ple be gone, ftay till God calls them out from that place of danger. And fo many times it doth prove, that God is pleased to difpofe of things,fo that the Minifter muft ftay longer in danger, than the People, and Magiftrates and those in publick place, which fhould make people to be fatisfied and contented with a lower condition that God hath put them into; Though your con dition be low, yet you are not in that danger that thofe are in, that are in a higher condition; God calls 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 Fordan, till the Lord fhall be pleased to call us out.

And then for the varietie of our condition, we must be content with the particular affliction, and the time, and all the circumftances about the affliction; for fometimes the circumftances are greater afflictions than the affliction themselves: And for the varietie, if God will exercife us with 'various afflictions one after another; As that hath been very obfervable even of late, that many, that have been plundered and come away, afterwards have fallen fick and died: They have fled for their lives, and afterwards the plague hath come among them,& if not that affliction,it may be some other affliction, it is very rare that one affliction comes alone,comonly afflictions are not fingle things, but they come one upon the neck of another; it may be God strikes one in his eftate, then in his bodie, then in his name, wife, or child, or dear friend, and fo it comes in a various way: it is the way of God ordinarily (you may find it by experience) that feldom one affliction comes alone, now this is hard when one affliction follows after another, when there is a varietie of afflictions, when there is a mightie change in a condition, up and down, this way, and that way; there indeed is the trial of a Chriftian; there must be submiffion to Gods difpofe in them. I remember it is faid even of Cato that was a Heathen, that no man faw him to be changed, though he lived in a time when the Common-wealth was fo often changed, yet it is faid of him, he was the fame ftill, though his condition was changed; and he ran through varietie of conditions. Oh that it could be faid fo of many Christians, that though their conditions be changed, yet that no bodie could fee them changed, they are the fame: Look what gracious,fweet, & holy temper they were in before,that they are in ftill:thus we are to fubmit to the difpofe of God in Object. But you will fay, This that you speak of is good indeed,if we could every conditio. attain to it, but is it poffible for one to attain to this?

Anfwer. It is,if you get fkill in the Art of it, you may attain to it, and it will prove to be no fuch difficult thing to you neither, if you understand but the myfterie of it, as there's many things that men do in their callings, that if a Countrey-man comes and fees, he thinks it a mightie hard thing, and that he fhould 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 bufinefs of this exercife, to open unto you the Art and Mysterie of Contentment: What way a Christian comes to Contentment,there is a great Myfterie and Art in it, by that hath been opened to you there will fome Myfterie and Art,as that a man fhould be content with his affliction,and appear yet throughly fenfible of his affliction too, to be throughly fenfible of an af

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Aliction, and to endeavour the removing of it by all lawfull means, and yet to be content, there's a Myfterie in that, how to joyn these two together, to be fenfible of an affliction as much as that man or woman that is not conent: I am fenfible of it as fully as they, and I feek waies to be delivered from it as well as they, and yet ftill my heart abides content, this is I say a Mysterie that is very hard to be understood by a carnal heart, but grace doth teach such a mixture, doth teach us how to make a mixture of forrow, and a mixture of joy together, and that makes Contentment, the mingling of joy and forrow, of gracious joy and gracious forrow together, grace teaches us how to moderate and to order an affliction, fo as there fhall be a fence of it, and yet for all that Contentment under it.

There are divers things further for the opening of the Mysterie of Contentment. The first thing therefore is this, To fhew, that there is a great Myfterie in it. One that is Contented in a Chriftian way,it may be faid of him, that he is the moft contented man in the world, and the most unfatisfied man in the world, these two together muft needs be myfterious,I fay a contentedman,as he is the moft cotented,fo he is the most unfatisfied of any man in the world. You never learned the myfterie of Contentment,except it may be faid of you,that as you are the most contented man,fo you are the most unfatisfied man in the world. You will fay, 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, yet he cannot be fatisfied with the enjoyment of all the world, and yet he is contented if he hath but a cruft, but bread and water; that is, If God difposes of him for the things of the world, to have but bread and water for his prefent condition,he can be fatisfied with Gods difpofe in that, yet if God fhould give to him Kingdoms,and Empires,all the World to Rule,if he should give it him for his Portion, he would not be fatisfied with that: here's the mystery of it, though his heart be fo enlarged as the enjoyment of all the world, and ten thousand worlds cannot fatisfic him for his Portion, yet he hath a heart quiered under Gods dispose, if he gives him but bread & water:to joyn these two together,this muft needs be a great art and myfterie. Though he be contented with God in a little, yet thofe 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 aim at no great matters; but if I had (perhaps fome man thinks) but two or three hundred a year,then Ihould be well enough, if I had but five hundred a year,or a thoufand a year (faith another) then I should be satisfied: but faith a gracious heart, if he had ten hundred thousand times fo much a year, it would not fatisfie him; if he had the quinteffence of all the exellencies of all the creatures in the World, it could not fatisfie him; and yet this man can fing, and be merry, and joyfull when he hath but a cruft of bread, and a little water in the world. Surely Religion is a great myfterie,great is the myfterie of Godliness,not onely in the Doctrinal part of it, but in the Practical part of it also. Godliness teacheth us this myfterie, Not to be fatisfied with all the world for our por tion, and yet to be content with the meaneft condition in which we are. As Luther, when he had great gifts fent him from Dukes and Princes, he refused

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them, and faith he, I did vehemently protest God fhould not put me off fo, 'tis not that which will content me. A little in the world will content a Chriftian for his paffage: Mark, here lies the Myfterie of it, A little in the world: This Point is largely will content a Chriftian for his Paffage, but all the world, and ten thousand treated on times more, will not content a Chriftian for his Portion: now a Carnal heart in a Serm will be content with these things of the world for his Portion; and there is the on Pfalm. difference between a Carnal heart and a Gracious heart: But faith a Gracious 17.14. Entituled, heart, Lord, do with me what thou wilt for my paffage through this world, I The mifewill be content with that, but I cannot be content with all the world for my ry of Portion: so there's the Mysterie of true Contentation. A contented man, that have though he be most contented with the leaft things in the world, yet he is the their moft unfatisfied man that lives in the world. That Soul that is capable of God, Portion can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a Soul that in this 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 enlarged to be capable of God, and enjoying fomew har of him, nothing in the world can fill a gracious heart, it must be onely God himfelf, and therefore you fhall obferve, That let God give what he will to a Gracious heart, a heart that is godly,except he gives Himself, it will not doja godly heart will not onely have the Mercy,but the God of that Mercy as well its felf, and then a little matter is enough in the world, fo be it he hath the God of that Mercie he doth enjoy: in Phil. 4.7,9. I shall need go no further to fhew a notable Scripture for this: Compare verf. 7. with verf. 9. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Fefus Chrift. The peace of God fhall keep your hearts. Then in the 9 v. Thofe things which ye bave both learned, and received,& heard,and feen in me,dar and the God of peace fhall be with you; The peace of God fhall keep you, and the God of peace fhall be with you. This is that that I would obferve 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 Carnal heart could be fatisfied if he might but have outward peace, though it be not the peace of God; Peace in the State, and in his Trading would fatisfie hiin: but mark how a Godly heart goes beyond a Carnal; all outward peace is not enough, but I must have the peace of God: But fuppofe you have the peace of God, Will not that quiet you? No, I must have the God of peace, as the peace of God, fo the God of peace, that is I must enjoy that God that gives me the peace,I must have the Cause as well as the Effect; I muft fee from whence my peace comes, and enjoy the fountain of my peace, as well as the ftream of my peace; and fo in other mercies: Have I health from God? I must have the God of my health to be my Portion, or elfe I am not fatisfied: It is not life, but he God of my life; it is not riches, but the God of thofe riches that I must have, the God of my preservation, as well as my prefervation; a gracious heart is not fatisfied without this, To have the God of the mercie, as well as the mercie. In Pfalm 73. 25. whom have 1 in Heaven but thec? and there is none upon the Earth that I defire befides thee. It is nothing in Heaven or Earth, can fatisfie me, but thy felf; if God give thee not onely Earth but Heaven, that thou fhouldeft rule over Sun, Moon, and Stars, C 2

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and have the rule over the highest of the Sons of men,it would not be enough to fatisfie thee, except thou hadft God himself; There lies the firft Myfterie of Contentment; and truly a contented man,though he be the most contented in the world, yet he is the moft unsatisfied man in the world; that is, Those things that will fatisfie the world, will not fatisfie him.

Secondly, There is this Myfterie in Chriftian 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 fkill in. I open it thus, Not fo much by the adding to what he would have, or to what he hath, not by adding more to his condition, but rather by fubftracting of his defires, and fo to make his defires and condition to be even and equal. A carnal heart knows no way to be contented but this, I have fuch and fuch an estate, and if I had this added to it, and the other comfort added that now I have not, then I fhould be contented; it may be I have loft my estate, if I could have but that given to me so as to make up my lofs, then I should be a contented man: But now contentment doth not come in that way, it comes not in (I fay) by the adding to what thou wanteft, but by the substracting of thy defires; it is all one to a Chriftian, either that I may get up unto what I would have, or get my defires down to what I have; either that I may attain to what I do defire, or bring down my defires to what I have alreadie attained; my estate is the fame, for it is as futable to me to bring my defire down to my condition, as it is to raise up my condition to my defire. Now I fay, a heart that hath no grace, and is not instructed in this Mysterie of Contentment, knows no way to get Contentment, but to have his eftate raifed up to his defires; but the other hath another way to Contentment,that is, He can bring his defires down to his eftate, and fo 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; fome men have a mightie large heart, but they have a ftrait condition, 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 infinitely 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 evenness and proportion between 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 always cloathed with filk, and purple, and velvers, but Contentment is fometimes in a ruffet fuit, in a mean condition as well as in a higher; and many men that fometimes have had great eftates, and God hath brought them into a lower condition, they have had more Contentment in that condition than the other: Now how can that poffible be? Thus eafily, For if you did but understand the root of Contentment, it confifts in the futableness and proportion of the fpirit of a man to his eftate and the evenness, when one end is 1.ot longer and bigger than another, the heart is contented, there is

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comfort in that condition; now let God give a man never fo great riches, yet If the Lord gives him up to the pride of his heart,he will never be contended: But now, let God bring any one into a mean condition, and then let God but fashion and fuit his heart to that condition, & he will be content. As now in a mans going, Suppose a man had a mighty long leg, and his other leg were fhort, although one of his legs be longer than ordinary, yet he could not go so well as a man that hath both his legs fhorter than he. I compare a long leg, when one is longer than another, to a man that hath an 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 condition; now this man cannot but be troubled in his condition: whereas another man that is in a mean condition is low, and his heart is low too, fo that his heart and his condition 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 fo when God brings down his condition, he doth not so much labour to raife 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 fay, That the beft riches that is, it is the poverty of defires, that is a fpeech of a Heathen, (that is) If a man or woman have their defirés cut short, and have no large defires, that man and woman they are rich, when they can bring their defires to be but low: So this is the art of Contentment; Not to seek to add to our conditions, but to fubftract from our defires. Another hath this: The way to be rich (faith he) it is not by increafing of wealth, but by diminishing of our defires; for certainly that man or woman is rich indeed, who hath their defires fatif fied: Now a contented man hath his defires fatisfied, God fatisfies his defires; that is, all confidered, he is satisfied in his condition for the present to be the beft condition, and fo he comes to this Contentment by way of Subftraction, and not Addition.

The third thing in the Art of Contentment, is this, A Chriftian 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 bloud hath little skill in. You will fay, How is this? In this manner,art thou afflicted,and is there a grear load and burden upon thee by reason of thy affliction? thou thinkest there is no way in the world to get Contentment, but, Oh that this burden were off, Oh! it is a heavy load,and few know what a burden I have! What,doeft thou think there is no way for the Contentment of thy fpirit but this getting off thy burden? Oh thou art deceived, the way of Contentment is, to add another burden,that is,labour to load and burden thy heart with thy fin, and the heavier the burden of thy fin is to thy heart, the lighter will the burden of thy affliction be to thy foul, and fo fhalt thou come to be content: If thy burden were lightned, that would content thee; thou thinkeft there is no way to lighten it but to get it off, but thou art deceived, for if thou canft get thy heart to be more burdened with thy fin, thou wilt be lefs burdened with thy afflictions. You will fay, This is a ftrange way, for a man or woman to get

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