saith, " WTiy art thou cast down, O my soul ?" Ps. xliii. 5. But a sinner should say to himself, why art thou not disquited, O my soul ? Why is it that thou layest af- flictions so to heart, and canst not lay sin to heart ? It is a mercy when we arc dis- quieted about sin. A man had better be at the trouble of setting a bone, than to be lame, and in pain all his life ; blessed is that trouble that brings the soul to Christ. It is one of the worst sights to see a bad conscience quiet ; of the two, better is a fever than a lethargy. I wonder to soo a man in his natural estate content. What 1 content to go to hell ?
Caution 2d. Though, in regard of exter- nals, a man should be in every state con- tent, yet he must not be content in such a condition wherein God is apparently disho- noured. If a man's trade be such that he can hardly use it, but he must trespass up- on a command, and so make a trade of sin, he must not content himself in such a condition ; God never called any man to such a calling as is sinful ; a man in this case, had better knock off and divert, — better lose some of his gain, so he may les- sen some of his guilt. So, for servants that live in a profane family — the suburbs of hell — where the name of God is not call- ed upon, unless when it is taken in vain, they are not to content themselves in such a place, they are to come out of the tents of these sinners ; there is a double dansrer in living among the profane.
1. Lest we come to be infected with the poison of their ill example. Joseph, living in Pharaoh's court had learned to swear " by the life of Pharaoh," Gen. xlii. 1.5. We are prone to suck in example: men take in deeper impressions by the eye than by the ear. Dives was a bad pattern, and he had many brethren that seeing him sin, trode just in his steps, therefore saith he, " I pray thee send him to my father's house : for I have five brethren ; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment," Luke xvi. 27, 28. Dives knew which way they went ; it is easy to catch a disease from another but not to catch health. The bad will sooner corrupt the good, than the good will convert the bad. Take an equal quantity
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ART OF DIVINE CONTENTMENT.
and proportion, so much sweet wine with so much sour vinegar ; the vinegar will sooner sour the wine than tlie wine will sweeten the vinegar. Sin is compared to the i>lague, 1 Kings viii. 37. And to lea- ven, 1 Cor. V. 7. To shew of wliat a spreading nature it is. A bad master makes a bad servant. Jacob's cattle, by looking on the rods which were speckled and ring- straked, conceived like the rods. We do a-i we see others do before us, especially those that are above us. If the head be sick, the other parts of the body are distempered. If the sun shines not upon tlie mountains, it must needs set in the vallies. We pray, " lead us not into temptation :" Lot was the world's miracle, who kept himself fresh in Sodom's salt water.
2. Bv living in an evil family, we are liable to incur their punishment. " Pour out thy wrath upon the families that call not upon thy name," Jer. x. 25. For Avant of pouring out of prayer, the wrath of God was ready to be poured out. It is dangerous living in the tents of Kedar. When God sends his flying roll, written within and without with curses, it enters into the house of the thief and the perjurer, " and consumes the timber and the stonos thereof," Zech. v. 4. Is it not of sad con- sequence to live in a profane perjured fa- mily, when the sin of the governor pulls his house about his ears? If the stones and timber be destroyed, how shall the servant escape? And suppose God send not a temporal roll of curses in the family, there is a spiritual roll, and that is Avorse, Prov. iii. 33. Be not content to live where religion dies. " Salute the brethren, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house," Col. iv. 15. The house of the god- ly is a little church, the house of the wicked a little hell, Prov. vii. 27. Oli, incorporate yourselves into a religious family. The house of a good man is ])erfumcd with a blessing, Prov. iii. 33. When llie holy oil of grace is poured on the head, the savour of this ointment sweetly diffuscth itself, and the virtue of it runs down u])on the skirts of the family. Pious examples are very magiietical and forcible. Seneca said to his sister, though I leave you not wealth, yet I leave you a good example. Let us
ingraft ourselves among the saints ; by be- ing often among the spices, we come to smell of them.