To labour in the very fire, notes intense labour, such as exhausts the very spirits of men whilst they are sweltering and toiling at it ; and yet all is to no purpose, they labour but for vanity : and whence is it that such vigorous endeavours are blasted, and miscarry ? Is it not of the Lord ? And if it be of the Lord, why do we fret and quarrel at his disposals ? Indeed, many dare not openly and directly charge God, but seek to cover their discontent at providence, by a groundless quarrel with the instruments, who, it may be, are chargeable with nothing ; but that after they have done all they could, in the use of proper means, they did not also secure the event. It is true, the do- minion of providence doth not excuse the negligence of instruments ; and, in many cases, these may be justly reproved, when providence is duly honoured and submitted to: But when men groundlessly quar- rel with instruments, because they are crossed in their expectations, the quarrel is commenced against God himself: and our discontents with men are but a covert for our discontents with God.
Now this is a sore evil, a sin of great and dreadful aggravations. * To be given over (saith a grave * author) to a contradicting spirit, ' to dispute against any part of the will of God, is one of the greatest ' plagues that a man can be given up to.' " Who art thou that re- " pliest against God ?" Rom. ix. 20. It may be thou hast lost an estate, thy friends fail, thy hopes are fallen ; God hath blown upon all the projects that thy heart did fancy to itself Possibly in one day, the designs, labours, and hopes of many years are destroyed : Well, be it so, yet repine not against the Lord. Consider, he is the Sove- reign, and only Lord, who may do whatever he pleaseth to do with- out giving thee any account of his matters. W ho can say to him. What dost thou ? Beside, if thou be one that God delights in, even these disappointments are to be numbered with thy best mercies. These things are permitted to perish, that thou mayest not perish for ever ; and it should trouble thee no more than when thy life is pre- served by casting out the wares and goods of the ship. It is better that these perish than that thou shouldst perish ; but if thou be one that mingled sin (especially such as were before mentioned) with thy trade, and so hast pulled down misery upon thine own head, by pro- voking the Lord against thee : With what face canst thou open thy mouth to complain against him ? Will you lay a train to blow up
* Mr. Strong, of the Trill of God, p. 342.
402 THE CISAPT^OINTED SEAMAN.
all your success, and then fret against God, when you see the issue? O how unreasonable is this !
But because disappointments fall out so frequently, and it is so hard to bring our hearts to a quiet submission to the will of God under them, I will not dismiss this point until I have offered you some pro- per and weighty considerations to work your hearts into a calm and meek submission to the will of God ; and I shall account it a great mercy if they may prevail.
Consideration 1. And, in the first place, if thou be one that fearest God, consider, that disappointments in earthly things fix no mark of God's hatred upon thee. He may love thee, and yet cross thee, Eccl. ix. 1, 2. " No man knows either love or hatred by all the things that " are before him. All things come alike to all ; there is one event *' to the righteous, and to the wicked."*' Yea, we often find success and prosperity following the wicked, whilst the rod of God is upon the tabernacles of the righteous. " These are the ungodly that pros- '' per in the world, (saith the Psalmist) whilst in the mean time he " was plagued all the day long, and chastened every morning,'" Psal. Ixxiii. IS, 14. Well then, if you have no other ground than this, you cannot infer the want of love, from the want of success. A man may be prospered in wrath, and crossed in mercy.
Consideration % AnA what though your projects, hopes, and ex- pectations of enlarging your estates fail ; yet you may live as hap- pily and comfortably in the condition you are, (if God give you a heart suitable to it) as if you had enjoyed all that success you so fancied and desired.
It is not the increase of an estate, but the blessing of God upon a competency, that makes our condition comfortable to us. As the estate enlarges, so doth the heart. The prophet Habakkuk, speak- ing of the Chaldean prince, Hab. ii. 6. saith, " He keeps not at " home, he enlarges his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot *' be satisfied, but gathercth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto *' him all people." And this is the nature of every man's heart, to enlarge its desire and the greatest enlargements of providence. Still the heart is projecting for som-e further comfort and content, in some new acquisition ; when, indeed a man is as near it in a lower condi- tion as in the highest exaltation.
It is storied of Pyrrhus*, king of Epirus, that having enlarged his dominions by the conquest of Macedonia, he thirsted after Italy ; and demanding the advice of Cineas, his great counsellor, he asked the king what he meant to do when he had conquered Italy; Why then, said he) I mean to get Sicily, which is near, rich, and powerful. W^hen you have gotten Sicily, (said Cineas) What then ? Afric, said the king, is not far off, and there be many goodly kingdoms, which by my fame^ and the valour of my soldiers, I may subdue. Be it so,
* Plutarch in Vyrxho.
THE DISAPPOINTED SEAMAN. 403
«aid Cineas : When you have Afric, and all in it, what will you do then? Why then, said the king, thou and I will be merry, and make good cheer. Cineas replied. Sir, if this be the end you aim at, what need you venture your kingdom, person, and honour, to purchase what you have already ? Surely Epirus and Macedonia are sufficient to make you and me merry : and had you all the world, you could not be more merry than you may now be.
Reader, I advise thee, under all disappointments of thy expecta- tions, to bless God for any comfortable enjoyment thou hast. If God give thee a smaller estate, and a contented heart, it is as well, yea, better than if thou hadst enjoyed thy desire. The bee makes a sweeter meal upon two or three flowers, than the ox that hath so many mountains to graze upon.