First, Contentment (I say) is a sweet [inward] heart-thing, it is a work of the spirit within doors: It is not only a not-seeking help to our selves by outward violence, or a forbearance of discontented murmuring expressions, in froward words and carriages against God or others; but it is the inward submission of the heart. Psal. 62. 1. Truly, my soul waiteth upon God; and ver. 5. My soul wait thou only upon God, so it is in your •ooks; but the words may be translated as rightly, My soul be thou silent unto God; Hold thy peace O my soul: Not only the tongue must hold its peace, but the soul must be silent: Many may sit down silently, forbearing discontented expressions, yet are inwardly swollen with discontentment; now this manifesteth a perplexed distemper and a great frowardness in their hearts: And God notwithstanding their outward silence hears the peevish fretting language of their souls. The shoe may be smooth and neat without, whilst the flesh is pinched within: There may be much calmness and stillness outwardly, and yet wonderful confusion, bitterness; disturbance and vexation within. Some are so weak that they are not able to contain the disquietness of their own spirits, but in words and behaviour discover what woeful perturbations there are within, their spirits being like the raging Sea casting forth nothing but mire and dirt, being not only troublesome to themselves but to all those they live with: Others there are who are able to keep in such distempers of heart, (as Judas did when he betrayed Christ with a kiss,) but still they boil inwardly and eat like a Canker: As David speaks concerning some whose words are smoother ⟨p. 5⟩then honey, and butter, and yet have war in their hearts; and as he saith in another place, whilst I kept silence my bones waxed old; so these, whilst there is a serene calm upon their tongues, have yet blustering storms in their spirits, and whilst they keep silence their hearts are troubled, and even worn away with anguish and vexation; they have peace and quiet outwardly, but war from the unruly and turbulent workings of their hearts, that is within. If the attainment to true contentment were as easy as keeping quiet outwardly, there need be no great learning of it; it might be had with less skill and strength than an Apostle had; yea than an ordinary christian hath or may have.
First, Contentment (I say) is a sweet [inward] heart-thing, it is a work of the spirit within doors: It is not only a not-seeking help to our selves by outward violence, or a forbearance of discontented murmurring expressions, in froward words and carriages against God or others; but it is the inward submission of the heart. Psal. 62. 1. Truly, my soul waiteth upon God; and ver. 5. My soul wait thou only upon God, so it is in your •ooks; but the words may be translated as rightly, My soul be thou silent unto God; Hold thy peace O my soul: Not only the tongue must hold its peace, but the soul must be silent: Many may sit down silently, forbearing discontented expressions, yet are inwardly swollen with discontentment; now this manifesteth a perplexed distemper and a great frowardnesse in their hearts: And God notwithstanding their outward silence hears the peevish fretting language of their souls. The shoe may be smooth and neat without, whilst the flesh is pinched within: There may be much calmnesse and stilnesse outwardly, and yet wonderful confusion, bitternesse; disturbance and vexation within. Some are so weak that they are not able to contain the disquietnesse of their own spirits, but in words and behaviour discover what woful perturbations there are within, their spirits being like the raging Sea casting forth nothing but mire and dirt, being not only troublesome to themselves but to all those they live with: Others there are who are able to keep in such distempers of heart, (as Judas did when he betrayed Christ with a kisse,) but still they boyl inwardly and eate like a Canker: As David speaks concerning some whose words are smoother ⟨p. 5⟩then honey, and butter, and yet have war in their hearts; and as he saith in another place, whilst I kept silence my bones waxed old; so these, whilst there is a serene calme upon their tongues, have yet blustring storms in their spirits, and whilst they keep silence their hearts are troubled, and even worn away with anguish and vexation; they have peace and quiet outwardly, but war from the unruly and turbulent workings of their hearts, that is within. If the attainment to true contentment were as easy as keeping quiet outwardly, there need be no great learning of it; it might be had with lesse skill and strength than an Apostle had; yea than an ordinary christian hath or may have.
