A30598:161
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.
upon this it is that he seeks his Contentment else where: And as it is with a vessel that is full of liquor, if you strike upon it it will make no great noise, but if it be empty then it makes a great noise; so it is with the heart, a heart that is full of grace and goodness within, such a one will bear a great many strokes, and never make any noise, but an empty heart if that be struck that will make a noise, those men and women that are so much complaining, and always whining, it is a sign that there's an emptiness in their hearts, but if their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such an noise as now they do. As a man that hath his bones filled with marrow, and veins filled with good blood, he complains not of cold as others do; so a gracious heart having the Spirit of God within him, and his heart filled with Grace, he hath that ⟨p. 61⟩within him that makes him find Contentment. It is a speech of Seneca, Indeed those things that I suffer will be incredible heavy when I cannot bear my self; but now if I be no burden to my self, if I have all quiet within mine own heart, then I can bear any thing: many men through their wickedness they have burdens without, but the greatest burden is the wickedness of their own hearts, they are not burdened with their sins in a godly way, that would ease their burden, but they have still their wickedness in the power of it, and so they are burdens to themselves. The distempers of mens hearts are mighty burdens to them; many times a godly man hath enough within to Content him; Virtue it is Content with its self, for to live well; (Its a speech of Cicero, and its in one of his Paradoxes) It finds enough within its own sphere for the living happily: but how few are acquainted with this Mystery? Many think O if I had that that another man hath, how happily and comfortably should I live: Oh but if thou beest a Christian, whatsoever thy condition be, yet thou hast enough within thy self, you will say such and such men that hath all things they need not be beholding to any body, you shall have many that will labour and take pains when they are young, that they might not be beholding to others, I love to live of my self; now a Christian may do so;
upron this it is that he seeks his Contentment else where: And as it is with a vessel that is full of liquor, if you strike upon it it will make no great noise, but if it be empty then it makes a great noise; so it is with the heart, a heart that is full of grace and goodnesse within, such a one will bear a great many strokes, and never make any noise, but an empty heart if that be struck that will make a noise, those men and women that are so much complayning, and alwaies whyning, it is a sign that there's an emptinesse in their hearts, but if their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such an noise as now they do. As a man that hath his bones fil'd with marrow, and veins fill'd with good blood, he complains not of cold as others do; so a gracious heart having the Spirit of God within him, and his heart fill'd with Grace, he hath that