·71 The rare Jewd of Chriftian Contentment. l~1rn to jufhfie God, whatever the Lord iliall lay upon us yet nghteous is the Lord, for he bath to deal with a moft wre(ched creature. A difcontenced heart he is troubled becauf:: he bath no more c?mfort; but one that is a [elf-denying man he rather Nonders tnac he bath fo much as he hatb.Oh faith one, I have but a little : I, but faith he that hatb learned his leffon of felfrlenyal, I _rat~er won?er that SJod beHoiYs ripon me the liberty ofbreathmg m the m, knowmg how v1le I am: and knowina h<?W much fin the Lord cloth fee in me: and tha.t is the way of contentment, by learning felf-denial. Eightly,_There is a further thing in felf-denial uvhich brings contentment; Bec.tH[e thereby the foul corms to .rejoyce and tak_e f~tisf4Ciion in all Gods ¥Pay~, (I befeecb yo_u obferve chis ) If a man be fdfilb and have felt love preva1l m hi! heart,tho[e things that [nits with his own en~s be will be glad ?f them ; b!.lt agod- . ly man tha.t bath denyed b1mfelf he w1ll fult with, and be glad of all thii1gs that ihall fuit with Gods ends : Sairh a Gracious heart, Gods ends are my ends; and 1 have denyed mine owne ends, and fo he comes eo find contentment in all Gods ends and ways, and his comforts are multiplied, whereas the -cemfort of other men are fi.ngle, it is but very rare that Gods ways fuallfnte with a mans particular ends, but ahvaies Gods w;.ys fuit with his own ends; no'vv if you will only have contentment when Gods ways fuit with hi~ own ends, you can have it but no\V and then, but a [elf-denying man denies his own ends and only looks at the ends of God, and therein is conten~ed: When a man is felfi !h he cannot but have a gceat deal of trouble and vexation, for iH regard my felf, my ends are fo narrow that r lhall have a hundred thing~ will come andjuftle me~nd I cannot have roo:n in thofe narr01v ends ofmine own ; as you knmv in the City what a deal of fiirr there is in the narrow fb·eets; as Thawm-fheet being fo narrow they ja.Hle and wrangle and fight , one with anorh~r becaufe the place ts fo narrow, but no•v in the broad llreets there they can go quietly; . fo men that are felfirh, they meet and fo jultle one UVI.th another,_ one man is .for · felf in one thing and another man IS for felf m another thmg and fo they rnak; a great deal o_f lti~ ; ~ut'thofe wbofe hearts are inl~r·ced '<md make publick thmgs the1r ends, and can deny 0 · themfeives
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