A30598:372
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.
A Seventh Aggravation of this sin is this, For them to be discontent that have been very great sinners and ungodly in their former time. For men and women that have much guiltiness upon them, the guilt of very many sins upon them, that have provoked God exceedingly against them, and have brought themselves in a most dreadful manner under the sentence of Gods justice, and yet God being pleased to reprieve them, for them to murmur and to be discontent with Gods administrations towards them, this is exceeding evil, Oh it were consideration enough to quiet any murmuring in our hearts, to think thus, We are but sinners, why should not we be sufferers that are sinners? but then consider, we that are such great sinners, guilty of such notorious sins, that it is a wonder that we are out of Hell at this present, yet for us to be discontent and murmur, how exceedingly doth this increase our sin! Consider how we have crossed God in our sins, then if God should cross us in the way of our sufferings, should not we sit down quiet without murmuring? ⟨p. 161⟩Certainly thou never knewest what it was to be humbled for thy manifold sins, that art discontented at any administration of God towards thee.
A Seventh Aggravation of this sin is this, For them to be discontent that have been very great sinners and ungodly in their former time. For men and women that have much guiltinesse upon them, the guilt of very many sins upon them, that have provok'd God exceedingly against them, and have brought themselves in a most dreadful manner under the sentence of Gods justice, and yet God being pleased to reprieve them, for them to murmur and to be discontent with Gods administrations towards them, this is exceeding evil, Oh it were consideration enough to quiet any murmuring in our hearrs, to think thus, We are but sinners, why should not we be sufferers that are sinners? but then consider, we that are such great sinners, guilty of such notorious sins, that it is a wonder that we are out of Hell at this present, yet for us to be discontent and murmur, how exceedingly doth this increase our sin! Consider how we have crossed God in our sinnes, then if God should crosse us in the way of our sufferings, should not we sit down quiet without murmuring? ⟨p. 161⟩Certainly thou never knewest what it was to be humbled for thy manifold sins, that art discontented at any administration of God towards thee.