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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 9 › Plea 2: The Second PLEA.
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 PLEA.
But will a discontented heart say, I am not so much troubled with my afflictions, but it is for my sin rather than my affliction, and I hope you will give leave that we should be troubled and discontented with our sin; and were it not for sin that I see in my self, I should not be so discontented as I am, Oh! it's sin that is heavy upon me, and it's that that troubles me more than my afflictions.
Deceive not thy own heart, there is a very great deceit in this, there's many people that when Gods hand is out against them, they will say, they are troubled for their sin, but the truth is, it's the affliction that doth trouble them rather than their sin, their heart doth exceedingly deceive them in this very thing: For, First, They were never troubled for their sin before this Affliction came; but you will say, It's true, I was not before, for my prosperity blinded me, but now God hath opened my eyes by afflictions: Hath he so? Secondly, Then thy great care will be rather for the removing of thy sin, than of thy affliction; Art thou more solicitous about the taking away thy sin, than the taking away of thine affliction? Thirdly, If it be thy sin that troubles thee, If God should take away thy afflictions, yet except thy sin be taken away, and thy heart be better, this would not content thee, thou couldest not be satisfied: but we see it ordinarily, that if God removes their afflictions, there's no more trouble for their sin. Oh, many do be-lye themselves in this, in saying, that they are so troubled for their sin, and especially those that are so troubled that they are in danger to miscarry, and to make away themselves, there's not one in ten thousand that are in such a condition as this is, but it is afflictions rather than sin that puts them to it; indeed you lay all upon this, as if it were the