Cit~kP. XII.

from it; knowing Christ in whom he had believed
and being satisfied of his ability and faithfulness to
keep what he had committed to him, and of his being
found in him, not having on iris own righteousness,
but his; and in this the apostle was content; yea,
with the worst part of his spiritual state, even when
in temptation, when buffered by Satan; since he was
assured, that the grave of Christ was suffwient for him;
and since Christ is able to succour them that are
tempted, and prays for his tempted ones, that their faith
fail not; knows how to deliver them that are tempted,
and that in the best manner, and in the most season-
able time; therefore they are contented: as they are
also even in times of desertion and darkness, when
they are directed and encouraged to trust in the Lord,
and stay themselves on the mighty God of Jacob,
and to wait for him that hides his face from them, as
the church was determined to do, Mic. vii. 7, 8, 9.
and there is great reason for this contentment, faith,
and expectation; since. light is sown for the righ-
teous, and to the upright it arises in darkness, Psalm
xcvii. 11. and xcii. 4. But,           3. The apostle chiefly
means his outward state after conversion; with which
he was content: and which iay,--(l.) In his afflic-
tions, reproaches, and persecutions; these attended
him wherever he came, and he expected them, and
not onb/' bore them patiently, but endured them with
pleasure; 1 take pleasure, says he, in reproaches, in
necessities, &c. yea, he gloried in them, 2 Cor. xii. 9,
10.--(2.) In his bonds and imprisonment; in such
a state he was when he expressed his contentment in
whatsoever state he was, and so in that; for he was
in bonds, a prisoner at Rome, when he wrote his epistle
to the Philipplans; see chap. i. 13 14. and he seems
,
to shew a sort of pride in his title and character as the
Lord's prisoner, and a prisoner of Jesus Christ, Eph.
iii. 1. and iv. 1. and reckoned himself so happy a
man on all other accounts, that he wished king Agrippa,
and all in court, were altogether as he was, excepting
his bonds; and though he did not wish them to others,
he Was content with them himself.--(3.) The phrase,
in whatsoever state, includes both prosperity and adver-
sity; an abundance and a scarcity of the necessaries
of life; a fulness, and want of them, as explained in
the next verse; the wise man says, Eccles. vii. 14. In
the day of prosperity be jojOcul; that is no hard lesson
to learn: But in t'he day of adversity consider from
whence it comes, and for what end, and be content
with your portion; this is not so easily ]earnt; the
apostle had learned it: as also,--(4.) To be con-
tent both to live and to die; since he was persuaded
Christ would be magnified in his body, whether by life
or death; and though he knew it would be much better
for him to depart and be with Christ, which was de-
sirable by him; yet it would be more to the advan-
tage of the interest of Christ, and the good of the
churches, to continue longer on earth; this put him
into a strait; however, he left it with God, and was
content to depart or stay, as he thought fit: some
good men, in a fit of discontent, have wished to die,
and have expressed an uneasiness at life, by reason of
their troubles and afflictions; as Job, and the prophets
Elijah and Jonah, which was their infirmity; but one

OF CONTENTMENT OF MIND.                            573

that has |earned the lesson of divine contentment,
and is under the i,ffluence of that grace, he is content
to live whilst God has any thing to do by him, and he
is content to die, when he thinks fit to dismiss him
from service. Now such a disposition of mind, as to
be content in every state of life, appears in a man's
thankfulness for all he enjoys; when, as advised, in
every thing, in every state, and for every thing, be it
what it may, he goes thanks; when he makes known
his requests to God with thanksgivings, for what he
has had,' and asks for what he wants in submission to
his will; thus Job blessed God for what he gave him;
and when he took it away from him. This grace
shews itself much in a quiet resignation of the will to
the will of God, in what condition soever a man is,
especially in adverse dispensations of providence; in-
stances of which we have in Aaron, in Eli, in David,
and others; as also in bearing cheerfully all things
which are disagreeable to flesh and blood; as in the
apostles, who departed from the council rejoicing that
they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ;
and in the believing Hebrews, who took joyfully the
spoiling of their goods; and in the apostle Paul, who
took pleasure in reproaches and distress for Christ's
                        sake.       4. The word used by the apostle in the place
                        under consideration for content, \~autarkhv\~, properly sig-
                        nifies self-sufficient, or being sufficient of one's self;
                        which, strictly speaking, and in the highest sense, is
                        only true of God, who is El Shaddai, God all-suffi-
                        cient, who stands in need of nothing; nor does the
                        goodness of any extend to him, nor is it of any avail
                        unto him; he is blessed in himself, and can have no
                        addition to his happiness from a creature; but in a
                        lower sense is true of some men; who, though they
                        have not an inderivative sufficiency of themselves, yet
                        receive a sufficiency in themselves from God; a suffi-
                        ciency of spiritual things; his grace is sufficient for
                        them, and they have a sufficiency of it to bear them
                        up under temptations, trials, and exercises of life, and
                        to carry them through them; the God of all grace,
                        as he is able to make, so he does make all grace to
                        abound towards them, that they always having all-
                        sufficiency of grace thus received from him, may
                        abound in the performance of every good work; a
                        sufficiency of strength is given, so that they can do all
                        things required of them through Christ strengthcuing
                        them; and which is the reason the apostle gives of his
                        beihg able to conduct in every state of life as he did,
                        v 13. and a sufficiency of temporal things is given to
                        the Lord's people, at least so as to answer to their exi-
                        gencies, and even to give them content; and espe-
                        cially when they have Agur's wish, neither riches nor
                        poverty, but food convenient for them; or which is
                        sufficient, as some versions have it, Prov. xxx. 8. . -
                        5. This lesson .of contentment is explained by what
                        the apostle says in the following verse; I know both
                        how to be abased, and I know how to abound ; both to be
                        full and to be hungry; that is, he knew by experience
                        what these things meant, and how to behave in such
                        circumstances. As,--( 1. ) To be abased, or hum-
                        bled, treated with contempt by men, and to be in low
                        and mean circumstances; as when he was obliged to
                        work with his own hands, and these ministred to his