The Last Lesson, and the Excellency of Contentment

PHILIPPIANS. 4.11.¹For 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 excellency of Contentment.

The Ninth and last lesson that Christ teaches those that he doth instruct in this Art of Contentment, It is the right knowledge of Gods providence, and therein are these Four things.

1 The universality of providence, that the Soul must be throughly instructed in to come to this Art, to understand the universality of providence, that is; how the providence of God goes through the whole world, extends it’s self to every thing: Not only that God by his providence doth rule the world, and govern all things in generall, but that it reaches to every particular, not only to Kingdoms, to order the great affairs of Kingdoms, but it reaches to every mans family, it reaches to every person in the family, it reaches to every condition, yea to every passage, to every thing that fals out concerning thee in every particular, not one hair falleth from thy head, not a Sparrow to the ground without the providence of God. There’s nothing befals thee good or evill, but there is a providence of the infinite eternal First-Being in that thing, and therein indeed is Gods infinitnesse, that it reaches to the least things, to the least worm that is under thy feet: Then much more it reaches unto thee that art a rationall creature, the providence of God is more special towards rational creatures than any others: The understanding in a spiritual way the universality of providence in every particular passage from morning to night every day; that there’s not any thing that doth befall thee but there’s a hand of God in it, it is from God, it is a mighty furtherance to Contentment. Every man will grant the truth of the thing that it is so, but as the Apostle saith in Heb. 11.3. By faith we understand that the worlds were made, by faith we understand it: why by faith? we can understand by reason that no finit thing can be from it selfe, And therefore that the world could not be of it’s self, but we can understand it by faith in another manner than by reason. So whatsoever we understand of God in way of providence, yet when Christ doth take us into his School we come to understand it by faith in a better manner than we do by reason.

2 The efficacy that there is in providence; that is, That the providence of God goes on in all things with strength and power, and it is not to be altered by our power; let us be discontented and vext and troubled, and fret, and rage, yet we must not think to alter the course of providence by our discontent. Some of Jobs friends said to him, Shall the earth be forsaken for thee, and shall the rock be removed out of his place? Job, 18.4. when they saw him to be impatient. So I may say to every discontented impatient heart, what shall the providence of God change it’s course for thee? Do’st thou think it such a weak thing that because it doth not please thee it must alter it’s course? be thou content or not content, the providence of God will go on, it hath an efficacie of power, of vertue, to carry all things before it: Canst thou make one hair black or white with all the stir that thou keepest? When you are in a ship at Sea that hath all her sails spread with a full gale of wind, and swiftly sailing; can you make it stand still with running up and down in the ship? No more can you make the providence of God to alter and change it’s course with your vexing and fretting, but it will go on with power do what thou canst. Do but understand the power and efficacie of providence and it will be a mighty means for the helping to learn this lesson of Contentment.

3 The infinite variety of the works of providence, and yet the order of things, one working towards another; there is infinite variety of the works of God in an ordinary providence, and yet all work in an ordinary way; we put these two together; for God in the way of his providence causes a thousand thousand things one to depend upon another, there are infinite several wheels (as I may so say) in the works of providence, all the works that ever God did from all eternity or ever will do, put them all together, and all make up but one work, and they have been as several wheels that have had their orderly motion to attain the end that God from all eternity hath appointed: We indeed look at things by pieces, we look at one particular and do not consider the reference that one thing hath to another, but God he looks at all things at once, and sees the reference that one thing hath to another: As a child that looks upon a clock, looks first upon one wheel, and then upon another wheel, he looks not at all together or the dependance that one hath upon another, but the workman hath his eyes upon all together and sees the dependance of all one upon another, and the art that there is in the dependance of one upon another; so it is in Gods providence. Now observe how this works to Contentment; where there is such a passage of providence befalls me, that’s one wheel, and it may be if this wheel should be stopt, there might a thousand other wheels come to be stopt by this: as in a clock, stop but one wheel and you stop every wheel, because they have dependance one upon another: so when God hath ordered a thing for the present to be thus and thus, how do’st thou know how many things do depend upon this thing? God may have some work that he hath to do twenty yeers hence that may depend upon this passage of providence, that fals out this day, or this week. And here (by the way) we may see a great deal of evil that there is in discontent, for thou wouldest have Gods providence altered in such and such a particular, indeed if it were only in that particular, and that had reference to nothing else it were not so much, but by thy desire to have thy will in such a particular, it may be thou wouldest crosse God in a thousand things that he hath to bring about, because it’s possible there may be a thousand things depend upon that one thing that thou wouldest fain have to be otherwise than it is, just as if a child should cry out and say, let but that one wheel stop, though he saith but one wheel, yet if that stop, it is as much as if he should say they must all stop; so in providence, let but this one passage of providence stop, it is as much as if a thousand stopt: Let me therfore be quiet and content, for though I be crost in some one particular God attains his end, at least his end may be furthered in a thousand things by this one thing that I am crost in; therefore let a man consider this is an act of providence, and how do I know what God is about to do, and 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 touch 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, when they come to suffer any crosse, Oh that what God doth might please me. I labour to do what pleases God, and I labour that what God doth shall please me, here’s a Christian indeed that shall endeavour both these; now this is but one side of a Christian, to endeavour to do what pleases God, but you must as well endeavour to be pleased with what God doth, and so you shall come to be a compleat Christian when you can do both. And that’s the first thing in the excellency of this Grace of Contentment.

The Second thing in the opening of this excellency of Contentment is, That in Contentment there is much exercise of Grace, There is much strength of Grace, yea there is much beauty of Grace in Contentment, there is much exercise of Grace, strength of Grace, and beauty of Grace, I put all these together.

1 Much exercise of Grace, There is a composition of Grace in Contentment, there is faith, and there is humility, and love, and there is patience, and there is wisdom, and there is hope, all graces almost are compounded, it’s an oyle that hath the ingredients of all kind of graces, and therefore though you cannot see the particular grace, yet in this oyl you have it all; God sees the Graces of his Spirit exercised in a special manner, and this pleases God at the heart to see the Graces of his Spirit exercised. In some one action that you do you may exercise some one grace especially, but now in Contentment you exercise a great many graces at once.

2 There is a great deal of strength of Grace in Contentment, It argues a great deal of strength in the body, the body to be able to endure hard weather and whatsoever fals out, and yet not to be much altered by it; so it argues strength of Grace to be content: You that complain of weaknesse of memory, and weaknesse of parts, you cannot do what others do in other things, but have you this gracious heart-contentment that hath been opened to you; I know that you have attained to strength of Grace in this, when it is so spiritual as hath been opened to you in the explication of this point. As it is with a mans braine, if a man be distempered in his body and hath many obstructions in his body, hath an ill stomack, and his spleen and liver obstructed, and yet for all this his brain is not distempered, it is an argument of a great strength of brain, and though there be many ill fumes that riseth from his corrupt stomack, yet still his brain is not distempered but he continues in the free exercise of the use of his reason and understanding; every one may understand that this man hath a very strong brain, that such things shall not distemper him, whereas other people that have a weak brain, if they do not disgest but one meals meat, the fumes that do arise from their stomacks, doth distemper their brain and makes them unfit for every thing, whereas you shall have others that have strong heads, and strong brains, though their stomacks be ill that they do not disgest meat, yet still they have the free use of their brain, this argues strength: So it is in a mans spirit, you shall have many that have weak spirits, and if they have any ill fumes, if accidents befal them, you shall presently have them out of temper, but you shall have other men that though things do fume up yet still they keep in a steady-way, and have the use of reason and of other graces, and possess their Souls with patience. As I remember it’s reported of the Eagle, it’s not like other fowls, other fowls when they are hungrie make an noise, but the Eagle is never heard to make an noise though it wants food, and it is from the magnitude of his spirit that it will not make such complaints as other fowls will do when they want food, it is because it is above hunger, and above thirst: So it is argument of a gracious magnitude of spirit that whatsoever befals it, yet it is not alwaies whyning and complaining so as others are, but goes on still in it’s way and course, and blesses God and keeps in a constant tenour whatsoever thing befals it, such things as causes others to be dejected and fretted and vexed, and takes away all the comfort of their lives, it makes no alteration at all in the spirits of these men and women, I say this is a sign of a great deal of strength of Grace.

3 It’s also an argument of a great deal of beauty of Grace. It’s a speech that Seneca a Heathen once had, saith he, When you go abroad into groves and woods; and there you see the talnesse of the trees and their shadows, it strikes a kind of awful fear of a Deity in you, and when you see the vast rivers and fountains, and deep waters that strikes a kind of fear of a God in you but (saith he) do you see a man that is quiet in tempests, and that lives happily in the middest of adversities, why do not you worship that man? he doth think him a man even to be honoured that shall be quiet and live a happy life though in the middest of adversities. The glory of God appears here more than in any of his works; there is no works that God hath made, the Sun Moon and Stars and all the world wherein so much of the glory of God doth appear, as in a man that lives quietly in the middest of adversity. That was that that covinc’d the King, when he saw the three Children could walk in the midest of the fiery furnace & not be toucht, the King was mightily convinc’d by this, that surely their God was a great God indeed, & that they were highly beloved of their God that could walk in the mid’st of the furnace and not be toucht, whereas the others that came but to the mouth of the furnace were devoured, so when a Christian can walk in the mid’st of fiery trials, and not his garments singed, but have comfort and joy in the mid’st of all (as Paul in the stocks) can sing, (that wrought upon the jaylour:) so it will convince men when they see the power of grace in the middest of afflictions, such afflictions as would make others to rore under them, yet they can behave themselves in a gracious and holy manner; Oh it’s the glory of a Christian. It is that that is said to be the glory of Christ, (for so by Interpreters it is thought to be meant of Christ) In Micah, 5.5. And this man (the text saith) shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our pallaces. This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land; for one to be in peace when there is no enemies it’s no great matter, but saith the text when the Assyrian shal come into our land, then this man shall be the peace; that is, when all shal be in an hubbub and uprore yet then this man shal be peace. That’s the tryal of grace when you find Jesus Christ in your hearts to be peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land. You may think you find peace in Christ when you have no outward troubles, but is Christ your peace when the Assyrian comes into the land, when the enemy comes? Suppose you should hear the enemy come marching to the City & had taken the works, and were plundering, what would be your peace? Jesus Christ would be peace to the soul when the enemy comes into the City, and into your houses; If there be any of you that have been where the enemy hath come, what hath been the peace of your souls? That that’s said of Christ may be applyed to this grace of Contentment, when the Assyrian, the plunderers, the enemies, when any affliction, trouble, distresse doth befal such a heart, then this grace of Contentment brings peace to the soul; at that time brings peace to their soul when the Assyrian comes into the land: The grace of Contentment it’s an excellent grace, ther[…]‘s much beauty, much strength in it, there is a great deal of worth in this grace, and therefore be in love with it.

The Third thing in the excellency of Contentment is this, By Contentment the soul is fitted to receive mercy, and to do service, I’le put those two together, Contentment makes the soul fit to receive mercy, and to do service; no man or woman in the world is so fit for to receive the Grace of God, and to do the work of God as those that have contented spirits.

1 Those are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord that are contented: As now, if you would have a vessel to take in any licquor, you must hold the vessel still, if the vessel stir and shake up and down you cannot powre in any thing, but you will bid hold stil that you may powre it in and not loose any; so if we would be the vessels to receive Gods mercy, and would have the Lord powr in his mercy to us, we must have quiet still hearts, we must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble discontent and vexing, but we must have still and quiet hearts if we would receive mercy from the Lord: If a child throws and flings up and down for a thing, you will not give it him then when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet, though perhaps you do intend the child shall have the thing he cries for, but you will not give it him till he is quiet and comes and stands still before you and is contented without it and then you will give it him: and truly so doth the Lord deal with us, (for our dealing, with him are just as your froward childrens are with you) as soon as you would have a thing from God if you have it not you are disquieted presently and all in an upprore (as it were) in your spirits: God intends mercy to you, but saith God you shall not have it yet, I will see you quiet first, and then in the quietnesse of your hearts come to me and see what I will do with you. I appeal to you, you that are any way acquainted with the waies of God, have you not found this to be the way of God towards you, when you have been troubled for want perhaps of some spiritual comfort, and your hearts were vext at it, you get nothing from God all that while; but now if you have got your heart into a quiet frame, and can say, well, it’s fit the Lord should do with his poor creatures what he will, I am under his feet, and am resolv’d to do what I can to honour him; and let him do with me what he will I will seek him as long as I live, I will be content with what God gives; and whether he gives or no I will be content; yea, are you in this frame (saith God) now you shall have comfort, now I will give you the mercy. A prisoner must not think to get off his fetters by pulling and tearing, he may gall his flesh and rend it to the very bone, certainly he will be unfettered never the sooner, but if he would have his fetters taken off he must quietly give up himself to some man to take them off; If a begger after he hath knockt once or twice at the door and you come not, and thereupon he is vext and troubled and thinks much that you let him stand a little while without any thing, you think that this begger is not fit to receive an almes, but if you hear two or three beggers at your door, and if you hear them out of your window say, let us be content to stay, perhaps they are busie, it’s fit that we should stay, it’s well if we have any thing at last, we deserve nothing at all, and therefore we may well wait a while; you would then quickly send them an almes; so God deals with the heart, when it is in a disquiet way then God doth not give; but when the heart lies down quietly under Gods hand, then is the heart in a fit frame to receive mercy: Your strength shall be to sit still (saith God,) you shall not be delivered from Babylon but by your sitting still.

2 As fit to receive mercy, So fit to do service, Oh the quiet fruits of righteousnesse, the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse; they indeed do prosper and multiply most when they come to be peacable fruits of righteousnesse. As the Philosophers say of every thing that moves, nothing that moves but it moves upon something that is immovable; as a thing that moves upon the earth, if the earth were not still it could not move.

Object. The ships move upon the Sea, and that is not still.

Answ. But the Seas they move upon that which is still and immovable, there is nothing moves but it hath something immovable that doth uphold it: The wheels in a Coach they move up and down, but the exletree that moves not up and down; so it is with the heart of a man. As they say of the Heaven, it moves up and down upon a pole that is immovable: so it is in the heart of a man, if he will move to do service to God he must have a steady heart within him, that must help him to move in the service of God, those that have unsteady disquiet spirits that have no steadfastnesse at all in them, they are not fit to do service for God, but such as have steadfastnesse in their spirits they are men and women fit to do any service, and that’s the reason that when the Lord hath any great work for any servants of his to do, usually he doth first quiet their spirits, he doth bring their spirits into a quiet sweet frame to be contented with any thing, and then he sets them about imployment.

The Fift excellency is this, Contentment it doth deliver us from abundance of temptations. Oh the temptations that men of discontented spirits are subject to, the Devil loves to fish in troubled waters. That’s our proverb of men and women, their disposition is to fish in troubled waters, they say it is good fishing in troubled waters, this is the maxime of the Devil, he loves to fish in troubled waters, where he sees the spirits men and women troubled and vext, there the Devil comes, saith he, there’s good fishing for me, when he sees men and women go discontented up and down and he can get them alone, then he comes with his temptations, saith he, will you suffer such a thing? take such a shifting indirect way, do not you see how poor you are, others are brave, you know not what you shall do against winter, to provide fewell and get bread for you and your children, and so he tempts them to unlawful courses; this is the special distemper that the Devil fastens upon, when he brings men and women to give up their souls to him, it is upon discontent: That’s the ground of all those that have been witches, and so have given up themselves to the Devil, the rise of it hath been their discontent, and therefore it is observable that those the Devil worketh upon to make them witches, usually they are old and melancholy people, and women especially, and those that are of the poorer sort, that are discontent at home, their neighbours trouble them and vex them, and their spirits are weak and they cannot bear it, so upon that the Devil fastens his temptations and draws them to any thing; if they be poor, then he promises them money, if they have revengefull spirits, then he tels them that he will revenge them upon such and such persons, now this quiets and contents them. Oh! there’s matter of temptation for the Devil where he meets with a discontented spirit. As Luther saith of God, God doth not dwell in Babylon, but in Salem, Babylon signifies confusion, and Salem signifies peace: now God doth not dwell in spirits that are in a confusion, but he dwels in peacable and quiet spirits. Oh if you would free your selves from temptations, labour for Contentment, It is the peace of God that guards the heart from temptation. I remember I have read of one Marius Curio that when he had bribes sent him, to tempt him to be unfaithful to his Countrey, he was sitting at home at dinner with a dish of turnips, and they came and promised him rewards, saith he, That man that can be contented with this fare that I have, will not be tempted with your rewards, I thank God I am content with this fare, and as for rewards let them be offered to those that cannot be content to dine with a dish of turnips. So the truth is we see it apparently, that the reason why many do betray their trust, as in the Parliament service and Kingdom, because they cannot be contented to be in a low condition. Let a man be contented to be in a low condition, and to go meanly cloathed if God sees it fit, such a man is shot-free (as I may so say) from thousands of temptations of the Devil, that do prevail against others to the damning of their souls; Oh in such times as these are when men are in danger of the loss of their estates, I say these men that have not got this grace are in a most lamentable condition, they are in more danger for their souls then they are for their outward estates, you think it is a sad thing to be in danger of your outward estates that you may loose all in an night, but if you have not this contented spirit within you, you are in more danger of the temptations of the Devil to be plundered that way of any good, and to be led into sin; Oh when men think thus, they must live as brave as they were wont to do, these men make themselves a prey to the Devil; but for such as can say let God do with me what he pleases, I am content to submit to his hand in it, the Devil wil scarce meddle with such men. It’s a notable speech of a Phylosopher that lived upon mean fare, and as he was eating herbs and roots, saith one to him, If you would but please Dionisius you need not eat herbs and roots: but he answered him thus, If you would but be content with such mean fare you need not flatter Dionisius. So temptations will no more prevail upon a contented man, then a dart that is thrown against a brasen wal. That’s the Fifth particular.

The Sixth excellency is, The abundant comforts in a mans life that Contentment will bring: Contentment will make a mans life exceeding sweet and comfortable, nothing more than the grace of Contentment; many waies I will shew how it brings in Comfort.

1 As first, What a man hath he hath it in a kind of Independent way, not depending upon any Creature for his Comfort.

2 A Contented man whose estate is low, if God raises his estate he hath the love of God in it, and then it’s abundantly more sweet than if he had it and his heart not contented: for if he had not the love of God in it, for it may be God grants to a discontented man his desire, but he cannot say it is from love; if a man hath quieted his spirit first, and then God grant him his desire, he may have more comfort in it, and more assurance that he hath the love of God in it.

3 This Contentment is a comfort to a mans spirit in this, that it doth keep in his comforts, and keep out whatsoever may damp his comforts, or put out the light of them: I may compare this Grace of Contentment to a Marriners Lanthorn, a Marriner when he is at Sea let him have never so much provision in his ship, yet if he be thousands of leagues from land, or in a rode that he shall not meet with a ship in three or four moneths, if he hath never a Lanthorn in his ship, nor nothing whereby he can keep a Candle light in a storm, he will be in a sad condition, he would give a great deal to have a Lanthorn, or some thing that may serve in stead of it. When a storm comes in the night, and he cannot have any light come above-board, but is puft out presently, his condition is very sad: so many men can have the light of comfort when there is no storm, but let there come but any affliction, any storm upon them their light is puft out presently, and what shall they do now? When the heart is furnished with this Grace of Contentment; this Grace is (as it were) the Lanthorn, and it keeps comfort in the spirit of a man, light in the midst of a storm and tempest. When you have a Lanthorn in the midst of a storm you can carry a light every where up and down the ship to the top of the Mast if you will, and yet keep it light; so the comfort of a Christian when it is enlivened with the grace of Contentment, it may be keept light whatever storms or tempests come, yet he can keep light in his soul. Oh! this helps thy comforts exceeding much.

Seventhly. There is this Excellency in Contentment, that it fetches in the comfort of those things we have not really in possession; and perhaps many that have not outward things, have more comfort than those have that do enjoy them themselves: As now, a man by distilling herbs, though he hath not the herbs themselves, yet having the water that is distil’d out of them, he may enjoy the benefit of the herbs: so though a man hath not the reall possession of such an outward estate, an outward comfort, yet he by the grace of Contentment may fetch it in to himself. By the art of Navigation we can fetch in the riches of the East and West-Indies to our selves; so by the art of Contentment we may fetch in the comfort of any condition to our selves, that is, we may have that comfort by Contentment, that we should have if we had the thing it self. There is an notable story you have for this in Plutarch, in the life of Pyrus; one Sineus comes to him, and would very fain have had him desist from the wars, and not war with the Romans; saith he to him, May it please your Majestie, it is reported that the Romans are very good men of warre, and if it please the gods we do over-come them, what benefit shall we have of that Victory? Pyrhus answered him, We shall then straight conquer all the rest of Italy with ease. Saith Sineus, Indeed it is likely which your Grace speaketh: But when we have won Italy, will then our wars end? If the Gods were pleased said Pyrhus, that the victory were achieved, the way were then broad open for us to attain great conquests, for who would not afterwards go into Africk, and so to Carthage? But (saith Sineus) when we have all in our hands, what shall we do in the end? then Pyrhus laughing, told him again, we will then be quiet, and take our ease, and make feasts every day, and be as merry one with another as we can possible: saith Sineus, What letteth us now to be as quiet, and merry together, fith we enjoy that presently without further travel and trouble which we should go seek for abroad, with such shedding of blood, and so manifest danger: Cannot you sit down and be merry now? So a man may think, if I had such a thing, then I would have another, and if I had that, then I should have more: and what if you had got al your desire? then you would be content, why? you may be content now without them. Certainly our Contentment doth not consist in the getting of the thing we desire, but in Gods fashioning our spirits to our conditions: There’s some men that have not a foot of ground of their own, yet will live better than other men that are heirs to a great deal of land. I have known it in the country somtimes, that a man lives upon his own land, and yet lives very poorly, but you shall have another man that shall farm his land, and yet by his good husbandry, and by his care shall live better somtimes than he that hath the land of his own: so a man by this art of Contentment may live better without an estate than another man can of an estate: Oh! it adds exceeding much to the comfort of a Christian: and that I may shew it farther, there is more comfort even in grace of Contentment than there is in any possessions whatsoever; a man hath more comfort in being content without a thing, than he can have in the thing that he in a discontented way doth desire.

You think, if I had such a thing, then I should be content. I say, There is more good in Contentment, than there is in the thing that you would fain have to cure your discontent, and that I shall open in divers particulars, As thus,

1. I would fain have such a thing, and then I could be content; but if I had it then it were but the creature that did help to my Contentment; but now it’s the Grace of God in my soul that makes me content: and surely it is better to be Content with the Grace of God in my soul, than with the enjoying of an outward comfort.

2. If I had such a thing, indeed my estate might be better, but my soul would not be better, but by Contentment my soul is better, that would not be bettered by an estate, or lands, or friends; but Contentment makes my self to be better: and therefore Contentment is a better portion than the thing is that I would fain have to be my portion.

3. If I get Content by having my desire satisfied, that’s but self-love; but when I am Contented with the hand of God, and am willing to be at his dispose, that comes from my love to God in having my desire satisfied, there I am contented through self-love, but through the Grace of Contentment I come to be contented out of love to God; and is it not beteer to be contented from a principle of love to God, than from a principle of self-love.

4. If I am contented because I have that that I have a desire to, perhaps I am contented in that one particular, but that one particular doth not furnish me with Contentment in another thing; perhaps I may grow more dainty and nice, and froward in other things: if you give children what they would have in some things, they grow so much the more coy and dainty, and discontented if they have not other things that they would have; but if I have once overcome my heart, and am contented through the grace of God in my heart, then this doth not content me only in a particular, but in general, whatsoever befals me. I am discontented, and would fain have such a thing, and afterwards I have it: now doth this prepare me to be contented in other things? no, but when I have gotten this Grace of Contentment, I am prepar’d to be contented in all conditions: and thus you see that Contentment doth bring comfort to a mans life, fils a mans life full of comfort in this world: yea, the truth is, it is even a Heaven upon Earth, why? what is Heaven, but the rest and quiet of a mans spirit; what’s the special thing that is in Heaven, but rest, and joy, that makes the life of Heaven, there’s rest and joy, and satisfaction in God: so it’s here in a contented spirit, there’s rest, and joy, and satisfaction in God: In Heaven, there’s singing praises to God; a contented heart is alwaies praising and blessing God; thou hast Heaven while thou art upon earth when thou hast a contented spirit, yea, in some regards it’s better than Heaven. How is that you will say? there’s some kind of honour that God hath in it, and some excellency that he hath not in Heaven, and that’s this,

In Heaven there is no overcoming of temptations, they are not put to any trials by afflictions: there in Heaven they have exercise of grace, but they have nothing but encouragement to it, and indeed those that are there their grace is perfect, and in that they do excel us; but there is nothing to cross their grace, they have no trials at all to tempt them to do contrary; but now for a man or woman to be in the midst of afflictions, temptations and troubles, and yet to have grace exercised, and yet to be satisfied in God and Christ, and in the Word and Promises in the mid’st of all they suffer, this may seem to be an honour that God hath from us, that he hath not from the Angels and Saints in Heaven. Is it so much for one that is in Heaven that hath nothing else but good from God, hath nothing to try them, no temptations, is that so much for them to be praising and blessing God, as for the poor soul that is in the mid’st of trials and temptations, and afflictions, and troubles? for this soul to go on praysing and blessing, and serving God; I (say) it is an excellency that thou shalt not have in Heaven, and God shal not have this kind of glory from thee in Heaven, and therefore be contented, and prize this Contentment, and be willing to live in this world as long as God shal please, and do not think, Oh that I were delivered from all these afflictions and troubles herein this world! if thou wert, then thou shouldest have more ease to thy self: but here’s a way of honouring God, and manifesting the excellency of Grace here when thou art in this Conflict of temptation that God shal not have from thee in Heaven, and therefore be satisfied and quiet, be contented with thy Contentment: I want such and such things that others have, but blessed be God I have a contented heart that others have not, then I say be content with thy Contenement, for that’s a rich portion that the Lord hath granted unto them, if the Lord should give unto thee thousands here in this world, it would not be such a rich portion as this, that he hath given thee a contented spirit: Oh go away and praise the Name of God, and say, Lord, it’s true these and these comforts that others have I should be glad if I had them, but thou hast cut me short, but though I want these, yet thou hast given me that that is as good and better, thou hast given me a quiet contented heart, to be willing to be at thy dispose.

Footnotes

1. Aug. 31: 1645. ↩