A77976:398
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.
Use 2. If Sin have so much evil in it more than Affliction as against our selves, Then it should teach us all to look with pity, and abundance of commiseration upon men and women that go on in ways of sin. Ah poor Creatures, they undo themselves, their ways are against themselves, and they will work ⟨p. 314⟩their own ruin and misery by these ways of theirs: You that are Tradesmen, if you see a man going on in way of Trading, so that you know certainly that he will undo himself, you look upon him with pity; poor young man, he goeth on in such a way as he will undo himself; you pity him upon that ground, because he undoes himself: the more hand a man hath in doing himself hurt, the more he is to be pitied: As you Mariners, if you see one at Sea, go through ignorance, so that he will be by and by split into the Sea, or you know he will be by and by upon the Rocks and Sands, and he is wilful in his way, you pity him, he is an object of pity Doest thou see any man or woman, thy father or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife, or any thou lovest dearly, going on in ways of sin, Oh pity them; let thy heart bleed over them poor wretches, they will undo themselves, split themselves eternally. If thou shouldest see a Company of men stab and murder themselves, and lying dead in the streets, if it should be asked how came they dead? and it should be answered every one of them murdered himself; were it not an object of pity? if you see men & women go on in sin, every one stabs, and murders, and mischiefs themselves, and cuts their own throats, this is the way of sin: and though they do not see it themselves, yet if God open their eyes they will see it; and certainly they shall see it ere long, and they will be forced to cry out in the bitterness of their souls, Woe to me, woe to me, I am lost and undone, and I have ⟨p. 315⟩uddone my self. Therefore Brethren we should not look upon sinners now as they are in the height of their prosperity and the rufe of their pride, but look upon them as within a little time they will be; look upon them in their end, and then learn to pity them. Although sinners go on conceitedly, and boast themselves in their evil ways for the present, pity them so much the more, for the more any sinner is conceited and boasts in his way, the more dangerous is his condition, the more dangerous sign the seal of God is upon him to seal him to destruction.