complacency in Gods dispose ibid 8 In Gods dispose Page 19 9 In every condition Page 20 We must submit to God in every affliction 1 For the kind Page 22 2 For the time Page 23 3 For the variety 25 Contentment a Mysterie Page 26 1 A Christian is content yet unsatisfied Page 27 2 A Christian comes to Contentment by substraction Page 29 3 By adding another burden to that he hath Page 31 4 By changing the affliction into another Page 33 5 By doing the work of his condition Page 35 6 By melting his will into Gods will Page 37 7 By purging out that that is within 38 8 He lives by the dew of Gods blessing Page 40 1 He hath the love of God in that he hath Page 41 2 It is sanctified for his good ib 3 There is no after-reckoning for it Page 42 4 It is by the purchase of Christ 5 It is an earnest of glory he reafter Page 43 9 A Christian sees Gods love in affliction Page 44 10 His afflictions sanctified in Christ Page 45 11 He fetches strength from Christ Page 47 12 He makes up his wants in God Page 49 13 He fetcheth Contentment from the Covenant Page 53 Objection concerning the plague Answered Page 54 He supplieth wants by what he finds in himself Page 57 He fetches supply from the CoveCovenant Page 61 1 In General ibid 2 From particular premises Page 64 14 He reallizeth the things of Heaven Page 67 15 He letteth his heart out to God ibid Lessons whereby Christ teacheth Contentment 1 Self-denial Whereby a Christian knows Page 68 1 That he is nothing Page 69 2 That he deserves nothing ibid 3 That he can do nothing Page 70 4 That he can receive no good of himself ibid 5 If God withdraw himself he can mak use of nothing ibid 6 That he is worse than nothing Page 71 7 That there is no loss of him if he perish ibid 8 That he comes to rejoyce in Gods waier Page 72 2 Lesson To know the vanity of the Creature Page 73 3 Lesson To know that one thing wherefore Page 74 4 Lesson To know his relation in this world Page 76 5 Lesson Wherein the good of the Creature is Page 79 6 Lesson The knowledge of his own heart Page 82 Which helps to Contentment 1 By discovering wherein discontent lies ibid 2 By knowing what is sutable to our condition Page 83 3 By this we know what we are able to mannage Page 84 7 Lesson To know the burden of a prosperous estate Page 85 Which is four fold 1 The burden of trouble ibid 2 The burden of danger Page 86 3 The burden of duty Page 89 4 The burden of account ibid 8 Lesson A great evil to be given up to our own hearts desire Page 91 9 Lesson The right knowledge of of Gods providence Page 94 Wherein four things 1 The universality of it ibid 2 The efficacy of it Page 95 3 The variety of it ibid 4 Gods particular dealing with his people Page 97 In three things 1 They are ordinarily in affliction Page 98 2 When he intends them greatest mercies he brings them lowest ibid 3 He works by contraries Page 99 The Excellency of Contentment 1 Excellency By it we give God his due worship Page 101 2 Excel In it there is much exercise of grace 103 1 There is much strength of grace ibid 2 There is much beauty of grace Page 104 3 Excel The soul is fitted to receive mercy Page 106 4 Excel It is fitted to do service Page 107 5 Excel Contentment delivers from temptation Page 108 6 Excel It brings abundance of comfort Page 110 7 Excel It fetcheth in that that we possess not Page 111 In 4 particulars 8 Excel Contentment a great blessing of God upon the soule Page 115 9 Excel A contented man may expect reward Page 116 10 Excel By Contentment the soul comes neerest the Excellency of God himself Page 117 Use 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 Page 119 2 It is a note of a wicked man Page 120 3 Murmuring is accounted Rebellion Page 121 4 It is exceeding contrary to grace in conversion Page 122 The works of God in conversion 1 To make us sensible of the evil in sin Page 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 Page 124 5 Subduing the soul to Christ as King ibid 6 Giving up the soul to God in Covenant Page 125 5 Evil Murmuring below a Christian Page 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 Page 127 4 To Christ as a Co-heir ibid 5 To Gods Spirit as a temple ib. 6 To Angels as one with them ib. 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 Page 129 4 Below the profession of a Christian Page 131 5 Below the grace of faith ibid 6 Below the helps of a Christian Page 132 7 Below the expectation of a Christian ibid 8 Below what other Christians have done Page 133 6 Evill by murmuring we undo our prayers ibid 7 Evil The effects of a murmuring heart 1 Loss of much time Page 134 2Vnfitness for Duty ibid 3 Wicked risings of heart Page 135 4Vnthankfulness ibid 5 Shifting Page 138 8 Evil Discontent a foolish sin ibid 1 It takes away the comfort of what we have ibid 2 We cannot help our selves by it Page 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 Page 141 9 Evil It provokes the wrath of God ibid 19 Evil There is a curse upon it Page 146 11 Evil There is much of the spirit of Satan in it Page 147 12 Evill It brings an absolute necessity of disquiet ibid 13 Evil God may justly withdraw his protection from such ibid Aggravations of the sin of murmuring 1 Aggravation The greater the mercies the greater the sin of murmuring Page 150 2 Agrav When we murmur for smal things Page 157 3 Agrav When men of parts and abilities murmur Page 158 4 Agrav The freeness of Gods mercy ibid 5 Agrav Discontent for what we have Page 159 6 Agrav When men are raised from a low condition ibid 7 Agrav When men have been great sinners Page 160 8 Agrav When those murmur that are of little use in the world Page 161 9 Agrav To murmur when God is about to humble us ibid 10 Agrav When Gods hand is apparant in an affliction Page 162 11 Agrav To murmur under long afflictions Page 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 Page 165 2 It hinders not Duty ibid 3 It will make us bless 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 Page 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 Page 167 5 There is the more cause to accept of the punishment ibid 3 Plea God withdraws himself 1 We think God is departed when he doth but afflict Page 168 2 Disquiet is a sign and cause of Gods departure ibid 3 If God depart from us we should not from him Page 169 4 Plea I am troubled for mens ill dealing 1 Men are Gods instrrments Page 170 2 We should rather pity them than murmur Page 171 3 We have righteous dealing with God ibid 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 careful of our carriage in it Page 172 6 Plea The affliction is exceeding great 1 It is not so great as thy sins ibid 2 It might have been greater Page 173 3 It is greater for thy murmuring ibid 7 Plea It is greater than others afflictions Answered in 4 things Page 173 8 Plea If any other affliction they could be content Answered in 4 things Page 174 9 Plea My afflictions make me unservicable to God 1 Though thou art mean thou art a member of the body Page 176 2 Thy generall calling is high Page 177 3 Thou art equal with Angels ibid 4 God highly esteems the actions of mean Christians Page 178 5 Faithfulness in a mean calling shall be rewarded ibid 10. Plea My condition is unsetled 1 Every man in his setled estate is vanity Page 179 2 God will have us live in dependance ibid 3 Thy spiritual condition may be setled Page 181 11 Plea I have been in a better condition 1 Thy eye should not he evill because the eye of God hath been good Page 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 Page 184 2 Thy pains should be with submission to God Page 185 3 Contentment in such a condition is a testimony of more love to God ibid 13 Plea Distempers of heart accounted as words before God ibid Considerations to work the heart to Contentment 1 Consid The greatness of the mercies we have Page 187 2 God is beforehand with us with mercies Page 188 3 The abundance of mercies we enjoy Page 189 4 All creatures in a visicitude ib. 5 The creature suffers for us ibid 6 We have little time in the world Page 190 7 It hath been the condition of our betters Page 191 8 We were once content with the world without grace and should now with grace without the world Page 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 Page 195 2 Not to gripe too much of the world ibid 3 Have a cal in every business Page 196 4 Walk by rule ibid 5 Exercise much faith Page 197 6 Labour to be spiritually minded Page 198 7 Promise not your selves great things Page 200 8 Get mortified hearts to the world ibid 9 Pore not too much on afflictions Page 201 10 Make a good construction of Gods wayes towards us Page 202 11 Regard not others fancies but what we feel Page 205 12 Be not inordinately taken with the comforts of the world Page 206 The CONTENTS of the last Sermon On EXODVS 14.13 STanding still five waies evill Page 304 Good three wayes Page 307 Doct. 1 When God is in a way of salvation he may bring his people into straights Page 311 Reasons 1 Because God will humble them Page 313 2 He delights in the exercise of their faith Page 315 3 He delights in their prayers Page 316 4 To discover those that are evill ibid 5 That the adversaries may vent theie malice Page 317 6 That Christs work may appear the more ibid Use Not to sink because of straights Page 318 Doct. 2. In straights Gods people are mightily troubled ibid Reasons 1 Because there is much flesh in the best Page 319 2 There is a great deal of guilt ib. 3 There is self-confidence ib. Use 1 To blame our selves for sinking in straights Page 320 2 To think what will become of wicked men ibid Doct. 3 In those straits we should quiet our selves and look for Gods salvation Page 321 1. Quiet our selves 1 Because then we are fit to look to the wisdom faithfulness and power of God Page 322 2 Because else we cannot make use of our graces ibid 3 We cannot shew our subjection to God Page 323 4 Nor our reverence to God ib. 5 We cannot make use of that we hear ib. 6 We shall hinder others Page 224 2 To expect salvation from God 1 Hereby we sanctifie Gods Name ib. 2 This shews the excellency of faith Page 325 3 It engageth God in our Cause ib. Doct. 4 The sight of salvation after straits a glorious thing Page 328 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 reade his own proficiency in Christs School and what lesson every Christian that would evidence the power and growth of godliness 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 verse 12. he affirms I know how to be abâ—sed and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed The word which is translated Instructed is derived from that word which signifies Mystery and it is
Dishonour A Christian discontented when God is dishonoured Page 15 Dispose see Freely Disquiet Disquiet the the cause of Gods departing Page 168 See Murmuring Duty Duty of a Christian in prosperity Page 89 What unfits for duty Page 134 God accepts of weak duty Page 156 Sence of affliction hinders not duty Page 165 E Efficacy Efficacy of Gods providence Page 95 Ever God gives grace for ever Page 184 Evil Evil of afflictions taken from Gods children Page 56 Excellency Excellency of God how we come neer it Page 117 Excellency of God what ibid Expectation Expectation of a Christian Page 132 F Faith Ordinary works done in Faith precious Page 7 Murmuring below the grace of Faith Page 131 Exercise of faith brings Contentment Page 198 See Affliction Mean Faithfulnesse God in rewarding looks to faithfulnesse Page 178 Father God the Father of a Christian Page 126 We should labour for the Spirit of our Father Page 129 Feel What we feel to be preferred to others fancies Page 205 Fill see God Fit God knows what afflictions are fit Page 174 Grace makes fit for any condition ibid Foolish Discontent a foolish sin 138 139 Frame Contentment a frame of spirit Page 9 Free Freely c. A Christian freely submits to God Page 15 Freedom what Page 16 God gives freely Page 42 Freeness of Gods mercies aggravate sin Page 158 Fretting Fretting opposite to a quietnss of spirit Page 6 G Glory What a Christian hath here is an earnest of glory Page 43 Glory of God wherein it appears Page 105 Glory to be given God in the enjoyment of blessings Page 193 God To look up to God in all conditions Page 19 Nothing can fill the heart but God Page 28 Happiness of a Saint in God Page 38 Saints enjoy all in God Page 49 Outward comforts taken away when they keep us from God Page 50 See Life Creature Excellency Walk Good Christians of themselves unfit to receive good Page 70 We should not be discontent that God is good to others Page 173 God doth good to his by afflictions Page 193 See Sanctifie Christ Grace Grace much exercised in Contentment Page 103 Grace the strength of it ibid Grace better than the Creature Page 113 Discontent contrary to Grace Page 122 Grace should content us without the world Page 193 See Beauty Gracious Contentment a gracious frame of heart Page 13 Great Afflictions not so great as our sins Page 172 Affliction greater for murmuring Page 173 Not to promise our selves great things Page 200 H Habitual Contentment an habitual frame Page 13 Had To praise God for what we had Page 188 Heart Contentment quiets the heart Page 5 The heart to be let out to God Page 67 The knowledge of our own hearts Page 82 Benefits of knowing our own heart Page 84 A great evil to be given up to our own heart Page 91 Rising of the heart Page 135 Distempers of the heart how esteemed with God Page 185 See Gracious Heaven Heaven in the souls of the Saints here Page 59 Things of Heaven real to a Saint Page 67 Heaven what Page 114 Contentment better than Heaven ibid Help Help of a Christian what Page 132 No help by discontent Page 139 High see Calling Angels Honour What is the greatest honour God hath of us in this world Page 81 Humble We should not murmur when God would humble us Page 161 See Contentment I Idle see Discontent Joy Joy immoderat how known Page 206 Injoy Godly men content with that that they injoy Page 4 Good men injoy what they have Page 116 See God Inward Inward discontent Page 4 Inward content ibid Judgment Many not content in their judgement Page 11 See Affections K Kind To submit to afflictions of every kind Page 22 King The soul subdued to Christ as King Page 124 Every Christian a King Page 128 L Life Life of a Saint where it is Page 56 Conversion a work all our life Page 125 Long Long afflictions not to be murmured at Page 163 Look Afflictions to be looked for Page 171 Care in afflictions not looked for Page 172 Losse No loss of us if we perish Page 71 Love Love of God in what a Christian hath Page 41 Love in afflictions to the godly Page 44 Love in a Christians estate Page 110 Love to God a sign of it Page 113 Low Lowest God brings lowest when he intends the greatest mercies Page 98 Men raised from a low condition should not murmur Page 159 Obedience seen most in a low calling Page 178 The soul oft best in a low outward estate Page 180 M Man Man Gods instrument in affliction 170 Mannage see Heart Mean Actions of a mean Christian accepted Page 178 Faith makes mean works glorious ibid Mercy How the soul is fitted to receive mercy Page 106 Mercies lessened by discontent Page 135 Discontent deprives of mercies Page 139 The greater mercies the greater sin to murmur Page 150 Every man hath more mercies than afflictions Page 154 Greatness of mercies should make us content Page 187 God is beforehand with his mercies to us Page 188 See Discontent Member Every Christian a member of Christ Page 127 Mean Christians members of Christs body Page 176 Mystery Contentment a mystery 2.26 Mortified To get our hearts mortified to the world Page 200 Murmuring Murmuring opposite to quietness of spirit Page 6 Murmuring the evill of it Page 119 Murmuring a note of a wicked man Page 120 Murmuring below a Christian Page 126 Murmuring the effects of it Page 134 Murmuring breeds disquiet Page 147 Murmuring the way to relaps into it Page 150 Murmuring aggravations of it ibid See Affection Rebellion Losse Child Curse Mercy Small N Nature see Angels Necessary The knowledge of one thing necessary Page 74 Nothing How a Christian comes to know he is nothing Page 69 A Christian of himself can do nothing Page 70 Naturally we are worse than nothing Page 71 See Deserve Use O Obedience When God gives in love we should return in obedience Page 184 The greater affliction the more obedience ibid One All Gods works from eternity but one Page 96 P Pain Pain sanctified to a Christian how Page 46 Parts Discontent aggravated in men of parts Page 158 Passage see Portion People Gods dealing with his people Page 97 Three things in Gods way with his people Page 98 Perfection see Uprightnesse Particular The Creatures particular comforts Page 113 Pity Pity to men that deal ill with us Page 171 Plague Promises concerning the Plague 54 55 56. Plea see Discontent Portion A Christian not content with little for his portion Page 28 Possesse Men discontent for what they possesse Page 159 Poverty Poverty sanctified by Christs poverty Page 45 See Prosperity Prayers How we undoe our prayers Page 133 Praise see Had Profession Profession of a Christian Page 131 Promise Promises performed more literally to the Jews 54.64 Gods liberty in performing temporal promises Page 55 Christians have interest in all former promises Page 65 See Covenant
THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN Contentment Wherein is shewed I. What CONTENTMENT is II. The holy Art or Mystery of it III. Severall Lessons that Christ teacheth to work the Heart to Contentment IV. The excellencies of it V. The evils of Murmuring VI. The aggravations of the sin of Murmuring By Jeremiah Burroughs The first of the three Volumes that are published by Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhill Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderley London Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royall Exchange 1649. THou hast here a true Catalogue of all the works of Master Ieremiah Burroughs that are Published by us Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge Iohn Yates William Adderly The first Volume The rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Wherein is shewed 1. What Contentment is 2. The holy Art or Mystery of it 3. Severall Lessons that Christ teacheth to work the Heart to Contentment 4. The excellencies of it 5. The evils of Murmuring 6. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring The second Volume Gospel-Worship Wherein is shewed 1. The right manner of Sanctifying the Name of God in general and particularly in these three great Ordinances 1. Hearing the Word 2. Receiving the Lords-Supper 3. Prayer The third Volume Gospel-Conversation Wherein is shewed 1. That the Conversation of Believers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2. Beyond those that lived under the Law 3. Suitable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth All Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Presse in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange London 1649. To the READER THis worthy Man especially in his latter times was surrounded through Gods blessing on him with a very great confluence of what might give forth Contentment to a vast spirit of his ranck and calling He was enriched with a large measure of abilities and opportunities in serving his Lord to glorifie whom and do much good to others is the divine part of a man gracious which he was the highest and most solid satisfaction and in many respects exceeds what personall communion with God singly considered brings in Besides he lived and dyed in a fulnesse of honor and esteem with the best of men of Saints yea the worst of enemies Likewise of estate and outward comforts within his sphaere and rank all which might and did afford Contentment to what was outward in him In the midst of these his study was to finde out a more sublime way and hidden art of selfe sufficiency then was in the power of all things to contribute or teach Such a skill as did not only poyse compose his spirit in the present enjoyment of all but might fortifie and furnish him with provision for the future against the losse of all in times wherein no man knoweth what evil will be in the earth This mark his first lines shew he shot at This Art some Philosophers of old pretended themselves Masters of and to instruct other in through the assistance of Natural and Moral elements elevated to the utmost height their Principles could carry them but in vaine Their Chymistry in this kinde being able to produce no more but a sullen obstinacie and obduratenesse of minde The natural Spirit of a man feeling it selfe greater then all creatures gathering up and consolidating it self into it self is able as Solomon saies to sustaine its owne and all other infirmites But that Autarchy this Author here presents is a Mystery which none of these Princes of the world knew or the wisdome of man teacheth but the holy Ghost teacheth and which few but those that are perfect do attaine Teaching the soule to deny it selfe into weaknesse emptinesse in and to its selfe and all things else and thus dissolved to unite it selfe to him who onely hath blessednesse and all-sufficiencie with whom associated and made intimate it melts it selfe into all his interests making them its owne and thereby comes to have all that All-sufficiency of the High God to be its self-sufficiency And then what state can that soule be in wherein it may not be content seeing it hath God to be the chiefest comfort in its best times and onely comfort in its worst This though it be the inheritance of every Saint in the right and title to it yet the possession and enjoyment of it depepends upon an improvement of this inheritance and that upon a skill which is to be learned by experience and much exercise as Paul speaks I have learned in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content This piece of learning this serious spirited man inured himselfe unto and digging for it as Rubies as Solomons scholler for wisdome hath found it and hath hewen forth this Jewel a Title given neither by himselfe not us the Publishers to the subject it selfe yet the materials themselves deserving it out of the Rock and hath artificially cut it that the innate rays of this so glorious a Grace might shine forth to others And here it comes to be presented though set forth as the richest Jewels are often for awhile in ruder mettal untill bargained for but then are placed in Tablets worthy of them The onely seat this is ordained for is the precious Tablets of mens Hearts in and from which alone the native lustre of it will be made conspicuous Reader buy it set and wear it there and it shall as Solomon speaks be life unto thy soul and grace unto thy neck Thou shalt not be afraid when thou liest down yea thy sleep shall be sweet unto thee for the Lord will be thy confidence Thomas Goodwyn Sidrach Simpson William Greenhil Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly THE CONTENTS OF THE INSUING TREATISE OF Contentment SERMON I A HE Words opened Page 2 Doctrine To be well skil'd in the mystery of Christian Contentment is the duty glory and excellency of a Christian Page 3 Christian Contentment described Page 4 1 It is inward Ibid 2 It is quiet which is not opposed 1 To sence of affliction Page 5 2 To complaint to God or man ibid 3 To a lawful seeking of help Page 6 But it is opposed 1 To murmuring ibid 2 To fretting and vexing ibid 3 To tumult of spirit ibid 4 To unsetledness of spirit Page 7 5 To distracting cares and fears ibid 6 To sinking discouragments ib. 7 To sinful shifting Page 8 8 To rising of the heart against God Page 9 3 It is a frame of spirit 1 It is spread through the whol soul 10. 2 It is a frame of soul Page 11 3 It is a habitual frame Page 13 4 It is a gracious frame opposed 1 To natural stilness ibid 2 To sturdy resolutions ibid 3 To strength of natural reason Page 14 5 It is a frame of spirit freely submitting 1 The heart is readily brought over Page 15 2 It is not by constraint Page 16 3 It is not out of stupidity 17 6 Freely submitting ibid 7 Taking
that they are in still thus we are to submit to the dispose of God in every condition Obj. But you will say This that you speake of is good indeed if we could attain to it but is it possible for one to attain to this Answer It is if you get skill in the Art of it you may attain to it and it will prove to be no such difficult thing to you neither if you understand but the mystery of it as there 's many things that men do in their callings that if a country man comes and sees he thinks it a mighty hard thing and that he should never be able to do it but that 's because he understands not the art of it there is a turning of the hand so as you may do it with ease Now that 's the business of this exercise to open unto you the art and mystery of Contentment What way a Christian comes to Contentment there is a great Mysterie and art in it by that hath been opened to you there will appear some mystery and art as that a man should be content with his affliction and yet throughly sensible of his affliction too to be throughly sensible of an affliction and to endeavour the removing of it by all lawful means and yet to be content there 's a mystery in that how to joyne these two together to be sensible of an affliction as much as that man or woman that is not content I am sensible of it as fully as they and I seek waies to be delivered from it as well as they and yet still my heart abides content this is I say a mystery that is very hard to be understood by a carnal heart but grace doth teach such a mixture doth teach us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together and that makes Contentment the mingling of joy and sorrow of gracious joy and gracious sorrow together grace teaches us how to moderate and to order an affliction so as there shall be a sence of it and yet for all that Contentment under it There are divers things further for the opening of the Mystery of Contentment The First Thing therefore is this To shew that there is a great mystery in it One that is contented in a Christian way it may be said of him that he is the most contented man in the world and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world these two together must needs be mysterious I say a contented man as he is the most contented so he is the most unsatisfied of any man in the world You never learned the mystery of contentment except it may be said of you that as you are the most contented man so you are the most unsatisfied man in the world You will say how is that A man that hath learned the art of Contentment is the most contented with any low condition that he hath in the world and yet he cannot be satisfied with the injoyment 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 Kingdoms 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 Practical part of it also Godliness 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 lies 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 differnce 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 knows 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
thy heart might run wholly upon him As if you have Children because you have servants perhaps do feed them and give them things you perceive that your servants do steal away the hearts of your Children you would hardly be able to bear it you would be ready to turn away such a servant and when the servant is gone the Child is at a great loss it hath not the nurse but the father or mother intends by her putting away that the affections of the Child might run the more strongly towards himself or herself and what losse hath the Child that the affections that ran in a rough channel before towards the servant it runs now towards the mother So those affections that runs towards the creature God would have them run towards himself that so he may be All in All to thee here in this world And a gracious heart can indeed tel how to enjoy God to be All in All to him that is the happiness of Heaven to have God to be All in All. The Saints in Heaven have not houses and lands and money and meat and drink and cloaths you wil say they do not need them why do they not It is because God is All in All to them imediatly now while thou livest in this world thou mayest come to enjoy much of God you may have much of heaven while we live in this life we may come to enjoy much of the very life that there is in Heaven and what is that but the enjoyment of God to be All in All to us There is one text in the Revelations that speaks of the glorious condition of the Church that is like to be even here in this world Revel 21.21 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it and the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof They had no need of the Sun or Moon It speaks of such a glorious condition that the Church is like to be in here in this world this doth not speak of Heaven and that appears plainly that this is not spoken of Heaven but of a glorious estate that the Church shall be in here in this world for it follows presently in the 24. and 26. verse And they speaking of the Kings of the earth And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour unto it Why the Kings of the Earth shall not bring their glory and honour into Heaven but this is such a time when the Kings of the Earth shall bring their glory and honour to the Church And in the 26. vers And they shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it therfore it must needs be meant here in this world and not in Heaven Now if 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 shall labour to live as neer that life as possibly they can that is To make up All in God Oh that you would but mind this Mystery 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 case it is remarkable and comes in fully here in Gen. 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 tould Jacob that he had enough What meanest thou by all this drove which I meet And he said These are to find grace in thy sight And Esau said I have enough Now in the 11. verse there Jacob urges 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 enough saith Esau and I have enough saith Jacob but in the Hebrew Jacobs word is different from Esau's Jacobs word signifies I have all things and yet Jacob was poorer than 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 hath he all because he hath God that is All. And it was an 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 al 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 likewise that a godly man not only makes up all in God but finds enough in himselfe to make up all to make up all in himselfe not from himselfe but in himselfe and that may seem to be stranger than 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 only 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
shall the flame kindle upon thee Certainly though this promise was made in the time of the law yet it will be made good to all the Saints now one way or other either in the letter or some other waies For so we find it plainly that promise that was made to Joshua I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Josh 1.5 It 's applied to the Christians in the time of the Gospel So that here is the way of faith in bringing Contentment by the promises that all the promises that ever were made to our forefathers from the beginning of the world the Saints of God have an interest in them they are their inheritances and so goes on from one generation to another and by that they come to have Contentment because they do inherit all the promises made in all the book of God So Heb. 13.5 shews plainly that it is our inheritance and we do not inherit less now than they did in Joshuas time but we inherit more for you shall find in that place of the Hebrews there is more said than is to Joshua to Joshua God saith He will not leave him nor forsake him now in that place in the Hebrewes in the Greek there 's five negatives I will not not not not not again there is the elegancy of it very much in the Greek I say there is five negatives in that little sentence as if God should say I will not leave you no I will not I will not I will not with such earnestnesse five times together So that we have not only the same promises that they had but we have them more inlarged and more full though still not so much in the litteral sense for that indeed is the least part of the promise In Esa 54.17 there God made a promise That no weapon formed against his people should prosper and every tongue that shall rise against them in judgment thou shalt condemne and mark what follows This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord this is a good promise for a souldier though still not to lay to much upon the litteral sense True it holds forth thus much that Gods protection is in a special manner over souldiers that are godly And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemne and this is against false witnesse too Oh you that your friends never left you any thing you wil say my friends died and left not me a great but I thank God God hath provided for me But though thy father or mother died and left thee no heritage yet thou hast a heritage in the promise This is their heritage So that there 's no godly man or woman but is a great heir Therefore when thou lookest into the Book of God and findest any promise there thou mayest make that thine own Just as an heir that rides over divers fields and meadows saith he this meadow is my heritage and this corn-field is my heritage and then he sees a fair house and saith he this fair house is my heritage and he looks upon them with another manner of eye than a stranger that shall ride over those fields So a carnal heart reades the promises and reades them but meerly as stories not that they have any great intrest in them But a godly man every time he reades the Scriptures remember this note when you are reading the Scripture and there meeteth with a promise he ought to lay his hand upon it and say this is a part of my heritage it 's mine and I am to live upon it and this will make you to be Contented Here 's a mysterious way of Contentment So in Psal 34.10 and 37.6 there 's divers other promises that brings Contentment In Isa 58.10 And thus much for the Mysterie of Contentment by way of the Covenant There is two or three things more that shew how a godly man hath Contentment after another kind of way than any Carnall heart in the world hath it 's a mysterious way as thus He hath Contentment by realizing the glorious things of heaven to him he hath the Kingdom of heaven as present and the glory that is to come by faith he makes it as present So the Martyrs they had Contentment in their sufferings for said some of them though we have but a hard breakfast yet we shall have a good dinner we shall presently be in heaven do but shut your eyes saith one and you shall be in heaven presently 2 Cor. 4.16 We faint not saith the Apostle Why Because these light afflictions that are but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory They see heaven before them and that contents them You Marriners when you can see the haven before you though you were mightily troubled before you could see any land yet when you come nigh the shore and can see such a land-mark that contents you exceedingly a godly man in the middest of the waves and storms that he meets withall he can see the glory of heaven before him and so contents himself one drop of the sweetnesse of heaven is enough to take away all the sower and bitter of all the afflictions in the world Indeed here we know that one drop of sower or one drop of gall will make bitter a great deal of honey put a spoonfull of sugar into a cup of gall or wormwood that will not sweeten it but if you put a spoonful of gall into a cup of sugar it will imbitter that now it s otherwise in heaven one drop of sweet will sweeten a great deal of sower affliction but a great deal of sower and gall will not imbitter a soul that sees the glory of heaven that is to come now a Carnal heart hath no Contentment but from what he sees before him in this world but a godly heart hath Contentment from that that he sees laid up for him in the highest heavens The last thing that I would name is this A godly man hath Contentment by opening and letting out of his heart to God other men or women they are discontented but how do they help themselves by rayling by ill language such a one crosses them and they have no way to help themselves but by railing and by bitter words and so they ease themselves that way when they are angry but a godly man when he is crost how doth he ease himself he is sensible of his crosse as well as you and he goes to God in prayer and there opens his heart to God and le ts out his sorrows and fears and then can come away with a joyful countenance now do you find that you can come away from prayer and not look sad As it 's said in 1 Sam. 1.18 of Hannah that when she had been at prayer her countenance was no more sad there she was comforted and this is the right way of Contentment Thus we have done with
would fain have them But suppose God should give you these and there leave you you would utterly spoil them Sixtly We are worse than nothing For by sin we come to be a great deal worse than nothing sin makes us more vile than nothing sin makes us contrary to all good now it 's a great deal worse to have a contrariety to all that is good than meerly to have an emptiness of al that is good we are not empty pitchers in respect of good but we are like pitchers fill'd with poison and is it much for such as we are to be cut short of outward comforts In the Seventh place If we perish there will no loss of us If God should anihilate me what loss would there be of me God can raise up another in my place to do him other māner of service than I have done Now put but these Seven things together and then hath Christ taught you Self-denial I may call these the several words in our lesson of Self-denial Christ teaches the soul this so that as in the presence of God upon a real sight of its self it can say Lord I am nothing Lord I deserve nothing Lord I can do nothing I can receive nothing I can make use of nothing I am worse than nothing and if I come to nothing and perish there will be no losse at all of me and therefore what great matter is it for me to be cut short here A man that is little in his own eyes such a man or woman will account every affliction to be little and every mercy to be great Saul There was a time the Scripture saith that he was little in his own eyes and then his afflictions were but little to him when some would not have had him to be King but spake contemptuously of him he held his peace but when Saul began to be big in his own eyes then the affliction began to be great upon him There was never any such contented man or woman at this self-denying man or woman There was never any denied himself so much as Jesus Christ did he gave his cheeks to the smiters he opened not his mouth he was as a lamb when he was led to the slaughter he made no noise in the street Oh he denied himself above all and was willing to empty himself and so he was the most contented that ever any was in the world the neerer we come to learn to deny our selves as Christ did the more contented shall we be and by knowing much of our own vileness we come to learn to justifie God whatever the Lord shall lay upon us yet righteous is the Lord for he hath to deal with a most wretched creature A discontented heart he is troubled because he hath no more comfort but one that is a self-denying man he rather wonders that he hath so much as he hath Oh saith one I have but a little I but saith he that hath learned this lesson of Self-denial I rather wonder that God bestows upon me the liberty of breathing in the aire knowing how vile I am and knowing how much sin the Lord doth see in me And that 's the way of Contentment by learning Self-denial Eightly There is a further thing in self-denial which brings Contentment Because thereby the Soul comes to rejoyce and take satisfaction in all Gods waies I beseech you observe this If a man be selvish and have Self-love prevail in his heart those things that suits with his own ends he will be glad of them but a godly man that hath denied himself he will suit with and be glad of all things that shall suit with Gods ends Saith a gracious heart Gods ends are my ends and I have denied mine own ends and so he comes to find Contentment in all Gods ends and waies and his comforts are multiplyed whereas the comforts of other men are single it 's but very rare that Gods waies shall suit with a mans particular end but alwaies Gods waies suit with his own ends now if you wil only have contentment when Gods waies suits with your own ends you can have it but now and then but a Self-denying man denies his own ends and only looks at the ends of God and therein is contented When a man is selvish he cannot but have a great deal of trouble and vexation for if I regard my self my ends are so narrow that I shall have a hundred things will come and jussel me and I cannot have room in those narrow ends of mine own as you know in the the City what a deal of stir there is in narrow streets as Thames street being so narrow they jussel wrangle and fight one with another because the place is so narrow but now in the broad streets there they can go quietly so men that are selvish they meet and so jussel one with another one man is for self in one thing and another man is for self in another thing and so they make a great deal of stir but those whose hearts are inlarged and make publicke things their ends and can deny themselves they can walk at breadth and never jussel one with another so as the other do The lesson of Self-denial is the first lesson that Jesus Christ doth learn men in the seeking of Contentment The Second lesson is The vanity of the Creature That 's the Second lesson in Christs School that he teaches those that he would make Scholers in this Art The vanity of the Creature That whatsoever there is in the Creature hath an emptines in it Vanity of vanities all is vanity that 's the lesson that the Wise-man learn'd that the Creature in it's self can do us neither good nor hurt but it is all but as wind there is nothing in the Creature that is sutable to a gracious heart to feed upon for the good and hapdinesse of it My brethren the reason why you have not Contentment in the things of the world it is not because you have not enough of them that 's not the reason but the reason is because they are not things proportionable to that immortal soul of yours that are capable of God himself many men think when they are troubled and have not Contentment that it is because they have but a little in the world and if they had more then they should be content That were just thus suppose a man is an hungrie and so satisfie his craving stomak he should gape and hold open his mouth to take in the wind and then should think the reason why he is not satisfied is because he hath not enough of the wind no the reason is because the thing is not sutable to a craving stomake truly there is the same madnesse in the world the wind that a man takes in by gaping will as soon satisfie a craving stomake which is ready to famish as all the comforts in the world can satisfie a soul that knows what true happinesse means You
would be happy and you seek after such and such comforts in the Creature well have you got them do you find your hearts satisfied as having that happinesse that is sutable to you No no it is not here but you think it is because you want such and such things O poor deluded man it is not because you have not enough of it but because it is not the thing that is proportionable to that immortal soul that God hath given you Why do you lay out your money for that which is not bread Isa 55 2. And your labour for that which satisfieth not You are mad people you seek to satisfie your stomaks with that that is not bread you follow the wind you will never have Contentment all creatures in the world say Contentment it not in us riches saith Contentment is not in me pleasure saith Contentment is not in me if you look for Contentment in the creature you will fail No Contentment is higher When thou comest into the School of Christ Christ teaches thee that there is a vanity in all things in the world and the soul that by coming into the School of Christ by understanding the glorious mysteries of the Gospel comes to see the vanity of all things in the world that 's the soul that comes to true Contentment I could tell you of abundance of sentences from Heathens that shews the vanity all things in the world and yet they did not learn the vanity of the Creature in the right School But now when a Soul comes into the School of Jesus Christ and there comes to see a vanity in all things in the world then such a soul comes to have Contentment If you seek Contentment else where you do like the unclean spirit seek for rest but find none A Third lesson that Christ teaches a Christian when he comes into his School is this He learns him to understand what that one thing is that is necessary which he never came to understand before you know what he said to Martha O Martha thou cumberest thy self about many things but there is one thing necessary The Soul before sought after this and the other thing but now saith the Soul I see really that it is not necessary that I should be rich but it is necessary that I should make up my peace with God it is not necessary that I should live a pleasurable life in this world but it is absolutely necessary that I should have pardon of my sin it is not necessary that I should have honour and preferment but it is necessary that I should have God to be my portion and have my part in Jesus Christ it is necessary that my soul should be sav'd in the day of Jesus Christ the other things are pretty fine things indeed and I should be glad if God would give them me a fine habitation and comings-in and cloaths and promotion for my wife and childrrn these are comfortable things but these are not the necessary things I may have these and yet perish for ever but the other is absolutely necessary no matter though I be poor so be it I may have that that is absolutely necessary thus Christ instructs the Soul There 's many of you have had some thoughts about this that it is indeed necessary for you to provide for your Souls but when you come into Christs School there Christ causes the fear of eternity to fall upon you and there he causes such a real sight of the great things of eternity and the absolute necessity of those things that possesses your hearts with fear and that takes you off from all other things in the world Now I should have shewn you how that will bring Contentment to the Soul when it comes to be instructed in the thing that is absolutly necessary but thus much for this time SERMON V. PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I Mentioned Three lessons the last time that Christ teaehes those Schollers that comes into his School whereby they might come to get Contentment First The lesson of Self-denial Secondly The lesson of the vanity of the Creature Thirdly The right understanding of that one thing that is necessary A little to inlarge this one so to proceed to others It is said of Pompie that when he was to carry corn to Rome in time of darth he was in a great deal of danger by storms at Sea but saith he We must go on it is necessary that Rome should be releived but it is not necessary that we should live So it would he certainly when the soul is once taken up with the things that are of absolute necessity it will not be much troubled about other things What are the things that do disquiet us here but some by-matters in this world and it is because our hearts are not taken up with that one absolute necessary thing who are the men that are most discontented but idle persons persons that have nothing to take up their minds every little thing disquiets and discontents them but now a man that hath businesse of great weight and consequence if all things goes well with his great businesse that is in his head he is not sensible of meaner things in the family but now a man that lies at home and hath nothing to do he finds fault with every thing so it is with the heart when the heart of a man hath nothing to do but to be busie about creature comforts every little thing troubles him but now when the heart is taken up with the weighty things of eternity with the great things of eternal life the heart being taken up with them these things that are here below that did disquiet it before are things now of no consideration with him in comparison to the other so as how things fall out here is not much regarded with him if the one thing that is necessary be provided for The Fourth lesson that the Soul is instructed in to come to this knowledge in the art of Contentment is this The soul comes to understand in what relation it stands in here to the world By that I mean thus God comes to instruct the soul effectually through Christ by his Spirit upon what terms it lives here in the world in what relation it is that it doth stand as thus While I live in the world my condition is to be but a pilgrim a stranger a traveller and a souldiar now the right understanding of this being taught this not only by rote that I can speak the words over but when I come indeed to have my soul possest with the consideration of this truth that God hath set me in this world not as in my home but as a meer stranger and a pilgrim that I am travelling here to another home and that I am here a souldier in my warfare it is a mighty help to Contentment in whatsoever befalls one as now to instance
that Christ teaches it is this He teacheth us wherein consists any good that is to be enjoyed in any creature in the world It 's true before it hath been taught that there is a vanity in the Creature that is take the Creature considered in it's self but yet though there be a vanity in the Creature in it's self in respect of satisfying the soul for it's portion yet there is some goodnesse in the Creature though there be a vanity there 's some desirablenesse But wherein doth that consist It consists not in the nature of the Creature it self for that is nothing but vanity but it consists in the reference it hath to the first being of all things This is a Lesson that Christ teaches if there be any good in an estate or in any comforts in this world it is not so much that it pleases my sence that it is sutable to my body but the reference it hath to God the first being that by these creatures there should be somewhat of Gods goodnesse conveyed to me and I may have a sanctified use of the creature to draw me neerer to God and that I enjoy more of God and be made more servicable for the glory of God in the place where God hath set me here 's the good of the Creature Oh were we but instructed in this lesson did we but understand and throughly beleeve this to be a truth that there is no creature in all the world hath any goodnesse in it any further then it hath reference to the first infinit supream good of all that so far as I can enjoy God in it so far it is good to me and so far as I do not enjoy God in it so far there is no goodnesse in any thing that I have in the Creature how easie were it then for one to be contented as thus Suppose a man had a great estate but a few years ago and now it is all gone I would but appeale to this man when you had your estate wherein did you account the good of that estate to consist a carnal heart would say any body might know that that it brought me in so much a year and that I could fare of the best and be a man of repute in the place where I live and men would regard what I said I might be cloathed as I would and lay up portions for my children in this consisted the good of my estate this man now never came into the School of Christ to know wherein the good of an estate did consist no marvail if he be disquieted when he hath lost his estate But now a Christian that hath been in the School 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 tome in that I have an opportunity to serve God the better and I enjoy a great deal of Gods mercy to my Soul conveyed to me through the Creature and hereby I am inabled to do 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 himself another way that is will call me to honour him by suffering and if I may do 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 Obj. But you wil 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 special 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 darkness 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 soul and this is the work that now God cals me to and I must account God is most honoured when I do the work that he cals me to he set me a work 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 turn 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 work 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 do 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 a 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 cansists 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 Fifth lesson The Sixth Lesson that Christ doth teach the soul that hee brings into this School is this Hee 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 learn to know your own hearts well to be good studients of your own hearts you cannot al be scholers in the arts and sciences in the world but you may all be students in your own hearts you cannot reade in the book many of you
eternity to me Oh what riches are here with Contentment thou hast all kind of riches Tenthly and lastly By contentation the soul comes to an excellencie neer to God himselfe yea the neerest that may be for this word that is translated Content it is a word that signifies a Self-sufficiencie as I told you in the opening of the words A contented man is a self-sufficient man what is the great glory of God but to be happy and self-sufficient in himself Indeed he is said to be All-sufficient but that 's but a further addition of the word All rather than of any matter for to be sufficient is All-sufficient now is this the glory of God to be Sufficient to have sufficiencie in himselfe El-shaddai to be God having sufficiency in himself now thou comest neer to this thou partakest of the Divine Nature as by grace in generall so in a more peculiar manner by this grace of Christian Contentment what 's the excellency and glory of God but this Suppose there were no creatures in the world and that all the creatures in the world were anihilated God would remain 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 want of al creatures and would not be more miserable than now he is Suppose that God should continue thee here and all creatures that are here in this world were taken 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 my brethren what remains but the practice of this for this Art of Contentment it 's not 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 than those that have this grace of Contentment Now that we may fall upon the practice there is required First That we should he humbled in our hearts for the want of this that we have had so little of this grace in us For there is no 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 and how might I have honoured my profession and what a deal of comfort might I have enjoyed but the Lord knows it hath been far otherwise Oh how far have I been from this grace of Contentment that hath been opened to me I have had a murmuring a vexing and a fretting heart within me every little crosse hath put me out of temper and out of frame Oh the boisterousnesse of my spirit what a deal of evil doth God see in my heart in the vexing and fretting of my heart and murmuring and repining 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 evil of a murmuring spirit there is more evil than you are aware of In the Second place I will shew you some agravations of this evil It 's evil in all but in some more than in others Thirdly I shall labour to take away the pleas that any murmuring discontented heart hath for this distemper of his There 's these Three things in this use of humiliation of the Soul for the want of this grace of Contentment For the first now at this time The great evil that there is in a murmuring discontented heart In the first place This thy murmuring and discontentedness it argues much corruption that is in the Soul as Contentment argues much grace and strong grace and beautiful grace so this argues much corruption and strong corruption and very vile corruptions in thy heart As it is in a mans body if a mans body be of that temper that every scratch of a pin makes his flesh to ranckle and to be a sore you will say surely this mans body is very corrupt his blood and his flesh is corrupt that every scratch of a pin shal make it ranckle so it is in thy spirit if every little trouble and affliction shal make thee discontented and make thee murmur and even cause thy spirit within thee to ranckle or as it is in a wound in a mans body the evil of a wound it is not so much in the largenesse of the wound and the abundance of blood that comes out of the wound but in the inflamation that there is in it or in a fretting and corroding humour that is in the wound an unskilful man when he comes and sees a large wound in the flesh looks upon it as a dangerous wound and when he sees a great deal of blood gush out he thinks these are the evils of it but when a Chirurgion comes and sees a great gash saith he this will be heal'd within a few daies but there 's a lesse wound and there 's an inflamation or a fretting 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 fretting humour or inflamation so that the thing that must heal this wound it is some drink to purge But saith the patient what good will this do to my wound You give me somewhat to drink and my wound is in my arme or in my leg what good will this do that I put in my stomack Yes it purges out the fretting 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 men 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 fretting humour an inflamation in the heart a murmuring spirit that is within thee and that is the misery of thy condition and that
evil of sin and the excellency of Jesus Christ there may be a seed of faith put into the soul but the soul must first know Christ and know sin and be made sensible of it Now how contrary is this sin of murmuring to any such work of God hath God made me see the dreadful evil of sin and made my soul to be sensible of the evil of sin as the greatest burden how can I then be so much troubled for every little affliction certainly if I saw what the evill of sin were that sight would swallow up all other evils and if I were burdened with the evil of sin it would swallow up all other burdens what am I now murmuring against Gods hand saith such a soul when as a while ago the Lord made me see my self to be a damned wretch and apprehend it as a wonder that I am not in Hell 2. Yea it 's mighty contrary to the sight of the infinit excellency and glory of Jesus Christ and of the things of the Gospel What am I that soul that the Lord hath discovered such infinit excellency of Jesus Christ to and yet shall I think such a little affliction to be so grievous to me when I have had the sight of such glory in Christ that is more worth than ten thousand worlds for so will a true convert say Oh! the Lord at such a time hath given me that fight of Christ that I would not be without for ten thousand thousand worlds but hath God given thee that and wilt thou be discontent for a trifle in comparison to that 3. A Third work when God brings the soul home to himself it is By taking the heart off from the Creature the disingaging the heart from all Creature-comforts that 's the Third work ordinarily that the soul may perceive of its selfe It 's true Gods work may be altogether in the seeds in him but in the several actings of the soul in turning to God it may perceive these things in it the disingagement of the heart from the Creature that 's the calling off the soul from the world Whom the Lord hath called he hath justified what 's the calling of the soul but this the soul that was before seeking for Contentment in the world and cleaving to the Creature now the Lord calls the soul out of the world and saith Oh soul thy happinesse is not here thy rest is not here thy happinesse is else-where and thy heart must be loosned from all these things that are here below in the world and this is the work of God in the soul to disingage the heart from the Creature and how contrary is a murmuring heart to such a thing a thing that is glued to another you cannot take off but you must rend it so it 's a sign thy heart is glued to the world that when God would take thee off thy heart rends if God by an affliction should come to take any thing in the world from thee if thou canst part from it with ease without rending it 's a sign then that thy heart is not glued to the world 4. A Fourth work of God in the converting of a sinner is this The casting of the soul upon Jesus Christ for all its good I see Jesus Christ in the Gospel the Fountain of all good and God out of free Grace tendering him to me for life and for salvation and now my soul casts its self rouls it self upon the infinit Grace of God in Christ for al good now hast thou done so hath God converted thee and drawn thee to his Son to cast thy soul upon him for all thy good and yet thou discontented for the want of some little matter in a creature-comfort art thou he that hath cast thy soul upon Jesus Christ for all good as he saith in another case Is this thy faith 5. The Soul is subdued to God and then it comes to receive Jesus Christ as a King to rule to order and dispose of him how he pleases and so the heart is subdued unto God Now how opposite is a murmuring discontented heart to a heart subdued to Jesus Christ as a King and receiving him as a Lord to rule and dispose of him as he pleases 6. There is in the work of thy turning to God the giving up of thy self to God in an everlasting Covenant as thou takest Christ the Head of the Covenant to be thine so thou givest up thy self to Christ In the work of Conversion there is the resignation of the Soul wholly to God in an everlasting Covenant to be his hast thou ever surrendred up thy self to God in an everlasting Covenant then certainly this thy fretting murmuring heart is mighty opposite to it certainly thou forgettest this Covenant of thine and the Resignation of thy self up to God it would be of marvellous help to you to humble your Souls when you are in a murmuring condition if you could but obtain so much liberty of your own spirits as to look back to see what the work of God was in converting you there is nothing would prevail more than to think of that I am now in a murmuring discontented way but how did I feel my soul working when God did turn my Soul to himself Oh how opposite is this to that work and how unseeming Oh what shame and confusion would come upon the spirits of men and women if they could but compare the work of corruption in their murmuring and discontent with the work of God that was upon their Souls in conversion now we should labour to keep the work of God upon our Souls that was at our Conversion for Conversion must not be only at one instant at first men are deceived in this if they think their Conversion is finished meerly at first thou must be in a way of conversion to God all the daies of thy life and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples except ye be converted and become as little children Ye be Converted why were they not converted before Yes they were converted but they were still to continue the work of Conversion all the daies of their lives and what work of God there is at the first Conversion it is to abide afterwards As thus alwaies there must abide some sight and sense of sin it may be not in the way which you had which was rather a preparation than any thing else but the sight and sense of sin it is to continue still that is you are still to be sensible of the burden of sin as it is against the Holinesse and Goodnesse and Mercy of God unto thee and the sight of the excellency of Jesus Christ is to continue and thy calling out of the Creature and thy casting of thy Soul upon Christ and thy receiving Christ as a King still receive him day by day and the subduing of thy heart and the surrendring of thy selfe up to God in a way of Covenant now if this were but daily continued there would
be no space nor time for murmuring to work upon thy heart that 's the Fourth Particular The Fift thing in the evil 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 thou standest With what relation you will say First The relation thou standest in to God Do'st not thou call God thy father and do'st not thou stand in relation to him as a child what thou murmer In 2 Sam. 13.4 it 's a speech of Jonadab to Amnon Why art thou being the Kings Son lean from day to day wilt thou not tell me and so he told 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 King's Son So I may say to a Christian Art thou the King's 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 King's Son should cry out he is undone for losing a bable what an unworthy thing were this So doest thou thou criest out as if thou wert undon 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 than ten sons So doth not Christ thy husband say to thee Am not I better to thee than 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 murmur 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 convey 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 murmur 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 to 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 mystical 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 Do but consider the high dignitie 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 roring there to all eternity yet that God should raise thee to have a higher excellency in thee than 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 neerer the Divine Nature than the Angels because thy nature is joyned in an hypostatical union to
the Divine Nature and in that respect thy nature is more honoured than the nature of the Angels And the death of Christ is thine he died 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 crosse 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 to 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 Devil 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 cross and trouble that doth befal thee saith bow down that we 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 the image of his body only 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 than the feature of his body Oh the Lord that is our Father loves to see his Spirit in us Great men love 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 cal'd 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 to God indeed that if it were possible it might passe from him but presently not my will but thy will be done As soon as ever he did mention the passing of the cup from him though it were the most dreadful cup that ever was drunk 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 all kind of afflictions whatsoever with out 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 accounted it very base Plutarch doth report of a certain people that did use to manifest their disdain to men that were overmuch dejected by any affliction they did condemn them to this punishment to wear womens cloaths all their daies or such a space of time at least they should go in womans cloaths in token of shame and disgrace to them because they had 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 murmur 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 to be alive to God that 's his profession to have his life to be hid with Christ in God to satisfie himself in God what is this thy profession and yet if thou hast not every thing that thou wouldest have to murmur 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 Austin 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 do 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
upon wicked and ungodly ones That they shall grudge if they be not satisfied And in Deut. 28.27 There it 's threatned as a curse of God upon men that they cannot be content with their present condition But they shall say in the morning would God it were even and at even would God it were morning and so they lie tossing up and down and cannot be content with any condition that they are in because of the sore afflictions that be upon them and therefore it is further threatned as a curse upon them in the 34. verse That they should be mad for the sight of their eyes which they should see This is but the extremity of their discontentednesse that is they shall be so discontented as they shall be even mad Many men and women in discontented moods are mad kind of people and though you may please your selves in such a mad kind of behaviour yet know that it is a curse of God upon men to be given up to a kind of madness for evils that they suppose are upon them and that they fear In the 47. verse there is a notable expression for to shew the curse of God upon murmuring hearts the Lord threatning the curses that shall be upon them saith he verse 45 46 47. The Curse shall pursue thee and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder and upon thy seed for ever Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things God here threatens to bring his curse so upon them as to make them a wonder and a sign to others why Because they served not the Lord with joyfulness of heart that may be added to that of the wrath of God upon men therefore God would bring such a curse upon them as would make them a wonder to all that were about them Oh how far art thou then that hast a murmuring heart from serving the Lord with joyfulnesse The Eleventh evill of discontent and murmuring is this There is much of the spirit of Satan in a murmuring spirit The Devil is the most discontented creature that is in the world He is the proudest creature that is and the discontentedst creature and the most dejected creature Now therefore so much discontentment as thou hast so much of the spirit of Satan thou hast It was the unclean spirit that went up and down and found no rest so when a man or womans spirit hath no rest it is a sign that it hath much of the unclean spirit of the spirit of Satan and thou shouldest think thus with thy self Oh Lord what have I the spirit of Satan upon me It is Satan that is the most discontented spirit that is and Oh! how much of his spirit have I upon me that can find no rest at all Twelfthly Murmuring and discontent hath this evil in it There is an absolute necessity that thou shouldest have disquiet all the daies of thy life As if a man that is in a great croud should complain that other folks touch him While we are in this world God hath so ordred things that afflictions must befal us and if we will complain and be discontented upon every crosse and affliction why we must complain and be discontent all the daies of our lives yea God in just judgment will let things fall out on purpose to vex those that have vexing spirits and discontented hearts and therefore there is a necessitie that they should live disquiet all their daies and men will not much care to disquiet those that are continually murmuring Oh they will have disquiet all their daies Lastly there 's this dreadful evil in discontent and murmuring God may justly withdraw his care off you and his protection over you seeing God cannot please you in his administrations We use to say so to discontented servants nay if you be not pleased mend your selves when you will If you have a servant not content with his diet and wages and work you say mend your selves so may God justly say to us we that professe our selves servants to him to be in his work and yet are discontented with this thing or that in Gods family God might justly say mend your selves What if God should say to any of you If my care over you do not please you then take care of your selves if my protection over you will not please you then protect your selves Now all things that do befall you befall you through a providence of God and if you be those that belong to God there is a protection of God over you and a care of God Now if God should say Well you shall not have the benefit of my protection anie longer and I will take no further care of you would not this be a most dreadful judgment of God from Heaven upon you Take heed what you do then in being discontent with Gods will towards you and indeed upon discontent this may befal you And this is the reason why manie people though Gods protection hath bin verie gracious over them for a time and they have thriven abundantly yet afterwards almost all that behold them may say that they live as if God had cast off his care over them and as if God did not care what befell them Now then my brethren put all these together all that we were speaking of the last day and these particulars that have been added now this morning for the setting out of a murmuring and discontented spirit Oh what an ugly face hath this sin of murmuring and discontentednesse Oh what cause is there that we should lay our hands upon our hearts and go away and be humbled before the Lord because of this whereas your thoughts were wont to be exercised about providing for your selves and getting more comforts to your selves let the stream of your thoughts now be turned to humble your selves for your discontentednesse Oh that you may have your hearts break before God for otherwise you will fall to it again Oh the wretchednesse of mans heart You shall find in Scripture concerning the people of Israel how strangely they fell to their murmuring again and again do but observe three texts of Scripture for that the first in the 15. of Exod. at the beginning there you shall have Moses and the Congregation singing to God and blessing God for his mercy Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the Horse and his Rider hath he thrown into the Sea And then The Lord is my strength and song and he is become my salvation he is my God and I will prepare him an habitation my Fathers God and I will exalt him and so he goes on and who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods who is like thee glorious in holinesse fearful in praises doing wonders Thus their hearts triumphed in God but mark before
expression that I remember Austin hath about this saith he It is better to be the meanest member in the Body than to be the highest member and more excellent and cut off from the Body it is better to be a little sprig in the tree joyned to the Root than to be an arme cut off from the Root Now other men that have but common gifts in the world that are not members of Jesus Christ indeed they seem to have more excellency than those that are godly that are in a mean condition mean parts mean callings but they are not of the Body they are not joyn'd to the Root and therefore their condition is worse As a great arme of a tree when it is cut off it hath a great many leaves upon it and it seems a great deal more glorious than those little sprigs that are upon the tree but that little sprig is in a better condition why Because joyned to the tree and hath sap from the Root and flourisheth but the other will wither and die within a while So it is with the men of the world they be but like great boughs cut off from the tree though they have excellent parts and have great estates and pomp and glory in the world they have no union with Jesus Christ the Root But now others that live in a poor condition a poor tradesman a poor servant a poor labouring-man that labours for his family everyday yet he being godly saith he though I have but little for the present little glory little credit little comfort yet I am joyned to the Body and there I have supply and that that will feed me with comfort blessing and mercy to all eternity So all that are in a poor condition in this world if they be godly do but think of that though thou beest mean yet thou art in the Body and joyned to the Root thou art joyned to the principal of comfort good blessing and mercy that will hold out to eternity when thousand thousands of glorious pompious men in the world shall wither and perish everlastingly and therefore be not troubled at thy mean condition Secondly Though thou hast but a mean calling in this world and so art not regarded as a man of use in the world yet if thou beest a Christian God hath called thee to a higher calling thy general calling it is a high calling though thy particular calling be but low and mean And for that you have a place in the Chapter before my text Phil. 3.14 I press towards the mark saith the Apostle for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus So that every Christian hath a high calling of God in Christ Jesus God hath called him to the highest thing that he hath call'd any creature to that he hath made the Angels in Heaven have not a higher calling than thou hast Thou that perhaps spendest thy time in a poor businesse in the meanest calling if thou beest a dung-raker to rake channels or cleanse places of filth or any other thing in the world that is the meanest that can be conceived of thy general calling as a Christian doth advance thee higher than any particular calling can advance any man in the world others indeed that are cal'd to mannage the Affairs of the State they are in a high calling or Ministers they are in a high calling but thine in some respect is higher A poor servant that must be scraping all day about poor mean things many times may have such a temptation as this is Oh what a poor condition hath God disposed me to will God have regard to such a one that is in such a poor low place as I am Oh yes Christ hath regard to the meanest member as a man hath as true regard to the toe if it be in pain and will tender that as truly and verily as any other member so Christ hath regard to his lowest and meanest ones Thirdly thou art in a high calling though thy outward calling be low in respect of men yet in respect of God thou art in the same calling with the Angels in Heaven and in some degree cal'd to that that is higher for the Scripture saith that the Angels come to understand the mysterie of the Gospel by the Church thou that art a Christian in that general calling of thine thou art joyned with Principalities and Powers and with Angels in the greatest work that God hath called any creature to and therefore let that comfort thee in this Fourthly Thy calling is low and mean yet be not discontented with that for thou hast a principle within thee if thou beest a godly man or woman of Grace that doth raise thy lowest actions to be higher in Gods esteem than all the brave glorious actions that are done in the world the principle of faith doth it for any man or woman to go on in obedience to God in a way of faith in the calling that God hath set them I say doing this through a principle of faith it doth raise this action and makes it a more glorious action than all the glorious victories of Alexander and Caesar than all their Triumphs and glorious pomp that they had in all their conquests it was not so glorious as for thee to do the lowest action out of faith For as Luther speaks of a poor Milk-maid and yet being a Beleever and doth it in faith he compares that action to all the glorious actions of Caesar and makes that a great deal more eminent and glorious in the eyes of God therefore faith raises thy works that are but mean raises them to be very glorious Yea and the truth is there is more obedience to submit to God in a low calling than to submit to him in a higher calling for it 's cleer obedience meer obedience that makes thee go on in a low calling but there may be much self-love that makes men go on in a higher calling for there 's riches credit and account in the world and rewards comes in by that which doth not in the other to go on quietly in a low calling is more obedience to God Fifthly Know further in the last place there is like to be more reward For the Lord when he comes to reward he doth not come to examine what the work hath been that men and women have been exercised in but what their faithfulnesse hath been Well done good and faithful servant saith the Lord he doth not say wel done good servant for thou hast bin faithful to me in publick works ruling Cities and States and Affairs in Kingdoms and therefore thou shalt be rewarded no but Well done good and faithful servant now thou mayest be faithfull in little as well as others are in more by going on and working thy daies labour when thou gettest but a couple of shillings to maintain thy family thou mayest be as faithful in this as those are that rules a Kingdom now God looks to a mans
aggravation 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 yeers of age and enjoyed his health for eight and forty yeers exceeding well and liv'd in prosperity and the two last yeers his body was exceedingly diseased he had the strangury and was in great pain but he reasoned the case with himself 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 and forty yeers in health I wil 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 beforehand 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 aggravates our misery that we 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 aggravation 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 mayest 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 enjoy 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 pail full of water on the flour of your house it makes a great shew but if you throw it into the 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 enjoy then they are not so much they are nothing in comparison A Fourth Consideration Consider the way of God towards all creatures God carries on all creatures in a visicitude of several conditions as thus we have not alwaies summer but winter succeeds summer we have not alwaies day but day and night we have not alwaies fair weather but fair and foul the vegitive creatures do not alwaies flourish but the sap is in the root and they seem as if they were dead there 's a visicitude of all things in the world the Sun doth not shine alwaies to us here but there is darknesse comes after light now seeing 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 Fifth Consideration A further consiadertion is this The creatures do suffer for us why should not we be willing to suffer to be servicable to God God subjects other creatures they are fain to lose their lives for us to lose what ever beauty and excellency they have to be serviceable to 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 reade of in the Book of Martyrs in labouring to work his own heart and the hearts of others to contentedness in the mid'st 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 useful to me as thus The bruit beasts must die must be rost in the fire and boyl'd must come upon the trencher be hackt all in pieces must be chewed in the mouth and in the stomack turn'd to that which is loathsome if one should behold it and all to nourish me to be useful 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 useful for me to preserve me then if God will do 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 my life hack me in pieces put me in prison whatsoever he doth yet I shall not suffer more for God than the creature doth for me and surely I am infinitly more bound to God than the creature is to me and there is not so much difference between me and the creature as between me and God such considerations as these wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentedness 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 Contenement it is To consider that we have but a little be time in this world If thou beest godly thou shalt never suffer but only in this world why do but shut your eyes and presently another life is come as that Martyr said to his fellow Martyr Do 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 cleer 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 daies 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 bin our betters We made some use of that before to shew the evil of discontentment But further for to work this upon our hearts it is a mighty Argument to work upon our hearts a contentedness in any condition Thou many times doest consider who are above thee but consider
these times especially it were a very great evil for any to aim at great things Seek them not be willing to take hold low to creep low and if God doth raise thee thou shalt have cause to blesse him but if thou shouldest not be raised there would not be much trouble one that creeps low cannot fall far but it is those that are on high whose fall doth bruise them most that is a good rule Promise not your selves great matters neither aime at any great things in the world The Eighth Direction Labour to get your hearts mortified to the world dead to the world we must not content our selves that we have gotten some reasoning about the vanity of the Creature and such kind of things as these are but we must exercise mortification and be crucified to the world saith Paul I die daily we should die daily to the world We are baptized into the death of Christ that is to signifie that we have taken such a profession as to professe to be even as dead men to the world now there 's no crosses that fals out in the world that doth trouble those that are dead if our hearts were dead to the world we should not be much troubled with the changes of the world nor the tossings about of worldly things As it is very observable in those souldiers that came to break the bones of Christ they brake the legs of one that was crucified with him and of the other but when they came to Christ they found he was dead and so they did not break his legs there was a providence in it to fulfil a Prophesie but because they found he was dead they did not break his bones Let Afflictions and trouble find thee with a mortified heart to the world and they will not break thy bones the bones of those that are broken by crosses afflictions are those that are alive to the world that are not dead to the world but one that hath a mortified heart and dead to the world no afflictions or troubles will break the bones of such a one that is they will not be very grievous or painful to such a one as is mortified to the world This I fear is a mystery and 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 others 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 do 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 Ben-oni every time that I name him it will put me in mind 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 and so the text saith 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 befals us we should not give way to have our thoughts continually upon them but rather upon those things that may stir up our thankfulness to God for mercies It it the similitude of Basil a learned man faith he It is in this case as it is with men and women that have sore eyes now it 's not fit for those to be alwaies looking upon the fire or upon the beams of the Sun no saith he one that hath sore 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 which may be sutable for the healing and helping of them they should be considering of those things rather than the other It will be of very great use and benefit to you if you do lay it to heart not to be poring 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 ill 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 than we would have him if there can be any sense worse than other made of it we will be sure to make it as thus when an affliction doth befal 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 too much set upon the Creature and