A30598:546
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 SAINTS DUTY IN TIMES OF EXTREMITY.THE SAINTS DVTY IN TIMES OF EXTREMITY.
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 first enemy the people of God fought with all in Canaan, they were discomfited, they were beaten back at the first battle that ever they fought, when they came to set upon the land of Canaan, and to fight with the adversary, there the adversary comes out, and gets the day and makes them fly before them, that was at the fight at Ai, They fled before the men of Ai, upon this Joshua fell down upon the ground; Why Lord! What are we come to this? After all these straights that we come now to fight with the people of Canaan, and they at the very first blow have the day, and make us fly before them? now all the people will come out against us. If so be people have such distracting fears now, suppose there should be a meeting of both Armies, and you should hear that one Army flies before another, that our men fly before those that come out against them, before the Cavaliers, what a fear and distraction would there be then? yet so it was with the people of Israel, though God was coming in with such a mighty hand to deliver them, and to possess them of Canaan, yet at the very first blow, they had the worst, and the people overcame them: It would take a mighty deal of time to show you the straights that David, and Jos•ah, and Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah were in, I'll only give you a word or two about David, because it may be a very great help to poor troubled spirits in time of straights; David he was in such straights sometimes, that he professes himself even overwhelmed, Psal. 61. and the beginning: You shall find Psal. 77.4. He could not speak. Many poor souls are in grievous afflictions, and when we put them to go and open their hearts to God and men, Oh I cannot speak (say they) David was in such straights that he could not speak, yea he could not so much as look up, Psal. 40.12. not so much as look up to God, grievous straights that he was in. And the people of Israel in their other ⟨p. 313⟩Captivity, there were mountains before them; what straights did God put them into? When they were come forth of Babylon, In Zech. 4. What art thou O great mountain, that art before them? But examples will be needless to illustrate the thing, it is so clear, that thus was Gods dealing with his people.