A64834:630
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.
Eighthly and lastly, §81Take heed of being any way, in any kind or degree, guilty of other mens sins: Alas, have we not many (too many) sins of our own? but will we have other mens sins to answer for? they being our-other-mens sins, as I may call them. Take heed of being an occasion of, a partaker of, or but accessory to other mens sins. God forbids it, that it may not be, Eph. 5.7-11. 1 Tim. 5.22. and sharply reproves and punisheth it, where he finds it to be, Psal. 50.18. 2 Sam. 12 9. 1 Kings 21.19. in which two last places, King David and King Ahab are found guilty of the murder which was acted by other hands, but (alas) by their commission. 'Tis sad to sin against God our selves, but sadder to make others sin against God too; this way the world is made worse then ⟨p. 333⟩it would be; men are too prone to be vile enough of themselves (were there no Devil to tempt them) but when they have companions and brethren in iniquity, they are apt to sin more lustily. St. Augustine confesseth, that he used to boast of sins he was not guilty of, that he might seem to be as bad as his companions, who thought them the best that were worst. Oh, what sins (many and great) are committed in, with, and for company, that would else haply never have been committed! there would be no stealers, were there no receivers, and therefore the receiver is as bad as the thief; there would be no adulteresses, were there no adulterers. Many in Hell would probably have been less wicked then they were (and so have had less torment then they have) had they not been furthered by others their companions. Though all sins come from the heart (and may there be acted when men are alone) yet as to matter of fact, some sins cannot be committed by persons alone, but every such sin hath a double sinner, if not a greater number.