fortunate? is not at least his condition as good as that of SERM. XLI. the most profperous a? 4. num vir mala for tuna com 2. As good, do I fay? yea, is it not plainly much better than can arise merely from any secular prosperity? for fatisfaction fpringing from rational confideration and virtuous difpofition of mind, is indeed far more precious, more noble and worthy, more folid and durable, more sweet and delectable, than that which any poffeffion, or fruition of worldly goods can afford b: the τὸ ἄφθαρτον τα πραέος, καὶ Vid. Εpift. fouxie tveúμatos, incorruptibility, as St. Peter speaketh, of 6, et ad Olymp. a meek and quiet Spirit is before God of great price; before Epift. 3. (p. God, that is, according to the most upright and certain 75.) de Jofepho. judgment, it is the most precious and valuable thing in the 1 Pet. iii. world; There is, the philofopher could fay, no fpectacle more Ecce par worthy of God, (or grateful to him,) than a good man gal- Deo diglantly combating with ill fortune. Not to be difcompofed bonus cum or diftempered in mind, not to fret or whine, when all things flow profperously and according to our mind, is no pofitus. great praife, no fign of wisdom, or argument of goodness; vid. it cannot be reckoned an effect of found judgment or virtuous affection, but a natural confequent of such a state: but when there are evident occafions and urgent temptations to displeasure, when present sense and fancy do promp and provoke to murmuring, then to be fatisfied in our mind, then to keep our paffions in order, then to maintain good humour, then to restrain our tongue from complaint, and to govern our demeanour fweetly, this is indeed honourable and handfome; to see a worthy man sustain croffes, wants, difgraces, with equanimity and cheerfulness, is a most goodly fight: fuch a person, to a judicious mind, appeareth in a far more honourable and invidious state, than any profperous man; his virtue shining in the dark is far ■ Cui cum paupertate bene convenit, dives eft. Sen. Ep. 2. Nemo aliorum fenfu miser eft, fed fuo; et ideo non poffunt cujufquam falso judicio esse miseri, qui sunt vere confcientia sua beati. Nulli beatiores funt, quam qui hoc funt quod volunt. Salv. de Gubern. Dei, 1. ὁ Οὐ γὰρ τὸ ποιῆσαί τι χρησὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ τὸ παθεῖν τι κακὸν πολλὰς ἔχει τὰς ápoíbàs xai peɣára và íxadia, &c. Chryf. ad Olymp. Ep. 3. Vid. p. 73. Οὐδὲν τῆς ἐν ἀλγηδόσιν ὑπομονῆς εἰς εὐδοκιμήσεως λόγον ἴσον· ἡ γὰρ βασιλὶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῶν τεφάνων ἡ κορωνίς αὕτη μάλισά ἰτι. Chryf. ad Olymp. Eρ. 16, VOL. II. D d Sen. de Pro : SERM. more bright and fair: this, as St. Peter faith, in a like cafe XLI. is thankworthy, if a man for confcience toward God fuffereth 1 Pet. ii. 19. grief; if, in our cafe, (we may say after him,) a man, out of confcientious deference to God's will, doth contentedly undergo adverfity, this, God is ready to take for an obligation on himself, and will be difpofed in a manner to thank him (or to reward him) for it: this indeed amounteth to a demonftration, that fuch a person is truly wife and really good fo is the fatisfaction of a contented poor man more worthy and it is no less more sweet and comfortable, than that of any rich man, pleasing himself in his enjoyments; contentedness fatisfieth the mind of the one, abundance doth only fatiate the appetites of the other; the former is immaterial and sprightly, the complacence of a man; the latter is grofs and dull, like the fenfuality of a beast; the delight of that finketh deep into the heart, the pleasure of this doth only float in the outward fenfes, or in the fancy; one is a pofitive comfort, the other but a negative indolency in regard to the mind: the poor good man's joy is wholly his own, and home-born, a lovely child of reason and virtue; the full rich man's pleasure cometh from without, and is thrust into him by impulses of fenfible objects. Hence is the fatisfaction of contented adverfity far more conftant, folid, and durable, than that of profperity; it being the product of immutable reason abideth in the mind, and cannot easily be driven thence by any corporeal impreffions, which immediately cannot touch the mind; whereas the other, iffuing from fenfe, is subject to all the changes inducible from the reftlefs commotions of outward caufes affecting and altering fenfe: whence the fatisfaction proceeding from reason and virtue, the longer it ftayeth the firmer and sweeter it groweth, turning into habit, and working nature to an agreement with it; whereas ufually the joys of wealth and profperity do foon degenerate into faf < Honefta res eft læta paupertas. Epic. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ διὰ τὸν Θεόν τι πάσχων μόνον εὐδοκιμεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἀδίκως τι πάσχει καὶ φέρων γενναίως, καὶ εὐχαρισῶν τῷ συγχωρῶντι Θεῷ ἐκ ἐλάττων τῷ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτα πάσχοντος ἐσιν. Chryf. ̓Ανδρ. σ'. 22. tidiousness, and terminate in bitterness; being honey in the SERM. XLI. mouth, but foon becoming gall in the bowels. Nothing indeed can affect the mind with a truer pleasure, than the Apoc. x.10. very confcience of discharging our duty toward God in Job xx. 20, bearing hardship, impofed by his providence, willingly and well. We have therefore much reafon not only to acquiefce in our straits, but to be glad of them, seeing they do yield us an opportunity of immediately obtaining goods more excellent and more defirable, than any profperous or wealthy man can eafily have, fince they furnish us with means of acquiring and exercifing a virtue worth the most ample fortune; yea juftly preferable to the best estate in the world; a virtue, which indeed doth not only render any condition tolerable, but sweeteneth any thing, yea fanctifieth all ftates, and turneth all occurrences into bleffings. 3. Even the fenfible smart of adverfity is by contentedness somewhat tempered and eafed; the ftiller and quieter we lie under it, the lefs we feel its violence and pungency: it is tumbling and toffing that stirreth the ill humours, and driveth them to the parts moft weak, and apt to be affected with them; the rubbing of our fores is that which inflameth and exasperateth them: where the mind is calm, and the paffions fettled, the pain of any grievance is in comparifon lefs acute, lefs fenfible. 4. Whence, if others in our diftrefs are uncharitable to us, refufing the help they might or should afford toward the refcuing us from it, or relieving us in it, we hereby may be charitable and great benefactors to ourselves; we should need no anodyne to be miniftered from without, no fuccour to come from any creature, if we would not be wanting to ourselves, in hearkening to our own reason, and enjoying the confolation which it affordeth. In not doing this, we are more uncharitable and cruel to ourselves, than any spiteful enemy or treacherous friend can be ; no man can fo wrong or moleft us, as we do ourselves, by admitting or fostering discontent. 5. The contented bearing of our condition is alfo the moft hopeful and ready means of bettering it, and of removing the preffures we lie under. SERM. It is partly fo in a natural way, as difpofing us to emXLI. brace and employ the advantages which occur conducible thereto for as difcontent blindeth men, so that they cannot defcry the ways of escape from evil, it difpiriteth and difcourageth them from endeavouring to help themfelves, it depriveth them of many fuccours and expedients, which occafion would afford for their relief; fo he that being undisturbed in his spirit hath his eyes open and his courage up, and all his natural powers in order, will be always ready and able to do his best, to act vigorously, to fnatch any opportunity, and employ any means toward the freeing himself from what appeareth grievous to him. Upon a fupernatural account, content is yet more efficacious to the fame purpose: for cheerful fubmiffion to God's will doth please him much, doth strongly move him to withdraw his afflicting hand, doth effectually induce him to advance us into a moft comfortable ftate: of all virtues, there is none more acceptable to God than patience. God will take it well at our hands if we do contentedly receive from his hand the worst things: it is a monftrous thing not to receive prosperity with grateful fense, but it is heroical with the fame mind to receive things unpleasant: he that doth fo ζημιᾶται μὲν ὡς ἄνθρωπος, σεφανᾶται δὲ ὡς φιλόθεος, he fuffereth lofs as a man, but is crowned as a lover of God. Vid. Chryf. Befides that, it is an unreasonable thing to think of enjoying ad. Stag. 1. both reft and pleasure here, and the rewards hereafter; our confolation here with Dives, and our refreshment hereafter with Lazarus. Chryf. tom. vi. Or. 89. et 2. (p. 106.) 29. (Luke xiv. 11. xviii. 1 Pet. v. 6. Be humbled, faith St. Peter, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, (ev xaip, when it is Jam. iv. 10. opportune and feafonable;) and, Be humbled, faith St. Job xxii. James, before the Lord, and he will exalt you; and, When, faith Job's friends, men are caft down, then thou shalt fay there is lifting up, and he will fave the humble perfon. God with favourable pity hearkeneth to the groans of them Ifa. lxvi. 2. who are humbly contrite under his hand, and reverently lvii. 15. tremble at his word; he reviveth the spirit of the humble; 18. li. 17. he is nigh to the broken of heart, and faveth fuch as are of a contrite Spirit; he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth 14.) Pfal. xxxiv. calvii. 3. up their wounds; he proclaimeth blessedness to the poor in SERM. Spirit, and to thofe that mourn, because they shall find com- XLI. fort and mercy: all which declarations and promises are Matt. v. 3, made concerning those who bear adverfity with a fubmifs 4. and contented mind; and we fee them effectually performed in the cafes of Ahab, of the Ninivites, of Nebuchadnezzar, of Manaffes, of Hezekiah, of David; of all perfons mentioned in holy Scripture, upon whom adverfities had fuch kindly operations. But difcontent and impatience do offend God, and provoke him to continue his judgments, yea to increase the load of them: to be fullen and ftubborn, is the fure way to render our condition worse and more intolerable: for, who hath hardened himself against God and Job ix. 4. profpered? The Pharaohs and Sauls, and such like persons, who rather would break than bend, who, being diffatisfied Ifa. ix. 13. with their condition, chose rather to lay hold on other imaginary fuccours, than to have recourse to God's mercy and help; thofe, who (like the refractory Ifraelites) have been Smitten in vain as to any quiet fubmiffion or converfion unto God, what have they but plunged themselves deeper into wretchedness ? It is indeed to quell our haughty ftomach, to check our froward humour, to curb our impetuous defires, to calm our disorderly paffions, to fupprefs our fond admiration and eager affection toward these worldly things, in short, to work a contented mind in us, that God ever doth inflict any hardships on us, that he croffeth us in our projects, that he detaineth us in any troublesome state; until this be achieved, as it is not expedient that we should be eased, as relief would really be no bleffing to us; fo God (except in anger and judgment) will nowife grant or dispense it; it would be a cruel mercy for him to do it. If therefore we do with ever to be in a good cafe as to this world, let us learn to be contented in a bad one: having got this difpofition firmly rooted in our hearts, we are qualified for deliverance and preferment; nor will God fail in that due season to perform for us what he fo often hath declared and promised; his nature difpofeth him, his word hath engaged him to help and comfort us. Jer. ii. 30. v. 3. i. 5. xxvi. 10. |