; I 92 The rare Jewel of chriflian Contentment. · time_s i~ a very low condition, the Prophets ofGod they were tobe h1d m a cave by Obadi11h, and there to be fed with bread and water, and the Prophet Jeremiah put into a Dungeon, and Oh ·how ~vas he ufed 1 and as it were an ei1dlefs thing to name the parttc_ulars of the great fufferings of . the people ofGod. In former t1me we havefometimes made ufe of this A rgurbent other waies, the great Infirumencs of God in the fidl Reformation they lived in great ftraighrs, in a very lo1v condition, even Luther himfelf when he was to dye (faith he) Lord (though he were a man of fuch publick ufe,& was a great man in the Courts of Princes) Lord, I h1ve neither Hou(e nor Lauds, nor Eltate to -leave any thinE to Wife or Cbildren,but I commit them to thee: and fa Mu(cubu that 1vas a very choice inftrument of God ·in hi-s time, thoagh he was a man that was worth even a Kingdome f.v,r excellency of_ his fpirlt and learning, fQr be was one of the learnedll: men of his time, yet fometimes he was put to dig in the_~ommon ditch to get bread for his family. What would we do 1f ~ve ~vere in fucb acoi1dition as thefe men were? But ~bove all, fet Chrill: before us, that profeffes that the Birds of the Air had nefis, and the Foxes had holes, yet the Son of man had no place to hide his head in, that Iouv condition be wa_s irYi 'the confideration of fuch th-ing-s as thefe are very ufeful. It 1s likewife. ufeful for men and women of eftates to go to poor _peoples houfes, and fee how they live, to go to Holpitals, .and to fee the wounds of Souldiers and others, and to fee the lamentable condition that people live in that live in fame Alms-houfes, and. what poor fare they have, and'what ll:raights they are pat to; you hear fometimes of them, but if you went to fee them, it would not only ll:ir up charity in your felves towards them, but ll:u up thankfulneffe in your hear-ts towards God, it would be a fpecial means to help you againll: any difco~tent, yo~ would go .awal and fee caufe to bleCs God, .and fay, 1f I were m foch a 7ond1t1on as they are in, what lhould I do? how c0uld I bear 1t r And yet whaneafon is there that God ~oth ~o order and dtfpo~e of tb inas, that they lhould be fo low m the1r eftates, and I fo h1gh: 1 kn~w oo Reafon but free Gr~ce, God will have mercy upon whom he will h1ve mercy : Thefe are fome good Confiderati· om·for the furtherance of Contentment.. · The
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