ORIGINS: THE REAL JEREMIAH

Jeremiah Burroughes (1599-1646) English Congregationalist,
suspended for non-conformity in 1636, member of the Westminster Assembly and one
of the few who opposed the Presbyterian majority. "A Puritan writer of much
piety, good sense, and evangelical matter."

Time was, there was another Jeremiah.

THE Jeremiah who dared to thunder against the Prebyterians before the Presbyterian Communities were multi-labelled by a certain labels loving singporean. This Jeremiah knew no blogs and was spared the juvenile B.Sc (Honk.s) hooting exegesis. This Jeremiah would have buried any degree-loving-coat-wearing-oh-so-subtle-attention-seeking-act-of-slipping-a-bible-in-the-pocket-imbecile part-time semenary student, six feet under with his handbook exegesis!!! Time was, exegesis were written in fire. Jeremiah Burrough knew this and wrote with a heart aflame. The singaporeans would never understood what this mean. No heart, no flame. In case you are wondering, No, this Jeremiah was no friend of Screwtape nor of La Tey. This Jeremiah was first introduced to Platypus by comrade in spirit - ACE68, the bloke whom the stupid singaporeans have confusingly thought to be the one seldom seen/not heard. (Pltypus tak bersetuju! ACE may be younger but he will never be as charming!) (Ace pun tak bersetuju! Ace bukan main handsome tak macam tengkorak muzium Platty!)

ACE68 belonged at one time not unlike Pltypus to the Spirit of L'Abri. Together with their Manila comrades they studied under Francis Schaeffer. Sometime they were joined by this loco from South America. But they all agreed the class discussion was on fire when this pretty belle from the land of Mao joined them. No bookstore will sell the books they seek. No Amazon.com! Those were the hard times. No library would allow this rag tag team of desperados in. No church wanted them. They were either too experimental, too existential, too marxist or just too crazy. They did not have any Irish scholarship to study medicine, so they studied with Francis Schaeffer. Rumours have it they are all still alive. (Last heard: two are lecturers with a special interest in childhood education, one is a relief worker in Bolivia, one is a therapist who works with terminal patients, one is a professor in a free graduate school.) All are inspired by Schaeffer to make a difference in their world. None of them give a shit about any B.Sc (Hon.k) that one singaporean is so desperate to show. They don't write/talk loudly to seek attention like another singaporean even though they can out-talk, anyone anyday or any fake latin handbook blogger who is so desperate to let he whole world knows he has a bible in his coat pocket!

These comrades have something better to offer. They don't hide their bibles in their coat pockets. They can't be bothered with white coats with pockets! They live their bibles in their lives wearing everday clothes. Real lives. Real actions. In their own real live sphere, making a difference in the world they live in. Real lives, real people. People that a certain deluded singaporean will never understand. Nor can that imbecile ever hope to understand Jeremiah Burroughs's message that ACE has gladly mail in today:

*For Mundo and those who have the misfortune of encountering handbooks quoting singaporeans. Note: The coat wearing medical asshole thankfully does not represent the rest of us in singapore. Sample this piece from Westminster Divine Jeremiah Burroughs.

"Gouty swollen legs keep at a distance one from another; Bladders that are blowne up with wind, spurt one from another, they will not close, but if you prick them, and so let out the wind, you may pack a thousand in a little room.

The stupidness of our hearts is such, as we do not make our brethren's case, who suffer the rage of these wars, our owne; But we for the present having some more liberty then formerly, we are lifted up, and in the pride of our hearts push at our brethren, and smite our fellow servants: If the dogs be at a little distance from us, though we even hear the cries of our brethren who are worried by them, yet we foolishly bless our selves in our present ease, enjoyments, and hopes, as if our flesh must be spared, our estates, our liberties and enjoyments must be continued, yea raised, whatsoever becomes of others. Oh sinful vaine spirits, befooled and hardened with their pride!

But what are the several workings of pride that make such a stir in the world?

First, A proud man thinks himself too great to be crossed, Shall I beare this? I will make you know what is to do such things against me; he thinks it is a great dishonour to him to beare any thing, therefore he must needs quarrel and contend, if it be but to show what a man of spirit he is, or to show that he is a man of such worth, as whatsoever others beare, yet it is not fit for him to beare it; it is but reason that such a man as he should make men who will presume to crosse him, to yield to him, to stoop under him. Now when one proud man thinks it a dishonour for him to put up wrongs from another who it may be is as proud as himself, and he thinks it a dishonour for him to put up wrongs; what peace can there be? Some wrongs must be put up, but proud men will never agree who shall begin.

Secondly, because his spirit swells so big, he thinks every thing that crosseth him to be very great; his sufferings are great to him according to the excellency or meanness of any person; So are his sufferings to be reckoned, sufferings of a man in eminency are judged according to this eminency and place; if a meane man suffer the same things, they are not accounted so great; now whether a man be great really, or in his own apprehension, its all one in regard of his esteem of his sufferings, he thinks them therefore intolerable because they are against himselfe.

Dan. 3.14. Is it true O Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego? Doe not ye serve my gods? that which you have in your books, Is it true? Arias Montanus translates, what, is there desolation made? what, you to oppose the command of a King? If this be suffered, what desolation must needs follow? And indeed the root from whence the Word comes, signifies, to make desolate; why? Was it a desolation that these three poor innocent men made, because they would not, nay they could not do as this proud King would have them? What made him thus to aggravate the offense, but merely the pride of his heart? He thought that any thing Crosse to his command was a most heinous offense, a thing most horrid in the very mention of it, no less then the utter undoing of all things. Pride ever aggravates any thing done against its owne minde. This in Dan. That Montanus turns, translates; what on purpose? You doe it on purpose to provoke me; thus proud men and women in their families, whatsoever children or servants do amiss; what? You do it on purpose to anger me, doe you? When the wind comes cross the stream, the waters rage: so does the will and affections of a proud heart when any thing crosseth it.

Thirdly, Pride makes man swell beyond their bounds; the way to keep within his bounds, the swelling beyond tends to the breaking all in pieces. Hab. 2.5. He is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and cannot be satisfied. If any honour of the body goes beyond its bounds, it brings much trouble to it, the health and peace of the body consists in the keeping of every humour within its vessel and due proportion.

Fourthly, Pride hardens mens hearts. Dan. 5.20. His minde is hardened in his pride. If you would make things cleave, you must have them soft, two flints will not join; The Spaniard hath a Proverb, Lime and stone will make a wall, if one be hard; yet if the other be yielding, there may be joining, and good may be done, not else.

Fifthly, Pride causes men to despise the persons actions and sufferings of others, nothing is more unsufferable to a mans spirit then to be vilified. A proud man despises what others do, and others what he does, every man next to his person, desires the honour of his actions. If these two be condemned, his sufferings will likewise be condemned by the proud: This also goes very near to a man; one man thinks what another man suffers is nothing, no matter what becomes of him; another thinks his sufferings nothing, and no matter what becomes of him; O at what a distance now are mens hearts one from another!

Sixthly, Pride causes every man to desire to be taken notice of to have an eminency in something or other; if he cannot be eminent on one side, he will get to the other; he must be taken notice of one way or other: when he is in a good and peaceable way, God makes some use of him, yet because he is not observed and looked upon as eminent, he will rather turne to some other way, to contend, strive, to oppose, or any thing, that he may be taken notice of to be some body, that he may not go out of the world without some noise: What, shall such a man as I? Of such parts, such approved abilities, so endued by God to do some eminent service, be laid aside, and no body regard me? I must set upon some notable worke, something that may draw the eye of observance upon me. I have read of a young man, who set Diana's Temple on fire, and being asked the reason, he said, That he might have a name, that the people might talk to him. Because he could not be famous by doing good, he would be doing evil. Proud spirits will venture the setting the Temple of god, yea Church and State on fire, that they may have a name, whatsoever they do or suffer; to get a name they will rather venture, then die in obscurity, that of all things they cannot beare.A proud man would have others under him; and others being proud too, would have him under them; he would have others yield to him, and others would have him yield to them; where will the agreement then begin? What is that which hath rent and torne the world in all ages, that hath brought woeful distractions, perplexities, confusions, miseries in all Countries by Wars, but the pride of a few great ones, seeking to bring one under another? Those waiting Warres of Romans between Sylla and Marius, Casar and Pompey, were they not from hence? It is hard for men in great places, and of great spirits to accord long. Melanchthon in his Comment upon Prov. 13.10. says concerning such men, there was want to be this Proverb, Two mountains will not mix together.

Seventhly, a proud man makes his will to be the rule of his actions, and would have it to be the rule of other mens too, and other men being proud too, would have their wills the rule of their actions, and of his too. Thus the blustering wind of Pride in mens hearts causes them to justle one against another, and so to split themselves one upon another; as where many ships lie together, a violent wind breaking their Anchor cables, causes them to dash one upon another, and so to make Shipwrack even in the Haven.

A proud man opposes others, because they have begun such a work; and others, who are also proud, oppose him, because he hath begun it. The Senators of Rome could have been content to have admitted Christ to have been amongst the number of their gods, but onely upon this, they refused because the motion began not with them. Many amongst us have no other reason why they oppose good motions, but because they were first in them; They are loath to break the ice, to begin a good work, if they see any difficulty in it, and yet the Cause of God must not go on, Christ must not be admitted, if they have not been at the beginning: Like two men carrying a long piece of timber in at a narrow passage, one man will go before, and the other man will go before, they can never carry it in, because they cannot agree who shall go foremost.

One proud man is conceited of what he doth, because it is his owne way; and another proud man is conceited of what he doth, because it is his own way, and so men draw diverse wages, and the publique Cause of God and his people must give way to their conceitedness. Pride makes a man drunk with his owne conceits. Hab.2.5. The proud man is as he that transgresseth by wine; and Drunkards you know are quarrelsome. Wonder not at any absurd thing in a proud man, for pride makes him drunk. Prov. 13.10. Proud men who cause contention, are opposed to the well advised, But with the well advised is wisdom The Septuagint reads it, The wise are such as themselves, but the proud does not.

Proud men will venture upon things unseemly, thinking their esteem and greatness will beare them out; and others who are proud will venture upon the like, upon the same ground, for every man is ready to have high thoughts of himself. Psal. 19.14. Deliver me from presumptuous sinnes, so some, so others, from proud, from insolent sins. Pride makes insolent. A proud man, says the Philosopher, is a feigner of boldness and valour, and therefore will foolishly venture upon one thing.

Now let every man look into his owne heart, and see what Pride hath been, and still is there, and be humbled before the Lord for this. All you contentious, forward, quarrelsome people, you are charged this day from God to be men and women of proud spirits, and what evil there is in our sad divisions, that pride in your bosom is a great cause of . S. Paul did beat down his body, lest after he had preached to others, he should become a Reprobate. Let us all, and especially Ministers, labour to beat down our spirits, lest after all our profession and glorious shows, we at last become Reprobates, at least such as God may cast out for the present in this world, taking no delight in making use of; what in such times as these are to have hearts swollen and lift up in pride? God is now about the staining the pride of the earth. How unseasonable and dangerous is it for a Mariner to have his top-sailes up, and all spread in a violent storme? It is time then to pull down all, lest he be sunk irrecoverably. The point of a needle will let the wind out of a bladder, and shall not the swords of God, the swords of War and Plague, that have got so deep into our bowels, let out the windy pride of our hearts? The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone will be exalted. The Lord humble us, that he may reconcile us, not only to himself, but to one another."

** I shall end with Jeremiah's motto which hopefully will forever bury the fake latin you guys have been subjected to: 'Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt hasustata'

ACE68