The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Part 3
THE THIRD PART OF THIS TREATISE.
CHAP. XL.
Sin is oppoſite to all Good, and therefore a greater evil than any Affliction, opened in five things: 1 Sin take away the Excellency of all things: 2 It brings a Curſe upon all: 3 Sin is a burden to Heaven and Earth, and all Creatures: 4 Sin turn the greateſt Good into the greateſt Evil: 5 Sin (if let alone) would bring all things to confuſion.
THirdly, Sin is oppoſite to all Good in General. Sin is oppoſite to God, and to our ſelves; and I ſay in the third place, It's againſt all kind of Good, and therefore a greater evil than any affliction: Now for that there be five things to be opened: only in the general, take this ſure Rule, There muſt needs be more evil in Sin than in any Affliction, becauſe there is no other evil, but is oppoſite to ſome particular good; an Affliction is oppoſite to the particular good contrarie to that affliction: but Sin is oppoſite to everie good; not only is Sin oppoſite to the contrarie vertue, but it is oppoſite to everie good, ſo Divinitie teacheth us; though Heathens in Moralitie teacheth, that one Sin is oppoſite to the contrarie vertue, but Divinitie teacheth, that one Sin is oppoſite to everie Vertue, and everie Good: which appears in Five things.
Firſt, Sin ſpoils all Good, takes away the Beauty and Excellency of all Good whatſoever: It may be ſaid of any thing that hath an Excellencie when Sin comes, as its ſaid of Reuben, Gen. 49. 4. His Excellency is gone, is departed, he ſhall not excel: therefore Rom. 8. 20. it is ſaid (through the Sin of man) All Creatures be ſubject to vanity, the whol world is put under vanitie through mans Sin. Now then it appears by that, that the Luſtre, and Beautie, and Excellencie of Glorie of all things in this world, are ſpoiled by the Sin of man, for all is put under vanitie by Sin; and Sin not only makes the heart vain, and ſo is againſt our ſelves, but all things in the world is put under vanitie by Sin; the Excellencie of thy Eſtate, of thy Parts, the Excellencie of any Creature thou doeſt enjoy, all is ſpoiled through Sin: therfore Tit. 1. 15. it is ſaid, All things be unclean to the ſinner: ſaith he, To him that is unclean, al things are unclean. This is the firſt, Your Sin is oppoſite to al Good, ſpoils al Good.
Secondlie, Sin brings a Curſe upon all: I opened before how it puts man under a Curſe; but now I am to ſhew how it brings a Curſe upon the whol World, Gen. 3. Curſed ſhall the Earth be for thy ſake; and ſo by the ſame reaſon upon the whol World that thou haſt to do withal: not only the Sinner, but through mans ſin the world is under a Curſe; and therefore it is a moſt dangerous thing for any man or woman to ſeek after happineſs in the things of the world, when as the whol world is under a Curſe, and wilt thou ſeek thy happineſs in that which is under a Curſe? no mervail though the Devil himſelf be called the god of this World; why? becauſe the world is accurſed through the Sin of man: Sin brings a Curſe upon the whol World.
Thirdly, Sin is a burden to Heaven and Earth, to all Creatures: Rom. 8. 22. The whol Creation groans and travels in pain to be delivered, and that through the Sin of man. Now what is the evil of Sin, when it is ſo weightie, that it makes the whol frame of Heaven and Earth to groan to bear the burden of it? It may be thy Sin is light to thy Soul, thou earrieſt it lightlie, but as light as it is to thee, it is ſuch a heavie burden to Heaven and Earth, and the whol Frame of the Creation, that if God did not hold it by his mightie Power, it would make it not only ſhake, but fall down.
Fourthly, Sin turns the greateſt Good into the greateſt Evil, therefore oppoſite to all Good. As thus, Take the greateſt good of man in proſperitie: the more proſperitie thou haſt, though a fruit of Gods Bountie, yet thy Sin turns it to the greateſt evil to thee: As if Poyſon get in Wine, it works more ſtrongly than in Water: ſo Sin in a proſperous Eſtate, uſually works more ſtrongly to turn it to a greater evil, than Sin in a lower Eſtate. Poor men by Sin, have their Water poyſoned; and rich men by Sin, have their Wine poyſoned: Now poyſoned Wine hath more ſtrength than poyſoned Water. And it turns not only proſperitie, but the beſt means, not only the means of grace, but the better any means is thou injoyeſt, the more evil it is turned into to thee, except the means take away the ſinfulneſs of thy heart: if thou retaineſt the ſinfulneſs of thy heart, the more powerful Sermons thou heareſt, and the more glorious Truths laid open, the worſe will be thy condition, and thou wilt one day curſe the time that ever thou hadſt ſuch means. Yea, Sin turns God to be the greateſt evil, and makes him the greateſt evil in all his Attributes: And Chriſt himſelf (though infinitely good) to be the greateſt evil: Chriſt is a ſtumbling ſtone to wicked men, and laid by God a ſtumbling ſtone: What! Chriſt the precious Corner ſtone, that hath infinite Treaſures of all Excellencie, in whom the Fulneſs of the God head dwels bodilie, yet this Chriſt a ſtumbling ſtone, and the greateſt evil through ſin to wicked men; ſo that one day they will curſe the time that ever they heard of Chriſt. So Sin is oppoſite to all good, becauſe it turns the greateſt good to the greateſt evil.
Fifthly, and Laſtly, Sin is the greateſt evil, Becauſe if let alone, it would bring all things to Confuſion: Therfore it is ſaid, by Chriſt all things ſubſiſts; were it not for Chriſt who ſets himſelf againſt the evil of ſin, al things would be brought to Confuſion: 1 Joh. 5. 19. The whole world lies in wickedneſs: Juſt as a Carrion lies in ſlime and filth, and there rots; ſo the whol world would be in the ſame caſe that the Carrion is that lies in filth and brought to confuſion; were it not that God hath his number of Elect, and they keep the world from confuſion. Now put all theſe together, ſin ſpoils all, brings a Curſe upon all, is a burthen to heaven and earth, turns the greateſt good to the greateſt evil, and would bring all things to Confuſion if let alone: This is the evil of ſin in Oppoſition to all good. There be but Three more, and they be, 1 To ſhew how ſin is the evil of all evils whatſoever. 2 Hath a kind of infiniteneſs in it. And, 3 It hath Reference to the Devil: But theſe I cannot come to in this Chapter, but ſhall in the following to conclude all; much you have read of the evil of ſin, and how it is above all afflictions; afflictions are of a lower nature: Oh Brethren, This is that we ſhould ſeek for and priſe, to injoy thoſe means, that may leſſen ſin, and oppoſe wickedneſs among us: And of all others theſe be the two great means to cruſh ſin, and bring down, or make it leſs in all places; the great Ordinance of the Magiſtracy, and the great Ordinance of the Miniſtry. Now (as I told you before) Reproach hath come to our Nation through ſin, and from whence is it ſin hath grown to that height it hath, but becauſe there hath been corruption in both, great Corruption in Magiſtracy, and Miniſtery, among us. As we read of Dan and Bethel, two Calves ſet up there: Dan ſignifieth Judgement; and Bethel The houſe of God. So there was great Corruption in Dan and Bethel places of Judgement Magiſtracy, and Bethel the houſe of God in the Miniſtry. Now it hath pleaſed God of late, to begin to be merciful to us, this way; through that great Ordinance of good, he hath appointed for us, The Aſſembly of Parliament, to purge both Dan and Bethel, Magiſtracy, and Miniſtry, to caſt out Corruption from places of Judgement, and the Houſe of God. And as we are to bleſs God for this; ſo we are to further this work of theirs, and ſtand by them to the utmoſt that we are able in all good wayes thoſe Worthies of God in that great Aſſembly for the finiſhing of that Work which they have begun: and that our ſins and wickedneſs may be done away from among us. And for that which hath been done, certainly God hath received much praiſe, and we have cauſe to bleſs God for it. And thoſe that have gone on in a good way according to what the Law doth permit them they are to be incouraged. And in a more eſpecial manner, you that be the eſpecial means of good to this Land, I mean in regard of Safety, and your imployment; the Marriners, in whom much of the Strength of this Nation consiſts, for our Walls be Water and Wooden Walls: Seas and Ships be the Walls of this Land, and therefore much of the Good, and of the Safety, and Proſperity of this State depends upon thoſe. And if God ſtir up their hearts to the maintainance of their Proteſtation, and Parliament, and Liberties, and to ſet themſelves againſt Popery and Superſtition, and to incourage the Parliament in their good way; this is that we be to bleſs God for, and incourage you in. We 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.