A30598:57
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.
2 To vexing and fretting; which is a degree beyond murmuring. It is a speech I remember of an Heathen, A wise man may grieve under, but not be vexed with his afflictions. There is a vast difference betwixt a kindly grieving and a distempered vexation.
2 To vexing and fretting; which is a degree beyond murmuring. It is a speech I remember of an Heathen, A wise man may greive under, but not be vexed with his afflictions. There is a vast difference betwixt a kindly grieving and a distempered vexation.
3 To tumultuousness of spirit: When the thoughts run distractingly and work in a confused manner, so that the affections are like the unruly multitude in the Acts, who knew not for what end they were come together. The Lord expects that you should be silent under his rod, and as he said in Act. 19.36. You ⟨p. 7⟩ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly.
4 To unsettledness and unfixedness of spirit, whereby the heart is taken off from the present duty that God requires in our several relations, both towards God, our selves, and others. We should prize duty at a higher rate than to be taken off by every trivial occasion; a Christian indeed values every service of God so much, that though some may be in the eye of the world and of natural reason, a slight empty business, beggarly rudiments, foolishness, yet seeing God calls for it, the authority of the command doth so over awe his heart, that he is willing to spend himself and to be spent in the discharge of it. It is an expression of Luther's, ordinary works that are done in faith, and from faith, are more precious than heaven and earth. And if this be so, and a Christian know it, it is not a little matter that should divert him: but he should answer every avocation, and resist every tentation, as Nehemiah did chap. 6.3. Sanballat, Geshem, and Tobiah (when they would have hindered the building of the wall) with this, I am doing a great wok (saith he) so that I cannot come down, why should the work of the Lord cease?