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XXXVIII.

and choose the causes, but loathe, and cannot abide the cer- SERM. tain confequences; fo fond in our conceits, fo perverse are we in our affections: Wherefore doth the living man com- Lam.iii.39. plain, for the punishment of his fins? fo well might the Prophet demand and expoftulate.

גבר

We may farther, looking on ourselves, confider ourfelves as fervants to God, or rather as flaves, abfolutely fubject to his difpofal; and fhall any fervant, fhall a mere flave prefume to choose his place, or determine his rank in the family? Shall he appoint to himself what office he will discharge, what garb he shall go in, what diet he muft have; what he will do, and how he fhall be accommodated? Is it not fit that all these things fhould be left to our Master's discretion and pleasure? It is moft reasonable that we should thoroughly acquiefce in his determination : even a Pagan philofopher could teach us, that this is reasonable; who thus piously directeth his fpeech to God: For the rest use me to what thou pleafeft. I do confent unto thee, and am indifferent. I refufe nothing which feemeth good to thee. Lead me whither thou wilt; put on me what garment thou pleafeft. Wilt thou have me to be a governor or a private man, to stay at home or to be banished away, to be poor or to be rich? I will, in respect to all these things, apologize for thee with menf; thus did Epictetus fay, and fuch speech well becometh our relation to God: fervants fhould be content with their masters' appointments and allowances; they should not only themfelves forbear to find fault with, but be ready to maintain his proceedings against any, who fhall prefume to reprehend or blame them. Efpecially fuch fervants as we are, who, after we have done all things commanded us, muft Luke xvii. acknowledge that we are unprofitable fervants; fuch as can bring no confiderable benefit to our Lord, or anywife advance his state; fuch as therefore cannot challenge any wages from him, more than he out of niere favour is

f

Χρώ μοι λοιπὸν ἐς ὃ ἂν θέλῃς. Ὁμογνωμονῶ σοι, ἴσος ἐμί. Οὐδὲν παραιτᾶμαι τῶν σοι δοκώντων. Ὅπε θέλεις ἄγε, ἣν θέλεις ἐσθῆτα περίθες. Αρχειν με θέλεις, ἰδιοτεύειν, μένειν, φεύγειν, πένεσθαι, πλουτεῖν; ἐγώ σοι ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τούτων πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπολογήσομαι. Arr. ii. 16.

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10.

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SERM. pleased to allow could we by our labours enrich God, XXXVIII. or raise him in dignity, or procure delight to him, it might

feem congruous that he fhould answerably reward us; but as he getteth nothing by us, fo we cannot require any thing from him: our beft fervices do indeed rather need pardon, than deserve any reward: no man hath lived fo well, that he can pretend any thing from God, that he is not indeed much behind hand in his accounts with God, having received from God far more of benefit than he can return to him in fervice: no man, without extreme prefumption and arrogance, can offer to prescribe, in what measure, or what manner God fhould reward him.

Again, if we confider ourselves as the children of God, either by birth or nature, or by adoption and grace, how can we be discontent for any thing? Have we not thence great reafon to hope, or rather to be confident, that we shall never want any good thing, (necessary or convenient for us,) that no great evil shall ever opprefs us? For is not God hence by paternal disposition inclined, is he not in a manner, by paternal duty, engaged, in all needful occafions, to fupply and fuccour us? Can we, without great profaneness, and no less folly, furmife, that he, which is fo immensely good, will be a bad (an unkind, or a neglectful) Father to us? No, as there is no other father in goodness comparable to him, fo none, in real effects of benignity, can come near him; fo our Lord affureth us: Matt.vii.11. If ye, faith he, being evil, know how to give good things unto your children; how much more will our heavenly Father give good things to his children that ask him?

If we confider ourselves as Chriftians, we have still more reason to practise this duty: as such, we are not only poffeffed of goods abundantly fufficient to fatisfy our defires; we have hopes able to raise our minds above the sense of all present things; we have entertainments that ever may divert our minds, and fill our hearts with comfort: but we have also an affurance of competent fupplies of temporal 1 Tim.iv. 8. goods; for, Godliness is profitable to all things, having the promife both of the prefent life, and of that which is to Matt.vi. 33. come: and, If we feek firft the kingdom of heaven, and its

XXXVIII.

righteoufnefs, all these things fhall be added unto us. It is SERM. indeed strangely unhandsome for a Christian ever to droop, or to be difconfolate; for a friend of God, and an heir of heaven, to think he wants any thing, or fear that he shall ever want; for him, whose treasure and heart are above, to be fo concerned with any thing here, as deeply to refent it.

Again, if we reflect upon ourselves as rational men, how for fhame can we be difcontent? Do we not therein much difparage that excellent perfection of our nature? Is it not the proper work of reason to prevent things hurtful or offenfive to us, when that may be done; to remove them, if they are removable; if neither of these can be compaffed, to allay and mitigate them; fo that we may be able well to support them? Is it not its principal use to drive away thofe fond conceits, and to quell those troublesome paffions, which create or foment difquiet and difpleasure to us? If it cannot do this, what doth it fignify? To what purpose have we it? Is not our condition really worse than that of brute beafts, if reafon ferveth only to defcry the causes of trouble, but cannot enable to bear it? All the reasons we have produced, and all that we shall produce against discontent, will, if we are reasonable men, and reafon availeth any thing, have this effect upon us.

Wherefore confidering ourselves, our capacities, our relations, our actions, it is most reasonable to be content with our condition, and with whatever doth befall us.

SERMON XXXIX.

OF CONTENTMENT.

PHIL. iv. II.

I have learned in whatever flate, &c.

SERM. III. FARTHER, if we confider our condition, (be it what XXXIX. it will, how poor, how mean, how despicable and forlorn foever,) we can have from it no reasonable ground of dif

Tert. de

Pat. 7.

content.

1. Our condition in this world cannot, if rightly eftimated, and well managed, be extremely bad, or forrowful; nothing here can occur infupportable, or very grievous in itself; we cannot, if we please, want any thing confiderable, and the defect whereof may not be fupplied, or supported by far better enjoyments. If we have high opinions of fome things, as very excellent, or very needful for us, it is no wonder if we do want them, that our condition is unpleasant to us; if we take other things for huge evils, then, if they be incumbent on us, we can hardly fcape being displeased: but if we thoroughly look through fuch things, and scan them exactly, valuing them, not according to fallacious impreffions of fense, or illufive dreamings of fancy, but according to found dictates of reason, we may find, that neither absence of the former, nor the presence of the latter doth make our condition much worse, or render our cafe deplorable.

We are, for inftance, poor: that condition, rightly weighed, is not so very fad: for what is poverty? what but the absence of a few fuperfluous things, which please

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wanton fancy rather than answer need; without which SERM. nature is easily satisfied, and which if we do not affect, we XXXIX. cannot want? what is it but to wear coarse clothes, to feed on plain and fimple fare, to work and take fome pains, to fit or go in a lower place, to have no heaps of cafh, or hoards of grain, to keep no retinue, to have few friends, and not one flatterer? and what great harm in this? It is a state, Vid. Plut. in which hath its no fmall conveniences and comforts, its happy fruits and confequences; which freeth us from many cares and diftractions, from many troubles and croffes, from many encumbrances, many dangers, many temptations, many fore diftempers of body and foul, many grievous mischiefs, to which wealth is exposed; which maintaineth health, industry, and fobriety; difpofeth us to feed heartily, to move nimbly, to fleep sweetly; which preferveth us from luxury, from fatiety, from floth and unwieldinefs b. It yieldeth difpofition of mind, freedom and leifure to attend the ftudy of truth, the acquist of virtue. It is a state which many have borne with great cheerfulness; many (very wife men) have voluntarily embraced; which is allotted by divine wisdom to most men; and which the best men often do endure; to which God hath declared an especial regard, which the mouth Pfal. x. 14. of truth hath proclaimed happy; which the Son of God XXXV. 10. hath dignified by his choice, and fanctified by his taking deeply thereof: and can such a condition be loathfome? can it reasonably displease us?

lxviii. 10.

par- lxix. 33.

lxxii. 4, 13.

very ex

cxlvi. 7.

cxlvii. 2.

Ifa. Ixvi. 2.

Again, thou art, fuppofe, fallen into disgrace, or from Lukevi. 20. honour and credit art depreffed into a ftate of contempt Jam. ii. 5. and infamy? This also rightly prized is no fuch wretchedness; for what doth this import? what, but a change of opinion in giddy men, which thou doft not feel, which thou art not concerned in, if thou pleasest; which thou

• Τὰ δ ̓ ἀργυρώματ' ἐστιν ἥτε πορφύρα

Εἰς τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς χρήσιμ ̓ οὐκ εἰς τὸν βίον. Socrat.

Si vis vacare animo, aut pauper fis oportet, aut pauperi fimilis.

Multis ad philofophandum obftitere divitiæ; paupertas expedita eft, fecura eft. Sen. Ep. 17.

Sæpius pauper & fidelius ridet. Sen. Ep. 60.、

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