a bleffing upon it. • Seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteoufnefs thereof, and all these things fhall be • added unto you.' It fhall be given in as an advantage and over-meafure. 2. It will add great cheerfulnefs to the employments of your calling, and to thofe worldly employments that are requifite for your fupport and fubfiftence, when you fhall refign up your endeavours therein to the good pleasure of Almighty God. 3. It will remove all vexatious folicitoufnefs and anxiety from you, when you fhall have fuch confiderations as thefe: Almighty God (it is true) hath placed men in this world, as in a paffage to another, and requires of me an honeft employment for my fupport and fubfiftence; or else hath lent me a rea fonable liberal portion, whereby I may comfortably fubfift without much pains or labour; I will use it foberly, cheerfully, thankfully: If he blefs me with increase or greater plenty, I will increase my humility, fobriety and thankfulness; but if it be not his pleasure to bless me with plenty and increase, his will be done; I have enough in that I have; there is ano❝ther more abiding city, wherein I fhall have supplies without want, or fears or cares.'

3. This confideration will give abundance of quietnefs, patience, tranquillity of mind in all conditions. Am I in this world poor, or defpifed, or difgraced, or in fickness, or pain? Yet this text gives me two great fupports under it. 1. It will be but fhort; this lower world, the region of these troubles and ftorms, is no continuing, no abiding city; and confequently the troubles and storms of this inferior city are not abiding or long. 2. After this flitting, perifhing city that thus paffeth away, this four life, which is but the region of death, there fucceeds another city that endureth for ever; a city not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, a state of everlasting bleffednefs, where are neither cares, nor tears, nor fears, nor poverty, nor forrow, nor want, nor reproach: I will therefore with all patience, cheerfulnefs, and contentedness, bear whatfo

ever God pleaseth to exercise me withal in this life; for I well know that my light afflictions, which are but for a moment, fhall be attended with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Thefe confiderations will feem but dry and empty, to men that do not deeply and confiderately weigh matters: Ordinarily young heads think them, at least, unfeasonable for their youth; but they must know, that ficknefs and death will overtake the youngest in time, and that will undeceive people, and render the beft appearances of this world, either bitter, or at least infipid, and without any pleafant relifh; and then the hopes and expectations of this city to come, will be of more value to us than the beft conveniencies and delights this lower world can afford. Let us therefore in our health make it our bufinefs to fecure our intereft in it, and it will be our comfort and benefit both in life and death.

VOL. I.

20

OF

OF

CONTENTEDNESS AND PATIENCE.

CONTENTEDNESS and Patience differ in this, That the object of the former, is any condition, whether it be good, bad or indifferent; the object of the latter, is any prefent or incumbent evil. But though they differ in the latitude or extent of their object, yet they both arise from the fame principle, which, if rightly qualified, gives both.

The measure and original of all paffions is love; and the object of love, is that which is really or apparently good. If our love be right, it regulates all our paffions: for difcontent or impatience arifeth from the absence of fomewhat that we love or value; and according to the measure of our love to the thing we want, fuch is the measure of our difcontent or impatience under the want of it.

He that fets his love upon that, which the more he loves, the more he enjoys, is fure to avoid the danger of dif content or impatience; because he cannot want that which he loves; and though he loves fomething else that may be loft, yet under that lofs he is not obnoxious to much impatience or difcontent, because he is fure to retain that which he most values and affects, which will anfwer and fupply leffer wants with a great advantage: the greatest bent and portion of his love is laid out in what he is fure to enjoy, and it is but a fmall portion of love that is left for the thing he is. deprived of, and confequently, his difcontent but little, and cured with the fruition of a more valuable good.

He that fets his love upon the creature, or any refult from it, as Honour, Wealth, Reputation, Power,

Wife, Children, Friends, cannot poffibly avoid difcontent or impatience; for they are mutable, uncer tain, unfatisfactory goods, fubject to cafualties; and according to the measure of his love to them, is the measure of his discontent and impatience in the lofs of them, or disappointment in them.

He that fets his love upon God, the more he loves him, the more he enjoys of him. In other things, the greatest danger of difappointment, and confe quently, of impatience, is when he loves them beft; but the more love we bear to God, the more love he returns to us, and communicates his goodness the more freely to us. Therefore we are certain that we cannot be disappointed, nor confequently, have any ground of impatience or difcontent in that which is our urum magnum, the thing we chiefly value.

He that fets his entireft love on God, yet hath a liberty to iffue a fubordinate portion of love to other good things, as health, peace, opportunities to do good, wife, children, friends: and in thefe he may be croffed and disappointed. But the predominant love of God delivers the foul from difcontent and impatience, even under thefe loffes.

1. Because the foul is ftill affured of what it most values, the love of God returned to the foul, which compenfates and drowns the other lofs, and the difcontent that may arise upon it.

2. Because the heart is fatisfied that these loffes come from the hand of him whom he loves, of whofe truth, wisdom, love and goodnefs he hath affurance, and therefore will be delivered out in meafure, upon moft just grounds, and for most excellent ends. He fends. an instruction along with his rod, and the foul reads love as well in the rod of God, as his staff.

3. Because the love of God, taking up the principal bent and strength of the foul, leaves but a gentle and moderate affection to the things it lofeth, and confequently, a gentle and eafy parting with them, or being without them. The great tumult and diforder that

is made in the mind upon loffes, croffes, or difcontents, is not fo much from the intrinfical value of the things themselves, but from the eftimation that is put upon them were the love to them no more than they de ferve, the discontent and impatience in the lofs would be very little. little. Our chiefeft love, when it is placed upon God, is placed where it fhould be; and the mind is then in its right frame and temper, and difpenfeth its love to other things regularly and orderly, and propor tionably to their worth; and thereby the difcontent or trouble that arifeth upon their lofs or difappointment, is weighed out according to their true value, agreeable to the juft measure of reafon and prudence: But when our love is out of its place, it becomes immoderate and diforderly; and confequently, the dif contents that arife upon difappointments in the things we immoderately love, become immoderate, exorbitant difcontents, impatience, and perturbation of mind.

4. Our love to God brings us to a free refignation of our will to his: For we therefore love him, becaufe we conclude him moft wife, moft bountiful, moft mer ciful, most just, most perfect; and therefore muft of neceffity conclude that his will is the beft will, and fit to be the meafure and rule of ours, and not ours of his: And inafmuch as we conclude that no loss or crofs befalls us without his will, we do likewife conclude that it is moft fit to be borne: And becaufe he never wills any thing, but upon moft wife and juft reasons, we conclude, that furely there are fuch reafons in this difpenfation; and we ftudy and search, and try whether we can fpell out thofe reafons of his.