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…

6. Remember the sweet rest thou shalt have by this subjection to the Lord, nothing is mans cross, but mans will; a stubborn will ⟨p. 152⟩like a stubborn heifer in the yoke galls and frets the soul; Learn meekness, saith our Saviour, of me in taking my yoke on you, and then you shall find rest. Hell would not be hell, to a heart truly humbled. Sometimes you find enlargements, then you are glad; sometime none, then you sink; sometimes you have hope of mercy, then you are calm; sometimes you lose your hopes, then the Sea works; when the Lord pleaseth you, then you are well, but if a little cross befall you, then your spring is muddy, and a little thing troubles; Oh be humble & vile in thine own eyes, and verily such uncertain fits of peace and trouble are done, and the days of all your mourning are now ended.

6. Remember the sweet rest thou shalt have by this subjection to the Lord, nothing is mans crosse, but mans will; a stubborn will ⟨p. 152⟩like a stubborne heifer in the yoake galls and frets the soule; Learn meeknesse, saith our Saviour, of me in taking my yoake on you, and then you shall find rest. Hell would not bee hell, to a heart truly humbled. Sometimes you find inlargements, then you are glad; sometime none, then you sinke; sometimes you have hope of mercy, then you are calme; sometimes you lose your hopes, then the Sea workes; when the Lord pleaseth you, then you are well, but if a little crosse befall you, then your spring is muddy, and a little thing troubles; Oh be humble & vile in thine owne eyes, and verily such uncertaine fits of peace and trouble are done, and the dayes of all your mourning are now ended.

¹Of thankfulness, to all those whom the Lord hath truly humbled; Time was, when the Lord first convinced you, that so long as you could make any shift, find rest in any duties, you would never lye down at Christs feet, now the Lord might have left you to have stumbled at that stumbling-stone, and to have stuck in those bushes, but you may see that the Lord will save you even then when you would not be saved by him; and especially take notice of two passages of Gods dealings with you, wherein usually you find matter of discouragement, rather then of acknowledgement of Gods goodness to you therein.