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Moses' Self-Denial: In Modern, Updated English
Moses' Self-Denial by Jeremiah Burroughs is a exploration of the biblical figure Moses and his act of self-denial. We have updated this timeless classic into modern English so you can understand exactly what Burroughs wrote hundreds of years ago.
Burroughs examines Moses' decision to renounce the luxuries and power of Egyptian royalty to suffer alongside the Israelites, emphasizing the spiritual significance of this choice. Through this narrative, Burroughs underscores the importance of prioritizing eternal values over worldly pleasures and comforts. He then delves into the motivations behind Moses' decision, attributing it to a deep faith and understanding of God's eternal promises. He draws parallels between Moses' self-denial and the Christian call to take up their cross and follow Christ, urging readers to consider what they might need to forsake to fully commit to God's purposes. Burroughs clarifies that true self-denial is not about rejecting all forms of pleasure but about prioritizing God's will above all else.
The book also offers practical advice on cultivating a spirit of self-denial, including regular self-examination, prayer, and meditation on Scripture. Burroughs encourages believers to seek support within the Christian community, recognizing that self-denial is a challenging but rewarding journey.
About Jeremiah BurroughsJeremiah Burroughs (1600-1646) was a distinguished English Puritan preacher and author, renowned for his eloquent sermons and writings that emphasized piety, humility, and godly living. Born in East Anglia, Burroughs was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was influenced by the Puritan movement aimed at reforming the Church of England.
Burroughs served as a pastor in various congregations but faced conflicts with church authorities due to his nonconformist views, leading him to flee to the Netherlands for a period. Upon returning to England, he became a key figure in the Independent movement, advocating for congregational autonomy.
Despite his relatively short life, Burroughs left a significant legacy through his writings. His works, including "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" and "Gospel Worship," are highly regarded for their theological depth and practical application. "Moses' Self-Denial" exemplifies Burroughs' ability to draw timeless spiritual lessons from biblical narratives, encouraging believers to live lives marked by faith, humility, and commitment to God.
Burroughs examines Moses' decision to renounce the luxuries and power of Egyptian royalty to suffer alongside the Israelites, emphasizing the spiritual significance of this choice. Through this narrative, Burroughs underscores the importance of prioritizing eternal values over worldly pleasures and comforts. He then delves into the motivations behind Moses' decision, attributing it to a deep faith and understanding of God's eternal promises. He draws parallels between Moses' self-denial and the Christian call to take up their cross and follow Christ, urging readers to consider what they might need to forsake to fully commit to God's purposes. Burroughs clarifies that true self-denial is not about rejecting all forms of pleasure but about prioritizing God's will above all else.
The book also offers practical advice on cultivating a spirit of self-denial, including regular self-examination, prayer, and meditation on Scripture. Burroughs encourages believers to seek support within the Christian community, recognizing that self-denial is a challenging but rewarding journey.
About Jeremiah BurroughsJeremiah Burroughs (1600-1646) was a distinguished English Puritan preacher and author, renowned for his eloquent sermons and writings that emphasized piety, humility, and godly living. Born in East Anglia, Burroughs was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was influenced by the Puritan movement aimed at reforming the Church of England.
Burroughs served as a pastor in various congregations but faced conflicts with church authorities due to his nonconformist views, leading him to flee to the Netherlands for a period. Upon returning to England, he became a key figure in the Independent movement, advocating for congregational autonomy.
Despite his relatively short life, Burroughs left a significant legacy through his writings. His works, including "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" and "Gospel Worship," are highly regarded for their theological depth and practical application. "Moses' Self-Denial" exemplifies Burroughs' ability to draw timeless spiritual lessons from biblical narratives, encouraging believers to live lives marked by faith, humility, and commitment to God.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2024
About the author
Jeremiah Burroughs
138 books93 followersJeremiah Burroughs (or Burroughes) was baptized in 1601 and admitted as a pensioner at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1617. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1621 and a Master of Arts degree in 1624. His tutor was Thomas Hooker.
Burroughs’s ministry falls into four periods, all of which reveal him as a zealous and faithful pastor. First, from about 1627 until 1631, he was assistant to Edmund Calamy at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Both men became members of the Westminster Assembly. Both men strongly opposed King James’s Book of Sports. Both refused to read the king’s proclamation in church that dancing, archery, vaulting, and other games were lawful recreations on the Lord’s Day.
Second, from 1631 to 1636, Burroughs was rector of Tivetshall, Norfolk, a church that still stands today. Despite the best efforts of his patron, Burroughs was suspended in 1636 and deprived in 1637 for refusing to obey the injunctions of Bishop Matthew Wren, especially regarding the reading of the Book of Sports, and the requirements to bow at the name of Jesus and to read prayers rather than speak them extemporaneously.
Third, from 1638 to 1640, Burroughs lived in the Netherlands, where he was teacher of a congregation of English Independents at Rotterdam, formerly ministered by William Ames. William Bridge was the pastor and Sidrach Simpson had established a second like-minded church in the city. Thus, three future dissenting brethren were brought together, all of whom would serve as propagandists for congregationalism later in the 1640s.
In the final period from 1640 to his death in 1646, Burroughs achieved great recognition as a popular preacher and a leading Puritan in London. He returned to England during the Commonwealth period and became pastor of two of the largest congregations in London: Stepney and St. Giles, Cripplegate. At Stepney, he preached early in the morning and became known as “the morning star of Stepney.” He was invited to preach before the House of Commons and the House of Lords several times. Thomas Brooks called him “a prince of preachers.”
As a member of the Westminster Assembly, Burroughs sided with the Independents, but he remained moderate in tone, acting in accord with the motto on his study door: Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt ασυστατα (“variety of opinion and unity of opinion are not incompatible”). Richard Baxter said, “If all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.”
In 1644, Burroughs and several colleagues presented to Parliament their Apologetical Narration, which defended Independency. It attempted to steer a middle course between Presbyterianism, which they regarded as too authoritarian, and Brownism, which they regarded as too democratic. This led to division between the Presbyterians and Independents. Burroughs served on the committee of accommodation, which tried to reconcile the differences, but on March 9, 1646, he declared on behalf of the Independents that presbyteries were “coercive institutions.” Burroughs said he would rather suffer or emigrate than submit to presbyteries. Ultimately, the division between Presbyterians and Independents helped promote the cause of prelacy after the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Burroughs pursued peace to the end. He died in 1646, two weeks after a fall from his horse. The last subject on which he preached became his Irenicum to the Lovers of Truth and Peace, an attempt to heal divisions between believers. Many of his friends believed that church troubles hastened his death.
Burroughs was a prolific writer, highly esteemed by Puritan leaders of his day, some of whom published his writings after his death. Nearly all of his books are compilations of sermons.
Burroughs’s ministry falls into four periods, all of which reveal him as a zealous and faithful pastor. First, from about 1627 until 1631, he was assistant to Edmund Calamy at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Both men became members of the Westminster Assembly. Both men strongly opposed King James’s Book of Sports. Both refused to read the king’s proclamation in church that dancing, archery, vaulting, and other games were lawful recreations on the Lord’s Day.
Second, from 1631 to 1636, Burroughs was rector of Tivetshall, Norfolk, a church that still stands today. Despite the best efforts of his patron, Burroughs was suspended in 1636 and deprived in 1637 for refusing to obey the injunctions of Bishop Matthew Wren, especially regarding the reading of the Book of Sports, and the requirements to bow at the name of Jesus and to read prayers rather than speak them extemporaneously.
Third, from 1638 to 1640, Burroughs lived in the Netherlands, where he was teacher of a congregation of English Independents at Rotterdam, formerly ministered by William Ames. William Bridge was the pastor and Sidrach Simpson had established a second like-minded church in the city. Thus, three future dissenting brethren were brought together, all of whom would serve as propagandists for congregationalism later in the 1640s.
In the final period from 1640 to his death in 1646, Burroughs achieved great recognition as a popular preacher and a leading Puritan in London. He returned to England during the Commonwealth period and became pastor of two of the largest congregations in London: Stepney and St. Giles, Cripplegate. At Stepney, he preached early in the morning and became known as “the morning star of Stepney.” He was invited to preach before the House of Commons and the House of Lords several times. Thomas Brooks called him “a prince of preachers.”
As a member of the Westminster Assembly, Burroughs sided with the Independents, but he remained moderate in tone, acting in accord with the motto on his study door: Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt ασυστατα (“variety of opinion and unity of opinion are not incompatible”). Richard Baxter said, “If all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.”
In 1644, Burroughs and several colleagues presented to Parliament their Apologetical Narration, which defended Independency. It attempted to steer a middle course between Presbyterianism, which they regarded as too authoritarian, and Brownism, which they regarded as too democratic. This led to division between the Presbyterians and Independents. Burroughs served on the committee of accommodation, which tried to reconcile the differences, but on March 9, 1646, he declared on behalf of the Independents that presbyteries were “coercive institutions.” Burroughs said he would rather suffer or emigrate than submit to presbyteries. Ultimately, the division between Presbyterians and Independents helped promote the cause of prelacy after the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Burroughs pursued peace to the end. He died in 1646, two weeks after a fall from his horse. The last subject on which he preached became his Irenicum to the Lovers of Truth and Peace, an attempt to heal divisions between believers. Many of his friends believed that church troubles hastened his death.
Burroughs was a prolific writer, highly esteemed by Puritan leaders of his day, some of whom published his writings after his death. Nearly all of his books are compilations of sermons.
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