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in a more punctual fet way, than in the times of the Gospel; and therefore when the Children of Ifrael did but fin againft God, they were fure to have publick judgements to come upon them, and if they did well, always publick mercies; The general conftant way of God was to deal with the people of the Jews according as they did well, or ill, (in an ordinarie way,) with outward judgements, and outward mercies: but it is not fo now in these times of the Gospel,we cannot bring such a certain conclufion, that God did deal fo feverely with men by fuch and fuch afflictions, that he will deal fo with them now: and fo, that they fhall have outward profperity as they had then: therefore that's the first thing, for the understanding of this, and all other Texts of that kind.

The second answer I would give is this,It may be their Faith doth not reach to this promife;and God brings many times many outward afflictions, because the Faith of his people doth not reach the promife,& that not onely in the old Teftament,but in the times of the new Teftament; Zachariah his time may be faid to be in the time of the new Teftament, when he was ftruck with dumbnefs,because he did not believe, and that is given to be the cause,why he was ftruck with dumbnefs. But you will fay now, hath Faith warrant to believe deliverance, that it shall be fully delivered? I dare not fay fo,but it may act upon it, to believe that God will make it good his own way; perhaps you have not done fo much, and fo upon that, this promife is not fulfilled to you.

Thirdly, when God doth make fuch premises to his people, yet ftill it muft be with this refervation, that God muft have liberty to thefe three things.

1. That notwithstanding his promife, he will have liberty to make use of any thing for your chaftifement.

2. That he must have liberty, to make ufe of your Eftates, or liberties, or lives, for the furtherance of his own ends: If it be to be a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly men, God must have liberty; though he hath made a promife to you, he will not lofe the propriety that he hath in your Eftates and

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for to 3. God must have fo much liberty to make use of what you have fhew that his wayes are unfearchable, and his judgements paft finding out. God referves these three things in his hand still.

Object. But you will fay, what good then is there in fuch a promise that God makes to bis people?

Anfw. 1. That thou art under the protection of God more than others. But what comfort is this if it doth befal me?

Anfw. Thou haft this comfort, that the evil of it fhall be taken from thee, that if God will make use of this affli&tion for other ends, yet he will do it fo, as he will make it up to thee fome other way. Perhaps you have given your children fuch a thing, but yet afterwards if you have ufe of that thing, you will come and fay, I must have it, why Father may the child fay, you gave it me? But faith the Father I must have it, and I will make it up to you some other way: Now the child doth not think that the Fathers love is ever a whit the lefs to him. So when there is any such promise as this is, that God by his D 3 pro

promife gives thee his protection,and yet for all that fuch a thing befalls thee, it is but as if the father fhould fay, I gave you that indeed, but let me have ir, and I will make it up to you fome other way that fhall be as good; faith God, Let me have your health and libertie, and life, and it fhall be made up to you fome other way.

Secondly, When ever the Plague,or Peftilence comes to thofe that are under fuch a promife, it is for iome fpecial and notable work, and God requires of them to fearch and examine in a fpecial manner to find out his meaning, there is fo much to be learned in the promise that God hath made concerning this particular evil, that the People of God, they may come to quiet and content their hearts in this affliction. I read in this Pfalm, that God hath made a Promise to his People, to deliver them from the Plague and Peftilence, and yet do I find it to come: It may be I have not made ufe of my faith in this Promise heretofore; and if God do bring afflictions upon me, yet God will make it up fome other way; God made a Promife to deliver me, or at leaft to deliver me from all the evil of it, now if this thing doth befall me, and yet I have a Promife of God, certainly the evil of it is taken away,this Promife tells me, that if it doth befall me, yet it is for fome notable end, and becaufe God hath ufe of my life,and intends to fetch about his glorie fome way that I know not of: And if he will come in a fatherly way of chastisement, yet I will be farisfied in the thing: fo a Chriftian heart by reafoning out of the Word,comes to fatisfie.his foul in the midst of fuch a heavie hand of God, and in fuch a diftreffed condition as that is. Now carnal hearts,they find not that power in the Word, that healing virtue that there is in the word, to heal their distracted® cares, and the troubles of their spirits, but now, thofe that are Godly, when they come to hear the word, they find out, that in the Word, there is as a plaifter to all their wounds, and so they come to have eafe and Contentment, in fuch conditions as are very grievous and miferable unto others. But now, for other particular Promifes, and more generally for the Covenant of grace, how, and in what myfterious way the Saints do work, to fetch out Contentment and fatisfaction to their fouls, we shall refer to the next time.

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Sermon IV.

PHILIPPIANS 4. II.

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

N the last Exercise we spoke of divers things in the Myfterie of Content

Iment, and in the clofe, we spoke of two more, but we could not have time to open either of them, I fhall open them a little more largely, and then proceed to fome few more, and fo to other things in the point.

That's the next then, A Christian heart hath not onely Contentment in God, (and certainly, he that hath God, must have all,he that hath him that hath all, he hath all) But he is able to make up all his outward wants of creaturecomforts from what he finds in himself; That may feem to be more ftrange: It's true, perhaps we may convince men, though they do not feel by experience what it is to make up all in God, yet we may convince them, that if they have him that hath all things,then they have all; for there is such a fulness in God,he being the infinite Firft-being of all things, that may make up all their wants. But here's another thing, that's further; I fay, A godly man can make up whatsoever he wants without the creature, he can make it up in himself, in Prov. 14. 14. A good man is fatisfied in himself: as now, If he wants outward comforts, good chear, feafting, a good Confcience is a continual feaft, he can make up the want of a feaft by that peace he hath in his own Confcience: if he wants melodie abroad, he hath a bird within him, that fings the most me. lodious fongs that are in the world, and the moft delightfull. And then,Doth he want honour? he hath his own Confcience witnefling for him, that is as a thousand witnesses: The Scripture faith in Luke 17. v. 21. Neither shall they fay, Lo, here; or, Lo, there: for the Kingdom of God is within you; A Chriftian then, whatfoever he wants,he can make it up, for he hath a Kingdom in himfelf, the Kingdom of God is within him. If one that is a King, should meet with a great deal of trouble when he is abroad, yet he contents himself with this, I have a Kingdom of mine own: now here it's faid, the Kingdom of God is within a man; truly, upon this Scripture, of the Kingdom of God being within, those that are Learned, if they would but look into that Comment upon the Gospel that we have of a Learned man, they fhall find a very strange conceit that he hath about this very Text, he confeffes indeed it is unutterable; and fo indeed it is: The Kingdom of God is within you: he makes it that there is fuch a prefence of God and Chrift within the foul of a man,that when

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the bodie dies, (he faith) that the foul goes into God,and Chrift that is within him; the fouls going into God and Christ, and enjoying of that Communion with God and Chrift that is within it self, that's heaven to it (faith he.) He confeffes he is not able to express himself, nor others are not able to underftand fully what he intends; but certainly for the prefent, before death, there is a Kingdom of God within the foul, fuch a manifeftation of God in the foul, that is enough to content the heart of any godly man in the world, the Kingdom that he hath now within him, he fhall not ftay till afterwards, till he goes to Heaven; but certainly there is a Heaven in the foul of a godly man, he hatlı Heaven alreadie: Many times when you go to comfort your Friends in their afflictions, you will fay, Heaven will pay for all, nay, you may certainly find Heaven pays for all alreadie: there is a Heaven within the fouls of the Saints, that's a certain truth, no foul fhall ever come to Heaven, but that foul that hath Heaven come to it firft. When you die, you hope you fhall go to Heaven: But if you fhall go to Heaven when you die,Heaven will come to you before you die. Now this is a great Myfterie, to have the Kingdom of Heaven in the foul, no man can know this but that foul that hath it; that Heaven which is within the foul for the prefent (I fay) it is like the White Stone, and the New Name, that none but those that have it can understand it: It's a miferable condition, my Brethren, to depend upon creatures altogether for our Contentment; you know rich men account it a great happiness, if they need not go to buy things by the penie as others do, they have all things for pleafure or profit upon their own ground,and all their inheritance lies intire together, they have no bodie comes within them, but they have all within themfelves, there lies their happiness: whereas other poorer people are fain to go from one Market to another, to provide them neceffaries, but yet great rich men, they have Sheep, and Beeves, Corn, and Clothing,and all things elfe of their own within themselves, and herein they place their happiness. But this is the happiness of a Chriftian, that he hath that within himself, that may fatisfie him more than all thefe; That place which we have in the first of Fames, feems to allude to that condition of men which have all their estates within themselves, Fames 1. 4. But let patience have her perfect work, that we may be perfect, and entire, wanting nothing: the word there used,fignifies to have the whole inheritance to our felves, not a broken inheritance, but that where all lies within themselves; as a man that hath not a piece of his eftate here, and a piece there, but he hath it all lie together; and the heart, being patient under afflictions, finds it felf to be in fuch an eftate as this is, finds his whole inheritance to be together, and all intire within it felf. And now ftill to fhew this by further fimilitudes; it is with him, being fill'd with good things, juft like as it is with many a man that enjoys abundance of comforts at home, at his own houfe, God grants to him a convenient Habitation, a comfortable Yoak-fellow, and fine Walks and Gardens, and hath all things at home that he could defire; now this man cares not much for going abroad; other men are fain to go abroad to take the air, but he hath a sweet air at home; and they are fain to go abroad to fee friends, because they have railings and contendings at home; many ill husbands will give this reafon (if his wife make any

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moan and complaint of his ill husbandrie) of their bad husbandrie, and will make that their excuse to go abroad, because they can never be quiet at home;now we account those men moft happie that have all at home; those that have close houses that are unfavorie, and fmell ill, they delight to go into the fresh air; but it is not fo with many others that have thefe at home; thofe that have no good chear at home, they are fain to go abroad to friends, but those that have their tables furnished, they had as lieve ftay at home: So, a carnal man, he hath but little Contentment in his own spirit; it's Auftins fimilitude, faith he, An ill Confcience is like a fcoulding wife, a man (faith he) that hath an ill conscience he cares not to look into his own soul,but loves to be abroad. and looks into other things, but never looks to himself; but one that hath a good confcience, he delights in looking into his own heart, he hath a good confcience within him: And fo a carnal heart,because ther's nothing but filthinefs,a filthie ftink in himself,nothing but vileness,and baseness within him,upon this it is that he seeks his contentment elsewhere: And as it is with a vessel that is full of Liquor,if you strike upon it,it will make no great noise; but if it be emptie,then it makes a great noife: So it is with the heart, An heart that is full of grace and goodness within, fuch an one will bear a great many ftroaks, & never make any noise, but an emptie heart,if that be ftruck,that will make a noise;those men & women that are fo much complaining,and always whining, it is a fign that there is an emptiness in their hearts; but if their hearts were filled with Grace, they would not make fuch a noise as now they do. As a man that hath his bones filled with Marrow, and veins filled with good Bloud, complains not of cold as other do: fo a gracious heart, having the spirit of God within him,and his heart filled with Grace,he hath that within him that makes him find contentment. It is a fpeech of Seneca,Indeed thofe things that I fuffer will be incredible heavie, when I cannot bear my felf; but now if I be no burden to my felf, if I have all quiet within mine own heart,, then I can bear any thing: many men through their wickedness, they have burdens without, but the greatest burden is the wickedness of their own hearts, they are not burdened with their fins in a godly way,that would ease their burden,but they have still their wickedness in the power of it,and fo they are burdens to themfelves. The distempers of mens hearts are mightie burdens to them; many times a godly man hath enough within to content him; Virtue it is content with its felf for to live well; (It's a speech of Cicero, and it's in one of his Paradoxes) It finds enough within its own fphear for the living happily: but how few are acquainted with this Myfterie? Many think, Oif I had that that apos ther man hath, how happily and comfortably should I live: Oh but if thou beeft a Chriftian,whatsoever thy condition be, yet thou haft enough within thy felf. You will fay,fuch and fuch men that have all things, they need not be beholding to any body, you fhall have many that will labour and take pains when they are young, that they might not be beholding to others, I love to live of my felf; now a Chriftian may do fo; not that he doth not live upon God (I mean not fo) but upon that which he hath of God within himself, that he can live upon, although he doth not enjoy the comforts that are without himself, that's it which I mean, and thofe that are

godly,

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