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…

Now to that I answer first, that the Psalmist saith That every man in his settled estate is vanity, in Psalm, 36. 5. your books have it, Every man at his best estate is vanity, the word is his settled estate, you think if you were but settled, Oh then you could be content, but the truth is, man in his settled estate is vanity.

Now to that I answer first, that the Psalmist saith That every man in his setled estate is vanity, in Psalme, 36. 5. your books have it, Every man at his bes• estate is vanity, the word is his setled estate, you think if you were but setled, Oh then you could be content, but the truth is, man in his setled estate is vanity.

Secondly, I answer thus, that perhaps God sees it is better for thee to live in a continual dependence upon him, & not to ⟨p. 180⟩know what thy condition shall be on the morrow, then for thee to have a more settled condition in respect of the comforts of the creature, do but remember that we spake of before, that Christ doth not teach you to pray Lord give me enough that will serve me for two or three years, but this day our dally bread, to teach us we must live upon God in a dependent condition every day for daily bread. Here was the difference that is observable between the land of Canaan and Egypt, the land of Canaan that depended upon God for the watering of it with showers from Heaven, but Egypt had a constant way of watering the country, that did not so much depend upon Heaven for water, but upon the river Nylus, which did at some certain time overflow the country: and they knowing that the watering of their country did depend upon that river and not upon Heaven they grew more proud. And therefore the Scripture to express Pharaohs pride brings him in saying, The river is mine, he could order the river as he pleased for it was his; Canaan which was a country which was to depend upon God, though they had rain at one time yet they knew not whether they should have it at another time, and lived always in a dependence upon God not knowing what should become of them: Now God thought this to be a better land for his people then Egypt, and this is given as one reason among others for it, because the Lord looked upon this, as more suitable to the state of his people that were to live by faith, to be continually depending upon Heaven, upon himself, and not to have a constant settled way in the creature for their outward dependence; and we find it by experience that when those that are godly live in the greatest dependence upon God, and have no settled comings in from the creature, they do exercise faith more, and are in a better condition for their Souls than before. Oh many times it falls out that the worse thy outward estate is the better thy soul is, and the better thy outward estate is the worse thy soul is. We read in Ezra 4. 13. the objection that the enemies had against the people of Israels building of the wall of the City: