It is a work of the Spirit indoors.
It is not only that we do
not seek to help ourselves by outward violence, or that we forbear from
discontented and murmuring expressions with perverse words and bearing
against God and others. But it is the inward submission of the heart.
'Truly, my soul waiteth upon God' (Psalm 62:1) and 'My soul, wait thou
only upon God' (verse 5)-so it is in your Bibles, but the words may be
translated as correctly: 'My soul, be thou silent unto God. Holy thy
peace, O my soul.' Not only must the tongue hold its peace; the soul
must be silent. Many may sit silently, refraining from discontented
expressions, yet inwardly they are bursting with discontented
expressions, yet inwardly they are bursting with discontent.
This shows a complicated
disorder and great perversity in their hearts. And notwithstanding their
outward silence, God hears the peevish, fretful language of their
souls. A shoe may be smooth and neat outside, while inside it pinches
the flesh. Outwardly there may be great calmness and stillness, yet
within amazing confusion, bitterness, disturbance and vexation.
Some people are so weak that
they cannot restrain the unrest of their spirits, but in words and
behavior they reveal what woeful disturbances there are within. Their
spirits are like the raging sea, casting forth nothing but mire and
dirt, and are troublesome not only to themselves but also to all with
whom they live. Others, however, are able to restrain such disorders of
heart, as Judas did when he betrayed Christ with a kiss, but even so
they boil inwardly and eat away like a canker. So David speaks of some
whose words are sweeter than honey and butter, and yet have war in their
hearts.
In another place, he says,
'While I kept silence my bones waxed old'. In the same way these people,
while there is a serene calm upon their tongues, have blustering storms
upon their spirits, and while they keep silence their hearts are
troubled and even worn away with anguish and vexation. They have peace
and quiet outwardly, but within war from the unruly and turbulent
workings of their heart.
If the attainment of true
contentment were as easy as keeping quiet outwardly, it would not need
much learning. It might be had with less strength and skill than an
Apostle possessed, yea, less than an ordinary Christian has or may have.
Therefore, there is certainly more to it than can be attained by common
gifts and the ordinary power of reason, which often bridle nature. It
is a business of the heart.
- Jeremiah Burroughs (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Chapter 1: Christian Contentment Described)
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