A64834:399
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.
6 The Experiences that any have had of Gods goodness, and their own deceitful and evil hearts, and what they have suffered by sin, do all bear witness against sin: Hath God been so and so good, and are ye so foolish to ⟨p. 184⟩requite the Lord evil for his goodness, which should have lead unto repentance? Deut. 32.6. God was angry with Solomon because he departed from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 1 Kings 11.9. we should draw inferences as Ezra did, Ch. 9.13, 14. After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, seeing thou hast punished us less then our iniquity deserves, and hast given us such a deliverance as this; what then? what ••e is there to be made of it? shall we again break thy Commandments? Oh no! wouldst thou not be angry with us, till thou hadst consumed us? Oh yes! we could expect no other: Hast thou had so many experiences of a deceitful heart? what? and yet so foolish as to trust it, Prov. 28.26. 'Tis sad and dangerous sinning after experiences, Heb. 6.4, 5, 6. Its impossible (very difficult, at least morally impossible) for those that have been enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, &c. to renew them again to repentance, if they fall away: thou hast had many an aching heart for sinning already, oh sin no more, least a worse thing come unto thee. Having such a Cloud of experimental witnesses, let us lay aside the sin that so easily besets us: If you •in against these witnesses, these witnesses will witness against you, and aggravate your condemnation. Let us therefore say to our sins, (as Ephraim to his Idols) with a great indignation, get ye hence, what have we any more to do with you!
6 The Experiences that any have had of Gods goodness, and their own deceitful and evil hearts, and what they have suffer'd by sin, do all bear witness against sin: Hath God been so and so good, and are ye so foolish to ⟨p. 184⟩