18 Tht r~rt ]twdof c hrijtiAI'i Contentment. becaufe I fee that there is goed in this affliCtion. I find there is &one~ in this rock, and fo I do not only fay, I •11/1 or 1 -will fahmit to Gods hand: no;but the hand of God is good ;it isgtt4 lbA~ I Am t~jflicffd, That it is jufl that I am affliCted that may ~em one t~at is ~1ot truly contented, I may be conYinced that God deals J~flly.1n this, God is righteous a11d jufi,and 'tisfic I fhould ~ub1n1 t ~o what he hath done,O the Lord bath done rigAteoul'Jy m all h1s waies:but that is not enough, but thou mufi fay ~ood is the IJand of tbe Lord, the expreffion of old Ely, 6ooll u tht nsrJ of the LirJ, w.ben it ft'as a fore and hard wercl, tbat word tbar did threaten Tery grieYous things to Ely and his ho4fe, and yet, good is tpe word of the Lord, faith .E/y.Perhaps fome of you may fay as,P.cTJiJ,it is good thJt I was affircted;nay, you mufi come to fay thus It iJ g•oa thtat 1 11• Ajflilie.J. Not food when_youfee the good fruitthat it lath wr?ught,bot when you •re~tfhlted to fay, It is good that I am afRtaed. Whare_Ter ~he affliction lie, yet through the mercy of God my co~ditJon _1s agood condition. it is the top indeed, and rhe height •f this art of Contentment to come to this pitcit, to l:?e able to fay, Well ay condition and ~ffiiG\ions are thus aad thus, ami is Yery ~~ievous and fore; yet I am tbrou~b Gods mercy in_a good condHJ•n, and the hand of God is oood opon me notwubflandi~g, Now I lhoufd haTe giveneyou divers Scriptures about th1s, I .~•JJ. but give you one or two tbat are Tery remarkable ; you "dl thmk this is a lard Idfon to come tbus far,n•t only to. be quiet, but to iaye a complace•cy in affliCtion, PrDTJ• 16. 6. 1, tbt h••/1 of~MI tithttoNsls•Htb trt4*''' b•t i,. tbt retltt~IUs of tbt wi&~t.J ;1 , 0•blt. Herc"t a Scripture now that will Ale" that agracious heart bath uufc tQ far, it is in agood condition what ncr it be. In the bou(e oftbc Righteous is much yrcafure; his boufe, w bat boufe? it may be a ~or ~otrage,per .)laps be bath fcarce allool to 6t oo;l~erhaps be 1S fam to fit upon 'a Hump ofwood,a pieceofa blockmfl_ead ofa fl~ol;orpcrla~ps be bath fcarce a bed to li~ upo~~, er •. dtlh to e_at m; yet faith the boly Ghoft, in the houfc of tbc n&[lre~us Js much trc_aflue: Let the righteous-man be the poeref\ maa m the "Qrld : 1t maY be there are fome that have come and taken :.11 the ~oods out of his hou!c for deat • perhaps hiJ houfe is plundered and ' all
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