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…

1. There's A burden of trouble; a rose hath it's prickles, and so the Scripture saith that he that will be rich pierceth himself through with many sorrows, 1 Tim. 6. 10. If a mans heart be set upon it that he must be rich, and he will be rich, such a man will pierce himself through with many sorrows; he looks upon the delight and glory of riches that appears outwardly, but he considers not what piercing sorrows he may meet withal ⟨p. 89⟩in them: The consideration of the trouble in a prosperous condition I have divers times thought of, and I cannot tell by what similitude to express it better then by travelling in some champaign country, where round about is very fair and sandy ground, and you see there a town a great way of in a bottom, and you think Oh how bravely is that town seated, but when you come and ride into the town, you shall ride through a dirty lane and through a company of fearful dirty holes, and you could not see the dirty lane and holes when you were two or three mile off; so sometimes we look upon the prosperity of men and think such a man lives bravely and comfortably, but if we did but know what troubles he meets withal in his family, in his estate, in his dealings with men, we would not think his condition so happy. One may have a very fine new shoe, but no body knows where it pinches him but he that hath it on; so you think such and such men are happy, but they may have many troubles that you little think of.

1. There's A burden of trouble; a rose hath it's prickles, and so the Scripture saith that he that will be rich pierceth himself through with many sorrows, 1 Tim. 6. 10. If a mans heart be set upon it that he must be rich, and he will be rich, such a man will pierce himself through with many sorrows; he looks upon the delight and glory of riches that appears outwardly, but he considers not what pierceing sorrows he may meet withall ⟨p. 89⟩in them: The consideration of the trouble in a prosperous condition I have divers times thought of, and I cannot tell by what similitude to expresse it better then by travelling in some champian country, where round about is very fair and sandy ground, and you see there a town a great way of in a bottom, and you think Oh how bravely is that town seated, but when you come and ride into the town, you shall ride through a durty lane and through a company of fearful durty holes, and you could not see the durty lane and holes when you were two or three mile off; so sometimes we look upon the prosperity of men and think such a man lives bravly and comfortably, but if we did but know what troubles he meets withall in his family, in his estate, in his dealings with men, we would not think his condition so happy. One may have a very fine new shoe, but no body knows where it pinches him but he that hath it on; so you think such and such men are happy, but they may have many troubles that you little think of.