תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

1. xcvii. 12.

frame of mind we fhould maintain, fo continually pre- SERM. pared we should be against all contingencies, that nothing XXXVII. fhould happen amifs to us, fo as deeply to affect us, or to unfettle us in our humour; that every thing from God's hand should be acceptable; that no fadness may feize on us, at least that we do not indulge or cherish it; that in nowise we suffer any regret to quench that spiritual comfort and joy in God, which becometh the upright, as the Pfal. xxxiii. Pfalmist faith, and which we are so often enjoined perpe-Phil. iv. 4. tually to maintain, as in all cafes, fo particularly under iii. 1. afflictions and trials. We cannot indeed hardly be content, if we are not cheerful; for it is hard to be altogether 1 Pet. iv. on the fuffering and bearing hand, without any pleasure : the mind can hardly ftand in a poife, fo as neither to forrow or joy; we cannot digeft adverfity, if we do not relifh it; we shall not fubmit to it as his will, if we do not take it for an argument of his love: edoxa, I, faith St. 2 Cor. xii. Paul, have a liking or pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in neceffities, in perfecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am firong.

2 Cor. xiii.

11.

13.

10.

42.

4. We should with faith and hope rely and wait on God for the removal, or eafement of our afflictions; or, however, we should confide in him for grace, and ftrength to fupport them well: as our Saviour did, when he prayed, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup; as they did Luke xxii. in the Prophet, who faid, In the way of thy judgments, O Ifa. xxvi. 8. Lord, we have waited on thee; according to that rule in xxxiii. 2. the Lamentations, It is good that a man should both hope, Lam.iii. 26. and wait quietly for the falvation of the Lord; and those precepts in the Pfalins, Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently Pfal.xxxvii. for him; wait upon the Lord, be of good courage, and he7. xxvii. 14. Shall ftrengthen thine heart.

Pfal. xl. 1. xxxiii. 20. lxii. 1. XXV.

3. Ixix. 6.

Pfal. xlii. 5.

We should in any cafe be ready with the holy Pfalmist thus to interrogate and sustain ourselves: Why art thou xvi. 8. caft down, O my foul, why art thou fo difquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I fhall yet praife him, for the help of his countenance.

Remembering, and confidering, that (as we are exprefsly taught in Scripture, and as all our religion doth clearly

XXXVII.

Matt. vi. 25.

13.

Mic. vii. 7.

SERM. fuppofe) God knoweth to refcue the godly out of tribulation; (he knoweth the proper feafon, when it is fit to do it ;) that 2 Pet. ii. 3. he is faithful, and will not fuffer us to be tempted above 1 Pet. V. 7: what we are able; but will with the temptation also make 1 Cor. x.13. a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it; reflecting, I say, on these certain points of Chriftian truth, we should 1 Theff. iv. never forrow as thofe who are without hope; we should never despair of a good riddance from our adverfity, when it shall be seasonable or beneficial for us; we fhould always Ifa xl. 31. be affured of a comfortable fupport under it, which is ufually better than deliverance from it; our minds should never fink into defpondency, or difconfolatenefs: that this is practicable in the worst cafe, we have confpicuous inftances to affure us; it hath been the practice of moft illuftrious and excellent perfons, particularly of the holy Apostles; never was any condition, in outward respects and appearance, more forlorn and difimal than was theirs; 2 Cor. iv. 8. yet it nowife bereaved them of hope, or courage: We, 1 Cor. iv.11. they could fay, are troubled on every fide, yet not diftreffed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; perfecuted, but not forfaken; caft down, but not deftroyed.

10.

2 Cor.iv.16.

2 Theff. iii.

13.

5. We fhould indeed not fo much as faint or languish in our minds upon any fuch occafion; no adverfity should impair the forces of our reafon or our fpirit; fhould enervate our courage, or flacken our induftry; fhould render Prov. xxiv. us fick, or weak in heart; for, If, faith the Wife Man, thou faint in the day of adverfity, thy ftrength is fmall, (it Rev. ii. 3. is the fign of an infirm mind,) and, μǹ èxxaxeiv, not to falter or decay, μǹ ixλúeodai, not to be diffolved, or disjointed, in Gal. vi. 9. our fouls, (as the body is in fcorbutic diftempers,) are rules Heb. xii. 3. prescribed to us in fuch cafes: we do then indeed need a nimis opus firm and robuft conftitution of foul; we fhould then bear pectore fir- up most resolutely and ftoutly: the encouragement of Mofes to the people, entering upon battle, may well be accommodated to us, in regard to our conflict with adverDeut. xx. 3. fities; Let not your hearts faint, fear not and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them.

-nunc a

eft, nunc

mo.

6. We fhould not be weary of our condition, or have irksome longings for alteration; but, with a quiet indiffe

rency and willingness of mind, lie under it during God's SERM. pleasure; according to the Wife Man's advice; My fon, XXXVII. defpife not the chaftening of the Lord, neither be weary of Prov. iii. 11. his correction; and that of the Apoftle, enforced by our Lord's example; Confider him, that endured fuch contra- Heb. xii. 3. diction of finners against himself, left ye be wearied and faint in your minds. We fhould not think God flow, or his time long and tedious, as if he were forgetful of us, or backward to fuccour us; as the Pfalmift was inclined to do, when in the day of trouble he brake forth into these conceits and expreffions: Will the Lord caft off for ever, and Pfal. lxxvii, will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for 7, 10. ever, doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger fhut up his tender mercies? Thus he in a fad mood was apt to think and fpeak; but, recollecting himself, he perceived it was his error, and confeffed it was his fault thus to imagine; I faid, it was mine infirmity; and it will be ours likewife, if we entertain fuch conceptions and refentments: we should with the fame mind endure our prefent ftate, as we do pafs through a hard winter, or a time of foul weather, taking it for seasonable and fit, because the wife Author of nature hath fo appointed and ordered it.

7. We should by adverfe accidents be rendered lowly in our own eyes, and fober in our conceits of ourselves; meek and gentle, tender and pliable in our temper and frame of fpirit; fenfible of our unworthiness and meanness, of our natural frailty, penury, and misery, of our actual offences and miscarriages; deeply affected in regard to the awful majesty and power, to the perfect holiness and strict justice of God; they should quell our haughty ftomach, they should fupple our ftiff wilfulness, they fhould foften our hard hearts, they should mitigate our peevith humours: to effect these things is ufually the defign of fuch accidents, and it is ever the best fruit of them: this is that which St. Peter adviseth to, when he faith, Be humbled under the 1 Pet. v. 6. mighty hand of God; which God approveth, and encourageth with a gracious promise, when he faith, To this lfa. Ixvi. 2. man will I look, even to him, that is of a poor and contrite

SERM. trite fpirit, and trembleth at my word: this difpofition is XXXVII. an infeparable adherent to contentedness; he that hath

15.

not his fpirit thus broken, or mollified, will hardly be content in any state; he that is haughty in conceit, and sturdy in humour, will every where find that which will crofs and difturb him.

8. It is required that we should, notwithstanding any meanness, any hardness of our condition, be meekly and kindly affected toward others, being fatisfied and pleased with their more profperous ftates. We fhould not be angry with the world, because we do not thrive or flourifh in it; we should not be fullen or peevish toward any man, because his fortune is better than ours; we should not repine or grudge at the good fuccefs of any of our Rom. xii. brethren, because we want the like ourselves; we should rather rejoice with thofe that rejoice; innocently filching fome pleasure from them, or borrowing fome fatisfaction from their enjoyments. It is human thus to do, because of the natural cognation and friendship of men; it is more efpecially Chriftian, because of our spiritual confanguinity; by virtue whereof we are fo knit together, and made Rom. xii. members each to other, that if, as St. Paul telleth us, one member fuffer, all the members fuffer with it; and if one member be honoured, all the members should rejoice with it: we can hardly be content without thus appropriating the goods, and fharing in the delights of others; he can never be content, who looketh with an evil eye upon other men's profperity; he cannot do well himfelf who loveth not to fee his neighbour do well; numberlefs occafions will happen to discompofe and vex him.

15.

1 Cor. xii, 26.

Adverfity impatiently borne is apt to four our fpirits, and render us froward toward men; especially when it proceedeth from the unkindness, ingratitude, or treachery of friends, or of perfons obliged to us for our good-will, or for benefits done to them: but nothing fhould render us

g Ita plerumque contingit, ut dum aliquos fratres noftros in quantulacunque requie conftitutos in mediis noftris anxietatibus cogitamus, non parva ex parte recreemur, tanquam et nos ideo ipfi quietius tranquilliusque vivamus. Aug. Ep. 144.

unkindly disposed toward the world, nothing should ex- SERM. tinguish charity in us toward any man; fo plain reafon XXXVII. teacheth us, fo great examples enforce: Mofes did not lofe his affection towards his countrymen, because he was by one of them threatened away into banishment and vagrancy; the Apoftles became not difaffected to the world, because it misused and perfecuted them; our Lord did continue moft earnestly to defire, and laboriously to endeavour the good of thofe who most defpitefully ufed him like theirs, in all cafes, fhould our difpofition be; we fhould ever obferve the Pfalmift's advice; Ceafe from Pfal.xxxvii. anger, forfake wrath, fret not thyself in anywife to do 8. evil.

Again,

Pfal.xxxvii.

9. Contentedness doth imply a freedom from all folicitude and anxiety of mind, in reference to provifion for our needs, and conveniences of life; according to those rules and precepts of cafting our burthen and care upon the 1 Pet. v. 7. Lord, of being careful for nothing, but commending our 5. lv. 23. affairs to God's ordering; according to that moft com- Phil. iv. 6. fortable precept of our Lord, Take no care, faying, What Matt. vi.31. Shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, How shall we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye want all these things. If we do not thus, it is hardly poffible that we fhould be content; if we do not depend upon Providence, we cannot fcape being often diftracted with care, and perplexed with fear; we cannot cheerfully hope for any thing we need, nor be quietly secure of any thing we poffefs.

10. It requireth also that we should curb our defires, and confine them in the narroweft bounds we can; so as not to affect more in quantity, or better in quality, than our nature and ftate do require h: if we must have superfluities, if we can only relish dainties, we fhall never be pleased; for as nature hath limits, and is content with little; as there is no state in this world, the exigencies

Η "Ηδισα πολυτελείας ἀπολαύεσιν οἱ ἥκισα ταύτης δεόμενοι, Epic, ad Menac
Ventre nihil novi frugalius. Juv. Sat, v.

« הקודםהמשך »