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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

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 ●ell if they had known what sin had been it might have delivered them from everla●●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 so● 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

Text saith Christ spake it because they said he hath an unclean Spirit Mark Christ casting out Devils the Scribes and the Pharisees attribute this to an unclean Spirit and therfore they sinned against the Holy Ghost meerly because they attributed that which Christ did by the Finger of God to an unclean Spirit and therefore Christ tels them they sinned against the Holy Ghost and they shall never be forgiven Now Brethren see how neer you come to this sin for the Scribes and Pharisees saw Christ cast out Devils they did it out of malice they could not but know and yet they say it was by the Devil You see one troubled in Conscience which is by the Holy Ghost and you say it is a foolish and a mad spirit and somtimes 't is an unclean spirit but it is worse when you say it is a foolish and melancholly spirit you do more blaspheme the Holy Ghost and come neerer this sin Oh take heed and be humbled your condition is dangerous that have had or have any such low thoughts about trouble of Conscience for Sin Object But we see by experience men and women troubled for Sin be very melancholly and heavy Answ To speak to this True sometimes God may be pleased to sanctifie even that humor of melancholliness so as to further such a work as this yea God may cause a work on Conscience to be furthered by melancholly and yet a great deal of difference between melancholly and this 1 As first God may make use of melancholly to bring in trouble of conscience as thus If it be not too prevailing to besot men and women as somtimes it doth but if it be no more prevailing but thus to make men seriously consider and ponder and weigh things then God makes use of a degree of melancholly to make men and women to know themselves and sin and the things of their Eternal Estate and such a melancholly is a blessed melancholly and you have cause to bless God for it Melancholly in some inferior things is very useful and the Phylosophers say That the most Eminent men in the world for great matters were melancholly because they were serious in their thoughts whereas othermen be of slight vain frothy Spirits Many that never had melancholly they conceive of things and it passeth and they never ●ay any thing to heart they never knew what it was for one half hour to be serious in their thoughts all their lives Many that be Sanguine be of a light vain spirit and it is a heavy Judgment of God to be given over to a light vain Spirit that considers nothing Now when God makes use of this Particular degree of melancholly to make men and women serious to consider what shall become of them another day what the terms between God and they are what if I were now to die and what if I were now to stand before God then it is a good help to this work But yet because this work is a work beyond any melancholly conceit we shal give you in the Differences But yet further it must be acknowledged when God comes with trouble of Conscience it may be so mighty and strong that it may alter the body and consume the very Spirits in the Bodies of men and women and alter the temper of blood it may be so strong and powerful and so there may come melancholly in afterward but yet there is abundance of difference between melancholly and trouble of Conscience and that will appear in these Six Particulars CHAP. LII Six Differences between Melancholly and Trouble of Conscience Diff. 1. Melancholly may be in those that are most grosly ignorant but trouble of conscience cometh with some enlightening work Diff. 2. Melancholly prevails on men by degrees but trouble of Conscience many times comes suddenly as lightning Diff. 3. Melancholly trouble is exceeding confused but troubles of Conscience are more distinct Diff. 4. The more melancholly any hath the less able are they to bear outward affliction but the more trouble of Conscience the more able to bear outward afflictions Diff. 5. Melancholly puts a dulness upon the spirits of men but trouble of Conscience for sin puts a mighty activity upon mens spirits Diff. 6. Trouble of Conscience cannot be cured the waies melancholly may FIrst Melancholly it is many times in men and women where there is most gross Ignorance of God and of Sin and of the things of their Eternal Estate it may consist with gross ignorance Many melancholly people are most ignorant and sottish and know nothing of the Principles of Religion but troubles of Conscience can never come without some new Light of God darted in and setled upon the hearts of men and women it comes alwaies with some inlightning work of the Spirit Melancholly is many times with a great deal of darkness within the mind is dark where melancholly prevails and many times gross ignorance but never any true trouble of Conscience but God comes in with some light And therefore if any man or woman be troubled and say it is for sin I put this to you What hath God discovered to you now more than before What Truths of God hath God setled upon their hearts more than before If they can give no further account of no other light let into them than before or further Truth let in upon their hearts than before then indeed it may be suspected not to be trouble for sin as many melancholly people have the name of being troubled for sin and they have fears of Hell because of dark thoughts But 't is not the true work of the Spirit upon the Soul except it be with convincement of some new Light or settling some Truth more upon the Soul than before Secondly Melancholliness comes by degrees upon men and women alterations of the Body are not sudden things the temper of men and womens Bodies cannot suddenly be altered to any extremity but gradually from one degree to another but trouble of Conscience comes many times as a flash of Lightning from Heaven Many men and women have come to the Congregation with scornful spirits prophane wicked and ungodly never knew what sin meant nor trouble for sin meant and God hath met with them in the Word and fastned some Sentence upon their hearts so that they fall down under the power of it that comes just as an Arrow struck into their Liver and they could never get out of it have gone away with horrors of soul and therfore this hath not been melancholliness Certainly the humors of the Body never so suddenly alters the Spirits of men but when God comes to work when the Spirit of God and Bondage comes to work it needs no matter before no preparative matter for the work of the Word is such as it works immediately without any preparation Therfore many men that understood as little of trouble of Conscience as ever any did in their lives and yet God lets some Truth reach them

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 blessed●… 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

submission unto him in thy Patience under his mighty hand thou hast behaved thy self stubbornly and stoutly and hast denyed to give God the glory of his Soveraignty Majesty Holiness Justice and Purity and this thou hast Chosen rather than to be content to lie under the Afflicting hand of God which way so ever it be taken it was a heavie Charge had it been true So for it to be alleadged against any Souls That they Chuse Iniquity rather than Affliction is a great and heavy Charge The Doctrinal truth which ariseth from the words thus opened is this That it is a very ●v● Choice for any soul under heaven to choose the least Sin rather then the greatest Affliction Better be under the greatest Affliction then be under the guilt or power of any Sin it is true that neither Sin nor Affliction is to be Chosen Affliction in it self is an Evil and Sin is an Evil but the object of the Will is good and choice is of the Will therfore neither barely considered as in themselves can be chosen but because of some Evils the less in comparison of the greater may come under a notion of good and so may be somtimes chosen the Will cannot chuse any thing but under the notion of good either real or in appearance and though Affliction be in it self an evil yet in regard of Sin it may come under the notion of good and that 's to be chosen rather than Sin Now this is the work I have to do to make out this Conclusion to you That any Affliction is to be chosen rather than any Sin that there is more evil in any Sin the least sin than in the greatest Affliction My principal business is To charge mens Consciences with the evil of their sin and shew to them how much evil there is in sin all men are a raid of afflictions and troubled at affliction but wher 's the man or woman that fears sin and ●●yes from it as from a Ser●ent and is troubled at sin more then any affliction That there is more vil in sin than in affliction in the General I suppose is granted of all none dare deny it but because they do not see how this is they have not convincing Arguments to bring this truth with power unto their Souls but I hope before I have done with this Point that I shal make it clear to every ones Conscience That there is more evil in sin than in affliction not only more evil in sin than in outward trouble in the world but more evil in sin than in al the miseries and torments of Hel it self Suppose that God should bring any of you to the very brink of that bottomless Gulf and open it to you and there you should see those damned Creatures lie sweltring under the wrath of the infinite God and there you should hear the dreadful and hideous cryes and shreeks of those that are under such soul amazing and soul-sinking torments through the wrath of the Almighty yet I say there is more evil in one sinful thought than there is in all these everlasting burnings and that is that which I shal endeavor to clear and prove to every mans Conscience that we shal not only see it an ill Choice that we chuse sin rather than affliction but if it come in competition to chuse sin rather than al the tortures and torments of Hell howsoever many of you admit of sin upon very easie terms yet the truth is That if it should come into competition whether we would endure al the torments that there are in Hell to all eternity rather than to commit one sin I say if our Spirits were as they should be we would rather be willing to endure al these torments than commit the least sin And Brethren do not think this is a high strain for that com to speak in the Name of God come not to speak Hyperbollically to raise Expressions higher than the things are in their reality no I come not for that end and I should take the Name of God in vain if I should do so therfore I dare not raise things beyond that which they are in reality in themselves Therfore know Whatsoever I shal say unto you in this thing that they are not Words or Expressions but I speak as in the name of God as I would take it upon mine own Conscience having to deal between God and you in this great work and in this place to deliver this truth That there is more evil in the least Sin than in al the miseries that possible a Creature is capable of either here or in Hel besides I hope if I shal make out this to you you wil then beleeve that sure you have not yet understood the sinfulness of Sin that yet the burthen of Sin hath not lain upon you to be felt as the burthen of sin Now then that I may fully convince you That there is more Evil in the least Sin than in any Affliction CHAP. II. The Servants of God have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin FIrst Those Servants of God that have been guided by the Wisdom of God to make their Choice they have rather chose the sorest and most dreadful Afflictions in this world than willingly to commit the least sin as now if you would but turn your thoughts to what you have read or heard of the Martyrs what hideous and grievous torments did they suffer the boyling of their bodies in scalding Lead laying of their naked backs upon hot Gridirons and ●ending and tearing their Members a pieces with Horses the pulling of their flesh off from their Bodies with Pinchers and others by red hot burning Tongs their enduring their flesh to be scorched with broyling of it first on the one side and afterward on the other side Yea weak Women have endured this To have their flesh harrowed with stones and sharp irons to have their bodies flayed and then thrown into rivers of cold ice and a thousand more whatsoever Hel and wicked men could devise they were content to endure al this and certainly could they have devised ten thousand times more exquisite torments then they did they would have been content to have endured that and whatsoever else rather than to act against their Consciences the least sin and they accounted this to be a good Choice when as they saw Sin against their Consciences on the one hand and al their torments on the other they did rather embrace these tortures then embrace that sin and for this their Choice they are renowned in the hearts of the Saints to al generations yea the holy Ghost doth witness That they have a good Report Heb. 11. Those that suffered sawing asunder and scourging and went up and down in Sheeps-skins and Goats skins in leather Breeches and Doublets and suffered the spoyling of their goods and of al that they had these had a good Report and the Holy Ghost commends them for

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

there is required an infinite price to make an attonement nothing can make an attonement between God and a sinner but an infinite price paid You may think when you have sinned it may quickly be made up again Every Fool can sin can be drunk be unclean and wicked but when you have sinned how will you get it away All the Angels in Heaven and Men in the world cannot do it all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth connot get away one sin You let out your thoughts idlely take the guilt of one sin of an idle thought I say it is beyond the power of al the Angels in Heaven and Creatures in the World to get away that Sin it must be an infinite price there must be more done for to get away the guilt of this sin than if God should say here is a poor Creature hath sinned and is guilty I will make ten thousand worlds for his or her sake and they shall be all given that I may manifest my mercie towards them Now if God do but deliver thee from one Sin he doth more for thee than if thou shouldest hear him speak from Heaven and say he would do all that for thee for you know what the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 1. 18. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain Conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ as of a Lamb without spot or blemish not with Gold and Silver if it were Gold and Silver all the Gold and Silver in the world would not redeem one but it was with an infinite price with which you were redeemed and mark from your vain Conversation he doth not say your vain wicked notorious Idolatry but vain Conversation yea and that vain Conversation which you might have some plea for received from the tradition of your fathers you will keep your old Customs you received from your Fathers received a great while ago you crie out of new things new kind of waies now I am sure I have lived this thirtie or this fourtie years and I never knew such things and heard of such things and so you will rest on the Traditions of your Fore fathers Mark what the Scripture saith speaking of those that were delivered from their vain Conversation and the vanities received by Tradition these were redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ not with Gold and Silver though you stick to them as being such as you received from your Fathers yet know all the world cannot deliver you from the guilt of one of these vain Conversations If you knew all you would see there were so much evil in one sin as required a price to ransom you from it● of more worth than Heaven and Earth yea than ten thousand Heavens and Earths there must be a price laid down of infinite worth And observe this before you go away there may be a price laid down to ransom a Captive and this price may Note not so much the greatness of the deliverance as the worth of the person for whom this price is laid down because the person is worthy not from the miserableness of the bondage but the greatness of the person But it is not so here the reason of the greatness of the price for your ransom is not from the worthiness of the person we be poor vile dirt and dross and filthy before God what if you were all buried to all eternity what great matter were it But God hath paid a great price to note the greatness of your misery and evil you have brought upon your selves by reason of sin and therefore this is the price of our ransom This is the third thing wherein the infiniteness of sin appears A Fourth thing to discover a kind of infiniteness of evil in Sin is this That Sin it is so evil that let there be never so much hatred against it in thy soul let there be as much hatred against it as possibly can be yet there is enough evil in sin to raise this hatred higher and higher if it were possible to an infinite hatred therefore there is a kind of infiniteness in it If Sin were but a meer finite Evil then there might be some bounds and limits set to the hatred of our sin but that cannot be there can be no bounds nor limits set to the hatred of our sin but we are to hate it more and more still and if we could grow to an infinite hatred therefore there must be some kind of infinite Evil in it Other things be not so we may set bounds to our hatred in other things but when it comes to sin there is no limits to be set to the hatred of it As Brethren thus It doth note the infiniteness of goodness that there is in God why Because we are to love God and our love to God must be without any bounds at all we love him thus much and still our love is to go further and higher and higher and if possible to raise our love to be infinite because he is an infinite good who is the object of our loves So hatred on the other side we are to hate sin we are to hate it more and more and still grow up in hatred and never set bounds to our hatred why doth not this as well argue a kind of infinitness in fin And here then Brethren by the way you may have a note of your true love to God and true hatred against Sin whether it be right or no as now If you will know if you love God truly then you set no bounds to your love not only to your love to him but to your love to his waies and your love to Grace and Christ and the like you set no bounds That man or woman that would be Religious but so far and saith why will you be so strict and so hot and sets bounds to the working of their hearts in Religious waies let such men and women know their Religion is in vain it is but meerly a Natural one I remember a Speech Seneca a Heathen hath though he applies it another way yet he makes it appear he had some understanding of this Truth saith he Would you know when desires be Natural and when not Natural If they be Natural then they be in bounds and you set limits to them but when they break bounds then they be no more Natural But he applies it to sinful desires for he knew no better than desires at the highest as they had some Naturalness in them and saith he speaking of sinful desires so long as you keep your desires in certain bounds they be Natural and good but when once you let them out beyond bounds they be no more Natural We may very well applie it to speak of the Work of Nature and the Work of Grace Would you know whether the ground of your desires or work be Natural or Supernatural