]<r. 10. 19· m.s. 17. Vfe, I Thirdly, hence the foul comes to be quiet and frameable under the heavy hand of God m that helpletfe condition wherein he is, it takes the blow, and lies under the burthen, and goes away quietly and patiently: 0 this is an heart worth gold! 0 (fai:h he) it i<fit that God Jhouldglorrfy himfelf, though I bcda11med forcver,.for I deferve the J?orft: J'Vhatfoever 1 have, tt is the reward of my otvn work_s, tmd 1'1-Je end of my ()1vn Wt1Jes: if I be damned, I may than"'"my pride, and my {lubbornneffe, a1>d mypeevzjlmef!e offpo-it: What, jiJa/1 I repine againft the Lord, bccaufe hu wrath and his difpleajitre lw heavy upon me l Oh no ! let me repine agr.infl my jinne, the ctuifc of all; let meg:mclge againft mybafc heart that hath nourifbcd rhe{e Adders in my bofome 1 bitt let me blef!e the Lord, andnot fpea"'"one word againft him. Thus David, I held";Y. tongue (faith he) and!fak.§nothin,-, becaufe thott Lord haft done it: So the Soul,when the Sentence ofcondemnation is ev~ feizing upon him, and God feems to caft him out of his favour, the!! he cries, I conf ef!e God i< jujl, an i therefore I blej[e his 1Vame, and yield unto him; lmt fin u the wo;·kf; of all thh· mifcry on me. Jeremiah pleading the cafe of the Church, now going to Captivity,r<Vo i< mefor my httrt, (faith he) my wound;,grievom; but If aid, Trnly thu u my gmf, ttild I nmfl bear •t. Such is the frame ofan heart truly humbled, it is content to take all to it felf, and fo to be quiet, faying, This u my wound, and I mttjf bear l! ; this is my forrb>r, t<nd hvillfHjfer it. Thus you fee what is the behaviour of the Soul in this Commudnef!e to be at the Lords diFfof•l. Object. But fon:te may obieCl,. Muji thefo~tl, or o11ght the font to bethm content t• be left in this damnable condition l . ,Anfw. For anfwer, This Contentedneffe implies two things: Firft, a carnal fecurity, and a regardlefnetfe of a mans eftate,and this is a mofl curfed fin. Secondly, a calmnelfe offoul, not murmuring againfl the Lords difpcnfation towaras him ; and this Comemednejfe is ever accompanied with the fight ofa mansfin, and Suin.~ for Mercy: It ever improves all means and helps that may bring him nearer to God ; but if Mercy fhall deny it, the Soul is fatisfied,and refis well apaitl. And this Comemcdmj[i(oppofed againft quarrelling with the Almighty) every humbled Soul cloth attain to, although in every one it is not fo plainly feen. To give it in a Comparifon: A Thief taken for Robbery, on whom the fentence of death hath paffed, he fhould not negleCl the mea11s to get a Pardon ; and yet ifhe cannot procure it,he muft not murmur againft the Judge for condemning him to death, becau!e he hath done nothing but Law: So we fhould not be carelelfe in ufiug all means for our good, but !till feek to God for Me>;cy: yet thus we muft be, and thus we ought to be contented with whatfoever Meny fhall J.eny, becaufe we are not worthy ofany favour. The Soul ma cleptb of Humiliation, it firft fl:oops to the condition that the Lord will appoint, he dares not fly away from God, nor repine againlt t~e Lord, but he lies down meekly. 2: As he is content with the hardefr mcafure, fo he is content with the longeft time, he will flay for mercy be it never fo long: I will wait upon the Lord, (faith IJaiah) that hath hid hiJ face from Jacob; and Iwi/llook.Jor him: fo the humbled !inner, Although the Lrr;d hide hisface, and turn away his loving coJtntenanufrom ·me,yet I wi!llookJowards Heauen,fo long a~ I hAvt an eye to fee, and a hand to lift ~tp; the Lord may takJ his own time, it is mannersfor ntc to wait; nay, the poor broken heart rcfolves thus, if I lie nndlic"'"thc dufl all my dt<ycs,ar.d cry for mercy all my life long, if my lafl words might be mercy, mercy, it !VC?< well, I might get mercy at my !aft gaFf. Thirdly, as he is content to llay the longeft time, fo is he con– tent with the leaft pittance ofmercy; Let my condition be never fo ha'd; (fatth the faul) Jo Lord what thou rviltfor me,let the fire ofthy wrath confume me hcre~only rectnJcr ml: herc– afur; if I Jinde mercy at the Iaft I am content, and whatfoever thDit givejl I blef!e thy Name for it; he quarrels not, faying, Why are not nl)' gracCJ encrca(ed; P.nd why am I not thm and thm comforted? No, he looks for mercy, and if he have but a crmpb of mer.cy, he is comforted and quieted for ever: And now (you may fuppofe) the heart is brought very low. Hence we collect, r. That they which have the greateft parts, and gifts, and ability, and nonour, arc (for the moll part) hardly brought home to the Lord Jefus Chrifl; theytl)at arc mofl: hardly humbled, are moft hardly convertcc!: what is Humiliation,but the emptying of the foul from whatfoevcr mai{fs itJivell ? the heart mull not joy in any thing, nor refr upon any thing, but only yield to the Lord, to be at his difpofing and carving : now thefc parts, and gifts, and abilities, and means are great props and pdlars for the heart of a carnal man to reft upon, and to quiet it felf withal; whence the Apoftle, Not many wife men after the jlejh, not m11ny mighty men, mt many mblemen arc · · cAlled
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