A30598:115
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
The rare jewel of Christian contentment wherein is showed, I. What contentment is, II. The holy art or mystery of it, III. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment, IV. The excellencies of it, V. The evils of murmuring, VII. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring / by Jeremiah Burroughs.The rare jewel of Christian contentment wherein is shewed, I. What contentment is, II. The holy art or mystery of it, III. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment, IV. The excellencies of it, V. The evils of murmuring, VII. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring / by Jeremiah Burroughs.
London: printed for Peter Cole, 1649
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
but when they are on the top of that hill; alas then they are as far from the clouds, as they were before: So it is with many that think, If they were in such a condition, then I should have Contentment; and perhaps they get into that condition, then they are as far from Contentment as before: But then they think if they were in another condition, they would be contented, and then when they have got into that condition, they are still as far from Contentment as before. No, no, let me consider what is the duty ⟨p. 37⟩of my present condition, and content my heart with this, and say, Well, though I am in a low condition, yet I am serving the counsels of God in that condition wherein I am; it is the counsel of God that hath brought me into this condition that I am in, and I desire to serve the counsel of God in that condition. There is a notable Scripture concerning David, it is said of him, That he served his Generation, after David had served his Generation according to the will of God, then he slept. It is a Speech of Paul concerning him, in Act. 13.36. So it is in your books, After he had served his generation according to the will of God: But now the word that is translated will, it is the counsel of God, and so it may be translated as well, That after David in his generation had served Gods counsel, then he fell asleep. We ordinarily take the words thus, That David served his generation; that is, He did the work of his generation, that is to serve a mans generation. But it is more plain, if you read it thus, After David in his generation had served the Counsel of God, then David fell asleep. O that should be the care of a Christian to serve out Gods Counsels. What is the Counsel of God? The condition that I am in, God doth put me into it by his own Counsel, the Counsel of his own will; Now I must serve Gods Counsel in my generation, look what is the Counsel of God in my condition, I must look to serve that; and so I shall have my heart quieted for the present, and shall live and die peaceably, and comfortably, if I be careful to serve Gods Counsel.
but when they are on the top of that hill; alas then they are as far from the clouds, as they were before: So it is with many that think, If they were in such a condition, then I should have Contentment; and perhaps they get into that condition, then they are as far from Contentment as before: But then they think if they were in another condition, they would be contented, and then when they have got into that condition, they are stil as far from Contentment as before. No, no, let me consider what is the duty