the Chapter is ended in the 23. verse When they came to Marah in the same Chapter they could not drink of the waters of Marah for they were bitter therefore the name of it was called Marah and the people murmured against Moses After so great a mercy as this was what unthankfulnes was there here in their murmuring Then God gave them water but in the very next Chapter they fell to their murmuring you reade not that they were humbled for their former murmuring and therefore they murmur again Exod. 16.1 c. All the Congregation of the Children of Israel came to the wildernesse of Sin c. And the whole Congregation in the second verse of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wildernesse and the Children of Israel said unto them Would to God we had dyed by the hand of the Lord in the Land of Egypt when we sate by the flesh-pots and when we did eat bread to the full Now they want flesh they wanted water before but now they want meat they fell to murmuring again they were not humbled for this murmuring against God neither when God gave them flesh according to their desires but they fell to murmuring again they wanted somewhat else In the very next Chapter they went not far in the 17 of Exod. beginning And all the Congregation of the Children of Israel journied from the wildernesse of Sin and pitthed in Rephadim and there was no water for the people to drink then in the second verse Wherefore the people did chide with Moses and said Give us water that we may drink and Moses said unto them Why chide you with me wherefore do you tempt the Lord And in the third verse And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured against Moses and said Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our Children and our Cattell with thirst So one time after another still as soon as ever they had received the mercie then they were a little quieted but they were not humbled I bring these Scriptures for this to shew that if we have not been humbled for murmuring the next crosse that we meet withal we will fall to murmuring again And now there are divers agravations of this sin of murmuring I 'le mention but one now and I shall but begin that The first Agravation is this To murmur when we enjoy abundance of mercy the greater and the more abundant the mercy is that we enjoy the greater and the viler is the sin of murmuring As here now when God had newly delivered them out of the house of bondage for them now to murmur because they want some few particulars that they desire Oh to sin against God after a great mercy this is a great agravation and a most abominable thing Now my brethren the Lord hath granted us very great mercies 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 beginning 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 Bristol 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 requital for his mercies Oh give God praise according to his excellent greatness 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 greife to your brethren think not that because God hath been gracious unto 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 mercy to you as for you 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 and if there should be an ill use made of the mercy of God after we enjoy it Oh it would go to the heart of God! nothing is more grievous to the heart of God than the abuse of mercy As now if any way that is hard and rigid should be taken towards our Brethren and those especially that God hath made such special Instruments of good to us that have been so 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 a murmuring spirit there are divers aggravations I told you we are to consider of for the further setting out of the greatness of this sin I mentioned but only one the last day now we shall proceed in that The first Agravation of the sin of discontent and murmuring is this For men and women to be discontent in the mid'st of mercies in enjoyment of abundance of mercies To be discontent in any afflicted condition is sinful and evil 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 evil 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 summer hath multiplied mercies one upon another the Lord hath made this summer to be a continued miracle of mercie never did a Kingdom enjoy in so little space of time such mercies one upon another Now the publick 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 publick mercies to the Land when the Lord hath bin so merciful to the Land wilt thou be feetting and murmuring because thou hast not in thy family all the comforts that thou would'st have As it is a great aggravation of a mans evill for him to rejoyce
immoderately in his own private 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 flesh to the uttermost in all outward comforts this is a great aggravation 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 aggravation of his sin It may be when the Church of God was lowest and it went worst in other parts yet thou didst abate nothing of the comfort 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 merciâ—s 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 private 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 Did'st not thou pray to God for these mercies that God hath sent of late to the publick these great victories that God hath given did'st 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 goodness enough there to cure thy discontentment Certainly they were not such mercies 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's exceeding evil So in particular the mercies that concerns thy self thy family if thou wouldest consider thou hast a great many more mercies than thou had'st afflictions I dare boldly aver it concerning any one in this Congregation suppose thy afflictions be what they will there is never a one of you but that have more mercies than afflictions Object You will say I but you do not know what our afflictions are our afflictions are so as you do 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 weâ—e but this mercy that you have this day of grace and salvation continued to you it 's a greater mercie than any affliction set any affliction by this mercie and see which would weigh heaviest this is certainly greater than any affliction that you have the day of grace and salvation that you are not now in Hell this is a greater mercie that you have the sound of the Gospel yet in your ears that you have the use of your reason this is a greater mercie than your afflictions that you have the use of your limbs your sences that you have the health of your bodies health of body is a greater mercy than 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 all his riches that he might have his health therefore thy mercies are more than thy afflictions We find in Scripture how the holy Ghost doth aggravate 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 Moses to Korah and his company when they murmured And Moses said unto Korah hear I pray you ye sons 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 himself to do 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 mark how Moses aggravates this Seemeth it a smal thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to himselfe to do 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 seperate him from others for himself 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 himself that though they cannot do 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 seek ye 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 ye murmur 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 shews how the mercies we enjoy are Aggravations to the sin of murmuring And then a second Scripture is in the 2. of Job 10. vers A speech of Job to his wife what saith Job when his wife would have had him curse God and die that was a degree beyond murmuring saith he Thou speakest
our friends and so are brought into such straights pray husband go back again and venture not your self thus and thus but it seems she was of a gracious spirit and quieted her self in God and was not afraid with amazement If you would approve your selv's the daughters of Sarah do ye so when God cals your husbands to any service though it be with some hazard do not you hang about their necks and wring your hands and say I beseech you husband consider what will become of me and my children will you leave me now Take heed you are not the daughters of Sarah at such a time if you hinder your husbands at such a time as this is 4. Doct. That the sight of salvation after straights will be a glorious thing If we be brought into straights that that is comming will pay for all there is enough to satisfie let us not be troubled at greater straights than yet we have Suppose blood should be shed beloved God hath such mercy for England that shall pay for all the blood of his Saints that shall be shed and the blood of his people is a precious thing Every drop of the blood of his people is very precious and the Adversary shal be accomptable for every drop God will value it and there shall be a valuable consideration given for every drop of blood and the more difficulties we have in obtaining that mercy God is about to give us the mercy shall be the greater Isa 54.11 O thou afflicted and tost with tempests thy foundations shal be laid with Saphires and with precious stones If we be afflicted and tossed with tempests and the blood of Gods people go for it comfort your selves with this The more precious blood that is shed in this business the greater mercy is to come for God will have a valuable consideration for all the blood of his Saints FINIS AN EXACT ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF ALL THE PRINCIPAL TRUTHS IN THE FORE-GOING TREATISE OF Contentment A Abundance ABundance of mercies enjoyed should make us content Page 189 Account Account of prosperity Page 89 Account of great men Page 90 Actions see Heart Adversity see Quiet Affections Men unsatisfied in their affections Page 10 See Wast Afflictions Faith to be acted in afflictions Page 47 Gods people to be ordinarily in afflictions Page 98 To be troubled for murmuring rather than afflictions Page 120 Afflictions How made worse Page 141 How to moderate grief in afflictions Page 152 Gods hand apparant in afflictions Page 162 Afflictions are not to be pored on too much Page 201 See Fear Love Christ Mercy Look Great Chuse Fit Service c. All in All God All in All to his Children Page 51 All-sufficiency All-sufficiency in the Saints how Page 3 Angels A Christian one with Angels Page 127 A Christian neerer the Divine nature than Angels Page 128 A Saints calling as high as Angels Page 177 Apparant see Afflictions Assurance see Covenant B Base A murmuring spirit a base spirit Page 130 Beams Creatures convey comforts but as beams Page 50 Being We enjoy creatures in reference to the first-being Page 80 Best God interprets what we do to the best Page 204 Better see Condition Soul Beauty Beauty of grace wherein seen Page 104 Blesse Sence of afflictions will make us blesse God for the mercies of others Page 165 See Dew Bread We are to pray but for daily bread Page 134 Broken A Broken heart brings Content Page 33 Burden Contentment by adding a new burden Page 31 Burden of sin makes affliction light Page 32 C Call Calling Calling of the soul what Page 124 A Christian general calling high Page 177 To be sure of a Call in every thing Page 196 Change To change affliction to another thing Page 34 All creatures go on in a way of change Page 189 Child A murmuring spirit like a weaning Child Page 130 Christ What the Saints have is purchased by Christ Page 42 Afflictions to the godly from the same hand that gave Christ Page 44 What hinders the sight of the excellency of Christ Page 123 In Conversion the soul cast on Christ Page 124 Christian see Murmuring Chuse We must not chuse our afflictions Page 174 Command The more solemn Gods command the greater the sin in breaking of it Page 163 Complacency A Christian takes complacency in Gode dispose Page 17 Complain We may complain to God in afflictions Page 5 Comfort Content brings comfort Page 110 Comfort how kept in the soul ibid Comfort of what we have How lost Page 138 See God Condition A Christian content in every condition Page 20 We should do the works of our present condition Page 35 How to know what saith our condition Page 83 Our condition better than our betters Page 191 Constraint Not to submit in affliction by constraint Page 16 Contentment Contentment what it signifies Page 2 Contentment to be skil'd in the mystery of it Page 3 Contentment what Page 4 Contentment whereof it is made Page 26 Contentment the bottom of it Page 30 Contentment the excellency of it Page 100 Contentment wherein it consists Page 112 To be humbled for want of Contentment Page 118 Contentment of former Christians Page 133 Considerations to move Contentment Page 187 Directions to Contentment Page 195 See Worship Soul Condition Comfort c. Conversion The work of God in Conversion Page 122 See Life Contrary God worketh by Contraries Page 99 Corruption Argument of corruption in the soul Page 119 Covenant Christians comfort from Gods Covenant 53.61 Gods Covenant his Assurance-Office Page 63 Particular promises part of the Covenant Page 64 In Conversion we give our selves to God in Covenant Page 124 See Works Creature To know the vanity of the Creature Page 73 To enjoy God in the Creature Page 80 In Conversion the heart taken from the Creature Page 123 Creatures suffer for us Page 189 Crowns God hath Crowns for all graces Page 174 Curse Curse of God upon murmuring Page 146 D Daily see Bread Danger Danger of prosperity Page 86 Dear A siggn of love to give him that that cost us dear Page 185 Deliverance Deliverance may be sought in afflictions Denial see Self Departed We think God is departed when we are afflicted Page 168 Though God were departed from us we should not from him Page 169 See Disquiet Dependance We should live in continual dependance upon God Page 179 Deserve We deserve nothing of God Page 69 Desires A Christian should take from his desires Page 29 Devil Devil his Rhetorick Page 136 Devil most discontented Page 147 Dew A Christian lives on the dew of Gods blessing Page 40 Dignity Dignity of a Christian Page 120 Discouragement Discouragement opposite to Contentment Page 7 Discontent Discontent the reason of it Page 73 Discontent a sin of idle men Page 76 Discontent the root of it Page 82 Discontent how aggravated Page 153 Discontent Pleas for it Page 165 See Grace Shift Foolish Mercies Devil Disgrace Disgrace how sanctified Page 45
complacency in Gods dispose ibid 8 In Gods dispose Page 19 9 In every condition Page 20 We must submit to God in every affliction 1 For the kind Page 22 2 For the time Page 23 3 For the variety 25 Contentment a Mysterie Page 26 1 A Christian is content yet unsatisfied Page 27 2 A Christian comes to Contentment by substraction Page 29 3 By adding another burden to that he hath Page 31 4 By changing the affliction into another Page 33 5 By doing the work of his condition Page 35 6 By melting his will into Gods will Page 37 7 By purging out that that is within 38 8 He lives by the dew of Gods blessing Page 40 1 He hath the love of God in that he hath Page 41 2 It is sanctified for his good ib 3 There is no after-reckoning for it Page 42 4 It is by the purchase of Christ 5 It is an earnest of glory he reafter Page 43 9 A Christian sees Gods love in affliction Page 44 10 His afflictions sanctified in Christ Page 45 11 He fetches strength from Christ Page 47 12 He makes up his wants in God Page 49 13 He fetcheth Contentment from the Covenant Page 53 Objection concerning the plague Answered Page 54 He supplieth wants by what he finds in himself Page 57 He fetches supply from the CoveCovenant Page 61 1 In General ibid 2 From particular premises Page 64 14 He reallizeth the things of Heaven Page 67 15 He letteth his heart out to God ibid Lessons whereby Christ teacheth Contentment 1 Self-denial Whereby a Christian knows Page 68 1 That he is nothing Page 69 2 That he deserves nothing ibid 3 That he can do nothing Page 70 4 That he can receive no good of himself ibid 5 If God withdraw himself he can mak use of nothing ibid 6 That he is worse than nothing Page 71 7 That there is no loss of him if he perish ibid 8 That he comes to rejoyce in Gods waier Page 72 2 Lesson To know the vanity of the Creature Page 73 3 Lesson To know that one thing wherefore Page 74 4 Lesson To know his relation in this world Page 76 5 Lesson Wherein the good of the Creature is Page 79 6 Lesson The knowledge of his own heart Page 82 Which helps to Contentment 1 By discovering wherein discontent lies ibid 2 By knowing what is sutable to our condition Page 83 3 By this we know what we are able to mannage Page 84 7 Lesson To know the burden of a prosperous estate Page 85 Which is four fold 1 The burden of trouble ibid 2 The burden of danger Page 86 3 The burden of duty Page 89 4 The burden of account ibid 8 Lesson A great evil to be given up to our own hearts desire Page 91 9 Lesson The right knowledge of of Gods providence Page 94 Wherein four things 1 The universality of it ibid 2 The efficacy of it Page 95 3 The variety of it ibid 4 Gods particular dealing with his people Page 97 In three things 1 They are ordinarily in affliction Page 98 2 When he intends them greatest mercies he brings them lowest ibid 3 He works by contraries Page 99 The Excellency of Contentment 1 Excellency By it we give God his due worship Page 101 2 Excel In it there is much exercise of grace 103 1 There is much strength of grace ibid 2 There is much beauty of grace Page 104 3 Excel The soul is fitted to receive mercy Page 106 4 Excel It is fitted to do service Page 107 5 Excel Contentment delivers from temptation Page 108 6 Excel It brings abundance of comfort Page 110 7 Excel It fetcheth in that that we possess not Page 111 In 4 particulars 8 Excel Contentment a great blessing of God upon the soule Page 115 9 Excel A contented man may expect reward Page 116 10 Excel By Contentment the soul comes neerest the Excellency of God himself Page 117 Use 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 Page 119 2 It is a note of a wicked man Page 120 3 Murmuring is accounted Rebellion Page 121 4 It is exceeding contrary to grace in conversion Page 122 The works of God in conversion 1 To make us sensible of the evil in sin Page 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 Page 124 5 Subduing the soul to Christ as King ibid 6 Giving up the soul to God in Covenant Page 125 5 Evil Murmuring below a Christian Page 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 Page 127 4 To Christ as a Co-heir ibid 5 To Gods Spirit as a temple ib. 6 To Angels as one with them ib. 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 Page 129 4 Below the profession of a Christian Page 131 5 Below the grace of faith ibid 6 Below the helps of a Christian Page 132 7 Below the expectation of a Christian ibid 8 Below what other Christians have done Page 133 6 Evill by murmuring we undo our prayers ibid 7 Evil The effects of a murmuring heart 1 Loss of much time Page 134 2Vnfitness for Duty ibid 3 Wicked risings of heart Page 135 4Vnthankfulness ibid 5 Shifting Page 138 8 Evil Discontent a foolish sin ibid 1 It takes away the comfort of what we have ibid 2 We cannot help our selves by it Page 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 Page 141 9 Evil It provokes the wrath of God ibid 19 Evil There is a curse upon it Page 146 11 Evil There is much of the spirit of Satan in it Page 147 12 Evill It brings an absolute necessity of disquiet ibid 13 Evil God may justly withdraw his protection from such ibid Aggravations of the sin of murmuring 1 Aggravation The greater the mercies the greater the sin of murmuring Page 150 2 Agrav When we murmur for smal things Page 157 3 Agrav When men of parts and abilities murmur Page 158 4 Agrav The freeness of Gods mercy ibid 5 Agrav Discontent for what we have Page 159 6 Agrav When men are raised from a low condition ibid 7 Agrav When men have been great sinners Page 160 8 Agrav When those murmur that are of little use in the world Page 161 9 Agrav To murmur when God is about to humble us ibid 10 Agrav When Gods hand is apparant in an affliction Page 162 11 Agrav To murmur under long afflictions Page 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 Page 165 2 It hinders not Duty ibid 3 It will make us bless 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 Page 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 Page 167 5 There is the more cause to accept of the punishment ibid 3 Plea God withdraws himself 1 We think God is departed when he doth but afflict Page 168 2 Disquiet is a sign and cause of Gods departure ibid 3 If God depart from us we should not from him Page 169 4 Plea I am troubled for mens ill dealing 1 Men are Gods instrrments Page 170 2 We should rather pity them than murmur Page 171 3 We have righteous dealing with God ibid 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 careful of our carriage in it Page 172 6 Plea The affliction is exceeding great 1 It is not so great as thy sins ibid 2 It might have been greater Page 173 3 It is greater for thy murmuring ibid 7 Plea It is greater than others afflictions Answered in 4 things Page 173 8 Plea If any other affliction they could be content Answered in 4 things Page 174 9 Plea My afflictions make me unservicable to God 1 Though thou art mean thou art a member of the body Page 176 2 Thy generall calling is high Page 177 3 Thou art equal with Angels ibid 4 God highly esteems the actions of mean Christians Page 178 5 Faithfulness in a mean calling shall be rewarded ibid 10. Plea My condition is unsetled 1 Every man in his setled estate is vanity Page 179 2 God will have us live in dependance ibid 3 Thy spiritual condition may be setled Page 181 11 Plea I have been in a better condition 1 Thy eye should not he evill because the eye of God hath been good Page 182 2 Prosperity was to prepare thee for affliction ibid 12 Plea I am crost after much pains 1 The greater the cross the more the obedience Page 184 2 Thy pains should be with submission to God Page 185 3 Contentment in such a condition is a testimony of more love to God ibid 13 Plea Distempers of heart accounted as words before God ibid Considerations to work the heart to Contentment 1 Consid The greatness of the mercies we have Page 187 2 God is beforehand with us with mercies Page 188 3 The abundance of mercies we enjoy Page 189 4 All creatures in a visicitude ib. 5 The creature suffers for us ibid 6 We have little time in the world Page 190 7 It hath been the condition of our betters Page 191 8 We were once content with the world without grace and should now with grace without the world Page 193 9 When we had Contentment we gave not God the glory ibid 10 Experience of Gods doing us good in afflictions ibid Directions to Contentment 1 There must be grace to make the soul steady Page 195 2 Not to gripe too much of the world ibid 3 Have a cal in every business Page 196 4 Walk by rule ibid 5 Exercise much faith Page 197 6 Labour to be spiritually minded Page 198 7 Promise not your selves great things Page 200 8 Get mortified hearts to the world ibid 9 Pore not too much on afflictions Page 201 10 Make a good construction of Gods wayes towards us Page 202 11 Regard not others fancies but what we feel Page 205 12 Be not inordinately taken with the comforts of the world Page 206 The CONTENTS of the last Sermon On EXODVS 14.13 STanding still five waies evill Page 304 Good three wayes Page 307 Doct. 1 When God is in a way of salvation he may bring his people into straights Page 311 Reasons 1 Because God will humble them Page 313 2 He delights in the exercise of their faith Page 315 3 He delights in their prayers Page 316 4 To discover those that are evill ibid 5 That the adversaries may vent theie malice Page 317 6 That Christs work may appear the more ibid Use Not to sink because of straights Page 318 Doct. 2. In straights Gods people are mightily troubled ibid Reasons 1 Because there is much flesh in the best Page 319 2 There is a great deal of guilt ib. 3 There is self-confidence ib. Use 1 To blame our selves for sinking in straights Page 320 2 To think what will become of wicked men ibid Doct. 3 In those straits we should quiet our selves and look for Gods salvation Page 321 1. Quiet our selves 1 Because then we are fit to look to the wisdom faithfulness and power of God Page 322 2 Because else we cannot make use of our graces ibid 3 We cannot shew our subjection to God Page 323 4 Nor our reverence to God ib. 5 We cannot make use of that we hear ib. 6 We shall hinder others Page 224 2 To expect salvation from God 1 Hereby we sanctifie Gods Name ib. 2 This shews the excellency of faith Page 325 3 It engageth God in our Cause ib. Doct. 4 The sight of salvation after straits a glorious thing Page 328 FINIS THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN Contentment PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content HERE is a very seasonable Cordial to revive the drooping spirits of the Saints in these sad and sinking times For the hour of temptation is already come upon all the world to try the Inhabitants of the earth and in special this is the day of Jacobs troubles in our owne bowels Our great Apostle experimentally holds forth in this Gospel-Text the very life and soul of all practical Divinity wherein we may plainly reade his own proficiency in Christs School and what lesson every Christian that would evidence the power and growth of godliness in his own soul must necessarily learn from him These words are brought in by Paul as a plain argument to perswade the Philippians that he did not seek after great things in the world and that he sought not theirs but them He did not passe for a great estate he had better things to take up his heart withal I do not speak saith he in respect of want For whether I have or have not my heart is fully satisfied I have enough I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I have learned Contentment in every condition is a great art a spiritual mystery It is to be learned and so to be learned as a mystery And therefore verse 12. he affirms I know how to be abâ—sed and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed The word which is translated Instructed is derived from that word which signifies Mystery and it is
way challenge whatsoever they have need of We cannot express the right of a holy man the difference between his right and the right of the wicked more fully than by this similitude a Malefactor that is condemned to die yet he hath by favour granted to him his supper provided over night and you cannot say though the Malefactor hath forfeited all his right to all things to every bit of bread yet if he shall have a supper granted to him he doth not steal it though all his right is forfeited by his fault after he is once condemned he hath no right to any thing so it is with the wicked they have forfeited all their right to all comforts in this world they are condemned by God as Malefactors and are going to execution but if God will in his bounty give them something to preserve them here in the world they cannot be said to be thieves or robbers Now a man hath granted to him a supper over night before his execution but is that like the supper that he was wont to have in his own house when he eat his own bread and had his wife and children about him Oh a dish of green herbs at home would be a great deal better than any dainties in such a supper as that is but now a child of God hath not a right meerly by donation but what he hath it is his own through the purchase of Christ every bit of bread that thou eatest if thou beest a godly man or woman Jesus Christ hath bought it for thee thou goest to market and buyest thy meat and drink with thy money but know that before thou hast bought it or paid money Christ hath bought it at the hand of God the Father with his blood thou hast it at the hands of men for money but Christ hath bought it at the hand of his Father by his blood And certainly it is a great deal better and sweeter now though it be but a little Fifthly There 's another thing that shews the sweetness that there is in that little that the Saints have by which they come to have contentment whereas others cannot that is Every little that they have it is but as an earnest penny of all the glory that is reserved for them it is given them by God but as the Fore-runner of those eternal mercies that the Lord intends for them now if a man hath but twelve pence given to him as an earnest penny for some great possession that he must have is not that better than if he had forty pounds given unto him otherwise So every comfort that the Saints have in this world it is an earnest penny to them of those eternall mercies that the Lord hath provided for them as every affliction that the wicked have here it is but the beginning of sorrowes and fore-runner of those eternall sorrows that they are like to have hereafter in Hell so every comfort thou hast is a fore-runner of those eternal mercies thou shalt have with God in Heaven not only the consolations of Gods Spirit are the fore-runners of those eternal comforts thou shalt have in Heaven but when thou sittest at thy Table and rejoycest with thy wife and children and friends thou mayest look upon every one of those but as a fore-runner yea the very earnest-penny of eternal life unto thee Now then if this be so no marvel though a Christian be contented this is a mystery to the wicked I have what I have out of the love of God and I have it sanctified to me by God and I have it of free-cost from God by the purcase of the blood of Jesus Christ and I have it as a fore-runner of those eternal mercies that are reserved for me and in this my soul rejoyces There 's a secret dew of Gods goodness and blessing upon him in his estate that others have not and by all this you may see the meaning of that Scripture Prov. 16.8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right A man that hath but a little yet if he hath it with righteousness it is better than a great deale without right yea better than the great revenues of the wicked so you have it in another Scripture That 's the next Particular in Christian Contentment the mystery is in this That he lives upon the dew of Gods blessing in all the good things that he doth enjoy The Ninth thing wherein the mystery of Christian Contentment consists is this Not only the good things that he hath he hath the dew of Gods blessing in them and they are very sweet to him but all the afflictions all the evils that do befall him he can see love in them all And can enjoy the sweetness of love in his afflictions as well as in his mercies yea the truth is the afflictions of Gods people comes from the same Eternal love that Jesus Christ did come from And that speech of Hierom He is a happy man that is beaten when the stroke is a stroke of love All Gods strokes are strokes of love and mercy all Gods waies are mercy and truth to those that fear him and love him Psalm 25.10 The wayes of God the waies of affliction as well as the waies of prosperity are mercy and love to him Grace gives a man an eye a piercing ye to pierce into the Councels of God those Eternal Counsels of God for good unto him even in his afflictions to see the love of God in every affliction as well as in prosperity Now this is a mystery to a carnal heart they can see no such thing perhaps they think God loves them when he prospers them and makes them rich but they think God loves them not when he doth afflict them that 's a mystery but grace instructs men in that mystery grace inables men to see love in the very frowns of Gods face and so comes to receive contentment In the Tenth place A godly man hath Contentment in the way of a mystery because as he sees all his afflictions come from the same love that Jesus Christ did so he sees them all sanctified in Jesus Christ sanctified as a Mediator he sees I say all the sting and venom and poyson of them all to be taken out by the vertue of Jesus Christ the Mediator between God and Man As now for instance Thus a Christian when he would have Contentment fals a working what is my affliction Is it poverty that God strikes me withall Jesus Christ had not a house to hide his head in the Fowls of the air had nests and the Foxes had holes but the Son of Man not a hole to hide his head in now my poverty is sanctified by Christs poverty I can see by faith the curse and sting and venom of my poverty taken out by the poverty of Jesus Christ Christ Jesus he was poor in this world to deliver me from the curse of my poverty that it should not be cursed unto
of Saint Paul to the Collossians praying for the Saints that they might be strengthened with all might according unto his glorious power unto what Vnto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse Strengthned with all might according to the power of God the glorious power of God unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness You may not therefore be content with a little strength so that you are able to bear what a man might bear by the strength of reason and nature But to be strengthened with all might according to the glorious power of God unto all patience and to all long suffering Oh you that are now under very heavy and sad afflictions more than ordinary look upon this Scripture and consider how this Scripture is made good in you why may you not have this Scripture made good in you if you be godly You should not be quiet in your own spirits except that you in some measure do get this Scripture to be made good in you so that you may with some comfort say through Gods mercy I find that strength coming into me that is here spoken of in this Scripture You should labour when you are under any great affliction you that are Godly to walk so that others may see such a Scripture made good in you Here is the glorious power of God that doth strengthen his servants to all long suffering and that with joyfulness Alas it may be you do not exercise so much patience as a wise man or a wise woman that hath but natural reason But where is the power of God the glorious power of God where 's the strengthening with all might unto all long-suffering and patience and that with joyfulnesse It is true the spirit of a man may be able to sustain his infirmities may be able to sustain and keep up his spirits the naturall spirit of a man but much more then when this spirit is acted with grace and holinesse and when it is fill'd with the strength of Jesus Christ this is the way of a godly mans getting Contentment the Mystery of it it is by fetching in strength from Jesus Christ Twelfthly Another Mystery that there is in it it is That a godly heart injoys much of God in every thing it hath and doth know how to make up all wants in God himself that is another Mystery he hath God in what he hath that I spoke too somwhat before in shewing the dew of Gods blessing in what he hath for God is able to let out a great deale of his power in little things and therefore the miracles that God hath wrought have been as much in little things as in great now as God lets out a great deal of his power in working miracles in smaler things so he lets out a great deal of goodnesse and mercy in comforting and rejoycing the hearts of his people in little things as well as in great there may be as much riches in a pearl as in a great deal of lumber but now this is a distinct thing Further a gracious heart as he lives upon Gods dew in a little that he hath so when that little that he hath shall be taken from him what shall he do then Then you will say If a man have nothing there can be nothing fetcht out of nothing But if the children of God have their little taken from them they can make up all their wants in God himself Such a man is a poor man the plunderers came and took away all that he had what shall he do then when all is gone But when all is gone there is an art and skill that godlinesse teaches to make up all those losses in God Many men that have their houses burnt go about gathering and so get up by many hands a little but a godly man knows whither to go to get up all even in God himself so as he shall injoy the quintescence of the same good and comfort as he had before for a Godly man doth not live so much in himself as he lives in God This is now a Mysterie to a Carnal heart I say a gracious man doth not live so much in himself as he doth in God he lives in God continually if there be any thing cut off from the stream he knows how to go to the fountain makes up all there God is his all in all while he lives I say t is God that is his all in all Am not I to thee saith Elkanah to Hannah instead of ten Children So saith God to a gracious heart thou wantest this thy estate is plundered Why Am not I to thee instead of ten houses and ten shops I am to thee instead of All yet not only instead of All but come to me and thou shalt have all again in me This indeed is an excellent Art to be able to draw from God what it had before in the creature Christian how didst thou injoy Comfort before was the creature any other to thee but a Conduit a pipe that did convey Gods goodnesse to thee The pipe is cut off saith God come to me the Fountain and drink immeadiately though the beams be taken away yet the Sun remains the same in the firmament as ever it was What 's that that satisfies God himself but because he doth injoy all fulnesse in himself so he comes to have satisfaction in himself now if thou injoyest God to be thy portion if thy soul can say with the Church in Lamentations 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soul why shouldest thou not be satisfied and contented as God God is contented he is in eternal Contentment in himself now if thou hast that God to be thy portion why shouldest not thou be contented with him alone God is contented with himself alone if thou hast him thou mayest be Contented with him alone and it may be that is the reason that thy outward comforts are taken from thee that God may be All in All to thee It may be whilst thou hadest these things here they did share with God in thy affection a great part of the stream of thy affection ran that way now God would have the full stream run to him As you know it is with a man that hath water come to his house and if there be several pipes upon which he finds the water comes but scantly into his wash-house he will rather stop the other pipes that he may have all the water come in where he would have it So here it may be God had some stream of thy affection that ran to him then when thou didest enjoy these things yea but a great deale was let out to the Creature a great deal of thy affections did run waste now the Lord would not have the affections of his Children to run waste he doth not care for other mens affections but for thine they are precious and God would not have them to run waste therefore doth he cut off thy other pipes that
would fain have them But suppose God should give you these and there leave you you would utterly spoil them Sixtly We are worse than nothing For by sin we come to be a great deal worse than nothing sin makes us more vile than nothing sin makes us contrary to all good now it 's a great deal worse to have a contrariety to all that is good than meerly to have an emptiness of al that is good we are not empty pitchers in respect of good but we are like pitchers fill'd with poison and is it much for such as we are to be cut short of outward comforts In the Seventh place If we perish there will no loss of us If God should anihilate me what loss would there be of me God can raise up another in my place to do him other māner of service than I have done Now put but these Seven things together and then hath Christ taught you Self-denial I may call these the several words in our lesson of Self-denial Christ teaches the soul this so that as in the presence of God upon a real sight of its self it can say Lord I am nothing Lord I deserve nothing Lord I can do nothing I can receive nothing I can make use of nothing I am worse than nothing and if I come to nothing and perish there will be no losse at all of me and therefore what great matter is it for me to be cut short here A man that is little in his own eyes such a man or woman will account every affliction to be little and every mercy to be great Saul There was a time the Scripture saith that he was little in his own eyes and then his afflictions were but little to him when some would not have had him to be King but spake contemptuously of him he held his peace but when Saul began to be big in his own eyes then the affliction began to be great upon him There was never any such contented man or woman at this self-denying man or woman There was never any denied himself so much as Jesus Christ did he gave his cheeks to the smiters he opened not his mouth he was as a lamb when he was led to the slaughter he made no noise in the street Oh he denied himself above all and was willing to empty himself and so he was the most contented that ever any was in the world the neerer we come to learn to deny our selves as Christ did the more contented shall we be and by knowing much of our own vileness we come to learn to justifie God whatever the Lord shall lay upon us yet righteous is the Lord for he hath to deal with a most wretched creature A discontented heart he is troubled because he hath no more comfort but one that is a self-denying man he rather wonders that he hath so much as he hath Oh saith one I have but a little I but saith he that hath learned this lesson of Self-denial I rather wonder that God bestows upon me the liberty of breathing in the aire knowing how vile I am and knowing how much sin the Lord doth see in me And that 's the way of Contentment by learning Self-denial Eightly There is a further thing in self-denial which brings Contentment Because thereby the Soul comes to rejoyce and take satisfaction in all Gods waies I beseech you observe this If a man be selvish and have Self-love prevail in his heart those things that suits with his own ends he will be glad of them but a godly man that hath denied himself he will suit with and be glad of all things that shall suit with Gods ends Saith a gracious heart Gods ends are my ends and I have denied mine own ends and so he comes to find Contentment in all Gods ends and waies and his comforts are multiplyed whereas the comforts of other men are single it 's but very rare that Gods waies shall suit with a mans particular end but alwaies Gods waies suit with his own ends now if you wil only have contentment when Gods waies suits with your own ends you can have it but now and then but a Self-denying man denies his own ends and only looks at the ends of God and therein is contented When a man is selvish he cannot but have a great deal of trouble and vexation for if I regard my self my ends are so narrow that I shall have a hundred things will come and jussel me and I cannot have room in those narrow ends of mine own as you know in the the City what a deal of stir there is in narrow streets as Thames street being so narrow they jussel wrangle and fight one with another because the place is so narrow but now in the broad streets there they can go quietly so men that are selvish they meet and so jussel one with another one man is for self in one thing and another man is for self in another thing and so they make a great deal of stir but those whose hearts are inlarged and make publicke things their ends and can deny themselves they can walk at breadth and never jussel one with another so as the other do The lesson of Self-denial is the first lesson that Jesus Christ doth learn men in the seeking of Contentment The Second lesson is The vanity of the Creature That 's the Second lesson in Christs School that he teaches those that he would make Scholers in this Art The vanity of the Creature That whatsoever there is in the Creature hath an emptines in it Vanity of vanities all is vanity that 's the lesson that the Wise-man learn'd that the Creature in it's self can do us neither good nor hurt but it is all but as wind there is nothing in the Creature that is sutable to a gracious heart to feed upon for the good and hapdinesse of it My brethren the reason why you have not Contentment in the things of the world it is not because you have not enough of them that 's not the reason but the reason is because they are not things proportionable to that immortal soul of yours that are capable of God himself many men think when they are troubled and have not Contentment that it is because they have but a little in the world and if they had more then they should be content That were just thus suppose a man is an hungrie and so satisfie his craving stomak he should gape and hold open his mouth to take in the wind and then should think the reason why he is not satisfied is because he hath not enough of the wind no the reason is because the thing is not sutable to a craving stomake truly there is the same madnesse in the world the wind that a man takes in by gaping will as soon satisfie a craving stomake which is ready to famish as all the comforts in the world can satisfie a soul that knows what true happinesse means You
in all these conditions When a man is at home if he hath not things according to his desire he will be finding fault and is not contented but if a man travels abroad perhaps he meets not with conveniences as he desires the servants in the house are not at his beck or are not so diligent as his own serveants were and his dyet is not as at home and his bed not as at home yet this very thought may moderate a mans spirit I am a traveller and I must not be finding fault I am but in another mans house and it were not manners for one to find fault when he is abroad in another bodies family though things be not so as in my own family If a man meets with ill weather he must be content it is travellers fare we use to say both fair weather and foul weather this is the common travellers fare and we must be content with it but if a man were at home and it should drop down in his house he would account it an ill thing an affliction to him and he cannot bear it but when he is travelling abroad though he meet with raine and stormes he is not so much troubled When you are abroad at Sea though you have not those many things that you have at home you are not troubled at it you are contented why you are abroad at Sea you are not troubled at storms that do arise and though you have many things otherwise than you would have them at home but still you are quieted with that you are at Sea Marriners when they are at Sea they care not what cloathes they have then though they be pich't and tar'd and but a clout about their necks and any mean cloaths but they think when they come home then they shall have their fine silk stockings and brave sutes lac'd bands and such things and shall be very fine and so they are contented abroad upon that thought that it shall be otherwise with them when they come home and though they have nothing but salt meat and a little hard fare yet when they come to their houses then they shall have any thing Thus it should be with us in this world the truth is we are all in this world but as Sea-faring men tost up and down on the waves of the Sea of this world and our haven is Heaven and we are here travelling but our home it is another world that long home Indeed some men have better accommodations than others have in travelling it 's true it 's a great mercy of God to us in England in that we can travell with such delight and accommodations more than they can in other Countries and through Gods mercy we have as great accommodations in our travelling to Heaven in England as any place under Heaven hath but yet though we do meet with travellers fare sometimes yet it should not be greiveous to us The Scripture tels us plainly that we must behave our selves here but as pilgrims and strangers In 1 Peter 2.11 Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the Soul Consider what your condition is you are pilgrims and strangers do not think to satisfie your selves here A man when he comes into an Inn If there be a fair cupbord of plate he is not troubled that it is not his own Why Because he is going away so let us not be troubled when we see othar men have great estates but we have not why we are going away into another Country you are lodging here but as it were for a night if you should live an hundred yeers in comparison of eternity it is not so much as a night it is but as you were travelling and were come into an Inn And were not this a madnesse for a man to be discontent because he hath not what he sees there seeing it may be he is to go away again within half a quarter of an hour So you find it in David this was the argument that brought off Davids heart from the things of this world and set him upon other manner of things Psal 119.19 I am a stranger in the earth hide not thy Commandements from me I am a stranger in the earth what then then Lord let me have the knowledge of thy Commandements and it's sufficient as for the things of the earth I stand not upon them whether I have much or little but hide not thy Commandements from me Lord let me know the rule that I should guide my life by Again We are not only travellers but souldiers this is the condition of the life in which we are here in this world and therefore we are to behave our selves accordingly So the Apostle makes use of this argument in writing unto Timothy 2 Tim. 2.3 Thou therefore endure hardnesse as a good souldier of Jesus Christ The very thought of the condition of a man that is a souldier doth still his disquiet of heart when he is abroad he hath not that accomodations in his quarters as he hath in his own family perhaps a man that had his bed and curtains drawn about him and all accomodations in his chamber now perhaps somtimes he must be put to lie upon straw and he thinketh with himself I am a souldier and it is sutable to my condition he must have his bed warm'd at home but he must lie abroad in the fields when he is a souldier and the very thought of this condition in which he stands quiets him in all things yea and he goes rejoycing to think this is but sutable to my condition in which God hath put me so it should be with us in respect of this world Now would it not be an unseemly thing to see a souldier go whyning up and down with the finger in the eye and complaying that he hath not hot meat every meal and his bed warm'd as he had at home Now Christians they know that they are in their warfare they are here in this world fighting and combating with the enemies of their souls and eternal condition and they must be willing to endure hardnesse here The right understanding of this that God hath put them into such a condition it is that that will content them especially when they consider that they are certain of the victory and that ere long they shall triumph with Jesus Christ and then all their sorrows shall be done away and their tears wiped from their eyes A souldier is content to endure hardnesse though he knows not that he shall have the victory but a Christian knows himself to be a souldier and knows that he shall conquer and triumph with Jesus Christ to all eternity And that 's the fourth lesson that Christ doth teach the soul when he brings it into his School to learn the Art of Contentment he makes him understand throughly the relation in which he hath placed him in in this world The Fifth lesson
that Christ teaches it is this He teacheth us wherein consists any good that is to be enjoyed in any creature in the world It 's true before it hath been taught that there is a vanity in the Creature that is take the Creature considered in it's self but yet though there be a vanity in the Creature in it's self in respect of satisfying the soul for it's portion yet there is some goodnesse in the Creature though there be a vanity there 's some desirablenesse But wherein doth that consist It consists not in the nature of the Creature it self for that is nothing but vanity but it consists in the reference it hath to the first being of all things This is a Lesson that Christ teaches if there be any good in an estate or in any comforts in this world it is not so much that it pleases my sence that it is sutable to my body but the reference it hath to God the first being that by these creatures there should be somewhat of Gods goodnesse conveyed to me and I may have a sanctified use of the creature to draw me neerer to God and that I enjoy more of God and be made more servicable for the glory of God in the place where God hath set me here 's the good of the Creature Oh were we but instructed in this lesson did we but understand and throughly beleeve this to be a truth that there is no creature in all the world hath any goodnesse in it any further then it hath reference to the first infinit supream good of all that so far as I can enjoy God in it so far it is good to me and so far as I do not enjoy God in it so far there is no goodnesse in any thing that I have in the Creature how easie were it then for one to be contented as thus Suppose a man had a great estate but a few years ago and now it is all gone I would but appeale to this man when you had your estate wherein did you account the good of that estate to consist a carnal heart would say any body might know that that it brought me in so much a year and that I could fare of the best and be a man of repute in the place where I live and men would regard what I said I might be cloathed as I would and lay up portions for my children in this consisted the good of my estate this man now never came into the School of Christ to know wherein the good of an estate did consist no marvail if he be disquieted when he hath lost his estate But now a Christian that hath been in the School of Christ and hath been instructed in the art of Contentment when such a one hath an estate he thinks in that I have an estate above my brethren in this consists the good of it tome in that I have an opportunity to serve God the better and I enjoy a great deal of Gods mercy to my Soul conveyed to me through the Creature and hereby I am inabled to do a great deal of good and therein I account the good of my estate Now God hath taken this away from me now if God will be pleased to make up the enjoyment of himself another way that is will call me to honour him by suffering and if I may do God as much service now in my way of suffering that is to shew forth the Grace of his Spirit in the way of my suffering as I did in the way of prosperity I have as much of God as I had before if I may be led to God in my low condition as much as I was in my prosperous condition I have as much comfort and contentment as I had before Obj. But you wil say it is true If I could honour God in my low estate as much as in my prosperous estate then it were somewhat but how can that be Answ You must know the special honour that God hath from his creatures in this world it is the manifestation of the Graces of his Spirit It 's true God hath a great deal of honour when a man is in a publick place and so he is able to do a great deal of good to countenance Godlinesse and discountenance Sin but the main thing is in our shewing forth the vertues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light Now if I can say that through Gods mercy in my affliction I find the Graces of Gods Spirit working as strongly in me as ever they did when I had my estate I am where I was yea I am fully in as good a condition for I have that good now that I had in my prosperous estate for I accounted the good of it but in my enjoyment of God and honouring of God and now God hath blest the want of it to stir up the Graces of his Spirit in my soul and this is the work that now God cals me to and I must account God is most honoured when I do the work that he cals me to he set me a work in my prosperous estate at that time to honour him in that condition and now he sets me a work at this time to honour him in this condition Now God is most honoured when I can turn from one condition to another according as he cals me to it would you account your selves to be honoured by your servants when you set them about a work that hath some excellency and they will go on and on and you cannot get them off from it Now let the work be never so good yet if you will call them off to another work you do expect that they should manifest so much respect to you as to be content to come off from that though they be set about a meaner work if it be more sutable to your ends So you were in a prosperous estate and there God called you to some service that you took some pleasure in but suppose God saith I will use you in a suffering condition and I will have you honour me in that way now here 's the honouring of God that you can turn this way or that way as God cals you to it thus now you having learned this That the good of the Creature cansists in the enjoyment of God in it and the honouring of God by it you can be content because you have the same good that you had before And that 's the Fifth lesson The Sixth Lesson that Christ doth teach the soul that hee brings into this School is this Hee doth instruct such a man or woman in the knowledge of their own hearts you must learn this or you will never learn Contentment you must learn to know your own hearts well to be good studients of your own hearts you cannot al be scholers in the arts and sciences in the world but you may all be students in your own hearts you cannot reade in the book many of you
not so great as others It 's a speech I remember I have met withall in Latimers Sermons that he was wont to use The half is more than the whole That is when a man is in a mean condition he is but halfe way towards the height of prosperity that others are in yet saith he this is more safe though it be a meaner condition than others Those that are in a high and prosperous condition there is anexed to it the burden of trouble and of danger and of duty and of account And thus you see how Christ traines up his Scholers in his School and though they be weak otherwise yet by his Spirit he gives them wisdom to understand these aright The Eight lesson is this Christ teaches them what a great and dreadful evil it is to be given up to ones hearts desires The understanding this lesson that it is a most dreadful evil one of the most hideous and fearfull evills that can befall any man upon the face of the earth for God to give him up to his hearts desires when the soul understands this once and together with it for it goes along together that spiritual judgments are more fearfull than any outward judgments in the world the understanding of this will teach any one to be content in Gods crossing of them in their desires Thou art crost in thy desires now thou art discontented and vext and fretted at it is that thy only misery that thou art crost in thy desires no no thou art infinitly mistaken the greatest misery of all is for God to give thee up to thy hearts lusts and desires to give thee up to thine own counsells so you have it in Psal 81.11 12. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me what then So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels Oh saith Bernard let me not have such a miserie as that is for to give me what I would have to give me my hearts desires it is one of the most hideous judgments in the world for a man to be given up to his hearts desires We have not indeed in Scripture any certain evident sign of a reprobate we cannot say except we knew a man had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost that he is a reprobate for we know not what God may work upon him but the neerest of all and the blackest sign of a reprobate is this for God to give up a man to his hearts desires all the pain of diseases all the calamities that can be thought of in the world are no judgments in comparison of this for a man to be given up to his hearts desires now when the Soul comes to understand this the Soul then cries out why am I so troubled that I have not my desires There is nothing that God conveys his wrath more through than a prosperous estate I remember I have read of a Jewish Tradition that they say of Vzziah when God struck Vzziah with a Leprosie they say that the beams of the Sun was darted upon the fore-head of Vzziah and he was struck with a Leprosie by the darting of the beams of the Sun upon his fore-head the Scripture saith Indeed the Priests looked upon him but they say there was a speciall light and beam of the Sun upon the fore-head that did discover the Leprosie to the Priests and they say it was the way of conveying of it Whether that were true or no I am sure this is true that the strong beams of the Sun of prosperity upon many men makes them to be leprous would any poor man in the countrey have been discontented that he was not in Vzziahs condition he was a great King I but there was the Leprosie in his fore-head the poor man may say though I live meanly in the countrey yet I thank God my body is whole and sound would not any man rather have russet and skins of beasts to cloath him with than to have sattin and velvet that should have the Plague in it The Lord conveys the plague of his curse through prosperity as much as through any thing in the world and therefore the soul coming to understand this this makes it to be quiet and content And then spirituall judgments are the greatest judgments of all the Lord laies such an affliction upon my outward estate but what if he had taken away my life a mans health is a greater mercy than his estate and you that are poor people you should consider of that but is the health of a mans body better than his estate what is the health of a mans soul that 's a great deal better the Lord hath inflicted externall judgements but he hath not inflicted spirituall judgments upon thee he hath not given thee up to hardnesse of heart and taken away the spirit of prayer from thee in thine afflicted estate Oh then be of good comfort though there be outward afflictions upon thee yet thy soul thy more excellent part is not afflicted Now when the soul comes to understand this that here lies the sore wroth of God to be given up to a mans desires and for spiritual judgments to be upon a man this quiets him and contents him though outward afflictions be upon him perhaps one of a mans children hath the fit of an ague or the tooth-ach but perhaps his next neighbour hath the plague or all his Children are dead of the plague now shall he be so discontented because his Children have the tooth-ach when his neighbours Children are dead now think thus Lord thou hast laid an afflicted condition upon me but Lord thou hast not given me the plague of a hard heart Now take these Eight things before mentioned and lay them together and you may well apply that Scripture in the 29. of Isa the last verse saith the text there They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding and they that murmured shall learn doctrine Hath there bin any of you as I fear many may be found that have erred in spirit even in regard of this truth that now we are preaching of and many that have murmured Oh that this day you might come to understand that Christ would bring you into his School and seach you understanding And they that murmured shall learn doctrine what doctrine shall they learn These Eight Doctrines that I have opened to you And if you will but throughly study these lessons that I have set before your eyes It will be a speciall help and means to cure your murmurings against and repinings at the hand of God And so you will come to learn Christian Contentment The Lord teach you thoroughly by his Spirit these lessons of Contentment SERMON VI. PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content I Shall only adde one lesson more in the learning of Contentment then I shal come to the Fourth Head The
how many things depend upon this providence Now we are willing to suffer our friends will to be crost in one thing so that our friend may attain to what he desires in a thousand things if thou hast a love and friendship to God be willing to be crost in some few things that the Lord may have his work go on in the universal in a thousand of other things Now that 's the Third thing to be understood in Gods providence that Christ doth learn those that he teacheth in the Art of Contentment 4 Christ teaches them the knowledge of providence that is The knowledge of Gods usual way in his dealings with his people more particularly The other is the knowledge of God in his providence in general But the right understanding of the way of God in his providence towards his people and Saints is a notable lesson to help us in the Art of Contentment If we come once to know a mans way and course we may better sute and be contented to live with him than before we come to know his way and course as when a man comes to live in a society with men and women it may be the men and women may be good but till a man comes to know their way and course and disposition many things may fall very crosse and we think they are very hard but when we come to be acquainted with their way and spirit then we can sute and cotten with them very well and the reason of our trouble is because we do not understand their way So it is with you those that are but as strangers to God and do not understand the way of God they are troubled with the providences of God and they think them very strange and cannot tell what to make of them because they understand not the ordinary course and way of God towards his people If a stranger sometimes comes into a family and sees such and such things done he wonders what the matter is but those that are acquainted with it it troubles them not at all So servants when they come first together and know not one another it may be they are froward and discontented but when they come to be aquainted with one anothers waies then they are more contented just so it is when we come first to understand Gods waies Object But you will say What do you understand by Gods waies Answ By that I mean these Three things And when we come to know them we shall not wonder so much at the providence of God but be quiet and contented with them 1. The First thing is this Gods ordinary course is that his people in this world should be in an afflicted condition God hath revealed in his Word and we may there find he hath set down to be his ordinary way even from the begining af the world to this day but more especially in the times of the Gospel that his people here should be in an afflicted condition Now men that do not understand this they stand and wonder to hear of the people of God that they are afflicted and the enemies prosper in their way for those that seek God in his way and seek for Reformation for them to be afflicted and routed and spoiled and the enemies to prevail they wonder at it but now one that is in the School of Christ he is taught by Jesus Christ that God by his eternal Counsels hath set this to be his course and way to bring up his people in this world in an afflicted condition and therefore saith the Apostle Account it not strange concerning the fiery tryal 1 Pet. 4.12 We are not therefore to be discontented with it seeing God hath set such a course and way we know such is the will of God that it should be so The Second thing that is in Gods way is this Vsually when God intends the greatest mercy to any of his people he doth bring them into the lowest condition God doth seem to go quite crosse and work in a contrary way when he intends the greatest mercies to his people he doth first usually bring them into very low conditions if it be a bodily mercy an outward mercy that he intends to bestow he useth to bring them bodily low and outwardly low if it be a mercie in their estates that he intends to bestow he brings them low in that and then raises them and in their names he brings them low there and then raises them and in their Spirits God doth ordinarily bring their Spirits low and then raises their spirits usually the people of God before the greatest comforts have the greatest afflictions and sorrows now those that understand not Gods waies they think that when God brings his people into sad conditions that God leaves and forsakes them and that God doth intend no great matter of good to them but now a Child of God that is instructed in this way of God he is not troubled my condition is very low but saith he this is Gods way when he intends the greatest mercy to bring men under the greatest afflictions When he intended to raise Joseph to be the Second in the Kingdom God cast him into a dungeon a little before So when God intended to raise David and set him upon the Throne he made him to be hunted as a partrige in the mountain 2 Sam. 26.20 God went this way with his Son Christ himself went into glory by suffering Heb. 2.20 And if God deal so with his own Son much more with his people as a little before break of day you shall observe it is darker than it was any time before so God doth use to make our conditions darker a little before the mercy come When God bestowed the last great mercy at Nazby we were in a very low condition God knew what he had to do before-hand he knew that his time was coming for great mercies it is the way of God to do so Be but instructed aright in this course and tract that God uses to walk in and that will help us to Contentment exceedingly The Third thing that there is in Gods way and course is this It is the way of God to work by contraries to turn the greatest evill into the greatest good To grant great good after great evil is one thing and to turn great evils into the greatest good that 's another and yet that 's Gods way the greatest good that God intends for his people many times he works it out of the greatest evil the greatest light is brought out of the greatest darknesse and Luther I remember hath a notable expression for this saith he it is the way of God he doth humble that he might exalt he doth kill that he might make alive he doth confound that he might glorifie this is the way of God saith he but saith saith he Every one doth not understand this this is the Art of Arts and the Science of Sciences the knowledge of knowledges
to understand this that God doth use when he will bring life he doth bring it out of death he brings joy out of sorrow and he brings prosperity out of adversity yea and many times he brings grace out of sin that is makes use of sin to work furtherance of grace it is the way of God to bring good out of evil not only to overcome the evil but to make the evil to work towards the good here 's the way of God now when the soul comes to understand this it will take away our murmuring and bring Contentment into our spirits But I fear there are but few that understand it aright perhaps they reade of such things and hear such things in a Sermon but they are not by Jesus Christ instructed in this that this is the way of God To bring the greatest good out of the greatest evil Now thus having dispach'd the Third Head the Lessons that we are to learn we come to the Fourth and that is The excellency of this Grace of Contentment And there is a great deal of excellencie in Contentment that 's a kind of Lesson too for us to learn And this Head likewise will be somewhat long Saith the Apostle I have learned As if he should say Blessed be God for this Oh! it is a mercy of God to me that I have learned this lesson I find so much good in this Contentment that I would not for a world but have it I have learned it saith he Now the very Heathens had a sight of a great excellency that there is in Contentment I remember I have read of Antistenes a Philosopher that desired of his gods speaking after the heathenish way nothing in this world to make his life happy but Contentment and if he might have any thing that hee would desire to make his life happy he would aske of them that he might have the spirit of Socrates that he might have such a spirit as Socrates had to be able to bear any wrong any injuries that he met withall and to continue in a quiet temper of spirit whatsoever befell him for that was the temper of Socrates whatever befell him he continued the same man whatever crosse befell him no body could perceive any alteration of his spirit though never so great crosses did befall him This a Heathen did attain to by the strength of Nature and a common work of the spirit Now this Antistenes saw such an excellency in this spirit As when God said to Solomon What shall I give thee he asked of God wisdom so saith he If the gods should put it to me to know what I would have I would desire this thing that I might have the spirit of Socrates he saw a great excellency that there was in this And certainly a Christian may see abundance of excellency in it I shall labour to set it out to you in this Sermon that you may be in love with this Grace of Contentment In the First place By Contentment we come to give God that worship that is due to him It is a special part of Divine worship that we owe to God if we be content in a Christian way according as hath been opened to you I say it is a special part of the Divine worship that the creature owes to the infinit Creator in that I do tender that respect that is due from me to the Creator The word that the Greeks have that signifies to worship it is as much as to come and crouch before another as a dog should come crouching unto you and be willing to lie down at your feet so the creature in the apprehension of its owne basenesse and the infinit Excellency that there is in God above it when it comes to worship God it comes and crouches to this God and it lies down at the feet of God then doth the creature worship God When you see a dog come crouching to you and you can make him with holding your hand over him to lie down at your feet then consider thus should you do before the Lord you should come crouching to him and lie down at his feet even upon your backs or bellies to lie down in the dust before him so as to be willing that he should do with you what he will as somtimes you may turn a dog this way or that way up and down with the hand and there he lies before you according to your shewing him with your hand So when the creature shall come and lie down thus before the Lord then a Creature worships God doth tender you that worship that is due to God Now in what disposition of heart do we thus â—ouch to God more than when we have this Contentation in all conditions that God disposed us unto This is a crouching unto Gods dispose to be like the poor woman of Canaan when Christ said it is not fit to give Childrens meat to dogs but saith she the dogs have crums I am a dog I confesse I but let me have but a crum And so when the soul shall be in such a disposition as to lie down and say Lord I am but as a dog yet let me have a crum then doth it highly honour God It may be some of you have not your table spread as others have but God gives you crums now saith the poor woman dogs have crums and when you can find your hearts thus subjecting unto God to be but as a dog and can be Contented and blesse God for any crum I say this is a great worship of God you worship God by this more than when you come to hear a Sermon or spend half an hour or an hour in prayer or when you come to receive a Sacrament These are the acts of Gods worship I but these are but external acts of worship to hear and pray and receive Sacraments But now this is the Soul-worship to subject its self thus to God You that often will worship God by Hearing and Praying and receiving Sacraments and yet afterwards will be froward and discontented know that God regards not that worship he will have the soul-worship in this subjecting of the soul to God Observe it I beseech you in active obedience there we worship God by doing that that pleases God but by passive obedience we do as well worship God by being pleased with that that God doth Now when I perform a duty I worship God I do what pleases God why should I not as well worship God when I am pleased with what God doth As it was said of Christs obedience Christ was active in his passive obedience and passive in his active obedience So the Saints they are passive in their active obedience they are first passive in their reception of grace and then active And when they come to passive obedience they are active they put forth grace in active obedience when they perform actions to God then saith the Soul Oh! that I could do that that pleases God
the service of God And it causes many distractions in duty it unfits for duty and when you come to perform 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 ill from a friend or any losse or crosse Oh what distractions do they cause in the performance of holy duties When you should be in enjoying 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 befal you yet they would never hinder you in the performance of any duty 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 do 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 help your selves this way and the other way Oh it had been ill with you do 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 evil and a wicked effect that comes from discontent Unthankfulnesse 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 spiritual things if they have not all they would have the comforts that they would have then what they have is nothing to them do you think that God will take this well If you should give a friend a kinsman a purse of money to go and trade withal and he should come and say what do you give me they are but a few counters they wil do me no good you cannot bear this at his hand if he should do 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 do me no good they are but counters though they are the precious Graces of Gods Spirit that are more worth than thousands of worlds yet for you to say they are nothing they are but common 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 unthankfulnesse is here God expects that every day you should spend some time in blessing his Name for what mercy he hath granted unto 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 evil things and to amplyfie good things if there fals 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 cross 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 work 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 extenuates evils and crosses and doth magnifie and amplifie all mercies and makes all mercies seem to be great and all afflictions seem to be little But saith he the Devil goes quite contrary the Rhetorick of the Devil is quite otherwise he doth lessen Gods mercies and amplifie 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 Devil puts the soul upon musing on it and making it greater than 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 Devil 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 self 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 made their affliction in the wilderness to be greater than 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 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 cruel 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 mercie no it was rather a miserie 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 envie
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 been under bondage and cried under it and yet when they meet with a little crosse in their way to say you have brought us out of the Land that floweth with milk and honey to say they were better before than now and yet before they could not be contented neither this is the usual unthankful 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 been 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 domineer and so we indanger 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 unthankful for all the mercies God hath granted to them and this is a sore and grievous 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 themselves in sinful and ungodly waies discontent is the ground of shifting courses and unlawful waies How many of you may have your consciences condemn you of this that you in the time of your afflictions have fought to shift for your selves by waies that have been sinful 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 evil 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 Do not you account this folly in your children you give them some victuals and they are not contented perhaps they say it 's not enough they cry for more and if you do not presently give them more they will throw away that they have and though you account that folly in your children yet you deal thus with God God gives you many mercies but you see others have more mercies than you and therefore you cry for more I but God gives you not what you would have and upon that you throw away what you have is not this follie in your hearts It is unthankfulnesse 2 There 's a great deal of follie in discontentment for by all your discontent you cannot help your selves you cannot get anie thing by it Who can by taking anie carking care adde one cubit to his stature or make one hair that is white to be black You may vex and trouble your selves but you can get nothing by it Do you think that the Lord will come in a way of mercie ever a whit the sooner because of the murmuring of your spirits Oh no but mercie will be rather deferred the longer for it though the Lord were before in a way of mercie yet this distemper of your hearts were enough to put him out of his course of mercie and though he had thoughts that you should have the thing before yet now you shall not have it If you had a mind to give such a thing to your child yet if you see him in a discontented fretting way you will not give it him and this is the verie reason why there are so manie mercies denied to you because of your discontentment you are discontented for want of them and therefore you have them not you do deprive your selves of the enjoyment of your own desires because of the discontentment of your hearts because you have not your desires and is not this a foolish thing 3 There 's a great deal of folly in this there are many foolish carriages commonly that a discontented heart is guilty of They carry themselves foolishly towards God and towards men there are such expressions and such kind of behaviour comes from them as makes their friends to be ashamed of them manie times their carriages are so unseemlie they are a shame to themselves their friends 4 There is a great deal of folly in discontent and murmuring for it doth eat out the good and sweetnesse of a mercy before it comes If God should give a mercie that we are discontented for the want of yet the blessing of the mercie is as it were eaten out before we come to have it Discontent is like a worm that eats the meat out of the nut and then when the meat is eaten out of it then you shall have the shell If a child should crie for a nut that hath the meat eaten out or all worm-eaten what good would the child have by having the nut so such an outward comfort you would fain have and you are troubled for the want of it but the verie trouble of your spirits is the worm that eats out the blessing of the mercy and then perhaps God gives it you but gives you it with a curse mixed with it that you were better not have it than have it That man or woman that is discontented for want of some good thing if God doth give that good thing to them before they be humbled for their discontent that did proceed from them such a man or woman can have no comfort of the mercie but it will be rather an evil than a good to them And therefore for my part if I should have a friend or brother or one that were as deer to me as my own soul that I should see discontented for the want of such a comfort I should rather pray Lord keep this thing from them til thou wilt be pleased to humble their hearts for their discontent let not them have the mercie til they come to be humbled for their discontent for the want of it for if they have it before that time they will have it without any blessing And therefore it should be your care when you find your hearts discontented for want of any thing to be humbled for it thinking thus with your selves Lord if that that I do so immoderatly desire should come to me before I be humbled for my discontent for want of it I am certain I can have no comfort of it but I shall rather have it as an affliction to me Many things which you desire as your lives and think that you should be happy if you had them yet when they do come you
as one of the foolish women shall we receive good at the band of God and not evil you see Job did help himself against all murmuring thoughts against the waies of God with this consideration that he had received so much good from the Lord what though we receive evil yet do not we receive good as well as evil let us set one against the other that 's the way we should go In the 17. 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 column of afflictions and write one against the other and fee if God hath not fil'd one column 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 merciful to you in another child set one against the other God afflicted David in Absolom but he was merciful to David in Solomon and therefore when David cryed out Oh Absolom my Son my Son if David had thought upon Solomon and cried Oh Solomon my son my son it would have quieted him And it may be God hath been merciful 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 concern you so to do for those mercies will be aggravations of your sins and you had better make Gods mercies a means to lessen your sins than to be the aggravation of your sins If you make not the mercies of God to help you against your murmuring you will make them to be aggravations of the sin of murmuring I beseech you for this take but this one consideration further and if you will but work it upon your hearts I hope you may find a great deal of power in it You find afflictions and your hearts are troubled and murmur consider how Gods mercies doth aggravate this sin thus In the midst of our sins we do make account God should accept of our services do but consider thus if in the midst of our manie sins we hope that God will accept of our poor services why then should not we in the midst of our afflictions blesse God for his manie mercies shall God be thus gracious to us that notwithstanding our many sins yet he will not cast away our poor duties and services that we perform then why should not we in the midst of our sufferings accept of what mercies we have and not slight them and disregard them If thou in the midst of Gods mercies shalt not be willing to bear afflictions that God laies upon thee then it were just with God that in the midst of thy sins he should not regard any of thy duties now is there not as much power in thy manifold sins to cause God to reject thy duties and services as there is power in afflictions in the midst of many mercies to take off thy heart from being affected with Gods mercies And that 's the first aggravation of the sin of murmuring to murmur in the midst of mercies A Second Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is When we murmur for smal things Saith Naamans servant to him Father for so he called him if the Prophet had required you to do some great thing would not you have done it how much more this little thing So I say if the Lord had required you to suffer some great matter would not you have been willing to suffer How much more this little thing I remember I have read in Seneca a Heathen he hath this similitude which is a very fine one to set out the great evil of murmuring upon smaller afflictions saith he Suppose a man hath a very fair house to dwell in and he hath fair orchyards and gardens and set about with brave tall trees for ornament if this man now should murmur because the wind blows off a few leaves off his trees what a most unreasonable thing were it for him to be weeping and wringing his hands because he loses a few leaves off his trees when he hath abundance of all kind of fruit thus it is with many saith he though they have a great many comforts about them yet some little matter the blowing off of a few leaves from them is enough to disquiet them It was a great evil when Ahab having a kingdom yet the want of his neighbours vinyard had such power to disquiet him So for us to murmur not because we have not such a thing as we have need of but because we have not what possibly we might have this is a very great sin Suppose God gives a child that hath all the limbs and parts compleat a child that is very comly and hath excellent parts wit and memory but it may be there is a wart that grows upon the finger of the child and she murmurs at it and Oh what an affliction is this to her she is so taken up with that as she forgets to give any thanks to God for her child and all the goodnesse of God to her in the child is swallowed up in that would not you say this were a folly a very great evil in a woman so to do Truly our afflictions if we weighed them aright they are but such kind of things in comparison of our mercies Rebeckah she had a mighty desire to have children but because she found some trouble in her body when she was with child saith she Why am I thus As if she should say I had as good have none only because she found a little pain and trouble in her body To be discontent when the affliction is small and little that increases very much the sin of murmuring it is to much for any one to murmur upon the heaviest crosse that can befall one in this world but upon some small things to be discontent and murmur that 's worse I have read of one when he lay upon a heap of damask-roses he complained that there was one of the rose
obedience to thee When God cals for thy estate or any comforts that thou hast God cals for it as a pledge of thy obedience to him A Twelfth Plea Another reasoning of a murmuring heart is this Oh but after I have taken a great deal of pains for such a comfort yet then I am crost in it after a great deal of labour and pains that I have taken now to be crost Oh this goes very hard First I answer The greater crosse the more obedience and submission Secondly When thou did'st take a great deal of pains was it not with submission to God Did'st thou take pains with resolution that thou must have such a thing when thou labourest for it Then know that thou labourest not as a Christian but if thou did'st labour and take pains was it not with resignation to God Lord I am taking pains in the way of my calling but with submission I depend wholly upon thee for successe and a blessing And what was it that thou did'st aime at in thy labour was it not that thou mightest walk with God in the place that God had set thee A Christian should do so in his outward calling I am diligent in my outward calling but it is that I might obey God in it it 's true I do it that I might provide for my family but the chief thing that I aime at is That I might yeild obedience to God in the way that God hath set me Now if God cals thee to another condition to obey him in though it be by suffering thou wilt do it if thy heart be right Thirdly There will be the more testimony of thy love to God if so be thou shalt now yeeld up thy self to God in that that cost thee dear shall I offer that to God saith David that cost me nothing thy outward comforts hath cost thee much and thou hast taken much pains to obtain them and now if thou canst submit to God in the want of them I say in this thy love is more shown that thou canst offer that to God that cost thee dear Now these are the principal reasonings of a discontented heart A Thirteenth Plea There 's one Plea more that may be nam'd and that is this saith some Though I confess my affliction is somwhat hard and I feel some trouble within me yet I thank God I break not out in discontented waies to the dishonour of God I keep in although I have much ado with my own heart Oh! do not satisfie your selves with that for the distempers of your hearts and their sinful workings are as words before God My soul be silent to God That we spake of in the begining of the opening of this Scripture it is not enough for thy tongue to be silent but thy soul must be silent there may be a sullen discontentednesse of heart as well as a discontentednesse manifested in words And if thou doest not mortifie that inward sullennesse if thou beest afflicted a little more it wil break forth at last And thus the Lord I hope hath met with the cheife reasonings and Pleas for our discontent in our conditions I beseech you in the Name of God consider these things and because they do concern your own hearts you may so much the better remember them I had thought to have made a little enterance into the next head and that is some way of helping you to this grace of Contentment It is a most excellent grace of admirable use as you have heard and the contrary is very sinful and vile SERMON XI PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content NOW we are coming to the close of this point of Contentment that Jesus Christ doth teach those that are in his School we have opened the point unto you and shewed you wherein the Art and Skill and Mystery of Christian Contentment lies and divers things in the way of application rebuking the want of this and the last day I finished that point of shewing the several Reasonings of a murmuring and discontented heart I shall now as being desirous to make an end leave what was said and proceed to what remains There are only these two things for the working of your hearts to this grace of Christian Contentment First The propounding of several Considerations for the contenting of the heart in any afflicted condition Secondly The propounding of Directions what should be done for the working of our hearts unto this The First Consideration We should consider in all our wants and inclinations to discontent The greatnesse of the mercies that we have and the meanesse of the things that we want The things we want if we be godly they are things of very small moment in comparison to the things we have and the things we have are things of very great moment for the most part that that people are discontent and murmur for the want of it is because they have not such things as reprobates have or may have why should'st thou be troubled so much for the want of that that a man or woman may have yet be a reprobate as that thy estate is not so great thy health not so perfect thy credit not so much thou mayest have all those things and yet be a reprobate now wilt thou be discontent for that that a reprobate may have I shall give you the example of a couple of godly men meeting together Anthony and Diddimus Diddimus was blind and yet a man of very excellent parts and graces Anthony askt him if he was not troubled at this his want of sight he confest he was but saith he shall you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have and not rather rejoyce be thankful that you have what Angels have God hath given you those good things that makes Angels glorious is not that enough to you though you want what thing a fly hath And so a Christian should reason the case with himself what am I discontented for I am discontented for want of that that a dog may have that a Devil may have that a reprobate may have shall I be discontent for not having that when as God hath given me that that makes Angels glorious Blessed be God saith the Apostle in Ephe. 1.3 that hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places It may be thou hast not so great blessings in earthly places as some others have but if the Lord hath blessed thee in heavenly places that should content thee there 's blessings in heaven and he hath set thee here for the present as it were in heaven in a heavenly place the consideration of the greatnesse of the mercies that we have and the littlenesse of the things that God hath denyed us is a very powerful consideration to work this grace of Contentment The Second Consideration The consideration that God is beforehand with us with his mercies should content us I spake to this as an
aggravation of our discontent but now I shall use it as a consideration to help us to Contentment Thou wantest many comforts now but hath not God bin beforehand with thee heretofore Oh thou hast had mercy enough already to make thee spend all the strength thou hast and time thou shalt live to bless God for what thou hast had already I remember I have read of a good man that had liv'd to fifty yeers of age and enjoyed his health for eight and forty yeers exceeding well and liv'd in prosperity and the two last yeers his body was exceedingly diseased he had the strangury and was in great pain but he reasoned the case with himself thus Oh Lord thou mightest have made all my life to have been a life of torment and pain but thou hast let me have eight and forty yeers in health I wil praise thy mercies for what I have had and will praise thy justice for what now I feel Oh it 's a good consideration for us to think that God is beforehand with us in the way of mercy Suppose God should now take away your estates from some of you that have lived comfortably a great while you will say That aggravates our misery that we have had estates but it is through thy unthankfulnesse that it doth so we should blesse God for what we have had and not think that we are worse because we have had thus and thus we might have been alwaies miserable and certainly that mans condition is not very miserable that hath no other great aggravation of his misery but because once he was happy If there be nothing else to make you miserable that is no such agravation but that thou mayest bear it for there is much mercy in that that thou hadst once and therefore let that content thee A Third Consideration The consideration of the abundance of mercies that God bestows we enjoy It is a speech of Luther saith he the Sea of Gods mercies should swallow up all our particular afflictions name any affliction that is upon thee there 's a Sea of mercy to swallow it up If you powre a pail full of water on the flour of your house it makes a great shew but if you throw it into the Sea there is no appearance of it so afflictions considered in themselves we think they are very great but let them be considered with the Sea of Gods mercies we do enjoy then they are not so much they are nothing in comparison A Fourth Consideration Consider the way of God towards all creatures God carries on all creatures in a visicitude of several conditions as thus we have not alwaies summer but winter succeeds summer we have not alwaies day but day and night we have not alwaies fair weather but fair and foul the vegitive creatures do not alwaies flourish but the sap is in the root and they seem as if they were dead there 's a visicitude of all things in the world the Sun doth not shine alwaies to us here but there is darknesse comes after light now seeing God hath so ordered things with all creatures that there is a mixture of conditions why should we think it much that there should be a visicitude of conditions with us sometimes in a way of prosperity and sometimes in a way of affliction A Fifth Consideration A further consiadertion is this The creatures do suffer for us why should not we be willing to suffer to be servicable to God God subjects other creatures they are fain to lose their lives for us to lose what ever beauty and excellency they have to be serviceable to to us why should not we be willing to part with any thing in way of service for God certainly there is not so great a distance between other creatures and Man-kind as there is between Man-kind and God 'T is an expression of that Martyr Master Hooper that we reade of in the Book of Martyrs in labouring to work his own heart and the hearts of others to contentedness in the mid'st of his sufferings he hath this similitude and you may be put in mind of that every day saith he I look upon the creature and see what it suffers to be useful to me as thus The bruit beasts must die must be rost in the fire and boyl'd must come upon the trencher be hackt all in pieces must be chewed in the mouth and in the stomack turn'd to that which is loathsome if one should behold it and all to nourish me to be useful to my body and shall not I be willing to be made any thing for God for his service what abundance of alterations the creature comes under to be made useful for me to preserve me then if God will do so with me for his use as he doth subject the creatures to me for my use why should not I rest contented If God will take away my estate and make me poor if God will take away my life hack me in pieces put me in prison whatsoever he doth yet I shall not suffer more for God than the creature doth for me and surely I am infinitly more bound to God than the creature is to me and there is not so much difference between me and the creature as between me and God such considerations as these wrought the heart of that Martyr to contentedness in his sufferings and every time the creature is upon your trenchers you may think What! doth God make the creature suffer for my use not only for my nourishment but for my delight what am I then in respect of the infinit God A Sixth Consideration Another Consideration for the working of Contenement it is To consider that we have but a little be time in this world If thou beest godly thou shalt never suffer but only in this world why do but shut your eyes and presently another life is come as that Martyr said to his fellow Martyr Do but shut your eyes saith he the next time they are opened you shall be in another world Athanasius saith it is but a little cloud when he was banished and it will be over notwithstanding presently These Afflictions they are but for a moment a Marriner when he is abroad doth not think it much if a storm arises especially if he can see the Heavens cleer beyond it saith he it will be over presently Consider we have not long to live it may be it may be over before our daies be at an end but suppose it should not death will put an end to all all Afflictions and troubles will soon be at an end by death A Seventh Consideration is this Consider the condition that others have been in that have bin our betters We made some use of that before to shew the evil of discontentment But further for to work this upon our hearts it is a mighty Argument to work upon our hearts a contentedness in any condition Thou many times doest consider who are above thee but consider
was against such and such particular men as especially your Ministers that were most faithful and conscionable they were the fore-front they did bear the brunt and it was aimed especially against them now the case is far different when the aime of the Adversary is against particulars and not against the godly in general when it is against particulars there may be all lawful means by an avoyding and flying when it is against the godly in general then every one should stand still and keep in their waies and stations to come in and adde what strength they can to the publick cause and certainly those that shall shift then and think to fly then God may justly meet with them as we reade of Jeremiah and Vrijah Vrijah the Priest he flies in publick time of danger and he was sent for and catched and put to death Jeremiah staies and is saved But when the case is the danger of particular persons then it is nothing against this text to fly in any lawful way many people will cry out against flying by a lawful way in times of danger because they think they may shift from flying themselves and if others that are in danger should not do so they would be far enough from helping and assisting them in extremities and yet they will be crying out against it Peter Martyr I remember hath this answer to it It is just for all the world in this case as a man that hath a dangerous sicknesse upon him and the Physicians tell him there is no way but by taking such strong Physick or by cutting off a leg or a limb now he comes and pleads I will not so distrust God and be so impatient of my present pain as to take such a course to help me I 'le rather continue patient and quiet and endure my present pain and trust in God rather than put my self to any such hazard now is this man more patient than another man that will take such strong Physick or have a member cut off is it through the strength of his patience no it is rather through the weaknesse of his spirit because the other is a certain great pain and hazard and while he goes on in the use of ordinary means he hath a lesser pain with hope that he may be delivered from a greater and preserved himself So this is the Objection against flying in particular danger because the flying is a certain great suffering they that have fled have found it so now others will rather satisfie themselves to endure a little uncertain suffering than to go upon a certain great suffering and that is the very ground But that this is not against Faith at all to fly in danger when it is particularly aimed at particulars I 'le give you but a Scripture or two for that to cleer it that it is not against Faith It is remarkable we might spend a great deal of our time in this case here but I have done with it in the 10. of Matthew When they persecute you saith Christ in this Citie fly into another he speaks of particular persecution of this or that body and not of a whole Kingdom now flee say they we will be more beleeving and trust in God and not be afraid have we not a good cause and is not God with us this would argue too much fear Mark in the next words Christ speaks after he had given them liberty and commanded them to flie saith he fear them not therefore though it is the next thing he speaks of in the 28. verse and fear not them that can kill the body you see these two can well stand together that there is not fear of them that can kill the body and yet there is a flying and so Christ himself flies in the 12. of Matthew when he did but hear what Herod did to John when Jesus knew it that was when the Pharisees sought him when he knew it he did withdraw himselfe in the 12 and 13. verses And when Jesus heard of it be departed thence c. When he heard but what was done to John Christ withdrew himself and went away Therefore it may stand with faith so to avoid danger in particular Cases But now when persecution is general we are to stand still and not avoid our station The third thing in this stand still of faith is The looking up for the Salvation of God the expecting a good issue one way or other I know not how Salvation wil come but that there will be Salvation one way or other that my soul rests upon I stand not still out of stoutness of spirit or because I think I have means enough to resist whether I have means or no when I am put into the greatest extremitie yet I can stand still and look for Salvation What stand still and look for the Salvation of the Lord what talk you of Salvation might they say to Moses when there is nothing but distruction before us True if you look before you behind you and without you and within your selves there is nothing but distruction yet look up to Heaven and there is salvation stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. I have done no more than the meer openning of the text and what is contayned in it There are these 4. Doctrinal Conclusions in the Text. 1. Doct. That when God is in a way of mercy and salvation to his people he doth many times bring them into great straights even then when he is in a way of Salvation 2. Doct. That in time of these great straights even the people of God are subject to have their hearts to be overwhelmed with trouble distracting fears and to be disquieted 3. Doct. That it is our duty to stand still keep quiet and look for Gods Salvation in the time of the greatest straights 4. Doct. That the sight of Gods Salvation coming after straights is a glorious sight to behold Stand still see the savation of God These are the 4. For the first then First When God is in a way of salvation yet he may and doth divers times bring his people into very great staits Truly this straight in the text is exceeding remarkable but I 'le shew you further how when God was about to save this people of Israel out of the Egyption bondage which is the work God hath now to do with us to save us out of the Egyptian bondage that we were in and that we were going further into after they were delivered from this straight from Pharaoh and all his host yet in the 15. Chap. you shall find the very next Chapter after they were come out of the Sea they presently wanted water to drink yea the waters were bitter that they could not drink them saith the text 15. vers The waters were bitter they could not drink them they were ready to perish for want of water As soon as ever they were delivered out of that strait mark the 16. Chap. they were in
apparantly their hearts are not humbled and broken when their spirits after daies of humiliation still should be froward and pettish as before But especially for the generallity of the Kingdom how far are we from being an humbled people we are not yet capable of what mercy God intendeth for us in this regard because we are not humbled Oh the exceding pettishness envie and pride and worse a great deal not only in many people of the Land but even in those that are godly and gracious how are the spirits of men of one brother opposite to another that because there is some difference in judgment in such and such a thing O they could be content many of them to have them rid out of the Land and if God did not prevent whereas the persecution by Bishops is now at an end who knows except God humble their hearts more whether many of Gods dear servants that do but differ in some point of judgement might not meet with a great deale of sufferings even from those that are godly and that is the worst suffering better a thousand times suffer from wicked men it is not so hard to the spirits of godly men to suffer from never so many Bishops and wicked men as to suffer from one godly man Oh! there wants that charity and tenderness of spirit one towards another that should be we are not yet humbled and brought upon our knees and therefore it is just with God to lay us upon our backs a while or that we should even be with our faces upon the ground confounded in our own thoughts before that great Salvation comes that God intendeth for us That 's the first reason 2. Reas God brings to straights because he takes much delight in the Exercise of faith My beloved Faith it is a most glorious grace it is one of the most glorious things that ever God enabled any creature to do and especially now when there is so much guilt upon them it is a more glorious work than Adam perform'd in Innocency For a poor creature to beleeve upon God for his good here and in the midst of all extremities to rely upon him it is a most glorious work and God is exceedingly delighted in it and therfore the Scripture calleth Faith Precious Faith in the beginning of the 2 Epistle of Peter now God loves the acting of precious things God loves to see the actings of all his creatures every creature active in his way but when God hath put such a precious grace as faith into the heart Oh! how God doth delight to see the acting of that precious Faith and therfore it hath been the way of God to go quite crosse after the Lord hath made a promise of mercy and salvation he goes seemingly crosse only to exercise Faith I think I have told you sometimes of that to Abraham that there were but two promises made to him first That the Country that God would give him should flow with milk and honey and secondly His seed should be as the stars of Heaven and mark what way God goes to bring this about assoon as ever he gets into Canaan he was ready to starve there is this the country that flows with milk and honey and then for the other His seed should be as the stars of Heaven he stayed twenty yeers before he had a child Isaac stayed forty yeers before he had a child and yet his seed should be great and Isaac must be killed too and then there was another thing exercised his faith he would give him the Land and yet notwithstanding during his life he must not possesse one foot of the Land but only a burying-place and what was the reason of all this It was to exercise his faith and the promise God makes to his Son Christ I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession yet Christ must not have a hole to hide his head in he hath not so much as the foxes and the birds have to hide his head in Thus the way of God is to seem to go quite contrary that he might draw forth that glorious work of faith he so much delights in and because this is the only time of exercising this precious grace and there shall be no such faith in Heaven exercised as this is and therefore God because he will have as much as may be of the excellency of this faith though he be in a way of salvation he brings his people into straights 3. Reas Because the Lord delights so much in the prayers of his people that he might draw out their prayers Oh! the voice is sweet the voice of prayer it is very melodious in the ears of God It 's true God delights in a praising voice too but here in this world rather in prayer why because God shall have a praising voice to all eternity Gods Saints shall be praising him to all eternity but they shall not be praying to him to all eternity now God delighting so much in the praying voice of his Saints and he knowing he shall have a great deal of praise from his people when they are delivered from great troubles no marvel he doth exercise his people that which pleases God more than Heaven and Earth is the exercise of the faith and the prayers of his people they are the most pleasing things to God in all the world and therefore he brings into straights 4. Reas Because God would discover wicked men Before he brings his great salvation he would discover those that are vile and wicked that they should not partake of that great salvation As in our times we know how God in every straight we have been in hath made some useful discovery to us it hath been a discovering time of many that we have known to be vile and naught that we did not know before Luke 2.35 you know the place A sword shall pierce thorow thy soul why that the thoughts of many may be discovered there shall be great afflictions and troubles and the end I aim at is to discover the thoughts of many How have mens thoughts been discovered by plots when God was bringing his people into Canaan he would not have a rebellious generation come in among them and all the trouble they had in the wildernesse it was by a mixture of a base and vile generation that you have plain in Num. 11. when they were in such a distressed condition and in a murmuring and a vexing way mark the 4. verse The mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting They disturbed all the host of God And certainly if men should not be discovered more than they are if God should come to set up a full reformation amongst us herein England to bring us to that Canaan we desire we should be so troubled with a mixt multitude the mixt multitude would so vex and trouble the Church of God that they should scarce ever have
Dishonour A Christian discontented when God is dishonoured Page 15 Dispose see Freely Disquiet Disquiet the the cause of Gods departing Page 168 See Murmuring Duty Duty of a Christian in prosperity Page 89 What unfits for duty Page 134 God accepts of weak duty Page 156 Sence of affliction hinders not duty Page 165 E Efficacy Efficacy of Gods providence Page 95 Ever God gives grace for ever Page 184 Evil Evil of afflictions taken from Gods children Page 56 Excellency Excellency of God how we come neer it Page 117 Excellency of God what ibid Expectation Expectation of a Christian Page 132 F Faith Ordinary works done in Faith precious Page 7 Murmuring below the grace of Faith Page 131 Exercise of faith brings Contentment Page 198 See Affliction Mean Faithfulnesse God in rewarding looks to faithfulnesse Page 178 Father God the Father of a Christian Page 126 We should labour for the Spirit of our Father Page 129 Feel What we feel to be preferred to others fancies Page 205 Fill see God Fit God knows what afflictions are fit Page 174 Grace makes fit for any condition ibid Foolish Discontent a foolish sin 138 139 Frame Contentment a frame of spirit Page 9 Free Freely c. A Christian freely submits to God Page 15 Freedom what Page 16 God gives freely Page 42 Freeness of Gods mercies aggravate sin Page 158 Fretting Fretting opposite to a quietnss of spirit Page 6 G Glory What a Christian hath here is an earnest of glory Page 43 Glory of God wherein it appears Page 105 Glory to be given God in the enjoyment of blessings Page 193 God To look up to God in all conditions Page 19 Nothing can fill the heart but God Page 28 Happiness of a Saint in God Page 38 Saints enjoy all in God Page 49 Outward comforts taken away when they keep us from God Page 50 See Life Creature Excellency Walk Good Christians of themselves unfit to receive good Page 70 We should not be discontent that God is good to others Page 173 God doth good to his by afflictions Page 193 See Sanctifie Christ Grace Grace much exercised in Contentment Page 103 Grace the strength of it ibid Grace better than the Creature Page 113 Discontent contrary to Grace Page 122 Grace should content us without the world Page 193 See Beauty Gracious Contentment a gracious frame of heart Page 13 Great Afflictions not so great as our sins Page 172 Affliction greater for murmuring Page 173 Not to promise our selves great things Page 200 H Habitual Contentment an habitual frame Page 13 Had To praise God for what we had Page 188 Heart Contentment quiets the heart Page 5 The heart to be let out to God Page 67 The knowledge of our own hearts Page 82 Benefits of knowing our own heart Page 84 A great evil to be given up to our own heart Page 91 Rising of the heart Page 135 Distempers of the heart how esteemed with God Page 185 See Gracious Heaven Heaven in the souls of the Saints here Page 59 Things of Heaven real to a Saint Page 67 Heaven what Page 114 Contentment better than Heaven ibid Help Help of a Christian what Page 132 No help by discontent Page 139 High see Calling Angels Honour What is the greatest honour God hath of us in this world Page 81 Humble We should not murmur when God would humble us Page 161 See Contentment I Idle see Discontent Joy Joy immoderat how known Page 206 Injoy Godly men content with that that they injoy Page 4 Good men injoy what they have Page 116 See God Inward Inward discontent Page 4 Inward content ibid Judgment Many not content in their judgement Page 11 See Affections K Kind To submit to afflictions of every kind Page 22 King The soul subdued to Christ as King Page 124 Every Christian a King Page 128 L Life Life of a Saint where it is Page 56 Conversion a work all our life Page 125 Long Long afflictions not to be murmured at Page 163 Look Afflictions to be looked for Page 171 Care in afflictions not looked for Page 172 Losse No loss of us if we perish Page 71 Love Love of God in what a Christian hath Page 41 Love in afflictions to the godly Page 44 Love in a Christians estate Page 110 Love to God a sign of it Page 113 Low Lowest God brings lowest when he intends the greatest mercies Page 98 Men raised from a low condition should not murmur Page 159 Obedience seen most in a low calling Page 178 The soul oft best in a low outward estate Page 180 M Man Man Gods instrument in affliction 170 Mannage see Heart Mean Actions of a mean Christian accepted Page 178 Faith makes mean works glorious ibid Mercy How the soul is fitted to receive mercy Page 106 Mercies lessened by discontent Page 135 Discontent deprives of mercies Page 139 The greater mercies the greater sin to murmur Page 150 Every man hath more mercies than afflictions Page 154 Greatness of mercies should make us content Page 187 God is beforehand with his mercies to us Page 188 See Discontent Member Every Christian a member of Christ Page 127 Mean Christians members of Christs body Page 176 Mystery Contentment a mystery 2.26 Mortified To get our hearts mortified to the world Page 200 Murmuring Murmuring opposite to quietness of spirit Page 6 Murmuring the evill of it Page 119 Murmuring a note of a wicked man Page 120 Murmuring below a Christian Page 126 Murmuring the effects of it Page 134 Murmuring breeds disquiet Page 147 Murmuring the way to relaps into it Page 150 Murmuring aggravations of it ibid See Affection Rebellion Losse Child Curse Mercy Small N Nature see Angels Necessary The knowledge of one thing necessary Page 74 Nothing How a Christian comes to know he is nothing Page 69 A Christian of himself can do nothing Page 70 Naturally we are worse than nothing Page 71 See Deserve Use O Obedience When God gives in love we should return in obedience Page 184 The greater affliction the more obedience ibid One All Gods works from eternity but one Page 96 P Pain Pain sanctified to a Christian how Page 46 Parts Discontent aggravated in men of parts Page 158 Passage see Portion People Gods dealing with his people Page 97 Three things in Gods way with his people Page 98 Perfection see Uprightnesse Particular The Creatures particular comforts Page 113 Pity Pity to men that deal ill with us Page 171 Plague Promises concerning the Plague 54 55 56. Plea see Discontent Portion A Christian not content with little for his portion Page 28 Possesse Men discontent for what they possesse Page 159 Poverty Poverty sanctified by Christs poverty Page 45 See Prosperity Prayers How we undoe our prayers Page 133 Praise see Had Profession Profession of a Christian Page 131 Promise Promises performed more literally to the Jews 54.64 Gods liberty in performing temporal promises Page 55 Christians have interest in all former promises Page 65 See Covenant