113 _tbat I flull open in divers particulars. As thuS' ; • 1. I would fain have fuch a thing, and tben I could be content; but if I had it, then it were but the creature that did help to my Contentment; but now its the Grace of God in my foul , :; tha.t makes me con.tent: and furely it is better to be content ~Z-~ with the Grace of God in my foul, than with the enjoying of a;, outward comfort. ~. If .I had fuch a thing, ir.deed my e!late might be b~tt~r, but my foul would not be better J but by Contentment rr.y foul is eetter, that would not be beuered by fn ellate, or lands, or friends; bnt Contentment makes my felf to be better : and therefore Contentment is a better portion than the thing is that I would fain have to be my portion. - 3· If I get Content by having my defire fatiifi~d,that's b~::t felf-love; but when I am contented with the hmd of God, and am willing to be at his difpofe, that comes from my love to God,in having my de fire fatisfiedlthere I am contented througfl 4_ felf-love, but through the Grace of Contentment, I come to he cont-ented out of love to God; and is ir nat better to be contented from a principle of love to God, than from a principle of felf-love? '-- 4· If I am contented becau[e I have that that I have a defire to, perhaps I am contented in that one particular, but that one particular cloth not furnith me with Contentment in another thing ! perhaps I may grow more dainty and nice, and froward in othef thing~: if you give children vo.::hat they woulrl have in fome things, they grow fo much the more coy and dainty, and difcontented if they have not other things that they would have ; but if I have once overcome my heart, and am contented through the Grace of God in my heart, then ·this doth not conregt me only in particular, but in general, vvhatfoever befalls me. I am difcontented, and would fain have fuch a-thing, and afterwards I have it : now cloth this prepare me to be contented in other things? No, but when I have gotten this Grace of Contentment, I am prepar•d to be contented in all conditions : and thus you fee that Contentment cloth bring comfort to a mans life, fills a mans life full of comfort in this World : yea, the truth is, itjs even Heaven npon Earth; why, what is R Heaven
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