The Mystery of Contentment Further Opened

PHILIPPIANS. 4.11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

THE Mystery of Contentment will appear yet further. A gracious heart gets Contentment in a mysterious way, a way that the world is not aquainted with

Eightly, He lives upon the dew of Gods blessing. It’s the similitude of one Adrian Junius setting out a Contented man by a Grashopper, leaping and skipping up and down, that lives upon the dew, and he hath this motto, I am content with what I have, and hope for better. A grashopper doth not live upon the grass as other things do, you cannot know what it feeds upon, other things though as little as grashppers, yet feed upon seeds or little flies, and such things, but the grashopper, you know not what it feeds upon. So a Christian can get food that the world knows not of, in a secret way is a Christian fed by the dew of the blessing of God, a poor man or woman that hath but a little which hath grace, lives a more contented life than his rich neighbour that hath a great deal coming in, we find it so ordinarily, so that though they have but a little, yet they have a secret blessing of God going in it, that they are not able to expresse to any other man; if you would come to them and say; How comes it that you live so comfortably as you do? they are not able to tell you what they have, but they find there is a sweetnesse in what they do injoy, and they know this by experience that they never had such sweetnesse in former times, that though they had more plenty in former times than now they have, yet they know they had not such sweetnesse; but how this comes they cannot tell; and we may shew some particulars, even in that godly men do enjoy, that make their condition to be sweet.

As now, Take these four or five particulars that godly men finds Contentment in what he hath, though it be never so little.

1 Because in what he hath, he hath the love of God, he hath Gods love to him in what he hath: If a King should send a piece of meat from his own table, it is a great deal more comfortable to a Courrier than if he had twenty dishes at ordinary allowance, if the King send but any little thing and say, Go and carry this to such a man as a token of my love, Oh how delightful is that unto him? are your husbands at Sea and send you a token of their love, it is more than forty times so much that you have in your houses already: Every good thing the people of God do injoy, they injoy it in Gods love, as a token of Gods love, and coming from Gods eternal love unto them, and this must needs be very sweet unto them.

2. What they have it is sanctified to them for good; Other men have what they injoy in a way of common providence, but the Saints in a special way; Others have what they have and there is all, they have meate, and drink, and houses, and cloaths, and money and that’s all. But a gracious heart finds contentment in this, I have it, and I have a sanctified use of it too; I find God going along with what I have to draw my heart neerer to him, and sanctifie my heart to him: If I find my heart drawn nearer to God by what I injoy; it’s more a great deal than if I have it without any sanctifying my heart by it; there’s a secret dew that goes along with it, there’s the dew of Gods love in it, and the dew of sanctification.

3. A gracious heart what he hath he hath it upon free-cost, he is not like to be called to pay for what he hath: The difference between what a godly man hath; and a wicked man is in this: A godly man is as a child in an Inne; an In-keeper hath his child in his house, and the Father provides his dyet, and lodging, and what is fit for him; Now there comes a stranger, and the stranger hath dinner and supper provided, and lodging, but the stranger must pay for all; it may be the childs fare is meaner than the fare of the stranger, the stranger hath boyld, and rost and baked; but he must pay for it, there must come a reckoning for it. Just thus it is, many of Gods people have but mean fare; but God as a father provides it, and it is on free-cost, and they must not pay for what they have, it is paid for before; but the wicked in all their pomp, and pride, and bravery, they have what they call for, but there must come a reckoning for all, they must pay for all in the conclusion, and is it not better to have a little upon free cost, than to come to have all to pay for? Grace doth shew a man that what he hath, he hath it on free cost, from God as from a Father, and therefore must needs be very sweet.

Fourthly, A godly man may very well be content, though he hath but little, For what he hath he hath it by right of Jesus Christ, by the purchase of Jesus Christ, he hath a right to it, another manner of right to what he hath, than any wicked man can have to what he hath; a wicked man hath these outward things; I do not say they are usurpers of what they have, but they have a right to it, and that before God, but how? it is a right by meer donation, that is, God by his free bounty doth give it to them; but the right that the Saints have, it is a right of purchase, it is paid for, and it is their own, and they may in a holy manner, and holy 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 me, then my poverty is not afflictive, if I can be contented in such a condition. That is the way, not to stand and repine, because I have not what others have, no, but I am poor, and Christ was therefore poor that he might bless my poverty to me.

And so again, Am I disgraced, dishonoured, is my good-name taken away? why Jesus Christ he had dishonour put upon him, he was called Beelzebub, and a Samaritan, and they said he had a Devil in him, all the foul aspersions that could be were cast upon Jesus Christ, and this was for me, that I might have the disgrace that is cast upon me to be sanctified unto me, whereas another man his heart is overwhelmed with dishonour, and disgrace, and he goes this way to work to get Conntetment; perhaps if you be spoken ill of, you have no other way to ease and right your selves, but if they do rail upon you, you will rail upon them again; and thus you think to ease your selves: Oh but a Christian hath another manner of way to ease himself, others rail and speak ill of me, but did they not rail upon Jesus Christ, and speak ill of him? and what am I in comparison of Christ? And the subjection of Christ to such an evil, it was for me, that though such a thing should come upon me, I might know that the curse of it is taken from me through Christs subjection to that evill; thus a Christian can be contented when any body speaks ill of him; now this is a mysterie to you to get Contentment after such a manner as this is: So if men jeer and scoffe at you, did they not do so to Jesus Christ? they jeer’d and scoff’t at him, and that when he was in his greatest extremity upon the Crosse, say they, Here’s the King of the Jews, and they bowed the knee, and said hail King of the Jews, and put a Reed into his hand, and mocked him: now I get Contentment in the midst of scorns and jeers, by considering that Christ was scorned, and by acting faith upon that which Christ did suffer for me. So, am I in great pain of my body? Jesus Christ had as great pain upon his body as I have, though it’s true he had not such kind of sicknesses as we have, but yet he had as great pain and tortours in his body, and that that was deadly to him, as wel as any sicknesse is to us: the exercising of faith upon what Christ did indure, that’s the way to get Contentment in the midst of our pains: one lies vexing and fretting, and cannot bear his pain, art thou a Christian? hast thou ever tryed this way of getting contentment, to act thy faith upon all the pains and sufferings that Jesus Christ did suffer? this would be the way of Contentment, and a Christian gets contentment under pains after this maner: sometimes one that is very godly and gracious, you shall have them lie under grievous pains and extremities very cheerfully, and you wonder at it, this is the way that he gets it, he gets it by acting his faith upon what pains Jesus Christ did suffer, thou art afraid of death; the way to get Contentment, it is by exercising thy faith upon the death of Jesus Christ; yea, it may be thou hast inward troubles in thy soule, and God withdraws himselfe from thee, but still thy faith is to be exercised upon the sufferings that Jesus Christ indured in his soul, he poured forth his soul before God, then when he sweat drops of water and blood, he was in an Agony in his very Spirit, and he found even God himself in a way to forsake him; now the acting thy faith upon Jesus Christ thus, brings Contentment, and is not this a mysterie to carnal hearts? a gracious heart finds Contentment in a way of a mystery: no marvel though Saint Paul saith, I am instructed in a Mystery, to be contented in whatsoever condition I am in.

In the Eleventh place, there is yet a further mystery (for this I hope you will find a very useful point unto you) and you will see what a plaine way there is, (before we have done) for one that is skil’d in Religion to get Contentment, though it’s hard for one that is carnal. I say the Eleventh mystery in contentment is this, A gracious heart hath contentment by fetching strength from Jesus Christ, he is able to beare his burden by fetching strength from another: now this is a riddle indeed, and it would be a rediculous thing to be spoken of in the schools of Philosophers, to say, if there be a burden upon you, you must fetch strength from another; indeed to have another to come and stand under the burden, that way they would know, but that you shall be strengthened by anothers strength, that is not neer you to your outward view, that they would think rediculous: but now a Christian finds satisfaction in every condition by getting strength from another, by going out of it’s self to Jesus Christ, and by faith acting upon Christ, and bringing the strength of Jesus Christ into it’s own soul, and thereby is inabled to bear whatsoever God laies upon him, by the strength that he finds from Jesus Christ, of his fulnesse do we receive grace for grace, there is strength in Christ not only to sanctifie and save us, but strength to support us under all our burdens and afflictions, and Christ expects that when we are under any burden that we should act our faith upon him to draw vertue and strength from him, the acting of faith that’s the great grace that is to be acted under afflictions, it’s true, other graces should be acted, but the grace of faith it draws strength from Christ, in looking upon him that hath the fulnesse of all strength to be convayed into the hearts of all beleevers. Now if a man hath a burden upon him, yet if he can have strength added to him, if the burden be doubled, yet if he can have his strength to be tribled, the burden will not be heavier but lighter than it was before to our natural strength. Indeed our afflictions may be heavy, and we cry out, oh we cannot bear them, we cannot bear such an affliction: Though thou canst not tell how to bear it with thine own strength, yet what canst thou tell what thou shalt do with the strnegth of Jesus Christ? Thou saiest thou canst not bear it, why doest thou think that Christ could not bear it? if Christ could bear it, why mayest not thou come to bear it? You will say, Can I have the strength of Christ? Yea, that is made over to thee by faith, so the Scripture saith That the Lord is our strength, God himself is our strength, and Christ is our strength, divers Scriptures we have that way; that Christs strength is thine, made over to thee, that so thou mayest be able to bear whatsoever lies upon thee, and therefore we find such a strange kind of expression in the Epistle 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 tis 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 thy heart might run wholly upon him: As if you have Children, because you have servants perhaps do feed them and give them things, you perceive that your servants do steal away the hearts of your Children, you would hardly be able to bear it, you would be ready to turn away such a servant, and when the servant is gone, the Child is at a great loss, it hath not the nurse; but the father or mother intends by her putting away, that the affections of the Child might run the more strongly towards himself, or herself; and what losse hath the Child that the affections that ran in a rough channel before towards the servant, it runs now towards the mother? So those affections that runs towards the creature, God would have them run towards himself, that so he may be All in All to thee here in this world. And a gracious heart can indeed tel how to enjoy God to be All in All to him: that is the happiness of Heaven, to have God to be All in All. The Saints in Heaven have not houses, and lands, and money, and meat and drink, and cloaths, you wil say, they do not need them; why do they not? It is because God is All in All to them imediatly: now while thou livest in this world, thou mayest come to enjoy much of God, you may have much of heaven; while we live in this life we may come to enjoy much of the very life that there is in Heaven, and what is that but the enjoyment of God to be All in All to us: There is one text in the Revelations that speaks of the glorious condition of the Church that is like to be even here in this world, Revel. 21.21. And I saw no Temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the Temple of it; and the City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. They had no need of the Sun or Moon. It speaks of such a glorious condition that the Church is like to be in here in this world; this doth not speak of Heaven: and that appears plainly that this is not spoken of Heaven, but of a glorious estate that the Church shall be in here, in this world, for it follows presently in the 24. and 26. verse, And they (speaking of the Kings of the earth:) And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour unto it. Why, the Kings of the Earth shall not bring their glory and honour into Heaven; but this is such a time, when the Kings of the Earth shall bring their glory and honour to the Church. And in the 26. vers. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it; therfore it must needs be meant here in this world and not in Heaven: Now if there be such a time here in this world, that God shall be All in All, that in comparison there shall be no such need of creatures as now there is, then the Saints shall labour to live as neer that life as possibly they can, that is, To make up All in God: Oh that you would but mind this Mystery, that it may be a reality to the hearts of the Saints in such times as these are, they would find this priviledge, that they get by Grace, to be worth thousands of worlds: Hence is that of Jacob that I mentioned in another case, it is remarkable, and comes in fully here, in Gen. 33. that notable speech of Jacob when his brother Esau did meet him, ye find in one place, that Esau he refused Jacobs present, in the 8. verse, when Jacob gave his present to him, he refused it, and tould Jacob that he had enough; What meanest thou by all this drove which I meet? And he said, These are to find grace in thy sight: And Esau said, I have enough. Now in the 11. verse, there Jacob urges it still, (and saith Jacob) I beseech thee take it for I have enough: now in your books it is the same in English, I have enough (saith Esau:) and I have enough (saith Jacob:) but in the Hebrew, Jacobs word is different from Esau’s, Jacobs word signifies, I have all things, and yet Jacob was poorer than Esau. Oh this should be a shame to us, that an Esau should say, I have enough; but now a Christian should say, I have not only enough, but I have all: how hath he all? because he hath God that is All. And it was an notable speech of one, He hath all things, that hath him that hath all things. Surely thou hast all things, because thou hast him for thy portion who hath al things: God hath all things in himself, and thou hast God to be thine for thy portion, and in that thou hast all, and this is the Mystery of Contentment; It makes up all wants in God, this is that that the men of the world have little skill in.

Now I have divers other things yet to open in the Mystery of Contentment. I should shew likewise that a godly man not only makes up all in God, but finds enough in himselfe to make up all, to make up all in himselfe, not from himselfe, but in himselfe, and that may seem to be stranger than the other: to make up all in God is somewhat, nay to make up all in himself, not from himself, but in himself, that is, a gracious heart hath so much of God within himself, that he hath enough there to make up all his wants that are without. In Pro. 14.14. A good man shall be satisfied from himself, from that that is within himself, that is the meaning, a gracious man he hath a bird within his own bosom that makes him melody enough, though he wants musick, The Kingdom of heaven is within you: In Luke, 17.21. He hath a Kingdom within him, and a Kingdom of God: you see him spoken ill of abroad, he hath a conscience within him that makes up the want of a name and credit, that is instead of a thousand witnesses.

Thirtenth, A gracious heart fetches Contentment from the Covenant that God hath made with him. Now this is a way of fetching Contentment that the men of the world know not of; they can fetch contentment, if they have the creature to satisfie them: But to fetch contentment from the Covenant of grace that they have little skill in. I should here have opened two things, First, how to fetch Contentment from the Covenant of grace in generall. (But I shall speak to that in the next Sermon and now only a word to the Second) Secondly, how he fetches Contentment from the particular branches of the Covenant, that is, from the particular promises that he hath for the supplying of every particular want: there is no condition that a Godly man or woman can be in, but there is some promise or other in the Scripture to help him in that condition. And that’s the way of his Contentment, to go out to the promises, and fetch from the promise, that that may supply. But this is but a dry businesse to a carnall heart; but it’s the most real thing in the world to a gracious heart; when he finds want of Contentment he repaires to the Promise, and the Covenant; and fals a pleading the promises that God hath made. As I should have shewen several promises that God hath made let the affliction be what it will, I will but only mention one that is the saddest affliction of all; in case of the Visitation, and the Plague. In Psalm, 91. now those that cannot have their friends come to them by reason of the plague, and that cannot have other comforts, in other afflictions they might have their frinds and other things to comfort them, but in that they cannot, Psal. 21.10. There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling; then here is a promise for the penilence in the 5. and 6. verses, this is a Scripture to those that are in danger of it, you will say, this is a promise that the Plague shall not come nigh them, but mark these two are joyned There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall the plague come nigh thee; the evil of i[…] shall not come nigh thee.

Object. You will say, It doth come to many godly men, and how can they make use of this Scripture, it is rather a Scripture that may trouble them, because here’s a promise that it shal not come nigh them, & yet it doth come nigh them as wel as others.

Ans. First, this is the Answer I would give, the promises of outward deliverances that were made […]o the people of God in the time of the law, were to be understood then a great deal more litterally, & fulfilled more litterally than in the times of the Gospel, God makes it up otherwise with as much mercy, though God made a covenant of grace & eternal life in Christ with them, yet I think there was another Covenant too, that God speaks of as a distinct covenant for outward things, to deal with his people by according to their waies, either in outward prosperity, or in outward afflictions, more than now, in a more punctual, set way, then in the times of the Gospel; and therefore when the Children of Israel did but sin against God, they were sure to have publique judgments to come upon them, and if they did well, alwaies publique mercies; the generall constant way of God was to deal with the people of the Jewes according as they did well or ill, (in an ordinary way,) with outward judgments, and outward mercies: but it’s not so now in these times of the Gospel; we cannot bring such a certain conclusion, that God did deal so severely with men by such and such afflictions, that he wil deal so with them now: and so, that they shall have outward prosperity as they had then: therfore that’s the first thing, for the understanding of this, and all other texts of that kind.

The Second Answer I would give is this, It may be their faith doth not reach to this promise; and God brings many times many outward afflictions, because the faith of his people doth not reach the promise, and that not only in the old Testament, but in the times of the new Testament, Zachariah his time may be said to be in the time of the new Testament, when he was struck with dumbness because he did not beleeve, and that is given to be the cause why he was struck with dumbnesse. But you will say now, hath faith warant to beleeve deliverance, that it shall be fully delivered? I dare not say so, but it may act upon it, to beleeve that God will make it good his own way; perhaps you have not done so much, and so upon that, this promise is not fulfilled to you.

Thirdly, When God doth make such promises to his people, yet still it must be with this reservation, that God must have liberty to these three things.

1. That notwithstanding his promise, he will have liberty to make use of any thing for your chastisement.

2. That he must have liberty, to make use of your estates, or liberties, or lives, for the furtherance of his own ends: If it be to be a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly men: God must have liberty, though he have made a promise to you he will not loose the propriety that he hath in your estates and lives.

3. God must have so much liberty to make use of what you have, for to shew that his waies are unsearchable, and his judgments past finding out, God reserves these three things in his hand still.

Object. But you will say, What good then is there in such a promise that God makes to his people?

First; That thou art under the protection of God more than others. But what comfort is this if it doth befal me?

Ans. Thou hast this comfort, that the evill of it shall be taken from thee, that if God will make use of this affliction for other ends, yet he will do it so as he will make it up to thee some other way. Perhaps you have given your children such a thing, but yet afterwards if you have use of that thing, you will come and say, I must have it, why father may the child say you gave it me? But saith the father I must have it, and I will make it up to you some other way: Now the child doth not think that the fathers love is ever a whit the less to him. So when there is any such promise as this is, that God by his promise gives thee his protection, and yet for all that such a thing befals thee, it is but as if the father should say, I gave you that indeed, but let me have it and I will make it up to you some other way that shall be as good; saith God let me have your health and liberty, and life, and it shall be made up to you some other way.

Secondly, When ever the Plague or Pestilence comes to those that are under such a promise, it is for some special and notable work, and God requires of them to search and examin in a special manner to find out his meaning; there is so much to be learned in the promise that God hath made concerning this particular evill, that the people of God they may come to quiet and content their hearts in this affliction. I reade in this Psalm that God hath made a promise to his people, to deliver them from the Plague and Pestilence, and yet do I find it to come: It may be I have not made use of my faith in this promise heretofore; and if God do bring afflictions upon me, yet God will make it up some other way, God made a promise to deliver me, or at least to deliver me from all the evil of it, now if this thing doth befall me and yet I have a promise of God, certainly the evil of it is taken away, this promise tels me that if it doth befall me yet it is for some notable end, and because God hath use of my life, and intends to fetch about his glory some way that I know not of: And if he will come in a fatherly way of chastisement, yet I will be satisfied in the thing: So a Christian heart by reasoning out of the word, comes to satisfie his soul in the middest of such a heavy hand of God, and in such a distressed condition as that is. Now Carnal hearts they find not that power in the Word, that healing vertue that there is in the Word, to heal their destracted cares, and the troubles of their spirits; but now, those that are godly when they come to hear the Word they find out, that in the Word there is as a plaister to all their wounds, and so they come to have ease and Contentment, in such conditions as are very grievous and miserable unto others. But now, for other particular promises, and more generally for the Covenant of grace, how, and in what mysterious way the Saints do work to fetch out Contentment and satisfaction to their souls, we shall refer to the next time.