A30598:487
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
THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN Contentment. › Sermon 11 › Direction 2: The Second Direction.
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.
The Second Direction.
Secondly, If you would get a contented life, do not gripe too much of the world, do not take in more of the business of the world than God calls you to, be not greedy of taking in a great deal of the world, for if a man will go among thorns when he may go in a plainer way, there is no reason that this ⟨p. 196⟩man should complain that he is pricked with them; thou goest among thorns, is it thy way? must you of necessity go among them? then it's another matter, but if thou wilt electively choose that way when thou mayest go another, then thou hast no cause to complain; so for men and women that will put themselves upon things of the world that they need not, then no marvel though they be pricked, and meet with that that doth disquiet them? for such is the nature of all things here in the world, that every thing hath some prick or other in it, we are like to meet with disappointments, and discontentments in every thing we meddle with, and therefore those that have least to do in the world, (that is, except God calls them to it, we must put in that) they are like to meet with many things that will discontent them.
Secondly, If you would get a contented life, do not gripe too much of the world, do not take in more of the businesse of the world than God calls you to, be not greedy of taking in a great deal of the world, for if a man will go among thorns when he may go in a plainer way, there is no reason that this ⟨p. 196⟩man should complain that he is prickt with them; thou goest among thorns, is it thy way? must you of necessity go among them? then it's another matter, but if thou wilt electively chuse that way when thou mayest go another, then thou hast no cause to complain; so for men and women that will put themselves upon things of the world that they need not, then no mervail though they be prickt, and meet with that that doth disquiet them? for such is the nature of all things here in the world, that every thing hath some prick or other in it, we are like to meet with disappointments, and discontentments in every thing we meddle with, and therefore those that have least to do in the world, (that is, except God cals them to it, we must put in that) they are like to meet with many things that will discontent tehm.