Book Review: Contentment

The Art of Divine Contentment by Thomas Watson

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs

These two books on the same topic say much just by their titles. Both titles indicate that Christian contentment is of tremendous value, but that it is not universally or easily achieved. Both assessments are correct. There is something appealing and beautiful about a truly contented Christian, but unfortunately there are too few Christians who really fall into that category.

Both authors were Puritan preachers in London during the 1600s. They both saw the need for preaching on this important quality of contentment. Mr. Watson stated, "A gracious spirit is a contented spirit. The doctrine of contentment is very superlative, and till we have learned this, we have not learned to be Christians." Mr. Burroughs similarly declared, "To be well skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment is the duty, glory, and excellence of a Christian."

Some readers may be a little nervous about reading something written so long ago. For the most part, those fears are unfounded. The writing will seem a little awkward to someone accustomed to reading only modern writing, but the stylistic differences are not significant enough to prevent understanding or to mask the important message of these books. A few words are unusual ("creature" is used repeatedly to mean creature comforts), and the sentences tend to be long with multiple parts.

I understand that the style is typical of Puritan writing. One of the most noticeable things to me is the tendency to be so thorough and detailed that it may seem the authors are beating the topic to death. Some sections and chapters do seem somewhat repetitious. The overall organization is not so much an outline with everything arranged under a few major points, but more an exhaustive list that moves from one topic to another. To be fair, I believe both men originally wrote a series of sermons that were later put into book form. I believe it is also a Puritan tendency to rely on parallels in nature or life to illustrate a point. I did not always follow the connection or feel that these illustrations were valid (designed by God to teach what the author asserted). Despite these minor challenges, both books are well worth reading.

Mr. Watson's book at times seems to include rabbit trails that are not organic to the discussion, and I felt like it took him several chapters to actually get to the meat of his topic. He defines contentment as "a sweet temper of spirit, whereby a Christian carries himself in an equal poise in every condition." He presents some pertinent questions to help clarify what is okay and what is not okay regarding a believer's attitude in this area. Contentment does not require one to blindly think nothing in life is unpleasant, nor does it prevent him from talking to God about the unpleasantness or trying to change the unpleasantness through lawful means. In other words, contentment is not naivety or denial; it is a choice.

The author shares reasons for contentment. He shows why contentment is attractive and why the lack of it is not. He includes a rather lengthy section of excuses people give for why they can't be content based on their circumstances of life. He then provides arguments against those excuses. While the list may not address each person's excuse, the chapter does highlight the necessity of looking beyond the circumstances to the blessings or realizations of what God might be doing through an unpleasant situation. Watson then describes the benefits and advantages that accompany contentment and the disadvantages and pitfalls that result when it is absent. The author provides a list of characteristics of contentment to serve as a self-evaluation, and finally provides some counsel for how to develop contentment in one's life.

I found Mr. Burroughs's book to be more concisely organized than that of Mr. Watson, and Mr. Burroughs also more effectively challenged my heart and thinking. He 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." He effectively expands on each word and phrase of the definition to give a good understanding of what contentment is. He discusses the mystery of contentment by pointing out the paradoxes of things that don't make sense to the world, but that a Christian comes to understand that allow him to be contented. He tells how Christ and the Bible teach the concept of contentment. There is a section describing the benefits and blessings of being content, and then a complementary chapter describing the evils of murmuring and illustrating how unbecoming it is for a Christian. Burroughs tells how people try to rationalize or excuse their lack of contentment by making themselves the exception. He as well closes his book with recommendations for how to attain contentment.

A very important aspect of contentment that both men appropriately address is the relationship between contentment and the understanding of God's providence. While submission to providence is not equivalent to contentment, it is an important foundation. It seems that achieving contentment is dependent upon ever-increasing understanding of God's providence as well as ever-deepening levels of submission to whatever God ordains.

Because the topic of contentment is so important and also so elusive, I recommend reading both books. The concept is so foreign to Christians that the repetition and continued reminders will help to reinforce the message. If reading only one of the two, I suggest the book by Burroughs. His book is considerably longer than that of Watson, however, so someone who is not a dedicated reader may choose Watson's book for that reason. 

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11 (NASB)