The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

First, That which we spoke to before, How a murmuring heart doth slight Gods mercies, so it is here, They despised the pleasant land: and that a murmuring heart is contrary to faith, they believed not his word, but (saith the text) they murmured in their tents, and hearkened not to the voice of the Lord. Many men and women will hearken to the voice of their own base murmuring hearts, that will not hearken to the voice of the Lord; if you would hearken to the voice of the Lord there would not be such murmuring as there is: But mark what follows upon it, you may not think to please your selves in your murmuring discontentedness, and think that no evil shall come of it; Therefore he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them: you that are discontented, you lift up your hearts against God, and you cause God to lift up his hand against you; perhaps God lays his finger upon you softly in some afflictions that are upon you, in your families or else where, and you cannot bear the hand of God that lies upon you as tenderly as a tender-hearted nurse that lays her hand upon the child, you cannot bear the tender hand of God that is upon you in a lesser affliction; it were just with God to lift up his hand against you in another manner of affliction; Oh a murmuring spirit provokes God exceedingly. There is another place in 16. of Num. compare the 41. verse, and the 46. vers. together, But on the morrow all the Congregation of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord: and mark in the 46. verse, And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a Censer and put fire therein, from off the Altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto ⟨p. 144⟩the Congregation and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun; mark how Gods wrath is kindled; in the 41. verse, the Congregation had murmured; and they murmured but against Moses and Aaron, (perhaps you murmur more directly against God) and that was against God in murmuring against Gods Ministers, it was against God but not so directly; but it may be the murmuring of your hearts is more directly against Gods dealings with you, if you murmur against those that God makes instruments, (because you have not every thing that you would have) as against the Parliament, or such and such that are public instruments, it's against God;

First, That which we spoke to before, How a murmuring heart doth slight Gods mercies, so it is here, They despised the pleasant land: and that a murmuring heart is contrary to faith, they beleeved not his word, but (saith the text) they murmured in their tents, and hearkened not to the voice of the Lord. Many men and women will hearken to the voice of their own base murmuring hearts, that will not hearken to the voice of the Lord; if you would hearken to the voice of the Lord there would not be such murmuring as there is: But mark what follows upon it, you may not think to please your selves in your murmuring discontentednesse, and think that no evil shall come of it; Therefore he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them: you that are discontented, you lift up your hearts against God, and you cause God to lift up his hand against you; perhaps God laies his finger upon you softly in some afflictions that are upon you, in your families or else where, and you cannot bear the hand of God that lies upon you as tenderly as a tender-hearted nurse that laies her hand upon the child, you cannot bear the tender hand of God that is upon you in a lesser affliction; it were just with God to lift up his hand against you in another manner of affliction; Oh a murmuring spirit provokes God exceedingly. There is another place in 16. of Num. compare the 41. verse, and the 46. vers. together, But on the morrow all the Congregation of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord: and mark in the 46. verse, And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a Censer and put fire therein, from off the Altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto