The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

if Christ could bear it, why mayest not thou come to bear it? You will say, Can I have the strength of Christ? Yea, that is made over to thee by faith, so the Scripture saith That the Lord is our strength, God himself is our strength, and Christ is our strength, divers Scriptures we have that way; that Christs strength is thine, made over to thee, that so thou mayest be able to bear whatsoever lies upon thee, and therefore we find such a strange kind of expression in the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians, praying for the Saints, that they might be strengthened with all might according unto his glorious power, unto what? Unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness. Strengthened with all might, according to the power of God, the glorious power of God, unto all patience, and long-suffering with joyfulness; You may not therefore be content with a little strength, so that you are able to bear what a man might bear by the strength of reason and nature; But to be strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power of God, unto all patience, and to all long suffering; Oh you that are now under very heavy and sad afflictions more than ordinary, look upon this Scripture, and consider how this Scripture is made good in you, why may you not have this Scripture made good in you, if you be godly? You should not be quiet in your own spirits, except that you in some measure do get this Scripture to be made good in you; so that you may with some comfort say, through Gods mercy I find that strength coming into me that is here spoken of in this Scripture. You should labour when you are under any great affliction (you that are Godly) to walk so, that others may see such a Scripture made good in you; Here is the glorious power of God that doth strengthen his servants ⟨p. 49⟩to all long suffering; and that with joyfulness. Alas it may be you do not exercise so much patience, as a wise man or a wise woman that hath but natural reason. But where is the power of God, the glorious power of God? where's the strengthening with all might, unto all long-suffering and patience and that with joyfulness?

if Christ could bear it, why mayest not thou come to bear it? You will say, Can I have the strength of Christ? Yea, that is made over to thee by faith, so the Scripture saith That the Lord is our strength, God himself is our strength, and Christ is our strength, divers Scriptures we have that way; that Christs strength is thine, made over to thee, that so thou mayest be able to bear whatsoever lies upon thee, and therefore we find such a strange kind of expression in the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Collossians, praying for the Saints, that they might be strengthened with all might according unto his glorious power, unto what? Ʋnto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse. Strengthned with all might, according to the power of God, the glorious power of God, unto all patience, and long-suffering with joyfulness; You may not therefore be content with a little strength, so that you are able to bear what a man might bear by the strength of reason and nature; But to be strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power of God, unto all patience, and to all long suffering; Oh you that are now under very heavy and sad afflictions more than ordinary, look upon this Scripture, and consider how this Scripture is made good in you, why may you not have this Scripture made good in you, if you be godly? You should not be quiet in your own spirits, except that you in some measure do get this Scripture to be made good in you; so that you may with some comfort say, through Gods mercy I find that strength coming into me that is here spoken of in this Scripture. You should labour when you are under any great affliction (you that are Godly) to walk so, that others may see such a Scripture made good in you; Here is the glorious power of God that doth strengthen his servants