A64834:241
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.
3 God will not allow us to sin, though we should professedly do it for his glory. Sin can never directly glorify God, and though he know how to bring good out of evil, yet he will not that we should sin for him, who needs not us, much less our sin: God will take, and is righteous in taking vengeance, though our unrighteousness commend and set off the righteousness of God, Rom. 3.5. Though the truth of God have more abounded through thy lye, yet thou wilt be found a sinner, Rom. 3.7. so that for this good, evil must not be done, v. 8. they that cast out their Brethren, saying, let God be glorified, yet God will put them to shame, Is. 66.5. And though they thought in putting them to death, they should do God good service, yet God reckons it as their serving the devil, John 16.2. with Rev. 2.10. When Saul excused his sin under the pretence of Sacrifice, it was yet called Rebellion, and reputed as witchcraft, a most abominable thing, 1 Sam. 15. Job upbraids his friends with this irreligious piety; saith he, Job 13.7. Will ye speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? Surely; v. 10. he will reprove you for it: Sin is so much the worse for being committed in the name of the Lord; men thereby do (as it were) make God to serve the devils designs: ⟨p. 102⟩Nay […] will be no excuse that men (like […], Jud••, &c.) fulfil the counsel and […] will (i.e. determination of God, as to what eventually shall be) if they sin against his revealed will, which is the rule by which men are to walk, and to which they ought to be obedient: •o that by all this it plainly appears, how that God witnesseth against sin, that we may not sin for the good of any, nor for any good, no not for God.
3 God will not allow us to sin, though we should professedly do it for his glory. Sin can never directly glorifie God, and though he know how to bring good out of evil, yet he will not that we should sin for him, who needs not us, much less our sin: God will take, and is righteous in taking vengeance, though our unrighteousness commend and set off the righteousness of God,