9. Pf. cv. 18. Σίδηρον δια αὐτό. exemplum fortuna non invenit. tom. v Or. Or. p. 10. P. 107. Job xiii. 27. 1 Sam. SERM. in flavish toil, and in his old age was in reflection upon his XL. life moved to say, that the days of his pilgrimage had been Gen. xlvi. few and evil. Jofeph was maligned and perfecuted by his brethren, fold away for a flave, flandered for a moft heinous crime, thrust into a grievous prison, where his feet x were hurt with fetters, and his foul came into iron. Mofes Socrates, was forced to fly away for his life, to become a vagabond Cato, Re- in a foreign place, to feed fheep for his livelihood; to gulus, Phocion, &c. fpend afterward the beft of his life in contefting with an Magnum obftinately perverse prince, and in leading a mistrustful, nifi mala refractory, mutinous people, for forty years' time, through a vaft and wild defert. Job, what a ftupendous heap of mifVid. Chryf. chiefs did together fall and lie heavy upon him? (Thou 27. p. 168. writeft bitter things against me, he might well fay.) David, et tom. vi. how often was he plunged in faddeft extremity, and reduced to the hardest shifts; being hunted like a partridge in the wilderness by an envious mafter, forced to counterfeit madness for his security among barbarous infidels; difpoffeffed of his kingdom, and perfecuted by his own moft favoured fon; deferted by his fervants, reproached and fcorned by his fubjects y? Elias was driven long to seulk for his life, and to fhift for his livelihood in the wilderness. Jeremy was treated as an impoftor and a traitor, and caft into a miry dungeon; finding matter from his fufferings for his doleful lamentations, and having thence occafion Lam. iii. 1. to exclaim, I am the man that have seen affliction by the Acts vii. 52. rod of his wrath, &c. Which of the Prophets were not 1 Cor. iv. perfecuted and mifused? as St. Stephen asked. The Apoftles were pinched with all kinds of want, haraffed with all forts of toil, exposed to all manner of hazards, perfecuted with all variety of contumelies and pains that can be imagined: above all, our Lord himself beyond expreffion Chryf. tom. was a man of forrow, and acquainted with grief, surpaffing all men in fuffering as he did excel them in dignity and xxvi. 20. and vii. vi. Or. 93. Ifa. liii. 3. γ Νῦν καὶ πάλαι ἐξ ὧ γεγόνασιν ἄνθρωποι ἅπαντες οἱ τῷ Θεῷ φίλοι τῷ συγνῷ καὶ ἐπιμόχθῳ καὶ μυρίων γήμοντι δεινῶν ἐκληρώθησαν βίῳ. Chryf. in Mart, Egypt. t. v. 522. Ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ἤνθεν οἱ δίκαιοι, τοὺς ἁγίες ἅπαντας ὕτως ἔγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ 92ws. Chryf. in 2 Cor. Or. 27. XL. in virtue; extreme poverty, having not fo much as where SERM. to lay his head, was his portion; to undergo continual labour and travel, without any mixture of carnal ease or Matt. viii. pleasure, was his state; in return for the highest good-will 20. and choiceft benefits, to receive moft cruel hatred and grievous injuries, to be loaded with the bittereft re- proaches, the fouleft flanders, the forest pains which spiteful malice could invent, or fierceft rage inflict, this most Εκ γὰρ τῶν τῶν ἀνθρώ μέχρι Toy καιρᾶ τὸς τὸν ὅλων έσπε βειν θεόν ἰσιν ωκότων ἀν was his lot: Am.I poor ? fo, may one fay, was he to ex- daxóras di tremity; Am I flighted of the world? fo was he notori- súpsvaga ously; Am I disappointed and croffed in my defigns? fo Tv ui was he continually, all his moft painful endeavours having 9 fmall effect; Am I deferted or betrayed of friends? fo was he by those who were most intimate, and most obliged aya to him; Am I reviled, flandered, misused? Was not he ἀνιαροῖς. so beyond all comparison most outrageously? κημένους, και πλείσοις πεπτωκότας Theod. Ep. 132. Have all these, and many more, of whom the world was Heb. xi. 38. not worthy, undergone all forts of inconvenience, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented; and fhall we then disdain, or be forry to be found in fuch company? Having fuch a Heb. xii. 1. cloud of martyrs, let us run with patience the race that is fet before us. Is it not an honour, fhould it not be a comfort to us, that we do, in condition, refemble them? If God hath thus dealt with thofe, who of all men have been deareft to him, fhall we take it ill at his hands, that he, in any manner, dealeth fo with us? Can we pretend, can we hope, can we even with to be used better, than God's firstborn, and our Lord himself hath been? If we do, are we not monftrously fond and arrogant? especially confidering, that it is not only an ordinary fortune, but the peculiar character of God's chosen, and children, to be often croffed, checked, and corrected; even Pagans have observed it, and avowed there is great reafon for it; God, Sen. de Profaith Seneca, hath a fatherly mind toward good men; and vid. c. 2. frongly loveth them—therefore after the manner of fevere parents, he educateth them hardly, &c. The Apoftle doth in express terms affure us thereof; for, whom, faith he, Heb. xii. 6 the Lord loveth, he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth. If ye endure chaftening, God dealeth with 7, 8. Τέκνον, εἰ προσέρχη δελεύειν κυ ρίῳ, ἑτοίμασ χὴν σε εἰς 20. SERM. you as with fons--but if ye be without chaftifement, XL. whereof all (that is, all good men, and genuine fons of God) are partakers, then are ye baftards, and not fons. Would we be illegitimated, or expunged from the number of God's true children; would we be divested of his fpecial Ecclus..1.regard and good-will? if not, why do we not gladly erix embrace, and willingly sustain adversity, which is by himgi, iria felf declared fo peculiar a badge of his children, fo con- ftant a mark of his favour? if all good men do, as the Tuga. Apoftle afferteth, partake thereof; fhall we, by difpleasure at it, fhew that we defire to be affuredly none of that party, that we affect to be difcarded from that holy and John xvi. happy fociety? Verily, verily, I fay unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. It is peculiarly the lot of Chriftians, as fuch, in conformity to their Rom. viii. afflicted Saviour; they are herein predeftinated to be con29. Theff. iii. formable to his image; to this they are appointed. (Let no man, faith St. Paul, be moved by these afflictions, for ye know, that we are appointed thereunto :) to this they are 1 Pet. ii. 20, called, (if when ye do well, faith St. Peter, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God; for even hereunto were ye called,) this is propounded to them as a 2 Tim. iii. condition to be undertaken and undergone by them as fuch; they are by profeffion crucigeri, bearers of the cross; Ex - (*if any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his crofs and follow me; every one that will live godly in Chrift Jefus, muft fuffer perfecution :) by this are guftiarum they admitted into the state of Chriftians; (by many afflic tions we must enter into the kingdom of heaven ;) this doth crucimilito. qualify them for enjoying the glorious rewards, which 99 their religion propoundeth; (we are coheirs with Chrift; Acts xiv.22 fo that, if we fuffer together, we shall alfo together be gloNaz. Ep rified with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with Theclam.) him :) and fhall we then pretend to be Chriftians, fhall 3. Phil. iii. 10. 21. * Matt. xvi. 24. X. 38. 12. John xvi. 33. Ἐν τῷ κόσ με θλίψιν ἕξετε. Quotam partem an perpeffus fum qui Hier. ad A Vid. Greg 2 Tim.ii.12. (Phil. iii. 10.) z It is a privilege of Chriftians, in favour bestowed on them ; iμiv ixegisŵn. Phil. i. 29. Our glory. Eph. iii. 13. ὑπομονῆς ἔχετε χρείαν. Heb. x. 36. Faith and patience are conforts. Heb. vi. 12. Apoc. xiii. 10. XL. we claim any benefit from thence, if we are unwilling to SERM. fubmit to the law, to attend the call, to comply with the terms thereof? Will we enjoy its privileges, can we hope for its rewards, if we will not contentedly undergo what it requireth? Shall we arrive to the end it propoundeth, without going in the way it prefcribeth, the way which our Lord himself doth lead us in, and himself hath trod before us? In fine, feeing adverfity is, as hath been declared, a thing fo natural to all men, fo common to most men, so incident to great men, fo proper to good men, fo peculiar to Chriftians, we have great reafon to obferve the Apoftle's advice, Beloved, wonder not concerning the fiery 1 Pet.iv.12. trial, which is to try you, as if fome ftrange thing happened to you; we should not wonder at it as a ftrange or uncouth thing, that we are engaged in any trouble or inconvenience here; we are confequently not to be affected with it as a thing very grievous. SERMON XLI. OF CONTENTMENT. XLI. 1 Tim. vi. 6. PHIL. iv. II. I have learned in whatfoever ftate I am, &c. SERM. MOREOVER, confidering the nature of this duty itself, may be a great inducement and aid to the practice of it. 1. It is itself a fovereign remedy for all poverty and all fufferance; removing them, or allaying all the mischief ̓́Ετι δὲ μέγας πορισμός ή they can do us. can do us. It is well and truly faid by St. Austin, Intereft non qualia, fed qualis quis patiatur; It is no matter what, but how difpofed a man fuffereth: the chief mischief Civ. Dei, i. any adverfity can do us is to render us difcontent; in that εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρ 8. confifteth all the fting and all the venom thereof; which thereby being avoided, adversity can fignify nothing prejudicial or noxious to us; all diftraction, all diftemper, all disturbance from it is by the antidote of contentedness prevented or corrected. He that hath his defires moderated to a temper suitable with his condition, that hath his paffions compofed and settled agreeably to his circumstances, what can make any grievous impreffion on him, or render him anywife miferable? he that taketh himself to have enough, what doth he need? he that is well pleased to be as he is, how can he be better? what can the largest wealth, or highest prosperity in the world, yield more or better than fatisfaction of mind? he that hath this most efsential ingredient of felicity, is he not thence in effect most |