10. True grace will enable a soul to sit down satisfied, and contented with the naked enjoyments of Christ. The1 enjoyment of Christ without honour will satisfy the soul; the enjoyment of Christ without riches, the enjoyments of Christ without pleasures, and without the smiles of creatures, will content and satisfy the soul. 'Tis enough, Joseph is alive. So saith a gracious soul, though honour is not, and riches are not, and health is not, and2 friends are not, &c. It is enough that Christ is, that he reigns, conquers, and triumphs; Christ is the pot of Manna, the cruse of oil, a bottomless ocean of all comfort, content, and satisfaction; ⟨p. 228⟩he that hath him wants nothing; he that wants him enjoys nothing, having nothing (saith Paul) and yet possessing 3all things. Oh! but a man that hath but temporary grace, that hath but restraining grace, cannot sit down satisfied and contented under the wan• of outward comforts; Christ is good with honours, saith such a soul; and Christ is good with riches, and Christ is good with pleasures, and he is good with such and such outward contents. I must have Christ, and the world, or else with the young man in the Gospel (in sight of my soul) I shall forsake Christ to follow the world. Ah! how many shining Professors be there in the world, that cannot sit down satisfied, and contented under the want of this, or that outward comfort and content, but are like Bedlams, fretting and vexing, raging, and madding, as if there were no God, no Heaven, no Hell, nor no Christ to make up all such outward wants to souls. I but a soul truly gracious can4 say, In having nothing, I have all things, because I have Christ; having therefore all things in him, I seek no other reward, for he is the universal reward; such a soul can say, nothing is sweet to me without the enjoyment of Christ in it; honours, nor riches, ⟨p. 229⟩nor the smiles of creatures are not sweet to me, no further then I see Christ, and taste Christ in them; the confluence of all outward good cannot make a Heaven of glory in my soul, if Christ who is the top of my glory be absent. As Absalom said, What is all this to me, so long as I cannot see the Kings face? so saith the soul, what do you tell me of this, and that outward comfort, when I cannot see his face whom my soul loves?
10. True grace will inable a soule to sit down satisfied, and contented with the naked enjoyments of Christ. The1 enjoyment of Christ without honour will satisfie the soule; the enjoyment of Christ without riches, the enjoyments of Christ without pleasures, and without the smiles of creatures, will content and satisfie the soule. 'Tis enough, Joseph is alive. So saith a gracious soule, though honour is not, and riches are not, and health is not, and2 friends are not, &c. It is enough that Christ is, that he reigns, conquers, and triumphs; Christ is the pot of Mannah, the cruice of oyle, a bottomlesse ocean of all comfort, content, and satisfaction; ⟨p. 228⟩hee that hath him wants nothing; he that wants him enjoys nothing, having nothing (saith Paul) and yet possessing 3all things. Oh! but a man that hath but temporary grace, that hath but restraining grace, cannot sit downe satisfied and contented under the wan• of outward comforts; Christ is good with honours, saith such a soule; and Christ is good with riches, and Christ is good with pleasures, and he is good with such and such outward contents. I must have Christ, and the world, or else with the young man in the Gospel (in soight of my soule) I shall forsake Christ to follow the world. Ah! how many shining Professors be there in the world, that cannot sit down satisfied, and contented under the want of this, or that outward comfort and content, but are like Bedlams, fretting and vexing, raging, and madding, as if there were no God, no Heaven, no Hell, nor no Christ to make up all such outward wants to soules. I but a soule truly gracious can4 say, In having nothing, I have all things, because I have Christ; having therefore all things in him, I seek no other reward, for hee is the universall reward; such a soule can say, nothing is sweet to me without the enjoyment of Christ in it; honours, nor riches, ⟨p. 229⟩nor the smiles of creatures are not sweet to me, no further then I see Christ, and tast Christ in them; the confluence of all outward good cannot make a Heaven of glory in my soule, if Christ who is the top of my glory be absent. As Absolom said, What is all this to mee, so long as I cannot see the Kings face? so saith the soule, what do you tell me of this, and that outward comfort, when I cannot see his face whom my soul loves?
- 1Cui cum paupertate bene convenit, pauper non est, saith Seneca. A contented man cannot be a poor man.
- 2Charles the great his Motto was, Christus regnat, vincit, triumphat. And so 'tis the Saints.
- 32 Cor. 6. 10. Saint Austine upon Psal. 12. brings in God rebuking a discontented Christian thus; what is thy faith? have I promised thee these things? what, wert thou made a Christian that thou shouldst flourish here in this world?
- 4Content is the deputy of outward felicity, & supplies the place where its absent. As the Jews throw the book of Esther to the ground before they read it, because the name of God is not in it, as the Rabbins have observed: So do Saints in some sense, those mercies wherein they do not read Christs name, & see Christs heart. Luther said, he had rather be in hell with Christ, then in heaven without him.Content is the deputy of outward felicity, & supplies the place where its absent. As the Jews throw the book of Hester to the ground before they read it, because the name of God is not in it, as the Rabbins have observed: So do Saints in some sense, those mercies wherein they do not read Christs name, & see Christs heart. Luther said, he had rather be in hell with Christ, then in heaven without him.
