A30598:498
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 6: The Sixth 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 Sixth Direction.
The sixth Direction for Contentment is, To labour to be spiritually minded; that is, be often in meditation of the things that are above,1 If we be risen with Christ (saith the Scriptures) let us seek the things that are above, where Christ is that sits at the right hand of God. Be much in spiritual thoughts, in conversing with things above; many Christians that have an interest in the things of Heaven yet converse but very little with them, their meditations are not much upon heavenly things. It is that that some give as the reason why Adam did not see his nakedness, some think that he had so much converse with God and with things above Sense, that he did not so much mind or think of nakedness what it was, but whether that were so or no I will not say, but this I say and am certain of, the reason why we are so troubled with our nakednesses with any wants that we have, it's because we converse so little with God, so little with spiritual things, the conversing with spiritual things would lift us above the things of the world; Those that are bit or stung with a Snake, it is because they tread upon the ground, if they could be lifted up above the earth they need never fear to be stung with the Snakes that are crawling underneath: so I may compare the sinful distemper of murmuring, and the temptations and evils that comes from thence to be like Snakes that crawl up and down below, but if we could get higher we should not be stung by them: A heavenly conversation is the way for Contentment.
The sixth Direction for Contentment is, To labour to be spiritually minded; that is, be often in meditation of the things that are above,1 If we be risen with Christ (saith the Scriptures) let us seek the things that are above, where Christ is that sits at the right hand of God. Be much in spiritual thoughts, in conversing with things above; many Christians that have an interest in the things of Heaven yet converse but very little with them, their meditations are not much upon heavenly things. It is that that some give as the reason why Adam did not see his nakednesse, some think that he had so much converse with God and with things above Sence, that he did not so much mind or think of nakednesse what it was, but whether that were so or no I will not say, but this I say and am certain of, the reason why we are so troubled with our nakednesses with any wants that we have, it's because we converse so little with God, so little with spiritual things, the conversing with spiritual things would lift us above the things of the world; Those that are bit or stung with a Snake, it is because they tread upon the ground, if they could be lifted up above the earth they need never fear to be stung with the Snakes that are crawling underneath: so I may compare the sinful distemper of murmuring, and the temptations and evils that comes from thence to be like Snakes that crawl up and down below, but if we could get higher we should not be stung by them: A heavenly conversation is the way for Contentment.