Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	power_n	sin_n	sting_n	7,486	5	11.7460	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77976	The eighth book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Wherein is shewed, 1 There is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. 2 Sin is most opposite to God. 3 Sin is most opposite to mans good. 4 Sin is opposite to all good in general. 5 Sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. 6 Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. 7 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil. All these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / Published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Bridge, Sydrach Sympson, William Adderly, [double brace] William Greenhil, Philip Nye, John Yates.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1654 (1654)	Wing B6063; Thomason E819_1; ESTC R207405	254,421	485

reade in Judges 5. several Tribes when the People of God were in straits would not go up but had many excuses others did go to help in the Cause of God Judg. 5. 14. See how many excuse themselves but especially in the 16. Vers Why abodest thou among the Sheep-folds to hear the bleatings of the ●locks Oh Ru●en said We must not leave House and Cattel we must not go out And Giliad abode beyond Jordan and Dan abode in Ships some think Dan did not live neer the Sea but thought they ran to Ships and abode there And Asher continued by the Sea shore and abode in his Breaches He pleads thus We must continue our business in making Fences against the Sea we have many Breaches and we must continue there and look to our business But Zebulon and Naphtali they jeoparded their lives to the death in the high places of the field Who be those two Zebulon and Naphtali that were full of courage and zeal when others were-full of Pleas and would not venture their lives Who be these that ventured their lives These two were the especial Tribes of Marriners that were forward rather than others That these were Marriners appears Matt. 4. 15. The Land of Zebulon and Nephtali by the way of the Sea beyond Jordan these that lived by the Sea Others would not stir that lived by the Sea but Zebulon and Nephtali these joparded their lives Now mark God seems to remember this they did not jeopard themselves in a good Cause in vain God remembers it many hundred years after When Christ comes the first Tribes that seem to be inlightned were these the people that sate in darkness saw a great light and to them that sate in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up they sate in darkness a company of poor Marriners exceeding ignorant of the ways of God and Christ comes first to them and brings light to them It may be God might aim to shew Mercy to these Tribes the rather for this that they did in appearing in a good Cause though it were with jeopardy to themselves So go you on and in a good Cause appear and venture your selves to assist these Worthys of ours in whom so much of our good conssists and God will remember this in Spiritual Mercies Would you have the means of Grace continued and the means of Light come to them that sit in darkness if you would have the blessing of Zebulon and Nephtali then be Zebulons and Nephtalies to go out whatsoever excuses others have and jeopard your selves for the good of this Common-wealth THE FOVRTH PART OF THIS TREATISE CHAP. XLI 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 THere are Four Things which except we be well instructed in and know we know nothing to Purpose Except we know God and Sin and Christ and Eternity These are the Four great Things that you had need to be well instructed in The knowledge of Sin I have endeavored to set before you In this Argument I have shewed you the evil of fin above al affliction The next thing I am to Open to you is the Fourth General Head Propounded in the Fifth Chapter Fourthly Therefore that Sin is the Evil of all other Evils It is the very pith of all other Evils there 's nothing that would be scarce worthy the name of Evil if Sin were not in it That it is the evil of all other evils will appear in these Particulars First It is the strength of all other Evils The strength the prevailing strength that any evil hath against man it is from Sin There is no Evil would have any prevailing strength to do us any hurt were there not Sin in it That is certain nothing in heaven or earth or hel would do any of the Children of men any hurt were it not for Sin if there were not Sin to give it strength The strength of any evil that can do us any hurt is from Sin Let the evil be never so smal yet if it come armed with the strength of the guilt of Sin it is enough to undo any man or woman in the world This is the Reason of the difference of the power the prevailing power of any cross and affliction in some more than in others you shall have some that let there be but the least cross and affliction upon them it sinks their hearts they are not able to stand under it others that have a hundred times more upon them they go under it with joy this is the especial difference one having the guilt of sin in ●he evil and the other being delivered from it It is a Comparison I remember of a learned man to express the difference of afflictions Afflictions are like water and a little water upon a mans shoulder in a Leaden vessel is a great deal heavier than much more water in a vessel of Leather or Wood take a Leather Bucket filled with water it is not so heavie as a little water in a Leaden vessel so a little affliction where there is much guilt of sin is abundantly more heavie than a great deal of affliction where there is not the guilt of sin Haman could not stand before such a pettie Cross as that Mordacai would not bow his knee being a wicked man that Cross being with sin troubled him sore and Achitaphel when he was crossed in his way could not bear it Therfore Brethren if you would bear afflictions this is your way your wisdom is to labor to know wherein the strength of an affliction lies if you would overcome it As you know the Philistims that desired to overcome Sampson their great care was to know wherein his strength lay if they could by Dalilahs means find out the strength of Sampson they thought they might easilie overcome him So certainlie if you could but find out where the strength of your afflictions ●lie it is easie then for you to have fears and disquiets taken away the reason why fears and disquiets overcome you as they do is because you find not out the strength of them if that were found out and gotten away you might quicklie overcome afflictions and they would be light to you The prevailing strength of all afflictions is from sin this is the first thing to shew sin is the evil of all evils Secondly Not only the prevailing strength But the bitterness the sting of Affliction that which makes it bitter to the Spirit is sin Sin makes it come like an Armed man with power And besides Sin makes it inwardly gaul at the very heart sting like a Serpent as the Apostle 1 Cor. 15 56. saith of death The sting of Death is sin saith the Apostle so that which

he saith of death it is true of all evils of all afflictions that are but makers of way to death the sting of a sickness the sting of the loss of your estates the sting of discredit the sting of imprisonment the sting of all afflictions and that which makes them bitter to the soul is sin you have a notable place Jer. 4. 18. Thy waies and thy doings have procured these things unto thee this is thy wickedness because it is bitter because it reacheth unto thy heart In the Greek it is This is thy wickedness and because it is bitter it reacheth unto thy heart that interprets the word saith he thy wickedness hath procured this and the punishment to thy wickedness is bitter and reacheth to thy heart because it comes as a punishment of thy wickedness so it comes to be bitter and reacheth to thy very heart Oh when sin is in affliction it comes to the heart and is very bitter were the guilt of sin taken away in any affliction the soul might be able to make use of that expression of Agag in a better way than he did and come joyfullie and cheerfullie to look upon anie affliction and say The bitterness of death is past So doth God lay any affliction upon me or my familie the bitterness of death is gone the bitterness is gone because my sin is gone Sin is as it were the rotten Core in an Apple or Fruit it will make all the Fruit to be bitter and rotten And so sin that is the rotten core take away cut out the rotten core and then you will not tast so much bitterness in the Fruit So if Sin the rotten core be cut out affliction will not be so bitter This is the Second All the prevailing strength of affliction is from sin and the bitterness and anguish of spirit in affliction is from sin Thirdly The Curse of all evil is from sin the strength of all evil the bitterness of all evil and the curse of all evil I have shewed before Sin brings a Curse upon our selves yea how it brings a Curse upon all good Now I am to shew you how sin brings a Curse upon all evil it is that which makes the affliction to be accursed We have a most excellent Scripture for this to shew the difference between Gods afflicting of his people whom he hath pardoned when sin is pardoned and removed and Gods afflicting of the wicked and ungodly whose sin is yet upon them a most admirable Text for this and the difference between these two that you may see what a difference sin puts upon affliction when it is upon us the Text is Jer. 24. 5. compared with verse 9. We have before in the Chapter Gods expression of the differing estate of his people by the basket of good Figs and evil Figs those that were godlie like good Figs and the wicked by the evil Figs Mark the different dealing of God with both both were in Captivitie both good and evil they must both be delivered into the hand of their Enemies but see with what difference vers 5. like the good Figs So will I acknowledg them whom I have carried away Captive into the Land of the Caldeans for their good Mark they must go into the Land of the Caldeans but it must be for their good saith God though I do afflict them yet because I have pardoned them let them know I aim at nothing but their good Then he speaks of the bad Figs the wicked men in Captivitie vers 9. I do deliver them to be removed into all Kingdoms of the Earth for their hurt I will send them they shall go into Captivitie but I intend them no good it shall be for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverb a tant and a curse in all places whither I shall deliver them I beseech you keep this Text by you that which is said of this particular affliction is true of everie affliction when God doth bring any evil upon any wicked man or woman looking upon them saith he of such as are in their sins God certainly intends their hurt he brings it for their hurt even the same affliction that befals one whose sin is pardoned and God intends for their good so the priviledg of godly men that have their sins pardoned through Christ how different that is from the estate of wicked men that have the guilt of sin upon them Sin is the curse of all evils I will deliver them for their hurt that it may be a curse to them Now this Argument would enlarge it self but that I studie brevitie to shew how sin brings a Curse upon everie affliction and what that is and that thereby we shall make it appear Sin is a greater evil than affliction because it brings a Curse upon affliction I will but briefly name what might more largely be insisted upon 1 When there is sin and affliction affliction comes out of Gods revenge for sin God looks upon the guiltie Creature with indignation and wrath Here 's a wretch that hath been bold thus to sin against me and now my hand shall be upon him And so when the sinner is under Gods hand God is so far from looking upon him with pitie and compassion that he looks upon him with indignation and wrath as an Enemy to him when he looks upon the sinner that is got under him and this is a sore evil that when God that is the God of all mercy and of infinite compassion yet when he gets a wretched sinner under him he shall look upon him in the depth of his affliction with indignation and wrath as a loathsom Creature as loathing and abhorring this Creature under his wrath he shall be cast out in his wrath God casts out a Sinner and curses him when he looks upon him in such a manner 2 The Curse of afflictions when it comes in such a manner in way of sin is in this God regards neither the time nor the manner or the measure of the affliction whether it be a time sensonable for the Sinner or no nor the manner nor the measure whether it be such as the sinner can bear no let that go God minds not that Indeed when God comes with his afflicting hand upon those to whom sin is pardoned whom he looks upon in Christ he weighs out their afflictions God comes and with his Wisdom doth order it for the due time and weighs it out for the due proportion that there shall not be one dram put into it any further than their strength can bear he doth not tempt us beyond our strength he laies not upon us what we cannot be able to bear this is true of his People But when God comes upon those that have the guilt of sin lying on them he will come at that time that is most unseasonable for them at the worst time that can be As thus when a Husband-man would cut a Tree to make it fruitful he will observe his

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 mak●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