Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XVI - Chapter 12

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 12.

My notes and thoughts
Burroughs now turns in Chapter 12 to the topic of 'How to attain contentment' - although I think I should say that Burroughs continues to tell us 'How to attain contentment' as that is what I thought he had been doing all along, not just now in a small chapter at the end.  Some of his points here are repeats of earlier ideas and overlap themselves, but if this chapter is more a summary then the beginning of a new aspect of our 'Rare Jewel', then that would make sense.

His first point that 'the greatness of the mercies that we have, and the meanness of the things that we lack' was just hanging out for the proof text: 'I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us' (Romans 8:18).  As I've said before, if there is one criticism to be laid upon Burroughs is that he doesn't show that his Scriptural ideas are indeed Scriptural.  Oh well, I need to be content with what we have, don't I? :)

One more installment on Burroughs tomorrow then Flavel begins - I must have miscalculated somewhere so we begin Flavel a day later than expected.  Sorry...

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XV - Chapter 11 completed

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 11: Sections IX to XIII.

My notes and thoughts
Burroughs continues listing excuses for discontentment.

Against excuse IX ('...the condition that God has put me in, makes me unserviceable and this troubles me') Burroughs deploys an excellent quote from Augustine as part of his argument: 'It is better to be the meanest member in the body, than to be the highest and most important member and cut off from the body; it is better to be a little sprig in the tree joined to the root, than to be an arm cut off from the root.'  Better to be a Christian of little worldly worth than a non-Christian of great worldly worth!

I also liked the point that dependence upon God is easier when we do not have much prosperity: '...if God hedges that man about with wealth...he is not sensible now of his dependence upon God, and he begins now to pay less toll and custom to God than before.'  One of my favourite parts of Proverbs speaks to this very idea:
 7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9)

(Don't forget we start Flavel on 1st September and to vote for what comes after him, Watson or Bunyan)

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XIV - Chapter 11 begun

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 11: Sections I to VIII.

My notes and thoughts
Burroughs' attention now turns to the excuses a discontented heart uses to legitimise discontentment.

The first excuse reminded me so much of people who hide behind the line, 'depression is an illness', and therefore feel no need to correct their despair: 'It is not discontent, it is a sense of my condition.'

Excuse three was helpful when Burroughs argued that it is evil for Christians to claim God has departed from them just because they suffer: 'Now for you to make such a conclusion, that every time God lays an affliction upon you, he is departed, is a sinful disorder of your heart, and is very dishonourable to God, and grievous to his Spirit.'  God is always near to us if we are his.

Also excuse five is very important, that Christians should expect suffering and not be surprised when it occurs: 'So a Christian should do: he should look for afflictions wheresoever he is, in all conditions he should look to meet with afflictions; and therefore if any affliction should befall him, though indeed he could not forsee the particular evil, yet he should think, This is no more than I looked for in general.  Therefore no affliction should come unexpectedly to a Christian.'  Understanding this during prosperity is a great inoculation against discontentment.

Finally, I thought it interesting that Christ's sufferings were not mentioned in regards to excuse seven: 'But however you may lessen my affliction, yet I am sure it is far greater than the affliction of others.'  An elderly woman at church fractured her hip recently and said that, while in agony at hospital, what got her through was thinking that this was nothing compared to the physical suffering of Christ at the cross.  That isn't even taking into consideration the cumulative spiritual anguish Christ experienced for the sin of so many!  Yet did he show discontent?

(Don't forget we start Flavel on 1st September and to vote for what comes after him, Watson or Bunyan)

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XIII - Chapter 10

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 10.

My notes and thoughts
Now Burroughs turns to how murmuring may be intensified with 11 'aggravations'.

The best aggravator was the first one: 'To murmur when we enjoy an abundance of mercy'.  Burroughs expands with: 'To be discontented in any afflicted condition is sinful and evil, but to be discontented when we are in the midst of God's mercies, when we are not able to count the mercies of God, still to be discontented because we have not got all we would have, this a greater evil.' 

This line of thought also brought out in section VII: 'For those to be discontented who have been very great sinners and ungodly in their former life.' Any Christian who truly comprehends the cross should NEVER be discontented, period.  But oh how sinful our hearts are!  Again and again we forget God's mercy in Christ and continue to show annoyance with the smallest trifle.

Also interesting: 'Now I am discontented and murmuring, because I am afflicted; but that is why you are afflicted, because God would humble you.'  Talk about a vicious cycle!

Ok, I also have to mention that I am blown away that chapter 9 and 10 are the only chapters to reference Job and those references are quite fleeting.  Just to be sure, I did a search of the book at Google books.  Now I'm not saying I could write this book better than Burroughs (hardly!), and I'm not saying I have not found the book helpful (quite the opposite!), but I do think a book on contentment should really give poor old Job a better deal.  What do you think?

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XII - Chapter 9 completed

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 9: Sections IX to XIII.

My notes and thoughts
Today we finish off the evils of a murmuring Spirit.  Point IX and XIII were most helpful.

For point IX, Numbers 16 was used to show that discontentment brings God's wrath: 'So while you are murmuring in your families, the wrath of God may quickly go out against you.  In a morning or evening, when you are murmuring, the wrath of God may come quickly upon your families or persons...Those who stand by and see you in a murmuring, discontented fit, have cause to say: "Oh, let us go and take the censer, let us go to prayer, for we are afraid that wrath is gone out against this family, against this person.' 

Point XIII was closely related: 'God may justly withdraw his care of you, and his protection over you, seeing God cannot please you in his administrations.'  This point makes logical sense: 'What if God should say to any of you, If my care over you does not please you, then take care of yourselves, if my protection over you will not please you, then protect yourselves?'

These two points should strike fear into all our hearts against murmuring.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - XI - Chapter 9 begun

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 9: Sections VI to VIII.

My notes and thoughts
Burroughs continues outlining reasons why a murmuring spirit is evil.

I'm about to begin preaching on the Lord's Prayer this Sunday so was immediately attracted to the sixth point: 'By murmuring you undo your prayers, for it is exceedingly contrary to the prayers that you make to God.'  Burroughs makes an excellent point here, that when we pray true prayer we place ourselves at God's disposal: 'When you come to pray to God, you acknowledge his sovereignty over you, you come there to profess yourselves to be at God's disposal.'  We do not tell our Father what is to be done: 'If you will come to petition him and yet will be your own carver you go contrary to your prayers'.

I also liked the point that discontentment wastes time: 'How many times do men and women, when they are discontented, let their thoughts run, and are musing and contriving, through their present discontentedness and let their discontented thoughts work in them for some hours together, and they spend their time in vain!'  I'm always trying to redeem my time and so it was good to be reminded that getting annoyed and upset is a waste of precious time.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - X - Chapter 8

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 8.

My notes and thoughts
After a chapter on why we should seek contentment, Burroughs now tells us why we shouldn't seek discontentment by providing five reasons why a murmuring spirit is evil.

I particularly liked his comparison of an affliction with grumbling against God: 'There is an affliction upon you and that is grievous, but there is a murmuring heart within and that is more grievous.  Oh, that we could but convince men and women that a murmuring spirit is a greater evil than any affliction, whatever the affliction!'

I thought the best section against murmuring was when Burroughs showed it was below a Christian who is:
1) a child of God: 'As if a King's son were to cry out that he is undone for losing a toy'
2) a spouse of God: 'Oh, Jesus Christ does not love to see his spouse with a scowling countenance; no man loves to see discontent in the face of his wife, and surely Christ does not love to see discontent in the face of his spouse.'
3) as the temple of God: 'And are you the temple of the Holy Ghost, and does he dwell in you, and yet for all that you murmur for every little thing?'  This point on the Holy Spirit was good, but way too brief!

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - IX - Chapter 7

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 7.

My notes and thoughts
Now Burroughs turns from how we gain contentment to why we should seek contentment.  Ten reasons are given why contentment is excellent. 

The first one was the best in my opinion: 'By contentment we come to give God the worship that is due him.'  Contentment is not optional, as Christians we ought to be contented: 'You who often will worship God by hearing and praying, and receiving sacraments, and yet afterwards will be froward and discontented-know that God does not regard such worship, he will have the soul's worship, in this subjecting of the soul unto God.'  How many Christians are keen to do religious activities but neglect the activity of quiet submission to the Lord's will?

Although Burroughs material in this chapter is very good, it seemed to lack Scriptural support.  Maybe it was just me being used to the Puritans proof texting practically every paragraph.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - VIII - Chapter 6

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 6.

My notes and thoughts
Only three points about contentment in this chapter: the burden of prosperity, the burden of being given one's desires, providence.

I liked Burroughs illustration about prosperity: 'Honey, we know, invites bees and wasps to it, and the sweet of prosperity invites the Devil and temptation. Men in a prosperous position are subject to many temptations that other men are not subject to.' Burroughs also is helpful in making clear that he is not simply speaking about material prosperity, but also spiritual gifts and the noble blessing of being in the ministry: 'And similarly ministers stand in the forefront of all the spite and malice of ungodly men; certainly God employs them in an honourable service, and a service that angels would delight in, but though the service is honourable, above other works, yet the burden of danger is likewise greater than the danger of men in an inferior position.' Great reminder!

The point on providence was also well made. Who knows what good your suffering has upon others around you or in the future: 'So when God has ordered a thing for the present to be thus and thus, how do you know how many things depend upon this thing? God may have some work to do twenty years hence that depends on this passage of providence that falls out this day or this week.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - VII - Chapter 5

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 5.

My notes and thoughts
Lots of good material in this chapter.  The first section is basically a number of assertions from the doctrine of total depravity.  Burroughs sums up his thoughts into one succinct prayer: 'Lord, I am nothing, Lord, I deserve nothing, Lord, I can do nothing, I can receive nothing, and can make use of nothing, I am worse than nothing, and if I come to nothing and perish I will be no loss at all, and therefore is it such a great thing for me to be cut short here?'  With one powerful sentence, Burroughs sweeps away the self-esteem movement's attempt to produce contentment in humans.  I do believe that the doctrine of total depravity is the best starting point for understanding the Christian faith.  So much is lost if this doctrine is dismissed.

I also loved the illustration of the hungry man: 'Many men think that when they are troubled and have not got contentment it is because they have but a little in the world, and that if they had more then they should be content.  That is just as if a man were hungry, and to satisfy his craving stomach he should gape and hold open his mouth to take in the wind, and then should think that the reason why he is not satisfied is because he has not got enough of the wind; no, the reason is because the thing is not suitable to a craving stomach.'  How much of the world is consuming wind when they need to consume God!

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - VI - Chapter 4

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 4.

My notes and thoughts
Burroughs continues the same point from before regarding covenants demonstrating that the chapter divisions are very, very odd.  I couldn't find anything in the Banner biographical sketch at the beginning about how they were made, although we may not have to blame Burroughs as the book was published after his death.

Although I still am uncertain where he is going at times with his understanding of the covenant of grace, there are some real pearls of wisdom to be found here: 'Christians miss a great deal of comfort which they might have from the particular promises in the gospel, if they would consider their connection to the root, the great Covenant that God has made with them in Christ.'  How often we would be comforted if we would only remind ourselves of God's great promises.

The point of heaven being a source of contentment is also important.  I love the quote from some of the martyrs: 'Though we have but a hard breakfast, yet we shall have a good dinner, we shall very soon be in heaven.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - V - Chapter 3

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 3.

My notes and thoughts
Chapter 3 continues the train of thought from Chapter 2 but is not as good.  However the point that contentment in our afflictions comes from meditating on Christ's afflictions is vital: 'Now I get contentment in the midst of scorns and jeers, by considering that Christ was scorned, and by acting faith upon what Christ suffered for me.'  Also: 'You are afraid of death-the way to get contentment is by exercising your faith on the death of Jesus Christ.'

In point XIII I do think that Burroughs is a little out of his depth when it comes to understanding covenantal theology and Psalm 91: 'The promises of outward deliverance that were made to the people of God in the time of the law, were to be understood then a great deal more literally, and fulfilled more literally, than in the times of the gospel when God makes it up otherwise with as much mercy.  Though God made a Covenant of grace and eternal life in Christ with them, yet I think there was another covenant too, which God speaks of as a distinct covenant for outward things, to deal with his people according to their ways, either in outward prosperity, or in outward afflictions, more so than now, in a more punctual, set way, than in the times of the gospel.'  What do others think?

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - IV - Chapter 2

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 2.

My notes and thoughts
Seven particulars are now given as to the mystery of contentment and we are encouraged to perceive them.
1) A content Christian is unsatisfied with the things of the world.
2) A contented Christian subtracts desires - 'The world is infinitely deceived in thinking that contentment lies in having more than we already have.'
3) A contented Christian adds the burden of sin to his burdens of affliction
4) A contented Christian views affliction as spiritually good
5) A contented Christian focuses on his duties
6) A contented Christian melts his will into God's will
7) A contented Christian purges from within
There was some overlap between them but they are all excellent.

The first point was one of the most important - the contented Christian 'is the most contented man in the world and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world.' This is because what contents a non-Christian (e.g. money) will not satisfy him. What alone contents the Christian is God himself. Even peace and mercy do not satisfy, it is the God of peace and mercy that the Christian wants!

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - III - End of Chapter 1

Required reading 

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 1: Sections V, VI, VII, VIII and IX.

My notes and thoughts
So much good material here, particularly the section on taking pleasure in God's disposal: '...not only do I see that I should be content in this affliction, but I see that there is good in it.  I find there is honey in this rock, and so I do not only say, I must, or I will submit to God's hand.  No, the hand of God is good, "it is good that I am afflicted."'  So true, yet so hard.  For example, a child that I taught in Sunday School a few years ago in another church was hit by a bus and killed two weeks ago.  Yet the ending of this 9 year olds life is is in God's pleasure and so must be my pleasure - there is honey in the rock even if I cannot see it.

Also helpful is the reminder to be content when God brings affliction to every area of our lives and over all periods of time: 'So when God casts us down, we must be content to lie till God bids us stand up, and God's Spirit enters into us to enable us to stand up.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - II - Middle of Chapter 1

Required reading

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Chapter 1: Section II, III and IV.

My notes and thoughts
Now included in the definition of contentment is (II) quiet; (III) frame of spirit; and (IV) gracious. 

It was helpful that although Burroughs said contentment is quiet, he did make clear that this doesn't mean a contented person cannot moan to God and friends or seek help: 'God is thus far mercifully indulgent to our weakness, and he will not take it ill at our hands if by earnest and importunate prayer we seek him for deliverance until we know his good pleasure in the matter.'

I also liked how he distinguished 'Christian' contentment from a 'natural' contentment that some non-Christians appear to possess.  What is the distinguishing mark: 'The one whose disposition is quiet is not disquieted as others are, but neither does he show any activeness to sanctify the name of God in his affliction....I say, the desire and care your soul has to sanctify God's name in an affliction is what quietens the soul, and this is what others lack.'  I kept thinking of Job 1:20: 'The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'  I guess Job will feature prominently later in the book.

Now its your turn
Post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Burroughs - I - Biographical intro and part of Chapter 1

Required reading

Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Biographical introduction, Chapter 1: Section I (It is inward).

My notes and thoughts
Nothing in the biographical introduction grabbed me. Maybe it was just me?!?

Today's reading of chapter 1 was basically the introduction to the book with Burroughs picking apart Philippians 4:11 using word studies and giving an outline of where the book will go. His first few chapters will explore what exactly is contentment and today we see that contentment is inward: 'Many, many sit silently, refraining from discontented expressions, yet inwardly they are bursting with discontent.' Therefore achieving contentment is difficult: 'If the attainment of true contentment were as easy as keeping quiet outwardly, it would not need much learning.'

Although we've just tasted the book today, it looks like a good issue to discuss. I hope and pray that book club readers (myself included) will be a little more contented by the end of this title as we put ourselves in Burroughs' hands.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Precious remedies against Satan's devices - Brooks - XXI - Appendix completed

Required reading

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Appendix, Section IV.

My notes and thoughts
Brooks in his conclusion now provides ten special helps and rules against Satan's devices.

Brooks' begins with a terrific opening line: 'If Satan hath such a world of devices and stratagems to ensnare and undo the souls of men, then, instead of wondering that so few are saved, sit down and wonder that any are saved, that any escape the snares of this cunning fowler, who spreads his nets and casts forth his baits in all places, in all cases and companies.'

This thought is again taken up in the final pages, where Brooks reminds us to thank God when we escape Satan's devices: 'Ah! Christians, remember that the greatest part of the world, yea, the greatest part of professors, are taken in Satan's snares. Can you think seriously of this, and not blush to be unthankful? What are you better than others? and what have ye deserved of God or done for God more than others, that you should by the help of a divine hand escape the snares, when others are taken and held in the snares of the devil to their eternal overthrow.'

And so Brooks ends his book encouraging the reader to praise God - a most fitting conclusion to a most excellent book!

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs begins tomorrow, Sunday 16th August 2009.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.

Precious remedies against Satan's devices - Brooks - XX - Appendix continued

Required reading

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Appendix, Section III.

My notes and thoughts
Brooks now gives six propositions concerning Satan and his devices.
The first proposition is very necessary. Saying 'The Devil made me do it' has been around since Eve and the garden. Brooks states: 'Satan hath only a persuading sleight, not an enforcing might. He may tempt us, but without ourselves he cannot conquer us; he may entice us, but without ourselves he cannot hurt us.' We have to accept responsibility for our sin.

After a whole book on the tricks and snares of Satan, it is good that Brooks gives amongst his propositions some hope for the Christian. We are told that Satan cannot do anything without 'leave from God and leave from ourselves...Ah! what a cordial, what a comfort should this be to the saints, that their greatest, subtlest, and watchfullest enemy cannot hurt nor harm them, without leave from him who is their sweetest Saviour, their dearest husband, and their choicest friend.'

Another point of encouragement for the believer is: 'Christ hath already overcome him, and put weapons into your hands, that you may overcome him also, and set your feet upon his neck. Though Satan be a roaring lion, yet Christ, who is the lion of the tribe of Judah, will make Satan fly and fall before you.' Picture that - a little lion running about roaring away and then a massive lion getting up and roaring back!

Next book
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs will begin on Sunday 16th August 2009.