The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Sermon 1 · Sermon 11
SERMON XI.
PHILIPPIANS. 4.11.
For I have learned in whatſoever ſtate I am, therewith to be content.
Oct. 12. 1645.NOW we are coming to the cloſe of this point of Contentment that Jeſus Chriſt doth teach thoſe that are in his School: we have opened the point unto you, and ſhewed you wherein the Art, and Skill, and Myſtery of Chriſtian Contentment lies; and divers things in the way of application rebuking the want of this and the laſt day I finiſhed that point of ſhewing the ſeveral Reaſonings of a murmuring and diſcontented heart. I ſhall now (as being deſirous to make an end) leave what was ſaid, and proceed to what remains. There are only theſe two things for the working of your hearts to this grace of Chriſtian Contentment.
Firſt, The propounding of ſeveral Conſiderations for the contenting of the heart in any afflicted condition.
Secondly, The propounding of Directions what ſhould be done for the working of our hearts unto this,
The Firſt Conſideration.
We ſhould conſider (in all our wants and inclinations to diſcontent) The greatneſſe of the mercies that we have, and the meaneſſe of the things that we want. The things we want, (if we be godly) they are things of very ſmall moment in compariſon to the things we have, and the things we have are things of very great moment; for the moſt part that that people are diſcontent and murmur for the want of, it is becauſe they have not ſuch things as reprobates have, or may have; why ſhould'ſt thou be troubled ſo much for the want of that that a man or woman may have & yet be a reprobate, as that thy eſtate is not ſo great, thy health not ſo perfect, thy credit not ſo much, thou mayeſt have all thoſe things and yet be a reprobate; now wilt thou be diſcontent for that that a reprobate may have? I ſhall give you the example of a couple of godly men meeting together, Anthony and Diddimus, Diddimus was blind, and yet a man of very excellent parts and graces, Anthony askt him if he was not troubled at this his want of ſight, he confeſt he was, but (ſaith he) ſhall you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have, and not rather rejoyce & be thankful that you have what Angels have? God hath given you thoſe good things that makes Angels glorious, is not that enough to you, though you want what thing a fly hath? And ſo a Chriſtian ſhould reaſon the caſe with himſelf, what am I diſcontented for? I am diſcontented for want of that that a dog may have, that a Devil may have, that a reprobate may have, ſhall I be diſcontent for not having that, when as God hath given me that that makes Angels glorious? Bleſſed be God (ſaith the Apoſtle in Ephe. 1.3.) that hath bleſſed us with all Spiritual bleſſings in heavenly places. It may be thou haſt not ſo great bleſſings in earthly places as ſome others have, but if the Lord hath bleſſed thee in heavenly places that ſhould content thee, there's bleſſings in heaven, and he hath ſet thee here for the preſent as it were in heaven, in a heavenly place, the conſideration of the greatneſſe of the mercies that we have, and the littleneſſe of the things that God hath denyed us, is a very powerful conſideration to work this grace of Contentment.
The Second Conſideration.
The conſideration that God is beforehand with us with his mercies ſhould content us (I ſpake to this as an aggravation of our diſcontent, but now I ſhall uſe it as a conſideration to help us to Contentment) Thou wanteſt many comforts now, but hath not God bin beforehand with thee heretofore? Oh thou haſt had mercy enough already to make thee ſpend all the ſtrength thou haſt and time thou ſhalt live, to bleſs God for what thou haſt had already. I remember I have read of a good man that had liv'd to fifty yeers of age and enjoyed his health for eight and forty yeers exceeding well, and liv'd in proſperity, and the two laſt yeers his body was exceedingly diſeaſed, he had the ſtrangury, and was in great pain; but he reaſoned the caſe with himſelf thus; Oh Lord thou mighteſt have made all my life to have been a life of torment and pain, but thou haſt let me have eight and forty yeers in health, I wil praiſe thy mercies for what I have had, and will praiſe thy juſtice for what now I feel. Oh it's a good conſideration for us to think that God is beforehand with us in the way of mercy: Suppoſe God ſhould now take away your eſtates from ſome of you that have lived comfortably a great while, you will ſay, That aggravates our miſery that we have had eſtates; but it is through thy unthankfulneſſe that it doth ſo; we ſhould bleſſe God for what we have had, and not think that we are worſe becauſe we have had thus and thus, we might have been alwaies miſerable, and certainly that mans condition is not very miſerable that hath no other great aggravation of his miſery but becauſe once he was happy; If there be nothing elſe to make you miſerable, that is no ſuch agravation but that thou mayeſt bear it, for there is much mercy in that that thou hadſt once, and therefore let that content thee.
A Third Conſideration.
The conſideration of the abundance of mercies that God beſtows & we enjoy. It is a ſpeech of Luther (ſaith he) the Sea of Gods mercies ſhould ſwallow up all our particular afflictions, name any affliction that is upon thee, there's a Sea of mercy to ſwallow it up. If you powre a pail full of water on the flour of your houſe it makes a great ſhew, but if you throw it into the Sea there is no appearance of it; ſo afflictions conſidered in themſelves we think they are very great, but let them be conſidered with the Sea of Gods mercies we do enjoy, then they are not ſo much, they are nothing in compariſon.
A Fourth Conſideration.
Conſider the way of God towards all creatures, God carries on all creatures in a viſicitude of ſeveral conditions; as thus, we have not alwaies ſummer, but winter ſucceeds ſummer, we have not alwaies day, but day and night, we have not alwaies fair weather, but fair and foul, the vegitive creatures do not alwaies flouriſh, but the ſap is in the root and they ſeem as if they were dead, there's a viſicitude of all things in the world, the Sun doth not ſhine alwaies to us here, but there is darkneſſe comes after light, now ſeeing God hath ſo ordered things with all creatures that there is a mixture of conditions; why ſhould we think it much that there ſhould be a viſicitude of conditions with us, ſometimes in a way of proſperity, and ſometimes in a way of affliction.
A Fifth Conſideration.
A further conſiadertion is this, The creatures do ſuffer for us, why ſhould not we be willing to ſuffer, to be ſervicable to God? God ſubjects other creatures, they are fain to loſe their lives for us, to loſe what ever beauty and excellency they have to be ſerviceable to to us, why ſhould not we be willing to part with any thing in way of ſervice for God; certainly there is not ſo great a diſtance between other creatures and Man-kind, as there is between Man-kind and God. 'Tis an expreſſion of that Martyr Maſter Hooper, that we reade of in the Book of Martyrs, in labouring to work his own heart, and the hearts of others to contentedneſs in the mid'ſt of his ſufferings; he hath this ſimilitude, and you may be put in mind of that every day, (ſaith he) I look upon the creature, and ſee what it ſuffers to be uſeful to me; as thus, The bruit beaſts muſt die, muſt be roſt in the fire, and boyl'd, muſt come upon the trencher, be hackt all in pieces, muſt be chewed in the mouth, and in the ſtomack turn'd to that which is loathſome if one ſhould behold it, and all to nouriſh me, to be uſeful to my body; and ſhall not I be willing to be made any thing for God, for his ſervice? what abundance of alterations the creature comes under to be made uſeful for me, to preſerve me: then if God will do ſo with me for his uſe, as he doth ſubject the creatures to me for my uſe, why ſhould not I reſt contented? If God will take away my eſtate, and make me poor, if God will take away my life, hack me in pieces, put me in priſon, whatſoever he doth, yet I ſhall not ſuffer more for God than the creature doth for me, and ſurely I am infinitly more bound to God than the creature is to me, and there is not ſo much difference between me and the creature as between me and God: ſuch conſiderations as theſe wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentedneſs in his ſufferings; and every time the creature is upon your trenchers you may think, What! doth God make the creature ſuffer for my uſe? not only for my nouriſhment, but for my delight; what am I then in reſpect of the infinit God?
A Sixth Conſideration.
Another Conſideration for the working of Contenement, it is, To conſider that we have but a little be time in this world: If thou beeſt godly thou ſhalt never ſuffer but only in this world; why do but ſhut your eyes and preſently another life is come: as that Martyr ſaid to his fellow Martyr, Do but ſhut your eyes, (ſaith he) & the next time they are opened you ſhall be in another world. Athanaſius ſaith, it is but a little cloud (when he was baniſhed) and it will be over (notwithſtanding) preſently. Theſe Afflictions they are but for a moment? a Marriner when he is abroad doth not think it much if a ſtorm ariſes, eſpecially if he can ſee the Heavens cleer beyond it ſaith he, it will be over preſently: Conſider we have not long to live, it may be it may be over before our daies be at an end, but ſuppoſe it ſhould not, death will put an end to all, all Afflictions and troubles will ſoon be at an end by death.
A Seventh Conſideration is this.
Conſider the condition that others have been in that have bin our betters. We made ſome uſe of that before to ſhew the evil of diſcontentment: But further for to work this upon our hearts, it is a mighty Argument to work upon our hearts a contentedneſs in any condition.
Thou many times doeſt conſider who are above thee, but conſider who are under thee.
Jacob that was the heir both of Abraham and Iſaac, (for the bleſſing was upon him) and the Promiſe ran along in him, yet was in a poor mean condition. Abraham that was his Grandfather was able to make a kind of Army of his own houſhold, 300. to fight with a King, yet Jacob his Grand-child he goes over Jordan with a ſtaffe, and lives in a very poor and mean condition for a long time: and Moſes that might have had all the treaſures in Egypt, and as ſome Hiſtorians ſay of him Pharoahs Daughter adopted him for her ſon, becauſe Pharoah had no heir for the Crown, and ſo he was like to have come to the Crown, yet what a low condition did he live in when he went to live with Jethro his Father in law 400. yeers together, afterward when he returned to Egypt, he and his wife and children, and all that he had, and yet he had but one beaſt to carry him to Egypt, he went in a mean condition when he went from his Father in law to Egypt back again.
And Elijah we know how he was fed with Ravens, and how he was fain to ſhift for his life from time to time, and run into the wilderneſſe up and down, and ſo did Eliſha, he was divers times in a very low condition, the Prophets of God they were to be hid in a Cave by Obadiah, and there to be fed with bread and water, and the Prophet Jeremiah put into a Dungeon, and oh how was he uſed! and it were an endleſs thing to name the particulars of the great ſufferings of the people of God. In former time we have ſometimes made uſe of this Argument other waies, the great Inſtruments of God in the firſt Reformation they lived in great ſtraights, in a very low condition, even Luther himſelf when he was to die (ſaith he) Lord (though he were a man of ſuch publick uſe, and was a great man in the Courts of Princes) Lord I have neither houſe nor lands, nor eſtate to leave any thing to wife or children, but I commit them to thee: and ſo Muſculus that was a very choiſe Inſtrument of God in his time, though he were a man that was worth even a Kingdom for the excellency of his ſpirit, and learning, for he was one of the learnedſt men of his time, yet ſometimes he was put to dig in the common ditch to get bread for his family; what would we do if we were in ſuch a condition as theſe men were? But above all ſet Chriſt before us, that profeſſes that the birds of the ayr had neſts, and the Foxes had holes, yet the Son of man had no place to hide his head in, that low condition he was in; the conſideration of ſuch things as theſe are very uſeful. It is likewiſe uſeful for men and women of eſtates to go to poor peoples houſes and ſee how they live, to go to Hoſpitals, and to ſee the wounds of ſouldiers and others, and to ſee the lamentable condition that people live in that live in ſome Almſ-houſes, and what poor fare they have, and what ſtraights they are put to, you hear ſometimes of them, but if you went to ſee them it would not only ſtir up charity in your ſelves towards them, but ſtir up thankfulneſſe in your hearts towards God, it would be a ſpecial means to help you againſt any diſcontent, you would go away and ſee cauſe to bleſſe God and ſay, if I were in ſuch a condition as they are in what ſhould I do? how could I bear it? and yet what reaſon is there that God doth ſo order and diſpoſe of things that they ſhould be ſo low in their eſtates and I ſo high: I know no reaſon but free grace, God will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy: Theſe are ſome good conſiderations for the furtherance of Contentment.
The Eighth Conſideration.
A further conſideration may be this, That before your converſion, before God wrought upon your ſouls, you were contented then with the world without grace, though you had no intereſt in God nor Chriſt, why cannot you now be contented with grace and Spiritual things without the world? If you your ſelves were content with the world without grace, there's reaſon you ſhould be content with grace without the world? Certainly there's infinitly more reaſon. Yea, you ſee that many men of the world have a kind of contentment, do not murmur nor repine when the world comes though they have no intereſt in God and Chriſt. Then can'ſt not thou have as much Contentment with God and Chriſt without the world, as they can with the world without God and Chriſt? This is infinite ſhame it ſhould be ſo.
The Ninth Conſideration.
Yea conſider when God hath given thee ſuch contentment, thou haſt not given him the glory. When God hath let thee have thy hearts deſire, what haſt thou done with thy hearts deſire? thou haſt not bin the better for it, it may be thou haſt bin the worſe many times and therefore let that ſatisfie thee: I meet with croſſes, but when I had contentment and all things coming in, God had but little or no glory from me, and therefore let that be a means now to quiet me in my diſcontented thoughts.
The Tenth Conſideration.
Yea laſtly, Conſider all the experience that you have had of Gods doing good unto you in the want of many comforts. When God croſſes you, have you never had experience of abundance of good in afflictions, it's true, when a Miniſter only tels men that God will work good out of their afflictions, they hear them ſpeak, and think they ſpeak like good men, but they feel little or no good, they feel nothing but pain; but when we cannot only ſay to you that God hath ſaid he will work good out of your afflictions, but we can ſay to you, that you your ſelves have found it ſo by experience, that God hath made former afflictions to be great benefits to you, and that you would not have been without them, or without the good that came by them for a world; ſuch experiences wil exceedingly quiet the heart and work it to contentment: therfore think thus with thy ſelf, Lord, why may not this affliction work as great a good upon mee as afflictions have done heretofore? Perhaps you may find many other conſiderations beſides in your own meditations, theſe are the principal ones that I have thought upon: I'le one add one word more to this, of one that once was a great merchant and trades-man, and it happened one a time that he ſuffered ſhip-rack, and ſaith he, I never made a better voyage and ſail'd better than at that time that I ſuffered ſhip-rack: this was a ſtrangs ſpeech (his name war Zeno) that he ſhould never make a better voyage: it would be a ſtrang parradox to you that are marriners, to ſay, that thats a good voyage when you ſuffer ſhip-rack: but he meant becauſe he got ſo much good by it, God was pleaſed to bleſſe it ſo far to him that he gained ſo much unto his ſoul by it, ſo much ſoul-riches that he made account it was the beſt voyage that ever he had: and truly, ſometimes it is ſo, yea, to you that are godly I make no queſtion but you find it ſo, that your worſt voyages have proved your beſt, when you have met with the greateſt croſſes in a voyage, God hath been pleaſed to turn them to a greater good to you in ſome other way. It is true, we may not deſire croſſes that they may be turned to other advantages; but when God in his providence doth ſo order things, that you meet with ill voyages, you may expect that God will turn them to a greater good, and thoſe that have been exerciſed in the waies of godlineſſe any long time, I make no queſtion but they have abundance of experiences that they have gain'd by them: You know ſometimes it's better to be in a little ſhip, for they have advantage of greater ones in ſtorms many times, in a ſtorm a little ſhip can thruſt into a ſhallow place and ſo be ſafe, but your great ſhips cannot, they muſt be abroad and toſt up and down in the ſtorm and tempeſt, and ſo many times ſplit againſt the rocks. And ſo it may be God ſees there is a ſtorme a coming, and if thou beeſt in thy great ſhip thou maiſt be ſplit upon rocks and ſands, God therefore doth put thee into a leſſer veſſel that thou mayeſt be more ſafe. We wil lay aſide the ſpeaking of thoſe conſiderations now, but I would not have you lay them aſide and put them out of your thoughts, but labour (thoſe eſpecially that moſt concern you) to make uſe of them in the needful time, when you find any diſcontentedneſſe of ſpirit to ariſe in you.
But the main thing that I intended for this exerciſe, It is propounding directions what to do for the helping of our hearts to Contentment. For as for any further conſiderations we have prevented the ſpeaking largly of them, becauſe we have opened the moſt things in ſhewing what the leſſons are that Chriſt teaches men, when he brings them into his School, to teach them this Art. I ſay there we have ſpoken of the ſpecial things that are moſt conſiderable for the helping of us to this grace of Contentment. Therefore now all that I ſhall further do about this point, ſhall be the giving of ſome directions what courſe to take that we may come to attain this grace of Contentment.
The Firſt Direction.
The firſt is this, All the rules and helps in the world will do us little good except we get a good temper within in our hearts; you can never make a ſhip go ſteady with propping of it without, you know there muſt be ballaſt within the ſhip, that muſt make it go ſteady: And ſo there is nothing without us that can keep our hearts in a ſteady conſtant way but that that is within us, grace is within the ſoul and that will do it.
The Second Direction.
Secondly, If you would get a contented life, do not gripe too much of the world, do not take in more of the buſineſſe of the world than God calls you to, be not greedy of taking in a great deal of the world, for if a man will go among thorns when he may go in a plainer way, there is no reaſon that this man ſhould complain that he is prickt with them; thou goeſt among thorns, is it thy way? muſt you of neceſſity go among them? then it's another matter, but if thou wilt electively chuſe that way when thou mayeſt go another, then thou haſt no cauſe to complain; ſo for men and women that will put themſelves upon things of the world that they need not, then no mervail though they be prickt, and meet with that that doth diſquiet them? for ſuch is the nature of all things here in the world, that every thing hath ſome prick or other in it, we are like to meet with diſappointments, and diſcontentments in every thing we meddle with, and therefore thoſe that have leaſt to do in the world, (that is, except God cals them to it, we muſt put in that) they are like to meet with many things that will diſcontent tehm.
The Third Direction.
Thirdly, Be ſure of thy call to every buſineſſe thou goeſt about, though it be in the lea…t buſineſſe be ſure of thy call to it: then whatever thou meeteſt withal thou mayeſt quiet thy heart with this, I know I am where God would have me, there's nothing in the world will quiet the heart ſo much as this; when I meet with any croſs, I know I am where God would have me in my place and calling, I am about the work that God hath ſet me, Oh this will quiet and content thee when thou meeteſt with trouble: that that God cals a man to with that he may have comfort in whatſoever befals him, God is to look to thee, and to ſee thee bleſt if thou beeſt in the work God cals thee to.
The Fourth Direction.
And eſpecially if I adde a fourth rule, and that is. That I walk by rule in that work I am call'd to. I am call'd to ſuch a buſineſſe, but I muſt mannage this work that I am call'd to by rule, I muſt walk by the word, order my ſelf in this buſineſſe according to Gods mind ſo far as I am able, then adde this to the other, and then the quiet and peace of that ſoul may be made even perfect in a kind, when I know it is not the work I put my ſelf upon but God hath call'd me to it, and I walk by the rule of the word in it, then let come what will come God he is to take care of me there. It was a ſpech of a Heathen (ſaith he) if thou wilt ſubject all things to thy ſelf, do thou ſubject thy ſelfe to reaſon, and by that thou wilt make all things to be under thee; I may adde a little more to it, if you will ſubject all things under you, ſubject your ſelfe to God, and then the truth is all things are under you; It hath been that that many times we have hinted, the reaſon why many of our Gentry have been ſo malignant among us is, becauſe they are willing to be ſlaves themſelves under ſome above them at Court, ſo they may keep their neighbours under to be ſlaves to them: for you know anyman heretofore that was great at the Court, he could cruſh any country man that he was angry withal. If there were an Arbitrary-government, then all thoſe that would be willing to be vaſſals and ſlaves to the Prince, they can make all others vaſſals and ſlaves to them. Now be thou willing to be a vaſſal to God, to be abſolutely under Gods command, and then I ſay all things in the world are under thee, All are yours (ſaith the Apoſtle) Life and death, every thing is yours, and you are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods: All things in the world are ſervicable to that man or woman that is ſervicable to God. It is a mighty commendations of Gods ſervice, be thou willing to be ſervicable to God and God makes all things in the world to be thy ſervants, for ſo they are. You will ſay, how are they my ſervants, I cannot command them? They are ſervants in this, that God doth order them all to work for thy good, there's nothing in the world but (ſaith God) it ſhall work for thy good, and be ſervicable to thee, if thou wilt be ſervicable to me; who would not be now Gods ſervant? Subject thy ſelf to God, and all things ſhall be ſubjected to thee. Now ſo long as we keep within our bounds we are under protection, but if once we break our bounds we muſt expect it ſhould be with us as it is with the deer in the Park; while the deer keeps within the pale, there is no dogs come upon them, but they can feed quietly, but let the deer be got without the pale, and then every dog in the country will be hunting after them; ſo it is with men, let men and women keep within the bounds of the command of God, of the rule that God hath ſet them in his word, and then they are protected by God, and they may go about their buſineſſe with peace and never be troubled for any thing, but caſt all their care upon God, God provides for them, but if they wil go beyond the pale, if they will paſs their bounds then they may expect to meet with troubles, and afflictions, and diſcontent; and therefore that is a fourth direction. Walk by rule.
The Fifth Direction.
A fift rule is this, Exerciſe much faith, that is the way for contentedneſs. After thou haſt done with all conſiderations that reaſon may ſuggeſt to thee, if thou findeſt that theſe do not do it, Oh then call for grace of faith, a man may go very far with the uſe of reaſon alone to help him to contentment, but when reaſon is at a non-plus then ſet faith a work. It was a ſpeech of the reverend Divine maſter Perkins that God made ſo inſtrumental in his time, the life of faith (ſaith he) it is a true life indeed, the only life. Exerciſe faith not only in that promiſe that all ſhall work together for good to them that fear God, but likewiſe exerciſe faith in God himſelf, as well as in his word, in the Attributes of God. It was a ſpeech of Socrates a Heathen, (ſaith he) ſince God is ſo careful for you, what need you be careful for any thing your ſelves? It was a ſtrange ſpeech of a Heathen.
Oh Chriſtian! if thou haſt any faith, in the time of extremity think thus, this is the time that God cals for the exerciſe of faith, what canſt thou do with thy faith if thou canſt not quiet thy heart in diſcontent. It was the ſpeech of one Theodoſius that had been a King, and afterwards was brought to ſuch a low condition to get his living by being a School-maſter, one comes and asks him, What have you got by your Phyloſophy from Plato and others? what have I got (ſaith he) I have got this, that though my condition be changed from ſo high a condition to ſo low, yet I have got this, I can be content. So what doeſt thou get by being a Beleever, a Chriſtian? what canſt thou do by thy faith? I can do this, I can in all eſtates caſt my care upon God, caſt my burden upon God, I can cōmit my way to God in peace, faith can do this. Therefore when reaſon can go no higher, let faith get upon the ſhoulders of reaſon and ſay, I ſee land though reaſon cannot ſee it, I ſee good that will come out of all this evil.
Exerciſe faith in thy often reſignation of thy ſelf to God, in giving of thy ſelf up to God and his waies, the more thou doſt in a beleeving way ſurrender up thy ſelf to God, the more quiet and peace wilt thou have; that's the fift thing.
The Sixth Direction.
The ſixth Direction for Contentment is, To labour to be ſpiritually minded; that is, be often in meditation of the things that are above,Col. 3.1. If we be riſen with Chriſt (ſaith the Scriptures) let us ſeek the things that are above, where Chriſt is that ſits at the right hand of God. Be much in ſpiritual thoughts, in converſing with things above; many Chriſtians that have an intereſt in the things of Heaven yet converſe but very little with them, their meditations are not much upon heavenly things. It is that that ſome give as the reaſon why Adam did not ſee his nakedneſſe, ſome think that he had ſo much converſe with God and with things above Sence, that he did not ſo much mind or think of nakedneſſe what it was, but whether that were ſo or no I will not ſay, but this I ſay and am certain of, the reaſon why we are ſo troubled with our nakedneſſes with any wants that we have, it's becauſe we converſe ſo little with God, ſo little with ſpiritual things, the converſing with ſpiritual things would lift us above the things of the world; Thoſe that are bit or ſtung with a Snake, it is becauſe they tread upon the ground, if they could be lifted up above the earth they need never fear to be ſtung with the Snakes that are crawling underneath: ſo I may compare the ſinful diſtemper of murmuring, and the temptations and evils that comes from thence to be like Snakes that crawl up and down below, but if we could get higher we ſhould not be ſtung by them: A heavenly converſation is the way for Contentment.
The Seventh Direction.
A ſeventh rule is, Do not promiſe to your ſelves too much beforehand, do not make account of too great things: It is good for us to take hold very low and not think to pitch too high, do not ſoar too high in your thoughts beforehand, to think, oh if I had this and this, and imagine great matters to your ſelves, but be as good Jacob, you know he was a man that lived a very contented life in a mean condition, (ſaith he) Lord if I may but have cloaths to put on, and meat to eat; he lookt no higher, he was content with that: ſo if we would not pitch our thoughts high and think that we might have what others have, ſo much, and ſo much, when we meet with diſappointments we would not be ſo much troubled: and ſo Paul, If we have but meat and drink and cloathing, let us be therewith content; he did not ſoar too high aloft, thoſe that look at high things in the world they meet with diſappointments and ſo they come to be diſcontent; be as high as you will in Spiritual meditations, God gives liberty there to any one of you to be as high as you will, above Angels, but for your outward eſtate God would not have you aim at high things, Seekeſt thou great things (ſaith the Lord to Baruch) ſeek them not, you ſhall have your life for a prey. In theſe times eſpecially, it were a very great evil for any to aim at great things, Seek them not, be willing to take hold low, & to creep low, and if God doth raiſe thee thou ſhalt have cauſe to bleſſe him, but if thou ſhouldeſt not be raiſed there would not be much trouble, one that creeps low cannot fall far, but it is thoſe that are on high whoſe fall doth bruiſe them moſt; that is a good rule, Promiſe not your ſelves great matters, neither aime at any great things in the world.
The Eighth Direction.
Labour to get your hearts mortified to the world, dead to the world: we muſt not content our ſelves that we have gotten ſome reaſoning about the vanity of the Creature, and ſuch kind of things as theſe are, but we muſt exerciſe mortification, and be crucified to the world, ſaith Paul, I die daily, we ſhould die daily to the world, We are baptized into the death of Chriſt, that is to ſignifie that we have taken ſuch a profeſſion as to profeſſe to be even as dead men to the world, now there's no croſſes that fals out in the world that doth trouble thoſe that are dead, if our hearts were dead to the world we ſhould not be much troubled with the changes of the world, nor the toſſings about of worldly things. As it is very obſervable in thoſe ſouldiers that came to break the bones of Chriſt, they brake the legs of one that was crucified with him, and of the other, but when they came to Chriſt they found he was dead, and ſo they did not break his legs, there was a providence in it, to fulfil a Propheſie, but becauſe they found he was dead they did not break his bones. Let Afflictions and trouble find thee with a mortified heart to the world and they will not break thy bones; the bones of thoſe that are broken by croſſes & afflictions are thoſe that are alive to the world, that are not dead to the world; but one that hath a mortified heart and dead to the world, no afflictions or troubles will break the bones of ſuch a one, that is, they will not be very grievous or painful to ſuch a one as is mortified to the world: This I fear is a myſtery and riddle to many, for one to be dead to the world, to be mortified to the world. Now it is not my work to open to you what Mortification is, or death to the world is, but only thus, to have our hearts ſo taken off from the things of the world, as to uſe them as if one uſed them not, not to make account that our lives, our comforts, our happineſſe doth conſiſt in theſe things, they are things that are of another nature that our happineſſe doth conſiſt in, and we may be happy without theſe, this is a kind of deadneſſe to the world.
The Ninth Direction.
Let not men and women pore too much upon their Afflictions, that is, buſie their thoughts too much to look down into their Afflictions; you ſhall have many people that all their thoughts are taken up about what their croſſes and afflictions are, they are altogether thinking and ſpeaking of them, it's juſt with them as with a child that hath a ſore about him, his finger is alwaies upon the ſore; and ſo men and women their thoughts are alwaies upon their afflictions, when they awake in the night their thoughts are upon their afflictions, and when they converſe with others (nay it may be when they are praying to God) they are thinking of their afflictions. Oh! no mervail though you live a diſcontented life, if your thoughts be alwaies poring upon ſuch things, you ſhould rather labour to have your thoughts upon thoſe things that may comfort you: You ſhall have many that if you propound any rule to them to do them good, they take it well while they are with you, and thank you for it, but when they are gone they ſoon forget it. It is very obſervable of Jacob, that when his wife died in child-birth, his wife called the child Ben-oni, that is, a ſon of ſorrows; now Jacob, he thought with himſelf, if I ſhould call this child Ben-oni, every time that I name him it will put me in mind of the death of my dear wife, and of that affliction, and that will be a continued affliction to me, therefore I will not have my child have that name; and ſo the text ſaith, that Jacob called his name Benjamin, and that was, the ſon of my right hand: now this is to ſhew us thus much, that when afflictions befals us we ſhould not give way to have our thoughts continually upon them, but rather upon thoſe things that may ſtir up our thankfulneſs to God for mercies. It it the ſimilitude of Baſil, a learned man, faith he, It is in this caſe as it is with men and women that have ſore eyes, now it's not fit for thoſe to be alwaies looking upon the fire, or upon the beams of the Sun; no (ſaith he) one that hath ſore eyes muſt get things that are ſutable to him, and ſuch objects as are fit for one that hath ſuch weak eyes, therefore they will get green colours, as that being a more eaſie colour and better for weak eyes, and they will hang green ſarſnet before their eyes becauſe it is more ſutable to them: So weak ſpirits it's the very ſame, a man or woman that hath a weak ſpirit, they muſt not be looking upon the fire of their afflictions, upon thoſe things that deject, that caſt them down, but they are to be looking rather upon that which may be ſutable for the healing and helping of them, they ſhould be conſidering of thoſe things rather than the other. It will be of very great uſe and benefit to you if you do lay it to heart, not to be poring alwaies upon afflictions, but upon mercies.
The Tenth Direction.
I beſeech you obſerve this though you ſhould forget many others. Make a good interpretation of Gods waies towards you, if there can be any good interpretation made of Gods waies towards you, make it. Ye think it much if you have a friend that ſhould alwaies make bad interpretations of your waies towards him, you would take that ill: If you ſhould converſe with people that you cannot ſpeak a word in their hearing but they are ready to make an ill interpretation of it, and take it in an ill ſenſe, you would think their company to be very tedious to you; it is very tedious to the Spirit of God when we make ſuch ill interpretations of his waies towards us. If God deals with us otherwiſe than we would have him, if there can be any ſenſe worſe than other made of it we will be ſure to make it; as thus, when an affliction doth befal you, there may be many good ſenſes made of Gods works towards you, you ſhould think thus, it may be God intends only to try me by this, it may be God ſaw my heart too much ſet upon the Creature, and ſo intends to ſhew me what there is in my heart, it may be that God ſaw that if my eſtate did continue I ſhould fall into ſin, that the better my eſtate were the worſe my ſoul would be, it may be God intended only to exerciſe ſome grace, it may be God intends to prepare me for ſome great work which he hath for me, thus you ſhould reaſon.
But we on the contrary make bad interpretations of Gods thus dealing with us, and ſay, God doth not mean this, ſurely the Lord means by this to manifeſt his wrath and diſpleaſure againſt me, and this is but a furtherance of further evils that he intends towards me: Juſt as they did in the wilderneſſe; God hath brought us hither to ſlay us. This is is the worſt interpretation that poſſibly you can make of Gods waies, Oh why will you make theſe worſt interpretations when there may be better? In 1 Cor. 13.5. when the Scripture ſpeaks of love (ſaith the text) Love thinketh no evil. Love is of that nature that if there may be ten interpretations made of a thing if nine of them be naught and one good, Love will take that which is good and leave the other nine; and ſo though there might be ten interpretations preſented to thee concerning Gods waies towards thee, and if but one be good and nine naught, thou ſhouldeſt take that one that is good and leave the other nine. I beſeech you conſider, God doth not deal by you as you deal with him, ſhould God make the worſt interpretation of all your waies towards him, as you do of his towards you it would be very ill with you, God is pleaſed to manifeſt his love thus to us, to make the beſt interpretations of what we do, and therefore it is, that God doth put a ſenſe upon the actions of his people that one would think could hardly be, as thus, God is pleaſed to cal thoſe perfect that have but any uprightneſſe of heart in them, he accounteth them perfect, Be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect; uprightneſſe in Gods ſenſe is perfection. Now alas when we look into our own hearts we can ſcarce ſee any good at all there, and yet God is pleſed to make ſuch an interpretation as to ſay, it is perfect: When we look into our own hearts we can ſee nothing but uncleanneſſe, God, he calls you his Saints, he calls the meaneſt Chriſtian that hath the leaſt grace under the greateſt corruption, his Saint; you ſay, we cannot be Saints here, but yet in Gods eſteem we are Saints: You know the uſual title the holy Ghoſt gives (in ſeveral of the Epiſtles) to thoſe that had any grace, any uprightneſs, is, To the Saints in ſuch a place; you ſee what an interpretation God puts upon them, they are Saints to him, and ſo I might name in divers other particulars, God makes the beſt interpretation of things, if there be abundance of evil and a little good, God rather paſſes by the evil and takes notice of the good: That ſomtimes I have made uſe of, which is a very obſervable placs in Peter, concerning Sarah, Sarah had a ſpeech to her husband in Geneſis, 18.12. ſhe called her husband lord, but there was but that one good word in an ill ſpeech, it was an unbeleeving ſpeech, but yet when the Apoſtle mentions that ſpeech in 1 Pet. 3.6. the holy Ghoſt leaves all the ill, and commends her for calling her husband lord, for putting a reverend title upon her husband; thus how graciouſly doth God deal with us? If there be but one good word among a great many ill, what an interpretation God makes! ſo ſhould we do, if there be but any one good interpretation that we can make of a thing we ſhould rather make uſe of the good one than of the ill; Oh my brethren, (I would I could now ſpeak only to ſuch as are godly) retain good thoughts of God, take heed of judging God to be a hard maſter, make good interpretations of his waies, and that's a ſpecial means to help you to Contentment in all your courſes.
The Eleventh Direction.
Do not ſo much regard the fancies of other men, as what indeed you feel your ſelves; for the reaſon of our diſcontentment many times, is rather from the fancies of other men than from what we find we want our ſelves, we think poverty to be ſuch a great evil, why? becauſe it is ſo eſteem'd by others, more than what people feel in it themſelves except they be in extremity of poverty: I'le give you an evident demonſtration that almoſt all the diſcontent in the world is rather from the fancies of others than from the evil that is upon themſelves. You that think your eſtates to be low and you are thereupon diſcontent, and it is a greivous affliction to you, but if all men in the world were poorer than you, then you would not be diſcontent, then you would rejoyce in your eſtates though you had not a pennie more than you have: As take a man that can get but his twelve pence a day, and you will ſay, this were but a poor thing to maintain a familie? but ſuppoſe there were no man in the world that had more than this, yea that all other men but your ſelves had ſomewhat leſſe wages than you, then you would think your condition pretty good, you ſhould have no more then than you have now, therefore it appears by this that it's rather from the fancies of other men than what you feel that makes you think your condition to be ſo greivous, for if all the men in the world lookt upon you as happy, more happy than themſelves then you would be contented; Oh let not your happineſſe depend upon the fancies of other men. It is a ſpeech of Chriſoſtom I remember in this very caſe, Let us not make the people in this caſe to be our lords, as we muſt not make men to be the lords of our faith, ſo not the lords of our comforts; that is, that our comfort ſhould depend more upon their imaginations, than upon what we feel in our ſelves. It may be others think you to be in an afflicted condition, yea but I thank God, for my ſelf I do not ſo apprehend it, were it not for the diſgrace, diſ-eſteem and ſlightings of other men, my condition would not be ſo bad to me as now it is, this is that that makes my condition afflictive.
The Twelfth Direction.
Be not inordinately taken up with the comforts of this world when you have them. When you have them do not take too much content in them: that's a certain rule that, look how inordinate any man or woman is in ſorrow when a comfort is taken from them, ſo much immoderate were they in their rejoycing in the comfort when they had it: as now for inſtance, God takes away a child and you are inordinately ſorrowful, beyond what God allows in a natural or Chriſtian way, now though I never knew before how your heart was towards the child, yet when I ſee this, (though you be a meer ſtranger to me) I may without breach of charity conclude that your heart was immoderately ſet upon your child or husband, or upon any other comfort that I ſee you greiving for when God hath taken it away; If you hear ill tydings about your eſtates, and your hearts are dejected immoderately, and you are in a diſcontented way becauſe of ſuch and ſuch a croſſe, certainly your hearts were immoderatly ſet upon the world; and ſo likewiſe for your credit, if you hear others report this or that ill of you, and your hearts are dejected becauſe you think you ſuffer in your name, your hearts were inordinatly ſet upon your name and credit; now therefore the way for you not to be immoderate in your ſorrows for afflictions, it is not to be immoderate in your love and delights when you have proſperity. And theſe are the principal Directions for our help that we may live quiet and contented lives.
My brethren, to conclude all for this point, if I could tell you that I knew how to ſhew you a way never to be in want of any thing, I make no queſtion but then we ſhould have much flocking to ſuch a Sermon, when a man ſhould undertake to mannifeſt to people that they ſhould never be in want any more, but I have been now preaching unto you that that comes to as much, that that countervails this, that which is in effect all one. Is it not almoſt all one, never to be in want, or never to be without Contentment? that man or woman that is never without a contented ſpirit, truly, can never be ſaid to want much, Oh! the Word holds forth a way full of comfort and peace to the people of God even in this world, you may live happy lives in the mid'ſt of all the ſtorms and tempeſts in the world, there is an Ark that you may come into, and no men in the world may live ſuch comfortable, cheerful, and contented lives as the Saints of God: Oh that we had learn'd this leſſon: I have been many Sermons about this leſſon of Contentment, but I am affraid that you will be longer in learning of it than I have been preaching of it; it is a harder thing to learn it than it is to ſpeak or preach of it. (I remember) I have read of one man reading of that place in the 39. Pſalm, I will take heed that I offend not with my tongue: ſaith he, I have been theſe 38. yeers a learning this leſſon and have not learned it thorowly. The truth is, there are many (I am affraid) that have been profeſſors neer eight and thirty yeers have hardly learn'd this leſſon, it were a good leſſon for young profeſſors to begin to learn this betimes: But now, this leſſon of Chriſtian Contentment it is as hard, and perhaps you may be many yeers in learning it: I am affraid there be ſome Chriſtians that have not yet learned, Not to offend groſly with their tongues: The Scripture ſaith, All a mans Religion is vain, if he cannot bridle his tongue; therefore, thoſe that make any profeſſion of godlineſs, one would think they ſhould quickly learn this leſſon, ſuch a leſſon that except learned, it makes all their Religion vain: But for this leſſon of Chriſtian Contentment it may take up more time to learn, and there's many that are learning it all the daies of their lives and yet are not Proficients; but God forbid that it ſhould be ſaid of any of us concerning this leſſon, as the Apoſtle ſaith of Widows in Timothy, That they were ever learning, and never came to the knowledge of the truth. Oh let us not be ever learning this leſſon of Contentment and yet never come to have skill in it. You would think it much if you had uſed the Sea twenty years, and yet to have attain'd to no skill in your art of navigation, you will ſay, I have uſed the Sea 20. or 30. yeers and I hope I may know by this time what belongs to Sea; Oh that you would but ſay ſo in reſpect of the Art of Chriſtianity! When there is any thing that's ſpoken concerning the duty of a Chriſtian, Oh that Chriſtians could but ſay I have been a Chriſtian thus long, and I hope I am not to ſeek in ſuch a thing that is ſo neceſſary for a Chriſtian, here is a neceſſary leſſon for a Chriſtian that Paul ſaid, He had learned in all eſtates therewith to be content. Oh be not content with your ſelves till you have learned this leſſon of Chriſtian Contentment, gotten ſome better skill in it than heretofore.
Now there is in the text another leſſon, which is a hard leſſon, I have learned to Abound, that doth not ſo neerly concern us at this time, becauſe the times are afflictive times, and there is now (more than ordinary) an uncertainty in all things in the world, in ſuch times as theſe are, there is few that have ſuch an abundance that they need to be much taught in that leſſon.
FINIS.