Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A66076
|
Doctrine of contentment briefly explained, and practically applied in a treatise on 1 Tim. 6. 8. / by Henry Wilkinson ...
|
Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
|
1671
(1671)
|
Wing W2235; ESTC R415
|
95,837
|
200
|
puts forth his power for their help and succour David experimentally spake Psal 46. 1. God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble And in Psal 136. 23. upon a strong ground of experience he acknowledgeth Gods wonderful deliverance saying Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever Add hereunto Gods gracious promise which was really accomplished Isa 33. 9 10. The earth mourneth and languisheth Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down Sharon is like a wilderness Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits now will I rise saith the Lord now will I be exalted now will I lift up my self 4. God is a Father willing to help his 4. God is a Father willing to help children he will deny them nothing that may conduce to his glory and their good Sometimes indeed for God to deny a petition is a great mercy and a denial is a token of love A loving Father will not suffer his child to take poison neither will he put a sword into his hands when he hath not years of discretion lest he hurt himself therewith no more will God grant all that his own children desire lest the grant of their desires may be hurtful unto them The Apostle gives a reason why many desires are not granted James 4. 3. Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts The great condition required of us in our prayers is mentioned 1 Joh. 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us If ever we expect good success of our prayers let us ask for matter manner and end onely that which is agreeable to the will of God And as God is a Father merciful wise able and willing to help so consider Secondly God is our Shepherd and from 2. God is our Shepherd this relation there ariseth great cause of contentment and consolation Psal 23. 1. There is a special relation The Lord is my Shepherd and a special illation I shall not want In a shepherd there are observable many and necessary properties 1. A shepherd knows his sheep he 1. A shepherd knows his sheep knows and distinguisheth them not onely from goats wolves and such like creatures but he knows and puts difference by certain marks between his own sheep and other mens sheep so Christ perfectly knows all his own sheep Joh. 10. 14. I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine There is a mutual knowledge of and acquaintance with Christ and his sheep He knows them and they know him 2. Another property of a shepherd is to 2. A shepherd calls his sheep call his sheep A shepherd by a whistle calls his sheep so Christ calls his sheep by the voice of the ministery of his word and by the motions of his Spirit and by the whispers of conscience and Christs sheep hearken to his call Joh. 10. 27. My sheep hear my voice 3. A shepherd feeds his sheep A good 3. A shepherd feeds his sheep shepherd carries his sheep into good pastures and in frost and snow he feeds them so God is the good Shepherd who makes provision for his people There is a grand promise Ezek. 34. 13 14. And I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countreys and will bring them to their own land and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the countrey And I will feed them in a good pasture and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be there shall they lie in a good fold and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountain of Israel 4. A shepherd watcheth over his flock 4. A shepherd watcheth over his flock Sheep have many enemies as wolves dogs foxes c. Jacob watched day and night over Labans sheep so God watcheth over his children He is the keeper of Israel and a most watchfull keeper Psal 121. 4. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep A shepherd watcheth against enemies he hath his fold to keep his sheep in the night and both day and night a Shepherd is vigilant he hath his staff to defend them still his eye is watchfull over them lest they should go astray and their enemies meet with them and devour them how watchfull was David in rescuing his sheep out of the mouth of the Lion and the paw of the Bear Above all others God is watchfull he is the most vigilant Shepherd to defend and protect his sheep God promiseth Zech. 2. 5. I will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of her And Jer. 31. 10. Hear the word of the Lord O ye nations and declare it in the isles afar off and say he that scattered Israel will gather and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock 5. A shepherd rules guides and directs 5. A shepherd rules and guides his sheep his sheep whither to go The self-same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both to rule and to feed of all creatures sheep are most apt to go astray The shepherds vigilant eye is over them he takes notice which way they go he calls them with his whistle sends his dogs for them and he leads them the way shewing them where they should feed so the great Shepherd of our souls calls us home to him by his word and sometimes by afflictions he calls upon us to come unto him Afflictions are like a shepherds dog which brings home straying sheep unto the shepherd And this great Shepherd of our souls leads us into that way where he would have us go Psal 23. 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures He leadeth me beside the still-waters If then we seriously consider the efficacy of this relation that God is our Shepherd we should be engaged to a contented frame of spirit 3. Consider God is our Master and we 3 God is our Master are his family now a master provides for his family and instructs his family and governs his family 1. A master provides for his family those 1. A master provides for his family of his houshold are so many deposita committed to his charge and it is the obliged duty of the master to make provision for them of his houshold 1 Tim. 5. 8. But if any provide not for his own and specially those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidel Now then if masters on earth take care of and make provision for their families how much more care doth the great Master of all the world take in making supplies and provisions for them all All the cattel on a thousand mountains are at his command as absolute Sovereign Lord of all he sends supplies and makes provision for all 2. A
is He is a blessed man who can know himself allow and disallow for he that displeaseth himself pleaseth God and he that is vile in his own eyes is dear in the eyes of God If then we would learn the divine art of Contentment we must study our own hearts how filthy they are and how vile and abominable we are by reason of the pollution of sin when we our selves are throughly known unto our selves we shall be better contented with our present condition and then we shall attain unto a good degree of this knowledge of our selves when in the simplicity and singleness of our hearts we can make such a confession as Jacob did Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant It is our great business and worth our best pains to take a frequent survey of our hearts and lives to walk in the cloyster of a mans Ampulavi in claustro cordis mei Bern. own heart as St Bernard expresseth it and to search into every angle and winding is time well spent Upon a serious review we shall find many miscarriages and acknowledge that we have trod many steps awry and are guilty of many deviations and transgressions from the rule of the word Notwithstanding variety of mercies heaped upon us we have with Jeshurun waxed fat Deut. 31. 15. and kicked God hath given us all things richly to enjoy we are maintained by Gods liberality but we abuse so great bounty our clothes which are given for a covering we abuse to pride and vanity the meat and drink which are given for our nourishment we abuse to luxury and intemperance the riches of the world which God hath given us for our comfortable subsistence and for the supply of such as are in distress we have abused to superfluity and prodigality or else we have fixed our hearts so stedfastly upon the pelf and trash of the world as if we acknowledged no other God but Mammon Now then when in deliberate and serious meditations we consider the wonderful bounty and patience of God so freely extended unto us we shall with all thankfulness acknowledge the mercies of God in leaving to us any thing of this world to enjoy for by reason of our great unthankfulness and misimprovement of our talents and abuse of mercies vouchsafed to us we have made a forfeiture of all that we enjoy and it is a miracle of mercy that God takes not the forfeiture and strips and degrades us of all and casts us down into the nethermost hell Wherefore upon a serious consideration of our manifold provocations and rebellions against God notwithstanding the patience forbearings and long-sufferings of God exercised towards us we have strong obligations to contentment The mercies continued to us are and ought to be esteemed of by us as so many cords of love to draw us to this necessary duty of Contentment Let us therefore every one resolve with himself Mecum habitabo I will dwell with my self i. e. let us be more at home and study our hearts more and then we shall learn to be content A second Duty is to compare our selves 2. Duty to compare our selves with others 1. With our superiours with others and that with such who are above us in greatness wealth honours and promotions of the world Notwithstanding their grandeur and riches considering their vexations discontents and troubles we have no cause to envy them for though many men have great possessions yet they can take no content in them nor enjoy them with any delight and comfort Great persons are greater and larger marks oftentimes for their enemies to shoot against them Stobaeus relates a story of Policrates Ferunt summos sydera montes who gave to Anacreon five talents but he was so perplexed and disquieted with the thoughts of that money that he could not sleep nor any other way comfortably enjoy himself wherefore Anacreon restores the moneys to Policrates saying that they Non tanti esse quanti ipsorum nomine curâ laboraret Stob. cap. 39. were not so much worth as to recompense those distracting cares which he took for them When we take strict notice how many there are who compass'd vast estates by oppression and extortion by defrauding and circumventing others making their ways by force and falshood might and policies prevailing above right and honesty we shall find no cause of discontent or envy because we are not in their condition when we likewise consider the turmoils vexations and troubles which many undergo to keep that have got already we ought so far to abandon discontent and envy as to abound in thanksgiving to God through whose mercy we enjoy what we have in tranquillity and peace 2. If we compare our selves with inferiours 2. Let us compare our selves with inferiours such as are to estate and degree far below us in the world we have great cause to be content How many mechanicks are there who have not moneys to provide one day before another have not a bit of bread before they have wrought for it yet they eat and drink and sleep more cheerfully then those great Persons who are possessed of Lordships and Mannours and thousands of gold and silver If we would be better proficients in this art of contentment we should not disdain to go to poor mens houses and take notice of their manner of living and after what way they maintain their families If we enter into conference with some of the poorer sort of people we shall be informed of remarkable passages of Gods good hand and providence for them and their children in times of famine and great scarcity It is frequently observed that many poor mens children who fare hardly look more fat and well-liking then some who have great revenues Let us therefore compare our selves with poor and inferiour persons and see how contentedly they live with a little and are thankful for far less then we are present possessours of Such a weighty consideration as this set home upon our hearts may effectually through the grace of God banish from us all murmuring and whining language and enlarge both our hearts and mouths to be thankful for the mercies which we enjoy and move our hearts to open our bowels of compassion towards all such as are in poverty and necessitous conditions A third duty is to labour for that excellent 3. Duty to labour for self denial grace of self-denial Contentment and self-denial are so near and dear to each other that they live and die together insomuch as these are convertible propositions A self-denying person is a contented person and a contented person is a self-denying person Self-denial and taking up the cross are mentioned together as if there were some connexion between It frequently so falls out that self-denial and bearing Christs cross meet in one and the self-same person Both these duties of self-denial and