God doth chequer his providences, white and black, as the pillar of cloud had its light side and dark : look on tlie light side of thy estate; who looks on the back side of aland- scape? Suppose thou art cast in a law-suit, — there is the dark side ; yet thou hast some land left, — there is the light side. Thou hast sickness in thy body, — there is the dark side ; but grace in thy soul, — there is the light side. Thou hast a child taken a- way, — there is the dark side; thy husband lives, — there is the light side. God's pro-? vidences in this life are variously repre- sented by those speckled horses among the myrtle-trees which were red and white, Zed), i. 1. Mercies and afflictions are in- terwoven. God doth speckle his work. O, saith one, I want such a comfort ! But weigh all thy mercies in the balance, and that will make thee content. If a man did want a finger, would he be so discontented for the loss of that as not to be thankful for all the other parts and joints of his body? Look on the light side of your condition, and then all your discontents Avill easily disband ; do not pore upon your losses, but ponder upon your mercies. What ! wonki- est thou have no cross at all ? Why should one man think to have all good things when himself is good but in part ? Wouldest thou have no evil about thee, who has so much evil in thee? Thou art not fully sanctified in this life, how then thinkcst thou to be fully satisfied ? Never look for perfection of contentment till there be perfection of grace.
Rule 8. Consider in what a posture we stand here in the world.
I. We are in a military condition, we are soldiers, 2 Tim. ii. 3. Now a soldier is content with any thing ; what though he liath not his stately house, his ricli furni- ture, his soft bed, liis full table, yet he doth not complain ; he can lie on straw as well as down ; he minds not his lodging, but his thoughts run upon dividing the spoil, and tlie garland of honour shall be set upon his
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l)ead ; and foi' hope of this, is he content to run any hazard, endure any hardship. Were it not absurd to hear Iiim complain, that he wants such provision and is fain to lie out in the fields ? A Christian is a military per- son, lie fights the Lord's battles, he is Christ's ensign-bearer. Now, what though he endures hard fate, and the bullets fly about? He fights foi a crown, and there- fore must be content.
2. We are in a peregrine condition, pil- grims and travellers. A man that is in a strange country, is contented with any diet or usage, he is glad of any thing; though he hath not that respect or attendance which he looks for at home, nor is capable of the privileges and immunities of that place, he is content ; he knows, when he comes into his own country, he hath lands to inherit, and there he shall have honour and respect : so it is with a child of God, he is in a pil- grim condition ; " I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were," Ps. xxxix. 12. Therefore let a Chris- tian be content he is in the world, but not of the world ; he is born of God, and is a citizen of the New Jerusalem, Heb. xii. 22., therefore, though " he hunger and thirst, and have no certain dwelling-place," 1 Cor. iv. 11., yet he must be content; it will be better when he comes into his own country.
3. We are in a mendicant condition ; we are beggars, we beg at heaven's gate, " give us this day our daily bread ;" we live upon God's alms, therefore must be content with any thing; a beggar must not pick and choose, he is contented with the refuse. Oh, why dost thou murmur that art a beg- gar, and art fed out of the alms-basket of God's providence ?
Rule 9. Let not your hope depend upon these outward things.
Lean not upon sandy pillars ; we oft build our comfort upon such a friend or estate ; and when that ])rop is removed, all our joy is gone, and our hearts begin either to fail or fret. A lame man leans on his crutches ; and if they break, he is undone. Let not thy contentment go u]>on crutches, which may soon fail ; the ground of con- tentment must be within thyself. The Greek word which is used for contentment