I want these yet thou hast given me that that is as good and better thou hast given me a quiet contented heart to be wiling to be at thy dispose SERMON VII PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content WEE proceed now there are some two or three things more of the excellency of Contentment and then we are to proceed to applycation of the point The eight excellency is Contentment is a great blessing of God upon the Soul there is Gods blessing upon those that are content the blessing of God is upon them and their estates and upon all that they have We read in Teut. of the blessing of Judah the principle Tribe this is the blessing of Judah And he said â—â—â—â— Lord the voice of Judah and bring him unto his people let hiâ— hands 〈…〉 〈…〉 for him and hâ— thou an help to him from his 〈…〉 bâ—â— his hand be sufficient for him that is bring in a sufficiency of all good unto him that he may have of his own that 's the blessing of Judah So when God gives thee a sufficiency of thine owne as every contented man hath there is the blessing of God upon thee the blessing of the principle tribe of Judah is upon thee It is the Lord that gives us all things to enjoy we may have the thing and yet not injoy it except God comes in with his blessing now whatsoever thou hast thou do'st injoy it Many men have estates and do nor injoy them it s the blessing of God that gives us all things to enjoy it is God that through his blessing hath fashioned thy heart and made it sutable to thy condition The Ninth Excellency Those that are content they may expect reward from God that God shall give unto them the good of all those things that they are contented to be without and this brings in abundance of good to a 〈…〉 spirit There is 〈…〉 and such a mercy that thou thinkest would be verie comfortable â—nto thee if thou had'st it but câ—nst thou bring thy heart to submit to God in it thou shalt have the blessing of the mercy one way or other if thou hast not the thing it selfe in re thou shalt have it made up one way or other thou shalt have a bill of exchange to receive somewhat in liâ—â— of it there is no comfort that any soul is content to be without but the Lord will give either the comfort on somewhat in stead of iâ— Thou shalt have a reward to thy soul for what ever good thing thou arâ— content to be without You know what the Scripture saith of active obedience and the Lord doth accept oâ— his 〈…〉 their 〈…〉 for the deed though we do not doe a good thing yet iâ— our hearts be 〈…〉 to will to dâ—â— it we shall have the blessing though we do not doe the thing You that complain of weaknesse you cannot do as others do you cannot do as much service as otherâ— doâ— if your hearte be upright with God and 〈…〉 〈…〉 doâ— the same service that you sâ—â— others doe you would account it a great blessing of God upon you the greatesâ— blessing in the world if you were able to doe as others dâ—â— now you may comfort your selves with this haâ—iâ—g to deale with God in the way of the 〈…〉 of Grace you shall have 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 of â—ll 〈…〉 dâ—â— â—â— a â—â—cked 〈…〉 shall have the punishment for all the sin he would commit so thou shalt have the reward for all the good thou wouldest doe Now may not we draw an argument from active obedience to passive there is as good reason why thou shouldest expect that God will reward thee for all that thou art willing to suffer as well as for all that thou art willing to doe now if thou beest willing to be without such a comfort and mercy when God sees it fit thou shalt be no looser certainly God will reward thee either with the comfort or with that that shall be as good to thee as the comfort therefore consider how many things have I that others want and can I bring my heart into a quiet contented frame to want what others have I have the blessing of all that they have and I shall either possesse such things as others have or else God will make it up one way or other either here or hereafter in eternity to me Oh what riches are here with Contentment thou hast all kind of riches Tenthly and lastly by contentation the soule comes to an exâ—… is neare to God himselfe yâ—â— the nearest that may be for this word that is translated Content it is a word that signifies â— Selfe-sufficienâ—iâ— as I toâ—ld you in the opening of the words A contented man is a selfe-sufficient man what is the great glory of God but to be happy and self-sufficient in himself indeed he is said to be â—ll sufficient but that'â— but a further addition of the word all rather then of any matter for to be sufficient iâ— All-sufficient now is this the glory of God to be Sufficient to have sufficienciâ— in himselfe El-shaddai to be God having sufficiencie in himself now thou comest neere to this thou partakest of the Divine nature as by grace in generall so in a more 〈…〉 manner by this grace of Christian-Contentment what 's the excellencie and glory of God but this Suppose there were no 〈…〉 in the world and that all the creatures in the world were an â—hilated God would remaine the same blessed God that he is now he would not be in a worse condition if all creatures were gone neither would a contented heart if God should take away all creatures from him a contented heart hath enough in the waâ—â— of all creatures â—â— would not be more miserable then now he is Suppose that God should continue thee here ' and all creatures that are here in this world were takâ—â— away yet thou still having God to be thy portion wouldest be as happy as now thou art and therefore contentation hath a great deal of excellency in it Thus we have shewed in many particulars the excellency of this grace labouring to present the beauty of it before your souls that you may be in love with it Now â—y brethren what remains but the practice of this for this Art of Contentment it's noâ— a Speculative thing only for contemplation but it is an art of divinity and therfore practicall ye are now to labour to work upon your hearts that there may be this grace in you that you may honour God and honour your profession with this grace of Contentment for there is none doth more honour God and honour their profession then those that have this grace of Contentment Now that we may fall upon the practice there is required First That we should be humbled in our hearts for the want of this that we have had so little of this grace in us for there is no
murmuring in your families the wrath of God may quickly goe out against you quickly in a morning or evening when you are murmuring the wrath of God may come quickly out upon your families or persons you are never so prepared for present wrath as when you are in a murmuring discontented fit those that stand by and see you in a murmuring discontented fit have cause to say Oh let us go and take the censer let us go to prayer for we are afraid that wrath is gone out against this family against this person And it were a verie good thing for thee that art a godly wife when you see your husband come home and fall to murmuring because things goe not according to his desire to go to prayer and say Lord pardon the sin of my husband and so for the husband to go to God in prayer falling down and beseeching of him that wrath may not come out against his family for the murmuring of his wife And the truth is at this day there hath been at least lately as much murmuring in England as ever was and even in this very particular the plague is begun and this very judgment it doth come many times upon murmuring upon those that are so discōtented in their families are alwaies a grumbling and murmuring at any thing that falls out amisle I say this text of Scripture in Numb doth clearly hold forth this that the Lord brings the plague upon men for this sin of murmuring he doth it in kingdomes and families and upon particular persons Though we cannot alwaies point out the particular sin that God brings this for yet this should be examined how far we are guilty of the sin of murmuring because the Scripture holds forth this so clearly that Moses when he did but hear that they murmured doe they murmur saith hee goe forth quickly and seeke to pacifie the anger of God for wrath is gone out and the plague is begun And in 1 Cor. 10. 10. There you have a notable example of Gods heavie displeasure against murmuring Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Take heed of murmuring as some of them did he speaks of the people of Israel in the wildernesse but saith he what came of it They were destroyed of the destroyer Now the destroyer is thought to be the firey serpents that were sent among them They murmured and God sent firey serpents to sting them What do you think that such a crosse and affliction doth sting you perhaps such an affliction is upon you and it seems to be grievious for the present what doe you murmure and repine God hath greater crosses to bring upon you Those people that murmur for the want of outward comforts for want of water sometimes and for the want of bread they murmur but the Lord sends firey serpents among them I may say to a murmuring heart Woe to thee that strivest with thy maker woe to that man that woman that strives against their maker what doest thou else but strive against thy maker Thy maker hath the absolute dispose of thee and wilt thou strive against thy maker what doth this murmuring discontented heart of thine do otherwise but wrangle and contend and strive even with God himself Oh woe to him that strives against his maker I may further say to thee as God speaks to Job Job 38. 1 2. when Job was impatient Now God spake saith the text out of the whirlwind and said who is this that darkeneth counsell by words without knowledge So doest thou speak against Gods waies and his providences that hath fallen out concerning thy estate and outward comforts who is this Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge Wher 's that man or woman whose hearts are so bold and impudent as dares speak against the administration of Gods providence The tenth evill of murmuring and discontent is this There 's a great curse of God upon it so far as it doth prevail in one that is wicked it hath the curse of God upon it In Psal 59. 15 See there what the curse of God is upon wicked and ungodly men Let them wander up and down for meat and grudge if they be not satisfied that is the imprecation and curse upon wicked and ungodly men that if they be not satisfied they shall grudge when thou art not satisfied in thy desires and findest thy heart grudging against God apply this Scripture what is the curse of the wicked upon me This is the curse that is threatened upon wicked and ungodly ones that they shall grudge if they be not satisfied And in Deut. 28. 67. There it 's threatened as a curse of God upon men that they cannot be content with their present condition But they shall say in the morning would God it were even and at even would God it were morning and so they lie tossing up and down and cannot be content with any condition that they are in because of the sore afflictions that be upon them and therefore it is further threatened as a curse upon them in the 34. verse That they should be mad for the fight of their eyes which they should see this is but the extremity of their discontentednesse that is they shall be so discontented as they shall be even mad Many men and women in discontented moods are mad kind of people and though you may please your selves in such a mad kind of behaviour yet know that it is a curse of God upon men to be given up to a kind of madness for evils that they suppose are upon them that they fear In the 47 verse there is a notable expression for to shew the curse of God upon murmuring hearts The Lord threatning the curses that shall be upon them saith he verse 45 46. 47. The curse shall pursue thee and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder and upon thy seed forever Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things God here threatens to bring his curse so upon them as to make them a wonder and a sign to others why Because they served not the Lord with joyfulness of heart that may be aded to that of the wrath of God upon men therefore God would bring such a curse upon them as would make them a wonder to all that were about them Oh how far art thou then that hast a murmuring heart from serving the Lord with joyfulnesse The Eleventh evill of discontent and murmuring is this There is much of the spirit of Satan in a murmuring spirit The Devill is the most discontented creature that is in the world He is the proudest creature that is and the discontentedst creature and the most dejected creature Now therefore so much discontentment as thou hast so much of the spirit of Satan thou hast It was the unclean spirit that went up and down
by what he finds in himself 57 He fetcheth supply from the Covenant Page 61 1 In Generall ibid 2 From particular promises 64 14 He realliseth the things of Heaven 67 15 He letteth his heart out to God ibid Lessons whereby Christ teacheth Contentment 1 Self-deniall 68 Whereby a Christian knows 1 That he is nothing 69 2 That he deserves nothing ibid 3 That he can do nothing 70 4 That he can receive no good of himself ibid 5 If God withdraw himself he can make use of nothing ibid 6 That he is worse than nothing 71 7 That there is no loss of him if he perish ibid 8 That he comes to rejoyce in Gods waies 72 2 Lesson To know the vanity of the Creature 73 3 Lesson to know that one thing wherefore 74 SERMON V 4 Lesson To know his relation in this world 76 5 Lesson Wherein the good of the Creature is Page 79 6 Lesson The knowledge of his own heart 82 Which helps to Contentment 1 By discovering wherein discontent lies ibid 2 By knowing what is suitable to our condition 83 3 By this we know what we are able to mannage 84 7 Lesson To know the burden of a prosperous estate 85 Which is four fold 1 The burden of trouble ibid 2 The burden of danger 86 3 The burden of duty 89 4 The burden of account ibid 8 Lesson A great evill to be given up to our own hearts desire 91 SERMON VI 9 Lesson The right knowledge of Gods providence 94 Wherein four things 1 The universality of it ibid 2 The efficacy of it 95 3 The variety of it ibid 4 Gods particular dealing with his people 97 In three things 1 They are ordinarily in affliction 98 2 When he intends them greatest mercies he brings them lowesi ibid 3 He works by contraries Page 99 The excellency of Contentment 1 Excellency By it we give God his due worship 101 2 Excel In it there is much exercise of grace 103 1 There is much strength of grace ibid 2 There is much beuty of grace 104 3 Excel The soul is fitted to receive mercy 106 4 Excel It is fitted to do service 107 5 Excel Contententment delivers from temptation 108 6 Excel It brings abundance of comfort 110 7 Excel It fetcheth in that that we possess not 111 In 4 particulars 131 SERMON VII 8 Excel Contentment a great blessing of God upon the soule 115 9 Excel A contented man may expect reward 116 10 Excel By Contentment the soul comes neerest the Excellency of God himself 117 â—se 1 To be humbled for want of Contentment Page 118 The Evils in a murmuring spirit 1 It is an Argument of much corruption in the soul 119 2 It is a note of a wicked man 120 3 Murmuring is accounted Rebellion 121 4 It is exceeding contrary to grace in conversion 122 The works of God in conversion 1 To make us sensible of the evill in sin 123 2 A sight of the excellency of Christ ibid 3 Taking the heart from the creature ibid 4 Casting the soul on Christ for all good 124 5 Subduing the soul to Christ as King ibid 6 Giving up the soul to God in Covenant 125 5 Evill Murmuring below a Christian 126 1 Below his relation 1 To God as a Father ibid 2 To Christ as a spouse ibid 3 To Christ as a member 127 4 To Christ as a Co-heir ibid 5 To Gods Spirit as a temple ibid 6 To Angels as one with them ibid 7 To Saints as of the same body ibid 2 Below his dignity Every Christian a King Page 128 3 It is below the spirit of a Christian 129 4 Below the profession of a Christian 131 5 Below the grace of faith ibid SERMON VIII 6 Below the helps of a Christian 132 7 Below the expectation of a Christian ibid 8 Below what other Christians have done 133 6 Evill by murmuring we undoe our prayers ibid 7 Evill The effects of a muring heart 1 Loss of much time 134 2 Vnfitness for Duty ibid 3 Wickedrisings of heart 135 4 Vnthankfulness ibid 6 Shifting 138 8 Evill Discontent a foolish sinne ibid 1 It takes away the comfort of what we have ibid 2 We cannot help our selves by it 139 3 It causeth foolish carriage to God and man ibid 4 It takes out the sweetness of mercies before they come ibid 5 It makes Affliction worse 141 9 Evill It provokes the wrath of God ibid 10 Evill There is a curse upon it Page 146 11 Evill There is much of the spirit of Satan in it 147 12 Evill It brings an absolute necessity of disquiet ibid 13 Evill God may justly withdraw his protection from such ibid Agravations of the sin of murmuring 1 Agravation The greater the mercies the greater the sin of murmuring 150 SERMON IX 2 Agrav When we murmur for small things 157 3 Agrav When men of parts and abilities murmur 158 4 Agrav The freeness of Gods mercy ibid 5 Agrav Discontent for what we have 159 6 Agrav When men are raised frrom a low condition ibid 7 Agrav When men have bin great sinners 160 8 Agrav When those murmur that are of little use in the world 161 9 Agrav To murmur when God is about to humble us ibid 10 Agrav When Gods hand is apparâ—nt in an affliction Page 162 11 Agrav To murmur under long afflictions 163 Pleas of a discontented heart 1 Plea I am but sensible of my affliction 1 Sense of affliction takes not away sense of mercies 165 2 It hinders not Duty ibid 3 It will make us bloss God for the mercies of others ibid 2 Plea My trouble is for my sins 1 It is not if you were not troubled for sin before 166 2 When the greatest care is to remove affliction ibid 3 If after affliction is removed sin troubles not ibid 4 If there be not care to avoid sin after 167 5 There is the more cause to accept of the punnishment ibid 3 Plea God withdrawâ— himselfe 1 We think God is departed when he doth but afflict 168 2 Disquiet is a sign and cause of Gods departure ibid 3 If God depart from us we should not from him 169 4 Plea I am troubled for mens ill dealing 1 Men are Gods instruments 170 2 We should rather pittie them then murmur Page 171 3 We have righteous dealing with God ibid SERMON X 5 Plea It is an affliction I looked not for 1 It is folly not to look for afflictions ibid 2 We should be more carefull of our carriage in it 172 6 Plea The affliction is exceeding great 1 It is not so great as thy sins ibid 2 It might have bin greater 173 3 It is greater for thy murmuring ibid 7 Plea It is greater then others afflictions Answered in 4 things 173 8 Plea If any other affliction they could be Content Answered in 4 things 174 9 Plea My afflictions make me unservicable to God 1 Though thou art mean thou art a member of the
way to set upon any duty with profit till the heart be humbled for the want of the performance of the duty before many men when they hear of a duty that they should perform they will labour to perform it but first thou must be humbled for the want of it therefore that 's the thing that I shall endeavour in the Application to get your hearts to be humbled for the want of this grace Oh had I had this grace of Contentment what a happy life I might have lived what abundance of honour I might have brought to the name of God â—i and how might I have honoured my profession and what a deale of comfort might I have enjoyed but the Lord know it hath been â—â—â— otherwise oh how â—ar have I been from this grace of Contentment that hath been opened to me I have had a murmuring a veâ—ing and a fretting heart within me everie little crosse hath put me out oâ— temper and out of frame Oh the boisterousnesse of my spirit what a deal of evill doth God see in my heart in the vexing and fretting of my heart and murmuring and â—â—pining of my spirit Oh that God would make you to see it Now to the end that you might be humbled for the want of this I shall endeavour in these particulars to speak unto it First I shall set before you The evill of a murmuring spirit there is more evill then you are aware of In the Second place I will shew you some agravations of this evil It s evill in all but in some more then in others Thirdly I shall labour to take away the pleas that any murmuring discontented heart hath for this disâ—â—mper of his There 's these three things in this use of humiliation of the Soul for the want of this grace of Contentmetâ— For the first now at this time The great evill that there is in a murmuring discontented heart In the first place This thy murmuring and discontentednesâ—â— it argues much corruption that is in the Soul as Contentment argues much grace and strong grace and beautifull grace so this argues much corruption and strong corruption and very vile corruptions in thy heart As it is in a mans body iâ— a mans body be of that temper that every scratch of a pin makeâ— his flesh to ranckle and to be a sore you will say surely this mans body is very corrupt his blood his flesh is corrupt that every scratch of a pin shall make it rankle so it is in thy spirit iâ— every little trouble affliction shall make thee discontentâ—â— and make thee murmur and even cause thy spirit within thee â—o ranckle or as it is in a wound in a mans body the evill of a wound it is not so much in the largenesse of â—he wound the abundance of blood that comes out of the wound but in the inflamation that there is in it or in a fretting and coâ—â—oding humour that is in the wound aâ— unskilful mâ—n when he comes sees a large wound in the flesh looks upon it as a dangerous wound and when he sees a great deal of blood gâ—sh out he thinks these are the evils of it but when a Chirâ—rgion comes and sees a great gash saith he this will be heald within a few-daies but there 's a lesse wound and there 's an inflamation or a freting humour that is in it and this will cost time saith he to cure so that he doth not lay balsome and healing salves upon it but his great care is to get out the freting humour or inflamation so that the thing that must heale this wound it is some drink to purge But saith the patient what good will this doe to my wound You give me somewhat to drinke and my wound is in my arme or in my leg what good will this doe that I put in my stomack Yes iâ— purges out the freting humour or takes away the inflamation and till that be taken away the salves can do no good So it is just for all the world in the souls of mâ—n it may be there is some affliction upon them that I compare to the wound now they think that the greatnesse of the affliction is that that makes their condition most miserable Oh no there is a freting humour an inflamation in the heart a murmuring spirit that is within thee and that is the miserie of thy condition and that must be purged out of thee before thou canst be heald and let God doe with thee what â—e will till he purges out that freting humour thy wound will not be healed a murmuring heart is a very sinful heart so that when thou art troubled for such an affliction thou hadst need turne thy thoughts rather to be troubled for the murmuring of thy heart for that 's the greatest trouble there is an affliction upon thee and that is greivous but there is a murmuring heart within that 's more greivous Oh that we could but convince men women that a murmuring spirit is a greater evill then any affliction let the affliction be what iâ— will be We shall shew more afterward that a murmuring spirit is the evill of the evill and the misery of the misery Secondly The evill of murmuring is sâ—câ— that God when he would speak of wicked men and discribe them and shew the brand of a wicked and ungodly man or woman he instances in this sin in a more spâ—câ—all manner I might name many Scriptures but that Scripture in Jude is a most remarkable one In the 14 verse and so forward there iâ— is said That the Lord comes with ten thousands of hiâ— Saints to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commitâ—ed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Mark here in this 15. vers there is four times mentioned ungodly ones all that are ungodly among them all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commited and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him This is in the general but now he comes in the particular to shew who these are these are saith he murmurers that 's the very first would you know who are ungodly men that God when he comes with ten thousand of Angels shall come to punish for all their ungodly deeds that they doe and those that speake ungodly things against them These ungodly ones are murmurers murmurers in the Scripture are put in the fore front of ungodly ones it 's a most dreadfull Scripure that the Lord when he speaks of ungodly ones puts murmurers in the very fore-front of all you had need look to your spirits you may see that this murmuring which is the vice contrarie to this Contentment is not so small a matter as you think you think you are not so ungodly as others because you doe not sweare and drink as others doe but you
may be ungodly in murmuring it 's true there is no sin but som seedes and remayners of it are in those that are godly but when they are under the power of this sin of murmuring it doth convince them to be ungodly as well as if they were under the power of drunkennesse or whordome or any other sin God will look upon you as ungodly for this sin as well as for any sin whatsoever This one Scripture should make the heart shake at the thought of the sin of murmuring Thirdly as it 's made a brand of ungodly men so you shal find in Scripture that God accounts it rebellion that is contrary to the worship that there was in contentednesse that 's worshiping of God crowching to God and falling down before him even as a dog that would crowch when you hould a staffe over him but a murmuring heart it 's a rebellious heart and that you shall find if you compare two Scriptures together they are both in the book of Numb 16. 41. But on the morrow saith the text all the congregation of the Children of Israell murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying ye have killed the people of the Lord. They all murmured now compare this with the Chap. 17. vers 10. And the Lord said unto Moses bring Aarons rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the Rebels in the 16. Chap. they murmured against Moses and Aaron and in the 17. Chap. bring the rod of Aaron again before the testimony for a token against the Rebels So that to be a murmurer and to be a rebel you see in Scripture phrase is all one It is a rebellion against God as it is the begining of rebellion and sedition in a kingdom when the people are discontent and when discontentment comes it grows to murmuring and you can go into no house almost but there is murmuring when men are discontent so that within a little while it breaks forth into sedition or rebellion Murmuring it's but as the smoke of the fire there is first a smoke and smother before the flame breaks forth and so before open rebellion in a kingdom there is first a smook of murmuring and then it breaks forth into open rebellion but because it hath rebellion in the seeds of it therefore it is accounted before the Lord to be rebellion Wilt thou be a Rebel against God When thou feelest thy heart discontented and murmuring aginst the dispensations of â—od towards thee thou shouldest check thy heart thus Oh thou wretched heart what wilt thou be a Rebell against God wilt thou rise in a way of Rebellion against the infinite God yet thus thou hast done charge thy heart with this sin of rebellion you that are guiltie of this sin of murmuring you are this day by the Lord charged as being guilty of rebellion against him and God expects that when you go home you should humble your souls before him for this sin that you should charge your souls for being guilty of rebellion against God many of you may say I never thought that I had bin a rebel against God before I thought that I had many infirmityes but now I see the Scripture speaks of sin in another manner then men doe the Scripture makes men though but murmurers to be Rebels against God Oh this rebellious heart that I have against the Lord that hath manifested it's selfe in this way of murmuring against the Lord That 's a third particular in the evill of discontentment A fourth particular in the evill of Discontentment it is a wickednesse that is exceeding contrary to Grace and especially contrary to the worke of God in bringing of the soul home to himselfe I know no distemper more opposite and contrary to the work of God in conversion of a sinner then this is Quest What 's the work of God when he brings a sinner home to himselfe Answ The usuall way is for God to make the â—oul to â—ee and be sensible of the dreadfull evill that there is in sin and the great breath that sin hath made between God and it for certainly Jesus Christ can never be known in his beauty and excellency till the soul know that I doe not speak what secret work of the Holy Ghost there may be in the Soul but before the Soul can actually apply Jesus Christ to its selfe it is impossible but it must come to know the evill of sinne and the excellency of Jesus Christ there may be a seed of faith put into the Soul but the Soul must first know Christ and know sin and be made sensible of it Now how contrary is this sin of murmuring to any such work of God hath God made me see the dreadfull evill of sin and made my soul to be sensible of the evill of sin as the greatest burden how can I be then so much troubled for every little affliction certainly iâ— I saw what the evill of sinne were that sight would swallow up all other evils and if I were burdened with the evill of sinne it would swallow up all other burdens what am I now murmuring against Gods hand saith such a Soul when as a while agoe the Lord made me see my selfe â—o be a damned wretch and apprehend it as a wonder that I was not in Hell 2. Yea it 's mighty contrary to the sight of the infinit excellency and glory of Jesus Christ and of the things of the Gospel What am I that soul that the Lord hath discovered such infinit excellency of Jesus Christ to and yet shall I thinke such a little affliction to be so grievous to me when I have had the sight of such glory in Christ that is more worth then ten thousand worlds for so will a true convert say oh the Lord at such a time hath given me that sight of Christ that I would not be without for ten thousand thousand worlds but hath God given thee that and wilt thou be discontent for a trifâ—e in comparison to that 3. A third work when God brings the Soul home to himself it is by the taking the heart off from the Creature the disingaging the heart from all creature comforts that 's the third work ordinarily that the Soul may perceive of its selfe It 's true Gods work may be altogether in the seeds in him but in the severall actings of the Soul in turning to God it may perceive these things in it the disingagement of the heatt from the Creature that 's the calling of the Soul from the world whom the Lord hath called he hath justified what 's the calling of the Soul but this the Soul that before was seeking for Contentment in the world and cleaving to the Creature now the Lord cals the Soul out of the world and saith oh Soul thy happinesse is not here thy rest is not here thy happinesse is else where and thy heart must be loosned from all these things that are here below in the world
and this is the work of God in the Soul to disingage the heart from the Creature and how contrary is a murmuring heart to such a thing a thing that is glued to another you cannot take off but you must rend it so it 's a sign thy heart is glued to the world that when God would take thee off thy heart rends if God by an affliction should come to take any thing in the world from thee if thou canst part from it with ease without rending it 's a sign then that thy heart is not glewed to the world 4. A fourth work of God in the converting of a sinner is this the casting of the soul upon Jesus Christ for all its good I see Jesus Christ in the Gospel the Fountain of all good and God out of free Grace tendering him to me for life and for salvation and now my soul casts its selfe rouls its selfe upon the infinit Grace of God in Christ for all good now hast thou done so hath God converted thee and drawn thee to his Son to cast thy soul upon him for all thy good and yet thou discontented for the want of some little matter in a creature comfort art thou he that hath cast thy Soul upon Jesus Christ for all good as he saith in another case is this thy faith 5. The Soul is subdued to God And then it comes to receive Jesus Christ as a King to rule to order and dispose of him how he pleases and so the heart is subdued unto God Now how opposite is a murmuring discontented heart to a heart subdued to Jesus Christ as a King and receiving him as a Lord to rule and dispose of him as he pleases 6. There is in the work of thy turning to God the giving up of thy selfe to God in an everlasting Covenant as thou takest Christ the head of the Covenant to be thine so thou givest up thy selfe to Christ In the work of Conversion there is the resignation of the Soul wholly to God in an everlasting Covenant to be his hast thou ever surrendred up thy selfe to God in an overlasting Covenant then certainly this thy fretting murmuring heart is mighty opposite to it certainly thou forgettest this Covenant of thine and the Resignation of thy selfe up to God it would be of marvellous helpe to you to humble your Souls when you are in a murmuring condition if you could but obtain so much liberty of your own spirits as to look back to see what the work of God was in converting you there is nothing would prevaile more then to think of that I am now in a murmuring discontented way but how did I feel my soul working when God did turn my Soul to himselfe oh how opposite is this to that work and how unseeming oh what shame and confusion would come upon the spirits of men and women if they could but compare the work of corruption in their murmuring and discontent with the work of God that was upon their Souls in conversion now we should labour to keep the work of God upon our Souls that was at our Conversion for Conversion must not be only at one instant at first men are deceived in this if they think their Conversion is finished meerly at first thou must be in a way of conversion to God all the dayes of thy life and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples except ye be converted and become as little children Ye be Converted why were they not converved before yes they were converted but they were still to continue the work of Conversion all the dayes of their lives and what work of God there is at the first Conversion it is to abide afterwards As thus alwayes there must abide some sight and sense of sin it may be not in the way which you had which was rather a preparation then any thing else but the sight and sence of sin it is to continue still that is you are still to be senceable of the burden of sin as it is against the Holinesse and Goodnesse and mercy of God unto thee and the sight of the excellency of Jesus Christ is to continue and thy calling out of the Creature and thy casting of thy Soul upon Christ and thy receiving Christ as a King still receive him day by day and the subduing of thy heart and the surrendring of thy selfe up to God in a way of Covenant now if this were but daily continued there would be no space nor time for murmuring to work upon thy heart that 's the fourth Particular The fift thing in the evill of discontentment Murmuring and discontentment is exceedingly below a Christian Oh it is too mean and base a distemper for a Christian to give place to it Now it 's below a Christian in many respects 1 How below the relation of a Christian The relation in which thousandest With what relation you will say First the relation thou standest in to God doest not thou call God thy father and doest not thou stand in relation to him as a childe what thou murmure In 2 Sam. 13. 4. It s a speech of Jonadab to Amnâ—n Why art thou being the Kings Son â—ean from day to day wilt thou not tell me and so he could him but that was for a wicked cause he perceived that his spirit was troubled for otherwise he was of a fat and plump temper of body but because of trouble of spirit he was even pin'd away why what 's the matter thou that standest in this relation to the King and yet any thing should trouble thy heart that 's his meaning is there any thing that should disquiet thy heart and yet standest in such a relation to the King the Kings Son So I may say to a Christian art thou the Kings Son the Son the Daughter of the King of Heaven and yet so disquieted and troubled and vext at every little thing that falls out as if a Kings Son should cry out he is undone for loosing a bable what an unworthy thing were this So doest thou thou criest out as if thou wert undone and yet a Kings Son thou that standest in such relation to God as unto a father thou doest dishonour thy father in this as if so be either he had not wisdom or not power or not mercy enough to provide for thee 2 The relation that thou standest in to Jesus Christ thou art the spouse of Christ what one married to Jesus Christ yet troubled and discontented hast thou not enough in him doth not Christ say to his spouse as Elkanah said to Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 8. Am not I better to thee then ten sons So doth not Christ thy husband say to thee Am not I better to thee then thousands of riches and comforts such comforts as thou murmurest for want of hath not God given thee his Son and will he not with him give thee all things hath the love of God bin to thee to give thee his Son in way of
not only bin contented with little crosses but they have Triumphed under great afflictions they have suffered the spoiling of their goods with joy reade but the later part of the 11. of the Hebrews and you shall find what great things God hath had from his people and therfore not to be content with smaler crosses this must needs be a great evill The Sixth evill that there is in a murmuring spirit is this By murmuring you undoe your prayers for it is exceeding contrary to the prayers that you make unto God When you come to prayer to God you acknowledge his Soveraignity over you you come there to professe your selves to be at Gods dispose what doe you pray for except you acknowledge that you are at his dispose except you wil stand as it were at his dispose never come to petition to him if you will come to petition him and yet will be your own carver you go crosse to your prayers to come as if you would beg your bread at your Fathers gates every day and yet you must do what you list this is the undoing of the prayers of a Christian I remember I have read of Lattimer that speaking concerning Peter that denyed his master saith he Peter forgot his Pater-noster for that was hallowed be thy name and thy kingdome come so we may say when you have murmuring and discontented hearts you forget your prayers you forget what you have prayed for for you must make the Lords prayr to be as a pattern for your prayrs though you say not alwaies the same words what do you pray but give us this day our dayly bread for that 's Christs intention that we should have that as a patterne and is a directory as it were how to make our prayers now God doth not teach any of you to pray Lord give me so much a year or let me have such kind of cloath and so many dishes at my table Christ doth not teach you to pray so but he teaches us to pray Lord give us our bread shewing that you should be content with a little what have you not bread to eate I hope there 's none of you here but have that Obj. Put I do not know if I should die what should become of my children Or if I have bread now I know not where I shall have it the next week or where I shall have provision for the winter Answ Where did Christ teach us to pray Lord give us provision for so long a time no but if we have bread for this day Christ would have us content Therefore when we murmure because we have not so much variety as others have we do as it were forget our Pater-nâ—ster It 's against our prayers we do not in our lives hold forth the acknowledgement of the Soveraignity of God over us as we seem to acknowledg in our prayrs therefore when at any time you find your hearts murmuring then do but reflect upon your selves and think thus is this according to my prayers wherein I held forth the Soveraigne power and Authority that God had over me The seventh thing that I adde for the evill of discontentment is the wofull effects that comes to a discontented heart from murmuring I le name you five there are five evill effects that comes from a murmuring spirit 1. By murmuring and discontent in your hearts you come to loose a great deale of time how many times doe men and women when they are discontended let their thoughts run and are musing and contriving through their present discontendednesse then let their discontended thoughts be working in them for some hours together and they spend their time in vain When you are alone you should spend your time in holy meditation but you are spending your time in discontented thoughts you who complain that you cannot meditate you cannot thinke on good things but if you begin to think of them a little presently your thoughts are off from them but if you be discontented with any thing then you can go alone and muse and roul things up and down in your thoughts to feed a discontented humour Oh labour to see this evill effect of murmuring the losing of your time 2. It doth unfit you for duty a man or woman that is in a contented frame you may turn such a one to any thing at any time he is fit for to go to God at any time but when one is in a discontented condition then a man or woman is exceeding unfit for the service of God And it causes many distractions in duty it unfits for duty and when you come to performe duties oh the distractions that are in your duties when your spirits are discontented when you hear of any ill news from Sea and cannot bear it or of any il from a friend or any losse or crosse oh what distractions doe they cause in the performance of holy duties When you should be in injoying communion with God you are distracted in your thoughts about the crosse that hath befallen you whereas had you but a quiet spirit though there should great crosses befall you yet they would never hinder you in the performance of any dutie 3. Consider What wicked risings of heart resolutions of spirit there are many times in a discontented fit In some discontented fits the heart rises against God and against others and sometimes hath even desperate resolutions what to do to help themselves If the Lord should have suffered you to have done sometimes in a discontented fit what you had thought to doe what wonderfull misery had you brought upon your selves oh it was a mercy of God that did stop you had not God stopt you but let you go on when you thought to helpe your selves this way and the other way oh it had been ill with you doe you but remember those risings of heart and wicked resolutions that sometimes you have had in a discontented mood and learn to be humbled upon that 4. Vnthankefulnesse that 's an evill and a wicked effect that comes from discontent Vnthankfulnesse the Scripture doth ranke among very great sins For men and women that are discontent though they enjoy many mercies from God yet they are thankfull for none of them for this is the vile nature of discontentment to lessen every mercy of God to make those mercies they have from God to be as nothing to them because they have not what they would have Sometimes it 's so even in spirituall things if they have not all they would have the comforts that they would have then what they have is nothing to them doe you think that God will take this well If you should give a friend a kinsman a pursse of money to go and trade withall and he should come and say what doe you give me they are but a few counters they will doe me no good you cannot bear this at his hand if he should doe so because he hath not as much money as he would
so for you to be ready to say all that God hath given me is nothing worth will doe me no good they are but counters though they are the precious graces of Gods Spirit that are more worth then thousands of worlds yet for you to say they are nothing they are but comon gifts and all is but in hypocrisie all counterfeit Oh what an unthankful thing is this the graces of Gods Spirit are nothing to a discontented heart that hath not all that it would have and so for outward blessings though God hath given you health of body and strength and hath given you some competency for your family some way of lively-hood yet because you are disappointed in somwhat that you would have therefore all is nothing unto you Oh what unthankfullnesse is here God expects that every day you should spend some time in blessing his name for what mercy he hath granted to you there 's not any one of you who are in the lowest condition but you have abundance of mercies to blesse God for but discontentednesse makes them nothing It 's an excellent speech that I remember Luther hath saith he this is the Rhetorick of the Spirit of God it 's a very fine speech of his to extenuate evill things and to amplyfie good things if there falls out a crosse to make the crosse to be but little but if there be a mercy to make the mercy to be great as thus if there be a crosse if the Spirit of God prevails in the heart such a man or woman will wonder that it is no greater and will blesse God that though there be such a crosse yet that it is no more that 's the worke of the Spirit of God and if there be a mercy wonders at Gods goodnesse that God granted so great a mercy The Spirit of God extenuats evils and crosses and doth magnyfie and amplyfie all mercies and makes all mercies seem to be great and all afflictions seem to be little But saith he the Devill goes quit contrary the rhetorick of the devill is quit otherwise he doth lessen Gods mercies and amplyfy evill things as thus a godly man wonders at his crosse that it is no more a wicked man wonders his crosse is so much Oh saith he none was ever so afflicted as I am If there be a crosse the Devill puts the soul upon musing on it and making it greater then it is and so it brings discontent And then on the other side if there be a mercy then it 's the Rhetorick of the Devill to lessen the mercy I indeed saith he the thing is a good thing but what is it it is no great matter and for all this I may be miserable Thus the Rhetorick of Satan doth lessen Gods mercies and doth increase afflictions And for this I 'le give you a notable example that we have in Scripture it is the example of Korah Dathan Abiram In Numb 16. 12 13. And Moses sent to call Dathan Abiram the sons of Eliab which said we will not come up Is it a smal thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land that floweth with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness except thou make thy selfe altogether a Prince over us Mark they slighted the land that they were going unto the Land of Canaan that was the Land that God promised them that should flow with milk and honey But mark here their discontentednesse because they met with some troubles in the wildernesse oh it was to slay them they make their affliction in the wildernesse to be greater then it was Oh it was to kill them though it were indeed to carry them to the Land of Canaan But now their deliverance from Egypt though it was a great mercy they made that mercy to be nothing for say they you have brought us out of a land that floweth with mith milk and honey what land was that It was the land of Egypt the land of their bondage but they call it a land that flowed with milk and honey though it were the land of their most cruell and unsupportable bondage whereas they should have blessed God as long as they had liv'd for Gods delivering them out of the land of Egypt yet meeting with some crosse they make their deliverance from Egypt no mercy no it was rather a misery to them Oh say they Egypt was a land that flowed with milk and honey Oh what basenesse is there in a discontented spirit a discontented spirit out of envy to Gods grace will make mercies that are great to be little yea to be none at all Would one ever have thought that such a word should have come from the mouth of an Israelite that had bin under bondage and cried under it and yet when they meet with a little crosse in their may to say you have brought us out of the land that floweth with milk and honey to say they were better before then now and yet before they could not be contented neither this is the usuall unthankfull expression of a discontented heart And it is so with us now when we meet with any crosse in our estates any taxations and trouble especially if any among you have bin where the enemy hath prevailed you are ready to say we had plenty before and we are now brought to a condition of hardship we were better before when we had the Prelats and others to domineere and so we in danger our selves to be brought into that bondage again oh let us take heed of this of a discontented heart there is this wofull cursed fruit of discontent to make men and women unthankfull for all the mercies God hath granted to them and this is a sore and greivious evil And lastly There 's this evil effect in murmuring it causes shifttings of spirit they that murmur and are discontent are lyable to temptations to shift for them selves in sinfull and ungodly waies discontent is the ground of shifting courses and unlawful waies How many of you may have your consciences condemne you of this that you in the time of your afflictions have sought to shift for your selves by waies that have been sinfull against God and your discontent was the bottom and ground of it If you would avoid shiftings for your selves by wicked waies labour to mortifie this sin of discontent to mortifie it at the root The eight evill that there is in murmuring and discontent is this There is a great deal of folly extream folly in a discontented heart it 's a foolish sin I shall open the folly of it in many particulars 1. It takes away the present comfort of what you have because you have not somwhat that you would have What a foolish thing is this that because I have not what I would have I will not injoy the comfort of what I have Doe not you account this folly in your children you give them some victuals and they are not contented perhaps they say it 's not
make it to bow to God in this condition in which God hath brought him now is his condition the better because he will not pull down his spirit no certainly abundantly worse a thousand to one but the tempest and storm overwhelms his soul and thus you see what a great deale of folly there is in the sinne of discontentment The ninth evill of murmuring and discontentment is this There 's a mighty deal of danger in the sin of discontentment for it exceedingly provoketh the wrath of God it is a sin that doth much provoke God against his creature we find most sad expressions in Scripture and examples too how God hath bin provoked against many for their discontent In Numb 14. you have a notable text and one would think that that was enough for ever to make you fear murmuring in the â—6 verse it is said The Lord speak unto Moses and unto Aaron saying what did he say how long shall I bear with this evill congregation which murmure against me how long shall I bear with them saith God This evil Congregation Oh it 's an evil congregation that murmur against me And how long shall I bear with them they do murmur and they have murmured as those that have murmuring spirits and murmuring dispositions they will murmur again again How long shall I bear with this evill congregation that murmur against me how justly may God speak this of many of you that are this morning before the Lord how long shall I bear with this wicked man or woman that doth murmur against me and hath usually in the course of their lives murmured against me when any thing falls out otherwise then they would have it And mark what follows after I have heard the murmurings of the Children of Israel you murmur it may be others hear you not nay it may be you speak not at all or but half-words yet God hears the language of your murmuring hearts and those muttering speeches and those halfe words that comes from you And observe further in this vers how the Lord repeats this sin of murmuring How long shall I bear with this evill congregation which murmur against me Secondly I have heard their murmuring Thirdly which they murmure against me murmur murmur murmur Three times in one verse he repeats it and this is to shew his indignation against the thing When you expresse indignation against a thing you will repeat it over again and again now the Lord because he would expresse his indignation against this sin he repeats it over again and again and it follows in the 28. verse Say unto them as truly as I live saith the Lord as ye have spoken in mine eares so will I do to you mark God swears against a murmurer sometimes in your discontent you will be ready to swear it may be do you swear in your discontent So doth God swear against you for your discontent And what was it that God would doe unto them vers 29 30. Doubtless your carkeises shall fall in the wilderness and you shall not come into the land concerning which I swear to make you dwel therein as if God should say if I have any life in me your lives shall go for it as I live it shall cost you your lives A discontented murmuring fit of yours may cost you your lives You see how it provokes God there is more evill in it then you were aware of it may cost you your lives and therefore look to your selves and learn to he humbled at the verie beginings of such distempers in the heart So in Psal 106. 24 25. Yea they despised the pleasant Land they beleeved not his word But murmured in their tents and harkened not unto the voice of the Lord therefore he lifted up his hand gainst them to overthrow them in the wildernesse Here are divers things observable in this Scripture First that which we spoke to before how a murmuring heart doth slight Gods mercies so it is here They despised the pleasant land and that a murmuring heart is contrary to faith they beleeved not his word but saith the text they murmured in their tents and harkned not to the voice of the Lord many men and women will hearken to the voice of their own base murmuring hearts that will not hearken to the voice of the Lord if you would harken to the voice of the Lord there would not be such murmuring as there is But mark what follows upon it you may not think to please your selves in your murmuring discontentednesse and think that no evill shall come of it Therefore he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them you that are discontented you lift up your hearts against God and you cause God to lift up his hand against you perhaps God layes his finger upon you softly in some afflictions that are upon you in your families or else where and you cannot bear the hand of God that lies upon you as tenderly as a tender-hearted nurse that lays her hand upon the child you cannot bear the tender hand of God that is upon you in a lesser affliction it were â—ust with God to lift up his hand against you in another manner of affliction Oh a murmuring spirit provokes God exceedingly There is another place in 16. of Num. compare the 41. verse and the 46. ver together But on the morrow all the Congregation of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying ye have killed the people of the Lord and mark in the 46. verse And Moses said unto Aaron take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on Incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an attonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun mark how Gods wraâ—h is kindled in the 41 verse the congregation had murmured and they murmured but against Moses and Aaron perhaps you murmur more directly against God and that was against God in murmuring against Gods Ministers it was against God but not so directly but it may be the murmuring of your hearts is more directly against Gods dealings with you if you murmur against those that God makes instruments because you have not every thing that you would have as against the Parliament or such and such that are publique instruments it 's against God it was but against Moses and Aaron that the Israelites murmured and they said that Moses and Aaron had killed the people of the Lord though it was the hand of God that was upon them for their former wickednesse in murmuring It is usuall for wicked vile hearts to deal thus with God that when Gods hand is a little upon them for to murmur again and again and so to bring upon themselves even infinite kind of evills but now the anger of God was quickly kindled Oh saith Moses go take the Censer quickly for wrath is gone out from Jehovah the plague is begun so while you are
towards him Now then I am discontented and murmuring because I am afflicted Therefore thou art afflicted because God would humble thee and the great designe that God hath in afflicting of thee is to break and humble thy heart and wilt thou now maintain a spirit quite opposite to the work of God for thee to murmur be discontented is to resist the work of God God is doing thee good if thou couldst see it now if he be pleased to sanctifie thy affliction to breake that hard heart of thine and humble that proud spirit of thine it would be the greatest mercie that ever thou had'st in all thy life now wilt thou yet stand out against God It 's even as if thou shouldest say well the Lord is about to break me and humble me but he shall not this is the language of thy murmuring and thy discontentedness though thou darest not say so but though thou sayest not so in words yet it is certainly the language of the temper of thy spirit Oh consider what an agravation this is I am discontented when God is about to work such a work upon me as is exceedingly for my good but yet I stand out against him and resist him and that 's another agravation A tenth aggravation of the sin of murmuring and discontent is this The more palpable nnd remarkable the band of God appears to bring about an affliction the greater is the sin of murmuring and discontent under an affliction It 's a great evil any time to murmur and be discontent but though it be a sin when I see but an ordinary providence working for me not to submit to that but when I see an extraordinary providence working thats a greater sin that is when I see the Lord in some remarkable way working about such an affliction beyond what any could have thought of shall I resist such a remarkable hand of God shall I stand out against God when I see God doth express his will in such a remarkable manner that he would have me to be in such a condition Indeed before we see the wil of God apparent we may desire to avoid an affliction and may use means for it but now when we see God expressing his will from heaven in a manner beyond ordinary and more remarkably then certainly it is fit for us to fall down and submit to him and not to oppose when God comes with a mighty stream against us it is our best way to fall down before him and not to resist for as it is an argument of a mans disobedieuce when there is not only a command against a sin but when God reveals his command in a terrible way the more solemne the Command of God is the greater is the sin in breaking that command so the more remarkable the hand of God is in bringing an Affliction upon us the greater is the sin for us to murmur and be discontented Then God expects that we should fall down when he as it were speaks from heaven to thee by name and saith well I wil have this spirit of thine down do not you see that my hand is stretched out my eyes are upon you my thoughts are upon you and I must have that proud spirit of thine down Oh then it is fit for the Creature to yeild and submit unto him When you speak in an ordinary manner to your servants or children you expect they should regard what you say but when you make them stand still by you and you speak to them in a more solemn way then if they should dis-regard what you say you are very impatient So certainly God cannot take it well when ever he doth appear from heaven in such a remarkaple way to bring an Affliction if then we do not submit to him The eleventh agravation of the sin of murmuring is this To be discontented though God hath bin exercising of us long under afflictions yet fill to remain discontented For a man or woman at first when an affliction befals them to have a murmuring heart then it 's an evill but to have a murmuring heart when God hath been a long time exercising them with affliction it 's more evill Though an heifer at first when the yoke is put upon him he wrigles up and down and will not be quiet but if after many moneths or yeers it shall not draw quietly the husbandman would rather feede it fat and prepare it for the butcher then be troubled any longer with it So though the Lord was content to passe by that discontented spirit of thine at first yet God having a long time kept the yoke upon thee thou hast bin under his afflicting hand it may be divers years and yet thou remain discontent still it were just with God that he should bear thy murmuring no longer and that thy discontent under the affliction should be but a preparation to thy destruction So you see when a man or woman hath been long exercised with afflictions and yet are discontented that 's an agravation of the sin Mark that text in Heb. 12. 11. Now saith the Scripture No chastening for the present is joyous but greivous nevertheless afterwards it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are exercised therby It 's true our afflictions are not joyous but greivious though at first when our affliction comes it is very greivous But yet saith the text afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousnesse to those that are exercised thereby When thou hast been a long time in the School of afflictions thou art a very dullard in Christs School if thou hast not learned this Contentment I have learned saith Saint Paul in every estate therewith to be content Paul had learned this Lesson quickly thou hast been a learning many yeers perhaps thou mayest say as Heman did That thou art afflicted from thy youth up in the 88. Psal Oh it 's a very evil thing if being exercised long with afflictions you are not yet contented The eye in the body of a man is as tender a part as any part that a mans body hath but yet the eye is able to continue in and bear a great deal of cold because it is more used to it so those that are used to afflictions those that God exercises much with Afflictions though they have tender spirits otherwise yet they should have learned Contentedness by this time A new Cart may creek and make an noise but after the use of it a while it will not do so So when thou art first a Christian and newly come into the work of Christ perhaps thou makest a noise and canst not bear affliction but art thou an old Christian and yet wilt thou be a murmuring Christian Oh that 's a shame for any that are Ancient Professors that have been a long time in the School of Jesus Christ to have murmuring and discontented spirits And thus you have had a leaven agravations of this sin of murmuring and discontent But now