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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 Third thing that there is in Gods way and course is this, It is the way of God to work by contraries, to turn the greatest evil into the greatest good. To grant great good after great evil is one thing, and to turn great evils into the greatest good that's another; and yet that's Gods way, the greatest good that God intends for his People, many times he works it out of the greatest evil, the greatest light is brought out of the greatest darkness: and Luther (I remember) hath a notable expression for this (saith he) it is the way of God, he doth humble ⟨p. 100⟩that he might exalt, he doth kill that he might make alive, he doth confound that he might glorify; this is the way of God (saith he) but (saith he) every one doth not understand this, this is the Art of Arts, and the Science of Sciences, the knowledge of knowledges to understand this, that God doth use when he will bring life, he doth use to bring it out of death, he brings joy out of sorrow, and he brings prosperity out of adversity, yea, and many times he brings Grace out of Sin, that is, makes use of sin to work furtherance of Grace; it is the way of God to bring good out of evil; not only to overcome the evil, but to make the evil to work towards good: here's the way of God: now when the soul comes to understand this, it will take away our murmuring, and bring Contentment into our spirits: But I fear there are but few that understand it aright, perhaps they read of such things, and hear of such things in a Sermon, but they are not by Jesus Christ instructed in this, that this is the way of God, To bring the greatest good out of the greatest evil.
The Third thing that there is in Gods way and course is this, It is the way of God to work by contraries, to turn the greatest evil into the greatest good. To grant great good after great evil is one thing, and to turn great evils into the greatest good that's another; and yet that's Gods way, the greatest good that God intends for his People, many times he works it out of the greatest evil, the greatest light is brought out of the greatest darkness: and Luther (I remember) hath a notable expression for this (saith he) it is the way of God, he doth humble ⟨p. 100⟩that he might exalt, he doth kill that he might make alive, he doth confound that he might glorifie; this is the way of God (saith he) but (saith he) every one doth not understand this, this is the Art of Arts, and the Science of Sciences, the knowledge of knowledges to understand this, that God doth use when he will bring life, he doth use to bring it out of death, he brings joy out of sorrow, and he brings prosperity out of adversity, yea, and many times he brings Grace out of Sin, that is, makes use of sin to work furtherance of Grace; it is the way of God to bring good out of evil; not only to overcome the evil, but to make the evil to work towards good: here's the way of God: now when the soul comes to understand this, it will take away our murmuring, and bring Contentment into our spirits: But I fear there are but few that understand it aright, perhaps they read of such things, and hear of such things in a Sermon, but they are not by Jesus Christ instructed in this, that this is the way of God, To bring the greatest good out of the greatest evil.