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…

The eighth aggravation of the sin of murmuring is, For those men that are of little use in the world for them to be discontented. If you have but a beast that you make much use of you will feed it well, but if you have but little use of him then you turn him into the commons, little provision serves his turn because you make not use of him: If we lived so as to be exceeding useful to God and his Church, we might expect that God would be pleased to come in, in some encouraging way to us, but when out consciences tell us we live and do but little service for God, why what if God should turn us upon the commons, yet we are fed according to our work? according to our employment? why should any creature be serviceable to thee who art so little serviceable to God? This one meditation would much help us, to think, I am discontent because such and such creatures are not serviceable to me, but why should I expect that they should be serviceable to me when I am not serviceable to God? and that is the eighth aggravation.

The eighth agravation of the sin of murmuring is, For those men that are of little use in the world for them to be discontented. If you have but a beast that you make much use of you wil feed it well, but if you have but little use of him then you turne him into the commons, little provis•on serves his turn because you make not use of him: If we lived so as to be exceeding usefull to God and his Church, we might expect that God would be pleased to come in, in some encouraging way to us, but when out consciences tel us we live and do but little service for God, why what if God should turn us upon the commons, yet we are fed according to our work? according to our imployment? why should any creature be servicable to thee who art so little servicable to God? This one meditation would much help us, to think, I am discontent because such and such creatures are not serviceable to me, but why should I expect that they should be serviceable to me when I am not serviceable to God? and that is the eighth agravation.

A ninth aggravation of the sin of murmuring is this, For us to be discontent at that time when God is about to humble us. It should be the care of a Christian to observe what are Gods ways to wards him, what is God about to do with me at this time? Is God about to raise me, to comfort me? let me close with Gods goodness, and bless his name; let me join with the work of God, when he offers mercy to me, to take the mercy he offers. But again, is God about to humble me? is God about to break my heart, and to bring my heart down to him? let me join with God in this work of his, this is for a Christian to walk with God. It is said that Enoch, and Noah walked with God, walked with God what's that? That is, To observe what is the work of God that God is now about, and to join with God in that work of his; so that according as God turns this way or that way, the heart should turn with God, and have suitable workings unto the workings of God towards him. Now then I am discontented and murmuring, because I am afflicted; Therefore thou art afflicted […]