Heb. x. 36. entitle them to the bleffed rewards hereafter: 1 Our light SERM. affliction, faith St. Paul, which is but for a moment, work- XXXIX. eth for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Cor. iv. and, Ye, faith St. Peter, greatly rejoice, though now for a 17 feafon, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold boons temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more XTi xguíav, precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with 1 Pet. i. 6, fire, may be found unto praife, and honour, and glory, at 7. the appearing of Jefus Chrift. Such is the nature, fuch the use, fuch the fruits of adverfity. &c. It is indeed scarce poffible, that, without tafting it fomewhat deeply, any man fhould become in good measure either wife or good m. He must be very ignorant of himself, (of his own temper and inclinations, of the ftrength. and forces of his reafon,) who hath not met with fome rubs and crosses to try himself and them with: the greater part of things he muft little understand, who hath not experienced the worst part: he cannot skill to wield and govern his paffions, who never had them stirred up, and toffed about by crofs accidents: he can be no good pilot in matters of human life, who hath not for fome time failed in a rough fea, in foul weather, among fands and shelves: he could have no good opportunity of employing thoroughly, or improving his wit, his courage, his industry, who hath had no ftraits to extricate himself from, no difficulties to furmount, no hardships to sustain": the virtues of humility, of patience, of contentedness neceffarily must be unknown to him, to whom no difgraces, no wants, no fore pains have arrived, by well enduring which, those virtues are learnt, and planted in the foul: fcarce can he become very charitable or compaffionate to Non ign. 1 Ἡ γὰρ τῶν πόνων ἐπίτασις, μισθῶν ἐπίτασίς ἐσι, κ ἔρεισμα ἀσφαλὲς πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἑκόντας ἐκπεσεῖν· καὶ γὰρ τύφον κατατέλλει, καὶ ῥαθυμίαν ἀποτρέψει, να φρονιμωτέρας wonī è̟ sódabırígus igyáÇırai, &c. Chryf. tom. vi. Or. 9. Nihil infelicius eo, cui nihil unquam evenit adverfi, non licuit enim illi fe experiri. Sen. de Provid. 3. mali mifer fuccurrere difco. En.2. 16. vi. 3. SERM. others, who never himself hath felt the smart of affliction, XXXIX. or inconveniences of any diftrefs; for even, as the Apostle Heb. ii. 17, teacheth us, our Saviour himself was obliged to fuffer 18. iv. 15, tribulation, that he thence might become merciful, and 1 Sam. xxv. difpofed to fuccour the afflicted. (No wonder, if he that liveth in continual profperity be a Nabal, churlish and difcourteous, infenfible of other men's grievances :) and how can he express much piety or love to God, who is not (in fubmiffion to God's will, and for his fake) put to fuffer any thing grievous, or want any thing defirable? When can he employ any great faith or hope in God, who never hath any visible need of fuccour or relief from him, who hath other prefent aids to confide in? How can he purely delight in God, and place his fole felicity in him? How can he thoroughly relish spiritual things, whose affections are taken up by an affluence of other goods, whofe appetites are glutted with enjoyment of other delights? What but deprivation of these things can lay open the vanity, the deceitfulness, and flipperinefs of them? What but croffes and disappointments here can withdraw our minds from a fond admiration, and eager affection toward this world P? What but the want of these joys and fatisfactions can drive us to feek our felicity otherwhere? Matt. xiii. when the deceit of riches poffeffeth us, how can we judge right of things? when cares about them distract us, how Luke x. 41. can we think about any thing that is good? when their Deut.xxxii. fnares entangle us, and their clogs encumber us, how can Prov. i. 32. we be free and expedite in doing good? when abundance Hof. xiii. 6. fatteneth our hearts, and eafe fofteneth our fpirits, and Pfa. xxx. 6. fuccefs puffeth up our minds; when pride, sensuality, ftupidity, and floth (the almost infeparable adherents to Amos vi. 1. large and profperous eftates) do continually infinuate them 22. 1 Tim.vi. 9. 15. xxx. 9. Jer. xxii. 21. &c. • Cum moleftiæ in hujus vitæ fragilitate crebrefcunt, æternam requiem nos defiderare compellunt. Mundus quippe ifte periculofior eft blandus, quam moleftus, et magis cavendus quum fe illicit diligi, quam cum admonet, cogitque contemni. Aug. Ep. 144. P Ardua nam res eft opibus non tradere mores. Mart. felves into us, what wisdom, what virtue are we like to SERM. have? XXXIX. Seeing then adverfity is fo wholesome and useful, the remedy of fo great mifchiefs, the cause of fo great benefits to us, why fhould we be displeased therewith 9? To be displeased with it, is to be displeased with that which is moft needful or moft convenient for us, to be displeased with the health and welfare of our fouls; that we are rescued from errors and vices, with all their black train of miferies and mischiefs; to be difpleased that we are not detained under the reign of folly and wickedness, that we are not inevitably made fools and beafts. To be disgusted with Providence for affliction or poverty, is no other than as if we should be angry with our physician for adminiftering a purge, or for prefcribing abftinence to us; as if we should fret at our chirurgeon for fearching our wounds, or applying needful corrofives; as if we should complain of the hand which draweth us from a precipice, or pulleth Jude 23. us out of the fire. Many benefits, faith Seneca, have a fad and rough countenance, as to burn and cut in order to healings: fuch a benefit of God is adverfity to us; and as fuch with a gladsome and thankful mind should we receive it. James v. 1. 1, If with a diligent observation we confult experience, we shall find, that, as many have great cause to bewail that they have been rich, that they have been blinded and Luke vi. 24. corrupted with profperity, that they have received their Amos vi. 1; confolation here; so many have great reason to be glad &c. that they have been poor, that they have been disappointed, that they have tafted the bitter cup; it having inftructed and corrected them; it having rendered them fober and confiderate, industrious and frugal, mindful of 9 Gratulari et gaudere nos decet dignatione divinæ caftigationis-O fervum illum beatum, cujus emendationi Dominus inftat; cui dignatur irafci, quem admonendi diffimulatione non decipit. Tert. de Pat. 11. Ὁ ἁμαρτάνων κἂν μὴ κολάζηται, πάντων ἐςὶν ἀθλιώτερΘ, &c. Chryf. Ανδρ. 5. - Η νοσάντων ἰατρείαι, ἢ ὑγιαινόντων γυμνασίαι. Simpl. Χρειτῶν εὐημερίας ἀχαλινώτε νόσο φιλόσοφΘ. Νaz. Ερ. 66. $ Beneficia multa triftem et afperam frontem habent, quemadmodum urere, et fecare, ut fanes. Sen. de Benef. v. 20. SERM. God, and devout toward him and what we may rejoice XXXIX. in when past, why should we not bear contentedly when prefent? why fhould not the expectation of fuch good fruits fatisfy us'? Why should not fuch a condition, being fo plainly better in itself, feem also better unto us? We cannot, if we are reasonable, but approve it in our judgment; why then are we not fully reconciled unto it in our affection? Horrorem operis fructus excufat. Tert. Scorp. 5. Let our condition be what it will, we are the fame. It doth not change us in our intrinfic worth or ftate. It is but a garment about us, or as weather. Ego utrum Nave ferar magna an parva, ferar unus et idem. Hor. Ep. ii. 2. SERMON XL. OF CONTENTMENT. PHIL. iv. 11. I have learned in whatsoever ftate, &c. 1. 5. BUT farther: Let our state be, as to quality, what it SERM. will, good or bad, joyful or unpleasant, we may yet con- XL. fider, that it cannot be defperate, it may not be lasting; for there is not any neceffary connection between the prefent and the future: wherefore, as the present, being momentary and tranfient, can little trouble us, fo the future, being unknown and uncertain, fhould not dismay us. As no man reafonably can be elevated with confidence in a good state, prefuming on its duration, (Boast Prov. xxvii. not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knoweft not what a day 1. may bring forth;) so no man should be dejected for a bad one, in fufpicion that it will abide longa; feeing neither (confidering the frequent viciffitudes that occur, and the flux nature of all things here) is each of them in itself ftable; and the continuance of each abfolutely dependeth on God's arbitrary disposal; and as God often doth overturn prosperity, to human judgment moft firmly grounded, fo he most easily can redress the to appearance most forlorn adverfity; and he, being especially the helper of the Pfal. Ixxii. helpless, doth frequently perform it: as he poureth contempt Multa intervenient quibus vicinum periculum vel prope admotum aut fubfiftat aut definat, aut in alienum caput tranfeat. Sen. 12. cvii. 9. X. 4. cvi. 9. Job xii. 21. Pf. cvii. 40. |