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 Second thing is this, which is very observable, That spiritual contentment comes from the frame of the Soul. A man or woman that is contented in a right way▪ their Contentment doth not so much come from outward arguments, or any outward thing that helps them to be content, as it doth from the disposition of their own hearts▪ It is the disposition of their own hearts that causes this Contentment; that brings forth this gracious Contentment rather then any external thing that ⟨p. 12⟩doth it; as thus I would open my self, one that is disquieted, suppose a child or man, or woman, if you come and bring them some great matter to please them, that perhaps will quiet them, and they will be contented; it is the thing you bring them that quiets them, but it is not the disposition of their own spirits, not from any good temper that there is in their own hearts, but from some external thing that is brought them; but when a Christian is contented in a right way, the quiet doth come more from the inward temper and disposition of their own hearts then from any external arguments, or possession of any thing in the world. I would yet open this further to you in this Similitude. The being content upon some external thing, it is like the warming of a mans clothes by the fire; but being content by the inward disposition of the soul, it is like the warmth that a mans clothes hath from the natural heat of his body: A man that is of a healthful body, he puts on his clothes, and perhaps when he puts them on at the first in a cold morning he feels his clothes cold, but after he hath them on a little while, they are warm; why how come they warm? they came not nigh the fire: No, but it came from the natural heat of his body. Now a sickly man that hath his natural heat decayed, if he put on his clothes cold, they will not be hot in a long time, but he must have them warmed by the fire, and then they will quickly be cold again; So this will difference the Contentments of men. There are some men now that are very gracious, and when an affliction comes upon them, indeed at first it seems to be a little cold, but after it hath been on a while, the very temper of their hearts being gracious it makes their afflictions easy, and makes them to be quiet under it, and not to complain of any discontentment.

The Second thing is this, which is very observable, That spirituall contentment comes from the frame of the Soul. A man or woman that is contented in a right way their Contentment doth not so much come from outward arguments, or any outward thing that helps them to be content, as it doth from the disposition of their own hearts It is the disposition of their own hearts that causes this Contentment; that brings forth this gracious Contentment rather then any externall thing that