The rare jewel of Christian contentment wherein is shewed, I. What contentment is, II. The holy art or mystery of it, III. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment, IV. The excellencies of it, V. The evils of murmuring, VII. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring / by Jeremiah Burroughs.

SERMON II.

PHILIPPIANS. 4.11.

* 1.1For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

WEE have made entrance (you may remember) into the Argument of Christian Contentment. And have opened the words, and shewed you what this Christian Contentation is; that it is, The inward, quiet, gracious frame of Spirit, freely submitting too, and taking Complacency in Gods dispose in every con∣dition. And therein came to this last thing, [In every condition] Now we shall a little in large that, and so proceed:

1 Submitting to God in what ever Affliction befalls us: for the kind.

2 For the time and continuance of the Affliction.

3 For the variety and changes of Affliction: Let them be what they will, yet there must be a submitting to Gods dispose in eve∣ry condition.

First for the kind, Many men and women will in the general say, that they must submit to God in affliction; I suppose now if you should come from one end of this Congregation to ano∣ther, and speak to every soul thus; Would not you submit to Gods dispose, in what ever condition he should dispose of you too; you would say, God forbid it should be otherwise, but we use to say, There is a great deal of deceit in generals. In general you would submit to any thing: but what if it be in this and that particular, that is most crosse to you? Then any thing but that: we are usually apt to think that any condition is better

than the condition that God doth dispose us too, now here is not Contentment; it should not be only to any condition in general, but for the kind of the affliction, if it be that which is most crosse to you. God (it may be) striks you in your Child, Oh if it had been in my Estate saith one, I should be content; perhaps he striks you in your Match, Oh saith he I had rather have been strucken in my health; and if he had struck you in your health, Oh then if it had been in my trading I would not have cared; but we must not be our own carvers, what parti∣cular afflictions God shall dispose us to, there must be Content∣ment in them.

Secondly, There must be a submission to God in every affliction, for the time and continuance of the affliction. It may be saith one I could submit and be content, but this affliction hath been up∣on me a long time, a quarter of a year, a year, divers years, and I know not how to yeild and submit to it, my patience is even worn and broke; yea it may be it is a spiritual affliction, you could submit to God you say in any outward affliction, but not in a soul-affliction, or if it were an affliction upon the soul, trouble upon the heart, if it were the withdrawing of Gods face, yet if this had been but for a little time I could submit; but seeking of God so long a time and yet God doth not appear, Oh how shall I bear this! We must not be our own disposers for the time of deliverance no more than the kind and way of deliverance, and I will give you a Scripture or two about this; That we are to submit unto God for the time as well as the kind, in the latter end of the 1. Chap. of Ezek. When I saw it I fel upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake, (the Prophet was cast down upon his face, but how long must he lie upon his face) And he said vnto me, Son of man stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee, and the Spirit entered into me, when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet. Ezekiel was cast down upon his face, and there he must lie till God bid him stand up, yea and not only so, but till Gods Spirit came into him to enable him to stand up: So when God casts us down, we must be content to lie till God bid us stand up, and Gods Spirit enter into us to enable us to stand up. So you know Noah he was put into the Ark, cer∣tainly he knew there was much affliction in the Ark, having all

kind of creatures shut up with him for twelve monthes together, it was a mighty thing, yet God shutting him up (though the wa∣ters were asswaged) Noah was not to come out of the Ark til God bid him: So though we be shut up in great afflictions, and we may think there may be this and that and the other means to come out of that affliction, yet till God doth open the door we should be willing to stay; God hath put us in, and God is to bring us out: As we reade in the Acts, of Paul, when they had shut him in Prison and would have sent for him out; Nay, saith Paul they shut us in, let them come and fetch us out: So in a holy gra∣cious way should a soul say, Well, this affliction that I am brought into, it is by the hand of God, and I am content to be here till God brings me out himself. God doth require it at our hands, that we should not be willing to come out till he comes and fetches us out. In Josh. 4.10. you have a notable history there that may very well serve our purpose; we reade of the Priests, that the Priests bear the Ark and stood in the middest of Jordan; you know when the children of Israel went into the Land of Canaan they went through the River of Jordan: Now the going through the river Jordan was a very dangerous thing, only God bad them to go, they might have been afraid that the water might have come in upon them: but mark, it is said, The Priest that bear the Ark stood in the middest of Jordan till every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hasted and passed over: and it came to pass when all the people were clean passed over, that the Ark of the Lord passed over, and the Priests in the presence of the people. Now it was Gods dispose that all the peo∣ple should passe over first, that they should be safe upon the land; but the Priests they must stand still till all the people be passed o∣ver, and then they must have leave to go, but they must stay till God would have them go, stay in all that danger; for certainly in reason and sence there was a great deal of danger in staying: for the text saith, the people hasted over, but the Priests they must stay till the people be gone, stay til God cals them out from that place of danger; and so many times it doth prove that God is pleased to dispose of things so that the Ministers must stay lon∣ger in danger than the people, and Magistrates and those in pub∣like

place, which should make people to be satisfied and conten∣ted with a lower condition that God hath put them into: Though your condition be low, yet you are not in that danger that those are in that are in a higher condition; God cals them in publick place to stand longer in the gap and place of danger than other people, but we must be content to stay even in Jordan till the Lord shall be pleased to call us out.

And then for the variety of our condition, we must be con∣tent with the particular affliction, and the time and all the cir∣cumstances about the affliction; for sometimes the circumstances are greater afflictions than the afflictions themselves: And for the variety, if God will exercise us with various afflictions one after another: As that hath been very observable even of late, that many that have been plundered and come away, afterwards have fallen sick and died: They have fled for their lives and af∣terwards the plague hath come among them, and if not that a∣ffliction it may be some other affliction, it is very rare that one affliction comes alone, commonly afflictions are not single things but they come one upon the neck of another; it may be God strikes one in his estate, then in his body, then in his name, wife or child or dear friend, and so it comes in a various way it is the way of God ordinarily (you may find it by experience) that seldom one affliction comes alone, now this is hard when one affliction followes after another, when there is a variety of afflictions, when there is a mighty change in a condition, up and down, this way, and that way; there indeed is the tryal of a Christian; there must be submission to Gods dispose in them. I remember it is said even of Cato that was a Heathen, that no man saw him to be changed, though he lived in a time when the Common-wealth was so often changed, yet it is said of him, he was the same still though his condition was changed, and he ran through variety of conditions. Oh that it could be said so of many Christians, that though their conditions be changed yet that nobody could see them changed, they are the same. Look what gracious sweet and holy temper they were in before, that they are in still: thus we are to submit to the dispose of God in every condition.

Obj. But you will say, This that you speake of is good in∣deed

if we could attain to it, but is it possible for one to attain to this?

Answer. It is if you get skill in the Art of it, you may at∣tain to it, and it will prove to be no such difficult thing to you neither, if you understand but the mystery of it; as there's ma∣ny things that men do in their callings, that if a country man comes and sees, he thinks it a mighty hard thing, and that he should never be able to do it, but that's because he understands not the art of it, there is a turning of the hand so as you may do it with ease. Now that's the business of this exercise, to open unto you the art and mystery of Contentment: What way a Christian comes to Contentment, there is a great Mysterie and art in it, by that hath been opened to you there will appear some mystery and art, as that a man should be content with his affliction and yet throughly sensible of his affliction too, to be throughly sensible of an affliction, and to endeavour the remo∣ving of it by all lawful means, and yet to be content, there's a mystery in that, how to joyne these two together to be sensible of an affliction as much as that man or woman that is not con∣tent, I am sensible of it as fully as they, and I seek waies to be delivered from it as well as they, and yet still my heart abides content, this is I say a mystery that is very hard to be under∣stood by a carnal heart; but grace doth teach such a mixture, doth teach us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together; and that makes Contentment, the mingling of joy and sorrow, of gracious joy and gracious sorrow together, grace teaches us how to moderate and to order an affliction so as there shall be a sence of it, and yet for all that Contentment under it.

There are divers things further for the opening of the Mystery of Con∣tentment

The First Thing therefore is this, To shew that there is a great mystery in it. One that is contented in a Christian way it may be said of him that he is the most contented man in the world, and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world, these two together must needs be mysterious, I say a contented man as he is the most contented so he is the most unsatisfied of any man in the world. You never learned the mystery of contentment ex∣cept

it may be said of you that as you are the most contented man so you are the most unsatisfied man in the world.

You will say how is that? A man that hath learned the art of Contentment is the most contented with any low condition that he hath in the world, and yet he cannot be satisfied with the injoyment of all the world, and yet he is contented if he hath but a crust, but bread and water, that is if God disposes of him for the things of the world to have but bread and water for his present condition, he can be satisfied with Gods dispose in that, yet if God should give unto him Kingdoms and Empiers, all the world to rule, if he should give it him for his portion he would not be satisfied with that, here's the mystery of it, though his heart be so inlarged as the injoyment of all the world and ten thousand worlds cannot satisfie him for his portion; yet he hath a heart quieted under Gods dispose, if he gives him but bread and water, to joyn these two together, this must needs be a great art and mystery. Though he be contented with God in a little, yet those things that would content other men will not content him; The men of the world they seek after estates, and think if they had thus much, and thus much, they would be content, they aime at no great matters; but if I had (perhaps some man thinks) but two or three hundred a year, then I should be well enough; If I had but a hundred a year, or a thousand a year (saith another) then I should be satisfied: but saith a gracious heart, If he had ten hundred thousand times so much a year, it would not satisfie him, if he had the quintescence of all the excellencies of all the creatures in the world, it could not satisfie him, and yet this man can sing, and be merry, and joyfull when he hath but a crust of bread and a little water in the world: Surely Religion is a great mystery, great is the mystery of godlinesse, not only in the Doctrinal part of it, but in the Practical part of it also. Godliness teacheth us this my∣stery, Not to be satisfied with all the world for our portion, and yet to be content with the meanest condition in which we are. As Luther, when he had great gifts sent him from Dukes and Princes, he refused it, and saith he, I did vehemently protest God should not put me off so; 'tis not that which will content me: A little in the world will content a Christian for his pas∣sage:

Marke, here lies the Mystery of it, A little in the world will Content a Christian for his passage, but all the world and ten thousand times more will not Content a Christian for his portion: Now a carnal heart will be Con∣tent with these things of the world for his portion; and there is the differnce between a Carnal heart and a Gracious heart: But saith a gracious heart, Lord do with me what thou wilt for my passage through this world, I will be content with that, but I cannot be content with all the world for my portion: so there is the mystery of true Contentation. A contented man though he be most contented with the least things in the world; yet he is the most unsatisfied man that lives in the world. That Soul that is capable of God, can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God: though a gracious heart knows that it is capable of God, and was made for God; Carnal hearts think of no reference to God, but a gracious heart being inlarged to be capable of God, and injoying somewhat of him, nothing in the world can fill a gracious heart, it must be only God himself; and therefore you shall observe, That let God give what he will to a gracious heart, a heart that is godly, except he gives Himself, it will not do; a godly heart will not only have the mercy, but the God of that mercy as well as its self, and then a little matter is e∣nough in the world, so be it he hath the God of that mercy he doth injoy; In Phil. 4.7.9. I shall need go no further to shew a notable Scripture for this, Compare vers. 7. with vers. 9. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. The peace of God shall keep your hearts. Then in vers. 9. Those things which ye have both learned and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you, The peace of God shall keep you, and the God of peace shall be with you. This is that that I would observe from this Text, That the peace of God is not enough to a gracious heart except it may have the God of that peace. A carnall heart could be satisfied if he might but have outward peace, though it be not the peace of God; peace in the State and his trading would sa∣tisfie him: But mark how a Godly heart goes beyond a Car∣nal, all outward peace is not enough, but I must have the peace

of God: But suppose you have the peace of God, Will not that quiet you? No, I must have the God of peace, as the peace of God so the God of peace, that is, I must injoy that God that gives me the peace, I must have the cause as well as the effect; I must see from whence my peace comes, and injoy the fountain of my peace, as well as the stream of my peace; and so in other mer∣cies, have I health from God, I must have the God of my health to be my portion, or else I am not satisfied: It is not life, but the God of my life; it is not riches, but the God of those riches that I must have, the God of my preservation, as well as my pre∣servation; a gracious heart is not satisfied without this, To have the God of the mercy, as well as the mercy. In Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee. It is nothing in heaven or earth, can satisfie me, but thy self; if God give thee not only earth but heaven, that thou shouldest rule over Sun, Moon, and stars, and have the rule over the highest of the sons of men, it would not be enough to satisfie thee, except thou hadest God himself; There lies the first mystery of Contentment; & truly a contented man, though he be the most contented man in the world, yet he is the most unsatisfied man in the world, that is, Those things that will satisfie the world, will not satisfie him.

Secondly, There is this Mystery in Christian Contentation. A Christian comes to Contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of Substraction, that is his way of Contentment, and that is a way that the world hath no skill in. I open it thus, Not so much by the adding to what he would have, or to what he hath, not by adding more to his condition, but rather by sub∣stracting of his desires, and so to make his desires and conditon to be even and equal. A carnal heart knows no way to be Con∣tented but this, I have such and such an estate, and if I had this added to it, and the other comfort added that now I have not, then I should be Contented; it may be I have lost my estate, if I could have but that given to me so as to make up my losse, then I should be a contented man: But now Contentmet doth not come in that way, it comes not in I say by the adding to what thou wantest, but by the substracting of thy desires; it is all one to a Christian, either that I may get up unto what I

would have, or get my desires down to what I have; either that I may attain to what I do desire, or bring down my desires to what I have already attained; my estate is the same, for it is as sutable to me to bring my desire down to my condition, as it is to raise up my condition to my desire. Now I say a heart that hath no grace, and is not instructed in this Mystery of Con∣tentment, knows no way to get Contentment, but to have his estate raised up to his desires; but the other hath another way to Contentment, that is, He can bring his desires down to his estate, and so he doth attain to his Contentment. So the Lord fashions the hearts of the Children of men: Now if the heart of a man be fashioned to his condition, he may have as much contentment as if his condition be fashioned to his heart; some men have a mighty large heart, but they have a straight condi∣tion, and they can never have Contentment when their hearts are big and their condition is little; but now though a man cannot bring his condition to be as big as his heart, yet if he can bring his heart to be as little as his condition, to bring them even, from thence is Contentment. The world is infinitly deceived in this, To think that Contentment lies in having more than they have; here lies the bottom and root of all Contentment, when there is an evennesse and proportion be∣tween our hearts and our conditions; and that is the reason that many that are godly men that are in a low condition live more sweet and comfortable lives than those that are richer: Contentment is not alwaies cloathed with silk, and purple, and velvets, but Contentment is sometimes in a russet sure, in a mean condition as well as in a higher; and many men that some∣times have had great estates, and God hath brought them into a lower condition, they have had more Contentment in that condition than the other: Now how can that possible be? Thus easily, For if you did but understand the root of Contentment, it consists in the sutablenesse and proportion of the spirit of a man to his estate, and the evenness, when one end is not longer and bigger than another; the heart is contented, there is com∣fort in that condition; now let God give a man never so great riches, yet if the Lord gives him up to the pride of his heart, he will never be contented: But now, let God bring any one into

a mean condition, and then let God but fashion and sute his heart to that condition and he will be content. As now in a mans going, Suppose a man had a mighty long leg, and his o∣ther leg were short, why though one of his legs be longer than ordinary yet he could not go so well as a man that hath both his legs shorter than he. I compare a long leg, when one is lon∣ger than another, to a man that hath a high condition, and is very rich, and a great man in the world, but he hath a great proud heart too, and that is longer and larger than his condi∣tion: now this man cannot but be troubled in his condition: Now another man that is in a mean condition, his condition is low, and his heart is low too; so that his heart and his condi∣tion is both even together, and this man goes on with more ease abundantly than the other doth: So that now a gracious heart works after this manner, The Lord hath been pleased to bring down my condition, now if the Lord bring down my heart and make it even with my condition, then I am well enough: And so when God brings down his condition, he doth not so much labour to raise up his condition again as to bring down his heart to his condition: The Heathens themselves they had a little glimps of this; they could say, That the best riches that is, it is the poverty of desires: that is a speech of a Heathen, that is, If a man or woman have their desires cut short, and have no large desires, that man and woman they are rich when they can bring their desires to be but low: So this is the Art of Con∣tentment. Not to seek to adde to our conditions, but to sub∣stract from our desires. Another hath this, The way to be rich, saith he, it is not by increasing of wealth, but by dimini∣shing of our desires; for certainly that man or woman is a rich man or woman that hath their desires satisfied; now a conten∣ted man hath his desires satisfied, God satisfies his desires, that is, all considered, he is satisfied in his condition for the present to be the best condition, and so he comes to this Contentment by way of Substraction, and not Addition.

The Third thing in the Art of Contentment is this, A Chri∣stian comes to Contentment, not so much by getting off his burden that is upon him, as by the adding another burden to him; this is a way that flesh and blood hath little skilll in. You will say how is

this? In this manner, art thou afflicted, and is there a great load and burden upon thee by reason of thy affliction? thou thinkest there is no way in the world to get Contentment, but, O that this burden were but off, O it is a heavy load, and few know what a burden I have! What doest thou think there is no way for the Contentment of thy spirit but this getting off thy burden? O thou art deceived, the way of Contentment is to adde another burden, that is, labour to load and burden thy heart with thy sin, and the heaviour the burden of thy sin is to thy heart, the lighter will the burden of thy affliction be to thy soule, and so shalt thou come to be Content: If thy burden were lightened that would content thee, thou thinkest there is no way to lighten it but to get it off, but thou art deceived, for if thou canst get thy heart to be more burdened with thy sin; thou wilt be lesse burdened with thy afflictions: You will say this is a strange way, for a man or woman to get ease to their condition, when they are burdened, to lay a greater burden upon them? You think there is no other way when you are af∣flicted, but to be jolly and merry, and get into company, Oh no, you are deceived, your burden will come again, alas this is a poor way to get his spirit quieted, poor man, the burden will be upon him again; but if thou wouldest have thy burden light, if thou canst get alone and examine thy heart for thy sin, and charge thy soul with thy s••n: if thy burden be in thy estate, for the abuse of it, or if it be a burden upon thy body, for the abuse of thy health, and strength, and the abuse of any mercies that now the Lord hath taken away from thee, thou hast not honoured God with those mercies that thou hast had, but thou hast walked wantonly and carelesly; and so fall a bemoning thy s••n before the Lord, and thou shalt quickly find the burden of thy affliction to be lighter than it was before; do but try this piece of skill and art, to get your souls contented with any low condition that God puts you into; many times in a family, when any affliction befals them, Oh what a deal of discontentment is there between man and wife, if crost in their estates at Land, or ill news from Sea, or those that they trusted are broke and the like, and perhaps somwhat in the fa∣mily fals crosse between man and wife, or in reference to the

children or servants, and there is nothing but brabling and dis∣content among them, now they many times are burdened with their own discontent, and perhaps will say one to another, this life is very uncomfortable for us to live thus discontented so as we do; but have you ever tried this way, the husband and the wife? have you ever got alone and said, Come, Oh let us go and humble our souls before God together, let us go into our chamber and humble our souls before God for our sin, where∣by we have abused those mercies that God hath taken away from us, and we have provok'd God against us, Oh let us charge our selves with our sin, and be humbled before the Lord toge∣ther, have you tried such a way as this is? Oh you would find the cloud would be taken away, and the Sun would shine in up∣on you, and you would have a great deal more Conntentment than ever yet you had: If a mans estate be broken, either by plunderers, or any other way; now how shall this man have Contentment? how? By the breaking of his heart, God hath broken thy estate, Oh seek to him for the breaking of thy heart likewise; Indeed a broken estate, and a whole heart, a hard heart, will not joyn together, there will be no Contentment; but a broken estate, and a broken heart, will so sute together, as there will be more Contentment than there was before; adde therefore to the breaking of thy estate, the breaking of thy heart what thou canst, and that is the way to be Contented in a Christian manner, which is the Third Mystery in Christian Contentation.

The fourth thing is this, It is not so much the removing of the af∣fliction that is upon us, as the changing of the affliction, the Metamor∣phosing of the affliction, when it is quite turned and changed into another thing: I meane in regard of the use of it, though for the mat∣ter the affliction abide stil. The way of Contentment to a carnal heart it's only the removing of the affliction, Oh that it may be gone; no but saith a gracious heart, God hath taught me a way for Contentment though the affliction shall continue still for the matter of it; but there is a vertue of grace to turn this affliction into good; it takes away but only the sting and poy∣son of it; As now, Suppose poverty, A mans estate is lost; well, is there no way to be contented till your estate be made

up again? Till your poverty be removed? Yes, certainly Christianity would teach Contentment, though poverty conti∣nues yet it will teach you how to turn your poverty to spiritual riches; that you shall be poor still for your outward estate; but this shall be altered, whereas before it was once a natural evil to you, it comes now to be turned into a spiritual benefit to you; and so you come to be content. It is a speech of Am∣brose, Even poverty it's self it is riches unto holy men: Godly men do make their poverty turn to be riches, they get more riches out of their poverty then ever they get out of their revenues, out of all their trading in this world they never had such incomes as they have had out of their poverty; this a carnall heart will think strange that a man shall make poverty to be the most gainfull trade that ever he had in the world; I am perswaded that ma∣ny Christians have found it so, that they have got more good by their poverty than ever they got by all their riches, you find it in Scripture, therefore think not this strange that I am speak∣ing of, you do not find any one Godly man that came out of an affliction worse than when he came into it, though for a while he was shaken, yet at last he was better for an affliction; but a great many Godly men you find have been worse for their prosperity, scarce one Godly man that you reade in Scripture of but was worse for prosperity (except Daniel and Nehemiah, I do not reade of any hurt they got by their prosperity that they had) scarce (I think) is any one example of any Godly man, but was rather worse for his prosperity than better; so that you see it's no such strange thing, neither to one that is gracious that they shall get good by their affliction: Luther hath such an ex∣pression in his Comment upon the 5. Chap. of the Galatians; in the 17. verse in his Comment upon that place saith, A Christian becometh a mighty worker and a wonderful creator, that is (saith he) to create out of heavinesse joy, out of terrour comfort, out of sin righteousnesse, out of death life, and brings light out of darknesse. It was Gods prerogative and great power, his cre∣ating power to command the light to shine out of darknesse; now a Christian is partaker of the divine nature, so the scripture saith, Grace it is part of the Divine Nature, and being part of the Divine Nature it hath an impression of Gods Omnipotent

power that is, to create light out of darkensse, to being good out of evill, now by this way a Christian comes to be content. God hath given a Christian such a vertue, as can turn affliction into mercyes, can turn darkenesse into light; if a man had the power that Christ had when the water pots were fil'd, he could by a word turn the water into wine; if you that have nothing but water to drink, yet if you had a power to turn it into wine then you may be contented: Certainly a Christian hath recei∣ved this power from God, to work thus miraculously; it is the nature of grace to turn water into wine, that is, to turn the wa∣ter of your affliction, into the wine of heavenly consolation. If you understand this in a carnal way, I know it will be redi∣culous for a Minister to speak thus before you, and many car∣nal people are ready to make such expressions as these to be re∣diculous, understanding them in a carnal way: Just as Nico∣demus in the 3. of John, What can a man be born when he is old, can be enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born? So when we speak of grace that it can turn water into wine, and turn poverty into riches, and make poverty a gainful trade, saith a carnal heart, Let them have that trade if they will, and let them have water to drink, and see if they can turn it into wine: Oh take heed thou speakest not in a scornful way of the waies of God; grace hath the power to turn afflictions into mercies. Two men shall have one affliction, and to one man it shall be as gall and wormwood, and it shall be wine, and ho∣ney, and delightfulness, and joy, and advantage, and riches, to another. This is the mystery of Contentment, not so much by removing the evil, as by Metamorphosing the evil by chan∣ging the evil into good.

The Fifth thing is this, A Christain comes to this Contentment by making up the wants of his condition, by the performance of the work of his condition. This is the way of Contentment. There is such a condition that I am in, many wants, I want this and the o∣ther comfort, well, how shall I come to be satisfied and content? A carnal heart thinks this, I must have my wants made up or else it is impossible that I should be content: No, but saith a gracious heart, What is the duty of the condition God hath put me into? Indeed my condition is changed, I was not long

since in a prosperous condition, but God hath changed my con∣dition: the Lord hath called me no more Naomi, but Marah; Now what am I to do? what can I think now, are those duties that God requires of me in the condition that he hath now put me into? and let me put forth my strength, in the performance of the duties of my present condition. Others they spend their thoughts in those things that shall disturb and disquiet them, and so they grow more and more discontented; yea, but let me spend my thoughts in thinking what my duty is, what is the duty of my present condition which I am in: O saith a man whose condition is changed and he hath lost his estate, Had I but my estate as I had heretofore, how would I use it to his glo∣ry! But God hath made me to see that I did not honour him with my estate as I ought to have done: Oh had I it again, I would do better than ever I did! but this may be but a tempta∣tion, therefore you should rather think, What doth God re∣quire of me in the condition I am now brought into? And thou shouldest labour to bring thy heart to quiet and Contentnent, by setting thy soul on work about the duties of thy present con∣dition: And the truth is, I know nothing more available for the quieting of a Christian Soul, and getting Contentment then this, The setting thy heart on work about the duties of the ve∣ry present condition that now thou art in, and take heed of thy thoughts about other conditions as a meer temptation. I can∣not compare the folly of men and women that think to get Contentment with their musing about other conditions better than to the way of Children; perhaps they are gotten upon a hill, and they look a good way off and see another hill, and they think if they were on the top of that, then they were able to touch the clouds with their fingers; but when they are on the top of that hill; alas then they are as far from the clouds, as they were before: So it is with many that think, If they were in such a condition, then I should have Contentment; and perhaps they get into that condition, then they are as far from Contentment as before: But then they think if they were in a∣nother condition, they would be contented, and then when they have got into that condition, they are stil as far from Con∣tentment as before. No, no, let me consider what is the duty

of my present condition, and content my heart with this, and say, Well, though I am in a low condition, yet I am serving the counsels of God in that condition wherein I am; it is the counsel of God that hath brought me into this condition that I am in, and I desire to serve the counsel of God in that condi∣tion. There is a notable Scripture concerning David, it is said of him, That he served his Generation, after David had served his Generation according to the will of God, then he slept. It is a Speech of Paul concerning him, in Act. 13.36. So it is in your books, After he had served his generation according to the will of God: But now the word that is translated will, it is the coun∣sell of God, and so it may be translated as well, That after David in his generation had served Gods counsel, then he fell asleep. We or∣dinarily take the words thus, That David served his generation; that is, He did the work of his generation, that is to serve a mans generation. But it is more plain, if you reade it thus, Af∣ter David in his generation had served the Counsell of God, then David fell asleep. O that should be the care of a Christi∣an to serve out Gods Counsels. What is the Counsel of God? The conditiō that I am in, God doth put me into it by his own Counsel, the Counsel of his own will; Now I must serve Gods Counsel in my generation, look what is the Counsel of God in my condition, I must look to serve that; and so I shall have my heart quieted for the present, and shall live and die peace∣ably, and comfortably, if I be carefull to serve Gods Coun∣sel.

A Sixt thing in the mystery of Contentment is this, A gracious heart is contented by the melting of his will and desires into Gods will and desires, by this means he gets Contentment; and this is a mystery to a carnal heart. It is not by having his own desires satisfied as before, but by melting his will and desires into Gods will: So that he comes to have (in one sense) his desires satisfied though he hath not the thing that before he did desire, yet he comes to be satisfied in this, because he makes his will to be all one with Gods will. This is a little higher degree than sub∣mitting to the will of God. You all say, you should submit to Gods will; but a Christian hath gotten beyond this; that is, he can make Gods will and his to be the same: So it is said

of beleevers, that they are joyned to the Lord, and are one spi∣rit, that is, look what Gods will is, I do not only see reason to submit to it, but Gods will is my will: When the soul can make over (as it were) it's will to God, it must needs then have Contentment. Others would fain get the thing they do de∣sire, O but saith a gracious heart, that that God would have, I would have too, I will not only yeild to it, but I would have it too; a gracious heart hath learned this art, not only to make the commanding will of God to be it's own will, that is, what God commands me to do I will do it, but to make the providential will of God, and the opperative will of God to be his will too: God commands this thing, which perhaps you that are Christians may have some skill in, but whatsoever God works, you must will as well as what God commands, you must make Gods providential will, and his opperative will, as well your will, as Gods will, and so you must come to Con∣tentment; here a Christian makes over his will to God, and in making over his will to God, he hath no other will but only Gods; as suppose a man makes over his debt to another man, if that man that I owe the debt to, be satisfied and contented, I am satisfied because I have made it over to him, and I need not be discontented and say, my debt is not payd, and I am not sa∣tisfied, yes, you are satisfied, for he that you made over your debt to, he is satisfied: Just thus it is for all the world between God and a Christian, a Christian heart makes over his will to God, now then if Gods will be satisfied, then I am satisfied, for I have then no will of mine own, it is melted into the will of God, for so that is the excellency of grace, grace doth not only subject the will to God, but it doth melt the will in∣to Gods will, so that they are now but one will; what a sweet satisfaction must the soul have then in this condition, when all is made over to God; You will say this is hard? I will express it a little more: A gracious heart must needs have satisfaction this way, because godliness doth teach him this, to see that his good is more in God than in himself, the good of my life, and comforts, and my happinesse, and my glory, and my riches is more in God than it is in my self; (that perhaps we may speak too further, when we come to the lessons that are to be

learned.) But upon this it is, that a gracious heart hath Con∣tentment, he doth melt his will into Gods, for saith he, if God have glory, I have glory, Gods glory is my glory, and there∣fore Gods will is mine, if God have riches, then I have riches, if God be magnified, then I am magnified, if God be satisfied, then I am satisfied, Gods wisdom and holinesse is mine, and therefore his will must needs be mine, and my will must needs be his; here is the art of a Christians Contentment, he melts his will into the will of God, and makes over his will to God, Oh Lord thou shalt choose our inheritance for us. Psal. 73.

The Seventh thing in the Art of Contentment is this, The Mystery consists not so much by bringing any thing without, to make my condition more comfortable, as to purge out something that is with∣in. The men of the world now, when they would have Con∣tentment, and want any thing, Oh they must have somewhat from without to content them; but saith a godly man, let me get somthing out that is in already, and then I shall come to Contentment; As suppose a man hath an aguish humour that makes his drink taste bitter, now saith he, You must put some sugar into my drink, and his wife puts in some, and yet the drink tastes bitter, Why? Because the bitternesse comes from a bitter cholerick humour within; but let the Physitian come and give him a bitter potion to purge out the bitternesse that is within, and then he can taste his drink well enough: Just thus it is with the men of the world, Oh such a condition is bitter, and if I could have such and such a mercy added, to this mercy, then it would be sweet; now if God should put a spoonful or two of sugar in, it would be bitter still. But the way to Contentment is to purge out thy lusts and bitter hu∣mours. Jam. 4.1. From whence are wars, and strifs, are they not from your lusts that are within you? they are not so much from things without, but from within; as sometimes I have said, it is not all the storms that are abroad that can make an earth∣quake, but the vapours that are got within: and so if those lusts that are within, in thy heart, if they were got out, thy condition would be a contented condition. These are the my∣sterious waies of godlinesse, that the men of the world never think of; when didest thou ever think of such a way as this is,

for to go and purge out the distempers of thy heart that are within: Here are Seaven particulars now named, there were a great many more that I had thought of, and now without the understanding of these things, and the practice of them, you will never come to a true Contentation in your way, Oh you will be bunglers in this trade of Christianity; but the right perceiving of these things, will help you to be instructed in it as in a Mystery.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Stepney. Aug. 3. 1645.