A77996:76
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 1: SERMON, I. at Stepney. July 27. 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 fifth is [Freely] freely submitting to, and taking complacency in Gods dispose, it is a free work of the spirit: now there are four things to be opened in this freedom of spirit.
The fift is [Freely] freely submitting to, and taking complacency in Gods dispose, it is a free work of the spirit: now there are four things to be opened in this freedom of spirit.
First, That the heart is readily brought over, that which one doth freely, there is no great stir to bring them to it; there are many men and women, when their afflictions are grievous upon them, with much ado they are brought to be contented, a great deal of stir there is to quiet their hearts when they are under affliction, yet at last perhaps they are brought to it, I but now this doth not come off freely: if I desire a thing of another and I get it perhaps with much ado, and a great deal of stir there is, but here's no freedom of spirit; but when a man is free in a thing, do but mention it, and presently he comes off to ⟨p. 16⟩it. So if you have learned this art of Contentment, you will not only be contented after a great deal of do to quiet your hearts, but readily as soon as ever you do come to think that it is the hand of God, your heart presently closeth.
Secondly, freely, That is not by constraint, not patience by force (as we use to say.) As many will say that you must be comment, this is the hand of God and there is no help for it; O! this is too low an expression for Christians, yet when Christians come to visit one another, they say Friend or Neighbour you must be content, this is too low an expression for a Christian, Must be content, No, readily, and freely I will be content. It is suitable to my heart to yield to God, and to be content, I find it is a thing that comes off of it self, that my soul will be content. Oh you should answer your friends so, that come and tell you you must be content, nay I am willing to yield to God, and I am freely content, that's the Second. And then a free act it comes after a rational way, that's freedom, that is, it doth not come through ignorance, because I know no better condition, or that I know not what my affliction is, but it comes through a sanctified judgment, for that is the reason that no Creature can do an act of freedom, but the rational creature, the liberty of action is only in rational creatures, and it comes from hence, for that's only freedom and out of liberty that's wrought in a rational way, as a natural freedom is when I by my judgment see what is to be done, understand the thing, and then there is a closing with what I do understand in my judgement, that is freely done; but now if a man doth a thing and understands not what he doth, he cannot be said to do it freely. So if men are contented, but it is because they understand not what their affliction is, or because they understand no better, this is not freely: as for instance, Suppose a Child born in a Prison and never in all his life went out, the Child is contented, Why? Because he never knew better, but this is no free act of Contentation. But now for men and women that do know better, that know that the condition in which they are in, it is an afflicted condition and a sad condition, and yet they can bring their hearts to a Contentation out of a sanctified judgment, this is freedom.