to an estate above all the Creatures in the World, except Angels, yea, and above them in divers refpects too, and yet difcontented, that thou, who wert as a fire-brand of Hell, and might have been fcorching and yelling and roaring there to all eternity, yet that God fhould raise thee to have a higher excellency in thee than there is in all the works of Creation that ever he made, except Angels,and other Chriftians that are in thy condition, yea,and thou art neerer the Divine Nature than the Angels, because thy nature is joyned in an hypoftatical Union to the Divine nature, and in that respect thy nature is more honoured than the nature of the Angels. And the death of Chrift is thine, he died for thee, and not for the Angels, and therefore thou art like to be raised above the Angels in divers refpecs: yea, thou that art in such an estate as this is, thou that art fet apart to the end,that God might manifeft to all eternity what the infinite power of a Deity is able to raise a creature too; for that is the condition of a Saint, a believer, his condition is fuch as he is fet apart to the end that God might manifeft to all eternity what his infinite power is able to do to make the creature happy; art thou in fuch a condition? Oh! how low and beneath this condition is a murmuring and difcontented heart for want of some outward comforts here in this World: How unfeemly is it that thou fhouldest be a slave to every cross, that every affliction fhall be able to say to thy foul, Bow down to us: We accounted that a great flavery, when men would fay to our fouls, Bow down: As the cruel Prelates were wont to do in impofing things upon mens confciences, they did in effect fay, Let your confciences, your fouls bow down to us, that we may tread upon them; that is the greatest flavery in the world, that one man fhould fay to another, let your confciences, your fouls bow down that we may tread upon them; but wilt thou fuffer every affliction to say, bow down that we may tread upon thee? Truly it is fo, when thy heart is overcome with murmuring and discontent: Know, that those afflictions which have caused thee to murmur, have said to thee, Bow down that we may tread upon thee; nay, not afflictions, but the very Devil doth prevail against you in this: Oh! how beneath is this to the happy eftate that God hath raised a Chriftian unto! What! the fon of a King, fhall he have every base fellow to come and bid him bow down,that he tread upon his neck? thus doeft thou in every affliction : the affliction, the crofs, and trouble that doth befall thee, faith, Bow down that we may come and tread upon thee.

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Thirdly, Murmuring it is below the fpirit of a Chriftian. Below his fpirit, the fpirit of every Christian should be like the fpirit of his Father; every Father loves to fee his fpirit in his child, loves to fee his image, not the image of his body onely, to fay, here is a child for all the World like the Father, but he hath the fpirit of his Father too: a Father that is a man of fpirit, loves to fee his fpirit in his child, rather than the feature of his body;Oh! the Lord that is our Father, loves to fee his fpirit in us: Great men love to fee great fpirits in their children; and the great God loves to fee a great fpirit in his children; we are one fpirit with God,and with Chrift,and one fpirit with the holy Ghost, therefore we should have a spirit that might manifeft the glorie of the Father, Son, and holy Ghoft in our fpirits; that is the spirit of a Christian indeed.

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The spirit of a Chriftian fhould be a Lion-like fpirit, as Jefus Chrift is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (fo he is call'd;) fo we fhould manifeft fomewhat of the Lion-like fpirit of Jefus Chrift; he manifefted his Lion-like fpirit in pafling through all afflictions,and troubles whatsoever without any murmuring against God: When he came to drink that bitter cup, and even the dregs of it, he prayed to God (indeed) that if it were poffible it might pafs from him, but prefently,Not my will, but thy will be done: As foon as ever he did mention the paffing of the cup from him, (though it were the most dreadfull cup that ever was drunk fince the World began, yet at the mentioning of it) not my will, but thy will be done; here Chrift fhewed a Lion-like fpirit,in going through all kind of afflictions whatsoever without any murmuring against God in them: Now a murmuring fpirit is a bafe dejected fpirit, crofs and contrarie to the spirit of a Chriftian, and it is very base. I remember that the Heathens accounted it very base, Plutarch doth report of a certain people that did ufe to manifeft their difdain to men that were overmuch dejected by any affliction,they did condemn them to this punifhment, To wear womens cloaths all their dayes, or fuch afpace of time at least they should go in womans cloaths in token of fhame and difgrace to them, because they had fuch effeminate fpirits, they thought it against a manlike fpirit, and therefore seeing they did un-man themselves, they fhould go as women. Now fhall they account it an un-manlike fpirit, to be overmuch dejected in afflictions; and fhall not a Chriftian account it an unchriftian-like fpirit to be overmuch dejected by any affliction whatsoever? I remember another compares murmuring fpirits to children when they are weaning, What a deal of ftir have you with your children when you wean them? how froward and vexing are they? So when God would wean thee from fome outward comforts in this World, Oh how fretting and difcontented art thou! Children will not fleep themselves, nor let their mothers fleep when they are weaning; and fo when God would wean us from the World, and we fret, vex, and murmur, this is a childish spirit.

Fourthly, It is below the profeffion of a Chriftian. The profeffion of a Chriftian, what is that? A Chriftians profeffion is, To be dead to the world, and to be alive to God, that is his profeffion, to have his life to be hid with Chrift in God,to fatisfie himself in God; What, is this thy profeflion? and yet if thou haft not every thing that thou wouldeft have to murmur and be discontent, thou doeft in that even deny thy profeffion.

Fiftly, It is below that special grace of Faith. Faith is that that doth overcome the World, it is that that makes all the promises of God to be ours:Now when thou tookeft upon thee the profeffion of Religion, Did God ever promife thee that thou shouldest live at ease, and quiet, and have no trouble? I remember Auftin hath fuch an expreffion, What is this thy Faith? what did I ever promife thee, (faith he) that thou should eft ever flourish in the World? art thou a Chriftian to that end?" and is this thy Faith? I never made any such promise to thee when thou tookeft upon thee to be a Chriftian: Oh it is mighty contrarie to thy profeffion, thou haft never a promife for this, that thou fhouldeft not have fuch an affliction upon thee: And a Chriftian fhould live by his

faith; it is faid, that the juft do live by faith; now thou shouldeft not look after any other life but the life that thou haft by faith;now thou haft no ground for thy faith, to believe that thou shouldeft be delivered out of fuch an affliction; and then, why fhouldeft thou account it such a great evil to be under fuch an affliction? Certainly that good that we have in the ground for our faith, it is enough to content our hearts here, and to all eternitie : A Christian should be fatisfied with that that God hath made to be the object of his faith, the object of his faith is high enough to fatis fie his foul, were it capable of a thousand times more than it is: Now if thou mayft have the object of thy faith full, thou haft enough to content thy foul: and know, that when thou art discontented for want of fuch and fuch comforts, if thou wouldeft but think thus, God did "never promise me that I fhould have these comforts, and at this time, and in fuch a way as I would haye, but I am discontented because I have not these which God did never yet promise me, and therefore I fin much against the Gospel, and against the Grace of Faith.

There is yet another thing,It's below the hope of Chriftians: Oh! the most glorious things that the Saints hope for..

And againft the helps that the Chriftians have. Chriftians have great helps that may help them againft murmuring.

And it is against that which God expects from Chriftians. God he expects other manner of things from them than this.

Yea,and it is below that that God hath from other Chriftians. These things I fhall open at another time.

COMANMUHAM

Sermon VIII.

PHILIPPIANS 4. II.

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

Mentioned divers things the last day, to fet out the evil of discontent; I fhall name two or three more.

Sept. 21 1646.

Sixthly, It is below a Chriftian in this, Because it's below thofe helps that a... Christian hath more than others have; they have the Promises to help them that others have not; it's not fo much to have a Nabal have his heart fink, because he hath nothing but the creature to uphold him, but it's much for a Chriftian that hath Promises and Ordinances,to uphold his fpirit which others have not.

Seventhly,

Seventhly, It's below the expectation that God hath of Chriftians,for God expects not onely that they fhould be patient in afflictions, but that they should rejoyce and triumph in them:now Chriftians, when God expects this from you, for you not fo much as to have attained to contentedness under affli&ions,Oh! this is beneath the expectation of God from you.

Eighthly, It is below that that God hath had from other Chriftians. Others have not onely been contented with little croffes, but they have triumphed under great afflictions, they have fuffered the fpoiling of their goods with joy, read but the latter part of the 11.of the Hebrews, and yon fhall find what great things God hath had from his people, and therefore not to be content with smaller croffes,this muft needs be a great evil.

The Sixth evil that there is in a murmoring fpirit, is this, By murmuring you undo your prayers, for it is exceeding contrary to the prayers that you make to God: When you come to prayer to God, you acknowledge his Sovereignty over you, you come there to profefs your felves to be at Gods difpofe, what do you pray for, except you acknowledge that you are at his difpofe, except you will stand (as it were) at his difpofe, never come to petition to him, if you will come to petition him, and yet will be your own carver, you go cross to your prayers to come as if you would beg your bread at your Fathers gates every day, and yet you must do what you lift, this is the undoing of the prayers of a Chriftian. I remember I have read of Latimer that speaking concerning Peter that denied his Master (faith he) Peter forgot his Pater nofter,for that was Hallowed be thy Name,and thy Kingdom come:So we may say, when you have murmuring and difcontented hearts,you forget your prayers, you forget what you have prayed for, for you muft make the Lords Prayer to be as a pattern for your prayers, though you fay not alwaies the fame words, what do you pray,but give us this day our dayly bread ?for that's Chrifts intention that we should have that as a pattern, and is a directory (as it were) how to make our prayers; now God doth not teach any of you to pray, Lord give me fo much a year, or let me have fuch kind of cloth, and fo many dishes at my table, Chrift doth not teach you to pray fo; but he teaches us to pray, Lord, give us our bread, fhewing, hat you fhould be content with a little: What, have you not bread to eat? I hope there's none of you here but have that.

Object. But I do not know if I should die what fhould become of my children: Or if I have bread now, I know not where I fhall have it the next week, or where I fhall have provifion for the winter.

Anfw. Where did Chrift teach us to pray, Lord, give us provifion for fo long a time?no, but if we have bread for this day,Chrift would have us content: Therefore when we murmur because we have not fo much variety as others have,we do (as it were) forget our Pater nofter, It's againft our prayers, we do not in our lives hold forth the acknowledgement of the Sovereignty of God over us,we seem to acknowledge in our prayers; therefore when at any time you find your hearts murmuring, then do but reflect upon your felves and think thus, Is this according to my prayers, wherein I held forth the Sovereign Power and Authority that God had over me?

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The Seventh thing that I add for the evil of difcontentment, is, The wofull effects that comes to a difcontented heart from murmuring. I'le name you five: There are five evil effects that comes from a murmuring fpirit.

1. By murmuring and difcontent in your hearts, you come to lose a great deal of time; How many times do men and women, when they are difcontented, let their thoughts run, and are mufing and contriving through their prefent difcontentedness; then let their difcontented thoughts be working in them for fome hours together, and they spend their time in vain. When you are alone, you should spend your time in holy meditation, but you are spending your time in difcontented thoughts; you who complain that you cannot meditate, you cannot think on good things, but if you begin to think of them, a little, presently your thoughts are off from them, but if you be discontented with any thing, then you can go alone, and mufe, and roul things up and down in your thoughts to feed a difcontented humour: Oh labour to fee this evil effect of murmuring,the lofing of your time.

2. It doth unfit you for dutie: A man or woman that is in a contented frame, you may turn fuch a one to any thing at any time, he is fit for to go to God at any time; but when one is in a discontented condition,then a man or woman is exceeding unfit for the fervice of God. And it caufes many distractions in dutie, it unfits for dutie, and when you come to perform duties,Oh the distra&tions that are in your duties, when your fpirits are discontented; when you hear of any ill news from Sea and cannot bear it, or of any ill from a friend, or any lofs or crofs, oh what diftractions do they caufe in the performance of holy duties! When you fhould be in enjoying communion with God, you are diftracted in your thoughts about the cross that hath befallen you, whereas had you but a quiet fpirit, though there fhould great croffes befall you, yet they would never hinder you in the performance of any dutie.

3. Confider what wicked rifings of heart, and refolutions of spirit there are many times in a discontented fit. In fome discontented fits the heart rifes against God, and against others, and fometimes hath even defperate refolutions what to do to help themselves. If the Lord fhould have fuffered you to have done, (fometimes in a discontented fit) what you had thought to do, what wonderfull miferie had you brought upon your felves! Oh it was a mercie of God that did ftop you, had not God ftopt you, but let you go on when you thought to help your felves this way, and the other way, Oh it had been ill with you, do you but remember thofe rifings of heart and wicked refolutions that fometimes you have had in a difcontented mood, and learn to be humbled upon that.

4. Unthankfulness, that's an evil and a wicked effect that comes from difcontent. Unthankfulness the Scripture doth rank among very great fins. For men and women that are difcontent, though they enjoy many mercies from God, yet they are thankfull for none of them, for this is the vile nature of difcontentment, to leffen every mercy of God,to make thofe mercies they have from God to be as nothing to them, because they have not what they would have. Sometimes it's fo even in fpirituall things, if they have not all they would have, the comforts that they would have, then what they have

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