A64834:609
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. Take heed of sins of Commission.
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.
Take heed of Solomons old age sin, a kind of dotage which suffered him to apostatize, 1 Kings 11.3. be sound in the faith, as in Titus 2.2. take heed of the peevishness of old age, be patient (saith the Text) take heed of the covetousness of old age, be charitable, saith the Text. Be fruitful in your old age, that your latter end may be better then your beginning, and the better, because it may be your beginning was bad: and that your last days may be your best days, and so you may dye in a good old age, which is best so, when you dye good in an old age, and are such as St. Paul the aged, who had finished his course; 'tis a Crown and Glory to be an old good Disciple, as Mnason was, Acts 21.16.
2. §21Take heed of the sins which men and women are guilty of, as they are relatives, and stand in relation to one another; art thou husband or wife? take heed of being false to, or but feigning of love: art parent or child? art master or servant? take heed of the sins which do attend either of the relations wherein thou standest. I had thought indeed to have particularized the sins, but they are so commonly written of and known, that I shall forbear that, and only hint this direction and counsel, which I have often thought may be of great good use, viz. That every relative person, as husband, wife, &c. would read and (if they can) write out, and pray that God would write in their hearts the several directions, which the Scripture so frequently and abundantly gives to all relations, and keep them before their (as holy David did the loving-kindness of God before his) eyes, that they may walk in the truth. Relative Duties are too little minded, but if we did consider that we are that (and usually but that) really which we are relatively, 'twould hugely oblige and quicken us to be relatively good. 'Tis not like that they are good Christians, who are bad husbands or wives, bad parents or children, bad superiors or inferiors in their places.