man's hell. Think with thyself, what if I endure this ? It is but a temporary hell : indeed if all our hell be here, it is but an easy hell. What is the cup of affliction to the cup of damnation ? Lazarus could not get a crumb : he was so diseased tliat the dogs took j)ity on him, and, as if they had been his physicians, licked his sores : but this was an easy hell, the angels quickly fetched him out of it. If all our hell be in this life, in the midst of this hall we may have the love of God, and tlien it is no more hell but paradise. If our hell be here, we may see to the bottom of it ; it is but skin- deep, it cannot touch the soul, and we may see to the end of it ; it is an hell tliat is short-lived ; after a wet night of affliction, comes the bright morning of the resurrec- tion ; if our lives are short, our trials cannot be long; as our riches take wings and fly, so do our sufferings ; then let us be con- tented.
Sect. 13. The thirteenth argument to con- tentation.
The last argument to contentment is this, to have a competency, and to want content- ment, is a great judgment. For a man to have a huge stomach, that whatever meat you give him he is still craving and never satisfied, you use to say, this is a great judgment upon the man : thou who art a devourer of money, and yet never hast e- nough, but still criest, give, give, this is a sad judgment: "They shall eat, and not have enough," Hos. iv. 10. The throat of a malicious man is an open sepulchre, Rom. iii. 13. So is the heart of a covetous man. Covetousness is not only malum culpce, but malum pance, — it is not only a sin, but the punishment of a sin. It is a secret curse upon a covetous person ; he shall thirst, and thirst, and never be satisfied. " He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with sil- ver," Eccl. V. 10. And is not this a curse? What was it but a severe judgment upon the people of Judah ? " Ye eat, but ye lu-n-e not enough ; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink," Hag. i. 6. O let us take heed of this plague ! Did Esau say to his brother, ' I have abundance, my brother,' Gen. xxxvii. 9. Or, as we translate it, I have enough ; and shall not a Christian say so much more ? It is sad that our hearts should
ART OF DIVINE CONTENTMENT,
719
be dead to heavenly things, and a spunge to suck in earthly. Yet all that hath been said, will not work our minds to heavenly conteutiition.
Chap. XII. Three things inserted by WAY OF Caution.
In the next ])lace, I come to lay down
ome necessary cautions. Though I say a
man should be content in every estate, yet
there are three estates in which he must
not be contented.
Caution \st. He must not be contented in a natural estate : here he must learn not to be content. A sinner in his pure natu- rals is under the wrath of God, John iii. 16. ; and shall he be content when that dread- ful vial is going to be poured out ? Is it nothing to be under the scorchings of di- vine fury ? " Who can dwell with ever- lasting burnings ?" A sinner, as a sinner, is under the power of Satan, Acts xxvi. 18., and shall he in this estate be content- ed? Vf[\o would be contented to stay in the onemios' quarters ? While we sleep in the lap of sill, tlie devil doth to us as the Philistines did to Samson, cut out the lock of our strength, and put out our eyes. Be not content, O sinner, in this estate ! For a man to be in debt, body and soul, — in fear every hour to be arrested and carried prisoner to hell, — shall he now be content? Here I preach against contentation. Oh get out of this condition ! I would hasten you out of it as the angel hastened Lot out of Sodom, Gen. xix. 15. There is the smell of the fire and brimstone upon you. The longer a man stays in his sin, the more sin doth strengthen. It is hard to get out of sin, when the heart as a garrison is vic- tualled and fortified. A young plant is easily removed, but when the tree is once rooted, there is no stirring of it : thou who art rooted in thy pride, unbelief, impcni- tency, it will cost thee many a sad pull ere tliou art plucked out of tliy natural estate, Jer. vi. 16. 'Tis an hard thin": to have a brazen face and a broken heart; " he tra- vaileth with iniquity," Ps. vii. 14. : be as- sured, the longer you travail with your sins, the more and the sharper pangs you must expect in the new birth. O be not con- tented with your natural estate ! David