A64834:522
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.
Yet if we should take the Text as interpreted by them, all that can be said of it, is but this, that it speaks as they think, not that there are (but there are thought to be) pleasures of sin. 'Tis an ordinary thing for the Scripture to speak of such a thing, as if it were, and to say it is, which is but supposed to be by others. As for instance, ⟨p. 254⟩1 Cor. 8.4-6. there are Gods many, and Lords many, not that really there was any such, but by others they were reckoned such: So in this Text he speaks (after the manner of men) concerning the pleasures of sin, as they are reputed; and this is confirmed by a passage of the Apostle, 2 Pet. 2.13. they count it pleasure to riot in the day-time; 'tis no pleasure, but they accounted it a pleasure; 'twas none, for they did enjoy but a mock-sport or pleasure, while they sported themselves in their own deceivings: so that in counting it pleasure to riot, they deceive themselves; they suppose it a sport and pleasure, but 'tis not so. Yet again,
If there be any pleasure, it can be but to the body and sensual part of man, which is a pleasure to the beast, not to the man: the body is but the case of man (a mud-wall Cottage thatched ov•• with hair) 'tis the Soul that is the excellency and glory of man, the [Greek or Hebrew] the man of the man, and whoever will take […] right measure of what's good or evil to man must take it especially with respect and relation to the Soul. He much mistook the Nature […] his Soul, who bid it take ease in eating and drinking; alas, the Soul cannot feed on flesh, '•i• a Spirit, and must have a diet peculiar and proper, i. e. spiritual. Very usually the pleasure of the body prove the Souls pain; to eat an• drink is the bodies pleasure, but gluttony an drunkenness (which are the sins of eating and drinking) are the Souls pain, and many time the bodies too: To take rest when weary, is th bodies pleasure, but to be idle (which is the si