The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

And so again, Am I disgraced, dishonoured, is my good-name taken away? why Jesus Christ he had dishonour put upon him, he was called Beelzebub, and a Samaritan, and they said he had a Devil in him, all the foul aspersions that could be were cast upon Jesus Christ, and this was for me, that I might have the disgrace that is cast upon me to be sanctified unto me, whereas another man his heart is overwhelmed with dishonour, and disgrace, and he goes this way to work to get Contentment; perhaps if you be spoken ill of, you have no ⟨p. 46⟩other way to ease and right your selves, but if they do rail upon you, you will rail upon them again; and thus you think to ease your selves: Oh but a Christian hath another manner of way to ease himself, others rail and speak ill of me, but did they not rail upon Jesus Christ, and speak ill of him? and what am I in comparison of Christ? And the subjection of Christ to such an evil, it was for me, that though such a thing should come upon me, I might know that the curse of it is taken from me through Christs subjection to that evil; thus a Christian can be contented when any body speaks ill of him; now this is a mystery to you to get Contentment after such a manner as this is: So if men jeer and scoff at you, did they not do so to Jesus Christ? they jeered and scoffed at him, and that when he was in his greatest extremity upon the Cross, say they, Here's the King of the Jews, and they bowed the knee, and said hail King of the Jews, and put a Reed into his hand, and mocked him: now I get Contentment in the midst of scorns and jeers, by considering that Christ was scorned, and by acting faith upon that which Christ did suffer for me. So, am I in great pain of my body? Jesus Christ had as great pain upon his body as I have, though it's true he had not such kind of sicknesses as we have, but yet he had as great pain and tortures in his body, and that that was deadly to him, as well as any sickness is to us: the exercising of faith upon what Christ did endure, that's the way to get Contentment in the midst of our pains: one lies vexing and fretting, and cannot bear his pain, art thou a Christian? hast thou ever tried this way of getting contentment, to act thy faith upon all the pains and sufferings that Jesus Christ did suffer? this would be the way of Contentment, and a Christian gets contentment under pains after this manner:

And so again, Am I disgraced, dishonoured, is my good-name taken away? why Jesus Christ he had dishonour put upon him, he was called Beelzebub, and a Samaritan, and they said he had a Devil in him, all the foul aspersions that could be were cast upon Jesus Christ, and this was for me, that I might have the disgrace that is cast upon me to be sanctified unto me, whereas another man his heart is overwhelmed with dishonour, and disgrace, and he goes this way to work to get Conntetment; perhaps if you be spoken ill of, you have no