The Art of Contentment, Section 6
SECT. VI.
Of Gods general Providence.
1. WHEN God made the universe, he intended not only to glorify himself in one transient act of his power, and then leave this great and wonderful production of his, as the Ostrich her eggs in the wilderness, Lam. 4. 3. but having drawn it out of its first Chaos, he secur'd it from returning thither again, by establishing as a due symmetry of parts, so also a regular order of motion: hence it is that the heavens have their constant revolutions, the earth its succession of determinate seasons, animals their alternate course of generation and corruption: and by this wise Oeconomy, the world after so many thousand years, seems still in its spring and first beauty. But it had bin in vain to have thus secured the defection of the creatures, if man for whose sake they were made had bin excluded from this care. His faculty of reason would have made him but the more fatal instrument of confusion, and taught him the more compendious waies of disturbing the world. Iob compares him to the wild asses colt. Job 11. 12. which takes its range without adverting to any thing of the common good. God has therefore doubly hedged in this unruly creature, made a fence of laws about him (both natural and positive) and besides has taken him into the common circle of his providence, so that he, as well as the rest of the creation, has his particular station assign'd him; and that not only in reference to other creatures, but himself; has put a difference between one man and another, ordained several ranks and Classes of men, and endowed them with special and appropriate qualifications for those stations wherein he has set them.
2. THIS, as it is a work of infinit wisdom in God, so it is of unspeakable advantage to men. Without this regular disposure, the world would have bin in the same confusion which we read of in the host of the Midianites, every mans sword against his fellow, Jud. 7. 22. Nothing but force could determine who should do, or enjoy any thing; and even that decision also would have bin repelable by a greater force: so that we have all reason to confess the utility of that order God has set among men: and even he that bears the lowest and most despicable place in it, is certainly infinitly more happy by contributing to that general Harmony, then he could be in any state of discord.
3. WERE this now well consider'd, methinks it should silence all our complaints, and men should not be so vehemently concern'd in what part of the structure it pleases the great Architect to put them: for every man is to look on himself only as a small parcel of those materials which God is to put into form. Every stone is not fit for the corner, nor every little rafter for the main beam: the wisdom of the Master builder is alone to determin that. And sure there cannot be a more vile contemt of the divine wisdom then to dispute his choice. Had God wisdom enough to contrive this vast and beautiful fabric, and may he not be trusted with one of us poor worms? Did he by his wisdom make the heavens, and by his understandimg stretch out the clouds, Pro. 3. 19. and shall he not know where to place a little lump of figur'd earth? this is certainly the most absurd distrust imaginable, and yet this is really the true meaning of our repining at the condition he has placed us in.
4. THE truth is, we are so full of our selves, that we can see nothing beyond it: every man expects God should place him where he has a mind to be, tho by it he discompose the whole scheme of his providence. But tho we are so senselessly partial, yet God is not so: he that comprehends at once the whole concern of mankind, applies himself to the accomodating those, not the humoring any particular person. He has made the great and the small and careth for all alike, Wisd. 6. 7. He is the common Father of mankind, and disposes things for the public advantage of this great family, and tis not all the impatient cravings of a froward child that shall make him recede from his designed method. We are apt enough, I am sure, to tax it not only as a weakness, but injustice too in a Prince, when he indulges any thing to a private favorite to the public disadvantage; yet so unequal are we, that we murmur at God for not doing that, which we murmur at men for doing.
5. BESIDES a man is to consider, that other men have the same appetites with himself. If he dislike an inferior state, why should he not think others do so too? and then as the wise man speaks, whose voice shall the Lord hear? Ecclus. 34. 24. Tis sure great insolence in me to expect that God should be more concern'd to humor me, then those multitudes of others who have the same desires. And the more impatient my longings are, the less in reason should be my hopes; for mutiny is no such endearing quality as to render any man a dearling to God. But if all men should have equal satisfactions, we should puzle even Omnipotence it self. Every man would be above and superior, yet those are comparative terms, and if no man were below, no man could be above. So in wealth, most men desire more, but every man do's at least desire to keep what he has; how then shall one part of the world be supplied without the diminution of the other, unless there should be as miraculous a multiplication of tresure for mens avarice, as there was of Loaves for their hunger, Mat. 16. 9. It was a good answer which the Ambassadors of an opprest Province made to Antony, If O Emperor, thou wilt have double taxes from us, thou must help us to double Springs and Harvests. And sure God must be at the expence of a new Creation, make us a double world, if he should oblige himself to satisfy all the unreasonable appetites of men: and if he satisfy not all, why should any particular person look that his alone should be indulged to?
6. YET as unreasonable as it is, the most of us do betray such a perswasion. No man is discontented that there are lower, as well as higher degrees in the world, that there are poor as well as rich, but all sensible men assent to the fitness of it: yet if themselves happen to be set in the lower form, they exclame as if the whole order of the world were subverted; which is a palpable indication that they think that Providence which governs others, should serve them, and distribute to them not what it, but themselves think good. This immoderate self-love is the spring and root of most of our complaints, makes us such unequal judges in our own concerns, and promts us to put in Caveats and exceptions on our own behalf, as David did on his sons, See that thou hurt not the young man Absolom? 2 Sam. 18. 15. as if God were to manage the government of the world with a particular regard to our liking, and were like the Angels at Sodom, Gen. 19. 22. to do nothing till we had got into Zoar, had all our demands secured to us.
7. IT would indeed astonish a considering man to see, that altho the concerns of men are all disposed by an unerring Wisdom, and acknowledged by themselves to be so, yet that scarce any man is pleased. The truth is, we have generally in us the worser part of the Levelers principle, and tho we can very contentedly behold multitudes below us, yet are impatient to see any above us; not only the foot (to use the Apostles simile) complains that it is not the hand, but the eare because it is not the eie, 1 Cor. 12. 15. 16. Not only the lowermost, but the higher ranks of men are uneasy, if there be any one step above them. Nay so importunate is this aspiring humor, that we see men are forced to feed it tho but with aire and shadows. He that cannot make any real advance in his quality, will yet do it in effigie, in all little gaieties and pageantries of it. Every degree in these respects not only emulates, but imitates its superior, till at last by that impatience of their proper distance they make it greater, and sink even below their first state by their ridiculous profusion. Indeed the world seems to be so over-run with this vanity, that there is little visible distinction of degrees, and one had need go to the Heralds office to know mens qualities, for neither their habit nor equipage do now adaies inform us with any certainty.
1. BUT by all these it appears that men look on themselves only as single persons, without reference to the community whereof they are members. For did they consider that, they would endevor rather to become the places wherein they were set, by doing the duties belonging to them, then be perpetually projecting for a change. A tree that is every year transplanted will never bear fruit, and a mind that is alwaies hurried from its proper station, will scarce ever do good in any. This is excellently exprest to us by Solomon, As a bird that wandereth from his nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. Pro. 27. 8. Tis easy to divine the fate of those young ones from whom the damn wanders, and tis as easy to guess how the duties of that place will be performed, whose owner is alwaies upon the wing and making towards another. I wish we had not too costly experiments both in Church and State of the truth of this observation. Alas we forget that we are all servants to the same Master, and that he is to appoint in what office we shall serve him. How should we like it in any of our own families, to have an inferior officer leave his work undon, because he has more mind to be Major-Domo? Yet this insolence we every day repete towards God, sullenly dispute his orders, and unless we may chuse our own imploiments, will do nothing.
9. TIS evident this perverse temper of mankind breeds a great deal of mischief and disturbance in the world, but would breed arrant confusion and subversion, if it were suffered to have its full range. If God permit but one ambitious spirit to break loose in an age as the instrument of his wrath, what destruction do's it often times make? How do's it cause the whole earth to tremble, and shake Kingdoms as is said of Nebuchadnezzar, Isa. 14. 16. and may be said of many others of those whole-sale robbers who have dignified the trade? But if every aspiring humor should be as prosperous, where would it find fuel to maintain the flame? No doubt every age produces men of as unbounded desires as Alexander or Cesar, but God gives them not the same opportunities to trouble the world. And accordingly in the more petty ambitions of private men he often orders it so, that those soaring minds can find no benign gale to help their mounting. He that sets bounds to the sea, saying, hitherto shalt thou come and no farther, and tho the waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevaile, tho they roar yet can they not pass over, Jer. 5. 22. do's also depress the swelling pride of men, hangs clogs and weights upon them that they cannot rise to their affected height. For tho we are all willing to forget it, yet God remembers that he is the Rector of the Universe, and will assert his Dominion. The subtilest contrivance cannot circumvent him, the most dareing pretender cannot wrest any thing out of his hand, the Lord will still be King, be the people never so impatient, Psa. 99. 1. Twill therefore sure be as well our prudence as our duty to be still and know that he is God, Psal. 46. 10. with an humble dereliction of our own wills acquiesce in his, and not by ineffective struglings provoke, whom we are sure never to subdue. We may like unmanaged horses fome and fret, but still God has the bridle in our jawes, and we cannot advance a step farther then he permits us. Why should we then create torment to our selves by our repinings, which only sets us farther from our aims. Tis Gods declared method to exalt the lowly, and tis observable in the first two Kings of Israel who were of Gods immediate election, that he surprized them with that dignity when they were about mean and humble imploiments, the one searching his fathers Asses, the other keeping his fathers sheep: and would men honestly and diligently exercise themselves in the business of their proper calling, they might perhaps find it a more direct road to advancement, then all the sinister arts by which ambitious men endeavor to climb. Solomon sets it down as an Aphorism, seest thou a man diligent in his business he shall stand before Kings, he shall not stand before mean men Pro. 22. 29. But whether it happen to have that effect or no, it will have a better, for it will sweeten his present condition, divert his mind from mutinous reflections on other mens height, and his own lowness, for tis commonly men who mind not their work that are at so much leisure to gaze. He that carefully plies his own business will have his thoughts more concentred: and doubtless tis no small happiness to have them so, for tis their gadding too much abroad, looking on other mens conditions that sends them back (like Dianah deflowred) to put all in uproar at home. The son of Syrach speaks with transportation of the state even of him that labors and is content, and calls it a sweet life, Ecclus. 40. 18. And certainly tis infinitly more so then that of the greatest Prince whose mind swels beyond his territories.
10. UPON all these considerations it cannot but appear very reasonable that we should leave God to govern the world, not be puting in like the sons of Zebedee for the highest seats; but contentedly rest our selves where he has placed us, till his providence (not our own designs) advance us. We can no where be so obscure as to be hid from his eies, who as he valued the widows mite above the great oblations of the rich; so he will no less graciously accept the humble endevors of the mean, then the more eminent services of the mighty; himself having declared, that he accepts according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not, 2 Cor. 8. 12. so that in what rank soever a man is set, he has still the opportunity of approving himself to God, and tho in the eie of the world he be a vessel of dishonor, yet in the day when God comes to make up his Iewels Mal. 3. 17. there will be another estimate made of him who regularly moves in his own sphere. And sure he that sits down in this acquiescence is a happier man, then he that enjoies the greatest worldly splendor: but infinitly more so then he who impatiently covets but cannot attain them; for such a man puts himself upon a perpetual rack, keeps his appetites up at the utmost stretch, and yet has nothing wherewith to satisfy them. Let therefore our ease if not our duty promt us to acquiescence, and a ready submission to Gods disposals, to which we have yet a farther inducement from that distinct care he hath over every mans peculiar, by which he proportions to him, what is really best for him; of which we are farther to consider in the next Section.