The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 8, Part · Chapter 61
CHAP. LXI.
Uſe 10, & 11. If there be ſo much Evil in Sin, than turn to Chriſt, and bleſs God for Chriſt.
Uſe X. TO labor to drive your hearts to Chriſt; Oh then flie to Chriſt: Here you have revealed to you that which one would think would terrifie the hearts of men and women, and make them flie to Chriſt. One would think that revealed concerning the Evil of Sin, ſhould make heaven ring with cries to God for Chriſt; Oh! none but Chriſt, none but Chriſt; what would become of all your ſouls, if it were not for Jeſus Chriſt? were it not for that glorious Mediator ſent to be a Propiſiation for ſin, and to make an Attonement to the Father for Sin. Chriſt is ſet up as that Braſen Serpent, that al thoſe ſtung in Conſcience with the venom and poiſon of ſin, might look up to the Braſen Serpent, and be ſaved. Is there anie ſoul, that by all I have ſaid, of the Evil of Sin, finds it ſelf ſtung with the poiſon of Sin? Know Chriſt is that Braſen Serpent that is ſet up for thee to look upon. If thou find Sin, as the avenger of blood purſue thee, Oh now run to Chriſt. If thy heart burn, and ſcorch in the apprehenſions of ſin; as the Hart brays after the water brooks, ſo let thy heart bray after Chriſt, there are cooling and refreſhing waters: then indeed, ſhal that I have delivered, be uſeful for the ſouls of poor creatures. When the Soul hath been before the Lord, crying mightilie to heaven for pardon, and part in Jeſus Chriſt, if ſo be after I have Preached all theſe Sermons, if God ſhall hear of Souls, getting alone in their cloſets, and crying out, Oh Lord, I never underſtood what the meaning of Sin was; Oh what a wretched creature have I been all my daies? now Lord, except thou have merciemercy in thy Son, in the mediation of Jeſus Chriſt, through his blood, his heart blood that was ſhed for ſinners; I am a loſt and undone Creature for ever: Oh Lord, that wch is done can never be undone; Oh Lord, let me find favor in thy Son, here I am, do with me whatſoever thou pleaſe, onlie a pardon; a pardon in Jeſus Chriſt, to deliver me from the guilt, and uncleaneſs of my ſin. Yea, now will God ſay here is ſomewhat done, when ſinners cries come up to heaven; what hath been doing in this Congregation? what is the matter you come crying for Chriſt? heretofore your hearts were never ſtirred after Chriſt, what is the matter? why ſtir you ſo? who hath told you anie thing? As God ſaid to Adam, when God called, and he hid himſelf, when he comes out, he ſaith, I was afraid becauſe I was naked: ſaith God, Who told you that you were naked? So when poor ſouls cry to heaven for Chriſt, God may ſay to the poor ſoul, Why? what is the matter? who hath told thee any thing? As Chriſt ſaid to the Phariſees, Who hath forwarned you to fly from the wrath to come? So God will ſay, Why? what is the matter? who told you this? I hope ſome poor ſoul will have experience of this, when you go to pray for Chriſt, and you ſhall Pray after another manner than formerlie, when your Prayers ſhall be, even cries to heaven; when God ſhall ſay, Why? what is the matter? why cry you more than before? I hope ſome poor ſouls, can give a good account of it, and ſay, I ſee my ſelf loſt and undone without Chriſt; better be a Dog, or a Toad, or anie thing, than a man, if I have not Chriſt; becauſe they are not capable of ſin, and my heart is full of ſin; and I have heard the evil of it, and therefore Oh give me Chriſt or I am undone: Oh! ſuch a Soul will be exceeding acceptable unto God. And therefore, to ſuch a ſoul, I propound in the name of the Lord, the Doctrine of Life, and Salvation, and Peace; be it known therefore to you, God the Father, looking upon the ſinful Children of men, and ſeeing them all in a periſhing condition by Sin, out of infinite bowels of tender compaſſion, he hath provided a glorious way of Mediation, of Propiſiation for Sin; and to that end he hath ſent his onlie beloved Son, out of his boſom, that hath taken mans Nature upon him, united in a perſonal union, to that end that he might be a fit Mediator to ſtand between a provoked God and ſinful ſouls; and this Chriſt hath born the full vials of the wrath of his Father, the curſe of the Law due to ſin; ſatisfied infinite divine Juſtice, made a full Attonement between God and ſinful man. Onlie upon theſe terms now, he doth tender and offer to everie poor wearied diſtreſſed ſoul, al that his Son hath purchaſed by his blood, all his merits, that they might be an attonement for thy ſin, a Propiſiation for thy ſoul, to diſcharge all thy ſin, that thou mighteſt come through him to ſtand acquited before the father for ever more. This is the ſum of the Goſpel, and this I preſent and Preach it, and offer it to you, and this not onlie to the leaſt ſinner, but to the greateſt ſinner in the world, this I preſent, as in the name of God, that is the meſſage we have in the name of God to deliver unto you; and now whatſoever your ſins have been heretofore, God onlie requires that your ſouls ſhould now ſtand admiring at the infinite riches of his Grace in his Son, and that your ſouls ſhould be taken off from the Creature, and Sin, and live upon Chriſt, ſurrender your ſouls to him, and caſt your ſouls on that infinite rich grace of God in him, and upon that inſtant, every one of your ſins, though never ſo great and hainous, yet I pronounce in the Name of the Lord, everie one of them is pardoned, and all done away, as if they had never been committed, This is the Sum of the Goſpel unto thoſe that come to ſee their Sins, and be ſenſible of their need of Chriſt by their Sin.
Object. But you will ſay, This makes all you have done, but a little matter; if Sin may be done away thus, what need all this diſcovery of the evil of Sin? it is not ſo great an evil, if it may be thus waſh't away?
Anſw. Ah poor carnal heart, that ſpeaks thus! Is this a light or little matter? True, it is in a few words, in the end of a Sermon; but be it known to you, There is more in theſe words I have ſpake in this laſt half quarter of an hour, there is more of the glorie of God in them; than in Heaven and Earth beſide; not becauſe they come from me, but becauſe I have ſpoken that which is the Sum of the Goſpel; and in truth, in one Sentence of the Goſpel, there is more of the glorie of God, than in all Heaven and Earth beſides. You muſt be convinced of this, and know it is ſo; and if ever you come to be partakers of the good of the Goſpel, you will ſee it to be ſo. Oh Brethren! in that I have ſaid, there is the glorious Myſterie of Godlineſs; great is the Myſterie of Godlineſs, God manifeſt in the fleſh; the great Counſel of God, working from all Eternitie, is in this, in the Sum of the Goſpel. The greateſt work that ever God did, was in ſending his Son, and in the offer of his Son to Sinners that their ſins might be pardoned. Therefore think it not a ſmal thing, and hear when I call upon Sinners to come and caſt their ſouls upon Chriſt. It is one of the gloriouſeſt works that ever was done, for a ſinful ſoul to come and cloſe with Chriſt the Mediator; and if once you come in, your hearts will be ſo full of the glorie of God, that preſentlie all the glorie of the Creature will be darkned in your eyes, and you will be ſo filled with the glorie of God, that you wil come to ſee the filthineſs of Sin this way as much as in anie way. All the Sermons I have delivered concerning the evil of ſin, will not ſet out the filthineſs of Sin to you, as that glorie of God that your hearts will be filled withal, as ſoon as you come to cloſe with God in this Myſterie of the Goſpel. Perhaps it is not ſo apparant to everie ſoul; but wait a while, and there will more of the evil of ſin be diſcovered in this, than in anie way.
Ʋſe XI. And then the Uſe that I ſhall make of it is this, If there be ſuch evil in ſin, then bleſs, bleſs God for Chriſt; Bleſſed is that man and woman whoſe ſin is pardoned, Pſalm 32. Oh bleſſed is he whoſe ſin is forgiven. Certainly it is a bleſſed thing, that ſin ſhould be forgiven; this requires a whol Sermon by it ſelf: I ſhall but name it now, becauſe I ſhal (it may be) hereafter ſpeak of this particularly, of the great Bleſſedneſs of the Pardon of Sin, onlie take notice of it; any that hath a comfortable aſſurance of their ſin being pardoned, go away rejoycing, Son, Daughter, rejoyce, your ſins are pardoned▪ there is enough in that word to bring comfort and joy to your ſouls.