the duty But godliness with contentment is great gain vers 6. there is the glory and excellency of it as if godlinesse were not gain except there were contentment withall The like exhortation you have in Heb. 13. 5. Let your conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as you have I do not find any Apostle or Writer of Scripture treat so much of this spiritual mystery of Contentment as this our Apostle hath done throughout his Epistles For the cleer opening and proving of this practical conclusion I shall indevour to demonstrate these four things First The nature of this Christian contentment what it is Secondly The art and mystery of it Thirdly What those lessons are that must be learn'd to work the heart to contentment Fourthly Wherein the glorious excellencies of this grace doth principally consist Concerning the first take this description Christian Contentment is that sweet inward quiet gracious frame of spirit freely submitting to and taking complacency in Gods wise and fatherly dispose in every condition I shall break open this discription for it is a box of precious oâ—ntment very comfortable and useful for troubled hearts in troubled times and conditions First Contentment I say is a sweet inward heart-thing it is a work of the spirit within doors It is not only a not-seeking help to our selves by outward violence or a forbearance of discontented murmurring expressions in froward words and carriages against God or others but it is the inward submission of the heart Psal 62. 1. Truly my soul waiteth upon God and ver 5. My soul wait thou only upon God so it is in your â—ooks but the words may be translated as rightly My soul be thou silent unto God Hold thy peace O my soul Not only the tongue must hold its peace but the soul must be silent Many may sit down silently forbearing discontented expressions yet are inwardly swollen with discontentment now this manifesteth a perplexed distemper and a great frowardnesse in their hearts And God notwithstanding their outward silence hears the peevish fretting language of their souls The shoe may be smooth and neat without whilst the flesh is pinched within There may be much calmnesse and stilnesse outwardly and yet wonderful confusion bitternesse disturbance and vexation within Some are so weak that they are not able to contain the disquietnesse of their own spirits but in words and behaviour discover what woful perturbations there are within their spirits being like the raging Sea casting forth nothing but mire and dirt being not only troublesome to themselves but to all those they live with Others there are who are able to keep in such distempers of heart as Judas did when he betrayed Christ with a kisse but still they boyl inwardly and eate like a Canker As David speaks concerning some whose words are smoother then honey and butter and yet have war in their hearts and as he saith in another place whilst I kept silence my bones waxed old so these whilst there is a serene calme upon their tongues have yet blustring storms in their spirits and whilst they keep silence their hearts are troubled and even worn away with anguish and vexation they have peace and quiet outwardly but war from the unruly and turbulent workings of their hearts that is within If the attainment to true contentment were as easy as keeping quiet outwardly there need be no great learning of it it might be had with lesse skill and strength than an Apostle had yea than an ordinary christian hath or may have Therefore certainly there is a great deal more in it than can be attained by common gifts and ordinary power of reason which often bridles in nature It is a heart businesse Secondly It is the quiet of the heart All is sedate and still there and to understand this the better This quiet gracious frame of spirit it is not opposed 1 To a due sense of affiiction God doth give leave to his people to be sensible of what they suâ—â—er Christ doth not say Do not count that a crosse which is a crosse but take up your crosse daily As it is in the body natural if the body takes physick and is not able to bear it but presently vomits it up or if it be not at all sensible if it stir not the body either of these waies the physick doth no good but argues the body much distempered and will hardly be cured So it is with the spirits of men under afflictions if either they cannot bear Gods potions but cast them up again or are not sensible of them and their souls are no more stirr'd by them then the body is by a draught of smal beer it is a sad symptome that their souls are in a dangerous and almost incurable condition So that this inward quietnesse is not in opposition to the sense of affliction for indeed there were no true contentment if you were not apprehensive and sensible of your afâ—lictions when God is angry It is not opposed 2 To an orderly making our moan and complaint to God and to our friends Though a Christan ought to be quiet under Gods correcting hand yet he may without any breach of Christian contentment complain to God as one of the Ancients saith though not with a tumultuous clamour and skreeking out in a perplexed passion yet in a quiet still submissive way he may unbosome his heart unto God And likewise communicate his sad condition to his gracious friends shewing them how God hath dealt with him and how heavy the affliction is upon him that they may speak a word in due season to his wearied soul It is not opposed 3 To all lawful seeking out for help in another condition or simply endeavouring to be delivered out of the present affliction by the use of lawful means No I may lay in provision for my deliverance and use Gods means waiting on him because I know not but that it may be his will to alter my condition and so far as he leads me I may follow his providence it is but my duty God is thus far mercifully indulgent to our weaknesse and he will not take it ill at our hands if by earnest and importunat prayer we seek unto him for deliverance till we know his good pleasure therein And certainly thus seeking for help with such a submission and holy resignation of spirit to be delivered when God will and as God will and how God will so that our wils are melted into the will of God this is no opposition to the quietnesse which God requires in a contented spirit Quest But then what is this quietnesse of spirit opposed unto Ans To murmuring and repining at the hand of God as the discontented Israelits often did which if we our selves cannot indure either in our children or servants much lesse can God bear it in us 2 To vexing and fâ—etting which is a degree beyond murmuring It is a speech I remember of an heathen a
how come they warm they came not nigh the fire No but it came from the natural heat of his body Now a sickly man that hath his naturall heat decayed if he put on his cloathes cold they will not be hot in a long time but he must have them warmed by the fire and then they will quickly be cold again So this will difference the Contentments of men There are some men now that are very gracious and when an affliction comes upon them indeed at first it seems to be a little cold but after it hath been on a while the very temper of their hearts being gracious it makes their afflictions easie and makes them to be quiet under it and not to complain of any discontentment But now you shall have others that have an affliction upon them that have not this good temper in their hearts their afflictions are very cold upon them and greivous and it may be if you bring them some externall arguments somwhat from without as the fire that warmes the cloathes perhaps they will be quiet for a while but alas wanting a gracious disposition within in their own hearts that warmth will not hold long The warmth of the fire that is a Contentment that comes meerly from externall arguments will not hold long but that holds that doth come from the gracious temper of the Spirit It is from the frame and the disposition of the spirit of a man or woman there 's the true Contentment But this we shall speak too further in the opening of the Mystery of Contentment The Third thing is this It is the frame of Spirit that shewes the habitualnesse of this grace of Contentment Contentment is not meerly one act a flash in a good moode you shall have many men and women that take them in some good moode and they will be very quiet but this will not hold this is not in a constant way there is not a constant tenour of their spirits to be holy and gracious under affliction But I say It is the quiet frame of spirit by that I mean The habitual disposition of their Soules that it is not only at this time and the other time when you take men and women in a good moode but it is the constant tenour and temper of the heart that is a Christian that hath learned this lesson of Contentment that in the constant tenour and temper of heart is contented and can carry its self quietly in a constant way or else it is worth nothing for there is no body that is so furious in their discontent but will be quiet in some good moode or other Now First it is a heart-businesse Secondly it is the heart-quiet and then Thirdly it is the frame of the heart But Fourthly It is the gracious frame of the heart Indeed in Contentment there is a composition of all graces if the Contentment be Spirituall if it be truly Christian there is I say a composition of all Spiritual graces As it is in some Oyls there is a composition of a great many very precious Ingredients so in this grace of Contentment which we shall yet further speak of in the opening of the Excellency of it But now the gracious frame of Spirit is in opposition to Three things 1 First In opposition to the naturall stillnesse that there is in many men and women There is some of such a natural constitution that makes them to be more still and more quiet then others others are of a violent and hot constitutionâ— and they are more impatient then others 2 Secondly In opposition to a sturdy resolution As some men through the strength of some sturdy resolution they have not seemed to be troubled let come what will come and so it may be that through a sturdy resolution at some times they are not so much disquieted as others are Thirdly In way of disâ—incâ—ion from the very strength of reason though not sancâ—ified the strength of naturall reason may quiet the heart in some measure But now I say A gracious frame of spirit is not a meer stilnesse of body through a naturall constitution and temper nor sturdinesse of resolution nor meerly through the strength of reason You will say wherein is this graciousnesse of contentment distinguisht from all these More of this will be spoken to when we shew the mystery of it and the lessons that are learned but now we may speak a little by way of distinction here as now from the natural stilnesse of mens spirits many men and women have such a natural stilnesse of spirit and constitution of body that you shall find them seldome disquieted But now mark these kind of people that are so they likewise are very dull of a dull spirit in any good thing they have no quicknesse nor livelinesse of spirit in that which is good but now mark where contentment of heart is gracious the heart is very quick and lively in the service of God yea the more any gracious heart can bring its self to be in a contented disposition â—h the more fit is it for any service of God and is very active and lively in Gods service not dull in the service of God And as a Contented heart is very active and stirring in the work of God so hee is very active and stirring in sanctifying Gods name in the affliction that doth befall him The difference will appear very cleer thus One that is of a still disposition he is not disquieted indeed as others neither hath he any activenesse of spirit in sanctifying the name of God in the affliction but now one that is content in a gracious way as he is not disquieted but keeps his heart quiet in respect to vexing and trouble so on the other sâ—de he is not dull nor heavy but is very active to sanctifie Gods name in the affliction that is upon him for it is not enough meerly not to murmur not to be discontented and troubled but you must be active in the sanctifying Gods name in the affliction And indeed this will distinguish it from the other from a sturdy resolution I will not be troubled but though you have a sturdy resolution that you will not be troubled is there a conscionablenesse in you to sanctifie Gods name in your affliction and doth it come from thence That is the main thing that brings the quiet of heart and helps against discontentednesse in a gracious heart I say the desire and care that thy soul hath to sanctifie Gods name in an affliction it is that that quiets the soul which doth not in the other Neither when it is meerly from reason As Socrates it is said of him though he were but a heathen that what ever befel him he would never so much as chang his countenance and he got this power over his spirit meerly by strength of reason and morallity but now this gracious contentment comes from principles beyond the strength of reason I cannot open that from
of this for a man to be given up to his hearts desires now when the Soul comes to understand this the Soul then cryes out why am I so troubled that I have not my desires There is nothing that God conveys his wrath more through then a prosperous estate I remember I have read of a Jewish Tradition that they say of Vzziah when God struck Vzziah with a Leprosie they say that the beams of the Sun was darted upon the fore-head of Vzziah and he was struck with a Leprosie by the darting of the beams of the Sun upon his fore head the Scripture saith Indeed the Priests looked upon him but they say there was a speciall light and beam of the Sun upon the fore-head that did discover the Leprosie to the Priests and they say it was the way of conveying of it Whether that were true or no I am sure this is true that the strong beams of the Sun of prosperity upon many men makes them to be leprous would any poor man in the countrey have been discontented that he was not in Vzziahs condition he was a great King I but there was the Leprosie in his fore-head the poor man may say though I live meanly in the countrey yet I thank God my body is whole and sound would not any man rather have russet and skins of beasts to cloath him with then to have sattin and velvet that should have the Plague in it The Lord conveys the plague of his curse through prosperity as much as through any thing in the world and therefore the soul coming to understand this this makes it to be quiet and content And then spirituall judgements are the greatest judgements of all the Lord lays such an affliction upon my outward estate but what if he had taken away my life a mans health is a greater mercy then his estate and you that are poor people you should consider of that but is the health of a mans body better then his estate what is the health of a mans soul that 's a great deal better the Lord hath inflicted externall judgements but he hath not inflicted spirituall judgements upon thee he hath not given thee up to hardnesse of heart and taken away the spirit of prayer from thee in thine afflicted estate oh then be of good comfort though there be outward afflictions upon thee yet thy soul thy more excellent part is not afflicted Now when the soul comes to understand this that here lyes the sore wrath of God to be given-up to a mans desires and for spirituall judgements to be upon a man this quiets him and contents him though outward afflictions be upon him perhaps one of a mans children hath the fit of an ague or the tooth ake but perhaps his next neighbour hath the plague or all his Children are dead of the Plague now shall he be so discontented because his Children hath the tooth-ach when his neighbours children are dead now think thus Lord thou hast laid an afflicted conditioÌ„ upon me but Lord thou hast not given me the Plague of a hard heart Now take these eight things before mentioned and lay them together and you may well apply that Scripture in the 29. of Jsay the last verse saith the text there They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding and they that murmured shall learn doctrine Hath there bin any of you as I fear many may be found that have erred in spirit even in regard of this truth that now we are preaching of and many that have murmured Oh that this day you might come to understand that Christ would bring you into his School and teach you understanding And they that murmured shall learn doctrine what doctrine shall they learn These Eight doctrines that I have opened to you And if you will but throughly study these lessons that I have set before your eyes It will be a speciall help and means to cure your murmurings against and repinings at the hand of God And so you will come to learn Christian Contentment The Lord teach you throughly by his Spirit these lessons of Contentment SERMON VI. PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I Shall only adde one lesson more in the learning of Contentment then I shall come to the Aug. 31. 1645. fourth head The excellency of Contentment The Ninth and last lesson that Christ teaches those that he doth instruct in this Art of Contentment It is the right knowledge of Gods providence and therein are these Four things 1 The universality of providence that the Soul must be throughly instructed in to come to this Art to understand the universality of providence that is how the providence of God goes through the whole world extends it's self to every thing Not only that God by his providence doth rule the world and govern all things in generall but that it reaches to every particular not only to Kingdoms to order the great affairs of Kingdoms but it reaches to every mans family â—â—â—eaches to every person in the family it reaches to every condition yea to every passage to every thing that falls out concerning thee in every particular not one hair falleth from thy head not a Sparrow to the ground without the providence of God There 's nothing befalls thee good or evill but there is a providence of the infinite eternall first Being in that thing and therein indeed is Gods infinitenesse that it reaches to the least things to the least worm that is under thy feet Then much more it reaches unto thee that art a rationall creature the providence of God is more speciall towards rationall creatures then any others The understanding in a spirituall way the universality of providence in every particular passage from morning to night every day that there 's not any thing that doth befall thee but there 's a hand of God in it it is from God it is a mighty furtherance to Contentment Every man will grant the truth of the thing that it is so but as the Apostle saith in Heb. 11. 3. By faith we understand that the worlds were made by faith we understand it why by faith we can understand by reason that no finit thing can be from it selfe And therefore that the world could not be of it's self but we can understand it by faith in another manner then by reason So whatsoever we understand of God in way of providence yet when Christ doth take us into his School wee come to understand it by faith in a better manner then wee doe by reason 2 The efficacie that there is in providence that is that the providence of God goes on in all things with strength and power and it is not to be altered by our power let us be discontented and vext and troubled and fret and rage yet we must not thinke to alter the course of providence by our discontent Some of Jobs friends said to him
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
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
to know our hearts well that when they are out of tune we may know what the matter is 2 This knowledge of our hearts will help us to Contentment because by this we shall come to know what is most sutable to our condition As thus a man that knows not his own heart he thinks not what need he hath of affliction and upon that he is disquieted but that man or woman that hath studied their own hearts when God comes with afflictions upon them they can say I would not for any thing in the world have been without this affliction God hath so suted this affliction to my condition and hath come in such a way that if this affliction had not come I am affraid I should have fallen into sinne a poor country man that takes phisick the phisick works he thinks it will kill him because he knows not the ill humours that are in his body and therefore he understands not how sutable the physick is to him but a Physician takes a purge and it makts him extreamly sick saith the Physician I like this the better it doth but work upon the humour that I know is the matter of my disease and upon that such a man that hath knowledge and understanding in his body and the cause of his distemper he is not troubled or disquieted So would we be if we did but know the distempers of our own hearts carnall men and women they know not their own spirits and therefore they fling and vex upon every affliction that doth befall them they know not what distempers are in their hearts that may be healed by their afflictions if it please God to give them a sanctified use of them 3. By knowing their own hearts they know what they are able to manage and by this means they come to be Content the Lord perhaps takes away many comforts from them that they had before or denies them some things that they hoped to have got now they by knowing their hearts know this that they were not able to manage such an estate and they were not able to manage such prosperity God saw it and saith a poor soul Iam in some measure convinced by looking into mine own heart that I was not able to manage such a condition A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps then he is able to manage and so undoes himselfe as countrey men doe observe that if they doe over-stock their Land it will quickly spoyl them and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others why because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock and that quiets him so many men and women that know not their own hearts they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have but if they knew their own hearts they would know that they were not able to manage it if one of your little children of three or four years old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or twenty years old and say why may not I have a coat as long as my sisters If she had it would soon trip up her heels and break her face but when the Child comes to understanding she is not discontented because her coat is not so long as her sisters but saith my coat is fit for me and therein takes Content so if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry why have not I such an estate as others have the Lord seeth that I am not able to manage it and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart You shall have children if they see but a knife they will cry for it because they know not their strength and that they are not able to mannage it but you know they are not able to mannage it and therefore you will not give it them and when they come to so much understanding as to know that they are not able to mannage it they will not cry for it so we would not cry for such and such things if we knew that we were not able to mannage them when you vex and fret for what you have not I may say to you as Christ saith you know not of what spirits you are of It was a speech of Oecolampadius to Parillus saith he when they were speaking about his extream poverty Not so poor though I have been very poor yet I would be poorer I could be willing to be poorer then I am for the truth is as if he should say the Lord knew that that was more sutable to me and I knew that my own heart was such that a poor condition was more sutable to me then a rich so certainly would we say if we knew our own hearts that such and such a condition is better for me then if it had been otherwise The Seventh lesson Is the burden of a prosperous estate Such a one that comes into Christs School to be instructed in this Art never comes to attain to any great skill in this Art until he comes to understand the burden that is in a prosperous estate Object You will say what burden is there in a prosperous estate Answ Yes certainly a great burden and there needs a great strength to bear it as men had need of strong brains that can bear strong wine so they had need of stronge spirits that are able to bear prosperous conditions and not to do themselves hurt there 's a fourfould burden in a prosperous estate Many men and women look at the shine and glittering of prosperity but they little think of the burden but there 's a fourfould burden 1. There 's A burden of trouble a rose hath it's prickles and so the Scripture saith that he that will be rich pierceth himself through with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 10. If a mans heart be set upon it that he must be rich and he will be rich such a man will pierce himself through with many sorrows he looks upon the delight and glory of riches that appears outwardly but he considers not what pierceing sorrows he may meet withall in them The consideration of the trouble in a prosperous condition I have divers times thought of and I cannot tell by what similitude to expresse it better then by travelling in some champian country where round about is very fair and sandy ground and you see there a town a great way of in a bottom and you think Oh how bravely is that town seated but when you come and ride into the town you shall ride through a durty lane and through a company of fearful durty holes and you could not see the durty lane and holes when you were two or three mile off so sometimes we look upon the prosperity of men and think such a man lives bravly and comfortably but if we did but know what troubles he meets withall in his family in his estate
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
way to set upon any duty with profit till the heart be humbled for the want of the performance of the duty before many men when they hear of a duty that they should perform they will labour to perform it but first thou must be humbled for the want of it therefore that 's the thing that I shall endeavour in the Application to get your hearts to be humbled for the want of this grace Oh had I had this grace of Contentment what a happy life I might have lived what abundance of honour I might have brought to the name of God â—i and how might I have honoured my profession and what a deale of comfort might I have enjoyed but the Lord know it hath been â—â—â— otherwise oh how â—ar have I been from this grace of Contentment that hath been opened to me I have had a murmuring a veâ—ing and a fretting heart within me everie little crosse hath put me out oâ— temper and out of frame Oh the boisterousnesse of my spirit what a deal of evill doth God see in my heart in the vexing and fretting of my heart and murmuring and â—â—pining of my spirit Oh that God would make you to see it Now to the end that you might be humbled for the want of this I shall endeavour in these particulars to speak unto it First I shall set before you The evill of a murmuring spirit there is more evill then you are aware of In the Second place I will shew you some agravations of this evil It s evill in all but in some more then in others Thirdly I shall labour to take away the pleas that any murmuring discontented heart hath for this disâ—â—mper of his There 's these three things in this use of humiliation of the Soul for the want of this grace of Contentmetâ— For the first now at this time The great evill that there is in a murmuring discontented heart In the first place This thy murmuring and discontentednesâ—â— it argues much corruption that is in the Soul as Contentment argues much grace and strong grace and beautifull grace so this argues much corruption and strong corruption and very vile corruptions in thy heart As it is in a mans body iâ— a mans body be of that temper that every scratch of a pin makeâ— his flesh to ranckle and to be a sore you will say surely this mans body is very corrupt his blood his flesh is corrupt that every scratch of a pin shall make it rankle so it is in thy spirit iâ— every little trouble affliction shall make thee discontentâ—â— and make thee murmur and even cause thy spirit within thee â—o ranckle or as it is in a wound in a mans body the evill of a wound it is not so much in the largenesse of â—he wound the abundance of blood that comes out of the wound but in the inflamation that there is in it or in a fretting and coâ—â—oding humour that is in the wound aâ— unskilful mâ—n when he comes sees a large wound in the flesh looks upon it as a dangerous wound and when he sees a great deal of blood gâ—sh out he thinks these are the evils of it but when a Chirâ—rgion comes and sees a great gash saith he this will be heald within a few-daies but there 's a lesse wound and there 's an inflamation or a freting humour that is in it and this will cost time saith he to cure so that he doth not lay balsome and healing salves upon it but his great care is to get out the freting humour or inflamation so that the thing that must heale this wound it is some drink to purge But saith the patient what good will this doe to my wound You give me somewhat to drinke and my wound is in my arme or in my leg what good will this doe that I put in my stomack Yes iâ— purges out the freting humour or takes away the inflamation and till that be taken away the salves can do no good So it is just for all the world in the souls of mâ—n it may be there is some affliction upon them that I compare to the wound now they think that the greatnesse of the affliction is that that makes their condition most miserable Oh no there is a freting humour an inflamation in the heart a murmuring spirit that is within thee and that is the miserie of thy condition and that must be purged out of thee before thou canst be heald and let God doe with thee what â—e will till he purges out that freting humour thy wound will not be healed a murmuring heart is a very sinful heart so that when thou art troubled for such an affliction thou hadst need turne thy thoughts rather to be troubled for the murmuring of thy heart for that 's the greatest trouble there is an affliction upon thee and that is greivous but there is a murmuring heart within that 's more greivous Oh that we could but convince men women that a murmuring spirit is a greater evill then any affliction let the affliction be what iâ— will be We shall shew more afterward that a murmuring spirit is the evill of the evill and the misery of the misery Secondly The evill of murmuring is sâ—câ— that God when he would speak of wicked men and discribe them and shew the brand of a wicked and ungodly man or woman he instances in this sin in a more spâ—câ—all manner I might name many Scriptures but that Scripture in Jude is a most remarkable one In the 14 verse and so forward there iâ— is said That the Lord comes with ten thousands of hiâ— Saints to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commitâ—ed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Mark here in this 15. vers there is four times mentioned ungodly ones all that are ungodly among them all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commited and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him This is in the general but now he comes in the particular to shew who these are these are saith he murmurers that 's the very first would you know who are ungodly men that God when he comes with ten thousand of Angels shall come to punish for all their ungodly deeds that they doe and those that speake ungodly things against them These ungodly ones are murmurers murmurers in the Scripture are put in the fore front of ungodly ones it 's a most dreadfull Scripure that the Lord when he speaks of ungodly ones puts murmurers in the very fore-front of all you had need look to your spirits you may see that this murmuring which is the vice contrarie to this Contentment is not so small a matter as you think you think you are not so ungodly as others because you doe not sweare and drink as others doe but you
and this is the work of God in the Soul to disingage the heart from the Creature and how contrary is a murmuring heart to such a thing a thing that is glued to another you cannot take off but you must rend it so it 's a sign thy heart is glued to the world that when God would take thee off thy heart rends if God by an affliction should come to take any thing in the world from thee if thou canst part from it with ease without rending it 's a sign then that thy heart is not glewed to the world 4. A fourth work of God in the converting of a sinner is this the casting of the soul upon Jesus Christ for all its good I see Jesus Christ in the Gospel the Fountain of all good and God out of free Grace tendering him to me for life and for salvation and now my soul casts its selfe rouls its selfe upon the infinit Grace of God in Christ for all good now hast thou done so hath God converted thee and drawn thee to his Son to cast thy soul upon him for all thy good and yet thou discontented for the want of some little matter in a creature comfort art thou he that hath cast thy Soul upon Jesus Christ for all good as he saith in another case is this thy faith 5. The Soul is subdued to God And then it comes to receive Jesus Christ as a King to rule to order and dispose of him how he pleases and so the heart is subdued unto God Now how opposite is a murmuring discontented heart to a heart subdued to Jesus Christ as a King and receiving him as a Lord to rule and dispose of him as he pleases 6. There is in the work of thy turning to God the giving up of thy selfe to God in an everlasting Covenant as thou takest Christ the head of the Covenant to be thine so thou givest up thy selfe to Christ In the work of Conversion there is the resignation of the Soul wholly to God in an everlasting Covenant to be his hast thou ever surrendred up thy selfe to God in an overlasting Covenant then certainly this thy fretting murmuring heart is mighty opposite to it certainly thou forgettest this Covenant of thine and the Resignation of thy selfe up to God it would be of marvellous helpe to you to humble your Souls when you are in a murmuring condition if you could but obtain so much liberty of your own spirits as to look back to see what the work of God was in converting you there is nothing would prevaile more then to think of that I am now in a murmuring discontented way but how did I feel my soul working when God did turn my Soul to himselfe oh how opposite is this to that work and how unseeming oh what shame and confusion would come upon the spirits of men and women if they could but compare the work of corruption in their murmuring and discontent with the work of God that was upon their Souls in conversion now we should labour to keep the work of God upon our Souls that was at our Conversion for Conversion must not be only at one instant at first men are deceived in this if they think their Conversion is finished meerly at first thou must be in a way of conversion to God all the dayes of thy life and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples except ye be converted and become as little children Ye be Converted why were they not converved before yes they were converted but they were still to continue the work of Conversion all the dayes of their lives and what work of God there is at the first Conversion it is to abide afterwards As thus alwayes there must abide some sight and sense of sin it may be not in the way which you had which was rather a preparation then any thing else but the sight and sence of sin it is to continue still that is you are still to be senceable of the burden of sin as it is against the Holinesse and Goodnesse and mercy of God unto thee and the sight of the excellency of Jesus Christ is to continue and thy calling out of the Creature and thy casting of thy Soul upon Christ and thy receiving Christ as a King still receive him day by day and the subduing of thy heart and the surrendring of thy selfe up to God in a way of Covenant now if this were but daily continued there would be no space nor time for murmuring to work upon thy heart that 's the fourth Particular The fift thing in the evill of discontentment Murmuring and discontentment is exceedingly below a Christian Oh it is too mean and base a distemper for a Christian to give place to it Now it 's below a Christian in many respects 1 How below the relation of a Christian The relation in which thousandest With what relation you will say First the relation thou standest in to God doest not thou call God thy father and doest not thou stand in relation to him as a childe what thou murmure In 2 Sam. 13. 4. It s a speech of Jonadab to Amnâ—n Why art thou being the Kings Son â—ean from day to day wilt thou not tell me and so he could him but that was for a wicked cause he perceived that his spirit was troubled for otherwise he was of a fat and plump temper of body but because of trouble of spirit he was even pin'd away why what 's the matter thou that standest in this relation to the King and yet any thing should trouble thy heart that 's his meaning is there any thing that should disquiet thy heart and yet standest in such a relation to the King the Kings Son So I may say to a Christian art thou the Kings Son the Son the Daughter of the King of Heaven and yet so disquieted and troubled and vext at every little thing that falls out as if a Kings Son should cry out he is undone for loosing a bable what an unworthy thing were this So doest thou thou criest out as if thou wert undone and yet a Kings Son thou that standest in such relation to God as unto a father thou doest dishonour thy father in this as if so be either he had not wisdom or not power or not mercy enough to provide for thee 2 The relation that thou standest in to Jesus Christ thou art the spouse of Christ what one married to Jesus Christ yet troubled and discontented hast thou not enough in him doth not Christ say to his spouse as Elkanah said to Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 8. Am not I better to thee then ten sons So doth not Christ thy husband say to thee Am not I better to thee then thousands of riches and comforts such comforts as thou murmurest for want of hath not God given thee his Son and will he not with him give thee all things hath the love of God bin to thee to give thee his Son in way of
marriage why art thou discontented and murmuring consider thy relation to Jesus Christ as thou art a spouse and married to him his person is thine and so all the riches of Jesus Christ is thine as the riches of a husband are the wives and though there are some husbands so vile as the wives may be forced to sue for maintainance certainly Jesus Christ will never deny maintainance to his spouse it 's a dishonour for a husband to have the wife go whining up and down what thou art macht with Christ art his spouse and wilt thou murmure now and be discontented in thy spirit You shall observe among those that are newly matched when there is discontent between the wife and the husband their friends will shake their heads and say they do not meet with that that they did expect ye see ever since they were married together how the man looks and the woman looks they are not so chearly as they were wont to be surely say they it is like to prove an ill match But it 's not so here it shall not be so between thee and Christ Oh Jesus Christ doth not love to see his spouse to have a lowring countenance no man loves to see discontentment in the face of his wife surely Christ doth not love to see discontentment in the face of his spouse 3 Thou standest in relation to Christ not only as a spouse but as a member Thou art bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and to have a member of Jesus Christ to be in such a condition it 's exceeding unworthy 4 He is thy elder brother likewise and so thou art a co-heir with him 5. The relation that thou standest in to the Spirit of God thou art the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost is thy Comforter it is he that is appointed to conveigh all comfort from the Father and the Son to the Souls of his people And art thou the Temple of the Holy Ghost and doth he dwell in thee and yet for all that thou murmure for every little matter 6. The relation that thou standest in to the Angels thou art made one body with them for so Christ hath joyned principalities and powers with his Church they are Ministring Spirits for good of his people to supply what they need and thou and they are joyned together and Christ is the head of you and Angels 7. The relation that you stand in to the Saints you are of the same body with them they and you make up but one mysticall body with Jesus Christ and if they be happy you must needs be happy Oh how beneath a Christian is a murmuring Spirit if he considers his relations in which he stands Secondly A Christian should consider That murmuring and discontentednesse is below the high dignities that God hath put upon him Doe but consider the high dignytie that God hath put upon thee the meanest Christian in the world is a lord of heaven and earth he hath made us Kings unto himselfe Kings unto God not Kings unto men to rule over them and yet I say every Christian is lord of heaven and earth yea of life and death That is as Christ he is Lord of all so he hath made those that are his members to be lords of all all are yours saith the Apostle even life and death every thing is yours it 's a very strange expression that death should be theirs death is yours that is you are as it were lords over it you have that that shall make death to be your servant your slave even death it 's self your greatest enemies are turned to be your slaves faith makes a Christian to be as lord over all to be lifted up in excellency above all creatures that ever God made except the Angels yea and in some respect above them I say the poorest Christian that lives is raised to an estate above all the creatures in the world except Angels yea and above them in divers respects too and yet discontented that thou who wert as a firebrand of hell and might have been scorching and yelling and roâ—ing there to all eternity yet that God should raise thee to have a higher excellency in thee then there is in all the works of creation that ever he made except Angels and other Christians that are in thy condition yea and thou art nearer the Divine nature then the Angels because thy nature is joyned in an hypostaticall union to the Divine nature and in that respect thy nature is more honoured then the nature of the Angels And the death of Christ is thine he dyed for thee and not for the Angels and therefore thou art like to be raised above the Angels in divers respects yea thou that art in such an estate as this is thou that art set apart to the end that God might manifest to all eternity what the infinite power of a Deity is able to raise a creature too for that 's the condition of a Saint a beleever his condition is such as he is set apart to the end that God might manifest to all eternity what his infinite power is able to do to make the creature happy art thou in such a condition Oh how low and beneath this condition is a murmuring and discontented heart for want of some outward comforts here in this world How unseemly is it that thou shouldest be a slave to every cross that every affliction shal be able to say to thy soul bow down to us We accounted that a great slavery when men would say to our souls bow down As the cruel Prelats were wont do do in imposing things upon mens consciences they did in effect say let your consciences your souls bow down to us that we may tread upon them that is the greatest slavery in the world that one man should say to another let your consciences your souls bow down that we may tread upon them but wilt thou suffer every affliction to say bow down that we may tread upon thee truly it 's so when thy heart is overcome with murmuring and discontent Know that those afflictions which have caused thee to murmur have said to thee bow down that we may tread upon thee Nay not afflictions but the very Devill doth prevail against you in this Oh! how beneath is this to the happy estate that God hath raised a Christian unto what The Son of a King shal he have every base fellow to come and bid him bow down that he may tread upon his neck Thus doest thou in every affliction The affliction the crosse and trouble that doth befall thee saith bow down that we may come and tread upon thee Thirdly Murmuring it's below the Spirit of a Christian Below his Spirit the Spirit of every Christian should be like the Spirit of his Father every father loves to see his spirit in his child loves to see his image not his image of his body onely to say here 's a child for all the
world like the father but he hath the Spirit of his father too A father that is a man of Spirit loves to see his Spirit in his child rather then the feature of his body Oh the Lord that is our Father loves to see his Spirit in us Great men loves to see great Spirits in their children and the great God loves to see a great Spirit in his Children we are one Spirit with God and with Christ and one Spirit with the Holy-Ghost therefore we should have a Spirit that might manifest the glory of the Father Son Holy-Ghost in our Spirits that 's the Spirit of a Christian indeed The Spirit of a Christian should be a lyon like Spirit as Jesus Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah so he is calld so we should manifest somewhat of the Lyon-like Spirit of Jesus Christ he manifested his Lyon-like Spirit in passing through all afflictions and troubles whatsoever without any murmuring against God When he came to drink that bitter cup and even the dregs of it he prayed indeed to God that if it were possible it might passe from him but presently not my will but thy will be done As soone as ever he did mention the passing of the cup from him though it were the most dreadfull cup that ever was drunke since the world began yet at the mentioning of it not my will but thy will be done here Christ shewed a Lyon-like Spirit in going through al kind of afflictions whatsoever without any murmuring against God in them now a murmuring Spirit is a base dejected Spirit crosse and contrary to the Spirit of a Christian and it 's very base I remember that the Heathens accouned it very base Plutarch doth report of a certaine people that did use to manifest their disdaine to men that were overmuch dejected by any affliction they did condemne them to this punishment to wear womens cloaths all their dayes or such a space of time at least they should go in womans cloths in token of shame and disgrace to them because they have such effeminate spirits they thought it against a manlike Spirit and therefore seeing they did un-man themselves they should go as women now shall they account it an unmanlike Spirit to be overmuch dejected in afflictions and shall not a Christian account it an unchristian like Spirit to be overmuch dejected by any affliction whatsoever I remember another compares murmuring Spirits to children when they are weaning what a deal of stir have you with your children when you wean them how froward and vexing are they So when God would wean thee from some outward comforts in this world Oh how fretting and discontented art thou Children will not sleep themselves nor let their mothers sleep when they are weaning and so when God would wean us from the world and we fret vex and murmure this is a childish spirit Fourthly It 's below the profession of a Christian The profession of a Christian what 's that A Christians profession is to be dead to the world and and to be alive to God that 's his profession to have his life to be hid with Christ in God to satisfie himselfe in God what is this thy profession and yet if thou hast not every thing that thou wouldest have to murmure and be discontent thou doest in that even deny thy profession Fiftly It is below that special Grace of faith faith is that that doth overcome the world it is that that makes all the promises of God to be ours now when thou tookest upon thee the profession of Religion did God ever promise thee that thou shouldest live at ease and quiet and have no trouble I remember Austine hath such an expression what is this thy faith what did I ever promise thee saith he that thou shouldest ever flourish in the world art thou a Christian to that end and is this thy faith I never made any such promise to thee when thou tookest upon thee to be a Christian Oh it 's mighty contrary to thy profession thou hast never a promise for this that thou shouldest not have such an affliction upon thee And a Christian should live by his faith it is said that the just doth live by faith now thou shouldest not look after any other life but the life that thou hast by faith now thou hast no ground for thy faith to beleeve that thou shouldest be delivered out of such an affliction and then why shouldest thou account it such a great evill to be under such an affliction Certainly that good that we have in the ground for our faith it is enough to content our hearts here and to all eternity A Christian should be satisfied with that that God hath made to be the object of his faith the object of his faith is high enough to satisfie his soul were it capeable of a thousand times more then it is Now if thou mayest have the object of thy faith full thou hast enough to content thy soul And know that when thou art discontented for want of such and such comforts if thou wouldest but think thus God did never promise me that I should have these comforts and at this time and in such a way as I would have but I am discontented because I have not these which God did never yet promise me and therefore I sin much against the Gospel and against the grace of faith There is yet another thing It 's below the hopes of Christians Oh! the most glorious things that the Saints hope for And against the helps that Christians have Christians have great helps that may help them against murmuring And it is against that which God expects from Christians God he expects other manner of things from them then this Yea and it is below that that God hath from other Christians These things I shall open at another time SERMON VIII PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I Mentioned divers things the last day to set out Sept. 21. 1645. the evill of discontent I shall name two or three more Sixthly It is below a Christian in this because it 's below those helps that a Christian hath more then others have they have the promises to help them that others have not it 's not so much to have a Nabal have his heart sinke because he hath nothing but the creature to uphold him but it 's much for a Christian that hath promises and ordinances to uphold his spirit which others have not Seventhly It 's below the expectation that God hath of Christianâ— for God expects not only that they should be patient in afflictions but that they should rejoyce and triumph in them now Christians when God expects this from you for you not so much as to have attained to contentednesse under afflictions oh this is beneath the expectation of God from you Eightly It is below that that God hath had from other Christians others have
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
men do so wrong you you are rather to turne your hearts to pitty them then to murmur or be discontented For the truth is if you be wronged by other men you have the better of it for it is better to bear wrong then to do wrong a great deal if they wrong you your heart cannot submit you are in a better condition then they because it 's better to bear then do wrong I remember it is said of Socrates that being very patient when wrong was done to him they asked him how he came to be so saith he if I meet with a man in the street that is a diseased man shal I be vexed fretted with him because he is deseased those that wrong mee I look upon them as deseased men and therefore pitty them Thirdly Though you meet with hard dealings from men yet you meet with nothing but kind good and righteous dealings from God when you meet with unrighteous dealings from them set one against the other And that 's for the answer to the fourth Plea A Fifth Plea Oh but that affliction that comes upon me is an affliction that I never lookt for I never thought to have met with such an affliction and that is that I know not how to bear that is that which makes my heart so disquiet because it was altogether unlookt for and unexpected For the answer of this first it is thy weaknesse and folly that thou didest not look for it and expect it In Acts 20. 22 23. see what saint Paul saith concerning himselfe And now behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there save that the Holy-Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me It 's true saith he I know not the particular affliction that may befall me but this I know that the Spirit of God witnesseth that bonds and afflictions shall abide me every where I look for nothing else but bonds and afflictions wheresoever I go so a Christian should doe he should look for afflictions wheresoever he is in all conditions he should look to meet with afflictions and therefore if any affliction should befall him though indeed he could not for-see the parcicular evill yet he should think this is no more then I lookt for in the generall Therefore no affliction should come unexpectedly to a Christian A second answer I would give is this is it unexpected then the lesse provision thou madest for it before it came the more carefull shouldest thou be to sanctifie Gods name in it now it is come it is in this case of afflictions as in mercies many times mercy comes unexpected And that might be a third answer to you set one against the other I have many mercies that I never lookt for as well as afflictions that I never lookt for why should not one rejoyce me as much as the other disturbs me As it is in mercies when they come unexpected the lesse preparation there was in me for receiving mercy the more need I have to be careful now to give God the glory of the mercy to sanctifie Gods name in the injoyment of the mercy Oh so it should be with us now we have had mercies this summer that we never expected and therefore we were not prepared for them now we should be so much the more carefull to give God the glory of them so when afflictions come that we did not expect then it seems we layde not in for them before hand we had need be the more carefull to sanctifie Gods name in them we should have spent some pains before to prepare for afflictions and we did not then take so much the more pains to sanctifie God in this affliction now and that 's a sift reasoning The Sixth Plea Oh but it is very great mine affliction it is exceeding great saith one and how ever you say we must be be contented it 's true you may say so that feele not such great afflictions but if you felt my affliction that I feele you would think it hard to bear and be content To that I answer let it be as great an affliction as it will it is not so great as thy sin He hath punished thee lesse then thy sins Secondly It might have bin a great deal more thou mightest have been in Hell And it is as I remember Bernards speech saith he It is an easier matter to be opprest then perish Thou might'st have been in Hell and therefore the greatnesse of the thing should not make thee murmur grant it be great Thirdly It may be it 's the greater because thy heart doth so murmur for shackles upon a mans legs if his legs be sore it will pain him the more if the shoulder be sore the burden is the greater it is because thy heart is so unsound that thy affliction is great unto thee And that 's a sixth reasoning A Seventh Plea But howsoever you may lessen my affliction yet I am sure it is far greater then the affliction of others First It may be it is thy discontent that makes it greater when indeed it is not so in it's self Secondly If it were greater then others why is thy eye evill because the eye of God is good Why shouldest thou be discontented the more because God is gracious to others Thirdly Is thy affliction greater then others Then in this thou hast an opportunity to honour God more then others so thou shouldest consider doth God afflict me more then other men God gives me an opportunity in this to honour him in this affliction more then other men To exercise more grace then other men let me labour to do it then Fourthly if all afflictions were layd upon a heap together It is a notable expression of Solon that wise Heathen saith he suppose all the afflictions that are in the world were layd upon a heap and every man should come and take a proportion of those afflictions every one equally there is scarce any man but would rather say let me have the afflictions that I had before or else he were like to come to a greater share a greater affliction if so be he should equally share with all the world Now for you that are poor that are not in extremity of poverty if all the riches in the world were layd together and you should have an equal share you would be poorer but take all afflictions and sorrows whatsoever if all the sorrows in the world were layd together in a heap and you had but an equal share of them your portion would be rather more then it is now for the present And therefore doe not complain that it is more then others so as to murmur because of that An Eighth Plea Another reasoning that mumurring hearts have is this why they think that if the affliction were any other then it is then they would be more contented First You must know that we are not to choose our own rod
may be ungodly in murmuring it 's true there is no sin but som seedes and remayners of it are in those that are godly but when they are under the power of this sin of murmuring it doth convince them to be ungodly as well as if they were under the power of drunkennesse or whordome or any other sin God will look upon you as ungodly for this sin as well as for any sin whatsoever This one Scripture should make the heart shake at the thought of the sin of murmuring Thirdly as it 's made a brand of ungodly men so you shal find in Scripture that God accounts it rebellion that is contrary to the worship that there was in contentednesse that 's worshiping of God crowching to God and falling down before him even as a dog that would crowch when you hould a staffe over him but a murmuring heart it 's a rebellious heart and that you shall find if you compare two Scriptures together they are both in the book of Numb 16. 41. But on the morrow saith the text all the congregation of the Children of Israell murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying ye have killed the people of the Lord. They all murmured now compare this with the Chap. 17. vers 10. And the Lord said unto Moses bring Aarons rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the Rebels in the 16. Chap. they murmured against Moses and Aaron and in the 17. Chap. bring the rod of Aaron again before the testimony for a token against the Rebels So that to be a murmurer and to be a rebel you see in Scripture phrase is all one It is a rebellion against God as it is the begining of rebellion and sedition in a kingdom when the people are discontent and when discontentment comes it grows to murmuring and you can go into no house almost but there is murmuring when men are discontent so that within a little while it breaks forth into sedition or rebellion Murmuring it's but as the smoke of the fire there is first a smoke and smother before the flame breaks forth and so before open rebellion in a kingdom there is first a smook of murmuring and then it breaks forth into open rebellion but because it hath rebellion in the seeds of it therefore it is accounted before the Lord to be rebellion Wilt thou be a Rebel against God When thou feelest thy heart discontented and murmuring aginst the dispensations of â—od towards thee thou shouldest check thy heart thus Oh thou wretched heart what wilt thou be a Rebell against God wilt thou rise in a way of Rebellion against the infinite God yet thus thou hast done charge thy heart with this sin of rebellion you that are guiltie of this sin of murmuring you are this day by the Lord charged as being guilty of rebellion against him and God expects that when you go home you should humble your souls before him for this sin that you should charge your souls for being guilty of rebellion against God many of you may say I never thought that I had bin a rebel against God before I thought that I had many infirmityes but now I see the Scripture speaks of sin in another manner then men doe the Scripture makes men though but murmurers to be Rebels against God Oh this rebellious heart that I have against the Lord that hath manifested it's selfe in this way of murmuring against the Lord That 's a third particular in the evill of discontentment A fourth particular in the evill of Discontentment it is a wickednesse that is exceeding contrary to Grace and especially contrary to the worke of God in bringing of the soul home to himselfe I know no distemper more opposite and contrary to the work of God in conversion of a sinner then this is Quest What 's the work of God when he brings a sinner home to himselfe Answ The usuall way is for God to make the â—oul to â—ee and be sensible of the dreadfull evill that there is in sin and the great breath that sin hath made between God and it for certainly Jesus Christ can never be known in his beauty and excellency till the soul know that I doe not speak what secret work of the Holy Ghost there may be in the Soul but before the Soul can actually apply Jesus Christ to its selfe it is impossible but it must come to know the evill of sinne and the excellency of Jesus Christ there may be a seed of faith put into the Soul but the Soul must first know Christ and know sin and be made sensible of it Now how contrary is this sin of murmuring to any such work of God hath God made me see the dreadfull evill of sin and made my soul to be sensible of the evill of sin as the greatest burden how can I be then so much troubled for every little affliction certainly iâ— I saw what the evill of sinne were that sight would swallow up all other evils and if I were burdened with the evill of sinne it would swallow up all other burdens what am I now murmuring against Gods hand saith such a Soul when as a while agoe the Lord made me see my selfe â—o be a damned wretch and apprehend it as a wonder that I was not in Hell 2. Yea it 's mighty contrary to the sight of the infinit excellency and glory of Jesus Christ and of the things of the Gospel What am I that soul that the Lord hath discovered such infinit excellency of Jesus Christ to and yet shall I thinke such a little affliction to be so grievous to me when I have had the sight of such glory in Christ that is more worth then ten thousand worlds for so will a true convert say oh the Lord at such a time hath given me that sight of Christ that I would not be without for ten thousand thousand worlds but hath God given thee that and wilt thou be discontent for a trifâ—e in comparison to that 3. A third work when God brings the Soul home to himself it is by the taking the heart off from the Creature the disingaging the heart from all creature comforts that 's the third work ordinarily that the Soul may perceive of its selfe It 's true Gods work may be altogether in the seeds in him but in the severall actings of the Soul in turning to God it may perceive these things in it the disingagement of the heatt from the Creature that 's the calling of the Soul from the world whom the Lord hath called he hath justified what 's the calling of the Soul but this the Soul that before was seeking for Contentment in the world and cleaving to the Creature now the Lord cals the Soul out of the world and saith oh Soul thy happinesse is not here thy rest is not here thy happinesse is else where and thy heart must be loosned from all these things that are here below in the world