The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

In the first place, This thy murmuring and discontentedness it argues much corruption that is in the Soul, as Contentment argues much grace, and strong grace, and beautiful grace; so this argues much corruption, and strong corruption, and very vile corruptions in thy heart. As it is in a mans body, if a mans body be of that temper that every scratch of a pin makes his flesh to rankle and to be a sore, you will say, surely this mans body is very corrupt, his blood and his flesh is corrupt, that every scratch of a pin shall make it rankle, so it is in thy spirit; if every little trouble and affliction shall make thee discontented, and make thee murmur, and even cause thy spirit within thee to rankle, or as it is in a wound in a mans body, the evil of a wound, it is not so much in the largeness of the wound, and the abundance of blood that comes out of the wound, but in the inflammation that there is in it, or in a fretting and corroding humour that is in the wound; an unskilful man when he comes and sees a large wound in the flesh, looks upon it as a dangerous wound, and when he sees a great deal of blood gush out, he thinks these are the evils of it, but when a Chirurgeon comes and sees a great gash, saith he, this will be healed within a few days, but there's a less wound and there's an inflammation or a fretting humour that is in it, and this will cost time (saith he) to cure, so that he doth not lay balsam and healing salves upon it, but his great care is to get out the fretting humour, or inflammation, so that the thing that must heal this wound it is some drink to purge; But (saith the patient) what good will this do to my wound? You give me somewhat to drink, and my wound is in my arm, or in my leg, what good will this ⟨p. 120⟩do that I put in my stomach? Yes it purges out the fretting humour, or takes away the inflammation, and till that be taken away the salves can do no good. So it is just for all the world in the souls of men, it may be there is some affliction upon them that I compare to the wound; now they think that the greatness of the affliction is that that makes their condition most miserable:

In the first place, This thy murmuring and discontentedness it argues much corruption that is in the Soul, as Contentment argues much grace, and strong grace, and beautiful grace; so this argues much corruption, and strong corruption, and very vile corruptions in thy heart. As it is in a mans body, if a mans body be of that temper that every scratch of a pin makes his flesh to ranckle and to be a sore, you will say, surely this mans body is very corrupt, his blood and his flesh is corrupt, that every scratch of a pin shal make it ranckle, so it is in thy spirit; if every little trouble and affliction shal make thee discontented, and make thee murmur, and even cause thy spirit within thee to ranckle, or as it is in a wound in a mans body, the evil of a wound, it is not so much in the largenesse of the wound, and the abundance of blood that comes out of the wound, but in the inflamation that there is in it, or in a fretting and corroding humour that is in the wound; an unskilful man when he comes and sees a large wound in the flesh, looks upon it as a dangerous wound, and when he sees a great deal of blood gush out, he thinks these are the evils of it, but when a Chirurgion comes and sees a great gash, saith he, this will be heal'd within a few daies, but there's a lesse wound and there's an inflamation or a fretting humour that is in it, and this will cost time (saith he) to cure, so that he doth not lay balsome and healing salves upon it, but his great care is to get out the fretting humour, or inflamation, so that the thing that must heal this wound it is some drink to purge; But (saith the patient) what good will this do to my wound? You give me somewhat to drink, and my wound is in my arme, or in my leg, what good will this