Book 3 › Chapter 132, Four books on the eleventh of Matthew by Jeremiah Burroughs (1659) | AskReformation

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As First: Meditate what once you were, consider that there is never a one of you whatever your condition is now, but you were a Child of wrath, and that as well as others, as well as the vilest, basest wretch in the world, as you were by nature you you were such as lost God, had departed from him, were deprived of the Image of God, your excellency was departed from you, you were under the curse of the Law, you were enemies unto God, your life was a continual enmity unto God, all your days you did nothing else but fight against him, you were guilty, condemned Creatures, you were full of sin, of the Seeds of all kinds of sin, there is no sin in Hell it self but the Seeds of it were in your hearts, your hearts and lives were full of sin, all the faculties of your Souls were full of sin, and all the members of your bodies instruments of sin, all the good things you had was defiled, Soul and Body was polluted, and all loathsome▪ you were even cast out in your blood, and even lived in filthiness, for all the time of your natural condition, all the Creatures that you had use of you defiled with sin, and all Ordinances were polluted, all things were unclean to you: Now these are some certain Heads to meditate upon, to work upon us the knowledge of our selves, what we were in that natural state.

As First: Meditate what once you were, consider that there is never a one of you whatever your condition is now, but you were a Child of wrath, and that as wel as others, as well as the vilest, basest wretch in the world, as you were by nature you you were such as lost God, had departed from him, were deprived of the Image of God, your excellency was departed from you, you were under the curse of the Law, you were enemies unto God, your life was a continuall enmity unto God, all your daies you did nothing else but fight against him, you were guilty, condemned Creatures, you were ful of sin, of the Seeds of all kinds of sin, there is no sin in Hell it self but the Seeds of it were in your hearts, your hearts and lives were full of sin, all the faculties of your Souls were full of sin, and all the members of your bodies instruments of sin, all the good things you had was defiled, Soul and Body was polluted, and al loathsome▪ you were even cast out in your blood, and even lived in filthiness, for al the time of your natural condition, al the Creatures that you had use of you defiled with sin, and all Ordinances were polluted, all things were unclean to you: Now these are some certain Heads to meditate upon, to work upon us the knowledg of our selves, what we were in that naturall state.

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Yea, If God had taken you away divers years since without the knowledge of him, and the knowledge of his Son, In what case had you been in, if you had died when such a kinsman of yours died, or such a Neighbour of yours died, where had you been? When you fit in your houses with your Wife and Children about you, consider what you might have been, I that sit here, and have the day of Grace continued to me, might have been in the bottomless Gulf, I might have been cursing and blaspheming God, you that God hath wrought something upon, you desire to fear him, and you come to worship him, and have some delight to worship him, if God had left you to your self, you might have gone cursing and swearing, and blaspheming, & committing any vileness that any the most vilest have committed. It may God hath enlarged your heart in Prayer, I but if God had left you to your self, instead of being enlarged in prayer, you might have been cursing and blaspheming God: Now this is a mighty means to humble your heart.

Yea, If God had taken you away divers yeers since without the knowledg of him, and the knowledg of his Son, In what case had you been in, if you had died when such a kinsman of yours died, or such a Neighbor of yours died, where had you been? When you fit in your houses with your Wife and Children about you, consider what you might have been, I that sit here, and have the day of Grace continued to me, might have been in the bottomless Gulf, I might have been cursing and blaspheming God, you that God hath wrought something upon, you desire to fear him, and you come to worship him, and have some delight to worship him, if God had left you to your self, you might have gone cursing and swearing, and blaspheming, & committing any vileness that any the most vilest have committed. It may God hath enlarged your heart in Prayer, I but if God had left you to your self, instead of being enlarged in prayer, you might have been cursing and blaspheming God: Now this is a mighty means to humble your heart.

:273p. 628

Thirdly: And the third head is this, If God hath made any change in your State, What a trouble it put Heaven and Earth unto, that the Son of God must take your nature upon him, and die, and be made a Curse, to deliver you from that condition? Now this is a mighty humbling consideration, for if a Man or Woman had done any such thing as deserves punishment, though they be delivered, yet if they know that the deliverance cost abundance of trouble, for a Child to think, my Father might have cast me off, and I might have been a lost Child, I but what a deal of charge and trouble have I put my Father to? I have been a trouble to the Family, and to my Friends: So here, God hath not cast us down to Hell as he might have done; But O! what a deal of trouble have we put God unto, & Heaven unto, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, must come and be made a Curse for me? the thoughts of this should humble us, it is true, to consider of the torments of Hell is very humbling, but to consider of the way of Gods delivering us from those torments, is as great a means to humble us as any thing in the world.

Thirdly: And the third head is this, If God hath made any change in your State, What a trouble it put Heaven and Earth unto, that the Son of God must take your nature upon him, and die, and be made a Curse, to deliver you from that condition? Now this is a mighty humbling consideration, for if a Man or Woman had done any such thing as deserves punishment, though they be delivered, yet if they know that the deliverance cost abundance of trouble, for a Child to think, my Father might have cast me off, and I might have been a lost Child, I but what a deal of charge and trouble have I put my Father to? I have been a trouble to the Family, and to my Friends: So here, God hath not cast us down to Hel as he might have done; But O! what a deal of trouble have we put God unto, & Heaven unto, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, must come and be made a Curse for me? the thoughts of this should humble us, it is true, to consider of the torments of Hel is very humbling, but to consider of the way of Gods delivering us from those torments, is as great a means to humble us as any thing in the world.

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Yea, Fourthly: Consider what thou art now, though God hath delivered thee: Thou hast yet a body of sin and death that thou carriest about with thee, Oh, abundance of sin and corruption remains in thy Soul, Consider that of Paul, Rom. 7. 24. O! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death? Consider thine unworthy walking for all those good things thou hast received from God, that notwithstanding all that ever God hath done for thee, yet thou walkest so unworthily as thou dost and God foresaw this, that thou wouldest walk thus unworthily and wretchedly before him, the thoughts of this, that there is such unkindness ⟨p. 629⟩offer do God, that thou that hopest to receive such great things from God, and persuadest thy self that God hath done such great things for thee, as he hath in sending his Son to die for thee, I say, the thoughts of this, is as humbling a consideration as any can be conceived of, next unto that one, what Christ did for us, and what our souls cost, our unworthiness of such a mercy, and our unanswerableness to such a mercy is a mighty humbling consideration, and indeed, it would be a good Argument to persuade, that thou art one that God hath done such things for in Christ, if so be thou canst find, that the thoughts of what he hath done for thee, makes thee humble so much the more, in the consideration of all thine unworthy walking for what he hath done for thee, here is matter enough for meditation to humble the Soul in the presence of God, if these things be considered, what yet thou art.

Yea, Fourthly: Consider what thou art now, though God hath delivered thee: Thou hast yet a body of sin and death that thou carriest about with thee, Oh, abundance of sin and corruption remains in thy Soul, Consider that of Paul, Rom. 7. 24. O! wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of death? Consider thine unworthy walking for all those good things thou hast received from God, that notwithstanding all that ever God hath done for thee, yet thou walkest so unworthily as thou dost and God foresaw this, that thou wouldest walk thus unworthily and wretchedly before him, the thoughts of this, that there is such unkindness ⟨p. 629⟩offere do God, that thou that hopest to receive such greatt things from God, and perswadest thy self that God hath done such great things for thee, as he hath in sending his Son to die for thee, I say, the thoughts of this, is as humbling a consideration as any can be conceived of, next unto that one, what Christ did for us, and what our souls cost, our unworthiness of such a mercy, and our unanswerableness to such a mercy is a mighty humbling consideration, and indeed, it would be a good Argument to perswade, that thou art one that God hath done such things for in Christ, if so be thou canst find, that the thoughts of what he hath done for thee, makes thee humble so much the more, in the consideration of al thine unworthy walking for what he hath done for thee, here is matter enough for meditation to humble the Soul in the presence of God, if these things be considered, what yet thou art.

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Fifthly: Another head is this, what thou wouldest be if God should but leave thee; though he hath done great things for thee, and showed thee himself, and Christ, and showed thee the evil of sin, and eternal life, yet for all this if he should but leave thee to thy self one quarter of an hour, thou wouldest depart from him, and lose all that Grace thou hast, and be brought into a miserable condition as ever thou wert, thou wouldst be plunged into the depth of all evil. Yea, if God should but withdraw his Spirit from thee one moment Oh consider what thou wouldest be! and if God should come out against thee in his anger and displeasure, what a dreadful change would there be of that condition in which now thou art. Now indeed thou hast a great many things wherein thy heart is satisfied and delighted and many excellencies thou hast that ⟨p. 630⟩perhaps thy heart is lifted up in, but what wouldest thou be in regard of thy spirituals if God should withdraw from thee, thou wouldest leave all thy spiritual estate, thou wouldest be in a worse condition than ever thou wert. And for thy natural estate, thy parts of nature, or activity of body, or strength, what would become of them if God should withdraw from thee. And so thy outward estate, how soon might God send fire upon thy House, or upon thy Ship, and how soon mightest thou lose all, and be brought into woeful extremity; you that enjoy much now, yet meditate what you might be in a moment, if God should withdraw himself from you, and especially if he should come out against you.

Fifthly: Another head is this, what thou wouldest be if God should but leave thee; though he hath done great things for thee, and shewed thee himself, and Christ, and shewed thee the evil of sin, and eternal life, yet for al this if he should but leave thee to thy self one quarter of an hour, thou wouldest depart from him, and lose al that Grace thou hast, and be brought into a miserable condition as ever thou wert, thou wouldst be plunged into the depth of al evil. Yea, if God should but withdraw his Spirit from thee one moment Oh consider what thou wouldest be! and if God should come out against thee in his anger and displeasure, what a dreadful change would there be of that condition in which now thou art. Now indeed thou hast a great many things wherein thy heart is satisfied and delighted and many excellencies thou hast that ⟨p. 630⟩perhaps thy heart is lifted up in, but what wouldest thou be in regard of thy spirituals if God should withdraw from thee, thou wouldest leave all thy spiritual estate, thou wouldest be in a worse condition than ever thou wert. And for thy natural estate, thy parts of nature, or activity of body, or strength, what would become of them if God should withdraw from thee. And so thy outward estate, how soon might God send fire upon thy House, or upon thy Ship, and how soon mightest thou lose all, and be brought into woful extremity; you that enjoy much now, yet meditate what you might be in a moment, if God should withdraw himself from you, and especially if he should come out against you.

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Sixthly and Lastly: Consider what you will be ere long, certainly your outward estate will be gone, whatever you pride your selves in, Beauty, or Health, or Strength, or Parts, it will be gone and vanish, your strength will be turned into weakness, and your Health into sickness, this body of yours that now you deck and trim must be Worms meat ere long, and lie rotting in the Dust; And what difference will there be between those that are rich and those that are poor. I remember I have read of one, that coming into a place where was a heap of Skulls▪ and among others he heard that Alexander's Skull lay there, he desires to know of the man which was Alexander's Skull, saith the man, yonder Skull that hath hollow eyes, saith he to the man, all Skulls hath this, I saith the man, and Alexander's too, there is no difference between Alexander's Skull, and others Skulls, Death makes all the same. You that are rich and above others, and your Hearts are ready to be •uft up within a while what difference will there be between an ⟨p. 631⟩Alms-body and you? may be this difference will then be, that the poor man if he dies, he hath not so much to answer for so many Talents, and you die and have had great talents, and you have all them to answer for; Do but consider of this, what you will be if these things be taken from you, and that will prick the Bladder of Pride in respect of your natural condition.

Sixthly and Lastly: Consider what you will be ere long, certainly your outward estate will be gone, whatever you pride your selves in, Beauty, or Health, or Strength, or Parts, it wil be gone and vanish, your strength wil be turned into weakness, and your Health into sickness, this body of yours that now you deck and trim must be Wormes meat ere long, and lie rotting in the Dust; And what difference wil there be between those that are rich and those that are poor. I remember I have read of one, that coming into a place where was a heap of Skuls▪ and among others he heard that Alexanders Skul lay there, he desires to know of the man which was Alexanders Skul, saith the man, yonder Skul that hath hollow eyes, saith he to the man, al Skuls hath this, I saith the man, and Alexanders too, there is no difference between Alexanders Skul, and others Skuls, Death makes al the same. You that are rich and above others, and your Hearts are ready to be •uft up within a while what difference will there be between an ⟨p. 631⟩Almes-body and you? may be this difference will then be, that the poor man if he dies, he hath not so much to answer for so many Talents, and you die and have had great talents, and you have all them to answer for; Do but consider of this, what you wil be if these things be taken from you, and that will prick the Bladder of Pride in respect of your naturall condition.