A77976:446
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.
A Fourth thing to discover a kind of infiniteness of evil in Sin is this, That Sin, it is so evil, that let there be never so much hatred against it in thy soul, let there be as much hatred against it as possibly can be; yet there is enough evil in sin to raise this hatred higher and higher, if it were possible to an infinite hatred: therefore there is a kind of infiniteness in it. If Sin were but a mere finite Evil, then there might be some bounds and limits set to the hatred of our sin; but that cannot be, there can be no bounds nor limits set to the hatred of our sin, but we are to hate it more and more still, and if we could, grow to an infinite hatred: therefore there must be some kind of infinite Evil in it. Other things be not so; we may set bounds to our hatred in other things: but when it comes to sin, there is no limits to be set to the hatred ⟨p. 351⟩of it. As Brethren thus, It doth note the infiniteness of goodness that there is in God, why? Because we are to love God, and our love to God must be without any bounds at all: we love him thus much, and still our love is to go further, and higher and higher, and if possible to raise our love to be infinite, because he is an infinite good who is the object of our loves. So hatred on the other side; we are to hate sin, we are to hate it more and more, and still grow up in hatred, and never set bounds to our hatred: why doth not this as well argue a kind of infiniteness in fin? And here then Brethren by the way you may have a note of your true love to God, and true hatred against Sin, whether it be right or no: as now, If you will know if you love God truly, then you set no bounds to your love, not only to your love to him, but to your love to his ways, and your love to Grace, and Christ, and the like, you set no bounds: That man or woman that would be Religious but so far, and saith, why will you be so strict, and so hot? and sets bounds to the working of their hearts in Religious ways; let such men and women know, their Religion is in vain, it is but merely a Natural one. I remember a Speech Seneca a Heathen hath, though he applies it another way, yet he makes it appear, he had some understanding of this Truth, saith he, Would you know when desires be Natural, and when not Natural? If they be Natural, then they be in bounds, and you set limits to them;
A Fourth thing to discover a kind of infiniteness of evil in Sin is this, That Sin, it is so evil, that let there be never so much hatred against it in thy soul, let there be as much hatred against it as possibly can be; yet there is enough evil in sin to raise this hatred higher and higher, if it were possible to an infinite hatred: therefore there is a kind of infiniteness in it. If Sin were but a meer finite Evil, then there might be some bounds and limits set to the hatred of our sin; but that cannot be, there can be no bounds nor limits set to the hatred of our sin, but we are to hate it more and more still, and if we could, grow to an infinite hatred: therefore there must be some kind of infinite Evil in it. Other things be not so; we may set bounds to our hatred in other things: but when it comes to sin, there is no limits to be set to the hatred