The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 3 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Spiritual Truths are above the light of Natural Reason. As, 1 The necessity of a new Birth. 2 The more a wicked man prospers, the more cursed he is. 3 That God should work the worst things for the Saints good. 4 That the Promises are the greatest riches. 5 That all the world is vanity. 6 That we must be righteous by the righteousness of another. 7 That the Foundation of all Happiness is Self-denial. 8 That there is greater evil in the least sin, than in the greatest affliction.
THere are other things that are very much above the light of mens Natural Reasons. As,
1 The necessity of a new Birth, of Regeneraeion, that a man must not only be better than he was, but that he must be born again: you know in John, 3. concerning Nicodemus, that was a man of great Parts and Understanding, a Ruler among the people; yet how childish was this man in the great Principle of Regeneration; saith he, must a man enter into his mothers womb and be born again? How can these things be?
2 And then there's this thing that is mightily above mans Reason, That the more a man prospers, if he be wicked, the more cursed he is: This Reason cannot apprehend, but is cross to it.
3 And then, That God should work the worst things that do befal the Saints for good unto them; though it be never so cross and ill to them, yet that this should work for their good is a Principle beyond Reason, that they cannot understand: and men that walk according to Reason can never come to beleeve this.
4 Besides, That the greatest Riches that any man can have in the world, they do consist in the Promises: these Principles are foolish things to such as walk by Reason: the Promises that are in the Word wil make a man richer than all the Gold and Silver in the world: A man that's meerly guided by Reason, laughs at these things, and thinks them but meer silly conceits of men.
5 Next, That all the World is Vanity; that's a foolish thing to one that's guided by Reason; What! that all the Pomp and Glory of all the Monarchs on the Earth, that it's nothing but Vanity! Come and preach of such things, that our Riches are in the Promises, and all the World is but Vanity, and such a one as walks by Reason, slights and disregards all.
6 Another Principle that he can have no skil in is this, That we must be Righteous by the Righteousness of another, that nothing but a perfect Righteousness, and a Righteousness out of our selves there must be to present us as acceptable before God: This is beyond Reason.
7 Another is this, That the Foundation of all Happiness is Self-denial, and Mortification; that if a man would be happy, he must lay the foundation of his happiness in denying of himself, in denying his will, and his own thoughts, in the mortifying of the flesh, in the opposing, especially that sin that he is most inclinable to; and there he may lay the very Ground-work of his Happiness: This Reason wil not attain unto.
8 The last is this, That there is greater evil in the least sin than there is in the greatest affliction, as I have demonstrated out of that great Point that I have longVide, The Evil of Evils, or the Sinfulness of sin. since treated upon, That the Evil of the least Sin is greater than the Evil of the greatest Affliction whatsoever; That it is a greater evil for a man but to tell a lye, or to have an unclean thought, and to give way to it, than it is to suffer the loss of all his Estate, than to have all that he hath consum'd by fire or water, than to have any Evil that can be imagined to befal him: Now come and tel this to a man that hath nothing but Reason, that walks by the sight of his Eyes, these things are a matter rather of scorn and derision to him. And yet truly, though many that do thus walk according to these Principles, do not own them, and say that they walk thus; but God sees it that they are acted by such things as these are, and for such Principles as should carry them on in the way of Eternal Life, they are above them, and they do not apprehend them: I affirm God knows it, and your Consciences know it, and may tell you that you do not apprehend those Principles that are higher than Reason. But those that walk by Faith, walk by these Principles that are thus above Reason; therefore you know what the Scripture saith, That the Natural man perceives not the things of God, neither can he, for they are Spiritually discerned, 1 Cor.Animalis Homo, i. e. Homo non alia quam Naturali animi luce praeditus. Beza. 2. 14. The Natural man cannot receive them, they are but foolish and silly things to him: The Natural Man, foreign A man that hath only Natural abilities and perfections.foreign here, is the same word that in the Epistle of Jude, verse 19. is translated the Sensual man; that is, one that is carried on by his Natural Soul: As there is in Man a Sensitive Soul, so there is in Man a Rational Soul: the Natural man here is one that is acted by his Rational Soul, and such a one receives not the things of the Spirit of God▪ the Water riseth no higher than the Spring whence it came; so Natural men can ascend no higher than Nature: such a meer Animal, a sapless fellow we may read of in Psal. 14. 1. he cannot receive them, they are foolishness to him, because they are Spiritually discerned; and as I hinted before in the matter of Sence, so here in Reason, it is the design of God to advance Faith above it, and to beat down Sence, to mortifie the flesh. Now the danger in mens walking according to Reason follows.