Jeremiah Burroughs
Recommendation: 5/5
Description of author: Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646) was an English puritan preacher. He played a prominent role in the Westminster Assembly of divines.
Comments: This book ranks very high on my list of books that every Christian should read. Just reading the 6-page table of contents of this classic is highly instructive. It is comprised of 13 chapters: Christian Contentment Described (1); The Mystery of Contentment (2-4); How Christ Teaches Contentment (5&6); The Excellence of Contentment (7); The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit (8&9); Aggravations of the Sin of Murmuring (10); The Excuses of a Discontented Heart (11); How to Attain Contentment (12&13). He begins by offering a description of Christian contentment: 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). The especially important part of this definition is the last phrase, in every condition. Surely this is one of the most fundamental and critical aspects of Christian living – learning to be content whatever our lot. Burroughs is practical, thorough, and Biblical. He also uses a lot of helpful illustrations.