PHILIPPIANS. 4.1. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
1 I Mentioned divers things the last day to set out the evil of discontent; I shall name Two or Three more.
Sixthly, It is below a Christian in this, Because it’s below those helps that a Christian hath more than others have; they have the promises to help them that others have not; it’s not so much to have a Nabal have his heart sink, because he hath nothing but the creature to uphold him, but it’s much for a Christian that hath promises and ordinances to uphold his spirit which others have not.
Seventhly, It’s below the expectation that God hath of Christians, for God expects not only that they should be patient in afflictions, but that they should rejoyce and triumph in them: now Christians, when God expects this from you, for you not so much as to have attained to contentednesse under afflictions, Oh this is beneath the expectation of God from you.
Eightly, It is below that that God hath had from other Christians. Others have not only bin contented with little crosses, but they have Triumphed under great afflictions, they have suffered the spoiling of their goods with joy, reade but the latter part of the 11. of the Hebrews, and you shall find what great things God hath had from his people, and therefore not to be content with smaler crosses, this must needs be a great evil.
The Sixth evil that there is in a murmuring spirit, is this, By murmuring you undo your prayers, for it is exceeding contrary to the prayers that you make unto God: When you come to prayer to God, you acknowledge his Sovereignity over you, you come there to professe your selves to be at Gods dispose, what do you pray for except you acknowledge that you are at his dispose, except you will stand (as it were) at his dispose never come to petition to him, if you will come to petition him, and yet will be your own carver you go crosse to your prayers, to come as if you would beg your bread at your Fathers gates every day, and yet you must do what you list, this is the undoing of the prayers of a Christian. I remember I have read of Lattimer that speaking concerning Peter that denyed his master, (saith he) Peter forgot his Pater-noster, for that was, hallowed be thy name, and thy kingdom come: So we may say, when you have murmuring and discontented hearts you forget your prayers, you forget what you have prayed for, for you must make the Lords-prayer to be as a pattern for your prayers though you say not alwaies the same words, what do you pray, but give us this day our dayly bread? for that’s Christs intention that we should have that as a pattern, and is a directory (as it were) how to make our prayers, now God doth not teach any of you to pray, Lord give me so much a yeer, or let me have such kind of cloath, and so many dishes at my table, Christ doth not teach you to pray so; but he teaches us to pray, Lord give us our bread, shewing that you should be content with a little, what have you not bread to eat? I hope there’s none of you here but have that.
Obj. But I do not know if I should die what should become of my children: Or if I have bread now I know not where I shall have it the next week, or where I shall have provision for the winter.
Answ. Where did Christ teach us to pray, Lord give us provision for so long a time; no, but if we have bread for this day Christ would have us content: Therefore when we murmur because we have not so much variety as others have, we do (as it were) forget our Pater-noster; It’s against our prayers, we do not in our lives hold forth the acknowledgement of the Sovereignity of God over us as we seem to acknowledg in our prayers; therefore when at any time you find your hearts murmuring then do but reflect upon your selves and think thus, is this according to my prayers, wherein I held forth the Sovereign Power and Authority that God had over me?
The Seventh thing that I adde for the evil of discontentment, is, The wofull effects that comes to a discontented heart from murmuring, I’le name you five, there are five evil effects that comes from a murmuring spirit.
1 By murmuring and discontent in your hearts, you come to loose a great deal of time; how many times do men and women when they are discontented let their thoughts run, and are musing and contriving through their present discontentednesse; then let their discontented thoughts be working in them, for some hours together, and they spend their time in vain. When you are alone you should spend your time in holy meditation, but you are spending your time in discontented thoughts; you who complain that you cannot meditate, you cannot think on good things, but if you begin to think of them a little, presently your thoughts are off from them, but if you be discontented with any thing, then you can go alone, and muse, and roul things up and down in your thoughts to feed a discontented humour: Oh labour to see this evil effect of murmuring, the losing of your time.