William S. Plumer

Our libraries abound with treatises on contentment. Some of them are written with great ability. Nor has there ever been much formal disputation among writers on morals respecting the obligation and excellence of this attainment. It produces results so happy and is enforced by so many urgent reasons that a man must be particularly blinded before he can regard discontent as either lawful or slightly criminal. The difficulty therefore is not so much in the want¹ of good rules and strong reasons for guiding us into a state of contentment, as in the deep rooted aversion² of our hearts to a duty that requires our submission to the will of God. We know better than we do. Seeing the right, we pursue the wrong. We smile at the folly or frown at the wickedness of discontent in others, and then follow their example.

But what is contentment? And how may it be known from evil states of mind somewhat resembling it? Contentment is not carelessness or prodigality.³ It is not obtuseness of sensibility.⁴ It is a disposition of mind in which we rest satisfied with the will of God respecting our temporal affairs—without hard thoughts or hard speeches concerning His allotments⁵ and without any sinful desire for a change. It submissively receives what is given. It thankfully enjoys present mercies. It leaves the future in the hand of unerring wisdom. Nor is there anything in true contentment to make men satisfied with the world as a portion or as a permanent abode. The most contented person may long for the day when Christ shall call him home. He may, like Paul, be in a strait betwixt two, not knowing whether to desire to abide in the flesh for the sake of others or to depart and be with Christ, which is far better (Phi 1:23)…

Contentment is also opposed to corroding care about our worldly condition. The command of the New Testament is, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phi 4:6). Similar to this is the exhortation, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1Pe 5:7). To the same purpose spoke our Lord: “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Mat 6:25). It is of the greatest importance to our peace and usefulness that we settle it in our minds that all fretting care⁶ about the things of this life is both a sin and a folly. It is to these immoderate cares that our Lord refers when He says, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” (Luk 21:34)…

Contentment is opposed to covetousness. There are two words in the Greek Testament that may be rendered covetousness. The one literally signifies the love of money; the other [is] a desire of more, rendered greediness in Ephesians 4:19. These two senses are coincident,⁷ for no man desires more of that which he does not love. As he that loveth silver cannot be satisfied with the silver that he already possesses, he will of course desire more. To both of these, contentment is the opposite. It loves not inordinately⁸ what it has nor is greedy for more. So says the Scripture, “Let your conversation”—your life, your behavior—“be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have” (Heb 13:5). “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1Ti 6:8)…It is as impossible to remove the restlessness of a covetous mind by heaping wealth upon it, as [it is] to extinguish fire by pouring oil upon it. It is a great thing to learn that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luk 12:15). So that “If a man is not content in the state he is in, he will not be content in any state he would be in”⁹…“Take heed, and beware of covetousness” (Luk 12:15).

Contentment is also the opposite of pride. “Humility is the mother of contentment…They that deserve nothing should be content with anything.”¹⁰ When we become lifted up with pride and think we deserve something good at God’s hands, it is impossible to satisfy us. But with the lowly is wisdom, quietness, gentleness, contentment. He who expects nothing because he deserves nothing is sure to be satisfied with the treatment he receives at God’s hands. So that “a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked” (Psa 37:16). For “the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God” (Psa 10:4). The proud is like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. He is turbulent and fiery. He alienates friends; he makes enemies. He has much trouble and sorrow where the humble pass quietly along. Pride and contentment do not go together.

Neither do contentment and ambition at all agree. “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not” (Jer 45:5). Our actual wants are not many; but the ambitious create a thousand demands [that are] hard, if not impossible, to meet. If men are bent on gratifying the strong desires of a wicked ambition, it will require more resources than any mortal possesses to meet the half of them. If a wise man cannot bring his condition to his mind, he will honestly endeavor to bring his mind to his condition.11 But the ambitious will not do this. He will be content with nothing gained because each elevation widens his horizon and gives him a view of something else that he greatly longs for, so he is tossed from vanity to vanity, a stranger to solid peace. Art thou ambitious? Then thou art thine own tormentor.

Contentment is opposed to murmurings and repinings against God’s providence and dwells with her sisters gratitude, submission, and resignation.¹² Like Hezekiah, she exclaims concerning all God’s orderings, “Good is the word of the Lord” (Isa 39:8). This is a great point! If you can say nothing clearly to the glory of God, it is wise to be dumb¹³ and not open your mouth (Psa 38:13; 39:2).

Contentment is also opposed to Contentment is also opposed to distrust of God and to despondency respecting the orderings of His providence. Instead of waiting on the Lord and relying on Him for strength of heart, how many forebode ill¹⁴ from all that occurs to them or is anticipated by them. They have little if any cheerfulness. Their souls are never as Mount Zion, “which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever” (Psa 125:1)…True contentment…will settle, confirm, and establish the soul…

Contentment is a most reasonable duty. It is best that your will should not control your affairs. Your health, ease, success, wealth, reputation, and enjoyment deeply concern you: but are you fit to direct respecting them? If God should give you your way, how much would satisfy you? Would not your desires soon be drowned in cares, crimes, and sorrows? Is it best for you to have uninterrupted health? Without some bodily pain, you might forget that you were mortal! It would be more painful to a truly pious man to say when, how long, and how severely he should be sick than it would be to be sick all his life. A greater name than you now have might be your downfall. More ease might subject you to dreadful diseases. Make not your lot worse by sinful repinings.¹⁵

You have not shown wisdom sufficient to direct any of your own affairs. It is a mercy to us all that “it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). Human knowledge is ignorance, human prudence folly, human strength weakness, human virtue a slender reed. God may cross you without doing you any injustice. Your will is the will of a sinner. Sometimes God has tried you by gratifying your desires for something new, something different. The result generally has not been favorable: “I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath” (Hos 13:11). You have often done worse when full than when empty: “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked” (Deu 32:15). Good Hezekiah greatly desired life, and God gave him fifteen years more. But in that time, he greatly erred and left a sad blot on his name. A man may live too long for his own peace, honor, or usefulness. Your wishes are not always wise. A child was sick. His mother was almost frantic. She fasted, she fainted, she wept, she screamed. God restored her boy to health, and at manhood he committed felony, was arrested, imprisoned, convicted, executed, and broke her heart. How much less would she have suffered had he died in childhood? Your views are liable to be full of error.

But God is fit to govern you and all things. He knows what is best for you, how much you can bear, and when a smile or a stroke will do you most good. His grace is great and so are His truth, power, and wisdom. If He directs, all things will go right. He is never deceived or outwitted. He is gentle and kind. “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psa 103:14). His will is holy, just, and good. He keepeth “mercy for thousands” (Exo 34:7). His faithfulness is unto all generations. You should be glad that Jehovah governs the universe, that He governs you. If wise, thou wilt “trust in the LORD, and do good…and verily thou shalt be fed” (Psa 37:3). For He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5). What a promise! What a promise!

Learn, in whatever state you are, therewith to be content (Phi 4:11). “You are the borrower, not the owner” of created comfort.¹⁶ Suppress the first risings of ambition, covetousness, self-will, restlessness, and the spirit of murmuring. Rest quietly in God. The future will bring a full explanation of the present. Treasure up in your heart the blessed promises of God.

Incessantly¹⁷ ask the Lord to increase your faith. Diligently perform all known duties, especially relative duties. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart” (Psa 27:14). Say not, “God hath forgotten, or is as a stranger that tarrieth for a night.” Resist all unworthy thoughts of your Savior and heavenly Father. Stand in your lot, and leave results with Him Who governs all things “after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11). So shall you walk safely, and light shall be your burden; and soon the Almighty shall call you to Himself, and “the days of thy mourning shall be ended” (Isa 60:20). But until that day of joy shall come, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, remembering that “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1Ti 6:7).

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From Vital Godliness, reprinted by Sprinkle Publications, www.sprinklepublications.net.

William S. Plumer (1802-1880): American Presbyterian minister and author; born in Greensburg, PA, USA.

1. want – lack.
2. aversion – feeling of intense dislike.
3. prodigality – reckless extravagance in spending; wastefulness.
4. obtuseness…sensibility – dullness in the ability to understand or to perceive.
5. allotments – portions or shares of things given.
6. fretting care – worried or burdened states of mind arising from fear or doubt.
7. coincident – in exact agreement.
8. inordinately – excessively.
9. Select Remains of the Rev. John Mason (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1830), 38.
10. Remains, 38.
11. Remains, 38.
12. resignation – giving oneself up to God.
13. dumb – speechless; silent.
14. forebode ill – predict misfortune or destruction.
15. repinings – expressions of discontent.
16. Reference to Samuel Rutherford (c.1600-1661), “Of all created comforts, God is the lender; you are the borrower, not the owner.”
17. incessantly – continually; constantly.

Courtesy of Chapel Library