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 In a prosperous estate there is the burden of duty, you look only at the sweet and comfort that they have, and the honour and respect that they have that are in a prosperous condition, but you must consider of the duty that they owe to God, God requires more duty at their hands then at yours, you are ready to be discontent that you have not such parts and abilities as such have, but God requires more duty of them that have more parts, God requires more duty of them that have greater estates then of you that have not such estates, Oh you would fain have the honour, but can you carry the burden of the duty.

4. The last is the burden of account in a prosperous estate. There is a great account that they are to give to God that enjoy great estates and a prosperous condition: Now we are all stewards, and one is a steward to a meaner man, perhaps but to an ordinary knight, another is a steward to a noble man, an Earle, now the steward of the meaner man, he hath not so much as the other hath under his hand, now shall he be discontented because there comes not so much under his hand as under the ⟨p. 90⟩others? No thinks he I have less, and I am to give the less account: So your account in comparison of the Ministers and Magistrates will be nothing, you are to give an account of your own souls, and so are they, you are to give an account for your own family, and so are they, but you are not to give account for congregations, and for towns, and cities and countries. You think of Princes and Kings, Oh what a glorious condition they are in. But what do you think of a King to give account for the disorder and wickedness in a kingdom that he possibly might have prevented? What abundance of glory might a Prince bring to God if so be that he bent his soul and all his thoughts to lift up the name of God in a kingdom, now what God looses for want of this, that King Prince or Governor he must give an account for. It's a speech of Chrysostom in that place of the Hebrews where it's said that men must give an account for their souls, he wonders that any man in public place can be saved because their account is so great that they are to give, and I remember I have read a speech of Philip that was King of Spain, though the story saith of him that he had such a natural conscience, that he profest he would not do any thing against his conscience, no not in secret for the gaining of a world, yet when this man was to die, Oh saith he that I had never bin a King, Oh that I had lived a solitary and private life all my days, then should I have dyed a great deal more securely, I should with more confidence have gone before the throne of God to give my account, but here's the fruit of my kingdom, that I had all the glory of it, it hath made my account to be harder to give to God, and thus he cries out when he was to die: