A64834:182
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.
SIN, THE PLAGUE of PLAGUES; OR Sinful Sin the worst of Evils. › Second part of Damnation;
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.
Which the Schools (and justly) call paena sensus, 1the punishment of sense; if 'twere not for this, that men will be then sensible of, and feel both ⟨p. 78⟩their loss and their gain, viz. the pain which they have gotten by their sins, Damnation would seem to be but a dream, or an imagination; but their senses as well as their understanding, feeling as well as fancy, will tell them what a dreadful thing 'tis to be damned; a thing which I wish with all my soul, that none of you may ever know but by hearing of it, and that the hearing may be a means to prevent the feeling of it. But now, what shall I do? who that hath not been in Hell, can tell what Hell is? who would go thither (periculum facere) to try what 'tis? Surely, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, as what God hath prepared for them that love him, so for them that hate him, that is, for sinners, impenitent sinners. It is sins design and work to make man eternally miserable, to undo him soul and body for ever. Now the better to represent this doleful state and woeful misery, I shall search the Scriptures, and endeavour to fathom the depth of expressions used there, that we may learn from thence what Damnation is, and from thence the sinfulness of sin, in relation whereunto I lay down three Propositions in general.
Which the Schools (and justly) call paena sensus, 1the punishment of sense; if 'twere not for this, that men will be then sensible of, and feel both ⟨p. 78⟩their loss and their gain, viz. the pain which they have gotten by their sins, Damnation would seem to be but a dream, or an imagination; but their senses as well as their understanding, feeling as well as fancy, will tell them what a dreadful thing 'tis to be damned; a thing which I wish with all my soul, that none of you may ever know but by hearing of it, and that the hearing may be a means to prevent the feeling of it. But now, what shall I do? who that hath not been in Hell, can tell what Hell is? who would go thither (periculum facere) to try what 'tis? Surely, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive, as what God hath prepared for them that love him, so for them that hate him, that is, for sinners, impenitent sinners. It is sins design and work to make man eternally miserable, to undo him soul and body for ever. Now the better to represent this doleful state and woful misery, I shall search the Scriptures, and endeavour to fathom the depth of expressions used there, that we may learn from thence what Damnation is, and from thence the sinfulness of sin, in relation whereunto I lay down three Propositions in general.