The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Part · Chapter 55
CHAP. LV.
Uſe 4. If there be ſo much evil in ſin, this juſtifie the ſtrictneſs and care of Gods People againſt ſin. Two Directions to thoſe that make Conſcience of ſmal ſins. Firſt, Be even in your waies, ſtrict againſt all ſin. Secondly, Be very yeilding in all Lawful things.
Uſe IV. IF there be ſo much evil in Sin, Hence then is juſtified the ſtrictneſs and care of the People of God againſt ſin. They be afraid of everie ſin, they dare not be ſo bold in the waies of ſin as others are, but they tremble; when any ſin is preſented to them, they be afraid, and tremble; others go on boldly, and preſumptuouſly, and laugh at ſuch as be afraid; Oh ſuch ſcrupulous Conſciences! Oh they dare not do ſuch a thing becauſe 'tis a ſin they ſay! Oh they dare not by any means becauſe they dare not ſin: thus others laugh at them, becauſe they think they be more ſcrupulous than they need be, that ſhould be afraid to do things ſo little as they think theſe are. I beſeech you obſerve the perverſneſs of mens hearts; you ſhall have them if men offend the Law of man, them that are in Authoritie, the Commands of men, in things that they themſelves will profeſs to be verie little, and ſmal, then they will cry out of ſuch its Rebellion, and Rebels againſt authoritie, and they are not worthie to live, and they would have the ſevereſt puniſhments that can be, againſt them that will not obey mans authoritie in little things: but mark, theſe men that will ſo urge ſmall things, and where they be ſmall, the worſe the diſobedience (ſay they) in diſobeying in ſmall things. Yet theſe men that ſeem verie Conſciencious in ſuch things, when they ſee men afraid to offend God, that dare not do little things if ſinful, dare not ſpeak an idle word, and be ſinfullie merrie as others are, that are afraid of intemperance, and everie ſmall thing, (as they think) theſe men will jeer ſuch; what a horrible Sin is this? What! urge mans Authoritie in ſmall things, and jeer thoſe that be Conſciencious to Gods Authoritie in ſmall things! What ſhal the Authoritie of man put weight upon ſmal things, and not the Authoritie of the Almightie put weight in ſmall things? Well, whatſoever they think, brethren go on, and make Conſcience of ſmall things, and never call anie ſin little, becauſe you have heard of ſo much evil in it, go away with this impreſſion of the Evil of Sin on your hearts; Well, by this I have heard of the Evil of Sin, I have learned to account no ſin ſmal, though never ſo little in the eye of the world. Is it a Sin? If ſo, do thou never admit of it; if it be a ſin, abhorre it: let this temptation never prevail with thee; What? will you not do this, you may do worſe? This I would adviſe thoſe gracious and godlie, that do indeed make Conſcience of ſmall Sins, and do well in making Conſcience of ſmall things; I give you theſe Two Inſtructions to carrie along with you, as you do make Conſcience of ſmall things, and you do well in it, becauſe there is ſo much Evil in Sin. So,
The Firſt Inſtruction, Be ſure your Courſe be even this way, that as you ſeem to make Conſcience of ſome things ſmal; ſo make Conſcience of all: Let not men of the world, that obſerve your waies, find you tripping, and have juſt cauſe to ſay, Theſe men ſeem ſcrupulous in ſmall things, but in otherwaies, they give libertie enough to themſelves. And (ſay they) though they will not ſwear, they will lye; and ſuch like aſpertions, ſometimes through malice, the men of the world caſt upon Profeſſion. But I ſpeak to you in the name of the Lord, take heed you give not occaſion to the men of the world to ſay ſo; to ſay, I, theſe be ſo ſcrupulous in Ceremonies, and ſo nice in theſe things; though certainlie we are bound to be ſo, for God is a jealous God, and if in anie thing we be Conſciencious, we muſt in his Worſhip be Conſciencious there; but then you had need be ſo much the more careful, that they find you exact in everie thing that you do. You ſervants, perhaps you inquire after the Worſhip of God, you yong people; and it is a great merciemercy of God, that God ſtirs up yong ones to inquire after the true worſhip of God, and not to worſhip God in that ignorance that your fore-fathers did; that took up everie thing upon cuſtome, or the uſe of the Pariſh they lived in; for certainlie it is not the practiſe of manie; nor the command of Authoritie can make it lawful, if not warranted by the Word: Well, perhaps manie yong ones now begin to inquire after the way of Gods Worſhip; and perhaps your Maſters, or Parents, or may be Huſbands be angry, and vexed, and wonder what is come to you; becauſe grown ſo ſcrupulous of theſe things: Now I ſay, you had need be verie exact in your Maſters familie, that you may not be found tripping in other things; and you Wives had need be verie exact, that your Huſbands find you not faultie in other things; and you Children had need be verie reſpectful to your Parents, and careful of your Duties to them, becauſe they be more apprehenſive of anie failings in that which is due to them, then they are of any thing in the Worſhip of God; and they know God tyes you to the practice of thoſe duties. Now if you cannot joyn in their practice, and ſuch Superſtition as your Maſters do. Now if theſe Servants be unfaithful in Service, and careleſſs, and ſtubborn, and ſtout in anſwering again: how doth this harden their Maſters againſt this way of Worſhip; and harden their hearts againſt them? What? You make Conſcience of Superſtition becauſe ſinful, and is not this Sin, as well as that? to be unfaithful, and ſtubborn, and ſtout; if you make Conſcience of one ſin, why not of another? therefore all you that ſeem to have more tender Conſciences than others, and more afraid of the leaſt ſin than others; be ſure you walk exactly, and eſpecially have a care of your duty towards men, with whom you walk; for they can ſpy you preſently, if you trip.
A Second Inſtruction I commend to thoſe that make Conſcience of little, of the leaſt Sin; is this, Be ſure you be as yeilding and tractable in all other things as poſſible you may, in all things lawful: I ground it upon this, Becauſe thoſe whoſe Conſciences be tender, and dare not commit the leaſt Sin, for anie ſeeming good; they cannot but ſtand out rather than commit ſome evils, ſome things that they be required to do they dare not do, becauſe ſinful, it cānot be but in ſome things they muſt ſtand out, becauſe they be convinced that it is a ſin: now this the world judges ſtoutneſs, and pride, you make Conſcience of it, but they think it pride, and ſtoutneſs of ſpirit, why? Cannot you do this as well as others? when alas God knows, and your Conſciences tels you, that you would with all your hearts, but cannot; you ſhould ſin againſt, and wound your own conſciences, therefore let them do what they will, you cannot do what is required; let maſters rage, and be angry, and huſbands be diſpleaſed, you cannot yeeld, your conſciences will not ſuffer you. Now that you may convince them, that it is conſcience, and not ſtubbornneſs, how ſhall this be known, that it is conſciouſneſs, and not ſtubbornneſs? for we cannot ſee into your conſciences? I give you this Note to diſcover it, to them; be more pliable and yeilding in all other things, and there, to go beyond all other women, or children, or ſervants. As now, if there be a woman whoſe Conſcience cannot yeild to ſome things, and her husband is diſpleaſed becauſe he beleeves it is ſtoutneſs, now that her husband may beleeve it Conſcience and not ſtoutneſs, it concerns that woman to obſerve whatſoever gives content to her husband in everie thing elſe; & to be more yeilding, and pliable, and tractable, and herein denying her own will, to give content to her husband in other things, and herebie he will be convinced, ſure ſhe is not ſtout and ſtubborn in other things; why? becauſe in this I find her more pliable, and yeilding, and willing, than before. So for Servants, if you cannot yeild in that your Maſters would have you; ſtrive to give him the more content in other things: Children to your Parents, in other things be more dutiful, and one neighbor to another; if neighbors would have you do that which is againſt your Conſcience, when you cannot do that, yet in other things yeild to your own prejudice, to convince them, that in what you do not yeild, it is meerlie out of Conſcience, and not ſtubbornneſs. This is the Fourth Uſe
I might here have gone further, and (if there be ſo much evil in Sin, I would) have labored with men and women to come to be ſenſible of all the evil of ſin, and to have ſtopped ſinners in their ſinful waies, and courſes; and likewiſe to have drawn ſinners to Chriſt, and to have made men and women to priſe Jeſus Chriſt, by whom all their ſins may poſſibly come to be forgiven; who is the onlie Ranſom & Propiſiation for ſin: for this brethren, is the ground of all I have ſaid, that we might be made to eſteem Chriſt, and priſe Chriſt. And in this regard, though what I have ſaid, ſeems legal, yet certainlie it is a fond uniſtake in people that think Chriſt is not preached, except the word Chriſt be named. But know all that hath been ſaid about the Sinful neſs of Sin, hath been a Preaching of Chriſt, for it hath been in way and order to bring Souls to Chriſt, that I might cauſe Souls to flie to Chriſt, and go to him that is the onlie Propiſiation for Sin, and the onlie Ranſom for Souls. And certainlie brethren, if once theſe things I have delivered concerning the Evil of Sin, come to be apprehended, and the Soul made ſenſible of them; Oh! how ſweet, and precious, and dear will Chriſt be to ſuch a Soul? and the Name of that great God will be honored in ſuch a Soul: But I ſhall proſecute this in the following Diſcourſe.