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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 6: SERMON, VI. at Stepney. Aug. 31. 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 thing that is in Gods way is this, Usually when God intends the greatest mercy to any of his People, he doth bring them into the lowest condition. God doth seem to go quite cross and work in a contrary way; when he intends the greatest mercies to his People, he doth first usually bring them into very low conditions, if it be a bodily mercy, an outward mercy that he intends to bestow, he useth to bring them bodily low, and outwardly ⟨p. 99⟩low, if it be a mercy in their estates that he intends to bestow, he brings them low in that, and then raises them; and in their names he brings them low there, and then raises them; and in their spirits, God doth ordinarily bring their spirits low, and then raises their spirits; usually the People of God before the greatest comfort, have the greatest afflictions and sorrows, now those that understand not Gods ways, they think that when God brings his People into sad conditions, that God leaves and forsakes them, and that God doth intend no great matter of good to them; but now a Child of God that is instructed in this way of God, he is not troubled; my condition is very low, but (saith he) this is Gods way when he intends the greatest mercy, to bring men under the greatest afflictions. When he intended to raise Joseph to be the Second in the Kingdom, God cast him into a dungeon a little before. So when God intended to raise David and set him upon the Throne, he made him to be hunted as a Partridge in the mountains, 1 Sam. 26.20. God went this way with his Son; Christ himself went into Glory by suffering, Heb. 2.20. And if God deal so with his own Son, much more with his People; As a little before break of day you shall observe it is darker than it was any time before; so God doth use to make our conditions darker a little before the mercy come. When God bestowed the last great mercy at Naseby, we were in a very low condition, God knew what he had to do before-hand, he knew that his time was coming for great mercies; it is the way of God to do so. Be but instructed aright in this course and tract that God uses to walk in; and that will help us to Contentment exceedingly.
The second thing that is in Gods way is this, Ʋsually when God intends the greatest mercy to any of his People, he doth bring them into the lowest condition. God doth seem to go quite cross and work in a contrary way; when he intends the greatest mercies to his People, he doth first usually bring them into very low conditions, if it be a bodily mercy, an outward mercy that he intends to bestow, he useth to bring them bodily low, and outwardly