3. The third cause is covetousness. This is a radical sin. Whence are vexing law- suits, but from discontent ? and whence is discontent, but from covetousness ? Covet- ousness and contentedness cannot dwell in the same heart. Avarice is an heluo, that is never satisfied. The covetous man is like Behemoth, " behold he drinketh up a river, he trusteth that he can draw up Jor- dan into his mouth," Job xl. 23. ' There are four things (saith Solomon) say not, it is enough.' I may add a fifth, the heart of a covetous man ; he is still craving. Cove- tousness is like a wolf in the breast, which is ever feeding ; and because a man is not satisfied, he is never content.
4. The fourth cause of discontent is, jealousy, which is sometimes occasioned through melancholy, and sometimes mis- apprehension. The spirit of jealousy caus- eth this evil spirit. " Jealousy is the rage of a man," Prov. vi. 34. And oft this is nothing but suspicion and fancy : yet such as creates real discontent.
5. The fifth cause of discontent is dis- trust, which is a great degree of Atheism. The discontented person is ever distrustful. The bill of provision grows low ; I am in these straits and exigencies, can God help me ? " Can he prepare a table in the wil- derness ?" Sure he cannot. My estate is exhausted, can God recruit me ? My friends are gone, can (iod raise me up more ? Sure the arm of his power is shrunk. I am like the dry fleece, can any water come upon this fleece? " If the Lord would make win- dows in heaven, might this thing be?" 2 Kings vii. 2. Tims the anchor of hope, and the shield of faith, being cast away, the soul goes pining up and down. Dis- content is nothing else but the echo of un- belief: and remember, distrust is worse than distress.
(2.) Discontent is evil in the concomi- tants of it, wliich are two.
1. Discontent is joined with a sullen melancholy A Christian of a right tem-
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per should be ever cheerful in God ; " servo the Lord with gladness," Ps. c. 2. A siofn the oil of grace hath been poured into the heai't when the oil of gladness shines in the countenance. Cheerfulness credits reli gion ; how can the discontented person be cheerful? Discontent is a dogged, sullen humour ; because we have not what we de- sire, God shall not have a good word or look from us ; as the bird in the cage, be- cause she is pent up, and cannot fly in the open air, therefore beats herself against the cage, and is ready to kill herself. Thus that peevish prophet ; " I do well to be angry even unto death," Jonah iv. 9.
2. Discontent is accompanied with un- thankfulness ; because we have not all we desire, we never mind the mercies which we have. We deal with God as the widow of Sarepta did with the prophet : the pro- phet Elijah had been a means to keep her alive in the famine, — for it was for his sake, that her meal in the barrel, and her oil in the cruise failed not, — but as soon as ever her son dies, she falls into a passion, and begii^s to quarrel with the prophet : " What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come to call my sin to remembrance, and slay my son ?" 1 Kings xvii. 18. So ungratefully do we deal with God: we cannot be contentto receive mercies from God, but if he doth cross us in the least thing, then, through discontent, we grow touchy and impatient, and are ready to fly n])on God ; thus God loseth all his mercies. We read in scripture of the thank-offering, 2 Chron. xxix. 31. The discontented per- son cuts Go<l short of this ; the Lord loseth his thank-offering. A discontented Chris- tian repines in t!ie midst of mercies, as A- dam who sinned in the midst of paradise. Discontent is a spider that sucks the poison of untliaiikfiilness out of the sweetest flower of (Tod's blessing, and is a devilish chyniis- try that extracts dross out of the most re- fined gold. The discontented penson thinks every thing he doth for God too much, and every thing God doth for him too little. O what a sin is unthankfulness ! It is an accumulative sin. What Cicero said of par- ricide, I may say of ingratitude : " there are many sins bound uj) in this one sin.'* It is a voluminous wickedness ; and how
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full of this sin is discontent ? A discontent- ed Christian, because he liath not all the ■ft'orld, therefore dishonours God with the mercies which he hatli. God made Eve outof Adam's rib, to be an helper — as Chry- Bostom saith — but the devil hath made an arrow of this rib, and shot Adam to the heart : s^o doth discontent take the rib of God's mercy, and ungratefully shoot at him, — estate, liberty shall be employed a- gainst God. Thus it is oftentimes. Behold then how discontent and ingratitude are interwoven and twisted one within the o- ther : thus discontent is sinful in its conco- mitants.
(3.) It is sinful in its consequences, which are these.