The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Treatise · Chapter 14 – Chapter 16
CHAP. XIV.
Sin wrong God in the End for which he hath made all things.
FOurthly, Sin wrongs God in the End for which he hath made all things, which is his own Glory. Now we know that of all things a man cannot endure to be wronged in his End, when he hath an End to ſuch & ſuch a thing, and aims to bring ſuch and ſuch a thing to paſs, though he ſhould be fruſtrated in regard of ſome means, this troubles him not, but when he comes to loſe his End, this troubles him exceedingly. Thus it is with a ſinner, he ſets himſelf againſt God to do what lies in him that God ſhould loſe his End of all that ever he hath done: and if ſo be God were not Almightie to over power things, certainly ſin would quite fruſtrate God of his End of his Works, for which he did make all things, to wit, his Glory. Now a ſinner doth what he can to darken the glory of God, doth in effect ſtand up and ſay, if I can help it, God ſhall have no glory in the world. I ſay, you that walk on in waies of ſin, this you are charged with in the name of God this day, that you are guiltie of this, you have in effect ſtood up, and as it were ſaid, If I can help it God ſhall have no glory in the world: and yet it was for his glory that God made all things. Truly Brethren, it cannot but be a ſoul-piercing Conſideration for any ſtout ſtubborn ſinner in the world for to have this one thought (take it with you, and work it upon your hearts, ſee what it will do) to think thus, Had I never been born, God had never been ſo much diſhonored: this one thought hath a mightie power to pierce the ſtouteſt hearted ſinner in the world. Oh! is not God infinitely worthy of all glory and honor in the world? hath he not made all Creatures for his glory? and if I had never been born, and never had had a being, God ſhould never have been ſo diſhonored, he would have had more glorie if I had never been. If God had made me a Dog or a Toad, a Snake or a Serpent, God ſhould have had more glory than by making me a Man. True, God will bring about his glory, and have more glory from thee another way, than if thou hadſt been made a Dog or a Toad; but no thanks to thee, thou doſt what thou canſt in way of ſin to hinder his glory, Gods Almightie Power brings this to paſs. But if thou goeſt on in waies of ſin, it may be ſaid of thee, that if thou hadeſt been made a Dog or Toad, God would have had more glory in the world than now he hath in making thee a Man: yea, thou art ſo far from bringing God glory that thou diſhonor'ſt God as much as in thee lies. And this, if it lies upon the heart as it ſhould is a ſad Conſideration to humble the proudeſt heart in the world; to think that thou liveſt, and God hath no glory by thee, though this be the End for which God made the world. Think thus, ſuppoſe God ſhould have no more glorie by all the world, than by me, to what end were the world made? Suppoſe one that lives in a meer Atheiſtical way, and takes no notice of the Majeſtie and Glorie of God, but lives only to eat and drink, and play and ſwear, and the like; now if his conſcience tell him this hath been his way, I ſpeak to ſuch a one in theſe words, ſuppoſe God had never had more glory from any Creature than from thee? to what purpoſe had the world been made? For God that hath wrought ſo wonderfully and gloriouſly in raiſing ſuch a glorious Edifice and Frame, certainly it was, that he might have ſome glory from what he hath done. No man works any thing but for ſome end, and Wiſdom directs every man that his end be worth his Labor, that, that which he aims at ſhall be worth all his work. Now God had ſome end therefore in making thee, and he muſt needs have ſome excellent end; but now, what do I think in my conſcience was the End of God in making of the World and me? what was it for no other end but that men and women might live and eat and drink, and lye, and ſwear, and commit ſuch wickedneſs? was this Gods end? I put it to your conſcience every ſinful man or woman; think how haſt thou lived? what haſt thou done in all thy life? look back to thy former life, and think how haſt thou ſpent it? I have gotten money, and what to do? is it only to eat and drink, and the like? and thou haſt lived in a Courſe of Nature thy Conſcience tells thee thus, now I put this to thee, Doeſt thou think in thy conſcience this is the end thou liveſt in the world for? Did God (when from all Eternity he intended to make ſuch a Creature as thou art, to live in ſuch a time in ſuch a place, and preſerved thee all this while from ſuch dangers at Sea, or at Land) I ſay, did God aim at no other end but this that thou ſhouldeſt live to do thus? Certainly thy Conſcience will condemn thee if thou haſt but a heart for to think of it. Thou wert upon thy ſick bed, and then thou cryedſt to God to ſpare thee; well, thou dideſt eſcape, now I put this to thee, Doſt thou think God ſpared thee, and gave thee thy life, to live to no other end but this? doſt thou think this was the only end? Take heed thou doſt not go on in waies of croſſing God in his end, for God will have his end one way or other. If a man have been at a great deal of coſt to deliver another man from miſery, redeemed him from Captivitie, and when he hath brought him home, he rails at him that did this for him, and doth him all the miſchief he can: And in any mans account he is exceedingly wronged that hath done thus and thus for one that is thereby as it were his Creature, and yet he live and do thus and thus wrong and abuſe him. Certainly then, God is wronged when he hath given thee a Body, delivered thee from ſuch and ſuch dangers, and thou liveſt to no other end but to ſatisfie thy luſt; thou exceedingly wrongeſt God. This is ſo cleer, that a man would wonder where mens conſciences are, that they live quietly, and that their conſciences flies not in their faces continually.
Certainly, when God ſhall enlighten the Conſcience, and bring theſe things with power to their Souls, then Sinners will ſtand amazed and wonder they ſaw not this before: Theſe things be ſo clear, that its a wonder I was ſo blind, that I had not eyes to ſee theſe before, and yet who laies theſe things to heart? And thus we have done with this Firſt thing in the Explanation, the wrong Sin doth to God in his Nature, working againſt, and ſtriking at God, and in his Relations, &c. Now there are, I confeſs, thoſe things I moſt aimed at in this work behind, therefore I will wind up in a word or two, in ſome Corollaries, and Conſequences, to be drawn from hence: Only thus much, when I have told you Sin is a greater evil than Affliction; yea, a greater evil than all the torments of Hell, as I ſaid in the beginning. Then you may ſee by what I have ſaid, how this Truth reſults out of theſe Conſequences, becauſe it wrongs God, and God is ſo infinitely good. If anie man be afflicted, or periſh in Hell eternally, it is but the good of a Creature, and the comfort of a Creature croſſed in this, but in Sin there is the croſſing of the good of an infinite God, and of his glory; and there is more good in Gods glory, than in all the Peace and Comfort of all Creatures in the world: and if ſo, then certainly there muſt be more evil in Sin that is croſs to Gods glory, than in all pains and torments that are but only croſs to the Peace and Comforts that are in the Creature: I ſay, Hence followeth theſe Corollaries.
CHAP. XV.
The Firſt Corollarie.] It appears by this, That but few men know what they do when they Sin againſt GOD.
FIRST from this, Certainly it doth evidently appear that there are but few men that know what they do in ſinning againſt God, nor have not known all this while. It was the Complaint of the Prophet Jeremiah, No man ſaith, What have I done? Certainly men in waies of ſin never ſay, Oh Lord, what have I done? Give me but that man or woman that have gone on in waies of ſin, that have imagined they have wronged God ſo much; that they have done ſo much againſt the infinite eternal glorious God. They think indeed they have done amiſs, what they ſhould not do; but it is another manner of matter, it is not only doing what you ſhould not do, but it is a wrong to the infinite glorious God, and therefore certainly it appears but few men know God, or know Sin; neither know what that God is with whom they have to deal; neither know what ſin is, and how it makes againſt that God with whom they have to deal; if men did only know God, it were enough to keep them from ſin. And there is a notable place in the 1 John 2. He that ſaith I know him and keepeth not his Commandements is a liar, and the truth is not in him. If there be any man in the Congregation that ſaith he knows God, and keepeth not his Commandements, he lies ſaith the Holy Ghoſt. What, doeſt thou know God, man or woman? Sinner, Man or woman doeſt thou know God, that infinite glorious eternal God, with whom thou haſt to do? and not to keep his Commandements, but goeſt on in waies of ſin? Certainly thou art a Liar. It may be many of you are apt to ſay, We know God, what need we have ſo much of God Preached? If you ſay you know God and keep not his Commandements, you are a Liar. But now joyn theſe together, To know what a glorious God this is, and how ſin works againſt this God. Some knows ſomwhat of Gods Attributes, and can diſcourſe of him, yet perhaps never knew before how ſin made againſt this God, this is that people fail in; certainly both together hath not been known by moſt people. I remember a Speech I have read of a German Divine upon his ſick Bed; he cryes out thus, In this Diſeaſe I have learned what Sin is, and how great the Majeſtie of God is: Theſe together. We cannot know what ſin is, except we know how great the Majeſty of God is; put theſe together, and theſe Two together, will make men underſtand that they did never conſider of before, what their lives are, and how people go on in a reſolute, inconſiderate way, and know not what they do, and what God is. Therefore we may pray as Chriſt in another caſe, Father forgive them they know not what they do: poor Creatures they know not what they do; they never imagined what the greatneſs of the glory of God is.
CHAP. XVI.
The Second Corollarie.] The Neceſſity of our Mediators being God and Man.
SEcondly, Hence appeareth, The Neceſſity that our Mediator between God and us, muſt be God as well as Man: great is the myſterie of godlineſs that God is manifeſt in the fleſh. Well, but what is the reaſon of this Myſterie of godlineſs? How comes it to paſs that there is a neceſſity of ſuch a myſterie of godlineſs for ſaving of poor Souls? That God muſt be manifeſted in the fleſh? That God muſt be Man? That all the Angels in Heaven, and men in the World, could not be a Mediator between God and us, but our Mediator muſt be truly and verily God as wel as man? What is the reaſon of this? That that I have been ſpeaking of gives a full reaſon of it, our ſins have ſo wronged God, hath been ſo much againſt God, that it is only God can make up the wrong, onlie ſuch a Mediator as Chriſt that is both God and Man, that can make it up. I ſuppoſe moſt of you know ſo far in your Catechiſm, That Chriſt is God and Man; but ſuppoſe I ſhould put this Queſtion to you, you ſay Chriſt is God and Man; but give me a ſound Reaſon, Why it is neceſſary that Chriſt muſt be God and Man? Why cannot man be ſaved by any Savior but ſuch a one as muſt be verily and truly God and man? I ſuppoſe you will give a ſound ſubſtantial Reaſon, and ſay, God Appointed and hath Ordained it ſhould be ſo: but though it be Gods will, and God hath ordained it, yet there is another Reaſon, and this it is; You may ſay (when you hear Chriſt was God and Man that mighty Savior) here is the Reaſon of all that, Becauſe ſin doth ſo wrong and ſtrike at God, and oppoſe God, that of neceſſity whoſoever comes to be a Mediator between God and us, muſt be God as well as man. Therefore the Scripture ſaith of Chriſt, his Name ſhall be called Wonderful, Counſellor, the mighty God. Iſa. 9. 6. Chriſt is the mighty God, and the mighty God in the work of Reconciliation, in reconciling God and us together, then he ſhews himſelf mighty. Becauſe if all the world had undertaken to meditate between God and us, ſuch is the breach between God and us, that all the men in the world could have done no more than if ſo be you had gone and put a picec of paper to a mighty flame, as if one had a mighty flame coming upon him, and he puts a piece of paper to keep it off; we know that will quickly burn it; he muſt put ſome Braſs or Iron. So that wrong is done to God by the ſin of man, That if all the men in world, all the Created Powers in Heaven and Earth, had come to have ſtood between God and us, to have ſatisfied God for that wrong ſin did to him, it had been but juſt like a piece of brown paper againſt a mighty flame. But whoſoever comes to ſtand between God and us, muſt be one infinite, as well as that Perſon is infinite againſt whom we have offended, and that is Chriſt the Mediator, the mighty God, God and Man. Oh know the Mediator by which you muſt be ſaved muſt be very God; and the Reaſon is, Becauſe ſin hath done ſuch infinite wrong to God.