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

Thirdly, It is better that God withdraw, than that we withdraw. I beseech you observe it: If God withdraws from you it is your affliction: but if you withdraw from God, it is your sin; and sin is worse than affliction, better bear any affliction, yea spiritual afflictions than commit sin; and that you should labour to be sensible of: you that complain of God's withdrawing from you, and that God will not walk with you; Be you more sensible of your own withdrawings as a greater evil to you than Gods? It's true, Gods withdrawing from me it is a sore affliction above all that ever befell me in this world; but my withdrawing from him it is a greater burden to me. And it may be if God did not withdraw from thee, thou wouldst withdraw from him: And many times God doth withdraw from his people to prevent his peoples withdrawing from him. As many times the mother will withdraw her self from the child that the child may not be wandering from her. And this may be the very end why God withdraws, he sees thy heart begins to be loose, wanton, slight, and vain, and therefore it is that he hides himself, that thou mayest be awakened and sensible of the danger that thou art in by withdrawing thy self from God; that so thou mayest cleave to him the more fully, and that thy soul may follow more after him, that thou mayest lift up thy heart and cry more earnestly after God. But now, if God be withdrawn, & the soul be not so sensible as to cry after him, or if it should leave off crying; then such a one is in a dangerous condition indeed. As if a poor child had lost the father or mother and were crying after them; at length comes some beggar with an apple or plumb and steals away the child, and then the child is quiet for the present; Oh take heed of that, depart not from the Lord, keep crying after him in all his withdrawings.

Thirdly, It is better that God withdraw, than that we withdraw. I beseech you observe it: If God withdraws from you it is your affliction: but if you withdraw from God, it is your sin; and sin is worse than affliction, better bear any affliction, yea spiritual afflictions than commit sin; and that you should labor to be sensible of: you that complain of God's withdrawing from you, and that God will not walk with you; Be you more sensible of your own withdrawings as a greater evil to you than Gods? It's true, Gods withdrawing from me it is a sore affliction above all that ever befell me in this world; but my withdrawing from him it is a greater burden to me. And it may be if God did not withdraw from thee, thou wouldst withdraw from him: And many times God doth withdraw from his people to prevent his peoples withdrawing from him. As many times the mother will withdraw her selfe from the child that the child may not be wandring from her. And this may be the very end why God withdraws, he sees thy heart begins to be loose, wanton, slight, and vain, and therefore it is that he hides himself, that thou maiest be awakened and sensible of the danger that thou art in by withdrawing thy self from God; that so thou maiest cleave to him the more fully, and that thy soul may follow more after him, that thou maiest lift up thy heart and cry more earnestly after God. But now, if God be withdrawn, & the soul be not so sensible as to cry after him, or if it should leave off crying; then such a one is in a dangerous condion indeed. As if a poor child had lost the father or mother and were crying after them; at length comes some begger with an apple or plumb and steals away the child, and then the child is quiet for the present; Oh take heed of that, depart not from the Lord, keep crying after him in all his withdrawings.