Moses Choice, Title page – Dedication
MOSES HIS CHOICE,
VVith his EYE fixed upon Heaven: Diſcovering THE HAPPY CONDITION OF A Self-denying Heart.
Delivered in A TREATISE UPON Hebrews 11. 25, 26.
By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS.
LONDON: Printed by John Field, and are to be ſold by Thomas Eglesfield, at the Marygold and at the Brazen Serpent in St. Pauls Church-yard. MDCL.
To the Right Honorable, ROBERT Earl of WARWICK, BARON of LEEZE, One of the Lords of his Majeſties moſt Honorable Privy Councel.
Right Honorable,
AS thoſe who have been of late, and in theſe days yet are of the Antichriſtian party, may well be accounted men born in an evil time; becauſe howſoever heretofore was the time of Gods long ſuffering towards ſuch, the time of permiſsion of them to prosper, the ſet time of Antichriſts downfal then being further off then now it is. But now Gods time of ſetting his face against Antichriſt, and all the Antichriſtian party, is come, wherein GOD is determined to fight against them, and to ruine them; most wretched men therefore are they who now have ſpirits ſet for the upholding, the pleading for that which God hath ſet himſelf against. So happy eſpecially now are thoſe whoſe hearts have been, and still are ſet to countenance, maintain, to further and honor the truth of the Goſpel, in the power and purity of it; Theſe are born and raiſed up by God, and for God, in a most bleſſed time, wherein God stretcheth out his holy Arm together with them, their hearts are guided by God himſelf, to the furtherance of that work which is the greatest work that God hath to do in this latter age of the world; namely, To bring in his Truth and Ordinances with glory and power, to ſet up Jeruſalem as the praiſe of the earth, to make godlineſs, and the powerful profeſsion of it, as honorable as ever it hath been contemptible. And now (Right Honorable) God hath been pleaſed to bleſs your Noble Family for many years past, with this ſo great a bleſsing, as to make it instrumental to this great work of his, and your ſelf have had a plentiful ſhare in this ſo great a happineſs: Your Honor hath diſcountenanced ſuperſtitious time-ſerving ſpirits, but as for the faithful Miniſters of the Goſpel, and the most ſincere and godly of your Countrey, your Honor hath caſt much reſpect upon them, and been the encourager of them, which reflects Honor, as upon Gods name and his truth, ſo upon your noble Family; I believe there hath not aſcended to Heaven more praiſes to God from any County in England for any Noble Family, in regard of the placing of a godly, painful, conſcionable Miniſtery, as hath aſcended from that County, in which your Honor, and your truly Noble Father, hath had ſuch a large opportunity of ſervice for God, and doing good to his people: And I may further confidently affirm, That no Noble Family in England hath more prayers of the Saints aſcending to Heaven for a bleſsing upon it, then that family of yours; neither is there any Noble Family this day, ſhall I ſay in England? I may without preſumption reach it further, which the Lord hath bleſſed, in regard of ſome Branches of it, with more beauty and power of godlineſs then he hath bleſſed yours; in regard whereof, it would be the most miſerable thing that could be, if ever the ſucceſsion of the countenancing and honoring the ways of godlineſs, ſhould be cut off from ſuch a noble Family. Curſed be that man who ſhall be the cutter off of the ſucceſsion of ſo great an Honor to ſuch an Honorable Family. Pſal, 72. 17. it is ſaid, The name of Chriſt ſhould endure for ever; Filiabitur nomine ejus, ſo the words are, it ſhall be begotten, as one generation is begotten of another, and ſo there ſhall be a ſucceſsion of Chriſts name. It is a moſt bleſſed thing when in a Family there is a begetting of the name of Chriſt, and ſo it is left unto the ſucceeding generation, as the name of the Family is left unto it: Pliny tells us, that it was accounted a great honor, yea the height of felicity, that in one houſe and Race of the Curio's, there were known to be three excellent Plin. lib. 7 c. 41.Orators one after another, by deſcent from the Father to the Son; and that the Fabii afforded three Preſidents of the Senate, in courſe one immediately ſucceeding the other. If this ſucceſsion be ſo honorable, ſo happy, how honorable, how happy doth the ſucceſsion of Religion from Father to Son, make Families to be?
This ſucceſsion in your noble Family, is the ſubject of the prayers of many precious ſpirits, exceedingly dear to God: And my Lord, although God hath made you exceeding instrumental for much good to his people, which is one of the greateſt bleſſings under heaven, yet let not your Lordſhip rest in this: Gods warning to Solomon, 1 Kings 9. 4. is very obſervable, after Solomon had finiſhed that glorious Temple for the honor of the Lord, after he had aſſembled all the Elders of Iſrael, to bring up the Ark of the Lord with all ſolemnity, after he had made ſuch an excellent Prayer before all the people, after he had offered to the Lord two and twenty thouſand Oxen, and one hundred and twenty thouſand ſheep, and in his rejoycing in this great work done to the honor of God, he made a great Feast to all the people ſeven days, and to them he added ſeven days more, and ſent away the people with joyful and glad heaets; yet after this, God ſays to him, If thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and up rightneſs, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, then I will eſtabliſh the throne of thy kingdom. Though the things that you have done be great things, yet I expect walking according to all that I have commanded thee, or elſe all is nothing. It were infinite pity, and God forbid ſo great an evil, that any one way of ſin ſhould ever ſtand up, to hinder the bleſsing upon a noble ſpirit, and ſuch worthy ſervices for the Church as you have done, well beſeeming that true nobility of ſuch a ſpirit.
Your Honor hath appeared much for the Honor, the Safety, Peace, Liberties of the Saints and your Countrey; and how many now have their conſciences check them, and ſhame is upon their faces for that baſe cowardiſe and vile time-ſerving, that the true nobility of your Lordſhips ſpirit (ſcorning ſuch baſeneſs) delivered you from. God hath now appeared for his people more then ever, in our or our Forefathers time, do you now appear more then ever for them; As God hath mightily enlarged the opportunity of ſervice, ſo the good God enlarge and heighten with true Nobility and Chriſtian generouſneſs your Noble ſpirit, that you may be as a choſen ſhaft in the Quiver of the Lord, reſerved to theſe times, to be in a high degree instrumental to his praiſe.
It is now near three years ſince that your Lordſhip lying ſick, not without apprehenſion that Gods time to call you from the Land of the living was come, I was then for ſome time daily with your Lordſhip, and all the deſires you expreſſed for life were, That you might live to do God ſervice here: God then ſpared your life, and now my Lord, I beſeech your Honor to give me leave to minde your Lordſhip of theſe deſires, and thoſe Covenants you made with God if ever he reſtored you. Surely the Vows of God are upon you, God hath now put an opportunity into your hand to fulfil them, and all other you have ever made unto him, and now he expects the performance of them; now there are opportunities of that ſervice that may draw forth all that nobility of your ſpirit, wherein you may give teſtimony of thankfulneſs for all mercies ſo abundantly heaped upon you, and be faithful in performing of all your vows, and bleſſed be God for this opportunity: This is your honor, to account opportunity of ſervice for God and his people your greatest honor upon earth.
Go on and proſper, and the Lord recompence all that reſpect you have ſhewn to his ſervants, and amongſt others to my ſelf; Wherefore in duty to you I here preſent your Honor with this Treatiſe of Moſes his Choice, which ventures to come to the view of the world for furtherance and encouragement in ſuch a happy choice, bleſſed with ſuch a happy reward as the eye of Moſes in this his choice was fixed upon; And herein I gladly take the occaſion to make an honorable mention of your Name, that I might teſtifie not onelyonly to your Honor, but to all the world, my thankful remembrance and due acknowledgement of your Lordſhips undeſerved reſpects toward me, who am and ever ſhall be,
Your Honors in all humble and due obſervance, Jeremiah Burroughs.