True Contentment in the Gain of Godliness, Title page – Dedication
TRVE CONTENTMENT IN THE GAINE OF GODLINES, With its SELF-SUFFICIENCIE.
A MEDITATION ON 1. TIMOTH. 6. 6.
By THOMAS GATAKER B. of D. and Paſtor of Rotherhith.
LONDON Printed by Edward Griffin for William … ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne … great North dore of Paules, ….
TO THE RIGHT WORTHY AND HIS MVCH HONOVRED LADY, the Lady DOROTHY HOBART, Wife to the Right Honorable and his ſingular good Lord, Sr HENRY HOBART, Knight and Baronet, Lord Cheife Iuſtice of the Common Pleas, True Contentment in the Gaine of Godlines, with its Self-Sufficiencie.
GOOD MADAME,
It is a point by all generally agreed vponupon, that aforeign Ariſtot. ethic. Ni…. l. 1. c. 2, 4, 7. foreign Stob. tom. 1. …. …. …. 3.Happineſſe is the maine end and aime of all mens Actions. And it is a Truth no leſſe generally confeſſed and acknowledged, that bforeign. Ariſtot. ethic. Ni…om. l. 1. c. 7. Non eſt b…at…, eſſe ſe qui non …at. P. Syr. Si …i ſua non videntur ampli…ma, miſer est Epi…. Miſer eſt, qui ſe non beati…i… i…ic… Sen. ep. 10. Nemo foelix eſt, qui iudicio ſuo miſer eſt. Sa…. de prov. l. ….Without Contentment of Minde there can be no true Happines. It is cOmnlum certa ſen tentia eſt, beatos eſſe o…s homines velle. Aug. de civ. Dei l. 10. c. 1. & Epiſt. 21. & 121. Miſerè viuere nemo vult. Idem de lib. arb. l. 1. c. 14.Happines then that all men without exception deſire, and Contentment that all conſequently ſtriue to attaine. But here in the moſt faile, that they are miſtaken in the meanes, that they take wrong courſes for the compaſſing of this their end and aime & ſo vai…rely weary & tire out themſelues in *foreign. Arr…n. diſſert…l. 2. c. 16.ſeeking Happines and Contentment there, where neither of them is to be had. To reforme this error, the Spirit of God in the Word hath directed vsus the right way to either, to wit, dPſal. 86. 11. & 144. 14.by conjunction with God, the author and fountaine of all good, eDeut. 30. 20. Pſal. 73. 26, 28. Bonum noſtrū nullum eſt aliud quàm Deo adherere, cuim vnius anima intellectualis incorporeo amplexu impletur. Aug. de civit. Dei l. 10. c. 4.by adhering vntounto him, in whō only the ſoule of man can find ſu…e & ſound contentment. Now this is done fDeut. 30. 20. Ad …um dilectione tendimꝰ, vt perven…ē d… qu…am…, i…e… b…, …by louing him gPſal. … & … & …9. … …. …. …3.by fearing him, hPſal. …by truſting in him, iDeut. 1…. …7. & 30. …. foreign ….by obeying him▪ k…by conformitie vntounto him, or more breiefely in a word, by l…. 1. P…. 1. 11.Holines, by m…. Ti…. …. … foreignGodlines: for theſe two are in ſubſtance one and the ſame. So that there is n…no compaſſing of Contentment or Happines without God, and there is no way vntounto God but by Godlineſſe. For oN…t… omne conſilium, ne… implere no… vll… f…licit… poteſt, donec …oorenerimas ad bonum illud imm…uſum & inſuperabile, … …ceſſe eſt reſist… volunta… ▪ noſtra, quia … ſu…non eſt locu…. Se…. epiſt. 74.God alone being the chiefeſt good, and the chiefeſt good each ones vtmoſt aime; our deſires cannot be ſtayed till we come home vntounto him, beyond whom we can not poſſibly go. He being onelyonly pGen. 17. 1. … niſt … a… indigen…i… …pl… … explend…, …ſt … ſufficit. Aug. de …. l. 12. c. 1.All-ſufficient; (and there can be no Contentment where any want is, nor freedome from want where Sufficiencie is not;) we can hauehave no true Contentment, till we hauehave once gained Him; we can hauehave no full Contentment, till we come wholy to enjoy Him, that he may be q1. Cor. 15. 28.all in all vntounto vsus. And this being rNeceſſe eſt vt home inde beatu… ſit, vnde fit bonus. Aug. ep. 121.by Holilnes, by Godlines onelyonly effected, it muſt needs follow, that the holier men are, the happier they are; and the more godly they are, the more true and ſound Contentment they are ſure of. ſAp…. 20. 6. Pſal. 119. 1. Math. 5. 8.We ſhall neuer be truly Happy, till we be ſincerely Holy, nor fully Happy, till we be perfectly Holy. We ſhall neuer attaine true Cōtentment till we be truly Religious, nor full Contentment till we be conſummate in Godlines. The conſideration whereof ſhould encite all, that deſire Happines and Contentment, (and tVitā beatā omnē hominem modi… omnibus velle quis dubitat? Aug. de lib. arb. lib. 1. c. 14. Beatitudinem nemo eſt qui non expetat. quī enī vel poteſt, vel p…t…it, vel poterit i…e…iri, qui eſſe nolit beat…? Aug. in Pſal. 118. co…. 1.who is he, be he neuer ſo brutiſh, that doth not?) to bend their maine ſtudie and endeuor this way, for the compaſſing of this Grace and profiting in it; as the onelyonly meanes availeable to bring them to that end; uOmnes …e…it… dinē concupiſo… ſed quomodò ad eā p…, pl… … neſciunt. idem ibid.which, howſoeuer they may wander from, miſtaking the way, their whole deſire is to attaine vntounto. To prouoke all ſorts hereunto, is the maine project propounded in this preſent diſcourſe. Which (what euer it be; and I wiſh it were much better;) I humbly preſent to your Ladiſhip, deſiring that it may helpe to ſupply ſome part of that dutie and ſeruice, which partly mine owne infirmitie and imbecillitie of bodie, and partly alſo other neceſſarie and vnauoidable imployments, will not ſuffer me to performe anſwerably to mine owne deſire, and mine Honorable Lords and your Ladiſhips deſert. And ſo wiſhing againe and againe vntounto your Ladiſhip, (for what other, or what better thing can I wiſh?) that which the worke it ſelfe importeth, true Contentment from God in this life, and full Contentment with God after this life; I take my leaue for the preſent, but ceaſe not to continue
Your Ladiſhips euer to be commanded in the Lord, THO: GATAKER.
TRVE CONTENTMENT.
1. TIMOTH. 6. 6.
Godlineſſe is great Gaine, with Selfe-ſufficiencie; or, with the Sufficiencie of it ſelfe.