The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Thirteenth, A gracious heart fetches Contentment from the Covenant that God hath made with him. Now this is a way of fetching Contentment that the men of the world know not of; they can fetch contentment, if they have the creature to satisfy them: But to fetch contentment from the Covenant of grace that they have little skill in. I should here have opened two things, First, how to fetch Contentment from the Covenant of grace in general. (But I shall speak to that in the next Sermon and now only a word to the Second) Secondly, how he fetches Contentment from the particular branches of the Covenant, that is, from the particular promises that he hath for the supplying of every particular want: there is no condition that a Godly man or woman can be in, but there is some promise or other in the Scripture to help him in that condition. And that's the way of his Contentment, to go out to the promises, and fetch from the promise, that that may supply. But this is but a dry business to a carnal heart; but it's the ⟨p. 54⟩most real thing in the world to a gracious heart; when he finds want of Contentment he repairs to the Promise, and the Covenant; and falls a pleading the promises that God hath made. As I should have shown several promises that God hath made let the affliction be what it will, I will but only mention one that is the saddest affliction of all; in case of the Visitation, and the Plague. In Psalm, 91. now those that cannot have their friends come to them by reason of the plague, and that cannot have other comforts, in other afflictions they might have their friends and other things to comfort them, but in that they cannot, Psal. 21.10. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling; then here is a promise for the pestilence in the 5. and 6. verses, this is a Scripture to those that are in danger of it, you will say, this is a promise that the Plague shall not come nigh them, but mark these two are joined There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall the plague come nigh thee; the evil of i• shall not come nigh thee.

Thirtenth, A gracious heart fetches Contentment from the Covenant that God hath made with him. Now this is a way of fetching Contentment that the men of the world know not of; they can fetch contentment, if they have the creature to satisfie them: But to fetch contentment from the Covenant of grace that they have little skill in. I should here have opened two things, First, how to fetch Contentment from the Covenant of grace in generall. (But I shall speak to that in the next Sermon and now only a word to the Second) Secondly, how he fetches Contentment from the particular branches of the Covenant, that is, from the particular promises that he hath for the supplying of every particular want: there is no condition that a Godly man or woman can be in, but there is some promise or other in the Scripture to help him in that condition. And that's the way of his Contentment, to go out to the promises, and fetch from the promise, that that may supply. But this is but a dry businesse to a carnall heart; but it's the