II. His sincere endeavour. The submission he attained unto was not pretended, but seriously endeavoured ; ' I have behaved, I have quieted myself.' He laboured to suppress all ambitious motions, that he might compose his mind to a modest submission to God.
Here observe four things —
1. That in the best heart there may be some rebellious motions and inclinations rising up against the sovereign government and providence of God. The best heart is but a kingdom divided. In the heart of the renewed there is flesh and Spirit, Gal. v. 17, as two irreconcilable enemies. There are motions and inclinations of the Spirit agreeable to the law of God ; and there are motions, inclinations, and lusts of the flesh rebelling against God and making trouble in the heart. This strife is not ended but with life. We must always stand upon our guard and quiet ourselves. The soul may be sometimes under some undue commotion, either by our lusts or passions ; when we are exer- cised with adversity, or injuries, or sickness, our passions may j-aise a storm, but we must bridle our impatience. Nay, sometimes there will arise in us desires of a higher condition ; you have a will to something or other which God seeth not fit for you ; you must bridle your ambition. Sometimes the tempest may be so violent that it is not easily calmed. It is said of the wicked that they are like a troubled sea, which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt, Isa. Ivii. 20. There is a dead sea, the senseless ; a stormy sea, the discontented wicked ; the calm sea, the godly, that may be stirred by the force of winds.
2. That we must quiet and compose these stirrings, as David en- deavoured to still his soul, and suppress all those inordinate motions and desires wherewith ambitious men disquiet themselves. He was naturally inclined to these as well as others, his heart apt to be dis- tempered with them ; but he would not give way to them, but en- deavoured to bridle them by the government of reason. Thus must we fit and order our spirits or quiet our souls.
3. Though the power of making the means effectual be not in us, but in the Lord's hands, yet we must use the means rationally still, whereby God useth to convey this power. We must check ourselves, stir up the grace of God in ourselves, call ourselves to an account, put conscience to answer for the disorder of our affections. Can we give a reason ? Ps. xlii. 5, 11, ' Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul,' &c.
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Jonah iv. 4, ' Dost thou well to he angry ? ' Thus we must cite our- selves, plead with ourselves, * I quieted myself.'
4. The freer from ambitious thoughts and distrustful cares, the more quiet we are. It is our lusts that breed our disturbances and troubles. A restless spirit is the fruit of our distrustful fears and anxious cares, or of our ambitious and worldly desires : Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2, ' It is in vain to rise early, to go to bed late, to eat the bread of carefulness. For he giveth his beloved sleep.' Take either the general or limited sense ; our duty is our quiet, and our sin our trouble. The Lord hath forbidden our distracting cares and fears and doubts, and hath made it unlawful to be miserable ; and vexation is our sin before it is our trouble.
III. It is represented by an apt comparison, or by the similitude of an infant newly weaned, which being the lively emblem of a contented spirit, is repeated twice, that we may observe it the more. The weaned infant challengeth nothing, expecteth nothing, but what the mother will give it. The similitude implieth the greatest obedience, depend- ence, self-denial, and resignation that possibly can be. I am tender of similitudes, but in this I shall a little expatiate, for these reasons —
1. Because our Lord Christ did not only make use of this similitude, but actually taketh a child, and setteth him in the midst of his dis- ciples, when they were contending for pre-eminence and superiority, as a visible emblem and representation whereby to confute tlieir pride : Mat. xviii. 1-4, ' At the same time came the disciples, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of God ? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said unto them, Verily, I say unto you. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' This is warrant enough to take occasion from little children to preach to you of humility; for if our Lord Christ wouldluse this method, who are we that we should oppose ourselves to his wisdom, and think it lost time a little to insist upon it ?
2. Because we may learn many things from children ; for though they have the seeds of pride in their natures, yet they are not acquainted with the acts of it ; they know not the greatness and glory of the world as a thing above them. But a christian should slight the things of the world as things beneath him, and therein put himself into the posture of a child, though not upon the same reason ; they are above the child and below the christian. See also, 1 Cor. xiv. 20, * Brethren, be not children in understanding, but in malice be ye chiklren, howbeit, in understanding be ye men.' Children envy not the princes and lords of the world, but are as contented with their lower matters as kings and emperors are with their crowns. They do not contrive to undermine others, and to get above them in their worldly dignities; nor to malice otiiers, and blast the name of others, to magnify their own. They know no distinction between lords and beggars ; can as well play with the children of one as the other.