By the mid-nineteenth century, many were referring to the great London preacher, C. H. Spurgeon as the “Prince of Preachers.” However, had one been in London two hundred years earlier, he would have heard the same description given to the most famous preacher of the day, the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646). In the 1640s no one preached to more people Sunday by Sunday than Jeremiah Burroughs. He drew larger audiences to his weekly sermons than John Owen, John Bunyan, and Richard Baxter combined. Not only was Burroughs a popular preacher, but he was also a leader universally loved and admired by his fellow Puritans. And yet, very few Christians today, even among those who read and appreciate the Puritans know much at all about Jeremiah Burroughs.
“I know how to be brought low…”
Burroughs had a thoroughly Puritan upbringing. He was born and raised in Essex, which was a Puritan stronghold throughout most of the seventeenth century. He was trained at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, which was famously referred to as, “that nursery of the Puritans.” While at Emmanuel, Burroughs came under the influence of the renowned Puritan Thomas Hooker who would become a true mentor to Burroughs for the rest of his life. Burroughs studied with Hooker at Emmanuel and later at the small seminary that Hooker organized in his home in Chelmsford.
In 1625, Burroughs took up his first pastoral charge as the curate of All Saints Church in Stisted, Essex. A curate was essentially an assistant priest. From Stisted Burroughs would go on to serve as a lecturer in Bury St. Edmunds and eventually as a rector (i.e. priest) in the Norfolk village of Tivetshall. None of these posts were especially prestigious. However, while in relative obscurity Burroughs was a remarkably faithful minister and grew in his pastoral gifts, especially his preaching.
In the 1630s Burroughs, along with many of his friends, came under attack for their Puritan views by the dreaded Archbishop William Laud. Archbishop Laud made sport of harassing the Puritans and oppressed them with the High-Church measures he imposed upon their churches. Eventually things got so bad that Burroughs was forced to flee England in the face of imminent arrest and imprisonment. In 1637, he retreated to Rotterdam in the Netherlands where he pastored a church for a few years before returning to England in 1641.
“I know how to abound…”
When Burroughs returned to his homeland, he encountered a very different religious climate than the one he had previously left. England was on the verge of civil war leading to the beheading of King Charles I and an unprecedented period of prosperity for the Puritans. Through various providences, Burroughs was eventually called to pastor two of the largest congregations in London, one in Stepney and one in Cripplegate. He preached every Sunday to two audiences numbering over 3,000 people combined. He was widely regarded as the greatest preacher in London.
“I have learned the secret…”
It was during this time that Burroughs preached the sermons that would become his most famous book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, a true Puritan classic. This book is a small masterpiece and has provided consolation and help to millions of Christians over the last 350 years. The entire book is a reflection on Paul’s words in Philippians 4:11b – “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” In The Rare Jewel, Burroughs defines contentment as, “that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” Burroughs closes his consideration with the following words, which serve as fitting invitation to pick up and read!
“Oh, the Word holds forth a way full of comfort and peace to the people of God even in this world. You may live happy lives in the midst of all the storms and tempests in the world. There is an ark that you may come into, and no men in the world may live such comfortable, cheerful and contented lives as the saints of God. Oh, that we had learned this lesson.”
Burroughs went on to serve as one of the divines at the Westminster Assembly, which produced the magisterial Presbyterian confession, the Westminster Confession of Faith. Burroughs, for his part, was not a Presbyterian but a Congregationalist, believing that each local congregation should be autonomous rather than be governed by a regional synod. Burroughs was one of five divines who made up a group that came to be known as the “Dissenting Five.” This group strenuously argued for their congregationalist ideals, but ultimately failed to convince the assembly. However, their efforts did contribute to broader toleration for local church autonomy among Congregationalists and Baptists.
What stands out in Burroughs’ ministry is his perseverance and faithfulness in every context in which God called him to serve. He knew what it was to minister in relative obscurity in a rural parish and to preach to thousands in one of the largest cities in the world. He had a profoundly humble outlook, and desired only to be useful to his Lord. Reflecting on his time as a pastor of rather small rural churches, he said, “I had been confined to my closet; yet it had been a service of which I had been unworthy.” Though the Lord was pleased to eventually elevate Burroughs to a place of prominence in England, he nonetheless maintained a posture of humility and contentment all of his days. In this he is an example to us.
Greatest Works: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment; Gospel Worship; Commentary on the Prophecy of Hosea
Recommended Biography: A Life of Gospel Peace: The Biography of Jeremiah Burroughs by Phillip Simpson
Some sites we’ll visit on the tour:
St. Giles Cripplegate in London – The church where Burroughs preached to his largest audiences from 1641-46
Westminster Abbey in London – The famous cathedral where Burroughs participated in the drafting of the Westminster Confession of Faith
All Saints Church in Stisted, Essex – Burroughs’ first church where he served as curate
Emmanuel College, Cambridge – The college Burroughs attended along with many other Puritans