fuch like Virtues. Be filled with these, and then you shall never be filled with that Trouble, Sadness, and Heavinefs, which poffeffes the Rich and the Great, as well as other Men..

God, who art the full and the filling Good; who fatisfieft the Defire of every living Thing, and therefore wilt not refuse to answer the Defires of Immortal Spirits, whom thou hast made to know how good thou art, and to be fatiffied with no lefs Good than thy felf. Thou art ever pouring thy Benefits upon us; and fendeft us every Day fome new Token of thy Love, to make our Pilgrimage kere upon Earth the more comfortable to us. But above all, thou art to be acknowledged in thy furpaffing Love and Kindness towards us in Christ Jefus, by whom thou haft made the darkest Night of Trouble and Sorrow, not to be without the Light of foy and Gladness. I thank thee, O God, for the great Satisfaction which thou haft given to all that is within us, which ought to blefs thy Holy Name. For thou haft filled our Minds and Understandings with the bigbeft Knowledge, and our Wills with the divineft Love, and all our Affections with the Comforts of Hope and Foy in thee our God, fufficient to Swallow to swallow up all our Sadness, and Grief,

and

and Fear, and Care, and all the troublefome Paffions that are in our Hearts. O my God, how rich art thou in Mercy towards us, who provideft that Contentment for us, which we seek and labour after in thefe lower Enjoyments, by leading us to thy felf, the Fountain of all that Good which is in any Creature? How excellent is thy Loving-kindeefs; who when we defire much in this World, giveft us an Immortal Inheritance in the other? And when our Hearts are fet upon perishing Riches, inviteft us to Treafures in the Heavens, and fetteft before us Eternal Honour and Glory with our Saviour? Befides all which, thou doft not deny me the Comfort of my Friends, Lovers, and Acquaintance; in whom I fee likewife how full of Love thou art, and how ready to do us good. Thou wilt not ceafe thy felf, I believe, to follow me with thy Loving-kindness all my Days, to take care of me, help and comfort me; who haft put fuch great good Will into the Hearts of Men.

My Soul doth magnify thee, O Lord; and my Spirit rejoiceth in thee, O God my Saviour. Particularly for that thou hast promised me thy Holy Spirit to frengthen and empower me to do my Duty faithfully to thee, and to increase in Wisdom, Charity, and Piety; that fo I may rejoice in thee evermore. O that I may feel the Effect of thefe boly Thoughts and devout Acknowledgments, in the conftant Stilnefs and Quietness of my Soul, whatfoever the Condition be, into which thou art pleafed to bring me. Difpofe my Heart to fuch an bumble Confidence in thee, that I may be care

ful

ful for nothing, but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication make known my Request to thee, with Thanksgiving. Help Help me to have my Converfation without Covetousness, and to be content with fuch Things as I have. Let no Sollicitude for the future difcompofe my Duty, or disturb my present Enjoyment. Root out of my Heart all Distrust of thee, all Envy, Uncharitableness, Ambition, murmuring or repining at any of thy Providences, with every thing else that dishonours the Gospel of our Lord Jefus, and mifbecomes the Chriftian Spirit. In all Events, give me Grace to acquiefce in thy Wisdom and Love; and to study rather how to mend my Self, than how to mend my outward Eftate. That having my Soul ftill more and more furnished with thofe Heavenly Goods wherewith thou haft enriched us by Chrift Fefus, I may lead every Day a more happy Life in this World, and be prepared for that perfect Satisfaction and Contentment, which we wait for in the World to come. Amen.

SER

And having Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content.

HREE Things, you know, were propounded to be difcuffed in the Entrance of this Difcourfe about Contentment. Firft, What it is, and wherein this Virtue of Contentment confists. Secondly, What Reasons there are to enforce this Duty, and bind it upon us. And, Thirdly, By what Means we may compass it, and be made Masters of fo great an Happiness.

In the handling of the First of these, I have laid open fo much of the Mystery or Secret of Contentment, that you cannot but have a Profpect of the other Two. The Soul of a good Chriftian is fo full of the most precious Treafures, that it cannot but be full of Satisfaction. There is fuch great Reafon he fhould be well pleased, that one cannot fee how he fhould be otherwife.

And

And how to get this Fulness, any one may learn, that will but confider a little what hath been faid, and apply his Mind to the Study of the Gospel of Chrift, which fills the Soul with all that can be defired to its Content.

II. But for your farther Satisfaction, I shall now begin to treat diftinctly of the Second Thing; and fhow what a Fulnefs of Reason there is both in our own Mind (if we will use it) and alfo in the Word of God, to give us Contentment; that is, to make us well pleased in our present Condition, fo as not to be too greedy of more than we have, nor inordinately to defire what is another Man's: But to thank God for what we poffefs, and to rejoice in him and in it. And that you may see there is a Fulness of Reason indeed, and not only in Word, let us confider these Six Things.

Firft, Our Selves.
Secondly, Other Men.

Thirdly, The Things we are discontented about.

Fourthly, The whole World.

Fifthly, God the Maker and Governor of it. Sixthly, Our Lord, and all that have been his' Followers. Every one of which will afford us abundant Matter of Satisfaction.

I. I begin with the First, the Confideration of our felves, the very beft Piece of God's Workmanship here below, the prime Part of his

Creation;