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…

Thirdly, This freedom it is in opposition to stupidness, for a man and woman may be contented merely out of want of sense, this is not free, as a man in a dead palsy that doth not feel you nip his flesh, he is not freely patient; but if one should have their flesh nipped, and feel it, and yet for all that can be able to bridle themselves, and do it freely, that is another matter. So it is here, many are contented merely out of stupidness, they have a dead palsy upon them; but now a gracious heart hath sense enough, and yet is contented, and therefore is free.

Thirdly, This freedom it is in opposition to stupidness, for a man and woman may be contented meerly out of want of sense, this is not free, as a man in a dead palsie that doth not feel you nip his flesh, he is not freely patient; but if one should have their flesh nipt, and feel it, and yet for all that can be able to bridle themselves, and do it freely, that is another matter. So it is here, many are contented meerly out of stupidnesse, they have a dead palsie upon them; but now a gracious heart hath sense enough, and yet is contented, and therefore is free.

Sixthly, Freely [submitting] to, and taking complacency in Gods dispose. Submitting to Gods dispose, What is that? The word Submit, it signifies nothing else, but to send under; as thus, One that is discontented, the heart will be unruly, and would even get above God so far as discontentment prevails; but now comes the grace of Contentment and sends it under; to submit, it is to send under a thing▪ now when the soul comes to see the unruliness that there is in it, here's the hand of God that brings an affliction, and my heart is troubled and discontented; what saith the Soul? Wilt thou be above God? Is it not Gods hand, and must thy will be regarded more then Gods? O under, under, O thou soul get under, keep under, keep low, keep under Gods feet▪ thou art under Gods feet, and keep under his feet, keep under the Authority of God, the Majesty of God, the Sovereignty of God, the Power that God hath over thee: Keep under, that is to submit▪ then the Soul can submit to God when it can send its self under the Power and Authority, and Sovereignty, and Dominion that God hath over it; that is the Sixth Particular yea but that is not enough, yet you have not got to this Grace of Contentment, except in the next place you take.