The Art of Contentment, Section 11
SECT. XI.
Of Resignation.
1. AND now amidst such variety of receits, twill be hard to instance any one sort of calamity which can escape their efficacy, if they be but duly appli'd. But indeed we have generally a compendious way of frustrating all remedies by never making use of them: like fantastic patients we are well enough content to have our disease discourst, and medicines prescrib'd, but when the Physic comes, have still some pretence or other to protract the taking it. But I shall beseech the Reader to consider, that counsels are not charms, to work without any cooperation of the concern'd person: they must be adverted to, they must be ponder'd and consider'd, and finally they must be practic'd, or else the utmost good they can do us, is to give us a few hours divertisment in the reading: but they do us a mischief that infinitly out-weighs it, for they improve our guilts by the ineffective tender they make of rescuing us from them, and leave us accountable not only for the original crimes, but for our obstinate adhesion to them in spight of admonition.
2. I say this because it is a little too notorious, that many take up books only as they do cards or dice, as an instrument of diversion. Tis a good entertainment of their curiosity to see what can be said upon any subject, and be it well or ill handled, they can please themselves equally with the ingenuity or ridiculousness of the composure, and when they have don this, they have don all they design'd. This indeed may be tolerable in Romances and Play-books, but sure it ill befits Divinity. And yet I fear it oftnest happens there: for in the former some do project for some trivial improvements, as the embellishing of their stile, the inspiriting of their fancies; and some men would scarce be able to drive their pedling trade of wit, did they not thus sweep the stage: but alas how many books of piety are read, of which one cannot discern the least tincture in mens conversations, which sure do's in a great mesure proceed from the want of a determinate design in their reading, mens practice being not apt to be less rovers then their speculation. He that takes a practical subject in hand, must do it with a design to conform his practice to what he shall there be convinc'd to be his duty, and he that comes not with this probity of mind, is not like to be much benefited by his reading.
3. BUT one would think this should be an unnecessary caution at this time, for since the intent of this tract, is only to shew men the way to contentment, tis to be suppos'd the Readers will be as much in earnest as the writer can be, it being every mans proper and most important interest, the instating him in the highest and most supreme felicity that this world can admit: yet for all this fair probability, I doubt many will in this instance have the same indifference they have in their other spiritual concerns.
4. TIS true indeed that a querulous repining humor, is one of the most pernicious, the most ugly habits incident to mankind, but yet as deformed people are oft the most in love with themselves, so this crooked piece of our temper, is of all others the most indulgent to it self. Melancholy is the most stubborn and untractable of all humors; and discontent being the offspring of that, partakes of that inflexibility: and accordingly we see how impregnable it often is, against all assaults of reason and religion too. Ionah in a sullen mood would justify his discontent even to God himself, and in spight of that calm reproof, dost thou well to be angry? Jon. 4. 9. aver he did well to be angry even to the death. And do we not frequently see men upon an impatience of some disappointment, grow angry even at their comforts? Their friends, their children, their meat, their drink, every thing grows nauseous to them, and in a frantic discontent, they often fling away those things which they most value. Besides this peevish impatience is of so aerial a diet, that tis scarce possible to starve it. Twill nurish itself with Phantasms and Chimeras, suborn a thousand surmises & imaginary distresses to abet its pretences: and tho every one of us can remonstrate to another, the unreasonableness of this discontent; yet scarce any of us will draw the argument home, or suffer our selves to be convinc'd by what we urge as irrefragable to others. Nay farther this humor is impatient of any diversion, loves to converse only with it self. In bodily pains, men that despair of cure are yet glad of allaies and mitigations, and strive by all arts, to divert and deceive the sense of their anguish; but in this disease of the mind, men cherish and improve their torment, roll and chew the bitter pill in their mouths, that they may be sure to have its utmost flavor; and by devoting all their thoughts to the subject of their grief, keep up an uninterrupted sense of it: as if they had the same Tyranny for themselves which Caligula had for others, and loved to feel themselves die. Indeed there is not a more absurd contradiction in the world, then to hear men cry out of the weight, the intolerableness of their burden, and yet grasp it as fast as if their life were bound up in it; will not deposite it, no not for the smalest breathing time. A strange fascination sure, and yet so frequent, that it ought to be the fundamental care of him that would cure men of their discontents, to bring them to a hearty willingness of being cured.
5. IT may be this will look like paradox, and every man will be apt to say he wishes nothing more in earnest, then to be cured of his present discontent. He that is poor would be cured by wealth, he that is low and obscure by honor and greatness: but so an Hydropic person may say he desires to have his thirst cur'd by a perpetual supply of drink: yet all sober people know, that that is the way only to increase it: but let the whole habit of the body be rectified, and then the thirst will cease of it self. And certainly tis the very same in the present case, no outward accessions will ever satisfy our cravings, our appetites must be tam'd and reduc'd, and then they will never be able to raise tumults, or put us into mutiny and discontent: and he (and none but he) that submits to this method, can truly be said to desire a cure.
6. BUT he that thus attests the reality of his desires, and seeks contentment in its proper sphere, may surely arrive to some considerable degrees of it. We find in all ages men, that only by the direction of natural light have calmed their disquiets, and reason'd themselves into contentment even under great and sensible pressures; men who amidst the acutest torments, have still preserv'd a serenity of mind, and have frustrated contemts and reproches by disregarding them: and sure we give a very ill account of our Christianity, if we cannot do as much with it as they did without it.
7. I do not here propose such a Stoical insensibility as makes no distinction of events, which, tho it has bin vainly pretended to by many, yet sure was never attain'd by any upon the strength of discourse. Some natural dulnesse or casual stupefaction must concur to that, and perhaps by doing so, has had the luck to be canoniz'd for vertue. I mean only such a superiority of mind as raises us above our sufferings, tho it exemt us not from the sense of them. We cannot propose to our selves a higher patern in any vertue then our blessed Lord: yet we see he not only felt that load under which he lay, but had the most pungent and quick sense of it, such as promted those earnest deprecations, father if it be possible let this cup pass: yet all those displacencies of his flesh were surmounted by the resignation of his spirit, nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt, Luk. 22. And certainly he that in imitation of this pattern, do's in spight of all the reluctancies of his sense, thus entirely submit his will, however he may be sad, yet he is not impatient; nor is he like to be sad long, for to him that is thus resign'd, light will spring up, Psal. 97. 11. some good Angel will be sent like that to our Savior to relieve his disconsolation. God will send either some outward allaies, or give such interior comforts and supports, as shall counterpoise those afflictions he takes not off.
8. INDEED the grand design of God in correcting us is (the same with that of a prudent parent towards his child) to break our wills. That stubborn faculty will scarce bend with easy touches, and therefore do's require some force: and when by that rougher handling, he has brought it to a pliantness, the work is don. Tis therefore our interest to cooperate with this design, to assist as much as we are able towards the subjugating this unruly part of our selves. This is that Sheba 2 Sam. 20. the surrendring of whom is Gods expectation in all the close sieges he laies to us. Let us then be so wise, as by an early resigning it to divert his farther hostilities, and buy our peace with him.
9. AND truly this is the way not only to gain peace with him, but our selves too: tis the usurpation of our will over our reason which breeds all the confusion and tumults within our own breasts, and there is no possibility of curbing its insolence, but by putting it into safe custody, committing it to him who (as our Church teaches us) alone can order the unruly wills of sinful men. Indeed nothing but experience can fully inform us of the serenity and calm of that soul, who has resign'd his will to God. All care of chusing for himself is happily superseded, he is temted to no anxious forecasts for future events, for he knows nothing can happen in contradiction of that supreme will, in which he hath sanctuary: which will certainly chuse for him with that tenderness and regard, that a faithful-Guardian would for his pupil, an indulgent father for his child that casts its self into his arms. Certainly there is not in the world such a holy sort of artifice, so Divine a charm to tie our God to us, as this of resigning our selves to him. We find the Gibeonites by yielding themselves vassals to the Israelites, had their whole army at their beck to rescue them in their danger Jos. 10. 6. and can we think God is less considerate of his homagers and dependents? No certainly, his honor as well as his compassion is concern'd in the relief of those who have surrendred themselves to him.
10. FARTHER yet, when by resignation we have united our wills to God, we have quite changed the scene, and we who when our wills stood single were liable to perpetual defeats, in this blessed combination can never be crost. When our will is twisted and involved with Gods, the same omnipotenee which backs his will, do's also attend ours. Gods will, we are sure, admits of no controle, can never be resisted, and we have the same security for ours, so long as it concurs with it. By this means all calamities are unsting'd, and even those things which are most repugnant to our sensitive natures, are yet very agreable to our spirits, when we consider they are implicitly our own choice, since they are certainly his, whom we have deputed to elect for us. Indeed there can be no face of adversity so averting and formidable, which set in this light will not look amiable. We see daily how many uneasinessess and prejudices men will contentedly suffer in pursuit of their wills: and if we have really espoused Gods, made his will ours, we shall with as great (nay far greater) alacrity embrace its distributions, how uneasy soever to our sense; our souls will more acquiesce in the accomplishment of the Divine will, then our flesh can reluct to any severe effects of it.
11. HERE then is that footing of firm ground, on which whosoever can stand, may indeed do that which Archimedes boasted, move the whole world. He may as to himself subvert the whole course of sublunary things, unvenem all those calamities which are to others the gall of Asps; and in a farther sense verify that Evangelical prophecy, of beating swords into plough-shares, and spears into pruning hooks, Esay. 2. 4. the most hostile weapons, the most adverse events, shall be by him converted into instruments of fertility, shall only advance his spiritual growth.
12. AND now who can chuse but confess this a much more eligible state, then to be alwaies harrassed with solicitudes and cares, perpetually either fearing future defeats, or bewailing the past. And then what can we call it less then madness or enchantment, for men to act so contrary to their own dictates, yea to their very sense and experience, too see and acknowledge the inexplicable felicity of a resigned will, and yet perversely to hold out theirs, tho they can get nothing by it, but the sullen pleasure of opposing God, and tormenting themselves? Let us therefore if not for our duty or ease, yet at least for our reputation, the asserting our selves men of sobriety and common sense, do that which upon all these interests we are obliged; let us but give up our wills, and with them we shall certainly divest our selves of all our fruitless anxieties, and cast our burdens upon him who invites us to do so. He who bears all our sins, will bear all our sorrows, our griefs too: if we will but be content to deposite them, he will relieve us from all those oppressing weights, which make our souls cleave to the dust, Psal. 119. 25. and will in exchange give us only his light, his pleasant burden, Mat. 11. 33. In a word there will be no care left for us, but that of keeping our selves in a capacity of his: let us but secure our love to him, and we are ascertain'd that all things shall work together for our good, Rom. 8. 28.
To conclude, Resignation and Contentment are vertues not only of a near cognation and resemblance, but they are linked as the Cause and the Effect. Let us but make sure of Resignation, and Content will flow into us without our farther industry: as on the contrary whilst our wills are at defiance with Gods, we shall alwaies find things at as great defiance with ours. All our subtiletes or industries will never mould them to our satisfactions, till we have moulded our selves into that pliant temper that we can cordially say, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. 1 Sam. 3. 18.