books it is the same in English I have inough saith Esau and I haâ—â— enough saith Jacob but in the hebrew Jacobs word is different from Esauâ— Jacobs word signifies I have all thingâ— and yet Jacob was pâ—oâ—eâ—â—hâ—â— Esau Oh this should be a shame to us that an Esau should say I have enough but now a Christian should say I have not only enough but I have all how had he all Because he had God that was all and it was a notable speech of one He hath all things that hath him that hath all things surely thou hast all things because thou hast him for thy portion who hath all things God hath all things in himself and thou hast God to be thine for thy portion and in that thou hast all and this is the Mystery of Contentment It makes up all wants in God this is that that the men of the world have little skill in Now I have divers other things yet to open in the Mystery of Contentment I should shew likwise that a godly man not only makes up all in God but finds enough in himself to make up all to make up all in himself not from himself but in himself and that may seem to be stranger then the other to make up all in God is somewhat nay to make up all in himself not from himself but in himself that is a gracious heart hath so much of God within himself that he hath enough there to make up all his wants that are without In Pro. 14. 14. A good man shall be satisfied from himself from that that is within himself that is the meaning a gracious man he hath a bird within his own bosom that makes him melody enough though he wants musick The Kingdom of heaven is within you In Luke 17. 21. He hath a Kingdom within him and a Kingdom of God you see him spoken ill of abroad he hath a conscience within him that makes up the want of a name and credit that is instead of a thousand witnesses Thirtenth A gracious heart fetches Contentment from the Covenant that God hath made with him Now this is a way of fetching contentment that the men of the world know not of they can fetch contentment if they have the creature to satisfie them But to fetch contentment from the Covenant of grace that they have little skill in I should here have opened two things first how to fetch contentment from the Covenant of grace in generall but I shall speak to that in the next sermon and now onely a word to the second Secondly how he fetches contentment from the particular branches of the Covenant that is from the particular promises that he hath for the supplying of every particular want there is no condition that a Godly man or woman can be in but there is some promise or other in the scripture to help him in that condition And that 's the way of his contentment to go out to the promises and fetch from the promise that that may supply But this is but a drie businesse to a Carnall heart but it 's the most reall thing in the world to a gracious heart when he finds want of Contentment he repaires to the promise and the Covenant and falls a pleading the promises that God hath made As I should have shewn several promises that God hath made let the affliction be what it will I will but onely mention one that is the saddest affliction of all in case of the Visitation and the Plague In Psalme 91. now those that cannot have their friends come to them by reason of the plague and that cannot have other comforts in other afflictions they might have their friends and other things to comfort them but in that they cannot Psal 21. 10. There shall no evill befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling then here is a promise for the pestilence in the 5 and 6 verses this is a scripture to those that are in danger of it you will say this is a promise that the Plague shall not come nigh them but mark these two are joyned there shall no evill befall thee nether shall the plague come nigh thee the evill of it shall not come nigh thee Object You will say it doth come to many godly men and how can they make use of this Scripture it is rather a Scripture that may trouble them because here 's a promise that it shall not come nigh theÌ„ yet it doth come nigh them as well as others Ans First this is the Answer I would give the promises of outward deliveraÌ„ces that were made to the people of God in the time of the law were to be understood then a great deal more litterally fulfilled more litterally theÌ„ in the times of the gospel God makes it up otherwise with as much mercy though God made a covenant of grace eternal life in Christ with them yet I think there was another Covenant too that God speaks of as a distinct covenant for outward things to deal with his people by according to their waies either in outward prosperity or in outward afflictions more then now in a more punctuall set way then in the times of the gospel and therefore when the Children of Israel did but sin against God they were sure to have publique judgments to come upon them and if they did well alwaies publique mercies the generall constant way of God was to deal with the people of the Jews acording as they did well or ill in an ordinary way with outward judgments and outward mercyes but it 's not so now in these times of the gospell we canot bring such a certain conclusion that if God did deal so severely with men by such and such aflictions that he will deal so with them now and so
of Christ and hath been instructed in the art of Contentment when such a one hath an estate he thinks in that I have an estate above my brethren in this consists the good of it to me in that I have an opportunity to serve God the better and I enjoy a great deal of Gods mercy to my Soule conveyed to me through the Creature and hereby I am inabled to doe a great deal of good and therein I account the good of my estate Now God hath taken this away from me now if God will be pleased to make up the enjoyment of himselfe another way that is will call me to honour him by suffering and if I may doe God as much service now in my way of suffering that is to shew forth the Grace of his spirit in the way of my suffering as I did in the way of prosperity I have as much of God as I had before if I may be led to God in my low condition as much as I was in my prosperous condition I have as much comfort and contentment as I had before Ob. But you will say it is true if I could honour God in my low estate as much as in my prosperous estate then it were somewhat but how can that be Answ You must know the speciall honour that God hath from his creatures in this world it is the manifestation of the Graces of his spirit It 's true God hath a great deal of honour when a man is in a publick place and so he is able to do a great deal of good to countenance Godlinesse and discountenance Sin but the main thing is in our shewing forth the vertues of him that hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light Now if I can say that through Gods mercy in my affliction I find the Graces of Gods spirit working as strongly in me as ever they did when I had my estate I am where I was yea I am fully in as good a condition for I have that good now that I had in my prosperous estate for I accounted the good of it but in my enjoyment of God and honouring of God and now God hath blest the want of it to stir up the Graces of his spirit in my soule and this is the worke that now God cals me to and I must account God is most honoured when I doe the worke that he cals me to he set me a worke in my prosperous estate at that time to honour him in that condition and now he sets me a work at this time to honour him in this condition Now God is most honoured when I can turne from one condition to another according as he cals me to it would you account your selves to be honoured by your servants when you set them about a worke that hath some excellency and they will go on and on and you cannot get them off from it Now let the work be never so good yet if you will call them off to another work you doe expect that they should manifest so much respect to you as to be content to come off from that though they be set about a meaner work if it be more sutable to your ends So you were in a prosperous estate and there God called you to some service that you took some pleasure in but suppose God saith I will use you in suffering condition and I will have you honour me in that way now here 's the honouring of God that you can turn this way or that way as God cals you to it thus now you having learned this that the good of the Creature consists in the enjoyment of God in it and the honouring of God by it you can be content because you have the same good that you had before and that 's the fift Lesson The sixt Lesson that Christ doth teach the Soul that hee brings into this School is this He doth instruct such a man or woman in the knowledge of their own hearts you must learn this or you will never learn Contentment you must learne to know your own hearts well to be good students of your own hearts you cannot all be Schollers in the arts and sciences in the world but you may all be students in your own hearts you cannot reade in the Booke many of you but God expects that every day you should turn over a leafe in your own hearts you will never come to get any skill in this Mysterie except you study the Book of your own hearts Marriners they have their Books that they study those that will be good Navigators and Schollers they have their Books those that study Logick they have their Books according to that and those that would study Rhetorick and Philosophy have their Books according to that and those that study Divinity they have their Books whereby they come to be helped in the study of Divinity but a Christian next to the Book of God is to look into the Book of his own heart and to read over that and this will helpe you to Contentment these three ways 1 By the studying of thy heart thou wilt come presently to discover wherein thy discontent lyes when thou art discontented thou wilt find out the root of any discontentment if thou doest study thy heart well many men and women they are discontented and the truth is they know not wherefore they think this and the other thing is the cause but a man or woman that knowes their own heart they will find out presently where the root of their discontent lyes that it lyes in such a corruption and distemper of my heart that now through Gods mercy I have found out It is in this case as it is with a little child that is very froward in the house if a stranger comes in he doth not know what the matter is perhaps the Stranger will give the child a rattle or a nut or such a thing to quiet it but when the Nurse comes she knows the temper and disposition of the Child and therefore knows best how to quiet it so it is here just thus for all the world when we are strangers with our own hearts we are mightily discontented and know not how to quiet our selves because we know not wherein the disquiet lieth and indeed when we are strangers to our own hearts we cannot tell how to quiet our selves but if we be very well verst in our own hearts when any thing fals out so as to disquiet us we find out the cause of it presently and so quickly come to be quiet so a man that hath a Watch and he understands the use of every wheel and pin if it goes amisse he will presently find out the cause of it but one that hath no skill in a Watch when it goes amisse he knows not what the matter is and therefore cannot mend it So indeed our hearts are as a Watch and there are many wheels and windings and turnings there and we should labour
this Gods ordinary course is that his people in this world should be in an afflicted condition God hath revealed in his word we may there find he hath set it down to be his ordinary way even frō the begining of the world to this day but more especially in the times of the Gospel that his people here should be in an afflicted condition Now men that do not understand this they stand and wonder to hear of the people of God that they are afflicted and the enemyes prosper in their way for those that seeke God in his way and seeke for reformation for them to be afflicted routed and spoiled and then enemyes to prevaile they wonder at it but now one that is in the schoole of Christ he is taught by Jesus Christ that God by his eternal counsels hath set this to be his course way to bring up his people in this world in an afflicted condition and therfore saith the Apostle account it not strange concerning the firey tryal 1 Pet. 4. 12. we are not therfore to be discontented with it seing God hath set such a course and way and we know such is the will of God that it should be so The second thing that is in Gods way is this Vsually when God intends the greatest mercy to any of his people he doth bring them into the lowest condition God doth seem to go quite crosse and worke in a contrary way when he intends the greatest mercys to his people he doth first usually bring them into very low conditions if it be a bodily mercie an outward mercie that he intends to bestow he useth to bring them bodily low and outwardly low if it be a mercie in their estates that he intends to bestow he brings them low in that and then raises them and in their names he brings them low there and then raises them and in their Spirits God doth ordinarily bring their spirits low and then raises their spirits usually the people of God before the greatest comforts have the greatest afflictions and sorrows now those that understand not Gods ways they think that when God brings his people into sad conditions that God leaves and forsakes them and that God doth intend no great matter of good to them but now a Child of God that is instructed in this way of God he is not troubled my condition is very low but saith he this is Gods way when he intends the greatest mercie to bring men under the greatest afflictions When he intended to raise Joseph to be the Second in the Kingdom God cast him into a dungeon a little before So when God intended to raise David and set him upon the Throne he made him to be hunted as a partridge in the mountains 1 Sam. 26. 20 God went this way with his Son Christ himselfe went into glory by suffering Heb. 2. 10 and if God deale so with his owne Son much more with his people as a little before break of day you shall observe it is darker then it was any time before so God doth use to make our conditions darker a little before the mercie come When God bestowed the last great mercie at Nazby we were in a very low condition God knew what he had to doe before hand he knew that his time was coming for great mercies it is the way of God to doe so Be but instructed aright in this course and tract that God uses to walke in and that will helpe us to contentment exceedingly The third thing that there is in Gods way and course is this It is the way of God to work by contraries to turne the greatest evill into the greatest good To grant great good after great evill is one thing and to turne great evills into the greatest good that 's another and yet that 's Gods way the greatest good that God intends for his people many times he works it out of the greatest evill the greatest light is brought out of the greatest darknesse and Luther I remember hath a notable expression for this saith he it is the way of God he doth humble that he might exalt he doth kill that he might make alive he doth confound that he might glorifie this is the way of God saith hee but saith hee every one doth not understand this this is the Art of Arts and the Science of Sciences the knowledg of knowledges to understand this that God doth use when he will bring life he doth bring it out of death he brings joy out of sorrow and he brings prosperity out of adversity yea and many times brings grace out of sin that is makes use of sin to work furtherance of grace it 's the way of God to bring all good out of evill not onely to overcome the evill but to make the evill to work toward the good here 's the way of God now when the soule comes to understand this it wil take away our murmurring and bring Contentment into our spirits But I fear there are but few that understand it aright perhaps they read of such things hear such things in a sermon but they are not by Jesus Christ instructed in this that this is the way of God to bring the greatest good out of the greatest evill Now thus having dispatcht the third head the Lessons that we are to learne we come to the fourth and that is The excellency of this Grace of Contentment and there is a great deale of excellency in Contentment that 's a kind of Lesson too for us to learn And this head likewise will be somewhat long Saith the Apostle J have learned as if he should say blessed be God for this Oh! it is a mercy of God to me that I have learned this Lesson I find so much good in this Contentment that I would not for a world but have it I have learned it saith he Now the very Heathens had a sight of a great excellency that there is in Contentment I remember I have read of Antistines a Philosopher that desired of his gods speaking after the heathenish way nothing in this world to make his life happy but Contentment and if he might have any thing that he would desire to make his life happy he would aske of them that he might have the spirit of Socrates that he might have such a spirit as Socrates had to be able to bear any wrong any injuries that he met withall and to continue in a quiet temper of spirit whatsoever befell him for that was the temper of Socrates what ever befell him he continued the same man whatever crosse befell him no body could perceive any alteration of his spirit though never so great crosses did befall him this a Heathen did attain to by the strength of nature and a common work of the Spirit Now this Antistines saw such an excellency in this spirit As when God said to Solomon what shall I give thee he asked of God wisdom so saith he if the gods should
mercies a means to lessen your sins then to be the agravation of your sins If you make not the mercies of God to helpe you against your murmuring you will make them to be agravations of the sinne of murmuring I beseech you for this take but this one consideration further and if you will but work it upon your hearts I hope you may find a great deal of power in it you find afflictions and your hearts are troubled and murmur consider how Gods mercies doth agravate this sin thus In the midst of our sins we doe make account God should accept of our services doe but consider thus if in the midst of our many sinnes wee hope that God will accept of our poor services why then should not we in the midst of our afflictions blesse God for his many mercies shall God be thus gracious to us that notwithstanding our many sins yet he will not cast away our poor duties and services that we perform then why should not we in the midst of our sufferings accept of what mercies we have and not slight them and disregard them If thou in the midst of Gods mercies shalt not be willing to bear afflictions that God layes upon thee then it were just with God that in the midst of thy sins he should not regard any of thy duties now iâ— there not as much power in thy manifould sins to cause God to reject thy duties and seivices as there is power in afflictions in the mid'st of many mercies to take off thy heart from being affected with Gods mercies And that 's the fist aggravation of of the sinne of murmuring to murmur in the mid'st of mercies A second aggravation of the sin of murmuring is When we murmur for small things Saith Naamans servant to him Father for so he called him if the Prophet had required you to doe some great thing would not you have done it how much more this little thing So I say if the Lord had required you to suffer some great matter would not you have bin willing to suffer How much more this little thing I remember I have read in Seneca a Heathen he hath this similitude which is a very fine one to set out the great evil of murmuring upon smaller afflictions saith he suppose a man hath a very fair house to dwell in and he hath fair orchards and gardens and set about with brave tall trees for ornament if this man now should murmur because the wind blows off a few leavs off his trees what a most unreasonable thing were it for him to be weeping and wringing his hands because he looses a few leavs off his trees when he hath abundance of all kinde of fruit thus it is with many saith he though they have a great many comforts about them yet some little matter the blowing off of a few leavs from them is enough to disquiet them It was a great evill when Ahab having a kingdom yet the want of his neighbours vineyard had such power to disquiet him So for us to murmur not because we have not such a thing as we have need of but because we have not what possibly we might have this is a very great sin Suppose God gives a child that hath all the limbs and parts compleat a child that is very comly and hath excellent parts wit and memory but it may be there is a wart that grows upon the finger of the child and she murmurs at it and Oh what an affliction this is to her she is so taken up with that as she forgets to give any thankes to God for her child and all the goodnesse of God to her in the child is swallowed up in that would not you say this were a folly a very great evill in a woman so to do Truly our afflictions if we weighed them aright they are but such kind of things in comparison of our mercies Rebeckah she had a mighty desire to have children but because she found some trouble in her body when she was with child saith she Why am I thus As if she should say I had as good have none onely because she found a little paine and trouble in her body To be discontent when the affliction is small and little that increases very much the sin of murmuring it is to much for any one to murmur upon the heaviest crosse that can befall one in this world but upon some small things to be discontent and murmur that 's worse I have read of one when he lay upon a heap of damask-roses he complained that there was one of the rose leaves lay double under him So we are ready thus for very small things to make complaints and to be discontented with our condition and that 's a second aggravation A third aggravation is this For men that are of parts and abilities that God hath given wisdom to for them to be discontent and murmur that is more then if others do it Murmuring and discontentednesse it too much in the weakest yet we can bear with it sometimes in children and women that are weake but for those that are men men of understanding that have wisdom that God imployes in publick service that they should be discontent with every thing this is an exceeding great evill for men in their families to whom God hath given parts and wisdom when things fall out amisse there to be alwaies murmuring and repining their sin is greater then for women or children to do it A fourth agravation Is the consideration of the freeness of all Gods mercies to us What ever we have it is of free cost what though we have not all we would have seeing what we have is free If what we have were earned then it were somewhat but when we consider that all is from God for us to murmur at his dispensations is very evill Suppose a man were in a family entertaind by a friend and he did not pay for his board but he hath it given him for nothing it 's expected such a one should not be ready to find fault with every thing in the house with servants or with meat at table or the like if such a one that hath plentifull provision and all given him Gratis and payes nothing for his board should be discontented if a cup should not be filled for him as he would have it or if he should stay a minute of an houre longer for a thing then he would this we would account a great evill So it is with us we are at Gods table every day and it is upon free-cost whatever we have It is accounted very unmannerly for a man at his friends table to find fault with things though at home he may be bold Now when we are at the table of God for so all Gods administrations to us are his table and are at free-cost now for us to be finding fault and be discontented this is a great aggravation of our sinne A fift aggravation of the sin
towards him Now then I am discontented and murmuring because I am afflicted Therefore thou art afflicted because God would humble thee and the great designe that God hath in afflicting of thee is to break and humble thy heart and wilt thou now maintain a spirit quite opposite to the work of God for thee to murmur be discontented is to resist the work of God God is doing thee good if thou couldst see it now if he be pleased to sanctifie thy affliction to breake that hard heart of thine and humble that proud spirit of thine it would be the greatest mercie that ever thou had'st in all thy life now wilt thou yet stand out against God It 's even as if thou shouldest say well the Lord is about to break me and humble me but he shall not this is the language of thy murmuring and thy discontentedness though thou darest not say so but though thou sayest not so in words yet it is certainly the language of the temper of thy spirit Oh consider what an agravation this is I am discontented when God is about to work such a work upon me as is exceedingly for my good but yet I stand out against him and resist him and that 's another agravation A tenth aggravation of the sin of murmuring and discontent is this The more palpable nnd remarkable the band of God appears to bring about an affliction the greater is the sin of murmuring and discontent under an affliction It 's a great evil any time to murmur and be discontent but though it be a sin when I see but an ordinary providence working for me not to submit to that but when I see an extraordinary providence working thats a greater sin that is when I see the Lord in some remarkable way working about such an affliction beyond what any could have thought of shall I resist such a remarkable hand of God shall I stand out against God when I see God doth express his will in such a remarkable manner that he would have me to be in such a condition Indeed before we see the wil of God apparent we may desire to avoid an affliction and may use means for it but now when we see God expressing his will from heaven in a manner beyond ordinary and more remarkably then certainly it is fit for us to fall down and submit to him and not to oppose when God comes with a mighty stream against us it is our best way to fall down before him and not to resist for as it is an argument of a mans disobedieuce when there is not only a command against a sin but when God reveals his command in a terrible way the more solemne the Command of God is the greater is the sin in breaking that command so the more remarkable the hand of God is in bringing an Affliction upon us the greater is the sin for us to murmur and be discontented Then God expects that we should fall down when he as it were speaks from heaven to thee by name and saith well I wil have this spirit of thine down do not you see that my hand is stretched out my eyes are upon you my thoughts are upon you and I must have that proud spirit of thine down Oh then it is fit for the Creature to yeild and submit unto him When you speak in an ordinary manner to your servants or children you expect they should regard what you say but when you make them stand still by you and you speak to them in a more solemn way then if they should dis-regard what you say you are very impatient So certainly God cannot take it well when ever he doth appear from heaven in such a remarkaple way to bring an Affliction if then we do not submit to him The eleventh agravation of the sin of murmuring is this To be discontented though God hath bin exercising of us long under afflictions yet fill to remain discontented For a man or woman at first when an affliction befals them to have a murmuring heart then it 's an evill but to have a murmuring heart when God hath been a long time exercising them with affliction it 's more evill Though an heifer at first when the yoke is put upon him he wrigles up and down and will not be quiet but if after many moneths or yeers it shall not draw quietly the husbandman would rather feede it fat and prepare it for the butcher then be troubled any longer with it So though the Lord was content to passe by that discontented spirit of thine at first yet God having a long time kept the yoke upon thee thou hast bin under his afflicting hand it may be divers years and yet thou remain discontent still it were just with God that he should bear thy murmuring no longer and that thy discontent under the affliction should be but a preparation to thy destruction So you see when a man or woman hath been long exercised with afflictions and yet are discontented that 's an agravation of the sin Mark that text in Heb. 12. 11. Now saith the Scripture No chastening for the present is joyous but greivous nevertheless afterwards it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are exercised therby It 's true our afflictions are not joyous but greivious though at first when our affliction comes it is very greivous But yet saith the text afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousnesse to those that are exercised thereby When thou hast been a long time in the School of afflictions thou art a very dullard in Christs School if thou hast not learned this Contentment I have learned saith Saint Paul in every estate therewith to be content Paul had learned this Lesson quickly thou hast been a learning many yeers perhaps thou mayest say as Heman did That thou art afflicted from thy youth up in the 88. Psal Oh it 's a very evil thing if being exercised long with afflictions you are not yet contented The eye in the body of a man is as tender a part as any part that a mans body hath but yet the eye is able to continue in and bear a great deal of cold because it is more used to it so those that are used to afflictions those that God exercises much with Afflictions though they have tender spirits otherwise yet they should have learned Contentedness by this time A new Cart may creek and make an noise but after the use of it a while it will not do so So when thou art first a Christian and newly come into the work of Christ perhaps thou makest a noise and canst not bear affliction but art thou an old Christian and yet wilt thou be a murmuring Christian Oh that 's a shame for any that are Ancient Professors that have been a long time in the School of Jesus Christ to have murmuring and discontented spirits And thus you have had a leaven agravations of this sin of murmuring and discontent But now
my Brethren because this discontented humour is a very tough humonr and it is very hard to work upon there 's none that are discontented but will have something to say for their discontent I shal therefore desire to take away what every discontented heart hath to say for himself The Pleas of a discontented heart In the first place saith one that is discontented It is not discontent it is the sence of my condition I hope you would have mee sensible of my condition perhaps when God takes away a Friend or some other comfort they are inordinatly sorrowful and wringing their hands as if they were undone and let any one but speak to them say they would you not have me sensible of my affliction And thus many would hide their sinful murmuring under Gods hand with this pretence that it is but sensibleness of their affliction To that I answer first there is no sence of any affliction that will hinder the sence of Gods mercies nay the more we are sensible of our afflictions if it be in a gracious manner the more sensible we will be of Gods mercie but thou art so sensible of thy affliction as it takes away the sense of all thy mercies Oh this is sinfull discontent this is not to be sensible of thy condition as God would have thee but it is to be sensâ—ble in a wicked way you go beyond your bounds By this Rule you may come to know when your sorrows and troubles for your afflictions goes beyond the bounds we may be sorrowful when God afflicts but Oh that I might know when my sorrow goes beyond the bounds of it truly thou mayest know it by this doth the sence of thy afflictions take away the sence of thy mercies If it doth then it goes beyond the bounds Secondly If it were but a bare sence of an affliction it would not hinder thee in the duties of thy condition the right sence of our afflictions will never hinder us in the performence of the duties of our condition but thou art so sensible of thy affliction as thou art made unfit for the performence of the duties of the condition that God hath put thâ—â— in surely it's more then meer sence of thy affliction Thirdly If it were but meer sence of thy affliction yet then thou couldest in this thy condition blesse God for the mercies that others have but thy discontentednesse usually breed envie at it when any one is discontented with their condition they have an envious spirit at the conditions of those that are delivered from whâ—â— afflictious they bear certainly then it is turn'd to be sower and naught when thou art so sensible of thy afflictions and unsensible of mercies as thou art unfit for the duties of thy condition and envious at others that are not afflicted as thou art The Second Plea But will a discontented heart say I am not so much troubled with my afflictions but it is for my sin rather then my afflictions and I hope you wil give leave that we should be troubled and discontented with our sin and were it not for sin that I see in my self I should not be so discontented as I am Oh! it is sin that is heavy upon me and it 's that that troubles me more then my affliction Deceive not thine own heart there is a very great deceit in this there 's many people that when Gods hand is out against them they will say they are troubled for their sin but the truth is it 's the affliction that doth trouble them rather then their sin their hearts doth exceedingly deceive them in this very thing for First they were never troubled for their sin before this affliction came but you wil say it ' true I was not before for my prosperity blinded me but now God hath opened mine eyes by Afflictions Hath he so Secondly then thy great care will be rather for the removing of thy sin then thy affliction art thou more solicitous about the taking away thy sin then the taking away of thine affliction Thirdly if it be thy sin that troubles thee if God should take away thy affliction yet except thy sin be taken away and thy heart be better this would not content thee thou couldest not be satisfied but we see it ordinarily that if God removes their affliction there 's no nore trouble for their sin Oh many doe belie themselves in this in saying that they are so troubled for their sin and especially those that are so troubled that they are in danger to miscarry and to make away themselves there 's not one in ten thousand that are in such a condition as this is but it is affliction rather theu sinne that puts them to it indeed you lay all upon this as if it were the work of the word or the spirit of bondage I remember I heard not long since of a Divine that being iudicious and used to such kind of things there came a man to him mightily troubled for his sinne and he could uot tell what to doe he was ready to despair the Divine looks upon him saith he are you not in debt He confest that he was and at length the Minister began to find it out that that was his trouble rather then his sin and so was a means to help him that way that his creditors should not come upon him and then the man was pretty quiet and would not make a way himselfe any longer for it is a usual thing that if any thing befalls a man that doth crosse him Oh then it 's their sin that doth trouble them Sometimes it is thus with servants if their Governours crosse them then they are vext and fret and come to deale with them Oh then they wil say they are sorrowful for their sinne but we must take heed of dallying with God that is the Seer and Searcher of the secrets of all hearts many of you go sullen and dumpish up and down your families and then you say it is your sin that lies upon you when God knows it is otherwise it is because you cannot have your wills as you would have Fourthly If thou beest troubled for thy sin then it will be thy great care not to sin in thy trouble not by thy trouble to increase thy sin but thou art troubled in such a way as the truth is thou doest incâ—â—ase thy sin in thy trouble and since thou sayest thou wert troubled for thy sin thou hast committed more sin then thou didest before And then lastly If it be thy sin that troubles thee then thou hast the more need to submit to Gods hand and accept of the pnnishment of thine iniquity as it is in Levit. 26. 41. There 's no such consideration to take away murmuring as to look upon my sin as the cause of my affliction The third Plea Oh saith another I find my affliction is such that God with-draws Himself from me in mine affliction that is that that troubles me and can any
Sea there is no appearance of it so afflictions considered in themselves we think they are very great but let them be considered with the Sea of Gods mercies we do injoy then they are not so much they are nothing in comparison A Fourth Consideration Consider the way of God towards al creatures God caries on all creatures in a visicitude of severall conditions as thus we have not alwaies summer but winter succeds summer we have not alwaies day but day and night we have not alwaies faire weather but faire and foule the vegitive creatures doe not alwaies flourish but the sap is in the root and they seem as if they were dead there 's a visicitude of al things in the world the Sun doth not shine alwaies to us here but there is darknesse comes after light now seing God hath so ordered things with all creatures that there is a mixture of conditions why should we think it much that there should be a visicitude of conditions with us sometimes in a way of prosperity and sometimes in a way of affliction A Fift Consideration A further consideration is this the creatures doe suffer for us why should not we be willing to suffer to be serviceable to God God subjects other creatures they are fain to lose their lives for us to lose what ever beauty and excellencie they have to be serviceable to us why should not we be willing to part with any thing in way of service for God certainly there is not so great a distance between other creatures and Man-kind as there is between Man-kind and God 't is an expression of that Martyr Master Hooper that we read of in the Book of Martyrs in labouring to work his own heart and the hearts of others to contentednesse in the midst of his sufferings he hath this similitude and you may be put in mind of that every day saith he I look upon the creature and see what it suffers to be usefull to me as thus The bruit beasts must die must be rost in the fire and boyled must come upon the trencher be hackt all a peeces must be chewed in the mouth and in the stomack turned to that which is loathsome if one should behold it and all to nourish me to be usefull to my body and shall not I be willing to be made any thing for God for his service what abundance of alterations the creature comes under to be made usefull for me to preserve me then if God will doe so with me for his use as he doth subject the creatures to me for my use why should not I rest contented If God will take away my estate and make me poor if God will take away life hack me to peeces put me in prison whatsoever he doth yet I shall not suffer more for God then the creature doth for me and surely I am infinitly more bound to God then the creature is to me and there is not so much distance between me and the creature as between me and God such considerations as these wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentednesse in his sufferings and every time the creature is upon your trenchers you may think what doth God make the creature suffer for my use not only for my nourishment but for my delight what am I then in respect of the infinit God A sixth Consideration Another Consideration for the working of Contentment It is to consider that we have but a little time in this world if thou beest godly thou shalt never suffer but only in this world why doe but shut thine eyes and presently another life is come as that Martyr said to his fellow Martyr doe but shut your eyes saith he the next time they are opened you shall be in another world Athanasius saith it is but a little cloud when he was banished and it will be over notwithstanding presently These Afflictions they are but for a moment a Marriner when he is abroad doth not think it much if a storm arises especially if he can see the Heavens clear beyond it saith he it will be over presently Consider we have not long to live it may be it may be over before our dayes be at an end but suppose it should not death will put an end to all all Afflictions and troubles will soon be at an end by death A seventh Consideration is this Consider the condition that others have been in that have been our betters We made some use of that before to shew the evill of discontentment But further for to work this upon our hearts it is a mighty Argument to work upon our hearts a contentednesse in any condition Thou many times doest consider who are above thee but consider who are under thee Iacob that was the heir both of Abraham and Isaac for the blessing was upon him and the Promise ran along in him yet was in a poor mean condition Abraham that was his Grandfather was able to make a kind of Army of his own houshold 300. to fight with a King yet Iacob his Grand child he goes over Jordan with a staffe and lives in a very poor and mean condition for a long time and Moses that might have had all the treasures in Egypt and as some Historians say of him Pharoahs Daughter adopted him for her son because Pharoah had no heir for the Crown and so he was like to have come to the Crown yet what a low condition did he live in when he went to live with Iethro his Father in law 400. years together afterward when he returned to Egypt he and his wife and children and all that he had and yet he had but one beast to carry him to Egypt he went in a mean condition when he went from his Father in law to Egypt back again And Elijah we know how he was fed with Ravens and how he was fain to shift for his life from time to time and run into the wildernesse up and down and so did Elisha he was divers times in a very low condition the Prophets of God they were to be hid in a Cave by Obadiah and there to be fed with bread and water and the Prophet Ieremiah put into a Dungeou and oh how was he used and it were an endlesse thing to name the particulars of the great sufferings of the people of God In former time we have sometimes made use of this Argument other wayes the great Instruments of God in the first Reformation they lived in great straights in a very low condition even Luther himself when he was to die saith he Lord though he were a man of such publick use and was a great man in the Courts of Princes Lord I have neither house nor lands nor estate to leave any thing to wife or children but I commit them to thee and so Musculus that was a very choise Instrument of God in his time though he were a man that was worth even a Kingdom for the excellency of his
riddle to many for one to be dead to the world to be mortified to the world Now it is not my work to open to you what Mortification is or death to the world is but only thus to have our hearts so taken off from the things of the world as to use them as if one used them not not to make account that our lives our comforts our happinesse doth consist in these things they are things that are of another nature that our happinesse doth consist in and we may be happy without these this is a kind of deadnesse to the world The ninth Direction Let not men and women pore too much upon their Afflictions that is busie their thoughts too much to look down into their Afflictions you shall have many people that all their thoughts are taken up about what their crosses and afflictions are they are altogether thinking and speaking of them it 's just with them as with a child that hath a sore about him his finger is alwaies upon the sore and so men and women their thoughts are alwaies upon their afflictions when they awake in the night their thoughts are upon their afflictions and when they converse with othets nay it may be when they are praying to God they are thinking of their afflictions Oh no mervail though you live a discontented life if your thoughts be alwaies poring upon such things you should rather labour to have your thoughts upon those things that may comfort you You shall have many that if you propound any rule to them to doe them good they take it well while they are with you and thank you for it but when they are gone they soon forget it It is very observable of Jacob that when his wife died in child birth his wife called the child Ben-oni that is a son of sorrows now Jacob he thought with himself if I should call this child Benoni every time that I name him it will put me in minde of the death of my dear wife and of that affliction and that will be a continued affliction to me therefore I will not have my child have that name so the text faith that Jacob called his name Benjamin and that was the son of my right hand now this is to shew us thus much that when afflictions befalls us we should not give way to have our thoughts continually upon them but rather upon those things that may stir up our thankfulnesse to God for mercies It is the similitude of Basil a learned man saith he It is in this case as men and women that have fore eyes now it is not fit for those to be alwaies looking upon the fire or upon the beames of the Sun no saith he one that hath fore eyes must get things that are sutable to him and such objects as are fit for one that hath such weak eyes therefore they will get green colours as that being a more easie colour and better for weak eyes and they will hang green sarsnet before their eyes because it is more sutable to them So weak spirits it 's the very same a man or woman that hath a weak spirit they must not be looking upon the fire of their afflictions upon those things that deject that cast them down but they are to be looking rather upon that that may be sutable for the healing and helping of them they should be considering of those things rather then the other It will be of very great use and benefit to you if you do lay it to hearâ— not to be poâ—ing alwaies upon afflictions but upon mercies The Tenth Direction I beseech you observe this though you should forget many others Make a good interpretation of Gods waies towards you if there can be any good interpretation made of Gods waies towards you make it Ye think it much if you have a friend that should alwaies make bad interpretations of your waies towards him you would take that ill If you should converse with people that you cannot speak a word in their hearing but they are ready to make an il interpretation of it and take it in an ill sense you would think their company to be very tedious to you it is very tedious to the Spirit of God when we make such ill interpretations of his waies towards us If God deals with us otherwise then we would have him if there can be any sence worse then other made of it we will be sure to make it as thus when an affliction doth befall you there may be many good senses made of Gods works towards you you should think thus it may be God intends only to try me by this it may be God saw my heart to much set upon the Creature and so intends to shew me what there is in my heart it may be that God saw that if my estate did continue I should fall into sinne that the better my estate were the worse my soul would be it may be God intended only to exercise some grace it may be God intends to prepare me for some great work which he hath for me thus you should reason But we on the contrary make bad interpretations of Gods thus dealing with us and say God doth not mean this surely the Lord means by this to manifest his wrath and displeasure against me and this is but a furtherance of further evils that he intends towards me Just as they did in the wildernesse God hath brought us hither to slay us This is the worst interpretation that possibly you can make of Gods waies Oh why will you make these worst interpretations when there may be better In 1 Cor. 13. 5. when the Scripture speaks of love saith the text Love thinketh no evill Love is of that nature that if there may be ten interpretations made of a thing if nine of them be naught and one good Love will take that which is good and leave the other nine and so though there might be ten interpretations presented to thee concerning Gods waies towards thee and if but one be good and nine naught thou shouldest take that one that is good and leave the other nine I beseech you consider God doth not deale by you as you deal with him should God make the worst interpretation of all your waies towards him as you do of his towards you it would be very ill with you God is pleased to manifest his love thus to us to make the best interpretations of what we do and therefore it is that God doth put a sense upon the actions of his people that one would think could hardly be as thus God is pleased to cal those perfect that have but any uprightnesse of heart in them he accounteth them perfect Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect uprightnesse in Gods sense is perfection Now alas when we look into our own hearts we can scarce see any good at all there and yet God is pleased to make such an interpretation as to