Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
A Third Direction for the preventing of this Temptation. The poſſeſſing of our Souls with Patience under, and arming of our Souls againſt, all manner of Diſcontent. The Miſchief of Diſcontent, the Excellency of Contentment and the uſefulneſs of it.
3. IF we would keep our ſelves from the Aſſaults of this Temptation, we muſt make it our buſineſs to learn in all eſtates to be content: To poſſeſs our ſelves with Patience, and arm our ſelves againſt all manner of Diſcontent. No Soul ſatiſfied, and contented with his or her ſtate, and condition; falleth into this Snare of the Devil; it is always the effect of Diſcontent: Now Diſcontent is ordinarily bottomed in Pride, but poſſibly not always. St. Paul telleth us, Phil. 4. 11. I have learned in whatſoever ſtate I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abaſed, and I know how to abound: every where, and in all things I am inſtructed, both to be full, and to be hungry, both how to abound, and ſuffer need. There is no ſuch Antidote as this againſt the Poiſon of this Fiery Dart: The Temptation lyeth here, Better be out of the World any way, then endure this Miſery, then be expoſed to this Shame, then come into the hands of ſuch Enemies. But the Soul that hath poſſeſſed it ſelf with Patience, that hath learned in every Eſtate to be Content, and hath brought it ſelf into a willingneſs that God ſhould chuſe its Lot, and carve its Portion, for it is Armed as with a Coat of Male; no Dart of this Nature can poſſibly penetrate ſuch a a Soul. And ſuffer me to tell you, this will be a Leſſon hardly learned, if once the Evil be come upon you; when the Senſe of the preſent Evil naturally ſtirreth up Paſſion in us: of ſo unſpeakable a Conſequence is it to have our Wills ſubdued to the Will of God, to that degree that it ſhall perfectly rule over us. In matters of Action we ſometimes may be at loſs, doubting what the will of God is, and what we ought to do; but now in any Caſe of Suffering, the Will of God is clear, there can be no diſpute about it: There can be no Evil of Puniſhment in a City, or in a Family, but God muſt be the Author of it; it muſt be the Will of God that ſuch or ſuch a Perſon ſhould come to Poverty, come into Diſgrace, be expoſed to Shame and Contempt; that this. or that Man or Woman ſhould be Racked and Tormented with ſuch a Diſeaſe. Now our Buſineſs muſt be, to bring our Wills to the Will of God; nor muſt this be ſtudied with reference to a particular Caſe, for who can tell what ſhall befall him; but to learn with Saint Paul, in all things to be content, to have an Heart ready in all Eſſaies, in all Contingences of this Life, to comply with the Divine Will: Not that it is poſſible, for a Chriſtian ſo far to ſubdue himſelf, that it ſhall not at all reluct, nor wiſh it it ſelf to be in a better Condition; but ſo far, that the Spirit ſhall get the Victory, and Conquer the Motions of the Fleſh, and the Heart ſhall prefer the Will of God to its own Will; and this is a great buſineſs, to bring the Soul of a Man to this paſs. And in order to this, there is nothing ſo much to be ſtudied as Humility and the Mortification of Pride: For as Solomon ſaith, OnelyOnly by Pride comes Contention. So give me leave to tell you, OnelyOnly from Pride cometh a Diſcontent at the Condition wherein God hath ſet us. For why is the Man or Woman diſcontented? But becauſe he or ſhe thinketh he or ſhe is unworthily dealt with, and hath not according to what they have merited. It would be a far too great undertaking for me in a branch of Application, to direct means in order to this Contentment, and propound Rational, or Spiritual Conſiderations, which duly digeſted, with the Bleſſing of God upon them, may work the heart into this frame; there have been whole Volumns that have been written upon it by Divines of all ſorts. I ſhould onelyonly commend one to you, written in our own Language: It is Mr. Borroughs his Book called, The Rare Jewel of Chriſtian Contentment: where enough is ſaid upon this Argument, upon the due digeſtion of which there will be found nothing wanting but Prayer on our ſide; for the great Work muſt be the Lords: who alone can bow and change the Will of Man, and work it into a compliance with the Will of God. Our Paſſions, ſince Man in the Fall loſt the Reins and Government of them, are grown too hard for our Reaſon: I ſhall onelyonly tell you, That a Diſcontented Spirit is the Devils great Advantage in the forcing of this Dreadful Temptation. No Man can poſſibly be under the power of this Impreſſion, but that Man onelyonly who is perſwaded, That it is better not to be, then to be ſo Miſerable as he is in his preſent State and Condition.
And hence it is, that although Godly Men and Women may often fall under the moleſtations of this Temptation, yet they ſeldom fall under it (I will not ſay never, but I ſay ſeldom) becauſe although their Wills are not fully ſubdued to the Will of God, yet they are generally ſo far ſubdued to the Divine will, that the Devil ſeldom getteth this Advantage againſt them, ſo as they ſhall commit ſuch a Sin.