A64834:579
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.
SIN, THE PLAGUE of PLAGUES; OR Sinful Sin the worst of Evils. › 2. Against sinful Words.
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. Unless a man take heed to his words, and bridle his tongue, that mans Religion is vain, and consequently in vain: 'tis unprofitable, idle, and impertinent, James 1.26. he doth but seem to be religious, and thereby both flatters and deceives himself: 'tis too much to seem to be evil, and too little but to seem to be good: appearance in evil is too much, but appearance of or in good, is not enough. If he seem to be religious, and doth not bridle his tongue, notwithstanding his seeming to be, he is not religious: A seeming Religion is worse then none, as vanity is less then nothing, Isa. 40.17. He that hath a form, and but a form of godliness, denying the power thereof, is worse then he that hath not so much as a form, or makes no profession of godliness. Oh, how should this oblige us to take heed of tongue-sins!
3. Sinful words are arguments of sinful hearts; words are the image of the mind, and the declaration of it: as a man is known by his picture, so an heart by its words. Thou art a Galilean, thy speech bewrayeth or discovers thee. We may know what Country-men any are by their language, whether French, Dutch, &c. whether of the heavenly or hellish World. 'Tis ⟨p. 294⟩out of the abundance (the fullness and overflowing of) the heart, that the mouth speaketh, Mat. 12.34. broach any full vessel, and what's there will come out; words are as the broaching of the heart, and giving it vent, and then out comes that which was within. 'Tis indeed both possible and common for persons to speak well, when they mean ill, peace is in their mouth, when war is in their heart; but that heart is hypocritical, and out of that double heart, which is full of Hypocrisy, they speak with their tongues, as Psal. 12.2