A77996:78
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.
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.
Secondly, freely, That is not by constraint, not patience by force (as we use to say.) As many will say that you must be coment, 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 Neighbor 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 sutable to my heart to yeild 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 yeild 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 Childe born in a Prison and never in all his life went out, the Childe 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.