A77976:515
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 51
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, Thou that hast slight thoughts concerning troubles of Conscience, consider that what thou hast slight thoughts of, In it self, in its own Nature, it is no other but the very beginnings of Eternal death, of the second death, the very beginnings of Hell. The principal torments of Hell, lie in the perfection of that trouble now, that for the present, is upon conscience; and yet this thou makest nothing of, as if it were but melancholy, as if the wrath of God that shall lie upon the damned in Hell to all Eternity, were but a frenzy. Certainly that which the Lord will at the last torment the souls of the Damned withal to all Eternity, it is the principal of that, it is of the very same Nature with the wounds and horrors of conscience in this world: It is true, that God doth indeed often times bless the horrors of Conscience to the saving of the soul, to bring the soul to Christ; but horrors of Conscience in their own Nature (I say) are the beginnings of the second death: as pains, and sicknesses of the body of a man or woman, are the beginnings of the first death; so wounds and horrors of Conscience ⟨p. 400⟩are the beginnings of the second death. The Soul of Man is a Subject of more large Capacity for torments than the Body can be: Now the principal way that God hath to torment the Soul, that we know of, in Hell it self, it is by the horrors and wounds of Conscience. I remember therefore it was the Speech of Francis Spira, saith he, I feel in me the wrath of God, as the torments of Hell; and he was not mistaken, for they be the beginnings of the torments of Hell: and therefore God many times, to keep men from being swallowed up in those torments, he makes them feel these torments, they have some sparks of these torments of Hell upon their souls now, that they may be delivered from the flames of Hell to all Fternity. Troubles of Conscience for sin, is nothing else, but Gods letting out some sparks of Hell upon the Soul. Now what a mistake is this, Thou thinkest this but melancholy, when the truth is it is nothing else but the sparks of Hell upon the soul. This is the Second.
Secondly, Thou that hast slight thoughts concerning troubles of Conscience, consider that what thou hast slight thoughts of, In it self, in its own Nature, it is no other but the very beginnings of Eternal death, of the second death, the very beginnings of Hell. The principal torments of Hell, lie in the perfection of that trouble now, that for the present, is upon conscience; and yet this thou makest nothing of, as if it were but melancholly, as if the wrath of God that shall lie upon the damned in Hell to all Eternity, were but a frenzie. Certainly that which the Lord will at the last torment the souls of the Damned withal to all Eternity, it is the principal of that, it is of the very same Nature with the wounds and horrors of conscience in this world: It is true, that God doth indeed often times bless the horrors of Conscience to the saving of the soul, to bring the soul to Christ; but horrors of Conscience in their own Nature (I say) are the beginnings of the second death: as pains, and sicknesses of the body of a man or woman, are the beginnings of the first death; so wounds and horrors of Conscience