A64834:138
Sin, the Plague of Plagues
Sin, the plague of plagues, or, Sinful sin the worst of evils a treatise of sins trial and arraignment, wherein sin is accused for being, proved to be, and condemned for being exceeding sinful : and that 1. as against God, his nature, attributes, works, will, law, image, people, glory and existence, 2. as against man, his good and welfare of body and soul, in this life, and that to come : with the use and improvement to be made of this doctrine, that men may not be damned, but saved, &c. : being the substance of many sermons preached many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning ...Sin, the plague of plagues, or, Sinful sin the worst of evils a treatise of sins tryal and arraignment, wherein sin is accused for being, proved to be, and condemned for being exceeding sinful : and that 1. as against God, his nature, attributes, works, will, law, image, people, glory and existence, 2. as against man, his good and welfare of body and soul, in this life, and that to come : with the use and improvement to be made of this doctrine, that men may not be damned, but saved, &c. : being the substance of many sermons preached many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning ...
London: printed for John Hancock, 1669
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
More particularly sin hath separated man.
1 1From the sight and seeing of God: Man could talk with God face to face, as a man converseth with his friend, but (woe and alas!) man cannot see his face and live: One of the first discoveries of mans sinfulness and misery by it was; that he could not endure (but hid himself from) the sight, yea and the voice of God, Genes. 3.8. Our happiness lies so much in the sight of God, that it hath the name of Beatifical Vision, a sight which passeth all sights: When our Saviour prays for the happiness of his, he doth not only pray that they may be where he is, but that they may see his glory, Joh. 17.24. And this is the glory which doth not yet appear, that we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. They that are regenerate, and enlightened from above, and are refined and clarified, have some glimpses and gradual sights of God, and yet 'tis comparatively called darkness; we see but darkly (as 'twere his back-parts) through a glass, which is short of seeing face to face, 1 Cor. 13.12. We do live by faith now rather then by sight, as the Apostle doth express it, 2 Cor. 5.7. 'Tis true, faith is to us instead of our eyes, for 'tis the evidence of things not seen, Hebr. 11.1. and by it we look (as Moses did) to him who is, and to his things which are invisible, 2 Cor. 4.18. Seeing then mans happiness lies so much in seeing God, what an exceeding great mischief hath sin done to man in separating him from the sight of God, that man cannot see God and live, whereas the best life is in seeing God.