A TREATISE OF EARTHLY-MINDEDNESS by Jeremiah Burroughs.
Soli Deo Gloria, 1991. Available from Free Presbyterian Bookroom.
219pp. £7.95.
Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646) was held in high esteem by Thomas Goodwin, William Bridge and William Greenhill who published six volumes of his writings after his death. The sermons which make up this volume have been reprinted for the first time since their publication in 1649.
This work will be welcome by all pilgrims journeying to the celestial city. Its use to them is stated by Burroughs at the beginning of chapter 7: “The main thing we have tried to do thus far is to take the minds of men and women off the things of the earth. This will prepare us for the next point which is of infinite concern, our conversations in heaven. But because a man’s conversation cannot be in heaven until his mind is taken off the earth, until the disease of earthly-mindedness is cured, we must now propound those things that may help take off men’s minds from the earth.” After the Puritan manner, eleven considerations follow, with a further five directions how to get our hearts free from earthly-mindedness. These first 76 pages are based on Philippians 3: 19 “who mind earthly things”, in which he explains what is this activity of the wicked. In two searching chapters (two and five) he endeavours to expose earthly-mindedness lurking undiscovered in the heart.
The second treatise, A Heavenly Conversation, is based on the succeeding verse: “… for our conversation is in heaven. . . .” (Phil. 3: 20). He explains it in the context of the example of the godly, and moves on to explain how they are citizens of heaven, and how they have their conversation in heaven. After explaining their trading with heaven (the trading metaphor is prominent throughout the book; he had “much of the comfort that earth could afford him” p.3), he gives seven marks of such persons and, finally, seven directions how to get a heavenly conversation.
More than once (p40, 86, 127-8) he draws attention to the importance of a heavenly conversation because it is a convincing conversation. “You will never be the man or woman who is likely to convince any by your
conversation; you are never likely to be a means to draw any of the love of the ways of godliness, because there is so much darkness and earthliness in your conversation.” “Let those who profess religion labour to walk so that their examples may be convincing to others.” “Truly, Christians should live as if they came from heaven every day, as if they had been in heaven conversing with God.” He was aware of the valuable use of a heavenly conversation to convince the wicked (p118), hypocrites (p120) and the godly whose “conversations are too low, too earthly” (p124).
The last treatise is a sermon on Genesis 5: 24: “And Enoch walked with God.” He raises the doctrine from the text: “It is the excellency of a Christian to walk with God.” He proceeds to show how the soul is brought to walk with God, and what walking with God is. A useful chapter sets forth twelve excellencies of walking with God. Ten marks of such walking are given and twelve rules of direction for walking with God. He concludes by dealing with objections about walking with God when He hides His face.
Useful lessons are given to heavenward-bound pilgrims. I would have preferred Burroughs to have dwelt more upon the place the Saviour occupies in drawing one away from earthly-mindedness to heavenly-mindedness. He mentions this, and it undergirds most of what he writes but, rather than assuming it and introducing the Saviour as the fifth section in the last chapter on Five Directions How to Get our Hearts Free from Earthly-Mindedness, it would give a better relish if the whole subject matter was handled in relation to the Saviour.
The difficulties of editing old works can be great. The editor, Don Kistler, has done quite well but there are still mistakes. The dust cover tells us that there are two treatises whereas there are three (Burroughs considers Phil. 3: 20 to be a separate treatise, p76) and the dust cover calls the second treatise “A Heavenly Conversation, or Walking with God” whereas these are different treatises based upon Phil. 3: 20 and Gen. 5: 24. This mistake is made by following the original title page which is misleading and incomplete. Treatises developed in the hands of puritan authors and it is no different with Burroughs. His original plan is on pages 2-3 where it is apparent he intends to handle Phil. 3: 19-20. The five points on verse 19 are on p3, but they are expanded into six points on his contents page. If these points had been followed, the present editor would have put the last paragraph of chapter 2 as the first paragraph of chapter 3 (pp16-17) and the last four sentences of chapter 4 are really the first four sentences of chapter 5 (pp45-46) and chapter 5 should be renamed along the lines of point 3 on page 3 (the present title is unintelligible).
The editor has americanised the spelling, and updated the old style “s”; however one of the old style slips through on p93; “And hath raised us up together, and made us fit (sic) together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. A more objectionable change is You for Thee when applied to the Most High, p32, 132, 157, 160 et passim. However, thou, thy and thee are retained in biblical quotations, p158, sometimes capitalised, p160.
These points in no way hinder the usefulness of this volume, although they illustrate the difficulties of an editor. In trying to faithfully reproduce an author’s work, he must decide whether to reproduce his mistakes or correct them, and sometimes whether or not to tidy up and reorganise material where, for a multitude of reasons, the author did not have the time or opportunity to do so. This volume is worthy of prayerful consideration.
D.M.B.