Contentment Leading a Christian, Treatise 1 · Chapter 14 – Chapter 15
CHAP. XIV. Of bodily deformity, and Contentment therein.
NOw wee come to those tryals which come upon our owne persons, which we are not able to encounter, but must needs lose our peace and patience, if godlinesse should not support and stablish us with true contentment. These may be reduced to six heads;
1 Deformity:
2 Barrennesse:
3 Sicknesse:
4 Old Age:
5 Death:
6 Grave and Iudgement▪
The first of these, is either by Grounds of Contentment in case of de…ormity. 1birth, or by accident.
Godlinesse perswadeth contentment in both, thus.
1 Wee made not our selves, but were as the clay in the hand of the Potter, to make a vessell of what form he pleaseth, Ier. 18. 6. and shall the clay say to the Potter, why hast thou made me thus? May not God do with his owne as he will? Doth he owe any …. 20, 15thing to any man?
2 Godlinesse causeth the heart 2 Good ends for this deformity.to looke unto Gods ends, and so, many wayes to better it selfe:
As, first, to supply wants of nature with increase of grace: so Zacheus, being low of stature, climbed up into a tree to see Christ.
Secondly, by imperfections and deformity of body to see and hate the deformity of soul by sinne, which was the Parent of it. Lots wife for her sinne was turned into a senselesse pillar of salt. Nebuchadnezzar for his sinne was made in conversation like a beast. Good Zachary for his distrust was made speechlesse.
Thirdly, not to rest in our selves, since wee have a continuall badge of imperfection, but in the perfection of Christ, 2 Cor. 12. 9. my grace is sufficient for thee. And so much the more to labour in the decking of the soule, that the Lords strength may be perfected through weaknesse.
3 Faith teacheth the heart, and 3upholdeth it unto that time, when all imperfections and blemishes shall be done away. For when sinne shall bee cast into the lake, all the deformities and infirmities of it shall bee abolished, and soule and body shall be united in most absolute perfection and beauty, in the resurrection of the just: and that body which is now far wanting of other mens in feature and perfection, shall be made like the glorious body of Iesus Christ. That eye which is now blinde or blemished, shall perfectly and cleerely behold God as he is, and see his Redeemer. The stammering tongue shal resound the praises of the Lord in all eternity. The lame shall bee restored to his limbes, to walk in white with Christ. And that body which is now deformed, yet is now a member of Christ, and shall bring no blemish to Christs glorious body.
4 Deformity of body may be a blemish in respect of man, it is not so 4in regard of God: for he judgeth not acording to the outward appearance, but according to the frame of the heart. For as in a wicked man the Lord seeth no beauty, but accounteth of them as if they were transformed into the shape of beasts (Nero a lion for cruelty, Herod a foxe for craft and subtilty, and Peter calleth them dogs and swine for filthinesse:) so the Lord seeth no deformity in the godly, but of the church consisting of her members, is said, Thou art all faire my love, thers is no blemish in thee. Beauty Cant. 4. 7.without Gods feare is as a Pearle in a swines snout: but Gods feare without beauty of body is as a Diamond, which is never lesse pretious if it were set in clay.
5 If deformity come by accident, 5as by persecution of Tyrants, by racking, dismembring, or the like, godlinesse will make a man content; yea, and glad he is worthy to beare the markes of Christ Iesus in his body: so was Paul, Gal. 6. 17. These deformities are rather ornaments to Christians. And seeing our Lord did beare in his body the print of the speare and nayles, why should we be ashamed of the like? Nay, these markes have been highly esteemed of Gods children. We read in the Ecclesiasticall history, that Constantine the Emperour kissed the wounds of their eyes, which in time of persecution were pulled out for constant bearing witnesse to the truth, and Theodlib. 1 cap. 2.received and entertained them honourably. The markes of a souldiers wounds for his King and Countrey, are his glory.
But if deformity or defect come otherwise, a godly heart resteth it selfe in this, that all things fall out and shall be turned to the best to them that love God. God can in his wisedome tell how to prevent greater evill from his children, by Jesse, and to draw them good out of evill. For example: Mephibosheth was lame by birth, but God disposed it to good for him. If he had been of a strong and able body, it was likely enough hee might have affected his Grandfathers Kingdome, as his uncle Ishbosheth did to his owne destruction: but now being lame, and unfit for the Kingdome, he is contented with his condition, without any aspiring attempts, and so lives in peace long dayes and to old age, who else might have perished yong. Experience gives us store of examples of such as being like Absalom, who was the fairest young man in all Israel, of strength and valour, it had bin better for them to have been perpetually lame or bed-rid, then have enjoyed that blessing, which not being able to weild hath proved their overthrow.
CHAP. XV. Of Orbity or Barrennesse, and Contentment therein.
THe second personall evill, in Grounds of Contentment in Barrennes.which godlinesse no lesse contenteth then in the former, is Orbity or Barrennesse. Thus.
First, promotion of children makes 1none blessed.
Secondly, children are not simply 2blessings, nor alwayes given for a blessing, but often prove a curse, Iob 27. 15, 16. Wee read of children multiplied for the sword, and for famine. Wee often see some one childe, not onelyonly the sorrow and shame of godly Parents, but the ruine and overthrow of the whole family. Wee have heard of Absaloms that have risen in rebellion against their parents, according to our Saviours prophecy, Matthew, 10. 21. children shall rise up against their Parents. Better were it to bee without Children, then to be parents of such, as for whom the Lord made a Law, that the Parents should follow them to the stoning, and cast the first stone at them, Deut. 21. 18, 19, 20. Numbers of such roiotous sons are every where at this day.
Thirdly, the case often so fals out, that they are at best …ase, who have 3no children; especially if troubles and persecutions arise for the Gospell. When Ierusalem was to bee besieged, woe was to them that gave sucke in those dayes. And in ordinary times, the Parent charged with children must have trouble in the flesh, for the godly educating, and also providing for them. And such as have none, have lesse care, and more liberty and opportunity to serve God, & to care for the things of God, how he may please him: the Apostles reason, 1 Cor. 7. 32, 34.
Fourthly, children are the gift of God. The fruit of the wombe is 4a blessing from God, whose wisedome is such, as he disposeth them where he knoweth it is fit for his glory, and good for his children: and where it would make for neither, he withholdeth them. Elkanah was not God, to give Annah children. And a good heart will rest in Gods wise disposition, who openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth the wombe and no man can open it.
Fifthly, though sometimes it was 5a curse to be childelesse, and inflicted for sinne, as Coniah was written …. 22. 30.destitute of children; yet to the godly it is not so; nor a signe of Gods anger, no more then it was in Abel, Melchiz…d…k, Elias, Paul, & others.