A64834:91
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 In a Moral sense, for
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.
7 And lastly, 7'Tis evident that sin hath blinded man, that he can be content to be led, though but •y a dog: Inter Caecos Inscus regnare potest, A •alf-eyed man may reign among the blind: Would […] man be led by a dog if he were not blind? he would scorn it: Our Saviour tells us, that the blind lead the blind, Mat. 15.14. and surely •f ⟨p. 38⟩men were not blind, they would never be led by blind guides; but now being in the dark, suitable guides please them best; like people, like Priest, as God complains, Jerem. 3.31. The Prophets prophesy falsely, and the Priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so; falsehood and flattery was their business, and the peoples choice and pleasure: God and godliness, righteousness and holiness were troublesome and tedious, they must have smooth things, and soft pillows, and alas they were fitted to an hair, this suited their tooth, and pleased their palate well: but all this while, it argues undeniably that men are dark and blind, who can be content with such dogs to lead them, yea not only dumb dogs, but blind guides, yea and false Prophets too, who lead them into the Ditch of Sin, and Dungeon of Hell! What doth all this argue but mans darkness? and what doth that infer but sins sinfulness in darkening the understanding of man? Is not light good? God that made it saw it so; but now, that the soul is without knowledge, it is not good, Prov. 19.2. So that sin is against the good of man, in putting out the sight of his eyes, which is worse (in a spiritual sense) then if it had put out the eyes of his body. Mans eyes are very dear to him, God expresseth the tenderness he hath for his people by this, that htey are to him as the apple of his eye Zech. 2.8. And the Apostle sets out the love of the Galatians by this, that they would have pulled out their eyes for him, Gal. 4.15