The rare Jewel of chriffitJn Conte~tmenr.\ 9 delivered, fo I ~ay but get free from it: Is it not fo many times in fome uf your hearts when any crofs of affiietion befals you'? Have you not fuch kind of workings of fpirit as this ; Oh rh at I could buf be delivered qut of this affiicl:ion any way, I would not care; your hearts are far from being quiet~ And this fin full fbifting is the next thing in oppofition to this quietaefs, which , God requires in a contented fp1rit. ' · The Eizbth and hll t~u-~etnefs ofSpirit is oppofite to,is def;erate djings ~f he~~trt tfg~in~ in a '!ay of rebellion : That is melt abommable. I hope marry ot you have learned fofar to be content, as to keep down~ your hearts from fuch diflempers; and yet the truth is:,not only wicked men bltt fometimesthe very Saints of God find the/ be£innings of this, when an atflietion lies long,- aMd is Very fore and heavy upon them indeed, and llrikes them as it were in the mafier Yein; they find fomevvhat of this in their hearts, ariiing again{l: God, their thoughts begin to bubble, and th~ir affeetions begin to_Hir in_rifing aga_infl: God himfelf; efpecially ~ as togethe_t wab theu corruptions have much melanch~ly_i_anq the Devil ' working bo~h upon the cor_ruptio~ of·their hearts, a~d the me-- lancholy d1fiemper of then bod1es; though here may lye much . gra~e at the bottom, yet there may be fame rifings againfi God himfelfundet affii61:ion. Now Chriflian quietnefs is oppofite to all thefe things-: that is, When affiietions come, be it what af- ' flietion it will be, yet you do not murmure, though you be fen- / fible, though you make your moan, though you defire to be de.. liver~d, and feek it by all good means, yet you do not murmur nor repine, yon do not fret nor vex, there is 'not that cumultuoufnefs of fpirit in you, there is not unfetlednefs in your fpirirs, there are not difiraeting fears in your hearts, no fin king difcouragements, no~ bafe lhiftings, r:o rifings in rebellion any way againfi God : This is the quietne(s ofSpirit under a'n af-. flietion; and that is the fecond thing when the foul is fo fac able to bear an affii6tion as to keep quiet undel it. · Now the Th ird thing I woukl open in die d~fcr iption is this.; It is _an inw{lrd quiet, gracious [frame J of Spirit. It is a frame ofSpn·it , and tneo a gracious frame of Spirit, .• Content-: ment it is a foul-bufinefs. Firll, It is inward • · Second1y ' D ~ quiet
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