A77983:164
Four books on the eleventh of Matthew
Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easy way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepney and Cripple-Gate, London.Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easie way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate, London.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1659
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Answ. I Answer, Yet we are to look upon others better then our selves in these respects.
First: They had not such education as you had they had not such droppings in of God as I had when I was young, they lived in a wicked Family, and had ⟨p. 564⟩wicked Parents, but I had Godly Parents, had they had such Godly Parents and good education as I, they might have been better, and done better, it may be they have been cast among those that have given them wicked examples to provoke to sin, but I have had Gracious examples, it may be they never lived under such means as I have, had such precious truths, such heart melting truths been presented before others, as hath been presented before me, they might have wrought upon the heart of the vilest in the world more than they have upon my heart, it may be they have not had the awakings of Conscience, God never darted that light into their Consciences as into mine, they never had the terrors in their Spirits as I have had, God never made them know what sin meant as he hath done me, had God enlightened them as he hath done me, and awakened their Consciences, and terrified them as he hath done me, Surely, there would not have remained such evil in them as is in me, they never had such drawings of Gods spirit (it may be) as I have had, O! the allurements of Gods Spirit that I have had, to have drawn me away from sin, and to have drawn me to that that is good, and yet how did I keep back? Do I wonder to see them drawn by vain and wicked Company? What great wonder is it when they have nothing else to draw them back? But had they the drawings of the Holy Ghost, and those words of love, and those stirrings of the Spirit of God in them as I have had, and as I have daily, how would they be as ready to be drawn to good as they are to evil? I wonder that they are not moved more by the word, I but my heart is not moved by the drawings of Gods Spirit, had they but tasted how sweet God is, they never tasted the sweetness of the word, nor the sweetness that there is in ⟨p. 565⟩the ways of God as I have done, had they tasted what I have tasted, and felt what I have felt, it would have been better with them than it is with me. And so many such Considerations being put into the balance, though others be very vile and wicked, yet we have good reason to look upon others better than our selves, at least to look upon our selves as vile as any in the world;