fitted to their hearts and dispositions that he finds his own sin come to be discovered and the man is smitten as he in 1 Cor. 14. 25. the ignorant man that comes into the Church and hears there the Saints prophesie He is convinced and falls down and saith verily God is among them of a truth God is in them it is a remarkable Text what ever he thought before it may be he heard strange Stories of the Church of Christ of prophane Meetings That Gods People when they met together they blew out the Candles and committed Uncleanness and Wickedness As there be notorious lies reported abroad of such Sects in the world for certainly there is no such Sect in the world but such reports are raised meerly to make the Meettings of Gods Saints odious in the esteem of others As the Jesuite said Do you but Calnmniate strongly somewhat will stick though nothing be true Well what ever thoughts they had of the Assemblies of the people of God for it is like the Heathens had strange thoughts but when he came in and heard what was done he is Convinced and Judged and the secrets of his heart came to be discovered the text saith The man falls down and Worships God and reports God is among them So many people hear great Relations of such Men and such Preachers and Sermons and they go to hear what they can say and what they do and may be go with an intention to scorn as I have known some come and sit close to a Pilar and with an intention to jeer and scorn but before they have been gone God hath darted some truth into their Conscience and they have been struck with the word and gone away with terrors in their Conscience this cannot be melancholly As Paul when God converted him God comes and meets him with light from heaven and strikes him from his horse and he stands trembling and cries out Lord What wilt thou have me to do There is a great deal of difference between this and melancholly A Third Difference is this Melancholly is exceeding Confused they are exceeding Confused in their thoughts and the trouble of their Spirit And many times they have troubles and sinkings but they can give no account of it at all yea their troubles be beyond their ground the grounds that they be troubled about are very confused that they understand them not themselves but troubles of Conscience are a great deal more distinct and there the soul seeth ground for the trouble beyond the trouble As in Melancholly the trouble is beyond the ground of trouble so in affliction of Conscience the ground is beyond all trouble I am troubled indeed but I see cause to be troubled more and this is a great part of many mens trouble That they can be troubled no more A Fourth Difference is this The more melancholly there is in any man or woman the less able are they to bear any outward affliction that befals them but the more trouble of Conscience the more able shall they be to bear afflictions that befals them Those who feel the trouble of Sin heavie do account all other afflictions light but melancholly people do feel all Afflictions heavie they cannot bear the least cross their hearts are ready to sink upon any thing and the more melancholly increaseth the more weak are their spirits and the less able to bear any cross But now trouble of Conscience the more sin and the heavier the butthen of sin lies upon the Soul the more slight thoughts hath the soul of outward crosses Alas it may be he hears of some that have some grievous diseases in their bodies Oh saith he that is troubled in conscience Oh if it were no worse with me than so it were but a flea bite but it is another manner of matter if God would change my trouble I could easily bear that As Francis Spira hath this expression Oh! saith he were I but released and set free as before from trouble of spirit my thinks I could scorn all the threatnings of cruel Tyrants and with undaunted resolution bear all torments So that the height of this trouble makes the other less It was a good Speech of a reverend Divine of our times when he heard any impatient under afflictions he used to say thus Surely the Reason why Affliction is heavie upon you is because Sin is light Those that be impatient under Afflictions it is aâ—sign Sin is light because Afflictions are heavie troubles of Conscience would make all Afflictions light Melancholly wil not Fifthly A principal Difference above all that hath been named is this Melancholly doth mightily dull the spirit of any man or woman wheresoever it prevails it makes them heavie and dull and unapt But now trouble of Conscience for Sin it puts a mighty quickness in men it puts an activity another manner of activity and stirring in the spirit than ever was before You shall have many men and women sit dully under a Minister many years under the word and never act but when God comes to stir and awaken Conscience for Sin their Spirits be active and stirring then in another manner than they were before Whereas poor people overwhelm'd with melancholly they sit moping and heavie and dull and lumpish and no activity of spirit at all but trouble of Conscience for sin is as fire in his bones As Jeremiah said He would speak no more in the Name of the Lord but the word of God was as fire in his bones and made him active and stirring so trouble in Conscience makes them active and stirring now they can pray they could not pray before now they be active and working As Acts 9. When God troubled Paul the text saith Behold Paul Prayes Go saith the Lord to Annanias to Saul Behold he prayes as if Paul never prayed in all his life before Certainly you that cannot pray that never prayed but read a prayer or prayers your mothers taught you you cannot Pray but if ever God troubles your Consciences for sin then you will Pray as if you were in heaven Oh mighty Prayers then Oh for Christ Oh Pardon of Sin and Peace then there is another manner of acting and stirring of his spirit in Prayer than ever was before But melancholliness will not do it but makes a man heavie and dull in the very act of Prayer There is a notable example of the actings of Spirit in troubles that come from Sin whereas the other makes them dull 't is that in the Book of Ezra Chap. 9. vers 3. and 5. Verse 3. And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard and sate down astonied This you will say made him dull mark what follows Verse 5. And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness and having rent my garment and my mantle I fell upon my knees and I spread forth my hands unto the Lord my
the presence of God if it were not upon deliberation and good search it were a great boldness and therefore certainly beleeve there is such evil in Sin and though you pass by a thousand idle thoughts and evil actions and they be gone with you and you make little of them but if you did know what the evil of Sin were you would look upon them with amazement and cry out Lord what have I done Men and women go abroad and before they come home meet with Company and there swear many Oaths commit lewdness have told lyes and done wickedness Oh did they but know what they have done that day they would come home wringing their hands and ready to tear their hair and lie tumbling upon the very ground for the evil that they have done 3. Further We must not commit sin though for the glory of God for many put this end upon it as the Papists this is their Principle To advance the Catholick Cause they think they may do any wickedness murther Princes blow up Parliaments keep no Faith Promises Oathes take liberty to rise in Rebellion to commit all outrages and cut all the Protestants throats and to advance the Catholick Cause take the Sacrament upon it and yet think because t is for so good an end as they conceive therefore they may commit any wickedness It is certain God needs not the Devil to help his Cause but suppose by sin Gods glory might be furthered in some particular yet we must not commit the least sin for the greatest glory of God that can be imagined so much evil there is in sin And therfore for such that many times strain their Conscience to do that which their Consciences have regreet upon and their Conscience told them they should not do it yet meerly upon this pretence that they might do service in the Church Oh their Ministry is dear to do good to Souls to preach to so many Souls by this means God may have glory and hereupon they venture to strain their Consciences to have liberty to Preach this certainly is a great evil we must not strain our Consciences in any thing to commit the least sin upon imagination of the greatest glory that can be brought to God Good ends put upon sins cannot make them better This is the Second thing Fourthly All the good that God himself can bring from sin can never make sin good such evil there is in it that the infinite power and goodness of God can never make sin good true God may destroy Sin Yet that which is Sin all the power of God cannot make that good Such evil there is in Sin This is a Fifth thing 6. There is no good in Sin not Comparatively That is Though it be true one Sin is less than another yet no sin is good in comparison of another In Affliction as one affliction is less than another so one affliction is good in comparison of another a less affliction is good in comparison of a greater and all affliction is good in comparison of Sin But in Sin though one Sin be less than another yet the least Sin is not good in comparison of the greatest and take the least Sin of all it is not good in comparison of any Affliction And you shall see how this is Useful to us CHAP. IV. Vses And Nine Consectories of excellent use viz 1. Sin is not the Work of God 2. Sins promises are all Delusions 3. Sin cannot be the Object of a rational Creature 4. Nothing that 's good should be ventured for Sin 5. Nothing that 's good to be made serviceable to Sin 6. The mistake of making Sin the chiefest good 7. Time spent in Sin lost 8. The wicked useless members 9. Sin need no debate whether to be done or not HEnce we see for our Instruction that that maxime many have hath nothing to do in point of sin to wit of two evils you must chuse the least True in regard of the evil of Affliction comparing one Affliction with another so we may chuse the least but this cannot have truth in matter of Sin that of two Sins we may chuse the least because though one Sin be less than another yet the least Sin can never come under the notion of good comparitively As all other evils be good comparatively though never so great evils yet comparatively they may be good Yet Sin can have no goodness any way comparatively Therefore of two evils we must not chuse the least in this sence 1 Because Sin in it self is sinful And 2 Because Chusing the least can never be a means to prevent the greater but rather to make way for the greater And Brethren obseive it for it may be useful in the course of our lives God never brings any man or woman to such straits that of necessity they must chuse one Sin chuse this or the other Sin When two Sins shall stand in competition we may conceit such straits to our selves yet there is no such real straits Though God doth bring men into such straits that of necessity they must chuse one affliction either this or that affliction So David was brought into such a strait that he must chuse Famine Sword or Pestilence yea God doth never bring men into such straits that of necessity they must chuse this or that Sin thou deceivest thine own heart if thou thinkest thou art brought into such a strait Therefore this is a vain thing and savors of an exceeding carnal heart when men are doing that which is evil for them to say I were as good do this as worse As for instance now Suppose some keep at home upon the Lords day and mend their Cloaths if any rebuke them they will say Better do this than worse better do this than go to the Ale-house this is true but this savors of a carnal heart to think that you must chuse one Sin rather than another thou must not chuse any of them both of these are evil though one may be less evil than the other Or if some spend their time in Play when they are rebuked they put it off with this shift Better do this than worse and so they go abroad and spend their time in seeing Playes and say Better do this then worse 't is yet true though this be not so great a sin as others if it be a sin it must not be done upon any terms and thou deceivest thine own heart in this conceit that thou wert better do this than worse for sin cannot be good and so not to be chosen at any time Thus we see there is no good in sin and a great deal of good in affliction Hence there follows these Nine Consectorys of exlent use for us First Consectory If there be no good in sin then certainly sin is not the work of God for God saw all his works and they where very good but sin hath no goodness in it therefore not of God God disclaims it The Second
take a man that lies as it were scalding in Gods wrath his conscience burning and bringing even Hell to him that he cries and roars in the anguish of his soul for sin one would think certainly this man will never have to do more with sin that is in this horror and anguish and trouble for sin certainly he will never keep company be drunk be unclean or cozen any more But this may be to the admiration of Men and Angels to see how men and womens hearts are set upon sin that notwithstanding al that anguish and horror that they have many times for it yet they will to it again and that as greedily as ever yea and somtimes more greedily for if once a man consider I beseech you what I say hath overcome the trouble of conscience for Sin and fallen to it again he will then be more greedy he will slight conscience then and scorn at conscience then and make nothing of it if once he have out stood conscience As an unruly horse if he have but once cast his Rider then let him come on his back he cares not for him he contemns him he will quickly throw him off again So when the stubborn unruly lusts of a mans heart have once cast off conscience that a man or woman have been once under terrors of conscience for sin and yet fall to it again such a mans condition is very lamentable Iâ— say not wholly desperate I dare not say so for Gods thoughts are higher than ours as high as the Heaven is above the Earth but this mans condition is very lamentable there is this strength in sin in the soul that all the terrors in the world will not breed a devorce between sin and the soul But when once the soul can come to say with David Against thee against thee only have I sinned in my Sins I have gone against that God who is so infinitely above all praise and glorie This is the humiliation if any thing make a devorce between Sin and the Soul this will do it This is the third Corollarie That therefore there be verie few humbled for Sin aright because not thus humbled CHAP. XVIII The Fourth Corollarie Admire the Patience of God in seeing so much Sin in the World and yet bear it FOurthly If this be so that sin is so much against God doth so much wrong God Hence then we have all cause to stand and admire at the infinite patience of the great God that shall behold so much sin in the world from such poor wretched vile Creatures and yet shall bear it 'T is true those that do not know how sin doth make against God strikes at him and wrongs him they are not so much taken with the patience of God and with the long suffering of God But now that man or woman that comes to know how sin wrongs God and comes to understand this such a one cannot but to amazment stand and wonder at Gods infinite patience that such a great God who seeth himself so struck at fought against opposed and wronged by such wretched Creatures that yet he doth forbear crushing them too pieces presently I beseech you Brethren consider do but take along with you what I have said about Sin how it is against God and then consider how all sins that are committed God is present at it stands and looks upon it Do but think somtimes with your selves when you are among a great concourse of people among a company of prophane wretched people as in Markets Fairs Taverns Inns and Ale-houses how is Gods Name blasphemed there What daring of the blessed God what scorning and contemning of his Word and Sacraments and Ordinances well and now carry along that thought how God is wronged in all these struck at in all this and what an infinite God this is and then think how God stands by them heareth every Oath seeth every filthy act of Uncleanness seeth every Drunkard and yet when the least word of his mouth were enough to sink them to the bottomless-pit yet God is patient the first second and third time yea a hundred times Perhaps thou hast been a Blasphemer twenty years forty years a Swearer and when thou comest in company Oh the wicked Oaths that come from thee and hidious Uncleanness and abominable wickedness and yet God stands by and looks upon the Swearer and is patient all the while Certainly Brethren there is no man in all the world that is wronged as God is and yet man is not able to bear wrong from his equal if he have power in his hand to prevent it What! Shall he wrong me I will make him know what it is to wrong me You cannot bear any wrong from your fellow Creature Oh consider what wrong God hath born from you and others stand and admire at the infinite patience and long-suffering of the Lord Truly Brethren when any mans Conscience comes to be inlightened and awakened then the greatest wonder in the world to such a Conscience is the Patience and long-suffering of God Oh! that God should be so patient and long-suffering unto me all this time of my life that I am out of Hell he stands and wonders that he is out of Hell and wonders at others that others should not be affected with the patience of God Certainly brethren that wrong is done unto God by sin as that if any one man that had all the patience of all the men and women in the world put into his heart all the patience and meekness that ever was in all the Saints since the beginning of the world if it were all distilled into the heart of one man or woman and suppose that this man or woman were but wronged as God is it were impossible but that that man or woman should break forth with revenge against those wrongs done to him or her it were impossible for such an one to bear so far as he can see himself able I mean to right himself so far he could not bear the wrongs done to him But now God shews himself here to be infinite in patience and long-suffering as well as infinite in any other Attribute of his Brethren it wil be an especial part of the glory of the great day of Judgment that when all the wrong that ever was done to God from the beginning of the world by sinners shal then be opened at the day of Judgment Alas we see but little wrong done to God now we look upon notorious wretches and think they wrong God now we see but little but at the day of Judgment then all the secret villanies and wickedness that ever was committed in secret places since the beginning of the world in all places of the world then shal it all appear And then how will it appear to Men and Angels how God was wronged by his Creature and then there will be the patience of God seen that he should be so patient so many thousand years together notwithstanding
there was so much wrong done to God and never discovered to man but God sees it all this whilâ—… this will be a great part of the glorie of the day or Judgment If our hearts were eâ—…ed we would begin now to give God the glorie of 〈◊〉 Patience which we shall see at that day CHAP. XIX A Fifth Corollarie Hencesie a way to break your hearts for Sin And also to keep you from Temptation FIfthly A fifth Corallarie Hence is this If Sin be so much against God as you have heard then here you may find a means and way both how to break your hearts for sin and how to keep your selves against temptation for the time to come I put them both together for brevitie This is the strongest way and means I can shew you to break your hearts Would you fain break your hearts for sin Oh saith some what a hard heart have I Many put up papers complaining of the hardness of their hearts and desire the Minister and Congregation to seek God to break their hearts well Would you fain have broken hearts have your hearts troubled in such a manner as you may give glorie to God This is the way There is two waies to humble the heart for sin There is looking upward unto God and seeing whom it is thou hast sinned against And looking downward to thine own miserie and what thou hast deserved by sin Now many altogether pore downward and look nothing but downward to sin and what is the desert and punishment and miserie but their hearts though they be troubled and vexed yet they are not kindly broken as I shewed before but now if you would have your hearts kindly broken for sin for this is one use of Direction that we may get our hearts broken for sin look upwards and behold him whom you have pierced That is behold 1 God in his infinite Glorie and what an infinite blessed Being God is and how worthy of all the honor the Creature can give set this before your Eyes in a fixed and setled way 2 Look upon God in all the relations God hath to you as your Creator from whom you had your being as he that preserves your being everie moment look upon him as your Lord infinitlie above you at whose mercie you wholly lie Thus view God and see him in his glorie and the relations he hath to you and thus by beholding God in such a manner is an especial way to work stronglie upon the heart For hereby I come to see as it were the present evil of Sin the other is but onlie a sight of the evil of Sin to come as when a man or woman looks upon Sin as bringing Hell that is but onlie to look upon that evil of Sin that is to come hereafter But we know that present things do most affect as now any good thing if it be to come it doth not take the heart so much as a present good As when the soul makes the good of the Promises to be present then they affect the soul but if the soul look upon them as to come they do not so much affect So if the evil of Sin be look't upon as bringing Hell and miserie this is looked upon as to come hereafter so that it may be avoided but if I look upon Sin as against God then I look upon Sin as a present evil upon me that flows from the very nature of sin and cannot be avoided and this evil is even now upon me and doth as immediatly flow from the Nature of Sin as light doth from the Sun it self And now looking thus upon Sin is a mightie means to break the heart And then for avoiding sin for the time to come when Temptation come you say it is strong and overcomes me Now would you avoid Sin for the time to come in temptations then do as we reade of Joseph you know how he beat off the strength of the temptation and when he might have done the evil in secret see what prevails with him Oh how shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God not How shal I do this great wickedness and bring danger and miserie upon me but How shall I do this and sin against God So if you can have your Eye upon sin and remember what especial things you have heard of the evil of Sin and when temptations come you can say how shall I do this and sin against God Oh remember this you Servants that have opportunitie in secret to do evil Josepth was a Servant and yet this kept off that temptation from him when he was a yong man that is the honor of Joseph a yong man and a Servant when the temptation comes Oh this breaks his heart How shall I do this and sin against God So you yong ones and Servants go away with this lesson when any temptations to sin comes think Oh! I have heard in such a Point and out of such a Text how Sin makes against God strikes at him wrongs him How shall I do this and sin against God impossible unreasonable it should be done upon any terms Set but this one Argument against the most powerful temptation and certainlie it wil prevail Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil What! do ye hear how sin is against God strikes at God! that it is evil not onlie against you and indangers you but strikes at God Oh all you that love God hate sin let your hearts be set against sin because so much against God Oh Brethren there be many people do indeed avoid sin but it is upon poor low grounds very low and mean be the grounds of many people upon which they avoid sin There be many Oh they will not do such and such evils they will resist a temptation to such and such a sin why mark the ground according as the grounds of men and women are upon which they do or stay from doing of a thing so judg of your hearts if the grounds be high and raised then their spirits are high and raised if their grounds be but low and mean then their spirits be low and mean As thus many abstain from such and such sins why Oh if I do it it will be known and I shall be made ashamed therfore I will not do it It is good to resist Sin upon any terms but if this be the chief cause it is a poor low base thing and argues a great deal of lowness in the heart to resist sin upon this Oh if I do this I shall be known and incur the displeasure of my Father or Master or such a dear Friend it may incur punishment or it may be I shall be turned out of the Family and such like Arguments I say it is true it is good to bring in all the Arguments we can to oppose sin withal but when these be the chief things when these be the only Grounds that keeps thee from such wickedness that thy heart is set
continue in the waies of sin it is a thousand to one whether ever they be wrought upon afterward usually we find where the means of grace comes to any place it works for the most part at the first I do not nor will not limit God but for the most part at first it works upon men and women before they have by sin hardened themselves against it if once they have continued some little time under it and their hearts have followed their sin and so come to be hardened it is I say a most dangerous thing and manie times God for ever leaves them to their hardness yea such evil there may be in sin as if a man or woman hath an enlightened conscience and shal go against the light of their conscience when they live under the means of grace any one sin against the light of conscience may for ever harden them Thou that hast come to the Word and hast heard these things thou knowest hath come neer to thy soul and yet there hath been that violence of corruption to go against the light of thy conscience and that particular truth that hath been made known unto thee from God that one sin may be enough evil to harden thy heart that the means shall never do thee good therefore there is a great deal more evil in sin than in any affliction I beseech you consider of this one note further in it God comes manie times yea usually with abundance of grace to the souls of men and women in their affliction and that in the continuance of their afflictions and in the encrease of their afflictions yet the means of grace work but God can never come with grace while they sin except sin be decreased I say God never comes to make any means of grace effectual but it must be with the decrease and with the taking away of sin the means of grace may be effectual with the encrease of affliction but the means of grace can never be effectual but with the decrease of sin therefore there is more evil in sin than in affliction as against our selves CHAP. XXXVIII XV. Sin is worse to us than Affliction because Sin brings more shame than Affliction XV. THere is more evil in Sin than in Affliction as against our selves In regard of the shame that it doth bring Sin brings more shame than any Affliction brings Rom. 6. 20. What profit or what fruit had you in those things whereof you be now ashamed Sin it is that which brings shame not only to a man or woman in particular but likewise to a whol Nation when sin prevails Prov. 14. 34. Righteousness exalteth a Nation but sin is a reproach to any People Afflictions are not a reproach any further than as they be the fruit of sin and then there is shame in them but this we shall speak of afterward but sin is the proper cause of any reproach and shame and certainly this Scripture hath been fulfilled concerning us our sin hath been a reproach to this Nation there was a time this Nation was honored among other Nations and a terror to them but of late since we have sinned and grown Superstitious and come neerer unto Poperie since there hath been more wickedness among us This Nation hath been an exceeding reproach we may apply for that that in the 13 of Hosea according to the Interpretation of most When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel but when he offended in Baal he died thus Interpreters carrie it There was a time when Ephraim spake then was trembling in all Nations about him and he exalted himself above other Nations but when he sinned in Baal then he died his Honor died he was a dead Nation and no body regarded him True time was when England spake there was trembling and England exalted himself above other Nations but since we sinned in Baal and there hath been so much Idolatry and Superstition we have been a dead Nation in respect of what we have been before Sin is a reproach to any Nation a shame There is no such shame in Affliction as there is in sin that brings shame That which argues worthlesness in any that which argues there is little good or worth in any or if any one should do any thing unbeseeming either his own excellency or that supposed to be in him as to lie in the mire or to go naked or in their carriage or by any deportment to behave themselves besides that excellency supposed to be in him this brings shame Job 30. 7. Those that went up and down braying among the bushes it was contemptible and it was a shame So for any man to do any thing beneath the excellency of a man is a shame Now there is nothing so below the excellency of a man as sin no Affliction brings a man under his excellency as sin doth therefore no Affliction can be such a shame to man as sin Now the Rational Creature that is guided by Counsel in his actions is the proper subject of shame Bruit beasts cannot be capable of shame because they have no Counsel to be the cause of their Actions but the reasonable Creature failing in that which is his aim coming short of the rule of his work through his unskilfulness this causeth shame As now Take any workman if he do any work beneath the rule of the work through unskilfulness it causeth shame he comes to be ashamed of it Now sin must needs bring shame because it comes beneath the Rule of eternal Life and therefore must needs cause shame It is true in natural things to fail through ignorance is a greater shame than to fail through wilfulness but in spirituals the greater shame is to fail through wilfulness And the greater the Art the greater the shame to come short of the Rule of that Art As suppose a General it is a greater shame for him to fail and come short of the Rules of Military Art than for a Country-man to come short of his Rules of Husbandry because one is more noble than the other Now Brethren The Art of Divinity to guide to eternal Life is the most Noble of any Art and for any Creature to fail and come short of this Art is the greatest shame that can be Though men be ashamed of any thing else take a Painter or any Workman or a Husbandman if he come short of the Rule he is ashamed but if men fail of the Rule of eternal Life they are not ashamed then I Remember Augustine hath this Expression saith he A Scholler if he fail in pronouncing a word and pronounce it amiss if he pronounce Omer for Homer he instanceth in that he is ashamed of that but men be not ashamed of breaking the Rules of Divinity And there is more failings in the Breach of the Rule of Divinity and in failing there than in any Art whatsoever Now sin is the greatest shame and the Reason why sinners be not ashamed is Because they
thee lies been a means to undo an immortal soul yea and to cause them to sin against the infinite God so that thou art guiltie of everie sin thou hast been a means to draw others to and thou art worse than those that have sinned for thy act in drawing them to it is a dreadful evil and then that which they have done is thine too Hast not thou sins of thine own enough to answer for before the Lord but thou must have the sins of another also Dost thou know what thou hast done in enticing others to sin either to uncleanness drunkenness to companie keeping and breach of the Sabbath and other sins Perhaps thou hast brought them to pilfering and purloining and many other particulars and other waies that might he named for indeed if we should enlarge our selves in this Point it might well require a whol Treatise but we must contract our thoughts It may be there are some in this Congregation that have been a means to draw others to sin and they be now in Hell at this instant for that sin thou wert a cause of What a sad thing is this for any man or woman to have this to lay to heart I know I have drawn such and such to sin I have been a means at least to further sin in them well they be dead and gone and they manifested no repentance before they died and therfore for ought I know yea it is much to be feared that they be now in Hell and now a tormenting for that verie sin I was the cause of and if the Lord gives me wages according to my works I must thither to them What shall they be in Hell for the sins I brought them to and shall I escape is it anie way likelie and probable but that I must follow when as they be there for the sins I brought them to what shall the Accessarie be condemned and executed and shal not the Principal I am the Principal and the other is but the Accessarie Certainly there had need be a mightie work of humiliation for thou art in exceeding danger that art the cause of bringing anie other to sin for it is that must needs lie exceeding heavie upon the soul of anie man and woman if God never give you a sight of this great evil certainlie you perish but suppose God do give you the sight of so great an evil and you begin to be humbled Oh this very meditation wil cause your humiliation to be full of bitterness and will cause it to be very hard for you to lay hold upon mercie and pardon when you shall think thus Ah were it for my own sins only I were to answer for I might have greater hope but there be others sins I drew them into and they be condemned perhaps and in Hel and how shall I escape condemnation my self I do not say that there is an impossibilitie of pardon for the Grace of God is infinite and were it not infinite it were impossible for such a soul to perish and thou that art the cause of it come to be saved I say there is a possibilitie but it is as if it were through the fire if ever thou escape do but thou consider if it should be that thou shouldest die in impenitencie also as the other did and that thou didest go to Hell when you two should meet at the day of Judgment and he should see thee the cause that drew him to sin Oh what a grief it would be to thee how would he curse thee and the time that ever he saw thy face that ever he lived in that Familie where thou livedst It may be some Parents have been a means to draw by counsel and advice the Child to sin Oh the Child when he sees his Parent at the Day of Judgment how will he curse the time that ever he came from such Loyns and such a womans Womb Oh that rather he had been the off-spring of a Dragon and the generation of a Viper than from the Loyns of such a man and woman you encouraged me to such and such waies of sin to opposition and hatred and speaking evil against the People of God the Servants of God that were strict in their way and now you and I must perish eternally sure in Hell they will be readie to cast fire-brands in one anothers faces that have been the cause of sin in one another in this world and so Husband and Wife that lie in one anothers bosoms if they be the cause of any sin in one another it may cause woful terror to them and appear worse than if a Serpent had lay in their bosom for those that draw others to sin do worse mischief than any Serpent or Viper in the world can do You had need look to it betimes I shall wind it up with this one Note Whosoever hath been the cause to draw others to commit any Sin know this That the least that can be required if God do give thee a sight of thy sin and to be humbled for it if thou doest go away out of the presence of God as having an Arrow darted into thy bosom for this then I say go away with this one Note You be bound to make some restitution in a spiritual way as much as you can For this you know I shewed before in a mans temporal Estate when you have wronged you must make restitution if you will have mercie you must make up the wrong as you are able much more here when you have wronged any in their souls a Soul wrong calls for Spiritual Restitution as well as Body wrong or Estate wrong calls for a Bodilie or Estate Restitution Quest What do you mean will you say by this Spiritual Restitution Answ This I mean That if those be alive that thou hast drawn to sin thou art bound to this part of Restitution that is To go to them and to undo what possibly thou canst what thou hast done and now to tell them of the evil of that sin and to do them all the good for their Souls that possibly thou canst Now to shew to them how God hath convinced thee and what the work of God hath been upon thee and how heavie and dreadful sin hath been made to thee and to beseech them for the Lords sake to look to themselves and to consider of their estates and to repent of that their sin that you were the cause to bring them to And so if there be anie means in the world wherbie thou canst do good unto their Souls thou art bound to do it yea to them their children their friends as you are bound to make restitution unto the next friends and heirs of those that you have wronged in their goods if the partie wronged be dead So if those should be dead thou hast drawn to sin suppose when thou wast yong thou drewest such a man to drunkenness adulterie or the like and they be dead and gone thou art bound to
do good to the souls of their Children for know according to the nature of the wrong must the Restitution be One text is observable for this to shew that according to the nature of the wrong must the restitution be to the utmost that can be Exod. 22. 5. If a man shall cause a Field or Vinyard to be eaten and shall put in his Beast and shall feed in another mans field of the best of his own field and of the best of his own vinyard shall he make restitution This is the scope of the holy Ghost in this text of Scripture That if anie one shall wrong another in his vinyard or his field he shall make restitution and mark what the text saith not in anie slight manner but of the best of his field and vinyard he must not say I warrant my Cattel did not do any hurt but eat a little of the worst and I will make restitution of the worst no but must make restitution of the best of his field and vinyard he must not think to get off with a barren peice of ground but with the best must he make restitution This shews what a full restitution God will have So then if a man hath wronged his neighbor in his vineyard t is not enough for him to say I will make restitution in my barren ground no but out of his vinyard must he make restitution so if he have wronged his neighbor in his field he must not go and say I will give a part of the Common but of the best of his field must he make restitution so if he have wronged another in his estate he must give of his estate and if the wrong be to the soul the restitution must be to the soul according to the wrong must be the restitution And I beseech you be convinced of this All the sorrow in the world is not sufficient without you make restitution this is so cleer out of the word and even by the light of nature and of Conscience that they may easilie convince themselves whosoever doubts of the thing nothing in Religion more cleer than this is therefore restitution is required by God of thee as ever thou wilt expect to find mercie This Argument if God be pleased to set it home will make many men and women who when they were yong were ring leaders to wickedness to others Oh how forward would they be to good now they would be ring-leaders to good to others now I pronounce it as in the name of God you can have no assurance of the truth of Repentance except there be some indeavor in some degree to be as forward for God now as thou hast been in the waies of sin before if you have been Ring-leaders to the sin of Sabbath breaking you must be Ring-leaders to draw others to keep the Sabbath and if you have been Ring-leaders to ungodlinesse you must be forward to draw others to godlinesse Oh take heed of this it is a woful thing to draw others to sin seeing there is so much evil in sin as there is CHAP. LXIV Use 14. If there be so much Evil in Sin than there ought to be no pleading for sin Use XIV IF there be so much Evil in Sin as you have heard hence then surely there ought to be no pleading for sin there is too much evil in it for any one in the world to plead for it to make any excuse or any Plea for it As if there be a notorious wicked house where there is much evil done in it we account it a great disgrace for any to Plead for it If it be in Question and any Justice of Peace plead for wicked Ale-houses it is a blot to him If there were no sin committed in it it were not much but if it be a notorious house for sin to Plead for it is accounted a great blot And now you that have heard of the great evil of sin will you ever open your mouths to deminish and excuse sin and yet how ordinarie is this in the world Some go to evil wicked company and when they spend their times in drinking Plead Why they must have recreation I pray what work do they tire themselves withal that needs so much recreation what service do they do for God wherein they spend their Spirits and the strength of their Souls in serving God that they need so much refreshing And so when they spend whole daies in drinking and eating why they do but rejoice in the use of the Creature and may they not keep Companie with such men that be honest men and so anie kind of sin wicked ribaldry talking is but mirth and notorious covetousnesse but providing for their Familie and horrible pride but handsomnesse somwhat they will have to say Pleas and Excuses for almost anie sin Certainlie brethren if we understood the nature of sin we would say as Jerubael Let Baal plead for himself So let sin plead for it self never be heard to open thy mouth to plead for sin in others excuse it in others much lesse in thy self Those that be so full of excuses and pleas for sin it is an evident argument God never discovered the evil of sin yet to them never caused the weight and burthen of sin to lie upon their Conscience nor what we have mentioned of the evil of it Oh! know thou hast to deal with the infinite God it is a matter of thy soul and eternal estate and think not to put it off with vain pleas and excuses but set thy self in the presence of the eternal infinite God Indeed if you have to deal with your Mothers or Friends you may put them off with excuses for sin but if you would set your selves as in the presence of God and there set sin before your eyes you would not so easilie put it off with excuses as you do CHAP. LXV Use 15. If there be so much Evil in Sin Then of all JVDGEMENTS spiritual Judgements are the greatest Use XV. IF there be so much Evil in Sin as hath been delivered then above all Judgements spiritual Judgements are the greatest Oh! what a dreadful thing then is it for God to give men or women up to sin this is the most fearful Judgement that can befal anie man or woman in the world except God should send them quick down to hell Yea it may be if God should send them quick down to Hell and cause Hells mouth to open presentlie it would not be so great a Judgement as to give them up to sin And yet this the Scripture speaks of much of Gods wrath burning this way God hardened the heart of Pharaoh God gives up to a Reprobate sence he that wil be filthie let him be filthie still he gives men up to their own Counsels I might shew you divers texts of Scripture for this but there are Two Things in this POINT that requires large discusion 1 How can God that is so infinitly good have a hand in
end in sin ibid The end of the Agent and of the Act 44 Loss of the end worse than loss of means 75 Gods glory his end of creation 76 Mans end what 259 Endless Torments 133 134 Enjoy We cannot enjoy God and sinful wayes together 61 Estate vide Gettings Wicked men usurpe not their Estates 280 Have right to them and how ibid Eternity The Eternity of all evil from sin 339 Evil Sin the greatest 10 Of Two Evils to choose the least no god axiome in point of sin 23 Sin makes a man evil 140 It 's better to hear reade evils than feel them 297 F Face Gods face what 286 Fight Who fight against God 41 Froward Guilt causeth frowardness 270 Fuel Prosperity is fuel to sin 436 Full Mens hearts full of sin 458 Flouds Flouds of wickedness 460 Fear vide Terror Sin causeth fear 290 You must not fear affliction more than sin 517 Feeling Past feeling 473 G God God needs not the Devil to help his Cause 21 Good Good in comparison vide Affliction 3 Good of Entity and Causality 11 Good by occasion 12 Good instrumentally ibid Good and End is the same 258 Sin spoyls all good 320 Grief Must be for others sins as well as for our own 103 Guilt Sin brings guilt 269 Guilt what ibid Guilt makes men bloudy 270 Guilt takes away comfort 271 Guilt brings fear 272 273 274 275 Only guilt makes sufferings evil 276 Gettings Gettings by sin cost dear 430 Gettings by sin are accursed 431 c. Glory Sin labors to frustrate God of his glory 75 It cannot frustrate Gods glory 76 God wil have his glory one way or other 78 Our good and Gods glory connexed 312 Grace An eternal Good 340 346 In Grace no power to work except God works with it 359 H Hearts The different working of the Saints hearts 15 The way to break a heart 96 Sin hardens the heart 297 Hell Hell is better than sin 4 Humble The way to humble the soul 34 47 48 49 Few humbled truly 84 Holiness Sin casts dirt upon Gods holiness 64 Holiness what 291 Horror Is not true Humililiation 88 House The house where sin is is worse than that which is haunted by the Devil 374 375 Harden Prosperity hardens 442 Hands Concerning such as lay violent hands upon themselves 19 Hate God hates sin 38 Who hate God 44 The object of Gods hatred 265 266 267 Sinners hate themselves 310 Humiliation For sin against God sanctifies his name 87 It abides after pardon 89 Makes a divorce from sin 91 92 Exhortations to humiliation for sin 471 I Image Sin most opposite to the Image of God in man 145 146 The excellency of the image of God in man 147 Holiness the image of God 147 148 149 150 151 Infinite Infinite and less than infinite cannot stand together 345 A kind of infinitness in sin 345 Infinite power must overcome sin 346 Sin hath infinite desert 347 Sin deserves infinite misery ibid Infinite in time and in degree 348 An infinite price paid for sin 349 Justice Sin wrongs God in his justice 66 Judgement Examples of Gods judgements upon sin 118 119 120 121 122 The difference of the judgment of God from the judgment of the world 142 Spiritual judgements the worst 502 Joy Against joy in sin 464 465 466 467 468 Sin damps joy 468 469 K Know Few men know God or sin 80 81 Sinners know not the excellency of the rational creature 306 They know not Gods holiness 307 Four things must be known 327 Knowledg Knowledg of sin makes Christ precious 56 Kingdom Of Christ and of Satan what 361 362 363 L Law The glass to see sin 124 Light Common light and saving light 150 Little Call no sin little 448 449 450 Lye An Officious lye 19 Lye not to save the world 20 Life Sin strikes at the life of God in man 151 152 256 What the life of God in man is 253 The life of man excellent 256 Losses A Christian may have many Crosses but no Losses 340 Liberty Prosperity gives liberty to sin 437 M Mercy Sin wrongs Gods Mercy 68 Mediator Must be God Man 82 Ministry Ministry of the Word is for our good 295 And Gods glory ibid It makes sin bitter ib. Makes stomachs rise against it 296 A great Ordinance 323 Magistracy A great Ordinance 324 Marriners Englands strength 324 325 326 Mean Mean-men who 252 Malliciousness Maliciousness in sin 312 Means Means to crush sin 323 Melancholly Distinguished from trouble of Conscience 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 Six Differences of it 414 c. Misery Men freed from affliction may be in misery 426 Great misery when sin and affliction meet 504 N Nature Sin in its nature opposite to God 35 Mans nature 253 Necessity No man brought to a necessity of sinning 24 O Omniscience Gods Omniscience wronged by sin 62 Omnipresence Gods Omnipresence wronged by sin ib. Opposition Of sin to God in Four things 33 Order Sin breaks the worlds Order 72 Occasion God takes occasion by sin 73 Affliction may occasion sin 141 P Persecute Who persecute God 47 Pitty Sinners to be pittied 313 314 315 Pleased Saints never well pleased with sin 16 Pleased with Affliction ibid Price A great price notes greatness of inisery or of the Person 350 Promises The promises of sin are delusions 25 Possession Satans possession of the heart 379 God hates not people possessed but pitties them 380 Portion The Devil and wicked men have the same portion 383 Prosperity Of prosperity by sin 428 429 430 Of sin by prosperity 436 437 438 Prosperity a judgment to the wicked 441 Plead Plead noâ— for sin 500 Pardon Some Saints grieve most after apprehension of Pardon 90 Pardon is a great mercy 445 446 Patience Of God to be admired 92 Of Christ is perfect 233 Power Sin wrongs God in his power 65 Power in creatures a drop of Gods power in them 287 Pray Afflictions teach to pray 298 R Rebellion Sin is rebellion 45 Report Martyrs have a good report 6 Repentance A continual act 89 Resist Sin resists God how 42 Revenge Let out revenge upon sin 317 Root All sin comes from the same root 43 Rejoyce Saints rejoyce not in sin 16 Saints rejoyce in affliction ibid Redemption Sin wrongs Christ in his work of Redemption 70 Restore Ill gotten goods must be restored 432 433 434 435 Restitution According to the nature of the wrong 497 S Satisfie Sin denies good in God to satisfie the soul 58 Serviceable No good thing ought to be Serviceable to sin 27 Seed Sin the seed of evil 293 Grace the seed of good ibid Shame Shame better than sin 6 7 Sin brings shame 303 304 305 Why Sinners not ashamed 306 Sufferings Of Martyrs 5 The red glass of Christs sufferings 124 More in Christs sufferings than in any 134 Speak For God 104 105 Strength Of Christ 133 Sin the strength of all evil 328 329 Striving Striving against God what 42
THE EIGHTH BOOK OF M R 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 William Greenhil Philip Nye John Yates London Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Printing Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1654. M R Burroughs on the Evil of Sin A TESTIMONY TO THE WORLD Concerning Several Books of M R Jeremiah Burroughs that are Printing and will shortly be Published WHAT we have by way of Preface set before the several Books already published of this Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs may sufficiently serve for all that are come forth So that we only need now to give Letters Testimonial to the World that these viz. The Sermons on Job 36. chapt 21. verse The Second Epistle of Peter the 1. chapter the 1. verse The First Epistle of John the 3. chap. 3. verse The Second Epistle to the Corinthians the 5. chapter 7. verse Matthew the 11. chapter 28 29 and 30. verses The Second Epistle to the Corinthians the 5. chapter the 18 19 and 20. verses which are or will shortly be Printed We avouch likewise to be the painful and profitable Labors of the same Author and published by the best and most Authentick Copies Thomas Goodwin William Greenbil William Bridge Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye John Yates William Adderley To the Reader READER THE Creatures vanity and emptiness the abounding Sinfulness of Sin and Christs All-sufficiency and Fulness and how to live the life of Faith in Christ are Subjects containing the Sum and Substance of Religion and much treated on promiscuously amongst Divines And I think amongst all the Treatises of this blessed man Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs now triumphing in glory above all sin and sorrow which have been received with so much acceptation amongst the Saints there hath not been presented to thy view a more Practical Piece than this now under thy hands And though divers Divines have written and spoken much concerning this Subject yet in my poor Judgment this out-goes all of this Nature that ever my eyes beheld setting forth with life and spirit the Subject in hand and bringing it down powerfully in a practical way to convince the Judgment and work upon the affections of the weakest Reader That which is the undoing of those who think themselves no small Christians is resting in a bare notion of the Creatures emptiness Sins filthiness Christs Fulness and having some high towering speculations concerning the Nature and Object of Faith and to be able to discourse of these things in company and upon occasion is the Religion of the World and more especially of our Formal Professors Now the reality of these confest Principles are not made powerful upon the conscience by the cleerest natural aquired light in the World but when the Lord is pleased to set home those over-awing soul ballasting-thoughts of Eternity then and never till then shall we live act and walk as a people who acknowledg these Principles of Christianity to be true Whilst the things of Religion and thoughts of Eternity lie swimming only in our Brains they never conquer command and subdue the heart in a way of Practical Obedience Many mens thoughts language and lives are such that if they were certain there is no God no Sin no Hell no wrath to be feared no Grace to be minded and attained no Judgment day when they must give an account they could not be worse than they are nor do worse than theydo Oh the horrid Athiesm bound up in mens hearts and they see it not how else durst men be so prophane in their lives under Gospel light how durst they sit so stupidly under the powerful awaking means of Grace how else could such vile thoughts be cherish'd and such cursed practises and principles maintained how else durst men chule sin rather than affliction when they are brought into streights how otherwise are men more afraid of open shame than of secret sins In a word how durst men walk without God in the world at least without secret prayer and communing with their own hearts dayes weeks months years together I am perswaded more souls drop down to Hell in our dayes under the abuse os Gospel Light than ever did in the gross darkness of Popery they then better improved their Talents according to the light afforded and walked better and more sutably to the light they receiv'd wheras these Gospel truths which now shines more fully and cleerly in the faces of so many thousands are not so much improved in a more circumspect holy and humble walking but rather abused to a more loose and wanton carriage and censorious judging of one another men sinning the more because grace so much abounds how could the Saints then love and embrace with singleness of heart but now the foundations of love are shaken and a perverse spirit is mingled amongst us Oh how heavily doth the wrath of God lie upon the Professors of our Age for the abuse of Gospel light and they feel it not Gods Administrations in this latter Age of the World being more subtil and Spiritual and therefore more undiscernable than in former Ages Oh how many have we now adaies who think they walk cleerly in the midst of Gospel Light magnifying and exalting free Grace triumphing in their Christian liberty looking upon others as kept in bondage who come not up to their pitch and practice and yet are no better than Solomons fools who make a mock of sin being conceitedly set at liberty but really sin and Satans bond slaves Certainly till mens consciences be made tender and fearful of the least touches and appearances of evil they have good cause to suspect not only the strength but the soundness of their hearts in Grace Whilst men are bold with sin and can put it off at an easie rate of sorrow let their attainments seem never so high in understanding the Mysteries of the Gospel they never yet knew truly what it is to exalt Christ and free Grace for look in what measure we slight Sin in the same measure we slight God himself in his Persons and Attributes And how can that great Gospel Duty of walking humbly with God be expressed how can Christ be rightly lifted up and advanced in our souls without a right sight and sence of sin Never wil Christ be wonderful Christ and Grace wonderful Grace till sin be wonderful sin and experimentally apprehended
as out of measure sinful never till sin be seen and sorrowed for as the greatest evil wil Christ be seen and rejoyced in as the greatest good were we once throughly convinced of the infinite evil in sin as containing in it the Evil of all Evils nothing being an evil indeed properly but as it hath the bitter ingredient and cursed sting of sin in it how would sin be hated and shunned more than the most deadly poyson and feared more than the Devil more than Hell it self seing nothing hath made and founded Hell but sin nor made the Devil such a black feind but sin nay nothing is so much a Hell I mean a Torment as sin it self nothing binds the Creature in such chains of misery as when it is held in the cords of its own sin Prov. 5. 22. Men look upon sin through false Mediums and beleeve the reports and interpretations which the world and the flesh gives of sin and thus are cheated to their own destruction Could we but a little lay our Ears to Hell and hear the howlings and yellings of those damned spirits aggravating sin we should then have a true Comment upon the Subject in hand Afflictions in this world now and then awaken the conscience reviving the sight and sence of sin by some grievous pains but one half hour in Hell being separated from the comfortable presence of all good and blessedâ—… will make the evil of sin rightly understood Certainly there 's an evil in sin beyond what the largest Created Understanding is able to fadam sin being one of those things which can never be punished enough which appears in that all those unspeakable unsufferable torments inflicted upon the damned through all Eternity is but a continual paying this sad debt and giving satisfaction to Divine Justice for the wrong which sin hath done in regard Divine Justice shall not otherwise sufficiently in time have taken it's due out of the sinner Now the Judg of all the world who is the Standard of Justice it self neither can nor will do any wrong to his Creature in punishing it more than it's iniquity deserves Reader I shall say no more now but beseech the Lord to carry home these Truths by his Spirit into thy bosom that there may be a Divine Impression made upon thy heart in reading sutable to the Authors in preaching and that thou mayest out of love to Holiness so fear and hate sin now that thou mayest never suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire the wages of sin hereafter Which is the unfeigned and earnest desire of Thy Souls Well-wisher in Christ Jesus John Yates THE CONTENTS CHAP. 1 That it 's a very Evil Choice To Choose Sin rather than Affliction Page 1 Chap. 2 The Servants of God have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin 5 Chap. 3 There is some good in affliction but none in sin First No good of Entitie Secondly No good of Causalitie Thirdly No good Principle from whence sin can come Fourthly No good anexed as is to afflictions viz. 1 Of Promise 2 Of Evidence 3 Of Blessing Also Five different workings of the hearts of the Saints under sin and under affliction Fifthly It 's not capable of any Good 1 Adde all the good to sin that all the Creatures in heaven and earth have yet it cannot make sin good 2 Good ends though 1 To help against temptation 2 To do good to others 3 To glorifie God cannot make sin good 4 God cannot make sin good Sixthly It 's not comparatively good 10 Chap. 4 Vses And Nine Consectories of excellent use viz. 1 Sin is not the work of God 2 Sins promises are all Delusions 3 Sin cannot be the Object of a rational Creature 4 Nothing that 's good should be ventured for sin 5 Nothing that 's good to be made serviceable to sin 6 The mistake of making sin the chiefest good 7 Time spent in sin lost 8 The wicked useless members 9 Sin needeth no debate whether to be done or not 23 Chap. 5 There is more Evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction Opened in six Particulars being the General Scope of the whole Treatise 30 Chap. 6 Sin most opposite to God the chiefest Good Opened in Four Heads 1 Sin most opposite to Gods Nature 2 Sin opposite in its working against God 3 Sin wrongs God more than any thing else 4 Sin strikes at Gods Being 33 Chap. 7 Sin in it self opposite to God shewed in five things 1 Nothing directly contrary to God but sin 2 God would cease to be God if but one drop of sin in him 3 Sin so opposite to God that he cease to be God if He did but cause sin to be in another 4 He should cease to be God 〈◊〉 he did but approve it in others 5 Sin would cause God to cease to be if he did not hate sin as much as he doth 35 Chap. 8 The workings of sin is alwayes against God The Scripture cals it 1 Enmity 2 Walking contrary 3 Fighting 4 Resisting 5 Striving 6 Rising against God 41 Chap. 9 How sin resist God 1 It 's a hating of God 2 It 's rebellion against God 3 It 's a despising of God 42 Chap. 10 Sin is a striking against God 1 The sinner wisheth God were not so Holy c. 2 It seek the destruction of God Also sin is a wronging of God 50 Chap. 11 How sin wrong God 1 In his Attributes 2 Relation of Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 His Counsels 4 In the End for which God hath done all he hath done And First Sin wrong Gods Attributes 1 His All-sufficiency shewed in Two Particulars 2 It wrong his Omnipresence and Omnisciency 3 Sin wrong his Wisdom 4 Wrong his Holiness 5 Sin wrong-God in setting mans Will above Gods 6 Sin wrong Gods Dominion 7 Sin wrong Gods Justice 8 Sin wrong God in his Truth 57 Chap. 12. How sin wrongs God in his personal Relations 1 The Father 2 The Son 3 The Spirit 69 Chap. 13 Sin wrong the Counsels of God in setting that Order in the world that he hath set 72 Chap. 14. Sin wrong God in the End for which he hath made all things 75 Chap. 15 The First Corollary It appears by this That but few men know what they do when they sin against God 80 Chap. 16 The Second Corollary The necessity of our Mediators being God and Man 82 Chap. 17 The Third Corollary That but few are humbled as they should for sin 1 It will not be deep enough except it be for sin as it 's against God 2 It will not Sanctifie the Name of God 3 It will not be lasting 4 Else it will never make a devorce between sin and the soul 84 Chap. 18 The Fourth Corollary Admire the Patience of God in seeing so much sin in the world and yet bear it 92 Chap. 19 The Fifth Corollary Hence see a way to break your hearts for sin And also to keep you from
Temptation 96 Chap. 20 A Sixt Corollary If sin be thus sinful it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins but the sins of others 103 Chap. 21 A Seventh Corollary If sin hath done thus much against God then all that are now converted had need do much for God 109 Chap. 22 The Eight Corollary If sin doth so much against God hence see why God manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth 1 Against the Angels that sinned 2 Against all Adams Posterity 3 See it in Gods giving the Law against sin 4 See it in Gods punishing sins that are accounted smal 5 See it in Gods destroying all the world for sin 6 See his displeasure in punishing sin eternally 112 Chap. 23 A Seventh Discovery of Gods displeasure against sin opened from the sufferings of Christ First See the several expressions of Scripture 1 He was sorrowful to death 2 He began to be amazed 3 He began to be in an Agony Secondly See the effects of Christs being in an Agony 1 He fell grovelling on the ground 2 He swet drops of Blood 3 He cries to God if it be possible to let this cup pass from me Thirdly There is eight Considerations of Christs sufferings 123 THE SECOND PART Sin is most opposite to Mans Good and far more opposite to the Good of man than Affliction Chap. 24 First Sin make a man evil but no affliction can make him so 1 Those that are in affliction are not the worse 2 But those that are wicked are vile persons though they be the greatest Princes 140 Chap. 25 Secondly Sin is more opposite to the good of man than Afflictions because most opposite to the Image of God in man Three Particulars instanced and a Question resolved 145 Chap. 26 Thirdly Sin is opposite to the Life of God in Man 151 Chap. 27 Fourthly Sin is opposite to mans good because it is most opposite to the last End for which man was made 258 Chap. 28 Fifthly Sin is more opposite to mans good than Affliction because 't is a defilement of the Soul 1 It defiles all a man medleth with 2 Sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all Eternity 262 Chap. 29 Sixtly Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because sin is the object of Gods hatred but God hateth not any for affliction 265 Chap. 30 Seventhly Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because sin brings guilt upon the soul 269 Chap. 31 Eightly Sin is a greater evil to man than Affliction because it 's that which put the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation 277 Chap 32 Ninthly Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it breaks the Vnion between God and the Soul 282 Chap. 33 Tenthly Sin is more against mans good than Affliction for that it stirs up all in God to come against a sinner in way of enmity 285 Chap 34 XI Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction for that sin makes all the Creatures of God at enmity with a sinner 288 Chap. 35 XII Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it puts a man under the Curse of God 291 Chap. 36 XIII Sin is the Seed of Eternal Evil therefore more hurtful to man than affliction An Use thereof Then see that those men are deceived that think to provide well for themselves by sin Use 2 The Ministry of the Word is for our good as well as Gods Glory 293 Chap. 37 XIV Sin is worse than affliction because it hardens the heart against God and the means of Grace 297 Chap. 38 XV. Sin is worse to us than affliction because sin brings more shame than affliction 303 Chap. 39 He that sins wrongeth despiseth and hateth his own Soul Use 1 Then see the maliciousness that is in sin Use 2 To pitty those that go on in sinful wayes Use 3 Let sin be dealt hardly with 308 THE THIRD PART Chap. 40 Sin is opposite to all good and therefore a greater evil than any affliction opened in five things 1 Sin take away the excellency of all things 2 It brings a Curse upon all 3 Sin is a burden to Heaven and Earth and all Creatures 4 Sin turn the greatest Good into the greatest Evil 5 Sin if let alone would bring all things to confusion 319 THE FOURTH PART Chap. 41 That Sin is the Evil and Poyson of all other Evils shewed in several Particulars First It 's the strength of all Evils Secondly It 's the sting of Affliction Thirdly It 's the Curse of all Evils opened in Five Particulars Fourthly Sin is the shame of all Evils Fifthly The Eternity of all Evil comes from Sin 327 THE FIFTH PART Chap. 42 Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness in it Opened in Seven Particulars First Because nothing but an Infinite Power can overcome it Secondly Sin hath a kind of infinitness because it hath an infinite desert in it expressed in Three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good 2 It deserves to put an infinite distance between God and thee 3 It deserves infinite misery Thirdly Sin hath a kind of infinite Evil because there is required an infinite Price to make an Attonement between God and Man Fourthly There is a kind of infinit Evil in Sin because we must hate it infinitely Fifthly Sin is an infinite Evil because it is the Vniversal Cause of all Evil. Sixthly The Scripture make use of Evil things to set out the Evil of Sin Seventhly There 's an infiniteness in Sin because the Scripture set out Sin by Sin it self 344 THE SIXT PART Chap. 43 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil opened in Six Particulars First Sin is of the same Nature with the Devil Secondly Sin is from the Devil Thirdly Sin is a furtherance of the Devils Kingdom in the World For 1 By Sin we oppose Christs destroying the Devils Kingdom in the World 2 By Sin thou opposest thy prayers when thou prayest Thy Kingdom come 3 By going on in a way of sin thou becomest guilty of all the sin in the World Fourthly Sinning is a fulfilling the will of the Devil Fifthly Sin sells the Soul to the Devil Sixtly Sin it turns the Soul into a Devil 357 Corollaries and Consequences from all the former Particulars Chap. 44 The First Corollary It 's worse for a man to be sinful than to be turned into a Beast 370 Chap. 45 The Second Corollary It 's worse to be sinful than to be afflicted with Temptation from the Devil 372 Chap. 46 The Third Corollary It 's worse to be under sin than to be haunted by the Devil 374 Chap. 47 The Fourth Corollary It 's worse to be given up to any way of sin than to be given up to the Devil Quest How the delivering up to Satan can be for the saving of the Soul 376 Chap. 48 The Fifth Corollary It is worse to be given up to one sin than to be actually
you That Sin is worse than Affliction First I have shewed that there is no good at all in Sin and there is good in Affliction Now Secondly There is more Evil in the least Sin than there is in the greatest Affliction This I am now to make out unto you in these Six Particulars First Sin is most opposite unto God himself the chiefest Good Secondly Sin is most opposite unto Mans good Affliction is not so opposite to the good of the Creature as Sin is Thirdly Sin is opposite unto all Good in General and so will be discovered to be an Vniversal Evil. Fourthly Sin it is the Evil of all other Evils it is that which is the very venom and poyson of all other Evils whatsoever therefore greatest Fifthly There is a kind of Infinitness in sin though not properly Infinite it cannot be so yet in the Nature of it it hath a kind of infinitness Sixtly The Evil of it is discovered In the conformity sin hath with the Devil there is no Creature that conspires against God but only Devils and Sinful Men. These be the Six things to be opened for the discovery of the evil of sin And I beseech you seriously attend to what shall be delivered in these for I hope before I have done to make it appear to every ones Conscience that shall vouchsafe to read attend and consider what I say that sin is another manner of business than the World thinks it to be Oh that your hearts might come to see your selves to be as you are in an ill Case in a worse condition than you imagin and 〈◊〉 beseech you give way to this and be willing to hear it for though it seem a hard Doctrine yet it is a Soul saving Doctrine and for want of this many thousand thousands of Souls perish because they never understood what sin meant Many thousands in â—ell if they had known what sin had been it might have delivered them from everlaâ—â—ing flames God hath reserved you alive and who knows but for this end To understand what sin is that so your hearts may be humbled and so everlastingly saved through Christ Brethren but that the way to understand sin is the way to be humbled for sin and to be humbled for sin is the way to have sin pardoned and the Soul saved I should never treat upon such a Doctrine as this is therefore I beseech you mark what I say and see whether I do not make out these things I undertake CHAP. VI. Sin most opposite to God the chiefest Good opened in four Heads 1. Sin most opposite to Gods Nature 2. Sin opposite in its working against God 3. Sin wrong God more than any thing else 4. Sin strikes at Gods Being FIrst It is most opposite to God who is the chiefest Good The meanest Capacity may easily understand That which is most opposite to the chiefest good that must needs be the chiefest evil I suppose the weakest in this Congregation will understand this way of Reasoning that evil that is most opposit to the chiefest good that must needs be the chiefest evil but sin is that which is most opposite to God who is the chiefest good and therfore must needs be the chiefest evil That then is that I must make good Quest How doth it appear that sin is most opposite to the chiefest good Answ Brethren When I have made out this I shal shew sin to be very sinful and the greatest venom of sin lies in this one thing I am now opening Should I tel you never so much of the evil of sin in the danger that comes by it Hell that follows it should I write a Book about Hel and Damnation for sin it hath not so much to humble the Soul in a saving manner as this I now treat about perhaps I might scare you in preaching of Hell and Damnation but discovering this I now speak of the opposition sin hath unto God it hath more in it to humble the Soul in a saving manner and to cause the Soul to feel sin to be most evil where it is most evil to be the greatest burden where it is most waighty This Point I say hath more power in it than any other therefore let me set upon this and see how I make this good That sin is most opposite to God the chiefest good There be these four things discover the truth of this First Sin in its own Nature is most opposite to the Nature of God Secondly Sin in the Working of it is a continual working against God The Nature of sin is opposite to Gods Nature and the working of sin is most opposite to God Thirdly Sin it doth wrong God more than any thing else Fourthly Yea Sin strikes at the very Being of God so far as it can do So then let us sum it up again That which in its own Nature is most opposite to God 2 ly That which in its working is continually working against God 3 ly That w ch doth most wrong God and 4 ly That which strikes at the very Being of God Himself that must needs be the greatest evil but so doth sin CHAP. VII Sin in it self opposite to God shewed in five things 1. Nothing directly contrary to God but sin 2. God would cease to be God if but one drop of sin in Him 3. Sin so opposite to God that he cease to be God if He did but cause sin to be in another 4. He should cease to be God if he should but approve it in others 5. Sin would cause God to cease to be if he did not hate sin as much as he doth FIrst That sin in it self is most opposite to God To understand this take these five things and they rightly understood will make it as cleer as the Sun at noon day 1 The Nature of sin is so opposite to God that there is nothing so contrary to Him as sin God hath nothing but sin contrary to him take it soâ— therfore it must needs be opposite for God hath nothing contrary to His own Nature but sin it is the only contrary the only opposit to God There is nothing perfectly contrary to another but it is so contrary as there is nothing but that which is so contrary as that is for that is the rule of Contraries that there must be one to one there may be diversity and difference of many things to one but an absolute perfect Contrariety can be only of one to one Now there is nothing contrary to Gods Nature but only sin God hath no object that he can look upon contrary to himself in all the World but only sin For there is nothing else except sin but it is from God and by God and for God Now that which is from Him and by Him and for Him cannot have contrarity to Him but Sin is neither from Him nor by Him nor for Him but that is directly contrary unto Him therfore there is more evil in Sin than in any
other thing It is not so with Affliction Affliction is from God and by God and for God and is not contrary unto God because it is from Himself 2 Sin is so opposite to God that if it were possible that the least drop of it could get into Gods Nature God would instantly cease to be a God He could not continue one moment to be a God any longer such evil there is in sin If there should be such a Poyson that if one drop of it should come into the Ocean all the whol Ocean would be at an instant poysoned yea all destroyed and anihilated in one instant you would say that were a very fearful Poyson If a drop of Poyson should be so poysonful that if one drop of it got into Heaven that then presently the Sun Moon and Stars would fal down and be anihilated you would say this were a venemous Poyson Certainly if but one drop of sin should get into God the infinite Being of God would instantly cease to be The Sea though vast is not infinite the Heaven though vast is not infinite the infinite God would have no Being at all if sin should get into God therefore it is very evil Therfore also we ought to have holy thoughts of God seeing sin is so infinitely contrary to his Nature 3. So opposit is sin to God that if God should be but the cause of any sin in any other He would instantly Cease to be a God It strikes at the very life of God He would cease to be God he could be God no longer if he should be the Cause of any sin in any other We had need take heed therefore how we father sin upon God that he should be the cause of sin for such is the evil of sin that God must cease to be if he should be but any cause to give any efficacy to sin in us Indeed for Afflictions God will own that he saith in Amos 3. 6. Is there any evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it and in Mich. 〈◊〉 3. it is said there that God deviseth evil If there be no evil in the City but God doth it yea saith the Prophet God deviseth evil there is no evil of punishment but God deviseth it God will be content to own it to be the Author of all the torments of the damned in hel God will own God will say I have done it and I am the Author of al the torments of al the damned in hel but such is the evil of sin if God were the Author of that He could not be God any longer but would cease to be God 4. Such is the evil of sin that if God should but approve of it and like it if he should but like it when another have commited it even that would cause him to cease to be God Wicked men be ready to think because God is patient and long suffering that God is of the same judgment with themselves Psal 50. 21. Because I held my Peace thou thoughst that I was altogether such an one as thyself but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes it is the just temper and frame of wicked and ungodly men to this day because God holds his peace and comes not upon them to revenge sin presently they be ready to think that God approves sin and is of their judgment Indeed saith a wicked man many Ministers cry out of sin that it is very grievous but I hope God wil give liberty to my wayes and walkings sure God is not against them he approves of them otherwise why should God suffer me in them and be so patient towards me in them Oh! know when thou hast any such thought of God as this thou blasphemest God If that were true that thou thinkest That God did approve of thy wicked wayes God must cease to be God God would be God no longer Quest Why How doth this appear Answ This is the Reason of it Because then God were not infinitely holy and holiness is Gods Being and if God be not infinitely holy he is not God at all but ceaseth to be presently Which is impossible and blasphemous to think 5. Such is the evil of sin so opposite to Gods Nature that if God did not hate sin as much as he doth he would cease to be a God not only if he did allow of it and like of it for he may permit it in his Creature and not like of it But I say If God did not hate sin so much as he doth hate it if it could be conceived that God could but hate sin somwhat less than he doth I say he would instantly cease to be a God he could not remain to be God one moment if he did cease to hate sin in any degree less than he doth Quest Why How doth this appear Answ Thus If God cease to hate sin I do not speak of the manifesting of his hatred but that which is his nature that is proportionable to hatred as we say if God did not hate it so much as he doth then he did not hate sin infinitely for there cannot be any infinite and less than infinite stand together these two cannot ever stand that it should be infinite and less then so and remain infinite if it be infinite it remains so if there should be a degree under that it must be finite Now if Gods hatred to sin were less than it is it would be but a finite hatred and if it were a finite hatred then God could not be infinitely holy for infinite holiness must needs have infinite hatred against sin I beseech you observe this for you are ready to think Though God be against sin and hate it yet I hope God hates it not so much as many Ministers make of it tush God is not so much against sin as they speak of though its true when we do a miss we must cry God mercy and pray God to forgive us yet to make so much of sin as they do and that God sets himself so much against it as they say this is but their opinion and he hopeth God doth not hate it so much as they say Oh! Brethren take heed of this opinion for if God should hate sin less then he doth he should cease to be either he must hate sin with infinite hatred or he ceaseth to be God So evil and opposite is sin to Gods Nature And if these things be true there is a great deal of evil in sin If there be nothing so opposite to God as Sin and if but the least drop of sin should get into God it would make God cease to be God and if he should be but the cause of any sin in his Creature he would cease to be God and if he should but like it in his Creature he would cease to be God and if he should but hate it less then he doth he could not be God but al this is true Then we
the contrary But now you have heard there is nothing contrary to God to speak properly but only sin and if sin be the only contrary that God hath then certainly sin doth seek the destruction of God so much as it can though it be true a sinner can never do God hurt nor cannot hinder Gods working or Being at al whatsoever become of this wretch though he be destroyed and perish to al Eternity God will remain blessed for ever But this is the Nature of sin to seek the destruction of the Eternal God of glory Oh charge your hearts with this do not stay till God come at the day of Judgment to charge you with this for many poor sinners that went on blind-fold all their daies and never saw sin what it was then comes God upon their death bed and chargeth them with this and then their hearts are full of horror And so at the day of Judgment when God comes to charge them with this then they will be amazed and will see the truth of this Therfore seeing God doth it now before the day of Judgment do you now charge it upon your own hearts that so you may be humbled This is the Third Particular It strikes at God Fourthly Sin wrongs God exceedingly It doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world cannot make up again Any one sin take but the least sin that thou dost commit I say it doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the world should come and say Lord God this poor wretched Creature hath committed this sin this day O Lord we are content to suffer ten thousand yeers torment in Hell to satisfie for that wrong that is done to thee by this man or womans sin God would say it cannot be done by all Men and Angels they can never make up this wrong and yet as I shall shew hereafter God wil have this wrong made up or thou must perish Eternally Many men plead thus Who can challenge me and say I have wronged them in al my life they think this enough well suppose thou hast lived so that thou hast not wronged man either in word or deed Oh but thou hast wronged God the Living Eternal God can charge thee though man cannot that thou hast done him that wrong that all the Creatures in the world cannot make it good It were a sad thing if a man had done that wrong to a Kingdom that all the Blood in his Veins and in ten thousand generations more could not make up again he would be weary of his life You have done that wrong to the God of Heaven that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again Well to conclude Though the things be hard and sad to think on God knows I treat in tender bowels and compassion to you and I do not know that ever I spake to any people in the world with more compassion and that in this particular And know though I speak of these things now yet if God give liberty I shall be as glad and willing to be large in shewing you the riches of the grace of the Gospel in Christ and Gods mercy in Christ And I hope your hearts will be as free and large in this as I am in speaking of this And if I were now treating never so much of the riches of Gods mercy in Christ I could not do it with more Bowels of Compassion than I do this but I do this that you may come to know your selves that you may come to know Christ that Christ may be precious in your thoughts For the special end of Christs coming was To take away sin to deliver from sin therfore we must know sin and charge our souls with sin that Christ may be precious Therefore if any soul shal go away and say Wo to me what have I done yea then such a soul is fit to hear of the Doctrine of grace and mercy in Christ and that in due time if God give liberty may be declared to such a soul But now for the present I beleeve this is a necessary point for you to know and this is that though some may perhaps rise against it that thousand thousands wil have cause to bless God for to all eternity when it is preached home upon their Consciences by the Spirit of the Lord which convinceth of the sinfulness of sin CHAP. XI How sin wrong God 1 In his Attributes 2 Relation of Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 His Counsels 4 In the End for which God hath done all he hath done And First Sin wrong Gods Attributes 1 His All-sufficiency shewd in two particulars 2 It wrong his Omnipresence and Omnisciency 3 Sin wrong his Wisdom 4 Wrong his Holiness 5 Sin wrong God in setting mans will above Gods 6 Sin wrong Gods Dominion 7 Sin wrong Gods Justice 8 Sin wrong God in his Truth THis was that which we proposed in the third place but we shall handle it in this fourth place that we may enlarge upon it But how doth sin wrong God The wrong you do to God by sin is such wrong that if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World would be content to endure thousands of yeers of torment in Hell to make up that wrong it could not be any one sin that you commit doth such wrong to God How doth this appear To make it out I shal shew unto you four things 1 How sin doth wrong God in all his Attributes 2 How it wrongs God in his Personal Relations Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 How it wrongs him in his Counsels in that order he hath set in the World in all Creatures 4 How it wrongs God in the very End for which he hath done all that he hath done in the end of all his Works even his Glory First Sin wrongs God in his Attributes As thus First Sin doth hold forth this That there is not a sufficiency of good in God for the satisfying of a soul this language is apparant in every sin and it holds this forth so far as sin doth appear it holds this forth before all and speaks this language That there is not enough good in God That is the Blessed Glorious Al-sufficient Eternal Unchangable good and Fountain of all good yet sin makes this profession That there is not enough good in God to satisfie this soul or else why doth the soul depart from him in any sinful way and go to the Creature for any good if there be enough in God himself Now there is great wrong done to that blessed God who is goodness it self for any Creature to hold this forth That there is not sufficient good there but that the Creature must be fain to seek for it elswhere out of God So long as we seek comforts in the Creature in
strike at God and wrong God all that time of thy Natural Estate till God opened thine eyes and awakened thy conscience Oh think now what a deal of wrong have I done to God all my life if I have done nothing else well now God opens thine eyes Oh now thou hadst need to do much for God If God have shewed himself and given hopes of mercie and that he hath pardoned me this will certainly prevail with any heart that God hath turned What! have I done so much against God heretofore Oh I have cause to seek the honor of God upon my hands and feet all my daies that if I can do any thing for God What! I such a vile wretch and yet out of Hell yea and hope to be pardoned Oh any thing I can do for him though to creep upon my hands and feet all my daies in this world to suffer all the hardships in the world shame loss of estate any thing in the world no matter how great and hard the suffering be that God calls for There is infinite Reason I should do and suffer all for God for I have wronged God by sin and thus we shall turn sin to grace as it were and of Poyson make an Antidote against poyson by taking advantage by sin to be more obedient unto God You that have been swearers and wronged God that way now sanctifie Gods Name the other way You that have broken so many Sabbaths now sanctifie Sabbaths true all that you can do cannot make up the wrong but that will shew thy good will that thou wilt do what thou canst and manifest to God and all the world That if thou hadst ten thousand times more strength than thou hast thou couldest lay it out for God and certainly any man or woman that have been great sinners if God have humbled them and pardoned them they wil be great Saints for the time to come Carry this home with you any that have been vile perhaps you think you have grace because you are not so vile as heretofore you have been but certainly if you have grace there will be a proportionableness between the holiness of your lives now and your wicked life before you will take advantage I have wronged God so before now I must live thus and thus It will be so between man and man if one have wronged you and you have pardoned him you expect he should do what he can for you Thus it should be with God and you you have wronged God others have sinned as well as you and others sins have been furthered by you this now should inflame your hearts I have sin enough in my self and I have been the cause of it in thousand thousand sins in others my sins strike against God yea and I have caused others to sin and strike against God now if I could draw some from sin I should think it the happiest thing in the world I would creep upon my hands and knees to draw others from sin to God to be in love with the waies of God and of Religion Oh you that have been forward in sin don't think it enough that now you be troubled for your sins and leave them but know you must do for God now as much as you have done against him he requires it of you Oh go to your friends and acquaintance and kindred and labor to draw them off from sin tell your kindred and friends and acquaintance Oh Brother that you did but know what sin means Oh Sister that you did but understand what it is to sin against God God hath shewed me in some measure yea I that went on in such and such sins Oh I see how I struck at God and what an evil this is Oh that God would enlighten your eyes Come and hear the Word I thought lightly of sin before now I have gone and heard and God hath shewed me what it was Oh that God would make you see And pray for them and take no nay but to them again and again that so you may do somwhat for God as you have done abundance of wrong against God CHAP. XXII The Eight Corollarie If Sin doth so much against God hence see why God manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth 1 Against the Angels that sinned 2 Against all Adams Posterity 3 See it in Gods giving the Law against sin 4 See it in Gods punishing sins that are accounted smal 5 See it in Gods destroying all the world for sin 6 See his displeasure in punishing sin eternally EIghtly This is one Consequence follows If sin be so great an evil as you have heard so much against God wrongs God so much as it doth and strikes at God Hence then we see the reason why God manifests such sore displeasure against sin We find Brethren most dreadful manifestations of Gods displeasure against sin and the ground and bottom of them is in these things which you have heard opened unto you And indeed did you understand and beleeve what hath been opened unto you concerning sins opposition of God you could not then wonder at Gods manifestation of his displeasure against sin There are manifold Manifestations of Gods displeasure against sin which when they be spoken of and opened unto people that do not understand the dreadful evil that is in sin they stand and wonder at it and think Oh they be hard and severe things When Ministers reveal the threatnings of God against sin Oh say they God forbid we hope God is more merciful than so and all because they apprehend not what dreadful evil there is in sin That soul that apprehends and beleeves these particulars that have been opened unto you cannot but justifie God when they hear the revelation and the manifestation of the displeasure of God against sin As now in these Particulars That which hath been delivered is the bottom and ground of these that we shall mention and we see the reason of all these As First That dreadful manifestation of the displeasure of God against the Angels that sinned against him there is that revelation of the displeasure of God against the Angels that might cause all our hearts to tremble before the Lord at the very thought and hearing of it I beseech you consider you who think that God is only a God of Mercie and God is not so severe against sin as many Ministers would make him do but attend to what I shall say unto you how God hath manifested his displeasure against sin in the Angels Consider of these five or six Particulars I will but onlie mention them 1 That God should cast so manie glorious Creatures as the Angels are for ever from himself considering the Excellencie of their Nature 2 Consider their Multitude 3 Consider That the Chains of darkness that they be cast into are eternal Miseries 4 Consider That this was but for one sin 5 And consider That this was but the first sin that ever they committed 6 Lastly consider
nothing else but the wrath of God working through that channel and let out through that though now thou die and the matter of the disease be gone yet when thou comest to hell there thou shalt meet with the same grievous pain only in another way That is The wrath of God shall let out this evil immediately through his wrath which was mediately through the Creature before and now it is immediately from himself And this meditation rightly considered is enough to bring down the proudest stoutest sinner on the earth to Consider how the Wrath of God is all that evil to a sinner that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth are able to convey and much more And thus you have this opened how Sin is the evil of all evils THE FIFTH PART OF THIS TREATISE CHAP. XLII Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness in it Opened in Seven Particulars First Because nothing but an Infinite Power can overcome it Secondly Sin hath a kind of infiniteness because it hath an infinite desert in it expressed in Three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good 2 It deserves to put an infinite distance between God and thee 3 It deserves infinite misery Thirdly Sin hath a kind of infinite Evil because there is required an infinite Price to make an Attonement between God and Man Fourthly There is a kind of infinite Evil in Sin because we must hate it infinitely Fifthly Sin is an infinite Evil because it is the Vniversal Cause of all Evil. Sixthly The Scripture make use of Evil things to set out the Evil of Sin Seventhly There 's an infiniteness in Sin because the Scripture set out Sin by Sin it self A Fifth General Head that was Propounded in the beginning is this Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness of Evil in it It is true we must acknowledg that nothing but God can be properly said to be infinite There is not an infiniteness in a strict sense in sin for then certainly all the Mercy of God and all the Power of God could never overcome it if properly and absolutely sin had an infiniteness in it therefore I do not say it is properly infinite Well but there is a kind of infiniteness it comes exceeding neer to infiniteness if we may so speak though it is somwhat improper to say it comes neer but we must speak so as we can to our own apprehensions you shall see in the opening what I mean As thus There is a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin beyond all bounds First Because there is nothing but infinite Power can overcome it Take the least sin that any man or woman lies under the power of nothing but the infinite Power of God can overcome that sin and this is the reason that many that have had many convictions of conscience of the evil of sin many resolutions against sin many Vows and Covenants and Promises they have made against sin Oh when they are sick now they see the evil of sin now they promise if God will restore them they will never do the like and they speak from their hearts they do not only dallie but they do verily think they will never come in companie more and commit sin more because it is so evil but when they be well they be under the power of sin as before and al their resolutions and experiences and all their own strength and power and all the means they have are nothing though sin be opened to be never so vile and they be convinced thereof yet al comes to nothing Certainly there is more dreadful evil in sin than we be aware of and all the pleasure and profit we have by sin can never countervail that evil that is in sin and this they see and therefore promise and hope they shal never commit such sins again Perhaps there hath been such thoughts in your hearts may be God hath had some beginnings to come in by his Power into your souls this is the way of Gods coming in to the hearts of men and women when he comes to convince and give them such resolutions But know all thy resolutions cannot overcome sin perhaps you may forbear for the present the acts of sin a while may be restrained but nothing but the infinite Power of an infinite God can overcome any one sin any one lust Sin shall not have Dominion over you Rom. 6. 14. for you are not under the Law but under Grace saith the Holy Ghost as if he had said if you be not now under the Grace of the Gospel in which the infinit Power of God comes upon the soul to deliver them from the Dominion of Sin Sin would for ever have Dominion over you but sin shall not have Dominion over you because you be not under the Law but under Grace It is the Grace of the Gospel through which this infinite Power of God comes upon your hearts that keeps sin from having Dominion over you This is the first there is a kind of Infiniteness in it because nothing but the infinite Power of God can overcome it Secondly There is a kind of Infiniteness in it Because it hath an infinite desert it doth deserve that which is infinite There is an infinite desert in it therefore a kind of infiniteness in it As thus the infinite desert of Sin may be set out in these three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good all the good in God By every sin thou dost deserve to be deprived of that good there is in God that desert comes upon thee to lose all the good there is in the infinite God not in this or that particular good but in the Infinite God and all the good in him 2 Every Sin doth make an infinite breach between God and you not only you do deserve to lose all the good in God but it puts an infinit distance between God and thee Abraham could say to Dives when Lazarus was in his bosom there is a great gulph between you and us There is a great gulph between the sinner and those that are godly but what a gulf is there between God himself and a sinner If there be such a gulf between Abraham and Dives surely a greater gulf between God himself and a sinner 3 The desert of Sin is Infinite In regard of the Infiniteness of misery and pain and tortures that sin deserves which becaus they cannot possibly be infinit in degree for it is impossible for a finite Creature to bear any one moment pains infinite in degree But because it deserves infinite torment it must therefore be infinite in time because it cannot be infinite in degree and so it is infinite this way in duration because it cannot be infinite in degree thus sin is infinite Certainly that which makes such an infinite loss and such an infinite breach and brings such infinite tortures this must be an infinite evil in a kind Thirdly Sin is a kind of infinite evil Because
You may know them by this If you propound limits thus far you will go this certainlie is a Natural work But when the heart lets out it self to God without any limits or bounds this is a Supernatural work So you dislike sin and Oh you would not commit it but this is the Question Whether your dislike or hatred be Natural or Supernatural If Natural then there be some limits and bounds you propound that is you will not commit such gross sins and live in such open sins and upon such and such grounds you will abstain from such and such Sins But if there be a Supernatural work your hearts are set against all sins with a kind of infiniteness without anie bounds or terms you will set no bounds to your hatred of anie Sin that man or woman that so hates Sin as to set no bounds at all unto their hatred and will admit it upon no terms this is a Supernatural hatred Manie are against Sin Naturally but in that true hatred it is so boundless that there must be no bounds set to your hatred it evidentlie shews Sin to have a kind of infinitness of evil in it Fifthly Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it in that it is the Vniversal Cause of all Evil As God appears to be an infinite good because he is the universal cause of all good this doth much set out the infiniteness of Gods goodness in that he is the universal cause of all good So it doth set out the infiniteness of Sin in that Sin is the universal cause of all evil all evils flow from it This is the Fifth Thing Sixthly There is an infiniteness of Evil in Sin it appeareth thus That as the infiniteness of good in God is shaddowed out unto us by all good things and in as much as we and the Scripture makes use of all good things to shaddow out the goodness of God this manifests an infiniteness of good in him So in as much as the Scripture makâ—s use of all kind of Evil things only to set and shaddow out the evil in sin this makes it appear there is a kind of infiniteness of Evil in it As thus That all those Creatures Vipers Serpents Dogs Cockatrices Dragons Wolves all deadly Creatures the Scripture makes use of but to shaddow out the evil in Sin As if the Holy Ghost should say do you see any evil in such Creatures that you account the worst put them all together and that is in Sin and more So take all kinds of uncleanness the vomit of a dog menstruous Cloaths all this doth but shaddow out the evil in Sin Look at sicknesses leprosies plague and death it self and darkness any hidious evil all these do but shaddow out the evil of Sin We might mention many more to shew you the evil of Sin And in that the Scripture makes use of so many evil things to shew the evill of Sin This shews Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it Seventhly As Gods infinite goodness is set out thus that he is his own Happiness and Blessedness in this God doth appear to be infinitely good because he is his own good and happiness there is no higher good to be the goodness of God no higher blessedness to be the blessedness of God but himself because he is infinitly good and blessed So the Scripture sets out to us the Evil of Sin by it self because there is no greater evil to set Sin out by but by it self Therfore this shews there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in Sin And therefore you have that of Rom. 7. 13. Was that then that was good made death to me God forbid but Sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which was good that Sin by the Commandement might become EXCEEDING SINFVL He doth not say that sin might appear to be Exceeding miserable but that it might become Exceeding Sinful So that the sinfulness of Sin is that which sets out the evil of Sin more than any other thing doth It was the Speech of the Heathen Seneca It is the punishment of Sin to have Sin So it is the reward of Vertues to have them Godliness in it self is the Excellency of a man and Sin in it self is the misery of a man and this is a Proof of this That there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in Sin Now then by all these Seven Discoveries of the evil in Sin having a kind of infiniteness in it this one thing comes fully and powerfully from them That for to fall into sin again and for to be prevailed withal by any such temptation as this Oh it is no great matter if I do no worse than this I hope it is well and others do worse I say to yield again to the commission of any sin upon such a temptation is a great wickedness What dost thou make any comparison in sin and use any such words when thou hast heard it or read it proved to thee that Sin hath a kind of infiniteness of evil in it Nay which I thought to have finished here but cannot now come to it but shal in the next Chapter shew the reference Sin hath to the Devil this shews the greatness of Sin above all Evils Sin is that which makes the Soul conformable to the Devil Afflictions doth not they make the soul conformable to Jesus Christ I suppose you know that place Phil. 3. 10. mark there the difference between Sin and Affliction Paul there accounted all things dung and dross for the Excellency of the knowledg of Christ and what more That he might be found in him and that he might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death He did desire above all things to have the fellowship of his sufferings and to be conformable to his death he accounts all the world as dung and dross to be conformable to Christ by Afflictions or sufferings It is true it may be many account all the world to be nothing to be conformable to Christ in Glory in Heaven But here is the work of Grace and I beseech you observe this in the conclusion and carry it away That a gracious heart accounts all the world dung and dross to be conformable to Jesus Christ in his sufferings there is so much excellencie and glorie in the Sufferings of Jesus Christ Now you see the wide difference between Afflictions and Sin Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil Afflictions make a man conformable to Jesus Christ I would have shewed wherein in several Particulars how sin makes us conformable to the Devil I will but name this one now and that which might be enough to make every soul out of love with Sin in that by Sin thou joynest with the Devil and conspirest with the Devil against God himself There is no Creature that is against God but Men and Devils The Devil was Gods first Enemie and now
man comes in and conspires with the Devil Now we account it a great evil if you had a Child and if there were but one Traitor in the Common wealth and you hear Oh my Child is joyned with this Traitor and conspireth against me and the State Before sinful Man there was but one sort of sinful Creatures in the world the Devils now by Sin Man comes in and joyns in conspiracie against the blessed God and so one Generation after another perhaps the Father comes and conspires with the Devil and then the Child and so along in a Succession And this should come neer our hearts to humble us for our sins and wickedness that in this we be those that of all Creatures that ever God hath made conspire with the Devil against the blessed God the Fountain of all Good THE SIXTH PART OF THIS TREATISE CHAP. XLIII Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil opened in Six Particulars First Sin is of the same Nature with the Devil Secondly Sin is from the Devil Thirdly Sin is a furtherance of the Devils Kingdom in the World For 1 By Sin we oppose Christs destroying the Devils Kingdom in the World 2 By Sin thou opposest thy prayers when thou prayest Thy Kingdom come 3 By going on in a way of sin thou becomest guilty of all the sin in the World Fourthly Sinning is a fulfilling the will of the Devil Fifthly Sin sells the Soul to the Devil Sixtly Sin it turns the Soul into a Devil THe Sixt and Last Demonstration of the Evil of Sin It is from that reference Sin hath to the Devil The Scripture speaks of Afflictions that they make us conformable to Christ but Sin makes us conformable to the Devil There are Six things to be opened about this I have mentioned the First which was this That Sin was of the same Nature with the Devil every Sin hath the same kind of Malignity in it that the Devil hath But Secondly All Sin it is from the Devil either Originally or at least by way of a Cause helping it forward Sin is the work of the Devil not only a joyning with him but his work therefore Christ is said to come to dissolve the works of the Devil Sin is from the Devil therefore it is said in 1 John 3. 8. He that commits sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning and to this purpose the Son of man was manifest that he might destroy the works of the Devil He that commits sin is of the Devil it comes from the Devil And so John 8. 44. Brethren these things which I speak concerning the reference Sin hath to the Devil though they may seem hard and harsh yet it is to be observed none speaks so much of Sins coming from the Devil as John who was of the most loving sweet Nature of any of the Disciples and yet when he comes to speak of sin he speaks of it in the most harsh terms that possibly can be so that it comes not from harshness but may stand with a loving and sweet Nature to speak of sin in the harshest terms that we can do for John the most loving and beloved Disciple of Christ so full of love and yet none spake so harshly of sin especially in its reference it hath to the Devil as he saith here Joh. 8. 44. You are of the Devil and his lust you will do Thus Sin the lusts of Sin come from the Devil and it makes a man or a woman to be the Child of the Devil So the Scripture is clear it comes from him Originally all Sin that is in you is Originally the Spawn of the very Devil himself in your souls and originally it comes from him as all Sin originally comes from his temptations and suggestions so also the Devil helps forward and furthers all sin that is in your souls this is the evil of it But here understand this aright The Devil is not so the cause of all Sin as God is the cause of all Grace not so It is true the Devil hath a hand in every Sin but not such a hand in Sin as God hath in Grace for God hath such a hand in the work of Grace that he doth not only give a principle of Grace but all the operation of Grace is so from him as it would never stir but by him he gives the will to work and do all the will and the deed are from him But all Sin is not so from the Devil though originally it is and the Devil puts it on yet we are to know though the Devil now should tempt no more yet there is enough in the hearts of men and women to sin against God all manner of sin even from their own innate corruption that now is in them if the Devil were destroyed Sin would not be destroyed In Grace there is no power to work but by Gods working together with it but in Sin there is a power to work without the Devils working though the Devil is forward enough to work with our corruption yet I say there is corruption enough in our hearts for to work al kind of sin though the Devil should not tempt us any more therfore we must not lay all upon the Devil as many do when they fall into any wickedness they will say this is the Devil and lay all the fault upon the Devil and so think to take it off from themselves by laying it upon the Devil No know though the Devil labors to further it what he can yet there is such corruption in you that it would stream forth from you though the Devil stir it not at all therefore charge your own hearts as well as the Devil In the work of Grace we must give all the glorie to God but in the work of Sin we cannot allot all the fault to the Devil we are not to take any of the glorie of the work of Grace to our selves but we are to take a great part yea somtimes the greatest part of Sin to our selves but however the Devil is the cause of Sin originally and helps forward to it Thirdly All Sin is the furtherance of the Kingdom of the Devil in the World You know that the Scripture saith that the Devil is the Prince that rules in the Air and is called the God of this World because he rules in the Children of disobedience There is a Kingdom of the Devil set up by sin in the World and maintained by sin in the World it hath a succession in the World by sin So that all sinners that continue in waies of sin they do what in them lies to uphold the Kingdom of the Devil in the World and the Rule of the Devil in the World 1 Therefore men in sin are exceeding opposite to the End of Christs coming in the World for it is Christs End in coming into the world to dissolve the Kingdom of the Devil as you had it before in 1 John 3. 8. It
the Convulsion but if we did know they were really possessed we should be terrified Oh such a friend such a neighbor lived wickedly before and now the Devil hath possessed him we thought it a Disease till now we thought it the Convulsion but now we see it is from the Devils possession of them Would you not endure any affliction in the world rather than God should say of you the next oath you swear when you open your mouthes to swear the Devil shal come in and take possession of your bodies or the next evil language you speak the Devil shall come in and possess you this were a fearful thing and you would take heed of this But this I am to make good That when you go on in sin in any one sin it is a greater evil than if never so many Devils possest you if there should be Legions as he said to Christ when he asked his name he said Legion because we be many It is not so great an evil if God should give up your bodies to be possessed by Legions of Devils you will say surely that is a great evil but not so great as to be under the power of one sin How will that appear you will say Thus Possession makes you not hateful to God and guilty before God and loathsom to God nor is it that which God hates but it is an object of pitty Christ pittied them when he saw them thus but Sin makes a man odious and hateful to God I remember an excellent Observation Gregory hath on the Book of Job saith he What is the reason when God gave up Job to the Devil and bid him do what he would but spare his life saith he What is the reason the Devil did not possess him when he was given up to his hands for so the words are He is in thy Hands only spare his life So that it appears he was in his power to possess him but yet he did not and what is the reason this is the Answer that Ancient gives the reason is this Because if he had possest him then though Job had fretted and frowned and torn himself it had not been his Sin his impatiency so as it was when he was not possessed Now because the Devil envied Job the Devil would bring that upon Job which he knew to be the greatest evil as much as he could for so all envy doth One that envies another labors to bring the greatest evil on him that he can So certainly the Devil envied Job and therefore he labored to bring the greatest evil on him that he could Now it seems possession was not the greatest evil but the Devil would go so to work as if he could possibly he would get Job to be impatient and make Job curse God and sin against God If Job should have cursed God in word by possession of the Devil the Devil cursed God in him it had not been Jobs sin so much as if he had got him to curse God otherwise Now the Devil would have him so curse God as to be a sin to him and therefore the Devil would not possess him because that was the lesser evil So that to be given up to sin is a greater evil than to be possest Therefore all you that have friends and children which you see wicked and licentious and you see some cause to fear they be given up to the power of sin for the present it should cause Fathers and Mothers to come to Christ as earnestly as ever those poor Creatures did that had Children possessed with the Devil in the Gospel poor women had children possessed and so men Fathers that had Children possessed with the Devil that did rent and tear him in the presence of Christ he cries out mightily to Christ if he could Oh that he would come and help him and so the woman of Canaan for her daughter cries after Christ to help her Daughter for she was miserably vexed with an unclean Spirit So you should even go and cry to God Lord help if possible and have mercy upon my Son upon my Daughter for they have unclean Spirits yea they are in a worse condition than if possessed by the Devil I have a Son a swearing yong man a Daughter that is vain and profane and wicked and licentious and stubborn and unruly Oh if it be possible help me if you could be as sensible of the sins and wickedness of your Children as in the time of the Gospel Fathers and Mothers were of the possession of their Children much might then be done CHAP. XLIX The Sixt Corollary Sin brings to wicked men the same Portion the Devils have SIxtly Hence it follows if Sin hath such reference to the Devil then this must needs follow That the same Portion that the Devils have must needs be at last the portion of wicked men The Scripture expresseth it Mat. 25. Go you wicked into the Portion prepared for the Devil And so in Timothy the same portion that the Devil hath shall be the portion of wicked and ungodly men We reade in the Book of the Revelations of fearful Judgments that shall befal such as have the mark of Antichrist upon them Revel 14. 9 10. An Angel followed saying with a loud voyce If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his mark in their Foreheads or in their Hands the same shall drink of the Wine of the wrath of God poured out without mixture and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the Presence of God and his holy Angels and of the Lamb. Mark the dreadful Judgments upon such as have the mark of Antichrist either openly in their Foreheads in profession or more privately in their Hands he shall drink of the wrath of God c. Now if such as have but the mark of Antichrist upon them shall have such dreadful punishment pray what shall those have that have such a likeness unto the Devil himself the mark of the Devil that are even turned into the very Nature of the Devil that are children of the Devil what shall the end of such wicked and ungodly men and women be And now Brethren we have finished all these Six Particulars in opening the evil of Sin and therein shewed that there is more evil in Sin that there is in any Affliction And now I had thought to have made some good entrance into the Application of this for though all this while in the Explanation I have mingled some Application yet there remains very many excellent useful Considerations which doth flow from all that hath been said of the evil of Sin that if possible it may be brought to your hearts that all may not vanish and come to nothing in the Conclusion Now this one Use I had verily thought to have gone through I shall only name it and shew what I intend in it and I shal finish it in the following Discourse CHAP. L. Use I. Shew that trouble of Conscience for
wiser than their Teachers rhan their Fore-fathers and to bring them to the wisdom even of the most wise CHAP. LI. The former Vse further prosecuted First Against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience which ariseth either from gross Ignorance or Atheism or desperate slighting of God Secondly Trouble of Conscience is the beginning of Eternal death Thirdly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience can never prize Christ Fourthly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience now shall one day alter their opinion Fifthly It were just with God to let those sink under the burden of Conscience that have slight thoughts of it now Sixtly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin Seventhly Slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin are 1 A high degree of Blasphemy 2 And a degree towards the unpardonable sin WE have entred upon the Application of all that hath been said concerning the evil of Sin And you may remember I have only named one Use that do arise from all that hath been said about the evil of Sin and that we shall now prosecute The Use is this If there be so much evil in sin as you have heard opened unto you beyond all the evil of any affliction Hence then we see that the wounds and trouble of Conscience for sin certainly it is no melancholly conceit it is not a fancy or imagination as many in the world think of it Many men have very slight thoughts about the trouble of Conscience for sin and when they hear of men or women troubled for their sin they think it is nothing but melancholly or temptation or some kind of frenzy or madness or folly or weakness of spirit or timerousness These be the thoughts men have of trouble of conscience and according to their thoughts that they have of it such are their Cures that they seek for it I spake som what of it in the last Chapter but now certainly if these things be true as verily they are the Truths of God that have been delivered concerning the evil of sin then we are not to wonder at men and women that have troubles of conscience for sin I shewed by some examples that trouble of conscience was not melancholly especially in the example of Christ himself that had the burden of sin troubles of spirit I cannot so properly cal it trouble of conscience for there is a substantial difference between the wrath upon his soul that he felt and the wrath of God that others feel upon their consciences but in effect the wrath of God is the same that was upon him by imputation of sin and upon others by reason of their own proper guilt and it was not melancholliness in him nor in David as I shewed in the last Chapter Now to proceed There be two things I desire to proceed in And First I have many things to say unto those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin somwhat to say to those and if there be any in this place that have wondred at men and women that have been troubled in their conscience for sin let them attend to what they read I have divers things to say unto them Secondly I am to shew you some difference between melancholly distempers and trouble of Conscience for sin First These thoughts of thine they certainly eome from either abundance of Ignorance or Atheism or Desperate slighting of God One of these three Causes 1 Ordinarily these thoughts that men have of trouble of Conscience to be no greater matter than such melanchoby conceits they do come from gross Ignorance thou knowest not God thou knowest not what it is for a soul to have to deal with an infinite Deity thou never yet hadest a real sight of an infinite Deity with whom thou hast to deal And it is a sad thing to think that men and women should live a long time and never in all their lives come to have a real sight of that infinite Majestie and Deitie with whom we have to do It comes from ignorance of the nature of sin thou dost not know what sin is God hath yet blinded thine eyes that thou shouldest sin but not know what sin is Certainly thou dost not know the Law of God the Spiritualness of it and the dâ—eadfulness of the wrath of God revealed against sin thou dost not know what Eternty means thou dost not apprehend what it is for a soul to be in hazard of miscarrying to all Eternity It was the Speech of Francis Spirâ— as I opened in the former Chapter I shall make use of that example further because a notable ezample Oh saith he If I might endure the heavy wrath of God but for twenty thousand years I should not think it much but it must be Eternally Eternally I must endure the Eternal wrath of God that lay heavy upon his spirit Let any man or woman in the world the stoutest proudest spirit that lives upon the face of the Earth think what it is to miscarry to Eternity and this will make his spirit be troubled Therefore its gross Ignorance in men that makes many have such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin 2 Again If not from Ignorance yet from Atheism For many men that seem to have excellent Parts and are not ignorant Sots and yet have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin It is not so much to be wondred at to see a company of ignorant Sots that know nothing of God and the Principles of Religion that they should have such slight thoughts and wonder what men mean to be troubled for sin But men that have good Parts perhaps men of great Gifts and pregnant Wit and great Schollers and yet they have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin Now in them Vsually the cause is Atheism or slighting of God Woful desperate Atheism is in the hearts of many great Schollers many pregnant Wits many that wâ—ll speak much of Religion yet they are desperate Atheists in their hearts therfore from thence it comes Therefore when you see learned men understanding men go on in such and such sinful waies and slight all that is said concerning the evil of sin do not wonder at it for woful desperate Atheism lies under abundance of Knowledg a great deal of knowledg learning wit and parts and yet slight sin this is the Cause the Atheism in their spirits Compare these two Scriptures together Psalm 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God and in Prov. 14. 9. Fools make a mock of sin that is those fools that do say in their hearts there is no God those fools make a mock of sin and they think lightly of all that hath been said of the evil of sin and what need so much ado about the evil of sin they can slight it and make light of it well it is such
come to know what trouble of conscience for sin is and what the power and authority of the word is and how then doth the soul prise the word no man or woman ever comes to prise the word tell they have felt the powâ—er of the word troubling their conscience then they come to prise the word You have a famous place for this Job 33. 16. Then he opens the ears of man and seals their instruction That is God coming upon men in times of affliction opens their ears and seals their instructions that is makes the word come with power and authority As a thing sealed comes with more authority than a blank or a writing not sealed Sealed that is when the word comes with power That I may with-draw man from his purpose and hide pride from man That is Having Sealed instruction â—he humbles the heart First he causeth the word to come with power and then he humbles the heart He keepeth back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing he is chastened also with paine upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pains and so forth And in vers 23. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down unto the pit That is when God comes to â—eal Instruction and to humble the heart â—and to cause pains to be upon the man and so make them sensible of their sin then let a messenger an Interpreter be found one of a thousand such a one doth account a Messenger and Interpreter that shal be able to declare the way of Righteousness and shew him a ransom how to be delivered from sin he accounts him a man of a thousand Oh he is a man of a thousand wheras if he should come thus before â—he were no body and the Word nothing a meer silly business but now he is a man of a thousand Oh such a Messenger let such a one come and welcome And therefore you shall have many men slight a consciencious Minister in their health and prise those that preach slightly but in their sickness when conscience is open they will not send to a slight vain Minister that preach and never touch conscience but they will have those that have preached most to Conscience they shall be most prised by them upon their sick and death beds when Conscience is awake such a one will be one of a thousand then This is the Sixt. Seventhly and lastly and indeed one of the Principallest and I desire all those that have had slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin to attend to it it is this Those slight thoughts of thine about trouble of conscience for sin they are a high degree of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost If I make this plain that they be guilty of a high degree of Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost this should â—…we the hearts of men and women and make them take heedâ— what they do in giving way to these vain thoughts about trouble of Conscience yea such a degree I will not say it reacheth the highest degree of blasphemie yet I shall make it out to you that they come neer it It is a high degree of blasphemie against the Holy Ghost it appeareth thus Because trouble of Conscience for sin it is an especial work of the Spirit of God upon the Soul of a man or woman wheresoever it is such a work of the Spirit of God as from thence the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost hath the denomination so as he is called the Spirit of Bondage no God hath no denomination from any light and slight work there must be some especial and great work of God in which God doth much glorie that he hath a denomination from it now Rom. 8. 15. the Spirit of God hath this denomination it is called the Spirit of Bondage For you have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear but you have received the Spirit of Adoption crying Abba Father Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear as if the Holy Ghost should say there was a time when you had the Spirit of Bondage and what was this Spirit of Bondage It was no other but the Spirit of God discovering unto and setting upon the heart of a man or woman that bondage that they be in under the Law and corrupttion and Satan This is the Spirit of Bondage when Gods Spirit shall come to enlighten a man and convince the Conscience and so lay this upon the conscience of any man or woman thou art by reason of sin a bond-slave to the Devil under bondage of all the Curses of the Law by reason of sin yea a bond-slave to thy Lusts this the Spirit discovering and making the Soul sensible of this bondage is that which causeth this denomination to the Spirit of God to be called the Spirit of Bondage Now for thee to attribute that to foolish melancholly conceits that is one of the especial works of the HOLY GHOST in the SOUL and is the Spirit of Bondage Is not this Blasphemie against God This is Gods work and it is a work of Gods glory for all the works of God be his glory and that which the Spirit of God glories in as that work proper to him thou saiest it is but folly and melancholly conceits and the like is not this blasphemie and reproach to the Spirit God Certainly it is no other but reproach and blasphemy against the Holy Ghost in attributing the trouble of conscience to these conceits 2 Nay further It is a great degree towards the unpardonable sin if ye do it out of malice and knowledg by it you come to the unpardonable sin Take for that this one place of Scripture Mark 3. compare the 22. verse with the 24. 30. Verse 22. when Christ cast out Devils the Text saith of the Scribs and Pharisees that came from Jerusalem that they said he hath Belzebub and by the Prince of the Devils casts he out Devils they attributed the work of Christs casting out Devils to the power of the Devil he casts out Devils by the Devil But now it was by the Finger of God well Christ calls them to him and said How can Satan cast out Satan There he convinceth them Satan could not cast out Satan and told them it was by the Spirit of God they were cast out Mark how he goeth on in the 28. verse Verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and Blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of Eternal Damnation Because they said he hath an unclean Spirit Christ tells them other blasphemies shall be forgiven but the blasphemies against the Spirit of God shall never be forgiven Why doth Christ speak of this how comes it in Mark the
this Scripture culs out that man and woman whosoever they be that ever deceaved their neighbor And afterwards when they come among their companions laughed at it As mad men or women mark what the text saith who casts fire-brands arrows and death so is the man that deceives his neighbor and saith Am I not in Sport and it is but a jest and a matter of nothing and can jeer him when he hath done mark this is a mad man that casts fire-brands arrows and death Oh that God this day would cast a fire-brand and arrows and every sentence of death upon thy heart that hast been guiltie of this and not humbled to this day for it Oh it is the fool as I have shewed makes a mock of sin What Canst thou commit a wickednesse be drunk or unclean or filthie and then thou afterward go and tell thy companions and make a sport or a mock at sin Thou art one of the fools in Israel and God this day casts shame in thy face thou hast shame cast in thy face even by the Almightie this day out of his Word Certainlie Brethren if we understand what the evil of Sin is when we are in any company where men and women be never so merry if there were but one wilful sin committed among them anie one apparent sin it were enough to damp all the joy that day and indeed it should be so We reade of David when he carried the Ark a gracious work and there was but one sin committed in touching the Ark unadvisedly and it damped all the joy And certainlie it was the sin from which there was more cause of damping the joy than from the punishment for there was more evil in the sin than in the punishment Now you shall have many men and women in merrie Meettings and Companie they be merry and eat and drink and laugh well but abundance of sin is committed in the Companie but not one whit dampt all that day but can go on in their mirth and tales and laughing go on as freelie and fullie as if there were no sin committed Be it known to you this day from the Lord any of you that have been in anie Companie merrie and jollie and yet sin hath been committed before your eyes and you have heard it with your ears if it have not dampt your joy and mirth know your hearts be not right with God and it is a sign your hearts have been vile cursed hearts that when you have seen sin committed in your companie yet you can go on with joy Suppose in your company in the midst of your mirth one takes a knife and stabs himself into the heart would not this damp your joy would you goon in your mirth still would not all your joy be gone when you be in companie and hear one swear if you had eyes you would see them even stab them selves to the heart and there is more Evil in this than in the other and yet you can go on in your joy and mirth though since you sate down there hath been fortie oaths sworn there We reade in the 2 Sam. 13. 29. at the feast of Davids Sons Absaloms inviting of Amnon to dinner Absalom bids his servants whem Amnon was merrie to strike him to the wall and they did so and then every one of the King's Sons gat up and all their mirth was done though they were very merrie before So if your hearts be right when you are in companie and hear one swear or blaspheme Gods Name or speak against Religion it would be as much as if one were stab'd in the room all the mirth of that day would be gone if your hearts were right And do not think this too strict that sin committed by others should damp your joy Certainlie the thing is most reasonable and apparent as possibly can be to convince anie mans Conscience that understands what the Evil of Sin means and yet many of you have not onlie continued your joy but have been joyful and jocond the rather because sin is committed in the companie As suppose one make a jest upon Religion and scorn Profession you laugh with them and make merrie with them When one makes a lye upon Religion you can laugh and be merrie Oh certainlie if you have anie Conscience at all you cannot but be this day convinced of horrible sin against God Suppose thou wert in merrie companie and thou shouldest hear of a certain that tydings is come that thy Ship is cast away and that thou hast lost all that ever thou didst venture in that Ship wouldest not thou give over wouldst thou go on wouldst not thou say it is time for me to be gone now and dost thou not account more the hazard of thy own soul and the soul of thy brother than of thy Goods Certainlie thy heart cannot be right with God Oh! take heed than in your merrie Meettings we do not denie but men and women may be ioyful and eate and drink together and delight themselves in the Creature but it must be so that it must be without apparent sin I know there will be natural infirmities in anie action but I speak of open and apparent wickednesse joy must not be when there is apparent wickednesse You think godlie people are not for Societie and good-fellowship indeed you cannot expect they should be joyful and merrie but that they should rather be melancholly and heavie and sad in your companie when they see so many sins committed there what would you have them merrie when they see the companie inbrue their hands in their fathers bloods would you have the Son merrie when the companie imbrue their hands in his Fathers blood Certainlie everie godlie man or woman when they come in companie and see so manie sins committed they do actuallie and reallie see you stab and imbrue your hands in Gods blood when you rejoyce in the Lord they can be as merrie and joyful as anie of you all and have sweet comfort in your companie but not when sin is there committed Manie of you when you have been in merrie companie when you are gone you can report Oh we were to day in such a place and we had such merrie companie it would do ones heart good to be among them we were so merrie and jocund we had a brave time Well but was there no apparent wickednesse committed in your companie never an oath sworn no excess in the Creature in drinking no ribaldry talking you never think of that as if that were nothing at all it did not abate the least of thy joy Certainlie thy heart is not right thou knowst not what sin means thou must know it after another manner One Particular more because t is useful and these merry times are most pleasing among the yonger people when they come abroad in company they will make a sport of sin and think nothing of it I will apply one text of Scripture to that sport of yong men
when they seek to make one another drunk or swear and speak wickedlie and rejoice in it 't is just like that sport 2 Sam. 14. Abner saith to Joab Let the yong men arise and play before us and observe what play this was then there arose and went over twelve men of Benjamine which pertained to Ishbosheth the Son of Saul and twelve of the servants of David and they caught every one his fellow by the head and thrust his sword in his fellows side so they fell down together and this was their play So it is with yong men many times when they come into companie yong prophane men they come to play and make sport but it is in the furtherance of Sin one in another and they do but as it were take the sword and thrust it in one anothers bowels and what in them lies to be their ruine and eternal destruction for ever CHAP. LIX Use 8. If there be so much Evil in sin than every soul is to be humbled for sin Use VIII IF there be so much Evil in sin as you have heard Hence the Consideration of what hath been delivered should cause al your hearts to be humbled for the sins your Consciences tels you you be guilty of not onlie those that are so full of sin but everie womans Child hath cause to apply what hath been said and to be humbled in their souls before the Lord for that woful guilt they have brought upon themselvs And now I speak to every soul for there is none here but have much sin they be guiltie of Now Oh thou sinner whosoever thou art charge upon thy soul what thou rememberest concerning the evil of sin charge it upon â—hy own heart labor to bring it with power upon thy own spirit bring thy sin with all the aggravations of it that possible thou canst and lay it upon thy heart and labor to burden thy heart to make thy spirit sensible of it open thy conscience and let in all these Truths thou hast heard suffer the Law to come with power and though it doth slay thee as Paul saith when the Law came sin revived and I died though it slay thy soul open thy bosom and let it come go to the verie pits brink that sin endeavors to plunge soul and bodie in eternallie be willing to go to the pits brink and see what there is in the verie pits brink and upbraid thine own heart for the hardness of it and think with thy self thus Lord what a heart have I I can be troubled for everie little loss and affliction but Oh the hardness of my heart for sin I cannot be affected it yeilds and stirs not for anie pettie loss or if anie cross me what a disturbance is there in my spirit then but little or nothing for my sin Oh what shall become of this heart of mine what shall I do with this heart of mine thus hardened from the fear of the Lord what wil sin bring confusion upon the whol Creation what shall then become of my soul if ever I come to answer for my sin my self Certainlie my Brethren God must have glorie and therefore we must be humbled for Sin seeing there is so much evil in it it cannot possibly be but that God must expect to see all his poor Creatures that have been so guiltie to lie down abased and humbled as poor wretched miserable forlorn undone Creatures by reason of sin It is a mightie dishonor to God that ever we have sinned thus against him as we have done but that we should not be sensible of it this ads as great dishonor unto God as the former Sin did When a man or a woman commits Sin they dishonor God in that but being not sensible of it after committed is a greater dishonor to God than the commission of it was and the longer they continue unsensible of their sin the more desperate their Sin against God grows for if thou hast not anie sence of Sin but goest on in a little time thou maiest come to be past feeling as the Scripture hath the Phrase being past feeling So manie men and women first they begin not to be troubled for sin and put it off at length they come to be past feeling and if thy heart be unsensible of the evil of it then sin grows exceedingly So saith the Scripture Being past feeling they give up themselves with greediness to all lasciviousness and wantonness What is the reason men and women give up their souls to sin to lasciviousness and wantonness with greediness Because they be past feeling Oh the hardness of the heart in Sin the stone in the heart is worse than the stone in the bladder Object But you will say If I labor to bring the weight of sin upon my soul you have told us there is so much evil in sin that if God should but bring and set it upon my heart it would sink my heart and bring me to despair we had need labor to put off the weight and burden of it then and yet now after you have told us the heavy weight of it do you labor now to bring the weight and burden of it upon our souls Answ Yes Brethren To bring the weight and sence of Sin is that I labor for not to bring more guilt but the sence and burden of sin and this is not the way to bring you to despair But first learn what I mean by this that you may learn not to be so shie of bearing the weight of Sin as before you have been but to be willing to take up the burden for there is no danger of despair in this If there come despair it is rather when God shall force the burden of Sin upon your souls but if God see a man and woman free and willing to lay the weight and burden of sin upon themselves to that end that they may be humbled before the Lord and give glorie to God Certainly God will take care of that soul it shall never sink under the burden of sin This now as in the name of the Lord I pronounce to you everie soul that is willing to bring the weight of Sin upon himself to that end that it may be humbled and give glorie to God my life for that soul that soul shall never sink under the burden of sin certainlie God will take care of such a soul that it shall not sink under that burden therfore be as willing as you will to let as much weight of Sin as will be upon your heart and the more willing you be the greater is the care of God over that heart that it shal not perish But 't is the way to despair if you upon the hearing of these things come to be shie of meditating upon sin and be loth to entertain those meditations that may work the weight of Sin upon your own souls Now it is just with God when he shall come and force the weight of sin upon you
you to Heaven there is use of Godliness to keep you away from Sin and Ungodliness and there is enough in that to countervail anie pleasure suppose you yong people abstain from some pleasure or joy that others have the truth is you have greater and better pleasures but suppose you had none but keeping of your souls from sin this meerlie were enough to countervail whatsoever you suffer in the waies of God There are manie converted when they were old and what would these give for to be delivered from the guilt of some sins committed when they were yong When they look back to their lives Oh this sin I committed in such a familie and when I was an Apprentise in such a place Oh that I were delivered from them Oh they lie upon my heart Oh that vanitie and wickedness Oh those oaths I swore in such a companie among yong men Oh those Sabbaths I brake Oh those lyes I told and the drunkennesse I was drawn to Oh I cannot look back to these but my thinks I could even tear my heart from my bellie to think what a heart I had to sin against God and multiplie Sin against Him Thus at the best when God awakens their hearts they would give ten thousand worlds to be delivered from the Sins of their Youth And therefore now you yong ones seeing there is such evil in Sin Oh prevent it You know how the Sins of Youth lay upon David Remember not against me the sins of my youth therefore now prevent those Sins that otherwise will lie so heavilie upon you as that you will be forced to crie out Oh remember not against me the Sins of my Youth Oh it is a happie thing to see yong ones good and it is the greatest hope that God will shew mercie to England in that God begins to draw yong ones on in the waies of Godliness so that we hope there will not be so manie Sins committed in the Age to come We have cried out of the Sins of yong ones and one Generation that hath followed another hath been but like the Kennel the lower and further it goeth the more filth it hath gathered and so the lower Generations have gone the more filthie they have been But we hope God intends to turn the course and to make Godliness as much honored as it hath been dishonored heretofore and that there should not be so much Sin in the next Generation Heretofore yong people when they had daies of Recreation what did they but multiplie Sin what abundance of wickedness was committed by Youth then and on Shrove-Tuesdaies abundance of wickedness committed by Youth then and so the Generation was filled with Sins of Youth But now God is pleased to stir up the hearts of yong ones that instead of multiplying of Sin they be got together on such daies to Fast and to Pray and make daies to attend upon the Word and so avoid Sin It is that certainlie that doth encourage the hearts of Gods People to pray to him and to seek him for mercie that God gives hearts to yong people that they multiplie not Sin as heretofore If there be anie here that have begun this Oh go on in that way and when others multiplie wickedness upon such daies get alone and attend upon the Word and recreate your Souls in the Word and holie conference true God gives libertie to recreate but let it he as it was wont to be with the Companies in London though they did recreate they would have their Sermons too So instead of horrible wickedness that was wont to be upon those daies as I suppose some of you can remember upon Shrove-Tuesdaies infinite wickednesses was committed in the Citie and thereabouts we hope instead of wickedness and joyning together in wickedness there will be joyning together in the Waies of God And thus doing you wil encourage us in the Waies of God and Peace and Mercie will be upon you CHAP. LXIII Use 13. If there be so much evil in sin Then it s a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin WEE are now to finish that Tractate about the greatness of the evil of Sin It hath been an Argument that hath much encreased in our hands like unto the bread the Loaves that Christ did break unto the People that in the verie breaking did multiplie and so hath this Argument done but we are now to put a period to it Manie Uses you know hath been made alreadie as Corollaries and Consequences from that great Doctrine of the evil of Sin that Sin is a greater evil than Affliction The last day the especial aim and intention of the Application was Therefore to drive Sinners to Jesus Christ seeing there is so much evil in Sin more than in all Affliction Oh what need have we who are such great Sinners of Jesus Christ that is the Propisiation for Sin I have only one Note to ad further on that and we shall proceed it is an Excellent Expression I find in Luther saith he There is a great deal of difference between the Consequencia Legis and Consequencia Evangelii There is a Consequence of the Law and that is this Thou hast sinned and therefore thou must be damned But the Consequence of the Gospel is this Thou hast sinned therefore go to Jesus Christ that is the Argument the Gospel uses from Sin But passing by all we have said concerning that Use we proceed to further Applications that are behind Four or Five Uses we are to speak of and then we shall have done with the Point I will be brief upon the first Two or Three and the Two last we shall stick most upon Vse XIII If there be such evil in Sin as you have heard Hence then it is a fearful thing for any one to be instrumental to draw others to sin All that hath been said in the opening of the evil of sin must needs speak very terribly unto all that ever have been any way instruments to draw others to sin in all their lives Now Oh that God would speak to every man and womans Conscience in this Congregation that are conscious to themselves that ever they have been any cause to draw others to sin Is there not one whose Conscience presently at the naming of this Use doth even tell you well now God speaks to me for certainlie there hath been some that I have drawn to sin that I have been a means to further sin in If any one of you have ever been a means by counsel or advise by approbation by perswasion by encouragement by abetting of any by joyning with any in anie sinful course to draw them to sin know that God speaks to you First God tells you this That if you had been born to do mischief you could not do a greater mischief than this is if you had been the means to undo men and women in their outward Estate it had been nothing so much but thou hast what in
sin that have so much evil in it we must clear God that he is not the Cause of sin in anie but to shew how far God hath a hand in sin this would require a long time to open which I cannot now do 2 To shew how much dreadfulnesse there is in this miserie to be given up to Sin to open to you the dreadfulnesse of spiritual Judgements will require a long time also Therefore because I have resolved to make an end of this at this time therefore I must reserve these Two things to larger discusion Only thus for the present upon what hath been said let this be the Prayer of everie one of you Oh Lord whatsoever Judgement thou sendest upon us deliver us not up to spiritual Judgments Lord give us not up to sin do not punish sin with sin rather punish sin with anie Affliction than with Sin when God doth come to punish Sin with Sin the condition of that man or woman is a very dreadful Condition because there is so much Evil in Sin 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 Vse 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 sence 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 Sence 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 Saints in the Judgment of the Word when both shall come and joyn 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 godlie if he be godlie 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 godlie 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 miserie And what a companie of most miserable wretches have we in this world how manie in woful straits and extremities for the Bodie in their estates for want of bread for want of cloaths 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 loathsom unfit for Service every way in all outward appearance for their outward estates extreamly miserable and yet together with this extreamly wicked also extreamly sinful go into their houses there is nothing but beggerie and miserie there and there is as much wickedness and iniquitie as beggerie and miserie it may be these poor Creatures thus miserable their hearts be full of Atheism live without a God in the World know not God know not Christ know nothing of their IMMORTAL SOULS know nothing of another Life live just like Bruit Creatures in all filthie uncleannesse it may be suffer for their wickedness before men are whip't put in the Stocks or Cage lie in dark Dungeons in cold nakedness and hunger and all for their sin and wickedness what woful Creatures are these and how many hundreds nay thousands have you of this kind of Creatures in this Stepney that are such objects of pittie that me thinks should make all your hearts bleed when you consider them and how many you have of them in this place were it I confess that the charge of Souls in this place should lie upon me I should think I had work enough to do with such poor Creatures as these if I should live Methuselah's daies and should make everie day to be more hours than twenty four yet work enough for all my time I should think I had little time for any refreshment any other way knowing how many poor souls are in such a condition that perhaps are not onlie outwardlie miserable and inwardlie poor but their outward miserie encreaseth by their inward miserie the one encreaseth the other As it is a great evil for sin to bring affliction so a great evil for affliction to encrease sin as their affliction doth there affliction puts them upon swearing lying prophanness cozening keeps them from sanctifying the Sabbath seldom come in the Congregation I perswade my self there be thousands belonging to this place scarce ever heard Sermon in this place scarce know whether Christ be man or woman scarce know any more than if they had lived among the Turks and yet these poor Creatures live miserable lives every way for their bodies Alas I suppose there be very few of these I preach to now that be Hearers of me now perhaps God may have some love to some poor Creatures that may come creeping into the Congregation that may hear me this Exercise was intended for such Poor that might come in the morning for many of the Richer sort had rather take their ease and give them room enough they might supply the want of their room and yet how few of them come here they it may be are at home many of them mending their cloaths or perhaps at some worse exercise on the Sabbath and thus have neither God nor the World are miserable here and like to be eternally miserable If there had been given to this Place by the Parliament or any other so much as that everie Sabbath day morning sixpence a piece should have been given by way of dole nay if it had been but a twopenny dole we should have had abundance whereas now scarce any once come And as not many mightie not many rich or noble come so not many very poor and outwardly miserable come Me thinks when any of you look upon their condition you should have your hearts raised to bless God that hath made a difference between you and them and when you be crost in your families think with your selves Why should I be discontented because I
from thy self 4 Thou art not like to hold out Also two Answers to an Objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of Hell 1. Thy Sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin 2. Those that avoid sin meerly for fear never come to love the Command that forbid the sin 3 They are willingly ignorant of many sins 4. Those that avoid sin and not out of fear even when they fear God will destroy them then they desire God may be glorified 5. Those that avoid sin out of fear do not see the excellency of Godliness so as to be inamored with it Thirdly It reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction Fourthly It rebukes such as when they are under affliction they be more sensible of affliction than of sin Also there is five Discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them Fifthly It reprehends those that get out of Affliction by sinful courses and yet think they do well Sixthly It reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sins Use XVII COme we now to the last thing The last Use is this I wil but shew what might have been said and so wind up all There are six sorts of People that from this Point are reprehended You shall see all Naturally follow from the Point in hand that there is greater Evil in Sin than in Affliction First Such kind of people as be more afraid of Affliction than of sin There be many people very â—hy of Affliction and solicitous to prevent Affliction but not to prevent Sin Many reason thus I had need be a good Husband and lay up somwhat I know not what I may meet withal before I die I may want before I die many are penurious and covetous and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when God calls because they be afraid they and their Children may want before they die who knows what we may meet withal and thus they are careful to prevent Affliction But for Sin they do not lay up to prevent that whereas we should be very solicitous least we should be drawn into temptation and therefore we are taught to pray Lead us not into temptation as well as Forgive us our trespasses True God keeps me from such and such sins but what if God should leave me to temptation what a wretched Creature should I be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me as I have cause to fear I find such wickedness boyling and bubling up and such pronenesse to such and such sin if the Lord be not infinitely merciful to me I shall break out to the dishonor of his Name scandal of Religion and wounding of my Conscience and this God knows causes the most solicitous care that I ever had least my heart should break out against God to the scandal of that holy Profession I have taken upon me Oh is it thus with you Oh this were a happy thing indeed As when men hear of one that is broke they wil inquire what is the reason he had such an Estate what is the reason he broke One may be saith he trusted Servants too much and that caused him to break Oh this will cause him to look so to it that he will never trust his Servants too much Another may be saith Because he lived above his means and this makes him that he will not live above his means And another He will have his Country House and his Servants riot at home when he is abroad And another He trusted too much and such like Reasons Now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions So it should be with us when we see any fall into sin Professors that made a shew of Religion and afterwards fall foully inquire now what is the matter this man broke he broke his Conscience what is the matter one that had such admirable gifts and made such a Profession Oh may be all the time he had a proud heart therefore I will keep my heart humble Oh he had Excellent Gifts and enlargements in Prayer but he had a slight vain Spirit Oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my Soul He is broke now but what is the matter Oh he began to be sluggish and cold in Closet work and such duties in his Family Oh let me take heed and keep up communion with God in secret in my Closet and in my Family He broke indeed but how Oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after and now God hath left him to it now by Gods grace I will look to my self I will by the grace of God take heed of secret sins Thus Brethren if we were sensible of the evil of Sin we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin as well as the evil of affliction And so many for their Children Oh they will be providing for their Children that they may live like men and have somwhat to take to but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin you would provid for their Souls as well as their Bodies and therefore Oh let me put him in a good Family and there he may learn to prevent sin This is the First To reprove those that labor to prevent Affliction but not Sin Secondly It serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin but 't is meerly for fear of affliction only upon that ground as if there were not evil enough in sin it self but all the evil were in affliction Certainly these men and women understand not this That there is more evil in Sin than in Affliction if thou didest understand and wert sensible of this Point I have treated upon thou wouldest find Arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin though no affliction should follow Thou abstainest from sin what is the reason not because of any great evil thou seest in sin but because of affliction thy Conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble and into affliction and this keeps away sin 'T is true it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms and this is one motive God propounds to avoid sin by but this is not all or the chief motive because of affliction and trouble Conscience tells thee God will be even with thee and the wrath of God pursues thee very few come so far to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin and to avoid sin upon them grounds But you should labor not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin but for the evil of sin it self for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin Know 1 This may be without change of Nature a man or a woman may be in such an estate as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear
Nation wherein is shewed how to Cure a mans self of most Diseases incident to mans Body with such things as grow in England and for three pence charge 5 The Anatomy of the Body of Man wherein is exactly described the several parts of the Body of Man illustrated with very many large Brass Plates 6 A New Method both of studying and practising Physick Six Sermons Preached by Doctor Hill viz. 1 The Beauty and Sweetness of an Olive Branch of Peace and Brotherly Accommodation budding 2 Truth and Love happily married in the Churches of Christ 3 The Spring of strengthning Grace in the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus 4 The strength of the Saints to make Jesus Christ their Strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods eternal preparation for his dying Saints The Bishop of Canterbuâ—â—es Speech on the Scaffold The Kings Speech on the Scaffold King Charles his Case or an Appeal to all Rational Men concerning his Tryal A Congregational Church is a Catholick visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England Mr. Owens stedfastness of the Promises Mr Owen against Mr Baxter A Vindication of Free Grace By John Pawson The Magistrates support and Burden By John â—ordel The Discipline of the Church in New-England by the Churches and Synod there A Relation of the Barbadoes A Relation of the Repentance and Conversion of the Indians in New-England by Mr Eliot and Mr Mayhew An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist S. Matthew by Mr Ward Clows Chyruâ—geâ—y Marks of Salvation An Exposition of the whol first Epistle of Peter by Mr. John Rogers of Dâ—… in Essex Christians Engagement for the Gospel By John Goodwin Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr Love's Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr Prestâ—â—s Saints Submission and Satans Overthrow A Treatise of the Rickets Published in Latin by Dr Glisson Dr Bate and Dr Regemorter now translated into English Mr Symsons Sermon at Westminster Mr Feaks Sermon before the Lord Major Mr Phillips Treatise of Hell Of Christs Geneology Mr Eaton on the Oath of Allegiance and Covenant shewing that they oblige not THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A Addition NO addition to sin can make it good Page 18 Affliction Affliction is better than sin 3 It 's light ibid Christs the greatest 8 Some good in it 11 It is instrumentally good 12 It is sanctified to the Soul ibid A fruit of Gods love 13 Good annexed to it 14 Good of Promise ibid Good of Evidence 15 Good of Blessing ibid Affliction cannot make a man evil 140 Affliction may stand with Gods love 266 Affliction to sinners the beginning and forerunner of all evil 336 337. Ripens them for destruction 337 It is not mercy to be delivered from affliction when we are in a sinful way 439 It is sometimes a judgement not to be afflicted 443 Approve God approves no sin 38 Abstain Some abstain from sin for fear of Affliction only 523 Avoid Some sin to avoid affliction 526 Authority Sin resists Gods Authority 65 Attributes Sin wrongs God in his Attributes 58 They plead against sinners 67 Alsufficiency Sin wrongs God in his Alsufficiency 59 B Beams Beams of Gods wisdom in the light of nature 63 Bitterness Sin makes affliction bitter 330 Bless Saints bless God for afflictions 16 Not for sin ibid Bless God for Christ 482 Burden Christs burden 127 Sin a burden to heaven and earth 321 Beast A sinner worse than a beast 370 371 Bondage Sinners in bondage to the Devil 264 265 Bounds No bounds to be set to our love of God and hatred of sin 350 351 352. C Capable Sin is not capable of good 17 Men and Angels only capable of sin 73 Charge Job's false charge 1 Saints must charge their hearts 54 Choice Sin a worse choice than affliction 2 The wicked choice 60 Conscience Conscience must not be strain'd 21 Trouble of Conscience being overcome if men return to sin they are worse 91 Make Conscience of all sins 450 Conscience troubled for sin what 385 c. It is the beginning of the second death 399 409 Cry Saints cry unto God 16 Creator Sin wrongs God as a Creator 69 Contrary Nothing contrary to God but sin 35 Contraries seek the destruction one of another 53 Cause God no cause of sin 37 Creature Creature comforts in order to God 38 All Creatures against sinners 289 The Devil the lowest Creature 364 Curse Christ made a Curse 131 Sinners under the Curse 291 Sin is a Curse ibid Sin brings a Curse upon the whole world 321 Sin brings a Curse upon al evil 331 Comforts Of wicked men what 279 No comfort by sin 432 Confusion Sin would bring all to confusion 323 Conformity To Christ in sufferings to the Devil in sin 355 356 357 358. Condemnation Sin brings men under the sentence of it 277 Condemnation not recalled but transmitted to Christ 278 Communion With God what 254 Converse They fit to converse that live the same life 254 255 Covenant The Covenant of Grace keeps sin from taking away the Image of God in the regenerate 256 Consequence Of the Law and Gospel 492 Course Some get from affliction by sinful courses 534 D Death Sin the Death of the soul 255 Deliberation Sin needs no deliberation because wholly evil 29 Disease Sin compared to a disease 257 Despise Sin is despising of God 46 Who despise their souls 310 Destruction Sin seeks Gods destruction 54 Devil The Devil better than a base lust 61 Sin is Originally from the Devil 358 359 Lay not all upon the Devil 360 Sins reference to the Devil 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 Do Few men know what they do when they sin against God 8 Deceive The way of the wicked deceiveth 294 Deliver Delivering up to Satan what 377 Some bless themselves in sins after their deliverance from Affliction 536 Dealings God 's dealings with the wicked and godly are different 440 Draw Draw not others to sin 492 Defile Sin defileth the soul 262 It defileth all things man meddleth with ibid Delight vide Joy Delight in sins dreadful 462 463 c. God takes delight in the souls that converse with him 255 Departing Sin a departing from God 285 Despair Despair is not from the depth of humiliation 86 But from want of it ibid Divorce It is hard to make a divorce between sin and the soul 90 Displeasure Gods displeasure against sin 113 Against Angels 114 Against Men 117 Manifested in his law 118 In its Terror and Curse 119 In his severity against smal sins 119 120 121 His Wrath Hell 122 Gods dealing also with his fore-shews his displeasure against sin 123 124 c. Gods displeasure with his people 438 439 Deceit Against deceit 466 E Enemy Who Gods enemies 48 To whom God an enemy 285 286 All the Creatures are enemies to sinners 288 289 Encourage Saints encouraged to bear afflictions 17 End Men think of three good ends in committing of sin 18 No good
Striking Sin is a striking at God 50 Spirit Sin wrongs the Spirit of God 71 Sweat Christs sweat 128 Strictness Strictness of Gods people justified 448 Stubbornness Stubbornness distinguished from from Conscientiousness 452 Separate What separates men for God 291 What separates men from God 292 Slave vide Subject Soul Christs Soul sufferings 401 Sorrow Christs sorrow 125 Sin More evil than any misery 3 c. A heavie Thing 7 A Non-Entitie 11 No good in the being of it ibid It is cause of no good 12 It comes not from good 13 No good annexed to it 14 No good of Promise ibid Of Evidence ibid Of Blessing 15 Sin is Opposite to all good 319 Sin in its self is misery 354 Sin sells the soul to the devil 367 Turns the soul into a Devil 368 Sensible Some more sensible of affliction than sin 528 Sinner Every sinner guilty of all the sins in the World 362 Succession Of Sin 362 363 Subject Difference between a Slave and a Subject 366 T Temptation To avoid 98 Edward the 6th avoids it with tears 101 No sin if not entertained 372 Terror What causeth terror 273 274 Thoughts Thoughts of God terrible to some 273 Time Time spent in sin is lost 28 Truth Sin wrongs God in his truth 67 Truth in its Latitude the object of mans understanding 283 Turns Sin turns all good into evil 321 Exhortation to turn from sin 476 V Venture No good should be ventured for sin 26 Venome Of sin 43 Vile A wicked person is a vile person 141 144 Useless Wicked men useless men 29 Undo Man doth undo himself by sin 140 262 Union What breaks Union 282. 284 Spiritual things Unite 282 Why mans soul is capable of Uuion with God 283 284 W Wisdom Sin wrongs God in his wisdom 63 Weapons Sinners fight against God with his own weapons 77 Way Of the godly and wicked difference 441 Worse No man is worse for Affliction but for Sin 141 Worth All the men in the world not worth one Christian 143 145 The end is worth the means 260 261 Work Sin is not the work of God 25 Sin opposite to God in its working 41 World Sin would destroy the world were it not for Gods wisdom 74 Wrong What wrong sin doth to God 54 They who have wronged God must do much for God 109 110 111 112 Sin wrongs the Soul 309 Wrath Of God 125 Christ drinks the Cup of Gods wrath 129 What the wrath of God is 343 Will A Sinner exalts his will above Gods 64 65 Fulfils the Devils will 363 364 365 Walk How God walks contrary to sinners 286 Word The Word must be prized 406 407 The Word justified for threatning 455 456 Worm Sin is the matter whereon the worm breeds 263 Wayes to kill the worm of Conscience here 26 The Blood of Christ cures the worm here 264 Weight Of Sin what 132 God weighs out Afflictions to Saints 334 335 It is good to bring sins weight upon our selves 474 Y Youth It is good to be godly in Youth 488 FINIS THere are these several Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs that will shortly be published viz. His Sermons on Job 36. 21. The second of Peter the 1. and 1. The first Epistle of John 3. 3. The second of Corinthians 5. 7. Matthew 11. 28 29 30. The second of Corinthians 5. 18 19 20. There are also in the Press Seventeen Books being the substance of many Sermons Preached at Harford in New England By Mr. Thomas Hooker somtime Fellow of Emanuel Colledg in Cambridg in England which are Discourses on Seventeen several Scriptures Reader â—…is Treaâ—ise was first Preached at Stepney neer London on the Lordsday mornings â—t was begun Nov. 29. 1641 and finished Feb. 27 1641. It is thought good â—o give the Reader Notice hereof in espect to â—ome Expressions â—…d in 〈◊〉 Treaâ—…e Doct. * This was written in the Year 1641. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auget significationem declarat animum undique maerora obsessuÌ„ circum vallatum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat attonitum esse ex significationem auget ita ut sit animo corpore per horrescere Medici vâ—cant horripilationem Gerrh in Harm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza Hesychius dicit significare palaestrum bellum proprle est timor quo corripi solent in certamen descensury Stephan in Thes * This was preached on the 2. of January * This was 23. of January * This was Preached at Stepney the 26. of February
from obedience to the Will of God by that libertie they come to be under bondage under slavery to the Devil All wicked men that think much to obey God they must be obedient one way or other we must be all servants and obedient either to the Will of God or the Devil which is best then Wicked men think it a brave life that they may have their own will true if they might have their own will they might think it a brave life but know you have rather the will of the devil than your own in that you do his will you fulfil the will of the devil To be in slaverie not only to the devil but to any man is a great evil to be at the wil of man yea to be at the will of a good man is an evil I should be loth to live in any such Common-wealth as that I should be under the will of man in it any further than might be revealed and bounded by some set Law The difference between a Slave and a Subject is this A Slave is such a one as lives under Arbitrary Government that is the WILL of such as are in Authority is their Law and they are ruled by no other Law but by the Will of such as Govern them there is no Law set to know when they shall offend and when not but when their Rulers say this is an offence that his will is crossed that is an offence and they be therefore punished But now Subjects they be bound to no obedience to any man any further than some set Law doth require their obedience that is a Subject and that is the very difference between a Slave and a Subject If men in Authority should command any thing though good I mean only indifferent yet I am not bound in conscience to obey at al because they command except it be by a Law except they command it by a Law if he command it meerly as his Will and only say I Will here is no tie upon the conscience It is ordinarie for people to think if men in Authoritie command they will have such a thing done Oh say they Authoritie commands We deny it Authoritie commands nothing but what it commands by a Law and then we are bound to obey or to suffer if it be a Law once but if it be not a Law though it should be the will of men in Authoritie it doth not bind us at all till it come to be a Law any further than there is Equity it self in the thing in its own Nature for then doth a People come to be in slavery when they come to be subject to the will of men without a Law Now Brethren thus If it be a slavery and a great evil to be subject to men though good men subject to their will and nothing else without Law then what an evil is it to be in subjection and slaverie to the will of the devil meerly at his will and yet every wicked man is so We should account it a very sore thing if we should come under Arbitrary Government to be subject to the will of men Now so long as thou remainest under the power of Sin thou remained under the government of the devil himself this is a sorer evil than affliction A man were better live in any Countrie though not so fruitful as England and suffer hardship in his Estate so he live like a Free man than to live here or in any other fruitful Countrie and live under Arbitrary Government This we hope for not to be under the Wills of men but the Laws made by them Then it were better to endure hardship and any affliction than bear this to be at the will of the Devil and fulâ—l his will Fifthly In reference to the devil Sin hath this evil in it if it grows to a height itsels the soul to the Devil As with Ahab 1 Kings 21. 20. when Elijah met Ahab Hast thou found me O my Enemy saith Ahab And he answered I have found thee because thou hast SOLD thy self to work evil in the sight of the Lord Now if he sell himself he must sell himself to some body to somwhat we cannot sell a thing but we must sell it to some body or to somwhat now to what must Ahab sell himself Certainly to no body but to the devil he sold himself to work iniquity and wickedness and wickedness when it comes to the height is a selling of our selves to the very devil himself We cry out of those poor miserable Creatures that sel themselves to the devil we say Oh how be they deluded and besotted that sell themselves to the devil Certainly every wicked man and woman in the world when sin groweth to the height sell themselves to the devil Sixthly and lastly Sin when it grows to a height it doth turn the Soul into a Devil it makes men and women to become Devils when it grows once to a height The Scripture is very clear in that you know what is said concerning Judas John 6. 70. Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a Devil and so ordinarily the Scripture speaks in this kind of phrase Revel 2. 10. Fear none of these things you shall suffer behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison why is the Devil come to be a Pursevant or an Officer or to give Warrants to cast into prison No but it is spoken of wicked Persecutors that the Devil sets on work they be called by the name of the Devil Sin when it comes to a height it makes the sinners to be such that they are pronounced to be Devils the Devil shall cast some of you into prison and one of you is a Devil that is a strange metamorphosis We reade of strange Fictions of some Creatures turned into other Creatures but this for the Creature to be turned into a Devil is the strangest metamorphosis that can be Brethren what made the Devil a Devil they were once glorious Angels more glorious Creatures than men and women but what is it that should make them devils now Nothing but Sin it is Sin that hath made Angels to be Devils and therefore do not so much wonder that sin should make men and women to be devils Incarnate Do not wonder at the phrase of Scripture seeing Angels by sin yea the sin that the Angels did commit did presently turn them into devils therefore wonder not that the continuing the acts of sin when it groweth to the height should turn men and women into devils These be the Six Particulars in this Head of Sins Reference to the Devil 1 It is of the same Nature with the devil joyns with him against God 2 It is the work of the devil that is he is the Original and helping Cause of it 3 It furthers the Kingdom of the devil 4 It fulfils the will of the devil 5 When it grows to a height it sels the Creature to the devil 6 It
turns them into devils These be the Six Particulars of the evil of Sin in the Reference it hath to the Devil From these Six follow these notable Corollaries and Consequences to shew the dreadful Evil in Sin beyond all Affliction Corollaries and Consequences from all the former Particulars CHAP. XLIV The First Corallarie It s 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 sinsul 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 forme of a dog or a swine and he should go up and down in the 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 bruit beasts as a drunkard or a glutton his soul is justlike 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 subtile 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 bruit beasts So that they are in a worse condition than if their bodies were turned into the shape of bruit beasts But when their souls be turned to be like the Devil this is worse a great deal than if they were like bruit beasts This is the First CHAP. XLV The Second Corollarie It s worse to be Sinful than to be Afflicted with Temptation from the Devil SEcondly From the Reference sin hath to the Devil it followes That for any man or woman to be wicked it is worse a great deal than to have the greatest trouble and affliction by any temptation from the Devil There be many men and women exceedingly pestered with hidious and horribl temptations by the Devil and so troubled with them that they be even weary of their lives and know not what to do Many send up Papers to the Minister in Publick desiring to be prayed for because of that sore Affliction upon them those dreadful temptations of the devil whersoever they go whersoever they be whatsoever they be adoing when a hearing a reading and if they go to prayer still hidious temptations of the devil comes upon them and this wearies their lives They had rather indure any misery in the world I dare appeal to you that be troubled with hidious temptations of the devil which dog and follow you had you not rather indure loss of estate sickness poverty and shame and disgrace rather than have these hidious temptations follow you Oh you should have many quickly make their choice rather let any thing befal me than have such hidious temptations pursue pester me Now if such hidious temptations be a greater evil in your account than all Afflictions that can befal your body than much more evil are your sins than all afflictions for sin hath greater Reference unto the devil than temptations and make you more like the devil than temptations do for temptations may be no other but such as did befal the Son of God himself Christ was pestered with temptations hidious temptations temptations to deny God and to tempt God and to worship the devil himself As hidious temptations befel Christ as could befal any one yet the Son of God beloved of God therefore your temptations are no other no greater than might befal Christ and therefore not so great evils as Sin They make you not so like the devil as sin if temptations come from the Devil if not entertained though they be afflictions yet not Sin Now in that Sin hath such reference to the devil it appeareth that Sin is worse than all the Annoyance you can have by any temptation CHAP. XLVI The Third Corollarie It s Worse to be under Sin than to be haunted by the Devil THirdly Hence it follows That Sin is worse than to be continually in the presence of the Devil It is worse for a man or woman to be under the power of any Sin than to be continually haunted by devils and to have the sight of devils before their eyes and be in company with them If God should lay such a judgment upon a man or woman that wheresoever they should be they should see devils before them to be under the power of any one sin is worse than if God should lay such a judgment upon thee Many be mightily terrified in the dark Oh! there is the devil in the room and Oh! he comes to them and there be apparitions of devils this they be troubled with Oh! these men and women haunted by devils and houses haunted by devils this is a miserable condition Now art thou haunted by any wicked lust and sin certainly thou art in a worse condition than any man or woman haunted by devils or house haunted by the devil Is there any house in your parish where there is Blaspheming and Oaths and railing at goodness and Sabbath breaking and such things this house is worse than any house haunted by devils For Sin is worse a great deal than the meer presence of the devil I remember I have read of a Tyrant one Maxensius in Hetrusia he invented this torment to put men to death he would have a dead mans Carkass tyed about their bodies and so let them go wheresoever he would but he still carried the dead Carkass about him and at length the stench put them to death this