A77976:647
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 66
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. LXVI.
Use 16. If there be more Evil in Sin than in Affliction, Then when Sin and Affliction meet, they make a man most miserable.
NOW we come to the Two last Uses; we must insist a little longer upon them: especially the last, as having several branches.
Use XVI. Therefore if there be more evil in Sin than in Affliction; Hence, what a miserable Condition be those in, that have both these evils upon them, and that in a high degree. That Affliction doth make a man in a very sad and miserable condition, that sense teacheth men and women; every one doth account those men and women that are under great afflictions to be under great miseries: well, but now you have heard in these many Sermons, how that there is another Evil, greater than all Afflictions. Now then, what if both these Evils come together, and concur both together to make a man miserable? then he is a miserable man every way. Then he is a miserable man to Sense and Reason of men, to the judgment of the world; and then he is a miserable man in the judgement of the holy Ghost too; in the judgment of God, and the ⟨p. 505⟩Saints, in the Judgment of the Word: when both shall come and join together to make a man to be miserable, sure these be miserable persons indeed. If a Child of God see a man in affliction, he will not presently judg him miserable, because he doth not know; it may be he is godly, if he be godly, he is not miserable, though he be afflicted; but the world presently judges him miserable, because afflicted: On the other side, the world judges him not miserable though he be sinful, if he be not afflicted: On the one hand, the godly man judges that man in affliction, not miserable, if not sinful; on the other hand, the world judges that man not miserable that is not afflicted, though he be sinful. But now when both these be together in one man, as a sinful man, so an afflicted man in a high degree; this all judg misery. And what a company of most miserable wretches have we in this world? how many in woeful straits and extremities, for the Body? in their estates, for want of bread, for want of clothes, in want of house, in want of fire, in want of all necessaries that can be; their bodies diseased, full of pains, their bodies deformed, their very parts of Nature exceeding loathsome, unfit for Service every way, in all outward appearance, for their outward estates extremely miserable; and yet together with this extremely wicked also, extremely sinful: go into their houses, there is nothing but beggary, and misery there, and there is as much wickedness and iniquity, as beggary and misery: