A64834:540
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. Repent, §11Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance, Mat: 9.12, 13. 'twas one of the errands he came into the world about; repent then not only for, but from dead works, Heb. 6 1. abhor both thy sin and thy self, repenting as in dust and ashes, Joh 42.6. be full of indignation against, and take a full revenge upon thy sin and self, as true repentance useth to do, 2 Cor. 7.11. to be merciful to sin, is to be cruel to thy soul, to save that alive, is to put this to death; therefore spare it not, but repent unfeignedly from the very bottom of thy heart. Let it grieve thee that God is displeased with thee for thy sin, but much more that he hath been displeased by thee, and by thy sin: bring forth fruit worthy ⟨p. 266⟩of repentance, amendment of life; that thy repentance may appear to be a change of heart and life, of thy mind and manners, yea, not only a reformation, but a renovation, and that thou art a new man.
- 1To repent
The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, he might have driven thee into it by terrors, but he gently leads thee; 'tis indeed his goodness that he will admit us to repent, but that he will call and lead to repentance, is goodness much more: and, Oh, what goodness is it, that he puts us to no greater penance then repentance! Jer. 3.13. God might have said, thou shalt lye in Hell so many thousand years to feel the smart of thy sin, and if he had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much more when he saith, wash and be clean (that I may allude to that of Naamans servant unto him)