A64834:516
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.
2 §21As there is no good called Profit, so none of that called Honour to be had by sin, 'tis not a creditable thing: there are that glory in, and make boast of their sin, but they glory in their ⟨p. 249⟩shame, Phil. 3.19. and surely sooner or later, they will be ashamed of their glory. Sin is not a thing of good report, it doth (malè audire) hear ill, and hath an ill name all the world over. Can that be honourable which is unreasonable? can that be an honour to man which debaseth and degrades him? the unreasonableness of sin appears by the reasonableness of the Law, sin hath no reason for it; for the Law (which hath all reason in it) is against it: that sin degrades men, I showed above. Take the sine and brave things of this world, wherein men pride themselves, and these cannot cover the nakedness of sinners, much less be an ornament or honour to them, for that can never be an honour or grace to the body, which is a disgrace to the soul. That cannot be an honour to men, which they are generally ashamed to own, at least under its own name. But though all the world should admire and celebrate the grandeur of sinners, yet God accounts them vile, though they sit at the upper end of the world, and God is, doubtless, the best Judge of Honour; that cannot be honourable to man, that is abominable to God: Luke 16.15. even appearing righteousness, which is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God, much more then is sin it self. Again,
2 §21As there is no good called Profit, so none of that called Honour to be had by sin, 'tis not a creditable thing: there are that glory in, and make boast of their sin, but they glory in their ⟨p. 249⟩shame, Phil. 3.19. and surely sooner or later, they will be ashamed of their glory. Sin is not a thing of good report, it doth (malè audire) hear ill, and hath an ill name all the world over. Can that be honourable which is unreasonable? can that be an honour to man which debaseth and degrades him? the unreasonableness of sin appears by the reasonableness of the Law, sin hath no reason for it; for the Law (which hath all reason in it) is against it: that sin degrades men, I shewed above. Take the sine and brave things of this world, wherein men pride themselves, and these cannot cover the nakedness of sinners, much less be an ornament or honour to them, for that can never be an honour or grace to the body, which is a disgrace to the soul. That cannot be an honour to men, which they are generally ashamed to owne, at least under its own name. But though all the world should admire and celebrate the grandeur of sinners, yet God accounts them vile, though they sit at the upper end of the world, and God is, doubtless, the best Judge of Honour; that cannot be honourable to man, that is abominable to God: