them fair. 8. That in as much as I am but a steward, I will be very careful that my management of my truft may be such as will bear my Lord's fcrutiny; I will not employ my ftock of wealth or honour to the difhonour of my Lord, in riot or excels, in vanity or oppreffion; but will do as much good with it as I can, according to the trust committed to me, that I may give a juft and fair and comfortable account of my ftewardship when my Lord and Mafter calls for it. 9. That in as much as thofe very externals are in themfelves bleffings if well employed, though not the bleffings of the greatest magnitude; I will with all humility and thankfulness acknowledge the Divine bounty to me, in trufting me with abundance, and will employ it to his honour.

Seneca Thyest. Act. 2.

STET quicumque volet potens
Aula culmine lubrico:

Me dulcis saturet quies;

Obscuro positus loco,

Leni perfruar otio;

Nullis nota Quiritibus

Atas per tacitum fluat.

Sic cum transierint mei
Nullo cum strepitu dies,
Plebeius moriar senex.
Illi mors gravis incubat,
Qui notus nimis omnibus,
Ignotus moritur sibi.

LET him that will afcend the tott'ring feat
Of courtly grandeur, and become as great
As are his mounting wifhes; as for me,
Let fweet repofe, and reft my portion be;
Give me fome mean obfcure recefs; a fphere
Out of the road of business, or the fear
Of falling lower, where I fweetly may
Myfelf, and dear retirement ftill enjoy:
Let not my life, or name, be known unto
The Grandees of the times, toft to and fro
By cenfures or applaufe; but let my age
Slide gently by, not overthwart the ftage
Of public action; unheard, unfeen,
And unconcern'd, as if I ne'er had been.
And thus while I fhall pafs ny filent days
In fhady privacy, free from the noise
And buftles of the World, then shall I
A good old innocent plebeian die.
Death is a mere furprife, a very fnare,
To him that makes it his life's greatest care
To be a public pageant, known to all,
But unacquainted with himfelf doth fall.

OF

CONTENTATION',

AND THE MOTIVES TO IT, BOTH MORAL

AND DIVINE.

PHIL. IV. 11,

FOR I HAVE LEARNED IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.

THERE are three excellent vintues which especially refer to our condition in this life, and much conduce to our fafe and con.fortable paffage through it.

1. Equality of Mind, or Equanimity.

2. Patience.

3. Contentedness.

1. Equality of Mind, or Equanimity, is that virtue which refers both to profperity and adverfity, whereby in all conditions of that kind we carry an even and equal temper, neither over much lifted up by profperity, nor over much depreffed in adverfity.

2. Patience properly refers to caufes, difappoint ment, afflictions, and adverfity, whereby we carry a quist and fubmiffive mind, without murmuring, paffion, or difcompofure of fpirit, in all afflictions, whether fickness, loss of friends, poverty, reproach, difgrace, or the like.

3. Contentation, which differs from equality of mind, because that refpects as well profperity as adverfity, this only adverfity; and in fome refpects differs alfo from

'Contentment.

patience

patience (though this always accompanies it). 1. In the extent of the obj&t, for patience refpects all kinds of affliction; contentednefs, in propriety of fpecch, refpects principally the affliction of want or poverty. 2. In the act itself, for patience, in propriety of fpeech, implies only a quiet compofed toleration of the evils of adverfity; but contentedness imports fomewhat more, namely, not only a quietness of mind, but a kind of cheerful free fubmiflion to our prefent condition of adverfity, a ready compliance with the Divine Providence and, in effect, a choice of that flate wherein the Divine difpenfation placeth us, as well as in bearing it.

Thefe, though they may in ftrictnefs give a diftinction between patience and contentation, yet we must obferve that contentation is never without patience, though it be fomething more: and that in the common acceptation and latitude of the word, Contentation doth not only extend to the condition or affliction of poverty, but even to all other outward afflictions reached to us

by the inflicting or pe mitting hand of Divine Providence and in this large acccptation I fhall here apply and ufe it.

Content, therefore, in its large acceptation, is not only a quiet and patient, but also a free and cheerful clofing with the eftate and condition of life, which the Divine difpenfation fhall allot unto us, whether mean or poor, or laborious and painful, or obfcure, or necefiitous, or fickly, or unhealthy, or without friends, or with lofs or abfence of friends, or any other ftate that feems ungrateful to our natures or difpofitions. For we nced not apply this virtue to a flate of high profperity in all things, wherein, (though men are not ordinarily contented) yet they have but fmall temptations to dif content from the ftate itfelf wherein they are fo.

This leffon of contentation was learnt by this Apoftle, which imports thefe things: 1.That it is a ton that is poffible to be learned, for the Apoftle had learned it. 2. That it is a leflon that requires fomething of induitry

N 3

dustry and pains to acquire it, for he learned it before he attained it. 3. That it is a leffon that deferves the learning, for he speaks of it as of a thing of moment and great ufe, well worth the pains he took to attain it. And the truth is, it is of fo great importance to be learnt, that without it we want the comfort of our lives; and with it all conditions of life are not only tolerable, but comfortable. And hence it is, that this excellent Apostle doth very often inculcate and press, and commend this leffon in many of his epiftles. 'Godliness with contentment is great gain 1.' 'Let your converfation be without covetoufnefs, and be 'content with fuch things as ye have; for he hath faid, 'I will not leave thee nor forfake thee 2. Again, And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content 3.'

I fhall therefore fet down thofe reafons that may perfuade and encourage us to contentation with our condition, and likewise to patience under it; for patience and contentation cannot be well fevered. And the reafons are of two forts; 1. Moral. 2. Divine and Evangelical. Neither fhall I decline the use of moral reafons, confidering how far, by help of these, many Heathens (that had not the true knowledge of God revealed in his Word and Son) advanced in the practice of thefe virtues. The Moral Reajons therefore are thefe:

1. Very many of the external evils we fuffer are of our own choice and procurement, the fruits of our own follies and inadvertence, and averfenefs to good counfel. And why fhould we be difcontented, or impatient under thofe evils which we ourfelves have chofen, or repine because thefe trees bear their natural fruit?

2. The greateft part of evils we fuffer are of that nature and kind, that are not in our power either to prevent or help: Some come from the very condition of cur nature, as ficknefs, death of friends; and of abfolute neceffity, the more relations any man hath, the

1 1 Tim. vi. 6.

2 Heb. xiii. 5.

31 Tim. vi. 8.

more

more evils of this kind he may fuffer: And can we
reasonably expect that the very nature of things should
be changed to please our humours? Again, fome come
from the hands of men, that, may be, are more powerful,
more fubtle and malicious: Why fhould we difcon-
tent ourselves, or be impatient, because others are too
ftrong for us? Others again come by occurrences na-
tural (though difpofed by the hand of the Divine Pro-
vidence) as loffes by ftorms and tempefts, by unfeafon-
able weather, by intemperatenefs of the air or meteors:
Can we reasonably expect that the Great God of hea
ven and earth fhould alter his fettled laws of nature
for the convenience of every fuch little worm as you
or I am? It may be that storin or intemperate seafon,
that may
do you or me fome prejudice, may do others
as many and as good, or it may be more and better, a
benefit; that wind that ftrikes my fhip against the
rock, may
fetch off two or more from the fands. Let
us be content therefore to fuffer Almighty God to
govern the world according to his wifdom, and not our
will, though it may be a particular detriment to you or
to me; or if we repine against it, we must not think
thereby to obtain our own wills.

3. The texture and frame of the world is fuch, that
it is abfolutely neceffary, that if fome be rich and
powerful, or great, or honourable, others must be poor,
and fubject, and ignoble. If all were equally powerful,
there would be no power nor government, becaufeall
would be equal: if all were equally rich, it would be
but only nominally, indeed none would be rich, but
all would be poor, there could be no artificers, no la
bourers, no fervants. Since therefore it is of neceffity,
in the order of the world, that fome must be poor, or
lefs rich or powerful than others, why should I be fo
unreafonable, or unjust, to defire that lot of poverty
of lownefs of condition_fhould be another's and not
mine? Or why should not I be contented to be of the
lower fort of men, fince the order of the world requires
that fuch fome must be?
N 4

4. Let

1