Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #988613 in Books
• Published on: 1992-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 345 pages

Customer Reviews

A Masterful Treatise On The Great Evil Of Sin
The Evil of Evils addresses a great need and exposes a great weakness of those who are followers of Christ in our day. The theme of the book is that there is infinitely more evil in the least sin than there is in the greatest affliction. The renowned Puritan preacher Jeremiah Burroughs shows in great detail the fact that there is no good in sin at all and that,though affliction is not desirable in itself,God uses it in the lives of His people to accomplish much good. Rarely do modern authors even begin to approach the depth and breadth that the Puritan's reached in exposing sin for the immense evil that it is. This is due in part to the strong opposition to such preaching and teaching that will often be encountered. On p.28 Burroughs makes this comment about how evil sin is "Sin is so opposite to God that, if it were possible that the least drop of it could get into God's nature,God would instantly cease to be God." Sin is so opposed to the nature and the very existence of God that it would destroy Him if it had the power to do so. Mr. Burroughs then seeks to show how sin is opposite to man's good. The truth set forth in 'The Evil Of Evils' is so much needed in our day because it is to be feared that many in our day are much more fearful of the least aflliction and have very little fear of the greatest sin. If the believer is to bring every thought captive to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ then sin must be exposed for the great evil that it is,and affliction should be viewed as an instument that God uses to conform His people to the image of His Son. The Word of God exhorts the people of God to count it all joy in the midst of trials but never is this to be their attitude toward sin. This book will help the Christian reader to have and maintain a godly perspective with regard to sin and affliction.

Why Sin is to be Feared, Avoided, and Hated Even More Than Affliction
Most people will do all they can to avoid affliction, but do very little to avoid sin. The one recurring theme of this book: it is better to choose affliction than sin. As Burroughs expounds godly wisdom from Scripture, he shows us why nothing is to be more feared than sin, nothing is to be more avoided than sin, and nothing is to be more hated than sin.

He effectively shows that sin is the greatest "evil of evils" by exposing the nature of sin: how it is so opposite to God, wrongs and offends God, most opposite to man's good (and more opposite to man's good than affliction is), takes away excellencies in all things, of the same nature as the devil, a furtherance of the devil's work, fullfills the devil's will, makes man conformable to the devil, etc. Along with pungent analogies, Burroughs opens our eyes to see the ugly heinous nature of sin and exposes sin for what it truly is, so that we may once again have a dread of sin, a hatred for sin, and a love for holiness.

Simply the Most Forceful Theological Exposition on Sin
It is mind-boggling that Jeremiah Burroughs wrote and preached at least twenty interconnected sermons about sin, whose manuscripts were bundled into a 345-page book entitled "The Evil of Evils." Puritan ministers have this habit, that is, to handle a particular passage of Scriptures with such a level of depth and meticulousness, and with such soul-piercing applications that few or none even come close.

After briefly elaborating on the thesis of the book being "there is a greater evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction" taken from Job 36:21, Burroughs gives nine excellent corollaries (p.18-23); nine intensely practical corollaries, specifically the last one. I wouldn't write them down here so I won't overwhelm the readers with excessive content of the book, but would invite them to read for themselves. The next interesting part is where an allusion that the reason there seems to be much evil in afflictions is precisely because there is much sin in them, while it is not strictly true that all afflictions are the result of sins as we consider two examples of Adam and Job in the Old Testament. This argument is covered in the third section under the heading of sin being opposite to all good (p.180-191), after an excellent treatment on the depth of the loathsomeness and the dreadfulness of sin in relation to God and to human beings. Here Burroughs argues sin as being the strength of all evils, the sting of affliction, the curse, the shame and the eternality of all evil, where though he uses the word "evil," these statements are applicable as well when the word "evil" is replaced by "affliction." This is worth mulling over. The reason why there is so much power in the intensity, so much sting, curse, shame and eternality in affliction is because there is sin in it.

Another thought-provoking, conscience-awakening, and soul-stinging section is when he talks about one who "may be in a most miserable condition, though he is delivered from outward affliction" under which he proposes two cases; "if a man is prosperous by sin," and "when one becomes more sinful by their prosperity" (p.257-271). These should properly fall under the application section though Burrough does not divide the treatise this way. Yet another section that I am most stunned and stung with is the last one where he examines six possible cases: (1) those who are more afraid of affliction than sin, (2) those who are careful to keep themselves from sin, but merely for fear of affliction, (3) those who will sin to avoid affliction, (4) those who, when they are under affliction, are more sensible of the strength of affliction than of sin, (5) those who get out of affliction by sinful courses, and yet think they are doing well, and (6) those, who after being delivered from affliction, can bless themselves in their sin (p.330-344).

"The Evil of Evils" is a dangerous read but on the other hand, a most necessary read. It is not a comfortable read, though it's not all gloom and doom as Burroughs did not forget to offer the gospel and other compassionate pastoral counsels (see p.272-273, 302-306, 307-309). In closing, he charges the readers as follows in regard to all he has "said of the evil of sin,"

"... know that every one of you here, at that great Audit Day (he was referring to the judgment day), must be brought to answer for what you have heard, and how you have heard, and for what effect it has had on you all. Consider what has been said, and the Lord give you understanding in all things" (p.345).