A77976:218
The Evil of Evils
The eighth book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Wherein is showed, 1 There is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. 2 Sin is most opposite to God. 3 Sin is most opposite to mans good. 4 Sin is opposite to all good in general. 5 Sin is the poison, or evil of all other evils. 6 Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. 7 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil. All these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / Published by Thomas Goodwin, William Bridge, Sydrach Simpson, William Adderly, [double brace] William Greenhil, Philip Nigh, John Yates.The eighth book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Wherein is shewed, 1 There is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. 2 Sin is most opposite to God. 3 Sin is most opposite to mans good. 4 Sin is opposite to all good in general. 5 Sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. 6 Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. 7 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil. All these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / Published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Bridge, Sydrach Sympson, William Adderly, [double brace] William Greenhil, Philip Nye, John Yates.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1654
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE EVIL of EVILS: OR, The Exceeding Sinfulness OF SIN. › Chapter 17
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1 It is not deep enough, there can be no humiliation deep enough, except the soul be humbled ⟨p. 86⟩for sin, as it hath sinned against God: yea, though the heart be so burdened with fears and horrors as to be sunk down into despair, yet I do not call that a depth of humiliation, it is not from the depth of humiliation that the soul despairs, for certainly (consider what I say Brethren) there is a mistake in this, to think that those that despair are humbled too much: no, despair is for want of humiliation, for despair and pride may stand both together; for the Devil is proud; you will say as proud as Lucifer; The Devils despair, they be the most despairing Creatures in the world, and yet the most proud Creatures in the world; therefore despair doth not come from the depth of humiliation, but rather from the want of humiliation. Certainly the hearts of men and women in despair fly against God, many times flies most desperately and proudly against God: in despair therefore the heart is not humbled enough when it hath only terrors and fears, except it be humbled for sin when it seeth it against the Majesty of God as here hath been opened to you: nothing doth cast down the soul so low in true humiliation as the sight of sin against God. Oh what have I done against God? what hath my life been against that infinite, glorious, eternal first-Being of all things? When the soul comes to see that effectually, then it falls down, and falls down low too. Certainly Brethren, the heart is never humbled throughly till it come to feel the burden of sin to be heaviest there where it is heaviest; mark, I say, till the heart feel the burden ⟨p. 87⟩of sin to be heaviest where it is heaviest, it is not brought low enough: but the burden of sin it is heaviest as it is against God, rather than as it is against the good of the Creature; that though it be a wonderful burden, yea (if God put not under his hand) an intolerable burden if the Conscience only apprehend sin as against the good of the Creature; but the apprehension of sin as against God is a great deal more, it doth show the burden of sin, and make the burden of sin to be far more weighty than the other can possibly be.
1 It is not deep enough, there can be no humiliation deep enough, except the soul be humbled ⟨p. 86⟩