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 Eleventh Direction

Do not so much regard the fancies of other men, as what indeed you feel your selves; for the reason of our discontentment many times, is rather from the fancies of other men then from what we find we want our selves, we think poverty to be such a great evil, why? because it is so esteemed by others, more then what people feel in it themselves, except they be in extremity of poverty; Isle give you an evident demonstration that almost all the discontent in the world is rather from the fancies of other then from the evil that is upon themselves. You that think your estates to be low and you are thereupon discontent, and it is a grievous affliction to you, but if all men in the world were poorer then you, then you would not be discontent, then you would rejoice in your estates though you had not a penny more then you have: As take a man that can get but his twelve pence a day, and you will say this were but a poor thing to maintain a family? but suppose there were no man in the world that had more then this, yea that all other men but your selves had somewhat less wages then you, then you would think your condition pretty good, you should have no more then than you have now, therefore it appears by this that it's rather from the fancies of other men then what you feel that make you think your condition to be so grievous, for if all the men in the world looked upon you as happy, more happy then themselves then you would be contented; Oh let not your happiness depend upon the fancies of other men. It is a speech of Chrysostom I remember in this very case, Let us not make the people in this case to be our lords, as we must not make men to be the lords of our faith, so not the lords of our comforts; that is, that our comfort should depend more upon their imaginations, ⟨p. 206⟩then upon what we feel in our selves. It may be others think you to be in an afflicted condition, yea but I thank God, for my self I do not so apprehend it, were it not for the disgrace, disesteem and slightings of other men, my condition would not be so bad to me as now it is, this is that that makes my condition afflictive.