+I. That a man be content with his own estate without coveting that
which is another's.+
+II. That a man be content with his present estate.+--1. _Because
that only is properly his own._ 2. _All looking beyond that disquiets
the mind._ 3. _The present is ever best._
+III. That a man be content with any estate.+
+IV. The art of contentment.+--1. _Is not learned from nature._
2. _Or outward things._ 3. _But is taught us by God's Spirit._ 4. _By
His promises._ 5. _By the rod of discipline._ 6. _Proficiency in
contentment gained_--(1) By despising unjust gain. (2) By moderating
worldly desires and care. (3) By carefully using and charitably
dispensing what we have. (4) By bearing want and loss with
patience.--_R. Sanderson._
_Christian Contentment._
+I. What it is.+--1. _That our desires of worldly good are low and
moderate._ 2. _That in all our views of bettering our worldly
condition we indulge not immoderate cares._ 3. _That whatever our
present condition be, we cheerfully submit to the providence of God
in it._ 4. _That we are so easy with our own lot as not to envy
others who may be in more prosperous circumstances._ 5. _That we will
not use any unlawful means to better our present condition._ 6. _That
we make the best of our condition whatever it be._
+II. How it may be learned.+--1. _Christianity sets in view the most
solid principles of contentment and the strongest motives to it._
2. _Furnishes us with the brightest patterns of contentment to
enforce its precepts and prevent our despair of attaining it._
+Lessons.+--1. _The present state should be considered as a state of
learning._ 2. _More depends on our spirits than upon our outward
condition in order to contentment._ 3. _Labour to have our minds so
formed that they may be content and tolerably easy in any state of
life._