A64834:614
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.
1. Take heed of lying and equivocating, which is a thing grown so common in buying and selling, that it passeth but for words of course; It cost me more, and yet sell it for less; I cannot afford it, yet take the money; I will get nothing by you, as if men could buy and sell, and live by the loss; do you think that men believe this, or do you your selves believe it without one or other equivocal distinction? I will not undertake to tell you the words you shall use, but I tell you from the Lord, that you should use but few, and speak in truth, in a multitude of words there wants not sin; for the seller to extol a commodity with variety of words, and tell men, 'tis the best in town, there cannot better be bought for gold, &c. is many times but a Trade-complement; so for the buyer, to say its naught, its naught, and when he is gone, to boast, is not short of a sin, Prov. 20.14. or to say, he will give no more, though he intend to do it. Words ⟨p. 321⟩are precious commodities, and should not be exposed at an adventure: What's beyond yea and nay, and reacheth to superfluity, cometh of evil, and evil comes of it, Mat. 5.37. James 5.12. and if you tell untruths and lies, 'tis as bad as stealing, Levit. 19.11. ye shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lye one unto another. He that lieth, doth constructively steal: and the Apostle, 1 Tim. 1.10. joins liars and stealers, and perjured persons together, and tells us, that the Law is against them all, and that they are contrary to sound Doctrine: and if mans Law were as Gods, there would be a recovery of restitution for what's gotten by lying, as for what is stolen, Levit. 6.1-5. and before you can come to God with your offering, you ought to restore that which is gotten by fraud, as well as that which is gotten by force; yea, to lye is a thing inconsistent with being a Child of God, without (among the dogs) are liars, and shall (if they repent not) have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,