A64834:441
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.
I but, saith sin (9) 'tis but repent, and God will forgive thee: to this we have to say, that he who promised forgiveness to them that repent, hath not promised repentance to them that sin; beside, if sin were to cost no more but repentance, one in his wits would be loth to buy repentance at so dear a rate; Repentance (though it may free from greater, yet it) puts ⟨p. 208⟩men to more grief and pain, then ever sin could afford them pleasure. I but, saith sin (10) thou hast scaped well enough hitherto, no evil hath yet befallen thee: to this say, it may be 'tis so much the worse, and not to be punished may be the worst punishment, Isa. 1.5. Hos. 4.14 17. but what will it cost if God do awaken me? if not that, what will it cost when God shall damn me? But then saith sin (11) 'tis but thine infirmity, thou canst not help it: this is a thing (tell sin) that none but fools and children can pretend to; beside, to plead for infirmities, is more then an infirmity, and that which is but an infirmity to day, may become a disease to morrow, if not prevented; when once the will is engaged, 'tis past an infirmity, and is become a sin. If these (or other like) do not prevail, then it speaks more openly; Sin, (saith Sin) either there's no such thing, there's no difference between good and evil; as all things come alike to all, so all things are alike; or saith Sin, evil is good in Gods sight, else he would judge it, Mal. 2.17. his silence bids thee think that he is such an one as thy self, Psal. 50. but here tell sin, that this defeats and confutes it self, and proves nothing more clear then that sin is exceeding sinful: if there be no sin, or no difference between good and evil, to what purpose are these different words used by sin to prove that there is no difference? to say 'tis only in imagination and not real, is to deny that there is any such thing as sense and conscience, which every man owns, and cannot deny without denying himself and God to be. Between good and evil, there is ⟨p. 209⟩more difference then between light and darkness, life and death, ease and pain, food and poison; and yet these are real, and not the differences of our fancy only. That all things come alike to all, is not always true, there are contrary Instances; and to say, That all things are alike, is never true, but is a manifest contradiction.