Chap 34 XI. sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction, for that sin makes all the creatures
in one, and infinitely more; and when that comes against the creature, it must needs make them miserable: its another manner of matter than afflictions, when all in God comes out against the soul; and there is not any one sin but endangers this.
CHAP. XXXIV.
Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction, for that sin make all the creatures of God at enmity with a sinner.
Further, in the next place, The evil that sin has beyond all the evil of affliction is this: That sin, it does make all the creatures of God to be at an enmity with a sinner: I say, sin puts a sinner in this condition, that all the creatures of God are Enemies unto the sinner; they be all as the Host of God that come out against a sinner, ready armed with God's wrath, ready bent to execute the wrath of God against a sinner: the creatures of God are called God's Host, not only because they be armed with God's wrath, but because there is in them a propensity to destroy those sinners that sin against the God of their being.
Every creature is ready and does as it were cry to God, Oh Lord, when wilt thou give me commission to take away such a wretch,
Lord, such a one is a filthy, wretched Blasphemer, a Sabbath breaker, a drunkard, and thou livest all this while, and hast been at peace, and yet they are still crying, Lord, shall I go and take him away, and send him to his own place?
If thou couldest hear it, all the creatures in the world cry thus, and they be all desirous to send thee to thy own place, and take thee away.
I think when I see a sinner, I hear all the creatures cry as did Abishai the son of Zerviah; Abishai was one of David's Soldiers,
when Shimei cursed David: Shall I go and cut off this dead Dogs neck? So he said concerning Shimei, Let me go over I pray thee, and take off his head; why should this dead Dog curse my Lord? So when thou art blaspheming God, the creatures look upon thee with disdain, and they rise against thee, and all the creatures say, Oh this dead Dog, this wretched creature, how long shall he live to blaspheme God? shall I cut off his head? shall I go and send him down to his own place? It would terrify thy heart if thou shouldest hear every creature crying to God to be thy Executioner from him.
And certainly when God gives commission, and God falls upon thee, every creature will fall upon thee: As you read in the 2 Sam. 18. when Joab fell upon Absalom, presently the ten men fell upon him, and slue him too, as soon as Joab gave the stroke. So, as soon as God gives the stroke against the sinner, certainly all other creatures be ready to fall upon the sinner also.
So you see that sin brings a man to such a condition that all creatures are at enmity with him; whereas when once the soul is reconciled to God, and sin pardoned, all creatures be at Peace with you, you are then in League with all the creatures. We should account it an evil condition to be in such a place where all the men in the Nation are our Enemies, and stand ready to murder us:
Certainly all the sinners in the world are in the midst of the creatures of God that stand ready armed with God's wrath against them.
Hence it is, That when once God enlightens (I beseech you observe it) the conscience of a sinner, he fears every thing; The wicked flee, when none pursue them. It is very observable of Cain, after he had committed that sin of slaying his Brother, then said Cain, Every one that meets me, will slay me: Who was there then in the world? No body but his Father and Mother: and yet every one that meets him will slay him, he was afraid of every thing, and every one, because he had sinned against the Lord. So every enlightened conscience that knows what sin means, when he comes to have conscience awakened, they be afraid of every thing: If there be thundrings, &
lightenings, & storms, & tempests, it sees the wrath of God in this Storm and Tempest, Thunder and Lightening; any stirs abroad in the world be but as Messengers of God's wrath against me, said the awakened conscience:
This is the misery of a sinner; and then how much is the evil of sin greater than affliction!
CHAP. XXXV.
XII. sin is a greater Evil to man than affliction, because it puts a man under the Curse of God.
XII. Nay further, It puts the creature under the Curse of God: it does separate the creature for evil. Psal. 4. 3. It is said, God separates the righteous man for himself. So sin separates the creature for evil, and makes him Anathema, accursed: For God in Deut. 27 26. said,
Cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it; he is accursed in all that he has and does: The Curse of God is against him. And here observe, sin does not only deserve a Curse, that the creature should be accursed, but of its own nature it is a Curse, and makes the creature accursed in its own nature.
As thus, you may see the evil of sin by the excellency of Grace: Thus Grace does not only bring excellency upon the creature, and brings a blessing, but of it self it separates the creature for a blessing. For what is holiness but grace? they be usually expressed for one and the same; now what is Holiness but the Consecration of a thing for God; so that when Holiness comes into the heart, that is nothing else but that gracious Principle whereby the soul of a man or