this To murmure when we enjoy abundance of mercy the greater and the more abundant the mercy is that we enjoy the greater and the â—iler is the sinne of murmuring as here now when God had newly delivered them out of the house of bondage for them now to murmure because they want some few particulars that they desire oh to sinne against God after a great mercy this is a great aggravation and a most abominable thing Now my Brethren the Lord hath granted us very great merces I le but speak a word of what God hath done of late what mercies hath the Lord granted to us this summer heaped mercies upon us one mercie upon another what a condition were we in at the begining of this summer and what a different condition are we in now Oh what a mercie is it that the Lord hath not taken advantages against us that he hath not made those Scriptures before mentioned good upon us for all our murmuring the Lord hath gone on with one mercie after another we hear of mercie in Bristoll and mercy to our Brethren in Scotland But still if after this we should have any thing befall us that is but crosse to us that we should be ready to murmur again presently Oh let us not so requite God for those mercies of his Oh let 's take heed of giving God any ill requitall for his mercies Oh give God praise according to his excellent greatnesse to his excellent goodnesse and grace And now hath God given to you the contentment of your hearts take you heed of being the cause of any griefe to your brethren think not that because God hath been gracious to you that therefore he hath given you liberty for to bring them into bondage Oh let not there be such an il effect of Gods mercie to you as for you for to exclude by petitioning or any other way your brethren that the Lord hath been pleased to make instruments of your peace let not that be the fruit of it nor to desire any thing that your selves do not yet understand God is very jealous of the glory of his mercy if there should be any ill use made of the mercy of God after we injoy it Oh it would go to the heart of God nothing is more greivious to the heart of God then the abuse of mercie As now if any way that is hard and rigid should be taken towards our Brethren and those especially that God hath made such speciall instruments of good to us that have been willing to venture their lives and all for us now when we have our turns served let God and his people and servants that have been a means to save us shift for themselves as well as they can Oh this is a great aggravation of your sin to sin against the mercies of God But for this aggravation and specially in this particular we shall speak to God willing the next day SERMON IX PHILIPPIANS 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content NOw because it is very hard to work upon â— murmuring spirit there are divers aggravations I told you we are to consider of for the further setting out of the greatnesse of this sin I mentioned but only one the last day now wâ— shall proceed in that The first aggravation of the sin of discontent murmuring is this For men women to be discontent in the midâ—st of mercies in injoyment of abundance of mercies To be discontent in any afflicted condition is sinfull and evill but to be discontent when we are in the middest of Gods mercies when we are not able to count the mercies of God yet after to be discontent because we have not all we would have this is a greater evill I only mentioned this the last day that I might shew to you what a great sin it is at such a time as this The Lord this sommer hath multiplyed mercies one upon another the Lord hath made this summer to be a continued miracle of mercie never did a Kingdom injoy in so little space of time such mercies one upon another Now the publicke mercies of God should quiet our hearts and keep us from discontent and the sin of discontent for private afflictions is exceedingly aggravated by the consideration of publique mercies to the Land when the Lord hath bin so merciful to the Land wilt thou be fretting and murmuring because thou hast not in thy family all the Comforts that thou wouldest have As it is a great agravation of a mans evill for him to rejoyce immoderately in his owne privat comforts when the Church is in affliction when the publick suffers grievous and hard troubles if any man shall then rejoyce and give liberty to himself at that time to satisfie his fâ—esh to the uttermost in all outward comforts this is a great Agravation of his sin So on the contrary for any man to be immoderately troubled for any private afflictions when it goes well with the publick with the Churches this is a great Agravation of his sin It may be when the Church of God was lowest it went worst in other parts yet thou didst abate nothing of the comforts of thy flesh but gavest full liberty to satisfie thy flesh as formerly know this was thy great sin so on the other side when we have received such mercies in publick we should have all our private afflictions swallowed up in the publick mercies And we should think with our selves though we be afflicted for our particular yet blessed be God it goes well with the Church and with the publick the consideration of that should mightily quiet our hearts in all our privat discontents and if it doth not so know that our sin is much increased by the mercies of God that are abroad Now shall Gods mercies aggravate our sins This is a sad thing this is to turne the mercies of God to be our misery Didst not thou pray to God for these mercies that God hath sent of late to the publique these great victories that God hath given didest not thou pray for them now thou hast them is not there enough in them to quiet thy heart for some privat trouble thou meetest withall in thy family Is not there goodnesse enough there to cure thy discontentment certainly they were not such mercies so worthy to be prayed for except they have so much excellency in them as to countervail some private afflictions publick mercies are the aggravation of privat discontent As so of publick discontent too if we receive so many publick mercies yet if every thing goes not in the publick according as we desire if we be discontent at that it will exceedingly aggravate our sin God may say what shall I bestow such mercies upon a people and yet if they have not every thing they would have they will be discontent Oh it is exceeding evill So in particular the mercies that concernes thy selfe thy family if thou wouldest
heart fill'd with Grace he hath that within him that makes him find Contentment It is a speech of Seneca Indeed those things that I suffer will be incredibly heavy when I cannot bear my selfe but now if I be no burden to my selfe if I have all quiet within in mine own heart then I can bear any thing many men through their wickednesse they have burdens without but the greatest burden is the wickednesse of their own hearts they are not burdened with their sins in a godly way that would ease their burden but they have still their wickednesse in the power of it and so they are burdens to themselves The distempers of mens hearts are mighty burdens to them many times a godly man hath enough within to Content him Vertue it is Content with its selfe for to live well It 's a speech of Cicero and it 's in one of his Paradoxes it finds enough within its own sphere for the living happily but how few are acquainted with this Mysterie Many think O if I had that that another man hath how happily and comfortably should I live Oh but if thou beest a Christian whatsoever thy condition be yet thou hast enough within thy selfe you will say such and such men that have all things they need not be beholding to any body you shall have many that will labour and take pains when they are young that they might not be beholding to others I love to live of my selfe now a Christian may do so not that he doth not live upon God I mean not so but upon that that he hath of God within himselfe that he can live upon although he doth not enjoy the comforts that are without himselfe that 's it which I mean and those that are godly and keep close to God in their Communion with him they understand what I mean by this that a Christian hath supply of all his wants within himselfe and here you may see that the spirit of a Christian is a precious spirit a godly spirit is precious why because it hath enough to make him happy within himselfe The next thing that the Mysterie of Contentment consists in is this That a gracious heart fetches supply of all from the Covenant and so comes to have Contentment which is a dry thing to a carnall spirit Now there are two things here First he fetches Contentment from the Covenant in General that is from the great Covenant that God hath made with him in Christ Secondly from the particular promises that God hath made with him in the Covenant First from the Covenant in generall I le give you one Scripture for that it 's very remarkable in the second of Sam. 23. vers 5. Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow it 's a most admirable Scripture of David that yet had not the Covenant of Grace opened so fully as we have But yet mark what David saith Although I find not my house so that is so comfortably every way as I would although it be not so what hath he to content his spirit saith he he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant this is that that helps all I am not may some men say thus and thus with God I do not find God come in so fully or it 's not with my house and family as I hoped it might be perhaps there is this or that affliction upon my house suppose you should have the plague come into your house and your house is not so safe and you have not that outward comfort in your house as formerly you have had but can you read this Scripture and say although my house be not so blest with health as other mens houses are although my house be not so yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant I am one yet in Covenant with God the Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant as for these things in this world I see they are but momentany they are not everlasting I see in a Family when all was well but a week agoe now all is down and the plague hath swept away a great many of them and the rest are left in sadnesse and mourning we see there is no resting in the things of this world yet the Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things I find disorder in my heart in my family but the everlasting Covenant that 's ordered in all things yea and that 's sure alack there 's no surenesâ—e here in these things I can be sure of nothing here especially in these times we know that a man can be sure of little that he hath who can be sure of his estate perhaps some of you here that have liv'd well and comfortably before and all was well about you and you thought your Mountain was strong but you see within a day or two all taken away from you so that there is no surenesse in the things of this world But saith he the Covenant is sure what I venture to Sea that 's not sure but here 's an assurance Office indeed here 's a great assurance Office for the Saints and they are not at charge but only the exercising of Grace for they may goe to this Assurance Office to assure every thing that they venture either to have the thing it selfe or be paid for it In an assurance Office you cannot be assured to have the very goods come in that you insured but if they be lost the Insurers do ingage themselves to make it good to you And this Covenant of grace that God hath made with his people it is Gods assurance Office and the Saints in all their fears may and ought to go to the Covenant to assure all things to them to assure their estates and assure their lives You will say how are they sure their lives and estates goe as well as others But God ingages himself to make up all And then mark what follows This is all my Salvation Why Dauid wilt thou not have salvation from thine enemies and outward dangers from pestilence and plague The frame of his spirit is quieted as if he should say if that Salvation comes well and good I shall praise God for it but that that I have in the Covenant that 's my salvation I look upon that as enough Yea and then further This is all my Salvation and all my desire Why David is there not something else that thou wouldest have besides this Covenant No saith he it is all involved in this Now surely those men or women must needs live contented lives that have all their desires now saith the holy man here this is all my desire And though he make it not to grow But for all this Covenant perhaps you will not prosper in the world as other men do true but I am
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
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
beest a Christian God hath called thee to a higher calling thy generall calling it is a high calling though thy particular calling be but low and mean And for that you have a place in the Chapter before my text Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the mark saith the Apostle for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus So that every Christian hath a high calling of God in Christ Jesus God hath called him to the highest thing that he hath call'd any creature to that he hath made the Angels in Heaven have not a higher calling then thou hast Thou that perhaps spendest thy time in a poor businesse in the meanest calling if thou beest a dung-raker to rake channels or to cleanse places of filth or any other thing in the world that is the meanest that can be conceived of thy generall calling as a Christian doth advance thee higher than any particular calling can advance any man in the world others indeed that are call'd to mannage the Affairs of the State they are in a high calling or Ministers they are in a high calling but thine in some respect is higher A poor servant that must be scraping all day about poor mean things many times may have such a temptation as this is Oh what a poor condition hath God disposed me to will God have regard to such a one that is in such a poor low place as I am Oh yes Christ hath regard to the meanest member as a man hath as true regard to the toe if it be in paine and will tender that as truly and verily as any other member so Christ hath regard to his lowest and meanest ones Thirdly thou art in a high calling though thy outward calling below in respect of men yet in respect of God thou art in the same calling with the Angels in Heaven in some degree cal'd to that that is higher for the Scripture saith that the Angels come to understand the mystery of the Gospel by the Church thou that art a Christian in that generall calling of thine thou art joyned with Principalities and Powers and with Angels in the greatest work that God hath called aâ—â— creature to and therefore let that comfort thee in this Fourthly thy calling is low and mean yet be not discontented with that for thou hast a principle within thee if thou beest a godly man or woman of Grace that doth raise thy lowest actions to be higher in Gods esteem then all the brave glorious actions that are done in the world the principle of faith doth it for any man or woman to goe on in obedience to God in a way of faith in the calling that God hath set them I say doing this through a principle of faith it doth raise this action and make it a more glorious action then all the glorious victories of Alexander and Caesar then all their Triumphs and glorious pomp that they had in all their conquests it was not so glorious as for thee to doe the lowest action out of faith For as I uther speaks of a poor Milk-maid and yet being a Beleever and doth it in faith he compares that action to all the glorious actions of Caesar and makes that a great deal more eminent and glorious in the eyes of God therefore faith raises thy works that are but mean raises them to be very glorious Yea and the truth is there is more obedience to submit to God in a low calling then to submit to him in a higher calling for it 's sheer obedience meer obedience that makes thee goe on in a low calling but there may be much selfe-love that makes men goe on in a higher calling for there 's riches credit and account in the world and rewards comes in by that which doth not in the other toâ— goe on quietly in a low calling is more obedience to God Fifthly know further in the last place there is like to be more reward For the Lord when he comes to reward he doth not come to examine what the work hath been that men and women have been exercised in but what their faithfulnesse hath been Well done good and faithfull servant saith the Lord he doth not say well done good servant for thou hast bin faithfull to me in publick works ruling Cities and States and Affairs in Kingdoms and therefore thou shalt be rewarded no but Well done good and faithfull servant now thou mayest be faithfull in little as well as others are in more by going on and working thy dayes labour when thou gettest but a couple of shillings to maintain thy family thou mayest be as faithfull in this as those are that rules a Kingdom now God looks to a mans faithfulnesse and thou mayest have as great a reward for thy faithfulnesse that art a poor servant in the Kitchin all the day as another that sits upon the Throne all day and as great a Crown of glory thou mayest have at the day of judgement as a King that sits upon the Throne that hath ruled for God upon his Throne yea thy faithfulnesse may be rewarded by God with as great glory as a King that hath swaid his Scepter for God because I say the Lord doth not so much look at the work that is done as at the faithfulnesse of our hearts in doing it then why should not every one of us goe on comfortably and cheerfully in our low condition for why may not I be faithfull as well as another it's true I cannot come to bee as rich a man and as honourable as others but I may be as faithful as any other man that every one of you may conclude with your selves what doth let but that you that are the poorest and meanest may be as faithfull as the greatest yea you may have as glorious a crown in Heaven and therefore go on comfortably and chearfully in your way A Tenth Plea There 's another reasoning that some may have and that is this Oh I could bear much affliction in some other way but this is very greivious to me the unsetlednesse of my condition though my condition were but low yet if it were in a setled way I could be content but it is so unconstant and so unsetled that I can never know what to trust to but am tost up and down in the world in an unsetled condition and this is hard to be content with Now to that I answer first that the Psalmist saith That every man in his setled estate is vanity in Psalme 36. 5. your books have it Every man at his besâ— estate is vanity the word is his setled estate you think if you were but setled Oh then you could be content but the truth is man in his setled estate is vanity Secondly I answer thus that perhaps God sees it is better for thee to live in a continual dependance upon him not to know what thy conditiou shal be on the morrow then for thee to have a more setled condition in