Filter authors and titles

A30598:246

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Name: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
Author: Jeremiah Burroughs

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.

:243p. 105–106¶3

That's the trial of grace when you find Jesus Christ in your hearts to be peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land. You may think you find peace in Christ when you have no outward troubles, but is Christ your peace when the Assyrian comes into the land, when the enemy comes? Suppose you should hear the enemy come marching to the City & had taken ⟨p. 106⟩the works, and were plundering, what would be your peace? Jesus Christ would be peace to the soul when the enemy comes into the City, and into your houses; If there be any of you that have been where the enemy hath come, what hath been the peace of your souls? That that's said of Christ may be applied to this grace of Contentment, when the Assyrian, the plunderers, the enemies, when any affliction, trouble, distress doth befall such a heart, then this grace of Contentment brings peace to the soul; at that time brings peace to their soul when the Assyrian comes into the land: The grace of Contentment it's an excellent grace, ther•'s much beauty, much strength in it, there is a great deal of worth in this grace, and therefore be in love with it.

That's the tryal of grace when you find Jesus Christ in your hearts to be peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land. You may think you find peace in Christ when you have no outward troubles, but is Christ your peace when the Assyrian comes into the land, when the enemy comes? Suppose you should hear the enemy come marching to the City & had taken ⟨p. 106⟩the works, and were plundering, what would be your peace? Jesus Christ would be peace to the soul when the enemy comes into the City, and into your houses; If there be any of you that have been where the enemy hath come, what hath been the peace of your souls? That that's said of Christ may be applyed to this grace of Contentment, when the Assyrian, the plunderers, the enemies, when any affliction, trouble, distresse doth befal such a heart, then this grace of Contentment brings peace to the soul; at that time brings peace to their soul when the Assyrian comes into the land: The grace of Contentment it's an excellent grace, ther•'s much beauty, much strength in it, there is a great deal of worth in this grace, and therefore be in love with it.

:244p. 106

The Third thing in the excellency of Contentment is this, By Contentment the soul is fitted to receive mercy, and to do service, I'll put those two together, Contentment makes the soul fit to receive mercy, and to do service; no man or woman in the world is so fit for to receive the Grace of God, and to do the work of God as those that have contented spirits.

The Third thing in the excellency of Contentment is this, By Contentment the soul is fitted to receive mercy, and to do service, I'le put those two together, Contentment makes the soul fit to receive mercy, and to do service; no man or woman in the world is so fit for to receive the Grace of God, and to do the work of God as those that have contented spirits.

:245p. 106–107¶1

1 Those are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord that are contented: As now, if you would have a vessel to take in any liquor, you must hold the vessel still, if the vessel stir and shake up and down you cannot pour in any thing, but you will bid hold still that you may pour it in and not loose any; so if we would be the vessels to receive Gods mercy, and would have the Lord pour in his mercy to us, we must have quiet still hearts, we must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble discontent and vexing, but we must have still and quiet hearts if we would receive mercy from the Lord: If a child throws and flings up and down for a thing, you will not give it him then when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet, though perhaps you do intend the child shall have the thing he cries for, but you will not give it him till he is quiet and comes and stands still before you and is contented without it and then you will give it him: and truly so doth the Lord deal with us, (for our dealing, with him are just as your froward children's are with you) as soon as you would have a thing from God if you have it not you are disquieted presently and all in an uproar (as it were) ⟨p. 107⟩in your spirits: God intends mercy to you, but saith God you shall not have it yet, I will see you quiet first, and then in the quietness of your hearts come to me and see what I will do with you. I appeal to you, you that are any way acquainted with the ways of God, have you not found this to be the way of God towards you, when you have been troubled for want perhaps of some spiritual comfort, and your hearts were vexed at it, you get nothing from God all that while; but now if you have got your heart into a quiet frame, and can say, well, it's fit the Lord should do with his poor creatures what he will, I am under his feet, and am resolved to do what I can to honour him; and let him do with me what he will I will seek him as long as I live, I will be content with what God gives; and whether he gives or no I will be content; yea, are you in this frame (saith God) now you shall have comfort, now I will give you the mercy.

1 Those are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord that are contented: As now, if you would have a vessel to take in any licquor, you must hold the vessel still, if the vessel stir and shake up and down you cannot powre in any thing, but you will bid hold stil that you may powre it in and not loose any; so if we would be the vessels to receive Gods mercy, and would have the Lord powr in his mercy to us, we must have quiet still hearts, we must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble discontent and vexing, but we must have still and quiet hearts if we would receive mercy from the Lord: If a child throws and flings up and down for a thing, you will not give it him then when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet, though perhaps you do intend the child shall have the thing he cries for, but you will not give it him till he is quiet and comes and stands still before you and is contented without it and then you will give it him: and truly so doth the Lord deal with us, (for our dealing, with him are just as your froward childrens are with you) as soon as you would have a thing from God if you have it not you are disquieted presently and all in an upprore (as it were)

:246p. 107¶1

A prisoner must not think to get off his fetters by pulling and tearing, he may gall his flesh and rend it to the very bone, certainly he will be unfettered never the sooner, but if he would have his fetters taken off he must quietly give up himself to some man to take them off; If a beggar after he hath knocked once or twice at the door and you come not, and thereupon he is vexed and troubled and thinks much that you let him stand a little while without any thing, you think that this beggar is not fit to receive an alms, but if you hear two or three beggars at your door, and if you hear them out of your window say, let us be content to stay, perhaps they are busy, it's fit that we should stay, it's well if we have any thing at last, we deserve nothing at all, and therefore we may well wait a while; you would then quickly send them an alms; so God deals with the heart, when it is in a disquiet way then God doth not give; but when the heart lies down quietly under Gods hand, then is the heart in a fit frame to receive mercy: Your strength shall be to sit still (saith God,) you shall not be delivered from Babylon but by your sitting still.

A prisoner must not think to get off his fetters by pulling and tearing, he may gall his flesh and rend it to the very bone, certainly he will be unfettered never the sooner, but if he would have his fetters taken off he must quietly give up himself to some man to take them off; If a begger after he hath knockt once or twice at the door and you come not, and thereupon he is vext and troubled and thinks much that you let him stand a little while without any thing, you think that this begger is not fit to receive an almes, but if you hear two or three beggers at your door, and if you hear them out of your window say, let us be content to stay, perhaps they are busie, it's fit that we should stay, it's well if we have any thing at last, we deserve nothing at all, and therefore we may well wait a while; you would then quickly send them an almes; so God deals with the heart, when it is in a disquiet way then God doth not give; but when the heart lies down quietly under Gods hand, then is the heart in a fit frame to receive mercy: Your strength shall be to sit still (saith God,) you shall not be delivered from Babylon but by your sitting still.

:247p. 107–108¶2

2 As fit to receive mercy, So fit to do service, Oh the quiet fruits of righteousness, the peaceable fruits of righteousness; they indeed do prosper and multiply most when they come to be peaceable fruits of righteousness. As the Philosophers say ⟨p. 108⟩of every thing that moves, nothing that moves but it moves upon something that is immovable; as a thing that moves upon the earth, if the earth were not still it could not move.

2 As fit to receive mercy, So fit to do service, Oh the quiet fruits of righteousnesse, the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse; they indeed do prosper and multiply most when they come to be peacable fruits of righteousnesse. As the Philosophers say ⟨p. 108⟩of every thing that moves, nothing that moves but it moves upon something that is immovable; as a thing that moves upon the earth, if the earth were not still it could not move.

:248p. 108

Object. The ships move upon the Sea, and that is not still.

:249p. 108

Answ. But the Seas they move upon that which is still and immovable, there is nothing moves but it hath something immovable that doth uphold it: The wheels in a Coach they move up and down, but the axletree that moves not up and down; so it is with the heart of a man. As they say of the Heaven, it moves up and down upon a pole that is immovable: so it is in the heart of a man, if he will move to do service to God he must have a steady heart within him, that must help him to move in the service of God, those that have unsteady disquiet spirits that have no steadfastness at all in them, they are not fit to do service for God, but such as have steadfastness in their spirits they are men and women fit to do any service, and that's the reason that when the Lord hath any great work for any servants of his to do, usually he doth first quiet their spirits, he doth bring their spirits into a quiet sweet frame to be contented with any thing, and then he sets them about employment.

Answ. But the Seas they move upon that which is still and immovable, there is nothing moves but it hath something immovable that doth uphold it: The wheels in a Coach they move up and down, but the exletree that moves not up and down; so it is with the heart of a man. As they say of the Heaven, it moves up and down upon a pole that is immovable: so it is in the heart of a man, if he will move to do service to God he must have a steady heart within him, that must help him to move in the service of God, those that have unsteady disquiet spirits that have no steadfastnesse at all in them, they are not fit to do service for God, but such as have steadfastnesse in their spirits they are men and women fit to do any service, and that's the reason that when the Lord hath any great work for any servants of his to do, usually he doth first quiet their spirits, he doth bring their spirits into a quiet sweet frame to be contented with any thing, and then he sets them about imployment.

:250p. 108–109

The Fifth excellency is this, Contentment it doth deliver us from abundance of temptations. Oh the temptations that men of discontented spirits are subject to, the Devil loves to fish in troubled waters. That's our proverb of men and women, their disposition is to fish in troubled waters, they say it is good fishing in troubled waters, this is the maxim of the Devil, he loves to fish in troubled waters, where he sees the spirits men and women troubled and vexed, there the Devil comes, saith he, there's good fishing for me, when he sees men and women go discontented up and down and he can get them alone, then he comes with his temptations, saith he, will you suffer such a thing? take such a shifting indirect way, do not you see how poor you are, others are brave, you know not what you shall do against winter, to provide fuel and get bread for you and your children, and so he tempts them to unlawful courses; this is the special distemper that the Devil fastens upon, when ⟨p. 109⟩he brings men and women to give up their souls to him, it is upon discontent: That's the ground of all those that have been witches, and so have given up themselves to the Devil, the rise of it hath been their discontent, and therefore it is observable that those the Devil worketh upon to make them witches, usually they are old and melancholy people, and women especially, and those that are of the poorer sort, that are discontent at home, their neighbours trouble them and vex them, and their spirits are weak and they cannot bear it, so upon that the Devil fastens his temptations and draws them to any thing; if they be poor, then he promises them money, if they have revengeful spirits, then he tells them that he will revenge them upon such and such persons, now this quiets and contents them. Oh! there's matter of temptation for the Devil where he meets with a discontented spirit. As Luther saith of God, God doth not dwell in Babylon, but in Salem, Babylon signifies confusion, and Salem signifies peace: now God doth not dwell in spirits that are in a confusion, but he dwells in peaceable and quiet spirits. Oh if you would free your selves from temptations, labour for Contentment, It is the peace of God that guards the heart from temptation.

The Fift excellency is this, Contentment it doth deliver us from abundance of temptations. Oh the temptations that men of discontented spirits are subject to, the Devil loves to fish in troubled waters. That's our proverb of men and women, their disposition is to fish in troubled waters, they say it is good fishing in troubled waters, this is the maxime of the Devil, he loves to fish in troubled waters, where he sees the spirits men and women troubled and vext, there the Devil comes, saith he, there's good fishing for me, when he sees men and women go discontented up and down and he can get them alone, then he comes with his temptations, saith he, will you suffer such a thing? take such a shifting indirect way, do not you see how poor you are, others are brave, you know not what you shall do against winter, to provide fewell and get bread for you and your children, and so he tempts them to unlawful courses; this is the special distemper that the Devil fastens upon, when

:251p. 109–110

I remember I have read of one Marius Curio that when he had bribes sent him, to tempt him to be unfaithful to his Country, he was sitting at home at dinner with a dish of turnips, and they came and promised him rewards, saith he, That man that can be contented with this fare that I have, will not be tempted with your rewards, I thank God I am content with this fare, and as for rewards let them be offered to those that cannot be content to dine with a dish of turnips. So the truth is we see it apparently, that the reason why many do betray their trust, as in the Parliament service and Kingdom, because they cannot be contented to be in a low condition. Let a man be contented to be in a low condition, and to go meanly clothed if God sees it fit, such a man is shot-free (as I may so say) from thousands of temptations of the Devil, that do prevail against others to the damning of their souls; Oh in such times as these are when men are in danger of the loss of their estates, I say these men that have not got this grace are in a most lamentable condition, they are in more ⟨p. 110⟩danger for their souls then they are for their outward estates, you think it is a sad thing to be in danger of your outward estates that you may loose all in an night, but if you have not this contented spirit within you, you are in more danger of the temptations of the Devil to be plundered that way of any good, and to be led into sin; Oh when men think thus, they must live as brave as they were wont to do, these men make themselves a prey to the Devil; but for such as can say let God do with me what he pleases, I am content to submit to his hand in it, the Devil will scarce meddle with such men. It's a notable speech of a Philosopher that lived upon mean fare, and as he was eating herbs and roots, saith one to him, If you would but please Dionysius you need not eat herbs and roots: but he answered him thus, If you would but be content with such mean fare you need not flatter Dionysius. So temptations will no more prevail upon a contented man, then a dart that is thrown against a brazen wall. That's the Fifth particular.

I remember I have read of one Marius Curio that when he had bribes sent him, to tempt him to be unfaithful to his Countrey, he was sitting at home at dinner with a dish of turnips, and they came and promised him rewards, saith he, That man that can be contented with this fare that I have, will not be tempted with your rewards, I thank God I am content with this fare, and as for rewards let them be offered to those that cannot be content to dine with a dish of turnips. So the truth is we see it apparently, that the reason why many do betray their trust, as in the Parliament service and Kingdom, because they cannot be contented to be in a low condition. Let a man be contented to be in a low condition, and to go meanly cloathed if God sees it fit, such a man is shot-free (as I may so say) from thousands of temptations of the Devil, that do prevail against others to the damning of their souls; Oh in such times as these are when men are in danger of the loss of their estates, I say these men that have not got this grace are in a most lamentable condition, they are in more

:252p. 110

The Sixth excellency is, The abundant comforts in a mans life that Contentment will bring: Contentment will make a mans life exceeding sweet and comfortable, nothing more than the grace of Contentment; many ways I will show how it brings in Comfort.

:253p. 110¶1

1 As first, What a man hath he hath it in a kind of Independent way, not depending upon any Creature for his Comfort.

:254p. 110¶2

2 A Contented man whose estate is low, if God raises his estate he hath the love of God in it, and then it's abundantly more sweet than if he had it and his heart not contented: for if he had not the love of God in it, for it may be God grants to a discontented man his desire, but he cannot say it is from love; if a man hath quieted his spirit first, and then God grant him his desire, he may have more comfort in it, and more assurance that he hath the love of God in it.

:255p. 110–111¶3

3 This Contentment is a comfort to a mans spirit in this, that it doth keep in his comforts, and keep out whatsoever may damp his comforts, or put out the light of them: I may compare this Grace of Contentment to a Mariners Lantern, a Mariner when he is at Sea let him have never so much provision in his ship, yet if he be thousands of leagues from land, or in a rode that he shall not ⟨p. 111⟩meet with a ship in three or four months, if he hath never a Lantern in his ship, nor nothing whereby he can keep a Candle light in a storm, he will be in a sad condition, he would give a great deal to have a Lantern, or some thing that may serve in stead of it. When a storm comes in the night, and he cannot have any light come above-board, but is puffed out presently, his condition is very sad: so many men can have the light of comfort when there is no storm, but let there come but any affliction, any storm upon them their light is puffed out presently, and what shall they do now? When the heart is furnished with this Grace of Contentment; this Grace is (as it were) the Lantern, and it keeps comfort in the spirit of a man, light in the midst of a storm and tempest. When you have a Lantern in the midst of a storm you can carry a light every where up and down the ship to the top of the Mast if you will, and yet keep it light; so the comfort of a Christian when it is enlivened with the grace of Contentment, it may be kept light whatever storms or tempests come, yet he can keep light in his soul. Oh! this helps thy comforts exceeding much.

3 This Contentment is a comfort to a mans spirit in this, that it doth keep in his comforts, and keep out whatsoever may damp his comforts, or put out the light of them: I may compare this Grace of Contentment to a Marriners Lanthorn, a Marriner when he is at Sea let him have never so much provision in his ship, yet if he be thousands of leagues from land, or in a rode that he shall not ⟨p. 111⟩meet with a ship in three or four moneths, if he hath never a Lanthorn in his ship, nor nothing whereby he can keep a Candle light in a storm, he will be in a sad condition, he would give a great deal to have a Lanthorn, or some thing that may serve in stead of it. When a storm comes in the night, and he cannot have any light come above-board, but is puft out presently, his condition is very sad: so many men can have the light of comfort when there is no storm, but let there come but any affliction, any storm upon them their light is puft out presently, and what shall they do now? When the heart is furnished with this Grace of Contentment; this Grace is (as it were) the Lanthorn, and it keeps comfort in the spirit of a man, light in the midst of a storm and tempest. When you have a Lanthorn in the midst of a storm you can carry a light every where up and down the ship to the top of the Mast if you will, and yet keep it light; so the comfort of a Christian when it is enlivened with the grace of Contentment, it may be keept light whatever storms or tempests come, yet he can keep light in his soul. Oh! this helps thy comforts exceeding much.

:256p. 111–112

Seventhly. There is this Excellency in Contentment, that it fetches in the comfort of those things we have not really in possession; and perhaps many that have not outward things, have more comfort than those have that do enjoy them themselves: As now, a man by distilling herbs, though he hath not the herbs themselves, yet having the water that is distilled out of them, he may enjoy the benefit of the herbs: so though a man hath not the real possession of such an outward estate, an outward comfort, yet he by the grace of Contentment may fetch it in to himself. By the art of Navigation we can fetch in the riches of the East and West-Indies to our selves; so by the art of Contentment we may fetch in the comfort of any condition to our selves, that is, we may have that comfort by Contentment, that we should have if we had the thing it self. There is an notable story you have for this in Plutarch, in the life of Pyrrhus; one Sineus comes to him, and would very fain have had him desist from the wars, and not war with the Romans; saith he to him, May it please your Majesty, it is reported that the Romans are very good men of war, and if it please the gods we do over-come them, ⟨p. 112⟩what benefit shall we have of that Victory? Pyrrhus answered him, We shall then straight conquer all the rest of Italy with ease. Saith Sineus, Indeed it is likely which your Grace speaketh: But when we have won Italy, will then our wars end? If the Gods were pleased said Pyrrhus, that the victory were achieved, the way were then broad open for us to attain great conquests, for who would not afterwards go into Afric, and so to Carthage? But (saith Sineus) when we have all in our hands, what shall we do in the end? then Pyrrhus laughing, told him again, we will then be quiet, and take our ease, and make feasts every day, and be as merry one with another as we can possible: saith Sineus, What letteth us now to be as quiet, and merry together, sith we enjoy that presently without further travel and trouble which we should go seek for abroad, with such shedding of blood, and so manifest danger: Cannot you sit down and be merry now? So a man may think, if I had such a thing, then I would have another, and if I had that, then I should have more: and what if you had got all your desire? then you would be content, why? you may be content now without them.

:257p. 112

Certainly our Contentment doth not consist in the getting of the thing we desire, but in Gods fashioning our spirits to our conditions: There's some men that have not a foot of ground of their own, yet will live better than other men that are heirs to a great deal of land. I have known it in the country sometimes, that a man lives upon his own land, and yet lives very poorly, but you shall have another man that shall farm his land, and yet by his good husbandry, and by his care shall live better sometimes than he that hath the land of his own: so a man by this art of Contentment may live better without an estate than another man can of an estate: Oh! it adds exceeding much to the comfort of a Christian: and that I may show it farther, there is more comfort even in grace of Contentment than there is in any possessions whatsoever; a man hath more comfort in being content without a thing, than he can have in the thing that he in a discontented way doth desire.

Certainly our Contentment doth not consist in the getting of the thing we desire, but in Gods fashioning our spirits to our conditions: There's some men that have not a foot of ground of their own, yet will live better than other men that are heirs to a great deal of land. I have known it in the country somtimes, that a man lives upon his own land, and yet lives very poorly, but you shall have another man that shall farm his land, and yet by his good husbandry, and by his care shall live better somtimes than he that hath the land of his own: so a man by this art of Contentment may live better without an estate than another man can of an estate: Oh! it adds exceeding much to the comfort of a Christian: and that I may shew it farther, there is more comfort even in grace of Contentment than there is in any possessions whatsoever; a man hath more comfort in being content without a thing, than he can have in the thing that he in a discontented way doth desire.

:258p. 112–113

You think, if I had such a thing, then I should be content. I say, There is more good in Contentment, than there is in the thing that you would fain have to cure your discontent, and ⟨p. 113⟩that I shall open in divers particulars, As thus,

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36