A77976:421
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.
Secondly, Not only the prevailing strength, But the bitterness, the sting of Affliction, that which makes it bitter to the Spirit, is sin; Sin makes it come like an Armed man with power: And besides, Sin makes it inwardly gall at the very heart, sting like a Serpent, as the Apostle 1 Cor. 15 56. saith of death, The sting of Death, is sin, saith the Apostle: so that which he saith of death, it is true of all evils, of all afflictions, that are but makers of way to death; the sting of a sickness, the sting of the loss of your estates, the sting of discredit, the sting of imprisonment, the sting of all afflictions, and that which makes them bitter to the soul is sin: you have a notable place; Jer. 4. 18. Thy ways, and thy doings have procured these things unto thee, this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thy heart: In the Greek it is, This is thy wickedness, and because it is bitter it reacheth unto thy heart, that interprets the word: saith he, thy wickedness hath procured this, and the punishment to thy wickedness is bitter, and reacheth to thy heart; because it comes as a punishment of thy wickedness, so it comes to be bitter, and reacheth to thy very heart. Oh when sin is in affliction, it comes to the heart, and is very bitter: were the guilt of sin taken away in any affliction, the soul might be able to make use of that expression of Agag in a better way than he did, and come joyfully ⟨p. 331⟩and cheerfully to look upon any affliction, and say, The bitterness of death is past: So doth God lay any affliction upon me, or my family, the bitterness of death is gone; the bitterness is gone, because my sin is gone: Sin is as it were the rotten Core in an Apple, or Fruit, it will make all the Fruit to be bitter and rotten: And so sin, that is the rotten core, take away, cut out the rotten core, and then you will not taste so much bitterness in the Fruit: So if Sin, the rotten core be cut out, affliction will not be so bitter. This is the Second, All the prevailing strength of affliction is from sin, and the bitterness and anguish of spirit in affliction, is from sin.
Secondly, Not only the prevailing strength, But the bitterness, the sting of Affliction, that which makes it bitter to the Spirit, is sin; Sin makes it come like an Armed man with power: And besides, Sin makes it inwardly gaul at the very heart, sting like a Serpent, as the Apostle