A77976:47
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 2
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.
CHAP. II.
The Servants of God, have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin.
First, Those Servants of God that have been guided by the Wisdom of God, to make their Choice, they have rather chose the sorest and most dreadful Afflictions in this world than willingly to commit the least sin: as now, if you would but turn your thoughts to what you have read or heard of the Martyrs, what hideous, and grievous torments did they suffer; the boiling of their bodies in scalding Lead, laying of their naked backs upon hot Gridirons, and •ending and tearing their Members a pieces with Horses, the pulling of their flesh off from their Bodies with Pincers, and others by red hot burning Tongs, their enduring their flesh to be scorched with broiling of it, first on the one side, and afterward on the other side; Yea, weak Women have endured this, To have their ⟨p. 6⟩flesh harrowed with stones and sharp irons, to have their bodies flayed, and then thrown into rivers of cold ice; and a thousand more whatsoever Hell and wicked men could devise: they were content to endure all this, and certainly could they have devised ten thousand times more exquisite torments then they did, they would have been content to have endured that, and whatsoever else, rather than to act against their Consciences the least sin, and they accounted this to be a good Choice, when as they saw Sin against their Consciences on the one hand, and all their torments on the other, they did rather embrace these tortures, then embrace that sin; and for this their Choice they are renowned in the hearts of the Saints to all generations: yea, the holy Ghost doth witness, That they have a good Report,