The rare jewel of Christian contentment wherein is shewed, I. What contentment is, II. The holy art or mystery of it, III. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment, IV. The excellencies of it, V. The evils of murmuring, VII. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring / by Jeremiah Burroughs.

The Third Plea.

Oh saith another, I find my Affliction is such that God withdraws himself from me in mine Affliction, that is that that troubles me, and can any body be quiet then, can any body be satisfied with such a con∣dition

when the Lord shall withdraw himself? Were my Affliction ne∣ver so great, yet if I find not God withdrawing himself from me I hope I could be content with any Affliction, but I cannot find the presence of God with me in this Affliction, as some times I have found; and it is that that troubles me, and makes me to be in such a condition as I am.

Now to that I answer thus, First, it is a very evil thing for men and women upon every Affliction to conclude that God is departed from them, it may be when it comes to be examined there is no other reason why thou thinkest that God is with∣drawn and departed, but because he doth afflict thee, now for thee to make such a conclusion, that every time God laies an Affliction upon thee he is departed; this is a sinful distemper of thy heart, and is very dishonourable to God, and grievous to his Spirit. In the 17. of Exod. 7. verse, you may see how God was displeased there with such a kind of distemper as this is, And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the chiding of the Children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord amongst us or not? Mark, they did murmur because they were brought into Afflictions, but see what the Text saith, therefore the place was called Massah and Meribah, because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord amonst us or not? This was to tempt God, sometimes we are afraid God is departed from us, and it was meerly because we are afflicted, I beseech you observe that Scripture, God cals it a tempting of him when he afflicts any, for them to conclude and say that God is departed from them. If a child should cry out of his Father, and say that his Father is turned to be an enemy to him, be∣cause he doth correct him, this would be taken ill, I beseech you consider of this one place, it may be of very great use to you, that you may not be ready to think that God is departed because you are afflicted.

Secondly, If God be departed, the greatest sign of Gods de∣parting is because you are so disquiet, you make your disquiet be the fruit of Gods departing, and if it comes to be examined your disquiet is the cause of Gods departing from you, if you could but cure your disquiet, if you could but quiet your own hearts and get them into a better frame of contentedness under Gods hand in afflicting of you, then you would find Gods pre∣sence

with you, will you be thus disquiet till God comes again to you? your disquiet drives him from you, and you can never expect Gods coming to manifest himself comfortably to your souls, till you have gotten your hearts quiet under your affli∣ctions; and therefore here you see how crosly you reason, you reason, I am disquiet because God is gone, when the truth is God is gone because thou art disquiet; reason but the other way, Oh my disquiet hath driven God from me, and there∣fore as ever I would have the presence of God to come again to me, let my heart be quiet under the hand of God.

Thirdly, Doest thou find God departing from thee in thine affliction? wilt thou therefore depart from God too? is this thy help? Can'st thou help thy self that way? Because God is gone wilt thou go too? Do I indeed feel God departing from me? It may be it is so, it may be God for thy tryal is de∣parted a little from thee, and is it so indeed? what unwise course do I take? I commit further sin and so I go further off from God, what a case am I in? God goes from me, and I from God: If the child sees the mother going from it, it's not for the child to say, my mother is gon yonder & I wil go the other way, no, but the child goes crying after the mother; and so should the soul say, I see the Lord is withdrawing his presence from me, and now it is best for me to make after the Lord with all my might, and I am sure this murmuring humour is not a ma∣king after God, but by this I go further and further off from God, and what a distance is there like to be between God and me within a little while? These are some of the reasonings and pleas of a murmuring and discontented heart: there are many others that we shall meet withal, and indeavour to speak to your hearts in them, that so this tough humour of discontent may (as it were) be cut with the Word and softened with the Word, that so it may passe away: for that's the way of Phisi∣tians when they meet with a body that hath any tough humour then they give that that hath a peircing quality, when there is a tough humour that stops the water that it cannot passe, they give that that hath a peircing quality that may make passage for it; and so thou hast need of such things that are piercing to make way through this tough humour that is in the spirits of

men and women whereby they come to live very uncomforta∣bly to themselves and others, and very dishonourable unto God.