A64834:626
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.
That no sin against a great God can be properly (though compared with a greater, it may be) a little sin; but be it never so little, to account it so, makes it greater: and the nature of the greatest sin is in the least; a spark of fire, a drop of poison hath the nature of much more, yea of all, James 2.10. And God hath severely punished them that have been looked upon as little sins, yea some of them well-meant sins, as that of Uzza's taking hold of the Ark, when the Cart shook, 2 Sam. 6.6, 7. When they did but look into the Ark, it cost them dear, 1 Sam. 6.19. gathering of a few sticks on the Sabbath, was severely punished, Numb. 15.32.-36. These seem small matters, but in sin we must not consider so much what is, as why 'tis forbidden, and who forbids it. Beside, a little sin makes way for a greater, as a little boy-thief entering an house, makes way for a man-thief to enter; 'tis hard to sin once, and but once, to commit one little sin, and but one; give the Devil and sin an inch, and they will take an Ell; vain babbling increaseth to more ungodliness: a little leak in a ship may by degrees fill it with water and sink it; ⟨p. 329⟩the Devil doth not much care by what sins we go to Hell, whether small or great, formality or profaneness. And to conclude, he that makes no conscience of little sins, makes conscience of no sin; he that breaks the least of Gods Commandments, hath none or very little love for God; for herein is love, that we keep his Commandments, and they are not grievous, no not the greatest of them, much less the least, 1 Joh. 5. To have respect to all the Commandments of God, is an Argument of a sound heart, and excludes shame, as appears by comparing Psal. 119.6. with 80. A good conscience is an universal conscience; and if a man make no conscience of little sins, to which the temptations can be but little how little conscience is that man like to make of great sins, to which there are greater temptations? If Judas betray his Lord for thirty pieces, what would he not do for more? Consider what our blessed Saviour saith,