The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Treatise · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
A Sixt Corollarie.] If ſin be thus ſinful, it ſhould teach us not only to be troubled for our own ſins, but the ſins of others.
SIxtly, A Sixt Corollarie, If Sin be ſo much againſt God, and wrong God ſo, Hence it ſhould teach all thoſe that know God, and have any love to God, to be troubled, not only for their own ſins, but for the ſins of others, for ſin whereſoever they ſee it. Oh I ſee the bleſſed God wronged, fought againſt, ſtroke at; and this ſhould go neer the heart of all thoſe that have any love to God at all: As with David in the 119. Pſalm, 136. Rivers of water run down mine eyes becauſe they keep not thy Laws: 'tis true, every man and woman ſhould eſpecially look to themſelves, and their hearts ſhould eſpecially be troubled for their own ſins; but mark the Saints that know how ſin is againſt God, their hearts cannot but be wonderfully troubled when they ſee that God, ſo dear and precious to them, thus wronged; Rivers of water run down mine eyes becauſe they keep not thy Law. Oh when (I put it to thee in the Name of the Lord) in all thy life didſt thou ſhed one tear for the ſins of thoſe among whom you live? for the ſins of thy Familie? And verſ. 158. I beheld the tranſgreſſors, and was grieved: Oh I was grieved and pained at my heart; yea, thus it will be with thee if thou loveſt God. When thou in the Familie, may be thou art a Child, when thou beholdeſt thy Father or Mother Carnal, and ſpending all their lives without the knowledg of God, and in waies of ſinning againſt God, thou ſhouldeſt get alone, and mourn and lament for it: Oh it is that, if any thing in the world, that would break a Parents heart, if there be a yong Child, a Youth, or a Maid, that God begins to reveal himſelf unto them, and the Parent ſpeaks, may be againſt them, and Gods people, and ſwear, or profane Gods Day, or ſpeak againſt his Ordinances, though it may be it do not become thee to ſpeak to them; but if thou canſt before them, let tears drop from thine eyes; or get alone, and fall down and lament before God, if thou canſt by lamenting reprove their ſins; that they ſhall ſee thee lament for them, this may break their hearts it may be: notwithſtanding if it do not break their hearts, it hath this in it; Certainly, if any thing in the world will ſtir us and break our own hearts, this ſhould be it, To ſee God diſhonored in the world as he is, though our hearts be never ſo much hardened otherwiſe. There is a Storie of a Child of Creſſus that was born dumb, he ſeeing a Soldier readie to ſtrike at his Father and kill him, the affection to his Father brake the bars of his Tongue, and he cried out, Oh why will you kill the King? Then he cried out thus though he never ſpake before; but the ſtroke againſt his Father made him ſpeak. So thou man or woman, ſhouldeſt have thy heart dead in other things, and have no mind to ſpeak, yet when you ſee wretched men and women ſtrike at God, (as they do, as I have ſhewed in their ſin) if thou have any heart in the world; any life in the world, when thou ſeeſt this ſtroke at God, now ſpeak; Oh that ſhould burſt all bars aſunder. Though thou beeſt never ſo meek in thy Familie, and canſt bear other things, yet thou ſhouldeſt ſhew that thou canſt not bear ſin againſt God. Oh I beſeech you conſider this, and ſee how neer this comes to you; How many if any thing be done in your Familie againſt you, or among your neighbors that is againſt you, you cannot bear it; but you can bear that which is done againſt God, and never be troubled at it. As many a Maſter, let the Servant neglect his work, and diſpleaſe him, he cannot bear it; but let his Servant be wicked, and break the Sabbath, denie God his time, let his Servant perhaps ſwear, or do ſuch wickedneſs, he goes away and ſaith it may be, Why do you ſo? or, you ſhould not do ſo; or it may be, takes no notice of it: Certainlie that man knows neither God nor ſin, or hath little relation to God that takes ſo little notice of that done againſt God; and yet that done againſt himſelf, he cannot bear it. Take this along with you, If you have anie relation to God, your hearts will be more troubled for the wrong done to God by your Children and Servants, than when your ſelves are wronged by your Servants or Children. Oh how manie men and women would go and wring their hands to their neighbors and friends, Oh! never man or woman ſo miſerable as I! my own Child out of my bowels wrongs me, and doth what hurt he can to me! this is accounted matter of bitter lamentation: But now why ſhould not thy heart melt and lament when thou canſt ſay, Oh the Child out of my Loins and Bowels, how doth he wrong the bleſſed God of all the world? Oh that I ſhould be ſo miſerable to bear in my Bowels one an Enemie to the infinite bleſſed God! Oh that an Enemie to God ſhould ever come out of my Loins! My thinks this ſhould move tender hearted Mothers, to ſee that they ſhould bring forth ſuch that ſhould go on in waies of enmitie againſt God himſelf. Suppoſe one out of your Bowels ſhould be a Traitor to the Parliament, and do miſchief to the State, would not this trouble you, that one out of your Bowels ſhould be a Traitor to the Commonwealth? this would be a grievous vexation. Now is it not more if that thou haſt a wicked Child, one out of thy Bowels that ſtrikes at God, and is a Traitor to the God of Heaven? theſe do more miſchief than to deſtroy a whol Nation; I ſay, if a man ſhould live to deſtroy, to undo a whol Land for their outward eſtate, there were not ſo much evil in it, as in one ſin againſt God. You would ſay, that were a Miſereant that ſhould be born to undo a whol Nation, and wo to me that I ſhould bear one that ſhould live to do ſuch miſchief to undo a State: Now if thou bear one that ſtrikes againſt God, and wrongs God in waies of ſin, this ſhould trouble thee as much as the other: therefore never be at quiet till thou ſee ſome work of grace, till thou ſee the heart of thy Child called in. I remember Auguſtine ſaith this of his Mother, and I propound this for Mothers example, he being verie wicked a while, and his Mother godlie; Oh it grieved her heart that ſhe ſhould have a Child go on in ſuch wickedneſs againſt God, and ſhe praid and wept, ſo that Auguſtine ſaith of her, after God had enlightened his eyes to conſider what ſhe did for him, ſaith he, I perſwade my ſelf my Mother did as much labor, and endure as much pain for my ſecond Birth, as ever for my firſt Birth: this is his teſtimonie of her, that by her prayers and tears for her Childs Salvation that was wicked, he did verilie beleeve it coſt her as much labor for the ſecond Birth, as for the firſt: upon which, when ſhe comes and complains to Ambroſe of her Child, well ſaith he, Be of good comfort, ſurely a Son of ſo many prayers and tears can hardly periſh; and he did not indeed, for he proved a worthie Inſtrument of Gods Glorie afterward in the Church. Now is there anie Mother in this Congregation that can ſay, I have labored as much, and it hath coſt me as much pain for the ſecond Birth of my Child, as ever it did for the firſt? Certainlie did you know what ſin were, and how againſt God, it would coſt you a great deal of travail when you ſee your Children wicked, and much prayer and coſt, that you might not have a Child an Enemie to God, a Traitor to the Crown, Scepter, and Dignitie of Jeſus Chriſt. Oh Brethren, doth it not pitie your ſouls to ſee that infinite, bleſſed, holy, dreadful God ſo much wronged in the world as he is. It ſhould move us to pitie to ſee any Saint, a man or a woman of an excellent gracious Spirit, to ſee ſuch a ſoul abuſed and wronged; as Solomon ſaith, there was a wiſe man in the City and not regarded, though he delivered the Citie; to ſee but one man of wiſdom that hath but any excellencie in his Spirit to be wronged, it ſhould trouble any ingenious heart. But then I reaſon thus, if it would be, and ſhould be ſuch a trouble to any ingenious heart to ſee any one man of a gracious Spirit wronged and abuſed, then how ſhould it trouble any ingenious, any gracious heart in the world to ſee the infinite bleſſed glorious God to be wronged in the world by ſin, as I have alreadie ſhewed he is in everie ſin, when I diſcovered to you how ſin is againſt God that I might poſſeſs your hearts with this Principle, for I know no Principle of greater power through the ſtrength of Chriſt to do good upon your Spirits than this.