The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

2. Why art thou quiet and still when the Lord denies thee any common mercy? Is it not because the Lord will have it so? Now look as we say of him that hates sin as sin, that he hates all sin; so he that is meekened with Gods good pleasure in any one thing, because of his good pleasure in it, upon the same ground will at least desire to stoop in every thing. Suppose therefore it be the Lords good pleasure to deny thee mercy, ⟨p. 148⟩I grant you must pray for it, yet with submission to the good will of the Lord, saying, The Lords will is good, but mine is evil; otherwise, thou hast no meekness in any thing, that art not meekly subject to his will in every thing.

2. Why art thou quiet and still when the Lord denyes thee any common mercy? Is it not because the Lord will have it so? Now look as we say of him that hates sin as sin, that he hates all sinne; so he that is meekned with Gods good pleasure in any one thing, because of his good pleasure in it, upon the same ground will at least desire to stoop in every thing. Suppose therefore it be the Lords good pleasure to deny thee mercy, ⟨p. 148⟩I grant you must pray for it, yet with submission to the good will of the Lord, saying, The Lords will is good, but mine is evill; otherwise, thou hast no meeknesse in any thing, that art not meekly subject to his will in every thing.

3. The greatest pride that is in man, appears here; for suppose the Lord should deny thee bread, or water, or clothes, was it your duty to murmur now? nay, was it not pride, if the heart would not lye down, and say, Lord I am worthy to have my bread plucked from my mouth, and my clothes from my back. Now if it be pride to murmur in case the Lord denies you smaller matters, the offals of this life, dost not thou see that its far greater pride for thee to sink and quarrel with him, if he denies thee greater, and the things of another life? is he bound to give thee greater, that doth not owe thee the least? Suppose a beggar murmur at thy door, if thou dost deny him bread, or a cup of drink, wilt thou not account him a proud stout beggar? but if thou givest him that, and then he quarrel and murmur at thee because thou dost not give him a thousand pound, or thy whole estate when he asks it, will you not say, I never met with the like insolencie? the Lord gives you your lives, blessed be his name, but you ask for treasures of grace and mercy, thousands of pounds, Christ himself,