distempered but he continues in the free exercise of the use of his reason and understanding every one may understand that this man hath a very strong braine that such things shall not distemper him whereas other people that have a weak braine if they do not disgest but one meals meat the fumes that do arise from their stomaks doth distemper their brain makes them unfit for every thing whereas you shall have others that have strong heads and strong brains though their stomacks be ill that they do not disgest meat yet still they have the free use of their brain this argues strength So it is in a mans spirit you shall have many that have weak spirits and if they have any ill fumes if accidents do befall them you shall presently have them out of temper but you shall have other men that though things do fume up yet still they keep in a steady way and have the use of reason and of their graces and possess their Souls with patience As I remember it 's reported of the Eagle it 's not like other fouls other fouls when they are hungrie make an noise but the Eagle is never heard to make an noise though it wants food and it is from the magnitude of his spirit that it will not make such complaints as other fowls will do when they want food it is because it is above hunger and above thirst So it is an argument of a gracious magnitude of spirit that whatsoever befals it yet it is not allwaies whining and complaining so as others are but goes on still in it's way and course and blesses God and keeps in a constant tenour whatsoever thing befals it such things as causes others to be dejected and fretted and vexed and takes away all the comfort of their lives it makes no alteration at all in the spirits of these men and women I say this is a sign of a great deal of strength of Grace 3. It 's also an argument of a great deale of beauty of Grace It 's a speech that Seneca a Heathen once had saith hee when you go abroad into groves and woods and there you see the talnesse of the trees and their shadows it strikes a kind of awful fear of a deitie in you and when you see the vast rivers and fountains and deep waters that strikes a kind of fear of a God in you but saith hee do you see a man that is quiet in tempests and that lives happily in the midest of adversities why do not you worship that man the doth thinke him a man even to be so honoured that shal be quiet live a happy life though in the middest of adversities The glory of God appears here more then in any of his works there is no works that God hath made the Sun moon and starrs all the world wherin so much of the glory of God doth appear as in a man that lives quietly in the middest of adversity That was that that convinc'd the King when he saw the three Children could walk in the midest of the firey furnace not be toucht the King was mightily convinc'd by this that surely their God was the great God indeed that they were highly beloved of their God that could walk in the mid'st of the furnace not be toucht whereas the others that came but to the mouth of the furnace were devoured so when a Christian can walk in the mid'st of firey trials and not his garments findged but have comfort and joy in the midist of al as Paul in the stocks can sing that wrought upon the jaylour so it will convince men when they see the power of grace in the middest of afflictions such afflictions as would make others to rore under them yet they can behave themselves in a gracious and holy manner Oh it 's the glory of a Christian It is that that is said to be the glory of Christ for so by Interpreters it is thought to be meant of Christ In Micah 5 5. And this man the text faith shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land and when he shall tread in our pallaces This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land for one to be in peace when there is no enemies it 's no great matter but saith the text when the Assyrian shal come into our land then this man shall be the peace that is when all shal be in an hubbub and uprore yet then this man shal be peace That 's the tryall of grace when you find Jesus Christ in your hearts to be peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land You may think you find peace in Christ when you have no outward troubles but is Christ your peace when the Assyrian comes into the land when the enemy comes Suppose you should hear the enemy come marching to the City â—â— had taken the workes and were plundering what would be your peace Jesus Christ would be peace to the soul when the enemie come into the City and into your houses If there be any of you that hath bin where the enemie hath come what hath bin the peace of your soules That that 's said of Christ may be applyed to this grace of Contentment when the Assyrian the plunderers the enemies when any affliction trouble distresse doth befall such a heart then this grace of Contentment brings peace to the soul at that time brings peace to the soul when the Assyrian comes into the land The grace of Contentment it 's an excellent grace there 's much beautie much strength in it there is a great deal of worth in this grace and therefore be in love with it The Third thing in the excellency of Contentment is this By Contentment the soul is fitted to receive mercy and to do service I le put those two together Contentment makes the â—oul fit to receive mercy and to do service no man or woman in the world is so fit for to receive the Grace of God and to do the work of God as those that have contented spirits 1 Thâ—se are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord that are contented As now if you would have aâ— vessell to take in any liquor you must hold the vessel stil if the vessel stir and shake up and down you cannot powre in any thing but you will bid hold still that you may powre it in and not loose any so if we would be the vessels to receive Gods mercy and would have the Lord powre in his mercy to us we must have quiet still hearts we must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble discontent and vexing but we must have still and quiet hearts if we would receive mercy from the Lord If a child throws and flings up and down for a thing you will not give in him then when he cries so but first you will have the child quiet though perhaps you do intend the child shall
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
wise man may greive under but not be vexed with his afflictions There is a vast difference betwixt a kindly greiving and a distempered vexation 3 To tumultuousness of spirit When the thoughts run distractingly and work in a confused manner so that the affections are like the unruly multitude in the Acts who knew not for what end they were come together The Lord expects that you should be silent under his rod and as he said in Act. 19. 36. You ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly 4 To unseâ—ledness and unfixedness of spirit whereby the heart is taken off from the present duty that God requires in our several relations both towards God our selves and others We should prize duty at a higher rate then to be taken off by every trivial occasion a Christian indeed values every service of God so much that though some may be in the eye of the world and of natural reason a slight empty businesse beggerly rudiments foolishnesse yet seeing God calls for it the authority of the comand doth so over awe his heart that he is willing to spend himself and to be spent in the discharge of it It is an expression of Luthers ordinary works that are done in faith and from faith are more precious than heaven and earth And if this be so and a Christian know it it is not a little matter that should divert him but he should answer every avocation and resist every tentation as Nebemiah did Chap. 6. 3. Sanballat Geshem and Tobiah when they would have hindred the building of the wal with this I am doing a great work saith he so that I cannot come down why should the work of the Lord cease 5 To distracting heart-eating cares and fears A gracious heart so estimats its union with Christ and the work that God sets it about as it will not willingly suffer any thing to come in to choak it or dead it A Christian is desirous that the word of God should take such full possession as to divide between soul and spirit but he would not suffer the fear and noise of evil-tidings to take such impression in his soul as to make a division and strugling there like the twins in Rebeckaes womb A great man will permit common people to stand without his doors but he will not let them come in make a noise in his closet or bedchamber when he purposely retires himself from all worldly imployments So a well tempered spirit though it may inquire after things abroad without doors in the world and suffer some ordinary cares and fears to break in to the suburbs of the soul so as to have a light touch upon the thoughts Yet it will not upon any terms admit of an intrusion into the privy-chamber which should be wholly reserved for Jesus Christ as his inward Temple 6 To sinking discouragements When things fall not out according to expectation when the tyde of second causes runs so low that we see little left in outward means to bear up our hopes and hearts That then the heart begins to reason as he in the Kings If the Lord should open the windows of heaven how should this â—e Never considering that God can open the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle he can work above beyond nay contrary to means he often makes the fairest flowers of mans indeavours to wither and brings improbable things to passe that the glory of enterprizes may be given to himself Nay if his people stand in need of mirracles to work their deliverance miracles fall as easily out of Gods hands as to give his people daily bread Gods blessing is many times secret upon his servants that they know not which way it comes as 2 Kings 3. 17. Ye shall not see wind neither shall you see rain yet the valley shall be fâ—lled with water God would have us depend on him though we do not see means how the thing should be brought to passe else we do not shew a quiet spirit though an affliction be upon thee let not thy heart sink under it So far as thy heart sinks and thou art discouraged under thy affliction so much thou wantest of this lesson of Contentment 7 To sinfull shiftings and shirkings out for ease and help As we see in Saul running to the witch of Endor and in his offering sacrifice before Samuel came Nay the good King Jehoshaphat joynes himself with Ahaziah 2 Chron. 20. Vlt. And Asa goes to â—enhadad King of Assyria for help not relying upon the Lord 2 Chr. 16. 7 8. Though the Lord had delivered the Ethiopian Army into his hands consisting of a thousand thousand 2 Chron. 14 11. And good Jacob joyned in a lye with his mother to Isaac he was not content to stay Gods time and use Gods means but made too great haste and stept out of his way to procure the blessing which God intended for him as many do through the corruption of their hearts and weaknesse of their faith because they are not able to trust God and follow him fully in all things and alwaies and for this cause the Lord often follows the Saints with many sore temperal crosses as we see in Jacob though they obtain the mercy It may be thy wretched carnal heart thinks I care not how I be delivered so I may but get free from it Is it not so many times in some of your hearts when any crosse or affliction befals you Have not you such kind of workings of spirit as this Oh that I could but be delivered out of this affliction any way I would not care your hearts are far from being quiet And this sinful shifting is the next thing in opposition to this quietnesse which God requires in a contented spirit The Eighth and last thing that this quietnesse of Spirit is opposite to is desparate risings of heart against God in a way of rebellion That is most abominable I hope many of you have learned so far to be content as to keep down your hearts from such distempers and yet the truth is not only wicked men but sometimes the very Saints of God find the beginnings of this when an affliction lies long and is very sore and heavy upon them indeed and strikes them as it were in the master vein they find somewhat of this in their hearts a rising against God their thoughts begin to bubble and their affections begin to stir in rising against God himself especially such as together with their corruptions have much melancholy and the Devil working both upon the corruptions of their hearts and the melancholy distemper of their bodies though there may lie much grace at the bottom yet there may be some risings against God himself under affliction Now Christian quietnes is opposite to all these things that is When afflictions come be it what affliction it will be yet you do not murmur though you be sensible though you make your moan though you desire to be delivered and
consider thou hast a great many more mercies then thou hadest afflictions I dare boldly aver it concerning any one in this congregation suppose thy afflictions to be what they will there is never a one of you but that have more mecies then afflictions Object You will say I but you doe not know what our afflictions are our afflictions are so as you doe not conceive of them because you feel them not Answ Though I cannot know what your afflictions are yet I know what your mercies are and I know they are so great as I am sure there can be no afflictions in this world so great as the mercies you have If it were but this mercie that you have this day of grace and salvation continued to you it 's a greater mercy then any affliction set any affliction by this mercy and see which would weigh heaviest this is certainly greater then any affliction that you have the day of grace and salvation that you are not now in hell this is a greater mercy That you have the sound of the Gospel yet in your ears that you have the use of your reason this is a greater mercy then your afflictions that you have the use of your limbs yout sences that you have the health of your bodies health of body is a greater mercy then poverty is an affliction there is no man that is rich but if he be wise if he hath a sickly body he would part with al his riches that he might have his health therefore thy mercies are more then thy afflictions We find in Scripture how the Holy Ghost doth agravate the sin of discontent from the consideration of mercies you have a notable Scripture for it in the 16. of Numb 8. verse c. It 's a speech of Mâ—ses to Korah and his company when they murmured And Moses said unto Korah hear I pray you yee sâ—ns of Levi there 's somewhat that you are sons of Levi Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them Korah and his company were murmuring but marke how Moses agravates this Seemeth it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord c. You see 't is a great honour that God puts upon a man a great mercy that he doth bestow upon any man to separate him from others for himselfe to come neer to him to imploy him in the service of the Tabernacle to minister to the Congregation in holy things this is a great mercy and indeed it 's such a mercy as one would think there should be none that God bestows such a mercy upon that should have a murmuring heart for any affliction It 's true many Ministers of God they meet with hard things that might discourage them and trouble and grieve their spirits but now this consideration that God is pleased to imploy them in such a service neer to himselfe that though they cannot doe good to themselves yet they may do good to others this should quiet them And yet in the 10. verse And he hath brought thee neer to him and all thy Brethren the Sons of Levi with thee and seeke yee the Priest-hood also have not you enough already but still you are discontented with what you have and must have more seek ye yet more Seek ye the Priest-hood also for which cause both thou and all thy Company are gathered together against the Lord And what is Aaron that yee murmure against him what hath God given you such things and yet will you be murmuring because you cannot have more me thinks that this place should keep Ministers from murmuring though they should meet with never such afflictions and crosses and unkind dealings from men yet still they should go on with hearts quieted and comforted in the work that God hath set them about and labour to countervaile all their Afflictions by being more abundant in the work of the Lord that is the first text of Scripture that shewes how the mercies we enjoy are Agravations to the sin of murmuring And then a second Scripture is in the 2. of Job 10. ver A speech of Job to his wife what saith Iob when his wife would have had him cursse God and die that was a degree beyond murmuring why saith he thou speakest as one of the foolish women shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evill you see Iob did help himselfe against all murmuring thoughts against the ways of God with this consideration that he had received so much good from the Lord what though we receive evill yet doe not we receive good as well as evill let us set one against the other that 's the way we should go In the 7. of Ecclesiastes the 14. vers you have a notable Scripture there whereby you may see what course is to be taken when the heart rises in murmuring In the day of prosperity be joyfull but in the day of Adversity consider what should they consider mark what follows God also hath set the one over against the other to the end that man should find nothing after him God also hath set the one over against the other that 's thus when thou art in prosperity then indeed every man can be joyfull but what if Afflictions befals him what then then consider consider what That God hath set one over against the other thou hast a great deal of Affliction and thou hast had a great deal of prosperity thou hast many troubles and thou hast had many mercies make one column of mercies and one colume of afflictions and write one against the other and see if God hath not fill'd one colume as full as the other you look altogether upon your afflictions but look upon your mercies also for instance It may be God hath afflicted you in one child but he hath been mercifull to you in another child set one against the other God afflicted David in Absolom but he was mercifull to David in Solomon and therefore when David cryed out oh Absolom my Son my Son if David had thought upon Solomon and cryed oh Solomon my son my son it would have quieted him And it may be God hath been mercifull to thee in a wife or in thy husband set that against thy affliction it may be God crosses thee in thy estate but it may be he doth imploy thee in his service it may be thou art afflicted in some of thy friends but thou hast other friends that are great mercies to thee and therefore you should set one against the other and it doth concerne you so to doe for those mercies will be agravations of your sins and you had better make Gods
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
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
riddle to many for one to be dead to the world to be mortified to the world Now it is not my work to open to you what Mortification is or death to the world is but only thus to have our hearts so taken off from the things of the world as to use them as if one used them not not to make account that our lives our comforts our happinesse doth consist in these things they are things that are of another nature that our happinesse doth consist in and we may be happy without these this is a kind of deadnesse to the world The ninth Direction Let not men and women pore too much upon their Afflictions that is busie their thoughts too much to look down into their Afflictions you shall have many people that all their thoughts are taken up about what their crosses and afflictions are they are altogether thinking and speaking of them it 's just with them as with a child that hath a sore about him his finger is alwaies upon the sore and so men and women their thoughts are alwaies upon their afflictions when they awake in the night their thoughts are upon their afflictions and when they converse with othets nay it may be when they are praying to God they are thinking of their afflictions Oh no mervail though you live a discontented life if your thoughts be alwaies poring upon such things you should rather labour to have your thoughts upon those things that may comfort you You shall have many that if you propound any rule to them to doe them good they take it well while they are with you and thank you for it but when they are gone they soon forget it It is very observable of Jacob that when his wife died in child birth his wife called the child Ben-oni that is a son of sorrows now Jacob he thought with himself if I should call this child Benoni every time that I name him it will put me in minde of the death of my dear wife and of that affliction and that will be a continued affliction to me therefore I will not have my child have that name so the text faith that Jacob called his name Benjamin and that was the son of my right hand now this is to shew us thus much that when afflictions befalls us we should not give way to have our thoughts continually upon them but rather upon those things that may stir up our thankfulnesse to God for mercies It is the similitude of Basil a learned man saith he It is in this case as men and women that have fore eyes now it is not fit for those to be alwaies looking upon the fire or upon the beames of the Sun no saith he one that hath fore eyes must get things that are sutable to him and such objects as are fit for one that hath such weak eyes therefore they will get green colours as that being a more easie colour and better for weak eyes and they will hang green sarsnet before their eyes because it is more sutable to them So weak spirits it 's the very same a man or woman that hath a weak spirit they must not be looking upon the fire of their afflictions upon those things that deject that cast them down but they are to be looking rather upon that that may be sutable for the healing and helping of them they should be considering of those things rather then the other It will be of very great use and benefit to you if you do lay it to hearâ— not to be poâ—ing alwaies upon afflictions but upon mercies The Tenth Direction I beseech you observe this though you should forget many others Make a good interpretation of Gods waies towards you if there can be any good interpretation made of Gods waies towards you make it Ye think it much if you have a friend that should alwaies make bad interpretations of your waies towards him you would take that ill If you should converse with people that you cannot speak a word in their hearing but they are ready to make an il interpretation of it and take it in an ill sense you would think their company to be very tedious to you it is very tedious to the Spirit of God when we make such ill interpretations of his waies towards us If God deals with us otherwise then we would have him if there can be any sence worse then other made of it we will be sure to make it as thus when an affliction doth befall you there may be many good senses made of Gods works towards you you should think thus it may be God intends only to try me by this it may be God saw my heart to much set upon the Creature and so intends to shew me what there is in my heart it may be that God saw that if my estate did continue I should fall into sinne that the better my estate were the worse my soul would be it may be God intended only to exercise some grace it may be God intends to prepare me for some great work which he hath for me thus you should reason But we on the contrary make bad interpretations of Gods thus dealing with us and say God doth not mean this surely the Lord means by this to manifest his wrath and displeasure against me and this is but a furtherance of further evils that he intends towards me Just as they did in the wildernesse God hath brought us hither to slay us This is the worst interpretation that possibly you can make of Gods waies Oh why will you make these worst interpretations when there may be better In 1 Cor. 13. 5. when the Scripture speaks of love saith the text Love thinketh no evill Love is of that nature that if there may be ten interpretations made of a thing if nine of them be naught and one good Love will take that which is good and leave the other nine and so though there might be ten interpretations presented to thee concerning Gods waies towards thee and if but one be good and nine naught thou shouldest take that one that is good and leave the other nine I beseech you consider God doth not deale by you as you deal with him should God make the worst interpretation of all your waies towards him as you do of his towards you it would be very ill with you God is pleased to manifest his love thus to us to make the best interpretations of what we do and therefore it is that God doth put a sense upon the actions of his people that one would think could hardly be as thus God is pleased to cal those perfect that have but any uprightnesse of heart in them he accounteth them perfect Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect uprightnesse in Gods sense is perfection Now alas when we look into our own hearts we can scarce see any good at all there and yet God is pleased to make such an interpretation as to