The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 2 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Of the Second Doctrine; implying Four Things. First, That sin is a Polution: And two Ʋses thereof.
Doct. 2. THE Second Doctrine is, That every man that hath this Hope, purifies himself. The word (as I have already noted) is not Sanctifies himself, but Purifies himself; for Christ is said to Sanctifie himself that hath no sin: but Purifying doth imply want of Holiness, and that there is uncleanness and filthiness.
In this Second Point, there are these Four Particulars.
First, That sin is a pollution and defilement.
Secondly, The Saints of God, the best of them in this World, that have the best Hopes, they have remainders of sin, they have uncleannesses.
Thirdly, They do clense themselves.
Fourthly, That the Hope which they have is that which causes them to clense themselves.
He that hath this Hope, purifies himself: sin then is uncleanness, it is filthiness. In Matth. 15. saith Christ himself at verse 20. These are the things that defile a man; that is, that which proceeds out of the heart, the evils that flow from that unclean Fountain; these are the things that defile a man: Sin is called uncleanness and filthiness in the very abstract; and it is compared in Scripture to all kind of filthiness, to Vomit, Mire, Menstruous Cloathes, Sores, Wounds that have filthy matter in them, and many such things. Now the impurity of sin consists,
First, In the contrariety that it hath to the Holiness of God, it is the only thing that is contrary to Gods infinite Holiness, and to his pure Nature.
Secondly, It is the corruption and rottenness of a mans soul.
Thirdly, Sin is the mixture of the soul with that which is more base and vile than the soul, and that doth defile the soul: as your cloathes, when they have dirt upon them, there is somwhat upon them worse than the cloaths which doth defile them; but if there were Gold or Silver Lace, that doth not defile, men think not that that defiles the cloath, because that's better than the cloath: so in Mettal, it's no defiling of Silver if it be mixed with Gold, but it is, if it be mixed with Lead: So the mixture of the soul with God, with Heavenly things, doth not defile, but makes the soul more pure, more excellent; but the mixture of the soul with sinful waies, with lusts, and with the Creature, for the soul mixes its self with that which is worse than its self: thus the soul comes to be defiled as the silver is defiled with lead, and the Saints they see sin as the greatest defilement of any thing in the world, because they see into the infinite purity of Gods Nature, and into the purity of the Law, and into the excellency of their own souls, and therefore they see sin to be filthy, it is such a filthiness as makes the Creature loathsom in the eyes of God, for the creature is not loathsom in Gods eyes by any bodily defilement; one that rakes in channels, or that sweeps chimneys, such a one is not loathsom in Gods eyes, he may be more glorious in Gods eyes, if he be godly, than the Prince upon his Throne if he be wicked; though outward defilements makes us loathsom in the eyes of one another, yet not in the eyes of God; but sin is such an uncleanness that i… makes us abominable in the eyes of God. If we come into his presence with the filth of our sins, he abhors us, he turns his face from us, yea, it's that defilement that doth defile all things we touch, like the defilement of the leprosie, it's that which pollutes the whol world, and therefore the world must be purged and purified by fire, yea, it's such a defilement as nothing but the blood of him that is the son of God can wash it away, such a defilement that all the water in the Sea can not wash away, only the blood of Jesus Christ that clenseth from all sin. Oh what a defilement is here.
USE, I.
Wherefore hence we learn how to judg and esteem of ungodly men that go on in the course of sin, that are wallowing in sin like Swine wallowing in the mire; they are filthy, loathsom, and abominable Creatures, how neat soever they may be: you may come neat and spruce, and cannot endure a spot upon your cloathes, yet in the mean time you have that filthiness and nastiness that makes you loathsom in the eyes of the eternal God, yea, and in the eyes of the Saints so far as they are able to see. In Prov. 13. 5. we have such an expression, A righteous man hateth lying, but a wicked man is loathsom, and cometh to shame: even such a wicked man as loves Lying, it makes him loathsom, stinks above ground, a Lyer especially is look'd upon as a Pest: you shall see a man that for his own ends will lye, even that sin makes him loathsom when it comes to be discovered in the eyes of all that he doth converse with; and so it is with all other wicked men, they are loathsom before the Lord.
USE, II.
Secondly, The Consideration of this, should teach us to take heed of sin, and to be watchful over our waies, especially when we live among those that are filthy and unclean; the better your Garments are, the more careful you are of keeping them from filth; one that hath a fine new Garment, Oh how careful is he that he preserves it from spots, stains, yea, dust …oo; your old cloathes you care not for though they be dirty, but now ones you are more careful of: Certainly if your souls were renewed, if you were made new Creatures, if you had the new Robes of our eldest Brother upon you, you would not but be very careful to keep your selves from spots, if the Image of God were drawn upon you. If you have a piece of board in your hous, though there be spots of dirt upon it, you care not; but if you have a curious Picture drawn upon it, then spots of dirty you would account to be a great evil: so where the Image of God is drawn upon the soul, there spots and uncleanness is worse than any where else, and in that regard the sins of Gods people are worse than the sins of any; the finer any cloath is, the worse it is when stained; if you have a stain upon a course piece of Lockram, you will not care: so for men of the world that know not the excellency of their souls, though they be defiled, it is not so much; but the Saints that have refined souls, pure souls, through the Graces of the Spirit of God, their souls are made precious; Oh they should account sin to be a great evil to them, because it is a defilement to such precious souls as they have, and therefore so soon as ever they have committed a sin not to lie in it, for sin, as it is filthiness, so it soaks into the heart: you know when you have a stain, you will presently labor to get it out: Oh let no evil of sin soak into your spirits, but as soon as you have received any spot in your souls, immediately apply the warm blood of Jesus Christ to thy soul, which clenseth …s from all sin. 1 John 1. 7. Not hath clensed, or will clense, but clenseth, at the present, dayly: neither is it simply from sin, but from all sin. Oh run to this fountain that was opened for sin, and for uncleanness. Christs Blood is not yet dry, but of as al powerful and clensing Nature now, as on the first moment it was shed upon the Cross.