Moses Self-Denial, Title page – Errata
MOSES HIS SELF-DENYALL.
Delivered In a Treatiſe upon Hebrewes 11. the 24. verſe. BY IEREMY BURROUGHS.
LUKE 9. 24. Hee that loſeth his life for my ſake, ſhall ſave it.
Aug. de Civit. Dei. lib. 5. Non magnanimitatis eſt magnos petere honores, ſed contemnere.
LONDON: Printed by T. Paine, and are to be ſold by H. Overton and T. Nichols, at their Shops in Popes-head Alley. 1641.
HONORATISSIMO DOMINO, EDVARDO, DOMINO MANDEVILL, VICE-COMITI HEROI SVMMI CANDORIS, PIETATIS AC LITERARUM FAUTORI.
LIBELLVM HVNC IN PERPETUAE OBSERVANTIAE TESTIMONIUM, D.D.D.
JER. BURROUGHS.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
THe corruption of Nature is exceeding great; it appeares ſundry wayes, in none more then in ſelviſhneſſe: hee which at firſt was made altogether for God, is now altogether for himſelfe. The diſeaſe is Catholike, and ſpreads to the ends of the earth. Phil. 2. 21. All ſeeke their owne. The people flocked after Chriſt by Sea and Land, here was great ſeeming ſelfe-denyall, Chriſt they muſt ſee, Chriſt they muſt heare, a Chriſt they muſt have, but this Chriſt-ſeeking was altogether ſelfe-ſeeking; Chriſt tells them that it was not himſelfe, his Doctrine or Miracles that drew them, it was the loaves, they found more vertue in that bread, then in the bread of life.Gen. 11. 7.
It was ſelviſhneſſe that made Laban change Iacobs wages ten times, and become a deceiver. This made Naball churliſhly deny reliefe to David and his, in their diſtreſſe. This made Gehezi run after Naaman, and take talents of ſilver, and change of garments. 2 King. 5.Eliſhaes excellencie appear'd in his ſelfe-denyall, and Gehezies baſeneſſe in his ſelfe-ſeeking. This humour is in all, and predominant in moſt parties.
Some great pretenders of holineſſe are polluted and poyſoned with this venome. You may ſee it in the Jeſuites Maximes & practiſe: They ſay there is not a mixture in every congregation, their Society is without ſpot or wrinkle, they have all living, and no dead members.Auguſtini Ardingelli paradoxa Jeſuitica. And againe, their Society exceedes all others in this, that they have Antidotes and Spices, which will preſerve them from corruption, ſo that there is no danger of their degenerating after ſome Centuries of yeares, as other orders have done: Happy men, if their ſayings and Societies were the ſame. When they deale with Princes and Potentates, they tell them not of their faults, Secreta inſtructio ſocietatis Jeſu.but thoſe opinions Qua liberiorem faciunt conſcientiam.
Thus they doe to advance themſelves and their cauſe, that they may be thought the Non-ſuches of the world; they boaſt of their grace, and ſay the Monkes come ſhort of them, they can dally with the faireſt women without danger. Paul himſelfe was not ſo perfect in that kinde as they are. Here is ſelfe-ſeeking with a witneſſe, they throw downe an Apoſtle to lift up themſelves; they care not who fall, ſo they may riſe; they blaſt all others to beautifie themſelves: But God in juſtice hath made them odious even among Papiſts as well as Proteſtants.
Great ſelfe-ſeekers in a Church or State ever gaine great hatred. If men will pollute Gods worſhip with their devices, hee will make their names to ſtinke. Nothing makes us more honourable in the eyes of God and man, then the advancing of his worſhip, and preſerving it unmixt. If temporalls come in place of eternalls, and that which is mans, inſtead of that which is Gods, God will make the Authours of ſuch evill contemptible before all the people, Mal. 2. 8, 9. It is not unknowne how divine providence proceeded againſt the Daniſh Prelates; Had they denyed themſelves, maintained the pure Worſhip of God, ſought the publike good of Prince and people, they might have ſtood to this day; but becauſe they were ſhamefully wicked, and ſought themſelves too much, they were wholly caſt out by Prince and people,Chryteus Chron. Saxon. in the yeare 1537: Self-ſeeking is ſelf-undoing; Abſolom and Adoniah, whileſt they ſought themſelves, they loſt their lives.
The argument of this Book is ſelfe-denyall, a hard, yet a ſafe leſſon; it is no other then Chriſt taught and practiſed; If any man will bee my Diſciple, let him deny himſelfe and follow me, Matth. 16. 24. there's the doctrine, ſee his practiſe, Ioh. 6. 15. when they would make him a King, hee withdrawes; the greatneſſe and glory that was in royall Majeſty, could nothing prevaile with his ſpirit; Hee did not his owne will, but the will of his Father. It liked not him to have his workes blowne abroad; his whole life & death was an abſolute ſelf-denyall. This way would he have all his to goe, and it is a way wherein is no death. Hee that doth moſt deny himſelfe, he lives moſt free from ſinne. Take a true ſelfe-denying man, and paſſion is a ſtranger to him; he ſinnes not with anger, becauſe he rejoyces in his wrongs; hee ſwells not with pride, becauſe hee is content to bee contemned; hee frets not at afflictions, becauſe he deemes himſelfe worthy of all puniſhments. Selfe-denyall breeds great joy, and brings great eaſe. It unburthens a man of himſelfe, his ſinfull ſelfe: What joy, what eaſe was it to Joſeph to bee rid of his inticing Miſtreſſe? he let goe his coat, and ſaved his innocencie. And let a Chriſtian rid himſelfe of his ſinfull ſelfe, and his joy and eaſe will exceed Joſephs; if he let goe his Fleſh, hee ſhall advance his Spirit.
Would it not be another Heaven to be rid of our ſinfull opinions, ſinfull wills and affections? deny thy ſelfe, and this Heaven is thine. A ſelfe-ſeeker onelyonly makes himſelfe miſerable; hee is an abſolute Tyrant, his ſelfe-love turnes charity out of doores, & eates up all the love that God & man ſhould have; neither others good, nor Gods glory are deare to him, hee is a clod of the earth that ſucks the ſap of his ſoule onelyonly to himſelfe. It is the ſelfe-denying man that is the man for God and publike good. Such a one was Moſes, Heaven and Earth have beene honoured by him; ſuch a one will venture even where danger & difficultie is, ſelfe ſhall not hinder publike good. A ſelfe-denying man will ſtand by Gods cauſe and people, when others ſhrinke for feare and ſhame.Hiſtory of Church of Scots. One Dowglas a Scottiſh Knight having heard Maſter Whiſcart preach, ſaid, I know the Governour and Cardinall ſhall heare of it, but ſay unto them, I will avow it, and not onelyonly maintaine the Doctrine, but alſo the perſon of the teacher, to the uttermost of my power. Had hee minded his credit with great ones, his eſtate or libertie, he would not have appeared for a perſecuted truth and man; ſelfe-denyall had ſtript him of private reſpects. Antoninus Pius, when hee undertooke the Title of Emperour, ſaid he did then forgoe the propertie and intereſt of a private perſon; and when we take the name of Chriſt upon us, wee ſhould then forgoe all ſelviſh and domeſtick reſpects.
It is the honour of a Chriſtian to be like unto his Maſter Chriſt; hee denyed himſelfe throughly, and was acted altogether by the Father; let us doe the like, and be acted wholly by Chriſt. I live not, ſayes Paul, but Chriſt lives in me; his judgement, will, affection, life, were transformed into Chriſts: here was no halving, himſelfe was fully layd downe, and Chriſt was all in all, and hee gained enough by it; there is no better way then to denie our ſelves, and to doe it fully. It is a fayling, and that a great one in many, they will denie themſelves in ſome things, in many things, but not in all; if they mortifie moſt luſts, yet to ſome one they will ſhew merciemercy. This merciemercy to thy luſt, is crueltie to thy ſelfe. Iron fetters thou knockeſt off with indignation, but pleadeſt for golden ſhackles, ſome pettie beloved corruption. Why doeſt thou denie thy ſelfe in part, and not altogether? Curvis jam pluribus reſciſſis manere in parvo ligatus. Limitations here, will prove thy lamentations; denie thy ſelfe wholly, or not at all: if there be not through-ſelfe-denyall, ere long there will be God-denyall. Haſt thou loved thy ſelfe too much heretofore, nunc opus est odiſſe, now hate thy ſelfe: haſt thou leaned upon thy owne wiſedome too much, now deſpiſe it, acknowledge God in all thy wayes. The further off thou art from thy ſelfe, the neerer thou art to God. Selfe-ſeeking ſets us at the borders of Hell, and ſelfe-denyall ſets us at the gate of Heaven.
Reader, wouldſt thou have two Heavens, live in Heaven on Earth, and goe to Heaven at death, ſtudie this Booke of Self-denyall. Vergerius, by reading of Luther was taken off from Poperie; and Pighius, by reading Calvin, was brought to be of his mind in point of Justification. Who knoweth but thou mayeſt by reading this learned Treatiſe of Selfe-denyall, be brought off from all thy ſelfe-love and ſelfe-ſeeking. This Author would pull from thee that which would ruine thee. If thou wilt let the Phyſick purge out ill humours, take away ill bloud, to ſave thy life, be not unwilling that a grave and godly Divine ſhould purge out thy ſelfe-love, and take away ſinfull humours, to ſave thy ſoule. It is his ayme to doe thee good, follow his counſell, and thou ſhalt never be troubled with ſoule-ſickneſſe. It is our ſinfull ſelfe-ſeeking, that breedes all the diſtempers of our ſpirits. Let us denie our ſelves, and then wee are as God would have us to be; wee ſhall make high account of God, and find great ſweetneſſe in the things of God. They that fast moſt, find the greateſt ſweetneſſe in their meat: And thoſe that are the greateſt ſelfe-denyers, find the greateſt content in God, and moſt bleſſings from God. They are ever in the valley of Berachah, 2 Chron. 20. 26.in the place of bleſſings and reſt: And what the Prophet crownes true faſting withall, the ſame will God crowne ſelfe-denyall withall, joy, gladneſſe, and chearefull feasting.Zach. 8. 19.
Thy friend in Chriſt, W. GREENHILL.
The Authours Advertiſement to the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
MVch of this treatiſe was preached before an auditory ſutable to the ſubject, eſpecially the former part of it. But many things are added, eſpecially exemplifications of Hiſtorie and quotations It is not my manner to fill Sermons, either with hiſtories or quotations. But I may have leave to put them with my notes, and ſo you have them here. It may bee they may drawe ſome to the reading of ſome things that may ſticke by them, which otherwiſe the very title of the treatiſe would have cauſed them to reiect. What you finde ſutable to you, take for your profit, and thanke God: what there is elſe, be not offended at it, but leave it to others who may perhaps gaine ſomething by it.
I. B.
CHriſtan Reader by reaſon of the authors abſence diverſe faultes have eſcaped, eſpecially this one, in many places the perſon is changed, the firſt is put in for the ſecond and third; It may ſeeme harſh and ſtrange that when there is ſpeaking to thoſe of high ranke the authour ſhould ſpeake in the firſt perſon wee and ours, but the coppie was otherwiſe. p. 9. foreign r. foreign p▪ 59 partaker▪ part p. 31. f. us r. you &c.