Fabricius that one might sooner turn the Sun out of the firmament then turn him from the course of Justice Regulus was a man constant to his engagement though he foresaw the ensuing danger which did befall him And Aristides could not be seduced from the course of Justice Cicero against Catiline Defendi Rempublicam adolescens non deseram senex Contempsi Catalinae gladios non pertimescobam tuos Cic. Orat. 2. Philipp Non si fractus in me ruat mundus pavens non si cavernis toenarus nutet fremens non si caterva pestium obsideat latus mutabo mentem quam mihi Christus dedit Caus Sol. p. 232. professeth himself to be one and the same man in his elder and younger years that is a true friend to the Common-wealth Causinus hath an high passage setting forth the constancy of his resolution which amounts to this sense Come what will come even the worst that can be imagined yet he will not alter his mind This constancy and reseâ—â—tion of mind is a ready way to procure contentment but by way of caution we must always suppose that constancy and settledness must be fixed upon right grounds and principles let us be certain that the principles are right and then let us resolvedly put them into practice It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing so for constancy and resolution we must exercise them in good things And courage and constancy well placed are of singular benefit and furtherance to contentment whereas levity fickleness and inconstancy of spirit raiseth mutinies tumults and variety of perturbations in our thoughts wherefore to be well skill'd in this art of Contentment we must abandon an unstable and inconstant spirit 5. A fifth Impediment of Contentedness 5. Impediment of contentment is Voluptuousness is Voluptuousness Voluptuousness is a grand remora and obstacle to all manner of contentedness for voluptuous men are still a plotting projecting and contriving to add more fuel to the fire of their unsatiable appetite therefore they leave no stone unmoved nor no device unattempted for the satisfaction of their lusts Hence it comes to pass that many persons of great estates care not how much they spend in gaming and drinking c. and to supply their exorbitances they oppress and grind the poor rack their tenants and projectâ— and devise irregular ways for the satisfaction of their lusts Hence it comes to pass that a prodigal man drowned in his voluptuous courses and intoxicated with vain carnal delights cares not what he is at and what moneys he spends upon a lust and he frets and torments himself if his mind be not satisfied But Solomon gives all voluptuous persons their doom Prov. 21. 17. He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man He that loveth wine and oyl shall not be rich And the same wise man ironically begins but concludes with a dreadful judgement Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Who could ever tell of any person who wasted his time strength and estate in sinful lusts and pleasures that found any real solid and lasting contentment when they looked back upon those days and companions with whom they lived riotously Can they take any satisfaction in the remembrance of them Amnon committed 2 Sam. 13. 15. an abominable sin of incest with Tamar yet afterward the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater then the love wherewith he loved her And all the Jovial mad carowsings of drunkards commonly terminate in discontent and contention so saith Solomon Who hath wo Prov. 23. 29 30. Cui accidunt multa incommoda corporis animi fortunarum Merc. who hath sorrow Who hath contentions Who hath bablings Who hath wounds without cause Who hath redness of eyes They that tarry long at the wine they that go to seek mix'd wine Belshazzar in the midst of his jollity was surprised with a terrible hand-writting which wrote down his swift destruction as we read Dan. 5. 5. In the same hour i. e. when they were drinking and praising the gods of gold and silver came forth fingers of a mans hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the Kings palace and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another There is a laughter called Risus Sardonius which ends always in great Immo ego Sardois videar tibi amarior herbis Virg. sorrow the Poet alludes to it And what else is the laughter and mad merriment of all ungodly men but that which terminates in sorrow and mourning For saith Solemon Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and Prov. 14. 13. the end of that mirth is heaviness And Solomon gives his experimental verdict against laughter I have said of laughter it is madness Eccles 2. 2. and of mirth what doth it It is known by experience that a man who hath mis-spent a whole day in jovial company and mad merriment can take no rest nor quietly enjoy himself at night However at present some please themselves with the society of ungodly men yet when they come to themselves and are composed and deliberate in their thoughts then it is the grief and vexation of their hearts that ever they cast in their lot amongst such vile wretches wherefore we may upon sure grounds conclude that voluptuousness is a grand impediment of Contentedness SECT 2. Containing five Duties to be practised in order to Contentment HAving removed these five Impediments mentioned in the former Section I shall prescribe ten Duties whereof five shall be handled in this Section and five in the Section following after which if they be reduced into point of practice through the grace of God they will be special helps and furtherers to the getting and keeping of this excellent grace of contentment The first Duty is to reflect upon our 1. Duty is self-reflection selves and get a more familiar and intimate acquaintance at home for it much conduceth to our advantage to be better known to our selves Amongst many choice sentences of that eminently pious Father St Bernard two I shall apply to my purpose one is this There are many Multae sunt scientiae hominum sed â—ulla melior est illaÌ„ quaÌ„ eognâ—scit homo seipsum Bâ—rn de interiori domo p. 1073. Beatus homo qui se potest cognoscere probare improbare Nam qui sibi displicet Deo placet qui sibi vilis est Deo charus est Bern. de interiori domo p. 1072. knowledges of men but none is better then that whereby a man knoweth himself Another
sin but also in respect of our selves because it disquieteth and vexeth the spirit insomuch as we enjoy nothing contentedly that we possess A third Impediment of Contentedness 3 Impediment of contentment immoderate care of the world is an immoderate care of the world when the heart is encumbred and intangled with variety of perplexing and carking cares there can be no contentment of mind for as immoderate love of the world comes in at one door contentment of mind runs out at the other door we must then distinguish between a moderate and immoderate care between a provident frugal care and a carking vexatious care A moderate and provident â—are is lawful and necessary none ought to eat the bread of idleness And he that provides not for his family is worse then 1 Tim. 5. 8. an infidel and hath denied the faith But the question will be ask'd How can a man be said to deny the faith I will give an answer from Calvin on the place There can be no piety towards God Nulla enim in Deum est pietas ubi quis it à humanitatis sensum exuere potest Calv. in loc where any can so put off all sense of humanity But the care forbidden is that onely which is immoderate carking and tormenting this Christ in one Chapter three times forbids Matth. 6. 25 31 34. Take no thought The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The etymology is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a dividing Solicitudo est aegritudo cam cogitatione Cic. Tusc 4. distracting rending and torturing the mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is solicitudo diffidentiae a distrustful solicitude accompanied with a vexatious carking care The charge of the Apostle is Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Anxiè cum summa animi solicitudiue atque aerumuaÌ„ cogitare Zanch. We are then to distinguish between a primary and secondary care primarily our care must be to glorifie God and save our souls Secondarily we must take care after worldly things but in religion that figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be carefully avoided for many make that their first care which should be their last The order which Christ prescribes ought to be the certain and infallible rule But seek ye Matth. 6. 33. first the kingdom of God and his â—â—ghteousness and all these things shall be added unto you but how many are there who intangle and inveigle themselves with multiplicity of worldly incumbrances like a mill-horse always walking if not running the round and hurrying themselves about with multitude of anxious and vexatious cares And what get they by their anxious solicitous cares but a farther addition of care and dissatisfaction for the more they thus turmoil and disturb their spirits the more discontented and unsatisfied they are Hence it comes to pass that they can neither eat nor drink nor sleep quietly because they tire and wear out themselves with multitudes of melancholical disquieting thoughts Hereupon they make assays and trials of many ways and undertake variety of projects to advance their estate in the world and it proves with them like those smiths who have too many irons in the fire and so neglect some of them It is frequently observed that all those who intermeddle in too many ways miscarry frequently in the managing of them and after miscarriages and disappointments O! how is a covetous mammonist perplexed and discontented the love of the world hath swallowed up his affections and therefore he accounts the wedge of gold his confidence Micha when the children of Dan robbed him pursues them and cries out in the bitterness of his spirit Ye have taken away Judg. 1. and 24. my gods and the Priest and ye are gone away and what have I more So covetous worldlings cry out with so much bitterness when any worldly losses befall them as if God and heaven were to be undervalued in comparison of them wherefore it is a special duty incumbent on us to banish away from us the immoderate love of the world For the friendship of the world is enmity against John 4. 4. God and it is our enemy likewise for we can never enjoy any thing to our content and satisfaction if our hearts with too much eagerness hanker after the world A fourth Impediment is instability of 4. Impediment instability of spirit spirit An inconstant fluctuating mind unsettled and tost up and down can never enjoy any real and solid contentment for it is a composed stable spirit which is Gods gift which makes a Christian contented with that present portion and causeth him to rest quietly in that present station and condition wherein God hath set him When as on the contrary an unstable spirit a wandring fickle head will not let a man be quiet in any place and condition Solomon tells us Prov. 27. 8. As a bird that wandreth from her nest so is a man that wandreth from his place Grotius gives as I Facilè capitur avis à â—ido avolans sic qui domo relict à longè peregrinatur multis se objicit perculis Grot. in Prov. 27. 8. conceive an apposite exposition on the place A bird saith he flying from her nest is easily taken so is he that journeyeth a long way from his house exposed to many dangers So when men relinquish their calling and ramble abroad leaving their families to sink or swim taking no care of them they bring swift destruction on themselves and their posterity It is a common saying that a tumbling stone never gathers moss no more do unsettled fickle persons â—hrive whithersoever they go and such are they who are so deeply overcome with melancholy as that they neither enjoy themselves comfortably at home nor abroad for when they are at home their hearts are abroad and when they are abroad their hearts are at home They fix no where for by being every where in their wandring and extravagant thoughts they are fixed no where to any good purpose These unstable and fickle-headed persons are full of discontents and not more discontented with troubles from abroad then from those emergences which fall out at home they are not more vexed at others then they are at themselves A man of an inconstant spirit is like a wave of the sea tost up and down or like a weather-cock that turns with every wind he is so inconstant that he knows not his own mind he knows not what he would have he is not his own man but he is inconstant and unfaithful to himself St James gives a character of such a man A double-minded man is unstable James 1. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all his ways Now to find out a double and unstable man where to have him no man knows You may hear him murmuring whining and grumbling but you cannot trust nor beleeve him on his word Many heathens were renowned for their constancy and settled resolution It was said of
obstacles in the way to hinder and stop contentment The first Impediment of contentment is 1. Impediment of contentment is unbelief unbelief for it is the mother of discontent that cursed root whereon grows those cursed fruits of impatience murmurings and repinings and such like which are far more bitter then gall and wormwood If we could trust God and beleeve him to be All-sufficient and Omnipotent and therefore able to help us and could we beleeve God to be a God of truth and therefore as good as his word and could we beleeve him to be a God of wisdom knowing how to contrive and order all things for our good then we should soon banish out of our hearts all discontented and repining thoughts but such is the great mischief of unbelief that it foments and cherisheth all vexatious perplexing thoughts Hence it cometh to pass that an unbeleever discovers his discontent in respect of two objects viz. The Word of God and works of God As to both unbelief discovers it self 1. An unbeleever questions and distrusts 1. An unbeleever distrusts the Word of God the truth of the Word of God for so God complains Psal 106. 24 25. Yea they despised the pleasant land they beleeved not his word But murmured in their tents and hearkned not unto the voice of the Lord. God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey and they sent searchers to view the land They brought goodly fruit even a cluster of grapes so great as it Numb 13. 23. was carried between two yet notwithstanding all Gods promises and their own visible experiences they beleeved not his word Many gracious promises God makes and he is faithful in his promises He glorieth that he is a God keeping covenant for his covenant is a covenant of salt not capable of the least putrefaction yet unbeleevers call all Gods promises into question such were foretold of 2 Pet. 3. 4. whom the Apostle brands for scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying Where is the promise of his coming The unbeleeving Prince mentioned 2 Kings 7. 19 20. is a standing monument and warning-piece who when the Lord promised plenty in Samaria he distrusted Gods promise and he was made a dreadful spectacle of unbelief for the people trod him in the crowd to death Let us forbear disputings reasonings expostulatings with God and beleeve God upon his word so did David a pattern for our imitation Psal 56. 3 4. What time I am afraid I will trust in thee In God I will praise his word In God I have put my trust I will not fear what flesh can do unto me 2. An unbeleever questions and distrusts 2. An unbeleever questions distrusts the works of God the works of God Notwithstanding variety of protections provisions security and comfort and other experiences of the works of divine providence an unbeleever still distrusts God and will not beleeve O what wonderful works did God for the children of Israel in delivering them from Egyptian bondage and in making the sea dry land for them to pass over and when they were safely passed over God caused the sea to return to its strength and in it Pharaoh and all his host were drowned and after this great deliverance of the children of Israel from the Red sea God opened his store-houses to make provision for them Manna and Quails were rained down to feed them and to quench their thirst the flinty rock became a springing well yet notwithstanding all these visible providences they beleeved not the works of God Psal 78. 32. For all this they sinned still and beleeved not for his wondrous works These were unbeleevers of the first magnitude who neither beleeved the Word of God nor the works of God and therefore they must needs be their own enemies to all manner of contentment for there can be no solid ground of contentment but in God and from his gift If then we distrust him and will neither beleeve his word nor his works there can be no possibility of ◠Impediment of Contentment is unthankfulness contentment 2. A second Impediment of Contentment is unthankfulness None are so discontented none such murmurers as unthankful persons such as are not sensible of those great mercies which they already enjoy but are still a whining and murmuring for what they have not these in a high manner bewray their unthankfulness Have not many of us more then Christ had when he was upon earth He who was Owner and Commander of the whole world was contented to be a servant and live in a poor mean condition 2 Cor. 8. 9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich And when a man came to Christ and professed his readiness to follow Christ whithersoever he went Christ who knew his heart gave a suitable answer and Jesus saith unto him The foxes have holes and Matt. 8. 20. the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head The man had a house in his designe and expectation but he was disappointed of his expectations When in our serious thoughts we consider what Christ wanted as earthly things and what we have this consideration may excite us to thankfulness But it is commonly observed that such as are unthankful for and unsensible of the present mercies which they enjoy of all others they are still murmuring and complaining because they have no more Wherefore to learn this lesson of contentment we must unlearn the lesson of ingratitude Amongst Heathens as well as Christians the sin of ingratitude is marked with a brand of infamy Si ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris is a saying no more common then true implying that a man that hath said that which savours of ingratitude hath said all the worst that he can A learned Oratour takes notice Omnes cousentiunt gentes terram creare nihil pejus homine ingrato Baudii Orat. p. 114. That it is the consent of all nations that the earth brings forth nothing worse then an ungrateful man Seneca reckons ingratitude amongst the greatest Inter plurima maximdque vitia nullum est frequentius quà m ingrati animi Sen. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. Cyropaed l. 1. vices and Xenophon observes that impudence follows ingratitude It is left upon record as a badge of infamy upon the chief butler Gen. 40. 23. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph but forgat him Unthankful men are mentioned in the same catalogue with those abominable sinners which shall come in the last and perilous times 2 Tim. 3. 2. c. For men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemous disobedient to parents unthankful unholy c. Wherefore we must utterly detest and abhor this abominable sin of ingratitude not onely in respect of others because it is a sordid and ignominious
with him in baptism wherein you are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead That we may not rest as Papists do opere operato the Apostle mentions the Authour and Giver of faith And so likewise the Apostle Cùm Baptismi efficacia salutaris à fide pendeat aquum est ut ipsa fides à solo Deo expectetur nè nobis in nobis detur aliqua ansa gloriandi Dav. in Col. 2. 12. tells us Eph. 2. 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Faith is a necessary companion of contentment they both come from God and where they are they do as the expression is mutuas locare operas they joyn in a mutual serviceableness one to another and as the proverb is Vara vibiam sequitur so faith and contentment joyn together in a mutual assistance and furtherance of each other Thus faith is one companion of contentment 2. A second companion of contentment is 2. Patience is a companion of contentment patience the ready way to learn contentment is to prepossess our selves with patience Who are the discontented persons but such as are impatient fretting and disquieting themselves under their burdens But such as are patient submissive spirited persons have attained unto a good proficiency in this choice art of contentedness This grace of patience is of singular use for thereby we possess our selves and enjoy all that we have quietly and contentedly It is our Saviours command Luke 21. 19. In your patience possess ye your souls And there is an absolute necessity of exercising this grace of patience Hebr. 10. 36. For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise As a souldiers courage is known in a day of battel so is a Christians patience tried in time of affliction Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope Wherefore Cyprian that eminent Martyr in that excellent book of patience gives this counsel In thy grief bear and in thy humility In dolore sustine in humilitate tua patientiam habe quoniam in igne probatur aurum argentum sic Job examinatus est probatus ad summum fastigium lau â—is patientiae virtute provectus Cypr. lib. de patientia have patience because gold and silver is tried in the fire as Job was tried and approved and by the vertue of patience promoted to the highest top of praise Wherefore then the right remedy is when afflictions many and great are incumbent on us to banish all discontents and murmurings and quietly and patiently to submit to the correcting hand of God Thus patience is another companion of contentment 3. A third companion of 3. Heavenly mindedness is a companion of contentedness contentedness is heavenly mindedness A godly mans conversation or citizenship for so the word imports is in heaven His negotiations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Nos autem ut coelorum cives nos gerimus Beza and merchandizings even all the trade which he drives is for heaven heaven is his countrey that is his Fathers house When Anaxagoras was asked Hast thou any regard of thy countrey Yes saith he and pointed his hand up towards heaven He that accounts heaven his throne and inheritance will look upon earth no better then his footstool He lives above earth whose heart is in heaven Whence then proceeds so many murmuring and querulous speeches How comes it to pass that upon any cross thwarting providence we fret and repine and are so exceedingly perplexed with melancholy and discontent The reason is because we set our hearts too much upon the world and mind earthly things If sin sat heavy as Reverend Mr Dod used to say then the world would sit light but because the world sits heavy sin sits light If our conversation was in heaven and we took a prospect of it in serious contemplations and if we ascended up into the mount with Moses and retired our selves into the fields with Isaac to have more freedom for meditation and did we with Enoch walk with God and with David's blessed man meditate in the Law of God day and night if this was our condition we should take so much delight and satisfaction in heavenly things as we should not vex and torment our selves for the want of worldly things Wherefore then let us with all holy greediness labour after heavenly mindedness and this is an excellent means to learn the lesson of divine Contentment If we account heaven our treasure joy and hope our hearts will be fixed thereon our tongues will be speaking thereof even our whole joy desires and delights will be taken up and employed about the serious thoughts of heavenly things Wherefore though in this present world as it is the lot of travellers in their Inn we may meet with many disappointments and dissatisfactions yet the serious meditations of heaven which is our home will abundantly make amends for all If we should fancy a perpetuity in an Inn and dream of an abiding happiness there we should exceedingly forget our selves We may apply Psal 49. 11 12. Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations they call their lands after their own names Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish We should not look upon our selves as perpetual proprietours and possessours of a fee-simple without any alteration but we should look upon our selves as strangers and pilgrims as the Apostle writes 1 Pet. 2. 11. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul Whoever then is willing to learn this grand lesson of Contentment let him make choice of those three choice companions viz. faith patience and heavenly mindedness and questionless through the assisting grace of God he shall arrive unto an high attainment and perfection in this so much to be desired art of divine Contentment CHAP. VII Chap. 7. Containing an use for direction Containing a fourth Use which is for direction wherein five Impediments are to be removed and ten Duties are to be put in practice SECT 1. Removing five grand Impediments of Contentment I Proceed to a fourth Use which is for Vse 4. For direction direction and for the more profitable handling of this Use I shall discover five grand Impediments which as so many stumbling blocks are to be removed out of the way and then I shall prescribe ten choice duties which are to be reduced unto point of practice 1. For the impediments which obstruct and set a bar against contentment I shall amongst a multitude that might be named confine my self unto five onely viz. Unbelief Unthankfulness Immoderate cares of the world Instability of spirit and Voluptuousness These five are as so many remora's and