Sample Chapter

About

The temptation to be discontent is everywhere. We are bombarded with advertisements telling us we are incomplete and unfulfilled. And yet the seeds of discontentment are already present in our own sinful hearts.

Almost four hundred years ago Jeremiah Burroughs wrote of the "rare jewel" of Christian contentment. If it was a rarity in the days of the Puritans, how much more is this true today!

William Barcley addresses the heart of the matter—the discontent that lies within. Based in the writings of Jeremiah Burroughs and Thomas Watson, he presents afresh these great Puritans' meditations on contentment for a modern audience. Above all, he seeks the wisdom of Paul, who declared that he had found the "mystery" or the "secret" of being content.

Contentment must be learned, and Barcley reveals the secret, calling us to a contentment that comes from knowing God and delighting in his sovereign goodness and fatherly care.

Endorsements

"Planted in Philippians and watered with Puritan wisdom, this handbook on cultivating contentment unlocks one of the secrets of spiritual health and happiness. A rewarding study."

—J. I. Packer, Regent College

"I warmly commend this practical manual of happy living in an often hard world."

—Douglas F. Kelly, Reformed Theological Seminary

"It is a great pleasure to recommend this book, which addresses the issue of discontentment head on and offers practical, pastoral advice, firmly rooted in the teaching of the Bible."

—Carl R. Trueman, Westminster Theological Seminary

The Author

William B. Barcley

William B. Barcley (MATS, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; PhD, Boston University) is pastor of Sovereign Grace Presbyterian Church and adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.

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