The rare jewel of Christian contentment. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel to…The rare jevvel of Christian contentment. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel to…

Answer. It is if you get skill in the Art of it, you may attain to it, and it will prove to be no such difficult thing to you neither, if you understood but the mystery of it, as there's many things that men do in their callings, that if a country man comes and sees, he thinks it a mighty hard thing, and that he should never be able to do it, but that▪s because he understands not the art of it, there is a turning of the hand so as you may do it with ease. Now that's the business of this exercise, to open unto you the art and mystery of contentment: What way a Christian comes to contentment, there is a great Mystery and art in it, by that that hath bin opened to you there will appear some mystery and art, as that a man should be content with his affliction and yet throughly sensible of his affliction too, to be throughly sensible of an affliction, and to endeavour the removing of it by all lawful means, and yet to be content, there's a mystery in that, how to join these two together to be sensible of an affliction as much as that man or woman that is not content, I am sensible of it as fully as they, and I seek ways to be delivered from it as well as they, and yet still my heart abides content, this is I say a mystery that is very hard to be understood by a carnal heart; but grace doth teach such a mixture, doth teach us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together; and that makes contentment, the mingling of joy and sorrow, of gracious joy and gracious sorrow together grace, teaches us how to moderate and to order an affliction so as there shall be a sense of it, and yet for all that contentment under it.

Answer. It is if you get skill in the Art of it, you may atain to it, and it will prove to be no such difficult thing to you neither, if you understood but the mystery of it, as theres many things that men do in their callings, that if a countrey man comes and sees, he thinks it a mighty hard thing, and that he should never be able to do it, but that▪s b•cause he understands not the art of it, there is a turning of the hand so as you may do it with ease. Now that's the busines of this exercise, to open unto you the art and mystery of contentment: What way a Chrystian comes to contentment, there is a great Mystery and art in it, by that that hath bin opened to you there will appeare some mystery and art, as that a man should be content with his affliction and yet throughly sensible of his affliction too, to be throughly sensible of an affliction, and to endeavour the removing of it by all lawfull meanes, and yet to be content, there's a mystery in that, how to joyne these two together to be sensible of an affliction as much as that man or woman that is not content, I am sensible of it as fully as they, and I seeke wayes to be delivered from it as well as they, and yet still my heart abides content, this is I say a mystery that is very hard to be understood by a carnall heart; but grace doth teach such a mixture, doth teach us how to make a mixture of sorrow and a mixture of joy together; and that makes contentment, the mingling of joy and sorrow, of gracious joy and gracious sorrow together grace, teaches us how to moderate and to order an affliction so as there shall be a sence of it, and yet for all that contentment under it.