Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Ofthe excellency ofcententment . & themeans toobtaineit, 455 the middefl: of all our outward abundance;but this fpirituall contentment alone maketh rich : for as the Aponte faith, Godlinefe is great riches with contentation ; and why fo ? be- r an.6.6 & caule (as before he told vs) it is profitable for all things, honing 4.8 the promifesofthislife, and the life to come. So that content.. ment which is grounded vpon outward things, is momenta- ny and of fhort continuance,lafiing no longerthen they fart; for take away riches, pleafitres, and preferments, which are the caules of this contentment, and the contentment it felfe mua needs failc;whereas this inward fpirituall contentment is alwaies durable andmoli conftant,feeing it wholly refleth vpon Gods loue, holy will, and gracious prouidcnce, and therefore cannot faile, or be taken away by 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 it refleth vpon none ofthem. Finally, worldly content isvaine and imperfeE}, not fully fa- tisfying theheart ofman; but that which is fpirituall is full in his degree, though notwithout infirmities, and doth fa- tisfie vs, not onlyfor a fir, but even for euer. For as the Pro- phet fpeaketh, The Lord fhallguide vs continually, andfatie f e Elay 58.1x. our foules in drought, and make fat our bones,and we (hall be like albateredgarden, and álsç af(ring ofmater whole waters fade 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 to haue enough, then to hauemuch; for hethathath much, ifhe want this fpirituall contentment, Rill coueteth more in his greatefi abundance, and he that coueteth 1iIl wanteth ; but he who refling on God is inwardly content hath enough, bccaufe he defireth no more, and though his flatebe (mall, yet it putteth an end to his concupifcence, which all worldly things cannot do : for though we haue toomuch, yet if we be not moderated with content, we thinke we haue not enough; and though we haue much more then we defired, yet our concupifcence increafing with our commings in, we are readie to delire more : now as that which is enough, how meant a pittance foeucr it be, is not to be cfleemed little, fo that is not to be G g 4 efiettned