~0 Tb~ rare Jewel of Cbriftitm Contentmem. Gcd in all, in bisJubmiliion fees his foveraignty, but tha.t that makes him take complacency, it is Gods wifdom; the Lord knows bow to order thing~ better thar} J, tbe Lord fees further t!u n l do., l[ee things but at prefent, but the Lord fees a great wh ile hence, and how do I kno1v bu.t had it not been for this affli6tion, l had been undone? I kno\Y that the love of God · may tts 'fJPdl /land with An Ajf/il(eJ .rftate, tiJ with a profperour ·t;1.< t ~ ; a.1d Ltch h1d of reafonings there are in a comented ipir-it, fi.Jbmittit1g unto the <Jirpole of Gvd • . Th~ l1fl: thing is:, ihiJ iJ in [every cmdition 1 I c may be in <lfu~ thing~ you could._ be content: You {hall have many will ay, if my affl ttion were but as the affit6tioll offucha one I coald be co~tent,yea but it muH be in the prefent affit6tion that ]s upon y0u. y.Je ufe to fay. There is a great deal of deceit in Univerfals; in the general, come to any man or woman and fay, wiH you not be content wit~ Gods difpofe? Yes, fay they; God ·forbid but vve lhould fubmH to Gods hand vvhlt ever It be. y·ou fay thus in the general,_it is aB ea!ie matter to leart'l tbi~ Je{fon,bJt when it comes to the puticular,IIVhen the cro:'s comes / fore indeed; whe'n it !trikes you in the heaviefi crofs that you think co:.1ld befall you, what faith your heart novv ? Can you in every condition be content not only for the matter, but for the time; that is to be in fuch a condition fo long as God would have you, to be content to be at Gods time in that condition,to havefuch .an affl:6t io:1[o long as God would have the affli6l:ion abide upon you,to be willin'g to fiay and not to come out of the affiietion no fooner than the Lord would have yon come out of it l yo\l are n·ot content in your condition elfe ; to be contef}t me.erly that I have fuch a hand of god•upoo me, and not to flay un&r the hand of god, that is not to be content under e'fery condition, but when I can ,find my heart fubmitting to Goqs difpofe in. fuch particular affii~ion~ chat are.vtry bard, and v~ry grievous, and yet my heart IS gm et, here IS one that hath learned the leffon of Contentment: Contentment, it is the inward, qu~et, gracious frame of fpirit, freely Sul3mtting to and taking complacency in Gods difpofe in every condition: that is the defcription. Now in this there hath been Nine fevetal things opened. 1 Firtl,
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