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.

The Eighth PLEA.

Another Reasoning that murmuring hearts have is this, why they think that if the affliction were any other than it is, then they would be more contented.

• First, You must know that we are not to chuse our own rod, that God shall beat us with.
• Secondly, It may be if it were any other than it is, it were not so fit for thee as this is, it may be therefore God chuses it because it is most cross to thee, as seeing it most suitable for the purging out of that humour that is in thee. If a Patient comes to take Physick, and finds himself sick by it, shall he say, Oh! if it were any other potion I could bear it, it may be if it were any other than it is, it would not fit thy disease; yea, if it did not work as it doth, it would not fit thy disease: so when thou sayest of an affliction, if it were any other than it is thou couldest bear it; do but answer thy self with this, it may be if it were any other than it is, it would not be fit for me, it would not be right to that sinful humour that there is in my soul, and therefore God sees this to be the fittest and the most suitable for me.
• Thirdly, Know that this is the excellency of Grace in a Chri∣stian, To be fitted for any condition; not only to say, If it were this or that, but if it be any. As now, a Marriner if he hath skill, he would not say, if it were any other winde but this, if the winde blow in any point but this, I could tell how to mannage my ship, I could shew skill in other points, but not in this; would not Marriners laugh at such a one? it would be a shame for him to say, that he hath skill in any other point but this: So it should be a shame for a Christian to say, that he hath skill in any other af∣fliction but this: A Christian should be able to mannage his Ship if the winde blow any way, to guide his soul any way.
• The fourth and last answer is this, Know that the Lord hath

• rewards and Crowns for all Graces, and for the honoring them in all conditions. It may be in such a way as thou thinkest thou couldest honor God, God hath a Crown for that, and God hath another Crown to set upon the heads of those that honor him in such a way as this is, yea, he hath several sorts of Crowns (as I may so say) in Heaven, and those Crowns he must put upon some bodies head, and therefore he exercises thee in variety of conditions, that so thou mightest have the se∣veral rewards and Crowns that God hath to reward and Crown those that are faithful in several conditions.