A77976:257
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 22
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.
You think if you sin against God, you will cry God mercy, and so hope God will pardon: true, there is a difference between Man-kind and the Angels, because we have a Mediator, and they have not; but most people that speak of crying to God for mercy, they look upon God, as Gods Nature merely being merciful, and not through a Mediator; they do not understand the necessity […] ⟨p. 114⟩[…] ⟨p. 115⟩⟨p. 116⟩of a Mediator between God and them, but they apprehend that that God that made them will hear their cry: Now God made the Angels and they were more noble Creatures than you abundantly; now the Angels that sinned but once, for that one sin are cast for ever, and God resolves, though they should cry and shriek, and shed thousands of tears for sin, God will never hear them; Gods displeasure against sin is so great: certainly then sin is a dreadful evil. Suppose a Prince were so wrath with a great company of his Nobles, that he casts a great multitude of them into a Dungeon, and there they endure torment, and the King would not vouchsafe so much as to enter into a parley, to be reconciled upon any terms; every one would say, surely 'tis some great matter that hath provoked the King: if they understand this Prince is very Just, and withal very merciful; to be sure he would do none any wrong, but were very merciful above all men in the world; and yet for but one offence he should cast these his Nobles down into a Dungeon to be tormented, and would by no means be reconciled: every one would conclude, certainly there was much evil in that offence if it deserved thus much; and certainly for the Prince to deal thus with them there was much in it: Would you not make such a conclusion from thence? then learn to make such a conclusion from Gods dealing with the Angels; That seeing God is Just, and can do no Creature wrong; yea, God is infinitely merciful, and yet he doth cast his noble ⟨p. 117⟩Creatures, those Creatures that were the highest that ever he made any Creature, for one sin without any means of Reconciliation: Certainly Sin hath more evil in it than men are aware of, for though God hath not dealt thus with Man-kind, yet he might; there is so much evil in sin that God might have done thus with any of us; and had it not been for the Mediation of his Son, we had been thus irrecoverably miserable to all eternity.