The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Treatise · Chapter 19
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 merciemercy 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 upon; and thou wouldeſt be glad to tamper withal: couldeſt thou be ſure it ſhould not be known, and thou ſhouldeſt not be brought to ſhame for it, and have the diſpleaſure of ſuch a friend, thou couldeſt find in thy heart to be medling with it; Couldeſt thou? Oh! know thou haſt a baſe heart that haſt no other grounds to keep thee from Sin withal. Whereas know if thou be a Chriſtian indeed, and that God hath aright made known ſin to thee, thou wouldeſt riſe higher, Oh I am to deal with God, an infinite glorious firſt-Being, and if it be ſin only that ſtrikes at this infinite glorious eternal firſt-Being of all things, Then I will avoid ſin whatſoever become of me; yea, whatſoever I ſuffer I will not have to do with it: this is a raiſed Spirit; this heart is like to ſtand out againſt ſin: Alas! thoſe poor low grounds upon which many reſiſt ſin; though they may ſtand out againſt ſin a little, againſt a weak temptation, yet if there come a ſtrong temptation, will quickly break through the hedg: Al thoſe poor low grounds and Arguments, temptation will quickly break through them. But when the heart is raiſed to oppoſe ſin, upon ſuch high grounds as this is, Certainly this notes a true raiſed heart by God, and ſuch an one is like to ſtand out againſt temptations, in another manner than others do. And truly when the heart is poſſeſſed with this thought, it cannot perhaps parley and reaſon with the temptation as others can; yea, this one principle of ſinning againſt God, will ſo fill the heart of a man or woman, that though it doth not ſtand reaſoning and anſwering every thing, yet it will even burſt out, either in tears, and fal a lamenting that it ſhould be peſtered with temptation; or burſt out into Reſolution againſt it. I remember an excellent Story reported in the Book of Martyrs, you may find it in King Edwards life; that yong Prince, that died at ſome fifteen years of age, in his time, there were two Biſhops (otherwiſe good, and proved Martyrs, and yet you may ſee what the beſt of them were in thoſe times) they came to perſwade the King to yeild to a Tolleration of the Maſs, and it was but for his Siſter neither, not for the whole Kingdom, but meerly for his own Siſter, to yeild to a Tolleration of it in her Chappel, he ſtood out againſt it though yong, thought it a diſhonor to God; well, they plead and Reaſon with him, telling him it was beſt in State Policy, and other grounds they uſe to perſwade a Tolleration of Popery, (thus you ſee what kind of men theſe in theſe waies are, and if you do not know, yet you are like to know more in this kind about theſe wayes) but this I bring it for, when the poor King, though yong, having his heart poſſeſſed with this principle, That he ſhould not do any thing againſt God, he could not anſwer the Biſhops that came ſo ſubtilly; but inſtead of Anſwering their Reaſons, he burſt out with tears, and then they were convinced, and confeſſed the King had more divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies. So I apply it to you yong ones, perhaps temptations to that which is a ſin againſt God, comes ſubtilly, ſtrengthned with this Argument, and the other Argument; but if you have your hearts poſſeſſed with this truth, it is a Sin againſt God; Oh when you cannot Anſwer the particulars of temptation, burſt out and weep, and cry either for your condition, or that you ſhould be peſtered with that you know is a ſin againſt God, and ſay, I had rather loſe my life, ſuffer any thing in the world, than ſin againſt God. If your hearts be filled with this Principle, when temptation to ſin comes, you will be ready to burſt out and weep before the Lord; and this will be as ſtrong an Anſwer to temptation as can be, and Satan will quickly avoid, if you can when you find your ſelves peſtered with temptation, and it follows and dogs and purſues you, if you can being filled with this Principle, That ſin is againſt God, if you can get alone, and fall a weeping, and lamenting, that your hearts are even ready to break, from the conſideration of this Principle, this will be the ſtrongeſt way and means to reſiſt temptation that can be.