A64834:472
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.
4. That Sin is worse then Hell; §41Hell is but a punishment, Sin is a crime, which hath more evil then the punishment, and is that which made Hell the punishment thereof; yea, the greatness of this punishment argues the greatness of the crime, and the sinfulness of sin; Gods being glorified upon men in such a way, is a clear and full proof what an evil thing it is to sin against and dishonour a God, and consequently that Hell it self doth not so much hurt (no not to man) as sin doth. Hell indeed is a dismal place of horror and torment, the extremity of suffering, but never had an existence till sin had; nor never could admit of such names as it doth, and such torments, if sin were not there. 'Tis storied as a Saying of Anselm's, that if Sin and Hell were set before him, and he must go through one of them, he would rather choose to go through Hell then Sin: 'tis sin, 'tis sin, that's the worst of Hell, and worse then Hell: 'tis that which makes sinners cry out of the unhabitableness of devouring ⟨p. 226⟩sire, and everlasting burnings, which are no terror to righteous and upright souls, as 'tis, Isa. 33.14.15. 'Tis sin that makes Hell to be Hell; God was never angry, till sin made him so, his wrath was never kindled but by sin; now as sin made Hell, so the more sin, the more Hell, as Tyre and Sidon feel beyond Sodom and Gomorrah. If there were no Hell but such as Cain and Judas felt within them, 'twere yet a great one; and they would tell you 'twere damnation enough to be a sinner, and to feel the horrors of a guilty and accusing conscience.
4. That Sin is worse then Hell; §41Hell is but a punishment, Sin is a crime, which hath more evil then the punishment, and is that which made Hell the punishment thereof; yea, the greatness of this punishment argues the greatness of the crime, and the sinfulness of sin; Gods being glorified upon men in such a way, is a clear and full proof what an evil thing it is to sin against and dishonour a God, and consequently that Hell it self doth not so much hurt (no not to man) as sin doth. Hell indeed is a disinal place of horrour and torment, the extremity of suffering, but never had an existence till sin had; nor never could admit of such names as it doth, and such torments, if sin were not there. 'Tis storied as a Saying of Anselmes, that if Sin and Hell were set before him, and he must go through one of them, he would rather chuse to go through Hell then Sin: 'tis sin, 'tis sin, that's the worst of Hell, and worse then Hell: 'tis that which makes sinners cry out of the unhabitableness of devouring