A77983:211
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.
Seventhly, Further, an humble heart is a tried heart, no man or woman knows their own hearts but those that are humble, thou canst not know ⟨p. 593⟩thine own heart till thou beest humble. There is many afraid lest they should be deceived, they cry out, O my heart is deceitful, and I may deceive my self and perish at last, wouldest thou prevent this? wouldest thou not be deceived in the matters of eternity, and thy eternal estate? Then be very Lowly and humble, and then thou wilt know thy heart; the reason why all Hypocrites go away with a formal profession, and do not know their hearts, and have falseness lie at the bottom, it is from the pride of their own hearts, because their hearts are not broken, and are not humble, therefore mark what God saith in Deut. 8. 2. Saith God to his people there when he would bring them into the wilderness, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the Wilderness, What was it for? For to humble thee, and prove thee, and know what was in thine Heart. Whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no, all this was to humble thee, and prove thee, and to know what was in thy heart. Did not God know what was in their heart before? Yes certainly but he would have them know what was in their heart, and how would he do it? By humbling them, and proving them, God humbles men by bringing their estates Low, and they come to know what is in their hearts thereby, O! men that did prosper in outward things, now in these times God hath taken their estates from them, and they come to know more what is in their own hearts then before, and in this God doth recompense their loss of Estate, that they come to know their own hearts more, Saith an humble soul, true, I have lost much of mine estate, but yet withal I have come thereby to know more of mine own heart then ever I did before: then I argue from the lesser to the greater, if the loosing of a mans estate will try one, then certainly, ⟨p. 594⟩the humbling of the heart will try one more, that is the excellency of an humble heart, it is a tried heart, the Lord may trust such a Soul, let God set them about what he will, to do or suffer, an humble heart is fit for it.
Seventhly, Further, an humble heart is a tryed heart, no man or woman knows their own hearts but those that are humble, thou canst not know