The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1648. 8th Reprint, 2009.

Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” That is a powerful statement. That is a powerful lesson. And if we are honest, most of us have NOT learned to be content in WHATEVER situation we find ourselves in! Godly contentment is a high Christian virtue. Not high in the sense of out-of-reach, but high in the sense that few these days seem to reach it!

Burroughs, another Puritan great, defines contentment as “that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition” (p. 19). His opening chapter deals with unpacking this definition. He sums up his observations in stating that contentment is “a heart-business” (p. 29). That is a stinging truth if you find yourself discontent!

For the remaining 12 chapters Burroughs divides his content into the categories of the mystery of contentment, how Christ teaches contentment, the excellence of contentment, the evils of a murmuring spirit, aggravations of the sin of murmuring, the excuses of a discontented heart, and how to attain contentment. As you can tell, in Puritan fashion, Burroughs gives contentment a thorough treatment, and it is very helpful. He continually relies on Scripture and the sovereignty of our God as our defense against discontentment while reminding us of all that we have in Christ now and all that waits us in Christ as our source of contentment!

At the end of the day, when we as believers are discontented, we are saying that Christ is not sufficient and all-satisfying, but in truth, He is! We just need to be reminded of that, and believe that, on occasion! I encourage every believer to read this volume because Burroughs addresses every type of discontentment you may encounter as well as exposing the sin of murmuring as revealed throughout Scripture.

I’ll leave you with a few quotes in the hope of enticing you to purchase this book and begin learning the great lesson that Paul learned - be content!

(p. 43) A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion.

(p. 50) I am persuaded that many Christians have found it so, that they have got more good by their poverty, than ever they got by all their riches.

(p. 66) It may be that is the reason why your outward comforts are taken from you, that God may be all in all to you. It may be that while you had these things they shared with God in your affection, a great part of the stream of your affection ran that way; God would have the full stream run to him now.

(p. 87) God would not have us set our hearts upon riches, because they are nothing, and yet God is pleased to set his heart upon us, and we are nothing: that is God’s grace, free grace...

(p. 92) But when a soul comes into the school of Jesus Christ, and there comes to see vanity in all things in the world, then such a soul comes to have contentment.

(p. 93) Who are the men who are most discontented, but idle persons, persons who have nothing to occupy their minds?

(p. 113) God may have some work to do twenty years hence that depends on the passage of providence that falls out this day or this week.

(p. 173) Let your afflictions be what they will, there is not one of you, but has more mercies than afflictions.

(p. 189) You reason, I am disquiet because God is gone, when the truth is, God is gone because you are disquiet.

(p. 192) Let it be as great an affliction as it will, it is not as great as your sin. He has punished you less than your sins.

(p. 194) You must know that we are not to choose our own rod that God shall beat us with.