Watson The Art of Divine Contentment

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5183-8161-4
Verlag: Charles River Editors
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 157 Seiten

Thomas Watson was an English Puritan preacher in the 17th century.  Watson was also a prolific writer and his devotionals are still well read today.  This edition of The Art of Divine Contentment includes a table of contents.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Watson, Thomas

Leseproben

DIVINE MOTIVES TO CONTENTMENT.
.................. I. CONSIDER THE EXCELLENCY OF contentment. Contentment is a flower which does not grow in every garden. You would think it were excellent if I could prescribe a remedy or antidote against poverty. Behold, here is that which is more excellent, for a man to be poor—and yet have enough! Contentment teaches a man how to abound—in the midst of poverty. Contentment is a remedy against all our trouble, an alleviation to all our burdens, the cure of to every worry. Contentment, though it be not properly a grace (it is rather a disposition of mind,) yet in it there is a happy mixture of all the graces: it is a most precious compound, which is made up of faith, patience, meekness, humility, etc. which are the ingredients put into it. Now there are these seven rare excellencies in contentment. First excellency. A contented Christian carries heaven with him. For, what is heaven—but that sweet repose and full contentment that the soul shall have in God. In contentment there are the first-fruits of heaven. There are two things in a contented spirit, which make it like heaven. (1.) God is there; something of God is to be seen in that heart. A discontented Christian is like a rough tempestuous sea; when the water is rough you can see nothing there; but when it is smooth and serene, then you may behold your face in the water. (Proverbs 27:19) When the heart rages through discontent, it is like a rough sea, you can see nothing there, unless it is passion and murmuring; there is nothing of God, nothing of heaven in that heart! But by virtue of contentment, the heart becomes like the sea when it is smooth and calm, there is a face shining there; you may see something of Christ in that heart, a representation of all the graces. (2.) Rest and peace are there. O what a peace is kept in a contented heart! What a heaven! A contented Christian, is like Noah in the ark; though the ark was tossed with waves, Noah could sit and sing in the ark. The soul that is gotten into the ark of contentment, sits quiet, and sails above all the waves of trouble; he can sing in this spiritual ark. The wheels of the chariot move—but the axle stirs not; the circumference of the heavens is carried about the earth—but the earth moves not out of its center. When we meet with motion and change in the creatures round about us, a contented spirit is not stirred nor moved out of its center. The sails of a mill move with the wind—but the mill itself stands still, an emblem of contentment; when our outward estate moves with the wind of providence—yet the heart is settled through holy contentment; and when others are shaking and trembling in times of trouble, the contented spirit can say, as David, “O God my heart is fixed!” (Psalm 57:7) What is this, but a piece of heaven? Second excellency. Whatever is defective in the creature, is made up in contentment. A Christian may lack the comforts that others have—the land, and possessions; but God has instilled into his heart that contentment which is far better: in this sense that saying of our Savior is true, “he shall receive a hundred fold.” (Mat. 19:29) Perhaps he who ventured all for Christ, never has his house or land again: yes—but God gives him a contented spirit, and this breeds such joy in the soul, as is infinitely sweeter than all his houses and lands which he left for Christ. It was sad with David in regard of his outward comforts, he being driven from his kingdom; yet in regard of that sweet contentment he found in God, he had more comfort than men have in the time of harvest and vintage. (Psalm 4:7) One man has house and lands to live upon, another has nothing, only a small trade; yet even that brings in a livelihood. A Christian may have little in the world—but he drives the trade of contentment; and so he knows as well how to lack, as to abound. O the rare art, or rather miracle of contentment! Wicked men are often disquieted in the enjoyment of all things. But the contented Christian is joyful in the lack of all things! But how does a Christian come to be contented in the deficiency of outward comforts? A Christian finds contentment distilled out of the breasts of the promises. He is poor in purse—but rich in promise. There is one promise that brings much sweet contentment into the soul: “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10) If the thing we desire is good for us—we shall have it. If it is not good, then the not having is good for us. The resting satisfied with the promise gives contentment. Third excellency. Contentment makes a man in tune to serve God. It oils the wheels of the soul and makes it more agile and nimble; it composes the heart, and makes it fit for prayer, meditation, etc. How can he who is in a passion of grief, or discontent, “attend upon the Lord without distraction?” Contentment prepares and tunes the heart. First you prepare the violin, and wind up the strings, before you play a score of music. Just so, when a Christian’s heart is wound up to this heavenly frame of contentment, then it is fit for duty. A discontented Christian is like Saul, when the evil spirit came upon him—O what jarrings and discords does he make in prayer! When an army is put into a disorder, then it is not fit for battle; when the thoughts are scattered and distracted about the cares of this life, a man is not fit for devotion. Discontent takes the heart wholly off from God, and fixes it upon the present trouble, so that a man’s mind is not upon his prayer—but upon his trouble. Discontent disjoints the soul; and it is impossible now that a Christian should go so steadily and cheerfully in God’s service. O how lame is his devotion! The discontented person gives God but a half-duty, and his religion is nothing but an external exercise, it lacks a soul to animate it. David would not offer that to God that cost him nothing.” (2 Sa. 24:24) Where there is too much worldly care, there is too little spiritual cost in a duty. The discontented person does his duties by halves; he is just like Ephraim, “a cake not turned;” (Ho. 7:8) he is a cake baked on one side; he gives God the outside but not the spiritual part; his heart is not in duty; he is baked on one side—but the other side dough; and what profit is there of such raw undigested services? He who gives God only the skin of worship, what can he expect more than the shell of comfort? Contentment brings the heart into frame, and only then, do we give God the flower and soul of a duty, when the soul is composed. Now a Christian’s heart is intent and serious. There are some duties which we cannot perform as we ought, without contentment, such as: (1.) To rejoice in God. How can he rejoice—who is discontented? he is fitter for repining, than rejoicing. (2.) To be thankful for mercy. Can a discontented person be thankful? He can be fretful, not thankful. (3.) To justify God in his proceedings. How can he do this who is discontented with his condition? he will sooner censure God’s wisdom, than clear his justice. O then, how excellent is contentment, which does prepare, and as it were, string the heart for duty? Indeed contentment does not only make our duties light and agile—but acceptable to God. It is this that puts beauty and worth into them; for contentment settles the soul. Now, as it is with milk, when it is always stirring, you can make nothing of it—but let it settle a while, and then it turns to cream: when the heart is overmuch stirred with disquiet and discontent, you can make nothing of those duties. How thin, how fleeting and tedious are they! but when the heart is once settled by holy contentment, now there is some worth in our duties, now they turn to cream. Fourth excellency. Contentment is the spiritual pillar of the soul. It fits a man to bear burdens. He who has a contented heart—is invincible under sufferings. A contented Christian is like the camomile, the more it is trodden upon—the more it grows. As medicine works disease out of the body—so does contentment work trouble out of the heart. Thus it argues, “if I am under reproach, God can vindicate me; if I am in need, God can relieve me.” “You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain—yet the valley shall be filled with water.” (2 Ki. 3:17) Thus holy contentment keeps the heart from fainting. In the autumn, when the fruit and leaves are blown off, still there is sap in the root. Just so, when there is an autumn upon our external felicity, the leaves of our estate drop off—still there is the sap of contentment in the heart. A Christian has life inwardly, when his outward comforts do not blossom. The contented heart is never out of heart. Contentment is the golden shield, which beats back all discouragements. Humility is like the lead to the net—which keeps the soul down when it is rising through passion; and contentment is like the cork in the net—which keeps the heart up when it is sinking through discouragements. Contentment is the great under-prop; it is like the steel beam, which bears whatever weight is laid upon it; nay, it is like a rock which breaks the waves. It is astonishing to observe the same affliction lying upon two men—how differently they respond to it. The contented Christian is like Samson, who carried away the gates of the city upon his back; he can go away with his cross cheerfully, and makes nothing of it: the other is like Issachar, couching down under his...