A64834:474
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.
1. §51There is more evil in it, then good in all the Creation, that is, it doth us more hurt then all the Creation can do us good; when we are sick or wounded, there are many medicinal Creatures that can help to recover and cure us; but of this evil of sin there is no cure by any or all the Creatures: 'twas too hard for that good wherein we were created, and all created good ever since hath not been able to recover us from it: no, 'tis not but by God that we can be either pardoned or purged of it; all the Angels in Heaven could neither pay our debt for us, nor cleanse our hearts for us; and God himself doth new-make us, for mending would not serve our turn, and therefore mans recovery is called a new Creation, and the man, a new Man, created, &c. Eph. 4. and 'twas Davids prayer, create in•••e a clean heart, Psal. 51. Sin is an evil past the skill and power of all the Creation to cure and cleanse.
- 1Other proofs […] sin is the worst […].Other proofs 〈…〉 sin is the worst 〈…〉.
2. There's no evil but this to be repented of: God allows us to sigh and groan, to mourn and lament at other evils; but for this he calls for and requires repentance, which is a severe thing, full of rebuke and disgrace to man, though it be a grace. How great is that evil for which a man must cry Peccavi, and to bring him to the confession whereof, and repentance for and from it, other evils are inflicted!