doing well, if we put ourselves entirely into his hands? are we not our own greatest enemies, in withstanding his gracious intentions?

It is, finally, the will of Him who is uncontrollably powerful; whose will therefore must prevail one way or other; either with our will or against it; either so as to bow and satisfy us, or so as to break and plague us: for, My counsel (saith he) shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure1. As to his dispensations, we may fret, we may wail, we may bark at them: but we cannot alter or avoid them: sooner may we by our moans check the tides, or by our cries stop the sun in his career, than divert the current of affairs, or change the state of things established by God's high decree: what he layeth on, no hand can remove; what he hath destined, no power can reverse: our anger therefore will be ineffectual, our impatience will have no other fruit, than to aggravate our guilt and augment our grief.

As to his commands, we may lift up ourselves against them, we may fight stoutly, we may in a sort prove conquerors; but it will be a miserable victory, the trophies whereof shall be erected in hell, and stand upon the ruins of our happiness; for, while we insult over abused grace, we must fall under incensed justice: if God cannot fairly procure his will of us in way of due obedience, he will surely execute his will upon us in way of righteous vengeance; if we do not surrender our wills to the overtures of his goodness, we must submit our backs to the strokes of his anger: he must reign over us, if not as over loyal subjects to our comfort, yet as over stubborn rebels to our confusion; for this in that case will be our doom, and the last words God will deign to spend upon us, Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and slay them before me.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the

4 Isa. xlvi. 10.

5 Dan. v. 23.

6 Luke xix. 27.

dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen'.

7 Heb. xiii. 20, 21.

hase using 11 vidi vris I stall consider

testedness H OCH SKA, HƯ moure of vikt I stall endeavour

to explain; then the way of attaining or producing it, implied by St. Paul in the words, I have learned.

For explication of the virtue: the word here expressing it is avтáρketa, which signifieth self-sufficiency, or having enough of oneself; the which is not to be understood absolutely, as if he took himself to be independent in nature, able to subsist of himself, not wanting any support or comfort without himself (for this is the property and privilege of the great Elshaddai, who alone subsisteth of himself, needing toward his being and felicity nothing without himself; this is repugnant to the nature of man, who is a creature essentially dependent for his being and subsistence, indigent of many things for his satisfaction and welfare), but relatively, considering his present state, the circumstances wherein he was, and the capacities he had; which by God's disposal and providence were such, that he could not want more than he had in his possession or reach. He meant not to exclude God, and his providence; but rather supposed that as the ground and cause of his self-sufficiency; according as otherwhere he expresseth it: Not as if we were sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God: nor did he intend to exclude the need of other creatures, otherwise than as considered without his possession, or beyond his power; but he meaneth only, that he did not desire or lack more than what God had supplied him with; had put into his hand, or had set within his reach; that his will did suit to his state, his desire did not exceed his power.

This is the meaning of the word which the apostle useth but for the more full and clear understanding the virtue itself, we shall first consider the object about which it is conversant; then the several acts which it requireth, or wherein the exercise thereof consisteth

1. The object of contentedness is the present state

* Τὸ εὐδαιμονοῦν ἀπέχειν δεῖ πάντα ἃ θέλει, πεπληρωμένῳ τινὶ ἐοικέναι· οὐ δίψος δεῖ προσεῖναι, οὐδὲ λιμόν.—Arr. iii. 24.

42 Cor. iii. 5.

SERMON XIII.

OF CONTENTMENT.

PHIL. iv. 11.

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content '."

In these words, by the example of an eminent saint, is recommended to us the practice of an excellent duty, or virtue; a practice in itself most worthy, very grateful to God, and immediately of great benefit to ourselves; being indeed necessary towards the comfortable enjoyment of our lives: it is contentedness, the virtue which, of all other, doth most render this world acceptable, and constituteth a kind of temporal heaven; which he that hath is thereby ipso facto in good measure happy, whatever other things he may seem to want2; which he that wanteth, doth, however otherwise he be furnished, become miserable, and carrieth a kind of hell within him: it cannot, therefore, but well deserve our best study about it, and care to get it; in imitation of St. Paul, who had learned in whatever state he was, therein to be content.

In discoursing upon which words, I shall consider two particulars: first, the virtue itself (contentedness in every state), the nature of which I shall endeavour

1

Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμὶ αὐτάρκης εἶναι.

2 Τὸ δ' αὔταρκες τίθεμεν, ὁ μονούμενον αἱρετὸν ποιεῖ τὸν βίον, καὶ undevòs érdeã.—Arist. Eth. i. 7.