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The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is showedThe rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is shewed
The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is showed; 1. What contentment is. 2. The holy art or mystery of it. 3. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment. 4. The excellencies of it. 5. The evils of murmuring. 6. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring. By Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of the eleven volumes that are published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simpson, Philip Nigh, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is shewed; 1. What contentment is. 2. The holy art or mystery of it. 3. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment. 4. The excellencies of it. 5. The evils of murmuring. 6. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring. By Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of the eleven volumes that are published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Sympson, Philip Nye, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.
London: printed for Ben. Billingsley, 1666
THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT. › Sermon 3: SERMON, III. at Stepney. Aug. 10. 1645.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The second answer I would give is this: It may be their faith doth not reach to this promise; and God brings many times many outward afflictions, because the faith of his people doth not reach the promise, and that not only in the old Testament, but in the time of the new Testament; Zachariah his time may be said to be in the time of the new Testament, when he was struck with dumbness because he did not believe, and that is given to be the cause why he was struck with dumbness. But you will say now, Hath Faith warrant to believe deliverance, that it shall be fully delivered? I dare not say so, but it may act upon it, to believe that God will make it good his own way; perhaps you have not done so much, and so upon that, this promise is not fulfilled to you.
Thirdly, When God doth make such promises to his people, yet still it must be with this reservation, that God must have liberty to these three things.
1. That notwithstanding his promise, he will have liberty to make use of any thing for your chastisement. 2. That he must have liberty to make use of your estates, or liberties, or lives, for the furtherance of his own ends: If it be to be a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly men, God must have liberty; though he hath made a promise to you, he will not lose the propriety that he hath in your estates and lives. 3. God must have so much liberty to make use of what you have, for to show that his ways are unsearchable, and his judgments past finding out, God reserves these three things in his hand still.
1. That notwithstanding his promise, he will have liberty to make use of any thing for your chastisement. 2. That he must have liberty to make use of your estates, or liberties, or lives, for the furtherance of his own ends: If it be to be a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly men, God must have liberty; though he hath made a promise to you, he will not lose the propriety that he hath in your estates and lives. 3. God must have so much liberty to make use of what you have, for to shew that his ways are unsearchable, and his judgments past finding out, God reserves these three things in his hand still.