A77996:355
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 9: SERMON, IX. at Stepney. Sept. 21. 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 Eight Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is, For those men that are of little use in the world, for them to be discontented. If you have but a beast that you make much use of, you will feed it well, but if you have but little use of him, then you turn him into the Commons, little provision serves his turn, because you make not use of him: If we lived so as to be exceeding useful to God and his Church, we might expect that God would be pleased to come in, in some encouraging way to us, but when our consciences tell us, we live and do but little service for God, what if God should turn us upon the Commons, yet we are fed according to our work, according to our employment; Why should any creature be serviceable to thee, who art so little serviceable to God? This one meditation would much help us, to think, I am discontent, because such and such Creatures are not serviceable to me, but why should I expect that they should be serviceable to me, when I am not serviceable to God? And that's the Eight Aggravation.
The Eight Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is, For those men that are of little use in the world, for them to be discontented. If you have but a beast that you make much use of, you will feed it well, but if you have but little use of him, then you turn him into the Commons, little provision serves his turn, because you make not use of him: If we liv'd so as to be exceeding useful to God and his Church, we might expect that God would be pleased to come in, in some encouraging way to us, but when our consciences tell us, we live and do but little service for God, what if God should turn us upon the Commons, yet we are fed according to our work, according to our imployment; Why should any creature be serviceable to thee, who art so little serviceable to God? This one meditation would much help us, to think, I am discontent, because such and such Creatures are not serviceable to me, but why should I expect that they should be serviceable to me, when I am not serviceable to God? And that's the Eight Aggravation.
A Ninth Aggravation of the sin of murmuring is this, For us to be discontent at that time when God is to humble us. It should be the care of a Christian, to observe what are Gods ways towards him, what is God about to do with me at this time? Is God about to raise me, to comfort me? Let me close with Gods goodness, and bless his Name, let me join with the work of God, when he offers mercy to me, to take the mercy he offers. But again, Is God about to humble me? Is God about to break my heart, and to bring my heart down to him? Let me join with God in this work of his, this is for a Christian to walk with God. It is said that Enoch, and Noah walked with God; walked with God, what's that? That is, To observe what is the work of God that God is now about, and to join with God in that work of his; so that according as God turns this way or that way, the heart should turn with God, and have suitable workings unto the workings of God towards him. Now then, I am discontented, and murmur, because I am afflicted; Therefore thou art afflicted,