A77983:217
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.
Twelfthly: Again, There is nothing that makes ⟨p. 598⟩the life of a man and woman more joyful, and more comfortable, than Humility: You think the proud have the jolly lives, and the comfortable lives, No, but the humble have most comfortableness, because it makes them to prize the least mercy. Chrysostom, upon Acts 7. hath this expression. None saith he, live so comfortably as the humble, and he gives the reason for it, Because the least thing he enjoys, he sets such a price upon the mercy, and therefore rejoiceth in it, you shall observe it, come to a poor Godly Family, and you hear nothing but blessing and praising of Gods mercy, and wondering at Gods mercy, you that have great Houses, and great Tables furnished, you are wrangling and snarling at this and the other thing, but an humble heart is praising and blessing God for his mercy and enjoy more of the mercies of Gods that they have than you do in all your abundance. If a man have his flesh swollen, he will not be able to bear it, but it will be mighty troublesome to him: So when the heart is swollen it will bring trouble to thee, but this likewise will come more fully in, when we come to speak of the Promise, I will give you rest. But now there is only one thing more for opening the excellency of this Grace, and that is, the many gracious Promises in Scripture that are made to humble hearts, as now to name a few, That God will guide the humble in their way, Psal. 25. 9. I confess your Books have it Meek, and so I made use of it in opening Meekness, but the word in the Hebrew is, Humble, and you may take it both ways, and therefore in Prov. 11. 2. you have an excellent Scripture there. With the Lowly there is Wisdom, No man or woman hath that Wisdom for the guiding and governing of their ways, as the Lowly; Proud men will run on upon their own heads rashly, because they be conceited of their own ways, but the Lowly will ⟨p. 599⟩examine, and wait, and suspect themselves, they will try and examine their ways, and go in an humble way, With the Lowly there is Wisdom. Oh! into what Labyrinths, straits, and extremities, do proud people hurry themselves, but now the Lowly they have the guidance of the Spirit of God carrying them on in their way, and therefore they can quiet their hearts, and listen to know what the mind of God is.