The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is showedThe rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is shewed

A second Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is, When we ⟨p. 157⟩murmur for small things. Saith Naamans servant to him, Father (for so he called him) if the Prophet had required you to do some great thing, would not you have done it? how much more this little thing. So I say, if the Lord had required you to suffer some great matter, would not you have been willing to suffer? How much more this little thing. I remember I have read in Seneca a Heathen, he hath this similitude which is a very fine one to set out the great evil of murmuring upon smaller afflictions (saith he) Suppose a man hath a very fair house to dwell in, and he hath fair Orchards and Gardens, and set about with brave tall Trees for ornament, if this man now should murmur because the wind blows off a few leaves off his Trees, what a most unreasonable thing were it for him to be weeping and wringing his hands because he loses a few leaves off his Trees, when he hath abundance of all kind of fruit? Thus it is with many (saith he) though they have a great many comforts about them, yet some little matter, the blowing off of a few leaves from them is enough to disquiet them. It was a great evil when Ahab having a Kingdom, yet the want of his neighbours Vineyard had such power to disquiet him: So for us to murmur, not because we have not such a thing as we have, need of, but because we have not what possibly we might have this is a very great sin. Suppose God gives a child that hath all the Limbs and parts complete, a Child that is very comely, and hath excellent parts, wit, and memory, but it may be there is a wart that grows upon the finger of the child, and she murmurs at it, and Oh, what an affliction is this to her! she is so taken up with that, as she forgets to give any thanks to God for her Child, and all the goodness of God to her in the Child is swallowed up in that; would not you say, this were a folly and a great evil in a woman so to do? Truly our afflictions if we weighed them aright they are but such kind of things in comparison of our mercies. Rebeckah she had a mighty desire to have children, but because she found some trouble in her body when she was with child, saith she, Why am I thus? As if she should say, I had as good have none, only because she found a little pain and trouble in her body.

A second Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is, When we ⟨p. 157⟩murmur for small things. Saith Naamans servant to him, Father (for so he called him) if the Prophet had required you to do some great thing, would not you have done it? how much more this little thing. So I say, if the Lord had required you to suffer some great matter, would not you have been willing to suffer? How much more this little thing. I remember I have read in Seneca a Heathen, he hath this similitude which is a very fine one to set out the great evil of murmuring upon smaller afflictions (saith he) Suppose a man hath a very fair house to dwell in, and he hath fair Orchards and Gardens, and set about with brave tall Trees for ornament, if this man now should murmur because the wind blows off a few leaves off his Trees, what a most unreasonable thing were it for him to be weeping and wringing his hands because he loses a few leaves off his Trees, when he hath abundance of all kind of fruit? Thus it is with many (saith he) though they have a great many comforts about them, yet some little matter, the blowing off of a few leaves from them is enough to disquiet them. It was a great evil when Ahab having a Kingdom, yet the want of his neighbors Vineyard had such power to disquiet him: So for us to murmur, not because we have not such a thing as we have, need of, but because we have not what possibly we might have this is a very great sin. Suppose God gives a childe that hath all the Limbs and parts compleat, a Childe that is very comely, and hath excellent parts, wit, and memory, but it may be there is a wart that grows upon the finger of the childe, and she murmurs at it, and Oh, what an affliction is this to her! she is so taken up with that, as she forgets to give any thanks to God for her Childe, and all the goodness of God to her in the Childe is swallowed up in that; would not you say, this were a folly and a great evil in a woman so to do? Truely our afflictions if we weighed them aright they are but such kind of things in comparison of our mercies. Rebeckah she had a mighty desire to have children, but because she found some trouble in her body when she was with childe, saith she, Why am I thus? As if she should say, I had as good have none, onely because she found a little pain and trouble in her body.