Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness

CHAP. III. How the Soul is brought to Walk with God, Discovered in Six Particulars.

First, Every one by nature goes astray from God, in the 58. Psal. 3. it is said of all the wicked, that they are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. That's one of the first things wherein wickedness appears in children, but 'tis from the very womb that they go astray, before they can speak: 'tis natural for the wicked to go astray from God as soon as they have any being. The way wherein men naturally do walk, it is the way of death, it's the way of their own hearts, of their own counsels, it's the common course of the world, it is the walk of the flesh. But now, the work of God in bringing the soul to walk with him, it is, First, To cause the soul to make a stop in the way that men naturally walk in; Those that the Lord hath left for a while in the way of nature, that walk in the way of death, the Lord is pleased to come to them by some mighty work of his to make a stop, by considering, where am I? what's my way; whither am I going? is the way that I am in like to the way that beseems an Immortal soul? Is the way like to end well that I am walking in? It causes the soul to make a stop in it, and begin to think where it is, whither it is going, and so usually causes some fear, fearing it is in a way like to miscarry, so that it dare not proceed further in that way that it hath been walking in all this while, though never so pleasant a way, though never so suitable to the flesh, the Lord forbid that I should go on in that way that I have walked in. There's a stop caused.

FIrst, Every one by nature goes astray from God, in the 58. Psal. 3. it is said of all the wicked, that they are estranged from the wombe, they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. That's one of the first things wherein wickedness appears in children, but 'tis from the very womb that they go astray, before they can speak: 'tis natural for the wicked to go astray from God as soon as they have any being. The way wherein men naturally do walk, it is the way of death, it's the way of their own hearts, of their own counsels, it's the common course of the world, it is the walk of the flesh. But now, the work of God in bringing the soul to walk with him, it is, First, To cause the soul to make a stop in the way that men naturally walk in; Those that the Lord hath left for a while in the way of nature, that walk in the way of death, the Lord is pleased to come to them by some mighty work of his to make a stop, by considering, where am I? what's my way; whither am I going? is the way that I am in like to the way that befeems an Immortal soul? Is the way like to end well that I am walking in? It causes the soul to make a stop in it, and begin to think where it is, whither it is going, and so usually causes some fear, fearing it is in a way like to miscarry, so that it dare not proceed further in that way that it hath been walking in all this while, though never so pleasant a way, though never so sutable to the flesh, the Lord forbid that I should go on in that way that I have walked in. There's a stop caused.