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…

3. By knowing their own hearts they know what they are able to manage, and by this means they come to be Content, the Lord perhaps takes away many comforts from them that they had before, or denies them some things that they hoped to have got; now they by knowing their hearts know this, that they were not able to manage such an estate, and they were not able to manage such prosperity, God saw it, and (saith a poor soul) Jam in some measure convinced by looking into mine own heart, that I was not able to manage such a condition. A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps then he is able to manage, and so undoes himself, as country men do observe, that if they do over-stock their Land it will quickly spoil them, and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others, why? because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock, and that quiets him; so many men and women that know not their own hearts, they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have, but if they knew their own hearts they would know that they were not able to manage it; if one of your little children of three or four years old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or twenty years old, and say, why may not I have a coat as long as my sisters? If she had, it would soon trip up her heels, and break her face, but when the Child comes to understanding she is not discontented, because her coat is not so long as her sisters, (but saith) my coat is fit for me, and therein takes Content; so if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry why have not I such an estate as others have? the Lord seeth that I am not able to manage it and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart. You shall have children if they see but a knife, they will cry for it because they know not their strength and that they are not able to manage it, but you ⟨p. 85⟩know they are not able to manage it and therefore you will not give it them, and when they come to so much understanding as to know that they are not able to manage it they will not cry for it; so we would not cry for such and such things if we knew that we were not able to manage them: when you vex and fret for what you have not, I may say to you as Christ saith you know not of what spirits you are of.

3. By knowing their own hearts they know what they are able to manage, and by this means they come to be Content, the Lord perhaps takes away many comforts from them that they had before, or denies them some things that they hoped to have got; now they by knowing their hearts know this, that they were not able to manage such an estate, and they were not able to manage such prosperity, God saw it, and (saith a poor soul) Iam in some measure convinced by looking into mine own heart, that I was not able to manage such a condition. A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps then he is able to manage, and so undoes himselfe, as countrey men doe observe, that if they doe over-stock their Land it will quickly spoyl them, and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others, why? because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock, and that quiets him; so many men and women that know not their own hearts, they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have, but if they knew their own hearts they would know that they were not able to manage it; if one of your little children of three or four years old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or twenty years old, and say, why may not I have a coat as long as my sisters? If she had, it would soon trip up her heels, and break her face, but when the Child comes to understanding she is not discontented, because her coat is not so long as her sisters, (but saith) my coat is fit for me, and therein takes Content; so if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry why have not I such an estate as others have? the Lord seeth that I am not able to manage it and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart. You shall have children if they see but a knife, they will cry for it because they know not their strength and that they are not able to mannage it, but you