Jeremiah Burroughs :: Sermon Nine

SERMON IX.

For I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11).

The Aggravations of the Sin of Murmuring

Now because it is very hard to work upon a murmuring spirit, there are many aggravations we are to consider for the further setting out of the greatness of this sin. I mentioned but only one the other chapter, now we shall proceed in that.

I. The Greater the Mercies the Greater the Sin of Murmuring

The first aggravation of the sin of discontent and murmuring is this: For men and women to be discontent in the midst of mercies, in enjoyment of abundance of mercies. To be discontent in any afflicted condition, is sinful and evil, but to be discontent when we are in the midst of God’s mercies, when we are not able to count the mercies of God, yet after, to be discontent because we have not all we would have, this is a greater evil. I only mentioned this in the other chapter, that I might show to you what a great sin it is at such a time as this. The Lord this summer has multiplied mercies one upon another, the Lord has made this summer to be a continued miracle of mercy; never did a kingdom enjoy, in so little space of time, such mercies one upon another. Now, the public mercies of God should quiet our hearts and keep us from discontent; and the sin of discontent for private afflictions is exceedingly aggravated by the consideration of public mercies to the land. When the Lord has been so merciful to the land, will you be fretting and murmuring, because you have not in your family all the comforts that you would have?

As it is a great aggravation of a man’s evil for him to rejoice immoderately in his own private comforts when the Church is in affliction, when the public suffers grievous and hard troubles; if any man shall then rejoice and give liberty to himself, at that time to satisfy his flesh to the uttermost in all outward comforts, this is a great aggravation of his sin. So, on the contrary for any man to be immoderately troubled for any private afflictions when it goes well with the public, with the Churches, this is a great aggravation of his sin. It may be when the Church of God was lowest, and it went worst in other parts, yet you didn’t abate nothing of the comfort of your flesh, but grave full liberty to satisfy your flesh as formerly: know this was your great sin. So, on the other side when we have received such mercies in public, we should have all our private afflictions swallowed up in the public mercies. We should think with ourselves, though we be afflicted for our particular, yet blessed be God, it goes well with the Church, and with the public. The consideration of that should mightily quiet our hearts in all our private discontents, and if it does not so, know that our sin is much increased by the mercies of God that are abroad. Now shall God’s mercies aggravate our sins? This is a sad thing, this is to turn the mercies of God to be our misery. Didn’t you pray to God for these mercies that God has sent of late to the public? These great victories that God has given, didn’t you pray for them? Now you have them, is not there enough in them to quiet your heart for some private trouble you meet with in your family? Is not there goodness enough there to cure your discontentment? Certainly they were not such mercies worthy to be prayed for, unless they have so much excellency in them as to countervail some private afflictions.

Public mercies are the aggravation of private discontent, as so of public discontent too: if we receive so many public mercies, yet if everything goes not in the public according as we desire, if we be discontent at that it will exceedingly aggravate our sin. God may say, ‘What shall I bestow such mercies upon a people, and yet, if they have not everything they would have, they will be discontent?’ Oh! It’s exceeding evil. So in particular, the mercies that concerns yourself, your family: if you would consider you have a great many more mercies than you had afflictions, I dare boldly aver it concerning anyone in this congregation. Suppose your afflictions be what they will, there is never a one of you but that have more mercies than afflictions.

Objection. You will say, Yes, but you do not know what our afflictions are; our afflictions are so as you do not conceive of them because you feel them not.

Answer. Though I cannot know what your afflictions are, yet I know what your mercies are, and I know they are so great as I am sure there can be no afflictions in this world so great as the mercies you have. If it were but this mercy, that you have this day of grace and salvation continued to you, it’s a greater mercy than any affliction. Set any affliction by this mercy and see which would weigh heaviest; this is certainly greater than any affliction. That you have the day of grace and salvation, that you are not now in hell, this is a greater mercy. That you have the sound of the Gospel yet in your ears; that you have the use of your reason: this is a greater mercy than your afflictions. That you have the use of your limbs, your senses, that you have the health of your bodies; health of body is a greater mercy than poverty is an affliction. There is no man that is rich but if he be wise, if he has a sickly body, he would part with all his riches that he might have his health. Therefore your mercies are more than your afflictions.

We find in Scripture how the Holy Ghost does aggravate the sin of discontent from the consideration of mercies, you have a notable Scripture for it in Numbers 8:16. It’s a saying of Moses to Korah and his company when they murmured: ‘And Moses said to Korah, hear, I pray you ye sons of Levi,’ (there’s something, that you are sons of Levi,) Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them?’ Korah and his company were murmuring, but mark how Moses aggravates this: ‘Seemeth it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord?’ You see, it is a great honor that God puts upon a man a great mercy that he does bestow upon any man to separate him from others for himself, to come near to him, to employ him in the service of the tabernacle, to minister to the congregation in holy things, this is a great mercy. Indeed it’s such a mercy as one would think there should be none that God bestows such a mercy upon that should have a murmuring heart for any affliction. It’s true, many ministers of God they meet with hard things that might discourage them, and trouble and grieve their spirits; but now this consideration that God is pleased to employ them in such a service near to himself, that though they cannot do good to themselves, yet they may do good to others, this should quiet them. And yet in the 10th verse, ‘And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, and seek ye the priesthood also?’ Have not you enough already? But still you are discontented with what you have, and must have more, you seek yet more? ‘Seek ye the priest–hood also? For which cause both you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord: And what is Aaron that ye murmur against him?’ What, has God given you such things, and yet will you be murmuring, because you cannot have more? Methinks that this place should keep ministers from murmuring, though they should meet with never such afflictions and crosses, and unkind dealings from men, yet still they should go on with hearts quieted and comforted in the work that God has set them about, and labor to countervail all their afflictions by being more abundant in the work of the Lord. That is the first text of Scripture that shows how the mercies we enjoy are aggravations to the sin of murmuring.

And then a second Scripture is in Job 10:2. A saying of Job to his wife: ‘What?’ said Job when his wife would have had him curse God and die, that was a degree beyond murmuring, he said, ‘Thou speaks as one of the foolish women, shall we receive good at the band of God and not evil?’ You see Job did help himself against all murmuring thoughts against the ways of God with this consideration, that he had received so much good from the Lord. What though we receive evil, yet do not we receive good as well as evil? Let us set one against the other, that’s the way we should go. In Ecclesiastes 7:14, you have a notable Scripture there whereby you may see what course is to be taken when the heart rises in murmuring: ‘In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider.’ What should they consider? Mark what follows, ‘God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. God also has set the one over against the other, that’s therefore, when you are in prosperity, then indeed every man can be joyful, but what if afflictions befalls him, what then? Then consider, consider what? ‘That God has set one over against the other’; you have a great deal of affliction, and you have had a great deal of prosperity, you have many troubles, and you have had many mercies, make one column of mercies, and one column of afflictions, and write one against the other, and see if God has not filled one column as full as the other. You look altogether upon your afflictions, but look upon your mercies also.

For instance, it may be God has afflicted you in one child, but he has been merciful to you in another child, set one against the other. God afflicted David in Absolom, but he was merciful to David in Solomon, and therefore when David cried out, ‘Oh Absolom my son my son!’ If David had thought upon Solomon, and cried, ‘Oh Solomon my son my son,’ it would have quieted him. And it may be God has been merciful to you in a wife, or in your husband, set that against your affliction, it may be God crosses you in your wealth, but it may be he does employ you in his service. It may be you are afflicted in some of your friends, but you have other friends that are great mercies to you, and therefore you should set one against the other. And it does concern you to do so, for those mercies will be aggravations of your sins, and you had better make God’s mercies a means to lessen your sins, than to be the aggravation of your sins. If you make not the mercies of God to help you against your murmuring, you will make them to be aggravations of the sin of murmuring.

I beseech you for this, take but this one consideration further, and if you will but work it upon your hearts I hope you may find a great deal of power in it. You find afflictions, and your hearts are troubled and murmur, consider how God’s mercies does aggravate this sin. In the midst of our sins we do account God should accept of our services. Do but consider therefore, if in the midst of our many sins we hope that God will accept of our poor services, why then should not we in the midst of our afflictions bless God for his many mercies? Shall God be gracious to us that notwithstanding our many sins, yet he will not cast away our poor duties and services that we perform? Then why should not we in the midst of our sufferings accept of what mercies we have, and not slight them and disregard them? If you in the midst of God’s mercies shall not be willing to bear afflictions that God lays upon you, then it were just with God that in the midst of your sins he should not regard any of your duties. Now is there not as much power in your manifold sins to cause God to reject your duties and services, as there is power in afflictions (in the midst of many mercies) to take off your heart from being affected with God’s mercies? And that’s the first aggravation of the sin of murmuring, to murmur in the midst of mercies.

II. When We Murmur for Small Things

A second aggravation of the sin of murmuring is: When we murmur for small things. Naaman’s servant said to him, ‘Father,’ for so he called him, ‘if the prophet had required you to do some great thing, would not you have done it?’ How much more this little thing. So, I say, if the Lord had required you to suffer some great matter, would not you have been willing to suffer? How much more this little thing. I remember I have read in Seneca a heathen, he has this comparison which is a very fine one to set out the great evil of murmuring upon smaller afflictions, he said, ‘Suppose a man has a very fair house to dwell in, and he has fair orchards and gardens, and set about with brave tall trees for ornament, if this man now should murmur because the wind blows off a few leaves off his trees, what a most unreasonable thing were it for him to be weeping and wringing his hands because he loses a few leaves off his trees, when he has abundance of all kind of fruit?’ ‘Therefore it is with many,’ said he, ‘though they have a great many comforts about them, yet some little matter, the blowing off of a few leaves from them is enough to disquiet them.’ It was a great evil when Ahab having a kingdom, yet the want of his neighbor’s vineyard had such power to disquiet him. So, for us to murmur, not because we have not such a thing as we have need of, but because we have not what possibly we might have, this is a very great sin.

Suppose God gives a woman a child that has all the limbs and parts complete, a child that is very comely, and has excellent parts, wit, and memory, but it may be there is a wart that grows upon the finger of the child, and she murmurs at it, and oh what an affliction is this to her! She is so taken up with that, as she forgets to give any thanks to God for her child, and all the goodness of God to her in the child is swallowed up in that. Would not you say, this were a folly and a very great evil in a woman so to do? Truly our afflictions, if we weighed them aright, they are but such kind of things in comparison of our mercies. Rebekah, she had a mighty desire to have children, but because she found some trouble in her body when she was with child, she said, Why am I this way? As if she should say, I had as good have none, only because she found a little pain and trouble in her body. To be discontent when the affliction is small and little, that increases very much the sin of murmuring, it is too much for anyone to murmur upon the heaviest cross that can befall one in this world, but upon some small things to be discontent and murmur, that’s worse. I have read of one when he lay upon a heap of damask–roses, he complained that one of the rose leaves lay double under him. So we are ready therefore for very small things to make complaints and to be discontented with our condition. And that’s a second aggravation.

III. When Men of Gifts and Abilities Murmur

For men of gifts and abilities, that God has given wisdom to, for them to be discontent and murmur, that is more than if others do it. Murmuring and discontentedness is too much in the weakest, yet we can bear with it sometimes in children and women that are weak, but for those that are men, men of understanding, that have wisdom, that God employs in public service, that they should be discontent with everything, this is an exceeding great evil. For men in their families, to whom God has given parts and wisdom, when things fall out amiss there, to be always murmuring and repining, their sin is greater than for women or children to do it.

IV. The Freeness of God’s Mercy

Is the consideration of the freeness of all God’s mercies to us. Whatever we have it is of free cost. What though we have not all we would have, seeing what we have is free? If what we have were earned then it was something, but when we consider that all is from God, for us to murmur at his dispensations is very evil. Suppose a man were in a family entertained by a friend, and he did not pay for his board, but he has it given him for nothing, it’s expected such a one should not be ready to find fault with everything in the house, with servants or with meat at table or the like. If such a one who has plentiful provision and all given him gratis, and pays nothing for his board, should be discontented if a cup should not be filled for him as he would have it, or if he should stay a minute of an hour longer for a thing than he would, this we would account a great evil. So it is with us, we are at God’s table every day, and it is upon free–cost whatever we have. It is accounted very unmannerly for a man at his friends table to find fault with things, though at home he may be bold. Now when we are at the table of God (for so all God’s administrations to us are his table) and are at free–cost, now for us to be finding fault and be discontented this is a great aggravation of our sin.

V. Discontent for What We Have

A fifth aggravation of the sin of murmuring is this, when men and women murmur and are discontented and impatient, when they have the things that they were discontented for the want of before they had them. So, it is sometimes with children, they will cry for such a thing, and when you give it them then throw it away, they are as much discontented as they were before. So, it was with the people of Israel, nothing would quiet them, but they must have a king. Samuel persuaded them to be contrary, and told them what kind of king they should have; and when they had a king: ‘What shall a King do to us?’ (Hosea 10:3); they were not contented when they had one. So Rachel, she must have children or else she died, and when she had a little trouble she was discontented too; so that we are neither well full nor fasting, as we use to say.

VI. When Men Are Raised from a Low Condition

For those men and women to be discontent and murmur that God has raised from mean and low estates and conditions. This is a very great aggravation if you be discontent now. There was a time when you were low enough, and perhaps when you were so low then you did say, ‘Oh, if God would deliver me from such an affliction, or give me but a little more wealth, I should think myself in a good condition.’ But if God by his providence does raise you, you are as greedy of more still as you were before, and as much discontented as you were before. This is an evil thing for people that had mean breeding, and poor beginnings for them to be so nice, and dainty that nothing can please them, whereas there was a time not long since that they were low and mean enough. But it is very ordinary for those that are raised from a low and mean condition to be the more nice and dainty, and more proud when they are raised than others that are of better breeding.

It’s too much for a child to be discontented in his father’s house, but if a man has taken a poor beggar boy, if you had taken such a one into your house that lay begging at your door, and set him at your own table, could you bear that such a one should complain that such a plate is not well dressed, or the like? You could not bear it if your children should do it, but you could bear it a great deal better with them than to hear such a one do it. But you are a poor beggar, and God has, as it were, taken you into his great family, and if the Lord has been pleased to raise you higher, that now you have a competency, that you may live as a man, to be of use and service in the place where God has set you: now will you be discontent because you have not everything that you desire? We know the prodigal, when he came to himself, Oh! said he, ‘In my father’s house is bread enough.’ He did not say, ‘There’s good–cheer enough, and a great deal of dainties.’ No, he thought of nothing but bread, ‘There’s bread enough.’ So it’s ordinary for men and women when they are in a low condition, they think that if they may have bread, any competency, they will be contented and bless God, but when they have their bread and things convenient, they must have more or else they are not contented. Know that this is an exceeding great aggravation to your discontentment, when you are raised from a very low condition and yet you cannot be contented with what you have.

VII. When Men Have Been Great Sinners

For those to be discontent that have been very great sinners and ungodly in their former life. For men and women that have much guiltiness upon them, the guilt of very many sins upon them, that have provoked God exceedingly against them, and have brought themselves in a most dreadful manner under the sentence of God’s justice, and yet God being pleased to reprieve them, for them to murmur and to be discontent with God’s administrations towards them, this is exceeding evil. Oh, it were consideration enough to quiet any murmuring in our hearts, to think therefore, we are but sinners, why should we not be sufferers that are sinners? But then consider, we that are such great sinners, guilty of such notorious sins, that it is a wonder that we are out of Hell at the present, yet for us to be discontent and murmur, how exceedingly does this increase our sin! Consider how we have crossed God in our sins; then if God should cross us in the way of our sufferings, should not we sit down quiet without murmuring? Certainly you never know what it was to be humbled for your manifold sins, who are discontented at any administration of God towards you.

VIII. When Men Murmur They Are Little Use in the World

For those men that are of little use in the world, for them to be discontented. If you have but a beast that you make much use of, you will feed it well, but if you have but little use of him then you turn him into the commons; little provision serves his turn because you make no use of him. If we lived so as to be exceeding useful to God and his Church, we might expect that God would be pleased to come in some encouraging way to us, but when our consciences tell us we live and do but little service for God, what if God should turn us upon the commons? Yet, we are fed according to our work? According to our employment? Why should any creature be serviceable to you, who are so little serviceable to God? This one meditation would much help us, to think: I am discontent because such and such creatures are not serviceable to me, but why should I expect that they should be serviceable to me when I am not serviceable to God? And that’s the eighth aggravation.

IX. To Murmur When God Is about to Humble Us

For us to be discontent at that time when God is about to humble us. It should be the care of a Christian, to observe what are God’s ways towards him, what is God about to do with me at this time? Is God about to raise me, to comfort me? Let me close with God’s goodness, and bless his name; let me join with the work of God, when he offers mercy to me to take the mercy he offers. But again, is God about to humble me? Is God about to break my heart, and to bring my heart down to him? Let me join with God in this work of his, this is for a Christian to walk with God. It is said that Enoch, and Noah walked with God; walked with God, what’s that? That is, to observe what is the work of God that God is now about, and to join with God in that work of his; so that, according as God turns this way or that way, the heart should turn with God, and have suitable workings to the workings of God towards him.

Now then, I am discontented and murmuring because I am afflicted; but you are afflicted because God would humble you. And the great design that God has in afflicting of you, is to break and humble your heart; and will you now maintain a spirit quite opposite to the work of God? For you to murmur and be discontented is to resist the work of God, God is doing you good if you could see it, now if he be pleased to sanctify your affliction to break that hard heart of yours, and humble that proud spirit of yours, it would be the greatest mercy that ever you had in all your life. Now will you yet stand out against God? It’s even as if you should say, ‘Well, the Lord is about to break me, and humble me, but he shall not’: this is the language of your murmuring and your discontentedness, though you dares not say so, but though you say not so in words, yet it is certainly the language of the temper of your spirit. Oh, consider what an aggravation this is: I am discontented when God is about to work such a work upon me as is exceedingly for my good, but yet I stand out against him and resist him, and that’s another aggravation.

X. When God’s Hand Is Apparent in an Affliction

A tenth aggravation of the sin of murmuring and discontent is this, The more palpable and remarkable the hand of God appears to bring about an affliction, the greater is the sin of murmuring and discontent under an affliction. It’s a great evil any time to murmur and be discontent, but though it be a sin, when I see but an ordinary providence working for me not to submit to that, but when I see an extraordinary providence working that’s a greater sin. That is, when I see the Lord in some remarkable way working about such an affliction beyond what any could have thought of, shall I resist such a remarkable hand of God? Shall I stand out against God when I see God does express his will in such a remarkable manner that he would have me to be in such a condition? Indeed before we see the will of God apparent we may desire to avoid an affliction, and may use means for it, but now when we see God expressing his will from heaven in a manner beyond ordinary and more remarkably, then certainly it is fit for us to fall down and submit to him, and not to oppose when God comes with a mighty stream against us. It’s our best way to fall down before him and not to resist; for as it is an argument of a man’s disobedience, when there is not only a command against a sin, but when God reveals his command in a terrible way, the more solemn the command of God is, the greater is the sin in breaking that command. So, the more remarkable the hand of God is in bringing an affliction upon us, the greater is the sin for us to murmur and be discontented. Then God expects that we should fall down when he, as it were, speaks from heaven to you by name and said, ‘Well, I will have this spirit of yours down. Do not you see that my hand is stretched out, my eyes are upon you, my thoughts are upon you, and I must have that proud spirit of thine down?’ Oh, then it’s fit for the creature to yield and submit to him. When you speak in an ordinary manner to your servants, or children, you expect they should regard what you say, but when you make them stand still by you and you speak to them in a more solemn way, then if they should disregard what you say, you are very impatient. So, certainly, God cannot take it well whenever he does appear from heaven in such a remarkable way to bring an affliction, if then we do not submit to him.

XI. To Murmur under Long Afflictions

To be discontented though God has been exercising of us long under afflictions, yet still to remain discontented. For a man or woman at first when an affliction befalls them, to have a murmuring heart, then it’s an evil, but to have a murmuring heart when God has been a long time exercising them with affliction it’s more evil. Though an heifer at first when the yoke is put upon him he wriggles up and down and will not be quiet, but if after many months or years it shall not draw quietly, the husbandman would rather feed it fat and prepare it for the butcher than be troubled any longer with it. So though the Lord was content to pass by that discontented spirit of yours at first, yet God having a long time kept the yoke upon you, you have been under his afflicting hand, it may be, many years, and yet you remain discontent still; it were just with God that he should bear your murmuring no longer, and that your discontent under the affliction should be but a preparation to your destruction.

So, you see, when a man or woman has been long exercised with afflictions, and yet are discontent, that’s an aggravation of the sin. Mark that text in Hebrews 12:11, ‘Now,’ says the Scripture, ‘No chastening for the present is joyous, but grievous, nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby.’ It’s true, our afflictions are not joyous but grievous, though at first when our affliction comes it is very grievous, but yet, says the text, ‘Afterwards it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those that are exercised thereby.’ When you have been a long time in the school of afflictions, you are a very dullard in Christ’s school if you have not learned this contentment. ‘I have learned,’ said Saint Paul, ‘in every state therewith to be content.’ Paul had learned this lesson quickly; you have been learning many years. Perhaps you may say as Heman did, that you are afflicted from your youth up (Psalm 88:15). Oh, it’s a very evil thing if being exercised long with afflictions you are not yet contented. The eye in the body of a man is as tender a part as any part that a man’s body has, but yet the eye is able to continue in and bear a great deal of cold, because it is more used to it. So those that are used to afflictions, those that God exercises much with afflictions (though they have tender spirits otherwise) yet they should have learned contentedness by this time. A new cart may creek and make a noise, but after the use of it a while it will not do so. So when you were first a Christian and newly come into the work of Christ, perhaps you make a noise and cannot bear affliction. But are you an old Christian and yet will you be a murmuring Christian? Oh, that’s a shame for any that are ancient believers, who have been a long time in the school of Jesus Christ to have murmuring and discontented spirits. And therefore you have had eleven aggravations of this sin of murmuring and discontent.

But now, my brethren, because this discontented humour is a very tough humour, and it is very hard to work upon; there’s none that are discontented but will have something to say for their discontent, I shall therefore desire to take away what every discontented heart has to say for himself.

The Excuses of a Discontented Heart

I. ‘It Is a Sense of My Condition’

Said one that is discontented, ‘It is not discontentment; it is the sense of my condition.’ I hope you would have me sensible of my condition. Perhaps when God takes away a friend or some other comfort they are inordinately sorrowful, and wringing their hands as if they were undone, and let anyone but speak to them, and they say, ‘Would you not have me sensible of my affliction?’ And therefore many would hide their sinful murmuring under God’s hand with this pretense, that it is but sensibleness of their affliction.

To that I answer, first, there is no sense of any affliction that will hinder the sense of God’s mercies. Nay, the more we are sensible of our afflictions, if it be in a gracious manner, the more sensible we will be of God’s mercy. But you are so sensible of your affliction as it takes away the sense of all your mercies. Oh, this is sinful discontent, this is not to be sensible of your condition as God would have you, but it is to be sensible in a wicked way, you go beyond your bounds. By this rule you may come to know when your sorrows and troubles for your afflictions goes beyond the bounds, we may be sorrowful when God afflicts, but, oh, that I might know when my sorrow goes beyond the bounds of it. Truly, you may know it by this, does the sense of your afflictions take away the sense of your mercies? If it does, then it goes beyond the bounds.

Secondly, if it were but a bare sense of an affliction it would not hinder you in the duties of your condition. The right sense of our afflictions will never hinder us in the performance of the duties of our condition; but you are so sensible of your affliction as you are made unfit for the performance of the duties of the condition that God has put you in. Surely it’s more than mere sense of your affliction.

Thirdly, if it were but mere sense of your affliction, yet then you could in this your condition bless God for the mercies that others have; but your discontentedness usually breeds envy at it, when anyone is discontented with their condition, they have an envious spirit at the conditions of those that are delivered from what afflictions they bear. Certainly, then it’s turned to be sour and naught, when you are so sensible of your afflictions, and insensible of mercies as you are unfit for the duties of your condition, and envious at others that are not afflicted as you are.

II. ‘I Am Troubled for My Sin’

But will a discontented heart say, ‘I am not so much troubled with my afflictions, but it is for my sin rather than my affliction, and I hope you will give leave that we should be troubled and discontented with our sin, and were it not for sin that I see in myself I should not be so discontented as I am. Oh! It is sin that is heavy upon me, and it’s that which troubles me more than my afflictions.’

Deceive not your own heart, there is a very great deceit in this. There’s many people that when God’s hand is out against them they will say, they are troubled for their sin, but the truth is, it’s the affliction that does trouble them rather than their sin. Their heart does exceedingly deceive them in this very thing.

First, they were never troubled for their sin before this affliction came.But you will say, ‘It’s true, I was not before, for my prosperity blinded me, but now God has opened my eyes by afflictions.’ Has he so?

Secondly, then your great care will be rather for the removing of your sin than your affliction. Are you more solicitous about the taking away your sin than the taking away of your affliction?

Thirdly, if it be your sin that troubles you, if God should take away your afflictions, yet unless your sin be taken away, and your heart be better, this would not content you, you could not be satisfied. But we see it ordinarily, that if God removes their afflictions there’s no more trouble for their sin. Oh! Many do deceive themselves in this, in saying, that they are so troubled for their sin, and especially those that are so troubled that they are in danger to miscarry, and to make away themselves. There’s not one in ten thousand that are in such a condition as this is, but it is afflictions rather than sin that puts them to it. Indeed, you lay all upon this, as if it were the work of the Word or the spirit of bondage. I remember I heard not long since of a divine that being judicious, and used to such kind of things, there came a man to him mightily troubled for his sin, and he could not tell what to do, he was ready to despair. The divine looks upon him, said he, ‘Are you not in debt?’ He confessed that he was, and at length the minister began to find out that which was his trouble rather than his sin, and so was a means to help him that way, that his creditors should not come upon him, and then the man was pretty quiet, and would not do away himself any longer. For it is a usual thing, that if anything befalls a man which cross him, oh, then, it’s their sin that does trouble them. Sometimes it is so with servants, if their governors cross them, then they are vexed and fret. Come to deal with them, oh, then they will say they are sorrowful for their sin. But we must take heed of dallying with God that is the seer and searcher of the secrets of all hearts. Many of you go sullen and dumpish up and down in your families, and then you say, it’s your sin that lies upon you, when God knows it’s otherwise: it’s because you cannot have your wills as you would have.

Fourthly, if you be troubled for your sin, then it will be your great care not to sin in your trouble, not by your trouble to increase your sin. But you are troubled in such a way, as the truth is, you do increase your sin in your trouble, and since you say you were troubled for your sin, you have committed more sin than you did before.

And then, lastly, if it be your sin that troubles you, then you have the more need to submit to God’s hand, ‘and accept of the punishment of thine iniquity’, as it is in Leviticus 26:41. There’s no such consideration to take away murmuring, as to look upon my sin as the cause of my affliction.

III. ‘God Withdraws Himself from Me’

‘Oh’, said another, ‘I find my affliction is such that God withdraws himself from me in my affliction, that is what troubles me, and can anybody be quiet then, can anybody be satisfied with such a condition when the Lord shall withdraw himself? Were my affliction never so great, yet if I find not God withdrawing himself from me I hope I could be content with any affliction, but I cannot find the presence of God with me in this affliction, as some times I have found; and it is that which troubles me, and makes me to be in such a condition as I am.’

Now to that I answer this way: first, it is a very evil thing for men and women upon every affliction to conclude that God is departed from them, it may be when it comes to be examined there is no other reason why you think that God is withdrawn and departed, but because he does afflict you. Now for you to make such a conclusion, that every time God lay an affliction upon you he is departed; this is a sinful disorder of your heart, and is very dishonorable to God, and grievous to his Spirit. In Exodus 7:17, you may see how God was displeased there, with such a kind of disorder as this, ‘And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the chiding of the Children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord amongst us or not?’ Mark, they did murmur because they were brought into afflictions, but see what the text said, therefore the place was called Massah and Meribah, because they tempted the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord amongst us or not?’ This was to tempt God, sometimes we are afraid God is departed from us, and it was merely because we are afflicted. I beseech you observe that Scripture, God calls it a tempting of him when he afflicts any, for them to conclude and say that God is departed from them. If a child should cry out of his Father, and say that his Father is turned to be an enemy to him, because he does correct him, this would be taken ill. I beseech you consider of this one place, it may be of very great use to you, that you may not be ready to think that God is departed because you are afflicted.

Secondly, if God be departed, the greatest sign of God’s departing is because you are so anxious, you make your disquiet be the fruit of God’s departing, and if it comes to be examined your disquiet is the cause of God’s departing from you. If you could but cure your disquiet, if you could but quiet your own hearts and get them into a better frame of contentedness under God’s hand in afflicting of you, then you would find God’s presence with you. Will you be, therefore, anxious till God comes again to you? Your disquiet drives him from you, and you can never expect God’s coming to manifest himself comfortably to your souls, till you have gotten your hearts quiet under your afflictions. And, therefore, here you see how crossly you reason, you reason, ‘I am anxious because God is gone,’ when the truth is God is gone because you are anxious. Reason but the other way, oh, my anxiety has driven God from me, and therefore as ever I would have the presence of God to come again to me, let my heart be quiet under the hand of God.

Thirdly, do you find God departing from you in your affliction? Will you therefore depart from God too? Is this your help? Can you help yourself that way? Because God is gone will you go too? Do I indeed feel God departing from me? It maybe it is so, it may be God for your trial is departed a little from you, and is it so indeed? What unwise course do I take? I commit further sin and so I go further off from God, what a case am I in? God goes from me, and I from God. If the child sees the mother going from it, it’s not for the child to say, ‘my mother has gone yonder and I will go the other way,’ no, but the child goes crying after the mother. And so should the soul say, ‘I see the Lord is withdrawing his presence from me, and now it is best for me to make after the Lord with all my might, and I am sure this murmuring humour is not a making after God, but by this I go further and further off from God, and what a distance is there like to be between God and me within a little while?’ These are some of the reasoning and excuses of a murmuring and discontented heart.

There are many others that we shall meet with, and endeavor to speak to your hearts in them, so that this tough humour of discontent may, as it were, be cut with the Word and softened with the Word, that so it may pass away. For that’s the way of physicians when they meet with a body that has any tough humour, then they give that which has a piercing quality; when there is a tough humour that stops the water that it cannot pass, they give that which has a piercing quality that may make passage for it. And so you have need of such things that are piercing to make way through this tough humour that is in the spirits of men and women whereby they come to live very uncomfortably to themselves and others, and very dishonorable to God.