Jeremiah Burroughs

Jeremiah Burroughs was born around 1599, in Suffolk, England. Little is known of his early life. His father was a man of some standing. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, the leading Puritan college of the time, where he took his degree in 1617. He was ordained in the Church of England and became a lecturer at Bury St. Edmunds. He was a man of mild and scholarly disposition, drawn to the Puritan emphasis on a godly life. He was soon known as a persuasive preacher.

In 1631, he was made rector of Tivetshall in Norfolk, a position he held for several years. He fell afoul of the church authorities, led by Archbishop William Laud, who was seeking to enforce conformity. Burroughs refused to follow some of the ceremonies that Laud required, such as bowing at the name of Jesus and placing the communion table at the east end of the church. In 1636 he was suspended and was deprived of his living. In 1637, he fled to the Netherlands, where he took up a ministry among the English exiles in Rotterdam. He served there as a pastor until 1641.

In that year, with the calling of the Long Parliament, the position of the Puritans changed. He returned to England and became a lecturer at two of the greatest churches in London, St. Michael's in Cornhill and St. Giles in Cripplegate, and also pastor at Stepney. Thousands of people came to hear him. His preaching was marked by warmth and a gift for applying the Word to the heart. He was one of the leading preachers in London. At the same time, he was an influential figure in the Westminster Assembly, the council of divines that met to reform the church.

In the Assembly, he was one of the group of five known as the Dissenting Brethren, who advocated a form of church government known as Congregationalism, in which each local church governs itself. He argued for toleration of those who differed on this point. He was not an extremist. He sought to hold the Puritans together and spoke in favor of peace. His voice was one of moderation in a time of conflict, and he sought to avoid the bitterness that came to mark the disputes.

His best-known work is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, which was published after his death in 1648. It is a series of sermons on the text in Philippians where Paul says that he has learned to be content. It is a deeply devotional work, and it sets out the art of being content in the face of trouble. He taught that contentment is a grace that must be learned from Christ, and he gave practical counsel on how to cultivate it. He also wrote Gospel Worship, Gospel Conversation and Moses His Choice, which are among the most readable of Puritan writings.

He was not a well man. He suffered from a long illness, and his friends were concerned about his health. He worked hard and did not spare himself. He died on November 14, 1646, at the age of about forty-seven, in Cripplegate, London. The cause of his death is said to have been the stress of his labors and an illness that he contracted. His death was mourned by many.

His life shows that those who have known trouble and exile may be well suited to teach contentment. The book that he left has been loved by many readers who find in it a comfort for the restless heart.