. 3'! The rare 1e.wd o!Ckr.ijtittf'J Cotuj;n:mi~oc this? in thi s manner, arc thou affiitl:ed, and is th~re a gr e~t load and burden upon thee by r~a[on of thy affiitl:ion ? th_ou, thinkeR there is no vv~y in the world to get Contentment, buc 0 chat this but~en 1verebut ·plf! 0 it is a bea~y load, and few . kno~ wbat a bmqen I have 1 What dofi thou think there is no vvay for the.Coi1tentmentof th'y' fpidt but this getting off thy .lwrden? 0 thou ar~ deceive~, the way of Contentment is to ?cid another burden, that is, libour to 1 oad and burden tb y heart .w,ith thy fi n, and the beivier the .burden of thy fin is to thy · heart. th ~ Iig~te r ' wiH ! ~ne b~~den of thy affiicl,ion be.to thy foul, · and fo {bat£-~U com~ 'io'be content: If thy burden were lightened that would content thee, thou chinke(r there·is no' way ~o lighten it but to get it off,. but thou art deceived, for if thou canft get thy heart to be more'burdened with thy fin; thou wilt b~ lefs b.urd~ned with th:y afiolietions: You \Yil( fay this is a Hrange .\yay, for a man or woman to get eafe to their condition when they •are burdened, to'!ay a greater burden fl,pon ' them? You think there is no other ~vay when you are· affii6l:ed, but to be jolly and merry, and get if.ltO company, Oh no, ~ou are de~eive9, Y?~r bur~ en ~vill come again, alas t~i~ is a peor way tO' get h1s fpmt qmeted, poor man, the burden will be upon him again ; but 1f thou vvou!deft have thy buiden light, if thou canl.l get alone and eJCamine thy heart for thy fin, and charge thy foul with thy fin; if thy burden be in thy el.late, for the abure of it, or if it be a burden upon thy body, for -the.abufe of thy health, and !l~engtb, ~nd the abufe of any mercies , dtat now the Lord .hatb taken away from thee, thou haH honoured God with thof.e mercies that thou hall had, but thon · halt walked \Vantonly and carelefly; and fo fall a bemoaning thy .fin before the Lord, and thou !halt quickly find the burden of thy afH i6tion to be lighter than it was before ;. do buc try this piece of skill and art, to get your foul~ contented with any low condition that God puts you in~o ;- ma·ny times ina ~amdy, vvben any ~ ffi i tt ion befals them, <?h \~~~r a- de~I ofdtfconternment is there betvveen man and w1fe, 1t croft m their efiares at Land, or ill nev's from Sea, or tho[e that they rrulled are broke and the like, and perhaps fomevvhat in tbe familY' falls crofs betvveen man and vvjfe, or in reference to the , ch i l~
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