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Gospel Worship, or, the Right Manner of Sanctifying the Name of God : In General, and Particularly in These Three Great Ordinances: 1. Hearing the Word, 2. Receiving the Lord's Supper, 3. Prayer
This treatise on Leviticus 10:1-3 is a call to propriety and sobriety in the worship of God. It deals with the believer's sanctification through "three great ordinances":(1)Hearing the Word(2)Receiving the Lord's Supper, and(3)Prayer In a day that promotes man-made forms of worship, Gospel Worship is a call to biblical worship of the Triune God though the means that He has instituted. Burroughs shows how important worship is to God and teaches us how to "give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name" (Ps. 29:2). He makes plain that we do not need new forms of worship to be relevant, but to renew old forms of worship.
299 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
115 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Jeremiah Burroughs
127 books89 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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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 30, 2021
A brilliant book on God being sanctified in them that worship him. I could barely put it down. Jeremiah Burroughs is one of the best authors whom you can read.
September 7, 2020
Although I have found Burroughs to be one of the "easier" Puritans to read, this was a good bit of heavy reading, but definitely worth the mental effort. This is a collection of sermons unfolding the premise found in Leviticus 10:3, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'"
Burroughs reminds us that, " It is a blessed thing to be in the presence of God, to be with Him that is the God of our lives, and the fountain of all good; let us draw nigh to God often, let us know that it is a mercy that we may draw nigh to God; we might have been banished from the presence of the Lord long before this time."
Burroughs reminds us that, " It is a blessed thing to be in the presence of God, to be with Him that is the God of our lives, and the fountain of all good; let us draw nigh to God often, let us know that it is a mercy that we may draw nigh to God; we might have been banished from the presence of the Lord long before this time."
January 31, 2022
Great book on what worship that is worthy to God is supposed to look like.
January 18, 2025
Wow, what sermons were these!
They even talk about what can you think during Holy Communion and how to help yourself to not be so distracted in prayer. Every century battles the same temptations, they just come in different wrapping. The sooner we realize them and fight against them, the sooner we can joyfully grow spiritually.
Worth your time.
They even talk about what can you think during Holy Communion and how to help yourself to not be so distracted in prayer. Every century battles the same temptations, they just come in different wrapping. The sooner we realize them and fight against them, the sooner we can joyfully grow spiritually.
Worth your time.
April 25, 2015
This was a truly motivating, captivating book. The primary thrust of these sermons is the sanctification of the name of God through worship. Burroughs dissects the importance of preparing for worship, which, as we can see in any contemporary church, is something that needs much more emphasis. He also uses a couple of chapters in discussing sanctifying God’s name in holy duties, followed by sanctifying the name of God through hearing the Word, and in receiving the sacraments. In trying to summarize this work, I looked at review of this book by Tim Chailles, and I suggest you all do the same. This book is very dense, but in no way a hard read, and has loads of teaching and application. The most important piece I took away is that our worship and our approach to worship must glorify and sanctify God’s name, and as Burroughs outlines the ways to approach this in worship, I felt keenly that my own worship was not up to what it should be. It’s also sobering to think that when we fast, meditate, pray, etc., all of those are forms of worship, and through which we seek to glorify the name of God, and also see the face of Christ. I read this fairly fast, took a few notes, but I will be reading it again next month.
June 24, 2023
What a gem of a book! I was deeply humbled and convicted throughout this book. Jeremiah Burroughs does a beautiful job of showing God’s glory and the way He should be worshipped! I recommend this book to any believer, for I think it would help each of us in how we are to approach God, at His table, in His house, or in prayer!
February 21, 2018
Excellent Book
This book is a collection of sermons on the various aspects of worship. It is well worth reading. You will find it encouraging and convicting.
This book is a collection of sermons on the various aspects of worship. It is well worth reading. You will find it encouraging and convicting.
May 25, 2025
Excellent book; this is the Puritans at their best. In the story of Nadab and Abihu the priests, sons of Aaron, who at their inauguration offered "strange fire to the Lord, which he had not commanded them" and were struck dead for it, God's word to Aaron their father was that "By those who come near to me I will be sanctified" (Leviticus 10:3).
Jeremiah Burroughs was a Puritan and member of the Westminster Assembly, and this book is his fourteen sermon exposition and application of this text in Leviticus. A classic statement of the regulative principle of worship (that public worship is to be carefully "regulated" by God's express command), but then moreso very practical exhortation, admonition, and help towards "sanctifying God's name" in worship - particularly in the facets of hearing the word, receiving the sacrament of the Supper, and in prayer.
The Puritans at their best pressed on the heart. "This people honors me with their lips while their heart is far from me" - and fear of the heart being far from Christ even in the middle of the duties of worship seems to be what drove them. This book lays out in detail what it means for the heart to be close to Christ and to sanctify God's name in worship. We all have very far to go.
Jeremiah Burroughs was a Puritan and member of the Westminster Assembly, and this book is his fourteen sermon exposition and application of this text in Leviticus. A classic statement of the regulative principle of worship (that public worship is to be carefully "regulated" by God's express command), but then moreso very practical exhortation, admonition, and help towards "sanctifying God's name" in worship - particularly in the facets of hearing the word, receiving the sacrament of the Supper, and in prayer.
The Puritans at their best pressed on the heart. "This people honors me with their lips while their heart is far from me" - and fear of the heart being far from Christ even in the middle of the duties of worship seems to be what drove them. This book lays out in detail what it means for the heart to be close to Christ and to sanctify God's name in worship. We all have very far to go.
September 1, 2024
4.5
A strong remedy for the lightness and man-centered worship services of the church today. At the very least, all pastors/ministry leaders should read this book.
A strong remedy for the lightness and man-centered worship services of the church today. At the very least, all pastors/ministry leaders should read this book.
January 24, 2025
I knew this book would be an important read. I did not know just how important it would be. I expected a theological treatment of the subject, articulating what elements are proper in worship and the forms that those elements must take. Burroughs treats the subject in a much more pastoral manner, however—a welcome surprise. I found myself convicted at many times by the ways that I fall short in my approach to worship. While there is an articulation of the regulative principle here, that is not the sum of the book. Rather, Burroughs wants to help us approach God in worship in a way that is pleasing and glorifying to our great King. In the modern Reformed world, that may be the more pressing issue. Recommend.
May 9, 2022
This book contains a series of sermons about worship and how we are to approach our great God and Savior. These sermons come from a pastor/teacher who lived in the 1600s. He discusses in detail the worship of God through hearing the Word of God preached, in receiving the Lord’s Supper and in pursuing God through prayer. His focus is on sanctifying the Name of the Lord through our worship.
June 10, 2021
Plain style preaching on what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. Jeremiah Burrough's clear, warm exposition and application of Leviticus 10:3 is a welcome refresher on the nature of true worship. His illustrations are particularly striking. Well worth reading.
May 24, 2015
Leitura marcante. Impressiona ver quantas verdades o autor consegue perceber, explicar e aplicar nesses 14 sermões sobre um único versículo: "Serei santificado naqueles que se achegarem a mim".
February 21, 2019
Great book about the posture of the heart when one comes into the presence of God in worship.
November 24, 2021
One of the most important books in my library. A must-read for any Christian.
July 14, 2022
If a person reads this and doesn't have a holy fear of God, it will certainly help you strive for what glorifies him!
December 29, 2018
Candid and Illustrative
Burroughs writes with classic candour of the Puritans. He writes with compassion for the clergy and the laity. He describes the dangers of failing to worship in accord with God's word and prescribes the points of reference to order worship in our churches. Divided into a dozen sermons you can read a sermon occasionally, harvest its fruit, and return his homilies to the shelf.
Burroughs writes with classic candour of the Puritans. He writes with compassion for the clergy and the laity. He describes the dangers of failing to worship in accord with God's word and prescribes the points of reference to order worship in our churches. Divided into a dozen sermons you can read a sermon occasionally, harvest its fruit, and return his homilies to the shelf.
December 27, 2017
Que livro! Sem dúvida nos primeiros colocados deste ano. Grande esclarecedor prático daquilo que é santificar o nome de Deus por meio dos meios de graça. Altamente recomendado. Não hesite em lê-lo.
October 19, 2022
This book was a slog. Good content, but redundant at times and rather dry. I understand this is to be expected of a 17th century Puritan at times, but perhaps I wasn’t in the right mood…
June 29, 2024
Intense and thorough
A beautiful and challenging address concerning our holy God and the proper way to come to Him in prayer. And oldie but goodie!
A beautiful and challenging address concerning our holy God and the proper way to come to Him in prayer. And oldie but goodie!
March 19, 2022
An excellent collection of sermons from the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs who also authored the Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment and was present at the Westminster Assembly. The collection of sermons is primarily an exposition and application of Leviticus 10:1-3 with an extended series of sermons on verse 3 regarding how to sanctify God's name in worship. R.C. Sproul wrote that this book was revolutionary and life-changing for him regarding how to worship God according to the Scripture. This is a book that would greatly help the Christian church of today with every church espousing a different type of worship it would seem. Burroughs will help a believer think through the differences between will-worship and God's worship. I can't recommend this series of sermons enough!
January 12, 2025
Okay, this is a pretty dry book, but it is very deep. Burroughs goes into great depths on what worship really is like from scripture. And it is not the music. It is how we come before the Lord as we open His Word, as we pray, as we take the sacrements, as we fellowship. But that would be a small fraction of what worship truly is. It is a good book for any believer to get a proper perspective on worship.
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped." Job 1:20
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped." Job 1:20
September 25, 2014
This was one of the first major treatises read on the topic of worship. My pastor at the time had also preached through some of it, and the teachings contained within have stuck with me all these years. Examines many Old Testament references to worship and their application to us today. This book has provided a firm foundation for my understanding of approaching God to worship before the throne.
Want to read
May 29, 2009Gospel Worship, Or, the Right Manner of Sanctifying the Name of God in General: And Particularly in These Three Great Ordinances: 1. Hearing the Word, by Jeremiah Burroughs (2006)
May 8, 2015
A helpful call to the seriousness that worship demands, as well as some great one-liners. I did get tired of the choppy, bullet-point presentation after a couple chapters though.
April 9, 2013
Like all the Puritans, he goes on and on, but still an excellent book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews