A77976:470
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.
Corollaries and Consequences from all the former Particulars. › Chapter 44
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. XLIV.
The First Corollary.] Its worse for a man to be sinful, than to be turned into a beast.
The First Corallarie.] Its worse for a man to be sinful, than to be turned into a beast.
First, Hence then it is worse for a man to be sinful and wicked, than if he were turned into a beast: It is worse to be like the Devil to fulfil his will, to be a servant to him, to be turned into a devil, than to be turned into a beast. And yet we should account it a great misery if God should put any one under such a punishment to turn your bodies into beasts. I remember I have read out of Lactantius of a place he quotes out of Tully, Who would not rather die (saith he) than have his body, the body of a man, turned into the shape of a beast, though he should retain the mind of a man, under this condition? As if God by his power should turn the fashion of a mans body, to be just like a Dog or a Swine, and yet he should have the mind of a man the soul should be kept within such a body, of such a form, of a dog or a swine, and he should go up and down in the ⟨p. 371⟩world as a dog or a swine, with the mind of a man: Now this Heathen saith, A man had rather die than be so; then how great an evil (saith he) is it for a man to have the soul of a man turned into the fashion of a beast, though his body continue still in the form of a man, this a heathen could say. By this it appeareth, Though we see not God work such miracles, as to turn the bodies of men and women, by his judgements, into the fashion of swine, or dogs, or such Creatures as he might do if he pleased; but this we see ordinary that the souls of men and women, be turned just into the very fashion and shape (as I may so speak) of the sensitive souls of brute beasts; as a drunkard, or a glutton, his soul is just like to the sensitive soul of the swine. And those that do rail against Religion, their souls be turned just like the sensitive soul of a barking dog, and they do bark like (nay, a great deal worse than) a dog. And those that are wickedly subtle, they are like to Foxes. And the Scripture speaks of men cruel, like to Wolves: their sins do turn their souls to be like the very spirit and sensitive souls of the brute beasts. So that they are in a worse condition than if their bodies were turned into the shape of brute beasts. But when their souls be turned to be like the Devil, this is worse a great deal than if they were like brute beasts. This is the First.