Ofthe excellency ofcententment .& themeans toobtaineit, 455 the middefl: ofall our outward abundance;butthis fpirituall contentment alone maketh rich : for as the Aponte faith, Godlinefe isgreat riches with contentation ; and why fo ? be- r an.6.6& caule (as before he told vs) it isprofitablefor all things, honing 4.8 thepromifesofthislife, and the life to come. So that content.. ment which is groundedvpon outward things, is momenta- nyand offhort continuance,lafiingno longerthen theyfart; for takeaway riches, pleafitres, and preferments, which are the caules ofthiscontentment, and the contentment it felfe muaneeds failc;whereas this inward fpirituall contentment is alwaies durable andmoli conftant,feeing it wholly refleth vponGods loue, holy will, and gracious prouidcnce, and therefore cannot faile, orbe taken awayby anyworldly ac- cident, becaufe it is not grounded vpon any worldly thing, and though all outward props fhould bee pulledaway, yet would it (land vpright,becaufe itrefleth vpon none ofthem. Finally, worldlycontent isvaineand imperfeE}, not fully fa- tisfying theheart ofman; but thatwhich is fpirituall is full in his degree, thoughnotwithout infirmities, anddoth fa- tisfievs, not onlyfor a fir, but even for euer. Foras the Pro- phet fpeaketh, TheLordfhallguidevscontinually, andfatie f e Elay 58.1x. ourfoules indrought, andmake fat ourbones,andwe(hallbe like albateredgarden, and álsç af(ringofmater whole watersfade not. In which refpe t this fpirituall contentment is much more excellent, then any which can be found in worldly things; euen as it is much better tohaue enough, then to hauemuch; for hethathath much, ifhe wantthis fpirituall contentment,Rill coueteth more in his greatefi abundance, andhe that coueteth 1iIl wanteth ; but he who refling on God isinwardlycontent hath enough, bccaufe he defireth no more, andthoughhis flatebe (mall, yet it puttethan end to his concupifcence, which all worldly things cannot do : for thoughwe haue toomuch, yet ifwe be not moderated with content, we thinke we haue not enough; and though we haue muchmore thenwe defired, yet our concupifcence increafing with our commings in, we are readie to delire more : now as that whichis enough, how meant a pittance foeucr itbe, is not to be cfleemed little, fo that is not tobe G g4 efiettned
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=