A77976:375
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.
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.
XIV. Sin is worse than Affliction as against our selves, For it is that which hardens the heart against God, and the means of Grace more than any Affliction. I do not speak now of hardening the heart against God in opposition to him; but ⟨p. 298⟩as in opposition to our own good that we should receive from God, in the use of the means of grace; and so Sin is more opposite to our good than Afflictions▪ Affliction rather, usually, doth further the means of grace, and prepare the heart for the entertaining of the means of grace; affliction doth: But Sin hardens the heart against it, and hinders the efficacy of the means of grace upon the souls of men and women; Hosea, 5. and the last, In their afflictions they will seek me early: then the more afflictions are upon them, the more ready are they to seek me; Isay, 26. 16. When thy chastening was upon them, they poured forth their prayer. Many men and women that never knew how to pray, that would say they could not pray in their families, that they could not pray in secret, any otherwise than to say a prayer, or that they had learned when they were children to say so many words; they could not pray otherwise: But when their Afflictions are upon them, then their hearts could be driven to God, and they could find how to pray otherwise. There is a speech concerning Mariners, He that knows not how to pray, let him go to Sea: noting, that when he comes into the waves, and tempests, and storms, that would teach him to pray: You Mariners, consider if ever it have taught you to pray: my thinks, of any sort of men in the world, Mariners should have the gift of prayer, because so often in affliction, and in danger of their lives; and many times they find, though they know not how to use their mouths, to fashion their tongues to any ⟨p. 299⟩thing but oaths at other times; yet when in danger of their lives, they can fall to prayer, and pour forth their prayer; when thy chastening is upon them, they pour forth their prayer: and that word there translated Prayer, in the Original is a word that signifies to Enchant; and the reason comes from hence, because Enchanters did put a great deal of efficacy in a few words, closed their Sentences in a few words, and thought there was much efficacy in them: