2QZ Tke l.are Jewel of Chrijiian Contentment~ always upon the f?re; ~n~ (omen and women their thoughts are always upon . thcu affi1chons , when th..:y awake in the night their .thoughts are upon their affi1&10ns , and when they converfe with others (nay it may be when they are praying to Gud} they a1e thi,1king of their affh6hons. On ! no marvel though you live a d1fconter.~red life, if your tbougncs he always poring upon fuch thing ~ , Y?ll lhould rather labor to have your thoughts upon thofe th11Jgs en at . m~ y comfort you : You lhall have many that if you propound any rule to them to do them good , they take it well vvhile they a~e with you , and thank you for it, bnt vvhen they are gone they foon forget it. It is very obfervable of Jacob, that when his wife died in Child-birth, his wife called the child J3m-oni, that is, a ~on of[orrows ; now Jacob, he thought with himfelf,I t I lhould call this child Ben-oni,every time that I name him, it will put me in mind o(the death of my dear wife, an,d of that a.ffii6tion,and that will be a continued affl iction to me,there.: fore I will not have my child have that name ; and fo the text faith, that J~tcob called his name. Benjamm, and that was, the - Son ot my right hand : now: this is to tbei'V us thus much, that when afflictions befal us, we lhould not give way to have our thoughts continual! y upon them, but rather upon tbofe things that may flir up our thankfnlnefs to God for mercies. It is the Similitude of St.Bajil a learned man J[aith he,It is in this cafe as it is with men ~nd women that have fore eyes, now it's not fit for thofe to be always looking upon the fire, or upon the beams of the Sun; no (faith hi! ) one rbat bath fore eyes mutt get things that are fu-table to him, and fuch obje6ts that ate fit for one that bath weak eyes, therefore they will get green colours~ as that being a more ea,fie colour and better for weak eyes,and they will blang a green Sarfnet before their eyes,becaufe it js more futable to them : So weak fpirits it's thevery fame , amac or woman th<lt bath a weak fpirit, they mutt not be looking upon the fire ef their affiietions, upon thofe things that deje6l:, that ca(l them down, but they are to be looking rather upon that which may be futable far the healing and helping of them , they iliould be confidering ofthofe things rather than the other.It will be of very great ure and:bene~t t_Q you if you do lay i_t to heart,not to be ~oring· ahvays up_on afflu~1ons b~ t upon ~eiClQS~
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