The Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Rules for Contentment.
LOVE and Honor God above all things, and thou wilt not repine at any order of his Providence. It was the saying of Old Eli, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good, 1 Sam. 3.18. When we express our love to God in a regular Manner; we shall truly discern that all his Judgments are Just, and what he inflicts on us. His fatherly Corrections, are the Products of his Love and Wisdom for our Amendment, who therefore correcteth every Son, out of an earnest Desire, that none should perish; and he that indulgeth himself to his pleasure, profit, or ease, and omitteth his duty towards God, must needs be impatient of any loss which may befall him. Next to thy Maker, love thy Neighbor as thy self; and a trifling Injury shall not molest thy quiet.
2. LET us take the Apostles advice, to be content with Necessaries, 1 Tim. 6.8. Having Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content. And what can the richest Treasures of Princes afford them more than Tranquility of Mind? It was a prudent Speech of that Indian King Taxiles, to the invading Alexander, What occasion have we, said he, to fight and wage War one with another, if thou comest not to take away our Water, and our Necessaries, by which we must subsist? As for other Goods, if I abound more in Riches than you, I am ready to acquit some of them to you; and if I have less, I will not think scorn to receive from you the like favour. And I would to God that all Societies of Men were so happily composed.
3. FREQUENTLY and thankfully recount what God hath done, and still doth for thee. Foolish Men by their Impatience, create an over-sight, and look through false Opticks upon their happy Estates; and reversing often something to nothing, by which means showers of Blessings are turned into Curses, which brings a severe Doom upon themselves. 'Tis the part of a Fool rather to mourn for a Loss, than rejoice for any Profit, or Gain. Many reckon what they are not possessed of, not what they enjoy beyond many thousands that are dignified because, prudential and more thankful: They imagine their morose Humor must not be contradicted, and their Sweets must not be mixed with Bitter; but I may say to them, as Job said to his Wife, tempting him, Thou speakest as one of the foolish Women; what, shall we receive good at the Hands of God, and shall we not receive Evil? Job 2.10.
4. IN all Discontents look up to him, who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Christ Jesus: Consider that he suffered and underwent what thou couldst not perform; yet not for himself, for he knew no Sin; but it was to work thine and the World's Salvation: If through Faith in him, thou canst have Peace with God, thou shalt not only bear, but rejoice in Tribulation, knowing as the Apostle says, that it worketh Patience, Rom. 5.3. If thou wilt preserve Innocency and a good Conscience, thou wilt advantageously acquire peace and contentment of Mind, which shall Compose thee in the midst of Tumults in things External: But as a Seditious City, or a Discorded House cannot be Happy; so a discorded Mind, cannot be at Unity in it self.
5. KEEP within the Jurisdiction of thy proper Business, Employment, or Calling. Undertake not, neither propound to thy self any thing too great for thy Management. Overgrasping thy Hand, Enervates it, and torments it with fruitless Pain: And aiming too ambitiously, crucifies the Heart, when they fall from the Precipice of their vain Proposals. Art thou endowed with Riches? Actively offer them to that use for which they were sent; which is God's Glory. Is thy Fortune slender? Contract thy Mind within its Limits, which is to Necessity, not Opinion: We read of a Philosopher in his Journey, which drank Water in his Hand, and cry'd out, With how few Vtensiles is Nature content! I could wish many would follow his Example, that they might enjoy that Peace and Tranquility of Mind.
6. BUT many become their own Tormenters and Authors of their own Discontents, proposing such strange Fabricks of their Babels, erecting airy Castles and Towers to Heaven; adding House to House, and Land to Land, Province to Province, and Kingdom to Kingdom; chasing for their main Concernments in the dangerous attempts of doubtful Adventures, Grandeur, and affluence of Riches. They go Remote to find that which with Prudence may be produced at Home, in our own Bosoms, which is to be satisfied in that which God hath allotted for us, with a contented Mind.
7. IT was remarked of Pyrrhus that active Epirot, that Fortune made him happy enough with Sufficiency, to live Peaceably at Home, if he could have contented himself only with the Sovereignty over his own Subjects: But his insatiable Avarice, (which neither the Sea, Mountains, Inhabitable Deserts, nor the Confines which separate Asia from Europe could Limit) instigated him perpetually to seek out new matter of Trouble to himself and others: Which his faithful Friend Cineas, did once Prudently, tho without Effect, intim… … him, whereupon new Overtures of honourable and profitable Undertakings for the Tarentines, occasioned by Cineas Quaeres. Pyrrhus had said, When we have Overcome the Romans, there can neither-Grecian nor Barbarous City in all the Country withstand us, but we shall Conquer all the rest of Italy with Ease. And what shall we do then, (said Cineas?) Pyrrhus replying, telleth him of Conquering commodious Sicily. Again he demanded, That being Won, shall our Wars end? Pyrrhus replied, The way was then open enough to attain great Conquests, and who would not afterwards go into Africk, and so to Carthage? But when we have all in our Hands, (said Cineas) what shall we do in the end? We will then (good Cineas, said he) be quiet and take our Ease, make Feasts every day, and be as Merry one with another as we can possibly. Cineas having brought him to that point, said to him, My Lord, What hindereth us now to be Quiet and Merry together, since we enjoy that presently without farther Travel and Trouble, which we should now go seek for Abroad with such shedding of Blood, and so manifest Dangers? And we know not whether we shall ever attain unto it, after we have both suffered, and caused others to suffer infinite Sorrows and Troubles.
8. LEARN to obtain a faithful dependance on Gods Providence. This ground of Content the Holy Ghost proposeth, Heb. 13.5. Let your Conversation be … Covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. When Men too much depend on second Causes, they are impatient at every Cross. They would impiously prescribe God the time, as Jehoram would, 2 Kings, 6.33. and rebellious Israel, Exod. 32.1. Or in the Means, as Naaman, 2 Kings, 5.11. But in assurance that God will never fail us, we must patiently expect his help. In every Affliction remember that God beholdeth thee, and his Providence will give the issue with the Tryal.
9. ART thou in Want, which excites thy Discontent? Then call to mind what thou broughtest into this World, and what thou shalt carry out: Thou hast not such Possessions, Houses, Riches, Apparel as some have; yet no Man liveth so poor as he was Born. This was that which that Exemplar of Patience said in all his Losses, Naked came I out of my Mothers Womb, and Naked shall I return thither, Job 1.21. So St. Paul maketh it a ground of his Exhortation to Contentedness, We brought nothing into this World, and it is certain we shall carry nothing out, 1 Tim. 6.7. Kings and Princes are cast out Naked in the day of their Nativity, and are beheld as Weeping little Masters of the World. The Great Saladine will inform you what they carry hence; who ordered, that at his Funeral one should carry a Shirt or Winding-sheet, on the Point of an advanced Lance, and go before the Herse and proclaim thus, Saladine the Conqueror of the East, carrieth hence with him only this of all that he hath gotten.
10. FEED not the bitter humour of Discontents, for the growths thereof are sad and dangerous. Give not over thy mind to heaviness, and afflict not thy self in thine own Counsel, Ecclus. 30.21. The exhileration of the Heart is the Life of a Man, and prolongeth his days. Some Minds are like the Sea, which instantly turneth sweet Showers into its own Bitterness; because they indulge to Impatience, pleasing themselves with that which tormenteth them: But the prudent in every Affliction, elevate their Souls to God, seeking Comfort in him, and consider of the Life to come; where there shall be no more Curse, Rev. 22.3. no more Discontent, but every Heart shall be filled with Joy.
A Prayer for Patience and Contentment.
MOST Gracious God, I humbly acknowledge thy fatherly goodness, in measuring to me those Corrections which my Sins daily provoking thy Justice, most justly deserve; and thy stupendious. Mercy in sparing me, whom in thy severity thou mightest not only have made the most Miserable of all Men living, but mightest have cast me into that Lake, which burns with Fire and Brimstone. Lord, as thou hast in a bleeding Jesus afforded me this Mercy, so for his sake blot out the Hand-writing of all my Offences: Lay no more upon me than thou wilt enable me to bear; and never suffer me, frail Dust and Ashes for any Temptation, to fall from thee, but give me a blessed issue out of every Tryal.
2. AND O holy Father, correct me not in thine Anger, lest I perish in thy fierce Wrath; neither chasten me in thy heavy Displeasure, lest I am utterly Consumed. Let thy Corrections work in me a true sense and detestation of all my Sins; a filial fear to offend thee, and a fixed resolution to love and serve thee more carefully for the future: To this end, I humbly beseech thee give me assurance of my Justification by Christs Righteousness; my attonement with thee, and such a peace of Conscience, as the world can never give nor take from me; that I may adore thee above all, and render thee a sincere thankfulness for all thy Mercies Temporal and Eternal; Entertaining always in my Heart that assurance of my Saviour, who suffered such great great, things for me, that he will not suffer me to fall under any of Satans Conflicts.
3. LORD Sanctifie all my Afflictions to me by thy good Spirit: Cast out of my Soul all those Sins and Corruptions which lye lurking to betray me to Ruin: Let the sum and height of my Ambition be only to be thine; give me a prudent and contented Heart in every estate and condition, a faithful dependance on thy Good Providence, in assurance that thou who hast promised, will never fail me, nor forsake me; that in every Affliction, I may expect thy gracious Deliverance. Give me Patience and meekness of Spirit, that I may in the midst of all my troubles, find rest to my Soul: Let not my Heart be fixed on Transitory things, but on things which are above, where Christ my Peace, sitteth at thy right hand making Intercession for me.
4. CHASE from me all Impatience, bitterness of Spirit, Diffidence, and the secret Murmurings of Flesh and Blood. Let thy Holy Spirit, the Comforter, dwell in me to keep and counsel me in all affairs and interests Spiritual and Temporal: Let his joyful Presence so sweeten all those Marahs of Affliction which thy Providence shall appoint in my way to the Promised rest. O let me ever rejoice in thee, and in every Estate live cheerfully before thee, untill thou in thy good pleasure bring me unto the fulness of eternal Joys in thy blessed Presence, where thou wilt wipe away all Tears from my Eyes: Make me glad with the light of thy Countenance, and unite me to that Triumphant Society of Saints and Angels, which in perfect Harmony Sing their Halelujahs to thee Eternally, through Jesus Christ, my only Saviour and Redeemer.
Amen.