g-8 The rare Jewel of Chriflian Contentment. God towards his People. If a !hanger fometimes comes into,. Family, and fees fuch and fuch things done, be wonders what the matcer is, bat thofe that ~re acquainted with it, it troubles.- them not at all. So fervants, when they come firfl together,and know not one another, it may be they are froi'Vard and difcon - tented,but when they come to be acquainted with one anothers waies, then they are more contented: J ufl fo it is when we come firfl to nnderfland Gods waies. Obiert. But you will fay , what do you underft:md by Gods wnieJ ? . / &nfw. By that I mean thefe three thing~. And when we come to knovv them, we (hail not wonder fo much at the providence of God, but be ql.lier, and contented with them. I. The firfl thing is this: GodJ ordin~try cotJr(e is, That hi1 pt8ple in thiJ WGr/d foou!d ];e in 11n llfJliC1td condition :God bath revealed in his Word,and wemay there find he hatb fet it down · to be his ordinary way, even from the beginning of the world to this day,(but more efpecially in the time~ of the Gofpel)that his People here ihould be in an affiieted condition. N01v men that do not underfland this, they fland and wonder to bear of tne people of God that they are affiieted, and the enemies profper in ·. their way; for thofe that feek God in his way, and feek for Reformation, for them to be affliCted, routed and fpoyled, and ·the enemies to prevail, tfuey wonde.r at it : But now, one that is :in the School of Chritt, he is taught by Jefus Chrifl, that God by his eternal Counfels bath fet this to be his courfe and way, to . bring up his people in.this World in an affiieted condition, and therefore faith the Apoflle, Account it not . jirAng~ conc~rning · the fiery tryal, I Pet. 4· I Z • W.e are not therefore to b·e dlfcontented with it, feeing God bath fet fuch a courfe and way, and . we know fuch is the will of God that it fu0uld be fo. The Second thing ·that is in Gods way, is .this, U[~tt~lly when . GotlintendJ the great eft mercy to any of his People, he 1oth bring them into the lowefJ condition. Ged doeh feem to go qutte crofs, and work in acontrary way : when he intends the greatefl mercies to his people, he doth ·firfl ufually bring them into very IOW" conditions, if it be a bodily mercy; an outward mercy that he · intends to bellow, he:ufeth..to bring them bodily low, and ·outwardly ·
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