contented condition. These are the myfterious ways of Godliness, that the men of the world never think of. When didst thou ever think of fuch a way as this is, for to go and purge out the diftempers of thy heart that are within: Here are feven 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 Christianitie; but the right perceiving of these things, will help you to be instructed in it as in a Mysterie.

Sermon II I.

PHILIPPIANS 4. II.

For I have learned in whatsoever ftate I am, therewith to be content.

"He Myfterie of Contentment will appear yet further. A gractius heart

quainted with.

Eighthly, He lives upon the dew of Gods bleffing. It is the fimilitude of one Adrian Junius, fetting out a contented man by a Grafhopper, leaping and fkipping up and down, that lives upon the dew, and he hath this motto, I am content with what I have, and hope for better. A grafhopper doth not live upon the grafs as other things do, you cannot know what it feeds upon,other things, though as little as grafhoppers, yet feed upon feeds or little flies, and fuch things, but the grafhopper, you know not what it feeds upon. So a Chriftian can get food that the world knows not of, in a fecret way is a Chriftian fed by the dew of the bleffing of God, a poor man or woman that hath but a little which hath Grace, lives a more contented life than his rich neighbour that hath a great deal coming in, we find it fo ordinarily, fo that though they have but a little, yet they have a fecret bleffing of God going in it, that they are not able to exprefs to any other man; if you would come to them and fay, How cornes it that you live fo comfortably as you do? they are not able to tell you what they have, but they find there is a fweetnefs in what they do enjoy, and they know this by experience, that they never had fuch sweetness in former times,though they had more plenty in former times than now they have, yet they know they had not fuch sweetness; but how this comes, they cannot tell;and we may fhew fome particulars, even in that Godly men do enjoy, that make their condition to be sweet.

As

As now, Take these four or five particulars that a Godly man finds Contentment in what he hath, though it be never fo little.

1. Becaufe in what he bath, he hath the love of God, he hath Gods love to him in what he hath: If a King fhould fend a piece of meat from his own table, it is a great deal more comfortable to a Courtier,than if he had twenty dishes at ordinary allowance; if the King fend but any little thing,and fay, Go and carry this to fuch a man as a token of my love, Oh how delightfull is that unto him? Are your husbands at Sea, and fend you a token of their love, it is more than fourty times fo much that you have in your houfes already : Every good thing the people of God do enjoy, they enjoy it in Gods love, as token of Gods love, and coming from Gods eternal love unto them, this muft needs be very fweet unto them.

2. what they have it is fanctified to them for good; Other men have what they enjoy in a way of common providence, but the Saints in a special way; Others have,what they have and there is all, they have meat, and drink, and houses, and cloaths, and money, and that is all. But a gracious heart finds Contentment in this, I have it, and I have a fanctified ufe of it too; I find God going along with what I have to draw my heart neerer to him, and fanЯifie my heart to him: If I find my heart drawn neerer to God by what I enjoy; it is more a great deal than if I have it without any fan&tifying my heart by it; there is a fecret dew that goes along with it, there is the dew of Gods love in it, and the dew of fanctification.

3. A gracious heart what he bath,he hath it upon free-cost, he is not like to be called to pay for what he bath: The difference between what a godly man hath, and a wicked man, is in this: A godly man is as a child in an Inne; an Inkeeper hath his child in his houfe, and the Father provides his diet, and lodging, and what is fit for him; Now there comes a ftranger, and the ftranger hath dinner and fupper provided, and lodging, but the stranger muft pay for all; it may be the childs fare is meaner than the fare of the ftranger, the ftranger hath boild, and roft, and bak'd; but he must pay for it, there must come a reckoning for it. Juft thus it is, many of Gods people have but mean fare; but God as a Father provides it, and it is on free-coft, and they must not pay for what they have, it is paid for before; but the wicked in all their pomp, and pride, and bravery, they have what they call for, but there muft come a reckoning for all, they muft pay for all in the conclufion: And is it not better to have a little upon free coft, than to come to have all to pay for? Grace doth fhew a man,that what he hath, he hath it on free coft, from God as from a Father, and therefore muft needs be very sweet.

Fourthly, A godly man may very well be content, though he hath but lic. tle, For what he hath he hath it by right of Fefus Chrift, by the purchase of Fefus Chrift, he hath a right to it, another manner of right to what he hath, than any wicked man can have to what he hath; a wicked man hath these outward things; I do not fay they are ufurpers of what they have, but they have a right to it, and that before God, but how? it is a right by meer donation, that is, God by his free bounty doth give it to them; but the right that the Saints have, it is a right of purchase, it is paid for, and it is their own, and they may

in a holy manner, and holy way, challenge whatsoever they have need of. We cannot exprefs the right of a holy man, the difference between his right, and the right of the wicked more fully than by this fimilitude; A Malefactor that is condemned to die, yet he hath by favour granted to him his fupper provided over night, and you cannot fay,though the Malefactor hath forfeited all his right to all things, to every bit of bread, yet if he fhall have a fupper granted to him, he doth not steal it, though all his right is forfeited by his fault; after he is once condemned he hath no right to any thing. So it is with the wicked, they have forfeited all their right to all comforts in this world, they are condemned by God as Malefactors, and are going to execution; but if God will in his bounty give them fomething to preferve them here in the world, they cannot be faid to be theeves or robbers: Now a man hath granted to him a fupper over night before his execution, but is that like the fupper that he was wont to have in his own house, when he eat his own bread, and had his wife and children about him? Oh! a dish of green herbs at home would be a great deal better,than any dainties in fuch a fupper as that is; but now a child of God hath not a right meerly by donation, but what he hath it is his own through the purchase of Chrift; every bit of bread that thou eateft, if thou beeft a godly man or woman, Jefus Chrift hath bought it for thee, thou goeft to Market and buyeft thy meat and drink with thy money, but know, that before thou haft bought it, or paid money, Chrift hath bought it at the hand of God the Father with his blond; thou haft it at the hands of men for money, but Christ hath bought it at the hand of his Father by his bloud : And certainly it is a great deal better and sweeter now, though it be but a little.

Fifthly, There is another thing that fhews the sweetness that there is in that little that the Saints have, by which they come to have Contentment, whereas others cannot : that is, Every little that they have, it is but as an earnest penny of all the glorie that is referved for them, it is given them by God, but as the fore-runner of thofe eternal mercies that the Lord intends for them. Now if a man hath but twelve pence given to him, as an earnest penny, for fome great poffeflion that he must have; is not that better than if he had fourty pounds given unto him otherwife? So every comfort that the Saints have in this world, it is an earnest penny to them of thofe eternal mercies that the Lord hath provided for them; as every affliction that the wicked have here, it is but the beginning of forrows, and fore-runner of those eternal forrows that they are like to have hereafter in Hell; fo every comfort thou haft, is a fore-runner of thofe eternal mercies thou shalt have with God in Heaven; not onely the confolations of Guds Spirit are the fore-runners of those eternal comforts thoufhalt have in Heaven; but when thou fitteft at thy Table, and rejoyceft with thy Wife and Children, and Friends, thou mayest look upon every one of those but as a fore-runner, yea, the very earnest peny of Eternal life unto thee. Now then if this be fo, no marvel though a Chriftian be contended; (this is a Mystery to the wicked:) I have what I have out of the love of God, and I have it fanctified to me by God, and I have it of free-coft from God by the purchase of the bloud of Jefus Chrift, and I have it as a fore-runner of

those

those eternal mercies that are referved for me; and in this my foul rejoyces. There is a fecret dew of Gods goodness and bleffing upon him in his eftate, that others have not: and by all this you may fee the meaning of that Scripture, Prov.16.8. Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right. A man that hath but a little, yet if he hath it with righteousness, ir is better than a great deal without right; yea, better than the great revenues of the wicked: fo you have it in another Scripture. That is the next particu lar in Chriftian Contentment; the Mystery is in this, That he lives upon the dew of Gods bleffing in all the good things that he doth enjoy.

The Ninth thing wherein the Mystery of Christian Contentment confifts, is this: Not onely the good things that he hath, he hath the dew of Gods bleffing in them, and they are very sweet to him; but all the afflictions, all the evils that do befall him, he can fee love in them all, and can enjoy the fweetness of love in his afflictons, as well as in his mercies. Yea, the truth is, The afflictions of Gods people comes from the fame eternal love that Jefus Chrift did come from. And that speech of Hierom, He is a happy man that is beaten, when the stroke is a stroke of love. All Gods ftrokes are ftrokes of love and mercie, All Gods ways are mercie and truth to those that fear him and love him, Pfal.25.10. The ways of God, the ways of affliction, as well as the ways of profperity, are mercie and love to him. Grace gives a man an eye, a piercing eye to pierce into the Counsels of God, thofe eternal Counfels of God for good unto him, even in his afflictions to fee the love of God in every affliction as well as in profperity. Now this is a Mystery to carnal hearts, they can fee no fuch thing, perhaps they think God loves them when he profpers them, and makes them rich; but they think God loves them not when he doth affli&t them, that is a Myfterie; but grace inftructs men in that Myftery, grace enables men to fee love in the very frowns of Gods face, and fo comes to receive Contentment.

In the Tenth place, A godly man hath Contentment in the way of a Myftery, Because as be fees all his afflictions come from the fame love that Fefus Chrift did, fo be fees them all fanctified in Fefus Chrift, fanctified as a Mediator; he fees (I fay) all the fting and venom, and poison of them all to be taken out by the virtue of Jefus Chrift,the Mediator between God and man: As now for inftance, Thus, a Chriftian,when he would have Contentment, fals a working, What is my affliction? Is it poverty that God ftrikes me withall? Jefus Chrift had not a house to hide his head in; the Fowls of the air had nests, and the Foxes had holes, but the Son of Man not a hole to hide his head in: now my poverty is fanctified by Chrifts poverty, I can fee by faith the curfe and fting and venom of my poverty, taken out by the poverty of Jefus Chrift, Chrift Jefus he was poor in this world to deliver me from the curfe of my poverty, that it should not be cursed unto me, then my poverty is not afflictive, if I can be contented in fuch a condition. That is the way, not to ftand and repine, because I have not what others have, no, but I am poor, and Chrift was therefore poor, that he might blefs my poverty to me.

And fo again, Am I difcouraged, difhonoured, is my good name taken away? why Jefus Chrift he had dishonour put upon him, he was called Beelzebub, and a Samaritan, and they faid he had a Devil in him,all the foul afper

:

fions that could be were caft upon Jefus Chrift, and this was for me, that I might have the disgrace that is caft upon me to be fanctified unto me; whereas another man his heart is overwhelmed with dishonour and disgrace, and he goes this way to work to get Contentment; perhaps if you be spoken ill of, you have no other way to eafe and right your felves, but if they do rail upon you, you will rail upon them again; and thus you think to ease your felves: Oh! but a Chriftian hath another manner of way to eafe himself; Others rail and fpeak ill of me, but did they not rail upon Jefus Chrift, and speak evill of him? And what am I in comparison of Chrift? And the subjection of Christ to fuch an evil, it was for me, that though fuch a thing fhould come upon me, I might know that the curfe of it is taken from me through Chrifts fubjection to that evil thus a Chriftian can be contented when any body speaks ill of him: Now this is a Mystery to you, to get Contentment after fuch a manner as this is. So, if men jeer and scoff at you, Did they not do so to Jefus Chrift? they jeer'd and fcoff'd at him, and that when he was in his greatest extremity upon the Cross, fay they, Here's the King of the Jews, and they bowed the knee,and faid, Hail King of the Jews,and put a Reed into his hand and mocked him. Now I get Contentment in the midst of scorns and jeers, by confidering that Chrift was fcorn'd, and by acting Faith upon that which Chrift did fuffer for me. So, am I in great pain of my body? Jefus Chrift had as great pain upon his body as I have; though it is true, he had not fuch kind of fick. neffes as we have, but yet he had as great pain and tortures in his body, and that that was deadly to him, as well as any fickness is to us:The exercising of Faith upon what Chrift did endure, that is the way to get Contentment in the midst of our pains: one lies vexing and fretting and cannot bear his pain: Art thou a Chriftian? haft thou ever tried this way of getting Contentment, to act thy faith upon all the pains and fufferings that Jefus Chrift did fuffer? this would be the way of Contentment; and a Chriftian gets Contentment under pains after this manner: fometimes one that is very godly and gracious, you fhall have him lie under grievous pains and extremities very cheerfully, and you wonder at it; this is the way that he gets it, he gets it by acting his Faith upon what pains Jefus Chrift did fuffer. Thou art afraid of death? the way to get Contentment, it is, by exercifing thy Faith upon the death of Jefus Chrift; yea, it may be thou haft inward troubles in thy foul, and Gud withdraws himself from thee, but ftill thy Faith is to be exercised upon the fufferings that Jefus Chrift endured in his Soul, he powred forth his Scul before God, then when he fweat drops of water and bloud, he was in an Agonie in his very Spirit, and he found even God himself in a way to for fake him;now the acting thy Faith upon Jefus Chrift thus, brings Contentment; And is not this a Myftery to carnal hearts? A gracious heart finds Contentment in a way of a Mystery: no marvail though Saint Paul faith, I am inftructed in a Mystery, to be contended in whatsoever condition 1 am in.

In the Eleventh place, There is yet a further Myftery (for this I hope you will find a very usefull point unto you) & you will fee what a plain way there is, (before we have done) for one that is fkilled in Religion to get Contentment,though it is hard for one that is carnal. I fay, the eleventh Mystery