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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 5: SERMON, V. at Stepney. Aug. 24. 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 Lord (perhaps) takes away many comforts from them that they had before, or denies them some things that they hoped to have got; now they by knowing their hearts, know this, That they were not able to manage such an estate; and they were not able to manage such prosperity, God saw it, and (saith a poor soul) I am in some measure convinced, by looking into mine own heart, that I was not able to manage such a condition. A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps than he is able to manage, and so undoes himself: As Country men do observe, that if they do over-stock their Land, it will quickly spoil them; and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear, he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others, why? because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock, and that quiets him: So many men and women that know not their own hearts, they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have, but if they knew their own hearts, they would know that they were not able to manage it: If one of your little Children of three or four years old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or fourteen years old, and say, Why may not I have a coat as long as my Sisters? If she had, it would soon trip up her heels, and break her face; but when the child comes to understanding, she is not discontented because her coat is not so long as her Sisters, but saith, my coat is fit for me, and therein takes content: So if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry, Why have not I such an estate as others have? the Lord sees that I am not able to manage it, and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart. You shall have children, if they see but a Knife, they will cry for it, because they know not their strength, and that they are not able to manage it, but you ⟨p. 85⟩know they are not able to manage it, and therefore you will not give it them, and when they come to so much understanding as to know that they are not able to manage it, they will not cry for it; so we would not cry for such and such things if we knew that we were not able to manage them: when you vex and fret for what you have not, I may say to you as Christ saith, you know not of what Spirit you are of.
the Lord (perhaps) takes away many comforts from them that they had before, or denies them some things that they hoped to have got; now they by knowing their hearts, know this, That they were not able to manage such an estate; and they were not able to manage such prosperity, God saw it, and (saith a poor soul) I am in some measure convinc'd, by looking into mine own heart, that I was not able to manage such a condition. A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps than he is able to manage, and so undoes himself: As Country men do observe, that if they do over-stock their Land, it will quickly spoyl them; and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear, he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others, why? because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock, and that quiets him: So many men and women that know not their own hearts, they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have, but if they knew their own hearts, they would know that they were not able to mannage it: If one of your little Children of three or four years old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or fourteen years old, and say, Why may not I have a coat as long as my Sisters? If she had, it would soon trip up her heels, and break her face; but when the childe comes to understanding, she is not discontented because her coat is not so long as her Sisters, but saith, my coat is fit for me, and therein takes content: So if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry, Why have not I such an estate as others have? the Lord sees that I am not able to mannage it, and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart. You shall have children, if they see but a Knife, they will cry for it, because they know not their strength, and that they are not able to mannage it, but you