ever, ever, yea and for ever and ever take care of thee, and look after thee, and be mindful of thee.' Though they had changed their glory for contempt, Heb. xi. 36-38, their fine raiment for sheep-skins and goat-skins, their silver for brass, their plenty for scarcity, their fulness for emptiness, their stately houses for holes and caves, and dens of the earth, yet they are to be contented and satisfied with present things, upon this very ground, that God will always cleave to them, and that he will never turn his back upon them. The Hebrews had been stripped and plundered of all their goods that were good for any thing, and yet they must be contented, they must sit down satisfied, with their hands upon their mouths, though all were gone, Heb. x. 34. Though men cannot bring their means to their minds, yet they must bring their minds to their means, and then they will sit down in silence, though they have but a rag on their backs, a penny in their purse, and a crust in their cup- boards, &c. O sirs ! a little will serve nature, less will serve grace, though nothing will serve men's lusts ; and why then should not Christians be contented with a little?^ O friends ! you have but a short journey to go, you have but a little way home, and a little will serve to bear your charges till you come to heaven, and therefore be contented with a little. To have more than will serve to bring a man to his journey's end is but a bur- den. One staff is helpful to a man in his journey, but a bundle is hurt- ful ; and this, doubtless, Jacob well understood when he made that proposal in Gen. xxviii. 20, 21, * If God will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, then shall the Lord be my God.' Jacob doth not say. If God will give me delicates and junkets to eat, he shall be my God ! Oh no ! But if he will give me but bread to eat, though it be never so coarse, and never so black, and never so dry, he shall be my God. He doth not say. If God will give me so many hundreds, or so many thousands a year, he shall be my God ! Oh no ! But if he will give me bread to eat, he shall be my God. Nor he doth not say, If God will give me so many hundred pounds in my purse, a comfortable habitation, and a thriving trade, he shall be my God ! Oh no ! But if he will give me bread to eat, he shall be my God. Nor he doth not say. If God will give me costly apparel, or rich and royal raiment to put on, he shall be my God ! Oh no ! But if God will give me rai- ment to put on, though it be never so mean and poor, he shall be my God. If Jacob may but have a little bread to feed him, and a few clothes to cover him, it is as much as he looks for. Look, as a wicked man in the fulness of his sufficiency is in straits, as Job speaks. Job xx. 22, so a holy man, in the fulness of his straits, enjoys an all-sufficiency in God, as you may see in Jacob. O Christians ! though you have but little, yet you have the highest and the noblest title that can be to that little that you do enjoy ; for you hold all in capite, as the apostle sheweth in that large charter of a Christian, ] Cor. iii. 21-23, which the wicked do not. Now, a hundred a year upon a good title is a better estate than a thousand a year upon a cracked, crazy title. Saints have the best title under heaven for all they enjoy, be it little or be it much. But all the titles that sinners have to their earthly enjoyments are but crazy titles, yea, in comparison of the saints' titles, they are no titles.
' Nature is content with a little, as not to starve, not to thirst, saith Galen,
Lam. III. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 49
Again, That little that a saint hath, he hath it from the special love and favour of God ; he hath it from, a reconciled God, Prov. xv. 17. Now, a little from special love is better than a great deal from a general providence. A penny fr-om a reconciled God is better than a pound from a bountifril God ; a shilling from God as a father is a better estate than an hundred from God as a creator. The kiss that a king gave to one in the story, was a greater gift than the golden cup that he gave to another ; a little, with the kisses of God's mouth, is better than all the gold of Ophir, Cant. i. 2. A drop of mercy from special love is better than a sea of mercy from common bounty. Look, as one draught of clear, sweet spring water is more pleasing, satisfying, and delightful to the palate than a sea of brackish salt water, so one draught out of the fountain of special grace is more pleasing, satisfying, and delightful to a gracious soul than a whole sea of mercy from a spring of common grace : and therefore do not wonder when you see a Christian sit down contented with a little.
Again, That little that a Christian hath shcM he certainly blessed and sanctified to him, 1 Tim. iv. 3-5 ; Titus i. 15 ; Jer. xxxii. 41, &c. Though thy mercies, 0 Christian, are never so few, and never so mean, yet they shall assuredly be blessed unto thee. The Lord hath not only promised that he will bless thy blessings to thee, but he hath also sworn by himself that in blessing he will bless thee ; and how darest thou then, O Christian, to think that the great and faithful God will be guilty of a be, or that which is worse, of perjury ? Gen. xxii. 16, 17. Now, a little blessed is better than a great deal cursed ; a little blessed is better than a world enjoyed ; a pound blessed is better than a thou- sand cursed ; a black crust blessed is better than a feast cursed ; the gleanings blessed are better than the whole harvest cursed ; a drop of mercy blessed is better than a sea of mercy cursed ; Lazarus's crumbs blessed was better than Dives his delicates cursed ; Jacob's Uttle blessed unto him was better than Esau's great estate that was cursed unto him. It is always better to have scraps with a blessing than to have manna and quails with a curse ; a thin table with a blessing is always better than a full table with a snare, Ps. Ixxviii. 18, 32 ; a thread-bare coat with a blessing is better than a purple robe cursed ; a hole, a cave, a den, a barn, a chimney-corner, with a blessing, is better than stately palaces with a curse ; a woollen cap blessed is better than a golden crown cursed ; and it may be that emperor understood as much, that said of his crown, when he looked on it with tears, If you knew the cares that are under this crown, you would never stoop to take it up.* And, therefore, why should not a Christian be contented with a little, seeing his little shall be blessed unto him ? Isaac tills the ground, and sows his seed, and God blesses him with an hundred fold. Gen. xxvl 1 2 ; and Cain tills the ground, and sows his seed, but the earth is cursed to him, and commanded not to yield to him his strength. Gen. iv. 12. Oh, therefore, never let a Christian murmur because he hath but a little, but rather let him be still a-blessing of that God that hath blessed his little, and that doth bless his little, and that will bless his little to him.