l I 8 The rare Jewel of Chriflian Contentment. ken ai'Vay, yet thou fhll ( bavingGod to be thy portion) wonldfl be as happy as _now thou arc, and therefore Contentation bath a great deal of Exce!Iency in it. , .Thus we hlve thewed in many pmiculau, the excellency ot' tlHS Grace, labour ir.g to prefent the beauty of it before you r fouls, that you may be in love with it. . Now, my Brethr'en, what remains but the prattice of tbi~; for this Art c f Contentment, it's not a fpeculative thing, only for contemplation, but it is an art of Divinity, and ' therefore practical; ye are now to labour to work upon your hearts, that there may be this Grace in you, that you may honour Gcd, and . h.ono~r your profeffion ovith this Grace of Contentment; fot . there IS none cloth more honour God, and honour their prcfdfion, than thofe that have this Grace of Contentment. Novv, that we may fall upon the pra~ice, there is required; FHH, Th~tt ru Jbou!i t( humb/(d in ONr he.ms for the ~11nt of t his, tb4t ~ve have had fo little of this Gr~ct in uJ. For there IS no 1vay to Iet upon any duty ~vith profit,till the heart be humbled for the ~vaot of the performance of the duty before; many men when they bear of a duty they lhould perform, they will labouf to perform it, but firH thou mufl be humbled fof the ~vant of it, th~~efore that's the,thing that I £hall endeavour in the Appl~ cauon, to get your hearts te be humbled for the want of th1s Grace; Oh ! had I this Grace of Contentment, what a happy · l1fe I might have lived? ~vbat abundance of honour I might have brought to the name of God, and how might I have ho- . noured my profeffion f and ~vhat a deal of comfort might I have , enjoyed, but the Lord knows it bath been far otbervvife; Oh, how far have 1 been from this Grace of Contentment that bath been opened eo me? I have had a murmuring, a vexing, and fretting heart within me, every little crofs bath put me out of temper, and out of frame: Ob, !he boiflerou~neffe ofmy fpirir, - vvhat a deal of evil cloth God fee m my heart, m the vexmg and fretting of my heart, and murmuring and repining of my fpirit? Ob, that God would make you to fee it: Now, to the end that you might be humbled for the w1nt of this, I-iliall endeavour in rhe£e part1,ulars to fpea.k unto it. Firfi,
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