The Art of Divine Contentment, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Three things inserted by way of Caution.
IN the next place I come to lay down some necessary Cautions;Caution 1. though I say a man should be contented in every estate, yet there are three estates in which he must not be contented.
1. He must not be contented in a natural estate; here he must learne not to be content. A sinner in his pure naturals in under the wrath of God *Joh. 3. 16, and shall he be content when that dreadfull Vial is going to be poured out? is it nothing to be under the scorchings of divine fury? Who can dwell with everlasting burnings? A sinner as a sinner is under the power of Satan *Acts 26. 18., and shall he in this estate bee contented? who would be contented to stay in the enemies quarters? while we sleep in the lap of sinne, the Devill doth to us as the Philistines did to Samson, cut the lock of our strength, and put out our eyes*2 Cor. 4. 4.; be not content, O sinner, in this estate. For a man to bee in debt body and soul, in fear every hour to be arrested and carried prisoner to hell, shall he now be content? here I preach against contentation, Oh get out of this condition, I would hasten you out of it, as the Angel hastened Lot out of Sodom *Gen. 19: 15.; there is the smell of the fire and brimstone upon you. The longer a man staies in his sinne, the more sinne doth strengthen*Heb. 3. 13.; 'tis hard to get out of sinne when the heart as a garrison is victualled and fortified.Vincere consuctudinem est dur… pugna. Aug. A young plant is easily removed,foreign. Hippocr. l. 2. Aphor. 9. but when the tree is once rooted, there is no stirring of it: thou who art rooted in thy pride, unbelief, impenitency, it will cost thee many a sad pull ere thou art plucked out of thy naturall estate *Jer 6. 16. 'Tis an hard thing to have a brazen face and a broken heart, He travelleth with iniquity *Ps. 7. 14.Psal. 7. 14. Be assured, the longer you travell with your sinnes, the more and the sharper pangs must you expect in the new birth. Oh be not contented with your naturall estate. David saith, Why art thou disquieted, O my soul *Ps. 4. 53.? but a sinner should say to himself, Why art thou not disquieted, O my soul? why is it that thou layest afflictions so to heart, and canst not lay sin to heart? 'Tis a mercy when we are disquieted about sinne; a man had better be at the trouble of setting a bone, then to bee lame, and in paine all his life; blessed is that trouble that brings the soul to Christ. 'Tis one of the worst sights to see a bad conscience quiet; of the two, better is a feaver, then a lethargy. I wonder to see a man in his natural estate content; what, content to go to hell?
2. Though in regard of externals a man should be in every state content,Caution 2. yet he must not be content in such a condition wherein God is apparently dishonoured. If a mans trade bee such that he can hardly use it but he must trespasse upon a Command (and so make a trade of sinne) he must not content himself in such a condition; God never called any man to such a calling as is sinfull; a man in this case had better knock off, and divert; better lose some of his gaine, so he may lessen some of his guilt. So for servants that live in a prophane family (the suburbs of hell) where the Name of God is not called upon, unlesse when it is taken in vain; they are not to content themselves in such a place, they are to come out of the Tents of these sinners; there is a double danger in living among the prophane.
1. Lest we come to be infected with the poison of their ill example. Ioseph living in Pharaohs Court, had learned to swear by the life of Pharaoh *Gen. 42 15.. We are prone to suck in example*Vivitur exemplis magìs quàm legibus.; men take in deeper impressions by the eye then by the ear. Dives was a bad patterne, and he had many brethren that seeing him sinne, trod just in his steps; therefore saith he, I pray thee send him to my fathers house, for I have five brethren, that he may testifie to them that they come not into this place of torment *Luke 16 27, 28.. Dives knew which way they went; it is easie to catch a disease from another, but not to catch health. The bad will sooner corrupt the good, then the good will convert the bad; take an equal quantity and proportion, so much sweet wine with so much sower vineger, the vineger will sooner sower the wine, then the wine will sweeten the vineger. Sinne is compared to the plague *1 Kings 8. 38., and to leaven *1 Cor. 5. 7., to shew of what a spreading nature it is. A bad master makes a bad servant; Iacobs cattell by looking on the rods which were speckled and ringstrak'd, conceived like the rods. We do as we see others before us, especially above us. If the head bee sick, the other parts of the body are distempered. If the Sunne shine not upon the mountaines, it must needs set in the valleys. We pray, Lead us not into temptation, and doe we lead our selves into temptation? Lot was the worlds miracle, who kept himselfe fresh in Sodoms falt water.
2. By living in an evill family we are liable to incurre their punishment; Pour out thy wrath upon the families that call not upon thy Name *Jer. 10. 25. For want of pouring out Prayer, the wrath of God was ready to be poured out. 'Tis dangerous living in the Tents of Kedar. When God sends his flying roll, written within and without with curses, it enters into the house of the thief, and perjurer, and it consumes the timber and the stones thereof *Zach. 5. 4.. Is it not of sad consequence to live in a prophane perjur'd family, when the sinne of the Governour pulls his house about his eares? if the stone and timber be destroyed, how shall the servant escape? And suppose God send not a temporall roll of curses in the family, there is a spirituall roll, and that is worse*Pro. 3. 33.. Bee not content to live where Religion dies. Salute the brethren, and Nymphas, and the Church which is in his house *Col. 4. 15; the house of the godly is a little Church, the house of the wicked a little hell *Pro. 7. 27. Oh incorporate your selves into a religious family, the house of a good man is perfum'd with a blessing*Pro. 3. 33.. When the holy oyle of grace is poured on the head, the savour of this ointment sweetly diffuseth it selfe, and the virtue of it runs down upon the skirts of the family. Pious examples are very magneticall and forcible. Seneca said to his sister, Though I leave you not wealth, yet I will leave you a good example. Let us ingraffe our selves among the Saints; by being often among the spices, we come to smell of them.
3. The third Caution is,Caution. 3. though in every condition we must bee content, yet we are not to content our selves with a little grace. Grace is the best blessing. Though we should be contented with a competency of estate, yet not with a competency of grace. It was the end of Christs Ascension to heaven, to give gifts, and the end of those gifts, that wee may grow up into him who is the head, Christ *Eph. 4. 15.. Where the Apostle distinguisheth between our being in Christ, and our growing in him: our ingraffing and our flourishing: be not content with a modicum in Religion. 'Tis not enough that there be life, but there must be fruit. Barrennesse in the Law was accounted a curse. The farther we are from fruit, the nearer we are to cursing*Heb. 6. 8. 'Tis a sad thing when men are fruitfull onelyonly in the unfruitfull works of darknesse. Be not content with a dram or two of grace; next to a still-borne, a starveling in Christ is worst. Oh covet more grace, never think thou hast enough; it is bona & honesta avaritia; we are bid to covet the best things *1 Cor. 12.: it is an heavenly ambition, when wee desire to bee high in Gods favour; a blessed contention, when all the strife is who shall be most holy. Saint Paul, though he was content with a little of the world, yet not with a little grace; he reached forward, and pressed towards the marke of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus *Phil. 3. 13, 14.. A true Christian is a wonder, he is the most contented, and yet the least satisfied: he is contented with a morsell of bread, and a little water in the Cruse, yet never satisfied with grace; he doth anhelare, pant and breath after more; this is his prayer, Lord, more conformity to Christ, more communion with Christ; he would faine have Christs image more lively pictured upon his soule. True grace is alwayes progressive: as the Saints are called Lampes and Starres in regard of their light; so trees of righteousnesse *Isa, 61. 3for their growth; they are indeed like the tree of life, bringing forth severall sorts of fruit.
A true Christian growes, 1. Formâ, in beauty. Grace is the best complexion of the soule; it is at the first plantation like Rachel, faire to looke upon; but still the more it lives, the more it sends forth its rayes of beauty. Abrahams faith was at first beautifull; but at last it did shine in its orient colours, and grew so illustrious, that God himself was in love with it, and makes his faith a paterne to all Beleevers.
2. A true Christian growes Suavitate, in sweetnesse. A poisonfull weed may grow as much as the Hyssop, or Rose-mary; the Poppy in the field, as the Corne; the Crab, as the Pearmaine: but the one hath a harsh, sowre taste, the other mellows as it growes; An hypocrite may grow in outward dimensions, as much as a childe of God; hee may pray as much, professe as much; but he growes onelyonly in magnitude, hee brings forth sowre grapes, his duties are leavened with pride; the other ripens as he growes, he growes in love, humility, faith, which do mellow and sweeten his duties, and make them come off with a better relish. The Beleever growes as the flower, he casts a fragrancy and perfume.
3. A true Christian growes Robore, in strength; he growes still more rooted, and setled. The more the tree growes, the more it spreads its root in the earth*foreign. Col. 2, 7.: A Christian who is a Plant of the heavenly Ierusulem, the longer he growes, the more he incorporates into Christ, and sucks spirituall juice and sap from him; he is a dwarfe in regard of humility, but a gyant in regard of strength. He is strong to do duties, to beare burdens, to resist tentations.
4. He growes Vigore, in the exercise of his grace; He hath not only oile in his lamps, but his lamps are burning and shining. Grace is agile and dexterous, Christs vines doe flourish*Cant. …. 11.; hence wee read of a lively hope *1 Pet. 1. 3, and a fervent love *1 Pet. 1. 22.; here is the activity of Grace. Indeed sometimes grace is as a sleepy habit in the soule, like sap in the vine, not exerting its vigour, which may be occasion'd through spiritual sloth, or by reason of falling into some sin; but this is only pro tempore, for a while; the spring of grace will come, the flowers will appear, and the fig tree put forth her green figs▪ The fresh gales of the Spirit do sweetly revive and refocillate grace. The Church of Christ, whose heart was a garden, and her graces as precious spices, prayes for the heavenly breathings of the Spirit, that her sacred spices might flow out*Cant. 4. 16..
5. A true Christian growes Incremento, both in the kinde and in-the degree of grace. To his spirituall living he gets an augmentation; hee addes to faith, vertue; to vertue, knowledge; to knowledge, temperance, &c. *2 Pet. 1. 5, 6.here is grace growing in the kind; and he goes on from faith to faith *Rom. 1. 17., there is grace growing in the degree. We are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, because your faith groweth exceedingly *2 Thes. 1. 1.; foreign, it encreaseth over and above. And the Apostle speaks of those spirituall plants which were laden with Gospel fruit*Phil. 1, 11, Phil. 1. 11. A Christian is compar'd to the Vine, (an embleme of fruitfulnesse,) he must bear full clusters: We are bid to perfect that which is lacking in our faith *1 Thes. 3 10.. A Christian must never be so old as to bee past bearing; he brings forth fruit in his old age *Ps. 9…. 14.. An heaven-borne plant is ever growsing; hee never thinks hee growes enough; he is not content unlesse he adde every day one cubit to his spiritual stature. We must not be contented just with so much grace as will keep life and soul together; a dram or two must not suffice, but we must be stil encreasing with the encrease of God *Col. 2 19.: We had need renew our strength as the Eagle *Isa. 40. 31.; our sinnes are renewed, our wants are renewed, our tentations are renewed, and shal not our strength be renewed? Oh bee not content with the first embryo of grace, grace in its infancy and minority. You look for degrees of glory; bee you Christians of degrees. Though a Beleever should be contented with a modicum in his estate, yet not with a modicum in Religion. A Christian of the right breed labours still to excell himselfe, and come nearer unto that holinesse in God, who is the originall, the paterne and prototype of all holinesse.