Sect. 10. Tlie tenth argument to contenta- tion.
The tenth argument or motive to con- tentment is, consider seriously the nature of a prosperous condition. There are in a prosperous estate three things.
1. Plus molesticB, — more trouble. Many who have abundance of all things to enjoy, yet have not so much content and sweet- ness in their lives, as some that go to their hard labour. Sad, solicitous thoughts do
often attend a prosperous condition. Care is the malufi <j:etuus, or evil spirit which haunts the rich man, and will not suffer him to be quiet. When his chest is full of gold, his heart is full of care, either how to manage, or how to increase, or how to se- cure what he hath gotten. O the troubles and j)erplexities that do attend prosperity ! The world's high seats are very uneasy ; sunshine is pleasant, but sometimes it scorcheth with its heat ; the bee gives honey, but sometimes it stings : prosperity hath its sweetness and also its sting; 'compe- tency with contentment is far more eligi- ble.' Never did Jacob sleep better than when he had the heavens for his canopy, and a hard stone for his pillow. A larire voluminous estate is but like a long trailing garment, which is more troublesome than useful.
2. In a prosperous condition there is plus pericuU, — more danger ; and that two ways :
First, ex parte ipsius, — in respect of a man's self. The rich man's table is oft his snare ; he is ready to ingulf himself too deep in these sweet waters. In this sense it is hard to know how to abound. It must be a strong brain that bears heady wine ; he had need have much wisdom and grace, that knows how to bear an high condition ; either he is ready to kill himself with care, or to surfeit himself with luscious delights.
0 the hazard of honour, the damage of dig- nity ! Pride, security, rebellion, are the three worms that breed of plenty, Deut. xxxii. 15. The pastures of prosperity are rank and surfeiting. How soon are we broken upon the soft pillow of ease ? Pros- perity is often a trumpet that sounds a re- treat, it calls men off from the pursuit of religion. Tlie sun of prosperity oft dulls and ])uts out the fire of zeal ; how many souls hath the pleurisy of abundance killed ? They that " will be rich, fall into snares,"
1 Tim. vi. 9. The world is birdlime at our feet, it is full of golden sands, but they are quick-sands. Prosj)crity, like smooth Ja- cob, will supplant and betray ; a great e- state, without much vigilancy, will be a thief to rob us of heaven ; such as are upon the pinnacle of honour are in most danger of falling.
A lower estate is less hazardous ; the
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ART OF DIVINE CONTENTMENT.
little pinnace rides safe by the shore, when the gallant ship advancing witli its mast and top-sail, is cast away. Homo rictus in paridiso, victor in stercore. Adam in ])ara- dise was overcome, when Job on the dung- hill was a conqueror. Samson fell asleep in Delilah's lap : some have fallen so fast asleep on the lap of ease and plenty, that they have never awaked till they have been in hell. The world's fawning is worse than its frowning, and it is more to be feared when it smiles than when it thunders. Prosperity, in scripture, is compared to a candle. Job xxix. 3., " When his candle shined upon my head." How many have burnt their wings about this candle ! Se- getem uhertas nimia sternit ; rami onerefran- guntur ; ad matiiritatem non perverdt nimicB foocunditas, — the corn being OA-er-ripe, sheds; and fruit, when it mellows, begins to rot ; when men do mellow with the sun of pros- perity, commonly their souls begin to rot in sin. " How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God !" Luke xviii. 24. His golden weights keep him from ascending up the hill of God ; and shall we not be content, though we are placed in a lower orb ? What if we are not in so much bravery and gallantry as others ? We are not in so much danger ; as we want the honour of the world, so the temptations. O the abundance of danger that is in abun- dance ! We see, by common experience, that lunatics, when the moon is declining, and in the wane, are sober enough, but when it is full they are wild and more exorbitant : when men's estates are in the wane, they are more serious about their souls, more liumble, but when it is the full of the moon, and they have abundance, then their hearts begin to swell with their estates, and are scarce themselves. Those that write con- cerning the several climates, observe, that guch as live in the northern parts of the world, if yon bring them into the south part, they lose their stomachs, and die quicklv ; but those that live in the more southern and hot climates, bring them into the north, and their stomachs mend, and they are long-lived ; give me leave to apply it. Bring a man from the cold, starving climate of poverty, into the hot southern climate of prosperity, and he begins to lose his appe-