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Puritan Treasures for Today
Contentment, Prosperity, and God's Glory
Why is it difficult to be content when you have so much? On the surface, it seems unnecessary to instruct someone to be content in times of prosperity. However, times of prosperity and abundance provide some of the strongest temptations to pull our hearts away from God. Jeremiah Burroughs was keenly aware that the riches of this world compete for our affections and challenge our contentment in Christ. Originally prepared as an appendix to The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, this book provides an important conclusion to Burroughs's sermon series on Philippians 4:11 12: "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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325 people want to read
About the author
Jeremiah Burroughs
130 books90 followersJeremiah Burroughs (or Burroughes) was baptized in 1601 and admitted as a pensioner at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1617. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1621 and a Master of Arts degree in 1624. His tutor was Thomas Hooker.
Burroughs’s ministry falls into four periods, all of which reveal him as a zealous and faithful pastor. First, from about 1627 until 1631, he was assistant to Edmund Calamy at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Both men became members of the Westminster Assembly. Both men strongly opposed King James’s Book of Sports. Both refused to read the king’s proclamation in church that dancing, archery, vaulting, and other games were lawful recreations on the Lord’s Day.
Second, from 1631 to 1636, Burroughs was rector of Tivetshall, Norfolk, a church that still stands today. Despite the best efforts of his patron, Burroughs was suspended in 1636 and deprived in 1637 for refusing to obey the injunctions of Bishop Matthew Wren, especially regarding the reading of the Book of Sports, and the requirements to bow at the name of Jesus and to read prayers rather than speak them extemporaneously.
Third, from 1638 to 1640, Burroughs lived in the Netherlands, where he was teacher of a congregation of English Independents at Rotterdam, formerly ministered by William Ames. William Bridge was the pastor and Sidrach Simpson had established a second like-minded church in the city. Thus, three future dissenting brethren were brought together, all of whom would serve as propagandists for congregationalism later in the 1640s.
In the final period from 1640 to his death in 1646, Burroughs achieved great recognition as a popular preacher and a leading Puritan in London. He returned to England during the Commonwealth period and became pastor of two of the largest congregations in London: Stepney and St. Giles, Cripplegate. At Stepney, he preached early in the morning and became known as “the morning star of Stepney.” He was invited to preach before the House of Commons and the House of Lords several times. Thomas Brooks called him “a prince of preachers.”
As a member of the Westminster Assembly, Burroughs sided with the Independents, but he remained moderate in tone, acting in accord with the motto on his study door: Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt ασυστατα (“variety of opinion and unity of opinion are not incompatible”). Richard Baxter said, “If all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.”
In 1644, Burroughs and several colleagues presented to Parliament their Apologetical Narration, which defended Independency. It attempted to steer a middle course between Presbyterianism, which they regarded as too authoritarian, and Brownism, which they regarded as too democratic. This led to division between the Presbyterians and Independents. Burroughs served on the committee of accommodation, which tried to reconcile the differences, but on March 9, 1646, he declared on behalf of the Independents that presbyteries were “coercive institutions.” Burroughs said he would rather suffer or emigrate than submit to presbyteries. Ultimately, the division between Presbyterians and Independents helped promote the cause of prelacy after the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Burroughs pursued peace to the end. He died in 1646, two weeks after a fall from his horse. The last subject on which he preached became his Irenicum to the Lovers of Truth and Peace, an attempt to heal divisions between believers. Many of his friends believed that church troubles hastened his death.
Burroughs was a prolific writer, highly esteemed by Puritan leaders of his day, some of whom published his writings after his death. Nearly all of his books are compilations of sermons.
Burroughs’s ministry falls into four periods, all of which reveal him as a zealous and faithful pastor. First, from about 1627 until 1631, he was assistant to Edmund Calamy at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Both men became members of the Westminster Assembly. Both men strongly opposed King James’s Book of Sports. Both refused to read the king’s proclamation in church that dancing, archery, vaulting, and other games were lawful recreations on the Lord’s Day.
Second, from 1631 to 1636, Burroughs was rector of Tivetshall, Norfolk, a church that still stands today. Despite the best efforts of his patron, Burroughs was suspended in 1636 and deprived in 1637 for refusing to obey the injunctions of Bishop Matthew Wren, especially regarding the reading of the Book of Sports, and the requirements to bow at the name of Jesus and to read prayers rather than speak them extemporaneously.
Third, from 1638 to 1640, Burroughs lived in the Netherlands, where he was teacher of a congregation of English Independents at Rotterdam, formerly ministered by William Ames. William Bridge was the pastor and Sidrach Simpson had established a second like-minded church in the city. Thus, three future dissenting brethren were brought together, all of whom would serve as propagandists for congregationalism later in the 1640s.
In the final period from 1640 to his death in 1646, Burroughs achieved great recognition as a popular preacher and a leading Puritan in London. He returned to England during the Commonwealth period and became pastor of two of the largest congregations in London: Stepney and St. Giles, Cripplegate. At Stepney, he preached early in the morning and became known as “the morning star of Stepney.” He was invited to preach before the House of Commons and the House of Lords several times. Thomas Brooks called him “a prince of preachers.”
As a member of the Westminster Assembly, Burroughs sided with the Independents, but he remained moderate in tone, acting in accord with the motto on his study door: Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt ασυστατα (“variety of opinion and unity of opinion are not incompatible”). Richard Baxter said, “If all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.”
In 1644, Burroughs and several colleagues presented to Parliament their Apologetical Narration, which defended Independency. It attempted to steer a middle course between Presbyterianism, which they regarded as too authoritarian, and Brownism, which they regarded as too democratic. This led to division between the Presbyterians and Independents. Burroughs served on the committee of accommodation, which tried to reconcile the differences, but on March 9, 1646, he declared on behalf of the Independents that presbyteries were “coercive institutions.” Burroughs said he would rather suffer or emigrate than submit to presbyteries. Ultimately, the division between Presbyterians and Independents helped promote the cause of prelacy after the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Burroughs pursued peace to the end. He died in 1646, two weeks after a fall from his horse. The last subject on which he preached became his Irenicum to the Lovers of Truth and Peace, an attempt to heal divisions between believers. Many of his friends believed that church troubles hastened his death.
Burroughs was a prolific writer, highly esteemed by Puritan leaders of his day, some of whom published his writings after his death. Nearly all of his books are compilations of sermons.
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August 28, 2022
For many of us, an admonishment to “Be content with what you have” seems to be barking up the wrong tree. We can pay our light bill, put food on the table, and gas in the car. We’re not sitting in a dim hovel with aching, growling bellies. We don’t struggle with contentment.
Or do we?
This is just the question that Jeremiah Burroughs addresses in “Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory.” He convinces us that learning to be content in our prosperity is many times an even greater challenge than being content in times of need.
This was the perfect little volume for a summer read-and-discuss with a friend. At 120 pages it is fairly quick, but densely packed. Lots of thought-provoking insights that range from sobering to inspiring. I found myself changed by the read. One of my biggest personal take-aways was repenting of my entitlement, presumption, and frankly, selfishness. And cultivating a deeper spirit of thanksgiving to God.
~Jen
P.S. This summer read generated several questions for reflection/discussion that I penciled in the margins. I’m including them below as a resource for personal journaling or book groups.
Preface:
• How would you define contentment?
• How does Jeremiah Burroughs define contentment?
Chapter 1:
• What are your own weaknesses in times of plenty?
• Alternatively, what are your weakness in times of want?
• How can our contentment (or lack of contentment) come into play in terms of our attitude towards our church?
Chapter 2:
• What are specific blessings you have received from God that equip you to serve in specific ways?
• What’s an area of life in which you can apply “growing in moderation”?
• In Burrough’s words, “Do you know how to abound?”
Chapter 3:
• As Burroughs discusses the difficulties of learning to be full, what are specific areas of personal conviction for you?
• Can you think of examples from Scripture where we see lowliness cultivating dependence upon God? Or prosperity bringing forgetfulness of God?
Chapter 4:
• “You are made for eternity… created things were not.” How does this reminder impact your perspective on daily life?
• How do these lessons on prosperity also apply to our physical appetites?
Chapter 5:
• In what ways can your “estate” draw your heart to God? Or away from God?
• What could be some personal modern-day applications of using your estate for the furtherance of the gospel, for the beating down of sin, or for the support of religion?
Chapter 6:
• What are your personal obstacles to generosity?
• Can you think of times in your own life when employing moderation & limits have led to even greater enjoyment of your estate & income?
• When Burroughs says, “Rich men need to pray more than poor men.” What do you think of this?
Chapter 7:
• What are ways you are tempted to relax your personal standards “because others do”?
• What are some things God has given you, for which you must someday give account?
Chapter 8:
• How has God raised you up from meager beginnings, or preserved your wealth through difficult times?
• Burroughs lists 8 conditions in this chapter. Which of these conditions can you personally relate to?
Chapter 9:
• How might we train our own children to properly handle the estate they will receive?
• Who is someone that strikes you as exemplary in knowing “how to abound”?
• Who is a wealthy friend or acquaintance God may be prompting you to pray for?
Chapter 10:
• How do the biblical characters of Job and David compare in their responses to the different conditions God brought them through?
• Summarize what you have learned from reading this work.
Or do we?
This is just the question that Jeremiah Burroughs addresses in “Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory.” He convinces us that learning to be content in our prosperity is many times an even greater challenge than being content in times of need.
This was the perfect little volume for a summer read-and-discuss with a friend. At 120 pages it is fairly quick, but densely packed. Lots of thought-provoking insights that range from sobering to inspiring. I found myself changed by the read. One of my biggest personal take-aways was repenting of my entitlement, presumption, and frankly, selfishness. And cultivating a deeper spirit of thanksgiving to God.
~Jen
P.S. This summer read generated several questions for reflection/discussion that I penciled in the margins. I’m including them below as a resource for personal journaling or book groups.
Preface:
• How would you define contentment?
• How does Jeremiah Burroughs define contentment?
Chapter 1:
• What are your own weaknesses in times of plenty?
• Alternatively, what are your weakness in times of want?
• How can our contentment (or lack of contentment) come into play in terms of our attitude towards our church?
Chapter 2:
• What are specific blessings you have received from God that equip you to serve in specific ways?
• What’s an area of life in which you can apply “growing in moderation”?
• In Burrough’s words, “Do you know how to abound?”
Chapter 3:
• As Burroughs discusses the difficulties of learning to be full, what are specific areas of personal conviction for you?
• Can you think of examples from Scripture where we see lowliness cultivating dependence upon God? Or prosperity bringing forgetfulness of God?
Chapter 4:
• “You are made for eternity… created things were not.” How does this reminder impact your perspective on daily life?
• How do these lessons on prosperity also apply to our physical appetites?
Chapter 5:
• In what ways can your “estate” draw your heart to God? Or away from God?
• What could be some personal modern-day applications of using your estate for the furtherance of the gospel, for the beating down of sin, or for the support of religion?
Chapter 6:
• What are your personal obstacles to generosity?
• Can you think of times in your own life when employing moderation & limits have led to even greater enjoyment of your estate & income?
• When Burroughs says, “Rich men need to pray more than poor men.” What do you think of this?
Chapter 7:
• What are ways you are tempted to relax your personal standards “because others do”?
• What are some things God has given you, for which you must someday give account?
Chapter 8:
• How has God raised you up from meager beginnings, or preserved your wealth through difficult times?
• Burroughs lists 8 conditions in this chapter. Which of these conditions can you personally relate to?
Chapter 9:
• How might we train our own children to properly handle the estate they will receive?
• Who is someone that strikes you as exemplary in knowing “how to abound”?
• Who is a wealthy friend or acquaintance God may be prompting you to pray for?
Chapter 10:
• How do the biblical characters of Job and David compare in their responses to the different conditions God brought them through?
• Summarize what you have learned from reading this work.
May 3, 2013
Sometimes when reading a book such as this, you realize what a low bar we operate under. I am amazed and encouraged what contentment entails. You drink deeply in this study on contentment, in lacking of this world and on abundance. You begin to see the gospel on how we experience contentment in our every day lives. If you are feeling guilty while dealing with contentment, you probably do not have a clear understanding of the gospel, however, if your heart is not moved while others lack; you probably do not have a clear understanding of the gospel. Contentment in lacking and abundance does not come easy for us, it takes the gospel. You clearly see God's mercy and grace in dealing with contentment. Before you can give, you have to receive. It starts with receiving the grace of God and seeing His mercy in your life. We also may not have a clear understanding of contentment. Many times we regard contentment in our circumstances instead of living contentment as a lifestyle.
The narration of this study is point by point that leads you to live in the fullness of what God has given you. Location 470...You have finally learned how to abound when your heart can pass quickly through created things and move on to enjoy God as your most prized possession. But where is the man who enjoys more of God in abundance than in want? A Christian, then learns to be full when his fullness can carry him to God, who is the source of all his fullness. We are reminded that the graces of a Christian include faith, self-denial, humility, patience, tenderness and others such as these. When we are outside of this realm, we are not living in contentment. As you can see, the bar is raised high.
It is written in a way that is not a list of things to do and be, but a compelling of your heart, soul and mind to live in contentment. Contentment draws our hearts to the Lord.
A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
The narration of this study is point by point that leads you to live in the fullness of what God has given you. Location 470...You have finally learned how to abound when your heart can pass quickly through created things and move on to enjoy God as your most prized possession. But where is the man who enjoys more of God in abundance than in want? A Christian, then learns to be full when his fullness can carry him to God, who is the source of all his fullness. We are reminded that the graces of a Christian include faith, self-denial, humility, patience, tenderness and others such as these. When we are outside of this realm, we are not living in contentment. As you can see, the bar is raised high.
It is written in a way that is not a list of things to do and be, but a compelling of your heart, soul and mind to live in contentment. Contentment draws our hearts to the Lord.
A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
January 25, 2025
A great little book on the importance of learning to be full, both in little but more importantly how to be full in much.
A few quotes:
“It is a better lesson for one to learn how to honor God in fullness than it is to learn how he can get full.”
“The strength of a Christian is to enjoy God’s gifts, to make use of whatever God allows, to take the sweetness from it, and yet to avoid the temptation.”
“Such a man learns fullness when his grace stirs him up in thankfulness to God and when it encourages him in the duties that God requires of him. "Oh, I receive such wages" says a gracious heart; "I receive much from God. Surely, then, there must be much work required of me. I receive more than others do, and therefore it is fitting that I should do more work than others do." Thus, a Christian learns to be full when his fullness serves to further his graces.”
A few quotes:
“It is a better lesson for one to learn how to honor God in fullness than it is to learn how he can get full.”
“The strength of a Christian is to enjoy God’s gifts, to make use of whatever God allows, to take the sweetness from it, and yet to avoid the temptation.”
“Such a man learns fullness when his grace stirs him up in thankfulness to God and when it encourages him in the duties that God requires of him. "Oh, I receive such wages" says a gracious heart; "I receive much from God. Surely, then, there must be much work required of me. I receive more than others do, and therefore it is fitting that I should do more work than others do." Thus, a Christian learns to be full when his fullness serves to further his graces.”
January 3, 2026
Very thought-provoking little book. Burroughs' expounds that, though many believers live in want of various kinds, abounding with all the prosperity of this world actually presents so much more difficulty and temptation than being in need does. Burroughs doesn't villify riches, but he does expound thoroughly that 'to whom much is given, of him much will be required' (Lk. 12:48). It makes sense that this was originally the appendix to his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.
Quite an interesting and convicting read.
Quite an interesting and convicting read.
August 15, 2024
Excellent little book on the topic of understanding where all our resources & blessings come from, great or small & how considerable our responsibility is to be good stewards & use such means to honor & glorify God.
May 25, 2018
This little book is a follow-up to the book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. As a modern, middle-class American, I found it very helpful to think about how to be content when you're abounding. I've been poor before, but for the majority of my life I've lived in heated and air conditioned homes, with food on the table, and plenty of clothes in the closet. I've had the ease of picking where I've shopped and driving a nice car. At this stage of life I'm struggling much more with abounding properly than being content with a meger lot. I found this book to be filled with helpful advice on how to abound and why it is so important to learn how to be content in fulness. I think every American Christian should read this because we all have so much. Even the least of us has more than many others.
I always feel a need to place a warning on books like this because I find that they tend to focus mostly on the individual walk with God and not enough on our church attendance and church membership, so don't shut off your brain when you read this. :-)
I always feel a need to place a warning on books like this because I find that they tend to focus mostly on the individual walk with God and not enough on our church attendance and church membership, so don't shut off your brain when you read this. :-)
June 24, 2024
An excellent admonition to be mindful of how to use the outward blessings (Burroughs’ term for the material blessings we receive) for God’s glory while avoiding the pitfalls and dangers of idolatry. In this consumerist age that demands anything short of the newest & flashiest is a failure, Burroughs’ views remind us that material things in & of themselves are neither good nor bad, but rather, what we do with them is a reflection of our heart.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
October 23, 2024
A small Appendix of Burrough's "Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment", this small book is an excellent and surprisingly thorough review of a Christian's source of contentment, especially when faced with abundance. Burrough argued that a prosperous condition is much more dangerous to contentment than a poor condition and we must guard our hearts if we abound with goods (which describes most Americans). I highly recommend this book. It has been good and has changed the way I have thought about using my goods as a steward of God's goods.
"You should estimate the value of your estates and honors by the opportunities they provide for service. A man who slights God's mercies and thinks there is little value in them does not know how to be full."
"Perhaps God has given so many great things because He intends for you to use them for something other than yourself."
"The strength of a Christian is to enjoy God's gifts, to make use of whatever God allows, to take the sweet- ness from it, and yet to avoid the temptation-in other words, to take away that which is good and to cast away that which is not good."
"If adversity has slain her thousands, prosperity has slain her ten thousands. It is a rare virtue to have-honor cou- pled with humility, and because it is so rare, that makes it all the more glorious."
"You should estimate the value of your estates and honors by the opportunities they provide for service. A man who slights God's mercies and thinks there is little value in them does not know how to be full."
"Perhaps God has given so many great things because He intends for you to use them for something other than yourself."
"The strength of a Christian is to enjoy God's gifts, to make use of whatever God allows, to take the sweet- ness from it, and yet to avoid the temptation-in other words, to take away that which is good and to cast away that which is not good."
"If adversity has slain her thousands, prosperity has slain her ten thousands. It is a rare virtue to have-honor cou- pled with humility, and because it is so rare, that makes it all the more glorious."
July 15, 2020
Very timely devotional book about being content in both abasement and in aboundment, in poverty and in riches, based on Philippians 4:12. In which of the two cases do you think it is harder to remain content?
This book is Burroughs original appendix to “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.”
This book is Burroughs original appendix to “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.”
January 1, 2025
I was encouraged and edified every time I picked it up.
March 21, 2024
A book every Christian should read, "Contentment, Prosperity, and God's Glory" is convicting, full of meaningful discernment and direction, and packs a huge punch. This book truly changed my prayer life and the way I look at finances. I found my heart softened by these words, and I pray that the Lord continues to use this text in my life moving forward. Puritan literature is simply unmatched!
July 18, 2025
A wonderful, short book about both the blessings and warnings of prosperity in this life.
May 18, 2022
Oh, so much to consider and pray about having read this! This is an excellent challenge for those who find themselves in a position of prosperity. We are challenged toward a life of faithfulness in whatever circumstances the Lord has given us, yet abundance is the most difficult!! Burroughs shows us why and the temptations faced in wealth and how it pulls us away from God rather than toward. He gives us lessons on learning to grow in our fullness, that God would be glorified.
Grab this book to consider the dangers of wealth and prosperity and how to grow in godliness in it.
Grab this book to consider the dangers of wealth and prosperity and how to grow in godliness in it.
October 3, 2023
This book is a follow up to The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment… convicting but blessed work.
April 11, 2020
This little book of 119 pages by Jeremiah Burroughs has been edited and updated for the modern reader by Phillip Simpson, who has also authored the only modern biography of Burroughs. This book was originally published in 1675 with the title: The Art of Improving a Full and Prosperous Condition, for the Glory of God, in Four Useful Discourses.
The book begins with a Preface by the editor Simpson, followed by the Introduction (considered the first chapter the way this book is laid out) by Burroughs, and then nine meaty chapters:
2. What Learning to be Full Means
3. The Difficulty of Learning to be Full
4. The Necessity of Learning to be Full
5. The Excellency of Learning to be Full
6. The Mystery of Learning to be Full
7. Lessons for Learning to be Full
8. Increasing the Guilt of Sins of Abundance
9. Applications for Improving Prosperous Conditions
10. Concluding Words on Contentment
I highly recommended it. With the updated language, it's an easy read, but very thought provoking.
The book begins with a Preface by the editor Simpson, followed by the Introduction (considered the first chapter the way this book is laid out) by Burroughs, and then nine meaty chapters:
2. What Learning to be Full Means
3. The Difficulty of Learning to be Full
4. The Necessity of Learning to be Full
5. The Excellency of Learning to be Full
6. The Mystery of Learning to be Full
7. Lessons for Learning to be Full
8. Increasing the Guilt of Sins of Abundance
9. Applications for Improving Prosperous Conditions
10. Concluding Words on Contentment
I highly recommended it. With the updated language, it's an easy read, but very thought provoking.
March 13, 2020
Wow! This book was given to me by a friend just when I needed it. It’s all about being content when you are full. It is hard to be content when you are full, probably more so than when we are empty. This book pointed this out to me and has reminded me of how we are to praise God just as much on the mountain as in the deepest of valleys. Great read.
July 6, 2025
Amazing book.
Usually when somebody writes about contentment it is about contentment in poverty, hardships and circumstances you don't like. But it seemed like all this book is about when you have a lot. How to be content not run for more? How to check your heart? What does God expect when you are not poor?
Usually when somebody writes about contentment it is about contentment in poverty, hardships and circumstances you don't like. But it seemed like all this book is about when you have a lot. How to be content not run for more? How to check your heart? What does God expect when you are not poor?
August 29, 2018
Ce livre est un des moins bons livres d'un puritain lu à ce jour. Mais comme les livres des puritains sont souvent excellents, cela reste un assez bon livre.
December 28, 2024
When viewing a title on "contentment" one may assume the focus is on being content in the midst of affliction or trials. However, the Puritan Jeremiah Burrough focuses this book on the condition of prosperity or "fullness" which he deems the most dangerous condition for a believer. Hence, this book is a MUST READ for American believers who are more than likely living somewhere on the spectrum of fullness and prosperity.
He writes that "when a man knows that he needs just as much mercy from God in his abundance as he does in his lowest affliction, he has attained to a good measure of grace." He believes this to be an argument from the greater to the lesser. Meaning, if you can learn to be biblically content in your fullness, you can also be content in your poverty. As paradoxical as this sounds, he writes, "When do you find throughout all the Book of God that a full condition ever turned any soul to God, or was the means of doing so, when that person had not turned to God before? ... Oh, this is a miserable condition for any man to be in, to be full but not know how to be full. Such a man is likely to have his portion in this world."
Burrough bases this book on the 2 Corinthian 6 where the Apostle Paul writes that he has "learned to be content" in every condition of life. Burrough begins by writing that while "Many men are prepared for one condition ... they are not prepared for another. This, by contrast, was the excellence of the grace of God in the apostle: he was prepared for any condition that God might turn him toward."
I love Chapter 2 where he describes what "learning to be full" or "abound" means: "A man has learned to be full ..."
1. "When he can prize such mercies - not too highly, nor too lowly, but as they are - he has learned to be full."
2. "When he can tell how best to distribute the fullness God gives him."
3. When he "avoids the evil of the temptations that go along with them." ... like a fish that is full of little bones ... "you should consider when God gives you fullness that there may be many little bones together with it."
4. When he "is not a slave to what he has, but he makes what he has a slave to himself."
5. When "he can use the gits of God and yet remain ready to part with all his comforts if God calls for them."
6. When "he can make all his fullness to further grow in all his graces ... not so much to love the things themselves, but to love God in the things."
7. "When his fullness leads him to the source of his fullness."
8. "When he can improve what he has to serve God."
9. "When he uses the things of this world as if he did not use them ... he enjoys them but does not depend on them for his joy."
10. When he "know how to make use of his worldly comforts yet is able to do so in a way that he is not hindered by the afflictions or troubles that go along with those comforts."
11. When "he knows his own heart in the midst of his abundance."
Some more quotes...
- "Men's hearts naturally rise as their estates rise; as their comforts rise, so their hearts will rise. Therefore, when learning how to abound, the lesson of growing in the grace of humility is a very difficult lesson to learn."
- "If adversity has slain her thousands, prosperity has slain her ten thousands."
- "God knows, as might your consciences, whether you have been more concerned with learning how to gain abundance than on learning how to abound."
- "I have nothing to do from the beginning of the year to the end of the year but to make good use of His mercies."
- "There is an evenness of the heart to be found in a godly man in all conditions ... compare Psalm 57:5 with Psalm 108:5; both say "Be thou exalted, O God." David uses the same expression in his prosperity in Psalm 108 that he uses in his affliction in Psalm 57."
- "It is a great part of the glory of God to be unchangeable and yet to operate in the midst of changeable circumstances. Likewise, it is a mark of the excellence of God's image in the hearts of His saints that in a variety of conditions they too would remain the same, to know how to be abased and how to abound."
He writes that "when a man knows that he needs just as much mercy from God in his abundance as he does in his lowest affliction, he has attained to a good measure of grace." He believes this to be an argument from the greater to the lesser. Meaning, if you can learn to be biblically content in your fullness, you can also be content in your poverty. As paradoxical as this sounds, he writes, "When do you find throughout all the Book of God that a full condition ever turned any soul to God, or was the means of doing so, when that person had not turned to God before? ... Oh, this is a miserable condition for any man to be in, to be full but not know how to be full. Such a man is likely to have his portion in this world."
Burrough bases this book on the 2 Corinthian 6 where the Apostle Paul writes that he has "learned to be content" in every condition of life. Burrough begins by writing that while "Many men are prepared for one condition ... they are not prepared for another. This, by contrast, was the excellence of the grace of God in the apostle: he was prepared for any condition that God might turn him toward."
I love Chapter 2 where he describes what "learning to be full" or "abound" means: "A man has learned to be full ..."
1. "When he can prize such mercies - not too highly, nor too lowly, but as they are - he has learned to be full."
2. "When he can tell how best to distribute the fullness God gives him."
3. When he "avoids the evil of the temptations that go along with them." ... like a fish that is full of little bones ... "you should consider when God gives you fullness that there may be many little bones together with it."
4. When he "is not a slave to what he has, but he makes what he has a slave to himself."
5. When "he can use the gits of God and yet remain ready to part with all his comforts if God calls for them."
6. When "he can make all his fullness to further grow in all his graces ... not so much to love the things themselves, but to love God in the things."
7. "When his fullness leads him to the source of his fullness."
8. "When he can improve what he has to serve God."
9. "When he uses the things of this world as if he did not use them ... he enjoys them but does not depend on them for his joy."
10. When he "know how to make use of his worldly comforts yet is able to do so in a way that he is not hindered by the afflictions or troubles that go along with those comforts."
11. When "he knows his own heart in the midst of his abundance."
Some more quotes...
- "Men's hearts naturally rise as their estates rise; as their comforts rise, so their hearts will rise. Therefore, when learning how to abound, the lesson of growing in the grace of humility is a very difficult lesson to learn."
- "If adversity has slain her thousands, prosperity has slain her ten thousands."
- "God knows, as might your consciences, whether you have been more concerned with learning how to gain abundance than on learning how to abound."
- "I have nothing to do from the beginning of the year to the end of the year but to make good use of His mercies."
- "There is an evenness of the heart to be found in a godly man in all conditions ... compare Psalm 57:5 with Psalm 108:5; both say "Be thou exalted, O God." David uses the same expression in his prosperity in Psalm 108 that he uses in his affliction in Psalm 57."
- "It is a great part of the glory of God to be unchangeable and yet to operate in the midst of changeable circumstances. Likewise, it is a mark of the excellence of God's image in the hearts of His saints that in a variety of conditions they too would remain the same, to know how to be abased and how to abound."
January 16, 2022
Burroughs wrote at least two books on contentment, The Rare Jewel and this one. This one is actually an amalgamation of an appendix he wrote to The Rare Jewel and a sermon he preached to Parliament in 1645. Rare Jewel treats contentment when "abased," and this book treats contentment when "abounding."
I've been consistently impressed with how relevant this book is. Despite our grumbling and feeling sorry for ourselves, we who live in Western civilization are blessed far more than most of us realize. This book is a great help not only to wake up to our condition but to know what do about it. "How do I live as a Christian in a prosperous state without condemning myself?"
Some quotes from the book:
On the importance of holding onto our possessions loosely: "Many men's spirits are like a bee: when it comes to sting, it thrusts its stinger so far in that it cannot be taken out, so the bee leaves it in there. Likewise, our hearts are so riveted into our possessions that we cannot part with them.... That's the reason people cry out the way they do; that's why they complain ... and wring their hands" (p. 25)
How failing to glorify God with our possessions may be an evidence we are cursed: "When God gives to a wicked man, He says 'Take these things if you will.' God never minds them any further; He never looks after them to see whether what they've received does them any good or not. He ... allows them to take such things and spoil themselves with them.... Wouldn't it be a sign of hatred if I handed a madman a sword? I could be guilty of murder. Yet it is a great argument that God hates a man when He give him an estate and yet does not give him a heart to use it properly. He puts, as it were, a sword into a madman's hand. Although I would not be just in doing so, yet God would be just, for He would do so as a punishment for sin" (60-61).
A godly, contented, prayer: "Lord, you have blessed me with many outward comforts--more than you have done for others. Lord, I now profess that all of this is yours. I give it all up to you. It all belongs to you, and I desire to enjoy it no further than is needed for me to be useful to you in the place where you have set me. Lord, I surrender myself and all my fulnss to you. Take it all; it is all at your disposal. Use it for your own praise and glory" (77).
I've been consistently impressed with how relevant this book is. Despite our grumbling and feeling sorry for ourselves, we who live in Western civilization are blessed far more than most of us realize. This book is a great help not only to wake up to our condition but to know what do about it. "How do I live as a Christian in a prosperous state without condemning myself?"
Some quotes from the book:
On the importance of holding onto our possessions loosely: "Many men's spirits are like a bee: when it comes to sting, it thrusts its stinger so far in that it cannot be taken out, so the bee leaves it in there. Likewise, our hearts are so riveted into our possessions that we cannot part with them.... That's the reason people cry out the way they do; that's why they complain ... and wring their hands" (p. 25)
How failing to glorify God with our possessions may be an evidence we are cursed: "When God gives to a wicked man, He says 'Take these things if you will.' God never minds them any further; He never looks after them to see whether what they've received does them any good or not. He ... allows them to take such things and spoil themselves with them.... Wouldn't it be a sign of hatred if I handed a madman a sword? I could be guilty of murder. Yet it is a great argument that God hates a man when He give him an estate and yet does not give him a heart to use it properly. He puts, as it were, a sword into a madman's hand. Although I would not be just in doing so, yet God would be just, for He would do so as a punishment for sin" (60-61).
A godly, contented, prayer: "Lord, you have blessed me with many outward comforts--more than you have done for others. Lord, I now profess that all of this is yours. I give it all up to you. It all belongs to you, and I desire to enjoy it no further than is needed for me to be useful to you in the place where you have set me. Lord, I surrender myself and all my fulnss to you. Take it all; it is all at your disposal. Use it for your own praise and glory" (77).
April 27, 2013
“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34)
The above passages, especially in this day and age where the so-called prosperity gospel has gained such popularity in the church, are far too often ignored. Do we really understand what it means to rely on the God who knows the very number of hairs on our head (a quick count certainly for some) and who “clothes” the lilies of the field? Is Christianity about glorifying God with what He has given us or about the search for what God gives us in the physical sense as a badge of His delight in us? These are serious questions that face the church today.
Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory by famed Puritan pastor and author Jeremiah Burroughs speaks to this very issue of what Scripture means when it calls us to be content. Originally the appendix to Burrough’s work “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment,” a true classic in its own right, Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory is a collection of three sermons that address a number of key issues that remain relevant in the life of the believer, especially in today’s prosperity gospel driven climate. The somewhat antiquated language of the Puritan authors has been edited to make this edition a bit more readable while not changing any of Burrough’s salient thoughts.
Most believers view contentment as a product of knowing how to deal with adversity. After all, what better time to trust in God than when the proverbial chips are down, right? Burroughs reminds the reader that contentment is best practiced and learned when one knows how to be full. He rightly notes “we cannot learn how to be full unless we understand the mercies God has granted us. If a man should enjoy many mercies and does not understand them, he has not learned how to be full. He must prize the mercy God has granted to him at a suitable rate.”
Burroughs rightly contends that unlike what the prosperity gospel teaches, namely that health and wealth are what believers should seek, biblical contentment is defined as “that sweet, inward, quiet gracious frame of spirit,” that fullness where the believer fully comprehends the mercies and grace of God that are poured out in the life of the believer regardless of how much money is in the bank account, regardless of the size of your house, and regardless of what kind of car you drive. Such an approach is perfectly in keeping with the Apostle Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:12 of his ability to know how to be focused on God no matter what situation he was in, whether that was abundance or want. In every situation, if one’s focus is on God, then it will be His kingdom that is sought after fully and completely trusting in the God of the universe to meet the needs of His children.
Those who are not familiar with the Puritan authors will quickly notice the focus on practical Christian living that is found throughout this book. The Puritan authors such as Burroughs were extremely keen on focusing any and all discussion on God’s sovereignty. Understanding the supremacy of God and our need to look to Him in times of abundance or need while a rather simple theological truth, to some degree is very difficult at times to live out in everyday life. Burroughs reminds the reader that “When a man perceives himself to be self-sufficient, he sees no need for God or Christ or mercy or the Word and its promises.” This attitude of self-sufficiency is opposed to what Jesus reminded us in John 15:5, namely that without Him, we can do nothing.
Our first love must always be our Creator who sustains us, loves us, and knows what is best for us. Another excellent point made in this book by Burroughs that continues to reiterate that in any situation, our focus and devotion must be God-centered as evidence of our ability to be “full” is found in the following marvelous statement:
“It is a sign that God has given you strength of grace if your conscience can say to you, “Well, through God’s mercy, though I have many weaknesses and often fail in what I do, yet I can say to the praise of God that my estate has not estranged my heart from God. Rather, my heart cleaves to God, and I have communion with God in the things that God sends me. And when God gives me profitable trips, I find my heart in the best temper, and I have sweeter communion with God than at other times.”
This reveals the heart of one who truly understands that contentment is not based on physical prosperity, but rather finding our center in God regardless of where God leads. If God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil because God is with us. If God blesses us then we will in turn bless others out of our abundance, not to bring glory to ourselves but to bring glory to His name.
A believer who has this as their focus will, as Burroughs once again brilliantly states “If you can deliver yourselves from the deceits of prosperity, it will not be very difficult to resist the temptation of adversity. Once a man has surrendered to God the comfort of his prosperity, God will take care to remove the gall and bitterness of his affliction. There is nothing more comfortable to man in affliction than to consider that when he was prosperous he made use of it for the honor and glory of God.” This power packed statement encapsulates the tremendous wisdom found in the pages of Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory. Those who have been led astray by the worldly wisdom of the prosperity gospel will find a more proper treatment of biblical contentment in Burrough’s timeless work. It not only addresses what contentment is, it provides the reader the biblical path on how to apply this important theological truth to everyday life.
A short yet vital book for our day and age, Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory is a theologically sound and valuable handbook for how to deal with whatever time in life God has brought you so that you may live your life, whether that be a time of prosperity or adversity, to the glory of God.
I received this for free from Reformation Heritage Books via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34)
The above passages, especially in this day and age where the so-called prosperity gospel has gained such popularity in the church, are far too often ignored. Do we really understand what it means to rely on the God who knows the very number of hairs on our head (a quick count certainly for some) and who “clothes” the lilies of the field? Is Christianity about glorifying God with what He has given us or about the search for what God gives us in the physical sense as a badge of His delight in us? These are serious questions that face the church today.
Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory by famed Puritan pastor and author Jeremiah Burroughs speaks to this very issue of what Scripture means when it calls us to be content. Originally the appendix to Burrough’s work “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment,” a true classic in its own right, Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory is a collection of three sermons that address a number of key issues that remain relevant in the life of the believer, especially in today’s prosperity gospel driven climate. The somewhat antiquated language of the Puritan authors has been edited to make this edition a bit more readable while not changing any of Burrough’s salient thoughts.
Most believers view contentment as a product of knowing how to deal with adversity. After all, what better time to trust in God than when the proverbial chips are down, right? Burroughs reminds the reader that contentment is best practiced and learned when one knows how to be full. He rightly notes “we cannot learn how to be full unless we understand the mercies God has granted us. If a man should enjoy many mercies and does not understand them, he has not learned how to be full. He must prize the mercy God has granted to him at a suitable rate.”
Burroughs rightly contends that unlike what the prosperity gospel teaches, namely that health and wealth are what believers should seek, biblical contentment is defined as “that sweet, inward, quiet gracious frame of spirit,” that fullness where the believer fully comprehends the mercies and grace of God that are poured out in the life of the believer regardless of how much money is in the bank account, regardless of the size of your house, and regardless of what kind of car you drive. Such an approach is perfectly in keeping with the Apostle Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:12 of his ability to know how to be focused on God no matter what situation he was in, whether that was abundance or want. In every situation, if one’s focus is on God, then it will be His kingdom that is sought after fully and completely trusting in the God of the universe to meet the needs of His children.
Those who are not familiar with the Puritan authors will quickly notice the focus on practical Christian living that is found throughout this book. The Puritan authors such as Burroughs were extremely keen on focusing any and all discussion on God’s sovereignty. Understanding the supremacy of God and our need to look to Him in times of abundance or need while a rather simple theological truth, to some degree is very difficult at times to live out in everyday life. Burroughs reminds the reader that “When a man perceives himself to be self-sufficient, he sees no need for God or Christ or mercy or the Word and its promises.” This attitude of self-sufficiency is opposed to what Jesus reminded us in John 15:5, namely that without Him, we can do nothing.
Our first love must always be our Creator who sustains us, loves us, and knows what is best for us. Another excellent point made in this book by Burroughs that continues to reiterate that in any situation, our focus and devotion must be God-centered as evidence of our ability to be “full” is found in the following marvelous statement:
“It is a sign that God has given you strength of grace if your conscience can say to you, “Well, through God’s mercy, though I have many weaknesses and often fail in what I do, yet I can say to the praise of God that my estate has not estranged my heart from God. Rather, my heart cleaves to God, and I have communion with God in the things that God sends me. And when God gives me profitable trips, I find my heart in the best temper, and I have sweeter communion with God than at other times.”
This reveals the heart of one who truly understands that contentment is not based on physical prosperity, but rather finding our center in God regardless of where God leads. If God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil because God is with us. If God blesses us then we will in turn bless others out of our abundance, not to bring glory to ourselves but to bring glory to His name.
A believer who has this as their focus will, as Burroughs once again brilliantly states “If you can deliver yourselves from the deceits of prosperity, it will not be very difficult to resist the temptation of adversity. Once a man has surrendered to God the comfort of his prosperity, God will take care to remove the gall and bitterness of his affliction. There is nothing more comfortable to man in affliction than to consider that when he was prosperous he made use of it for the honor and glory of God.” This power packed statement encapsulates the tremendous wisdom found in the pages of Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory. Those who have been led astray by the worldly wisdom of the prosperity gospel will find a more proper treatment of biblical contentment in Burrough’s timeless work. It not only addresses what contentment is, it provides the reader the biblical path on how to apply this important theological truth to everyday life.
A short yet vital book for our day and age, Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory is a theologically sound and valuable handbook for how to deal with whatever time in life God has brought you so that you may live your life, whether that be a time of prosperity or adversity, to the glory of God.
I received this for free from Reformation Heritage Books via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
September 23, 2022
Es un libro puritano excelente, de hecho ha sido una de mis lecturas preferidas en estos meses, vino a mi en momentos en los que necesitaba crecer en el contentamiento que solo viene y surge de nuestro gozo y satisfacción en Cristo, sean las circunstancias por las que estemos pasando, la verdad que nos puede mantener de pie es que Cristo se ocupa de nosotros en nuestras aflicciones para su Gloria y para manifestar su belleza y amor hacia nosotros, no debemos preocuparnos o quejarnos de lo temporal más bien con un corazón agradecido mirar al Señor por su bondad eterna y gracia, a continuación mis citas favoritas del libro:
- "No hay nada fuera del creyente que le pueda mantener continuamente feliz; se necesita la gracia de Dios dentro. (...) la felicidad verdadera es otorgada por Dios"
- "El contentamiento verdadero viene de obedecer la palabra de Dios que es revelada en la Biblia, al servir a Dios, están sirviendo a un Señor el cual siempre tiene sus mejores intereses en mente, los creyentes pueden someterse a la voluntad divina con contentamiento."
- "El se preocupa tanto por los creyentes que no necesitan estar ansiosos o afanados por nada, cuando sus mentes están concentradas en las cosas de arriba y se ocupan de la comunión con Dios, entonces no llegarán a decaerse cuando tengan problemas con las cosas terrenales"
- "Los creyentes deberían hacer un esfuerzo para pensar positivamente acerca de la manera en
que Dios trata con ellos"
Gálatas 6:14:" Pero lejos esté de mí gloriarme, sino en la cruz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, por quien el mundo me es crucificado a mí, y yo al mundo."
¡Cristo nos ayude a vivir contentos en Él diariamente!
- "No hay nada fuera del creyente que le pueda mantener continuamente feliz; se necesita la gracia de Dios dentro. (...) la felicidad verdadera es otorgada por Dios"
- "El contentamiento verdadero viene de obedecer la palabra de Dios que es revelada en la Biblia, al servir a Dios, están sirviendo a un Señor el cual siempre tiene sus mejores intereses en mente, los creyentes pueden someterse a la voluntad divina con contentamiento."
- "El se preocupa tanto por los creyentes que no necesitan estar ansiosos o afanados por nada, cuando sus mentes están concentradas en las cosas de arriba y se ocupan de la comunión con Dios, entonces no llegarán a decaerse cuando tengan problemas con las cosas terrenales"
- "Los creyentes deberían hacer un esfuerzo para pensar positivamente acerca de la manera en
que Dios trata con ellos"
Gálatas 6:14:" Pero lejos esté de mí gloriarme, sino en la cruz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, por quien el mundo me es crucificado a mí, y yo al mundo."
¡Cristo nos ayude a vivir contentos en Él diariamente!
Read
January 13, 2026“It is a better lesson for one to learn how to honour God in fullness than it is to learn how he can get full. It is a good sign that truth and grace are working in your heart if you judge this to be the better thing. That is, it’s better to know how to honour God with those good things I have than to know how I can get more.”
“A man learns how to be full when he can discern the best use of what he has—that is, when he can tell how best to distribute the fullness God gives him.”
“A man knows how to be full when he can keep under his command everything he enjoys, and he can retain command over his own spirit in what he enjoys.”
We must make our possessions our servant rather than letting them rule over us.
“to love God in all his fullness (not so much to love the things themselves, but to love God in the things).”
What we have ought to lead us to the source of all fullness. To enjoy God and acknowledge him in all things.
“A man learns how to be full when he can discern the best use of what he has—that is, when he can tell how best to distribute the fullness God gives him.”
“A man knows how to be full when he can keep under his command everything he enjoys, and he can retain command over his own spirit in what he enjoys.”
We must make our possessions our servant rather than letting them rule over us.
“to love God in all his fullness (not so much to love the things themselves, but to love God in the things).”
What we have ought to lead us to the source of all fullness. To enjoy God and acknowledge him in all things.
May 5, 2013
I am not sure I am either qualified to review or whether the book itself should be subjected to the likes of me for review. Who are we in the great scheme of God’s church in time to review, analyze or critique a truly tested, timeless prophet of the Gospel like Jeremiah Burroughs? Nevertheless, I will, in whatever feeble means I am able as I have been so richly bless by his other work Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment during a season of my life where God in his grace saw it fit to ruin my desire for contentment over His glory, but that is different post. During that season of my life a book of essays and excerpts on the topic of suffering which consisted of authors from Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Burroughs, Jonathan Edwards, to modern prophetic voices like R.C. Sproul and John Piper among others. It has now been some time since I read most works during my dark night of the soul and of all the authors I have read to help me discern why I was so tainted with a thirst to be healed of my ailments, only Burroughs still remains clear in my memory. So when I saw the opportunity to review a book that succeeds his work I already benefited from so greatly I could not pass it up, even if it meant setting aside my other reading.
Burroughs has a way of demolishing any ability to hold on to one’s carnal desires and claim to be a faithful follower of Christ. He does so swiftly and without prejudice and then once the reader is at his weakest, he let’s the light of the glory of the God of our Gospel begin to saturate the room so that once shone through its grandeur is unsurpassed and as C.S. Lewis similarly phrased, we will not longer be so easily amused (or amazed may be a more appropriate term) by anything else.
In Contentment, Prosperity and God’s Glory (CPGG), he makes his case from Paul’s letter to the Philippians and does so with both doctrinal prudence and exegetical care. He goes on to show in the introduction chapter Paul’s character as it has been molded and shaped by the Glory of God and the grace of the Gospel. He humbles the reader by showing us Paul’s gratitude and humility towards others alike even as he suffered imprisonment, and other repercussions of His faith. It is humbling because by this point in the book, if like me, you have already complained about something of no eternal value or lusted over something that will decay, rust or be eaten by moths over eternity. This is all done to show the reader that the true Christian is content, that is made to abound, in the knowledge of and union with Jesus Christ regardless of the circumstances. It is truly a grace to be content. Because to be content is to know Christ, the ultimate manifestation of God’s overpowering grace toward a rebellious sinful world.
I could go on about the various chapters and details therein, but what I want to layout is his thesis as it relates to the Gospel. See Paul also lays out for us in Philippians a point that Burroughs picks up with pastoral wisdom and drives home. When we are content, praise God for his grace, and furthermore, any contentment we have worldly things must serve to point us to The glorious God from whom all blessings flow! Amen and Amen, I say. I have been blessed beyond comprehension and I pray that God keeps pointing me to him when I stare at my beautiful healthy children, a loving wife, a warm home, a meal and a loving church family where we are able to freely worship our Savior.
Further and maybe even more importantly there is the point that must adjoin this one and needs to be learned by all Christians to “Be Full” regardless, even when we are abased. Wisely, Burroughs shows us Paul. When all comforts were gone, when life was becoming unbearable Paul was able to continue in rejoicing that he was content because he was full of the one thing that could not be removed. The glorious Grace of God’s indwelling presence and the promises of eternal riches and true prosperity as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
At approximately 115 pages and 10 chapters, Jeremiah Burroughs is the one source as a pastor I point people to apart from the Scriptures to show them the riches of His glorious grace when life seems grand according to worldly standards or the world around us is crumbling beneath our feet. I leave you with a quote that I believe is the crucial message you need to take away from the book.
Always be the same.
So in a constant way, whether in prosperity or adversity, the gracious man will still respond consistently before God. If God brings illness upon him, he rejoices in God and blesses Him; you will find pleasant and spiritual things coming from him even then. And if God delivers him and he comes into prosperity, there you will find that his heart still remains heavenly. It remains gracious, spiritual, and raised above created things, no matter which condition he is put into (116).
I cringe to think of How Jeremiah Burroughs might address the world we live in today. We have certainly seen the perpetuation of the carnal inclination to worship the created things instead of the Creator and in so doing, we have worshiped ourselves and our circumstances.
Let us all see the things we have and our circumstances as they are. Sign glory. Sign glory is meant to be just that, a sign pointing us to greater things and an even greater God.
As a truthful disclaimer, I read this book in a hammock overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, but had I read it in a hospital bed I would recommend it just the same. So, whatever your circumstance, prosperity or adversity, I don’t merely recommend this book. I say you NEED this book.
This book was provided for an honest review by Cross Focused Reviews, a positive review was not required but the book certainly warranted it.
Burroughs has a way of demolishing any ability to hold on to one’s carnal desires and claim to be a faithful follower of Christ. He does so swiftly and without prejudice and then once the reader is at his weakest, he let’s the light of the glory of the God of our Gospel begin to saturate the room so that once shone through its grandeur is unsurpassed and as C.S. Lewis similarly phrased, we will not longer be so easily amused (or amazed may be a more appropriate term) by anything else.
In Contentment, Prosperity and God’s Glory (CPGG), he makes his case from Paul’s letter to the Philippians and does so with both doctrinal prudence and exegetical care. He goes on to show in the introduction chapter Paul’s character as it has been molded and shaped by the Glory of God and the grace of the Gospel. He humbles the reader by showing us Paul’s gratitude and humility towards others alike even as he suffered imprisonment, and other repercussions of His faith. It is humbling because by this point in the book, if like me, you have already complained about something of no eternal value or lusted over something that will decay, rust or be eaten by moths over eternity. This is all done to show the reader that the true Christian is content, that is made to abound, in the knowledge of and union with Jesus Christ regardless of the circumstances. It is truly a grace to be content. Because to be content is to know Christ, the ultimate manifestation of God’s overpowering grace toward a rebellious sinful world.
I could go on about the various chapters and details therein, but what I want to layout is his thesis as it relates to the Gospel. See Paul also lays out for us in Philippians a point that Burroughs picks up with pastoral wisdom and drives home. When we are content, praise God for his grace, and furthermore, any contentment we have worldly things must serve to point us to The glorious God from whom all blessings flow! Amen and Amen, I say. I have been blessed beyond comprehension and I pray that God keeps pointing me to him when I stare at my beautiful healthy children, a loving wife, a warm home, a meal and a loving church family where we are able to freely worship our Savior.
Further and maybe even more importantly there is the point that must adjoin this one and needs to be learned by all Christians to “Be Full” regardless, even when we are abased. Wisely, Burroughs shows us Paul. When all comforts were gone, when life was becoming unbearable Paul was able to continue in rejoicing that he was content because he was full of the one thing that could not be removed. The glorious Grace of God’s indwelling presence and the promises of eternal riches and true prosperity as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
At approximately 115 pages and 10 chapters, Jeremiah Burroughs is the one source as a pastor I point people to apart from the Scriptures to show them the riches of His glorious grace when life seems grand according to worldly standards or the world around us is crumbling beneath our feet. I leave you with a quote that I believe is the crucial message you need to take away from the book.
Always be the same.
So in a constant way, whether in prosperity or adversity, the gracious man will still respond consistently before God. If God brings illness upon him, he rejoices in God and blesses Him; you will find pleasant and spiritual things coming from him even then. And if God delivers him and he comes into prosperity, there you will find that his heart still remains heavenly. It remains gracious, spiritual, and raised above created things, no matter which condition he is put into (116).
I cringe to think of How Jeremiah Burroughs might address the world we live in today. We have certainly seen the perpetuation of the carnal inclination to worship the created things instead of the Creator and in so doing, we have worshiped ourselves and our circumstances.
Let us all see the things we have and our circumstances as they are. Sign glory. Sign glory is meant to be just that, a sign pointing us to greater things and an even greater God.
As a truthful disclaimer, I read this book in a hammock overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, but had I read it in a hospital bed I would recommend it just the same. So, whatever your circumstance, prosperity or adversity, I don’t merely recommend this book. I say you NEED this book.
This book was provided for an honest review by Cross Focused Reviews, a positive review was not required but the book certainly warranted it.
March 18, 2024
This is a collection of sermons from a Puritan minister in the 1600s with the language edited for modern day comprehension.
Burroughs teaches that it is infinitely more difficult to be content in prosperity than in adversity, which many of us in developed countries have far more than we need. He says to examine your heart frequently- are you thankful to God for what you have? Can you have the same heart attitude if God blesses you with more, or takes all that you have? God gives you things for a reason- are you using what you have to glorify and praise God? What a convicting read that left me more thankful to God. In an age where we all want more, more, more, I am reminded to be content with all that God gives me and a desire to be a good steward that brings glory to God. Great read!
Burroughs teaches that it is infinitely more difficult to be content in prosperity than in adversity, which many of us in developed countries have far more than we need. He says to examine your heart frequently- are you thankful to God for what you have? Can you have the same heart attitude if God blesses you with more, or takes all that you have? God gives you things for a reason- are you using what you have to glorify and praise God? What a convicting read that left me more thankful to God. In an age where we all want more, more, more, I am reminded to be content with all that God gives me and a desire to be a good steward that brings glory to God. Great read!
January 17, 2025
“Remember me, O my God, for good.”
“Luther used to say that the smallest degree of grace, and every gracious work, is worth more than heaven and earth. He professed that he would rather understand one psalm than to have all the riches of the world.”
“If a man appreciates what he has through the lens of the Word of the promise or by the Word of the gospel, where Jesus Christ is revealed to us, his ability to profit from the things he enjoys becomes transformed by Jesus Christ, the Word who sanctifies everything to us.”
“Luther used to say that the smallest degree of grace, and every gracious work, is worth more than heaven and earth. He professed that he would rather understand one psalm than to have all the riches of the world.”
“If a man appreciates what he has through the lens of the Word of the promise or by the Word of the gospel, where Jesus Christ is revealed to us, his ability to profit from the things he enjoys becomes transformed by Jesus Christ, the Word who sanctifies everything to us.”
November 14, 2025
A good short little concentrated study on the concept of learning how to thrive as a Christian when you have more “things”. Some of it felt like stretching the point but most of it was said in unique thought-provoking ways. To hear on the perspective of it’s ok to be rich but how do we rightly think of it in view of glorifying God and not letting it tear us away from our need for him. It argues that it’s harder to learn how to be rich well than to learn how to be content with being poor- took me a second to understand but I agreed by the end. A good intro into the puritan style of writing.
March 21, 2021
I think this book would be helpful for many American Christians to read and consider. We live in one of the richest nations in human history, and this book can help us know how we ought to take that. One of his main points that I found helpful is that with more wealth comes more responsibility to use it for the glory of God.
That said, I did find this book quite repetitious. He kept repeating the same things over and over again in different ways, It could have been quite a bit shorter.
That said, I did find this book quite repetitious. He kept repeating the same things over and over again in different ways, It could have been quite a bit shorter.
February 2, 2025
What a gem! Meant to be an add-on to “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment”, the argument in this small book is that it may be harder to learn how to be content during times of prosperity/abundance than in times of suffering/affliction. An applicable message for our day and culture, where we truly lack for nothing. A good reminder of the ways in which the devil is active in the temptations that come with prosperity and abundance.
April 22, 2024
(4.5/5)
This is a follow-up to Burroughs's book on contentment, which primarily dealt with being content in affliction. In this book, Burroughs addresses being content during prosperity. We don't often think of the need to be content when things are going well. Great book to get us thinking about these things and using our good times to serve God well.
This is a follow-up to Burroughs's book on contentment, which primarily dealt with being content in affliction. In this book, Burroughs addresses being content during prosperity. We don't often think of the need to be content when things are going well. Great book to get us thinking about these things and using our good times to serve God well.
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