PHILIPPIANS. 4.11. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
1 NOW we are coming to the close of this point of Contentment that Jesus Christ doth teach those that are in his School: we have opened the point unto you, and shewed you wherein the Art, and Skill, and Mystery of Christian Contentment lies; and divers things in the way of application rebuking the want of this and the last day I finished that point of shewing the several Reasonings of a murmuring and discontented heart. I shall now (as being desirous to make an end) leave what was said, and proceed to what remains. There are only these two things for the working of your hearts to this grace of Christian Contentment.
First, The propounding of several Considerations for the contenting of the heart in any afflicted condition.
Secondly, The propounding of Directions what should be done for the working of our hearts unto this,
The First Consideration
We should consider (in all our wants and inclinations to discontent) The greatnesse of the mercies that we have, and the meanesse of the things that we want. The things we want, (if we be godly) they are things of very small moment in comparison to the things we have, and the things we have are things of very great moment; for the most part that that people are discontent and murmur for the want of, it is because they have not such things as reprobates have, or may have; why should’st thou be troubled so much for the want of that that a man or woman may have & yet be a reprobate, as that thy estate is not so great, thy health not so perfect, thy credit not so much, thou mayest have all those things and yet be a reprobate; now wilt thou be discontent for that that a reprobate may have? I shall give you the example of a couple of godly men meeting together, Anthony and Diddimus, Diddimus was blind, and yet a man of very excellent parts and graces, Anthony askt him if he was not troubled at this his want of sight, he confest he was, but (saith he) shall you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have, and not rather rejoyce & be thankful that you have what Angels have? God hath given you those good things that makes Angels glorious, is not that enough to you, though you want what thing a fly hath? And so a Christian should reason the case with himself, what am I discontented for? I am discontented for want of that that a dog may have, that a Devil may have, that a reprobate may have, shall I be discontent for not having that, when as God hath given me that that makes Angels glorious? Blessed be God (saith the Apostle in Ephe. 1.3.) that hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places. It may be thou hast not so great blessings in earthly places as some others have, but if the Lord hath blessed thee in heavenly places that should content thee, there’s blessings in heaven, and he hath set thee here for the present as it were in heaven, in a heavenly place, the consideration of the greatnesse of the mercies that we have, and the littlenesse of the things that God hath denyed us, is a very powerful consideration to work this grace of Contentment.
The Second Consideration
The consideration that God is beforehand with us with his mercies should content us (I spake to this as an aggravation of our discontent, but now I shall use it as a consideration to help us to Contentment) Thou wantest many comforts now, but hath not God bin beforehand with thee heretofore? Oh thou hast had mercy enough already to make thee spend all the strength thou hast and time thou shalt live, to bless God for what thou hast had already. I remember I have read of a good man that had liv’d to fifty yeers of age and enjoyed his health for eight and forty yeers exceeding well, and liv’d in prosperity, and the two last yeers his body was exceedingly diseased, he had the strangury, and was in great pain; but he reasoned the case with himself thus; Oh Lord thou mightest have made all my life to have been a life of torment and pain, but thou hast let me have eight and forty yeers in health, I wil praise thy mercies for what I have had, and will praise thy justice for what now I feel. Oh it’s a good consideration for us to think that God is beforehand with us in the way of mercy: Suppose God should now take away your estates from some of you that have lived comfortably a great while, you will say, That aggravates our misery that we have had estates; but it is through thy unthankfulnesse that it doth so; we should blesse God for what we have had, and not think that we are worse because we have had thus and thus, we might have been alwaies miserable, and certainly that mans condition is not very miserable that hath no other great aggravation of his misery but because once he was happy; If there be nothing else to make you miserable, that is no such agravation but that thou mayest bear it, for there is much mercy in that that thou hadst once, and therefore let that content thee.