The Art of Contentment, Section 2
SECT. II.
Of Gods Absolute Soveraignty.
1. THE first proposition that God is debtor to no man, is too clear and apparent to require much of illustration: for as he is a free agent and may act as he pleases, so he is the sole proprietary and can wrongfully detain from none, because all original right is in himself. This has bin so much acknowledged by the blindest Heathens, that none of them durst make insolent addresses to their Gods, challenge any thing of them as of debt, but by sacrifices and praiers own'd their dependance and wants, and implor'd supplies. And sure Christianity teaches us not to be more sawcy. If those Deities who ow'd their very being to their votaries, were yet acknowledged to be the spring and source of all, we can with no pretence deny it to that supreme power in whom we live, move, and have our being. Acts. 17. 28. For if it were merely an act of his choice to give us a being, all his subsequent bounties can have no other original then his own good plesure. We could put no obligation upon God before we were: and when we began to be, we were his creatures, and so by the most indisputable right owe our selves to him, but can have no antecedent title on which to clame any thing from him: so that the Apostle might well make the challenge which he doth on Gods behalf, who hath given any thing unto him, and it shall be recompenc'd to him again? Rom. 11. 35.
2. Now ordinary discretion teaches us not to be too bold in our expectations from one to whom we can plead no right. It has as little of prudence as modesty, to press impudently upon the bounty of a Patron, and do's but give him temtation (at least pretence) to deny. And if it be thus with men, who possibly may somtimes have an interest, sometimes a vanity to oblige us; it must be much more so towards God, who cannot be in want of us, and therefore need not buy us: our good, as the Psalmist speaks, extends not to him. Psal. 16. 2. He has a fundamental right in that little we are, which will stand good tho it should never be corroborated by greater benefits. With what an humble bashfulness should we then sue for any thing, who have no argument to invite the least donation? being already so preingag'd, that we cannot mortgage so much as our selves in consideration of any new favor: and surely extravagant hopes do very ill befit people in this condition. We see the modesty of good Mephibosheth, who tho he was by a slanderous accusation outed of half the estate David had given him, yet upon a reflexion that he deriv'd it all from his good plesure, disputed not the sentence, but cherefully resign'd the whole to the same disposure, from which he received it, saying, Yea, let him take all. 2 Sam. 19, 30. A rare example and fit for imitation, as being adapted to the present case, not only in that one circumstance of his having receiv'd all from the King, but also in that of the attainder of his blood, which he confesses in the former part of the verse, for all of my fathers house were but dead men before my Lord. And alas may we not say the very same? was not our whole race tainted in our first Parent? So that if God had not the primary title of vassalage, he would in our fall have acquir'd that of confiscation and escheat. And can we think our selves then in terms to capitulate and make our own conditions, and expect God should humor us in all our wild demands?
3. THIS is indeed to keep up that old rebellion of our Progenitor, for that consisted in a discontent with that portion God had assign'd him, and coveting what he had restrein'd him. Nay indeed it comes up to the height of the Devils proposal, the attemting to be as God. Gen. 3. 5. For tis an endevor to wrest the managery out of his hands, to supersede his Autority of dispensing to us, and to carve for our selves. This is so mad an insolence, that were it possible to state a case exactly parallel between man and man, it would raise the indignation of any that but pretended to ingenuity. Yet this is, without Hyperbole, the true meaning of every murmuring repining thought we entertain.
4. BUT as bad as it is, who is there of us, that can in this particular say we have made our heart clean? Prov. 20. 9. Tis true we make some formal ackowledgment sometimes that we receive all from Gods gift, custom teaches us from our infancy after every meal we eat to give him thanks (tho even that is now thought too much respect, and begins to be discarded as unfashionable.) Yet sure he cannot be thought to do that in earnest, that has all the time of his eating bin grumbling that his table abounds not with such delicacies as his neighbors. And yet at this rate God knows are most of our thanksgivings. Indeed we have not so much ordinary civility to God, as we have to men. The common proverb teaches us not too curiously to pry into the blemishes of what is given us: but on Gods gifts we sit as Censors, nicely examine every thing which is any way disagreable to our fancies, and as if we dealt with him under the notion of chapmen, disparage it, as Solomon saies buiers use to do, it is naught, it is naught, saith the buier Prov. 20. 14. Nay we seem yet more absurdly to change the scene, and as if God were to make oblations to us, we as critically observe the defects of his benefactions, as the Levitical priests were to do those of the sacrifice, and (like angry Deities) scornfully reject, what ever do's not perfectly answer our wanton appetites.
5. AND now should God take us at our words, withdraw all those blessings which we so fastidiously despise, what a condition were we in? Tis sure we have nothing to plead in reverse of that judgment. There is nothing in it against justice: for he takes but his own. This he intimates to Israel Hos. 2. 9. I will return and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax: in which he asserts his own propriety, my corn, my wine &c▪ and recalls them to the remembrance that they were but usufructuaries: and tis as evident that our tenure is but the same. Nay this proceeding would not be repugnant even to mercy, for even that is not obliged still to prostitute its self to our contemt. I am sure such a tolerance is beyond all the mesures of humane lenity. Should any of us offer an alms to an indigent wretch, and he when he sees tis Silver, should murmur and exclame that it is not Gold, would we not draw back our hand, and reserve our charity for a more worthy object? Tis true indeed Gods thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor our narrow bowels equal mesures for the divine compassions, and we experimentally find that his long-suffering infinitly exceeds ours, yet we know he do's in the parable of the Lord and the servant Mat. 18. declare that he will proportion his mercy by ours, in that instance; and we have no promise that he will not do it in this: nay we have all reason to expect he should; for since his wisdom promts him to do nothing in vain, and all his bounty to us is design'd to make us happy, when he sees that end utterly frustrated by our discontents, to what purpose should he continue that to us which we will be never the better for?
6. BESIDES tho he be exceedingly patient, yet he is not negligent or insensible, he takes particular notice, not only with what diligence we employ, but with what affections we resent every of his blessings. And as ingratitude is a vice odious to men, so it is extremely provoking to God: so that in this sense also, the words of our Savior are most true, from him that hath not (i.e.) that hath not a grateful sense and value, shall be taken away even that he hath Mat. 25. 29. But we may find a threatning of this kind yet more express to Israel, because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with gladness and with joifulness of heart for the abundance of all things, therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, whom the Lord God will send among thee, in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things Deut 28. 27. 28. a sad and dismal inversion, yet founded wholly in the want of that cheerful recognition which God expected from them. And if Israel the lot of his own inheritance, that people whom he had singled out from all the nations of the world, could thus forfeit his favor by unthankfulness, sure none of us can suppose we have any surer entail of it. In a word as God loves a cheerful giver, so he also loves a cheerful receiver. One that complies with his end in bestowing, by taking a just complacence in his gifts. But the querulous and unsatisfied, reproch his bounty: accuse him of illiberality and narrowness of mind. So that he seems even in his honor engag'd to bring them to a righter apprehension of him, and by a deprivation teach them the value of those good things, which they could not learn by the enjoiment.
7. IF therefore ingenuity and gratitude cannot, yet at least let prudence and self-love engage us against this sin of Murmuring, which we see do's abundantly justify the character the Wise man gives when he tells us tis unprofitable Wis. 1. 11. he might have said pernicious also, for so it evidenly is in its effects. Let us then arm our selves against it, and to that purpose impress deeply upon our minds the present consideration, that God ows us nothing, and that what ever we receive is an alms, and not a tribute. Diogenes being asked what wine drank the most plesant, answered, that which is drunk at anothers cost. And this circumstance we can never miss of to recommend our good things to us: for be they little or much, they come gratis. When therefore in a pettish mood we find our selves apt to charge God foolishly, and to think him strait-handed towards us, let us imagine we hear God expostulating with us, as the housholder in the parable, Friend I do thee no wrong: is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Mat. 20. 15. If God have not the right of disposing, let us find out those that have, and see how much better we shall speed, but if he hath, let us take heed of disputing with him: we that subsist merely by his favor, had need court and cherish it by all the arts of humble observance. Every man is ready to say how ill beggary and pride do agree. The first qualification we cannot put off; O let us not provide it of the other so inconvenient so odious an adjunct. Let us leave off prescribing to God (which no ingenuous man would do to an earthly benefactor) and let us betake our selves to a more holy and succesful policy, the acknowledgment of past mercies, and our own unworthiness. This was Jacobs method, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shew'd unto thy servant: for with my staff I passed over this Iordan, and now I am become two bands, and with this humble preface he introduces his petition for rescue in his present distress, Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother, &c. Gen. 32. 10. 11. An excellent pattern of Divine Rhetoric, which the success demonstrates to have bin very prevalent. And we cannot transcribe a better copy, to render our desires as succesful. Indeed we are so utterly destitute of all arguments from our selves, that we can make no reasonable form of address, if we found it not in somthing of God: and there is nothing even in him adapted to our purpose, but his mercy; nor can that be so advantageously urged by any thing, as by the former instances, it has given of it self: for as God only is fit to be a precedent to himself, so he loves to be so. Thus we find, not only Moses, but God often recollecting his miraculous favors towards Israel, as an argument to do more: let us therefore accost him in his own way, and by a frequent and grateful recounting of his former mercies, engage him to future. Nor need we be at a loss for matter of such recollection, if we will but seriously consider what we have already received, which is the subject of the next Section.