The Art of Divine Contentment, Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. I.
The Introduction to the Text.
PHIL. 4. 11.
I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
THese words are brought in by way of Prolepsis, to anticipate and prevent an Objection. The Apostle had in the former Verses*…, laid down many grave and heavenly exhortations; among the rest, to be carefull for nothing, Vers. 6. Not to exclude, 1. A prudential care *Neque enim prohibetur quòd hom… de rebus in posterum necessariis non solicitetur, Aquin. in Heb. 13. 1 Tim. 5. 8. For Hee that provideth not for his owne house, hath denyed the Faith, and is worse then an Infidel. Nor, 2. A Religious care. For, wee must give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure *2 Pet. 1. 10. But 3. To exclude all*Iubet Apostolus, ut deponatur anxia cura, quòd ista non nisi ex infidelitate proficiscatur. Zanchy. anxious care about the issues and events of things; Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat *Mat. 6 25: and in this sense it should be a Christians care not to be carefull. The word in the Greeke [Carefull] comes from a Primitive*Dicitur foreign., that signifies, To cut the heart in pieces, a soule-dividing Care: take heed of this. Wee are bid to commit *Ps. 35 7.foreignour way unto the Lord: the Hebrew word is, Roll *foreignthy way upon the Lord. It is our work to cast care*1 Pet. 5. 7., and it is Gods work to take care. By our immoderacy we take his work out of his hand.
Care, when it is excentrick, either distrustfull, or distracting, is very dishonorable to God; it takes away his providence, as if he sate in heaven, and minded not what became of things here below; like a man that makes a clock, and then leaves it to go of it self. Immoderate care takes the heart off from better things; and usually while wee are thinking how we shall do to live, we forget how to die. Curis tabescimus omnes.—Care is a spiritual canker, that doth waste and dispirit; & cui bono? We may sooner by our care add a furlong to our grief, then a cubit to our comfort. God doth threaten it as a curse; They shall eat their bread with carefulness *Ezek. 12 19: better fast, then eat of that bread. Be careful for nothing.
Now lest any one should say, I, Paul, thou preachest that to us, which thou hast scarce learned thy self; Hast thou learned not to be carefull? The Apostle seems tacitly to answer that in the words of the Text; I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Egregia Sententia! A speech worthy to be engraven upon our hearts, and to be written in letters of Gold upon the Crownes and Diadems of Princes. The Text doth branch it self into these two generall parts.
I. The Scholar, Paul: I have learned.
II. The Lesson: In every state to be content.
CHAP. II.
The first branch of the Text, The Scholar, with the first Proposition.
I Begin with the first. I. The Scholar, and his proficiency; I have learned. 1. Observ. foreign, it is a practique word.Out of which I shall in transitu observe two things by way of paraphrase. 1. It is not foreign, but foreign. The Apostle doth not say, I have heard, that in every state I should be content; but, I have learned. Whence, 1. Doctr.1. Doct. It is not enough for Christians to hear their duty, but they must learne their duty. It is one thing to heare, and another thing to learne; as it is one thing to eat, and another thing to concoct. Saint Paul was a Practitioner, Christians hear much, but it is to be feared, learne little. There were four sorts of ground in the Parable*Luk 8. 5., and but one good ground. An embleme of this truth, many Hearers, but few Learners. There are two things which keep us from learning.
1. Slighting what we hear. Christ is the Pearle of Price; when we disesteeme this Pearle, we shall never learne, either its value, or its vertue. The Gospel is a rare Mystery; in one place it is call'd the *foreign. Act. 20. 24.Gospell of Grace, in another,*foreign. 1 Corin. 4. 4. the Gospell of Glory; because in it, as in a transparant Glasse the glory of God is resplendent; But, he that hath learned to contemne this Mystery, will hardly ever learne to obey it. He that looks upon the things of Heaven as things by the by, and perhaps the driving of a trade, or carrying on some politick designe to be of greater importance; this man is in the high road to damnation, and will hardly ever learne the things of his peace. Who will learne that which he thinks is scarce worth learning?
2. Forgetting what we hear *Tantum scimus quantum in memoria tenemu…. Plato in Timaeo.. If a Scholar have his Rules laid before him, and he forgets them as fast as he reads them, he will never learn†James 1. 25.. Aristotle calls the Memory, the Scribe of the Soul; and Bernard calls it the Stomack of the Soul, because it hath a retentive faculty, and turnes heavenly food into blood and spirits. We have great memories in other things; we remember that which is vain. Cyrus could remember the name of every Souldier in his huge Army; we remember injuries *Scribit in marmore lasu…. Clcero l. …. de orat.. This is to fill a precious Cabinet with dung; but, quàm facilis oblivio boni? as Hierom saith, how soon doe we forget the sacred truths of God? We are apt to forget three things, our faults, our friends, our instructions. Many Christians are like Sieves, put a Sive into the water, and it is full; but take it forth of the water, and all runnes out: So, while they are hearing of a Sermon, they remember something; but take the Sieve out of the water, assone as they are gone out of the Church, all is forgotten. Let these sayings (saith Christ) sinke down into your eares *Luke 9. 44.; in the Originall it is, put these sayings into your cares *foreign.; As a man that would hide a jewel from being stolen, locks it up safe in his chest, Let them sinke; The word must not onelyonly fall as dew that wets the leafe, but as raine which soakes to the root of the tree, and makes it fructifie. Oh how often doth Satan, that fowle of the Aire, pick up the good seed that is sowne!
Use. Let me put you upon a serious tryall;Use. Trial. Some of you have heard much; you have lived forty, fifty, sixty years under the blessed Trumpet of the Gospel; What have you learned? You may have heard a thousand Sermons, and yet not learned one. Search your consciences.
1 You have heard much against sin: are you Hearers, or are you Scholars?
How many Sermons have you heard against Covetousnesse; That it is the root, on which Pride, Idolatry, Treason do grow*2 Tim. 3 2, & 4.? One cals it a†foreign; Metropolitan sin: It is malum complexum, it doth twist a great many sinnes in with it. There is hardly any sinne, but Covetousnesse is a maine ingredient into it; and yet are you like the two daughters of the Horse-leach, that cry, Give, give. How much have you heard against rash Anger; that it is a short phrensie, a*Ira est brevis insania. Sen. dry drunkennesse; That it rests in the bosome of fooles *Quid prodest vinum non bibere, & irâ inebriari? Hieron. Eccles. 7. 9.; and upon the least occasion do your spirits*Magnóque irarum fluctuat astu. Virg. begin to take fire? How much have you heard against Swearing? It is Christs expresse mandate, Sweare not at all *Mat. 5. 34.; this sinne of all other may be tearm'd the unfruitful work of darknesse *Eph. 5. 11.. It is nei…her sweetned with pleasure, nor enriched with profit, (the usuall vermilion wherewith Satan doth paint sinne.) Swearing is forbidden with a sub poena. While the swearer shoots his oathes, like flying arrowes at God, to pierce his glory; God shoots a flying roll of curses*Zach. 5. v. 2, & 4. against him; and doe you make your tongue a racket, by which you tosse oathes as Tennis-balls? Doe you sport your selves with oathes as the Philistines did with Samson, which will at last pull the house about your eares? Alas! how have they learned what sin is, that have not yet learned to leave sinne? doth he know what a Viper is, that playes with it?
2. You have heard much of Christ, have you learned Christ? The Jewes (as one saith) carried Christ in their Bibles, but not in their heartsdHieron.; Their sound went into all the earth, eRom. 10. 18.Rom. 10. 18. The Prophets and apostles were as trumpets, whose sound went abroad into the world; yet many thousands who heard the noise of these Trumpets, had not learned Christ; They have not all obeyed, vers. 16.fforeign.
1. A man may know much of Christ, and yet not learne Christ. The divells knew Christ.gMark 1. 24.
2. A man may preach Christ, and yet not learn Christ; as Iudas and the pseudo-Apostles.hPhil. 1. 15.
3. A man may professe Christ, and yet not learn Christ. There are many professors in the world that Christ will professe against.iMat. 7. 22, 23.
Quest. What is it then to learne Christ?Quest. Answ. 1. To learn Christ, is to be made like Christ. Answ. 1.When the divine characters of his holiness are engraven upon our hearts. We all with open face, beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image *2 Cor. 3. 18. foreign.. There is a Metamorphosis made; a sinner viewing Christs Image in the Glasse of the Gospell, is transform'd into that Image. Never did any man look upon Christ with a spiritual eye, but went away quite changed. A true Saint is a divine Landskip or picture, where all the rare beauties of Christ are lively pourtraied and drawn forth. He hath the same Spirit, the same judgement, the same will with Jesus Christ.
2. To learne Christ, is to beleeve in him; My Lord, my God *John 20. 28.. When we do not only credere Deum, but in Deum; which is the actual application of Christ to our selves, and as it were the spreading the sacred medicine of his blood upon our souls. You that have heard much of Christ, and yet cannot with an humble adherence say, My Iesus, be not offended if I tell you, the Devill can say his Creed as well as you.
3. To learne Christ, is to live Christ. When we have Bible-conversations, our lives as rich Diamonds cast a sparkling lustre in the Church of God*Phil. 1. 27.; and are (in some sense) parallel with the life of Christ, as the Transcript with the Originall. So much for the first notion of the word.