nothing." Our Lord also shews us how prejudicial such cares are to our profiting by the word, Matt. xiii. 22. And expressly commands us, "To cast our cares upon him, for he careth for us," 1 Pet. v. 7.

Fourthly, Despondency of spirit, dejectedness, distrust, discouragement, are other pieces of heart trouble. Such as was in David, Psal. cxlii. 3, 4, 5. and cxliii. 4. and xlii. 5. Casting down, breeds disquietness because it springs from pride, which is a turbulent passion; and every thing that crosseth and disappoints it, causeth a combustion in the mind. When a man cannot come down, and stoop to that condition that God casts him into, then is he discontented; and this comes from his pride.

A christian should be very careful to keep up his spirits, when his condition in the world falls down. Could we but bring our minds to our conditions, to like and be pleased with our conditions, as being certainly persuaded that our present condition is best for us; it would be all as good, all as well, all as comfortable to us, as if we could bring our conditions to our minds; for one of these must be done, or else we shall never be free from heart trouble while we live; either our minds must be brought just even to, and suited and compliant to our conditions, be it sickness, poverty, shame, prison, &c. or, our conditions must be suited just even to our minds. We have a mind to health, to liberty, &c. we must

have them, or we are troubled. Now, this latter is wholly and altogether out of our power, we cannot add a cubit to our stature. It is the Lord that appoints all our conditions for us; we cannot make our conditions happy, honourable, &c. of ourselves, and without God; but the former is in our power, by the help of God's spirit of grace, we may bring our minds to our conditions: it is an holy art, attainable in the use of God's means. Contentment in, and with our condition, is the bringing of our minds to our conditions, to lie even, and suitable, and square one with the other and this is, as I said, an holy art, attainable by christians, Phil. iv. 11. St Paul had learned it, and so may other christians. It is suitableness between our minds, and our conditions, that breeds quiet and content; and if we have not quiet in our own minds, all outward comforts will do no more good, than a silken stocking to a scabbed leg; or a golden slipper to a gouty foot.

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Now, it is only God that can, but never will (except in wrath) bring any man's condition to his mind; for then his condition should be changed almost every moment: so mutable is man's mind: God will not bring the condition of the wicked to their mind, (except in wrath, as was said.) For, as their outward prosperity doth increase, so do their desires after more. Cressit amor Nummi, &c. And the wise man tells us, "The eye is never satisfied with

seeing." And the more they have, the more they crave. They can never have enough. And for the godly themselves, they are not so free from covetousness, as they should be, but still need to learn this lesson of contentment, and to be learning of it all their days. And most commonly, if not always, God by his grace brings their minds to their conditions, and not their conditions to their minds. And for this, wise Agur prays, Prov. xxx. 9. Two dangerous extremes he prays against, the one is poverty, that would breed discontent, in that his mind would be below his condition debased to vile and sinful practices, as stealing, &c. The other is riches, that would breed discontent, in that his mind would be above his condition, and that would lift him up to base pride and forgetfulness of God; therefore he begs a suitableness and conveniency between his mind and his condition, "Feed me with food convenient."

Certainly we shall never be free from heart trouble, till our minds be brought suitable to our conditions, and such a frame would precasting down in time of affliction. To like our condition, to be pleased and satisfied with it, and with the holy will of God in it; that is, to be content, content with sickness, poverty, shame, prison, loss of relations and friends, &c. In a word, when our wills lie even with God's will, (as in all reason they should,) and our minds lie even with our conditions, then have we inward peace and tran

quillity, quietness and contentment, and never till then: and then sickness is as good as health, and poverty as good as riches; and a prison, &c. And this is that blessed frame of spirit we must labour for, and we ourselves shall have the sweetness of it; otherwise, it is in a man's mind, as it is with the body when bones are out of joint, there is nothing but pain and trouble; but this bringing of our minds to our conditions, is as the setting of the bone again. Casting down ourselves, despondency, discouragement, which arise from discontent, are great pieces of heart trouble.

This distrust of God's providence is a grand evil when we think we cannot live, unless we have a greater portion of earthly things, and this sets us upon carking cares, we know not how we and ours shall be provided for, &c. Now this we may cure, by easting ourselves upon God's promises, 1 Pet. v. 7. Psal. xxxiv. 10. and lxxxiv. 11. Heb. xiii. 5. Let us cast ourselves on God's providence. Will he provide for ravens, lilies, and neglect his own children? It cannot be imagined.

Earthly things are but a vain show, they can give us no joy of heart, nor peace of conscience; they cannot add one cubit to our stature, nor one moment to our lives. Moreover, this happy state of mind is attainable, Eli had it, 1 Sam. iii. 18. and David, 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26. "It is the Lord, let him

do what seemeth him good." Therefore let us labour for such a spirit; such a contented frame of mind is worth a kingdom; without it, godliness itself is not great gain. It must be laboured for; Paul said, he had learned it it was a hard lesson, but sweet when learned.

Fifthly, Persecution may cause heart trouble, when men are offended, Matt. xiii. 21. when Peter was an offence to Christ, he was a trouble to him. Our Lord did on purpose foretel his disciples what persecutions they should undergo, that they might not be of fended, John xvi. 1. forewarned, forearmed. It is a blessed thing not to be offended at persecution for Christ. He foretold his disciples the night before his passion, that "all of them should be offended at him that night," Matt. xvi. 31, 56. which came to pass, for one of them openly denied him, and the rest forsook him and fled. To be troubled at persecution for Christ's sake, is to be offended at the cross of Christ; and that he would not have his disciples to be by any means, Mark viii. last.

Object. But is it not said, Psalm cxix. 165. "Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them? How then come the people of God to be offended?

I answer, They that truly love God's law, because they love God, such shall have peace with God, and with their own consciences, and that is great peace, and nothing shall of