A64833:172
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II.…
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II. little children, III. young men, IV. fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments, also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons / preached by Ralph Venning and fitted by him for the press before his death.
London: printed for John Hancock senior and junior, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Consider I beseech thee, 1. That not believing is an Argument of thy not being yet convinced of the sinfulness of sin, that thou art not yet awakened out of that dead sleep, not come to thy self; for then undoubtedly thou wouldst resolve with the Prodigal to arise and go by Faith towards God, and confess thy sin, and beg as the Publican, Lord be merciful to me a sinner. If thou canst sin and sleep in sin, if thou canst lie contentedly in a perishing and damnable condition, and not cry out for Salvation, surely thou art in a most dangerous case, notwithstanding thy name of Christian; for what will it avail thee to have a name to live and yet be dead? If thou tell me thou hast repented from dead works, I can Answer thee it cannot be so while thou art dead in sins and walkest in them (for they are dead in sin, who live in it) Ephes. 2.1, 2, 3. But beside, if that were true that thou hadst repented, yet know this, that righteousness is not by Repentance but by Faith; so that if thou repent and do no believe, though thou be not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, yet thou art never the near, for the one thing necessary is wanting; and though thou seem too good to go to Hell, yet thou art not good enough to go to Heaven.
2. Consider this too that thou hast had and long had the means of Faith, viz. the Preaching and Hearing of the Gospel by which Faith comes: now what a sad thing is it to hear of Faith and not feel it, to be a hearer and not a Believer? Have ye not heard? yes the Gospel hath sounded loud and long in your ears. 'Tis sad when the Gospel comes to thee, and thou dost not come to God! when it comes in word and not in power! it had been better for thee thou hadst never heard, than to have heard and not believe. Better thou hadst never known the way of righteousness, than knowing it not to walk in it. 'Twill be more easy for Turks than for thee, according as 'twill for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgement than for Capernaum, as our Saviour speaks, Matth. 11. These things are said (as the Gospel is written) that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his Name,