A85953:744
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nigh. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nye. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.
London: printed for Nath. Brook, 1660
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Treatise 3 › Sermon 10: The Tenth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
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.
USE.
Then for Use, If these things be so, in the first place we learn, not to envy at the prosperity of ungodly men, whatever it be, let them ruffle it out for a while here in this world, and carry all before them; let man have his day here in this world, there is no great cause to envy him, if he be going on in such a way as he is like to lose his soul; poor miserable wretched creature that he is, better ten thousand times he had never been born: Poor people that are wicked, (as many are) they have the curse of God mingled in water, and rich men that are wicked, they have the curse of God like poison in their Wine; now we know, of the twain, the poison will work more strongly in Wine, than in Water, and so of both, certainly ungodly rich men, that have most of the world, are the most miserable creatures, for they have more to answer for than others have, and their estates are usually fuel for their lusts, and so their condition is worse than the condition of any beggar that begs his bread from door to door; And certainly there is no wicked rich man upon the earth, but if so be that he dye so, he will hereafter curse the time that ever he had an estate, and wish he had been a beggar, and gone begging up and down in his rags, for then he had not had so much to answer for before God. O he is not a man to be envied at! What man is there that would envy at a malefactor condemned to dye, though he have on brave clothes? would not any one of ⟨p. 358⟩you rather save your Russet plain suit, or a Leather suit, than a suit of Velvet, and go to be executed in it. I have read of Chrysostom, who being invited to a feast, as he was a going, he met with one a going to execution, and it fell out that the way to execution was a very fair way, but the way that lead him to his friends house, it was a dirty Lane, and he makes this meditation of it, Oh how much better is it to go in this dirty Lane, to go and rejoice with my friend, than in a fair plain way, and go as the other doth to execution! he was not willing to go his way, though it were a fair and plain way, but rather to go his own, though a foul and dirty, he considered that the end of the way was different: So do not look much upon men and women, what their present condition is, but look what their end is like to be, and do not envy them.