The Evil of Evils

WE are yet upon the great Doctrine of the Evil of Sin, showing that there is more evil in Sin than in any affliction. Many things you know have been delivered in the Explanatory part of it, wherein I have endeavoured to set before you, the vileness of sin, to paint it out unto you in the true colours of it, as I was able: And having set Sin before you in the vileness of it, we have begun the Applicatory part of this Point, to draw some Collections by way of Use from what hath been said concerning the dreadful Evil of Sin. I have finished the first Use: I shall now proceed to the Second.

WE are yet upon the great Doctrine of the Evil of Sin, shewing that there is more evil in Sin than in any affliction. Many things you know have been delivered in the Explanatory part of it, wherein I have endeavored to set before you, the vileness of sin, to paint it out unto you in the true colors of it, as I was able: And having set Sin before you in the vileness of it, we have begun the Applicatory part of this Point, to draw some Collections by way of Use from what hath been said concerning the dreadful Evil of Sin. I have finished the first Use: I shall now proceed to the Second.

Use 2. And that is this, If there be such dreadful evil in Sin above all Evils of Affliction, Hence then it follows, that a man or woman may be in a most miserable condition, a miserable estate although they be delivered from affliction: I say, It is possible for a man or woman to be a most miserable creature, though they have no outward affliction; yet their condition may be very miserable, because there is evil enough in Sin to make one miserable without affliction. Most people in the world know no other miseries than that misery that comes by affliction, and they make afflictions to be the only rule and measure of a miserable condition: so much afflicted, so miserable is their estate; and so little afflicted, so happy is their estate: They think that those people that are delivered from affliction, are happy people; and those people that are under affliction, are miserable people; Oh he hath lost his estate, suffered shipwreck, hath grievous diseases in his body, is put in prison, and so lives miserably all his days: thus people look upon men and women in affliction, as if they were only miserable. Before I have done with this Use, I shall I hope, convince you, That it is not affliction, yea, all afflictions, miseries, troubles outwardly, do not make us miserable, but only sin; where there is most sin, there is most misery, though less affliction. It is a great mistake in people to judg of happiness or unhappiness by these outward things: You shall have many people when they see men and women very poor, that have no houses, nor clothes, nor meat and drink, that are