Tht rare Jrwel of ChrijiiAII C~ntem_meor. 157 wHrtnNr f~r (mail things. Saith Naar~~t~:~~s fervant to him, Fa.: ther (for fo he called -h1m) if the Prophet had required you to do fome great thing, would not you have aone it ? how much more thi little thmg. 'So I fay> if the Lord had required ycu t 1t.ffer {ome great matter, would no_r you have beet1 willing to fuff~r ? Howmach more th1s little thing. 1 remember I have read in Sme~11 a Heathen, he bath this f1militude w h1cb .is a very fine one to ftt out the great evil of murmuring upon fmaller affi1cbons, (faith be) Snppofe a man hath a very fair hoqfe to dwell i11, and he bath fair O.·cbards and Gardens, and fet about with brliVe tall Tre~s for Ornament, if this man noiV 4hv:.i ld murmur becaufe the wind biowi off a few leaves off his Trees, what a mofl unreafonabe thing were .it for him to be wee'- ping and wringing his hands becaufe.he lofes a few leaves off his Trees, fllhen ht! batb at>undance of all kind of fruits? Thus: it iswah many (faith he) though they have a great many comforts about them, yet fome litcle matter, the blowing off of at · fefll Ie,aves from them is eneugh to difquiet themt It was ·a great evil when Ahab having a Kingdom, yet the want of his Ne1ghbors Vineyard had fuch power to difquiet him : So for us to murmur, not becaufe we bave n{)t fblch a thing as we have nec:d of, but becaufe we have not what poffibly ~ve might have, dlls i5 aver y great fin. Suppofe God gives a Child that batb all the L1mbs and puts compleat, a Child that is very comfy, and hath excellent parts, wit, and memory, but it may be there is a 1vart thar grows upon th.:: finger of t~e Child, and fhe murmurut it, and Oh, what an affla:tion is this to her! lhe is fo taken up with that, as the forgets to give any thmks to God for her Child, and all the goodnefs o£ God to aer in the Ciild is fwallowed up in that; would not you fay, this were a folly and a very great evil in a womtn fo .to do, Truly our affliCtions if we weighed them aright they are but fuch kind of things in com- · parifon of our mercieS'. Rebtc~ah lbe had a mighty defire ro have Children bJt becaufe lhe found fome trouble in her body wbenlhe wa-~ \Vith Child, faith lbe, why Ar» 1 thN!; .As if the &ould ray, I had as good have none, only becaufc the found a little p~in and trouble in bee body. To be difcontent when ~he arflittion is fmall and little, that encreif es very much the ' (iA1
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