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 downfall 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, in which 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 has 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, in which God stretches 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 has 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 has been contemptible. And now (Right Honorable) God has 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 yourself have had a plentiful share in this so great a happiness: Your Honor has 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 has 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 has 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, conscientious Ministery, as has ascended from that County, in which your Honor, and your truly Noble Father, has 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 has 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 has blessed, in regard of some Branches of it, with more beauty and power of godliness then he has 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. Psalm 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 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 does 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 has 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 rejoicing 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 hearts; yet after this, God says to him, If you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and up rightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom. Though the things that you have done be great things, yet I expect walking according to all that I have commanded you, 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 has 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 has 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 has 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 mind 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 has 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, in which 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 shown to his servants, and amongst others to myself; Therefore 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 takethe occasion to make an honorable mention of your Name, that I might testify not only 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.
