things shall be added to you," Mat. ^^. 33 Adjtcie7itur, they shall be cast in as overplus When a man buys a piece of cloth he hath an inch or two given in to the measure ; now, though he lose his inch of cloth, yet lie is not undone, for still the whole piece, remains ; our outward estate is not so much in regard of the portion, as an inch of cloth is to the whole piece ; why then should a Christian be discontented, when the title to his spiritual treasure remains ? A thief may take away all the money that I have about me, but not my land ; still a Chris- tian hath a title to the land of promise. Mary hath chosen the better part, whicli shall not be taken from her.
Reply 2. Perhaps, if thy estate had not been lost, thy soul had been lost ; outward comforts do often quench inward heat. God can bestow a jewel upon us, but we fall so in love with it, that we forget him that gave it. What pity is it that we should commit idolatry with the creature ! God is forced sometimes to drain away an estate : the plate and jewels are often cast over- board to save the passenger. Many a man may curse the time that ever he had such an estate, it hath been an enchantment to draw away his heart from God. " They that will be rich, fall into a snare." Art thou troubled that God hath prevented a snare ? Riches are thorns, Mat. xiii. 7. Art thou angry because God hath pulled away a thorn from thee ? Riches are compared to " thick clay," Hab. ii. 6. Perhaps thy af- fections, which are the feet of the soul, might have stuck so fast in this golden clay, that they could not have ascended up to heaven. Be content ; if God dam up our outward comforts, it is, that the stream of our love may ruJi faster another way.
Brply 3. If your estate be small, yet God can bless a little. 'Tis not how much mo- ney we have, but how much blessing. He that often curseth the bags of gold, can bless the meal in the barrel, and the oil in the cruise. What if thou hast not the full flesh-pots? Yet thou hast a promise, "I will abundantly bless her provision," Ps. cxxxii. 15., aiul then a little goes a great way. Be content thou hast the dew of a blessing distilled; a dinner of green herbs, where love is, is sweet; 1 may add, whore
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the love of God is. Another may have more estate than y<>ii» hut, more care ; more riches, less rest ; more revenues, hut with all more occasions of expense ; he hath a greater inheritance, yet perhaps God doth not give " him power to eat thereof," Eccl. vi. 2. He hath the dominion of his estate, not the use ; he holds more hut enjoys less ; in a word, thou hast less gold than he, per- haps less guilt.
Reply 4. You did never so thrive in your spiritual trade; your heart was never so low, as since your condition was low ; you were never so poor in spirit, never so rich in faith. You did never run the ways of God's commandments so fast as since some of your golden weights were taken off. You never had such trading for heaven all your life ; this is uberrimns questus. You did ne- ver make such adventures upon the pro- mise as since you left off your sea-adven- tures. This is the best kind of merchan- dize. O Christian, thou never hadst such incomes of the Spirit, such spring-tides of joy ; and what though weak in estate, if strong in assurance ? Be content : what you have lost one way, you have gained another.
Reply 5. Be your losses what they will in this kind, remember in every loss there is only a suffering, but in every discontent there is a sin, and one sin is worse than a thousajid sufferings. What f Because some of my revenues are gone, shall I part with some of my righteousness ? Shall my faith and patience go too ? Because I do not possess an estate, shall I not therefore pos- sess my own spirit? O learn to be content.
The third apology is, it is sad with me in my relations : where I should find most comfort, there I have most grief. Tliis a- pology or objection hrancheth itself into two particulars, whereto I shall give a dis- tinct reply.
\st. My child goes on in rebellion ; I fear I have brought forth a child for the devil. It is indeed, sad to think, that hell sjiould be paved with the skulls of any of our chil- dren ; and certainly the ])angs of grief which the mother hath in this kind, are worse than her pangs of travail ; but though you ought to be humbled, yet not discontented : for, consider,