A30598:145
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.
Ans. First, this is the Answer I would give, the promises of outward deliverances that were made •o the people of God in the time of the law, were to be understood then a great deal more literally, & fulfilled more literally than in the times of the Gospel, God makes it up otherwise with as much mercy, though God made a covenant of grace & eternal life in Christ with them, yet I think there was another Covenant too, that God speaks of as a distinct covenant for outward things, to deal with his people by according to their ways, either in outward prosperity, or in outward afflictions, more than now, in a more punctual, set way, then in the times of the Gospel; and therefore when the Children of Israel did but sin against God, they were sure to have public judgments to come upon them, and if they did well, always public mercies; the general constant way of God was to deal with the people of the Jews according as they did well or ill, (in an ordinary way,) with outward judgments, and outward mercies: but it's not so now in these ⟨p. 56⟩times of the Gospel; we cannot bring such a certain conclusion, that God did deal so severely with men by such and such afflictions, that he will deal so with them now: and so, that they shall have outward prosperity as they had then: therefore that's the first thing, for the understanding of this, and all other texts of that kind.
Ans. First, this is the Answer I would give, the promises of outward deliverāces that were made •o the people of God in the time of the law, were to be understood then a great deal more litterally, & fulfilled more litterally thā in the times of the Gospel, God makes it up otherwise with as much mercy, though God made a covenant of grace & eternal life in Christ with them, yet I think there was another Covenant too, that God speaks of as a distinct covenant for outward things, to deal with his people by according to their waies, either in outward prosperity, or in outward afflictions, more than now, in a more punctual, set way, then in the times of the Gospel; and therefore when the Children of Israel did but sin against God, they were sure to have publique judgments to come upon them, and if they did well, alwaies publique mercies; the generall constant way of God was to deal with the people of the Jewes according as they did well or ill, (in an ordinary way,) with outward judgments, and outward mercies: but it's not so now in these