A64834:627
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.
6. §61Take heed of them that men call Secret Sins. There are but too many who bless themselves in their wickedness, because (as they think) none knows how wicked they are; they are drunkards, but 'tis in the night; they are unclean, but 'tis in the dark; their Mystery of iniquity trades in the works of darkness and in the dark: indeed, if men could sin, and no eye see them, they might seem to sin securely, but this is a falsehood as well as a mistake. I have met with ⟨p. 330⟩two stories, which may haply serve you in some stead; the one is of a Maid that was tempted to be unchaste and unclean; the person that solicited her, promised her to do great matters for her, if she would yield; I will (saith he) do any thing for thee; wilt thou so? (said she) then burn thine hand in that fire: Oh, that's unreasonable, answers he; but replied she, 'tis much more unreasonable, that I should burn in Hell for thy sake. Oh, who would venture his soul to torment, to gratify his own or another's pleasure and lust? The other (which comes to the case in hand) is of a Maid solicited to the same folly, who would not give her consent, unless he would bring her to a place where no eye could see them; whereupon he brought her to a very dark place, and prosecuted his solicits, saying, here no body can see us: Oh but, said she, here God sees us. Oh that we would tell all the tempting Courtships of men and Devils, that we can never sin, but there will be two witnesses present to observe and register it, our own selves and God himself: we owe a great deal of reverence to our selves, and (though none were by) we should revere our consciences and our selves; what! shall we be witnesses against our selves, and be condemned by our own testimony? and yet if our hearts condemn us, God (who is greater then our hearts, and knoweth all things) will much more condemn us: It made St. Paul very modest, when he knew nothing of which to condemn himself, yet that the Lord was to judge him, 1 Cor. 3.4. we cannot escape the sight no more then the judgment of God. He sees us, and ⟨p. 331⟩what we do when under the fig-tree, though (as Adam and Eve did) we cover our selves with fig-leaves; and he will one day call to us (as to them) Adam, sinner where art thou? if thou go up to Heaven, he is there, 'tis his Throne; if down to Hell, he is there, 'tis his Prison; thou canst not go from his presence: