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 The infinite variety of the works of providence, and yet the order ⟨p. 96⟩of things, one working towards another; there is infinite variet• of the works of God in an ordinary providence, and yet, all work in an orderly way; we put these two together, for God in the way of his providence causes a thousand thousand things one to depend upon another, there are infinite several wheels (as I may so say) in the works of providence, all the works that ever God did from all eternity or ever will do, put them all together, and all make up but one work, and they have been as several wheels that have had their orderly motion to attain the end that God from all eternity hath appointed: We indeed look at things by pieces, we look at one particular and do not consider the reference that one thing hath to another, but God he looks at all things at once, and sees the reference that one thing hath to another: As a child that looks upon a clock, looks first upon one wheel, and then upon another wheel, he looks not at all together or the dependence that one hath upon another, but the workman hath his eyes upon all together and sees the dependence of all one upon another, and the art that there is in the dependence of one upon another, so it is in Gods providence. Now observe how this works to Contentment; where there is such a passage of providence befalls me, that's one wheel, and it may be if this wheel should be stopped, there might a thousand other things come to be stopped by this: As in a clock, stop but one wheel and you stop every wheel, because they have dependence one upon another; so when God hath ordered a thing for the present to be thus and thus, how dost thou know how many things do depend upon this thing? God may have some work that he hath to do twenty years hence that may depend upon this passage of providence, that falls out this day, or this week.

3 The infinite variety of the works of providence, and yet the order ⟨p. 96⟩of things, one working towards another; there is infinite variet• of the works of God in an ordinary providence, and yet, all work in an orderly way; we put these two together, for God in the way of his providence causes a thousand thousand things one to depend upon another, there are infinite severall wheels (as I may so say) in the works of providence, all the works that ever God did from all eternity or ever will do, put them all together, and all make up but one work, and they have been as severall wheels that have had their orderly motion to attain the end that God from all eternity hath appointed: We indeed look at things by peices, we look at one particular and do not consider the reference that one thing hath to another, but God he looks at all things at once, and sees the reference that one thing hath to another: As a child that looks upon a clock, looks first upon one wheel, and then upon another wheel, he looks not at all together or the dependance that one hath upon another, but the workman hath his eyes upon all together and sees the dependance of all one upon another, and the art that there is in the dependance of one upon another, so it is in Gods providence. Now observe how this works to Contentment; where there is such a passage of providence befalls me, that's one wheel, and it may be if this wheel should be stopt, there might a thousand other things come to be stopt by this: As in a clock, stop but one wheel and you stop every wheel, because they have dependance one upon another; so when God hath ordered a thing for the present to be thus and thus, how do'st thou know how many things do depend upon this thing? God may have some work that he hath to doe twenty years hence that may depend upon this passage of providence, that falls out this day, or this week.